Chapter 5
“So, how about staying at a fixer office until things are sorted out?”
Honestly, when Woo Cheonyeop said that, I thought my days as an anomaly were numbered.
When I followed him to the place he called an office, I pictured a secret lab inside.
I imagined being locked up there, tortured in every way imaginable, then handed over to the Buksabu to be snuffed out.
Terrified, I started backing away with tears welling in my eyes.
I had an expulsion device around my neck, so running away would’ve been pointless, but my body reacted on instinct.
“We, we had a good thing going~! We traded silly jokes for half a year and talked about fixers all the time, remember…? Think back to when you told me the story about ‘Sawayo’~!”
I was flailing and whimpering, my feet shuffling in a panic, when—
Woo Cheonyeop tilted his head, one eyebrow twitching.
“…? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Y-you’re not going to torture me? Take me to the ‘office’ and dissect me! Turn me into sliced-up meat…!”
A short sigh escaped his lips.
“Calm down and just come with me first.”
* * *
The idea of having an anomaly stay at a fixer office.
I’d assumed it was a load of nonsense, but surprisingly, it wasn’t.
For a Buksabu agent, Woo Cheonyeop was far more considerate than I’d imagined.
I never thought someone who wasn’t even human could enjoy that consideration, though.
“What do you think? It seems livable enough, doesn’t it?”
What he suggested was a ghost office.
It was a fixer office registered as a corporation but inactive in practice—an office that existed only on paper.
Since he wasn’t asking me to pretend to be a fixer and work there, a positive response came naturally.
“Well, this should be fine…”
It was a basement office with enough room for about five people to work, plus a hidden space accessible through a secret door behind a bookcase.
The hidden space would be my living quarters. It was smaller than the isolation facility, but with a little work, it could be pretty nice. It even had a secret exit just for the hidden space, which would make it easy to escape if something bothersome came up.
In the first place, it was about the same size as the home I’d lived in back when I was human, before becoming an anomaly, so it even felt familiar.
Having to prepare my own meals was a little inconvenient, but the fact that I could go out and eat whatever I wanted made up for it.
“If you put up a sign saying you’re away on a long business trip, anyone who comes looking will probably leave, figuring you’ll be back soon. And even if a thief breaks in, they won’t find anything worth stealing, so they’ll just leave.”
“But why are you doing all this for me…?”
“Like I said earlier, there’s been a misunderstanding. I revealed I was with the Buksabu because you figured it out, and for no other reason.”
“So you didn’t have to keep it a secret that you were with the Buksabu…?”
Woo Cheonyeop pointed at my neck.
It looked like a choker, but it was a precious Management Bureau device capable of expelling most anomalies from the city immediately.
“I wear it all the time, so I keep forgetting it’s there, hehe.”
“We’re moving you because it’ll be difficult to keep an eye on you while we handle the Cheong Clan Alliance and the isolation facility. Let’s put the misunderstanding to rest.”
Only then did I relax. I giggled and asked Woo Cheonyeop:
“Th-en… what about food expenses? Internet bills?”
“It’s a ghost office, but we’ll keep the books properly enough. It’ll be simple if we register you as a pet.”
“Oh…”
He was treating me like a pet even though all I did was stuff my face and shitpost on the gallery.
He must think very highly of me.
…Or maybe from the Buksabu’s perspective, I just wasn’t worth disposing of.
But that’s not so bad. At least it means I won’t have to fight the Buksabu!
“I was wondering, is it really okay to do this? Isn’t a shell company illegal?”
“Just think of it as secret royal inspector work. If anything happens, the higher-ups will take care of it. The most important thing is that you must never hurt anyone.”
“I know that. I never had any intention of hurting anyone in the first place.”
“Just in case, should we keep a few blood bags on hand?”
“No. I don’t need them. I don’t suck blood to survive in the first place…. If I needed that much blood, I’d hunt monsters. Just look at their size. They must have huge blood reserves.”
“True. If you can control blood, you could probably take down a monster easily. But in that case, wouldn’t it be better to register you as a fixer for the ghost office rather than as a pet? You could earn Contribution Points along the way and get downtown.”
A fixer? An anomaly becoming a fixer?
The Management Bureau would never give me a license.
I was dumbfounded, but since he was with the Buksabu, I couldn’t just dismiss the idea outright.
“Come on, be realistic. And you’ve been taking my side this whole time. Honestly, if I became a fixer, you’re just trying to dump all the annoying work on me, aren’t you?”
“I have my own reasons for wanting you to go downtown. I’m only suggesting this because we can’t ignore all the procedures.”
“Go downtown… huh? Why would you have a reason for that?”
“Just know that I do. It’s not as if I’m doing this because I particularly like you. I’d hoped you’d still be as eager to go downtown as before, but you’re not, are you?”
“Well, I’m not completely unmotivated… but you said we can’t ignore the procedures. So there’s no point in rushing, right? It takes 100,000 Contribution Points!”
Someone once said that an alliance bound by a deal or contract was stronger than one based on pure generosity.
Once I understood that we were helping each other because we both wanted something, Woo Cheonyeop’s kindness didn’t seem so strange anymore.
So when he took the ghost office representative’s terminal from his inner jacket pocket, I immediately clasped my hands together and held them out politely.
Oh, my generous benefactor.
“You’re already acting like a pet, even though you can’t be bothered to do anything…”
“I want to lounge around for at least another six months. And looking harmless as a pet sounds good, too.”
“…The food budget has no limit, but only for meals. Don’t think about using it for anything else.”
“I may have been called a bloodsucker before, but I’m the last shred of conscience in this era—I never use a corporate card for anything other than its intended purpose. Trust me.”
Not that I had any immediate use for it beyond food, anyway.
I was going to spend the next six months eating and browsing the gallery no matter what.
There was one complication: the office was closed, so I couldn’t get deliveries and would have to eat outside….
“By the way… will these clothes give away that I’m an anomaly?”
“No. Only a handful of people even know they exist.”
If a Buksabu agent said so, I could probably eat by myself without any major problems.
One nice thing about the world of anomalies was that it wasn’t particularly dangerous for a little kid to walk around alone.
A kid walking around alone in an age like this?
They had to be well-protected or dangerous themselves.
It had been a chaotic day, one way or another, but in the end, my quality of life hadn’t gone down.
Things had just changed a little.
So I guess it’s about time to shout it out.
You too, Anomaly Master. Me too, Anomaly Mas—.
… ─[[ Fixer Gallery ]]─ …
(You have been permanently banned from this gallery)
(>>Contact the moderator<<)
My hand trembled as it was about to press the post button.
The fact I’d forgotten suddenly came back to me.
“Ah, shit, I still haven’t gotten a new account…!”
* * *
[Woo Cheonyeop: Don’t you need any furniture?]
[Baek San-a: Minimalism is the trend]
Baek San-a seemed to like the new place, since there was no further contact afterward.
… ─[[ Fixer Gallery ]]─ …
[You Too Can Become an Anomaly]
[You Too Can Become an Anomaly]
[You Too Can Become an Anomaly]
[You Too Can Become an Anomaly]
[Did you buy the whole fucking gallery?]
[Wanjaaaaaaang]
I’d been worried Woo Cheonyeop was busy too, since we parted ways, and it was already midnight.
But I could immediately see Baek San-a’s lively activity on the Fixer Gallery starting at midnight, so there didn’t seem to be any need to keep an eye out another way.
“…Time to wrap up and head home.”
The empty ground-floor office of the isolation facility, with no one left inside.
Woo Cheonyeop sat at the director’s desk, sorting through the remaining documents when a small drone buzzed over and landed on the desk.
A distorted voice soon came from the drone.
[Have you found out where that hacker is?]
“Not yet. But Baek San-a is close to Gode, so an opportunity should come along eventually.”
[You’ve been watching the network nonstop while staying at the isolation facility, right? How can you still have absolutely no evidence?]
“His security is so tight that he’d get suspicious the moment I tried to break in. Have you put together a task force?”
[Not yet?]
“I told you I can’t catch Gode by myself…”
[Come on. Is there anything you can’t do, Pro Woo? You know we’re always short-staffed.]
Sigh.
Woo Cheonyeop let out a short sigh and muttered wearily.
“I’m quitting by the end of this year, so keep that in mind. This isn’t some group-project prank, but you keep making me the team leader every day…”
[What? How can you say that? You said you’d keep working until you found your little brother!]
“There are limits. Anyway, put together a task force soon. I can’t catch Gode by myself.”
The person on the other end of the drone cried out with a sigh of disbelief.
[Is this because of Baek San-a? You’ve only been watching her for half a year, and you’re already attached? Are you quitting the Buksabu to become a big brother who cooks her meals?]
“That’s not it.”
[Come on, you take such good care of her. Are you trying to use her as a replacement for your little sister?]
“Am I crazy? Why would I do that for an anomaly?”
[Hmm. Well, how about this, Pro Woo?]
“If you’re about to tell me another ridiculous plan, don’t bother.”
[Aww, don’t be like that. Just hear me out before you decide!]
Ahem, ahem.
After clearing their throat a few times, the person on the other end of the drone casually laid out a plan.
[Since you’ve already set up a ghost office, why not just act like you’re the office’s representative?]
“Me?”
[You could lead the way toward a clean fixer culture free of corruption. The Five-Person Council held a meeting today and discussed cracking down on corrupt offices. I guess the Cheong Clan Alliance incident made them feel they had to do something. We should get in on it too, shouldn’t we? I bet you’d be great at playing a squeaky-clean fixer, Team Leader Woo.]
“…? It was just one tiny office that went down, wasn’t it?”
[It was a whole chain reaction. Several people got fired at different agencies, including a team leader at the Bureau of Economic Affairs who’d been covering for the Cheong Clan Alliance. They’re in an absolute frenzy trying to clean house.]
“I didn’t think it would get that big.”
[What’s the big deal? Thanks to it, your salary’s getting another raise next month. You keep solving major cases every month, Pro Woo, so Director Lee’s nose is higher than the observation deck at Central Sky!]
“Honestly, I just got lucky this time. I didn’t find anything myself; I only stumbled onto it because Baek San-a posted a shitpost on the gallery.”
[Oh my, is that why you’re so fond of Baek San-a? If you’re fond of her, then you should take on the ghost office too—.]
“No. Baek San-a can’t be bothered with anything as it is. If I go there, she’ll move even slower.”
[Huh~? You’d just be running the office. Why would that make Baek San-a slower?]
“She’d be uncomfortable just having me around and would keep watching what she did. She found out I’m with the Buksabu.”
Silence settled over the office.
Before long, a horrifying suggestion came from the drone.
[Then we should dispose of her. The instant execution device is still around her neck, right? Should I press the button now?]
“I told you we need Baek San-a to find my little sister.”
[Damn, aren’t you something, you little punk? You haven’t even seen the future for sure.]
“My employment terms give me a reason to keep Baek San-a alive, at least.”
For the first time in a while, anger was audible in the voice coming from the drone.
[Come on, Pro Woo. Do you really think someone who knows a hacker that steals agency information won’t tell that hacker about it?]
“There’s no particular reason to tell Gode. I’m not exactly active in public, either. And that gallery addict knew the truth but didn’t post it on the gallery right away.”
[Tch.]
“You can trust Baek San-a. For now.”
After a short sigh, the Buksabu chief grumbled.
[Fine~ You say you need Baek San-a, so I guess I can’t say anything more. Deal with it yourself later, P-r-o W-o-o?]
“I appreciate your consideration, Chief.”
* * *
“H-hh… Hachoo!”
Ugh.
The isolation facility really must’ve had clean air. I started coughing as soon as I got to this basement studio apartment.
“Huh… no, someone’s looking for me on the gallery.”
[If you’re around, Best-Life Anomaly, take a look]
Was it you who took down the Cheong Clan Alliance?
You exposed your IP unusually and were laughing like, What an idiot, lol
But now that I think about it, it seems like you did it on purpose
If you’re with the Buksabu, sorry
I’m really clean, so please let me off just this once
“What the…”
…The Buksabu?
Me?
What a ridiculous misunderstanding.
It would be perfect material for stirring up trouble, but even I know when to meddle and when to stay out of it.
You can tell just from the OP’s attitude, right?
The Buksabu is an agency fixers must never get tangled up with, and ordinary people are better off not knowing exists.
Even now, my back gets chills at the thought that Woo Cheonyeop, who’d traded jokes with me for half a year, was with the Buksabu.
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) ?
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) Did you write this post to take me down?
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) I don’t know the first thing about the Buksabuㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ But you’re the one who picked a fight with the Cheong Clan Alliance
ㄴ You’re the only one who could’ve taken them down lol
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) Do you think I’d leak the IP of the place I live?
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) I was just messing with them to make them run around a bit
ㄴ Well, that’s true lol
ㄴ There’s no way this guy would accidentally expose his IP
ㄴ For real lol
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) Anyway, if that’s all, I’m off?
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) I still have 578 more spam posts to makeㅠ
ㄴ You fucking bastard
ㄴ Argh
ㄴ Anomaly Living Its Best Life 360) This is a huge gallery with over 200,000 posts a day, so even if I spam a thousand times, it’s not even 1%. It’s so sad
ㄴ *) I’m even sadder, you awful bitch, because you keep making my notifications go off. Fuck, let me sleep alreadyyyyy
ㄴ LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ㄴ Ah lololololol
ㄴ Well, why’d you call Best-Life over here in the first place lol
ㄴ Turn off your notifications, dumbass lol
After talking today, I was sure Woo Cheonyeop wasn’t a bad person, but…
I still felt uneasy.
If I just accepted everything he offered, I might be the only one in trouble later.
We trust each other because we give and take.
More importantly, the Buksabu kills first and asks questions later! (Important)
But downtown… downtown, huh……
‘I have to go.’
I’d gotten lax after half a year of lounging around, but I’d been doing that to lower the humans’ guard, right?
The thing I want is downtown, so I’ll have to go eventually.
Gode had assured me there was no chance it would disappear, but there was no point in dragging my feet.
The balance between humans and anomalies might be even now, but no one knows when it could fall apart, right?
“The me from six months ago could crack my skull and I’d have no excuse…”
But I couldn’t help it.
I’d wandered around for tens of thousands of years, until both body and mind were completely exhausted.
If your belly’s full, your back’s warm, and browsing the gallery is fun, you can slack off for a year, can’t you?!
It’s only a year.
Compared to all the time I’ve lived so far, it’s a speck of dust.
This isn’t an excuse. I’m just making a perfectly rational calculation.
‘If only the requirements for getting a downtown pass weren’t so damn strict.’
I thought of the Fixer Gallery’s head mod, who gets 1,000 Contribution Points every month…
But even then, you have to become a fixer to receive them.
In the first place, how many years has it been since the gallery got a new head mod?
Beep. Impossible.
I have to get out of this unemployed life.
A voice kept echoing in my heart, telling me I had to become a respectable member of society.
“……….”
Even so, why couldn’t I bring myself to get moving?
Was it because my year of rest had been cut in half?
“Uuuuuugh…”
……For now, maybe I should find a quiet place to eat near the ghost office.
They won’t be serving me meals anymore…
Food is important…
Koreans run on rice…
Need to know anything?
You can find it in no time by digging through the Fixer Gallery.
Doksan-dong… restaurants……
“H-huh…”
Holy crap.
What kind of psycho posts a thread with this many food pictures at three in the morning?
You deserve to be reported to the Buksabu and executed.
“Still, thank you. I’ll put this information to good use.”
Right, I’ll eat first and think about it afterward.
How to farm the Contribution Points I need to get into downtown.
[Doksan-dong’s 50 Best Restaurants (Updated Regularly)]
[Author: rurflaktmxj]