Chapter: 03
“That person hasn’t come out yet… how are we supposed to go…?”
“Wow, you can even say something considerate. I’m kind of impressed.”
The man teased, pulling up the zipper of Se-byeok’s fleece jumper all the way to his chin.
Se-byeok subtly turned her head to avoid his touch and asked,
“Is… it resolved properly?”
The man, about to nod, caught a strange urgency in Se-byeok’s expression and closed his mouth.
He seemed to ponder for a moment, then looked up at the house and replied,
“콩콩이 won’t do that anymore.”
콩콩이.
So the other monsters are still around.
The faint hope that maybe, thanks to his Superman-like efforts, she could reclaim the house was gone.
Se-byeok, who had only repeated despair and disappointment until now, accepted it with a resigned, “of course” attitude.
Luck, as usual, was not on her side.
“Anyway… thank you so much. Because of you, I’m still alive.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll cover the medical expenses for your injured hand. If… the cost is high, I can even pay in installments…”
The longer she spoke, the more awkward her words sounded.
Se-byeok trailed off, and the man, who had been watching her silently, ran a hand through his hair with a slightly troubled expression.
“I don’t think you were taking this seriously…”
Huh?
At that moment, her left hand was suddenly grabbed.
Following her hand being lifted by his, Se-byeok looked up.
The playful smile was gone, and he was looking at her seriously.
“Spare me words about medical bills and installments. We’re married now, after all.”
Wha…?
Before Se-byeok could react, he solemnly slipped a ring onto her ring finger.
At some point, the same ring had appeared on his left ring finger.
“Remember what I said earlier? Married couples are one body. Now, Se-byeok’s light wallet and my steadily built-up pension account have become one—”
“W-wait a minute! Explain this properly… Wh-what is this ring?!”
Se-byeok’s eyes widened as she stared at the ring.
This… this is it.
The one he had left at the convenience store…!
“Why do you have this?”
The man lowered his head, covering his mouth, shoulders trembling.
Se-byeok, staring at him dumbfounded, started hitting him with her bag out of frustration.
“Stop teasing me and explain properly! Where did you find this ring? And what’s with this nonsense about getting married?!”
“Ouch, I’m dying! My hand got injured saving you, you know~”
“Stop teasing me!”
The man made a petty gesture as if blocking her bag, then finally laughed, clutching his stomach.
Se-byeok, flustered at his uncontrollable laughter, warned, “Stop laughing already!”
Finally, he wiped the tears forming at the corners of his eyes and managed to answer.
“No, it’s just… Se-byeok, you’re taking this way too seriously…”
“I’m leaving.”
“Oh, wait, wait. I won’t tease you anymore. I promise, no more teasing. Pinky swear.”
He even made her pinky swear, then cleared his throat softly.
“Geez… where do I even start explaining this…”
“The ring.”
“That’s… I got it back.”
“…Got it back?”
“Yes.”
Se-byeok was at a loss for words at his casual reply.
The ring had clearly been taken on the bus by that three-eyed pigeon.
Perhaps the man in front of her was a similar being.
“And as for marriage… well, what I said. I want to marry you, Se-byeok. Or, maybe I should say—”
Muttering to himself, he touched his chin and nodded slowly.
“Precisely… it’s more like I ‘have to marry’ Se-byeok.”
“….”
“Yes, I have to marry Se-byeok. I need you to complete the project.”
Project…?
The man pulled a small wallet from his suit pocket and handed her a business card.
Se-byeok took it absentmindedly, blinking.
“AKA Foundation, Future Growth Strategy Department, Agent Dongbaek…?”
“You need to look more closely.”
His gentle voice, with a hint of sly amusement, approached.
Se-byeok stopped blinking and stared at the card as if spellbound.
The white background, the willow emblem, black ink forming the letters…
All of it swirled together, then scattered.
Finally, the swirling stopped, and the card’s design was rearranged.
Black background, splintered wooden emblem, and letters in red ink…
“AKA Foundation, Mystical Investigation Bureau, Investigator Dongbaek.”
“Well done.”
He bent slightly to meet her eyes over the card, smiling like a crescent moon.
“Now you remember my name, right?”
In the world, there exists a phenomenon called Mystery.
Within these mysteries are monsters that can devour humans and countless events that defy scientific explanation.
Yet most people remain unaware of these mysteries, because there are those who manage them.
‘At best, they’re just a bunch of desk jockeys. Look at them—sending nothing but reminders?’
‘Sis, you’ve already received ninety-seven notices. Maybe you should just report to the Foundation…’
From her memories, her grandmother did not have a good relationship with this “Foundation.”
Her grandmother never sat her down to explain mysteries or the Foundation, but Se-byeok understood on her own.
For instance, ‘Mystery’ refers to all unexplainable phenomena. ‘Foundation’ is the organization that tracks and manages these mysteries to minimize their impact on the real world.
And those who venture into mysteries, or Foundation agents who manage them…
‘They must be magicians.’
Se-byeok, lying on her bed in the boarding house, hugged her pillow and thought.
Ghosts, spirits, and all things that exist only in imagination are real.
Then, humans with special abilities like magic or psychic powers must exist as well.
‘Grandma didn’t explain that either…’
Probably because she herself was not a magician.
Se-byeok could see mysteries, but unlike her grandmother, she could not explore them or confront them.
Still, her grandmother never prevented her from going into her study or touching her collections. She didn’t care about trivial details.
…When it came to performing “magic,” she never hesitated, so perhaps she never intended to hide anything.
This explained why Se-byeok was never startled by sparks flashing in the air.
Proper upbringing really does matter.
If she had a daughter who could see mysteries like her, she would teach her everything from start to finish.
Se-byeok turned onto her side, recalling an old promise.
Anyway, the man… no, Investigator Dongbaek, said he was carrying out a secret mission related to her grandmother’s collection.
Due to strict security, her only blood relative—the granddaughter—was needed.
At least for the next year, she would have to pose as his wife and assist in his mission.
In return, he promised…
‘You can see mysteries, right? Then I’ll shield your sight from them.’
A normal life, far from strange phenomena.
Se-byeok had no reason to refuse.
Just one year, and her future life would be safe and ordinary.
No matter how difficult or dangerous the coming year might be, it didn’t matter. At least, a mystery expert would be with her.
Thinking of the past five years of being weak and beaten down…
Se-byeok felt a pang of sympathy for herself and patted her own head.
She had just quit five part-time jobs, including at a convenience store and a restaurant. Her boarding house contract ended tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning, she would ride in Dongbaek’s car, and her life would turn 180 degrees.
Staring at the stained wallpaper, Se-byeok picked up her newly activated phone.
Her hesitant fingers first searched for the AKA Foundation.
‘Hmm… a private foundation. Seems shady.’
Although headquartered in Gwanghwamun, the foundation ran only one combined elementary-middle-high school.
Se-byeok chuckled at comments from ordinary people claiming to have seen a huge school in a remote area of Gangwon-do, suspecting it was a cult facility.
Then she entered the combination of letters and numbers on the back of Dongbaek’s card into the foundation’s website domain.
A completely new page appeared. The dull, stiff foundation website against a green school background instantly turned black.
And in red letters appeared…
◇◆ AKA Foundation ◆◇
Korean Branch of the World Magicians Association
‘If the silence of night is 0, the whisper of truth is 1.’
Hmm…
Confused, Se-byeok pressed the menu.
Surprisingly, the website listed the organization chart, history, and even details about the school used as a cover.
After skimming the long profile of the elderly head of the foundation, she found a familiar name in the org chart:
◇◆ Mystical Investigation Bureau ◆◇
Responsible for initial investigations of mysterious phenomena and managing various captured Mysteries.
If you discover unidentified Mysteries, please report them to the Mystical Investigation Bureau.
☏ 00-512-5122
So they do manage them…
Se-byeok looked at the proudly displayed high capture rates with a skeptical eye.
“Four years of hard work, and I’ve never even seen the word ‘investigator’…”
Lying sprawled on her bed, Se-byeok felt uneasy.
Could the man really…
‘He’s not a fraud, right?’
Despite a sleepless night, Dongbaek arrived at the boarding house right on time.
“Good dawn, good morning~”
Se-byeok, dark circles under her eyes, accepted the coffee absentmindedly.
Humming a tune, Dongbaek seemed cheerful, but wearing sunglasses made him look a little like a conman.
“Have you had breakfast? We have a long way to go today.”
“Coffee counts as breakfast…”
“Ah, nonsense. Finish this, and the coffee is confiscated.”
Se-byeok yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as the coffee was taken away, leaving her only a sandwich.
“Where are we going?”
“To Gangwon-do.”
“Gangwon-do… where exactly?”
“Beodeulgol, maybe you’ve heard of it~”
Not at all…
Slowly climbing into the passenger seat, Se-byeok put the sandwich in her mouth and buckled her seatbelt.
“Uh, uh, whaaat?”
“What’s there? Eh, it’s no fun to tell the ending first.”
“…You don’t know, but I have a stomach smaller than a sparrow’s. I need to prepare in advance or I’ll get shocked!”
As she turned to put her backpack in the back seat, she almost dropped the sandwich.
Dongbaek, catching it mid-air, let out a dramatic sigh.
“Wow… safe.”
“Excuse me! What is that kid? Huh?!”
“Excuse me? Did I hear that wrong?”
“Who is that kid?!”
A boy was sitting in the back seat.
Dongbaek handed the sandwich to Se-byeok, then sipped coffee through a straw, rolling his eyes.
“Hmm…”
This doesn’t look good.
“Wait. I don’t want to hear this. I want out. Goodbye.”
“Hold on, I’m thinking about how to introduce him.”
Dongbaek grabbed Se-byeok’s shoulder as she tried to leave, then smiled.
“From today, he’s your son, Se-byeok?”
……
……
Oh, Lord.
