NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
Chapter 9
The events that followed couldn’t be described as smooth sailing… but somehow, they progressed.
Was it because the entity died or was neutralized? All other caterpillars and monsters seemed to have perished on the spot, which was interpreted as a successful containment, and the internal containment procedures were reported to have been lifted.
The fully armed Management Agency staff who arrived from outside were surprisingly shocked by the calm surroundings.
Yu Da On and I were carefully escorted as successful contenders.
Perhaps because it was an emergency, we weren’t given any time to rest.
Of course, Yu Da On was provided a new outfit.
“…Please explain.”
Then, Yu Da On and I found ourselves awkwardly seated in a room with a desk that looked like something out of a Western movie.
The only difference was that there were one or two people staring at us.
Methodically, a man and a woman stood facing us with serious expressions.
I slowly surveyed the room.
First, the man on the far left.
He had a face that could easily be mistaken for a secret agent.
With a short cropped sports hairstyle, a muscular build, a square, intimidating face framed by sunglasses, and a sleek black suit—there was no need for further description.
In contrast, the person next to him was different.
I noticed a woman who was directly staring at me.
Her wavy purple hair just touched her shoulders, and her slightly upturned purple eyes stood out against her cute face, which didn’t match her gaze at all. She wore tight jeans and a white tank top that hugged her waist perfectly.
It was obvious she was dressed like someone out on a leisure trip.
She raised one eyebrow while looking at me.
A slight headache throbbed.
As I pressed on my temples to soothe the ache, she raised her other eyebrow and continued to stare at me intently.
Ah, this is really uncomfortable.
Trying to sneak a glance above the man’s head for an escape, I was abruptly interrupted.
“Let’s begin.”
The man spoke, forcing me to fix my gaze back on him. He seemed to know enough to call Yu Da On and me by name, so there was no need to disclose that I was trying to figure out what kind of information he held.
“First, let’s confirm. …Yu Da On, you’ve been with the Security Team for… …one day. Your ability is immortality. Am I correct?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Yu Da On responded, tightly wound up with tension.
The man nodded and turned to me.
“Next… Kim Jae Heon. Formerly with the Human Resources Team, you possess the ability to glean fragmented information about people with your eyes. Correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
His interrogation style was forceful, but his tone carried more of a procedural nuance.
“Confirmation complete. First, on behalf of the Management Agency, I would like to extend my gratitude.”
The man bowed his head slightly. The woman, however, did not bow and continued to gaze at me, even more intensely than before.
Why does she keep staring? It’s really scary.
“While it would be a lie to say such incidents have never occurred in the long history of the Management Agency, to be honest, failures are usually the norm. If a hundred accidents occur, there are not even ten instances where we were able to handle them internally before external personnel had to step in. Ninety out of a hundred times, external forces had to resolve the issues.”
“…”
“Moreover, to think that someone subdued that containment object—when we heard it had escaped, I couldn’t even eat, fearing we’d have to clear out branches and nearby towns.”
After removing his sunglasses, the man rubbed his eyes.
They were the tired eyes of a middle manager.
“Thanks to you, things have become quite convenient. I can’t express how grateful I am. Even saying thank you a hundred times wouldn’t be enough.”
“I only did what I had to do!”
Yu Da On replied, still maintaining a stiff posture as she straightened her back.
“Thank you for acknowledging that. But about what I was saying—”
“Before that.”
The woman, who had been silent until now, spoke as she continued to stare at me.
“Hey, it seems like you’re hiding something.”
“Me?”
Did she mean me?
As I pointed at myself with my index finger for confirmation, she narrowed her eyes and leaned closer until her face was nearly against mine.
Her purple eyes met mine, and without realizing it, I furrowed my brow and rubbed my temples again from the sudden headache.
“What are you doing? If I was hiding something, then I’d have something to hide.”
“Sir, that guy keeps pushing me away.”
Her eyes widened as she glared at me, and I rubbed my throbbing temples while facing her.
[Name: Song Ah Rin]
[Age: 21]
[Special Skill: Hypnosis]
[Talent: -]
[Background: She, possessing an incomplete hypnosis ability, can’t help but be sensitive about everything. Nevertheless, the Management Agency is the only place she can belong.]
[Weakness: When it comes to things that twist her emotions, just a smack on the head will work.]
Ignoring the absurdity of her ramblings, I glanced over at Yu Da On. Was she being hypnotized?
“?”
Yu Da On looked at me with a puzzled expression, tilting her head.
It didn’t seem like it.
“Did you see? That girl just looked at me and then quickly averted her gaze to the woman next to her. She definitely knows something!”
The purple-haired girl, no, Song Ah Rin, pointed at me as she shouted.
The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while looking at her.
“I’d rather ask you, Song Ah Rin. When did I say you could use your ability? Do you think we’re here interrogating you? We’re here to extend our thanks.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If we were here to thank you, we wouldn’t have come ourselves. Other branch heads would’ve come instead.”
She continued to stare intensely at me, and I returned her gaze.
Should I really smack her once?
As I seriously contemplated this, the man acted first.
“Enough. If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll throw you out.”
“…”
Upon hearing that, Song Ah Rin’s eyes widened once again, and she took a few steps back to lean against the wall.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Not much of an issue.”
The man bowed his head, and I waved my hand dismissively.
“Firstly, I must reiterate that we are here to express our gratitude. Regardless of what that girl has said, you don’t need to care about it. To be honest, our superiors should have been the ones to come and show appreciation, but… the situation isn’t looking so good.”
The man sighed deeply.
“However, some questions have been resolved.”
“Questions?”
“To be honest, I must ask. How much do you know about the entity you contained?”
“…”
I paused for a moment to contemplate. How much should I disclose to this man?
Did he catch my dilemma? The man shook his head.
“If you want, you can keep this information to yourself. Honestly, would I not grant a request to someone who saved our branch? It’s just pure curiosity.”
“…”
Honestly, I didn’t mind not answering.
“Alright. But may I ask one thing in return?”
But I also had something to ask.
“Of course. As long as I can answer within my ability. So, how much did you know?”
The man readily agreed and leaned back in his chair.
“…The Dream of the Butterfly, or the Life of the Butterfly’s adult form.”
“..Huh.”
As soon as I echoed the name, the man stared at me intently.
“Where did you learn that name?”
“I observed.”
“…No wonder hypnosis doesn’t work on you.”
The man forced a wry smile while glancing at Song Ah Rin, who also looked at me dumbfounded.
“If you know that much, you must also be aware of its properties. To elaborate, while the entity you contained may not be incredibly powerful on its own, its true terror lies not in strength, but in its ability to seize control of society before anyone realizes it. Before one knows it, the people around them become parasitized, and in turn, they too become unwitting hosts. In a city where people live, it’s a disaster incarnate.”
The man took a deep breath and continued.
“Fortunately, you and that friend of yours managed to quickly execute internal containment, which significantly reduced the time needed for external suppression. Instead, we were prepared to wage war internally.”
He mumbled, as if he were ready to annihilate all internal personnel if necessary. Truly frightening tales delivered in the most casual manner.
“However, what’s surprising is that someone actually managed to subdue the adult form. Apparently, it wasn’t a trained containment personnel but a person who had been delegated authority. Even more shocking, one of them had only recently joined the Security Team, had been on the job for one day, and the other was a non-combatant, meaning they had entered as office staff.”
“While we did try our best. What can I say? We even tried butane gas and all that.”
Upon hearing my words, he burst into laughter.
“Ha ha! Do you think such an entity could be subdued by a mere weapon crafted by humans? If things could be resolved with guns and fire, this emergency situation wouldn’t even have occurred!”
Then why was that given?
“Thus, this is even more impressive.”
The man fixed his gaze on me.
“Rather than thinking of combating the flames bestowed upon oneself, one activates the emergency trigger.”
His eyes gleamed with unusual excitement.
“You have talent.”
I knew that look all too well.
It was the expression of a professor searching for graduate students.
That man was thinking of using me, one way or another.
He wanted to use me like a graduate student!
“I refuse.”
“I haven’t made any propositions.”
“Anyway, I refuse. I won’t accept any offer you make.”
“Well… …Alright then.”
Looking somewhat disappointed, he licked his lips and reclined back in his chair again.
“So, what was it that you wanted to ask?”
“…”
I stared intently at him.
“When I set fire to the ceiling, something came down into this branch. …No, it showed its presence. And that entity devoured the adult form.”
“…”
“What is that?”
The man stared at me closely.
Song Ah Rin also gazed at me with her mouth covered.
After a lengthy silence, the man spoke.
“…You really have sharp eyes.”
“Can you tell me?”
“A promise is a promise.”
He looked around the room and gestured to Song Ah Rin, who nodded and walked over by the door to lean against it.
Thud.
Yu Da On stumbled and collapsed on the desk.
“I put her to sleep for a moment. There’s nothing good that would come from her hearing this.”
Song Ah Rin looked over at Yu Da On and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
The man turned to me.
“How do you think the Management Agency can manage this multitude of containment entities?”
“…By having outstanding individuals?”
“That isn’t untrue.”
The man nodded.
“However, relying solely on our strength is impossible. But we could not seek the power of others. Therefore, we had to devise a method.”
“…What is that?”
“That…”
Just as the man was about to speak, the lights in the room flickered off momentarily and then back on.
A chilling sensation coursed through me.
“…I’m sorry.”
The man bowed his head.
“If I say any more, I might lose my head. Ha ha.”
Was that intended to mean he might get ‘dismissed’ in a workplace sense or literally lose his head? I couldn’t tell.
“Anyway, I need to take my leave.”
With a loud scrape, the man stood up from his chair.
“By the way, I’d like to make one suggestion.”
“I refuse.”
That graduate student-seeking gaze again.
“…I understand. Then I’ll have you assigned to the Human Resources Team.”
He licked his lips again and opened the door.
“Go on.”
“…Hmph.”
Song Ah Rin frowned at me as if her pride was hurt and followed the man out.
“Tomorrow, no, you’ll need a break. Start work about three days from now. You’ll be using the office you previously occupied.”
The man said just that, waving his hand as he left through the door.
“Thank you for the interesting conversation.”
Then, he and Song Ah Rin exited my field of vision.
When the man turned his back, I quickly glanced over to see above his head.
[Name: ???]
[Age: ???]
[Special Skill: ???]
[Talent: ???]
[Background: Pay respects to what he has dedicated to humanity.]
[Weakness: ???]
I couldn’t decipher a single thing.
*
“…Can we just let him go?”
As Song Ah Rin exited the room and left the branch behind, she looked back at the man.
“How can I put it? His resolve is pretty strong.”
“That’s not what I mean. I don’t know what it is, but that man seems too valuable to just rot away as an office staff member. No, he shouldn’t just decay.”
She muttered reluctantly, and the man chuckled heartily.
“True. That woman and that man are quite something.”
“Then why didn’t you scout him?”
“I didn’t scout him.”
The man said theatrically.
“But I laid the groundwork.”
“?”
Song Ah Rin looked quizzically, and the man nodded as he observed her.
“You’ll understand when you see it.”
*
Three days later, as the man said, I returned to the Human Resources Team.
One small difference was that the team’s name had been slightly altered.
[Human and Containment Entities]
[Incident Management Affairs]
[Team]
“Hey! Jae Heon, you’re in this department too?”
And as I opened the door, waving at Yu Da On.
Looking at the name tag, including her name, it seemed my opinion hadn’t been reflected.
Should I just quit?
“Our salaries went up this much!”
“Shall we get started on paperwork first?”
That was obviously way too much money.