---

“…So, what should we do?”

After calling Song Ah Rin to the corner, I asked her about Yu Da On.

About what kind of trouble I was in and how I should deal with Yu Da On. What did she think about that?

“…”

As I spoke, Song Ah Rin’s expression gradually soured, and by the time I finished, she was glaring at me with her eyes wide open.

– Thud!

Song Ah Rin’s fist landed squarely on my back.

“Ow!”

“…”

“Ugh…! Why did you hit me?!”

“…”

Without saying a word, she started pounding my back with her fist.

“Ugh. No. Wait! Talk about it! Just wait! No hypnosis!”

I desperately tried to fend off her punches despite the throbbing headache.

“You!”

– Wham!

“Ow!”

“With what kind of thought did I wrap your clothes in a hurry and fix your hair?!”

– Wham! Wham! Wham!

“Wait, stop! I don’t know what I’ve done…!”

Only after getting hit a few more times by Song Ah Rin, who was now even trying to kick me, did she start to calm down.

“You… be sure to talk to the guy with white hair just like you did now.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t talk like that, but talk like that?”

“Just let him also have a taste of it.”

Breathing heavily, Song Ah Rin leaned against the wall and looked at me.

“So. You and the guy with black hair, your relationship hasn’t been great lately, right?”

“To be precise, it’s just how I feel.”

“Why? There must be a reason you think so.”

“…”

Is it okay to tell her this?

In the midst of my debate, Song Ah Rin waved her hand dismissively.

“Never mind. I can guess. You probably gave someone another inhumane story that would scare them.”

“…”

“At first, when he was speaking nonsense, both you and white hair just stood there with a ‘guess that’s how it is~’ expression, so you didn’t realize how strange it was.”

“Did I do that?”

“You did.”

Song Ah Rin sighed and swept her hair back.

“But it can’t be helped. Their way of thinking is entirely different from ours.”

“Because he’s not afraid of death.”

“Exactly.”

As Song Ah Rin nodded and met my gaze, she continued.

“But that’s not the issue. He lacks a sense of self.”

“Lacks a sense of self…?”

Isn’t Jang Chae Yeon in the same boat?

“White hair doesn’t lack a sense of self.”

As if reading my expression, Song Ah Rin shook her head and replied.

“She has a clear sense of self, but she drops it for you. It was the first time I saw someone do that while living in this world, but still.”

“…”

“The guy with black hair doesn’t even try to think. If he does, he acts as if he’s committing a crime. So, he doesn’t have an opinion.”

“…”

“He sometimes says pointless things, but if you ask him twice or dig persistently, he gives up quickly.”

“…That’s true.”

“So, what can we do? You need to encourage him more and give him compliments.”

“Will that be enough?”

“It wouldn’t mean much if I did it, but it would have significance if you did.”

I nodded at Song Ah Rin’s words.

Yeah, we are a bit close after all.

“Indeed, you’re the only one I can talk to about this. Thank you.”

“…Ahem, well, it is true that I’m the only one.”

Gone was the image of her just smacking me a moment ago; Song Ah Rin was now trying hard to clear her throat and spoke cheerfully.

“Anyway, is that the end of it?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then how about…”

Song Ah Rin pondered while twisting her hair.

“…Want to grab some coffee?”

“I found it.”

A voice cut through her musings, and Jang Chae Yeon appeared.

“Oh, Chae Yeon. Did you get delayed because of the heavy rain?”

“Yeah.”

“But you’re not wet at all?”

“I blocked it.”

That’s quite the enviable ability.

Jang Chae Yeon was proudly displaying her completely dry clothes while looking at me.

“Do you want me to give you a ride home?”

“Uh, is that okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Great! Song Ah Rin can come too…”

“I’m not going.”

Once again, Song Ah Rin passed us by, her expression twisted into a frown.

“Why is she like that?”

“…She’s young.”

Jang Chae Yeon laughed as she watched Song Ah Rin leave.

It wasn’t exactly a tender chuckle; more like a smirk on one side of her lips.

“Do you want to grab some coffee?”

“Sure.”

A workplace without coffee? They’re either insane or have stamina beyond human limits.

I’m neither.

*

I entered the office with five cups of coffee, but the team leader was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s the team leader?”

“He’s sick.”

Song Ah Rin replied coldly while taking a cup of coffee for herself.

I felt a wave of concern.

Now, I can’t help but feel like something will go wrong just because the team leader is sick.

“I’m suddenly worried; what should I do?”

“Why, because the team leader isn’t here?”

Nodding, Song Ah Rin scoffed at me.

“Well then, just go sleep at the team leader’s house together.”

“What a terrible thing to say.”

“Worrying won’t solve anything. And he’s just out sick.”

“But even so, I’m worried…”

“Enough. I have a feeling that it won’t be anything serious.”

What’s the basis for that?

Yu Da On, who had been quietly observing until then, nodded with a smile.

“That’s right! It won’t be anything serious, so don’t worry too much!”

“…”

For a moment, Da On and I made eye contact, and she sighed softly before getting up from her seat.

“Alright. Anyway, we don’t have any work to do, so let’s just explore the Management Agency.”

“Explore?”

To Yu Da On, who opened her eyes wide with curiosity, Song Ah Rin nodded in response.

“Yeah. Research teams or… well, just walking around.”

“But… can we really do that? We have work left.”

“Honestly, sending you to the forest yesterday and then asking you to finish paperwork today? If that happens, I’ll really go and kill you.”

At Song Ah Rin’s fierce words, we all fell silent.

It was heartwarming, perhaps more than it was scary.

After all, we had just been thrown into a summer night dream and sent off to the forest, so just showing up for work was a sufficient job, right?

Thus, the four of us started to wander around the interior of the Management Agency.

“But, the inside of the Management Agency isn’t as easy to navigate as I thought.”

“It’s huge.”

Jang Chae Yeon replied matter-of-factly as we moved along.

“The outside looks like a regular building, but the Management Agency increased its size.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know.”

She shook her head.

As she moved forward, she gazed out the window.

Whoosh!

The rain fell endlessly.

“Wow, it’s raining a lot.”

“…”

Jang Chae Yeon looked outside with a serious expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is it going to be alright down at my place on the first floor?”

“Uh…”

Having heard Jang Chae Yeon’s words, Yu Da On also wore a serious expression as she looked outside.

“I’m also on the first floor of the dormitory…”

“Dormitory?”

Isn’t Yu Da On also an employee of the Management Agency? Why is she in a dormitory?

Seeing the meaning behind my thoughts, Yu Da On opened her mouth.

“The ground’s been flooded.”

“Ah.”

That makes sense.

I recalled the incident at the hospital.

“Is the dormitory livable?”

“It’s not as good as my old house, but it’s okay…”

“Then why is everyone living on the first floor?”

Song Ah Rin said victoriously, puffing out her chest.

“I live on the twelfth floor. There’s no way my house is going to get flooded.”

“I live on a high floor too.”

At least it’s not the first floor.

“Oh, isn’t that Kim Jae Heon?”

While we were chatting away, I looked down upon hearing a familiar voice.

With her still dull eyes and faded golden hair, Aileen waved her hand and looked up at me.

“Aileen! Long time no see.”

“It’s not really long since there have been lots of incidents.”

Aileen chuckled, then stared at me.

“I heard you did something in the forest too. Did you come to work today as well?”

“I couldn’t get a vacation.”

“For heaven’s sake. The Management Agency’s actions are no different from a trash company.”

She clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“I heard the Human Resources Team drove in a wedge in the east, is that right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”

“We handled the support for the northern wedge.”

“Ah, I didn’t know that.”

The Response Team was involved too.

“We are technically front-line workers within the Management Agency.”

Aileen shrugged as she spoke.

“I heard one of the Isolation Team members caused an incident because of that.”

“An incident?”

“Yeah, I forgot the name, but I can’t forget the face. It was a guy with a burned face.”

“…”

I know exactly who that is.

“Thanks to that guy, he was penalized, and now the Response Team has more work to do.”

“Were there any casualties?”

“Nope.”

To my surprise, she smiled gently as she responded.

“I’ve been training the Human Resources Team’s Food Service lately.”

“…What’s that…?”

It sounds like something that would really hurt someone’s feelings just to hear.

“You toss someone into a moderately dangerous situation, and if they survive, you immediately toss them into the next situation.”

“…”

I looked around at the others.

All three of them wore the same expression.

“…What? You didn’t know? It’s a common term in the Response Team.”

“I’d rather you didn’t say it since it sounds unpleasant.”

“It’s a compliment. You should enjoy it.”

Despite being significantly younger, Aileen patted my shoulder and grinned as she waved us goodbye.

“It just means you’re that capable, right? Anyway, I have a meeting, so I’ll head out first.”

And just like that, she vanished like a tornado.

“…Should we head back?”

“…”

What exactly does the Human Resources Team see us as?

*

As soon as I sat back down and turned on the computer, a broadcast began.

<Ahh,>

“I knew there’d be another incident!”

I expected this to happen.

Just as I was about to draw my gun in preparation, I heard a light tap on the microphone, and the broadcast continued.

<Ahh, we are broadcasting from the Management Agency.>

It was a dreary male voice.

They have a broadcasting team as well?

While pondering and scanning my surroundings with my gun drawn, the lifeless voice continued.

<Due to excessive rainfall, leakage and flooding have occurred in several apartments and first floors of dormitories belonging to the Management Agency.>

<The affected apartments are as follows: Happy Dormitory...>

“That’s my dormitory!”

Yu Da On gasped, her eyes wide.

<…C Block apartment. That’s all.>

“…Our house too.”

Jang Chae Yeon muttered in a stunned expression.

“Ahaha!!!”

And as they spoke, Song Ah Rin burst into belly laughter.

“Look at that expression! Ahahahaha!!”

<For one to two days, the residence team from the Management Agency will conduct repair work. You may either stay at another employee's home or book a hotel.>

With a sudden end, the broadcast was cut off.

Is that it? There wasn’t any bizarre twist at the end saying to die or anything?

As I scanned the surroundings diligently, someone tapped my shoulder.

“Over here.”

“…Ah, yes.”

It was Jang Chae Yeon.

She looked up at me, blinking.

“Can I sleep over at your place?”

“Ahaha! Ahahaha! …Ahaha…?”

Suddenly ceasing her crazy laughter, Song Ah Rin fell silent as she watched Jang Chae Yeon.

“I’m going to sleep over.”

Wait, isn’t she too young for that?

“At my parents’ house…”

“I don’t have family.”

With those words, I suddenly lost my voice, and she stared intently at me.

“If you’re worried, you can take her too.”

“…Me?”

With a sudden turn, Yu Da On blinked as she pointed at herself.

“Yeah. Wanna sleep over?”

“…Uh, well, um… Sure!”

“Sounds good.”

“Actually, it’s not like I want to… I mean, Da On, you have family too…”

“They all died!”

Her cheerful response left me speechless, while Jang Chae Yeon stood up and started pulling on Yu Da On’s arm.

“Let’s pack.”

“Um, wait! I’ll be right back!”

And just like that, they zipped out like a gust of wind.

As I blankly stared at the door, Song Ah Rin spoke.

“…I’ll be fine at my house since it’s okay.”

“Uh? No. Of course, you don’t need to stay at our place.”

Her house isn’t getting flooded, after all.

“…”

With her piercing glare, Song Ah Rin shot daggers at me before turning to turn on her computer.

“Going to work?”

“Shut up.”

She’s cranky again.

*

<As the record-breaking rainfall continues, water is flooding in such a way that the sewage system can’t handle it, and the authorities are requesting everyone to stay indoors and remain on high floors.>

The news blared from the television I left on at home.

I stared out the window blankly.

The rain was coming down so heavily that I couldn’t see in front of me.

I’ve never seen rain this intense before in my life.

“The rain is pouring like crazy!”

Yu Da On exclaimed from behind me, her eyes wide with wonder, as the clattering sound revealed Jang Chae Yeon cooking in the kitchen.

“…”

I have a headache.