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A sigh naturally escapes from my lips.

Was there really a need for this? If I had just pushed through on my own, I wouldn’t have had to join the Isolation Team.

As I entered the office of the Isolation Team with Yu Da On, I fell into contemplation.

The Management Agency is, in its own way, a flexible organization.

The Human Resources Team even counted the unintended show they did with the Theater Company as overtime work, earning a legitimate day off.

What annoyed me the most was that now, rather than being seen as just an unlucky guy, people looked at me as if they expected this to happen.

It was the same when I met the Sunglasses Uncle.

“Isn’t this the second time?”

“It seems so.”

“What about Song Ah Rin?”

“Are you concerned about her?”

“Well, she was the child in my care after all.”

He adjusted his glasses and opened his mouth.

“You seem… a bit shaken.”

“Well, she’s still young.”

And indeed, she is young.

“That’s not what I meant… Anyway, that child has gone through quite a tough time.”

“That’s probably true.”

He radiated the aura of a seasoned office worker, yet I was the youngest among us.

“Anyway, I’ll tidy up the incident for you.”

He handed me some papers.

On these were symbols depicting masks and various notes.

“You’ve probably met them, but their name is ‘Theater Company.’ Their main goal is to torment people while putting on plays, although we don’t know exactly why.”

“…”

I rested my chin on my hand and skimmed the papers.

“Most of the materials there are based on testimonies from the victims and survivors, so you probably won’t find anything strange when you look at them.”

“…Most of what I mentioned, right?”

“Exactly. It’s all registered in the manual.”

“Anyway,” he said, looking at me, “there seems to be a pattern.”

“A pattern?”

“To be precise, the plays haven’t really succeeded, have they? Whether it was with the Red Lady or A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“That’s true.”

“But they always leave as if they achieved something. It feels almost like a ritual.”

A ritual and success.

As I furrowed my brow, he spoke again.

“Well, I don’t have much information to share beyond this, but…”

“But?”

“Be careful. I’ve instructed the Isolation Team to work closely with you, so they’ll assist you well.”

“That sounds like a condition I’m not too keen on… but understood.”

I nodded, and he organized the documents and stood up.

“Alright, I’ll take my leave then.”

“Already?”

“Honestly, with how often I’m coming to see you, it feels like the Human Resources Team is being treated as the second Isolation Team.”

“Please, hurry along.”

He laughed loudly at my words as he left.

*

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about how unlucky I am.”

I walked away, leaving Yu Da On, who looked puzzled, behind me.

-Thud, thud…

Each step echoed as if I were walking through a hollow space.

“But there’s nobody around?”

-Nobody? Nobody? Nobody?

Yu Da On’s words echoed back to us.

“Right? It really feels ominous.”

-Feels ominous, ominous, ominous…

As my words reverberated, distant footsteps could be heard coming closer.

“Welcome.”

“Hello—”

I turned to greet them, only to be momentarily at a loss for words.

It was a man whose face was half burned black.

One eye stared at me wearily, while the other, blackened side housed a glass prosthetic.

“It’s a bit surprising, right? Usually, office staff scream when they see me.”

The man chuckled in a sinister manner.

His yellowed teeth were exposed as a translucent window appeared above his head.

[Name: Kim Sung Du]

[Age: 38]

[Specialty: Fire]

[Ability: Fire]

[Background: Addicted to thrills, he continues to seek stimulation even after losing half of his face.]

[Vulnerability: To someone who will eventually self-destruct, vulnerabilities aren’t really necessary.]

“…”

His ability is fire.

But what concerns me the most is the weakness.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He bared his teeth and locked eyes with me.

I wasn’t sure if I should call that a smile.

“The Human Resources Team is currently the team that has been generating buzz, whether it’s the Isolation Team, Management Team, or Response Team.”

He stared at me intently.

“In a short time, you’ve encountered many containment objects and managed to return without any real damage.”

His glass eye began to glimmer oddly.

“Of course, let’s set aside how that happened. The ones from the Gangdong Branch, Jang Chae Yeon, and the ones from the Central Branch, Song Ah Rin, are your teammates, but those two are complete novices.”

“Kim Jae Heon.”

Maybe he sensed something from his gaze, as Yu Da On stepped in front of me protectively.

“Don’t worry too much.”

He chuckled lightly.

“I just called you over because I wanted to ask for something. I was told your team members have been of help.”

“…”

He observed me and Yu Da On, his expression still a mix of a smile and showing teeth.

“…What are you looking for?”

“It’s nothing serious.”

He nodded.

“You’ve probably heard this before, but… the Management Agency is rather short-staffed these days.”

“…”

This is unsettling.

“So… I would like your assistance from the Management Agency.”

This was the scenario I least wanted to hear in the imaginings I had.

“Can we really be of help?”

Let’s at least politely decline first.

“Oh, what are you talking about? You’d be of tremendous help.”

He continued as if it was obvious.

“Originally, this surpasses the scale of a joint operation between the Human Resources Team and the Isolation Team.”

“…Huh?”

“In the Gangseo Branch, if someone is not a regular citizen and has some degree of experience, they will be called up.”

“…”

“Do you think I’m lying?”

Kim Sung Du pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, and Yu Da On fumbled to read it.

“…Gangseo Branch regular containment procedure…”

“That’s correct.”

He folded the paper, tucked it back in, and nodded.

“The Gangseo Branch manages a forest.”

“A forest?”

“Yes. It’s so vast and dangerous that anyone who enters doesn’t come back alive.”

I’m no fool; I’ve never heard such things in my life.

Conversely, what that implies is—

“Exactly. It’s usually kept hidden.”

He smiled as if reading my expression.

“Every year, we have to perform a ‘ritual’ in that forest.”

“…A ritual.”

“But well, that’s the Isolation Team’s job, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

He waved his hand dismissively.

“We’re not asking you to fight on the front lines. To put it simply, you’ll be backup troops and observation units.”

“In that case, does it mean all capable teams and personnel will be called up?”

“That’s correct.”

He nodded again.

“All members of the Management Team and some veterans from the Response Team have agreed to join, and others are being gathered from the Isolation Team.”

“…Then couldn’t you have just sent an official document instead of calling us here?”

“Oh, about that.”

He stared at me intently.

“I was just curious.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve heard among the current buzz, there are some office staff producing tremendous results in a short time with a bit of renown from other branches.”

Then he turned to leave.

“So I simply called to see.”

“…Just for that?”

“Yes.”

Is he out of his mind?

“Preparations are already complete, and the Human Resources Team just needs to show up.”

With that, he turned and began walking away.

What kind of person is this?

“That’s enough. You can go now.”

“…What’s with that guy? Should I give him a hit?”

As if we shared the same thought, Yu Da On whispered to me while watching him retreat.

“That’s enough.”

What good would hitting him do? Of course, if it came to a fight, Yu Da On would definitely win.

“…But that person… seems… hmm.”

Yu Da On frowned at him.

“What’s up? Do you know him?”

“No? Not that.”

She spoke while still frowning.

“He looks… filled with inferiority complex.”

“…Really?”

I had no idea about that.

Yu Da On smiled faintly as she regarded me.

“I can’t be unaware of a similar type.”

The smile she wore this time felt a bit eerie.

*

“…Right.”

After consulting with Jang Chae Yeon, I confirmed that the annual event held at the Gangseo Branch is indeed a fact.

“Each branch is responsible for its own area. Gangseo has the forest, while Gangdong has the mountains.”

Forest and mountains?

Reading my bewildered expression, Jang Chae Yeon shook her head.

“I know a bit about mountains, but I have no idea about the forest.”

“…I don’t know either.”

And then Song Ah Rin chimed in.

Even after the A Midsummer Night’s Dream incident, she hadn’t changed much from the Song Ah Rin I knew.

Except for the fact that she found it hard to meet my gaze sometimes, stuttered a bit, or acted more sensitive.

“…Anyway, we won’t know until we go.”

“So, aren’t we on our way?”

Seated in the bumping van, I stared out the window.

This was the same van we took when we went to rescue Yu Da On.

“Guys, is it really alright to have the Team Leader drive like this?”

I grumbled as the Team Leader drove.

“But you’re not going into the forest, right?”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t go, you know. I want to go too; it’s such a shame. Isn’t that right?”

“Should I call the Branch Chief directly and ask him to take us along?”

“Kim Jae Heon. I was wrong.”

As we exchanged such playful banter, the van continued driving to who knows where.

*

The van comes to a jolting stop.

“Let’s see… I think it’s around here.”

The Team Leader squinted at the navigation screen.

It was a dense forest, but the sunlight still shone brightly.

“Seems like visibility is poor.”

“Hmm…”

Yu Da On stumbled as she helped the Team Leader find the path.

“This way.”

“Ah, I see.”

The vehicle started moving again and soon came to a vast campsite.

“Let’s see.”

After stepping out of the car, the Team Leader began rummaging through the things he had brought.

Camping gear, coolers, jerky, combat rations…

…Combat rations?

“Team Leader, why are there combat rations?”

“Oh, just grab them.”

The Team Leader tossed some combat rations my way.

“You’ll need them, right?”

As he rinsed uncertainty, the Team Leader continued to unload.

This was precisely the time to consult the manual.

I pulled out the manual from my pocket to open it.

No, I tried to open it.

“…”

It won’t open.

“Gee…”

I put in some force to look at the cover, but it didn’t budge.

“Ugh…”

I tried several times to forcefully open the manual, but it refused to yield as if all the pages were glued together.

“Ugh…!”

Even using both hands to open a page felt as if it was bound with glue; the manual remained shut.

“Seriously, what’s this.”

“What are you doing?”

“The manual won’t open!”

“Really?”

Yu Da On widened her eyes, pulling out her own manual from her belongings. It opened smoothly, revealing its pages.

“It’s working fine!”

“…”

I looked at my manual with disbelief.

Soon enough, the manual opened, revealing its contents.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Gangseo Branch, Forest]

1. Apologize.

The next page had torn text.

“…”

What the heck is this?