Chapter 34
Well, I survived by practically dying.
The words rose to my throat, but there was no way I'd actually say that out loud.
"I was lucky. I just decided to ignore a few of the contradictory clauses and acted on that, and by chance it worked out and I survived. You could call it survivorship bias, I suppose."
"Even so... that's amazing. No matter how you look at it, this isn't something just anyone can do."
"Heh-heh-heh, that's true."
They seem to think pretty highly of me.
Actually, it's just because of regression.
This has felt a little strange since the last time.
"So then. What's next? What happened after that?"
How should I explain this next part?
Among the major events at the hospital, the most valuable bit of information was that the fake Bureau had invaded. According to Jaaldi, the death of the entity known as Department Head Lee Do-hyung had been a major event.
Let me explain it from the Bureau's point of view.
"Ah, there was one thing in the middle that I was grateful for, at least. It's a shame, though."
"Huh? What's that?"
"Didn't the Bureau storm the hospital once in the middle? They just burst in and started shooting and everything. The Bureau did it."
As I spoke smoothly, pretending not to know a thing, Jamtree's expression grew more and more serious.
"Can you tell me more?"
"You know, a black van suddenly showed up and a bunch of agent-like people in black suits poured out of it. Those agents attacked the hospital."
Jamtree typed rapidly on the pad.
"The gunfight was so terrifying that I hid and watched, and I overheard them talking. They definitely mentioned Bureau Department Head Lee Do-hyung."
"Lee Do-hyung?!"
So she's surprised after all.
"Yes. He had his white hair slicked back, and he was incredibly skilled with a sword."
"So, Department Head Lee Do-hyung fought the entities at Cheongak Mary Hospital?"
"Yes. He cut down the patients and nurses in an instant. But unfortunately... the moment the doctor appeared, he was killed in action."
Right now I'm supposed to not know the exact details. Naturally, I don't know anything about the fake Bureau, so I'm taking it to mean the Bureau came to rescue the people trapped in the hospital and was wiped out.
"He was killed in the line of duty by a single shot. What a shame. Truly. We couldn't even recover the body."
"You don't need to think of it that way... Good heavens. That Lee Do-hyung entity was taken down? That's huge information."
"Huh?"
"It's hard to explain right now. But you don't need to feel too sorry about the one known as Department Head Lee Do-hyung, so relax."
"Even so..."
For now, since I'm not an agent, it feels like I'm keeping the fake Bureau under wraps.
"Then could you tell me the next story?"
"Understood, Jamtree. Do you know that there's a doctor at the hospital named Kim Seonghan?"
"He's an anomaly. Extremely dangerous."
"..."
So that's all they know?
"A hospital director, then? If I say that, will you know him? That's the name we suspect belongs to that entity."
As expected, the Bureau knows far too little about Cheongak Mary Hospital.
It can't be helped, though, since they said it was such a dangerous place.
The doctors at the hospital all share names.
Just like the guards.
"I received his help."
"What...?"
I also explained how I got help from Dr. Kim Seonghan.
Thanks to that help, I was able to be admitted as a patient, and in the end I survived by obtaining the rulebook issued by the Bureau.
"That is the full story of how I survived Cheongak Mary Hospital."
ㅡtap-tap-tap.
The hand that had been typing busily came to a stop.
"It's really... hard to understand how you managed to survive like that."
"That's true."
"It must have been hard, making it out alive. Let me congratulate you again."
"Thank you."
My story must have been a big surprise, because she seemed a little excited.
"You held up well. And it's a truly remarkable achievement. To think a civilian could do this much."
"I'm kind of a badass."
"Heh-heh, you talk well. Anyway, really, thank you. Thanks to you, I think I'll be able to add quite a few new rules. This should help more people survive."
Thinking that way makes me feel better too.
If the survival rate in that hellish place goes up because of the information I gave them, that's better than anything.
And Dr. Kim Seonghan.
It won't be possible for now, but someday I want to save him.
"The people who know what happened next better than I do are Agents Gorgodio and Quras."
"Right. They're both probably reporting right now."
"When we got to Seoul, we ran into that strange phenomenon. Since I already knew about the Bureau and monsters and such, I reported it right away after seeing the business card. Then we acted together."
"...Brave. But reckless too. The right thing there would have been to stay put."
A little scolding.
What she said is normally right. An ordinary person should just stay still. What I did was basically the same as entering a crime scene with the police.
However, the Bureau isn't the police, and I can't separate myself from strange phenomena either. Even if something goes wrong, I have a duty to find out what happens.
"If you think about it rationally, that's true. But I couldn't just leave it alone. I couldn't stand by."
"Oh..."
Jamtree covered her mouth with her hand.
"Well, more or less."
There's not much to embellish about this incident.
It ended much more briefly than when I testified about the hospital.
Once I finished explaining, Jamtree closed her pad.
"I think that should be enough for the story."
"Yes."
"There are two options."
She held up two fingers.
"You've already learned too much."
"..."
"You need to forget that. It's not something an ordinary person can handle. So you undergo a memory-erasure procedure and return to society as if nothing happened."
Return, huh.
"The reward for this incident... Right. It'll be paid out as a lottery win. Forget all the Bureau and anomaly stuff and just live happily."
"The lottery?"
"Yeah. Nice, right? It doesn't matter when. Buy one ticket and it'll win first prize."
What?!
"No, what do you mean, rigging the lottery—holy shit! The lottery was fixed?!"
"Heh-heh, not completely fixed. More like we can slip one extra winner in? There are actually quite a few people who end up winning first place that way."
"Holy crap! I really had no idea, wow!"
This is insane!
The Bureau bastards are rigging the lottery too?
People on the world politics board were always ranting that the lottery was rigged, and it was actually true?
"So it's like, one gets slipped in among ten lottery winners or something?"
"That's right. Forget all this and live on after winning the lottery. And the other option is."
"Becoming an agent?"
"Yes."
Jamtree nodded.
"This is a very dangerous option. But there are quite a few who choose it. Because if they survived, chances are they have the kind of personality that leaves them with no other choice."
"Sounds just like my story."
My answer was already decided.
"I'll do it. I'll become an agent."
At my answer, she smiled.
"Heh-heh, nice. I've got a cute and cool junior now. From now on, call me Senior Jamtree."
"Will do, senior."
I don't think it's an impulsive decision.
Of course, well... Jaaldi's strange attitude I saw at the very deepest part of the Flower was bothering me, but in the end, to resist those monster bastards, I'd have to join the Bureau.
Even if there are infinite chances, if that's all there is, there's no answer.
In this incident, I learned that there are superhumans and people with powers in this world, and that even they get taken down in an instant before terrifying anomalies.
The Bureau itself might lose, too.
But if the Bureau's strength and my infinite regression ability are both there... then even an S-rank world-ending calamity can eventually be dealt with.
"Still, if you ever want to retire, just say the word. You can always undergo memory erasure and go back."
"I'll keep that in mind. So what happens with the process now?"
"Wait a moment. First there's an aptitude test after the interview. We don't have a separate contract, and you don't need to worry about salary."
The salary must mean it's pretty generous.
"Honestly, in a world like this, I feel like saving up money or worrying about salary is pointless."
"Exactly. Everyone does. The more used to it you get as an agent, the stronger that feeling becomes."
"Yes. But, Senior Jamtree, there's one thing I want."
"Mm?"
"That vampire."
Vampire.
Because of that crazy woman, I ended up stepping into this insane moon realm. Whatever else I don't know, I can never live under the same sky as that monster.
No matter what happens, I have to kill it.
If I become a Bureau agent, that'll be possible.
"As long as that monster is alive, I can't sleep soundly. No matter what, I want to take that monster down."
"Hmm... a vampire, huh. So that was where it all started."
"Yes. In my opinion, it's very likely that it's tracking me. I think I need to get rid of it before it gets me."
My fist clenched tightly.
"I know this comes from my own delusions, but if that thing is still alive, I don't think I can stand it. You can think of it as one of the reasons I decided to become an agent."
"That's not a delusion."
Jaaldi placed her hand over mine.
"People caught up in strange phenomena often get swept up in that kind of madness, so it's a natural worry. All right, I'll report all of that too. As for the vampire... Hmm. Since you're a rookie now, I guess it's fine to tell you. The Bureau is already dealing with it."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes. So relax. The vampire is also a target for extermination."
Actually, I already knew.
I heard it directly from the nun.
"Let me see... Contact's been made. Then you're my junior? Let's go to the interview. Big sis will go with you."
"Yes."
I stood up from my seat.
* * *
I rode the elevator up.
"Here we are."
"Yes."
"Big sis will head down. See you next time. Ah, maybe we'll see each other again soon?"
"Yes, get back safely, Senior!"
"Heh-heh, no need to be so formal. Well then."
Jamtree went back down, and I stood in front of the door.
An interview, huh.
Am I about to meet the Bureau's big boss?
ㅡknock, knock.
When I knocked on the door, it clicked and unlocked.
Guess that means come in.
"Hello. I'm here for the interview, uh?"
The moment I stepped inside, I saw a woman with red eyes and long black hair wearing a suit.
Jaaldi.
It was her.
"Come in."
"Yes."
"Sit down first."
A surge of delight rose within me.
Honestly, the one I most wanted to see was Salhyung, but seeing Jaaldi looking perfectly fine made me feel relieved and reassured.
I can't believe we're seeing each other again like this.
For a moment I thought of the reaction she showed at the end, but I decided to put that aside for now. It wasn't something I could find out right away anyway.
"I'm Jaaldi from the Bureau's General Response Team. I'm a department head."
Department head?
Come to think of it, what does the rank structure look like? I don't really know, but one thing is certain: a department head is a pretty high-ranking position.
Jaaldi was strong enough to survive until the very end and keep fighting, after all.
"You went through a lot. And you decided to become an agent."
Her red eyes turned to me.
"That's right."
"I heard from the suppression team that your superpower seems to have manifested. Is that true?"
"I'd say it's half true. How should I put it? If there's something dangerous, I can sense it. I felt it clearly at the hospital, and I also felt it when that monster appeared in that building this time."
"Hmm... I see. That definitely sounds like a useful ability."
"I think so too. So now do you also test superpowers, like we're in X-Men or something?"
"We don't really do that."
"Oh?"
"From the start, superpowers aren't standardized. Most superpowered people can't fully control their abilities. Unless it's something physical, testing sensory stuff like that isn't all that meaningful."
"I see."
"Then we'll start the interview."
So this is it.
"As you know, this world has all kinds of strange and dangerous things in it. Our Bureau is in charge of keeping them in check."
"Yes."
"It's dangerous. Even now, so many agents are dying in the line of duty. Can you handle that?"
"Of course."
"Good. Then why did you want to become an agent? Was it because you're afraid of vampires?"
"That too, I suppose."
This is something I've already told Gorgodio and Quras.
That isn't something I just made up on the spot.
It's something I felt and thought for myself.
My parents. And beyond them, other people. More specifically, guys like Jinseop who were with me in the apocalypse incident.
I don't want to see people like that being helplessly crushed and dying in agony.
"What you've gone through must have been terribly awful and painful. I can't let other people go through that kind of thing. No. I suppose I just can't accept people being done in by those ridiculous monsters."
"Were you always that kind of person? Someone who can't stand injustice?"
"Not really. I've only become like this recently."
"So that's why you want to be an agent. Because you can't stand watching other people die at the hands of strange phenomena."
"Yes."
Jaaldi looked at me.
She held my gaze, silent, as if trying to read me.
Having such a sharp-featured beauty stare at me so intently is a little embarrassing. Keeping eye contact like it's a staring contest doesn't help, either.
"I can see darkness in your heart."
"Huh?"
"Did you sacrifice someone else to survive in the hospital?"
"That..."
The moment I heard that, I remembered what happened when I was a guard.
I had pushed someone who was begging me to save them into the black room, following the rules.
The guard described in the patient rulebook was an anomaly, and the Bureau thought so too. In other words, I had hurt an innocent person while acting as one.
I wanted to think it wasn't so... but no matter how I looked at it, he had been human after all. In the end, I sacrificed him.
"...I'm not blaming you."
Jaaldi continued speaking.
"In an extreme situation—say, while climbing a snowy mountain, a teammate falls and you're left hanging on the rope. But you're completely exhausted, so you can't pull them up. The one who fell is in a similar state and can't move properly. If you keep holding on like that, you'll run out of strength too and fall together. Letting go of the rope in that situation isn't a crime even legally. Morally, it's unavoidable."
"..."
"Going further than that... sure. On a lifeboat, drifting in the middle of the ocean and drawing lots to eat a companion? That's the same. It's called necessity, and there's also the thought experiment known as Carneades' plank."
Come to think of it, Jaaldi seemed to be trying to comfort me.
"I understand."
"Good."
"Thank you. For saying that."
"If you're going to become an agent out of guilt, I wouldn't recommend it. You'll have plenty of chances to feel that way."
Even so, my answer doesn't change.
"I'll do it. I'll become an agent."
"Understood. Welcome to the Bureau."
I shook hands with Jaaldi.
"Are you ready to set foot deeper into the hidden side of this world than anyone else?"
"Of course."