Surviving Among the Entities

According to Dong-wook, they had taken protective measures to prevent anyone from entering the abandoned school.
This was true, and the moment I entered the schoolyard, numerous people in police uniforms were patrolling the area.

‘A police line.’

A police line blocked the entrance.
An ordinary person would give up and turn back upon seeing this.

“Yeochcha.”

I crossed over the line and entered. As I traversed the schoolyard, I sensed movements of people patrolling various parts of the abandoned school.

‘They must be from the Foundation?’

As expected, they soon identified me as an outsider and tried to drive me away.

“I’m sorry, but this is currently an area under investigation for a missing persons case, so outsiders are prohibited from entering.”
“I see. What kind of missing persons case is it?”
“We cannot disclose that to outsiders.”

Among the numerous people in police uniforms, I spotted a familiar face.

“Ms. Kim Mi-ri?”
“!?”
“It’s been a while. You may not remember me, but…”
“Uh, huh?”

While she was flustered, someone else flew in from behind.

『What are you doing? Not patrolling? Leaving me out?』
“Mr. Shin Yeong-mun, it’s been a while as well.”
『Ugh!? Mr. Seung-hoon!?』
“Ah, let me show you my ID.”

I presented the identification I had received from the Foundation.

“I am Seung-hoon Lee, the external special consultant.”s are beings that can multiply their strength through cooperation.

“I’ve come to help resolve the incident here. I appreciate your assistance.”

『Wow, Mr. Seung-hoon, it really has been a long time.』
“Yes, it has been a while for me too.”
『Should I call you Chairman now?』
“No, I’ve left Sarang Industries to the professionals and only visit occasionally, so please just call me Mr. Seung-hoon.”
『That’s a relief. Calling you Chairman would make me feel pressured somehow.』

The Shin Yeong-mun I met after so long was just as I remembered him.

“Do you still play mahjong these days?”
『Heheh, I’ve been enjoying it diligently on the virtual computer the Foundation made for me. Lately, I’ve come to appreciate sanma, realizing that true mahjong lies in sanma. I’ve already achieved chongpungryunbodeng, national interlock hand, daishangen, and chiitoitsu!』
“Impressive.”

Shin Yeong-mun was still Shin Yeong-mun.

“Um, well……”
“Hello.”

I also greeted Kim Mi-ri.
While I knew her, I had assumed she wouldn’t know me, but it seemed she recognized me in a different sense.

“I’m Chairman Lee? You know me?”
“Yes, I do. Or should I say a different world line? I saw you fighting in that world.”
“Really?”
“You were active as an actor there for a very long time.”
“An actor?”
『Mi-ri does resemble an actor. She’s overacting right now, too.』
“Overacting? What are you saying!”
『Didn’t you tell me this? ‘I’ll do anything to get into Sarang Industries! Chairman, you know me, right? Help me grow some legs!’ Then you tried to seduce me with aegyo and whatnot……』
“Aaack! Don’t listen to him!”

It’s quite a sight to see someone so open about their carnal desires.
At that moment, I dodged a sound slicing through the air.

“Cheonmahyeonggong-to!”

A deep pit had formed where I had been standing moments ago.
The pit, at least 2 meters wide and deep, would have resulted in my demise if I had remained there.

“Master!”
“Finally, you’ve shown yourself, you demon!”
“Demon? He’s the external special consultant!”
“My eyes cannot be fooled by the likes of you! You’ve become even more terrifying since I last saw you! How can a human’s mind and body become so depraved! You’ve truly lost your humanity and become a demon!”
“Oh, come on! Master, cut it out!”

Here I encounter another familiar face.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Kim Go-deuk.”

Whether he was originally a martial artist who had renounced the secular world to pursue enlightenment.
Or an existence created by the Enhanced Dial TV before my own enhancement, this martial artist was extremely wary of me.

“Not a demon, you say?”
“That’s right! He’s the external special consultant!”
“Hmm……”

Fortunately, Kim Mi-ri and Shin Yeong-mun managed to persuade him.

“Master, do you remember the story we heard during training about how to distinguish humans from entities?”
“I remember. The cardinal rule is not to hastily judge, as it’s difficult to distinguish human-like entities.”
“There were many examples, right?”
“I heard about a case where they kidnapped someone, thinking he was the embodiment of mathematics, but he wasn’t.”
“Von Neumann. The social, material, and human costs from kidnapping him exceeded $1 billion, and the same amount was needed for post-processing.”
『Ah, I remember too. We obtained future knowledge from a dimension with the same physical laws as ours, and someone had written a thesis on it, so we thought he was an entity from that dimension. But it turned out he was just a genius – Einstein himself.』

While he had been wary of me from before, it seemed the training had taught him a lot, as he quickly lowered his guard.

“My apologies. Living only in the mountains, I was unaware of the hidden truths of the world.”
“It’s alright, as long as it’s resolved.”
“Heheh, a youth with a peculiar mind, but still polite.”
“Master!”

And so, together with the Foundation agents, we patrolled the abandoned school.

“My disciple is quite patient. Why don’t you meet her once?”
“Ma, Master! What are you saying!”
“I apologize. I’m not interested in romance at the moment.”
“Ah……”
『Mr. Seung-hoon, that’s all just her overacting. When you see her fight, she’s like a straight-up gorilla. Don’t be fooled!』
“Yeong-mun, do you want to get beat up?”
『Look at this!』

The patrol proceeded smoothly.

『By the way, Mi-ri, aren’t you going to change your name?』
“Change my name? Why suddenly bring that up?”
『It’s too confusing. Kim Mi-ri? Kim Ma-ri? Han Mi-ri? Han Ma-ri?』
“Incredible. Even ghosts can develop dementia, it seems.”

There was nothing particularly special.

“Let’s split up and patrol separately.”
“Very well, let’s do that.”
“Okay, we’ll meet back here later.”
『Horror movies always show people getting into trouble when they split up.』

“Sarang, do you sense anything that can be hacked or anything special?”
『No peculiarities have been detected in the area corresponding to Deokcheon High School.』
“Hmm, as expected, it’s not easy.”

Weekends span Saturday and Sunday, two days.
Since today is Saturday, perhaps the incident won’t occur until Sunday.

『Mr. Seung-hoon, may I offer some advice?』
“Sure, go ahead.”
『A woman’s overacting is dangerous.』
“Hm?”

It was unexpected advice.

『The attitude of hiding one’s true nature and emphasizing only positive aspects has a high probability of sowing seeds of discord in marriages or romantic relationships. Especially when marrying without knowing the true self, mutual trust is shattered, sincerity is lost, and conflicts escalate in various activities.』
“Is that so?”
『This can reduce marital satisfaction and increase the likelihood of divorce, leading to an unhappy married life and potential psychological trauma. Therefore, I advise exercising caution and maintaining distance from the woman named Kim Mi-ri.』
“While I may do so privately, I cannot do so professionally.”
『I understand to that extent.』

After splitting up for a few dozen minutes, I reunited with the Foundation agents in the schoolyard.

“Nothing unusual.”
『Phew! Thankfully, no horror movie situations occurred.』
“I do have one thing.”

Kim Mi-ri showed me her smartphone screen.

[I have read your fortune.]
[If you enter a romantic relationship before the age of 30, you will face an unfortunate situation.]
[You will be unable to get promoted at work, your bust size will decrease by one level, and your menstrual cramps will double in pain.]
[Therefore, abandon romance and focus solely on work until you turn 30.]
[In exchange, your career luck will improve if you give up romance.]
[You will frequently get promoted and receive many benefits at work.]
[Do not let your instincts defeat you and cause you to miss out on what society can offer. Please make a wise choice.]

“What kind of content is this? A text without a sender number, and on top of that, it’s a fortune-telling text out of the blue!”
『According to this, Mi-ri can’t even dream of romance until she’s 30?』
“It’s not even confirmed if it’s real yet!”
『Romance or promotion, that is the question! Of course, our money-grubbing Mi-ri would choose promotion, right?』
“…It would be nice to know the criteria for what counts as ‘romance’. Maybe casual relationships don’t count?”
“Disciple! Why do you seek to indulge in such debauchery! I must quickly obtain some sugongsa (lit. sand to protect the palace)!”
“What’s that supposed to mean!”

I had an inkling of who sent it but remained quiet to preserve Sarang’s dignity.

“But none of you have checked inside the building, have you?”
“No, since the entity’s manifestation could transcend the physical realm and be a phenomenon or location, we received your report that it’s likely a physical entity, but we haven’t confirmed it yet. So we’ve only been controlling the perimeter, and once the weekend is over, we plan to enter and investigate properly.”

According to the information, the Foundation had deduced that the entity here was likely related to the school.

『We’re leaning towards school ghost stories – either ghost stories specific to Deokcheon High School or more general school ghost stories.』
“Then entering would be dangerous.”
『Well, if we just prevent anyone from going in, the problem is almost 100% resolved. Once the weekend is over, the Foundation will send in additional personnel for a full-scale investigation, so don’t worry.』

A sound argument.
However, the uneasy feeling that had led me here still hadn’t dissipated.

‘Is it a mere uneasiness? Or is it the intuition of a human who has experienced many entity-related incidents?’

I immediately put some dried “Friendship” in my mouth.

‘It enhances my physique.’

This intuition is also mine.
If “Friendship” enhances not just my physical abilities but also my mental fortitude, then my intuition should also be enhanced, allowing me to discern the nature of this uneasiness.

“It’s over there.”
“Pardon? Inside the school building?”
“I’ll go take a look. Please remain here and prevent any outsiders from entering.”

I sprinted with long strides.
In an instant, I moved to the main building of the abandoned school, opened the shattered glass door, and entered.

‘This way.’

Following the hallway to the end of the first floor, I found a dangling “Infirmary” sign that had been severed.

‘In here.’

Something will happen inside here.
Carefully opening the door, my right eye activated at that moment.

“!?”

It was an impossibility.
My right eye was a power that only activated when the subject, primarily a human, took the initial step toward annihilation.

‘But there’s no one here right now?’

Was it because I enhanced my physique with “Friendship”?
So my right eye was also enhanced, allowing me to perceive something greater?

‘Let me confirm.’

Calming my emotions, I focused on the scene my eye was showing me.

The empty infirmary.
The abandoned Deokcheon High School remained steeped in an eerie atmosphere, pervaded by hollowness today as well.

“…Doctor!”

Then, the ‘space’ that was the infirmary began to distort.
Soon after, two people existed as if they had been there from the beginning.

“…Doctor!”

A woman’s voice.
Followed by a boy’s voice that hadn’t undergone voice change.

“Doctor!”
“What is it, Assistant?”

Or perhaps a girl’s voice.
Befitting the gender-ambiguous voice, a child whose appearance was indistinguishable as a boy or girl swirled their white lab coat and asked.

“You’re not asking for a vacation again, are you? Even if my assistant is Gen MZ, that’s a bit……”
“Who’s asking for one? I’m just curious why you keep doing things like this. At the very least, I should know the reason behind your work!”

Two crisscrossing stitch marks on her face.
The towering woman, over 2 meters tall, grumbled but still respectfully addressed the child as “Doctor.”

“Ah! It seems my assistant hasn’t heard the news! This time, the Family Zoo is collecting new rare animals, so I’m trying to create an animal to submit there!”
“An animal? What does an animal have to do with a school infirmary?”
“Infirmaries have been the source of ghost stories since ancient times! Of course, what I’ll be creating won’t be limited to just one……”

The boy or girl paused in their movements.
Complex equations appeared in their pupils, with various graphs, maps, and formulas etching themselves before disappearing repeatedly.

“Doctor?”
“Assistant, do you remember ‘Stalker is Tti Tti’?”
“Of course I do. It was a device created to block people who peep secretly, right? If implanted in the skin, it can track others’ gazes, but you got overly excited and overspecced it, burning through an entire year’s budget.”
“Ah, memories.”
“Yes, memories of us only eating stir-fried sweet potato stems for half a year. So what about it?”
“Assistant.”

The boy or girl looked up into the air.

“Someone is peeping at us.”

Beyond that, gazing at “Seung-hoon”.

“Transcending space-time.”

They snapped their fingers.

“Lock-On.”