Chapter 280: I Wonder Why
"Wow! Who's this kid?"
Park Ye-eun was the first to react.
"Oh my god, she looks like a real angel!"
Her eyes sparkling, she grabbed the child's cheeks and started shaking them playfully.
"Hey, what's your name? How did you get here? Are you an isolation object, by any chance?"
"And what would you do if I were?"
"Eh, then I guess there's nothing I can do about it!"
Nothing she can do about it?
I looked at Park Ye-eun with disbelief, and the child also looked at her with the same expression I had.
"How did you get here?"
"Because it's a place one can come out from."
The child answered my question as if it were obvious, then looked at us. Park Ye-eun poked me in the side.
"Oppa, you know her, right?"
She asked me in a tone full of certainty.
"I do know her, but how did you know?"
"You didn't seem surprised either, and the kid acts like she knows you well. So, I figured even if she's dangerous, I'd probably survive if I hid behind you."
She thought that far in such a short time.
"You really do have a talent for the Management Bureau."
"Right?"
Park Ye-eun laughed, then looked at the child with curiosity and muttered.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"...I don't really have one."
"You don't? Then what should I call you?"
At her question, the child hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"...Min Noah."
"There's a name like that?"
It looked to anyone like it was just made from consonants taken from the Manual.
When I stared blatantly at the Manual, she turned her gaze to me and muttered.
"I just came out because this is a place one can come out from."
"Because of the bookmark?"
"...Yes."
At my question, the Manual nodded slightly.
So the bookmark was correct.
"Why did you come out?"
"...I had a feeling something like this would happen, but I didn't think you'd assume I would just come out."
"Neither you nor I are the type to just come out for no reason."
Has the Manual ever been opened when it was useless?
Well, it has.
No, it has many times.
As I was thinking that, the Manual nodded again.
"Your team leader who went into the refrigerator will be fine. However you look at him, when it comes to pure survival, he's the best in the Management Bureau at staying alive no matter where he's thrown."
"I wasn't worried about him in the first place."
Worry about our Team Leader? That's the most useless worry in the world. He should be worrying about me.
At my confident answer, the Manual looked at me as if she found it absurd, then moved her steps deeper inside.
"The inside here has gotten a bit strange."
"Gotten strange?"
"To be precise, the time has come to resume management."
She muttered as she opened a door.
Inside the room was a single electric fan.
A semi-transparent window appeared.
[Name : Oxygen Remover]
[Age : Created 20 years ago]
[Specialty : Oxygen Removal]
[Talent : Oxygen Removal]
[Background : In the past, after a bulk order of this product, a rumor spread that people would die from oxygen deprivation if they slept with the fan on in a closed room.]
[Weakness : Please leave the door open.]
The Manual stared at the fan for a moment, then closed the door again.
"This isn't the place."
"Where are you trying to go?"
"The control room."
She answered, walking barefoot on the floor.
"Originally, it wasn't you who was supposed to come here, but something else. But you came instead."
"That thing?"
"You've seen it before."
She slightly turned her head to look at me.
"Don't you remember? The one that helped you during the Butterfly's Dream incident."
"...That black thing?"
So it was that thing, the one that first spoke to me through a semi-transparent window.
I couldn't possibly forget. I nearly died because of it.
"Why does that thing manage this place?"
"Because it decided to. And if you know any more details than that, your life will only become more painful."
"No, how would you know that?"
"Because I've seen it."
"..."
Speaking as if it were obvious, the Manual moved on.
If she says she's seen it, there's no room for argument.
"That kid..."
"Yeah."
Park Ye-eun, who was walking beside me, narrowed her eyes and looked at the Manual.
"She seems a lot like you, Oppa."
"What do you mean by that?"
"She's not completely devoid of human affection, but basically, she has a robot-like heart, doesn't she?"
"Is that how I look in your eyes?"
I feel so betrayed.
"You have a great eye for people. What's your name?"
Then the Manual also turned around to look at Park Ye-eun.
"Her name is Park Ye-eun!"
"I see."
Then she turned back around.
"She's using informal speech with me? Do you think she's older than she looks or something?"
"Maybe."
I don't know how old the Manual is either.
Just in case, I tried to look above the Manual's head, but at the same time, the Manual turned to look at me again.
"Don't bother looking; you won't see anything even if you do."
"Okay."
I really feel like I'm standing in the palm of her hand.
After navigating theé综å¤æcorridors for a while longer, the Manual opened another door.
This time, a single pen was neatly placed inside a black case.
Behind it was an iron door.
When I looked at the pen, a semi-transparent window appeared.
[Name : That Which Writes]
[Age : Created 2 years ago]
[Specialty : Writing]
[Talent : Writing]
[Background : It simply writes. It even writes what should not be written.]
[Weakness : Break it.]
As I stared intently at the pen, the Manual picked it up and handed it to me.
"It's yours."
"Hey, isn't this an isolation object?"
I looked at the pen in the black case.
An expensive-looking pen with a golden cap.
"It's yours."
Ignoring my question, she simply held the pen out to me.
"..."
I slowly took the pen from her, and only then did the Manual smile.
"Good."
Then she pointed near her shoulder.
"Write on it."
"...Write what?"
"Just try writing."
"...Here?"
I am wearing clothes that expose my shoulders, so it's not a problem to write there, but still.
"Why? Are you embarrassed to write on me? After all this time, you've always carried me in your hand and even slept with me."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't say things that could be misunderstood."
I hurriedly cut off the Manual's words, and Park Ye-eun stared at me with wide eyes.
"You're even joking about this now."
"Yeah. Let's stop the jokes here."
The Manual came closer to me and looked up.
"But me telling you to write on my shoulder isn't a joke. Hurry up and try it."
"...Do I have to do it here?"
"Where else would you confirm it?"
"...How about at home?"
"By then, you probably won't be human anymore, so it'll be hard to confirm. Just do as you're told."
"..."
A sigh escaped me, but I had no choice. I opened the pen cap, bent my knee to match the Manual's eye level, and made eye contact.
Eyes that gave no clue what she was thinking.
"Are you trying to look cool because there's someone else here?"
"...No, I'm not."
I looked at the Manual shaking her head at my question, then gripped the pen.
She's probably right, I thought, as I brought the pen to her shoulder.
"What should I write?"
"Just write whatever you want. You can even sign it."
"Then I'll just sign it."
I signed my name on the Manual's shoulder, and she looked at it expressionlessly.
"Done."
"Good. Then check it later when you get home."
Then she moved her steps through the iron door.
"Oppa, what was that just now?"
"Huh?"
Then, Park Ye-eun approached me curiously and whispered.
"No, when you wrote on that kid's shoulder, the letters glowed with a golden light!"
"They glowed?"
I didn't see anything like that.
I looked at Park Ye-eun with a puzzled expression, and she looked back at me with the same puzzlement.
"Not coming?"
Then, the Manual called us, and after we briefly stared at each other, we had no choice but to go inside.
*
"Oh..."
Park Ye-eun muttered in amazement as she looked around, and I couldn't help but do the same.
"This looks familiar."
There was an old computer and a wooden desk.
"The Management Bureau systems are all like that, you know."
The Manual muttered while fiddling with the computer.
She wasn't typing anything frantically, just stroking the keyboard and looking at the monitor, then,
"Hmm."
She just pressed the Enter key firmly.
"...Ah."
I remembered.
I think I saw this when I was with Yu Daon for the first time.
-Rumble...!
At the same time, the ceiling began to shake, and Park Ye-eun hurriedly grabbed my sleeve.
"Wh-what is it?"
"..."
It was like this the first time I saw it too.
"What...!"
Park Ye-eun, who had been muttering, turned pale,
and she collapsed on the spot.
"Oof."
I caught the falling Park Ye-eun and laid her down carefully, then stared intently at the ceiling.
Nothing was visible, except for a single semi-transparent window.
[Name : - ]
[Age : - ]
[Specialty : - ]
[Background : - ]
[Weakness : - ]
The darkness shimmered, and I felt a slight dizziness, but that was all.
"You're not fainting now?"
Looking at me, the Manual smiled as if proud.
"Indeed. I wonder why."
"It's not a matter of 'why'."
She shook her head.
"It means you've improved that much."
"It doesn't feel particularly good."
How many times have I wrestled with isolation objects to be able to see this and still be fine?
I let out a deep sigh inwardly as I watched the shimmering darkness, and soon it disappeared.
With a clattering sound, the building began to shake.
"Who's the person in charge this time that they're not doing their job properly..."
The Manual sighed heavily and started reading a piece of paper attached nearby.
"Last year's person in charge was Kim Pil-su... This year's person in charge is Lee Ha-neul..."
"..."
Lee Ha-neul.
That's the Branch Chief.
The Manual stared straight at me.
"Say something to her."
"How can I say anything to my superior?"
I can't very well say, 'Branch Chief, how on earth do you manage your mind that you can't even handle this management?'
"Should I scold her?"
"Who do you think you are?"
"Hey, I'm still like the foundation of the Management Bureau, you know."
At my words, the Manual flared up and looked at me.
"I know that."
"Exactly."
"...But, can I ask you one thing?"
"Yeah?"
At my question, the Manual looked up at me.
"But why?"
There are people who live their whole lives through a single moment's memory.
But is that person truly happy?
Living their whole life through a momentary memory, have they never regretted that moment?
What kind of past do you have?
The girl looking at me smiled.
"You're asking that question?"
"..."
"But my answer is the same."
She laughed and looked up at the ceiling.
The darkness was squirming.
"It's a question I've never been able to ask even once."
She looked at me.
Under the darkness, only she was illuminated by the faint light from the monitor.
With a soft smile, she opened her mouth.
"Are you happy now?"