Chapter 7 : Rules That Only I Can See

The morning before visiting the Bureau of Anomalies.

From somewhere, the sound of a cat’s meow echoed.

“Meow~.”

It was a slow and lazy sound.

Was it a cat wandering through the hallway of this villa?

Or maybe a stray cat wandering in the alley outside.

Or perhaps…

The hand that had been adjusting the cuff of my shirt paused for a moment.

A familiar name lingered on the tip of my tongue.

“Butterfly…”

Butterfly was the reason I entered this world,
and that day, the one who saved me in the midst of despair.

Where could Butterfly be now?

I had asked Baek Seok-ho many times since then, but the answer was always the same.

At the scene, there had only been Pamyoh and Nuri, he said.

But I had definitely seen it.

The black cat that approached me in the final moment.

“…Today, I’ll have to ask Nuri about it.”

Today, the Bureau of Anomalies was going to observe whether Nuri was truly ‘favorable’ toward me.

I planned to seize that opportunity.

The cat I saw before I lost consciousness that day.

A chance to ask if it was really Butterfly.

‘Of course, before that, Nuri has to greet me properly…’

This time, there’s a possibility of hostility as well.

Perhaps, my arm will be ripped off again.

Still, I want to find Butterfly.

That was also the reason I wanted to join the Bureau of Anomalies.

“And make a lot of money at my new job… meet some women too.”

I’ll start paying off my debts soon enough.

Isn’t it time I start living a more normal life?

Creeeak-

Grabbing the old door handle, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘This door, and the furniture… I should probably replace some of it.’

I wasn’t planning to move out immediately.

It seemed like I just needed to replace a few household items.

Why have I stayed in this villa?

Well, of course, the affordable rent played a part… but actually, it’s because she lives next door.

And just as I opened the front door, a familiar person walked out from the next door.

A beautiful woman wearing a beige coat with her hair loosely tied, gently swaying on her shoulders.

It was Jeong Eun-seo.

…Is she perhaps a model? Is she heading to a photo shoot?

It was an ordinary morning commute, but her appearance was like a painting.

“Hello.”

I greeted her first.

This time, I was going to be a little more confident.

Straightening my shoulders, I spoke without trembling.

She nodded slightly and smiled gently.

“Ah, Min-woo. Long time no see. I’ve noticed you haven’t been home lately…”

“Ah, yeah. Well… I’ve had some things to take care of.”

“Are you… not hurt, are you? I was worried since I haven’t seen your face.”

For a moment, I thought my breath had stopped.

My heart raced a little faster.

I held my breath, afraid it might be audible.

‘…Is this the green light?’

She knew I hadn’t been home for a while, which must mean she had been thinking about me, right?

That thought made my brain spin with happy circuits.

Feeling excited, I briefly avoided her gaze and spoke.

“I just had to go on a business trip for a while… Haha.”

“Ah! If you’re not hurt, that’s a relief! I thought something had happened to you, phew…”

Jeong Eun-seo exhaled deeply, her hand brushing over her chest.

I could feel her sincerity.

Her simple words warmed my heart.

Perhaps it was because the pressure from my debts had eased a little,
but it seemed like there was more room in my heart.

If it had been before, I would have felt a distance between us.

Now, it felt like we were one step closer.

Then, I suddenly became curious.

“Do you have any hobbies other than ghost stories?”

Jeong Eun-seo blinked for a moment, then seemed to fall into thought, her gaze dropping downward.

She gently stroked her chin and spoke.

“Well… observation? And research.”

“…Research?”

“Yes, it’s part of my job… and my personality leans that way too.”

“Oh… that suits you well.”

I wasn’t just saying it.

She had an intellectual aura about her,
and her calm, graceful manner made it a perfect fit.

Jeong Eun-seo slightly raised the corner of her mouth.
“Actually, my dream is to one day meet the anomalies from the ghost stories I love. I really want to research them.”

Her voice was calm, but there was passion at the end of her words.

The kind of certainty that only someone with a dream could have.

“That’s a great dream. Somehow, I feel like you’ll make it come true.”

I nodded and smiled without thinking, then the thought crossed my mind.

…The anomalies from those ghost stories, they seem to be the ones I’ve been encountering lately.

The very ones Eun-seo had said she wanted to meet someday.

Ironically, they were the ones I’ve been getting involved with these days.

As I walked away, I suddenly became curious.

What kind of ghost stories did she like?

Who knows, maybe I’ll come across them first.

After parting with Eun-seo,
as I walked out of the alley with light steps, someone urgently called my name.

“Kim Min-woo!”

I turned around, and Baek Seok-ho was waving his hand in front of a black SUV.

How long had he been waiting?

I didn’t expect him to pick me up.

“Min-woo, where exactly is your house? I followed the address you gave me… but the alley was so

complicated, I almost thought I’d never find it.”

“It’s right next door… this neighborhood is a bit confusing. I was planning to find it on my own.”

“If you had done that, you might have ended up at the lost child center instead of the Bureau’s entrance.”

Baek Seok-ho joked half-seriously.

I smiled and got into the car.

Baek Seok-ho continued.

“But once you get your ID badge, finding the entrance will be a piece of cake. Access is free.”

The SUV soon left the alley and entered the city center.

We arrived in the heart of Seoul.

There were more people than I expected.

I thought a hidden secret organization would be located somewhere quiet, like a suburban area.

This was surprising.

“It’s in the city center. Somehow… this is a bit different from what I imagined.”

“Haha, infrastructure is important.”

Baek Seok-ho, who was driving, laughed.

“There are quieter branches, but there isn’t even a convenience store or a restaurant. Forget about dining out, even instant noodles are a rarity. They don’t even deliver here… it’s something else.”

“That’s a bit extreme…”

I nodded sincerely.

For office workers, late-night snacks after work are one of the few pleasures.

I felt relieved that the place I would be working was in the middle of the city.

While exchanging a few more words, the car stopped at the destination.

In front of me was an office building that looked like any other.

Its glass windows were slightly scratched, and a plain corporate logo was posted next to the front door.

But once I stepped inside, the atmosphere was different.

‘…It’s quiet?’

Silence.

Though there were people around, everyone moved as quietly as mice.

Footsteps, keyboard sounds, the rustling of papers.

Aside from that, there was not a single other noise.

“…It’s solemn. It feels like a library.”

I whispered, and Baek Seok-ho nodded, handing me a booklet.

“This is because of the rules here. Take this. It’s one of the most important items in our Bureau.”

What he handed me was a paper booklet that fit into one hand.

It felt familiar.

Its appearance was almost identical to the one used at the illegal anomaly research facility.

I could believe it was exactly the same manual I had received there.

“This is the manual. Min-woo, you mentioned you’ve used something similar before, right?”

“Yeah. That… I used a ‘manual’ at the research facility.”

“It’s hard for me to understand how that facility ended up with this manual. We’re still investigating how they got their hands on it…”

Baek Seok-ho sighed bitterly.

“The Bureau forms contracts with various ‘anomalies’ to confront them. We exchange fair compensation as part of the deal. This manual is the result of those contracts. It’s a tool that outlines how to deal with anomalies, precautions, and how to respond to unusual phenomena. This will be the most used item for you going forward.”

I opened the manual.

It had the usual bookstore paper smell.

But the contents inside were unique.

[Anomaly Bureau, First Floor]

1. Always carry your ID badge.
2. Maintain silence, and never disclose confidential information.
3. Do not remove unauthorized weapons.
   And then, Rule 4.
   Naturally, my gaze stopped there.
   ===
4. In case of emergency, offer a sacrifice to summon the first-floor lobby manager.

(Sacrificial item: Zero Cola Lime flavor)

*The required sacrifice may vary depending on the manager’s mood,
for further details refer to the ‘Sacrifice Guidelines.’

Wait, what?

I read it again.

…It was the same.

Offering a Zero Cola can summon the manager?

Is this really a rule?

It was too hard to just brush off.

I hesitated before speaking.

“Uhm… What’s rule number 4 about?”

“Excuse me?”

Baek Seok-ho tilted his head.

“The rules only go up to number 3.”

He showed me his own manual, which didn’t contain rule number 4.

And there it was.

Exactly the same “rule 4” I had just read.

But Baek Seok-ho casually skipped over it, as if it didn’t even exist.

It sent a chill down my spine.

‘…Is it something I can only see?’

Without saying anything, I stared at the manual for a while.

Baek Seok-ho then quietly asked,

“Is there a problem with the manual you’ve been given?”

…

“No. It’s just… I think I made a mistake.”

I still felt uneasy, but I brushed it off.

I had a similar experience before.

The staff member from the illegal research facility.

Like Baek Seok-ho, he couldn’t read what I could.

That’s when I became sure.

This was something only I could see.

It wouldn’t help to explain it right now.

‘I’ll check it again later.’

For now, there was something more important.

The real reason I was here.

“Well then… Shall we go meet Pamyoh?”

Baek Seok-ho asked.

I nodded silently and followed him.

The anomaly named “Pamyoh,” Nuri.

The being that had bitten me… and I was about to face it again.

Would it greet me like it did that day?