Chapter 6 : Base Salary, 660,000 Won

[Bureau of Anomaly Management / Incident Summary Report]

Case No.: 2504-66

Classification: Illegal Anomaly Experiment / Civilian Survival Case

Summary:

The disguised facility “Healing Animal Nursery” located on the outskirts of the metropolitan area was revealed to be an illegal laboratory breeding and experimenting on anomalies.

At the time of dispatch, three of the four anomalies were confirmed dead or missing.

–
The remaining entity, Pamyoh, was in a state of extreme alertness.

Notable Points:

• The sole survivor, Kim Min-woo, is a civilian.
• The entity Pamyoh blocked agent access, standing protectively in front of Kim Min-woo.
• During rescue, Pamyoh was sitting as if shielding Kim Min-woo.
• Kim Min-woo survived despite an arm amputation. However, he is currently undergoing spontaneous healing. Full recovery is expected.
• The anomaly Pamyoh displayed friendly behavior toward Kim Min-woo.

Conclusion:

• A rare case in which an anomaly voluntarily exhibited protective behavior toward a human.
• Kim Min-woo: Classified as Surveillance Grade B-1 / Request submitted for potential recruitment.

“Ha… does this even make sense?”

Deputy Agent Baek Seok-ho of the Bureau of Anomaly Management sighed as he threw the report onto his desk.

On the first page, it read:

“Survivor: Kim Min-woo / Human”

“Even if it’s D-class, Pamyoh is still an anomaly. And that kind of being was protecting a human? Am I supposed to believe this?”

Next to him, another bureau agent, Choi Yuri, slurped instant noodles and tilted her head.

“What’s wrong with that? Affection… comes in many forms, you know?”

“Huh? An anomaly showing affection to a human? They see us as toys or food at best. They’re our natural enemies.”

“Well, are humans that different? Last week, our team leader said he wasn’t eating ramen, so I only cooked mine. Then he stole mine. That kind of greed… isn’t that a bit anomalous too?”

“…I feel like I’m losing my mind when I talk to you.”

Baek Seok-ho rubbed his temple.

Why does our team have no normal people?

“Enough joking. Be serious for a second. Have you ever seen a case where an anomaly voluntarily showed kindness to a human?”

“Hm… No. And even if there was, it always turned out to be a misunderstanding. Like you said, just a form of amusement—playing with humans.”

“Exactly. And… humans don’t regenerate limbs. A normal civilian with regenerative ability? That’s even less likely.”

“…You’re saying his arm healed naturally? That’s cheating. Did Pamyoh have that kind of ability?”

“No. Pamyoh has no healing powers.”

Curious now, Yuri put her chopsticks down and leaned in to look at the report.

“A regular human with that kind of recovery, and no contract with an anomaly? Are we sure he’s actually human?”

“They’re sure. The analysis team confirmed 100%—human. Just… an unusual one.”

“So we’re supposed to scout him?”

Baek Seok-ho nodded.

“Targeted for both surveillance and containment. HQ wants us to make contact and check if he’s cooperative. If not… continued surveillance.”

“But we’ll probably get rejected again. We’ve been turned down ten out of ten times recently. Anyone who’s seen an anomaly either loses it or never wants to see one again. Ever seen someone stay sane after facing an anomaly? Unless you’re a little unhinged like us, you can’t last.”

“…Yeah. You’re very unhinged.”

“Thank you!”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Aw… sob sob… sob sob…”

Choi Yuri made a show of dabbing at her eyes.

Baek Seok-ho turned away expressionlessly.

Give her an inch, she takes a mile.

Ignoring was best.

He cleared his throat and spoke slowly.

“Still… I hope things go better this time. We’re really short on people.”

“Yup. Sniff If he joins, that’d be great~. With the nature of our team’s job managing anomalies in containment, if we had someone anomalies liked, the job would be way easier… sob sob.”

“Exactly…”

No matter how low-risk or docile Pamyoh might be, the fact that an anomaly was following a human was no small matter.

And if other anomalies besides Pamyoh were also friendly toward Kim Min-woo?

That would go far beyond “unusual.”

Given the nature of Baek Seok-ho’s team, which handled anomaly containment and management, such an individual could be an enormous asset—especially now, when anomalies were growing more unstable.

Baek Seok-ho opened the report again.

His eyes stopped on a single line:

“Observation Grade B-1 / Kim Min-woo / Human / In Debt”

“…Debt.”

A small, amused exhale escaped him.

“If not for that, HQ probably would’ve just contained him and moved on.”

“But sir, honestly… who would take this job just for some money?”

“…No one.”

Baek Seok-ho stood up.

As he walked slowly down the hallway with the file in hand, he said:

“Anyway, we’re going to offer him a position. If he accepts, great. If not, oh well.”

“What if he actually joins?”

“…Then we’ll finally have one normal person on our team.”

“Ooh~ That means there’ll be two people like me! Amazing!”

May the new recruit be a normal person, please…

The first thought that came to mind upon regaining consciousness was how strangely refreshed his body felt.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had slept this deeply.

As I stared blankly at the ceiling and started to turn my head,

I felt a familiar sensation in my right arm.

A sense of touch I thought I had lost.

It didn’t hurt.

‘…Huh? I could’ve sworn this arm got blown off.’

I slowly lowered my gaze.

My arm was wrapped in bandages.

The arm that had been severed was back.

Even the fingers were intact.

“Was it… just a dream?”

I couldn’t be sure.

Monsters, gunfire, screams, blood, and… people driven mad by insanity.

The memories from before I passed out were still vivid.

‘I thought I was going to die. How am I still alive?’

As I slowly turned my head, the hospital room came into view.

Machines were beeping steadily, monitoring my condition, and a monitor displayed my heart rate in steady, rhythmic beats.

As I exhaled, the air in my chest rushed out.

Only then did the reality start to sink in.

“…I’m really alive.”

A hollow laugh escaped from me before I realized it.

Strangely, my body felt light.

I even felt stronger than before.

As I tried to sit up, the machine beside my bed let out a warning beep.

And then—

Click.

The hospital room door quietly opened.

A man and a woman in black suits entered.

From their clothes to their demeanor, they looked like agents from some intelligence agency.

‘…They’re not nurses or doctors, that’s for sure.’

The man stepped forward first and spoke.

“Are you Mr. Kim Min-woo?”

“…Yes, that’s me.”

“We’re with the Bureau of Anomaly Management. I’m Baek Seok-ho, Assistant Manager of Division 3, and this is—”

The woman beside him smiled brightly and waved.

“Chief Choi Yu-ri, also from Division 3~ Nice to meet you!”

Her smile was cheerful, but her eyes weren’t smiling.

There was something off, abnormal about her.

“The Bureau of Anomaly Management?”

“Yes. We’re a government agency that manages abnormal events like the one you experienced. We’re here in relation to that incident.”

The man, who introduced himself as Baek Seok-ho, calmly summarized the process of how the incident had been handled.

He explained how things had been wrapped up.

Then he quietly took out an envelope and placed it on the table beside my bed.

“There are a few things we need to deliver. This is the compensation and medical support document.
All hospital costs after your rescue have been fully covered by the state. Formal compensation will also be issued shortly.”

I instinctively grabbed the envelope.

My eyes widened at the number written inside.

‘…This much?!’

It was more than enough to pay off my overdue credit cards and the interest I’d been forced to hand over.

Especially after losing my job and having no clue what came next.

Suddenly, the world looked a bit brighter.

Damn! Maybe life isn’t so bad after all.

Kinda sweet, actually.

“And…”

Baek Seok-ho took out another document.

His expression turned more serious.

“The Bureau of Anomaly Management would like to offer you a job.”

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s a cooperative contract position. You won’t be involved in frontline anomaly response.
Your main duties would be anomaly management, analysis, and containment support.”

I was momentarily speechless.

The memories from before I lost consciousness came flooding back—

Screams, piles of corpses, crazed people, and my arm being blown off.

All the pain.

“I… I almost died.”

“But you didn’t.”

The voice that cut in came from Choi Yuri, still smiling.

She clasped her hands together and leaned toward me.

“Did you know? ‘Pamyoh’ was protecting you. From our perspective, you’re incredibly gifted in this field. A human protected by an anomaly—how amazing is that?”

“What?”

“It’s true! When you were rescued, Pamyoh was right by your side, growling at anyone who came close.
Just like a dog protecting its owner! It was even curled up and hugging you! So moving… Waaah~”

She hugged herself and squirmed with emotion.

Her expression was bright, but something was definitely unhinged.

For a moment, I genuinely wanted to run away.

“Of course, it’s not mandatory,” Baek Seok-ho said quietly.

“It’s perfectly fine if you refuse. In that case, we’ll simply modify your memories and let you return to a normal life.
But if you’re even slightly… interested in this line of work,”
he tapped the corner of the envelope.
“You’ll find the answer in here.”

I unfolded the document.

The numbers jumped out at me.

Base daily pay: 660,000 won.

“…Huh? I’ve seen this number somewhere before.”

A familiar figure.

The very cause of this whole mess.

It was the pay from that high-paying part-time job.

Was it just a coincidence?

No—something felt off.

I wanted to say no right away, but…

“Take a look at the section below as well.”

Baek Seok-ho pointed at the bottom of the paper.

Hazard pay: additional

Life risk allowance / Special ops pay / Night shift bonus: additional

“…And there are plenty of other benefits too.”

Baek Seok-ho went on to explain the rest of the perks.

I wondered if any company in the world could match this kind of package.

‘With this money, I could pay off all my debts… and finally afford Mom’s surgery.’

My head was spinning.

My heart beat quietly, yet clearly.

The memories of what had happened made me hesitate, but that money!

That amount…

It was just too much to turn down.

“I…”

Still, I didn’t want to accept right away.

I had just been reluctant, and if I said yes now, I’d look like someone completely obsessed with money.

So I said something that would buy me a little time—and serve another purpose.

“I’ll decide after I meet the anomaly called ‘Pamyoh.’”

I wanted to test it.

Was that creature really favoring me?

And—

‘I’ll also look into “Nabi,” the one they said disappeared.’

According to Baek Seok-ho, Pamyoh was the only anomaly present at the scene.

But before I lost consciousness, I was sure I saw something—

A cat.

Was that really Nabi? If not, where had she gone?

I wanted to know.

“…Very well. We’ll come back for you soon.”

Baek Seok-ho nodded.

And with that, the agents left the hospital room.

Later, in the car on their way back to the Bureau—

“So, what do you think, Deputy? Think he’ll say yes?”

Choi Yu-ri asked with a bright, eager face.

Baek Seok-ho sighed briefly and looked out the window.

“I’ve thought this for a while now… You really have no fear, huh.”

“Huh? What do you mean? He’s just a person, not even an anomaly. What’s there to be scared of?”

Baek Seok-ho shook his head.

He wasn’t sure if she was fearless… or just unhinged.

Their earlier meeting with Kim Min-woo replayed in his mind.

Even when they talked about the anomalies, Kim Min-woo’s expression didn’t change.

No trauma.

No anxiety.

No fear.

Not even a hint.

…And then there were those eyes.

Cold, deep—like they could see right through you.

That same tense sensation you get when facing high-risk anomalies.

“More than anything… He didn’t seem that interested in the money.”

“Right? I thought he’d jump at the offer since he’s drowning in debt! But surprisingly, he took it seriously.”

Choi Yu-ri grinned and whispered like sharing a secret.

“I’m sure of it. Kim Min-woo is one of us.”

“One of us?”

Baek Seok-ho turned to look at her.

With a playful smile, she tapped her forehead.

“He’s nuts. Not in his right mind. And that’s the best qualification for dealing with anomalies. Hehe.”

“…Let me remind you again: you’re the only crazy one on this team.”

Baek Seok-ho sighed again, pressing his fingers to his temples.

But even so, there was a subtle smile on his lips.

‘Looks like I’ll get to see it for myself.’

Whether the reports were exaggerated, or whether an anomaly really was unusually attached to Kim Min-woo.

When he finally meets Pamyoh, everything will come to light.

‘This… might actually be fun.’

For the first time in a long while, Baek Seok-ho felt his heart stir with excitement.

Despite the exhausting day, a strange thrill lingered.