By Zephyria 
[Guide for Survivors Returning from an Aberrant Realm]
You cannot deny that your survival was made possible through the countless sacrifices and dedication of our Agents. Please express your gratitude to the headquarters. Furthermore, please convey your sincere gratitude and sincerity, including medical expenses, in the form of a donation.
Nonghyup ☓☓☓-☓☓☓☓-☓☓☓☓-☓☓ National Heritage Agency, Artifact Investigation Division (Donation tax deductions are available up to 100,000 won.)
After returning home, if you experience unprecedented abnormal symptoms such as sleep paralysis or sighting ghosts, please contact 02-☓☓☓-☓☓☓☓. Costs for such matters will be billed separately from the donation.
Regardless of the reason, be advised that if you file a civil complaint with the headquarters, neither you nor your immediate descendants will ever receive rescue from the headquarters again.
‘…I feel like they’re shaking me down and threatening me at the same time?’
Yoo Jiha was the only one bewildered by the guide. The others, with glazed eyes, took out their phones and actually began transferring money. The staff guided those who had finished their deposits one by one, and they left the office with blank expressions, without saying a word.
Jeil Heon, sitting next to him, gave a bitter smile and covered Jiha’s guide with his hand.
“It’s because of the suggestion and memory erasure incantations. The experience of encountering an anomaly will become vaguely blurred or replaced, and only things like the number to call when there’s an issue or the fact that you shouldn’t file a complaint will remain faintly in the subconscious. If nothing has changed from before, the staff will take them home. It has nothing to do with you.”
“I feel perfectly fine, though?”
“Because you have the true eye.”
“Yes, yes. We are making special job offers to those who possess the true eye.”
An employee who identified himself as Assistant Manager Jang from the Civilian Response Division cut into the conversation and sat down opposite them.
“I heard you only became aware of the true eye this time. Do you know what it is?”
“Only that it allows one to see the essence of an Aberration…”
“Exactly. Moreover, it possesses a certain degree of purification ability, making you relatively safe from the contamination of anomalies. Did you ever escape a crisis at Eight Phases Mental Hospital by reading the essence of an Aberration?”
Of course he had. When Jiha mentioned the savior, Assistant Manager Jang chimed in like a salesperson.
“The Procedure Manual you checked was written based on the essence identified in exactly that manner. As long as you possess the true eye, the doors of the Management Bureau are always open.”
Assistant Manager Jang handed over a new document. It wasn’t the high-handed guide distributed earlier, but a very ordinary introductory leaflet.
“You’ve probably never heard of the Water Abnormality Worship Management Bureau, but we are a legitimate government agency. You can think of us as being similar to the National Intelligence Service. Unlike the NIS, however, the very existence of the Bureau is classified. Oh, we aren’t directly under the President.”
He rattled off all sorts of explanations regarding the benefits one could receive upon joining the Bureau, and Jiha was completely overwhelmed. Seeing Jiha—who had never even signed a studio apartment lease because he commuted from home—looking completely spaced out, Jeil Heon spoke up.
“That’s enough.”
It was a chilling voice, a complete contrast to when he spoke with Yoo Jiha. Assistant Manager Jang, whose shoulders visibly flinched, told him to think it over slowly and immediately left the office.
“He probably didn’t intend to rush you. The true eye is a rare ability, so he likely didn’t want to miss out. Usually, it manifests in people who undergo religious training, like psychics, monks, or priests.”
“My family is completely ordinary.”
“Very occasionally, it manifests in ordinary people.”
Jiha’s mouth hung open slightly. He still couldn’t quite grasp what the true eye was, but he found it hard to believe he possessed such an ability. Whether it was his grades or his friendships, he was someone who never stood out and always blended in at a moderate level wherever he went.
‘Could there have been a mistake?’
He consciously blinked his eyes, but he couldn’t tell what was different. As he stared around with wide eyes, he heard Jeil Heon mutter after re-reading the guide, which could be summarized as ‘Give us money’ and ‘Don’t act up.’
“Still as obsessed with money as ever.”
“The more budget, the better, Sunbae.”
The door swung open roughly without a knock, and Kang Suk-young walked in. Remembering that she was mentioned as the Director, Jiha tried to stand up awkwardly, but Kang Suk-young glanced at him and gestured with her chin.
“That kid, his age seems about right. Is he your son, Sunbae?”
“Huh?”
Unlike Jiha, whose brain refused to process the sudden sentence, Jeil Heon nodded seriously and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Jiha had felt it since the mental hospital, but this man had absolutely no regard for personal space.
“How did you know? He’s pretty because he takes after me, right?”
“I figured.”
“N-no, I’m not!”
Not even a brother, but mistaken for a son?! Horrified, Jiha nearly jumped out of his seat and waved his hands frantically, desperately explaining that this was his first time meeting Jeil Heon. Far from helping with the explanation, Jeil Heon just played around by poking Jiha’s cheek.
A deep frown creased Kang Suk-young’s brow.
“Really not? Sunbae, I heard you were doting on that kid. It’s suspicious that a man who’s so crazy about anomalies that he has no interest in humans is being so kind.”
“It’s because Jiha shouted the safe word, which allowed me to properly end the ‘neglect play’ I was stuck in. Right, Jiha?”
“Ha, haha…”
He couldn’t deny it, nor could he affirm it.
“Damn. Seeing you generate bullshit with such a handsome face, you really are my Sunbae. Well, fine. I’ll hear the detailed report later. But if by any chance you’re an Aberration mimicking my Sunbae, I’ll tear you to shreds and send you to the lab to be dissected piece by piece.”
Though suspicious, once Kang Suk-young stopped talking, a strange silence settled over the office. Invisible sparks flew between Kang Suk-young, who watched with blatant suspicion, and Jeil Heon, who was smiling mischievously. Beside them, Jiha was confused.
At Eight Phases Mental Hospital, Jeil Heon had said he entered in late autumn. Based on that, Jiha had guessed he might have stayed in the Aberrant Realm for about a year, but Kang Suk-young, who looked to be around his parents’ age, called him Sunbae. Then just how old was Jeil Heon…?
“Um, Mister.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s something I’m curious about…”
Having exhausted all his courage just by interrupting the conversation of two adults—one of whom was an incredibly high-ranking official—Jiha kept glancing at their reactions. Seeing Jeil Heon’s expression, which suggested it was fine to ask anything, he gathered his courage once more.
“Do you… not age in the Aberrant Realm…?”
“Hmm, I guess you need a basic understanding first. I didn’t have the chance to explain calmly earlier.”
With that, he began to explain in detail, like a kindergarten teacher teaching addition and subtraction.
Anomalies originating from humans mimic humans. If the form is close to a monster or a person, it is an Aberration; if it is close to a specific area or building, it becomes an Aberrant Realm. While there are very rare harmless anomalies, they are fundamentally incomplete beings, so they instinctively try to fill that incompleteness from humans, who are essentially their origin.
“An Aberrant Realm is a place where the laws of reality do not apply. Whether organic or inorganic, things originating from the human world do not flow or be consumed in the Otherworld. That’s why feeling hunger is dangerous. It means you are becoming contaminated by the Aberrant Realm.”
He had gained some useful knowledge that he likely wouldn’t need, but what he was truly curious about was a different matter.
“Then, as long as you don’t get contaminated, can you last forever in an Aberrant Realm? With the same face, without aging even after several years?”
He tried his best to hide it, but his shifting eyes clearly revealed that he was struggling to bring up what he really wanted to say. Kang Suk-young shook her head.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen this type, it’s refreshing. Where did Sunbae pick up such a naive kid?”
“…?”
As Jiha looked on puzzled, Jeil Heon chuckled and pointed to his field jacket.
“There’s a wallet in the inner pocket. My ID is in there, so check for yourself how old I am.”
Jiha fumbled through the jacket, which he had forgotten to return. When he opened the folding wallet, the first thing he saw was a photo of a woman smiling brightly while wearing a graduation cap. The IDs were tucked behind it.
Water Abnormality Worship Management Bureau, Annihilation Execution Department, 84th Class: Jeil Heon.
Since he seemed to know a lot about Aberrations and the Bureau, it wasn’t particularly surprising that he was a Bureau Agent. What made Jiha’s eyes widen was none other than the resident registration card. Why did the first digit of the ID number start with this number?