ALL NOVEL Chapter 10
Episode 10
“Are you here?”
“You’re alive?”
“Is that really all you have to say to your team leader after a long time?”
Surprisingly, when I opened the door, I was welcomed by the bald Team Leader. And standing next to him was Yu Da On, naturally.
“I heard our branch got wrecked.”
“Yeah, it got wrecked. But there weren’t that many people who died. We have some veterans in this shithole; those who could hide, probably hid pretty well.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“I’m pretty good at this kind of thing, you know.”
I suddenly had a thought and glanced at the top of Team Leader’s head.
[Name: Heo Chan]
[Age: 49]
[Trait: Apathy]
[Talent: Crisis Detection]
[Background: As the head of the family, he works overtime today just to provide one meal for his family.]
[Weakness: Get him fired.]
Oh, so that’s what that meant.
“Anyway, although I got assigned to the team differently, I still have to do my job.”
The Team Leader casually handed me my bag.
“I kept your stuff for you.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Still, it seems he’s office staff, despite that look.
Thinking that, I sat down and opened the bag, only to immediately spot a gun inside and quickly closed it again.
“What’s this, Team Leader?”
“A gun. Didn’t you serve in the military?”
“I was discharged as a soldier and don’t know how to use a gun.”
“Should I tell the purchasing team to switch it for a rifle?”
“Does what I just said sound like that? You should give me a laptop, not a gun.”
I’m scared.
“The laptop’s over there.”
The Team Leader pointed to my spot with his finger.
“But you won’t have to do paperwork anymore.”
“I joined as office staff, didn’t I?”
“You’re still office staff.”
Are we doing a Zen koan here?
I looked at the Team Leader with a slightly annoyed expression, and he waved his hands awkwardly.
“Just kidding, just kidding. But you are still office staff. Your job has just changed a bit.”
“…What is it?”
“Now you have to patrol occasionally.”
“…Patrol?”
“Yeah. It’s not a big deal… just think of it as a business trip. It’s great! Just go and… you know, enjoy yourself.”
“This isn’t a business trip, it’s a deployment, right?”
Aren’t you sending people to isolate zones or something?
“Hey now, it’s a business trip! They even give you a lot of travel expenses for it. And this guy who just transferred teams will go with you.”
“Looks like we’re on the same team by chance, Jae Heon!”
Yu Da On waved cheerfully with a grin. She must have been a bit wary of me when we first met, but now she seemed to be having a blast.
“What a bright friend.”
The Team Leader looked at Yu Da On with a pleased expression, and she smiled back at him.
The atmosphere definitely felt a bit brighter with one girl joining in.
“So, what exactly do I have to do?”
“What do you think? You have to sort through the deceased. Hurry up and turn on the chart.”
“Yes.”
Right. I need to get paid, so I have to reorganize the list of names.
As I sat typing on the computer, someone tapped me lightly on the left shoulder.
Yu Da On was standing there with her laptop, staring at me intently.
“What is it?”
“…Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you hurt or… did some major event happen when you woke up… or do you feel like you’re not yourself… or is your head feeling fuzzy…?”
“Did I get possessed or something?”
“No! There’s nothing wrong with me!”
I tried to sneak a look at her head, but she quickly covered her scalp with both hands and shouted. Her black hair cascaded down, covering half her face.
It doesn’t really hide anything though.
“I was just worried.”
“Why are you worried about me? I’m not the one who got beaten; that’s Da On—”
“Da On.”
“—Da On.”
Yu Da On quickly interrupted my sentence, correcting my title.
“Why? I mean, even if I get hit, I wouldn’t die, but if Jae Heon gets hit, he might die.”
“Doesn’t mean you won’t feel pain.”
I don’t think not dying means I wouldn’t feel the pain of my neck breaking ten times over.
“Well, that’s true, but… …um.”
Yu Da On’s gaze was wandering.
“Well, I managed to get by.”
“Just don’t overdo it. Your body, no, your mind is going to wear out.”
She nodded several times in response to what I said.
“By the way, Jae Heon, do you know we’re going on a business trip tomorrow?”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t heard that.
I looked over at the Team Leader, who was busily tapping away at the keyboard, humming a tune.
“Um, somewhere… Gangdong, I think? They said there’s paperwork to help with.”
“Seriously? How short on staff do they have to be to take office staff from a branch that was nearly annihilated just days ago?”
“What…?”
Yu Da On laughed awkwardly, glancing at me as if checking my reaction.
“But you’ll go, right?”
“…I have to.”
Even if I managed to save a branch, fundamentally, I’m still an office worker.
I’m a human being who has to work as instructed, losing my free will for a set time in exchange for monetary compensation.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Yu Da On sighed in relief.
“I was a bit worried about what would happen if you didn’t go.”
“Oh, come on. If Da On goes, of course, I have to go.”
Would it really be an option not to go?
But for some reason, Yu Da On, upon hearing what I said, kept nodding her head, awkwardly clearing her throat multiple times.
“Ahem! Well, that’s the case, isn’t it? We are like a set for our job.”
“Yes, well, that’s right.”
So, if I wanted to prepare for tomorrow’s business trip, I need to finish this paperwork today, right?
Looks like it’s a late night?
In the end, with huge sighs, I had no choice but to stay for another two hours to work.
But why was Yu Da On sticking around for some camaraderie? She had nothing to do anyway.
*
The next day.
I stepped out of my house with a light load.
Just in case, I packed the bag with the gun too, but did I really need to bring all this stuff to go to Gangdong?
Last night, I remembered the Team Leader nagging me about being ready for an overnight stay.
Yu Da On’s eyes had gone wide at that, too.
“Seoul Station…”
Fortunately, my place wasn’t too far from Seoul Station.
Recalling the Team Leader’s words to check the manual on the way, I hopped on the subway and opened the manual.
[Manual for Office Staff]
Q – Means of transportation between branches
1. The Management Agency has prepared various means of transportation for the office workers who are always struggling with travel times.
Please head to the subway boarding gate at Seoul Station.
2. Present the manual, not your transportation card, at the entrance to Line 1. Afterwards, head downstairs, and the subway for office workers will be waiting.
3. There is a very slim chance you may reach the basement instead of the subway. In such a case, please remain calm and refer to the manual.
Well, I guess here comes the unfortunate part, but whatever; I closed the manual.
While reading it, I arrived at Seoul Station, and followed orders to walk to the entrance and scanned the manual.
[This is a preferred card.]
After that, I passed through the gate, descended the stairs, and a massive subway came into view.
“…Huh.”
Though it’s called a subway, merely looking at the size feels like a gigantic temple.
And right in front of it stood an enormous steam locomotive.
It had a design that looked like something a friend with a lightning-shaped scar might ride.
And right in front of it,
“Jae Heon!”
Yu Da On, wearing a pink hoodie and short jeans, was waving enthusiastically with a suitcase in one hand.
With every wave, her long hair swayed along.
As I walked over to Yu Da On, she looked at me with a flushed face and then at the train.
“Did you see that? It’s so amazing!”
“Yeah.”
That train is ridiculously huge.
As we stepped inside, to my surprise, there was no one else.
It felt almost as if Yu Da On and I had rented the place just for ourselves.
“We’re the only ones— Kyaa!”
While Yu Da On was looking around and speaking, the doors of the train closed, and it began to move.
[The train is departing. Destination: Gangdong Branch. Gangdong Branch. Next destination: Australia Branch.]
What?
I questioned my ears, but realizing I was in the Management Agency, I decided to stop doubting. Yeah, it might really be heading to Australia. One thing I learned while living as a member of the Management Agency is to just accept that anything can happen. Going to Australia? A gigantic temple-like subway under Seoul Station? That’s plausible. And that this train could go to Australia? Totally possible.
If you think everything could possibly happen, there’s no need to seek questions or stress.
*
“Hello. I’m the Accident Management Team Leader for the Gangdong Branch.”
In front of me stood a middle-aged man with a soft smile, presenting a photograph of a woman.
Her snowy white hair cascaded down her back, and her blue eyes held a cold glint as they stared straight ahead.
Her slightly upturned nose and lips that showed no trace of a smile.
Is it safe to say she looked like a cold beauty? And… well, with a ridiculously large… anyway, a very large bust.
But that wasn’t what was important.
“This is the current suspect on the run. They are in possession of a cube held by the Gangdong Department, and if we let them slip away, it’s predicted they could cause quite a lot of damage externally. Please assist in recovering the anomaly and capturing the suspect.”
The man added one more thing right in front of a dazed Yu Da On and me.
“Additionally, the fugitive is presumed to be a telekinetic, so please be careful.”
“…”
This is not good.
Ah, this is stressful.