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After work, I headed out for drinks with Yu Da On.

“Ugh…”

As always, Da On shook her head. Is this déjà vu or what?

But it was what I’d hoped for.

Looking at Yu Da On shaking her head, I asked in a low voice.

“Da On, is everything okay lately?”

“Yes?”

“Are you having any hard times these days?”

“Um…”

Watching Da On ponder, I found myself lost in thought.

This really feels like a team leader encouraging a subordinate.

“I think I’m actually enjoying myself lately.”

Yu Da On smiled softly, shaking her drink and meeting my gaze.

“I told you, I’ve never been this happy in my life.”

“Why are you happy?”

“Um…”

Her flushed face, slightly tipsy, fell into thought as she laughed awkwardly.

“Well, I wasn’t that happy back in the day…”

“You mean the hospital.”

“…”

For a moment, it felt like time stopped for Yu Da On.

Soon, her face turned pale, and she looked at me with trembling hands.

“How do you know…”

“That’s not important.”

At my words, Da On lowered her gaze and whispered.

“Are you worried about causing trouble for Jae Heon?”

“That’s not my worry.”

“Yes?”

“I’m worried about you, Da On.”

After my words, Da On fell silent and looked at me.

“Me?”

“Who else would it be?”

I locked eyes with Yu Da On.

“Like I said last time, the Human Resources Team doesn’t abandon their colleagues. Do you think I’d abandon you if things got dangerous?”

“Of course not!”

Jumping up, Yu Da On shouted, causing those around us to quiet down and stare at her.

Was it that dramatic of a reaction?

I quickly gestured for her to sit down and continued speaking.

“It’s the same principle. I have no intention of abandoning you either.”

“…”

Da On kept her mouth shut.

“Whether it’s Chae Yeon or Ah Rin, we’ll help each other as much as we can.”

“…”

After a long silence, she finally spoke again.

“How much do you know about the hospital?”

“Honestly, what I’ve told you just now is all I know.”

They create and cure diseases. If you only fix them, you’re just a doctor, but the fact that they can create them means they’re utterly insane.

What is Management Agency doing? Why aren’t they catching these people?

“It’s… um, a dangerous place. Very much so.”

“…”

“Creating and curing diseases is not all it is. Where there is a hospital, it turns into a place humans should never enter.”

“Does that mean it becomes a different realm?”

“It’s different from a different realm. It exists in reality. Even the Management Agency can’t just mess around; they respond by creating escape routes through manuals.”

“If you can’t escape…”

“You become one of the test subjects.”

“…”

“I was what they call a test subject at Gangseo University Hospital.”

Yu Da On smiled.

“It’s comfortable, you know? Not dying means I don’t have to use various drugs or antidotes.”

She spoke so casually, as if it were an everyday conversation.

“When you die, they just throw you somewhere and leave you. You don’t even have to be fed. If you starve and die, you’ll live again.”

“…”

I listened to her words in silence.

“And when I somehow escaped… the Management Agency came looking for me.”

“I heard it was safe to join, but… on my first day, an incident happened, and that’s how I met you.”

So the Management Agency’s word to Da On was safety. To me, it was about money.

She scratched her cheek and smiled at me.

“I have a question.”

“Am I being helpful to you?”

I finally started to understand a bit.

Why Da On always throws her life away like a piece of trash and why she doesn’t care about pain.

It was the only thing she knew how to do, and it was also the only way she had to be recognized.

I looked above her head.

[Name: Yu Da On]

[Age: 23]

[Skill: Immortality]

[Talent: Regeneration (undetermined)]

[Background: Refusing death, she has gone through so much in a short time. However, due to her inability to die, she meets numerous people who have used her and others in turn, hoping to put her life on the line once more.]

[Weakness: -]

In situations like this, sight doesn’t help at all.

Is it really right to say she’s of use here? She’s not an object.

“…I’m always in your debt.”

I couldn’t tell if she was satisfied, but she gently smiled.

“…Shall we go now?”

“I’ll take you home.”

“Really? I always have nothing but gratitude towards you.”

At my words, Yu Da On smiled and nodded.

We walked out of the bar in silence.

“I think this is far enough.”

In an empty intersection, she looked at me and smiled.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go any farther?”

“I’m fine! Honestly, there’s no one dangerous among the HR people who walk by themselves.”

She smiled and started humming as she walked away.

With perfectly steady steps, she turned around, waved goodbye, and soon disappeared from my sight.

The next day, Yu Da On didn’t come to work.

*

“Missing work without notice goes too far.”

Song Ah Rin clicked her tongue while looking at Yu Da On’s empty seat.

“That can happen. I’ll take care of the annual leave, so call her up. If she’s sick, make sure to check in on her.”

The Team Leader waved his hand like it was no big deal, typing on his computer while turning on the radio, which began broadcasting the news.

<Next news. A gas explosion at an apartment in the Gangseo area has burned down the residential area. There were no casualties, but a 23-year-old named Yu is missing...>

The radio mentioned the address. An apartment near the Management Agency.

Four pairs of eyes turned to the radio at once.

Before I knew it, I jumped out of my seat.

“I’m stepping out for a bit.”

Before the three of them could say anything, I stood up and ran out.

The houses designated by the Management Agency are all near the Agency, and Yu Da On’s home is no exception.

I ran until my breath was on the verge of giving out.

I could see Yu Da On’s apartment and rushed toward it.

The fire seemed to be extinguished, with no smoke in sight, and neither firefighters nor police were around.

Only a few men in suits were nearby.

As I approached, someone came walking towards me.

A young man in a well-tailored suit wearing sunglasses.

“Access is prohibited.”

“Get out of my way.”

“I don’t think you’re listening; this area is off-limits.”

“I’m with the HR team.”

I pulled out the manual and showed it to him, but he scoffed after looking it over.

“Seriously, what does an office worker like you think you’ll accomplish here?”

“Our HR team is—”

“Leave this to us; you don’t need to get involved!”

He shoved me away as if barking.

“There’s no time for this—”

“You made it.”

A familiar voice came from behind.

It was the now-familiar sports-hairdressed man in sunglasses, looking at me.

“Good day!”

The man who had pushed me bowed his head hurriedly, and he waved dismissively at me.

“One of our team members is—”

“I know.”

“We need to go.”

“Yeah, go ahead first.”

At his words, the man looked horrified and stared at him.

“That person is office staff!”

“He is. But I guarantee he’s far more capable than you are.”

The man bit his lips tightly, wounded pride, but didn’t say anything.

“Let’s follow then. The Management Agency is sending people, but it will take time to prepare. We don’t want to lose another immortal or regeneration ability user.”

“…”

“It will just drag out time. Do you have the pearl?”

“I have it.”

“Then you can go.”

As soon as he finished, a van came sliding in.

The window rolled down, and a familiar face looked at me.

“Get in!”

“Team Leader?”

It was indeed the Team Leader.

Sitting behind him were Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon, huddled together.

The man in sunglasses slightly nodded to the Team Leader, and the Team Leader also bowed in return.

“You received the location?”

“I did.”

“Please drive by the safest route.”

“Sure thing.”

After some conversation, the man looked at me.

With a clatter, the door opened, and before I had time to think, I jumped into the back of the van.

“Once again, just drag things out.”

“Can’t we just go ahead and save her?”

The man laughed joyfully.

“Now that you say it, it might just come true. Go ahead.”

As he waved goodbye, the Team Leader stepped on the gas, and the vehicle took off.

The roaring sound of the car made Song Ah Rin pull out a familiar gun from the back.

“Here.”

She handed me the gun.

“You don’t need the big one anyway, right?”

After she passed me my usual pistol, she looked at Jang Chae Yeon, who shook her head.

“I don’t need it.”

“I wasn’t planning on giving it to you.”

I looked at the Team Leader, who was driving.

Feeling my gaze, the Team Leader glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

“What?”

“…How did you know?”

With my multiple questions assumed in one line, the Team Leader sighed and answered.

“Hey, I’ve been with the Management Agency for over twenty years. Like it or not, people end up gaining experience.”

With fantastic movements, the van zipped through the alleys.

“…”

Will this be okay?

Lost in thought, someone patted my shoulder lightly.

“It’ll be fine.”

It was Jang Chae Yeon.

“I’ll help you.”

“…Thank you.”

“Ugh, stop trying to hit on the white-haired guy all the time!”

Song Ah Rin interjected irritably, slapping my back with a loud sound.

“Don’t be scared! The white-haired guy and I have done this many times!”

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

“That’s not encouragement! I just thought you looked too stiff, so I gave you advice!”

After passing through a zigzag route, a massive hospital soon appeared in front of us.

When was there such a place? I had never seen it before.

While I blankly stared at the hospital, Song Ah Rin tapped my shoulder and snapped.

“Hey, aren’t you going?”

“I’m going.”

Opening the back door, the Team Leader confidently said.

“They won’t notice us.”

“Team Leader—”

“I wouldn’t be of any help. It might even backfire.”

“…”

The Team Leader waved at me.

“In the hierarchy, you hold more power than me. So go do well.”

“…I’ll be back.”

“Right. I’ll wait here. I won’t leave until you return, so if you want to save me, hurry back.”

Bowing toward the Team Leader, I stepped out of the car.

As always, Jang Chae Yeon stood bare-bodied, and—

“What?”

There was Song Ah Rin with a shotgun on her back and a pistol at her waist.

“Never mind that.”

I shook my head and looked at the hospital.

A desolate hospital, with a sign bearing the Management Agency’s mark nearby.

[WARNING!]

[This is the last road you can take to return. Please turn back immediately.]

I moved forward. I soon saw another sign with the Management Agency mark.

[From now on, retreating is impossible. Please proceed forward in an orderly fashion. Do not look back for any reason.]

Soon, the entrance to the hospital appeared.

An old sign appeared.

[Welcome to Gangseo University Hospital. There are doctors and nurses ready to meet your needs, fully prepared to assist you.]

The manual automatically unfolded.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Gangseo University Hospital Manual]

[0. Firstly, we express our regrets for your misfortune in coming here, and if you have come, we applaud your courage and hope you safely take the one you are looking for.]

[0-1. Gangseo University Hospital is divided into Buildings A, B, and C. Building A is for patient rooms, Building B is the practical training area, and Building C is the mortuary.]

[0-2. The probability of escape has increasing difficulty in the order of B->A->C, so we will start explaining Building B first. If you are looking for someone, please unfold Building A.]

Not needed.

Quickly flipping to the section about Building A.

[2-1. Entering Building A means you are more likely searching for someone.]

[2-2. First, appeal to the doctors and nurses that you have come for a visit. Never let them uncover that you are from the Management Agency. If it is discovered that you are from the Management Agency, refer to section T’s suicide methods.]

Building A, huh.

Looking at the desolate hospital, I gripped my gun.

It’s time to go.