194 Chapter
194 Chapter
Director Ho’s mouth did not open.
But the incantation had begun.
—Male.
Rippling circular indentations shimmered across Choi Agent’s face.
The smile on the agent’s face warped along with the waves.
And the moment he recoiled—
Thud.
“…!!”
Blood poured as if one side of his face had collapsed.
Chunks of flesh were torn away in the exact pattern of the ripples.
No.
“Don’t move. You mustn’t move.”
I held onto Choi Agent.
‘It’s not on the back of his hand—it’s on his face.’
This was a different treatment than for spies.
It meant, “If you move, you’ll be killed.”
Cold sweat ran down my neck.
The incantation continued.
—You will never be able to speak of this matter.
That meant—
—You will become incapable of disclosing it.
The bleeding intensified.
Blood flowed over my hand where I was gripping Choi Agent’s shoulder.
What can I do?
Director Ho’s incantation doesn’t come from his mouth. Even if I tried to talk to him or plead, I couldn’t stop it.
—Your final appearance will be as follows.
At this rate, wasn’t I just making it easier and faster for Choi Agent to die by holding him in place?
I couldn’t help him escape. The incantation had already started, and his equipment… his equipment was all sealed inside my tattoo.
‘If only I hadn’t disarmed him in the first place.’
No, if only I hadn’t given him that note to begin with.
In the end, even being transferred to the glass prison would’ve been better.
But all those moments had already passed, and now Director Ho was speaking.
—Careless hints, changes in demeanor, providing clues—these are fundamentally prohibited. Your restriction of free will will never be outwardly visible.
—All attempts to reveal the existence of the prohibition will be thwarted, and you will appear no different than before.
—Any effort to alter this will result in punishment.
“……”
Is that the end?
That’s the final clause, isn’t it? Then this ends with only the imposition of a powerful prohibition?
For a moment, I felt relief.
If I could just get through this, maybe I could find another way. At this level, perhaps….
—And tonight.
The incantation wasn’t over.
—You will come to the decision to die.
No.
—Resigned to your fate, you will take your own life in the most wretched corner of this alley…
I lunged.
At the same time, I kicked the backrest of Director Ho’s seat and reached out to grab him by the collar.
Then I slammed him down hard against the steering wheel.
BEEEEEEEEEEP!
The weight triggered the horn to scream like mad.
That sound drowned out the incantation, and the shattered focus disrupted the concentration.
The oppressive pressure that had filled the space disappeared.
In an instant, the circular ripples vanished from Choi Agent’s face.
Panting.
Silence.
…Stillness.
“……”
“……”
“Soleum-nim.”
“……”
“Did you just attack me?”
I released my hand.
My mouth barely moved.
“You had to stop.”
“……”
“It was the wrong choice.”
A reckless choice.
I had just rebuked someone—no, something—that wasn’t human, that was an incomprehensible force capable of killing me at any time, that had placed a prohibition on me, and was infinitely my superior.
“That so?”
Director Ho clapped his palms together with a crisp smack.
“You must know better than I do!”
“……”
“You couldn’t even survive a single quarter of infiltration without getting your cover blown by a teammate superior, and without giving me so much as a whisper, you went to meet the Security Team on your own as a spy!”
I’m going to die.
One wrong step here, and I’ll be dead.
Never before had Director Ho shown such open hostility. I’m going to die.
But, still—
Even so.
“That was your mistake.”
……
“…What?”
“The setup was fundamentally too sloppy. A spy should never have been deployed under their real name.”
That’s right.
“If you assumed the Disaster Response Agency wouldn’t track new recruits’ backgrounds, then that was an overly naïve decision as a planner.”
Words I couldn’t believe were coming from my mouth—words directed at someone vastly my superior—poured out.
I couldn’t stop.
“Why did you send me in under such easily exposed conditions? I thought there were backup measures in place, but there weren’t. You deliberately…”
……
Wait.
“I see.”
I looked at Director Ho.
“You did it on purpose. You wanted me to be exposed.”
“……!”
“You sent me in expecting to be caught. That’s why you had me use my real name. That’s why you only picked rookies, not veterans.”
Hoping that the inexperienced would make mistakes.
Using the easy excuse of “to bypass the Disaster Response Agency’s detection protocols,” you picked only those who were good-natured and sincere—those most suited to the agency’s image.
And there’s another added effect to this.
“The agents who uncover the identities of those infiltrators will be thrown into chaos. Because in truth, there’s no personality difference from real agents.”
Inside, there will be massive disagreements over how to handle the infiltrators.
And once they realize that no personality test can weed out spies, suspicion will spread among them.
And so—
“You orchestrated internal division within the Disaster Response Agency?”
“……”
“To slowly unravel a tightly-bonded organization, to sow seeds of distrust toward every new recruit?”
“Soleum-nim. You have quite the imagination!”
Is that so?
“But you’re not outright denying it, are you?”
A beat.
Director Ho stared at me without a word.
“‘I had no such intention, and I can swear on the Counseling Room that this is true.’ …Can you declare that?”
“……”
“I asked, can you declare it?”
“Soleum-nim.”
A soft, kindly smile rose on Director Ho’s face.
“Even if I did, it wouldn’t change anything.”
“……!”
“There was only ever one promise from the beginning.”
Director Ho raised his index finger.
“If Soleum-nim brings me the documents I asked for, a wish ticket will be granted. That condition is an unshakably guaranteed promise.”
“So in other ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) words.”
My mouth was dry from tension.
My heart pounded like mad.
But my lips moved without hesitation.
“Whether I’m exposed or not doesn’t really matter. As long as I can retrieve the ‘documents.’”
“……”
“As long as you get that information, Director.”
Information about an extinction-level supernatural disaster.
…….
Right.
“In that case, I’ll bring it to you no matter what.”
“The documents?”
“The information you want.”
“But you’ve already been exposed.”
“Even so,”
I met Director Ho’s gaze.
“I can retrieve it.”
Then, while gesturing toward Choi Agent, I subtly shifted to shield him with my back.
“But if that agent dies here or becomes incapacitated, the task becomes impossible.”
“And why is that?”
“Because from that point on, I won’t be able to contain it.”
“……”
“……”
Director Ho continued to look at me, smiling silently.
I didn’t break eye contact either. I held my ground.
And then—
“Go ahead.”
Director Ho declared.
“Our agreement hasn’t changed, after all. I’m really looking forward to seeing exactly how Soleum-nim will bring me those documents.”
“……”
As relief finally managed to crawl down my throat—
“But… punishment must be dealt, no?”
……!
“I trust you already understand that your behavior just now was outrageously disrespectful and inappropriate.”
My eyelids trembled.
“To begin with… none of the others were exposed. I don’t see how you can claim it wasn’t your personal fault.”
A chilling sense of doom ran down my spine.
“Excuses are your right, but to attack your superior just because your own opinion wasn’t accepted… that was a bit much, don’t you think? So if I had to guess why you went that far…”
“……”
“Did you grow attached?”
Cold sweat slid down my jaw.
“Were you scared to watch a fellow agent die? You seem to form precious attachments quite easily, even when dropped into unfamiliar environments, Soleum-nim.”
“Director.”
I answered as evenly as I could.
“Being afraid of watching someone else die is a natural human reaction.”
“……”
“If my objection offended you, I apologize.”
“Not at all! I wasn’t offended. It’s an entirely reasonable thing to say.”
A smile once again spread across Director Ho’s face.
“But rules are rules.”
“……”
“Please, show me the back of your hand. You need to be punished.”
……
I slowly extended both hands, just barely managing not to tremble.
With the backs facing upward.
—Male.
The ripple began.
But it wasn’t calm, like the secret prohibition he had cast before.
A massive, deep indentation twisted violently across the back of my hand, bringing with it a grotesque pain and distorted sensation.
“…!”
I clenched my teeth and broke out in cold sweat. I couldn’t move. If I moved….
—You will die one month from now.
…!
—However, if the agreement with ■■■ is fulfilled, the obligation will be lifted.
—Any attempt to circumvent it will result in punishment.
I held back a scream.
As the ripple on the back of my hand subsided, the twisted pain and sensation slowly faded away….
“I was worried you might’ve lied just to buy time. So this time, I decided not to be naïve about it!”
Director Ho beamed brightly.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“……”
I withdrew my hands.
And at that moment, I locked eyes with Choi Agent’s trembling pupils.
“Ah. I think I’d better get going now.”
“……”
“I had planned to wrap things up quickly, but I didn’t expect the chat with Soleum-nim to drag on like this.”
“Chat… not really what that was….”
……!!
“You said… he’d kill me in a month….”
Captain of Security!
‘Don’t say anything—please!’
For the first time, Director Ho seemed to acknowledge the Guard Captain’s presence and turned to look at him.
Then… smiled and said:
“Give my regards to Director Cheong.”
……!
As if he hadn’t heard what the Guard Captain just said, Director Ho turned his head back again.
He looked at me and flashed a wide smile.
“Then, have a lovely evening, Soleum-nim!”
And then—
Director Ho vanished from the driver’s seat.
“……”
“……”
“I… don’t have any reason to meet Director Cheong…. Ah, he’s gone.”
I survived.
I almost collapsed onto the taxi floor.
But then I realized I was already sitting, and immediately forced my trembling body into motion.
Choi Agent’s bleeding had become gruesome.
To stop it, I opened one of the healing kits I had confiscated from his equipment and began emergency treatment.
“……”
The bleeding from his face finally stopped, and some stability returned.
Choi Agent didn’t resist.
But he still didn’t speak.
“Agent.”
He only turned his eyes to look at me.
“Don’t think.”
“Think what.”
“A way to undo the Director’s prohibition. Don’t even attempt it, don’t plan for it.”
“……”
The first incantation Director Ho had spoken had already taken effect on Choi Agent.
Now he would be incapable of conveying any information about me being a spy, or about what happened today.
He would have to behave as though today were no different from yesterday.
Otherwise—
“You’ll be punished.”
“Punished.”
“Yes.”
I lifted my head and said it directly.
“The thing you hold most dear will meet the Director.”
“……”
Choi Agent silently took back his own medical tools from my hands and continued treating himself.
The practiced skill of someone who had done this job for a long time.
And then…
“…You said ‘Director.’”
I didn’t answer.
“What kind of prohibition did the Director put on you?”
“……”
“Right now it sounds like if you don’t succeed in your spy work within a month, he’ll kill you. What did he place on you before that?”
I opened the car door.
And gestured with my chin.
“Go home.”
“How are you planning to steal the information?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Choi Agent looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“If you tell me what the info is, I might be able to help.”
“That won’t be necessary. I won’t ask you to smuggle anything out.”
“What’s the wish you’re trying to make come true with all this?”
I couldn’t hold it in.
“To go home.”
“……!”
“…I’ll leave your equipment in the trunk.”
I exited the vehicle with the Guard Captain.
Then I retrieved all of Choi Agent’s gear and placed it in the trunk, leaving one low-grade Baekilmong regeneration potion among them.
Because if he showed up tomorrow looking like that, I couldn’t imagine the kinds of things he’d hear.
…During all this, Choi Agent never came out of the car.
Click.
I shut the trunk roughly, and began walking away with the Guard Captain.
…To somewhere.
“……”
“Um… you okay…?”
“……Yes.”
The worst was avoided.
Clearly, I had made it through.
One month.
That was enough. I could do it. I had a plan….
I could do it.
“Hmm…”
The Guard Captain’s slow voice spoke.
“If it really doesn’t work out… come find me….”
“…Thank you.”
Even just the words meant a lot.
I finally came to my senses.
“I… I’m sorry. You always help me out, and I never manage to repay you.”
Was there a bakery nearby? Even if not donuts, I wanted to give him something. But the Guard Captain slowly shook his head.
“Hm. Next time… somewhere tasty….”
“…Yes. Next time. For sure.”
A small laugh escaped me.
…Somehow, my heart eased a little.
“Um… what about the intel I found…?”
“I’ll hear it next time, too.”
But that was my limit.
With a faint smile, I saw the Guard Captain off.
He glanced back at me several times, but in the end, returned to Baekilmong before sunset….
“……”
—Phew, what a suffocating suspense sequence that was!
I lowered my head.
The plush doll on my chest came into view.
—Now, where will your journey go in this new phase? I’m quite looking forward to it. Don’t you agree, my friend?
…….
“Think whatever you want.”
I pulled the plush doll free.
I felt a fleeting impulse to throw it out onto the main road, but instead, I shoved it back into my jacket pocket.
At least this way, I wouldn’t hear its voice.
At least for today.
“……”
I returned to the shabby motel I’d been long-term renting.
And five hours later, I went to work at the Disaster Response Agency.
As if nothing had changed.