The female ghost nodded firmly.
[I am certain. Please believe me.]
Unwavering eyes.
An expression filled with conviction.
[I do not lie.]
And on top of that, she had the calm tone unique to one who was telling the truth.
“......”
It was not an unfamiliar sight.
When I was young, I had once seen a god beside my maternal grandmother who foretold the future.
The moment my eyes met the god’s, my mother had quickly stepped in front of me to block my view.
After that, I had never seen ghosts again.
In any case, it was true that a god who could see the future existed.
If these were the real Lotto numbers...
Even if I won only one billion won every week, doing that for four weeks would mean I could buy a decent apartment along the Han River within a month, would it not?
...Now was not the time to waste time in Gangwon-do.
“Get in the car. First, we are heading straight to Seoul.”
[Am I going with you too?]
[Oh! Looks like you are coming to our house too!]
It was not our house. It was my house.
The female ghost shed tears in fat drops as she said,
[Thank you...! Thank you so much! I will not forget this kindness even after I die!]
[Wow~! As expected of state power! You hit the jackpot!]
She was already dead, so how exactly did she plan to die again?
Ghosts seemed to have a tendency to make extravagant pledges.
In any case, I had been planning to bring her along anyway.
There was no reason to leave behind a spirit I had bound.
[Thank you. This car is really nice!]
[Homeowner, drive!]
Leaving behind the rare sight of ghosts enjoying a drive, I diligently sped down the expressway and returned to Seoul before noon.
[Is this the house where I will live from now on? It is so wonderful!]
[Hey~! Welcome!]
[I am good at many things. Please tell me to do anything!]
[At least you have a conscience!]
“Let us eat Hanwoo first.”
[Go, go!]
[Thank you!]
“There is a good place right up ahead.”
A Hanwoo restaurant at the intersection.
It was a famous restaurant in this neighborhood.
And while I was going there, I planned to buy some Lotto tickets as well.
SSSSST! SIZZLE.
The gazes of the two ghosts became fixed.
Their target was the Hanwoo grilling over the charcoal fire.
“You may eat now.”
I placed a piece of perfectly grilled outside skirt on top of each bowl of rice.
[Ahhh!]
[Meat! Hanwoo!]
I had deliberately reserved a private room.
It would look strange if there were three bowls of rice placed at empty seats when there was only one person.
On top of that, two of the bowls even had metal chopsticks stuck upright in them.
“Eat as much as you like. You worked hard.”
[Thanks, homeowner!]
[Thank you. I will enjoy it!]
TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP!
The two ate the meat as though they were competing.
Their hands moved so quickly that I could barely see them.
I did not know how a ghost’s digestive organs worked, but I could see the remaining pieces of meat rapidly losing their vitality.
It was like watching an old, faded photograph, as if something that had once been vivid in color was being overlaid with a slight layer of black and white.
I bought three Lotto tickets.
I bought them from the famous lucky Lotto shop in the next neighborhood, where people lined up to buy tickets even from other districts.
It was a place with a long and glorious history, having produced first-place winners thirty times.
Once I was added to that, the number would become thirty-three.
[Homeowner! Buy one hundred tickets!]
[Yes! These numbers are certain!]
The two ghosts pushed me strongly, but I held back.
One hundred tickets would be roughly one hundred billion won, and that amount might make the news.
If my name ended up on people’s lips and caused controversy, my stable life as a civil servant would end right there.
I wanted to live as a civil servant for as long as possible, as smoothly and uneventfully as possible.
Quietly and for a long time.
If that was my goal, such controversy would be fatal. In any case, I could simply buy Lotto tickets every week.
Should I buy only one ticket from next week onward? So I would stand out even less?
I decided that would be best and diligently grilled the meat.
“Eat more.”
This time, I piled brisket high on each of their bowls of rice.
[Brisket!]
[Thank you!]
After we had been eating like that for two hours, the ghosts finally raised both hands in surrender.
[My stomach is going to burst.]
[I cannot breathe!]
“......”
I had all the remaining meat packed to go.
At first, the restaurant owner seemed surprised when he saw the mountain of grilled meat piled on the table.
“Um... was the food not to your taste?”
He probably asked because there was so much meat that had only been grilled and not eaten.
“Not at all. I enjoyed it very much.”
Beside me, the ghosts nodded with satisfied expressions.
“Then should I pack all the remaining meat for you? The grilled meat too?”
“Yes, please.”
It was meat that had already lost its vitality, but I thought it would be fine if I took it home and made soup with it.
Brisket doenjang stew, perhaps... or beef radish soup would be fine too.
“Thank you! Please come again!”
I had bought Lotto tickets and held a team dinner, so the day’s tasks were complete.
When I returned home, perhaps because I had driven all morning, the fatigue struck me all at once.
Even as I sat still, my eyes simply drifted shut.
This would not do.
Today, I should just wash and sleep.
Having decided that, I was about to climb into bed when the female ghost asked beside me,
[Where do I sleep?]
Did ghosts even sleep?
[Sleep anywhere!]
[I want a room too...]
In the end, the storage room I had planned to give to Cha Jun-hyeok became the female ghost’s.
[I like it. Thank you!]
The female ghost gave her thanks while hanging upside down from the clothes rack.
Because of that, her long straight hair hung downward and fluttered blackly like a living curtain.
“......”
Resolving not to enter this room whenever possible from now on, I quietly closed the door.
Monday morning, on my way to work.
There were people I had not seen before in the first-floor lobby of the Hunter Management Agency.
Judging by the civil servant IDs hanging around their necks, they seemed to be newly hired employees.
Four of them were talking while drinking beverages from the vending machine.
In any case, everyone working in this building belonged to the Hunter Management Agency. I was about to approach them to greet them.
“Where are we supposed to go on Friday?”
“You know. That place where the Tower collapsed.”
“The uninhabited island? How are we supposed to get there?”
“They say we are taking a helicopter.”
“This is such a bother. Maybe I should not have said I would do it.”
“Why do we have to care about dead people? They should take proper care of the living. Or raise our pay steps.”
“Exactly!”
“......”
I stopped in place.
It seemed there was no need to go all the way over there.
Then my eyes met one of theirs.
It was the person who had been standing there silently without saying anything until now.
After looking at me for a moment with a somewhat surprised expression, they bowed their head politely. I also lowered my head slightly in greeting, and the other three flinched in surprise before greeting me as well.
After roughly returning their greetings, I passed through the security checkpoint and went straight up to the fifth floor.
“Section Officer Lee!”
The Commissioner approached as though he had been waiting for me the moment I arrived at work.
For some reason, he was holding a case that reminded me of something out of a 007 movie.
“You worked hard!”
“Thank you.”
“I have great expectations for you from now on as well!”
“I will work hard.”
“Ah, and this is...”
Someone who had been hiding behind the Commissioner stepped forward.
It was a woman wearing large, black horn-rimmed glasses that covered nearly half her face.
“Hello. I, I am...”
And then she said nothing for a long while.
When she lowered her head deeply, her long, loose brown hair slid forward and covered half her face again.
“Our new recruit is a little like this. She is very shy around strangers.”
At the Commissioner’s words, the woman nodded vigorously, as though agreeing.
“Her name is Ms. Su-a. Right?”
“Yes, yeees...”
“She is a government white-hat hacker, and she awakened two days ago. As you can see, she is not very talkative.”
Nod, nod.
“Still, her skills are certain. What did you say your class was?”
“Communications Soldier.”
Communications Soldier?
“Ms. Su-a can break through any information and communications network. Without leaving a trace online.”
Again, nod, nod.
“You are the only one in the world, right? With this class?”
“Probably...”
“As for your position, let us see... You are a Section Officer like Section Officer Lee, so should we call you Section Officer Yoo from now on?”
The moment she heard that, Ms. Su-a was startled and shook her head fiercely.
“Th, that... N-no!”
Unlike just moments ago, it was a rather firm expression of intent.
“Why? You do not like Section Officer?”
“That is... it sounds strange.”
Ms. Su-a even clenched her fists, showing her firm resolve.
“Yoo... Section Officer...”
I roughly understood what she meant.
It sounded strange if her surname was attached.
It could sound like, “You, Section Officer.”
But if the surname was left off entirely, it became difficult to tell us apart.
Or perhaps the rank of Section Officer itself felt burdensome to her.
“Then should we continue calling you Ms. Su-a?”
“Yes... yes! Commissioner.”
In any case, the issue of how to address Ms. Su-a was peacefully concluded by mutual agreement.
“So Ms. Su-a has a great deal to do right now.”
She nodded resolutely, then went to her seat and sat down.
Come to think of it, while I had been away on my business trip, the office had changed quite a lot.
I saw a large multifunction printer, a water dispenser, and a mobile whiteboard, as well as a refrigerator, and in the corner over there...
There was a glass pyramid large enough for a person to fit inside.
What was that?
What in the world was it for?
However, I felt there was no need to find out. No matter how I thought about it, that seemed better.
There were also ten wide L-shaped desks, which could be considered basic office furniture, and one conference table.
Of them, the widest desk, made by joining two desks together, was Ms. Su-a’s seat. It was in the far back corner, almost entirely enclosed on all sides by tall partitions.
The moment she sat down, eight monitors turned on simultaneously. Then came the sound of keys being struck.
TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP.
The Commissioner, standing beside Ms. Su-a, asked,
“Where is Japan’s S-Rank Hunter right now?”
Tap-tap.
The answer appeared on one monitor.
<Hunter Hanamizu Ren is currently at Osaka Uni Studio.>
“Accurate!”
The Commissioner looked extremely satisfied.
Then the questioning began in earnest.
“What is the highest floor the United States has currently cleared?”
<The 49th floor.>
The answer was faster than speech.
“How many times has the United States failed to clear the 50th floor?”
Tap-tap-tap.
An image of an eagle appeared on one monitor for a moment, then disappeared as the letters quickly rearranged themselves.
<23 times.>
...Was she really a white-hat hacker?
Was this not just hacking?
The question-and-answer session continued in this manner.
“How many times has China failed to clear its highest floor?”
<37 times.>
“What is China’s next clear plan?”
<The Beijing 798 Dungeon in two days. And the Oriental Pearl Tower is scheduled to be cleared in one week.>
I already knew about China’s Oriental Pearl Tower because I had heard of it before.
One morning, the real Shanghai landmark, the Oriental Pearl Tower, had vanished completely, leaving only the first floor behind.
The sight of the Tower disappearing in real time had been filmed, and the images of the citizens standing before it in astonishment had appeared several times in international news stories.
“Where is China’s Hunter Weixin staying?”
Weixin? Did he mean Liu Weixin?
Liu Weixin was one of the top-ranked Hunter criminals captured through international cooperation.
<Shanghai Protective Detention Center.>
As expected, he was inside a protective detention center.
The Commissioner nodded and asked the next question.
“Has there ever been a Tower cleared at S-Rank before?”
Tap.
<Korea is the first.>
“Did you see that, Section Officer Lee? You are the first in the entire world!”
This was the first time I had learned that.
“Which countries currently know Section Officer Lee’s identity?”
<None yet. However, the United States, China, Japan, Thailand, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and others are gathering data.>
“Erase all of it!”
TAP-TAP-TAP!
<...3, 2, 1. Deletion complete.>
“Good work! How long will it take the other countries to recover it?”
<I will delay it as much as possible. I will also plant traps to interfere with future data collection.>
“Well done! We will protect Section Officer Lee!”
Nod, nod, nod, nod.
Ms. Su-a nodded vigorously again.
“Now that Ms. Su-a has joined us, if you need any information, Section Officer Lee, tell us anytime.”
<I will do my best to find out for you!>
Ah, in that case.
“Would information about the Tower be possible as well?”
“The Tower? Of course it would.”
I needed to verify what Cha Jun-hyeok had told me before.
“I heard information that if one climbs the Tower to the 100th floor, it will grant a wish. I heard it grants anything, and I would like to know whether it is possible to revive the dead.”
At my words, the Commissioner’s expression turned somewhat puzzled.
“You heard such information? Did you perhaps learn it because of your class?”
Since I had heard it from a spirit, it was correct that I had learned it thanks to my class.
“Yes. Would it be possible to confirm whether this information is true, and whether it is possible? I heard that related information becomes available after reaching the 40th floor.”
“The 40th floor. Then we will have to look into the United States or China.”
Ms. Su-a nodded a couple of times and immediately accessed the CIA network.
<Acquiring information access privileges... This document is classified as Top Secret. Please wait a moment.>
“TS level? This might be difficult to break through all at once.”
<Unlike a typical TS-level document, this document is protected by five layers of security. Still, I will try.>
As before, a white eagle appeared on the screen.
Complex lines of code rushed rapidly across the monitor window.
And just as a new window seemed about to appear...
“...Ah!”
Along with a warning sound, red warning signs appeared across every monitor window.
After seeing the situation, Ms. Su-a quickly began handling it.
A dazzling sound of typing rang out, and the warning windows disappeared one by one. Then, just as she was finally about to access a meaningful page...
SZZZT—!
Blackout.
All the screens disappeared at once.
“The c-computer...”
Ms. Su-a stared in despair at the computer tower, from which smoke was rising in wisps.
“Tsk. It crashed.”
The Commissioner clicked his tongue briefly.
“...Wh-what should I do?”
“Were ordinary workstation-level machines not enough?”
At those words, Ms. Su-a’s eyes sparkled.
“Th-then?”
“We will have to bring in better equipment.”
“......!!!”
She said nothing, but Ms. Su-a’s bright expression said everything. Was this what one called a blessing in disguise?
“I will let you know later once we obtain the information, Section Officer Lee. For now... yes. Section Officer Lee, here.”
The Commissioner placed the 007-style briefcase on the conference table.
Then came a cheerful sound.
CLICK! CLICK!
The locks on the case opened, and at last, the contents inside revealed themselves.
That was...
A plane ticket?
And there was nothing else.
With a serious expression, the Commissioner took out the ticket and handed it to me.
“It is for Jeju-do.”
The departure time was five o’clock tomorrow afternoon.
And the return date was three days later.
“Rest properly while you are there.”
I wondered whether this was acceptable, but there was no reason to refuse.
Low work intensity, overflowing rest, and a sufficient salary.
The Hunter Management Agency was gradually becoming closer to a dream workplace.
“You have to manage your condition, Section Officer Lee! Enter the Tower only when you are in the best possible condition.”
“G-good luck...!”
“Ah, and Section Officer Lee, your seat is here.”
It was the desk right by the window, with partitions blocking the front and side.
“Once things are a little more organized, we will give you and Ms. Su-a each your own office, so use this for now.”
“Thank you.”
“The seat in front of you is... Ah, there he comes. Administrative Officer Park!”
“Yes! Commissioner!”
“This is Section Officer Lee. Introduce yourselves.”
“Hello!”
“...Good to meet you.”
He was one of the people who had been in the lobby a short while ago.
However, remembering the conversation from earlier, I could not smile back at the person who smiled at me with an amiable expression.
“I look forward to working with you!”
“This fellow is quite sociable. He stood out from the interview.”
“Ha ha, I suppose I am a little like that.”
“And behind him are Administrative Officer Kim, Administrative Officer Lee, and Administrative Officer Choi, who is a Section Officer candidate.”
The group bowed politely.
All of them were the same people from the lobby earlier.
Seeing them made me want to simply ask.
“Are all of them special recruits?”
“That is right. They all came in through Hunter special recruitment. Today is their first day.”
Ah, was that why they did not know?
That we were currently the only people in this building?
“Hello.”
“It is nice to meet you.”
“For the time being, this will be a public service aptitude evaluation period, so Section Officer Lee, teach them well whenever you have time. And the four of you, learn well.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“We ask for your guidance and instruction.”
“We look forward to working with you.”
“I look forward to working with you as well.”
The Commissioner looked at them and spoke seriously.
“You must watch closely and learn well. Section Officer Lee’s opinion will also be included in your evaluation. He is scheduled to take charge of the Hunter Management Agency’s Audit Office from now on.”
As he said that, the Commissioner hurriedly winked at me. Apparently, that was going to be my external-facing position from now on.
In any case, if that was how it was, I could rest assured.
The three of them seemed to flinch for some reason, but that did not matter.
“Section Officer Lee, take your seat. The four of you, follow me. I will assign your duties.”
“Yes!”
Even in the midst of all this, the moment I submitted an out-of-jurisdiction business trip request through the Hunter Management Agency’s dedicated system that Ms. Su-a had created, approval was completed immediately.
I wrote the travel expense settlement request and report related to my business trip to Gangwon-do Tower, then handled some delayed work. Before I knew it, quitting time was drawing near.
<Have a safe trip!>
With the encouragement of the Commissioner and Ms. Su-a, I left the Hunter Management Agency at exactly six o’clock today.
[Ladies and gentlemen, we will be taking off shortly. For your safety, please check your seat belts once more.]
The two ghosts had boarded the flight to Jeju-do with me.
Each of them took the position they wanted.
Cha Jun-hyeok went and sat in an empty seat, while the female ghost...
[Look over here!]
She was floating in the air, completely absorbed in looking out the airplane window.
“...Why does it feel cold?”
“You too?”
Thanks to her, the passengers who were sensitive to energy felt a chill.
[Wow! Wow! Clouds! Look over there, look at the ground!]
[Is this your first time on a plane? Why are you so excited?]
[Yes! It is my first time!]
[Your first time? Are you not an amnesiac?]
[I can still tell things like this.]
[You are a total airplane novice. Be grateful to the homeowner.]
[Thank you! Homeowner!]
People said domestic flights landed almost as soon as they took off, and it was truly exactly as they described.
I had briefly closed my eyes because I was tired, and when I opened them, we were already in Jeju-do.
[This is my first time in Jeju-do!]
The female ghost was swept up in excitement again.
She was busy flying here and there across the ceiling, sightseeing around the airport.
“Come down, Chae Seon-hwa.”
[Yes! I am coming!]
I had learned the female ghost’s name through our conversation last night.
[How long were you sleeping outside?]
Cha Jun-hyeok, who had been eyeing the cork stopper of a wine bottle all evening, had asked the female ghost in passing.
[Well...]
[Why?]
[The truth is... I have no memories.]
[What? Then do you have amnesia?]
[Yes. I think so.]
“What about Gangwon-do Tower? How did you get there?”
[I was just there. When I came to my senses.]
[What? Then do you remember when you died?]
[I do not remember that either. But...]
[But what?]
[I did not die in Gangwon-do Tower.]
[Really? I died in the Tower.]
It seemed this was the difference between the two of them.
The reason Cha Jun-hyeok became human when he entered the Tower.
And the reason the female ghost remained a ghost.
[But you...]
[Yes? What is it?]
[Something about you feels familiar.]
[What does? Could you perhaps... know me?]
[No? This is the first time I have seen you.]
[......]
“......”
What was he trying to say?
However, Cha Jun-hyeok frowned deeply and sank into his own thoughts.
[It is familiar. Something... your atmosphere? No, no. Your smell? That is not it... Ah! That is it!]
[What is it? Do you remember me?]
[You, your voice!]
[My voice?]
[Yes, your voice is similar!]
[To what...?]
[The voice that told me to go to the Tower!]