“……”
I stared at the Black-Tortoise Team 1 waiting room door.
After everything I’d gone through, it felt strangely unreal that I was still standing here in front of it.
But habits were such honest things.
Click.
I opened the door and went inside.
And…
“You’re here?”
Agent Bronze stood up to greet me with a welcoming expression.
“Good morning. …Agent Grapes, you don’t look well.”Ah.
“Did you have trouble sleeping again?”
“Just… didn’t sleep very well, that’s all. I’m alright.”
Thankfully, I’d treated any visible wounds in advance.
“If you’re too tired, you need to let us know.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
I managed to smile as usual and chat with Agent Bronze, then sat down on the sofa across from him.
And I waited.
“……”
My palms were sweaty.
But after several minutes, the only people in the waiting room were the two of us.
The person who should have appeared… wasn’t here.
“Um.”
“Yes?”
“Agent Choi is…”
“Oh. Agent Choi won’t be able to come in today.”
“……”
What?
‘Wait.’
Did something go wrong?
‘No.’
Could it be Director Ho went to him again? Or maybe he tried to break the binding and got hurt? I…
“He actually came in a little early, but said he wasn’t feeling well and took the day off.”
“……I see.”
There was a witness.
A feeling swept through my chest. It was too strong to call it relief, but something like it.
“You really don’t need to worry. That person… I mean, Agent Choi looked totally fine. And also…”
Agent Bronze went over to a small fridge in the corner of the waiting room and took something out.
A drink carrier with café drinks inside.
“He left these. Said he stopped by a café on the way.”
“……”
“This one’s for you, Agent Grapes.”
I accepted the drink.
It was a can of green grape ade.
A café-style packaged cookie was tucked into the cupholder, and above it, there was a mark in black marker.
A handwritten message from Agent Choi.
[Black-Tortoise Team 1, fighting]
And then it was crossed out with a line.
“……”
“Agent Grapes?”
“…Thank you.”
I picked up the ade.
It was so sweet it shocked me awake.
* * * Whether it was the sugar or adrenaline, my head was clear all morning.
My plans, all the things I needed to accomplish in the next month, spun through my mind.
‘For now, keep a low profile.’
Since there was the incident with Agent Choi, I’d keep quiet for about a week, try not to stand out at the Disaster Management Bureau, quietly do some groundwork, then take action.
For me, timing was more important than simply having a lot of time.
But…
There was one thing I worried about.
‘…Should I tell Yeongeun-ssi about this?’
It seemed like I should share my current situation, but it was hard to judge exactly how much to say. I wasn’t sure where the line was.
How would Yeongeun-ssi react if I said I’d have to resolve everything within a month?
Was it right to tell her about Director Ho’s malice, that we’d been sent in as decoy spies, expecting we’d be discovered from the start?
But even if she knew, is there really anything she could do about it……
“……”
Wouldn’t it be easier and less conspicuous for her spy work if she didn’t know?
My stomach hurt.
It felt like acid.
‘No. It’s alright.’
Yeongeun-ssi only has to work here for one more month.
If I do everything properly, I’ll be able to deliver the information Director Ho wants, in the form he wants. And in that process, I’ll be able to assert Yeongeun-ssi’s share.
Then it will all end without a problem.
‘Alright.’
Let’s do this.
“Huu.”
I set down the empty ade.
Agent Bronze, who was reviewing documents while sipping a vanilla latte, spoke up.
“I don’t see your doll today.”
“……!”
“You know, the little rabbit plush you call Braun.”
“…It’s right here.”
I pulled the plush out of my jacket and showed it, then put it away again.
“Is it doing well?”
“Probably.”
I quickly withdrew my hand from my pocket, the one that had touched the plush.
Then—
Beep beep beep beep beep beep!!
“…!”
A shrill alarm sounded from Agent Bronze’s wrist.
A call.
‘Rescue request!’
“Please stand by.”
Agent Bronze tossed the documents aside and got up from his seat.
He checked the code displayed on the call device to see what kind of ghost story it was, then began to get ready…
“…Looks like this is a case where two people are required for the rescue. We’ll go in together.”
“Alright.”
I got up right away, too.
The experience of the past few weeks had conditioned my body to move automatically. And that, ironically, helped ground me in reality.
“The dispatch site is a little far away. Normally, the local branch would get the call, but this time the rescue request came straight to headquarters.”
“Where is it?”
“Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. Also, this particular supernatural disaster… is rather large in scale, so there’s a lot to keep in mind.”
Agent Bronze quickly pulled a small booklet-style document from the bookshelf.
“This is a manual and set of tips put together by our team. Please read it while we’re on the move.”
“Yes.”
As soon as Agent Bronze sent out a call to the off-duty members, we immediately left headquarters to travel.
And our means of transport…
“Since the rescue window for this disaster isn’t that tight, we’ll use public transportation.”
…was a high-speed train.
Departing from Seoul Station.
Bound for Mokpo
“……”
“Agent Grapes?”
“I-It’s nothing.”
I sat in a seat on the train.
Don’t panic.
‘The Tamra Express incident was a special case.’
It doesn’t happen all the time, and Daydream Inc. is probably already monitoring the conditions for its occurrence for research purposes…
It’s okay.
‘I can do this.’
Don’t get anxious.
If I can’t handle this, then I wouldn’t be able to do anything, not even go into a convenience store without flinching, or take the elevator, or step onto a subway train…
Departing
The train departed without incident.
I’m alright.
‘Distract yourself.’
Yes. The manual.
“There’s a binding on it, so unless you’re from the Disaster Management Bureau, you’ll see different content. So feel free to read it.”
When I took out the booklet, Agent Bronze kindly added this explanation. Good. I’ll focus on reading the ghost story manual and tips, and plan a rescue.
I turned the pages of the booklet—
– I really worked hard on this, Grapes-ie. Use it well, okay? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“…!!”
“What’s wr… ah.”
Agent Bronze frowned and sighed.
“Agent Choi wrote most of it. There are a lot of unnecessary comments… and since he joined, he’s added quite a few more.”
I blankly turned the pages.
There were entries that looked like they were written earlier.
– New recruits are totally welcome, here are Agent Choi’s ace tips for Team Black-Tortoise 1
└ Please stop writing stuff like this
└ also includes agent bronze’s less-sweet tips
└ ha…
Different handwriting, different pens.
– Be sure to read the next page thoroughly. It’s an introduction to this supernatural disaster. It’s a bit hard, but try reading it like a novel.
My eyes trembled as I read on.
A field manual and tips for supernatural disasters, handwritten by Agent Choi, something I’d never seen even in the <Dark Exploration Records>.