The Agent with the scar on his neck stared silently at the Counselor inside the Monorail Train.
"…You're saying you have the right?"
"Yes."
The smile on the Counselor's face, which had seemed to contort with ecstasy, straightened out again.
"Have you perhaps forgotten? I'm from Segwang Metropolitan City."
"..."
"And since I've made a contract with Mascot-nim, I couldn't be more of a relevant personnel. Ah, thank you."
The last words were directed at the Mascot who was handing him a souvenir sticker.
'…A deer? A cat?'
In any case, the mascot costume, which looked like something you'd see at an amusement park, waddled to the front of the Train and escorted the four people, waving its hands as if to welcome them.
Now that I looked, it was dressed as a Conductor.
"Sh-should we get on?"
"Yes."
Researcher Lee Jaheon began to board the Train without hesitation.
The Mascot spun around him as if delighted, then, as if remembering its identity as a Conductor, quickly cleared its throat and stopped.
Muttering something like, 'Cute little fella,' Reporter Eunhaje boarded, and Ryu Jaegwan hurriedly got on the Monorail after her.
♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
The golden Monorail set off with a cheerful sound.
The ivory walls of the beautiful track and the map of the theme park drawn on them flowed past the window…. Pleasant Theme Park?
Ryu Jaegwan, who had been watching it, turned his head and met the Counselor's eyes, only then snapping back to his senses.
"Um… Teacher."
"..."
The Counselor stared at the high school student before him and opened his mouth.
"Mr. Ho Yuwon would be better than Teacher."
"What? I, I can't call a teacher by name like that…"
Ho Yuwon's gaze, scanning the bewildered high school student Ryu Jaegwan, landed on his school uniform.
"…Are you a student at Saegwang High School?"
"Huh? Yes…"
Silence.
'Why on earth is he asking something so obvious…?'
Just as Ryu Jaegwan stiffened from the strange sense of unease.
"…I see."
Ho Yuwon quietly looked at him and smiled.
"Even when you know it's not true, being deceived by the sight right before your eyes is a very human reaction, isn't it?"
"...?"
"It's fascinating… and strange."
The Agent with the scar on his neck watched with a guarded expression, but Ho Yuwon simply gazed at the high school student in the Saegwang High School uniform.
…As if looking at something nostalgic.
Then he smiled and said.
"I hope you have a happy Resort trip, and that you return safely. …Student Jaegwan."
The last words were somehow slightly awkward.
It was as if he were imitating something unfamiliar, or saying it for the first time in a very long time….
"..."
♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
"Oh, looks like we've arrived."
The Monorail stopped, and a scene like a train station from a classic fairy tale appeared outside the window.
The Conductor Mascot stepped out of the Train car and once again guided the passengers as if escorting them.
When the high school student Ryu Jaegwan looked back at Ho Yuwon, he was still smiling.
"Go on out. I'll be the last one to leave."
"…Thank you."
The high school student Ryu Jaegwan reflexively bowed his head and exited.
Behind him, the Agent's and Ho Yuwon's eyes met.
"..."
"..."
Unaware of the strange atmosphere behind him, Ryu Jaegwan stepped out of the Train.
He heard the voice of a young woman talking brightly with Researcher Lee Jaheon.
"I'm so glad you're safe!"
"Yes."
"And…"
A person in a suit with a small build, wearing a dolphin mask, spun around to look at him.
"Oh! Agent."
Agent?
Ryu Jaegwan was momentarily flustered, but he soon came to the common-sense conclusion that she must be referring to the Agent following behind him.
But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that the gaze from behind that dolphin mask had been looking at him….
Why?
"Did you two rescue them?"
"Yes."
"A proper rescue would include getting them safely home! So I'd like to know if there's a way for these two citizens to get out of here."
But the Dolphin mask had already naturally shifted her gaze from the high school student to talk with someone else, and Ryu Jaegwan naturally pushed the strange feeling to the back of his mind.
It was because he got the odd impression that everyone seemed to know each other.
Besides, the conversation was clearly about his own well-being.
'Can I really escape from Segwang Metropolitan City through this Resort?'
"Really? It'd be nice to hang out for a day! This Resort seems super safe as long as good people follow the rules, hmm…"
But the Dolphin mask seemed to scan the appearances of Reporter Eunhaje and the high school student Ryu Jaegwan once more before nodding.
"Yep. It'd be best for you to return to where you were right away."
"Yes. I'll speak with the Mascot in charge."
"Yes, yes! Oh, I think it's that one over there!"
And Researcher Lee Jaheon strode toward the Mascot the Dolphin mask was pointing at.
In front of the stairs, a Mascot stood at a dark brown podium with ornate crystal flower tree decorations, which looked like an information desk.
The Mascot, dressed like a Manager with a vest and a pocket watch, looked at the high school student Ryu Jaegwan and even tried to shake his hand, just as people at an amusement park do.
"I– I'm good."
At that, the Mascot's ears drooped slightly as if dejected. Ryu Jaegwan felt a nameless sense of guilt….
"Um. This Mascot says they've already prepared a way out for you two!"
"Really? Then we'd better check it out~"
The people who had found a way out were discussing something about the current situation that Ryu Jaegwan couldn't understand.
The high school student Ryu Jaegwan, who had yet to pick up on the extremely anxious undertones hidden within, simply turned his head and saw another person quietly approaching the information desk Mascot.
Ho Yuwon.
The man stared silently at the Mascot, then spoke.
"You are not Mr. Roe Deer, either."
....
"He is not in this Resort. Is he? You are merely a part of him."
The Mascot nodded.
"Just like me."
Only a calm smile remained on the Counselor's face.
"Student Jaegwan! They're going to show us the way!"
"…! Yes!"
Snapping to his senses at Reporter Eunhaje's call, Ryu Jaegwan followed the others.
But the Counselor did not follow them, naturally slipping away as if he had other business.
Ryu Jaegwan had no idea that his and the reporter's appearance had diverted the attention and gazes that would have been focused on him….
But he did get emotional for a different reason.
After some thought, he bowed his head deeply.
Ho Yuwon's eyes seemed to waver for a moment, then he raised his hand slightly in greeting.
Just as a teacher would.
"..."
"Should we go up these stairs?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
The Agent with the scar on his neck turned to the group and shouted.
"From here on, only I will accompany them. The rest of you, go about your business!"
And so the group was finalized again.
Following the Mascot's lead, Ryu Jaegwan climbed the ivory staircase carpeted in red with the others.
At the top, where a waiting hall should have been….
"Whoa."
A very elaborate indoor garden had been created.
Glass flowers, golden branches, and various yellow blossoms sparkled among the green leaves.
"What in the world is this place…?"
Because of the maze-like bushes, he couldn't even guess how wide it was.
But the guide's steps were confident and brisk.
The Mascot, who had led them along an outer path, soon pointed with a fluffy hand at a small but pleasant-looking brick house.
A nameplate was hung on the back door, hidden by a crystal lamp, in an old-fashioned cursive script.
[For Employee Exit
Unauthorized Personnel
Keep Out]
"Um, it says 'Keep Out' here…"
"…Hmm. They say it's okay."
The Mascot looked at the group and thumped its chest as if telling them to follow, then grabbed the doorknob.
And when it opened the door, a passage made of neat, dark brown wood, though not as splendid as the outside, appeared.
Along with a chalkboard that seemed to have a message for the employees.
[See you again next time!
GOLDEN]
The Mascot stepped inside first and held the door, and the others followed.
But as the last Agent tried to step in, the Mascot stopped him.
"Ah."
The Agent stopped in his tracks.
"…Hmm, it seems I can't go from here. But the Mascot will go with you."
A faint, bitter smile spread across his face before it became calm again.
"See that door at the end? If you go through there and leave this Resort, you'll return to where you were."
"..."
"Stay healthy and well. Got it?"
Ryu Jaegwan felt a sense of urgency for some reason.
"Um, after I go back, how can I thank you Agents?"
"..."
Is it a secret government agency, so I won't be able to contact them anymore?
"…Hey, you can just make a call!"
But the Agent found a piece of paper in his pocket and scribbled a number with a ballpoint pen.
"I'll give you the number. Here! This is valuable, you know? It's the direct line to headquarters."
And he grinned.
"If you say you just escaped a Supernatural Disaster with the help of an Agent, they'll guide you kindly."
He spoke in a gentle but firm voice.
"They'll also check if you have any aftereffects or other problems. So even if it's not to say thanks, make sure to call, okay?"
"Yes. Thank you…!"
"Hey. It's nothing."
Beyond the smiling Agent's face, the face of the other Agent who had saved him also came to mind.
The person who appeared on a bicycle.
The sense of relief then.
And the lump in his throat now.
The high school student Ryu Jaegwan's eyes grew calm and heated at the same time.
"Um, is there… any way for me to work there too?"
"...!"
"I want to rescue people at the Disaster Management Bureau, too…. Like you Agents."
"..."
"Of course."
For some reason, his voice was choked.
But the next moment, the Agent chuckled.
"But you'll have to grow up a bit more."
"What…!?"
"No, not your height, your age! You have to be at least an adult to take the test. Got it? For now, grow up big and strong!"
"I– I understand."
"I'll be looking forward to it. Future Hubae Agent!"
Ryu Jaegwan's voice became firm.
"…Yes!"
"Then you should get going! Everyone's waiting."
"Thank you…. Thank you!"
Ryu Jaegwan turned his head to bow to the Agent one last time, then followed the Mascot forward.
Still, because there were three of them, and thanks to the kind Mascot, it wasn't scary.
'To experience something like this.'
It really felt like a day he would never forget for the rest of his life….
And that wasn't just in a bad way.
The high school student Ryu Jaegwan walked to the end of the hallway and grabbed the door on the opposite side.
Click.
Through the door, beyond which nothing could be seen, the three people who had been trapped in Sekwang Special City walked out.
And disappeared.
Agent Choi watched his Hubae from the past return to his own timeline.
"..."
"Did he go back?"
"Nuna."
Agent Haegum appeared.
The Agent, who had been searching the other half of the area to find a way out of the Resort, had discovered the Civilians and secretly followed them.
Agent Haegum opened her mouth.
"…He won't remember."
....
"If only his mind was summoned here, most people would just consider it a nightmare. Since he has a spiritual constitution, there's a high chance he'll think it was real, but he'll probably forget all the specifics."
The name of the place.
The appearances of the Agents he met.
All the elements that could be realistically identified would be forgotten, but….
"He'll still remember being caught in a Supernatural Disaster."
"..."
"And he'll definitely remember that an Agent saved him from that Disaster. He'll even call the number he remembers."
A watery laugh mixed with Agent Choi's low voice.
"In the end, I'll get a random call, have a good laugh at the kid who can't even remember the Disaster clearly, and think that some future Agent must have saved him. And Team Leader Hong will introduce the kid who wants to work for us to Leejeong Bookstore."
And.
"As more time passes… that high school student will become a fine Agent and meet you at the mountain cabin."
"..."
"Grapes-ie."
Agent Choi's voice, looking at the Mascot that had returned from the hallway, was low and cracked.
"The seal is breaking in real time. There's really not much time left."
....
"If you want to stop me from interfering with the Sealing Ritual, you should at least let me help you. You have to let me help with all my might. That was the promise."
He looks at the Mascot.
"If you're listening, let me out."
"..."
"I'll… I'll try my best to help you."
"How unfortunate."
Ho Yuwon, who had been faintly listening to the conversation from the bottom of the stairs, spoke to the Mascot as well.
"That's how one loses their role when the conditions aren't met."
The Mascot, who had taken its place at the information desk as if changing shifts, stared at him.
"I'll tell you a secret."
And Ho Yuwon whispered to the Mascot.
"I know where you are."
....
"This doesn't require any mystical ability; it's a simple fact. You're on the roof of City Hall, aren't you? Because you have to install the machine there."
Willpower entered his soft, counseling-like voice.
"And through the staff-only entrance that leads to the surface, I can finally go to Sekwang Special City…."
....
"So, I'm coming to find you now."
"And at this moment, I will do the thing that is most like me."
* * *
I looked back.
Ho Yuwon.
The being with the face of a Counselor stood still.
But its form was wavering.
Like my own melting state, its form was clearly collapsing rapidly!
Because it's a ghost story!
"Go ba…ck."
No, it's faster for me to destroy the being inside this Cocoon right now.
Then everything will be fine. All of this, I gathered my jumbled body, somewhere between a yellow Mascot and a masked Roe Deer, and tried to tear off Kim Soleum again….
"Excuse me, I asked if you had ever considered another way."
There's no time! I'm going crazy, there's really no time, so why does he keep talking like this?!
"I'm sorry. I keep speaking to you in this manner. You could call it an occupational hazard of being a Counselor."
He approaches.
Why….
" I am finally standing here. In Sekwang Special City. Patient-nim."
Ho Yuwon looked around, his expression turning ecstatic, before returning to that of a Counselor.
"Do you perhaps remember what I said during our first session?"
A gentle voice speaks.
" 'When you're seized by a powerful impulse or idea that you didn't want, it's so agonizing.' "
"..."
"And the role of a Counselor is to help you break free from that in the proper way."
Ho Yuwon's gaze turns to the Kim Soleum inside the Cocoon.
To be precise, to everything hanging beneath it.
…The Civilians of Segwang Metropolitan City.
[I'm scared][1]
"I have always recommended regular counseling and long-term hospitalization to those who were struggling because they couldn't bear themselves and their situations."
...Wait a minute.
"An indefinite hospitalization, permanent until they recover."
Wait, no way.
"And now."
Ho Yuwon lowers his body.
As if to examine every being inside the Cocoon.
"I think I've met the patients I truly wanted to recommend this to. The ones who need my recommendation more than ever before."
That means,
"It's going to be a very long group counseling session, won't it? It might even take my entire life as a Counselor."
If he does that….
"But it seems like it will be very rewarding. So much so that I wonder if I was a being reserved for this very moment."
"..."
"Mr. Roe Deer."
The beings, almost completely melted down, look at each other.
The Counselor and the Good Friend.
"Will you agree to the counseling?"
Ho Yuwon, dragging his half-melted body, approaches and presses a nameplate into my hand.
"Unless the patient, or their guardian, opens the door themselves, the counseling cannot begin."
"..."
"Because counseling is not compulsory; it absolutely requires consent."
I realize.
Kim Soleum in the Cocoon, and the citizens of Segwang Metropolitan City who worship and cling to him.
I have the right to be both the patient himself and their guardian.
"I'm asking you."
....
"I don't know if you've noticed, but while I was talking, you've melted down quite a bit yourself, Mr. Roe Deer, and you no longer seem to have the strength to tear even one person from that Cocoon. I think you'd be more at ease if you gave up."
Hah.
"Don't give me such a scary look. I get afraid rather easily…."
I looked at Ho Yuwon, who, as usual, had that annoying look of fright on his face.
The Director Ho I knew.
…A surge of emotion welled up in my eyes.
"..."
"Come on. Before we melt further into each other and all die together."
Ho Yuwon smiles.
"Let's try the best we can, Roe Deer-nim. That's why you came all this way, isn't it?"
He catches me with difficulty.
"Just as you wanted for yourself, try to recover instead of turning away."
"..."
"And…."
Ho Yuwon says.
"To the Ho Yuwon who survived as a Counselor, please introduce me to the patients you truly wanted to counsel, just like this."
....
I accepted the doorplate.
An unbearable emotion rises, but it eventually melts away as I move to the rooftop's Emergency Exit.
And I hung the doorplate on the door.
Knock, knock.
I knock, grit my teeth… and pull the doorknob.
"You did well. …Thank you."
The full view of the Fox Counseling Room pours out onto the rooftop.
[1] red box