---

My eyes met the old man’s as I was bleeding from my nose.

“Speak up, what did you see…”

-Crash!

Before long, Yu Da On had pulled out an unknown sharp object from behind the old man and pointed it at his neck, while Song Ah Rin stood protectively in front of me.

Jang Chae Yeon reached out her hand towards him.

“Even if it’s a different branch, I am still the branch chief.”

He chuckled, clicking his tongue.

“What would happen if others found out about this?”

“Oh please.”

While wiping the blood off his sleeve, Yu Da On mumbled and brought the sharp object even closer to the back of his neck, smiling innocently.

“If we get caught, so be it?”

As if indifferent, the object she held pressed closer to the old man’s neck.

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

Eventually, the old man raised both hands in surrender.

“I was just curious, you see. I wanted to see the skills of someone from the Human Resources Team, said to be the best in the Management Agency when it comes to information.”

Despite his words, Yu Da On remained unmoving, looking at me.

“Did he hit Mr. Jae Heon?”

“No.”

Finally, Yu Da On put the sharp object away.

“But where did you get that from?”

“I received it.”

I see.

“Anyway… I didn’t see anything.”

“…”

The old man looked at me with a sly smile.

“If you say so, then that must be the case.”

“…Can I go now?”

“You can stay a little longer if you want.”

“No, I’ll go in.”

“Very well then.”

I thought he would keep me a bit longer.

He waved his hand as if he understood.

“Ah, one piece of advice for you.”

As I tried to leave with the others, he looked at me, grinning widely.

“They say the first scenery you see is the past, and the second one is the future.”

“…”

The past and the future?

“Don’t listen to him.”

Jang Chae Yeon mumbled as she pushed me forward.

“…”

Song Ah Rin glanced at the mirror, scrunching her face up as if displeased, before turning back.

“What did you see?”

“Something unpleasant.”

She mumbled with a more sinister expression than before as she walked away.

*

The old man didn’t see us off.

As we descended to the lobby, I mulled over his words.

The first scenery is the past, the second scenery is the future.

If the first scenery I saw was the past…

‘…What an annoyance he is. Next time, I must be the one to act first—’

The sound of my own voice echoed, distorted as if drowned in noise.

Even though the distortion made it hard to recognize who it was, the situation only pointed to one person.

“…”

What in the world was I doing in the past that led me to mess with a Reincarnator?

Or what did the Reincarnator do that caused my past self to be so busy trying to stop him?

On the flip side, why couldn’t he just eliminate me?

“…No.”

What if he suggested killing me?

I recalled the number of times he had reincarnated.

666 times.

Is there any guarantee that he wouldn’t try to kill me during that time?

If he failed, the reason might be…

Without realizing, my eyes darted toward the three individuals walking down the stairs, unaware that I was watching them.

I couldn’t figure it out.

Ugh, I let out a sigh without knowing it.

Next is the future.

The scene of the future was honestly more horrifying than the past.

Song Ah Rin, Jang Chae Yeon, both dead in a terrible state, and Yu Da On pushing me away.

If this is what the future holds…

“…”

No. I shouldn’t be so certain. After all, it’s just a future shown to me by a mirror.

Yet, I must keep it in mind.

Given the Reincarnator’s words and the recent events, things haven’t been looking too good.

As I continued my thoughts, I arrived in the lobby.

No one was waiting for us there, either.

How strange, shouldn’t someone be waiting for us according to the Gangseo Branch Chief’s words?

As I was lost in thought, Yu Da On came up beside me and whispered.

“Mr. Jae Heon, Mr. Jae Heon.”

“Yes?”

She presented the sharp object to me.

“Why this sharp object?”

“I told you to look.”

“What should I be looking at…”

Before I could finish my sentence, a translucent window appeared above the sharp object.

[Name: Sharp Object]

[Age: Created 20 years ago]

[Specialty: Piercing]

[Talent: -]

[Background: The man was deep in thought as he created something. The sharp object seems too dull to me. Let’s try to make a sharper one.]

[Weakness: He entrusted this sharp object to someone he could trust.]

“What is this?”

“They said you’d understand if you saw this?”

“No, who gave it to you?”

“Ah, well…”

Yu Da On opened her mouth, only to show a puzzled expression and close it again.

“Uh…?”

“Da On?”

“Uh, um…?”

“What is it?”

“…No, it’s just… we clearly faced each other like this…”

Yu Da On’s eyes widened.

“I can’t remember.”

“That’s a very common memory loss.”

Song Ah Rin, who had been listening to our conversation, interjected and spoke.

“Memory loss?”

“Well, even I…”

-Smack!

“Ouch!”

Song Ah Rin playfully smacked Yu Da On’s head, and Yu Da On touched her head, looking dazed.

“Wait? Did something just… hit me?”

“Just like that.”

Song Ah Rin mumbled with a confident expression,

“Song Ah Rin.”

“What?”

“I feel like I need to bite this.”

“What?”

-Smack!

“Ugh!”

As soon as my warning ended, Yu Da On delivered a punch to Song Ah Rin’s head at a right angle.

Song Ah Rin crouched down, cradling her head, while Yu Da On looked at me and laughed.

“Ah Rin hit her, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Seriously… I didn’t hit her hard…”

Song Ah Rin muttered, cradling her scalp.

“You shouldn’t do this next time!”

“You really… next time, you’re dead…”

Yu Da On scolded Song Ah Rin with a stern expression, while Song Ah Rin grumbled, clutching her head, and I turned my gaze back to the sharp object.

Not a clue.

I scrutinized the translucent window again.

Name, age, specialty, and talent were not visible, but the background and weakness…

Someone trustworthy and a man.

“…”

I keep thinking of more questions.

“I don’t get it.”

I decided to just go ask the Branch Chief.

“By the way, do we need to take a plane on the way back?”

“Yeah.”

Jang Chae Yeon nodded slowly.

“Do we have to?”

“It’s the procedure.”

“…Why?”

“You took the subway when coming back from Gangdong Branch.”

The subway is a quick way to travel.

I sighed and picked up my pace.

“Doesn’t this belong to Mr. Jae Heon?”

Was the conversation between the two concluded? Yu Da On scurried up to me, presenting the sharp object.

I instinctively reached out to take it but stopped.

“No. You keep it, Da On.”

“Uh, why?”

“…Well.”

If I said I felt bad seeing her face off against a monster with bare hands, she might get hurt.

“It just seems to suit you, Da On.”

Her expression brightened upon hearing my words.

“Really? So this is a gift from you, Mr. Jae Heon?”

I suppose it’s unusual to give someone a sharp object as a gift.

“…Um.”

“Thank you!”

Before I could finish speaking, Yu Da On embraced the sharp object against her chest, beaming with joy.

Well, I can’t say it’s not a gift after seeing her that happy.

“I’ll get you something better next time.”

Yu Da On’s eyes grew even wider, and before she could say anything, Song Ah Rin rushed past us.

“What are you doing? Are we not going back?”

“We should go.”

“Yeah. I don’t like it here.”

Song Ah Rin spoke in a prickly tone as she stepped outside, followed closely by Jang Chae Yeon with a cold expression.

They sure move quickly.

*

The journey to the airport was the same as before.

Once again, I found myself seated in an uncomfortable spot, rattling around while flying through the sky.

Still, it felt a bit better having experienced it earlier.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

Jang Chae Yeon leaned in to whisper to me.

“I have a question.”

“Sure.”

Her long eyelashes brushed against my face.

“About the Aestheticism.”

“Ah, yes.”

“…How did you know?”

Her tone, usually so casual, was filled with pure fear.

“…What?”

Before she could speak, someone tapped my shoulder.

“It’s time to get off.”

Already that time?

It was a spindly woman with freckles and bright red hair, a smile that was somewhat unsettling.

“We can talk later.”

“Okay.”

I stood up alongside Jang Chae Yeon and walked off.

As expected, waiting for us were Yu Da On and Song Ah Rin, who arrived first.

“Well then, shall I go?”

And just like before, Yu Da On moved first, letting Song Ah Rin inside after her.

“Then I—”

Turning my head, I looked at Jang Chae Yeon only to lock eyes with the woman who guided me.

Her untamed red hair and the odd sensation of the freckles dotted across her face.

It looked like some massive surgery had been done on her neck, leaving stitches behind.

A translucent window appeared above her head.

[Name: Aestheticism]

[Age: -]

[Traits: Art]

[Talent: Art]

[Background: If asked to name the top ten most harmful entities to humanity, this would certainly be among them.]

[Weakness: When all the art galleries created by this bubble into flames, it shall disappear as well.]

She held a party invitation in one hand, smiling cheerfully.

“Welcome to the time of glorious art.”

“Jang Chae Yeon—”

I opened my mouth to warn Jang Chae Yeon, but before I could say anything, Aestheticism reached out and pushed us both.

Not a mannequin’s hand, but a human hand.

We both fell into a bottomless darkness together.

After a brief moment of weightlessness, I opened my eyes to the sound of classical music.

“…”

It was an expansive art museum.

However, it was different from the one I had seen Aestheticism in before.

A floor that shone darkly rather than with marble, and the only light coming from dark fixtures—no chandeliers to be found at all.

Only the art pieces hanging nearby showcased their existence, reminding me that this was supposed to be an art museum.

“I told you to throw the invitation away!”

Song Ah Rin’s voice, filled with irritation.

“It looks like an art museum, don’t you think?”

Yu Da On’s cheerful voice.

“…”

And Jang Chae Yeon’s silence.

I heard the voices of the three of them next to me.

While glancing around momentarily,

-Swish!

A manual unfolded naturally in my hands.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Exhibit 1: Chamber of Love and Darkness]

[Welcome to the Chamber of Love and Darkness. Here, your artistic senses will be thoroughly awakened, and it may even become a place so beautiful that you might feel inspired to become art yourself.]

[By falling into this place, it means you have some sort of connection with the Aestheticism entity, and the Management Agency sincerely regrets that they cannot intervene.]

I shut my eyes tight and opened them once again.

A place akin to a hospital or an amusement park.

I hurriedly read the next item.

1. First, die once.

“…”

Not an easy start at all.