Chapter 320: Full-Scale War
For over a week, we lived quite comfortably.
At least, I did.
Recruiting the Branch Chief, shaking off Park Ye-eun who insisted on coming, recruiting Eileen.
I wanted to recruit the Isolation Team as well, but the Branch Chief said they had already left somewhere, so I couldn't recruit them any further.
'The Isolation Team is also deployed on a very big operation,' was what the Branch Chief said.
This damn Management Bureau never seems to have a day with enough personnel.
It seemed everyone got some rest in their own way.
Well, I wish they had actually rested.
Yu Daon came each time with her body tightly bundled up, Song A-rin's way of speaking occasionally became strange, and Jang Chae-yeon would sometimes sit still and then break into a smile... It seemed like I was the only one who actually got proper rest.
Of course, I didn't just sit around and rest either.
I rested much more intensely.
I did nothing but sleep at home, took some time off from work with the Team Leader and Branch Chief's permission, and caught up on things I wanted to see.
Anyway, unlike usual, I rested much more properly.
And then, the promised time arrived.
"Oppa, are you sure it's really okay if I don't go?"
"I'd like you to be there, but... it is dangerous, after all."
I met Park Ye-eun's gaze as she looked at me worriedly.
"Oppa, I'm also part of the HR Team."
Park Ye-eun said, pretending to be angry, and looked at me.
"If you keep leaving me out every time because I'm young, when am I supposed to improve my skills?"
"Ye-eun, as your senior in life, shall I give you one good piece of advice?"
"Yes?"
Facing Park Ye-eun, who looked at me with a puzzled expression, I opened my mouth.
"Enjoy doing nothing while you can. Later on, whether you like it or not, you'll have to work."
"Spouting old-man talk again."
At my words, Park Ye-eun pouted her lips, grumbled, then glanced up at me.
"Is it really not possible...?"
"No."
Aestheticism is not an easy opponent. No, they are truly difficult to deal with.
I don't want to take Park Ye-eun up against such an opponent.
To be precise, it's because I made a promise.
"...Really?"
Why won't kids these days listen? I shook my head as I looked at Park Ye-eun, who stared at me earnestly while speaking.
"Yeah. I made a promise."
"..."
She stared intently at me, then suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Oppa."
"Yeah."
"Come back carefully. Promise."
"Alright. Don't worry."
At my words, Park Ye-eun sighed and let go of my hand.
She looked at the Team Leader, and the Team Leader stared intently at me before blurting out.
"Don't worry. I have a slightly good feeling about this."
"Goodness, that sounds like the most positive encouragement I've ever heard in my life."
Then, hearing my quip, the Team Leader chuckled.
"Anyway, do your best to come back safely. Since the two of us did a lot of work while you were resting, if you come back a little banged up, just rest."
"That doesn't sound like encouragement, but I'll be going now."
"Fine."
What kind of conversation can you expect between two grown men? This is top-tier dialogue.
The Team Leader and I nodded to each other, and I stepped out of the HR Team office and headed towards the parking lot.
Eileen was already standing there, arms crossed, with a gun slung on her back.
"You're early?"
"My team members made such a fuss about following me, so I came out early saying I was escaping for a bit."
Eileen spoke in a much more relaxed tone than before.
Fortunately, it seemed her team was accepting her well, and little by little, the speech patterns of the Eileen I knew from the old days were coming out, which put my mind at ease.
"You didn't forget anything, did you?"
"No!"
"Yep."
"Nope."
At my question, the three HR Team members answered.
Yu Daon, wearing gloves, put an awl in her pocket; Jang Chae-yeon got into the car with a jingling small pouch; and Song A-rin got in empty-handed.
"Good. Then let's go."
The Branch Chief said he would come separately.
I typed the address of the Inspiration Hotel into the navigation system.
<Displaying the specified route.>
A mechanical voice sounded, a path appeared, and after a brief silence, I stepped on the pedal.
Time to go.
*
It was farther than I thought.
No, originally, the route went beyond Gangseo and deep into the countryside.
We took the highway, turned onto a mountain road, and kept climbing up a winding path.
"Who puts a hotel in a place like this?"
"Probably a resort."
Maybe it was a healing resort? Instead of being in the mountains, maybe it had decent facilities.
From my perspective as the driver, it was nothing but a hassle.
"It's quite far."
"Should I drive?"
"Do you have a license?"
"No. But I've been watching Jae-heon drive from the side, so I think I can do it well!"
Yu Daon said cheerfully, and Song A-rin looked at her as if she were insane.
"Talking nonsense without even a license. Just shut up and sit there."
"I can really copy it exactly..."
"Shut up."
"...Should I get a license too?"
Jang Chae-yeon muttered, and Song A-rin, hearing it, chuckled and looked at her.
"What, White Hair, you don't have a license either?"
"...Do you have one?"
"Hey. I got mine as soon as I was old enough?"
Song A-rin said proudly, puffing out her chest.
"So just say the word. If you get tired, I can take over for you as many times as you need."
"What class is it?"
Then, Eileen, who had been quietly listening until now, spoke up, and Song A-rin looked at her.
"Class 2 Ordinary."
"I have Class 1, so ask me."
"..."
This time, Song A-rin's expression soured, and Eileen smiled softly and looked at me.
"I'm not giving up the wheel, though."
I had no intention of giving it up anyway.
Considering their ages, how many years could they have had their licenses?
Both fell silent at my words, and I checked the navigation again.
Let's see, still quite a way to go.
The moment I thought that, a sound came from the navigation system.
<You have arrived at your destination.>
"..."
That can't be right.
I looked out the window.
The mountain road still stretched ahead, and there were only trees around.
No matter how I looked, there didn't seem to be any destination nearby.
Actually, just a moment ago...
"Don't open the window."
Then, Eileen muttered quietly and grabbed my wrist.
"Why?"
"...I hear a sound."
She muttered, narrowing her eyes.
We all closed our mouths at Eileen's words and listened carefully, and soon a strange sound began to reach my ears.
-Squeak... Squeeeak...
"What is that sound?"
"It's probably a device installed by the Management Bureau."
Eileen answered my muttering.
"It blurs perception and messes with electronic equipment."
"Then it's not dangerous to us, right?"
"You think something like that would have IFF (Identification Friend or Foe)? They'd rather spend the time and budget for that on one more death bonus."
Well, she's not wrong.
"How do we break through?"
"Normally, you'd just drive through, but..."
Eileen trailed off and looked ahead.
<Go straight, go straight, go straight, go straight.>
The navigation started speaking in a mechanical voice, and Eileen closed her eyes.
"This sound wasn't there before."
"So this is the strange sound you mentioned."
"Right. Maybe the road is-"
"Just go straight, right?"
Yu Daon cut off Eileen and spoke.
"When I saw it earlier, there was a right turn about ten kilometers ahead."
"Alright. Then I'll maintain a constant speed; please calculate the distance for me."
"I'll do it."
Song A-rin nodded and leaned her face towards me, while Jang Chae-yeon took out her phone and started timing.
"Good. Let's go."
-Vrooom!
I stepped on the pedal again.
<Turn right, turn left, go straight, reverse.>
And the navigation kept chattering like crazy.
After driving for a while, Song A-rin and Jang Chae-yeon spoke at the same time.
"Turn right."
"Need to turn right."
"..."
"..."
The two stared intently at each other.
"Turning."
There's no time to watch that, so I turned right onto a side road, and at the same time, a person's shadow appeared ahead.
"Person!"
Song A-rin screamed, and I slammed on the brakes in a panic.
-Screech!
The car made a horrible sound as it stopped, but the person was closer than expected, and the car was about to hit them-
-Thud!
"...Huh?"
It didn't hit them.
Someone was looking at us, having stopped the moving car with one hand.
It was the Branch Chief.
"...Did you just stop a moving car with one hand?"
"I think the car is dented, rather."
I answered Eileen's mutter and grabbed the door handle to open it, but the Branch Chief reached out, shook his head, and started getting into the car.
"...What are you doing."
Song A-rin muttered as if she couldn't believe it, and soon the Branch Chief got in and climbed onto the roof.
A squeak sound was heard, and the Branch Chief tapped the car roof and shouted.
"Go!"
"..."
I slowly pressed the pedal, and the car began to move sluggishly.
Then, with another tap tap sound, the Branch Chief shouted.
"Faster!"
"If I go any faster here, we'll fly off."
"He's the one who told you to go faster."
"..."
What exactly is Vajra Invincibility?
I pressed the pedal harder, and the car picked up speed again.
Only then did the Branch Chief stop talking.
How long did I press the pedal? Soon, the grim exterior of the hotel began to come into view.
The sign '<Inspiration Hotel>' became visible, and as I slowly brought the car to a stop, the Branch Chief hopped down from the roof and made a gesture for us to open the door.
I opened the door, and only then did the Branch Chief smile and look at us.
"Yeah, so, in the meantime, someone mixed hallucinogens into the air and placed some weird things around, you see? That's why I told you not to open the window."
The Branch Chief gave a genial smile.
"Are you okay, Branch Chief?"
"Hallucinogens? Those go away if you just take a deep breath and tighten your stomach."
So that's how easy it is to get rid of hallucinogens.
The Branch Chief nodded as if it were obvious and looked at me.
"Here it is. Inspiration Hotel."
"..."
Inspiration Hotel.
The rusted iron gate was open as if someone had already torn it off and passed through, and a familiar signpost was erected in front of it.
"It seems once we pass that point, there's no turning back."
Eileen muttered upon seeing the signpost, and at the same time, the others also began preparing.
Yu Daon gripping an awl in a reverse grip, Jang Chae-yeon flicking a bead, Song A-rin meditating with her eyes closed, Eileen checking her gun, and the Branch Chief cracking his knuckles.
-Crackle!
And the manual in my hand also opened.
[Manual for Office Workers]
[Inspiration Hotel - Record of Response Team Member Won Yoo-hyeon]
It begins.