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I gazed at the Branch Chief, who was staring intensely at me with his red eyes, and my thoughts drifted like a flashback.

How did it come to this?

Somehow, the task was completed. The escape was, in its own way, successful, and the incident had ended without much gossip circulating.

In a place where daily events threaten the city, honestly, someone going missing is just too ordinary to surprise anyone.

But it seemed that the higher-ups didn’t view it that way.

“Honestly, I find it more remarkable that you haven’t been called in until now.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course.”

The man wearing sunglasses shrugged in response.

“Someone like you would surely make the Branch Chief want to see you.”

“You’re not saying he’ll suddenly put me into fieldwork as soon as he sees me, right?”

“…Unlikely.”

After a brief silence, he spoke again.

For some reason, I felt a wave of worry creep up on me.

“What’s the reason for not calling in the other team members?”

I had thought about it last time, but it felt like I was the only one singled out whenever something went wrong.

The man smiled enigmatically at me.

“I bet you know why.”

“…”

“The people in the Management Agency aren’t fools. Even if they realize something’s gone wrong late, they sure know who solved the issue.”

“Then, wouldn’t it be nice to resolve things before they escalate?”

“Isn’t that what we all wish for?”

He pressed the elevator button that would take me to the top floor, where the Branch Chief of Gangseo was stationed.

“Before we go, I have something to tell you.”

He looked at me as we stood inside the elevator.

“What is it?”

“Branch Chiefs are called Branch Chiefs for a reason. Of course, the Branch Chiefs of the Management Agency are generally quite reasonable…”

“Generally reasonable?”

“Well, it means you should be cautious. Oh, and…”

As the elevator doors opened, he gave me a very serious look.

“Never mention age.”

“…What?”

“It’s important, so I’ll say it twice. No age talk.”

“But—”

“Good luck.”

He stood in front of the office door, looking at me.

“Just keep that in mind. Then have a good time.”

With just that, he left, and with a creak, the door opened.

Calm lighting and comfortable-looking chairs greeted me as I began to converse with the Branch Chief.

Or rather, I was about to start.

That was the conversation up to that point.

*

She sighed.

“Human Resources Team Kim Jae Heon.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why you were called here?”

Honestly, I had an inkling.

“I faced too many problems in a short amount of time.”

“That’s correct, but it’s a little more precise.”

She looked at me.

“The Isolation Team resolves issues three times a day. It’s not strange to face a lot of work.”

But I’m in the Human Resources Team, though.

I forced down the words that nearly escaped my throat and met her gaze again.

As if she’d never looked away, she smiled at me again.

“The important thing is that you survived despite facing all that.”

“…”

I felt uneasy. What if she suddenly said something like, “You’ve been promoted. Starting tomorrow, report to the Isolation Team’s fieldwork”?

“There are many people in the Management Agency. Some get tangled in extraordinary lives as they join, while others become involved with the extraordinary after being typical office staff.”

I couldn’t ascertain what she was thinking from her expression as she smiled.

“And Kim Jae Heon, you’ve shown pretty, no, to be blunt, unbelievable results for a beginner.”

“…”

“Is it because of those ‘eyes’?”

“…”

Thinking about narratives common in movies or dramas where someone suddenly coveted my eyes and would try to take them away, I wondered if that’s what she meant.

Did she read my expression? The Branch Chief quickly waved her hand.

“Don’t worry. I’m just here to give you a compliment.”

“A compliment…?”

“Whatever her intention was, because of all the efforts you’ve made, many people have lived.”

Suddenly, she stood up and bowed 90 degrees in gratitude.

“Thank you on behalf of the Management Agency.”

“…I just did what was necessary.”

“So, I’d like to give you a little gift.”

“A gift?”

She pulled out four glittering golden tickets from her drawer and handed them to me.

“I heard there’s a luxurious cruise next month. It’s contracted by a partner of the Management Agency for employee welfare, and reviews are all good.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The Management Agency cruise.

I recalled hearing rumors about it. I remembered a story of an agent who successfully orchestrated a major incident coming back and saying it was the best cruise of his life while eating in the cafeteria.

Giving away something like this so easily.

I took the glimmering golden ticket.

“…But our team has five members, you know?”

“Ah… You mean Team Leader Heo Chan, aside from the other four you solved things with.”

Hmm, the Branch Chief nodded, resting her chin in thought.

“There are only four tickets left… I’ll let you know if I manage to get one more.”

“Thank you.”

Maybe she wasn’t such a bad person after all.

“Well then…”

The Branch Chief clapped her hands.

“You did well. Take a break.”

“…Oh, okay.”

Wait, is that it?

That was underwhelming.

With a dazed expression, I stood up from my seat, and she smiled gently, waving goodbye as she said softly.

“By the way, you didn’t see my age, did you?”

“Huh, what?”

“Nope. Go on now.”

“Ah, yes.”

Wow, meeting important people is tough.

I quickly slipped out the door.

*

Staring at the door he had just exited, the Branch Chief sighed at the sound coming from behind her.

“Why do you have to sneak up like that?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ve told you repeatedly that just coming in without a word isn’t a good habit, right?”

“I’m sorry.”

The man with sunglasses, who had just escorted him, appeared behind her.

“How is it?”

“What more is there to say? He’s like a monster that appears like a comet when needed.”

“Must be thanks to his eyes.”

“Eyes? To be honest, that’s not particularly important.”

At her words, the man fell silent.

“It’s still possible to conceal information for now.”

“It seems there are many things he hasn’t seen yet.”

“But his growth is quite rapid.”

“You remind me of you back in your younger days.”

At the Branch Chief’s words, the man fell silent.

While it’s impossible to deceive visible information, concealing the information itself remains valid.

“The important thing is the application of that.”

Seeing something can be both a boon and an incredibly useless ability.

The essentials are being able to infer the needed points from that and executing them right away.

The ability to reason and get closer to the answer by making educated guesses about the unseen. And the leadership to communicate smoothly with others to orchestrate it all.

“If this keeps up, he may climb high.”

The Branch Chief smiled contentedly.

“…”

The man thought that if he were given a high position, he would probably run away, but he refrained from expressing it.

“Would you like me to promote you?”

“I think we’d be better off just extending his vacation and reducing his workload.”

“Well, it seems that’s the mindset of today’s youth. Work-life balance, right? I understand.”

She nodded.

“Anyway, got it. We’ve given him the cruise tickets as well.”

“Did you give him those too?”

“Of course. We should invest in someone who will be the wild card of Gangseo branch, don’t you think?”

With a confident laugh, she nodded.

“After all, everyone’s up there right now.”

She looked up at the sky.

“Every hand is precious at this moment.”

Following her gaze, he also looked up at the sky.

Their sights drifted beyond the blue sky.

*

“CRUISE TICKETS?!”

I stared at Song Ah Rin, who was wide-eyed and shouting beside me.

“That’s four of them!”

“…”

“Tickets?”

With gleaming eyes, Song Ah Rin and Jang Chae Yeon excitedly buzzed about the cruise tickets, while Yu Da On tilted her head, seemingly confused.

And Team Leader Heo Chan looked sulky, playing games on his phone, wondering where his ticket had gone.

“I know it’s famous, but is it really worth getting that excited about?”

“Dude, the Management Agency cruise is a perfect bonus system that you can’t even book reservations for!”

Song Ah Rin was in a frenzy, and Jang Chae Yeon nodded along.

“…There are tons of people who want to go but can’t.”

“Is that so?”

That’s great.

Seeing how happy they were, it must be a good thing regardless.

Yeah. I should also take a break and relax.

Ever since the vacation ended, it felt like the incoming work had suddenly dwindled, but maybe that was just my imagination.

I absentmindedly sorted the tickets, deep in thought.

This is comfortable… This kind of life.

Very nice.

-Bang!

The door swung open, and I heard footsteps coming.

“Is this the Human Resources Team?”

“Oh, yes. Who is it?”

The Team Leader stood up to greet the visitor.

“Hello, I’m from the Management Team.”

A familiar voice.

I turned to see where the voice was coming from.

A lanky figure with a tall stature and lifeless eyes.

[Name: Kim Wan Woo]

[Age: 28]

[Feature: Regression]

[Talent: X]

[Background: 402nd round]

[Vulnerability: You have already received a warning.]

“Introducing myself; I’m Kim Wan Woo, newly transferred to the Management Team.”

His lifeless eyes turned to me.

“I’ve received reports about a containment object related to the turntable managed by Human Resources Team’s Kim Jae Heon.”

“…”

He blinked slowly at me, then continued dryly.

“I’d appreciate your cooperation on this matter.”

“…That person’s gaze feels a bit off.”

Yu Da On whispered to me from beside me.

“I agree.”

I had no choice but to respond to her whisper, feeling the same.