Chapter 17 : Breach Of Contract

Kim Min-woo, 27 years old.

He had his first physical contact with the opposite sex.

The shy invitation from Seo Yuna the previous night.

He thought something would happen, but it ended without anything significant, which was a bit disappointing.

Just as he was about to turn away, she called him back.

And then… she made an unbelievable request.

“Please pet me.”

Honestly, he was taken aback.

But somehow, he nodded like he was under a spell, and reached out to touch her head.

How could he refuse a beautiful woman’s request?

“It was soft…”

The hair that touched his fingertips.

A tingling sensation spread from his fingers, and Yuna’s fragrance scattered on the breeze.

“Flower scent…?”

The sweet smell made his heart race for no reason.

His hand, without reason, continued to move.

Petting, and petting again, he couldn’t stop, completely absorbed in the moment.

“U-uh… please stop!”

This was bad.

He must have gone too far while lost in the moment.

Yuna’s face turned bright red, and she ran off without looking back.

Damn.

Why did I do that?

If only I had been a little softer.

Regret flooded over him.

…He honestly wanted to pet her again.

But it was impossible to say something like “Can I pet you again?” to her, who had already run away.

Would another opportunity like that come again?

He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t have high hopes.

Still, if that moment ever came again…

This time, he’d control his pace, do it more skillfully, and pet her kindly.

The conclusion he came to:

“Should I practice petting Pamyoh?”

It might not be good practice, given how big the dog is, but…

With that thought, he stepped out of the house with a lighter step than usual.

Then, he stopped in the hallway.

“Eh? Min-woo?”

It was the familiar voice that made him stop.

Looking up,

Jeong Eun-seo was poking her head out with her half-wet hair.

For some reason, she was wearing glasses today, and because of that, she looked a bit different from usual.

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

He greeted her lightly, and she approached him, her usual aloof demeanor replaced with a playful expression.

Then, without warning, she asked,

“Did you… get a girlfriend recently?”

“…What?”

“You’ve changed. Your tone, your vibe. You seem more relaxed.”

He was caught off guard.

When did that happen?

He hadn’t noticed any changes, but one scene came to mind.

‘…………Oh, last night…’

Yuna’s head.

And her shy request.

“Please pet me.”

He felt his face grow hot and quickly turned his gaze away.

“Hmm… I guess, I’ve just been mentally occupied lately, so maybe that’s why I seem different?”

“Heh~ That’s suspicious, really.”

Jeong Eun-seo laughed quietly as she looked at me, then suddenly said,

“Ah, the book I gave you last time. The collection of ghost stories, remember?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still read it often?”

I nodded.

“Yes! Recently… I’ve become more interested in it. Maybe because it was a book you recommended, Eun-seo? It was really fun.”

“Really? As a ghost story lover, I’m happy to hear that!”

Her eyes sparkled.

“And did you know? There’s been an increase in people actually experiencing ghost stories lately. When I read the ghost stories online, it gives me chills.”

“Really? So there are people who’ve actually experienced them?”

“Yep, and speaking of that…”

She stepped closer to me, and stuck out her pinky finger.

“If you ever experience something like a ghost story, be sure to tell me, okay?”

“…Me?”

“Yes. Don’t hide anything, absolutely tell me. Got it?”

Eun-seo’s finger wiggled slightly.

It didn’t seem like a joke, but a serious request.

“…Alright. I’ll definitely tell you.”

I grabbed her pinky.

The things I’ve experienced lately, they’ve been so grand and unbelievable, but if I ever have a small, insignificant experience, maybe telling her about it wouldn’t be so bad.

♪ Hook your pinky finger, make a promise~!

“Great! Then, if you tell me a ghost story, I’ll buy you dinner. You can choose something expensive too!”

A meal with a beautiful woman alone.

I couldn’t resist that.

“…That sounds tempting.”

Jeong Eun-seo smiled slyly, and with a bright expression, she started to go down the stairs first.

I watched her for a moment, then followed her.

‘Come to think of it…’

Suddenly, I remembered the curse of the Mountain Dhowa.

A curse that pushes away reason.

But strangely, I didn’t feel anything like that from Eun-seo.

And the same went for Seo Yuna.

…Maybe Team Leader Yoon just scared me for no reason.’

As I thought about this,

I found myself in front of the Bureau of Anomalies building.

When the office door opened, the now familiar bright greeting rang out.

“Our superhuman new employee, Kim! Min! Woo!~”

“…Huh?”

It was Choi Yu-ri.

With a mischievous grin, she approached, and slipped an envelope into my hand.

“Team Leader Seo dropped by earlier. How did you get so close with that psycho?”

“Psycho?”

“Yeah, the one who rushes at anything anomalous, that crazy personality.”

She was talking enthusiastically, but then suddenly stopped and leaned her head close to mine.

“They call him ‘Dog Crazy.’ He’s not in his right mind when it comes to anomalies, a really dangerous person.”

She whispered, but honestly, the most dangerous person here seemed like her.

I opened the envelope.

Inside, stamped with the top-secret seal, was the information about the anomaly that Seo Gang-il had mentioned.

‘Risk level B – Giant Anomaly… A giant anomaly with only a mouth. And within that mouth, an A-level anomaly, Cheong-ui-dongja.’

The “A-level risk” Seo Gang-il had talked about was Cheong-ui-dongja.

According to the document, Cheong-ui-dongja could change the weather, predict the future, see the essence of objects, and could destroy the minds of those who made eye contact.

This is way more dangerous than I thought?

I noticed a comment left by Seo Gang-il.

“My father never saw Cheong-ui-dongja’s face. That’s because the giant anomaly didn’t open its mouth. But Cheong-ui-dongja can see the essence of objects and the future, so it might hold the key to solving the problem. It’s worth trying.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the document, thinking about the A-level anomaly inside.

‘Cheong-ui-dongja…’

I muttered the name to myself again.

‘Maybe it’s in the ghost story collection too?’

I suddenly remembered the ghost story book Eun-seo had given me.

And the conversation we had today came back to mind.

Hoping for the best, I searched, and the name was actually there.

[Cheong-ui-dongja]

‘The world is so boring.’

He often said that.

With eyes that could see through everything, and a future where the outcome was already clear.

In a world with such a predictable outcome, he didn’t make any moves.

Inside his ‘giant’ safe refuge, he just leisurely let time pass.

A true hermit.

That’s what I called him.

‘What is this?’

The ghost story collection presented the information about anomalies in a narrative style.

And it described the high-risk anomaly simply as a recluse.

Is this really a dangerous anomaly? It seemed more like a storybook for entertainment.

I let out a dry laugh and opened the manual.

Entity Name: [Cheong-ui-dongja]

Risk Level: A

[Characteristics]

• Recently bored with the games he’s been playing. Needs new entertainment.
• Responds to interesting stories.
• The entity demands Zero Cola as a sacrifice.

Prefers Zero Cola, lime flavor.

“…What?”

I closed my eyes and double-checked the document.

Is this really A-level risk?

It was in stark contrast to the dangerous and grim details that Seo Gang-il had given me.

‘What is this about Zero Cola lime flavor?’

I suddenly remembered the message from the manual in the lobby on the first floor of the Bureau.

The staff there also seemed to be searching for Zero Cola.

Is this some kind of trend?

“Guess I better take some just in case.”

I had never regretted following the manual instructions.

Even if it seemed absurd, I decided to follow it.

I quietly opened the mini-fridge on Yu-ri’s desk and took out two cans of Zero Cola.

‘Maybe I should try one too.’

The cola I had received last time was sitting in the corner of my desk and was no longer cold.

But Yu-ri’s fridge seemed to keep hers cool.

At that moment, the office door opened.

Two agents in black suits entered first, followed by Dr. Im Hyo-rin.

“Kim Min-woo, are you ready for the anomaly containment contract?”

I shrugged the bag with the colas over my shoulder and nodded slowly.

The sound of boots echoed through the long hallway.

The thick protective suits made it hard to breathe, but the agents’ faces were calm, no sign of tension.

This was the Bureau of Anomalies’ containment room.

And this section contained anomalies of risk level C and above.

“That new guy is Kim Min-woo, huh?”

“The newbie? I heard he handled a risk level C anomaly during orientation. They say he’s an outstanding trainee.”

“Is he really going to make a contract without being a member? What kind of anomaly will come out if he does?”

“I heard the anomaly follows him like a dog.”

“…Does that even make sense?”

Their conversation was filled with half-hearted laughs.

No one really believed it.

It was just a joke among agents tired of their routine checks.

They had just finished checking the “risk level C” section and were heading to the next zone.

The hallway was quiet.

The lights on the ceiling flickered faintly with a low hum.

“Everything clear. Moving on to the next zone.”

Screech—

“What’s that sound?”

The three agents grabbed their radios at once.

A red warning sign suddenly appeared on the wall panel.

[B-2 Containment Zone]

[Unsupplied]

[Sacrifice: Pending]

[Delay Time: 16 hours 17 minutes]

“…What? Wasn’t there no sacrifice team today?”

“The entire containment team went to a meeting in the Incheon branch, so they told you to handle it, didn’t they?”

“…Me? I never heard anything about that.”

A silence fell.

Then,

Boom.

The steel door at the end of the hallway rattled.

The whole space seemed to ripple like a wave.

“…B-2 is where the giant anomaly is.”

“…Shit. Then it’s not the giant anomaly, but the one inside its mouth that’s the problem.”

@#$%$#—!!

The weird whispers scratched at my ears.

An incomprehensible language burrowed deep into my mind.

“Did you hear that too?”

The three agents turned their heads toward the source of the noise.

The red warning light at the end of the hallway flashed, and the automatic door opened.

From the gap, a wriggling figure appeared.

A mouth.

A massive mouth that seemed to crawl out from between the ceiling and floor.

“Run…”

Before the scream even finished, one of the agents was swallowed whole, with a sickening crunch, their upper body disappearing.

“Shit!”

The remaining two agents tried to reach for their radios, but the mouth widened even more, blocking the hallway.

Screams.

And warning lights.

The corridor of the containment area turned into a red slaughterhouse in an instant.

[To be continued…]