Chapter 19 : High Profit 990,000 Won

Main Conference Room of the Anomaly Management Bureau.

A large screen displayed a still image of the B-2 containment zone.

Blood stains were scattered along the corridor, and the massive mouth of the colossal anomaly was visible in the image.

The room was enveloped in heavy silence.

“I will report the damage situation.”

An agent from the Inspection Division quietly stood up.

“As a result of this incident, there were 9 deaths and 3 serious injuries. All the damage occurred within the B-2 zone. The B-class anomaly, ‘Colossal Anomaly,’ was being contained in that area, and within it, the A-class anomaly, ‘Child of the Blue Robe,’ was residing.”

He turned to the next slide.

The next screen displayed a warning about the offering supply.

“At the time of the incident, the offering was delayed for over 16 hours, and we believe that the anomaly went on a rampage due to a ‘contract violation.’”

“Why was the offering delayed?”

A senior officer asked.

The agent nodded and continued,

“It was confirmed that a blocking of transmission was caused by an auxiliary agent. The originally assigned containment team had been urgently dispatched to another branch, and it appears that the delay was exploited.”

A murmur of sighs and shocked whispers spread through the room.

Another senior officer spoke up with a stern expression.

“This is the second time. A similar incident has occurred consecutively. How can the Anomaly Management Bureau be this negligent with anomaly containment? This is not a simple incident, it could lead to a much bigger disaster.”

“Yes. Based on the investigation so far, there is a high possibility of intentional interference within the organization. And the mastermind behind this… is once again the ‘Future Anomaly Research Institute.’ This is the second time we’ve been played with.”

At the agent’s explanation, Seo Gang-il furrowed his brows deeply.

It was already a complicated issue, but now, someone inside the organization was using anomalies for terrorism?

“…Then this is a clear act of treason against humanity.”

With Seo Gang-il’s words, the atmosphere in the conference room chilled.

The Anomaly Management Bureau existed to protect humanity from anomalies.

An act that trampled on that pride could not be tolerated by anyone.

“What about the internal issue confirmed so far?”

A senior officer asked.

The agent switched the screen.

The list of agents’ personal details appeared on the screen.

“We have identified 5 internal agents who had secret contact with the ‘Future Anomaly Research Institute.’ There was evidence of system manipulation and information leaks, and during interrogation, all of them admitted to the charges. They are currently all in containment.”

“So, is it all resolved?”

“After cross-referencing the interrogation agents’ statements from multiple angles, we have determined that there are no additional spies for now.”

“That’s… good to hear.”

One of the senior officers smiled in relief, but Seo Gang-il’s expression remained tense.

Instead, he slowly looked around the conference room.

Even here, there could still be someone.

The words left by the Child of the Blue Robe to Kim Min-woo:

“They might be close by.”

Seo Gang-il’s gaze swept over the places he passed by.

Emotionless senior officers, familiar faces.

But now, he couldn’t trust anyone easily.

‘If only… the Director and the heads of the four great clans hadn’t been cursed by the binding.’

Seo Gang-il clenched his teeth inwardly.

If they had been here, this chaos wouldn’t have happened.

And he would have been able to focus on the problems with Kim Min-woo’s mother and his own mother.

‘I can’t keep sitting idly anymore.’

“Still, in the end, this incident was well-handled, wasn’t it? If Kim Min-woo hadn’t been there, there would have been much greater damage… but now it’s over.”

“Kim Min-woo really is an amazing person. Maybe he should get an official reward…”

Seo Gang-il sharply cut off the conversation.

“I speak with the authority of the Seo family, as the head of the Four Great Families.”

The air in the conference room froze in an instant.

“This incident is not over yet. The contract with the anomaly, the testimony of the Child of the Blue Robe, and the signs of internal infiltration—it’s too early to wrap this up as a simple accident.”

“…So, does this mean there is still a possibility of an insider?”

“We cannot rule out the possibility. Therefore, from today onward, all information related to the ‘Future Anomaly Utilization Research Institute’ will be managed by a dedicated response team at the headquarters.”

“Dedicated…?”

Seo Gang-il manipulated the screen and enlarged a name.

[Kim Min-woo]

“This is a special response team formed around Kim Min-woo. This team will independently handle investigations related to the institute, field responses, and information gathering. No interference from other departments will be allowed.”

“Isn’t that… too bold of a move?”

“The Anomaly Management Bureau has been hit twice already. If we don’t take bold action, there will be more damage. Do you want to witness that disaster again? The incident where the 8th and 4th heads of the clans were swapped?”

The officer who had objected lowered his head.

Seo Gang-il lowered his voice one last time.

“This response team will also serve as an official experiment and will be deployed on real-world missions. Anomalies are a natural enemy threatening humanity. But what if we could ‘utilize’ their existence?”

The room fell silent.

Breaking the silence, someone asked,

“Are you talking about a contract with the anomaly, Team Leader Seo?”

To make a deal with the anomaly, paying a price and borrowing its power—this was the method the

Anomaly Management Bureau had been using.

But with great power came great responsibility and cost.

Seo Gang-il smiled slightly at the question.

“Kim Min-woo made a contract with an A-class anomaly that was enraged due to a missing offering. The special nature of his favor with the anomaly is not something that can be dismissed as a mere ‘exception.’”

The name ‘Kim Min-woo’ was highlighted again on the screen.

“We are establishing a special anomaly response team centered around Kim Min-woo.”

The room was filled with stunned silence.

Seo Gang-il looked down at the screen and made a firm declaration.

“It’s time for us to take a chance on this possibility.”

Chaotic Morning Commute.
Ding!

The cheerful notification sound made me casually check my phone.

[Deposit completed.]

My eyes widened.

I immediately tapped the notification to check my balance.

‘Whoa!’

For a moment, I doubted my eyes.

‘Wait, how many zeros are there…?’

An amount I had never seen before in my life.

More importantly, the fact that there was no minus sign next to the number was crucial.

Regular salary, Bonus for excellent overtime, Reward for the Colossal Anomaly incident—

It all seemed to have come through.

‘…Is all of this my money?’

The sweet taste of money on my commute.

My previously sluggish steps suddenly became light and lively.

‘Wallet! We’re really rich now!’

I shared my joy with my wallet.

“Still, we can’t stop here. Don’t you remember, Master, how we were looked down upon for not having money? We even swore that day in that mansion, remember?”

That’s right.

She was right.

The day I saw Seo Yuna’s mansion,

I vowed to become ‘richer.’

I had to earn more money.

I almost got complacent and satisfied with just this much.

“Good morning!”

A cheerful greeting. Today, I felt extra energetic.

But the chilly atmosphere in the office…

Especially, Deputy Baek Seok-ho’s expression was unusual.

“Is something wrong?”

Instead of answering, a deep sigh escaped from him.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

To lift this heavy atmosphere, it’d be better to start with the good news.

“Hmm… Then, let’s hear the good news first?”

Baek Seok-ho gave a bitter smile.

A smile mixed with joy and madness.

“Chief Choi Yuri has been assigned to a new team. Finally!”

“Wow…!”

Given the hardships she had endured, it was a cheer that made sense.

“So… what’s the bad news?”

“In that new team… both I and Min-woo will be joining as well. Ha-ha… hahaha…”

…What?

Does this mean the team composition is the same as before?

“We’re moving to the ‘Future Anomaly Utilization Research Institute’ special task force. We’ll be handling all related information gathering, field responses, and hunting.”

“…Ah.”

I recalled my previous conversation with Team Leader Seo Gang-il.

“You’ll be reassigned to another office soon. Your salary will also increase.”

At that time, I accepted it happily, but I never expected the team would be moved.

‘Future Anomaly Utilization Research Institute.’

This could actually be an opportunity for me.

To solve my mother’s illness, I would have to chase after those guys.

“Hi~ Mina~ Ohayo~!”

The office door opened, and Choi Yuri appeared with her characteristic tone.

“Nice to meet you~ I’m Chief Choi Yuri, working with Min-woo! This team feels really good! The air is even fresher! Right, Deputy Baek Seok-ho?”

“Ugh…”

Deputy Baek’s breath was almost cut off.

“Min-woo, I’m looking forward to working with you again~”

She ignored Deputy Baek and came towards me,
then delivered more news.

“And, this time, the team is centered around Min-woo! A special team for a superhuman-level newcomer~!”

“A team for me…?”

“Yes~! A special team utilizing anomalies! Min-woo has been given conditional authority to use Pamyoh, who follows him like a master!”

“…Pamyoh?”

This was unexpected.

Until now, the Anomaly Management Bureau had only used anomalies within the framework of ‘contracts.’

But this time, they were planning to use the anomaly as it is, raw?

…Isn’t their trust in me a bit too strong?

‘Pamyoh wasn’t always docile, though…’

Thinking back to when he bit my arm during our first meeting, the way anomalies express affection is far from human.

However, the Child of the Blue Robe had said.

Try it.

It might be dangerous, but at the same time, this was definitely a good opportunity for me.

“And one more piece of good news~”

Choi Yuri smiled and pointed in a direction.

There, carefully bowing her head, stood Seo Yuna.

“Hello.”

It had been a long time since the ‘head pats’ incident.

Seo Yuna had joined the team as well.

“My brother… asked me to look after you…”

She had joined thanks to Seo Gang-il’s recommendation.

It was an unexpected development, but honestly…

I was glad.

Since that day, I had been thinking a lot.

If another chance was given, this time, I wouldn’t make a mistake.

Although ‘patting’ was still a work in progress,

I planned to seriously train for it soon.

I shyly raised the corner of my mouth, nodding my head.

We had all moved to the new office.

Familiar faces, but the environment and goals were completely different now.

The only thing left was to track down the location of the Future Anomaly Utilization Research Institute.

“…They’re like cockroaches.”

Deputy Baek Seok-ho shook his head.

He had been going through the transferred documents, but there was no trace of them anywhere.

To be precise, whenever the Anomaly Management Bureau showed interest, they would always catch on and move their tracks.

At that moment, Yuri spoke up.

“Criminals always return to the scene. Think back to when Min-woo first encountered them. They’ll come back to that place!”

“Eh, no way.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

Would they really recruit test subjects in the same way, knowing that the Bureau was onto them?

I turned on the recruitment app, trying to refute Yuri’s claim.

“See, it’s not here…”

Before I could finish my sentence, a familiar advertisement caught my eye.

[High earnings guaranteed]

[Daily wage of 990,000 won / Paid on the same day]

[Additional payment for referrals]

[Apply now]

Too familiar.

A suspicious job ad.

It was the exact same one I had seen before.

“Damn.”

It was them.