Ch.167Epilogue

As I stepped out onto the street from the café, a black sedan pulled up along the curb.

It glided smoothly to a stop beside the sidewalk with impressive precision.

It wasn’t even urgent. Was there really a need to drive like that on a regular road?

I opened the car door.

Behind the wheel was Dan, the driver who used to escort Robin.

Dan sat in the driver’s seat with a thoroughly satisfied expression.

According to him, this was living the high life.

His salary had increased significantly, and he was driving an expensive car that couldn’t even be compared to the old truck he used to drive. He said that alone made him happy.

Above all, he was most pleased that he no longer had to learn foreign languages.

Dan greeted me cheerfully.

“Welcome, Researcher.”

“Ah, I’m not a researcher. Just a consultant.”

“Is that so? I was under the impression you had quite a high position.”

“We don’t have those things anymore. Don’t you remember when all ranks were made equal?”

After the world was restored, the Global Occult Coalition and the Foundation formed an alliance and emerged into the public eye.

Now, the world is moving toward acknowledging and coexisting with anomalies.

The “language translation meme” developed by the Coalition completely shattered language barriers across the world.

And anomalous individuals no longer needed to hide their existence.

Useful anomalous entities that protected human lives.

Most of these changes strongly reflected the Coalition’s position.

Of course, anomalous entities that harm people or are hostile must still be contained or destroyed.

This role was assigned to the new “Foundation” led by Robin.

“We’re here.”

We arrived at the Foundation’s research lab in Dan’s vehicle.

Although it’s called a research lab, there’s no longer any strict security.

Instead, the lab is housed in a prominently built high-rise building, just like other ordinary research facilities.

In this recreated world, the standard of “ordinary” had changed like that.

As soon as I entered the lab, Riko jumped up and down, waving her hands.

“Robin! Dabin is here!”

“Welcome, Dabin. We have a ton of work right now. We need to redefine normalcy, classify all anomalous entities that threaten humanity. The Foundation lost a tremendous amount of data during the apocalypse. Most documents need to be rewritten, and we need your consultation on this as well.”

Yebin, who had arrived earlier, trudged over and grabbed my sleeve tightly.

“Dabin… I’m exhausted.”

Though she now has a human body, she was originally an AI in the Foundation’s servers.

I suggested she use her expertise to help the Foundation. Seeing her like this makes me feel a bit guilty.

I guess that means I should work harder.

“Yebin, take a break.”

“Hehe…”

Yebin grins happily just at the simple suggestion to rest.

How hard have they been working her?

“Robin, where are Ms. Sim Ji-hee and Choi Won?”

These two are effectively leading the organization.

I should say hello when I see them.

Robin looked at me and quietly raised her hand, pointing to the back of the lab.

“Everyone’s really struggling.”

The two people in white lab coats were asleep at their desk, hands overlapping.

Empty coffee cups and energy drink cans were scattered all around them.

“Those two aren’t used to pulling all-nighters, I guess.”

Riko says with a smile.

“Staying up for about three nights straight takes practice.”

“They’ve been up that long?”

“I tried to stop them, but they insisted they couldn’t rest. So I gave them a taste of real lab work.”

“Oh no…”

“Anyway, come on in, Dabin. We’re short-staffed right now.”

“I’m not a researcher, just a consultant. You know that, right?”

“Yes, yes, now put this on.”

Riko came behind me and forcibly put a white lab coat on me.

“You’ll need to wear these too, it could be dangerous.”

She also placed safety goggles over my eyes.

“Ah…”

“Now, let’s get back to work.”

Robin said as she covered the sleeping Ji-hee and Won with blankets.

The more I see her, the more I realize she has an unexpectedly warm side.

“As I mentioned before, there’s a lot you need to help us with, Dabin.”

“Yes.”

I’m not sure exactly how much work there is.

“I’ll do what I can.”

For now, I’ll just have to dive in.

Isn’t that what being alive is about?

To avoid falling into emptiness and being forgotten, constantly focusing on the present.

Not becoming overly fixated on fate and giving up.

And always doing your best to live.

I stretched and looked up at the lab ceiling.

Things are going to get incredibly busy from now on.

But I’m excited about it too.

I might enjoy the research.

When all this is over, I could try becoming a webtoon artist again.

I’ll probably fail again, but I no longer believe in things like talent or fate.

Because I’m alive now. Because everyone could live.

After one final stretch,

I followed Riko and Robin deeper into the lab.

Survival Log of the Anomalous Apartment (The End)