Chapter 94.
In a pitch-black, darkened space.
Amidst piles of documents, the only thing perceptible was the faintly glowing gaze of a woman.
A middle-aged man, blankly staring at that woman’s eyes, remained silent for a long time.
But finally.
Breaking the prolonged silence, the man unfolded a single compiled report in his right hand.
Taking a shallow breath, he began reciting the black letters written on the paper.
“Exactly 1 hour and 41 minutes ago, a gathering of dozens of individuals was confirmed in front of this agency’s building.”
“…….”
No response came to the middle-aged man’s report. Unfazed, he continued the procedure.
“After conducting interviews and interrogations with the civilians, it was revealed that they had all been ensnared by a specific ghost story. And that ghost story was.”
“404… I see.”
“!!”
“Judging from Assistant Department Head Choi Kang-in’s reaction, I was right.”
Choi Kang-in, who had been reading the report, paused briefly.
Then, deviating from the formal report, he brought up another topic, one that was, in fact, the core issue at hand.
“…During additional statements, it was confirmed that a man wreathed in ‘black flames’ was the one who saved them.”
“…Choi Kang-in.”
“Yes.”
Lee Joo-i’s voice was lower than usual.
“I’ve asked you this before… haven’t I?”
“…….”
“Let me ask you again… What do you think of the ‘Man with black flames’?”
“…….”
Crunch.
Clutching the report in one hand, Choi Kang-in mulled over his superior’s words.
For a moment, no sound escaped him.
When no immediate answer came from Choi Kang-in, Lee Joo-i smirked coldly and continued.
“Do you still believe… he is someone to be observed?”
That was Lee Joo-i’s second question.
But perhaps because of it.
No trace of hesitation remained in Choi Kang-in’s eyes.
“Honestly, I’m not sure what answer you’re looking for… But there’s one thing I can say with certainty.”
His voice was filled with conviction.
“This time, too, he saved numerous civilians. That much is an undeniable fact.”
“Are you saying… you trust him?”
“I think it’s better to keep an open mind. That’s my opinion.”
“…….”
Choi Kang-in spoke his honest thoughts without reservation.
The final judgment lay with Lee Joo-i, the Department Head.
Even she had noticed something unusual about the ‘Man with black flames’s’ actions.
Not only had he saved her entire R-team, but he had also rescued a woman named ‘Han-sol’ and even Department Head Seo Eun-bom. And now, dozens of civilians.
…What a strange ghost story.
His behavior was starkly different from any other ghost story they had encountered.
While some ghost stories had shown friendliness toward humans, none had gone so far as to actively save them.
This made Lee Joo-i doubt.
Was the Man with black flames really a ghost story at all?
In fact…
The suspicion that he might have once been human like them lingered endlessly in her mind.
“Department Head, there’s actually one more thing I need to report.”
Choi Kang-in brought up another matter.
“…What is it?”
“It’s about the applicants we discussed earlier.”
“Ah… That’s today, isn’t it?”
Choi Kang-in explained that today was the agency’s recruitment day for new applicants.
Given the extreme danger of dealing with ghost stories, even if the agency recruited many new employees annually, a significant number of interns would either go missing or resign early.
“This time… I hope most people drop out voluntarily.”
While having more personnel would help in handling ghost stories, Lee Joo-i’s R-team wasn’t the type to use humans as shields for results.
Of course, other teams might differ…
“So… how many applicants are there this time?”
“Not many. About 21 in total.”
“…That’s few.”
It was a small number.
The agency usually received over 100 applicants monthly, so 21 was notably low.
Choi Kang-in mentioned six applicants who stood out among the 21.
“Among them is ‘Han-sol’, a former person of interest under our protection, along with two female students who applied together.”
“Weren’t those two… middle schoolers?”
“Yes. Since there’s no age restriction, they applied alongside Han-sol. What should we do?”
The youngest applicants so far had been high school freshmen.
Incidentally, Lee Joo-i herself had applied at 15, becoming the youngest recruit.
Her reason? Money.
At the time, she needed it to survive.
“Let’s observe them… at the site first.”
“Understood.”
“Then… the remaining three applicants?”
“Well… One is a woman who survived the recent 404 incident.”
“…An unusual one.”
A victim of 404 applying immediately after escaping was unprecedented.
Most civilians involved with ghost stories suffered extreme psychological stress, making memory erasure the usual recommendation.
But this woman, after months of captivity, wanted to join the agency.
“The number of applicants is small… but each one is peculiar.”
That left just two more applicants.
Choi Kang-in described them differently from the others.
“The last two are men… who claim to be the ‘saviors’ destined to save this world.”
“…Ah. That type.”
Lee Joo-i didn’t bother delving deeper into those two.
****
A vast grassland shrouded in thick fog, an unknown space.
…I know this place.
I had just collapsed from the aftereffects of prolonged Mass-Produced Hero use.
I also recognized this space.
Where I first met that girl named ‘Eve’ and where the true creator of Noise resided.
The self-proclaimed ‘Noise Dream’.
Unlike last time, I was fully conscious now.
Step.
Since I could move without resistance…
Step.
I thought maybe I could ask this time.
Step.
I fixed my gaze on the source of the approaching footsteps.
A girl in a red robe appeared.
“Hello.”
“…Nice to meet you.”
We exchanged brief greetings.
Eve’s slightly downturned eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment.
“Again, it’s not that child. She was always so shy.”
“…Shy?”
Who?
Surely not the Noise I know…? That guy? Shy?
“…You’re lying.”
“It’s true.”
In a languid tone, Eve began rambling like a fan describing her favorite idol.
“Do you know how long it took just to get him to talk? he was so awkward back then.”
Him?
That’s definitely a lie.
The deep, rough-voiced Noise being called ‘shy’ was absurd.
Eve seemed to have known Noise for a long time.
If I ever met her again, I wanted to ask.
About the true nature of Noise, unrecorded even in the <Ghost Story Record Storage>.
The only person in this world who truly knew him.
There was one question I had to ask.
“What is his ultimate goal?”
“…….”
Noise’s final objective.
Eve fell silent at my question.
And when she finally answered, her words left me silent.
“How should I know? his heart is his own… Isn’t it?”
An incredibly irresponsible answer.
But I didn’t give up.
“There must be something. World domination, maybe?”
“She wouldn’t care about that.”
“…Reverting the world to its primordial state?”
“Why would he do something so inconvenient? You’d hate it too.”
“…Becoming this world’s god?”
“That’s the same as world domination.”
…This girl.
She knows nothing.
At least pretend to think about it!
All I got were vague denials.
Eve refused to give a clear answer.
This was a waste of time. If this continued, I’d only hear useless trivia about Noise.
I needed real information.
Racking my brain, I recalled something Noise had once said.
A shadow surfacing in my memory.
“He said he killed you.”
“!!!”
Even through the red robe, Eve’s startled expression was visible.
For the first time, raw emotion flickered across her face.
When she spoke again, her voice was heavy.
“He… told you that much?”
Tears welled in the young girl’s eyes as her slender hands trembled.
“It was an ‘accident’… She did nothing wrong!”
Her words echoed Noise’s own:
“If you’re asking why… I suppose you could call it a ‘mistake’.”
Between their conflicting accounts, Eve’s voice took on a pleading tone.
As if she was about to ask me for a ‘favor’.
“Perhaps…”
Her fragile voice was tinged with sorrow.
But the only answer I could give was.
“No.”
“……Huh?”
“I said no.”
“…….”
Eve, don’t push it.
I’m done with troublesome requests.
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