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– Beep… Biiiiiip…

“…”

I gazed into the water tank, staring at the floating brain.

With an assortment of unknown hoses plugged in, the brain simply bobbed there.

Next to it, something resembling a frequency flowed across the screen in a consistent shape.

“Can it understand what we’re saying?”

“The brain doesn’t have the capability to hear sounds.”

The Branch Chief’s assertion was certainly valid.

“But if desired, we could make it hear. Would you like to listen to Kim Jae Heon’s voice?”

“… I’ll pass.”

I didn’t feel the need to subject myself to my own voice, thank you very much.

What if something went wrong after hearing it?

“By the way, why is A-Rin here?”

I turned to see Song Ah-Rin staring into the tank with a dark expression and directed my gaze back to the Branch Chief.

At my question, the Branch Chief gave an awkward smile.

“An involuntary resignation isn’t an easy matter.”

“I see.”

“Typically, those who reach the point of involuntary resignation have caused significant damage that anyone in the Management Agency would recognize.”

The Branch Chief diverted his gaze to the tank.

“Conversely, those who are subjected to involuntary resignation end up in special management like this.”

“Special management, huh.”

If this wasn’t special management, then what on earth could be considered special management?

“Usually, extracting the brain like this allows us to extract information. In Kim Wan Woo’s case…”

The Branch Chief gestured towards Ah-Rin, who frowned slightly.

– Beep… Biiip… Biiiiiip… Beep…!

Suddenly, the sounds accelerated.

The hoses began to sway.

“… What’s going on?”

“Extracting information.”

The Branch Chief stared intently at the tank.

“Song Ah-Rin is performing hypnosis. She’ll make Kim Wan Woo forcibly recall memories or past events.”

Brainwaves began to wildly shake, and a beeping sound akin to steam came from the hoses.

Soon, there was a clunking sound that signaled a stop.

“One record completed.”

With Ah-Rin’s words, the Branch Chief scratched his cheek, looking apologetic as he gazed at her.

“I didn’t call you here to make you work. Sorry, A-Rin.”

“… It’s fine.”

Ah-Rin nodded slightly, and the Branch Chief shot me a glance.

A look that seemed to ask if something was happening.

The issue was that I had no way of knowing exactly what was going on.

“… Anyway, is this enough?”

“Yes. Please share the compiled information with me later.”

“Of course, that’s a given.”

As I nodded at the Branch Chief’s words and was about to leave, a sudden thought popped into my mind, prompting me to look back at her.

“By the way, Branch Chief.”

“Yes?”

“Since the incident, the church has been calling me a prophet.”

“…”

The Branch Chief’s expression grew serious.

“A prophet?”

“… Yes.”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something might be wrong.

“…”

Suddenly, the Branch Chief stepped closer to me.

Her red eyes pierced through me as she asked,

“Wait a moment.”

She began to inspect me from head to toe.

“… Hmm. That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“I’ve been in the Management Agency long enough to know.”

“Not long enough?”

“Don’t you feel fear or anxiety, Kim Jae Heon?”

The Branch Chief took hold of my head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Anyway, a prophet feels different.”

“If you mean by feelings…”

“Don’t you hear any voices in your head?”

I closed my eyes and concentrated at her words.

Nothing was making a sound.

“I hear nothing.”

“That’s odd.”

The Branch Chief cocked her head as she circled around me, studying me closely.

“Honestly, I don’t see anything unusual either.”

“Does becoming a prophet make one weird?”

“Yes.”

The Branch Chief replied firmly, nodding her head.

“If you genuinely transformed into a prophet, the Department Head would have found out first.”

“… What’s this about?”

“However, historically, the symptoms have varied for those chosen as prophets.”

Raising her index finger, the Branch Chief continued.

“Some have been taken by the church and executed post-naturalization, and conversely, there are cases like yours where one walked out completely sane…”

“…”

“I’ll report this to the Department Head for now. I’ll keep a close eye on it.”

“Understood.”

“Try not to worry too much.”

The Branch Chief smiled gently as she grasped my shoulders.

“We’ll help you no matter what happens.”

“… Thank you.”

I occasionally felt that if asked to pick a ‘good person,’ the Branch Chief would certainly be among them.

“You’ve had a busy day today. Take care of yourself as you head back.”

The Branch Chief waved goodbye to me and Ah-Rin.

“Thank you. We’ll be leaving now.”

“… Thank you.”

After exchanging farewells, Ah-Rin and I exited through the steel door.

– Clunk!

With a sound of the door closing behind us, it was just me and Ah-Rin left in the dim corridor.

“… Let’s go.”

Ah-Rin slowly began to walk away.

“A-Rin.”

“I’m fine.”

Before I could say more, Ah-Rin interrupted and turned to face me.

“Don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry?”

With someone in such a pitiful state standing before me.

“… Trust me.”

Ah-Rin locked eyes with me.

“Please.”

Of course, that was a lie.

But the fatigue evident in her gaze made me relent,

“If you don’t come to work tomorrow, I’ll come to pick you up at your house.”

“…”

Ah-Rin, who had been meeting my eyes, walked toward me.

Thud, she bumped her head against my chest, looking up at me.

“Don’t worry.”

She flashed a rare, gentle smile before turning and walking down the corridor.

Thus, the Gangdong Branch incident reached a level of resolution.

*

Fortunately, I did not have to pay a visit to Ah-Rin’s house.

“…”

“Ah, Jae Heon!”

“I’m here.”

As soon as I arrived at work, I was met by our slightly balding Team Leader along with Song Ah-Rin, Yu Da On, and Jang Chae Yeon.

“A-Rin, are you okay?”

Without a chance to greet anyone else, I hurriedly checked on Ah-Rin.

“I’m fine, I told you not to worry.”

Ah-Rin waved her hand dismissively.

“A-Rin, did something happen?”

“…”

Yu Da On’s round eyes darted between me and Ah-Rin, while Jang Chae Yeon scrutinized us.

“Did you two have a problem?”

“She’s just worried about me.”

“…”

Jang Chae Yeon, still intently observing us, shifted her gaze back to the monitor.

“Alright. Understood.”

A quiet day began.

“By the way, what about Yae Eun?”

“She was marked as overtime yesterday and is banned from coming in due to youth labor law violations.”

“Shouldn’t the Management Agency be closing down for this?”

“Things are never that simple.”

The Team Leader grumbled as he handed me the documents.

“What’s this?”

“Safety Education sign-off.”

“Oh, it’s already that season, huh.”

Safety and Health Education.

Though the Management Agency is a nationwide entity, it adheres remarkably to principles regarding these safety educations.

In ordinary companies, employees usually complete online trainings by themselves or gather for an hour-long skimming session before signing off.

“… Ah.”

Jang Chae Yeon’s expression hardened.

“Safety and Health Education? What’s that?”

And Yu Da On, who looked clueless.

Ah-Rin seemed to be staring at the monitor in exhaustion.

“Safety and Health Education is…”

How should I explain this?

“Simply put, it’s like a job suitability assessment.”

“Ahh…? … A job suitability assessment?”

Yu Da On murmured, a puzzled look in her eyes as she glanced between me and the Team Leader.

“That’s neither safe nor healthy, is it?”

“The Management Agency claims it differently.”

As always, the Management Agency existed outside common sense.

Under the guise of Safety and Health Education, there are often personnel movements, and generally, it’s that time of massive personnel shifts.

After listening to our explanation, Yu Da On muttered,

“Does performing a personnel shift mean that I might not be in the Human Resources Team anymore?”

“That’s correct.”

Since that would be assessing suitability anyway.

After hearing my words, Yu Da On’s face lost its color, and Jang Chae Yeon looked at me with concern.

Ah-Rin, who had been typing on her keyboard, also halted.

With a quavering voice, Yu Da On cautiously inquired,

“Uh, um, Jae Heon?”

“Yes?”

“Uh, how was last year’s Human Resources Team exam?”

“Last year, huh?”

What was it like last year?

“Honestly, it was nothing. It was ridiculously easy.”

“Really…?”

A sense of relief washed over Yu Da On’s face.

“Yeah. What was it again?”

“Organizing the salary sheet within the given time, allocating the team’s budget… What else was there, Team Leader?”

“Hey, there was that one thing. What was it again? Filtering out the deceased from the payees.”

“Right! Anyway, it was all paperwork one could manage just knowing the basics.”

Wasn’t that easy? It was literally the work of perfect office staff.

“…”

“…”

“… What’s with you guys?”

However, the expressions of Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon upon hearing me were less than favorable.

Yu Da On gazed at the ground with a rigid expression, while Jang Chae Yeon was sweating profusely as she interacted with the computer.

“… Do you perhaps not know how to do it?”

“I-I can do it, but…”

“I can’t.”

“…”

With trailing words, Yu Da On resisted, while Jang Chae Yeon stated confidently as she faced her monitor.

“I just… find that ineffective…”

“I don’t know how to do it, and she does everything manually.”

“That does not help at all, Chae Yeon!”

“Typing everything manually doesn’t help either.”

“Do you know what ‘clicking’ is?”

“As I said last time, it’s deadly to seem argumentative.”

The two started bickering.

Wait a minute, so the only individuals who were doing their jobs properly were me, Ah-Rin, and the Team Leader?

I had thought all five of us shared the workload evenly, but that wasn’t the case?

No wonder the workload never diminished. Was there a reason after all?

Frustration swelled within me.

As I pondered how to express this unjust frustration, Jang Chae Yeon approached me.

“I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

“…”

She said it so confidently.

“But if learning this is the only way to stay by your side, then I will learn.”

“…”

“So please teach me. I’ll learn no matter what.”

She looked me in the eyes and spoke calmly.

“I… I want to learn too…”

With a shy voice, Yu Da On interjected from the side.

“… Team Leader, when exactly is this training going to happen?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

“… Both of you work overtime with me.”

There was no choice.

If things continued this way, there was a high probability they would be conscripted into the Isolation Team.

“Da On and Chae Yeon, you’ll be working overtime, and A-Rin…”

“I know how to do it. Don’t worry.”

Ah-Rin said plainly, continuing to type away at her keyboard.

“… Understood. But if you need anything, just ask.”

“Got it.”

I averted my gaze from her who spoke so plainly.

“… A-Rin, something seems off.”

Yu Da On whispered to me.

“Yeah, I’m a bit worried.”

“…”

Yu Da On observed Ah-Rin quietly.

“…”

After glancing at Ah-Rin for a moment, Yu Da On turned back to me and smiled.

“If something happens, be sure to consult me.”

“… Will do.”

Right. Yu Da On or Jang Chae Yeon might know something I don’t.

Maybe I’ll ask while working overtime today.

“Alright then, let’s do some overtime.”

Thus began the overtime for the two to maintain their positions in the Human Resources Team.