1. The First Rule of Return Review: Don't Blink
Ne Job learned the first rule of Return Review approximately twelve seconds into his new role.
The rule was simple.
Do not blink while holding a fate thread.
He blinked.
The thread screamed.
Not out loud.
Inside his skull.
Ne Job dropped it like it had personally insulted his ancestors.
"WHY IS IT MAD AT ME?!"
Yue lunged forward, slapping a containment seal over the thread before it could phase through the desk and strangle reality.
"It's not mad," she said tightly. "It's confused."
"That's WORSE."
Qi-Yun watched from across the desk, arms folded, expression unreadable.
"You blinked," he said.
"I HAVE EYES," Ne Job snapped. "THEY DO THAT."
Qi-Yun nodded once.
"Yes. That is the flaw."
Ne Job stared at him.
"…Sir?"
Qi-Yun slid a manual onto the desk.
It was thick.
Ancient.
Actively judgmental.
> RETURN REVIEW PROTOCOLS — OBSOLETE BUT STILL LEGALLY BINDING
Ne Job whimpered.
---
2. Why These Returns Are "Unresolved"
Yue steadied the thread, guiding it gently back into its containment loop.
"Unresolved returns aren't broken," she explained. "They're… undecided."
Ne Job peered at the glowing strand.
It twisted between possible outcomes, humming softly.
"So… it doesn't know what it wants to be?"
Qi-Yun answered.
"No. It knows."
Ne Job swallowed.
"…It just doesn't want any of them."
That hit uncomfortably close.
Qi-Yun continued.
"These threads exist where the system made a correction without authority."
Ne Job stiffened.
"…Like you."
The singing stirred.
Yue shot Qi-Yun a look.
"That was unnecessary."
"It was accurate."
Ne Job stared at the thread again.
It pulsed—hesitant, almost shy.
"Does it hurt?" he asked quietly.
Yue hesitated.
"Yes."
Ne Job's chest tightened.
"…Okay. I'll be careful."
Qi-Yun raised an eyebrow.
"That was not the lesson."
Ne Job picked up the pen.
"It is for me."
---
3. Ne Job Tries Empathy (The System Dislikes This)
He touched the thread again.
Carefully.
Slowly.
"I'm not here to force you," he whispered. "I just… want to understand."
The thread stilled.
A system prompt flickered weakly.
> WARNING: NON-STANDARD INTERACTION DETECTED
Qi-Yun frowned.
"Ne Job—"
"I know," Ne Job said quickly. "I know. I'm not supposed to do this."
The thread hummed.
Soft.
Curious.
Ne Job swallowed.
"You were returned… but no one told you where, right?"
The thread tightened.
Yue's eyes widened.
"It's responding."
Qi-Yun stepped closer.
"That should not be possible."
Ne Job closed his eyes.
"You don't want a correction," he said. "You want acknowledgment."
The thread pulsed—
—and gently wrapped once around his finger.
The room went dead silent.
Every clerk froze.
Every seal flickered.
Qi-Yun sucked in a sharp breath.
"…Unacceptable."
Ne Job panicked.
"OH NO—AM I DEAD—"
The thread loosened, confused.
Ne Job froze.
"…Wait."
He looked at Qi-Yun.
"Sir. It's not hostile."
Qi-Yun's voice was cold.
"That is worse."
---
4. The System Pushes Back
The lights dimmed.
A low hum rolled through the Bureau.
A voice echoed—not spoken, but compiled.
> NON-COMPLIANT INTERN DETECTED
INTERFERENCE WITH UNRESOLVED LAYER
INITIATING CORRECTIVE OVERSIGHT
Ne Job squeaked.
"I DIDN'T EVEN FIX IT."
A massive sigil unfolded in the air above them—
DEPARTMENT OF CONTINUITY ENFORCEMENT
Yue swore.
"Of course it's them."
Qi-Yun straightened, authority snapping into place.
"Stand down," he commanded the sigil. "This intern is under my supervision."
The sigil rotated.
> SUPERVISOR LIABILITY NOTED
REVIEWING PRIOR DECISIONS
The air grew heavy.
Ne Job's ears rang.
"…Why do I feel like I'm being audited emotionally?"
Qi-Yun's jaw tightened.
"Because you are."
---
5. Continuity Enforcement Does Not Like Ne Job
The sigil projected a figure—
Faceless.
Robed.
Made entirely of stitched timelines.
It looked at Ne Job.
Paused.
Then—
> ANOMALY CONFIRMED
SUBJECT IS NOT WHERE HE SHOULD BE
Ne Job raised a hand.
"…I get that a lot."
The figure turned to Qi-Yun.
> PRIOR INTERVENTION CONFIRMED
RETURN SUBSTITUTION: APPROVED (TEMPORARILY)
Qi-Yun said nothing.
Yue felt the thread around Ne Job's finger tighten.
The figure continued.
> TEMPORARY STATUS EXPIRED
SUBJECT HAS DEVELOPED INDEPENDENT AUTHORITY
Silence.
Then—
> RECOMMENDATION: EXTRACTION
Ne Job's stomach dropped.
"Extraction means—"
Yue grabbed his arm.
"No."
Qi-Yun stepped forward.
"Denied."
The figure paused.
> YOU LACK OVERRIDE AUTHORITY
Qi-Yun's eyes glinted.
"I created the override."
The Bureau shook.
---
6. Qi-Yun Reveals the Cost
Qi-Yun raised his hand.
A sigil burned into his palm.
Old.
Painful.
"This intern remains," he said. "By my name."
The air screamed.
The enforcement figure recoiled slightly.
> PERSONAL LIABILITY ESCALATED
CONSEQUENCES WILL APPLY
Qi-Yun nodded once.
"Good."
Ne Job stared.
"…Sir?"
Qi-Yun did not look at him.
"I warned you this role was not a promotion."
The enforcement sigil folded inward.
> OBSERVATION STATUS APPLIED
SUBJECT NE JOB: MONITORED
The pressure lifted.
The lights returned.
The thread loosened.
Yue exhaled shakily.
Ne Job looked at Qi-Yun.
"You just… took the hit for me."
Qi-Yun finally met his eyes.
"Yes."
"…Why?"
Qi-Yun answered honestly.
"Because I already broke the rules once."
Ne Job swallowed.
"…And?"
Qi-Yun's voice was quiet.
"I refuse to pretend it was a mistake."
---
7. Aftermath: The Quiet That Follows a Near-Erasure
Later, Ne Job sat at his desk, hands shaking.
The thread rested peacefully in its loop.
Yue handed him tea.
"Don't do that again," she said gently.
He nodded.
"I'll try."
Qi-Yun watched him.
"You didn't correct it," Qi-Yun said.
"No," Ne Job replied. "I didn't have to."
Qi-Yun considered that.
"That approach is inefficient."
Ne Job sipped his tea.
"…It worked."
Qi-Yun said nothing.
The Bureau hummed again.
Cautious.
Watching.
Yue looked at Ne Job—really looked.
He wasn't glowing.
He wasn't transformed.
He was still just an intern.
But now—
The system had noticed him.
And systems hated things they couldn't categorize.
She felt the thread tighten once more.
Not pulling.
Not anchoring.
Bracing.
---
END OF CHAPTER 202