Episode 149: Festival (1)

A silence descended in an instant.

I slammed my fist down hard.

Tea from the cup I hadn’t yet touched splashed across the table.

My hand stung, but a greater rage surged from deep within my chest, leaving me no time to feel the pain.

“This is really going too far! Are you happy every time you casually send your subordinates to their deaths?”
“Hayan?”
“You want me to enter a demon’s lair just to get back a single finger? Are you holding a piece of my own body hostage?”

Even for Ha Yeri, this had crossed the line.

I reached inside my robe and slammed Patel’s mask down onto the table with a loud thud.

That slight impact was enough to crack one side of the mask, which had been carved from decaying wood.

Seeing that, I actually felt a sense of relief.

It was because I no longer had to live this life of lies.

“Deceiving my comrades, deceiving the demons… what remains at the end of all this? Is it peace? Or war?”
“Calm down, Hayan.”
“I’m sick of it. I’ve risked my life to enter enemy lines time and again, and all I realized was that they, too, are sentient beings with tears and blood.”
“…You didn’t risk your life, did you? Entering the Council was purely a mental—”

I cut Ha Yeri off and stood up.

There was no reason to fall for her sweet talk anymore.

The dark black mage Patel no longer existed.

No, he couldn’t exist.

For the future of both humans and demons.

“I’m quitting. As for the finger, you can make soup out of it or put it in a bazaar—do whatever you want with it.”
“…Wait. I was wrong about Hayan’s finger.”
“It’s too late to apologize. You can’t put spilled water back into the cup (a Korean idiom meaning that once something is done, it cannot be undone). I don’t need this anymore either, so keep it.”

I even placed the smartwatch I had received from Norkel onto the table.

It was a symbol of my resolve to never again flounder in the darkness.

Before leaving, I turned my head one last time to look at the ring finger of the right hand clutched in Ha Yeri’s hand.

It was waving at me—or rather, the finger was—as if to say, ‘Leave it to me.’

“…”

I closed the door behind me, leaving that sight behind.

Outside, it was as peaceful as ever, unaware that a storm was raging within.

In the hallway, there was a poster of Kang Ha-neul, who had been promoted to Upper Level (since the evaluation hadn’t happened yet, his salary remained the same), along with a recruitment notice for new Special Unit agents.

I tore down Kang Ha-neul’s poster to tidy up the environment, tossed it in the trash, and quietly asked the Constellation.

“This is the right thing to do, isn’t it?”

『…』

“It was clothing that didn’t fit me from the start. The mask of a black mage, the name Patel. When you think about it, wasn’t everything a lie?”

Patel was just a name I borrowed from a dead senior.

Actually, when I thought about it, I wasn’t even affiliated with the Black Tower, so I hadn’t had the right to call him ‘senior’ from the start.

“I just need to live honestly from now on. I decided I wouldn’t lie to myself anymore.”

Patel was dead.

Now, all that remained was the Light Mage, Sae Hayan.

I would return to being a Special Unit agent who exterminated monsters, completed given missions, and protected the peace of Seoul.

The Constellation also cheered for my new steps.

『Fear not…?』

“No! It’s not because I’m running away because I don’t want to see what happens if I get more deeply involved with the demons! It’s not because I’m afraid of the blood pact with Flauros, nor is it because Norkel’s contacts are annoying!”

And it certainly wasn’t because I’d played the mask-play so hard that I was starting to fear the backlash.

It wasn’t because I was worried that my secret had leaked after seeing Kang Cho-won’s reaction in Thunder Rain Valley, either.

“I did what I could. Now, instead of relying on me, Commander Ha Yeri needs to learn to run around on her own.”

I had earnestly preached about the remorse and guilt I felt every time I acted as Patel, so even the suspicious Ha Yeri wouldn’t be able to hold onto me anymore.

Feeling much more relieved, I returned to the dormitory.

“Hmm, this head isn’t balanced right.”

Friday afternoon.

Alexei, who had returned after the morning shift and taking a half-day off, was examining the Kandu mirror balls displayed in the display case one by one.

For a giant of a man, stripped to his waist, to be twisting these glowing plastic sculptures around was an act that caused tremendous light pollution for his roommate on the first floor.

However, his roommate possessed a noble character that even the Saint of Salvation would concede to, so instead of getting angry, they went upstairs to the second floor, put on a sleep mask, and tried not to let their midday sleep be disturbed.

Unlike Alexei, who had diligently taken a half-day, the roommate was just skipping the afternoon schedule after eating lunch.

Naturally, that was me.

“Hayan, wake up.”
“What is it, brother? I told you I wasn’t the one who scribbled on Alexei’s back last night.”
“You did scribble on my back again. Never mind that, open your eyes and look at this.”
“It’s too bright.”

When I took off the sleep mask, Alexei was holding Kandu’s head in front of me.

The bright yellow light coming from the left eye was incredibly burdensome.

“No light is coming out of the right side of head number 86. It looks like a defective product; what do you think about putting this in the bazaar?”
“The bazaar?”
“The used goods market hosted by the Commander-in-Chief this time. What did they call it again…”
“You mean the Talent Market (a play on the Christian parable of talents/bazaar).”

It seemed they were talking about the ‘Cherry Blossom Festival with the Special Unit and Citizens.’

Since spring had arrived and it was the season to recruit new zero-year rookies, it was an event co-hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Bureau.

The festival had various purposes, such as narrowing the psychological distance from the public through hands-on activities, increasing recruitment rates, and boosting the morale of Special Unit members.

For reference, the phrase regarding the 150-won-per-day life insurance allowance could not be found anywhere on the promotional posters.

“Why is it called the Talent Market?”
“Ah, that was entirely Seona’s naming choice.”

Anyway, between planned events like the ‘Great Invasion’ performance or the ‘Guess the Special Unit Member’s Foot Size’ quiz, there was a unique reason why second-hand trading became so active at the festival.

Not long ago, a comment had suddenly appeared on the Special Unit Bamboo Forest, right in the middle of peaceful announcements, that had agitated Seona.

====
<Announcement of last week’s one-line humor winner selected by the Commander-in-Chief, along with some chitchat!!>

<Q: What is a reflection paper (banseongmun) written in English?>

<It’s language!! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و>

<Anyway, these days translators are quite good, but since one of our special training programs is foreign language conversation, please show a lot of interest!>

— What is a Talent Market?
◉ ◉
ㄴ ( ◉ д ◉‿◉。)

I don’t know who wrote that, but because of that single comment, all other Special Unit members were forced to submit at least one personal item, regardless of their luck.

Alexei seemed to be offering the mirror ball in the worst condition among the ones he had rolling around… or rather, the ones he was carefully cherishing.

On the other hand, I hadn’t decided yet.

It wasn’t like I had anything worth much money, and conversely, I had plenty of worthless junk inside my robe anyway.

“Have you decided, Hayan?”
“Well…”

Should I go with the combat rations I received from Commander Seong Gwan-il when I first joined the Special Unit?

Or perhaps the tentacle potted plant left over from giving them out to students during the seasonal semester?

As I was rummaging through the trinkets in my pocket, thinking I’d just offload whatever, Alexei spoke.

“Come to think of it, Hayan, you’re participating in this event too.”
“Yes?”
“Didn’t you usually stay out of the dormitory for one night around this time every month? It seemed like an immovable schedule, so I naturally assumed you wouldn’t attend.”
“…”

Now that I thought about it, was the festival period the same day the Council was held?

Since I no longer had any business there, it was possible for me to attend this schedule now.

“Did you say you were going to the orphanage in Ground Zero?”
“No, that’s not…”

I had only stopped by occasionally to pick up Bella, who was going to enter with me; the orphanage wasn’t my final destination—it was the Cult of the Void.

Thinking about it, I didn’t have the mask anymore, so I wouldn’t have any reason to meet Bella ever again.

Suddenly, I remembered Bella keeping the shoes I had bought her at her bedside.

I didn’t know about others, but I felt like she, at least, would be genuinely worried that Patel had vanished.

“Hayan?”
“It’s nothing. I’ve decided; I’ll submit this.”

Shaking off my thoughts, I pulled out a box of Choco Pies.

They were left over from when I had given them to Moon Ah-rin for the purpose of luring Bella when I was climbing the Purple Magic Tower.

If I kept them, I would eat them eventually, but since I wasn’t particularly fond of snacks, they would probably sell if I put them up at a reasonable bargain price.

And so, the day of the festival arrived.

There were more citizens gathered at Hangang Park than I had expected.

Performance stages were set up, and right next to them were booths where recruitment officers were taking applications.

On one side, booths for various experience activities—like a gravity-loss experience or surfing on the Han River while running away from the dead—were also open, attracting a decent crowd.

Although we had to stand guard in three shifts, enjoying the festival while wearing our dress uniforms was part of the Special Unit’s promotional activities, so we were guaranteed free time even while on duty.

We had also received training not to cause any trouble, but anyway.

Unexpectedly, it was Seona who ended up looking around the festival with me.

Having stepped out for activities for the first time in a while, she seemed to be in quite a good mood.

“Did you see Yeon-hwa’s expression during the drawing earlier? She looked completely flustered because her Word-Spirit didn’t work.”
“What Word-Spirit?”
“Who knows? It seems there was someone she really wanted to enjoy the festival with.”
“Hmm…”

Now that I thought about it, it felt like she had been glaring this way when I left the Bureau earlier.

We were in different teams, so it would be hard to stick together during the festival, but we could at least say hello during shift changes.

As I slowly pushed her wheelchair along the bicycle path, Seona lifted her head.

Her brown hair and the eye covered by the bandage looked at me as if she were piercing right through me.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind for some reason. Is something wrong?”
“It’s not really that… I’m sorry if you aren’t enjoying it because of me.”
“No, it’s not that. You asked if you could ride in the wheelchair the other day, right? Do you want to try it now?”
“That sounds tempting.”

After enjoying a light race against a surfboard with the wheelchair, which had been modified with a booster engine.

I headed with Seona toward the place where the ‘Talent Market’ was being held.

A fairly large number of people, including Special Unit members and civilians, were selling food and various goods.

While I was thinking about the Council—a thought that still hadn’t left my mind—a familiar voice called out to us.

“Ah, Commander-in-Chief!”
“Oh, Sobaek. What are you doing here?”
“Why, I’m doing business, of course.”

It was Cheon So-baek.

She belonged to the last of the three groups—divided into security, free activities, and sales—so perhaps that was why she was here selling the items she had brought.

However, there was nothing on her display mat; instead, there were only documents pressed down with stones to keep them from blowing away in the wind.

Cheon So-baek picked up a paper and offered it to me.

“No one is buying anything, so I’m in the red—would you like to buy one?”
“What is this?”
“Real estate.”
“…”

What was written on the paper was a commercial building in Gangbuk.

That’s right, this person was rich.