Seated in a quiet family restaurant was a skinny young man with pale skin and a strange expression carved deep into his face — radiating a deep sense of hopelessness and resignation. He stared blankly at the steaming plate of curry rice set before him by a kindly waitress. Under normal circumstances, he might've celebrated the chance to enjoy such a luxurious meal. But today was anything but normal, and he happened to lose his appetite.
Lazily, the boy lifted his head and looked at the person seated across from him, someone who, by no coincidence, had chosen that exact spot at the table.
Judging by her appearance, the woman was likely middle-aged, with fair skin and the same black hair as his. But unlike his messy hair, hers was long and smooth. She wore a brown coat over a black suit, paired with matching slacks that gave her a professional yet aloof air.
Despite her youthful appearance, she seemed like the type who would grumble about not being allowed to smoke in a family restaurant. In fact, she had done just that, clearly tempted to pull out the cigarette pack tucked inside her coat pocket then clicked her tongue upon remembering it was against the rules.
'What a strange fellow.'
Thinking the woman was somewhat weird, he raised his spoon and hovered it over the curry rice. Then, tentatively, he scooped up a small portion of the rice and brought it to his mouth. The warmth of the curry wafted into his nose, along with its earthy and rich aroma. But as he took the bite, the flavor barely registered. The feeling was similar to chewing ash.
"Hmm… It doesn't taste as good as I expected."
Solace frowned.
Maybe it was just his mood. Yeah, that had to be it. He sighed inwardly and resumed eating. Whether the food tasted good or not didn't matter. Reality wouldn't change just because he felt bitter. Worrying wouldn't help.
"Why the long face? Is the curry not to your liking?" a voice asked.
It was the middle-aged woman seated across from him.
Solace paused, registering her words. Then he raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and continued eating.
"The food's fine, if that's what you're asking. But I thought you weren't allowed to talk to me? Or don't tell me you suddenly developed a conscience."
She offered a faint smile at his sarcasm.
"You're right, I'm not supposed to talk to you. And no, I haven't suddenly developed a conscience. Frankly, I don't care about you at all. But sitting here in silence isn't exactly ideal either."
Feigning deep offense, Solace pointed his spoon at her.
"Ouch. Good to know, dear officer. Are all cops this gloomy, or are you just especially miserable? No wonder you're unmarried at your age. Seriously though, how old are you, anyway?"
The woman's expression tightened. A shadow crossed her face, and the slight frown she wore made her look downright intimidating.
"Oh? When did you get so brave? Do you want to finish that curry in handcuffs? Say one more word, just one, and I'll make it happen."
However, Solace remained completely unfazed. He continued eating his curry with an air of nonchalance, barely acknowledging her threat. Then, with a sigh, he almost rolled his eyes and spoke:
"Oh, please. If you could do that, I'd already be in cuffs. And since I'm feeling generous today, let me offer you a little advice." He gestured toward her with his spoon. "Plus, that face you're making isn't exactly intimidating. If anything, you look like you're trying to hold in a fart."
He took another bite.
"Also, your posture is a mess. Slouching like that just makes you look constipated, not scary. And that voice is way too soft to be taken seriously. Honestly, it's kind of adorable."
He then looked up and offered her a smug grin.
"But hey, don't take it personally. I'm telling you this because I care about you and I want you to succeed. Haha! Just kidding. Of course, I don't give a damn. You're a piece of shit, and your opinion means less than this bland curry."
Satisfied, he resumed eating. The woman, however, looked anything but pleased. Her face twisted into a grimace, as if she'd just bitten into a rotten tomato. Clearly, her pride had taken a hit. And yet, surprisingly, she made no move to cuff him or abuse her authority as a law officer, despite the temptation practically written across her face.
Noticing her sour expression, Solace smirked. A thought crossed his mind, and that smirk slowly widened into a grin.
Then, without warning, he raised his right hand and pointed it directly at her face.
"?!"
The officer visibly flinched and tensed up in shock. For a split second, she froze, trembling ever so slightly, as if bracing for something far worse.
But her fear was completely unwarranted.
Solace abruptly lowered his hand, then burst out laughing.
"Pfft—! Hahahaha! What the hell? Why were you trembling like that? Did you really think flames were gonna shoot out of my fingers or something? Damn, you're really sensitive, aren't you?"
Elena's shoulders trembled as she glared at him. But the bastard remained completely unmoved.
She wasn't even supposed to be speaking to him. Normally, their paths wouldn't have crossed at all. If not for that incident a few years ago, this meeting would never have happened. But everything had been turned upside down since then. Even so, he had no right to act so rude.
What on earth did the MDCC see in this troublesome young man?
Realizing he was merely toying with her, she clenched her jaw and cleared her throat before speaking in a firm, serious tone.
"If you're done with your foolish joke, then let's move on to the matter at hand, shall we? I'm sure you're already aware, but you've tested positive for the X-virus. You know what that means… and what comes next, don't you?"
Just like that, Solace's smile vanished. His brow furrowed as he gently set his spoon down on the table. It seemed he had truly lost his appetite the moment she mentioned that term.
"The X-virus, huh?" he muttered bitterly. "You mean that so-called virus that turns humans into superhumans?"
Elena sighed, sounding more exhausted than annoyed.
"The correct term is 'Minus,' but you've got the gist. A Minus is a mutated individual, someone who has been altered on an atomic level by the X-virus and in the aftermath, what you call 'Abnormalities' are developed inside their mentality. They may look human, but they're fundamentally different. Some like to say: 'They've gained powers outside the boundaries of humanity. They are human, yet they are not.' I'm sure you've heard that phrase before, haven't you?"
Solace shrugged.
"Yeah, I've heard that phrase so many times it makes me sick. But what does any of that have to do with me? I already told you, I don't have any powers, or whatever it is that qualifies someone as a Minus."
Then, something clicked in his mind. He muttered, half to himself:
"Wait… isn't it impossible to know for sure if someone will become a Minus or not? So where exactly did you guys pull that result from?"
Those were the words of a young man who had been branded as useless by the Redgrave's infamous mania-detection sensors.
"And seriously, your priorities are all over the place. Shouldn't you be saving a cat stuck in a tree or something? That'd be more meaningful than this pathetic excuse for a conversation."
In response, the woman belonging to the Public Defense Agency curled her lips into a twisted smile.
"This brat… Are you saying the corruption is a trivial matter? Of course you wouldn't get it. You don't even value your own life, so why would you care about anyone else's? What happens to you doesn't concern me. But who's to say you won't become a threat when corruption finally catches up with you?"
Solace scowled.
"Hahh...? Corruption, you say? You mean that lovely phenomenon where the mania inside someone's body goes haywire and turns them into a grotesque terror? Yeah, real scary stuff. But why are you worried about that? Isn't that the MDCC's job? Actually, aren't we in this mess because your precious government decided to play god in the first place? What was that line again? Something like, 'Humans can't calculate god, so we need a body that surpasses humanity before we can reach god's answer', right?"
He let out a dry, mocking laugh.
"Don't make me laugh. Since when did you start caring about people's lives? When the disaster first hit, your first instinct was to run and bomb the entire city just to cover your own asses. So spare me the righteous speech. That fake concern of yours really makes me sick."
After saying that, the young man suddenly stopped.
In the silence, it felt as if the quality of the very air was changing.
Glancing around, the two noticed that the intensity of their conversation was beginning to draw attention from other customers. A few moments later, Elena broke the silence and spoke with her voice dropping to a low murmur.
"I understand you have some... dissatisfactions with the government and the current state of the world. But there's only so much we can do. All we can offer now are necessary precautions. Here," she reached into her coat and pulled out a document, sliding it across the table toward Solace. "This is a copy of your examination report. According to the data, the X-value in your body is slightly above the Base Value, what we refer to as the Keylan constant, q. Based on this, you've been classified as a Safe Manic. That means your X-values can fluctuate or spike randomly, depending on your emotional state or circumstances you may find yourself in."
She paused for a beat before continuing.
"The X-virus (also known as Mania) alters the body, yes, but that's not what causes the transformation. The real change occurs in the mind. Anger, resentment, jealousy, envy… all those negative emotions twist the human psyche. Once the mind breaks, the transformation begins and It's an irreversible phenomenon."
Solace listened quietly with his brows drawn together in a massive frown. Then, he muttered dryly:
"So… I'm basically just a walking time bomb."
Elena nodded solemnly.
"That's correct. For now, you're stable. But like I said, who knows what might happen in the future? You could even turn into a Corruptor."
"I see. So… I'm going to die, huh?"
Elena tilted her head slightly.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Whether you turn or not depends on you," she stretched her body and rose to her feet. "My work here as a Public Defender is done. Make sure to report to the MDCC headquarters for regular evaluations and psychological assessments. Best-case scenario, you become a registered Minus. Worst-case? You lose control, become a Corruptor, and get put down."
Solace gave a hollow chuckle.
"Yeah… that's really comforting. Thanks for the pep talk."
The policewoman didn't respond. She simply turned on her heel and walked away from him, heading towards the exit. Moments later, a bell sound echoed, signalling the departure of a paying customer.
Solace stared at the exit for a while before releasing a breath.
'Tsk. She didn't even say goodbye. How cold.'
He stared down at the half-eaten curry on his plate, now lukewarm and uninviting. It hadn't tasted like much before, but now it might as well have been poison. With a sigh, Solace set his spoon aside and leaned back in his seat.
His eyes drifted to the document Elena had left behind. With mild disinterest, he unfolded it and read the details.
---
[Subject Name: Solace Gray (MDCC-S-0147)]
[Age: 21]
[Classification: Safe (Currently)]
[Occupation: College Student. Currently works as a part-timer]
[Criminal Record: None]
[Mutation Assessment: Slightly above q. Requires further observation.]
---
A faint scoff escaped his lips.
"Safe… currently."
He folded the paper again and tucked it into his coat pocket without another glance. Whether the report said "safe" or "dangerous," it made little difference.
After all, in this world, labels didn't save anyone.