By Zephyria 
“What do you mean by that?”
As his voice, which had been indifferent throughout, turned sharp, the young man burst into a hearty laugh.
「Don’t take it the wrong way. Surely I wouldn’t harbor sinister intentions toward a fishy little human? After all, I am the one credited with guiding that child to escape into the secular world through this very Aberrant Realm seventeen years ago.」
“…….”
「He’s grown well in the time I haven’t seen him. He still follows your word absolutely, just like before. He shouldn’t remember the old days, so I wonder what method you used to tame him into being so compliant?」
Jeil Heon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
「I cherish my younger brother as if he were my own, but a peace-of-mind doll is also precious. A senile old monster is of no benefit to me either.」
The young man folded his fan and lightly tapped Jeil Heon’s shoulder with it.
「So, stop struggling to wear human skin that doesn’t even fit you and just cross over to this side comfortably. You are already a being that belongs to the monsters.」
“No, I am human.”
「If you wanted to remain human, you shouldn’t have mixed my sister’s Essence. Hasn’t the flow of your physical body stopped by now? I believe your hair and nails no longer grow.」
Jeil Heon, who had once cut his hair and disguised it as shaving while held in the duty room, remained silent without a word.
「From my perspective, it’s quite interesting that you haven’t thought of a very easy way to remain human, even though such a method exists.」
“……What? There was a way?”
「I’ll leave it as a pleasure for a while, so think about it carefully.」
Letting out a thin laugh, the young man gave a great flutter of his sleeves. The moment the fabric settled, both he and the liver that had been dripping blood in the air vanished without a trace. In their place remained a small bead, no larger than a fingernail.
「Show this to Yeosong, the master of Pilgyeongdang. It will help in hiding that child.」
As Jeil Heon took the bead, a mysterious voice echoed through the air one last time.
「For your information, that wasn’t human; it was a cow’s liver.」
Only after the last remnants of the voice had completely vanished did Jeil Heon let out a heavy groan and rub his forehead. He lit a new cigarette and stood there for a long time before covering his right eye with his hand.
The human world seen with both eyes disappears. The world of the left eye unfolds. It is the world of an Aberration, captured through the vision of an Aberration. The neat-looking small buildings and shops are nothing more than giant flesh-monsters mimicking human structures. The incessantly writhing flesh-monsters dig traps like antlions, waiting for humans to fall in.
After losing his true eye seventeen years ago, his mutation symptoms worsened. The only reason he still maintained a human form, despite part of his five senses already functioning as an Aberration, was one thing. The child who possessed his true eye.
He waited for the smell of cigarettes to fade before returning to the room. He gazed with his left eye at the child, who was sleeping so deeply he wouldn’t know if he were being carried away. In a world where all other humans—even his younger siblings—appeared as crushed, melting, mashed, and broken shapes, only the child remained whole.
Sighing, he closed his eyes. For now, it was fine because the child was here. At least he could define himself as human. However, unlike the growing child, he had lost growth and aging. He likely wouldn’t even die easily. If the child were to leave right now, he would become a being that could no longer be called human.
Realizing that he was watching Yoo Jiha as if clinging to him, Jeil Heon groaned and rubbed his face roughly. He must not reveal this desperation. It would be a burden to the child who stayed by his side out of goodwill.
If the child were to find out what kind of craving was hidden inside him… the mere thought was horrific.
‘But he said there’s a way?’
An easy way—he wondered in various directions, thinking that a simple shift in perspective might lead to the answer, but not a single plausible hypothesis came to mind. …No. He shouldn’t believe it at face value. There would surely be a trap.
The immediate danger was not his own concern. Right now, he was preoccupied with the paramount task of completely hiding Yoo Jiha.
Having finally shaken off his thoughts, Jeil Heon looked at the child. The child’s steady, soft breathing brought a faint smile to his lips. He was proud of how the boy had grown up bright and spirited despite the loneliness of being an adoptee.
Yet, the reason his heart couldn’t be fully at peace was that he knew the sorrow the child held in his heart. Could he—dare he—embrace not only this child’s brightness but also his sorrow?
As Jeil Heon carefully covered the blanket that had slipped off during sleep and reached out to stroke the hair, the man’s voice suddenly flashed through his mind.
「What method did you use to tame him into being so compliant?」
Reflexively, his fingertips flinched. He awkwardly withdrew his hand, which had been hesitating in mid-air. Taming? What on earth did that mean? Even though he recognized it as a usual trick to unsettle him, the echo of the voice would not disappear.
The fingertips that had brushed against the child’s soft skin felt inexplicably hot.
* * *
[Hidden World Record]
(Below this point, access forbidden for those below Security Level 4)
Name: Mae-gu
Classification: Aberration-ㅁ-M.An-0001
First Sighting Date: August [Date Redacted], 205
Appearance Location: Throughout the Korean Peninsula
Danger Grade: True Kill
Containment Grade: Impossible
True Eye Text: Impossible
Response: This individual is fickle; leave your fate to the heavens and respond with improvisation.
Remarks: Mae-gu refers to a fox that has lived for over a thousand years, but the Management Bureau refers to this specific individual as Mae-gu. The human form it usually assumes is so beautiful that one is instinctively led to worship and praise that beauty, so why the fuck am I writing this shit? I want to quickly kneel and crawl between those legs and suck even the toes—pant pant—fucking so breathtakingly beautif—
(Removing contaminated records)
Remarks: Mae-gu refers to a fox that has lived for over a thousand years, but the Management Bureau refers to this specific individual as Mae-gu. The human form it usually assumes is that of a beautiful man; be careful not to be bewitched by the beauty.
Since it perceives the Korean Peninsula as its own territory, it cooperates with the Management Bureau if the national foundation is endangered by foreign invasion. Of course, it would be better for such an event not to happen at all rather than overcoming a national crisis through the cooperation of an Aberration.
* * *
“……Jiha. What do you think ‘taming’ is?”
“Feeding, petting, things like that? But why are you suddenly asking about taming?”
“It’s nothing.”
As expected, it’s not a verb used for people, Jeil Heon muttered to himself. Aside from the sudden question, it had been a leisurely day, as if the night of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons had been a lie.
Since many Aberrations had been annihilated in the Aberrant Realm, there would surely be a meaningful change. Thus, he intended to explore what changes had occurred before the next five-day market opened, but he couldn’t gather information because the Aberrations would immediately lower their eyes and move aside the moment they saw Jeil Heon’s shadow. All he found out was that the new device at the health center was a defibrillator. Though it looked more like it would rip out a heart rather than shock it.
The two spent a leisurely time at the shelter, following only the rule of the five-day market: ‘One must buy at least one item during the day.’ Then, a problem he had forgotten about belatedly came to mind.
“Oh, right, Mister!”
As Jiha grabbed Jeil Heon’s arm while sitting next to him, he felt a slight tension through his palm. It must be a mistake. There was no reason for him to be averse to his approach.
“My family must be freaking out because they couldn’t get in touch with me. What should I do?”
“Don’t worry. The company probably called your family according to the manual. Something like you went on a secret business trip and private contact was prohibited for a few days.”
“A mere intern on a secret business trip?”
“If your parents ask, tell them you went to China following your boss. The Exploration Division is disguised as the Artifact Investigation Division. It’s a job where frequent business trips abroad or to the provinces for artifacts wouldn’t arouse suspicion.”
“Ah, I see.”
After the Cultural Revolution, China collapsed rapidly, and with warlords seizing various regions, it was effectively split into several states. The central government barely maintained its existence only in the Huabei region where Beijing is located.
He learned the exact reason after joining the company. Because agencies that performed roles similar to the Management Bureau were dismantled and related persons and spiritual practitioners were executed during the Cultural Revolution, anomalies had run rampant across China. Taking advantage of the chaotic political situation, the smuggling of cultural assets was openly carried out, and the National Heritage Agency never stopped its efforts to repatriate Korean cultural assets located in China.
If he said he had been to China for a few days regarding that matter, his parents wouldn’t suspect anything.
Reassured, Yoo Jiha glanced sideways with a comfortable feeling. He was already handsome, but seeing him in an old military uniform lost in thought made him look as wonderful as if he had jumped out of a black-and-white image from decades ago that had been restored to color.
Anyway, the important thing was the fact that in this vast Aberrant Realm, for three days, the only humans were him and Jeil Heon. If so, isn’t this the perfect opportunity to conduct an in-depth exploration of Jeil Heon (33, Male, 7th Team Leader of the Investigation and Exploration Division of the Water Abnormality Worship Management Bureau)……!