---

I looked at the man once more.

His wrinkled face was heavily marked by fatigue, but his eyes glinted with sharpness.

When he pressed the tip of the pen, click. a sound echoed.

“You look completely lost, not understanding a word.”

The man looked at us and chuckled.

I surveyed above his head again.

[Name: Choi Soo Cheol]

[Age: 67]

[Specialty: X]

[Talent: X]

[Background: The insights and experiences of those who rise solely through effort often shine brighter than any ability.]

[Weakness: A regular human. A targeted blow can kill.]

“My name is Choi Soo Cheol. Right now, I’m just a low-level employee bleeding the budget of the Management Agency.”

“That’s nonsense.”

Hearing his words, Song Ah Rin sighed and looked at the man.

“Be careful. He talks like that, but he knows an astonishing amount.”

“It’s not like I know a lot or something.”

The man laughed out loud and then looked at me.

“You’re Kim Jae Heon from the Gangseo Branch. They say you’re the best talent to come out since Ahn Sang Hyun.”

“Not really.”

“Even humility, I like that.”

A smile spread across his face.

“How’s the Branch Chief doing?”

“Are you referring to the Branch Chief?”

“The Gangseo Branch Chief. Even when I just joined… No, I shouldn’t say that.”

He smacked his mouth and chuckled softly.

“Anyway, he’s still doing well, right?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. It’s surprising to see he’s still active.”

He shook his head, murmuring as he glanced at the door.

“Shall we get into the main topic?”

He looked at me with a smile,

-click.

Pressing the tip of the pen.

“And you also observe people very well. You have great potential.”

“…”

“Ah, deep in thought, huh?”

“…”

-click.

“People only seem to understand my first sentence.”

He sighed.

“I find that quite stressful.”

“Are there many like that?”

“Ah, even your friend A-Rin, she stopped listening to me and wandered off…”

“That’s not true!”

A-Rin gritted her teeth, and he smiled.

“A-Rin once wandered down to the basement and got into a fight with the Management Team.”

-click.

“So now the Management Team isn’t on our side.”

“Geez, old man! It’s not that bad!”

A-Rin shouted, teeth clenched.

“…”

“You must have many questions. Where should I start explaining?”

The man rested his chin on his hand, eyes closed,

pointing his finger toward the ceiling.

-click.

“Well, it’s better to mix in some body language when speaking.”

“Yeah, there are some things that are hard to explain.”

The man smiled broadly at my words.

“Recently, more and more people have been having the same dream.”

“Hmm…”

The man directed his finger toward the ceiling.

“Honestly, having the same dream is a curious thing, but it might not be that important.”

He nodded and continued.

“But what matters is the content of the dream.”

“Content?”

“Exactly.”

“…”

“Everyone says the same thing. ‘I’m wandering in a dark museum.'”

“I see.”

I nodded my head.

“But the name of that museum is the problem.”

The man clasped his hands and looked at Jang Chae Yeon and Song Ah Rin.

“Well, they say the museum is called the Museum of Truth.”

“…”

“…”

The expressions of the two upon hearing that froze.

“…the Museum of Truth?”

Soon, it was Song Ah Rin who spoke.

She looked at the man as if trying to comprehend, and he gestured to me.

“What’s the Museum of Truth?”

“Oh, that place. Um…”

At my question, Song Ah Rin rested her chin on her hand, pondering.

“It’s a bit hard to explain. It was a crazy place.”

“Why’s that?”

“It was a place where actions were based on one single truth.”

-click.

“Uh, what was it again? Don’t believe anything except what you hear here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. That’s how it was, right?”

Song Ah Rin tilted her head.

“Wasn’t it that we clearly isolated that place?”

“Right.”

“So that’s strange.”

The man shrugged and looked at the two.

“To begin with, why is that appearing in dreams?”

“I found it strange too, so I looked around a bit.”

-click.

He nodded, pointing down with his index finger.

“Something seems to have surfaced.”

“So shouldn’t we inquire with the Isolation Team?”

“Do you think I didn’t inquire?”

He gave Song Ah Rin a look as if asking what she was talking about.

“They couldn’t find it.”

“…”

“So, I’m asking you.”

His gaze turned toward me.

“Please help me find it.”

“Where?”

“Where else, the city.”

He continued speaking while pointing down with his finger.

“That’s right.”

“But, saying to search in the city…”

Song Ah Rin muttered with an anxious expression, and Jang Chae Yeon closed her eyes in thought, saying, “Hmm.”

“The city is too big. How am I supposed to look around there?”

“We could split up and cover more ground, right?”

Song Ah Rin shook her head at Yu Da On’s suggestion.

“No way. It’s too dangerous there. The Isolation Team said they went through real struggles.”

The man laughed, looking at me.

“Well, I don’t even know what it is, how it looks, or any characteristics. Asking me to find it is a bit difficult, isn’t it?”

“And that’s why I talked about dreams.”

The man nodded and continued.

“As I said earlier, people say they have the same dream.”

“Right.”

“So you just need to have the same dream.”

“If we need to share the same dream… how do we make that happen?”

“Well, you just need to sleep in the same place.”

At my question, the man smiled and pressed the pen.

-click.

“If you’re from the Management Agency, wouldn’t everyone go to the same place?”

“Ah.”

Hearing that, Jang Chae Yeon tilted her head.

“Maybe we could go to the Duty Room?”

“Thinking of sleeping in the same place, the Duty Room might work well.”

“The Duty Room… but it feels a bit eerie there.”

“Wow, does that give a bit of a traveling vibe then?”

The four people, excluding me, were chatting away.

The man looked at them fondly before going,

–click.

“But it’s better to go together.”

“Well, we’re used to it by now.”

“Yeah. If you just go on like this, you’ll become a great talent.”

He laughed out loud.

-click.

“But be careful. There are a lot of ears listening.”

“Yeah, it is a place where people live after all.”

“Isn’t it? Maybe everyone has already clocked out.”

-click.

“They say the safest time is when you’re together. The more dangerous it is, the more you must stick together.”

“That’s true.”

He nodded, laughing.

“I’ll tell you how to get to the Duty Room.”

“I also know how to get there—uh, gulp!”

I covered Song Ah Rin’s mouth as she was speaking.

“A-Rin. Even though he’s your old boss, you shouldn’t just say whatever.”

“Wait…!”

As she twisted her body, I quickly pulled her close to stop her movements and looked at the man.

“Hmm…!”

Only then did Song Ah Rin’s body stop, and Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon fell silent.

“Wow…”

Park Ye Eun muttered.

“Ha-ha, you really are skilled at handling people.”

He smiled and continued speaking.

-click.

“First, you go out to the right and walk straight, and you’ll find the elevator.”

“Got it.”

“But the Duty Room isn’t on the elevator, that’s obvious.”

“Right.”

“So when you turn left from there, a long corridor will appear.”

-click.

“Then right.”

“Okay.”

He continued speaking, hands neatly clasped.

“Then you should find the Duty Room right in front of the door.”

-click.

“When you reach, there will be a locked door. In that case, just enter the password. The password was probably 1234 or something like that.”

“Was it 1234…?”

“The Gangdong Branch’s security is a bit lax…”

Jang Chae Yeon muttered, and Yu Da On echoed her.

“The Gangdong Branch tends to be a bit careless with security.”

The man chuckled softly.

-click.

“Once you’re in, there will likely be no one around, so look around carefully. Sometimes, people hide there.”

“Yeah, there are those who like to sleep in corners.”

“I used to be like that. I’d always fall asleep in the corner even if I was on the bed.”

He smiled happily.

“Well, when you go to the Duty Room, there might be someone there.”

“It’s not a matter of if, they usually are.”

To Jang Chae Yeon’s comment, he shrugged.

“Even so, it wouldn’t be someone unfamiliar since it would be Chae Yeon and A-Rin.”

-click.

“Just because people happen to talk to you, don’t get too cozy. Pretending to be someone from the Gangdong Branch might be wise.”

“Yeah. I too would wonder why someone who isn’t from the Gangseo Branch is here.”

“Exactly.”

He smiled at my words.

“Oh dear, I’m getting old now.”

He patted his waist and looked at me.

“Naturally, you’d feel that way…”

-click.

“But don’t act too familiar, especially with A-Rin and Chae Yeon.”

“At this point, I don’t really have anyone I’m close to anymore.”

Having escaped my grasp, Song Ah Rin murmured in an almost crawling voice, and Jang Chae Yeon nodded.

“Ha-ha. That’s a relief, I guess.”

Then he gazed outside the door.

“Well then, shall we get going?”

-click.

“Good luck.”

He waved his hand, and I waved back at him.

The five of us stepped outside the door.

“You’re chattier than usual today, old man.”

“Yup.”

Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon chatted as they made their way toward the elevator, shifting to the left path.

“This way.”

“…”

I ignored their words and stopped walking.

“Uh, Jae Heon? I think it’s over there.”

“…”

“Jae Heon?”

“Oppa?”

“…What? Why?”

“What’s up?”

Yu Da On and Park Ye Eun looked at me with concern, while Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon turned back to look at me.

The path we were going was not that way.