---

“How about it? Isn’t my idea great?”

“No, it’s terrible.”

Song Ah Rin cut me off sharply with her response.

“Hey, why do I have to go on a filial piety trip?”

“Shh…!”

I blocked Song Ah Rin’s unrestrained words, and along with her muffled sounds, she glared at me.

From what I heard from the Team Leader, the workshop had also gone terribly, and in the midst of that, the Gangseo Branch Chief provided a pretty substantial budget.

There was no way we could carelessly waste a budget on a gathering.

The rest would supposedly be bonuses.

While sharing the pleasant news, I suddenly wanted to propose an experiment.

“Oops…! I mean, why are you making us do an experiment that you could do yourself?”

“I mean, if I can’t do it, then who should I ask?”

“Wow, you’re really shameless, aren’t you?”

The gist of it was this.

In a short time, we had become involved in too many phenomena.

Then, a lightning thought flashed through my mind.

Could it be? Perhaps I’m the problem?

So I suggested the idea of sending the other four on the trip without me.

“…Well… If Jae Heon wants that, then I’ll consider it…”

Yu Da On smiled awkwardly, seemingly in a bind.

“…Is that really necessary…?”

Jang Chae Yeon blinked as she spoke.

And then there was Song Ah Rin, who responded almost identically.

To resolve this, we could just send someone other than me.

“Well, if that’s the case, then we could just have a gathering instead of going to the amusement park…!”

Song Ah Rin protested in disbelief.

“You’re not caught up in strange phenomena at a bar.”

Well, neither was I.

“You really say the dumbest things with such a calm expression that it’s oddly convincing.”

Song Ah Rin stared at me, sighed softly, and then turned her gaze to Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The three people’s uncomfortable gaze crossed, and eventually, sighing deeply, Song Ah Rin looked at me.

“…It’s just one time. I won’t be gone long. I’ll just be a bit and come back.”

“…Should I go and tell them…?”

“Do that.”

Yu Da On, sensing the mood, subtly asked us both, and as Song Ah Rin nodded, she scurried to talk to the Team Leader.

“…”

Jang Chae Yeon came next to me, looking displeased before opening her mouth.

“Want me to pick you up?”

“That won’t work either.”

What if an incident occurs while I’m out?

“…”

Jang Chae Yeon rested her chin in her hand, while Yu Da On, having finished speaking with the Team Leader, walked quickly toward us.

“He says… it’s fine…?”

“Then we have to go…”

Song Ah Rin sighed as she answered and then shot a glare at me.

“Seriously, I’m doing this because I’m worried about you. If I wasn’t, there’s no way I would.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Ugh. We’ll go tomorrow then.”

Thus, our day came to a close, and the next day, the four of them, including the Team Leader, headed to the amusement park.

Song Ah Rin, Yu Da On, and Jang Chae Yeon’s messengers were buzzing on my phone, but since I had nothing to do, I was just as involved in chatting with them.

After they mentioned they would have lunch, their contact suddenly ceased.

As dusk settled, no one had gotten in touch.

<No connection->

“…”

I stared at my phone with worry.

The sun was already dipping down outside.

“This won’t do.”

I got up from my seat.

I should check in first.

I dialed the man with sunglasses.

<...What's going on?>

“You’re at the Management Agency, right?”

<Of course.>

I explained the situation to the man, and he fell silent for a moment.

<Actually, there’s a suspected incident of missing persons happening there right now, and the Response Team is about to be dispatched.>

“…What?”

What in the world does that mean?

<Connect me.>

My panicked inquiry went unanswered as the call ended abruptly.

*

The Response Team.

Those who enter area-structured or otherworldly regions, risk their lives to create manuals or maps for those who are drawn into it.

Hidden under the lights of the Isolation Team and Management Team, it is not a place where particularly capable people end up.

Yet, if one were to select the most elite from the Management Agency, this team would invariably be the first name mentioned.

It’s an obvious fact that the Management Agency looks closely at an individual’s talent when selecting members.

Like the Isolation Team that chooses exceptional individuals or the Management Team that selects people with keen observation or composure, they choose individuals based on where their abilities can shine the most.

However, it’s different for the Response Team.

It’s where those who have lost family or loved ones in other realms, clutching their sorrow and rage, dive in.

A place unrelated to personal talent, entered solely through pure will. And when they exit, it is either with their loved ones or as a corpse.

Sadly, the majority come back as corpses.

For days, a team’s name had been circulating.

“No, I mean, what did the Human Resources Team do here—”

“Does that even make sense? According to the story of someone who survived in the Intensive Care Unit, that’s impossible.”

“But they’re alive, right?”

“That’s what’s weird. Are they really alive? Are they perhaps a sleeper agent who has been modified to infiltrate the Management Agency behind our backs?”

“Then wouldn’t the Management Agency just leave them alone?”

“But it doesn’t add up. Unless they implant some special equipment in their eyes or give them telepathy, how could that possibly work?”

“No, what I’m saying—”

“So—”

“Shut it.”

A youthful voice interrupted the pair.

The two men stopped their heated discussion and looked at a woman.

She had faded platinum blond hair.

Though small in stature with a youthful impression, her strangely shining wall-eyed gaze lacked the clarity of someone who hadn’t faced multiple battlefields.

As if she had some obsessive-compulsive disorder, her hands were constantly gripping the handle of her handgun while wearing a bulletproof vest even in the office, looking no different from someone who was either not sane or always ready to deploy.

“…Team Leader.”

“No matter how the Human Resources Team solved their issues, the most important thing is that the damned Gangseo University Hospital has been closed for several years.”

It was a foreign-looking woman speaking fluent Korean.

“That alone can already be called the Response Team’s greatest achievement, can’t it? Right?”

“…Yes.”

The woman, who had raised suspicions against the Human Resources Team, replied in a dejected tone.

“Honestly, whether their brains have been modified or they came out as a total zombie, that’s not my concern.”

It’s the Management Agency’s problem, she said, fidgeting nervously with the handgun’s grip as she tossed a few photographs onto the table.

“The important thing is the result. Killing that doctor, turning the hospital upside down, and making a smooth escape.”

She began examining the photos laid before her.

“Identifying numerous obstacles, threats, and the locations of monsters hiding in the vicinity of Gangseo University Hospital and being able to drive in with just a minivan.”

Her gaze fell upon the photo of a bald man.

“And the ability to fight monsters head-to-head when necessary.”

Her attention shifted to the expressionless woman with white hair.

“Years of experience, and the cunning to fight monsters with abilities limited to hypnotists.”

Her gaze landed on the photo of a woman with purple hair, who looked annoyed.

“The courage to not fear death.”

Finally, she smiled at the photo of a woman with black hair, who seemed to be grinning.

And last, she stared at the remaining photo.

“The intelligence and strength to direct all of that, deploying personnel as necessary, and stepping in to resolve situations.”

Her gaze pierced the photo of a tired-looking man with black hair.

“These are indeed extraordinary individuals for a team that’s supposed to be just distributing salaries.”

“I guess I’ll go check it out.” Her mutter was interrupted by someone bursting through the door.

“Team Leader! We’ve received a report of a place suspected to be newly otherworldlized!”

“Speak.”

She stood up and tightened the straps of her bulletproof vest.

“They say it’s an amusement park, though the entrance hasn’t been found yet, but frequent disappearances of people have been reported! The Gangbuk Response Team has already been deployed, too!”

Disappearance.

Her brows twitched.

“Guide me.”

“Yes!”

With a grim expression, she stepped out the door.

As a child, she had lost her entire family when they visited a cathedral together.

The Management Agency took her in, and she grew up in a nursery for families of the missing, and from the moment she learned worldly matters, she threw herself into the Management Agency.

How many times did she vomit blood while fighting and documenting? After all her seniors had perished, she naturally took on the title of Team Leader according to the rule within the Response Team that the last surviving member would ascend.

For the past three years, the Team Leader had not changed.

“Prepare the equipment.”

“Yes!”

The team members following behind her rushed out together.

“…”

Her gaze briefly fell on the photo of the tired-looking man again before she looked ahead.

If I only had such capabilities.

Let’s not think negatively.

She shook her head several times and resumed walking.

Soon, the door to the Response Team closed behind her, casting only a bright light upon the empty office.

*

“…Hello?”

“What in the world is going on?”

And then, she met the man she had been speaking to until just moments ago.

The Response Team staff buzzed and pointed at him.

“That guy…”

“Yeah, it’s the Human Resources Team…”

“Wow…”

She too turned to look at him.

Dressed in typical office staff clothing with a tired expression.

He briefly glanced over her head, raised an eyebrow, and then locked eyes with her.

What an interesting habit.

Though it was merely a fleeting moment, she didn’t miss his actions. Her sharp observation was what had allowed her to survive thus far.

“…Are you the Team Leader?”

“It wouldn’t be easy to assume I’m the Team Leader.”

“Maybe it’s the atmosphere? Just something about it.”

“Let’s go with that. What’s your business?”

“I heard there’s a phenomenon occurring where you’re headed.”

“…That’s true.”

“May I accompany you?”

He locked eyes with her.

“I’m just a bit concerned.”

“…Do you know where we are going?”

“Yes. I do.”

Should I refuse? While she pondered over it, her phone rang.

With a click, she opened her phone, and—

“…A flip phone…?”

The man’s puzzled voice reached her, but ignoring him, she read the message that popped up before her.

[Unlucky Sunglasses]

<Let's take him along.>

She sighed deeply and looked at him.

“Go. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it might not be as easy as it seems.”

“I know.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he replied, retrieving a manual from his inner pocket.

“…Alright. Then let’s ride.”

With a clank, the truck opened, and he climbed in.

Let’s see how someone who has survived that hell performs.

Thinking so, she followed him and got in the vehicle.

The truck sped off, belching black smoke.

The destination was the amusement park in Gangbuk.

The sky was darkening and shining in brilliance was only one moon.