SBTGC 21

Chapter 21

It’s strange.

Let me recall the outfits of the customers at the café just a moment ago.

…That’s right. They were definitely wearing winter clothes.

The date was approaching December, and not long ago, there was news that the first snow of the year had fallen somewhere. The temperature was now near freezing even in the daytime. That’s why when I was getting ready to go out today, I even packed a padded coat and a scarf.

But…

‘Why isn’t it cold?’

Once I became aware of it, I felt it even more clearly. The surroundings weren’t cold at all, but neither were they hot or warm.

It was as if the seasons had simply vanished.

Before long, a sense of déjà vu followed behind the sense of unease. The chain of déjà vu urged me to pay attention to the peculiarity of this space.

People passing by on the street. Familiar-looking exteriors, but signs with names I’d never seen before.

It looked similar to the place where I live, yet for some reason, it felt uneasy, as if I had lost my way…

“…Lacharjat.”

Hup.

As soon as I muttered that word, I clamped both hands over my mouth. My eyes went wide like a rabbit’s, darting around frantically.

No way. This is a joke, right?

I’m back in the ghost town again?

—

After barely calming my confusion.

I decided to find a nearby convenience store.

Since I had no money on me, I had nowhere to go, but I felt uneasy just standing on the street.

Someone might suddenly talk to me, after all.

I’ll just pretend to browse around. Surely there’s no rule like ‘You have to pay even just to look around in the ghost town!’

*Zing.*

“Welcome.”

As soon as the automatic door opened, the employee’s flat greeting reached my ears. I slowly looked around—the interior wasn’t much different from what I knew.

I could say this far was a relief, but…

I pretended to slowly browse the shelves while glancing at the digital clock on the wall.

’11:30 AM.’

Considering when I arrived at the basement, the time was fairly similar to reality. I wasn’t sure if it matched exactly, but there didn’t seem to be a big difference.

I let my gaze fall somewhere on the shelves at random, forcing my frozen mind to work.

…What do I do now?

I don’t know how I ended up back in Lacharjat again. The first time I came to Lacharjat, there was at least a reasonable reason.

A car accident.

But… this time, there was no impact at all.

Did I bump into something by opening the wrong door? So I fainted without realizing it and ended up here again…

No. No. I quickly shook my head to brush off that thought.

In the first place, I was told it was a rare case. And yet the same thing happens to me twice? No matter how unrealistic this world is, that doesn’t make sense.

And even if I really had hit something, it certainly wouldn’t have been enough impact to knock my soul out.

If only Genzer were next to me, I could have asked him.

To think I’d actually miss that guy…

…Ah. Wait!

Suddenly, one memory flashed through my mind. What if it’s that?

I looked around, then moved to a somewhat secluded spot. Then I checked the inside of my right wrist.

Three round chips lined up like traffic lights.

<It’s a location tracker and protective device used by the Management Headquarters.>

Right! This exists!

Since it was on the inside of my wrist and flat, I had momentarily forgotten its presence. I almost let out a shout of joy, forgetting where I was…

After barely keeping my mouth shut, I lightly ran my fingers over the round surfaces. I didn’t know if they were embedded in the skin or just attached, but since he said they’d come off on their own when pressed, it should be fine.

The problem was what exactly this function did.

For some reason, it felt like I shouldn’t use it here. I hurriedly went outside and found a quiet alley.

After entering it, I checked one last time to make sure no one was around.

…Alright. Let’s try it.

There was no instruction to press them in order, but it’s better to start with the first one, right?

I brought my thumb to the leftmost of the three chips.

*Press.*

*Pop.*

As I lifted my thumb, the chip came off just as Genzer had described. Where the chip had fallen, only a reddish mark remained—no wound at all.

And in that meantime, the fallen chip hit the ground…

“AAAAAH!”

It was before I could even register it.

Something suddenly popped out from inside it.

The reason I screamed without even knowing what it was… was because it came right up to my face.

It seemed to have come right up to my eyes, yet strangely, I felt no sense of volume.

I slowly lifted my tightly shut eyelids.

“…”

Right in front of me now… something floaty was hovering.

A hologram like a cute ghost character.

Light from the chip that had fallen to the floor was projecting it upward.

What kind of principle is this? How fascinating.

I was startled for a moment since it was a sight I’d never seen before, but the ghost looked cute, and since it was a hologram, it wasn’t terrifyingly scary…

– Quality number G43424. We will now begin the return service.

A calm female voice, like an announcement, spoke to me.

– Return method: random type. Auto-tuning. Electric shock confirmation. Loading.

…What?

– For accurate striking, please maintain a distance of 30cm from the chip’s radius.

Striking.

As soon as I heard that word, the final moment of my first day here came to mind.

Back then, Genzer had shot a gun at my forehead.

And Baek Hwa-gyeong had said that was the method to return to the real world. Because the machine had temporarily separated body and soul by delivering a shock to the body, the same level of shock was needed to go back.

<With an ordinary impact, you can’t return to your original body.>

And she had also said that. I remember.

The problem is, I don’t know what state I’m in right now.

They said only souls could enter here, yet I came here without any impact. And I’m someone who can freely come and go from Lacharjat.

So, am I currently in a state where my body has turned into a soul?

Or did I come here without changing at all?

– Confirming user location. In 10 seconds, the service will begin.

If it’s the latter… shouldn’t I not take that shock?

– Countdown begins. 10, 9, 8…

Ah, of course, Genzer wouldn’t have given it to me to kill me.

The emergency situation he mentioned might refer to a time like this, when I end up in Lacharjat again.

– 7, 6, 5…

But you know.

– 4, 3, 2…

Even knowing that doesn’t give me the courage to take an electric shock!

– 1. Aiming at target.

*Crackle!*

I quickly moved away from the chip. And at the same time, my vision flashed…

*Zzzzzzzap!*

“Huff…”

A scorched mark appeared in an instant where I had been standing just moments ago. A trace that looked like it had been scribbled all over with a black crayon.

…It was the work of the spark that had shot out from the chip.

– User targeting failed. Terminating service.

*Poof!*

The chip, having fulfilled its duty, burst on the spot.

I stared blankly at the burnt mark, recalling what Ma Ye-eun had once said to me.

<It’s okay, it’s okay. We don’t use those much, so we have plenty of stock.>

“…”

I think I understand why.

You crazy civil servants…

—

* * *

—

The conversation at the café ended in exactly 10 minutes.

It wasn’t because the Director had accommodated it, nor because Genzer himself had intended it. It was possible because the Director was the type to say only what was necessary, and he too was brief in speech.

“Anyway, think carefully about what I said.”

As soon as they stepped out of the café, the cold wind raked across their entire bodies. But the two who came outside faced that chill without any reaction. As if they couldn’t feel the cold at all.

The Director, who had stopped a few steps ahead, turned to look at Genzer and spoke.

“Try persuading Se-na-ssi to the very end too.”

Genzer opened his mouth immediately.

“That’s already settled.”

“What? Why are you so quick to give up?”

“Because this isn’t the kind of thing that can be settled through persuasion.”

At his answer, the Director’s eyes narrowed.

“If persuasion doesn’t work, how about threats?”

“…”

The moment Genzer’s cold gaze fixed on her, she covered her mouth with an exaggerated gesture.

“Oh my, I just sounded just like those Satva people, didn’t I?”

“Your self-awareness is impressive.”

“That’s why I got my Director position at this age.”

Even at his sarcastic remark, the Director laughed wittily.

“If you say so, there’s no helping it. Anyway, Jer.”

But her smile soon faded, and thanks to that, Genzer could anticipate what would follow.