The Perfect

“We don’t have safety lights…”“Are they in another room? I’m scared, but I can go get them. Just tell me where.”“We don’t have any.”“…”“This is a safe house, so we didn’t need them. And you rushed us to move, so we didn’t pack safety lights.”I couldn’t believe it, but Yangsimless’s ridiculous excuse came to mind. His shamelessness in stealing batteries and demanding thanks now seemed like foresight. I was more upset that they proved Yangsimless right than that they didn’t have safety lights.“Do you have any safety lights?”I silently took out three from my bag. Relief spread across the couple’s faces. I handed them two, and the wife asked in surprise.“What about my child’s?”What about mine?“One of you can hold the child.”I bent over my laptop, but I saw their strange movements. The wife tried to hand the child to her husband, but he hesitated. Before the laptop light went out, I saw her biting her lower lip again.“Excuse me, could you step out for a moment?”The wife asked me. I was sent to the bathroom. With nothing to do, I watched the window and tore the curtain into strips to make a rope. Bored, I took out my phone. I was curious about the reactions to my post. Most would be complaints, as usual. Sure enough, the first comment made me curse.― Wow! Manager Kim is out! The author’s kill list strikes again!Damn, the first comment is like this. What’s the username?‘shopping lover’Of course, it’s you. The overspender. Recently, this person often commented first, always criticizing me. Wait, when overspender comments, there’s usually a set of follow-up comments…― Manager Kim seemed to be making progress, but he’s demoted after a month. And what kind of company has a branch on an island with only two residents? A mussel harvesting company? There’s no realism in this novel. Just bring back the half-brother studying abroad. / health loverIf you want realism, write a diary! The fitness fanatic loved the half-brother studying abroad. But know this: because of you, he’ll never return to Korea. Maybe I should ban him from entering. The first comment is crucial. Most comments that follow tend to agree.When one opinion dominates, even those happy about Manager Kim’s demotion hesitate to share their thoughts. Sure enough, everyone was excited about Manager Kim’s demotion but had little reaction to the new CEO Na. I wanted feedback on CEO Na.I hoped everyone would be as excited about CEO Na as I was, but the comments turned into a discussion about what Manager Kim would do on the island. When they speculated he might be sold as an island slave, finally, a comment about CEO Na appeared.― I like CEO Na.Right! CEO Na is based on a real person, making him more vivid, three-dimensional, and gentle…― Drinking the only bottle of 870-year-old whiskey in the world. Where did he get it? I want to try it. How much does it cost? I wish he’d share a glass. / alcohol loverOf course. I knew it was you, the alcoholic. One of the three who love any mention of alcohol, regardless of the story. Why no feedback on CEO Na… Oh? Another one.― First impression. CEO Na is annoying.What? Without even reading, you call CEO Na annoying. But the shocker was the author. It was Soondungi. Yes, Soondungi is ‘SDE’, who sends me monthly letters. Stunned, I stared at my phone as if time had stopped. The bathroom door opened. The wife spoke with a determined voice.“Please save my child.”* * *The Special Disaster Prevention Agency employee remained silent. His gaze fixed, his face expressionless. The wife explained earnestly, watching his face. He didn’t seem to like her proposal, but he was her only hope.The Heartless hunter who came with them was uncommunicative and indifferent to their fate. This was her only option. She felt guilty asking, but in an emergency, family came first. The Special Disaster Prevention Agency employee was a desk worker.He seemed out of place, constantly looking at his laptop and avoiding others’ eyes. Such people are weak to pressure and requests. Though he kept his mouth shut and avoided eye contact, she believed he would eventually agree.“I know it’s a burden. But you’re the only one I can ask. I’ve thought a lot about what you said. Yes, maybe the Heartless is targeting only me, not my whole family. I didn’t realize because I was always with them. But if it’s just me, I’ll be the bait. Please take my child and escape. Our car is in the parking lot. The door is open, and the key is under the driver’s seat. Take the car and get my child to safety.”She waited for a response, but he remained silent. After such pleading, he should at least look uncomfortable. Something was off. She looked at her husband, who spoke up.“Hey, this is a good deal for you. If my son isn’t the target, you’ll be safe with him.”Convincing the Special Disaster Prevention Agency employee wasn’t important to the husband. The wife was anxious he might refuse, but low-level officials always complied with a bit of pressure. He wasn’t the problem. The lunatic who cut the power and the impending Heartless were the real issues.“You’re doing nothing here. We’re not asking you to catch the Heartless, just to stay with our child. No need to think, just…”That’s when the seemingly compliant Special Disaster Prevention Agency employee snapped his head up.“Hey, be quiet!”* * *It was noisy. The couple kept nagging me, and it was annoying. They wanted to leave their son with me and lure the Heartless to the second floor. And if the wife screamed loudly when encountering the Heartless, I should take it as a signal to escape. In short, nonsense.My mind was filled with other worries, so their words just bounced around my ears without entering my brain. Why… why does Soondungi dislike CEO Na? Disliking him without even reading the story? That’s not like Soondungi.Soondungi was the only one who supported me when everyone criticized the story of Siwoo’s 25-year-old friend getting uterine cancer. The short comment he wrote still brings tears to my eyes.―So sad.That was it. The reaction I wanted. Soondungi was the only one who empathized with the scene I wrote with such emotion. It’s no exaggeration to say that his comment kept me writing.But now Soondungi dislikes CEO Na. Shocked, I had many questions. Was he hacked? Did he confuse CEO Na with another character? There must be a misunderstanding. Soondungi had always been moved and saddened by even the most dramatic elements.I wanted to clear the misunderstanding. I thought of another ID I created to upvote my posts. I had never contacted Soondungi before, but this was a special case. I could send a message explaining that CEO Na is the perfect male protagonist…“Hey, you don’t have time for that. We need to scatter before the Heartless comes…”“Ah, come on.”The Heartless isn’t the problem right now. My only fan might leave, so who cares about someone else’s life? I quickly took out my phone. With swift fingers, I logged in with another ID and sent a message to Soondungi. After hurriedly typing and sending the message, I turned off my phone and finally noticed the couple’s faces. I looked between them and the child.“What did you say?”People misunderstand me. No matter how scared I am, they dismiss it, saying, “You’re just saying that, you’re not really scared.” But that’s not true. I’m genuinely scared. I speak up because I’m scared. Truly scared people can’t even say they’re scared, they say, belittling my fear. But fear is relative.Who knows if my openly expressed fear is on the same level as unspoken terror? But the couple who went to the second floor didn’t see it that way. That’s why I now had a sleeping child in my arms. The child, given a sedative, slept well even in a stranger’s arms. Looking out the small bathroom window, it was completely dark.The wife said to run with the child if she screamed from the second floor, but does she know that being responsible for someone else’s child is scarier than the Heartless? I looked at the curtain I had torn for escape. After a while, I put the child down and tore part of the curtain. Soon, a makeshift sling made from the curtain was securely wrapped around me.Now I could run freely. I peeked out the small window. The clouds had cleared, and the moonlight pushed back the darkness a bit. It was quiet outside. But the silence was another kind of fear that made me hold my breath. What kept me half-sane was the more pressing issue than the Heartless.Did Soondungi see the message? I wrote vaguely to avoid revealing I was the author, but was it convincing? I couldn’t stop fidgeting and turned my phone back on. I had long forgotten about the electricity bill. When the battery warning appeared, I connected my emergency power bank. I checked the message I sent.‘I’m writing because I was saddened by your comment. As you’ll see, CEO Na is the most perfect character ever. He’s the richest, most handsome, most polite, has the strongest gaze, and the most bronze skin. His gaze is so intense that female employees faint daily, making him worthy of Siwoo’s attention. He has the wealth and power to demote Manager Kim to an island. It’s disappointing to see you think so poorly of CEO Na without reading.’The message hadn’t been read yet. What if he doesn’t delete the comment after reading it? Should I have added, ‘The author would be disappointed too’? No. Soondungi, who’s always on my side, will change his mind with this. Despite the misunderstanding about CEO Na, it will soon be cleared…“Ahhh!”A woman’s scream tore through the air. Startled, I looked up. What? Did the Heartless really go to the second floor? How did it get inside? The creature that field agents and numerous companies couldn’t even glimpse appeared so easily? No way…“It’s the Heartless! Ahhh!”Damn it! What was the damn Director Kook, who charges two billion a day, doing? …Couldn’t stop it? Damn it! I hastily put my phone in my pocket and climbed the high bathroom window. Luckily, the window wasn’t too small, so I didn’t get stuck, but it was hard to get out headfirst from shoulder height. I also had the burden of the child wrapped in the curtain on my back. But Yangsimless’s warning made me hesitate.‘Don’t think about going outside. Stay hidden here.’The wife’s piercing scream silenced that thought. There was a loud commotion from the second floor. Alright, survival first. I jumped from the window and ran towards the parking lot without looking around. My footsteps echoed loudly on the gravel yard.But there was no time to walk quietly on the gravel that crunched underfoot. I had to get to the car and leave quickly. I should have scouted the area in daylight. I only knew the parking lot was behind the house, but it was too dark to see clearly, and I couldn’t find the car after wandering for a while. I stopped and shone the blue emergency light around. I intended to use it only in emergencies, but finding the car was a priority. Where is it… Ah, there!I turned off the light and ran towards the distant black car. As soon as I started running, I tripped over a low curb I hadn’t seen. Gah! I barely caught myself with my hands. I didn’t roll, but I dropped the safety light. The round light rolled far on the uneven gravel. I reached out to grab it, stepping forward.Crunch.Crunch.I only moved one step, but I heard two footsteps. I froze with my hand outstretched. All my senses focused on my ears. But I heard nothing but the faint wind through the trees. Did I hear wrong? Testing my patience, there was still no sound. I tried to take another step.Crunch.This time, I heard it clearly. Someone else’s footsteps. The sound came from the left, towards the road. I kept my hand outstretched, staring at the safety light. There was no more sound, but I knew when it would come.As soon as I moved, the other person moved too. When I took one step, they took two. If I moved quickly, they moved faster. Only a Heartless would chase me like this. Realizing this, I sprang forward. I reached for the safety light as I ran. Missing it would be the end.Thud!The sound of someone else running drowned out my footsteps like thunder. I grabbed the safety light from the ground without straightening up. I scraped the ground so hard my nails almost broke. The light pressed painfully into my hand with the gravel, but I had no time to remove the gravel. I had to rush to the car.Thud!The footsteps grew louder. Even without the sound, I could feel someone approaching from behind. Even those who aren’t athletic can exhibit extraordinary strength when they become Heartless, as if latent energy explodes in dangerous moments.No matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t outrun someone whose mind had snapped. Fortunately, I was closer to the car. I reached for the handle before he could catch me. Click. The handle moved, but the heavy door didn’t budge. Instead, another sound filled the gap.‘Beep-beep-beep’The car alarm blared like a scream. No way. They said the door would be open for a quick escape! I wanted to shake the door a few more times, but clinging to it would cost my life. I let go of the handle and turned around. No one was behind me. I gripped the safety light tightly.A chilling coldness ran down my neck. With the escape route blocked, I needed another way. Where was the Heartless? The car alarm’s piercing sound seemed oddly muted. Gulp. The sound of my swallowing echoed louder inside. I pressed my back against the car and raised the safety light. Where…Bang!The sound came from behind. Specifically, from the top of the car. Startled, I turned. A man crouched on the car roof leaped at me.Damn it!I threw myself onto the gravel as the man landed where I had stood. Thud! The man was larger than I expected, and the ground shook when he landed. But that wasn’t why I stumbled. I had tensed my legs to avoid rolling as I lunged forward.If I were alone, I wouldn’t have cared about rolling on the gravel, but I had a precious burden on my back. Feeling the curtain tied around my waist being pulled from behind, I panicked. Damn, what is this?! Facing a Heartless with nothing but strength left, I summoned superhuman strength.Get off! I miraculously shook off the grip on the curtain. And ran. I leaped over a low curb, spreading my legs like scissors, and swung my arms like a 100m sprint champion. But I couldn’t outrun a madman. The Heartless caught up in an instant. And grabbed me.Rip!Luckily, only a bit of fabric tore, and I barely escaped.Ahhh!A scream that didn’t leave my mouth echoed inside. I ran desperately, almost stumbling. Behind me, I heard an animalistic growl right by my ear.“Grrr!”As the brain continues to deteriorate, speech becomes impossible. The man attacking me seemed to have reached that monstrous level. His sole target was me. Why me?! His hand grabbed and released the curtain around my body again. It was only a matter of time before he caught me.Shining the safety light in his eyes might make him retreat, but I had no time to turn. Slowing down even slightly would get me caught. I gritted my teeth and pushed my lungs and heart to their limits. Just to the outdoor terrace attached to the safe house…The plan in my head crumbled as quickly as it formed when I saw something. Two people stood inside the terrace window. In a split second, I saw who they were and what they were doing, as clearly as a photograph. Even in the faint moonlight that barely illuminated the path ahead.The wife and husband were watching me. The wife clung to her husband’s arm, almost leaning on him in fear. Without thinking, I changed direction away from them. And in that moment, the pursuer caught me.‘Ahhh!’I think I heard the wife scream. I couldn’t tell if the sound was real or imagined in my situation.I think I shook off the monster attacking me. Did I really? Even as I struggled, I wasn’t sure. But the aftermath was clear.The curtain tied around my waist came loose, and I fell, dropping my precious burden. When I came to, I was rolling on the gravel, unprotected. It hurt. Rolling on gravel is never a good idea. It’s neither effective nor advisable.“Grrr!”Above me, the Heartless growled, “You’re dead.” I curled up protectively over what I had dropped. And waited for the impending doom.‘No! My baby!’This time, I clearly heard the wife’s voice. Her cry seemed to narrate the Heartless’s attack on me. But the scream still sounded distant, while another sound came closer.Whoosh—A small gust of wind. Not a natural sound. More like a heavy object slicing through the air. Followed by a faint thud. What? As I wondered, the Heartless’s body fell on my back. Gah! A shiver ran through me, and I screamed internally. No words came out, just my body curling tighter.Would the Heartless now beat me to death? Tear my limbs apart with its strength? Contrary to my fears, nothing happened. One second, two seconds, only the heavy weight of the Heartless remained, unmoving. I realized something was wrong. My head was getting wetter.Drip, drip, drip…Liquid ran down my hair and dripped from the ends onto the ground. I barely opened my eyes. What is this… Damn. Blood.“My baby! Our baby!”The wife’s scream echoed again, closer this time. Thud, thud, two people ran, calling the child’s name and crying.“Honey, let go! I need to see our baby!”“Wait! I’ll… I’ll do it.”The husband’s voice came closer, stopping beside me. He seemed to want to push away the Heartless and check the child. But he hesitated, afraid of the corpse. Damn, I was waiting for him to move it so I could get up. I had no choice but to stand first.“Ugh!”The Heartless’s body rolled off me, startling the husband, who stumbled back and fell. I stood, shaking off the blood from my neck and hair. Why so much blood… It made sense. I had a headless corpse on my back. The wife ran to check the child, and the husband got up belatedly. I turned to look back.The situation was clear. Yangsimless was picking up an axe from the ground. In front of him, the Heartless’s head rolled like a ball. An axe as a weapon. Uncommon. I vaguely remembered hearing about a hunter who used an axe. But nothing came to mind. It might have been a passing mention. That wasn’t important now.“Where’s our baby… where’s our baby?”The wife’s question echoed. She stood dazed, looking between her husband and me. The husband held the pillow I had carried, dressed in the child’s clothes to disguise it.“Where’s our baby… where…”As I remained silent, they approached me, demanding answers. The husband grabbed my collar in an instant.“Hey! Where’s our baby?!”My ears rang. He shook me, his face contorted. Still recovering from the sprint, his shaking made me even more disoriented. No one was there to help me. But then, a low, strong voice cut through the noise.“Let go.”The voice wasn’t loud but firm enough to stop the husband. He stopped shaking me. But I was more shocked by the voice’s command than its power. Did Yangsimless really say that?The husband and I turned simultaneously. Yangsimless was lifting the Heartless’s head by the hair. One hand held the dripping head, the other a sharp axe gleaming even in the dark. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.“Let go.”Yangsimless commanded again. After a moment, the pressure on my neck disappeared. Crunch, crunch. Yangsimless stepped forward, holding his gruesome trophies, and the husband quickly backed away. I couldn’t move, stunned that he had helped me. Why?“Handle this quickly.”He handed me a white paper. What’s this… a receipt?“These are fuel and meal expenses incurred on the way here. Please process them separately from my fee.”So that’s why… The husband, still agitated, voiced his curiosity.“Hey, did you tell me to back off just for a receipt?”“Just? My work is far more urgent than your son, whether he’s a victim or a pervert. I need to get to Seoul immediately.”“My child is missing! Are you insane? You think getting to Seoul is more urgent than my missing child…”“You’re not the only one looking for someone. I need to find someone in Seoul too. Do you know how it feels to have to put up 300 flyers again?”The husband might not, but I did. I took a step back, looking at Yangsimless with newfound amazement. This guy was a real piece of work. The husband seemed to sense it too, asking hesitantly.“Is the person you’re looking for that important?”“Of course.”I took another step back. When I get to Seoul, I’ll visit a real estate agent first.“Look, I get that you have urgent business. But I need to find my child right now. I just need to ask him one question. Where’s my child?”The husband, still agitated, turned to me again.“Where’s my child? Why aren’t you answering?”Because I don’t want to. And I don’t know how to explain. But Yangsimless helped me again.“You talk big for someone who might be a victim or a pervert.”“What?”“If you’re a parent, don’t just badger him. Get out there and find your child. Or are you not the real father?”“What are you talking about?”“What do you think? You’re not the real father. That’s why you left your child with someone else and ran to the second floor.”“Hey, that’s because the Heartless was targeting my wife. I was trying to lure it away…”“Oh, so you screamed because of a non-existent Heartless? Forgot I told you to keep quiet.”“Non-existent? Are you saying my wife lied?”“Yes.”“Based on what…”“When I heard the scream, I was outside looking for the Heartless you begged me to catch. Then I heard a scream from inside. Unless there are two Heartless, the situation is clear.”Yangsimless’s gaze slowly turned to the wife. I looked at her too. Her face paled under our scrutiny. The husband, face twisted, asked.“Did you scream on purpose? Why?”“I… I thought the Heartless would come to me… I thought I was the only target.”The wife began to sob, her shoulders shaking. The husband’s anger subsided, but there was still one more person to deal with.“Ma’am, lie better.”Both the wife and husband turned to Yangsimless.“Look, we didn’t know the Heartless would go after the child. If we knew, we wouldn’t have sent him into danger.”“Because he’s not your child.”Yangsimless replied lightly, kicking the Heartless’s head. The head rolled and stopped in front of the husband. He recoiled, but Yangsimless stopped him.“Look closely. The real father’s face.”Yangsimless’s words were decisive, but the husband must have suspected. Even I, a stranger, recognized the father from the Heartless’s photo when I met the child. That’s why I couldn’t immediately tell the couple where the child was.The wife wanted to kill the child. She must have realized from the start that the ex-boyfriend’s target was the child. The ex-boyfriend was obsessed and stalked not her, but the son. But if it was known that the child was the only target, the husband would suspect, so she claimed the whole family was attacked. The Heartless being E-grade and taking a long time to catch was a miscalculation.The child was actually well-hidden in a blanket-lined bathtub. I was a bit worried when I disguised a pillow as the child and carried it on my back. What if the Heartless realized it wasn’t the child? I disliked the couple, but I disliked the idea of the child being attacked even more. Fortunately, the Heartless followed me, seeing only the shape on my back, but it left a bitter taste. Some people, even as Heartless, think only of their child, while others abandon them.As Yangsimless said, they could have found the child quickly if they searched the house. If they were real parents, they would have looked for the child instead of badgering me. I hoped they would search the house for the child. But they only asked me. Maybe they hoped I would say something else. The child is dead.“Now process my receipts.”Yangsimless demanded. I turned away from the couple. The Heartless was gone, but I felt awful. I planned to process all the meal expenses if possible. But the receipt was long. Very long. Fuel costs were understandable, but these ridiculous items?―20 bottles of 1.2L water―20 jars of 2kg gochujang―50 holiday ham sets―50 cans of gochujang tuna―200 instant rice packs―200 cup noodles―50 hot fish cakes―100 cheese-filled sausages―50 packs of animal-shaped jelly―100 honey margarine chocolates“I need to get to Seoul quickly. Process these now.”…Did you come with a truck? I swallowed my question and shook my head.“I can’t process these meal expenses.”“Why?”“It’s too much. You’re not eating all this at once. I can cover necessary meal expenses for this job, but this is clearly a year’s worth of groceries, not a single meal. This is unreasonable.”As I expressed my disbelief, he smirked.“You’re being unreasonable too. Why can’t I?”“What? How am I being unreasonable…”“You canceled the two million won agreement and substituted next year’s quota, right? CEO Na told me.”“That’s because CEO Na…”“Yes, I know it’s because you helped CEO Na. Even a Heartless-hunting company representative needs help sometimes. Even if they specialize in E-grade or higher Heartless that others can’t handle, and can kill most Heartless with their eyes closed. Especially a newly manifested Heartless, which they could handle even if they lost their gun in a fight. But since you helped, it’s only natural to substitute the E-grade hunt with the government’s free quota.”I wondered if he had a degree in sarcasm.“Are you saying I’m demanding a big reward for a small favor?”“No.”He shook his head. Then he swung the axe, shaking off the remaining blood.“It’s not my place to comment on paying a big reward for a small favor. But I can’t help comparing. I saved your life when you were about to be caught by the Heartless, but I didn’t even get a thank you, let alone a reward. I was already annoyed that you ignored my warning to stay inside, but I saved your life, and you won’t even process my meal expenses. Isn’t that unreasonable? Someone gets millions worth of manpower for a small favor, while someone else saves a life and can’t get a simple meal expense processed.”If I hear “small favor” one more time, the country will go bankrupt from meal expenses. But he wasn’t entirely wrong. He did save my life, and I should be grateful and repay him. So why do I hate doing it? Why am I so angry? I know why. Because he’s annoying.“CEO Na keeps his promises, so he reluctantly accepted this time. But I can imagine how shocked he was by your request.”I couldn’t respond to Yangsimless. It hurt a bit. I knew my request was excessive, but hearing it pointed out stung. But I didn’t want to show I felt sorry, so I gritted my teeth and offered a compromise.“I can’t process duplicate items.”“There are no duplicates, so process them all.”“There are duplicates. Cup noodles and instant rice are staples. Gochujang tuna and holiday ham sets are side dishes. Cheese-filled sausages and hot fish cakes are snacks and side dishes. Animal-shaped jelly and honey margarine chocolates are desserts.”I categorized the long receipt and added.“So I can’t process cup noodles, gochujang tuna, cheese-filled sausages, and animal-shaped jelly.”“I refuse.”I looked up from the receipt. Everyone knows my salary isn’t high. But claiming he saved my life and mocking my request to CEO Na hurt my pride. These items would never be approved by the office, so I decided to cover them myself.Not because I agreed with everything Yangsimless said. I felt I received a significant favor for helping CEO Na. But spending this money on Yangsimless, not CEO Na, made me angry. So I couldn’t give in completely. I stood firm.“Reflect it back.”“Double reflect.”“…”“I can’t give up cup noodles, gochujang tuna, cheese-filled sausages, or animal-shaped jelly.”“Then give up instant rice, holiday ham sets, hot fish cakes, and honey margarine chocolates.”“No.”The person in front of me had just decapitated someone with an axe and held a bloody weapon. But I didn’t see the axe, blood, or rolling head. I didn’t care about the couple running to find their child in the safe house.I was focused on reducing the months of my salary I’d lose to Yangsimless. But I should have remembered one thing. He holds grudges. But my mouth opened without consulting my brain.“I understand why you can’t compromise. Director Kook claims he saved my life. But I was almost caught by the Heartless, not in mortal danger. You said the Heartless’s target was the couple’s child, so if it realized I wasn’t carrying the child, it would have gone elsewhere. As a high-paid expert, you know a Heartless targeting an individual wouldn’t harm me. That’s why I wasn’t in mortal danger and ran out. Oh, and you were pissed because I ran out? Sure, the wife and I should have stayed quietly in the safe house, but the best scenario was for the highly skilled Director Kook to handle the Heartless before it got to that point. Then you wouldn’t be pissed.”I paused to catch my breath. I should have stopped there. If I had, I wouldn’t have regretted it later. But I couldn’t resist delivering one last blow to the unresponsive opponent.“I didn’t want your insignificant help either.”A few seconds of silence followed. Not from the opponent, but from within me. The time it took to realize I’d messed up was about three seconds. Seeing his eyes, I knew for sure. I was screwed.Thud.Yangsimless suddenly took a big step towards me. I flinched involuntarily. Did he see it in the dark? I mustered my remaining pride to steady my trembling knees. But when he raised his hand, I flinched again. Was he going to hit me…Tap.Yangsimless placed his hand on my shoulder and leaned in. As I pulled my face back, his grip tightened. He whispered in my ear.“What if you desperately want me?”“No way.”Why whisper in my ear instead of talking from a distance… Thankfully, he pulled his head back. But his hand remained on my shoulder, keeping him close. But that wasn’t the issue. I replayed his question and my answer. Why was he smiling so satisfyingly? I’d never seen such a chilling smile.“No way.”He repeated my words and muttered, “I’ve heard that a lot.” What did he do after hearing it? As unwanted questions filled my mind, his voice returned to its original volume.“Let’s go with instant rice, holiday ham sets, cheese-filled sausages, and animal-shaped jelly. The reward for my insignificant help is just this much.”That “just” cost me three months’ salary, you bastard. I nodded, suppressing my anger. At least it wasn’t a resignation letter…“Check your phone. I’ve sent the card approval request.”Already? Now? Right now? I wasn’t ready. My hands trembled as I saw the amount on my phone. I couldn’t press the approval button.“I’m busy. Hurry up.”Hearing Yangsimless’s annoying demand, I closed my eyes and approved the payment. He checked his phone.“Let’s be clear. You got a huge reward for a trivial favor to CEO Na, so don’t ask for anything else.”Eat your ham set and disappear from my life. Yangsimless turned, still looking at his phone, and added.“Of course, I don’t mind taking Na’s personal money. If you’re shameless once, it’s easier the second time.”I wanted to stuff his mouth with gravel instead of jelly. But I lacked the courage. Just anger. I wished someone would put him in his place, but Yangsimless’s behavior was strange. He stood still, staring at his phone. I noticed his expression was odd too. What’s wrong with him? He looked shocked…“Fxxx!”Suddenly, he cursed in English. What’s going on?“Fxxx! Fxxxxxx xxxx! Fxxx!”I had no idea what was happening, but Yangsimless was furious. I stepped back in surprise. My phone rang, and I answered without thinking.“Hello.”[This is Na Jinwook.]Gah! Even now, my heart raced at his voice.[I heard Director Kook found the Heartless. Is everything resolved?]“Yes, it’s all done, but…”“Fxxx! What the fxxxxxx spoiler! Fxxx it!”[That sounds like Director Kook.]“Yes.”“Who sent this Fxxxxxx sxxx to me?! Fxxxxxx! Mxxxxx fxxx!”[Isn’t everything resolved?]No. I moved away from the noise and briefly explained the situation.“He checked something on his phone and got… upset. He’s cursing in English?”[Director Kook is Korean-American.]“Oh, that’s why his spelling is…”[Pardon?]“Nothing. That’s why he’s good at English.”[Only when he’s angry.]Only when he’s angry? I asked. His cursing was so fluent.[He lived in a Korean town and mostly spoke Korean. But when he’s angry, he speaks any language. He’s better at cursing than a native speaker.]…Yangsimless never fails to meet expectations.[But I’ve rarely seen him this angry in Korea. Hmm.]I watched him curse in English. What an honor to witness this rare scene. They say revenge is best served by others. I was grateful to whoever made Yangsimless so angry.“Whoever it is, thank… I mean, it’s unfortunate they’re dealing with Director Kook.”[…….]“CEO Na?”[You seem to have figured out Director Kook already. Did he demand something in return for his work?]I had been debating whether to tell CEO Na about Yangsimless’s misdeeds since the call started. But if CEO Na had granted my excessive request, as Yangsimless said, I couldn’t complain further. So when CEO Na noticed, I almost cried from the relief. He understood my silence completely.[I apologize. What did Director Kook demand?]“He asked me to cover his meal expenses…”[Send me the receipt Director Kook gave you. I’ll handle it.]“No, it’s fine.”I refused without thinking. It made no sense to refuse when I was already struggling to pay rent and losing three months’ salary. But because it was CEO Na, I wanted to show I could handle it. I wanted to show I could solve this on my own.“It’s fine. CEO Na, taking on this task was enough. If I don’t cover Director Kook’s damn meal expenses now, he’ll demand something else later.”[You’re wise. Understood.]I almost said, “I’ll cancel, please cover the expenses,” but my pride stopped me. Then CEO Na made a suggestion.[Instead, I’ll treat you to a meal, Han Jemyung.]“It’s fine… What? Me?”[Yes. Let me know if you have a favorite food.]“I, I like everything! I eat anything!”Wow! Eating with CEO Na! Thanks to Yangsimless, I get to have a meal with CEO Na…[Alright, I’ll send you a suitable meal voucher.]This man is like quantum mechanics. Never easy to understand. I thanked him and ended the call. Hearing CEO Na’s voice at the end made me feel better. Of course, I could still hear Yangsimless. He was now cursing in a mix of Korean and English.“Damn! Fxxx! Fxxxxxx bastard! Fxxx damn! Sending me a Fxxxxxx spoiler! Damn it!”Whoever made him this angry, thank you. Thank you so much.“I’m sorry this is all I can give.”Byunghee handed me an envelope, bowing his head. I wanted to say, “It’s fine, I can handle it.” But losing three months’ salary meant I couldn’t refuse. I thanked him and took the envelope.I had already received one from the manager. He said he couldn’t give much because the kids were using too much electricity. Byunghee lived alone but spent all his money on hobbies, so it must have been hard for him to save. He gave me the envelope over a week after Yangsimless extorted me.“Are you eating properly? You look worn out.”Look who’s talking. Byunghee looked gaunt, probably from skipping meals to save money.“I’m eating. CEO Na gave me a supermarket voucher, so I bought some ramen and a few packs of animal-shaped jelly.”“Animal-shaped jelly? Why… Oh…”Byunghee remembered Yangsimless’s receipt and asked sympathetically.“How was it?”“Damn tasty.”I hated to admit it, but his taste in jelly was good.“Eat it sparingly.”“Okay.”“Why do you look so down? The manager asked me to check.”So that’s why the manager kept glancing at me. I thought he found out about my novel. Most people around me appear in my novel, so some readers misunderstand and ask if I liked them. Of course not. I just borrowed their positions and recreated the characters. Though some real people are directly in the novel, like CEO Na.“Is Yangsimless, or whatever his name is, still putting up flyers looking for you?”Ah, the flyers. That’s another issue.“Now there’s a reward.”“Wow, he’s really crazy. Shouldn’t you move?”“I went to a real estate agent, and there were flyers there too.”Byunghee burst into laughter. Sure, it’s funny. He doesn’t know Yangsimless is Director Kook who took his emergency fund. I hadn’t told Byunghee they were the same person. The reason was simple. He laughed heartily, then smirked and asked.“Hey, he’s just like the obsessive protagonist in your novel. Can’t forget someone he met by chance, putting up flyers with a reward.”That’s why I can’t tell him. Damn, I don’t want to be linked to Yangsimless like this. Fateful encounters should be with someone like CEO Na. There can never be a novel-like encounter with someone like Yangsimless. Byunghee knows all my novel fantasies, so if he knew Yangsimless and Director Kook were the same, he’d tease me about a fateful encounter. But no. Yangsimless and I have no fate or destiny.“I don’t care anymore. He doesn’t know who I am or what I look like. He’ll give up eventually.”“Isn’t he supposed to hold grudges? What if he finds you?”What else? I’ll keep avoiding him. But something else bothered me more.‘What if you desperately want me?’‘No way.’His smile after that haunted me. Well, I won’t see him again. Even if I do, I’ll run. Running and hiding is my specialty.“Then there’s no problem. I thought you had a big worry since you haven’t posted a novel in a week.”“That’s my worry.”“What? You said you finally found the perfect protagonist modeled after CEO Na?”“I found him. But… I can’t write the follow-up.”Unlike before, now that I had found the perfect model in reality, my imagination had come to a halt. It was strange. Before, I would have written the perfect protagonist I always fantasized about, but now that I had met the perfect man in reality, my imagination had dried up. That’s why my novel had been on pause for a week. My low spirits were all because of this.“Are you getting hate comments? That happens all the time. Oh, right. This time, even a fan of your work left a negative comment.”When Soondungi was mentioned, I smiled. I had received a reply from Soondungi the next day.[Thanks for the detailed explanation. Please send me your address. I’d like to thank you. I want to know your home address.]I was so grateful that they wanted my address. Were they planning to send a gift? The grammar seemed a bit off, but I assumed it was a typo. Of course, I didn’t reply. I wanted to greet Soondungi personally with my writing account later. But this was only possible if I continued writing.“Like you said, hate comments are nothing new. But you have to keep writing to get those comments. Sigh.”I felt I couldn’t write unless I met CEO Na again. But I couldn’t just write CEO Na’s character out after one appearance. He truly felt like the perfect match for the protagonist Siwoo this time.“You should contact CEO Na first.”“I did. I thanked him for the voucher.”“And?”“He told me to enjoy the food.”Is that all? Byunghee’s expression seemed sad, so I turned away. That was all. The conversation ended quickly and decisively, leaving no room for further contact.“Don’t be disappointed. You never know. Maybe, like in your novel, he’s planning something and will create another opportunity to approach you.”CEO Na might be the perfect protagonist in reality, but I’m not. I’m just an ordinary guy. So there’s no way he’s secretly planning to meet me again…“Han Jemyung, the manager is calling you.”Someone informed me in the break room. After a few days of being nice, did he find another reason to scold me? I grumbled as I left, forgetting my earlier thoughts. The fantasy of someone planning to meet me. But life is unpredictable.* * *As with any place, the top floor of a building is prime real estate with a great view and quick helicopter access, reserved for the higher-ups. Naturally, the Special Disaster Prevention Agency director’s office was on the top floor. The office was spacious and luxurious, reflecting the agency’s prestige. The world had stabilized, but people still feared Heartless, funneling money to the agency, putting its head close to the center of power.But it was equally dangerous. The current director, in his fifties, had been in office for less than six months and already wanted out. His predecessor was a dedicated person who died on the field. The current director didn’t want to end up like that. He planned to make a visible impact and get out quickly.He focused on catching big targets, not small fry. This required hiring capable companies and maintaining good relationships with the largest ones. But it wasn’t enough. To catch newsworthy big targets, he needed other companies. The problem was that they hadn’t contracted with the agency before.Then an unexpected proposal came from that company. The director was determined to seal the deal. It wasn’t difficult. He just needed to send the low-level employee before him to them. The employee looked confused about why he was summoned. Han Jemyung, the director checked his records.“Han Jemyung, you’ve been here about two and a half years.”Yes, Han Jemyung replied, glancing at the man sitting beside the director. He was a tall, well-built man in his mid-thirties, elegantly drinking tea in an expensive suit. He didn’t fit in with the agency. Though an outsider, he could move freely in the director’s office.The low-level employee didn’t need to know him, so the director didn’t introduce him. Instead, he focused on the employee’s records. Nothing unusual. In fact, the lack of records was almost empty. His education was only high school, and the company he worked for before the incident was a trading company no one had heard of.“You were hired through a special recruitment?”“Yes.”“Specially recruited for the Special Disaster Prevention Agency?”The employee’s expression stiffened. Understandably, it was hard to laugh at his joke.“It’s okay. No need to force a laugh in front of me.”“…Ha, ha, ha.”The employee gave a late, awkward laugh. The director was pleased with his humorous and generous self. A few words told him the employee was easy to handle, but he asked more questions.“At that time, special recruitment was for reservists who distinguished themselves in the fight against Heartless. Isn’t that right?”Re-enlistment. Three years ago, the worst reality for discharged men happened. Due to Heartless, a state of emergency was declared, and reservists were the first to be re-enlisted. The employee, according to records, was re-enlisted and served as a soldier for six months.“I was lucky to survive an incident and received a medal for promotional purposes.”“Luck is a skill. The military likes to boast if even one person survives.”The director, not from a military background, scoffed and asked the outsider.“Everyone died, and he survived. What’s there to boast about? Right?”The outsider, also not a fan of military structure, merely smirked. The director wasn’t expecting a special reaction and focused on the employee again.“At least you have field experience. Let’s see. You made your mark in… Dongil City? Where is that? Is there such a place in our country?”He tilted his head, then realized something.“Oh, you meant Dongil-myeon in Goheung. I know it, near my hometown. Was there Heartless damage there? I haven’t heard of it. Must not have been a big incident?”He wasn’t expecting an answer. So it didn’t bother him when the employee stayed silent.“But you must have killed some Heartless? Ten, fifteen?”“No.”“Then six or seven?”