By Zephyria 
“Yeah.”
He hadn’t expected a particularly profound answer, but Jeil Heon’s response didn’t deviate from his expectations. Swallowing the bitterness, Kang Suk-young decided to drop the subject for now.
“I’m truly glad Yoo Jiha was able to stabilize your Corruption Level, Sunbae. I honestly want to carry you around on my back and shower you with kisses.”
“I’ve already done that.”
“Stop teasing a kid who’s practically your child. Or did you actually check his meat grade?”
“I’m thirty-three; calling me a child is quite the audacity, Suk-ja Noona.”
“…….”
As Kang Suk-young seriously contemplated searing that obnoxious mouth with a cigarette, Jeil Heon asked nonchalantly.
“By the way, is my intranet ID still active?”
“You’re listed as missing, so it should be fine once it’s restored. Where are you planning to use it already?”
“I’m curious about an Aberration that was said to have appeared at Jongmyo in the past.”
“I’ll have them handle it right away.”
“Thanks.”
Jeil Heon crushed his cigarette and playfully flicked the butt into Kang Suk-young’s portable ashtray. As he turned to leave the rooftop, Kang Suk-young shouted after him.
“Since your Corruption Level is stable, quit smoking and live a long, healthy life!”
Without answering, Jeil Heon gave a light wave of his hand and opened the rooftop door.
Using the laptop he borrowed from Kang Suk-young, Jeil Heon logged into the Management Bureau’s intranet. Originally, his ID allowed him to bypass all security except for top-secret documents reserved for the Director, but the restored ID was different. His access had been downgraded to the level of a general employee, but he didn’t mind. The information he sought would likely be open to the general staff anyway.
Navigating through a strange UI that had changed considerably over twenty-two years, he accessed the Hidden World Record.
[Hidden World Record]
Name: Aberrant Mother
Classification: Aberration-K-A.M.Hu-0810
First Sighting Date: April 9, 200X
Location of Appearance: Jongmyo
Danger Level: Caution
Containment Level: Presumed Exterminated
True Eye Text: ■■■■MustBeMyChild■■Must■■■Sacrifice■■■■■■
Response: As a rare entity with no interest in humans, withdraw quietly.
Remarks: Although it does not accompany or parasitize an entity it perceives as a child, it was named Aberrant Mother because it wanders while calling for a child. Given its extreme obsession with Jongmyo, there is a possibility it fused with a Vengeful Spirit that hated the Joseon Dynasty. There were plenty of such spirits in the late Empire.
As the Master was deeply concerned about this, there was an attempt to contain and analyze the Vengeful Spirit, but it is presumed to have been devoured by the Smiling Man (Reference Link).
More detailed information and personal opinions regarding the Aberration were available, but he had confirmed the information he needed. Jeil Heon let out a heavy, stifled groan. He had expected it to some extent, but seeing it in writing was still a shock.
“Yeo-jin. Your son… he grew up to be a truly upright and kind boy. He knows how to care for others’ pain, and his smiling face is as lovely as ever…”
Muttering incoherently, he wiped his face and leaned back against the chair. The chair creaked and swayed. Let’s only mourn the deceased until today. I need to get my head straight.
The world is vast and billions of people live in it, yet he was the only person who could protect that child.
Until not long ago, he was a humanities student consumed by worries about enlistment. But now, he had successfully ascended in social status. Position makes the man. Yoo Jiha asked himself triumphantly: Who am I?
“An intern at the National Heritage Agency (Confirmed for full-time conversion)!”
The humanities student who used to get smacked on the back by his mother for drinking too much was gone. When he returned home with a confident stride, waving his internship acceptance text like a royal seal, the fire in his mother’s eyes turned into a bright full moon.
“My goodness! You passed on the first try? Whose son could be this praiseworthy?”
“Your son!”
The dinner menu that night was Hanwoo beef.
Yoo Jiha’s soaring confidence deflated with a hiss on his first day of interning, upon reading the new employee guide provided by the Personnel Department.
[Notice to New Employees]
Welcome to the Water Abnormality Worship Management Bureau. Although our official name has changed several times through the ebbs and flows of history, our role and duty have remained unchanged from 1,300 years ago to the present.
We are loyal to the state and protect the people. Do not forget this pride. A mere elected official with a five-year term cannot dare control or utilize us. Work with the relaxed mindset that, if necessary, you can just release an Aberration into the Blue House.
└If you put it too strongly, the new kids will be scared
└└We’ve already done it before, so it’s fine
Don’t forget to register your blood
└Director, this bastard is neglecting his duties. Fire him. Anyway, to explain, blood is the principle that allows employees without spiritual power to use Talismans or incantations.
There may be cases where you encounter an Aberration asking for the location of the headquarters from the outside. Depending on your experience or capacity, you may feel an impulse that says, ‘I must explain.’ T_T! In such cases, use a map app on your phone or tablet to explain the location. Of course, the headquarters’ location cannot be searched via map apps, so your mentor will tell you the cover location.
The important thing is that you must never volunteer to guide them personally or explain based on your experience! You can control that level of impulse, right? We trust our colleagues! ^^*
If you attempt to enter an unauthorized area with your ID card three or more times, you will be judged to be an Aberration. If you are lost, stop immediately and contact the Security Office. If being lost is the doing of an Aberration and you contact someone other than the Security Office, that person may also be contaminated.
Additionally, there are no floors or rooms containing the numbers 4 or 13 in the headquarters. If you find such a floor or room in an elevator, staircase, or hallway, you must never enter. Resist the urge to peek beyond. If you overcome the impulse, the entrance to that floor or room will have disappeared.
Occasionally, you may encounter Aberrations within the headquarters. Aberrations wearing Ji-hwan generally try not to clash with headquarters employees, so they are mostly kind. You must also be kind. We don’t provide compensation for stupid bastards who die after picking a fight with a cooperative Aberration.
However, if the Aberration appears to be a runaway or an entity that entered from the outside, contact the Security Office immediately and run or hide. If you die before that, we’ll definitely avenge you, so close your eyes in peace. If you feel your mind being contaminated by an Aberration, offsetting it with the pain of physical self-harm is one method. Some Aberrations make that method ineffective or even worsen the situation, so the choice is yours. Anyway, we’ll handle the revenge, so don’t worry.
└New hires aren’t allowed to carry weapons, right?
└└Fingers are enough to pop eyeballs
If you meet the Master, you must maintain polite etiquette. As we benefit from his grace, it is only natural. Rumors periodically circulate among new hires that you must bow deeply, avoid eye contact, or perform prostrations; these are false rumors. He is a tolerant and rational person, so do not be overly formal.
After joining, if you experience abnormal symptoms such as chills, fever, seeing things that weren’t there, or an increased frequency of sleep paralysis, please consult the infirmary teacher ฅ´ωฅ
└? Is that it?
└└Yep
└Well, depending on the symptoms and mental state, we’ll either give a Talisman, provide counseling, or process a resignation, so it’ll vary.
It’s a huge problem if you visit a shaman or consult a religious person for private purposes lol. You can’t even get a tarot reading! Palmistry, physiognomy—anything that lets someone observe your fate is ALL XXXXXX. There are always people who forget every time, so be careful ㅡㅡ
If you absolutely need a Talisman or a ritual for an unavoidable reason, we have shamans we collaborate with, so get an introduction through them. Management Bureau employees even get a discount haha;;
└Sometimes there are mean bosses or colleagues who offer to introduce you to a shaman they know for cheap, so don’t be tempted T_T. This is also a ground for forced resignation.
The more your mind and body are unsettled, the higher the possibility of being contaminated by an anomaly, so actively utilize paid leave according to your condition! (*•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
To summarize: if you don’t do as told, it’s a forced resignation ending. This is the most important part, right? Until you get used to it, don’t even think—just do what you’re told. Got it?
“…….”
This is an official document; why is the tone like this?
Seeing Yoo Jiha’s pupils shaking, the employee explained awkwardly.