One day, several elementary school students disappeared. After a short period of time rapidly passed, people of all ages began to disappear.
The police, sensing that this was no ordinary matter, handed the case over to the city-designated Phenomenon Investigator before the situation could escalate further. Even before the assigned Phenomenon Investigator could begin the investigation, the elementary school student, who was presumed to be the first case, returned without any warning sign.
Other than the clothes he was wearing at the time of the disappearance being slightly dirtier, the child was perfectly fine, without a single injury.
The twelve missing persons who had been reported as disappeared returned one by one in the same state as the first child.
Despite their normal appearance, all the missing persons were suffering from aphasia, and they were unable to do anything on their own besides the basic actions required to satisfy biological needs. Their eyes were fixed straight ahead and did not waver, even at the parents' desperate cries for them to look.
The Phenomenon Investigator who saw this concluded that the case was not a simple disappearance but a crime committed through illegal Sorcery. Hearing the rumors, several other Phenomenon Investigators came running, foaming at the mouth, claiming they could undo this Sorcery.
– It seems like a Curse, not Sorcery. – It seems they used Ancient Sorcery. – It might not be a Curse or Sorcery, but a naturally occurring disease.
The Phenomenon Investigators who checked the condition of the missing persons only offered uncertain, speculative conclusions like the ones above.
As expected, having gained no particular success, the police this time sought out a Phenomenon Investigator belonging to the Provincial Government.
Even the Provincial Government Phenomenon Investigator, after seeing the missing persons directly, stated that they could not be sure, but it seemed as if a minute part of the soul had been shaved off, and that this was not a common Sorcery found everywhere. They added that it was baffling that someone capable of wielding such Sorcery existed in South Korea.
Furthermore, they refused the case, stating it was something beyond their level, and advised the police to seek out a person referred to as the 'Teacher.'
A common five-story commercial building.
The Investigation Office is located in Room 502, the highest floor of the small building, yet it lacks a good view.
He pressed the four-digit agreed-upon password and pushed open the securely locked steel door to enter the office.
The office was chilly, as the sunlight that should have warmed the floor and raised the temperature was weakly blocked by a single curtain.
On the screen of a small, palm-sized TV, an announcer with a hurried voice and precise articulation was delivering breaking news.
[A Mr. A, known to have invented a wicked curse that only takes effect on those with Upper-tier Eyes at the White Fox Shop during last year's Chuseok holiday, was found dead. It is believed that Mr. A planned the crime, thinking his unfortunate circumstances were the fault of the Upper-tier Eyes...]
The announcer's face instantly disappeared into a black screen.
Section Chief Jung, who had handled Hye-yoom's task for her, was sitting in a guest chair, sipping a can of coffee and fiddling with the remote control.
Hye-yoom walked past Section Chief Jung to open the curtain, calming the goosebumps that had risen on her skin from the crisp office air.
"How did you find this? I'll have to move the place where I hide the coffee." "Since you don't come to work on time, I got bored and rummaged around everywhere. While some people can't remember the last time they lay in a bed, you show up close to lunchtime. Quite the easy life, isn't it?"
Section Chief Jung fixed his gaze on Hye-yoom walking toward the window and adjusted his posture.
"What kind of case is it this week? If it's something the police can sufficiently handle, like last time, I won't accept it." "This is driving me crazy, truly. You're talking about something huge. How can someone who clearly knows what kind of cases I bring say such a thing? Things are already tough because the Phenomenon Investigator in charge of our department keeps running away."
Even if the department was known for being difficult, people repeatedly running away might be a personnel issue, not a work one.
"Are you referring to that young Phenomenon Investigator from last time? I believe they hadn't been appointed for even a month. It's unheard of, not even in a regular job. I think they ran away to avoid the Section Chief." "Can't you try to speak a little nicer? Things are hard enough with so many cases these days—imagine having to handle all of that by myself. Would that be difficult or not difficult?" "It seems it would be difficult."
Hye-yoom fully opened the curtain, filling the office with light.
"Even so, the superiors assigned a little Fledgling to me, but don't even mention it. They're incredibly enthusiastic. I barely managed to stop them from following me here too." "You should have just let them. It would have been better to have even a Fledgling here than for you two to be alone." "You have a tendency to say hurtful things. Anyway, you know about the serial disappearance case, right?"
It was a case that anyone working in the Phenomenon Investigation field could not be unaware of.
"Yes, I've heard roughly about it. There are lots of rumors: cults, demon summoning rituals, all sorts of things." "Don't even get me started. Even Elder Park, who works with Chief Cha, immediately fled with a pale face. He still won't take our calls. You know this, don't you? What could we do with Grade 2 Eyes that can only see common Specters, like ours?"
Section Chief Jung spoke with a face that seemed to be seeking empathy, as if wanting Hye-yoom to pity him.
"If you wear Upper-tier Lenses, you can do much more than you can now." "No, thanks. It's not a huge inconvenience for work, so why bother with lenses? It's bothersome."
Section Chief Jung seemed to realize that his words were subtly contradictory and spoke awkwardly while avoiding Hye-yoom's eyes.
Disrupting the potentially awkward atmosphere with a few coughs, Section Chief Jung suddenly jumped up and unnecessarily raised his voice.
"Ah! Anyway, we'll be doing what we can on our end. Contact us right away if you find out anything. Oh my aching back. I should go eat now. Oh, right, and you, especially, take care of yourself these days. Don't go out late at night. And don't go anywhere near places that smell of Sorcery. There are more and more psychos nationwide collecting only Brown Eyeballs. Get an amulet from the Teacher, maybe. I think the Teacher knows about it too."
All incidents related to Sorcery and Ghosts fall into the hands of the Phenomenon Investigators working at the Investigation Office. Telling Hye-yoom, who works under the most skilled person in South Korea among the numerous Investigators, not to go near Sorcery was, likewise, a contradictory statement.
"It seems the Section Chief has forgotten what profession I hold."
At Hye-yoom's simple retort, Section Chief Jung put his hands on his hips and stood with one leg bent, wearing a displeased expression.
"I meant it figuratively, figuratively! Are you going to keep picking apart every little word I say?" "By the way, why would someone want eyeballs that can't even see a single Ghost? There are truly many strange people these days."
Hye-yoom rubbed her eyelid with her fingertip. Seeing Hye-yoom's slightly dejected expression, Section Chief Jung felt he had said something unnecessary and reacted excessively with large hand gestures.
"Because Sorcery or Curses don't affect Brown Eyes. Why, there were sayings like that in the past, weren't there? That Brown Eyes extend life, or increase the efficacy of Sorcery." "I hope you enjoy your meal. I should start working now."
Cutting off Section Chief Jung, Hye-yoom made a large gesture of picking up the file folder on the low glass table—which required bending over to reach—as a signal for him to leave the office.
Section Chief Jung, moving hesitantly as if forcing himself to walk away, did not stop muttering until the very last moment he exited the office.
Once Section Chief Jung, who had been rambling disorganized words, left the room, Hye-yoom walked over to the desk with the file folder.
"A group of psychos only targeting Brown Eyes…"
Although it was completely unrelated to the current case, Hye-yoom was subtly concerned because she, too, had brown eyes.