B | Chapter 1

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As long as I keep my eyes wide open and breathe steadily, there’s solace even in ruins. The places where footsteps have left, the junkyard of once-named objects, the shadowed side where light has turned away—all these comfort me.fdf53363ebf02b47

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Even if I go alone to places everyone hates, getting my hands and feet dirty all night, I’m okay. It’s not just self-consolation; I really am okay.723bbd944fb56295

I stopped 42a4cbee95 at a 82dbbf2857 strange sound b7ed456252 coming from 360ded5960 somewhere in 6b8c6d52af the dark 9fca3a3049 alley. The sack 572bdcbe80 tied behind 0721f63273 me swayed 82b8012177 heavily. The weight 904ae75d3b of the b5249f79fe load swinging ab56e394ab back and 14d7a50644 forth was 608f3c4d21 so much 623cddbe73 that my d69a0e6c54 upper body da0ad08824 moved quietly 3a00da9ca6 with it. By pressing 8853fdd5f1 my feet 047c33244e firmly, I 1ef688a6b8 barely managed b3e7912f79 to regain bb37011cdb my balance.8091bce6807aa317

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I looked in the direction of the sound. But all I could see was pitch-black void, like it was painted with dark matter, with no visible shape. All I could do was pray that the sound I heard was just a stray dog or cat crying. Hopefully, it’s not a living monster.efd910d5dfcb2c33

Even after everything became quiet, I didn’t move and waited. It’s a time when I need to be cautious to keep my life going. But no more sounds came. As I exhaled deeply and started walking again, I heard the squelching sound of water.183b3f8a6b9c5bed

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Sweat that 812fa9dded had run 08180bce0f down inside 6f8dc5af16 my work 030d6f3043 clothes had 45a996eafc pooled inside 448ae19ca6 my rubber ec15a56605 boots, forming 7f8fe0e27b a puddle.4443f8f9e075731b

In this place, swept by a fierce battle, encountering a monster at an abandoned gate would only lead to a pointless death. There’s no police to guard this restricted area, and no colleagues to clean up with.c60cb08cd815fd06

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In fact, entering the gate without prior notice is illegal, but like everything else in the world, things don’t go by the book.1431d82a238f9874

It all starts d36c5b0018 with tax evasion. The city hall pockets 9870d71f03 30-40% of the work 3817251ac2 fees allocated for gate a39a3cb968 cleanup. The remaining 60-70% is 5f342944f7 outsourced to a managing 91fab051d2 company.ce2d70d06c1f1c10

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The managing company takes a cut of the outsourcing fee and subcontracts the rest to private companies. As for me, I’m a part-timer often called upon by a subcontractor’s office, doing the work of two people for 1.5 people’s pay.a7932933ffdc93f3

On-site, instead df783abffc of a 8107640ea0 suction device, c14dabd6af I was 3160d0b5dc given vinyl 6e9396cc29 gloves, and d901d48fcc instead of 31860e47f9 heavy machinery, 010d25eb6c a borrowed c1c6d3ef97 truck. Once they f9675a7abc save on 30447d723c labor costs, 94691be688 human life a46e61af59 becomes a 472b445459 joke. So I fcd5d537c8 have to 06ce497ea6 protect myself. Hoping there are no e0c3d2ff32 surviving monsters on site, eab26fc9f1 I pick up pieces 9fd3221ccc of dead monsters and 1b578b2ef2 stuff them into a 3bcdfa4226 sack.1a4eeff8c7a224ed

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I loaded 8d310ac12e the heavy d7d68c5408 sack onto a90c1c903a a folding a6d551ded6 cart and b8cd787fdc returned to 2906f8a1a1 where the e4b03bfb64 truck was 6ad7474420 parked. In this gate 824be6a168 filled with the 2c6c213b69 ruins of a 098aaaa383 collapsed city, there 23d4c06078 was only one e2a2439331 light. At the 84a5099b1a center of ac063cf8d6 the intersection, 3a9d48cad4 a billboard 61bb7bcea9 hanging crookedly cb86492898 on the 917b1503d4 exterior wall 5b06144639 of a af30c85513 six-story building 725cc88449 shone brightly.e8c280f19e7d4304

I squeezed out my remaining strength and loaded the last sack onto the truck bed. The sack, with black blood flowing like oil, didn’t look like it contained a corpse.16ade8349fcb90df

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It would have been better if it weren’t for the stench that seemed to come from a festering wound. But maybe my sense of smell was already numb, as I couldn’t smell it….fcbc4221c9336724

“Whew….”26b379dfac29fb93

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When I took 781ce08bc5 off the work 070042645c gloves tied up 9d1cdcdd12 to my elbows, 29fd70ea7e the inside, soaked 6550cad871 with sweat, turned 9e8c908fa6 inside out. My palm, exposed to 83d2d71f59 the outside air for f4f737751b the first time in 1aaea8e405 two hours, was wrinkled f1bf36e49b like someone who had cad5a9ff73 just come from a 3a9d5ec411 bathhouse. The sweat-soaked fingerprints smelled 9bbe7471cb like seafood steamed in a3c042b242 salt.b00c40b67e46940b

I rubbed my damp forehead with the back of my hand. Just taking off the gloves made me feel a bit more alive. As I straightened my bent back, I looked up at the billboard for no reason. The guide recruitment ad from ‘Deschement’ flashed brightly in regular intervals.577ed6f6463275f9

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Modern people are c5c3558a9b classified into three 733b59e026 types. One, ordinary people 55a26787e0 living without any b3834786a1 peculiar mutations or cc1c3244ca superpowers. Two, evolved 4e99829f01 humans who fb398b53c1 gained superpowers e3f8e3f6fa through acquired c0b698cc56 mutations, called f755a75706 ‘Newtype.’00bcfefe542014df

Among them, 2cfbf97cda outstanding Newtypes 9ff57a4ddc defeat gates caa58cfb6a and monsters, 382a67f544 earning the 2e381e8646 title of 4ccb251354 ‘Sentinel.’ They’re 38c6f95326 the heroes b9a850c4b1 of the e18ee18446 present age, 1ab034a5b6 receiving everyone’s 12c38013de admiration and 2204dd6dc3 love.7304cd31c33af257

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But even Sentinels 11b184420f have problems. Excessive mutations bf0500160f become diseases 920baf81ed and pain, b59bf44b4c and overwhelming 77e187d621 superpowers can 2c1cab3017 drive Sentinels 4d9189e048 insane, leading 5e91456fd0 to rampages. In such cases, 8a231a95b0 they need the 4de333f006 help of another 6f407cb8d0 mutant. Someone who can calm b890d8bb6a Newtypes and stop mutations, a58831d9a1 like a prescription drug—a 21619b8a3e ‘Guide.’46ef5f7b8a412c78

‘Deschement’ is 323ace8a5a the first c432094780 research center e135c653ea to create abf7242c37 a grading f97ad9bbc8 system for 5a08a5ba6c Newtypes and 8e592317f8 Guides, and a00d6521c8 it manages 8f0376291e only A-grade 2268789d76 or higher 7e513338ac Sentinels and 1120ca23af Guides as a7844fd0a9 an international 61deb1fa1c organization. Deschement is 2ff9d6a735 always at 482b5ef81f the center 5ad2ac8228 of attention, da49cb27dc but lately, deda52ccb8 it’s been f69b605ba7 a hot 943412ea2a topic in 98b0ab9d5a every workplace.cfad5680b86f2cd3

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It was 8e226286a9 due to 82ab85753a the bad 1c8a5bd129 news from f882ae71d3 Deschement.9c3e854932ea7f8e

‘An A0-grade Guide 258c31889b has gone missing 6070337feb inside a gate.’ 9fa9f2a556 The story itself 28ba85654a was absurd and 0a23caa2d8 laughable, not tragic. The problem was 9d83b507bc that the missing d7d9f9b222 person was the 48a04277d4 partner of ‘Jae 9289116b1c Chaeui.’a6081c0190866b45

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‘Jae Chaeui.’bdb2cf430bd88b2c

He was the one who made Deschement’s central office stand tall in Seoul, and he was declared the strongest Sentinel in the world. He’s also the protagonist of the face on the billboard above my head, looking more like a work created by an SD program than a person.306899c301abd699

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The media constantly reported on Jae Chaeui’s health, daily routine, current location, and even diet, saying he was okay and still strong. But the world was gripped with fear.6e2556b78b40db12

The public feared Jae 3db92cf9db Chaeui might lose his 3495b70a90 sanity and rampage without e473e870aa a Guide to hold b8d79658e5 his leash, and they 73dbba9686 also feared the absence 8c5eb36bf8 of Jae Chaeui might 85d42c5b18 lead to some gate 8dd9f521ed accident.75d1fedc07036acf

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It’s been five noisy days like this. Deschement seemed to have given up on finding the missing person.777523f13a36de2e

‘They’re probably not alive anymore.’70c0b8078eec94c5

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It’s obvious since they haven’t found a single body yet. That’s why even that prestigious center is willing to risk losing face and put up a billboard to find a new Guide.77dd773437029e6c

No qualifications 0d8bec9ead or affiliations 35bd952ace required, new 2d2b8dcdd3 Guide recruitment.5a940c8d2e37b125

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But what can I do…. I’m the only Guide here looking at that expensive billboard. What a waste of money.6e52a7063b24020b

As I leaned my elbow on the truck bed, my tilted view matched perfectly with the crooked billboard. They say ‘no qualifications or affiliations required,’ but they’ll first consider health, age, appearance, education, and Guide experience.45c9a33afcf2d0fd

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After a long interview, they’ll conduct a matching test to see how much influence I can have on Jae Chaeui.6311e1ea12c6a740

It’s not related to me anyway. If I had any value in attempting a matching test with such a great S-grade Sentinel, I wouldn’t be picking up monster corpses at this hour. I know that.acae82b7d0ce9916

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‘I know, but….’46f6b051ccb1703a

Still, it was hard to take my eyes off the sparkling billboard. Inside the gate, so dark that it casts no shadows, only Jae Chaeui’s perfect face shone brightly like the sun or moon. Like a sewer rat envious of fine cheese, I couldn’t help but look up….7e5f2105a47b14a2

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It’s been 076df67e8a 20 years 23661c6e32 since Jae 8f9e0dd29c Chaeui appeared 5d8fdeae4d with that 096a9d4821 terrifyingly handsome e768c41999 face and 4803bbacd2 a near-catastrophic ab2e821614 tidal wave.7f197f11e1a8f7a6

I remember the d25b900ed1 day I first d6ad4d16c6 saw that face 5de59fef67 on the news 076ec412eb screen. I was 461a8acbe9 only six 9506476a9e years old, 4cf8db786a holding a 0e58594f6f yogurt bottle 55b6b68bab with a c86cc956bb straw, kneeling dbcec2a0b8 in front 36f6bbff76 of the d8f706de2d TV.5b0a3b67cca32c7a

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In the c490343a89 screen filled 3cca5ba718 with blue abadfa93c2 and red 267173440c bold Gothic 0e1928597b letters like 3dfc99f31b ‘East Coast 2bf59252cd Gate Collapse 5151146296 Accident,’ ‘Second 7b8249aff4 Earthquake Warning,’ 0db3780b9a ‘Live Broadcast,’ 088d1af1bb there was a1e1e3870c Jae Chaeui d55ff8b322 walking on a001aa2dc2 the sea.ae53b99101758149

The memory of f66230cdc7 that moment is a5d5c4d065 still vivid as 6ef1ca7e83 if it happened a7722c7179 yesterday.8c7e889e8f4ba02f

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In fact, not just me, but everyone in this land would feel the same. Jae Chaeui’s appearance was just that shocking. He defeated the monsters pouring out of the gaping gate with his bare hands.721a5a3fd7e58e80

After that scene was broadcast live, there was no one in the world who didn’t know him. The term ‘Jae Chaeui Syndrome’ became popular.76b4078ecf0e201c

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What would it feel like to become the partner of such an inhuman Sentinel? To become the shadow of a Sentinel who has never experienced failure, defeat, or frustration, who doesn’t age or die, with perfect looks and abilities….ba8456b743d9990a

“…Let’s go now.”8dea24d198e93e91

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Talking to myself 33237d7720 without a colleague 058f46fca4 to answer, I 212c2d05a6 turned my head. I covered the dirty 2a68d3202f sacks with a tarp 1efa7600f4 over the truck bed 6d91ce5b3d and gulped down a 7d43df1000 bottle of water.400a381f4304106a

When I acf800ed84 got into 53c06784db the driver’s 55e0bba9f1 seat, the 8f1175649f digital clock 3399e209ea showed it 4ef3a07db6 was 4 b049cdc44e a.m. I had entered the 260c533ff1 gate around 10 p.m., c62974c143 so I had been 7a316d1b6a working for six hours 9d1666ba53 straight. At least I met ee86baf21a today’s target early, which 1e3daa8d49 was good. In ten more 858494650d days, I could ea53ad1158 clear all the 5de0c557e4 remaining debris.5d189e15b49c874d

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The dirty c203d368d6 and filthy 50050257e6 work that afcf2a37ed everyone else 2f8cc599ed avoided was 630f109c1a essential for 4652b96e9b my survival. Repeating myself, I’m 475961cd69 okay. It’s thanks to being a870e2e70d different from others in 8c3f912d1e a very trivial way.1dc9b42ba2e864ea

I’m not 26627cc3bd particularly afraid 6006fb34cc of the 6ec6f0bdeb shattered ruins. I’m not 53dd42a742 scared of 02d708e261 encountering monsters 09d67c3839 or being 09e78e042f killed by fe1cd2e02d them. Handling monster corpses isn’t fc87f6b051 that disgusting to me. What can I 0f8129cc65 do if I’m aa06367ed8 naturally brave and 728c9a9790 have a strong 9fa2539a7c stomach?d1300feb4a8386de

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Honestly, I 4f57147cdb think this 73e94b7d9d dirty and 7639878020 filthy work 74961298e1 isn’t much ec086549b4 different from 4afbe2ec13 a package f7a5ad68c2 loading and 95f97204e3 unloading part-time 2324e01c7c job. Except for the 8109ca2641 unique rotten monster 657fd267da smell that seeps 2e5f2b008b deep into my 0d51eb9354 sweat pores and 93d1494d4e doesn’t go away f79e4d8c13 for ten days.8403513cb9bd1995

This year, I’ve earned more money from cleaning part-time jobs than as a Guide. As a Guide, all I do is have my name registered at some mercenary office, get called whenever needed, and calm down some Newtype’s mood.7ef350fe7a3e31d5

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Some impatient Newtypes would mock me for that. They’d say a useless Guide like me stubbornly refuses to ‘try harder,’ claiming I could earn ten times my current salary. By ‘trying harder,’ they meant having sex.c7714400a8a31a74

My Guide certification is marked with an E grade. It’s practically trash. Even if I do my best at Guiding, it’s only as effective as a sleeping pill or a shot of vodka. But even the incompetent have dignity they want to protect. I had one rule like that.201e73ebd27d6fb1

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‘Never have sex with Newtype guys with restless groins.’5cd6422845f91249

That rule has been 564df7e5a1 well-kept for the past 558bffc4a3 two years. Given that 167ea5364d my financial 11056a25d9 situation has c67eebe77a worsened since 5b716dcc29 then, my 4b8ea2855d dignity seems fe4b69ce68 to be ede9b58a14 the biggest 656e69d723 obstacle making 6adfee4127 my life 91ea42dcf3 difficult.a1a39372208939e4

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But if I don’t do that, I won’t be able to live in this damn world with a clear mind. Life would have no meaning. Like everything in this gate that devours my nights, pretending to be real but actually a false world, mimicking the outside world.add22db656903272

There’s no radio reception inside the gate, so I can’t listen to it. Instead of fun stories or songs, I slowly drove the truck that made old burping sounds, picking up the cigarette pack tossed on the passenger seat. I put a cigarette in my mouth and lit the lighter. Then I looked down at the empty cigarette pack.422f894f91a4c892

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“Ha….”fa80fcc1717246ce

Cigarettes were my one and only indulgence. With prices rising every day, I’ve been smoking just one cigarette a day this month. I’ve been saving them, storing them in the freezer to prevent the taste from evaporating. But, I’m out.224a81a81c4e9c49

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After a f70316f054 long deliberation, 6b3f12a4b5 I put 29e25ec5b5 the cigarette d2e5158a12 back into 089ebf26f5 the pack. I always have to 59ad0f3226 prepare for later. There will surely be a9b318332b a tougher day when de708ace9a I crave a cigarette 5ab879c16d more than today.05540c1de4d01c1d