Chapter 103: Mirror, Mirror
"I'm nothing but grateful that the most famous person from the Gangseo Branch has come to visit."
Kim Pil-sik, the Gangbuk Branch Chief, began to guide me, speaking in an unassuming voice.
"Do you know why you're here?"
"Uh... I was just told it was a dispatch."
"Dispatch is correct."
That old woman. Kim Pil-su muttered under his breath and clicked his tongue.
The Gangbuk Branch Chief also made a displeased expression, seemingly thinking of him. It seemed wise to be cautious.
"Anyway... I have a favor to ask of you regarding an appraisal."
"If it's an appraisal, wouldn't it have been enough to just call me?"
"Indeed."
He looked at me, then at the three people behind me.
"Originally, that was the plan."
"You're being unnecessarily talkative."
Song A-rin, as if sensing his gaze, retorted while raising one eyebrow. His gaze instantly shot towards her like a dart before returning.
"I must be getting old. Shall we go?"
He then started walking forward. I opened my mouth to scold Song A-rin, who was about to pass me by, but she intercepted my words before I could speak.
"I did it on purpose."
"...Why?"
"There are two reasons. First, I'm angry. Second, ...I'm worried."
"Worried? Surely not about me?"
"...Let's not talk about it."
Song A-rin let out a small sigh and started walking beside me.
"Anyway, there's a lot of bad talk about the Gangbuk Branch Chief."
"...Like what?"
"For one, they say he's surprisingly greedy."
"Ah."
That was something I already knew.
Song A-rin continued, carefully gauging the reaction of Kim Pil-su, who was walking ahead.
"Anyway, so he's jealous of the subordinates below him... and despite that, his ability is good, so he's still the Branch Chief."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
He's the Branch Chief, after all. If his ability is good, he can be the Branch Chief.
"I've also heard rumors that he consumed an isolation object before becoming Branch Chief."
"...Consumed it?"
"Or that he caused the death of a team leader who constantly clashed with him, making it look like an accident."
"...Why is someone like that the Branch Chief?"
"I'm curious too."
Song A-rin clicked her tongue and started walking.
"..."
Greed, huh.
At the description that didn't even evoke a feeling, I decided not to move for now.
He's the Branch Chief, after all. There's no reason to fight, and no chance of winning either.
I recalled Lee Ha-neul, the Gangseo Branch Chief, who stood in the rain she shouldn't have been in and burst people apart with her bare hands.
If all four of us combined all our abilities and fought, could we beat her?
There's absolutely no way we could win. We might be able to buy some time, maybe.
He headed towards the stairwell.
The stairwell?
"Wait a moment."
I quickly opened my mouth to stop Kim Pil-su.
"...Is something the matter?"
"Uh, aren't we not supposed to take the stairs?"
"Th-that's right."
Yu Daon, having experienced a similar situation, also knew what taking the stairs meant.
"Ah."
And he smiled as if he understood my words.
"Here, it's the opposite. If you're curious, you can open the manual."
"..."
At his words, I narrowed my eyes and opened the manual.
[Manual for Office Workers]
[PLZ - Manual Conservation]
1. The manual is delicate. Please conserve it.
2. No matter how sturdy the manual is, please refrain from using it as a shield.
3. Treat the manual like an old friend.
4. Do not hit the manual with a 'honey chestnut' [a flick on the head].
It's because you said something unnecessary.
Whoosh, as I turned to the next page, the section I wanted appeared.
[Manual for Office Workers]
[Gangbuk Branch - Stairwell]
1. There are no elevators in the Gangbuk Branch.
2. Even if you see an elevator, never board it.
3. If you board an elevator, never look at the floor.
4. If you look at the floor, immediately refer to [T - Suicide Methods].
5. Use the stairs, but if it's difficult, rest before proceeding.
"So, does everyone here only use the stairs?"
"It's good for your health, and there's nothing bad about it, is there?"
It sounds like hell.
"But it's not far, so follow me."
I followed him up the stairs.
Kim Pil-su stopped in front of the second-floor entrance and jerked his chin towards us.
"Go on in."
"..."
As I opened the door and stepped inside, the familiar sight of the isolation ward corridor unfolded.
"...The isolation ward?"
"You know it well."
"Why is the isolation ward on the second floor?"
"That's how the Gangbuk Branch is."
A sufficiently convincing explanation.
I followed him.
"The thing is, I found a mirror."
"...A mirror?"
"Indeed."
He nodded and looked at me.
"But, they say the reflection in the mirror is different for everyone who looks at it."
"..."
"That's why I called you."
"Wouldn't the Management Team have handled it well?"
"Well, about that..."
He quietly stared ahead.
A woman was knocking on a door.
"Please... Please..."
Tears streaming down her face, she incessantly knocked on the door. Soon, other people appeared from the opposite side and began to drag her away.
"No! Please! Just let me see it once! Please!"
Even as she was restrained by the people, she reached out her hand, ignoring them.
"...Tch."
Song A-rin, who was watching the scene, clicked her tongue and directed her gaze at the woman. The woman's expression went blank, and she soon began to be led away obediently.
"Just now..."
"I hypnotized her."
Song A-rin muttered and stood behind me.
"It's something only I can do, so I should do it."
"...Hoho."
Kim Pil-sik watched this scene and laughed, then stood in front of the door the woman had been knocking on.
"Now, here we are."
"..."
"Nothing strange. There's a mirror. Just look at it and tell me what it is."
"Is that really all?"
"What else would I ask of you?"
He laughed and opened the door.
"Everyone else, please don't come in."
"Hoho."
At my words, the others hesitated, while Kim Pil-su, on the contrary, followed me inside and looked at the mirror.
"It's dangerous..."
"It's not."
"Huh?"
"I've looked at this mirror many times. Unfortunately, I carry too much within me to be swayed by such trivial things."
. was in his eyes.
He chuckled creepily. Feeling uncomfortable at the sight, I looked forward.
It was an old mirror.
A mirror with a wooden frame, the kind you'd only see at your grandmother's house in the old days.
A semi-transparent window floated up.
[Name: Mirror]
[Age: Created 49 years ago]
[Specialty: Projection of Desire]
[Talent: X]
[Background: How can I make people happy? He was tormented by this thought all day. Soon, he reached a conclusion. I should make a mirror that lets people see what they want.]
[Weakness: It does not break from physical impact. You must deny what is inside it for the mirror to yield the truth and the future.]
I looked into the mirror.
I saw myself reflected.
"..."
I saw myself just sitting in the office, killing time.
There was no one beside me. No Team Leader, no other colleagues in sight.
It wasn't wrong. I did want something like that.
But being alone would be more boring than you'd think.
As if reading my mind, the me in the mirror shimmered and showed a new image.
This time, the Team Leader, Yu Daon, Jang Chae-yeon, Song A-rin, and everyone else were all working together, chatting happily.
"So this is it."
"Oh, you figured it out already?"
Kim Pil-su's face flushed with color as he looked at me.
"This is... well. It's a mirror that reflects a person's desires."
"...Indeed."
Expectation rose on his face.
"Is that all?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if that's all."
"..."
[You must deny what is inside it for the mirror to yield the truth and the future.]
This old man either knew the truth about the mirror or at least had a rough idea of what it meant.
I recalled the old man's appearance I saw earlier.
It wouldn't do any good to tell him.
"That's all I know."
"Pity."
He shook his head and stepped outside.
"...Perhaps if I look a bit more, I might figure something out. Could you give me a little more time?"
"Well, do as you please."
He waved his hand and went outside.
I looked at the image of me working with my colleagues. It was a scene I desired, but was that all?
I thought it would be something more grand.
"...Hmm."
Anyway, this is all fake, right?
I rubbed my temples.
I didn't even have a headache. Then what on earth did that woman see to become so frenzied?
As I was thinking that, the mirror shimmered and began to show a new image.
"...What the."
I was there.
I was lying there with a hole in my head.
Rain poured down incessantly from the black sky, and the surroundings were completely destroyed, leaving only ruins.
There was no Yu Daon, no Jang Chae-yeon, no Song A-rin.
Someone stood beside my corpse and muttered.
"...To think you'd interfere until the end. Next time, I'll definitely be first-."
A voice full of static.
Soon, the mirror shimmered again and showed another image.
This time, the other colleagues were there.
The location was the same ruins as before.
Song A-rin sighed, stepped forward, then collapsed with both arms severed and covered in blood.
Jang Chae-yeon laughed, pushed me, and soon had both eyes gouged out and fell.
Yu Daon was different.
She held out until the end, pushed me away, and—
-Keeeeng!
"Guh...!"
An excruciating pain instantly shot through my temple, and the image in the mirror disappeared like dust.
Drip. A nosebleed started flowing.
"..."
Without even thinking to wipe the flowing blood, I mulled over the scene I had just witnessed.
My dead self, and someone looking at it.
And my colleagues dying after sending me away.
"..."
Wiping the dripping blood with my sleeve, I turned around.
"...Hoh."
I made eye contact with Kim Pil-su, who was looking at me with great interest.
"..."
"It seems you saw something interesting."
He narrowed his eyes and smiled a snake-like smileçæ.