Chapter 11
The surgery, which lasted about an hour, was a success.
“Thank you…!”
“You’re welcome. I don’t know who performed the first aid, but you’re alive thanks to them. Otherwise, you would’ve died on the way here.”
The doctor explained that with Sephira support, surgery was much easier than it used to be.
Especially for patients like Cheong Harin who’d lost organs, recovery rates had improved tremendously. These days, fixers rarely died unless they were on an extremely dangerous operation.
So you can survive as long as your head doesn’t burst.
The world sure has gotten nice.
Still, the doctor said Cheong Harin would need to stay in a capsule for about three days to fully recover, so I headed back to my new home, the Ghost Office.
Exhausted from running around all day, I floated up into the air.
Time to get some sleep!
…Bzzzz.
“Damn it!”
The only people who’d contact me at this hour were the hospital or Woo Cheonyeop, so I grabbed my terminal right away.
[You really did something big.]
So he knew everything after all.
He’d acted like he didn’t know a thing when we met at the hospital.
What a creepy guy.
Still, he’s letting it slide because I used my power to protect humans, right?
He hasn’t even mentioned expulsion.
“You knew and pretended not to?”
[There was something I needed to check. You know that your collar isn’t just for expulsion.]
“Fair enough.”
[Anyway, I’ll cover this up as if I were the one who handled it. From now on, I’ll use the people around you to cover up anything related to you, as appropriate.]
I’d been listening absentmindedly, but my eyes suddenly snapped open.
What? Does the Exorcism Bureau want to keep my identity completely secret too?
[There’s just one problem with that.]
“How could there be a problem? The Exorcism Bureau is stepping in to cover it up…”
[There’s Gode. The one who can get his hands on every piece of information in the world.]
“Oh.”
My friend, my comrade, my mutual debtor, and all the other things Gode was to me.
True. There was no way he didn’t know I was the one who handled the Window this time.
“I’ll tell Gode. I’ll ask him to pretend he doesn’t know.”
[I’d appreciate that. It’s fortunate we want the same thing.]
“I’d get expelled if we didn’t do this in the first place…”
I didn’t bother asking why he wanted to conceal my power.
I figured it had something to do with going downtown anyway.
‘The downtown folks live in an iron fortress, yet they absolutely hate getting involved with anyone strong.’
Even the downtown administrators were devoting their lives to recreating the world as it was before the Anomaly Flood.
I couldn’t say I didn’t understand why they kept others at arm’s length.
A clean downtown, free of anomalies!
…Just you wait. An anomaly’s coming your way soon(?).
* * *
I told Gode about it as soon as my call with Woo Cheonyeop ended.
His response made me realize what a complete idiot I was.
[GOD : Why are you telling me that?]
[GOD : You said you wanted to become famous on the gallery, so I gave you information, but I never spread anything else about you]
[GOD : I only leaked information about people who really needed to be dealt with urgently]
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life : Oh, right. That’s true]
In the end, there was no need to persuade Gode separately.
“Damn it. I put off my bedtime for nothing.”
When you lie down to sleep, then have to scramble to deal with something urgent…
You can’t sleep.
That’s right. I was screwed for the next few hours.
“Aaaah, I can’t take it anymore! I’m gonna browse the gallery.”
Strangely enough, browsing the gallery always lulled me to sleep eventually.
It was because I spent so long browsing that I got sleepy, but there was no harm in dressing that up as a benefit.
Praise the Fixer Gallery.
“Let’s see…”
As it happened, the gallery was talking about something I knew very well.
The sudden mass death of the bugs during the operation to clear Window Da-112.
It seemed Ms. Kim Rokhee was asking around everywhere, looking for the fixer who’d lent a hand.
Oh dear, she’s got the wrong person. That wasn’t a fixer. It was an anomaly.
She’s barking up the wrong tree, and then some.
How could I let something this fun pass me by?
‘I’m sure the Exorcism Bureau will cover up everything related to this…’
So it should be fine if I play a little prank, right?
The Exorcism Bureau is famous for being able to cover up the sudden deaths of a hundred people. (Unverified)
[ZombieAuntie, I Know Who That Person Is]
Author: Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360
Actually, I don’t know.
I lay down to sleep, but couldn’t, so I’m posting some nonsense, hehe.
ㄴ LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ You crazy bastardㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Hey, delete it before the Tower Master sees!
ㄴ For realㅋㅋ She’s having a massive fit right now; nobody can handle herㅋㅋ
But something unexpected happened.
ㄴ Tower Master) Are you lying?
ㄴ Tower Master) Or do you really know?
ㄴ Eek!
ㄴ The Tower Master has appeared!!!
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) I really don’t knowww
ㄴ Tower Master) You do know, right?
ㄴ Tower Master) You always pretend to stir things up, then only let slip valuable information
ㄴ Tower Master) Give me even the tiniest clue and I’ll reward you
ㄴ Gasp
ㄴ It’ll explode the second you open the box. Don’t accept it, no matter what
ㄴ Wow, I’ve gotten one of those before
ㄴ Gasp gasp
Instead of getting annoyed, Kim Rokhee started clinging to me.
Was it because of what happened with the Cheong Clan Alliance?
She seemed utterly convinced I knew something.
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) Nooo
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) If I open the gift box you send, you’ll drag me off with you, Auntieㅠㅠ
ㄴ You know about that?
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life really does know everythingㅋㅋ
ㄴ But what happens if you get dragged off?
ㄴ Curious?
ㄴ I’ve got a gift box I received but never opened. Want me to send it to you?
ㄴ This guy’s trying to find out firsthandㅋㅋ
ㄴ If you want a cozy date with Ms. Rokhee, go ahead and open itㅇㅇ
ㄴ Tower Master) No!
ㄴ Tower Master) I’m just going to send you a gift;;
ㄴ Tower Master) And, sorry, but I’m not even thirty, okay? I’m still twenty-nine
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) Auntie (for real)
ㄴ Tower Master) Do you want to experience being torn apart and still unable to die?
ㄴ LMAOOOOOO
ㄴ Wow, he’s provoking her againㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ He can’t be traced by IP, so he really does whatever the hell he wantsㅋㅋㅋ
Honestly, I could’ve left it at that and run, but I suddenly got curious about the gift she was offering.
If it wasn’t a one-on-one date voucher, what was she planning to send me?
‘It’s not like a one-on-one date voucher would work on anything but a human anyway, so she couldn’t drag me off.’
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) So what are you going to give me as a reward?
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) I’ll decide after I hear it
ㄴ Tower Master) Two Ssaksak Chickens
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) ?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!
“S-Ss, Ssaksak Chi, Chicken?!”
Ssaksak Chicken.
In Korea, where meat had become scarce, it was the only brand that raised real chickens from chicks and served them as fried chicken. Its restaurant in downtown Seoul was members-only.
Once the membership was full, they didn’t open any additional spots.
A slot only opened when an existing member withdrew, so people often bought and sold memberships.
How much was it? A full transfer went for a million credits, didn’t it? That cost more than a shop in some busy shopping district.
“I can taste that chicken… again?!”
The last flavor of Ssaksak Chicken I’d tried was Cheongyang mayo.
I’d eaten it just once, when I lived outside the city limits, thanks to a kind soul.
I’d even used Ssaksak Chicken as my reason for wanting to go downtown because there were tons of people willing to live as slaves for days if it meant getting their hands on it.
And honestly, it was just delicious. In a world full of fake meat, it was real chicken. You’d understand if you tried it.
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360*) If this is a lie, I’m blocking you forever, Auntie
ㄴ Tower Master) I’m a Ssaksak Chicken memberㅇㅇ
ㄴ Tower Master) You know our Tower’s monthly get-together is at Ssaksak Chicken, right?
ㄴ Seriously?
ㄴ Holy shit, sis, I wanna join the Towerㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ Wait, Loki Office benefits are insane ㄷㄷ
ㄴ You have your monthly get-together at Ssaksak Chicken…? I’m about to start a red-flavor revolution…??
ㄴ Wow, the rich-poor divide among fixers is brutal too
Leaving the gallery users in an uproar behind, I opened a private chat with the Tower Master.
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360 : Chicken first]
[Tower Master : C’mon, information first]
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360 : Nope, chicken first]
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360 : Otherwise you’ll set a trap and capture me. I know all about it]
[Tower Master : Hoh]
[Tower Master : I guess not everyone who posts crap on the gallery is a complete idiot]
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360 : So are you giving me the chicken or not?]
[Tower Master : I’ll give it to you]
[Tower Master : I’m not exactly rolling in it, but I can spare enough for two]
Sparkle.
A QR code for Ssaksak Chicken flashed before my eyes for just a moment.
Damn it, I wasn’t expecting that, so I didn’t get a screenshot!
[Tower Master : Tell me just one thing and I’ll send it right away]
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360 : Huh?]
[Tower Master : The information you’re giving me]
[Tower Master : How much can you tell me about the person we’re looking for?]
[Tower Master : Is it concrete information, or an indirect clue?]
Since I was an anomaly with a conscience, I planned to give her something worth the chicken in return.
But I never said it had to be information about me.
‘I can tell her the person who made the bugs explode drops by our office now and then.’
Woo Cheonyeop had volunteered to make it look like he was responsible for what happened this time.
Once the Exorcism Bureau—which was practically an urban legend—stepped in, everyone would soon believe that was what happened.
Naturally, both Cheong Harin and I would slip off the gallery users’ radar.
And if Woo Cheonyeop came to our office, where it was just the two of us, in that situation?
It’d look suspicious no matter what.
Woo Cheonyeop would naturally avoid dropping by the office too, right?
‘It’s best to contact a burdensome old guy through the terminal, yep.’
The pressure I felt from his Sephira was so massive and heavy that standing beside him felt like someone was pressing a giant finger down on my head.
I felt like I might accidentally turn into a big-cheeked, four-legged beast and cry, “Eueh!”
“Two chickens and some distance from that guy. That’s a truly genius idea.”
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360 : A clue that could let you meet them right away, if you’re lucky]
[Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360 : I’ll tell you where they tend to show up]
* * *
Meanwhile, in the recovery room at a hospital in southern Seoul.
“How are you feeling? Are you coming around?”
“Yes…”
“You had a serious puncture wound in your abdomen, but you’ve almost completely recovered now. If you receive capsule treatment twice a day for six hours each time, you can be discharged in three days.”
“I see. Um…”
Cheong Harin ran her hand over her now-healed abdomen and asked the nurse:
“By any chance… was the girl who brought me to the hospital the one with black hair, a white bodysuit, and purple eyes?”
“Oh, you’ll have to ask the emergency room about that. I’m in charge of the recovery room. Would you like me to check?”
“Yes, please.”
Before long, the nurse came back with the answer.
The result was exactly what Cheong Harin had expected.
Baek San-a had brought her all the way to the hospital.
Cheong Harin carefully recalled what had happened the day before.
She’d been so close to death she couldn’t move a finger, but her memories from before she got to the hospital were clear.
‘It was definitely San-a. San-a saved me…’
While she’d closed her eyes and focused, the bugs had burst one after another.
Countless droplets of blood shot out in every direction, and then—
「Pop.」
At the same time as the brief word Baek San-a uttered the instant she opened her eyes, the bugs went pop, pop, pop.
Every last bug exploded as if on cue.
‘She killed all the bugs…? San-a did?’
She was an innocent girl who loved hearing people talk about delicious food.
Even so, there had been a few suspicious things about her.
Like how much money she had despite her young age.
Or how the terminal she used to pay with was the sort of model only an office representative would use.
‘She said she wasn’t a fixer. And her father wasn’t a fixer either. Then was her mother a fixer?’
No. No, that’s not it.
There was no way the lie was that simple.
The fact that she’d said she wasn’t a fixer was the first thing she should’ve doubted.
After being left alone for months, the Window had effectively become one for Grade Na fixers.
And she’d burst that Grade Na fixer Window all by herself, with such ease?
The Ga, Na, and Da labels attached to Windows meant that ten fixers of the corresponding grade could clear them without much trouble…
‘If San-a is a fixer, then everything makes sense. She’s at least Grade Ga.’
But why would a Grade Ga fixer wander around alone without telling anyone?
Maybe she’d come to prepare in advance because she expected the Window’s Clipa scale to rise… But wouldn’t people usually announce that sort of thing openly?
Even just letting people know she was on the move would boost her popularity and approval ratings, and those numbers affected her office’s ranking.
The ranking increased the benefits enjoyed by the office and its affiliated fixers.
So why go to all the trouble of moving in secret?
‘…No.’
But as Cheong Harin continued to pile up questions in her mind, one important concern abruptly took center stage.
It was the matter of making a living.
Let’s not forget.
She’d lost her job and was unemployed, with no special abilities to speak of.
‘Connections to a Grade Ga fixer? That’s not something you can just get easily…’
She’d already been thinking of asking Anomaly Living Its Best Life for help finding work or a place to work. There was no need for that anymore.
She could just ask Baek San-a!
‘She fed me, and I owe her my life.’
If she told San-a she’d work her whole life to repay her for saving her, wouldn’t San-a at least give her odd jobs like cleaning the office?
And if there wasn’t an office, she could become a live-in maid who took care of the place where San-a lived…!
‘I’ll beg her as soon as I’m discharged. I’ll tell her to please consider it a favor and save one person’s life.’