episode_0202

“What kind of person is Mr. Banharin?”

One day. Nari Kang said.

What kind of person is Ban Harin?

A woman who comes to the cafe every morning and sits at the same table until work time.

He always talks shit to Eunha with an expressionless face… A self-proclaimed low-level office worker.

“Mr. Ban Harin?”

“Yes. I was wondering how you found out about it.”

It was a question I asked in passing, and it was easy to overlook.

It is not strange to answer ‘Now?’

It’s a random question.

“… Come now?”

“I’m doing it now. Until now, I wasn’t in a position to ask anything.”

“That’s right. He was a small-scale debt collector living in a semi-basement.”

It was a time when Ban Harin suddenly left the room, saying he wanted to go to work.

Eunha answered Kang Na-ri’s question that came out of nowhere without thinking about it.

Swoosh… Swoosh…

At that time, there were no customers and it was quiet.

When Kang Na-ri told her to rest for a while, Eunha fixed her apron and sat down at Ban Harin’s empty table.

Soon, Eun-bang-ul found Eun-ha sitting on a chair and jumped on her lap.

What are you going to do when guests come?

Eunha smiled lazily and brushed the girl’s pure white rabbit ears with familiar hands.

“Ah… There, it’s good. Scratch a little harder.”

“Like this?”

“No! Why are people so powerless?”

“You try it.”

I combed out the soft rabbit ears with my bare hands.

Every time that happened, the rabbit girl smiled happily and leaned back against Eunha’s soft chest.

Then, he often pressed Eunha’s large breasts and said, ‘Don’t push! It was a bell that complained, ‘There is no place to sit!’

Nevertheless, she doesn’t think about going down because she feels good on Eunha’s lap.

The daily life of a peaceful cafe with no incidents or accidents.

Eunha combed Baeul-i’s rabbit ears and pondered Kang Na-ri’s question.

“What kind of person is Mr. Ban Harin… He’s just an ordinary regular customer, right?”

“Ordinary regular customers do not carry cafe uniforms in their briefcases. We don’t even go out to eat together during lunchtime.”

“There are few things that reveal friendship more than humility.”

“When I first saw you, I thought you were a real employee?”

“I get confused sometimes too.”

“Me too!”

What are these people?

Do you have any intention of doing business?

Nari Kang touched her forehead in unknown uncertainty.

It seems that she is the only normal person in this cafe.

“Um… Oh, there is that.”

Soon, Eunha, who was gently scratching the top of Eunbangul’s head, spoke.

Like Ban Harin, who always approaches without a single sound of footsteps,

Memories that came silently make Eunha’s eyes deepen.

“3 years ago. The day the cafe opened… the first customer was Ban Harin.”

“The first customer?”

Kang Na-ri’s next question.

Eunha quietly looked up at the ceiling.

The softly shining light stings the eyes.

… … .

3 years ago,

A cafe started by Eunbangul and two other people.

Now it’s called ‘Rabbit Latte’, but what was the name on the sign at first?

I don’t remember.

(……A cup of coffee. Anything.)

But, I still remember something.

First guest.

Expressionless like now…

No, he was much colder than he is now.

(A cup of coffee. Anything.)

He was a person without humor,

She was a woman who seemed to work like a machine.

(A cup of coffee. Anything.)

He quietly ‘observed’ Eunha, who was nervous about her first customer.

He was a person who would say what was necessary for work without talking about anything personal.

(A cup of coffee. Anything.)

(A cup of coffee. Anything.)

(A cup of coffee. Anything.)

Every morning at 9 o’clock.

Always come at the same time,

Always saying the same thing,

Always the same… As soon as I got my coffee, I left the cafe without any regrets.

Those dazzling golden eyes approached me,

I remember an expressionless woman in a black suit.

“… … Thinking about it now, how did we become friends?”

People’s work is truly amazing.

Eunha laughed lightly and hugged Bang Bang, who was sitting on her lap.

“What. No matter how they first met, Mr. Banharin is a good person.”

“Good person…”

“Except that sometimes it comes up behind the back and startles people, or bursts out into a fit of rage.”

A word that suddenly came to mind.

But, it suddenly occurred to me,

Words closer to sincerity.

“And he’s probably the one who suffers the most among us.”

Ban Harin’s table is empty today, with only a turned-off laptop lying around.

Eunha looked at the clean laptop without any dust,

After saying those words, I closed my mouth.

… … .

… … .

somewhere,

Peaceful daily life.

Today too,

The cafe is peaceful.

As for the cafe.

… … .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

… … .

Boo…

A gray car with no special features, so ordinary that no one would pay any attention to it, drives down the road.

The sound of rolling wheels.

The sound of crawling across hot asphalt.

Rattling… rattling…

The sound of something heavy being lifted out of the trunk.

The car that used to make a quiet engine noise leads to a busy pace,

Eventually, we arrive at the Hunter Association headquarters located in Seoul.

“… … .”

Throbbing eyeball.

Head throbbing.

Ban Harin wiped the blood flowing from one eye and took out a pure white mask from the briefcase left on the passenger seat.

A mask as expressionless as her face.

Soon, an ordinary car goes down to the association’s underground parking lot.

Rattling… rattling…

Are the back seat and trunk heavy?

The car’s center of gravity is shifted backwards.

Ban Harin checked the rear-view mirror to see that there was nothing in the back seat and reached the parking lot.

… … .

[Rare Hunter Protection-Management Department] Team 1.

This is not a very honorable department to enter through the association’s main gate.

So I’m thinking of taking the elevator from the basement to the upper floor.

‘The association verifies team members’ information. When was the last time you went to work and what was in the submitted documents…’

Lots of questions.

Where are the other team members other than yourself and ‘Mouse’ doing?

Is he alive?

And why,

Have you ever lived without even thinking that you were strange?

It’s a strange thing.

but,

clear.

As always.

Throbbing…

With her eyes colored golden, she ‘observes’ her surroundings.

Soon, she observes an inexplicable distortion in her eyes, which gives her a throbbing headache.

“… … Tsk.”

Observation results.

Above, yes.

Ban Harin bit his lip as he felt a sense of discomfort passing through the mask.

Although its identity is still unknown, something strange and dangerous exists.

Neither a monster nor a person.

It must be dealt with before it harms the galaxy.

Because that is your role.

Squeak…

The car stops.

‘Something’ in the trunk couldn’t overcome the inertia and started shaking! makes a sound

… No problem yet.

Banharin hasn’t heard anything yet,

Quietly turn off the engine and get out of the driver’s seat.

Sarah… Sarah…

Her movements showed fear and tension that could not be hidden, but

Surprisingly, there was no noise of any kind.

Passing by… Only the sound of leaves rustling is the only trace of her.

Even though I open the driver’s seat and walk through the underground parking lot, where even the smallest footsteps echo like an echo, I feel as quiet as a ghost.

Ban Harin doesn’t make a single sound.

Perhaps he is a person who is more suited to the word ‘hunter’.

Rattling.

however,

Today was a little different.

I could clearly hear the sound of the car door opening and closing.

“… … ?”

Ban Harin quietly looked back at the parked car.

A sound that I don’t normally make hits my eardrums.

Minor mistake.

I made a noise when I got out of the driver’s seat.

Were you preoccupied with your team members’ work?

Ban Harin, out of habit, brushed off the mask on his face and calmed his agitated mind.

You have to silence the sound.

Because that’s what I’m doing.

Even in our daily lives, we live with silence.

Thanks to this, I hear complaints from Eunha every day that she is like a ghost…

To be honest, how can you stop when there is a beautiful woman with big breasts next to you who jumps up and screams at the slightest surprise?

‘So, let’s finish work quickly and go back to the cafe. Eunha must be worried.’

My heart is pounding.

The heartbeat that has started to beat is unfamiliar.

Is it because my left eye hurts like it’s going to explode?

Or is it because I realized that there was an unknown ‘something’ lurking around me?

I guess it’s good.

She walked through the quiet underground parking lot without a sound.

… … Tap… tap…

and,

What follows is,

Clear footsteps,

It gets on her nerves.

… … .

sound.

Trivial words.

A noise she would never have made under normal circumstances.

… … .

(Rumbling ㅡ.)

The sound of her opening and closing the car door.

… or not,

The sound of someone in the ‘back seat’ opening the door and coming out.

… … .

(Tap…tap…)

The sound of her footsteps was inadvertently overlooked.

… or not,

A couple of steps behind Ban Harin.

The sound of ‘something’ following closely behind her.

… … .

The extraordinary invades her daily life.

The blood flowing from the left eye stains the ‘white mask’ red.

Step by step. Step by step.

Ban Harin blames himself for not being able to do anything today.

I entered the elevator with the sound of unfamiliar footsteps.

… … .

… … .

“Are you talking about the attendance records of team members? Please wait a moment!”

After a while.

Ban Harin, wearing a pure white mask, arrived at the [Human Resources Department] office located on the second floor of the association.

An impeccably clean office.

The window and door frames without any insect corpses in sight represent the meticulous nature of the manager here.

Do I have tuberculosis?

It’s nice to see the employees cleaning the window frames every day.

Ban Harin sat on the hard sofa prepared for guests and quietly waited for the staff member in charge to arrive.

“Where… Ah! It’s here! [Rare Hunter Protection-Management Department] Is that correct?”

“… … .”

“There are more ‘owls’, ‘badgers’, and ‘bears’ as team members than I thought.”

A female employee who was rummaging through a desk drawer picked up a pile of documents with a clumsy gesture.

What is written on the cover of the document is ‘Attendance Record’.

The item Ban Harin was looking for.

The disheveled female employee scratched the bridge of her nose and shuffled through documents.

He soon lets out a small exclamation, saying he has found the record he wants.

“Ah! It’s here. Everyone has a record of leaving work until yesterday. There is no problem!”

“… … .”

“Are you the team leader? I’ll also look at the team leader’s records, so could you tell me your name?”

A female employee with a sloppy gesture.

The light-hearted tone of speech offends Ban Harin.

But Van Harin, as if he couldn’t hear anything,

I sit on the hard sofa and just look up at the clock hanging in my office.

He really is like a machine.

The female employee, depressed by the cold response, droops her shoulders.

“Um, hey… Team leader? Hey?”

“… … .”

“Well… Just tell me your name, I can do it…”

No answer.

The female employee asks Ban Harin’s name in an even deeper voice.

One minute like that. 2 minutes…

About 3 minutes have passed?

Rattling…

I heard the door opening from inside the office.

“… … Sigh… Why did you come to the administration department, Mr. ‘Wolf’? I’m scared.”

[Human Resources Department] Inside the office,

The door marked ‘Human Resources Manager’s Office’ opens with difficulty, and a woman with dark circles comes out.

A pitiful image of an office worker whose precious lifestyle has been destroyed as he tries to relieve his stress with alcohol and coffee.

As if I live with coffee, the strong smell of caffeine begins to fill the [Human Resources Department].

“It’s been a while. Personnel Manager.”

Only then did Ban Harin get up from the sofa and walk towards the ‘Human Resources Manager’.

As the woman with the pure white mask approaches him, the ‘Human Resources Manager’ takes a step back without even hiding his frightened appearance.

“Huh? It’s ‘wolf’. If you come to me without saying a word, this woman will die of shock… What’s going on in the [Human Resources Department] with this girl who hasn’t shown up at the association for a few days?”

“Time log of team members. And the reports they submitted. Do you know where it is?”

Hearing Ban Harin’s cold voice, the ‘Human Resources Manager’ takes a shot of the coffee he was holding and sighs.

It is a sigh that means why do you ask yourself such a thing?

Throbbing.

Blood flowing from Ban Harin’s left eye.

Turning the pure white mask red.

The personnel manager frowns at the smell of blood coming from Ban Harin’s mask.

“Wow, I’m glad you came to visit me when the other employees went out to eat… ‘Wolf’. Is there any information about your secret department in the personnel department? I’ll put it in a place where no one can see.”

“I asked if you knew where it was. It’s urgent.”

“… … ha. Follow me underground. Because I will find it for you.”

“Thank you.”

like that,

The head of the human resources department with dark circles, and Ban Harin, whose face was covered with a pure white mask,

Step by step. Step by step…

I left the [Human Resources Department] with the sound of two footsteps.

Just right.

The human resources manager turned off the office lights.

Because there’s no one inside.

“… … .』

and.

The disheveled female employee who asked Ban Harin’s name.

The ‘thing’ left alone in the dark,

He put down the ‘guides’ that were bundled up like a bundle of documents and smiled vaguely.

『Hmm… I’m not pretending not to know, but I guess you didn’t see it?』

Looks like it’s still not hot enough.

But soon.

『Miss saboteurs, there are two more.』

Wolf and mouse.

There is nothing wrong anyway.

The disheveled female employee gathered a bundle of documents and left the [Human Resources Department].

… … .

… … .

“… … Tsk.”

How much time has passed?

Ban Harin, who took the elevator down to the underground parking lot, clicked his tongue nervously.

‘Team members’ attendance records… Starting in May, one person started not coming to work every day.’

The attendance record that the personnel manager found and left.

Traces of team members who disappeared day after day.

has disappeared.

One by one. One by one.

The first thing to disappear was ‘Owl’.

So then who is ‘it’ that called earlier?

I didn’t notice it at all.

‘Now… what is…’

Step by step. Step by step.

The sound of footsteps can be heard openly.

A sound coming from behind.

Ban Harin took off his mask, which was soaked with blood flowing from his eyes, and got into the car.

Immediately afterwards, I shook my head. The back seat opens and closes with a sound.

‘Attack by someone? ‘But how?’

I feel creepy even though I haven’t turned on the air conditioner.

Ban Harin wiped the blood from his cheek and left the underground parking lot.

Boom… rattle rattle…

The center of gravity of a passenger car is tilted backwards today.

Something heavy is shaking back and forth in the trunk, unable to overcome its inertia.

Strange sounds.

Ban Harin felt like he was going deaf from the noise polluting his eardrums.

“… … What on earth is the right answer?”

It was from May.

Hunter Kim Song-ah of the [Artifact Management Department] died, and strange things began from then on.

The movements of a galaxy that disappears for a moment and then appears,

Black bugs that appeared in [Crack Field],

Some missing incidents occurring in Euncheon-gu…

What is the cause?

What has changed?

Ban Harin reflected on all the things he had seen so far.

‘What’s changed… Since May, Eunha has always been carrying around a strange suitcase…’

Boom…

There are many concerns.

I have a lot of thoughts.

“Eunha. I…”

Hiding all kinds of emotions on his mask-like face.

The lying woman left the association and returned to the cafe.

It rattled. It rattled.

With the noise of the trunk now clearly audible.