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Once upon a time, I saw a superhero movie where someone caught bullets with their hands and deflected them with their body. I thought to myself, “Where in the world could such a person possibly exist?”

But then…

– Bang!

Aileen calmly aimed her gun at the Branch Chief and pulled the trigger, but every time the Chief waved her hand, the bullets were caught as if by magic or simply fell harmlessly to the ground.

“What a crazy woman…!”

Aileen shouted in frustration, but I totally got where she was coming from. If I saw a person right in front of me catch the bullets I shot with their hands, crumpling them and letting them drop, I’d definitely scream that it was insane.

“Ugh…!”

The Branch Chief looked down at Yu Da On, who was groaning and hitting the floor as if she was fine with Aileen shooting at her.

“Both of you are probably a bit out of your minds right now.”

“Seems like it without even looking.”

The Branch Chief glanced at the groaning Yu Da On and clenched her fist.

– Bam!

“Yikes…!”

She delivered a solid flick to Yu Da On’s forehead, and she immediately collapsed onto the floor.

“Kim Jae Heon, come here and sit on top of Yu Da On.”

“Huh?”

“Quickly.”

– Bang!

The Branch Chief smiled as she caught a bullet flying towards her with just two fingers.

“Ah, understood.”

I did as she said and sat on Yu Da On.

The Branch Chief turned to Aileen and began to walk over slowly.

– Click!

Soon, it echoed that Aileen had emptied her gun, and with a panicked expression, she reached into her pocket,

In a split second, the Branch Chief leaped in front of her,

– Slap!

And smacked her on the forehead.

Aileen staggered, holding her forehead, and then fell to the ground.

“…”

All of this happened in less than a minute.

While I was looking at Aileen sprawled on the floor,

“Ugh…”

I heard a voice from beneath me.

“Jae Heon…?”

Yu Da On was looking up at me with a scrunched-up face.

“Why are you sitting on me…? Not that I mind, but…”

“Wow, I thought I’d knock you out for half a day, but you only passed out for thirty seconds.”

The Branch Chief muttered in amazement, looking at Yu Da On.

“Half a day?”

“Oh, I miscalculated my strength…”

Miscalculate-strength? That Branch Chief? The one who had been pummeling humans for at least a hundred years?

She chuckled softly, and suddenly, Yu Da On’s words popped into my head.

“Grandma’s makeup smell…”

At my mumble, the Branch Chief abruptly turned to me with wide eyes.

“I just changed my makeup! It’s one the young folks are using these days.”

Her voice sounded kind of defensive.

As the Branch Chief fixed her gaze on me, Yu Da On was already nodding with a sniff.

“Is it real?”

“…”

The Branch Chief’s expression upon hearing this wasn’t particularly pleasant.

*

While explaining what happened to the Branch Chief, she listened with her arms crossed.

“So that happened.”

“Yes.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to say.”

The Branch Chief sighed heavily and turned her gaze away.

“If I had finished up sooner, you wouldn’t have gotten dragged into this.”

“…”

“Well, I guess just sticking your head in the ground for half a day wouldn’t be so bad.”

With a cheerful smile, the Branch Chief looked at me like it was no big deal.

“What about the other two?”

“Oh, they haven’t arrived yet.”

“It’s a tough path for ordinary people to climb.”

The Branch Chief nodded and looked at Yu Da On and me.

Aileen was still out cold.

“Shall we explain the situation? First, don’t look at the moon. Except for me and Kim Jae Heon.”

The Branch Chief said firmly and pointed behind her.

There stood a small…

“…cabin?”

Indeed.

There it was, a cabin.

Not only that, but it looked just like the cabin we had seen before.

“…Doesn’t this cabin feel similar to the one we saw during the wedge incident?”

Yu Da On mumbled, probably thinking the same thing I was.

It was just like the cabin we saw during the wedge incident.

At the end of the stairs stood that cabin.

It was an oddly strange spectacle.

“…”

Looking at the Branch Chief, she smiled slightly and nodded.

“That’s right. This cabin is the ‘last bastion’ set up by the Management Agency.”

“Last bastion?”

“You know well, but humanity is always facing risks where it wouldn’t be strange if we faced imminent extinction.”

The Branch Chief replied, nodding.

“This is one of the many outposts we’ve left behind while recording those countless extinction events.”

“…”

The notes from the cabin sprang to mind, filled with apologies for failures and messages akin to last words.

“This place is also one of those.”

“…”

With a calm expression, the Branch Chief pointed at the cabin.

Following her lead, I walked towards the cabin,

– Creak…

As Yu Da On and I opened the door, the design of the cabin indeed matched perfectly with what we’d seen before.

The desk, the notes, and the bed.

– Swish!

The manual suddenly opened with a loud noise.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[HU – Cabin (Near the Moon)]

1. Welcome to the cabin near the moon.

2. If you’ve come to solve problems, please refer to [NP – How to get to the moon].

3. If it’s already too late, please check [T – Ways to commit suicide].

4. This cabin is specially treated, so even if you lie on the bed, you can’t fall asleep. Please keep this in mind.

5. You’ve done well. You are definitely not wasting your effort.

“…”

I slowly walked towards the desk and checked the notes.

[Moon Exploration Diary]

Scraggled handwriting caught my eye.

Despite the playful tone, what could possibly be written inside?

Suppressing the bitter taste rising in my throat, I turned the page.

[February 1, 1956. I leave my first record. I’ll pass it on to the next person.]

[March 13, 1962. I’ve heard it’s hard, but to actually fail like this—I can’t believe it. If there’s an afterlife, I hope my family forgives me.]

[June 1964. I’m sorry. I thought I could do it.]

[November 5, 1986, I miss you, mom.]

Sometimes the handwriting was neat, other times it was shaky.

In different styles, people were jotting down their stories briefly.

Some wrote long notes while others kept it short; there were probably some who didn’t write anything at all.

I read through the stories of those who came before, deep in thought.

“…How sad must that have been.”

Yu Da On, reading beside me, muttered softly.

“How powerless must they have felt, realizing they were all alone in this world and could do nothing but write in this diary?”

“…”

Yu Da On looked at me after reading the diary.

And as usual, she smiled.

“When the end comes, I hope to be by your side until the very end, Jae Heon.”

“…Well, you might end up alone.”

No, Yu Da On would likely be the one left alone. She won’t die.

Hearing my words, Yu Da On grinned.

“But you won’t be alone until the end, will you, Jae Heon?”

“…”

“I’m fine with just that.”

I tore my gaze from the diary and looked out the small window.

If the end comes, I must ensure she goes first.

That would be the last favor I could grant Yu Da On.

Outside, the blue moonlight was shining brightly.

“Have you seen everything?”

The Branch Chief asked from behind me.

Her expression was also filled with bittersweetness.

“We must strive not to leave our names here.”

Then she pointed outside the cabin.

Footsteps could be heard approaching.

“…Hah… Hah…”

“Hoo… Hoo…”

The sounds of two dying people echoed.

Looking where the sounds were coming from, I saw…

“…Seriously… what the…”

“Hah… Hoo…”

Holding their trembling legs, Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon were standing there.

The blue moon hung in the sky, and a sudden migraine hit me.

But oddly enough, I wasn’t particularly worried.

At the same time, the blue moon flashed,

“Stop being annoying and wake up…”

Song Ah Rin muttered as she poked Jang Chae Yeon, who appeared dazed.

“Get a grip, silver hair.”

“…”

Soon, Jang Chae Yeon snapped her eyes wide open and looked at Song Ah Rin.

“…Thanks.”

“Oh, sure.”

The two awkwardly greeted each other before turning to look at me.

“Hey, why are there so many stairs… Branch Chief…?”

Just as Song Ah Rin was about to express her annoyance, she looked at the Branch Chief, who smiled and waved at her.

“Song Ah Rin, hello. Are you doing well?”

“…Yes.”

Song Ah Rin responded, avoiding the Branch Chief’s gaze uncomfortably.

“…”

“…”

And then, Jang Chae Yeon’s eyes met with the Branch Chief’s.

Jang Chae Yeon slightly nodded in greeting, and the Branch Chief returned the gesture with a smile.

Both looked a bit awkward.

*

Aileen recovered quicker than expected.

As soon as she got up, she bent at a ninety-degree angle to the Branch Chief, apologizing loudly to her, leaving the Chief sweating bullets trying to calm her down.

“Honestly, I tried to handle it all by myself, but…”

After stopping Aileen, the Branch Chief turned her attention elsewhere.

Her gaze was focused outside the window.

“I was struggling because the situation grew bigger than I imagined.”

“Where’s the Isolation Team?”

Wouldn’t it have been easier if Ahn Sang Hyun were around?

“The Isolation Team went elsewhere to resolve another issue.”

The Branch Chief answered calmly as she approached the window,

– Rattle…!

She opened it wide.

“I’ll say this again. It’s an important message.”

The Branch Chief jumped out the window.

“Branch Chief!”

“…!”

Aileen shouted, and Jang Chae Yeon quickly reached out.

But she didn’t fall to the ground.

Standing outside the window, she looked back at us.

The bright moonlight illuminated her.

“We are now heading towards the ‘moon.'”

The Branch Chief declared in a firm voice.

“Along the way, some may stay behind, while others may move forward.”

“…”

“But I assure you.”

“…”

“When this is over, we will all return safely. I promise you that with everything I have.”

The blue moonlight cast a solemn glow on her determined expression.