Humanity Protection Company

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: None.

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An hour had passed since they encountered the demon of absurdity.

The three members of the investigation team and Baek Ah-yoon had returned to Happo Apartment. They brought with them the company's demon hunters, cleanup specialists, and a Vatican exorcist.

“Hey, it’s here.”

The team leader, his head wrapped in bandages, pointed to a spot.

The first-floor entrance where they had confronted the demon worshiper.

The only signs of the fight were scattered flowerpot shards, soil, a broken soju bottle, and a damaged drill. The gray clay had evaporated and disappeared.

Despite this, the priest in the black cassock clutched his cross and closed his eyes, his nose slightly wrinkling.

“The stench of demons.... It’s overpowering. There were three lowly hellspawn, and one of a different level.”

“Can you track them?”

The demon hunter in a black suit adjusted his cello case and asked. The priest shook his head.

“They are disappearing unnaturally. Evil power must be erasing their traces. It will be difficult.”

“...”

They couldn’t track the demon.

Without hesitation, the demon hunter turned and left. If there was no fight, there was no reason to stay. He would return when the company detected the demons again, to kill them.

Leaving the demon hunter fading into the distance under the streetlights, the priest turned to Baek Ah-yoon.

“Although the demons have retreated, they may return. You should stay at the rectory for the time being.”

“But... I have to ask my parents.”

Baek Ah-yoon, completely frightened and pale after seeing the demon, lowered her gaze.

The priest didn’t mind.

“I will contact your parents. I’ll tell them it’s like a temple stay at the church. Won’t they agree to that? If possible, they can come too.”

“Okay…”

“You will study the Bible, earn volunteer hours, and most importantly, learn why you must be cautious of demons. Let’s call them now.”

The priest took Ah-yoon to a corner. He got her parents’ number from her and put the phone to his ear.

“Yes, hello. Are you Ah-yoon’s parents? No, it’s not about a problem—”

Left behind were the three members of the investigation team and the company’s cleanup specialist.

A man with an average, nondescript look suddenly patted the team leader’s back.

“Hey, Team Leader Hong. Looks like you had quite a fight. Your head’s all busted up?”

“Hey, Team Leader Lee. Stop talking and get to cleaning up.”

“Ah, that...”

As Team Leader Lee made an awkward face, a crackling noise came from the apartment’s speakers.

-Attention, this is an announcement from the management office. Regarding the incident at the entrance of Building 101 this evening, it was staged during video filming. Residents, please be advised accordingly.

The speakers went silent. The apartment complex fell into a hush. Team Leader Lee took out a cigarette, looked around cautiously, and lit it.

The team leader glared at him.

“Team Leader Lee? Are you slacking off? Is this the best you can do? And you’re smoking?”

“Don’t blame me. The company’s new guidelines are like this. What can I do?”

Team Leader Lee took a deep drag on his cigarette and exhaled. The team leader, also taking out a cigarette, listened as Team Leader Lee continued his gripe.

“They say not to worry about some exposure, just to save company resources as much as possible. Unless it’s like that incident at the harbor a while back, everything’s handled half-heartedly.”

“Have the higher-ups lost their minds?”

The team leader paused before lighting his cigarette and cursed. It made no sense to him.

If these exposures piled up, the abnormal would become normal. And if abnormalities became the norm, the company wouldn’t be able to contain them. If it led to a full-blown revelation of these anomalies...

Team Leader Lee flicked his cigarette and watched the ashes scatter.

“I don’t know either. The higher-ups must have lost their minds. Back in my day, it wasn’t like this.”

The cigarette burned slowly.

“The government was adamant about no firearms, so we negotiated and created a special task force. We provided great support and benefits for employees. But look at things now.”

As he talked, Team Leader Lee’s anger seemed to build. He jerked his head up and started ranting, shaking his cigarette and scattering ashes.

“They cut benefits, reduced staff without hiring replacements, and now they even half-ass the cover-up operations. I’ve heard from others that the support is crap too. What the hell are they thinking—”

“Hey, your cigarette.”

“What? Ah, hot!”

The flame had reached the filter and burned his fingers. Team Leader Lee yelped and threw the cigarette, which rolled on the ground.

Looking deflated, Team Leader Lee stepped on the butt to extinguish it and finished his rant.

“Anyway. Maybe it’s time to retire.”

“What will you do for a living if you quit?” the team leader asked, finally lighting his cigarette.

“I’ve saved enough. I’ll enjoy the rest of my life. Team Leader Hong, you should quit too.”

“Bullsh*t.”

“What’s the point of working yourself to death? We’re too old to run on passion alone.”

“Team Leader Lee, the rookies can hear you.”

Team Leader Lee glanced over at the team leader’s nod towards the corner where Jae-min and Yeonwoo stood, looking worried. Jae-min’s face was covered in bandages, and Yeonwoo looked exhausted.

Seeing this, Team Leader Lee didn’t stop.

“At least they’re still hiring for the investigation team. Listen up, rookies. The company isn’t what it used to be—”

“There you go, talking nonsense again.”

“Hey, these are words of wisdom.”

Team Leader Lee stuffed his hands in his pockets and started to walk away.

“Team Leader Hong, I’m leaving. See you next time, if there is one.”

“Are you seriously leaving like this? Is this all the cleanup?”

“Yeah. Good luck.”

Team Leader Lee disappeared into the distance. The team leader watched him go, then glanced at Jae-min and Yeonwoo. They looked like they were taking Team Leader Lee’s words to heart, worry evident on their faces.

The team leader cleared his throat and began the cleanup.

“Don’t take him too seriously, you two. He always complains.”

“Uh, okay. But Leader, if what he says is true, isn’t there a problem with the company?”

Jae-min asked innocently. The team leader, momentarily speechless, took a drag from his cigarette before replying.

“No. Sometimes the company focuses on other things, and this happens.”

“Really?”

“What do you know about the company, kid? Trust me.”

“I’m not so sure…”

The team leader picked up his cigarette butt and Team Leader Lee’s, disposing of them in a nearby ashtray. Jae-min and Yeonwoo prepared to leave.

The team leader spoke.

“You live in this apartment, right? Where do you live, rookie? I’ll give you a ride.”

“I live in a goshiwon in the city.”

“You’re still living in a goshiwon?”

“I was planning to move. I finally saved up enough for a deposit and rent.”

Yeonwoo spoke proudly. After two months of saving his salary, he had enough to move into a decent place. He was also expecting a bonus for his performance in resolving the recent anomaly.

Reflecting on the tough times, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

The team leader congratulated him.

“You earned it through hard work. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Wow, I’m jealous. Can I visit you sometime?”

“Maybe later.”

After their conversation, they waved goodbye to each other.

“Leader, Yeonwoo, take care getting home.”

“Sure, you be careful too.”

Yeonwoo waved silently. Jae-min headed towards Ah-yoon and the priest, while the team leader and Yeonwoo got into the team leader’s car.

The team leader checked the navigation and spoke.

“The goshiwon... It’ll take a while to get there.”

He pressed the accelerator, and the car left the apartment parking lot, driving down a quiet road. The team leader looked at Yeonwoo through the rearview mirror.

---

---

His mind was a mess. He couldn’t focus on driving.

There was Team Leader Lee, who wanted to quit, the company’s lousy management, and above all, Yeonwoo.

“….”

The team leader glanced at the rearview mirror. Yeonwoo was looking at his phone, slightly smiling at something entertaining. But beneath the smile was a deep-seated fatigue.

He looked just like any other rookie.

His chest felt heavy, like a stone was weighing it down. It was uncomfortable to suspect his subordinate.

But.

‘It’d be strange not to suspect him at this point….’

The team leader had seen Yeonwoo’s resume and had witnessed the incidents firsthand.

Even overlooking the Human Qualification Exam, there had been containment failures during training, attacks by hostile groups, the discovery of anomalies on his first day, and a catastrophe during a mission, leading to the spread of errors due to criminals.

‘And today, we even faced a demon worshiper and a high-ranking demon.’

When coincidences pile up, it’s an anomaly.

As an investigator, the team leader had to suspect Yeonwoo.

And suspicions need to be resolved quickly.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

The team leader cleared his throat. Yeonwoo looked up from his phone at the back of the team leader’s head.

Watching Yeonwoo through the rearview mirror, the team leader spoke directly, using the perfect excuse.

“Rookie. Let’s get you tested.”

“Sorry?”

“You consulted a shaman, and today you encountered a demon worshiper. It’s a bit suspicious. Let’s get a thorough examination from the company.”

“Oh.”

Yeonwoo turned off his phone and looked out the window. His eyes wavered with anxiety, and his lips pressed tightly together.

Was it the ominous atmosphere of the word "thorough examination" that unsettled him? Or was he uncomfortable with the company? Or was it something else, an anomaly?

The team leader stopped guessing and began to persuade him.

“Don’t worry about being diagnosed as an anomaly. I can cover for you if it’s not too bad. Look at that student. The researchers wanted to use him as a test subject, but I brought him here.”

“…I’ll get the examination.”

After a brief hesitation, Yeonwoo agreed to the examination. The team leader unknowingly felt relieved and tapped the steering wheel with his hand.

“Good choice. It’s no big deal.”

“But, team leader.”

“What? Why?”

“Can I move first and then get the examination?”

Yeonwoo asked, explaining that he had already scheduled the move and it would be a hassle to postpone it. The team leader nodded without much thought.

“Oh, right. You said you were moving. Fine, move first and then get the examination. I’ll treat it as leave until the results come out.”

“You’re telling me not to come to work from tomorrow?”

Yeonwoo looked at the team leader’s profile, puzzled. But the team leader found it a reasonable precaution.

“Yes. It seems like you attract anomalies or escalate incidents. It’s best to stay off until we have accurate results.”

With that reasoning….

Yeonwoo seemed to understand, though he was uncomfortable with the idea that the team leader might already consider him an anomaly. He turned his phone back on.

Thoughts about the examination filled his mind.

---

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And on the day Yeonwoo finished moving and was picked up by a company employee for the examination,

The team leader received a call from the higher-ups.

Yeonwoo had gone missing.

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