“Oops! You can send that to the Team leader’s desk, Agent Peppermint.”
“Yes...!”
Go Yeongeun moved the bundle of documents she had just organized to her superior’s desk.
They were information regarding the newly witnessed Supernatural Disaster.
She felt a brief sentiment as she realized that the term Disaster was becoming more familiar to her than Darkness.
‘Phew.’
Go Yeongeun sat at her desk.
Then, she heard the faint chatter of agents sharing the same office coming from the hallway.
“...ended up happening. Hyunmoo Team 1...”
“But as for that rookie, I think even I would have...”
“....”
Her nerves stood on end.
She could tell who they were talking about just from that much.
For nearly two weeks, it had been a topic of conversation among the Disaster Management Bureau field agents, even as they were cautious about bringing it up.
Agent Grapes.
It was a story about her fellow spy.
The rumors about Kim Soleum’s imprisonment, release, and subsequent disappearance.
That was right.
Go Yeongeun’s colleague had failed his spy mission and gone missing.
...Could she say it was a relief that he hadn’t been caught?
Circumstantially, it seemed like something had happened when the Binding Restriction Director Ho had placed was discovered, but it was difficult to ask easily given the hushed atmosphere.
The fact that things had gotten quite serious during his imprisonment before he recovered.
And the fact that the atmosphere among field agents regarding Kim Soleum wasn’t that bad even after his disappearance.
...And that news from Hyunmoo Team 1 had drastically decreased.
These were the only things Go Yeongeun could know for certain from her position as a Rookie Agent.
Of course, it was difficult to find out more since Kim Soleum had vanished as if evaporating the moment he stepped out of the Glass Prison.
‘He... escaped safely, right?’
Go Yeongeun’s hair would stand on end from worry, but she would always end those thoughts with a sigh.
She shouldn’t leak information by trying to find his whereabouts for no reason.
If Kim Soleum had successfully escaped, there was a high probability she would be a nuisance, and it was a dangerous attempt that might even reveal her own identity.
It was bad for both of them.
Especially if she was being monitored for safety because she was quite acquainted with Kim Soleum and was a fellow rookie.
‘...I feel like I’m being suspected of being a spy too.’
She didn’t know.
The people at the Disaster Management Bureau were certainly kind, but they were also good at nonchalantly testing people or digging into the core of a matter as if it were nothing.
‘I suppose so. They’re agents, after all.’
At any rate, unlike the feeling of a spy walking on thin ice, there was no particular change in the agents’ attitudes.
And she hadn’t been suddenly dragged to the Glass Prison either.
‘That’s a relief, but...’
...Honestly, she felt at a loss.
Out of the three who joined, one was isolated due to Contamination, and one was missing.
She was the only one left, and it was realistically close to impossible for a rookie alone to steal World-ending Class Disaster documents.
...If she were Director Ho, she felt like she would cut her losses at this point.
‘But I have to endure.’
And she had to do what needed to be done.
Go Yeongeun calmly calculated her next steps to avoid falling into a panic.
‘One by one, calmly.’
First, she would clean up her traces more thoroughly.
She had only contacted Kim Soleum through a smartphone she had opened separately under a different name.
She decided she should get rid of that as well.
Thus, that evening, as soon as she returned to her officetel after work, she looked for the spare phone.
Instead of hiding it elaborately on purpose, she had left it neglected in a drawer where she kept old junk, like an old phone. That way, it was easier to overlook by accident.
And the moment she turned it on.
Similarly, a flurry of spam messages, which she had neglected while spreading the number here and there on purpose, poured in.
To the point that even Director Ho’s contact, disguised as a recommendation for a counseling office, looked like spam.
“Phew.”
It was when Go Yeongeun was clicking on the spam messages one by one to delete them all.
[Don’t just sit there leisurely, get off! At this station ★Special Discount★ Gangnam Station...]
Her hand stopped.
“...Wait a minute.”
Leisurely, get off, this station....
“...!”
She couldn't help but remember, as if struck by lightning.
The subway of the Abyss Transit Authority.
This was an allusion that only someone who had experienced that crazy recruitment ghost story together could know. And at this point, the only person who would send this while pretending it was spam was....
Only one person.
Go Yeongeun clicked on the message immediately.
[Don’t just sit there leisurely, get off! At this station ★Special Discount★ Gangnam Station Discount Phone Sales Office left counter only until 21:00 on the 17th (Refuse free reception)]
“....”
Place and time.
Go Yeongeun quickly searched the internet.
For the discount phone sales office in Gangnam Station.
And one hour later.
Go Yeongeun discovered the storage lockers near the discount phone sales office in Gangnam Station.
“....”
At first, she wondered if he meant to meet in front of the store, but no one appeared even after 21:00, the time notified in the message.
Then, focusing on the ‘left counter’ and looking to the left of the store, the passage to the storage lockers revealed itself at once.
‘It’s here?’
She hesitated before looking at the locker compartments.
Compartment 17 was there.
The number specified in the message.
“....”
In that case.
When she entered the combination of numbers also specified in the message, 1721, into the password field....
Beep-beep-beep.
“...!”
The locker opened.
Go Yeongeun hurriedly grabbed her card after the payment was completed and looked inside the locker....
Inside, there was a small paper bag.
Attached to it was a scribbled note, as if written with a hand that was intentionally unaccustomed to it.
Open it at home
“....”
Go Yeongeun quickly took the bag and returned home.
Her heart was pounding.
‘What is it?’
Circumstantially, the person who left this was almost certainly Kim Soleum.
But what on earth was he handing over?
Lost in various thoughts, such as whether the spy work policy had changed to exchanging information through this, Go Yeongeun opened the bag at the dining table.
‘Two boxes?’
There were black boxes.
The moment Go Yeongeun opened one of the boxes while wondering....
A five-colored, brilliant light leaked out.
“...!!”
The daydream employee closed the box again in horror.
‘A W-Wish Ticket!’
That crazy, holographic, aurora-like potion was definitely a Wish Ticket!
‘Mr. Kim Soleum!’
Did he resolve the spy work by himself and get the Wish Tickets? No, how? Is this real? Is this really real? A Wish Ticket in a subway locker... Wait a minute.
‘...There were two boxes.’
The sound of her heartbeat thundered in Go Yeongeun’s head.
She reached for the other box and opened it....
Similarly, a brilliant light escaped.
‘My God.’
However, a small note fell out from between them.
“...!”
She quickly picked it up.
Yeongeun.
Our work is finished.
Do what you want.
You don’t need to return.
“....”
A shock so great it made her head go blank.
But the contents of the note didn't end there.
P.S.) If possible, please deliver the other box to the person who was originally supposed to receive it. If that is impossible, please keep it until then.
“No...!”
What are you going to do if I just pocket it in the middle? Why are you just handing over two bottles of Wish Tickets with a mere note like this!
...But even as she said that, this kind and clever spy knew.
That she would keep her word.
“....”
Gratitude, a sense of debt, joy, and a sense of burden—everything mixed together made her head swim.
So....
Go Yeongeun made one more certain decision.
Then she grabbed something and ran out of the house.
‘It was delivered well.’
I saw that the drink I was having at the cafe had hit the bottom.
This was a cafe in the Gangnam Station underground shopping center.
It had already been an hour and a half since I watched Ms. Go Yeongeun take the phone from the subway locker.
Since there had been no other unusual occurrences in the meantime, it seemed like I could get up soon.
‘This is enough.’
...If it’s Ms. Go Yeongeun, she won’t pocket the Wish Ticket and will return it to its owner.
And since she’s still working at the Disaster Management Bureau, she’ll have more opportunities to approach him than I do.
‘...She also seemed better suited for the Disaster Management Bureau.’
Now that the spy work itself is over, she could continue working at the Disaster Management Bureau if she wanted.
Fortunately, there was no tailing from the Disaster Management Bureau agents either.
...It seems to have ended well.
Now, I have only one Wish Potion left.
‘Then, if I drink this now...’
It was when I was thinking that.
A familiar Human Figure came running back toward the storage lockers.
“...!”
...It’s Ms. Go Yeongeun.
Did something go wrong?
However, Go Yeongeun calmly reopened locker 17, which had contained the Wish Tickets, put something inside, and closed it tight.
Then she left the area again as if nothing had happened.
“....”
What did she put in the locker?
‘Could it be... she put back Jang Heowoon’s share of the Wish Ticket?’
That could be the case. Even I... would have found it difficult to fulfill a request to deliver a Wish Ticket to someone else who is currently isolated and might not be seen again for a long time.
‘Right.’
It was an unreasonable request to begin with.
After enough time had passed for me to confirm that Ms. Go Yeongeun had completely disappeared and there was no tailing, I quietly left the cafe and headed for the storage lockers.
Then I opened locker 17.
...Inside, as I expected, there was a box.
‘It can’t be helped.’
I picked it up.
But... the weight is strangely different.
“...?”
I quickly went into the bathroom and carefully opened the box in a stall.
However, instead of a five-colored, brilliant light, a faint blue light appeared.
A light green color like a new sprout.
It was a C-Class Regeneration Potion.
“....”
I stared at it blankly.
There was a note attached inside the box.
Just like the one I had attached.
I’ll do my best.
Thank you.
Please stay safe.
An indescribable feeling surged inside me.
She must have barely bought one bottle with Points herself.
Perhaps she thought that because I didn’t have an arm... it would be difficult to replace it with Goblin Fire after leaving the Disaster Management Bureau, so she gave it to me.
‘...Thank you.’
I carefully packed the box and tucked it preciousy into my arms.
That night.
I downed the Regeneration Potion.
And with both hands fully restored, I left my farewells.
Scheduled message transmission.
I set it for tomorrow morning.
These were messages to my former superiors in Group D... and several people I was indebted to.
‘Let’s send one more to the Sergeant too.’
It was mainly to tell them not to worry since I was resigning safely.
Writing a message to Section Chief Lee Jaheon did make me break into a cold sweat, though.
‘The Alien Shop installment plan....’
I’m truly sorry. I ended up fleeing in the middle of the night as soon as the installments started.
Instead, I put all the equipment I owned into a subway storage locker and sent the location and password to Section Chief Lee Jaheon. I hope you will forgive me with this....
“Phew.”
With that, all the cleanup was finished.
What remains is... the Goblin Fire.
I raised my regenerated arm to the small blue ball of fire that was hovering around me, watching what I was doing with interest, and said.
“It’s okay now. Look, I even have an arm, right? You can go back.”
But the Goblin Fire flashed as if refusing and sat in front of my desk.
It was a bit troublesome... but it didn’t feel bad.
“Then let’s stay together for just a little longer. ...When I disappear, you go back to the Bureau. Got it?”
The Goblin Fire moved as if nodding its head with a dejected air.
Then now, truly, only one thing remains.
The last.
I took out the small, fluffy, pink Rabbit Doll.
“....”
Inhaling, I stood the ‘Good Friend’ doll against the leg of the bed and shone a light to cast a shadow.
So that we could talk in reality as well.
-Oh, Friend!
The cheerful voice of the Host.
The now-familiar, attention-grabbing accent and tone spoke smoothly.
-This hotel isn’t half bad today. The small and cozy space reminds me of the room I used to stay in with Mr. Roe Deer. Is tonight perhaps a night to celebrate a wish coming true?
“Something like that.”
Since I don’t even need to save money anymore.
And....
“....”
-Friend?
“Are you okay with it?”
-With what?
“Me using the Wish Ticket.”
The question that had been weighing on my mind, but which I hadn't been able to ask for fear of getting a monumental answer.
“You already know what my wish is.”
The Host already knows.
If he’s looking into my thoughts or knowledge to some extent, no, he would have realized it at least by the time I was talking to the Sergeant.
That I wish to leave this world.
“But you haven’t asked even a single question.”
Looking at the shadow of the giant doll, I continued.
“It was strange.”
-Oh....
“I also wondered if you were quietly waiting for the catharsis, thinking that I would fail.”
-My goodness.
-I’ll say it again, Friend, I don’t wish for your failure.... I simply don’t do things like inappropriately involving myself and ruining the flow and the scene!
-And in the current case, it’s just....
The sound of someone tapping their gloves.
-It’s simply a situation so clear that no questions are necessary.
-Doesn't Friend want to go home? Yet, you rejected the offer of this Braun, who introduced a more wonderful and new home....
A chill runs down my spine.
However, the Host’s tone was... still calm and cheerful.
-Then, as a Host, it would be respectful to watch where Mr. Roe Deer’s choice leads this show.
“....”
-Do as you wish, Friend.
-You’ve worked hard for this until now, so now it’s time to see the results.
The shadow of the Rabbit Doll flickered, as if pointing to something with its hand.
The Wish Potion placed on the table.
“...Phew.”
-Let’s go. To the finale and the ending!
I grabbed the Wish Ticket.
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