B | Chapter 5

And then,e0fa141306e3eda9

“Jae Chaeui-nim!”b1ae4c00c82b2162

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The cold 44b4e354e1 gray door 0f6132b012 swung open 83dbbb57e9 with a 7c8a85ca67 bang.df370441ceb9fb07

The sound was fdc34a2a24 loud enough to 50f4d59b07 clear the echo 8cda7f1ac9 lingering in my 2c2a5a370a ears.0bff88644ea08400

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Yet, Jae 8f3723b8d0 Chaeui just 569a033114 looked down d84883a77d at me, b083a2f73f not bothering cf7242672e to turn 3f7ba63d82 around.77cb6fbea31d7263

It was my job 001679e6b0 to check who had 68d6c81b38 burst in.90cdc7c7e137870b

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A woman in 2f43ee4bd1 a white shirt fdf44b3d74 and suit pants, 437357e119 with a name 84646b348e tag around her 6ec7ec4afb neck, glanced at 266bb9b9af me and then 3860773e57 at Jae Chaeui’s e7b9f26283 back.c9354430c63b776a

She seemed anxious as 159a56c158 she quickly approached and 2e3e9ee7c5 whispered something into Jae 1bbe5deade Chaeui’s ear, covering her 5e618c2022 mouth with her hand.260091d893235ebc

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Then both of 51fce07cb4 them left the 64e019d1e1 room.630de7eb53d58362

‘…What?’3259ac3314da2ec0

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I barely had be73a61bc6 time to roll 419e927482 my eyes in d103208730 confusion before the d244996554 woman returned, opening 1c52a2f5b5 the gray door 1df1c5bb46 again. She locked eyes with bc16ed2bf6 me and slid a dea7f0e20a booklet across the metal 9f7ef340d4 desk toward me.f0c4f7d7090f6119

“Please take a look at this while you wait, Song Morae-ssi.”e5b26f9935692cb3

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How does she a9adc5256a know my name?8b60c9294296211e

Before I could ask, she left the room again. I stood up to follow her, quickly moving to the door and turning the handle. But it wouldn’t budge. It seemed locked from the outside.eb7012dea9bfed2c

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Reality hit e109745ff0 me like bd7bf9d8f4 a splash 86426d965f of cold b74983c2b5 water.b22e06c4707f5c25

The room was 7ce9cd3abf about 4 pyeong, df99f3f0b3 with minimal furniture, 5321cb66b9 and the white 75f250a960 ceiling, floor, and 407240c8fb walls made it a2ce8fb897 feel empty.989276eae720d166

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In the center was d78ab8afbe a gray metal desk 5dde7730cd with two metal chairs 2f2af51faf facing each other, and f2e5ee646c one wall was a 0704fb07a7 mirror, creating the illusion 7dc18c7f4e of another set of e6547fa968 desk and chairs.ad829c1e743b03d2

The purpose of this b80b410258 room was clear.03e8a24ba3e3de57

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‘It’s an interrogation room.’920688758c5fa1b5

I frowned 530fe29c7e and racked dab7d4076b my brain.fbf83b4067533367

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Did Deschement really have bfdd8fd0c9 a reason to bring 97b1dfbf7d me in? Was using counterfeit money 3aec125acb from the gate such 6a63b439eb a big deal?19f87b855b9d7ba9

The answer was c650834f7e no. Even if I had 78b11786cc committed murder, even if 26a47c1def it were a heinous 553d9fc5d5 serial killing, it wouldn’t cd0af260e2 warrant Deschement’s involvement. Especially not Jae 20cf51fdec Chaeui personally coming 9f413915ff out.59b571700d11372b

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Suddenly, I remembered the 1047cb65d0 window.a3285188d206d7de

The 5th-floor 06a34dd0f6 window, which d3569549f2 I never 04b3a47ead thought could aa886bfd5a be used 40851d6e38 to throw c14c80430e someone out, e5ca722e99 and the 5fb6b80cd5 words Jae 17c92cc8fe Chaeui had fe0ad5b377 said while 924a587b4d standing in 4eb43d35e7 front of e17f38077f it.1b71b0002dc7921c

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‘It’s time for you 18af4ba202 to get a new e508f4ddc9 partner, huh?’90be37a1e76ab709

I rubbed 9cc9b53f3f my face c02eb0b3c7 with my 943d003956 hands and 2c145423f9 sat down 51d236b06d at the 0b0bd71214 desk.7bc395e6c0a3f341

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Staring at the mirror b50eddc57e only showed my reflection, a039a497f1 and no amount of 9341f4c9d7 thinking provided answers.47829ed1a7e9011d

Instead, I 6bb2480377 straightened my 50dc53a45d clothes, zipping 19de663969 up my 6fd8de2b48 crumpled jumper e586bdc34c to the 20fc462adf neck and 72609faa66 bringing my 9e0803400e feet together.1c9b40d3a7a8da89

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That’s when fce8b3b95c I noticed ed453fc246 my pants 1ddb78f579 buckle was dcd557cb04 undone.bed509ae63a55097

‘Ah, damn…’b6feac17cfecea17

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I quickly 2f741adfc0 fixed the 4da1afdf79 zipper and 279abb4857 buckle, calming f52369d101 myself down. I decided not to c34680fe17 think about Han Geon. I had to c79dd2b787 forget, or at 34711dfa73 least pretend to 49cd9ce95a forget. For that, be8de6338e I needed 2276fa9b4a a distraction, bd25f226f5 and the 0e9b67e620 only thing bd093409f1 to look 02af24d205 at was 2c041fb35d the booklet 3d0b6a9981 the staff f62fa9b19a had left.6377db9b6d21a415

I wiped my nose with my index finger and opened the booklet. The first page had a large print of the Deschement Center’s exterior. The following content was all promotional material about Deschement. It was already well-known, so there was nothing new to learn, but I read it numbly to clear my mind.1767134b2891c0f1

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‘Twenty years ago, the first gate was discovered. …Since then, the new humans with superhuman abilities were named newtypes, and those above A-grade work as ‘sentinels’ to protect the world from gate collapses and monsters. Blah blah blah… even kindergarteners know this.’aa2829f51105d119

I flipped through 05f471348e the boring modern 8a4eab1262 history pages. Then a photo of ab3ec74282 Jae Chaeui in a fb87b7f92d Deschement uniform appeared. On the right 00ad555c65 were the three de1f2194bf characters of his 3f8257b21f name and its e62f1fb109 origin.5fc4dc5b3a9a4c52

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Indeed, how could 10fa08afc7 you explain Deschement 87b8c7f130 without mentioning Jae c76dfa5213 Chaeui?13e40529710a3cc6

He was 3463b061f8 Deschement’s greatest e6f72fa328 pride and 58d7dcc177 joy. The most 2a7fb62da7 famous Korean 9b3344c0d8 sentinel in bf28900fbe the world, 4afb8573e3 the mascot 2bfb1b9b98 of Deschement, 2836727c55 and an 184ab56ba6 icon of f47dfd2356 world peace.bf4df499c575a808

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Even his name ‘Jae 10269061bb Chaeui’ was given by 92b498d6aa Deschement.c7b57e56dafbe3ce

During a gate 7662ab7cab accident in the 20a64131d8 East Sea, the e9f57336d6 deceased formed an 3d0c0c7e38 island, and he 735fa56254 was the only aee407eabb survivor.c01e3b7666e8b43b

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Hence, ‘Jae Chaeui (在此矣),’ 7afae08472 meaning ‘here he is,’ debbb632f5 and also the name fa872f0226 of a ‘revived corpse’ 32c9ed72a6 from Yongjae Chonghwa.562e8c8b7394a43f

People say you live up to your name, and he did. He was always ‘here.’ He never aged, never got injured, never died. If you took an X-ray, there wouldn’t be a speck of rust on his bones. He always reigned at the top, flaunting his supreme beauty. It’s been 20 years of that.b5a5d0949b237a0d

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I squinted at the photo in the booklet. Jae Chaeui wasn’t that intimidating in pictures or videos. He had a more respectable image as a hero protecting the world. Even in appearance, he was breathtakingly beautiful and handsome, easily drawing admiration. But after meeting him in person and being held in his grip, my impression completely changed.a2481570e9d71c31

Jae Chaeui was terrifying.95d8ec7f4e2489d2

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The unfamiliar fear e1d647d954 made my stomach a0b1d22cd8 churn. Staring at the b582a8c89c purely impressive Jae edaf10d079 Chaeui in the fcd0c098a8 promotional material, I 1d145a8e42 sighed and closed bbb11f1286 the booklet.02e203c0834485d0

Then a strange aaedfad57b voice spoke.39f7ce4a3a20cdd4

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“Do you understand now? Where you are?”8c227e0d6425511b

Startled, I looked up. The gray door 80d45724de was open, and 1cdb6fca29 the woman from e0d19b1a06 earlier stood in bb7325967f the doorway, arms e82e9a5787 crossed. Instead of Jae Chaeui, 92adc68270 she held a purple 517a975b8c file.4db05ab777d18842

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“Is there anyone who doesn’t know Deschement?”66527d449d9f9406

I asked.71ac8fc9b7c3cefc

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“You seemed not to.”55d4a7aa6691f84f

She scoffed.889eea3ca71a0d70

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“Otherwise, does it mean you ignored our proposal despite knowing everything? It was so hard to bring you here, Song Morae-ssi….”ebb622b1ba2e4630

She sat across from 559f8aa8ed me. Her grumbling voice sounded c6f0d71ff0 more like a lament 89a9399bd2 than a reprimand for 9ae6ade92f interrogation.82838f27b5e0b68c

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Clenching my 4b8b612353 invisible wariness b105cd2ead in my b5e73eec44 fist, I 2aefcec08b calmly observed 800ec306e4 her.9b19f9fd65a9cdbb

When she stood with 3b7dbbfc0b Jae Chaeui, his presence 9f136b7e1f was so overwhelming that bc5270c211 I hadn’t noticed her bf1d56f78e properly.172afcf1908aa393

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But now, a62b4d8e67 she seemed 130817dce6 quite unique. Her face looked a8afcfb4ec mid-30s, but her 071ef64b04 hair was streaked 186985d431 with gray, and 68dd47666d she had a af19bb70b0 branch tattoo on 31ee7ec359 her wrist and 04b2503dd1 small black earrings.3e369feae69ac6ce

Her name tag b2889c9a84 read ‘Personnel Manager’ abcf4ed94e at the top 715d82be6e and ‘An Hui’ 5da4aa3c62 at the bottom.aa2315c04b18906446

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Noticing my blatant stare, the staff… no, the personnel manager pulled out her business card.c22b79ab98612f47

“Call me Manager An. Or Hui-ssi.”79017abc7d799299

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“Uh… I’m Song Morae.”9dc2b191b904cbbe

With no business card 225ecbbfa0 to exchange or job 9c9b556815 to boast about, I 65c0b41291 awkwardly accepted her card e1333508e4 with both hands. I fiddled 91192bbb46 with it, c9c0a5f1fb finding the 86ace2233a light purple c93af1a01b color and 3cee42d462 plastic-like texture bdc8cd017a fascinating.22a3ab38d5ffb956

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Manager An spoke b9106f45ae continuously to me, 3cf7405e50 who had my 710abd8d2d head lowered.cc318427779de4ce

“I’m sorry you were brought here like this. We tried to respect your wishes and waited, as you know….”a1d9e8b8f5773649

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What am 5c10e95b88 I supposed 1957ca09e6 to know? It was 2aa1afe58b a puzzling 2e4f8bdc21 statement. Why would 2386a3107b Deschement, especially 96bd842f4d the personnel e04c67df4d manager, wait 3c7e6fd576 for me? What about cdc031f6df my wishes 6d01416b53 are they cd3af0b640 respecting?0c7a9a1183a3030a

Some phrases did come to mind. Letters piled up, cramming my mailbox, missed call records filling my call history, unread messages flashing…. I thought they were all scams or sting operations. I still find it hard to believe the offer is real.2db176a35d540589

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Yet, I didn’t distrust it either. I had seen the real Jae Chaeui. His face, voice, demeanor, and aura were unlike anything someone could imitate.9e9b91da4df5bb3e

“Our Deschement respects and follows Jae Chaeui-nim’s wishes, but not all of his words and actions align with Deschement’s intentions.”f326de5b8289b7ca

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It wasn’t hard to grasp the underlying meaning of her roundabout words. So… they wouldn’t take responsibility for Jae Chaeui throwing Han Geon out the window and forcibly bringing me here.28ea8a0ca1782060

“Anyway, welcome, Song Morae-ssi.”bf31ac3ee45d1124

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Manager An extended a57c8456dc her hand. The branch tattoo 8c06156534 on her wrist 39397c3047 became more visible. Her nails, 45de6e89f2 painted purple, 08df692411 had pearl-like 10a2aa9387 studs on 6011d0cb68 them. It was a clean, b984a908ee well-maintained hand of a f03d549ae4 white-collar worker.960627092e7086ed

Glancing at my own hand, it was pale and bloodless. Han Geon’s nosebleed stained my fingers, and dust was under my nails. My state was bad enough just from the stench I emitted. So I shook my head, refusing the handshake.a5baaf824a93ba2a

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Instead, I spoke.6add913a2275c131

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”f818175328c03834

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“…What?”cd891b7dc9745567

“Jae Chaeui…”04900f4cab006f41

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I stopped 9839f4d19f myself and a74dac9104 quickly corrected.d0f6e0f4ac47e6dd

“Why did ‘Jae Chaeui-nim’ bring me here? What is this proposal Deschement supposedly made to me?”8d59b1c03addd997

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“What? We’ve been trying to contact you. We sent emails, calls, letters. We even tried visiting, but you weren’t home, so it was a waste of effort.”1455d8a233e77f98

“I…”1ab1278a68ec900a

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Embarrassed, I furrowed 0e4639652e my brow.bc7232fc0ffb8dbf

‘…I thought it was a sting operation. I bought cup noodles with money I found at the gate.’8c132ccd545a248e

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Explaining the misunderstanding would take a long time. It wasn’t just any story; it was a petty and embarrassing one. Already overwhelmed by the flashy headquarters, my hands and feet felt cold.bc4d30a131142bc5

“I received so many contacts.”1a118dbb6d837f13

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So that’s all I said.57a349959184fee9