I held my breath.
Agent Choi didn't look well.
Even though his smiling face clearly showed the hope and joy of a team member's return…
A deep exhaustion was visible underneath it all.
"How's your body?"
"..."
"Getting up after lying down for so long is brutal, right? Your muscles feel like they're gone. Phew, this seonbae has been through it all, too. Just relax. Get comfortable."
Following his bantering words, I carefully pushed myself up.
My limbs trembled, but it wasn't bad for someone who had been asleep for 293 days. Perhaps because I… no, let's stop thinking about that.
The important thing was that, for now, I had escaped both Segwang Metropolitan City and the clutches of Director Cheong.
Probably thanks to this man.
Hiding my still-trembling hands, I turned my head to thank him first, but I froze at the sight of my surroundings.
"…Where on earth is this?"
"A place with good air and good water."
It looked like the inside of a natural cave.
A small space between jagged, cliff-like rocks, a hideout that seemed to have been prepared within.
In one corner of the rock face, Five-Direction Colors Cloths were draped around something, as if it were a ritual site…
And next to me, I saw the sleeping body of Agent Bronze.
"..."
I looked back and forth between Agent Bronze's body, lying on a well-made bed, and my own spot, then turned my head to Agent Choi.
"…I'm certain we entered Segwang Metropolitan City from the Fox Counseling Center."
"I smuggled you out."
"…!!"
"That place was going to… no, never mind that."
Agent Choi suddenly spoke brightly again.
"Anyway, that was some nice timing, wasn't it? This is what the top ace agent of Team Hyumoo 1 is like, Grapes-ie. See? I told you I'd rescue you, didn't I?"
"..."
An ominous premonition washed over me like a rising tide.
I looked to the side.
Agent Choi was trying to casually cover it as if clearing it away, but the Ritual Bell was still there.
And the bloodstains that had splattered from it.
"…Why is there blood splattered from the bell?"
"It's nothing."
"Did you ask the tiger general of Daecheongbong Peak on Mount Seorak… to save me?"
"Something like that."
"By what means?"
"Good means."
"…Then why is there blood on the bell?"
"..."
"You said, general tiger… was a vegan..."
"..."
"Agent Choi."
I said in a trembling voice.
"Just what did you offer, and to whom?"
"..."
Agent Choi stared at me silently…
Then burst out laughing.
"What are you talking about! Hey, look."
He then rolled up his sleeves to show me his scar-covered arms. He also rolled up his pant leg to show me, and pressed on his body.
…He looked fine.
"I'm perfectly okay, see?"
And then he shrugged.
"Let's not say things that could make people misunderstand~ They might think a cool agent like me, who only thinks of the civilians day and night, is some kind of addict who gambles his own body away at a casino."
"..."
Then, what on earth…
"For now, just get some rest. Eat something… and then let's talk."
"..."
"Hm?"
In Agent Choi's pale, smiling face, I saw a desperate look.
I thought of Agent Bronze, who was still asleep.
And I thought.
About how this man must have been, all alone, for the past 293 days.
"..."
In the end, I slowly nodded my head.
Agent Choi beamed.
"Here, here, eat up."
The food laid out was egg porridge and some side dishes.
The side dishes seemed to be frozen or store-bought, but the egg porridge tasted freshly made, as if it had been cooked somewhere…
[This looks like a spread he struggled to put together with what little he had.]
I ate as much as I could. Agent Choi's face grew a little brighter and calmer.
So I was able to ask.
"Agent Choi. While I was asleep… what happened?"
"..."
Agent Choi's mouth opened.
"There's one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"…The-"
"No, never mind. I'll just tell you."
Waving his hand, Agent Choi looked at me.
A calm warmth settled in his eyes.
"Grapes-ie. Do you remember the Train Shelter?"
"Of course… I remember."
Because I fell from it.
As I was falling, and… while I was suffering a terrible fate, I remembered the train that cut through the distant sky, heading out of the city.
'It was probably a relief that it was in the sky.'
Perhaps because the train happened to be running through the sky 'instead of on the ground,' it was able to safely use the supernatural phenomenon as fuel instead of crashing or stopping.
Much like how the subway, being separate from the surface, had remained relatively intact.
'But the fuel… both agents disappeared from the train.'
Me and Agent Bronze.
Feeling my blood run cold, I snapped my head up.
…No way.
The people on that train, Yeongeun who was on board…
"Grapes-ie."
"..."
"The train made it out. And…"
"Everyone inside survived."
I stared at him as if I'd been struck by lightning.
"You guys saved them."
"…Really?"
"Really."
"All of them… made it out safely?"
Agent Choi nodded.
"Yeah."
"…!"
"Congratulations, Agent Grapes of Team Hyumoo 1. …You safely rescued 104 civilians from an Extinction-class supernatural disaster."
Ah.
An indescribable, surging emotion I hadn't felt in a very long time struck my chest.
A sense of accomplishment.
'…Thank god.'
I was so relieved.
[Congratulations, my friend!]
A deep sense of relief made it hard to breathe.
How on earth did it happen? How did they manage to run the train safely with that engine that used agents as fuel…
"Was there… anyone in the engineer's compartment?"
"Oh, that's a pretty specific question."
But Agent Choi answered readily.
"According to the situation report, there were two people. A middle-aged man with bruises all over his body."
…The engineer.
"And… a young woman standing next to him, watching over the train's controls."
...Don't tell me.
"I'm talking about Agent Peppermint."
Ah.
Ah…!
'It was Ms. Go Young-eun.'
If I could be judged as an Agent, then so could Ms. Go Young-eun. Yes…!
Thankfully, since there wasn't much distance left to escape the city, it seemed she had been safely in the engineer's compartment.
"Is Ms. Go Young-eun healthy?"
"She was hospitalized for a bit, but she was discharged in good health."
"..."
That was a relief.
'Yeongeun got out of Segwang Metropolitan City…'
It didn't feel real. I wanted to see her in person.
And even if the conditions were met like this, I had to find out how the train was able to escape the seal safely.
Then it hit me again like a thunderbolt.
'Because it's the subway…!'
The people on the subway weren't offered as sacrifices. They weren't included in the May 4th count!
They were an exception to the elements that made up the seal!
'Is that why they were able to get out?'
Everything clicked into place in my head, and a sense of relief like a thrill washed over me again. Then…
"The rescued civilians were taken good care of by the Management Bureau, thanks to Agent Peppermint's report."
"..."
"Grapes-ie?"
"Um, were the civilians confirmed to be safe after that? I mean… did the Management Bureau, without any other… problems, return them to society?"
"Hm? Of course. Anyone rescued from a Supernatural Disaster gets a simple memory wipe and then returns to their life. The process is no different just because they came out of a cognitive seal."
…Phew.
"They did a Contamination check, confirmed there was nothing contagious. Restored their identities and they all got out."
"…I see."
Agent Choi was answering without any hesitation. He didn't seem to have noticed what I was worried about.
That's what made it chilling.
…What if 'someone' who planned the Sealing Ritual had pulled some strings?
But Agent Choi's tone became slightly cheerful.
"Ah, there was one thing that got the procedures passed faster than anyone expected."
"Faster than anyone expected…?"
Agent Choi looked at me.
To be precise, at the Good Friend Doll I had placed neatly beside my bed.
"Well~ the rescued civilians showed a cult-like tendency to fervently worship a pink rabbit plush doll, you see?"
Ah.
"After a few more tests, it turned out to be a Supernatural Phenomenon, right? So that's how they concluded it."
Agent Choi lightly slapped his knee.
"'The civilians in question are deemed to have been contaminated by a cult-like supernatural phenomenon related to a plush doll, and are believed to have bypassed the seal by entering said phenomenon'!"
"..."
"That seems to be the official ruling. It was processed as a special case."
Good grief.
[Haha, a gift-like surprise always follows for the viewers who believe in and wait for this Braun!]
"Well, they said the memories related to the supernatural phenomenon were cleared up before they returned to society, but their fondness for rabbit dolls remained?"
Aaargh…
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry…
But since it was an insane relief, I just nodded my head.
But a bitter smile appeared on Agent Choi's face.
"The problem is… a few of those civilians went missing again as soon as they returned."
"…Excuse me?"
"To a certain counseling center."
...!
"That's right. It was the work of that being you call Director Ho. He must have heard that someone got out of the special city."
Ah.
"After that… those civilians never returned to society. And that Director Ho's Project started making more and more extreme and strange choices… is how I'd sum it up."
"..."
Agent Choi's bright blue eyes settled into a calm stillness.
"That's why I smuggled you out. Who knows what he'd do with you two if I left you there."
His voice trembled for a moment before he quickly composed himself.
"To be honest, I wanted to smuggle out your other… sleeping colleagues too, but they had them separated in completely different rooms."
"..."
"…Grapes-ie. I'm sorry."
"No. Not at all…"
How could I possibly question him here, asking 'why did you make that choice'?
And this agent probably already knew that I wouldn't be able to…
"Right. It's better not to see that dangerous Director again, isn't it? If you ever need to go into the special city's underground again, you can just use the well."
"..."
I couldn't give a positive answer.
Because I already knew too much.
Though he must have noticed my expression, Agent Choi deliberately opened his mouth in a bright tone again.
"Ah, and there's this. I think Agent Peppermint is trying to get reinstated?"
"…! Really?"
"Yeah."
A soft, low voice continued from behind me.
"And you'll be able to see her soon. You can hear the detailed explanation of the train incident from her."
…!
I shot up, turning my head.
My head spun for a moment, but more than that, I saw the face of a familiar person emerging from behind the rocks.
"Agent Haegeum!"
"Agent Grapes."
Agent Haegeum's face, which had been shining with relief and joy at seeing me, crumpled the moment she saw Agent Choi grinning beside me.
"You…!"
"Hahaha, hey, Sis, it all worked out! This Choi pulled off another one!"
Agent Haegeum, who had been striding over to smack Agent Choi, sighed and lowered her hand.
"…I came as soon as I got the call. Agent Grapes, I'm glad you woke up safely."
"Thank you."
Watching them, I felt a momentary question.
"Are you both… on leave?"
No, more than that.
'Isn't Agent Choi the only one left in Team Hyumoo 1…?'
Did he work alone?
As if sensing my gaze, Agent Choi averted his eyes slightly and chuckled.
"Team Hyumoo 1 is… being processed as on full leave of absence."
"…!"
"This is the first time in my life I've taken a leave that wasn't for medical reasons. But it was about time for a break anyway. Hey now, what's with that face?"
Smiling faintly, Agent Choi shook his head.
"There are no problems. The members who were on leave have returned as Team Hyumoo 5. They've taken over our schedule and are on duty now."
My heart felt heavy as I watched Agent Choi banter, saying things like, 'They said 4 sounded unlucky, so they insisted on taking 5, choosing a number that stood apart.'
Only then did I realize that this space wasn't just a place to keep us while we slept, but a base where Agent Choi had been staying for the past several months.
'Did he take a leave of absence and spend all this time searching for a way to wake me and Agent Bronze?'
If not, there was no way he could have pulled me from Director Cheong's clutches with such perfect timing.
And thinking this far, my resolve was set.
I took a deep breath.
"Aren't you going to ask what I went through?"
"…Are you ready to talk?"
I think I was.
…About the truth I experienced in Segwang Metropolitan City.
I was about to open my mouth when I realized the two agents were unusually tense.
And I sensed something else was wrong.
Something I had actually felt from the moment I opened my eyes, but hadn't dared to bring to the surface… a strangeness.
'Why aren't they asking about the whereabouts of the others…?'
They didn't ask why the others besides me hadn't woken up.
No matter how much they knew I would speak up first if it were an emergency, wouldn't it be different for them, who had been waiting on the outside for nearly a year?
'They must be anxious.'
At the very least, they could have desperately asked if Agent Bronze was okay, if he was alive, if he was safe, or even if I had seen him, but they were avoiding the topic.
…As if they wanted to be considerate of me, even just a little more.
"..."
Considerate of what?
—There's one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?
Just now, the news of the train survivors' rescue was, by any measure, good news.
If that's the case…
"Agent Choi."
"..."
"The bad news… what was it?"
"..."
"Agent Choi?"
A pained look seemed to flash across Agent Choi's face before it was skillfully masked, replaced by the expression of a calm, proficient agent.
"Calm down."
Agent Haegeum's mouth opened.
"Agent Grapes. Good and bad often come attached, like two sides of the same coin."
"…What does that mean?"
Agent Haegeum looked into my eyes.
"Don't be too shocked. Listen slowly."
....
"The seal on the special city is breaking."
The information poured into my blank mind.
"It seems the train was the trigger. The moment over a hundred people escaped from inside the special city, something… went wrong with the conditions of the Sealing Ritual. It's starting to crack."
Wait a minute.
"They're keeping it quiet internally, but that damn Choi guy dug up the information by hook or by crook, even if it was dangerous… hah."
Agent Haegeum gestured with her eyes toward the ritual site covered by the Five-Direction Colors Cloths.
"That guy has been here, constantly monitoring that seal. How it's twisting, and when that seal will lose its effect."
....
"How much time is left?"
"300 days."
Ha.
So we have to find a way somehow within that time. The urgent time limit made my mouth go dry.
Then I realized Agent Haegeum was still talking.
"The collapse began on the day the train escaped, with a 300-day grace period…"
Wait, wait…
"Today, 293 of those days have passed."
....
....
"Then the number of days left is…"
"7 days."
I stopped breathing.
"In one week, the special city's Sealing Ritual will collapse."
I stared blankly at Agent Haegeum.
"And then, an Extinction-class Disaster will be unleashed upon this land."