The Perfect

Ignoring his words, I poured soju into my glass.“It’s because of my novel.”“What about it?”“I’m writing too well.”“Because of CEO Na?”Nodding vigorously, I gave my best head nod.“CEO Na is my absolute persona.”CEO Na truly is the persona and muse of my novel. Seeing him again inspired my writing seamlessly, and I even felt hopeful.“Seeing CEO Na gave me certainty. I think I can finally finish this novel. Really, I’ve never felt so sure. So if I can just endure until it’s finished?”“If you die before that, it’s all over. Hey, just end the novel with ‘they lived happily ever after.’ Is that more important than your life?”Bang. I slammed my soju glass on the table.“Damn it, why do you complete every character in a game after seeing the ending? Huh? The endings are the same anyway.”“They’re not the same at all. Different characters mean different ending scenes… I’m sorry.”Byunghee apologized immediately, finally understanding my feelings. But he added another comment.“But you won’t have much time to see CEO Na since you’ll be with Director Kook.”“Better than not seeing him at all. Even brief moments are impactful.”For instance, CEO Na defended me when Yangsimless tried to confine me to his office. Though there was a brief argument, I got to stay at my original desk.‘His office doesn’t even have a desk. Where is he supposed to sit?’‘On the floo…’‘Oh, you can sit on the floor.’

Thanks to that, I stayed at my original desk. Though Yangsimless trying to make me sit on the floor was infuriating, CEO Na standing up for me like a prince was touching enough to ignore everything else. Sharing this with Byunghee, he agreed.“Wow, he’s like a prince protecting you from evil.”Hehe.“Hey, then you should include Director Kook in your novel. For a prince to shine, he needs a villain. Director Kook fits perfectly.”Fits perfectly… right? The creative urge surged like a genetic trait.Back home, I turned on my laptop. With electricity already cut due to limited supply, I used a household battery. Charging it would take days of solar energy or pedaling an indoor bike, but the alcohol made me forget the fear of power shortages.Transferring my notes, I checked my novel’s reaction on the publishing site. How much criticism would there be today? Usually, I braced myself for harsh comments, but today, I felt exhilarated no matter what. The first comment was unexpectedly positive.― Finally, the real protagonist appears! Now it’s getting interesting. Damn, it was worth enduring until now. ㅠㅠ /shopping loverEven the overspender noticed. Everyone must have noticed that the real protagonist was CEO Na. If I, the writer, felt the potential for Wi Siwoo’s romance, readers must feel similar. My eyes welled up. Even the usually sarcastic overspender was moved. Though some were still discontented.― I admit, a strong contender like the half-brother. /health loverHe should change his name to Half-Brother Lover. I grumbled, but felt fine. He acknowledged CEO Na. Usually, unless there’s a major event like Manager Kim’s demotion, comments trickle in slowly. Many people couldn’t freely use the internet, so they read without commenting.Even if it’s criticism, I’m happy to see comments. This time too, views were similar, but comments were few. Yet, there were always dedicated commenters. As expected, the Addiction Trio was there. Last but not least was the final lover.― Too bad. If Bénevent de la Colla Pheléithion VII wasn’t impotent, I could’ve tasted that champagne. But a 1020-year-old champagne from the de la Colla family. This novel’s details are amazing. /alcohol loverMaybe because it involved alcohol, Alcohol Lover wrote a long comment. I paused at one point. Great details? Where have I heard that? I tilted my head, reading the rest. Though it felt like I could recall it, another question arose.A familiar commenter was missing. To be precise, someone who always commented within a day wasn’t there. What? Soondungi isn’t here? I skimmed the ten or so comments but couldn’t find them. Surely, they understood CEO Na now.I had sent a message from another ID and received a thank you reply. Afterward, I deleted that ID, feeling embarrassed for deceiving my fan. I vowed never to do it again.“Maybe they were busy today.”Muttering to myself, I re-read the comments, satisfied, then returned to the word processor. Encouraged and brimming with creativity. Yes, I could risk my life for fieldwork. Risking my life for art. Wow, I’m amazing.The next morning, I received a call and thought as I arrived on-site. I’m a damn idiot. I came without thinking to a small nuclear plant. Meaning a Heartless targeting the plant, a strong, dangerous one. Enough to bring a horde of Special Disaster Prevention Agency field agents.Unsurprisingly, the agents were grimly preparing their weapons. Damn, all I had was a safety light. Terrified, I decided to apologize to Yangsimless. Does my novel feed me? If the protagonist can’t have a romance, I’ll just end it with them living well alone. Should I turn back? Deep in thought, I heard a loud voice from the temporary camp. A familiar voice among them.“What? Idiot fest? Damn it, you said it all? Want to get shot by idiots?”The commanding officer shouted. Surrounded by several armed men ready to make anyone a bullet-riddled target, they aimed at Yangsimless. Despite being surrounded by six burly armed men, he shamelessly held his head high.“Idiots know that honey is good for you.”What nonsense is this?! Even a retort should make sense. Unlike me, a bystander, the participants focused solely on the word idiot.“You keep calling people idiots, but you might become one yourself. Be careful, or you’ll end up crawling with your legs cut off.”“I’ll just roll around then.”“Wow, you little…!”The commander couldn’t hold back and drew his pistol. Others rushed to stop him but soon regretted it.“But you won’t even get the chance to roll because your heads will be blown off. What’s the point of having a head if it’s filled with crap and you can’t think? This situation is because you have rocks on your shoulders instead of brains. Since you can’t think, just shut up and do as I say. What’s your problem?”Click, click. The guns aimed at Yangsimless. This time, the commander stepped forward to stop his men.“You’re impossible to reason with. How many times do I have to say it? No one can pass through the area you predicted. We’re guarding this path for a reason. Get someone else. I heard a Special Disaster Prevention Agency employee came with you. Where are they?”Gulp! Startled, I quickly hid by the entrance.“There, by the entrance.”Damn, Yangsimless’s response was immediate.“By the entrance?”Footsteps approached. I had no choice but to peek out. The commander glared at me.“Are you the Special Disaster Prevention Agency employee with him?”“I came separately.”“What?”“I arrived just now, and Director Kook came earlier. We didn’t come together.”“…”He glared at me. What’s this? I turned my head slightly. Then I met Yangsimless’s eyes. He spoke as if waiting.“Tell these idiots to just do as I say.”“Tell him to shut up and leave if he’s going to spout nonsense.”Why me? …Well, it was my job. Mediating between the field and Director Kook. But they were both convinced they were right. My mediation wouldn’t help. Yet both sides looked at me. Do something, they seemed to say. I glanced between them and suggested a compromise.“Split into teams and ambush both sides…”“Are you serious?!”“What nonsense are you spouting?!”“This isn’t a game. You can’t just place people randomly. You need to consider the areas each person can cover. We’ve blocked all other paths with soldiers. We’ve planned tactics accordingly. You can’t just change things without knowing anything.”The field agents immediately criticized me. The commander looked at me with disdain. Never mind. I muttered to myself and looked down.“Hey, you’re a Special Disaster Prevention Agency employee? Which department?”“Management Team 3, Division 5.”“Management? Why is management here?”“Good question.”I agreed, but the commander’s expression worsened.“Unbelievable. I expected the best hunter, but we got this psycho and a clueless management employee. Understand this. We’re not changing our plan. We’ve done fine without your help. We’ll catch that bastard ourselves. You can play or sleep in the area that psycho guessed. But don’t enter our territory. If you interfere, we’ll shoot you.”He spat the words and turned sharply. His men followed suit. But they had to turn back.“What if I’m right?”Yangsimless asked. The commander scoffed.“You’re not.”“If I’m right, you all owe me a meal. Everyone, including those outside.”This time, even the subordinates laughed. I was the only one not laughing. Excuse me, meal expenses aren’t a joke.“If we’re right, you owe us all a meal?”“Deal.”“Fine. If a Heartless appears in your predicted area, we’ll buy you a meal. But you keep your promise. We eat big, so prepare your wallet. Don’t cry over one meal.”“One Heartless, one meal. Two Heartless?”“Two? Fine, double.”“Three?”“Damn you…”“Square the number of people.”Yangsimless only let go after the commander agreed. The commander and his men glared at Yangsimless as they left the tent. Leaving their own tent, they didn’t seem like bad people. The problem was likely the guy who praised them as idiots while guessing another area.“Let’s go.”Suddenly, he stood.“Where?”“To the area I guessed.”“Me too? Why? I’m here to assist. I can relay information from the base camp. You have an earpiece, right? I’ll contact you if there’s an issue.”“This?”He pulled it out of his pocket. Yes, that. As I nodded, he dropped it on the ground. What is he doing? Before I could react, he stomped on the earpiece.“It’s broken.”“…”“Now we can go together.”I looked up from the broken earpiece to see Yangsimless’s determined eyes. He was set on dragging me into danger. Damn it. Do I really have to beg for help?“Help me.”I blurted it out. To hell with artistic integrity. But he just narrowed his eyes, not giving the reaction I wanted. I quickly added.“I’m sorry about last time. You saved me from danger, and I was in shock, saying nonsense. Thank you for saving my life.”“…”“If it weren’t for Director Kook, I’d be dead.”“…”“Haha, I’m late in apologizing, right? I was embarrassed. Haha—”“…”“By the way, did you know there’s a second edition of Malangjjang Animal Jelly?”His eyebrow twitched.“I’d like to offer 100 boxes of Malangjjang Paw Jelly as an apology.”Yes, I’ll buy 110 boxes, give him 100, and keep 10 for myself…“I won’t accept.”“But it’s Malangjjang.”His gaze wavered briefly but turned cold again.“I don’t accept dirty, selfish bribes.”So you accept gifts filled with hatred? I forced a smile.“You misunderstand. I realized I need Director Kook’s help everywhere…”“I don’t feel an ounce of sincerity.”An ounce of sincerity would crush my heart, man.“Director Kook…”“Did Na tell you to apologize half-heartedly to end this?”“…”“He probably said this too. Sometimes he gets irrationally angry but can be appeased with a light apology. But not this time.”Damn. Damn, damn.On a quiet roadside, I practiced sincerely. If not an ounce, at least a milligram of sincerity in my plea, “Save me, Director Kook!”“Save me, Director Kook. Save me, Director Kook. Save me, you government bastard. Save me, Mr. Gook. Save me, Gook bastard…”I kept muttering alone, sitting at a bus stop near the nuclear plant. The two-lane road beside endless fields didn’t seem to have many buses. Though it wasn’t a direct route to the plant, it seemed controlled, as no cars passed for over an hour.Waiting wasn’t boring. The longer I waited, the better. It meant no Heartless was coming this way. I read the case files, but security measures meant I didn’t get much. Probably because Yangsimless was disliked. Even if not, I’d be treated as an outsider and ignored.Field agents had a strong bias against outsiders and looked down on management. But giving so little information was harsh. The Heartless we were chasing was a man in his 40s related to chemistry. Given the manpower, he might be capable of making bombs. Individual-made bombs have limits, but any explosion near a nuclear plant must be prevented.But there was no photo of him. Just that he was a man in his 40s. How could so many people move with just that? The answer was below. The Heartless was pursued by an agency intelligence officer. He had tracked and approached a suspect for over a month but didn’t return after meeting him.A week later, his dismembered body was found in his superior’s house. As an intelligence officer, the superior’s house was well-protected. Yet the killer entered while the family slept and left the body. It was a warning and provocation. There was a suspected message sent before the officer died. Just three words.‘17, XX, G’The report explained it as date, location, and grade. But the agency didn’t act immediately. They moved a week after the body appeared.Today was the 15th. They started surveillance early to prepare for an attack. I hoped the intelligence and field teams had learned a lot. All we knew was the Heartless was G-grade. G-grade, how terrifying. But I was surprisingly calm, enough to shock Byunghee and the manager.I didn’t know why Yangsimless chose this spot, but it wasn’t a direct route to the plant. Even if they came this way, they’d have to cross a mountain surrounded by soldiers. Maybe following Yangsimless was safer. But I kept muttering my plea for when the Heartless appeared.I was ready to scream at any sign of danger. If Yangsimless wanted sincerity, I’d give him a desperate cry. So I kept muttering to make it second nature. Last night’s burning passion for my novel felt like a past life.“Save me, Gook bastard. Save me, Gook bastard…”“You shouldn’t be here.”Ah! Startled, I turned to see a soldier with a rifle.***A man sitting alone on a deserted road. Suspicious enough, but up close, he was even more so. Muttering to himself while looking at papers. The words “bastard” and “damn” were audible. Clearly crazy. But the soldier had no intention of arresting him. His job was to keep the area clear. He pointed behind the man.“This area is restricted. Walk about 10 minutes to reach a bus route.”“…”“Sir, this road is closed. Please move outside the restricted area.”“…”“Sir?”The soldier called the man several more times, but he didn’t respond. His eyes were moving, though. He was carefully examining the soldier from head to toe. The uniform, the sergeant rank insignia, the K2 rifle—familiar to anyone who had served in the military. Nothing special, but the man couldn’t take his eyes off the soldier. The soldier finally took the rifle off his shoulder.“Sir, I need to conduct a search.”He pulled a safety light from his pocket with his other hand. Click, he turned it on, but in broad daylight, the blue light was barely visible. As he stepped forward with the safety light, the man moved too. Tap, he stepped back twice.“Stop!”The soldier aimed at the man and shouted.“Step forward. Let me shine the light on you.”“The buttstock.”“What?”“The buttstock is folded.”The man replied and stepped back again. This time, the soldier didn’t tell him to stop. Instead, he glanced down at his rifle. Then the man spoke again.“Boot laces.”The man pointed at his shoes with his chin.“They’re tied wrong.”“Are they?”“Yes.”“I’ll fix it.”“No need if you’re not a real soldier.”“…”After a brief silence, the soldier twisted his lips.“Reservists.”I was confused about two things. Why was a non-military person pretending to be a soldier and mocking reservists? Did he want to be trampled by millions of reservists? But it wasn’t the time to laugh. The second confusion was bigger. Why was someone suspected to be Heartless wandering around in a military uniform?The military is strict about inspections. Even without identifying Heartless, such a sloppy disguise wouldn’t work. Yet here was a Heartless with a sloppy disguise and a rifle. Maybe he wasn’t Heartless? That thought crossed my mind because he looked to be in his mid-20s. The suspect in this case was a man in his 40s, so the age didn’t match.“Are you Heartless?”Instead of an answer, I heard a different sound. Click. He pulled the pin and unfolded the buttstock without looking. He knew how to handle a rifle. But that wasn’t the point. Whether he was Heartless or not, he reacted to the word and was trying to kill me. Who was this guy? Was he helping the G-grade chemist?Heartless sometimes formed teams, but it was rare. They couldn’t empathize and communicate. Even with the same goal, they lost control over time and couldn’t follow plans. So those who formed teams were usually in the early stages or coincidentally attacked the same place with the same goal. Was this guy in the early stages? Is that why he wasn’t caught in inspections? But there was no time to ponder. The rifle was still aimed at me.“I should’ve shot you when I first saw you.”“It’s okay. Life is full of regrets.”He didn’t like my consolation. He aimed at me. I quickly spoke again.“I know why you didn’t shoot me at first. Want to know?”His mask-like expression didn’t change, but he didn’t shoot immediately, so he seemed interested.“It’s noisy. You tried to get me out quietly with your fake soldier talk. The agency surrounded the area, and you wanted a quiet route. Shooting me now would be noisy too.”I focused on his rifle. He’d lower it and pull out a knife for a quiet kill… Click. Instead, he loaded the rifle. What?“That rifle is loud. I’m not the only one here.”“Doesn’t matter.”Hey, it does matter. I tried to warn him that the noise would be a disadvantage, but his eyes were resolute. He was going to shoot. I panicked. My detective act was foolish. There must be someone to help me… Of course, Yangsimless.He must be nearby. My eyes and mind worked faster than ever. I spotted something I’d normally miss. Behind the fake soldier, near the field, low bushes rustled slightly.It could be the wind. But I instinctively felt something was hiding there. It had to be Yangsimless. Why not? He dragged me here to hear me ask for help in danger. Fine, I’ll shout as you want. I took a deep breath.“Help!”“Shut up.”The fake soldier aimed at my chest. Wait, I just need to say one word…“If you say one word, I’ll shoot.”“…”“Turn around. Walk to the end of the road.”Why? So he wouldn’t have to drag my body to the bushes? I glanced at where Yangsimless was hiding. The bushes didn’t move. But I was sure he was there. He must have heard everything. If he knew I couldn’t speak, he should save me!“Excuse me, I just need to say one word…”“Just die here.”He raised the rifle to shoulder height and aimed. My eyes darted again. Yangsimless, if you see this, save me… The leaves rustled slightly. But that was all. Would he let me die without hearing me ask for help? Damn you!“Left.”A faint whisper escaped my lips. It wasn’t loud enough for him to hear clearly, but that made it more effective. The guy aiming at me hesitated, curious. What? His eyes seemed to ask. I spoke again, keeping my mouth as closed as possible to avoid being seen from a distance.“Left rear, 2 o’clock.”“Are you trying something…”“Left rear, 2 o’clock.”My repeated words made him look at me suspiciously, then he started to turn his head. I quickly whispered.“Don’t turn! Use a mirror, a mirror.”No response.“If no mirror, use a lighter, a lighter.”Luckily, he had a lighter. He pulled out a shiny Zippo and used it to check the direction I mentioned.“A protruding rock, hair among the weeds, hair.”Thanks to my detailed directions, the fake soldier finally turned his rifle. While he focused behind, I cautiously stepped back. He didn’t notice. I took another step back. If Yangsimless wouldn’t help, I’d use him as bait. I counted to three. Good, after three, I’ll duck and run. One, two,Bang!Before I reached three, a gunshot rang out. The fake soldier fired at Yangsimless’s direction. Then he started shooting wildly. Of course, I was already running.Did I mention? I’m great at running away. I ran for about 10 minutes until I felt safe. When my lungs were half-dead, I stopped. A military truck was parked ahead. About a dozen soldiers were disembarking. One aimed at me as soon as he saw me.“Stop!”“Huff, huff… fake… huff, huff…”I pointed behind me, trying to explain.“Huff, huff… fake… huff, huff… buttstock… huff, huff…”“Buttstock?”“Huff, huff… boot laces…”Despite my detailed explanation, they didn’t understand. I was frustrated. But my lungs were more frustrated.“Huff, huff… that way, that way…”“That way? What’s fake?”“Huff, huff… fake… huff, huff… buttstock and boot laces…”Bent over, I barely held myself up by my legs. All I saw were the legs and boots of the soldier in front of me. And the boots of the others standing still behind him.“Sir? Explain what you mean by fake.”“Huff, huff…”“Is there a fake over there?”Questions kept coming, but my mind was on the many boots.“Sir, are you okay?”“…”Click. The sound of a gun being loaded made me look up.“Why? Is there a problem with our boot laces too?”A chilling question. Still panting, I checked the boots again. Yes, some were tied wrong. Instead of speaking, I straightened up. Now the other soldiers aimed at me.“What happened to the fake you saw?”“Oh, I see.”My muttering seemed to annoy them. But I didn’t need to explain the situation I’d quickly figured out. I understood why a poorly disguised fake soldier could roam. Simple. The inspecting soldiers were all on the same side.But Heartless didn’t act in groups. Were they regular people? Seeing their eyes, I dismissed that theory. Human-like eyes needed empathy. Eyes that only emitted their own emotions without interacting with others felt off. Just a chilling feeling. Like the ones in front of me.They were all Heartless. So they were past the incubation period. How could so many Heartless gather? Even with a sane plan, individual onset rates varied, making it useless. Those whose brains hardened quickly lost reason and became unpredictable. Yet they gathered…“Are you in a pyramid scheme?”I asked suspiciously, but they ignored me. Then is it a cult? Such harmony is either a pyramid scheme or a cult.“You two, check where he came from.”The leader ordered two behind him. Then he turned back to me, lowering his gun and pulling out a knife. A military knife with a sharp, blue blade about half the length of his forearm. Specifically, a black-bladed American knife. Playing soldier, he wanted good props. The first fake had a great American lighter too.But now wasn’t the time to care about the knife’s origin. He planned to kill me quietly. The others aimed at me to prevent escape. I could’ve escaped one, but there were too many now. Roughly 15. All armed. The one with the gun ordered me.“Kneel.”I shouldn’t have come here. To hell with artistic integrity.“No need to check where I came from.”The leader’s eyes narrowed. Humans are curious, even with part of their brain turned to stone.“The fake I saw must be beheaded.”“Talking nonsense after running away.”“Exactly. How could I escape from someone threatening me with a gun? Someone else must’ve been there.”“Who?”“The one who will cut your throats.”The leader sneered. Honestly, I wanted to laugh too. I didn’t know how long my nonsense would last or how much more time I could buy.“If I were you, I’d retreat before your heads get cut off.”“Your limbs will be cut off first.”He raised his knife and approached me. Only six steps between us. I needed a stronger lie to stop him.“Even if you kill me, your plan is already exposed. How else would I be waiting for you here?”It worked. They all glared at me.“What do you know?”“The most important thing.”The leader’s eyes narrowed. Good, he took the bait.“And you think I didn’t tell anyone else?”“What did you tell?”Well…“You’re lying.”The leader concluded. I quickly spoke.“You’re all draft dodgers, right?”“That’s all you’ve got?”Yes, that’s it. I blurted out in desperation.“There’s more. I’m not revealing the real info to avoid shocking you.”“You have nothing.”“The final target isn’t the nuclear plant. Right?”“This is getting annoying. Say something interesting.”“You all met through ‘Do you know the way?’ It didn’t seem like a pyramid scheme.”“That’s a bit funny.”“So you all mutated the same way.”I didn’t know why I said that. It was a shot in the dark. My mind was busy thinking of more lies, so I missed their reactions.“Yeah, I know. That wasn’t funny. So what I mean is…”“…”I finally noticed their eyes had changed. At first, I didn’t understand why they looked so murderous. Did I say something weird… Oh? Mutation?“You really need to die.”The leader raised his knife again. But before he could reach me, something else arrived.Thud, roll—Roll? Something rolled on the ground. Everyone, including me, looked at the gray asphalt. Like a bowling ball, something rolled past me and stopped in front of the leader. We all stared at the severed head’s glaring eyes. It was the fake soldier I first met.A remarkably clean cut. The second time I saw such skill, but it was more chilling than impressive. Our eyes turned to the other side of the road. Someone stood there. Holding a bloodied axe in one hand and a string with several apple-sized metal balls in the other.The issue wasn’t what he was holding. It was Yangsimless, presumably—given the axe, definitely him—wearing that ridiculous thing on his face. He wore a black gas mask. Why? As I wondered, he moved his arm, and the metal balls on the string fell to our side.Whizz—thud, thud, thud.Huh? What’s this…Hiss—With a hissing sound, white smoke spewed from the metal balls like gas. Wait, this smoke?! As I suspected, a nauseating chemical smell hit my nose. I quickly covered my mouth and nose. But the smoke spread rapidly.Thud, thud, thud.Hiss—How many is he throwing?!Bang! Bang! Bang!The soldiers started shooting late. I tried to duck and escape the smoke, but failed. Whatever this smoke was, it was highly effective. The last sound I heard was the thud of bodies hitting the ground. Including mine.When I first started writing, my biggest worry wasn’t whether my story was boring. It was whether something written with such poor skill could be called a novel. My writing was diary-level. Calling it writing was laughable. The story felt familiar, and the ending was predictable.When I first published, I was really embarrassed. Exposing my fantasies and posting them on a site labeled for novels. I consoled myself. I’m a beginner, it’s okay. There are many light novels. I’m not the worst. I wasn’t aiming for literary depth. This excuse persists.But as I wrote longer, the excuse wore thin. Like anything, practice should make you better. But I stayed the same. My first writings felt fresher and more fun. I never thought I’d worry about this.Doing what you love isn’t always pure joy. Everything has its yin and yang. Yes, yin and yang. Even in novels. A perfect protagonist needs a perfect supporting character. To make the protagonist shine. For me, a perfect supporting character is synonymous with a perfect villain. Luckily, I had a real-life model for a perfect supporting character.“Ugh—!”Even though nothing was left, I kept dry heaving. Crouched behind a car, I vomited several times. I didn’t care that I was holding a dirty bumper. My stomach churned. My head felt like it would split. Thanks to the knockout gas or whatever Yangsimless threw, I woke up to hell. The hangover from drinking all night felt refreshing compared to this.“Ugh…”Only a bit of bile came up, followed by a long string of saliva. Ugh, I feel like dying. Damn Yangsimless. I’ll put you in my novel and make everyone curse you. I’ll expose your atrocities to the world…“Ugh—!”“It’s a neutralizer. You’ll feel better after this.”A paramedic in uniform injected something into my arm. Please give me 100 of those shots. I wanted to beg, but my mouth wouldn’t open. After vomiting and crawling to the roadside, people moved me next to the ambulance. When I regained consciousness, Special Disaster Prevention Agency field agents were everywhere.I hadn’t been unconscious long. I woke up shortly after they arrived. In the middle of the corpses. One agent said they were frozen in shock at the beheaded soldiers’ bodies when I suddenly sat up. They were as shocked as when they saw the bodies.But I don’t remember getting up. I just thought I needed to get away and staggered to the roadside. In the chaos, my head hurt, and I vomited everything I’d eaten in the last ten years behind a car. Now I was finally getting proper treatment.“Your head will still hurt a lot.”It already does. I suspect that damn Yangsimless hit me with an axe. Again, I couldn’t speak. I had no energy to open my mouth.“You might vomit.”I already did. I saw the miracle of the rice ball I ate this morning reappearing.“You might find it hard to walk for a few hours, so don’t try to move.”Even if you waved a wad of cash, I couldn’t move. Why does this paramedic state the obvious? Just give me more shots.“Amazing.”What? That I’m half-dead?“This gas has severe side effects, so we don’t use it around allies. It can damage nerves.”…Damn.“Don’t worry. The neutralizer will help.”Really? Shouldn’t I be hospitalized? My whole body feels like it’s in pain. I wanted to ask, but a loud voice came from among the unremoved bodies.“Hey, the meal cost isn’t the issue here!”The commander’s face was red as he shouted. Meal cost. Even without knowing the context, I understood everything from that one word. Yangsimless, standing before the commander, couldn’t hide the joy in his eyes despite the shouting. He must be ecstatic. He bet on whether Heartless would come here. And he’d get a lifetime supply of Malangjjang if he won.“You claim they’re Heartless, but that needs confirmation. Now isn’t the time to argue about meal costs.”The commander gritted his teeth. Meal costs meant nothing to him. All Heartless? Why here? Why this spot Yangsimless guessed? His mind must be in turmoil. It was hard to believe. I didn’t believe it when I met them. And they were moving in a group.“Heartless don’t move in groups. You made a mistake. If you massacred innocent civilians… What are you doing?”The commander stepped back in shock. Yangsimless, expressionless, raised his axe. He wouldn’t hit the commander with an axe over meal costs, right? His cold eyes made me doubt. Others seemed to think similarly, as the field agents tensed and reached for their weapons.But Yangsimless, though ruthless, was rational. His axe aimed not at the commander but at the head below. With a crack, the head split like a watermelon. The axe blade severed the face, separating the eyes and nose. The already gruesome sight of beheaded bodies became more horrifying. Gray brain matter spilled from the split head.“Ugh.”Someone vomited. Others looked away. But everyone knew why Yangsimless was splitting the dead man’s head. Part of the brain was hardened blue. Evidence of Heartless.I finally understood why Yangsimless chose an axe over a gun. He had been showing evidence with each axe strike. How many times had he swung that axe? I didn’t know, but the commander’s word “massacre” fit the situation.Heartless were humanity’s enemies, but they were still people. Killing people couldn’t be easy. Even desecrating dead bodies. Humans are sensitive. They notice small gestures, subtle expressions, and eye changes. Yangsimless’s actions were clear to everyone.He was cruel. And merciless. While the commander was silent, Yangsimless walked to another body and struck with the axe. His practiced hand easily split the head. Another blue brain. Yangsimless moved to the next head. More heads split, more people vomited. Finally, the commander shouted.“Hey, stop!”Crack!“I get it, stop!”The commander shouted again, but Yangsimless ignored him and kept splitting heads. The commander yelled a few more times, then gave up. Yangsimless had no more heads to split. He straightened after splitting the last head, blood splattered on his face.The axe was so bloodstained its original color was unrecognizable. Holding the bloodied axe in one hand, wearing bloodied clothes, he wiped the blood from his face with a bloodied hand. He lowered his hand and looked down. For a few seconds, which felt long, he didn’t move, then turned his head. Was he admiring his massacre? He slowly scanned the blood-soaked road and raised his gaze.His eyes met ours. I instinctively held my breath. Others seemed similar. The area was silent, not a breath heard. Yangsimless’s face was expressionless, but his eyes were different. The eyes that were indifferent while splitting heads now looked murderous. Why? What’s wrong? The commander, sensing something was off, stepped forward.“Hey, what’s…”“One is missing.”Missing? I reluctantly counted the bodies on the road. It wasn’t easy with the split heads, but there were fifteen bodies, including the ones far away. Was there one more I missed? No. When I arrived, they were just getting out of the car. There were no other cars or people, just fields around.“One is missing? Really? Team 1, Team 2, search the area immediately…”“Hey.”It was just a casual word, but it made the commander shut his mouth. Everyone’s attention returned to Yangsimless. He raised his axe-wielding hand and slowly scanned our faces. Why us? This time, even the commander didn’t question him. It felt like we shouldn’t move. Even twitching our lips seemed forbidden.So, dozens of people turned into statues. The only one alive was Yangsimless, his eyes gleaming predatorily. His gaze reached my side. When his black eyes brushed over me, a chill ran down my neck. This guy wasn’t normal. The realization quickly faded.Yangsimless’s eyes stopped next to me. Everyone’s gaze followed his. I turned my head. The paramedic, just three steps away, was the only one looking elsewhere. He was staring at Yangsimless.“It’s you?”Yangsimless asked the paramedic. I was shocked. He was speaking informally to someone he’d just met. The paramedic hadn’t spoken informally yet. The strange thing was the paramedic. He wasn’t flustered or scared. He just calmly met Yangsimless’s gaze.“It is.”Yangsimless confirmed and took a step forward. I hastily stepped back. Who is this guy?“The 17th. The 40-year-old chemist.”Everyone watching was stunned. A 40-year-old chemist, sure, but the 17th… I recalled the report. The last message sent by the undercover agent.‘17, XX, G’We assumed it meant date, location, and grade. But 17 referred to the number of people. Strangely, I hadn’t doubted it was a date while reading the report. I assumed they’d investigated and concluded it.Most seemed to think similarly, shocked by Yangsimless’s words. The commander was pale and speechless. Maybe Yangsimless was wrong? But any doubt vanished when the paramedic easily admitted it.“How did you know?”“Your eyes are different.”“I see.”The paramedic nodded. He didn’t deny it. He was too calm, as if it was nothing. His behavior was odd, but his admission was more shocking. He was really Heartless? But I hadn’t noticed at all.I didn’t notice the eyes Yangsimless mentioned. Even if I wasn’t in perfect condition, I couldn’t tell the person I talked to was Heartless. How could I not? Then the paramedic reached into his pocket.Click, click, click.Guns cocked all around. The commander shouted for him to freeze, but he ignored the guns and the commander. He only looked at Yangsimless. He naturally pulled his hand from his pocket. Though awkwardly open, it was empty. But no one took their eyes off his hand. The paramedic only looked at one person and asked.“Can I ask one more thing?”“No.”In the tense situation, the absurd response was heard. Not “No,” but “I don’t want to.” The rejected paramedic wasn’t disappointed. He asked anyway.“Are you a chef?”Asking about his job out of nowhere. Did he think Yangsimless was good with knives because of his axe skills? I looked at Yangsimless and paused. He didn’t react at all. No surprise, annoyance, or curiosity. That was definitely odd. It meant the question wasn’t surprising.“There really is a chef. It’s an honor.”The paramedic dryly said and brought his hand to his mouth. When he pulled it from his pocket, I thought it was empty, but he had hidden something. He put it in his mouth.“Stop!”The commander rushed, but the paramedic had already swallowed. He staggered and convulsed. The commander and agents tried to save him, but it was too late. I stepped back. Now hidden by others, I couldn’t see the paramedic. Yet I couldn’t look away.“He’s dead.”An agent’s voice. I finally turned. Nearby, Yangsimless was staring at the unseen paramedic like me. Sensing my gaze, he looked at me. I spoke without thinking.“I didn’t notice he was Heartless.”I tried to hide it, but my voice was self-reproachful. It was truly shocking. Even if G-grade symptoms were slow and long-lasting, I hadn’t noticed he was Heartless. I prided myself on recognizing Heartless. It was one reason I survived.“I didn’t know either.”A detached voice.“But you noticed his different eyes, Director Kook. That’s why you identified him as Heartless.”“No. I never identified him as Heartless.”What? But you said he was the 17th… I looked at the dead paramedic and realized. Oh, I see. He was the 17th, but not Heartless? He was just a person. A regular person planning to blow up the plant with Heartless. Yangsimless muttered.“I should’ve beheaded him too.”“You’ll be contacted tomorrow morning. You’ll need to testify for the report. It won’t take long, but this case…”The agent informing me glanced at the bodies covered in plastic.“Will take a while.”“I don’t have much to say.”“Well, I guess?”He glanced at Yangsimless. He was talking to the commander. The commander looked ready to shoot him.“Quite a person.”