The letter was calm.

I’m writing this to note down the things I never got to say.

It felt like a note left behind by someone going away for a while.

Kim Soleum wrote about the spare glasses he’d left on the couch in Hyeonmu Team 1’s waiting room, about the flat rear tire on the bicycle out front of the main office, about the printer ink that was still in transit.

Too trivial and fragmentary to be called a handover.

Hints of lingering attachment seemed to rise, only to vanish again by the next paragraph.

But that unassuming tone, steady throughout, eventually slipped—almost unnoticed—into something quietly significant.

Things no new agent of the Disaster Management Bureau could ever know.

…Advice regarding supernatural disasters.

_In the ironing section of the laundry shop at the four-way intersection, wearing silk garments will no longer be safe after the rescue of the woman in the blue dress.

Please make sure no agent wears anything like that in._

These were urban legends Hyeonmu Team 1 had investigated.

It read as if Soleum had pieced things together himself—but there was an odd, certain tone that made it feel like he’d already known.

Still, it clearly wasn’t written with detachment.

It was written with concern and care.

Trembling eyes scanned quickly through the lines.

And then…

Once again, I’m sorry.

The content shifted into something more personal.

The night the geumje (binding curse) had been placed was described in extremely vague terms—only the person involved would be able to understand it.

As if to spare someone who might still be cursed.

Then followed apologies and gratitude to Agent Cheongdong, who had made it possible to speak the truth honestly, without coercion or pressure.

And then—

Still, I want to go home.

A farewell.

I can’t give up without even trying to return.
But because of that desire, I feel like I’ve wasted the Disaster Management Bureau agents’ time.
I’m sorry again—for failing to live up to expectations, for not accepting punishment properly, for quitting like I was running away.

“……”

I know this might be an inconvenience, but I’ve included some of the items I found most useful.
If Hyeonmu Team 1 can make use of them, I’d be glad.

He had detailed the abilities and effects of the items he’d left behind.

And at the very end—

_Just in case, I’ll add this.
The writing I left on the whiteboard in Hyeonmu Team 1’s waiting room doesn’t mean anything.

I was worried you might hesitate to erase it, wondering if it was a hint or a sign.
But you can wipe it off without concern.

It was just something I left on impulse. There’s no deeper meaning._

The letter ended.

The agent reading it hastily flipped the paper over.

…There, on the bottom corner of the back, was one more line in small handwriting.

Thank you for everything.
Please stay safe and be happy.

“……”

The one reading the letter lowered their gaze—to the items scattered on the floor.

Then, slowly, bent down and picked one of them up.

It looked like a cheap candy.

But it was an item—one that could briefly restore the body to its state in a “better time.”

Something extremely useful in the field of rescue dispatch.

The bits and pieces left behind glittered faintly on the ground.

“……”

“……”

Agent Choi raised his head.

The sunken eyes of the two Hyeonmu Team 1 agents met each other.

If he had just now vanished, there was a good chance he hadn’t left the premises yet.

“Wait—w-wait, agents…!”

They rushed out of the prep room with the startled administrator in tow.

To begin a full search of the crystal cave.

And—

“……”

Standing motionless in the corner of the room, Kim Soleum quietly followed behind them.

With a single sheet of paper in his hand.

Through the gap in the door they had opened to enter the room.

***

An elegant and courteous exit. Not bad, this method.

“……”

I quietly looked up at the sunlight pouring down.

So I made it out.

I tried to finish this as safely and gently as I could, but… honestly, I don’t know.
I don’t know how the Disaster Management Bureau will take it.

Or what Hyeonmu Team 1 will think.

As I walked faster, trying not to recall the faces I’d glimpsed in passing, I kept my pace steady.

Out of the crystal cave.
To the bus stop.
To the express train.

And I didn’t forget to thank the host who had kindly dimmed the lights for me.

Oh, think nothing of it!

Thanks to that, I was able to leave quietly like this.

If he hadn’t helped, I would’ve had to escape in a much messier, more emotionally taxing way….

“……”

[This train will depart shortly….]

I tried not to think.

How thoroughly they’d search the crystal cave after I left,
how they’d handle the items I left behind,
how suspicious the Bureau would become of me,
whether Hyeonmu Team 1 would erase the words I’d written on their whiteboard….

Instead, I tried to sleep.

The express train headed for {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Seoul, thankfully, didn’t evoke the fear of the Tamna-bound line.

I finally managed to doze off for a bit before waking.

And to avoid any risk of being followed, I picked a random motel and paid in cash.

Thud.

Once the door closed behind me, I took a moment to breathe and begin my inventory check.

Only then did reality start to return.

“…I left almost everything behind.”

Just a few consumable items remained.

Especially the ones from the Space Shopping Mall—guaranteed safe items—I’d left most of those behind.

…Because I probably wouldn’t need them anymore.

“People who are more likely to get hurt should use them instead.”

What I had left were a few pieces of equipment, and my tattoos.

But….

Fwoosh.

A small light flickered out from inside my clothes.

A dokkaebi flame.

“You’re really going to keep following me?”

The flame danced up and down, clearly affirming.

This guy had stuck with me all the way to Seoul.

Even left behind the glass lantern it had been housed in.

I’d worried about being tracked, so in a way, this was less risky, but still….

“They’ll be worried. You’re part of the Bureau.”

The flame flashed brightly—like it was arguing back.

It says it’s old enough to make its own decisions.
Goodness me. What a stubborn, foolish creature.
Sigh.

According to Brown’s reluctant interpretation, the dokkaebi fire, though slow, is capable of recharging itself on its own.

It apparently recovers faster if exposed to the energy of a sacred lightning bolt—but… where would I even find something like that?

Anyway, the dokkaebi fire’s will seemed as firm as ever.

“…Then I’ll be counting on you for just a bit longer.”

The flame gleamed happily and floated a lap around the motel room.

……To be honest, it wasn’t just inconvenient.

At least one thing stayed with me.

A trace of where I once belonged.

Proof of the days I spent with good people… that kind of thing.

Just a little longer. I’ll hold on to it.

It wouldn’t be long, anyway.

After stroking the dokkaebi fire once, I let it transform into my right arm.

You’re free again, Mr. Nohru! You can go anywhere now. So—where to?

Strictly speaking, it’s actually the opposite, isn’t it?

If the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau doesn’t put out a wanted alert, I’ll be lucky, and to the Baekilmong Corporation, I’m already a dead man.

There weren’t many places I could call or show up at.

Not to mention,Agent Choi already found out about the dream cultivation chamber at the Euphoric Research Lab.

Even if the binding curse stops me from revealing the chamber to the Bureau, he himself could visit at any time. I’d need to prepare precautions—but I had to stay cautious.

Still, I didn’t break out without a plan.

I’ve got one.

Oh?

…The problem was that it was a deeply uncomfortable plan.

“……”

I activated the phone that I had sealed inside my tattoo.

A flood of unread messages from the last two weeks.

Good thing nothing came up during the interrogation.

I’d come close to exposing both Ms. Yeongeun and Mr. Heoun’s identities.

The moment I got caught in Jisan Village, I shoved the phone into my tattoo—and inside the glass prison, where tattoos stopped functioning, that had been a hidden blessing.

I exhaled in relief and scrolled through the messages.

Mostly spam.

But among them—several were from someone I knew.

[Hey]
[You okay?]
[When will you tell me what you found out]
[Hey]
[If you’re sick]
[If anything’s wrong, reach out]

It was the security team captain.

“……”

Strangely, it made me feel weird.

With this person, I always seemed to be… the one receiving concern and help.

Come to think of it, I haven’t contacted him since the curse.

After some hesitation, I replied.

[Sorry. Something came up. I’m fine now.]

And after another moment of conflict, I sent one more.

[Thanks again for checking into that thing.
Would it be okay to meet tomorrow or the next day to talk about it?
And maybe get something good to eat.]

He read it fairly quickly, but his reply came slowly.

[ㅇㅋ]

“……”

That’s settled.

Now it was time to go do what needed doing.

I chose my destination.

I didn’t like it, but I didn’t have a better option.

And…

I was already prepared.

[Please prepare the wish voucher.]
[I’ve found the information you wanted.]

To Director Ho.

* * *

“Soleum-nim, you’ve returned!”

“……”

I lifted my head.

There, at the table in the familiar waiting area of the Fox Counseling Office, sat Director Ho with a smile.

My stomach churned on reflex.

…A visceral aversion to even having to make this decision.

A strange sense of guilt—as if I were betraying someone who had broken the curse for me.

And at the same time, a contradictory feeling: that now, with the curse lifted, I could finally have a proper negotiation.

“I’m here to receive my wish voucher.”

“Just a moment. There’s something I want to say first.”

Still wearing that gentle smile, Director Ho hesitated, as if embarrassed.

It made my skin crawl even more.

“The curse about Soleum-nim’s death—I may have gone a little overboard with that. Looking back, I think it was a rather emotional decision on my part… pretty shameful, huh.”

“……”

“It’s a good thing it’s gone now, right?”

I recalled the strange ritual that the General of Mt. Daecheong had performed.

And Director Ho’s grotesque reaction through Deputy Eunhaje’s body during that rite.

…Even if I’m curious or worried about the deputy, I shouldn’t ask.

If Director Ho senses any familiarity or concern from me, that might end up harming Deputy Eunhaje.

My insides twisted.

So instead of nodding easily, I answered with caution.

“It doesn’t matter. Curse or not, a promise is a promise. I’m here to keep the one I made with you.”

“Really? That’ll be tough.”

“……”

“You don’t even know what kind of ‘extinction-class disaster’ I was asking for, do you, Soleum-nim?”

That’s true.

Director Ho had said he’d tell us more once we spies gained access to the secret archives beneath Gangwon-do.

But….

I knew.

I’d already figured out what he’d been planning to demand.

“I deduced it.”

“……”

“Just tell me the disaster’s name. If it doesn’t match the information I brought, I’ll accept punishment.”

After all, there was no risk to him now.

He could curse me again, punish me, whatever.

With the situation changed, there was no longer a fellow agent to undo it for me.

So….

“Alright.”

I figured he would.

Director Ho laced his fingers together and smiled.

“The name of that supernatural disaster is: Saekwang Special City.”

“……”

“Oh, and don’t say it out loud outside the Fox Counseling Office. You’ll regret it.”

Director Ho looked into my eyes.

“So?”

“……”

“Does it match what you brought?”

I didn’t look away.

“Yes.”

“…!”

“Here.”

Thud.

A document was placed on the table of the Fox Counseling Office’s waiting area.

“This is the file on the extinction-class supernatural disaster you just mentioned.”

“……”

“Please, verify it.”

Director Ho reached out, picked up the paper, and began reading.

And….

“……!”

He closed it.

Expression wiped clean, he stared at me.

“…How did you find this out?”

So it was the correct answer.

“That’s not important.”

Because in truth—

It wasn’t something I had found out.

I already knew it.

That’s right.

This was why I’d said I could bring him the information within a month.

Because I already knew it.

The fastest and most certain method—

To write down the information from The Dark Exploration Log.

It had been the last resort, one I’d avoided out of fear—because there was no way to convince or explain it to other spies, and if I raised Director Ho’s suspicion, the consequences could be terrifying.

I’d wanted to go about it as safely as possible.

But with the whole board overturned, there was only one move left.

I had to act fast.

If I took too long, the Bureau would begin searching for other spies.

If Yeongeun or Heoun got caught, they’d never get their wish voucher and would suffer doubly, bound by Director Ho’s curse….

I had to strike first.

And yet….

“I’m sure you were in the Glass Prison just yesterday. Where could you have possibly found this?”

“……”

“They don’t keep anything like that in there.”

Correct.

The Glass Prison stored no high-level intel.

Occasionally, a report would be written based on information obtained during interrogation, but nothing more.

But….

That’s exactly why they keep some office supplies on hand for report writing.

Like these.

Unmarked Bureau report templates used for documenting supernatural disasters, with the branch field redacted—because they’re written in an undisclosed location.

The perfect format for printing secret, extinction-class disaster documents stored in the sealed archive.

Ironically, getting thrown into the Glass Prison had given me the exact medium I needed.

And so, I was able to lay this document before Director Ho.

The Saekwang Special City file I created, based entirely on what I read on the wiki.

“……”

But there was no need to tell him that.

It would only endanger me.

I did come with a few final precautions…

Cold sweat beaded down my back.

But still—I had to say it.

“What matters is that I brought the promised information. And in the process, I did receive help from the other two.”

“……”

“So now, Director, it’s your turn to fulfill the agreement.”

A smile spread across Director Ho’s face.

“Very well.”

“…!”

“Congratulations, Soleum-nim. You are now officially receiving your wish voucher.”

I clenched my fist.