By Zephyria 
The task Jeil Heon brought was to head to an Aberrant Realm called the ‘Hanseong Opera House.’ After eating lunch in an awkward atmosphere, the team members gathered their necessary equipment and headed to the parking lot. While each Aberrant Realm is typically entered by chance if certain specific conditions are met, the Management Bureau uses a talisman called the Path-Opening Talisman to ensure entry once those conditions are fulfilled.
While waiting for the escorting Enforcement Division Agents to arrive, Yu Jiha craned his neck, looking for Jeil Heon. Jeil Heon, who was pulling out a pack of cigarettes in a corner of the parking lot, saw Jiha approaching and put them back in his pocket.
“Uncl— I mean, Team Leader!”
“There are only two of us, so just call me Uncle.”
“I’m a member of society now, too.”
Jiha replied with a touch of pretension, as if he were someone well-versed in the ways of the world, then immediately checked Jeil Heon’s neck. He hadn’t been able to speak properly during lunch because he was too conscious of the atmosphere.
“Is your neck okay?”
“It’s not like it’s about to explode right now, so what does it matter? Besides, isn’t this not too bad as an accessory?”
Looking at it as an accessory, it was a choker with a rather hip vibe, but since it was essentially like carrying a bomb on his neck, Jiha couldn’t help but worry. His anxious gaze, which hadn’t left Ji-hwan, suddenly met a pair of black pupils. Before he knew it, Jeil Heon had leaned down, smiling with his eyes.
“And with you here, the Corruption Level won’t spike, so what are you worried about?”
“I-is that so?”
Because he had leaned down, their faces were far too close. Jiha could see his own reflection in those deep-colored pupils. He instinctively stepped back, hurriedly averting his eyes. Perhaps because a face had suddenly entered his field of vision, his heart hammered. His sister’s words—that handsome faces are harmful to the heart—were actually true…
“Sorry I couldn’t get in touch. Were you waiting for my call a lot, kid?”
“…I wasn’t waiting at all! My friends kept calling me out to treat them because I got the internship, so I’ve been completely hectic.”
He conveniently left out the part where he had been staring at his phone the entire time while drinking with friends, thanks to his mother’s newfound leniency.
“I really wanted to contact our Jiha a lot.”
“Then you should have…”
Without even realizing he had spoken his true feelings, Jiha pouted, and Jeil Heon lightly pinched his cheek. It had been a long time since someone had pinched his cheek, and for some reason, he found it welcoming.
“I’m still officially missing, so I haven’t been able to activate a phone yet.”
“Is it because the administrative processing isn’t going through, or something like that?”
“It’s not that kind of problem… Actually, I’m a bit afraid of my family being contacted.”
He fell silent with a bittersweet smile. Hearing an adult twelve years his senior share his honest feelings made a corner of Jiha’s heart flutter strangely. It felt as though he had confirmed that the sense of trust wasn’t a one-sided emotion, and he wanted to know more about how the man viewed him.
On the other hand, he was curious about the man’s family.
〈I hope you can acquire the ability to deal with anomalies. And I hope you use that power to protect your family so that you never have to be hurt. I wasn’t able to do that.〉
Who was the family he failed to protect? Was the woman in the photo he carried in his wallet also family? …These days, early thirties is young to get married, but he’s from an older generation, isn’t he?
“…Uncle. By any chance, are you married?”
“Huh? Me? Do I look like a married man? I’m single.”
“Ah, I see.”
Hearing the casual answer brought a strange sense of relief. At the same time, he wondered why he felt this way.
While he was tilting his head in thought, the Enforcement Division Agents arrived. They weren’t as heavily geared as the people he had met at Eight Phases Mental Hospital, but their sturdy builds and practical tactical gear identified them as members of a force that utilized physical combat. Two agents, each carrying a rifle case, immediately approached Jeil Heon and greeted him.
“It is a great honor to be able to carry out this mission with you, Sunbae!”
“I will be relying on you heavily today.”
“Please speak comfortably with us!”
Unlike the agents at Eight Phases Mental Hospital who didn’t know Jeil Heon’s identity, these men’s faces were full of admiration and respect. Jiha gaped slightly at the thought that Jeil Heon might be an even more incredible person than he had guessed.
“We have also brought the weapons issued for you, Sunbae. Since the Director’s permission for the Major Abnormal Weapon was not granted, we brought something else instead. Our sincerest apologies!”
“With you agents escorting me, will there even be an opportunity for me to step in?”
“We look forward to learning from your expertise!”
No matter what Jeil Heon said, the agents responded with sparkling eyes, and he eventually accepted a collapsible baton and a handgun with a wry smile. The handgun was smaller than the palm of a hand. It looked more like a toy than a lethal weapon.
“Does a mini handgun like this actually work?”
“Well, let’s just hope I never have to use it.”
Giving a vague answer, Jeil Heon put the baton in his pocket and strapped the handgun to the inside of his left wrist with a holster.
Once preparations were complete, the group gathered again. Jeil Heon gave the final briefing.
“The Hanseong Opera House has a simple structure: if you succeed in viewing the opera in the correct manner, you can exit through the door. However, since the opera performed is random, the only piece for which the exact Viewing Method has been identified is the one performed most frequently. The goal of this exploration is to discover any new opera and rescue any potential victims. If possible, it would be ideal to crack the Viewing Method as well.”
The smooth, low-mid tone shifting into a professional business tone was somehow cool. While listening to the briefing, Jiha carefully read the Procedure Manual.
[Hanseong Opera House Survival Procedure Manual]
At the time of writing this manual, the survival rate of the Hanseong Opera House is approximately 83%. This is a significantly meaningful and high survival rate, so do not panic and calmly follow the code of conduct in this manual.
Just like Eight Phases Mental Hospital, it was a quite high survival rate. Just as he was thinking that it wouldn’t be too dangerous, Kim Min-seop whispered.
“The survival rate is a lie. They intentionally write it high so that victims don’t get scared and give up prematurely.”
“…What is the actual survival rate?”
“23%. It’s a bit low because the opera is random. In the summer, people wear short clothes a lot, too.”
“….”
“Of course, that’s the figure for victims; the survival rate for Agents is much higher, so don’t be too scared. It’s okay, it’s okay, you won’t die!”
He had heard that ‘It’s okay, you won’t die’ was the number one most common last word; he wondered if he would be able to return alive… Feeling his neck stiffen with tension, Jiha read the rest.
Clothing that exposes bare legs, such as shorts or skirts, is prohibited, so cover as much skin as possible. If you fail, they will perceive you as being of low status and treat you as a laborer rather than an audience member of the Opera House, dragging you to the kitchen.
When purchasing a ticket, you must provide a physical object rather than real-world currency. The higher the Corruption Level, the more value is recognized, but if you are an ordinary person unrelated to anomalies, you likely do not possess such a Contaminated Entity, so you may ignore this sentence. Leave it to luck as to what value the Aberration assigns to your ordinary object. If the object’s value is too low, a part of your internal organs will be taken as the remaining payment.
Depending on the value of the object provided, you will be guided to either a box seat or a general seat.
Box seats are spaces for VIPs and are relatively safer than general seats. Once seated, a staff entity will bring food. That food will tempt you with a scent more appetizing than any dish you have ever tasted, but keep in mind that this is an Aberrant Realm.
4-1. Even if you decline the food, the staff entity will persistently encourage you. However, you are a VIP who has paid an immense value. You are fully entitled to act entitled. Vent all the stress of living as an underdog in reality upon the staff entity. There are no CCTVs or police there. However, if your ‘power trip’ is clumsy, the staff entity may instead become suspicious, so refer to the next item if you lack confidence.
4-2. The box seats of the Opera House were sometimes places where secret meetings took place. If you have a companion in the box seat, pretend to be lovers and engage in appropriate skinship. The staff entity will apologize for disturbing the VIPs and withdraw.
However, if the skinship is excessive, the companion is too young, or there are two or more companions, you will be forcibly ejected for disturbing public morals. Return to the beginning and issue a new ticket. It does not matter if the companion is of the same sex.
Once you have safely driven away the staff entity, view the stage using the opera glasses provided in the box seat.
‘P-pretend to be lovers…?’
For some reason, those words stuck in his mind. Jiha swallowed hard and finished reading the remaining items.