By Zephyria 
* * *
Lately, a small but new question had arisen.
‘What is a Bearer?’
He knew the dictionary definition, but the nuance of Jeong Ing-bar’s greeting felt different. Moreover, it wasn’t a word he encountered often, yet it felt strangely familiar. When he asked Jeil Heon on the way home, the answer he received was, “In the past, some agents of the Enforcement Division were called Bearers.”
Given how long the Management Bureau’s history was, it made sense for a mere rookie to be unfamiliar with certain terms. He accepted this and moved on, but shortly after, he realized the source of that déjà vu.
「Bearer. How are you here¿ Weren’t you dead¡」
「I shall mash the tasty flesh of the Bearer and eat it all」
Even at the Eight Phases Mental Hospital, the Aberrations had referred to Jeil Heon as a Bearer.
‘…Even if he’s an agent, he’s still human. Is there any reason his flesh would be particularly different?’
While he was pondering this, he arrived at the stop near the church. Yoo Jiha quickly composed himself and got off the bus with the friends he was doing a group project with.
In a major course where they learned about the differences between folk religions and foreign religions, as well as the influence they had on one another, his group was assigned to Lutheranism. As it happened, one of the group members was an acquaintance of a Lutheran pastor, so they were granted an opportunity for an interview. It was a relatively minor religion in Korea, so they were lucky.
The pastor was a great conversationalist, so the interview proceeded smoothly. In modern parlance, it felt more like a casual chat, but it was useful. The traditional liturgy was fascinating, and the refreshments were delicious.
After the interview, as he was leaving the church while thanking the pastor, he heard a familiar title carried by an unfamiliar voice.
“Comfort Doll?”
“…?!”
Startled, he turned around to find Jeong Ing-bar smiling and waving from a bench in the church’s backyard.
* * *
Jeil Heon, who had visited the research wing, stood before the arm of the College Student Without Presence obtained from the Ulala Escape Room Cafe. Aside from the fact that the joints were bent in strange directions, it looked ordinary, like a freshly severed human arm. However, it was not so to his left eye.
While the researcher who brought the arm was momentarily distracted, Jeil Heon closed his right eye and gazed at the arm. The form of the arm reflected in his left eye was not human, but closer to that of a beast—specifically, a fox. What was there was the foreleg of a beast, its skin shriveled and dried as if it had become a mummy.
“Did you find something?”
“I tried to see if there was a pattern in the bending of the joints, but it’s not very clear.”
“Indeed, for it to be properly contained, it would have to be discovered outside an Aberrant Realm.”
Even as he exchanged pleasantries and got into the car, the arm of the College Student Without Presence did not leave Jeil Heon’s mind. While there were a few fox demons in the country, only one Aberration came to mind that could so skillfully manipulate a contaminated human and deliberately expose it to Jeil Heon. Mae-gu.
However, the creature’s intention was completely unpredictable. As he sank into thought, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel without even starting the engine, a conversation he had with Gong Ran-sa suddenly flashed through his mind.
「There is no need for you to visit personally. Mae-gu said he would devise a way.」
The words that Mae-gu would devise a means to move Nam Soon-ho’s Divine Tool from Mount Guwol.
‘Could it be…’
Mae-gu, who regarded humans as utterly insignificant, and the human the creature had contaminated immediately after. Just as a hypothesis formed in Jeil Heon’s mind, a text notification sounded from his phone.
[You don’t have to come pick me up today hehe Captain Ing-bar said he’d give me a ride home (Winking raccoon emoticon)]
Jeil Heon’s eyebrow twitched once. …That man, why?
* * *
Since leaving the Ulala Escape Room Cafe, he hadn’t spoken with Jeong Ing-bar. He had been hesitant because the man was an unfamiliar adult, but surprisingly, they got along well. He was even able to correct the prejudices he had about Swedes. This person seemed like the type who would feed him even if he just dropped by the house. In fact, since meeting Jeil Heon, talking to adults had become a bit easier than before.
Jeong Ing-bar had originally been a member of the Order of St. John, an organization that opposed Aberrations in Sweden, but it seemed he had completely settled in Korea and returned after marrying a Korean.
“This is the first time I’ve met a colleague outside the company.”
“I’m not a devout believer, but since Lutheranism was the state religion when I was young, I attend church out of habit. And I owe a favor to the pastor there. What about you, Comfort Doll? Weren’t you here with friends?”
“Our group project is related to Lutheranism.”
“Ah, was the Comfort Doll a college student?”
Everything was fine, but he wished the man would stop calling him “Comfort Doll.” Where on earth did he hear that term? Hearing it outside the Management Bureau made him feel embarrassed all over again. However, he didn’t have the courage to ask him to stop.
From what he heard, Jeong Ing-bar’s wife was also an employee of the Management Bureau. Yoo Jiha, who had been listening quietly, perked up. So, in other words, it was an office romance? Gathering all his courage, Jiha asked tentatively.
“Um, did you date your wife in secret from the people at the company?”
“Does the Comfort Doll also date at work?”
“N-no, it’s not that, just in case, for r-reference…”
“Do you have someone you like? It’s not Ms. Hilda, since she said she has no intention of dating, so maybe Mr. Min-seop? That friend would be difficult. The gods his mother and eldest sister serve are so picky that it’s famous that the second son’s husband fled in the middle of the night, unable to last even half a year after marriage.”
“Ah, no… not…”
“Who is it? Someone from another team?”
“….”
Jeong Ing-bar brought up a few more names, but the name Jeil Heon was never mentioned. He hadn’t intended to go around bragging about their relationship, but being completely excluded felt strange in its own way.
Regardless, it was a productive time where he could pick up some good spots for secret dates within the company. Though it was a challenge, given that CCTVs recorded 24 hours a day without blind spots and an Aberration wearing Ji-hwan could appear anywhere.
Before long, the uphill road leading to Pilgyeongdang came into view.
“You can drop me off here. Thank you.”
“Comfort Doll.”
As he tried to get out after saying goodbye, Jeong Ing-bar’s gaze followed him as if holding him back.
“Is it true that until you joined the company, your true eye hadn’t opened and you knew nothing about anomalies?”
“Yes. There were no records in the Management Bureau of me being caught up in an Aberrant Realm either.”
“Then you must not have had any prior experience stabilizing someone by lowering their Corruption Level, like my Team leader.”
When he nodded, the man chewed his lip as if choosing his words, then eventually stepped back with an unsatisfied expression. It was puzzling, but since it wasn’t a big deal, Yoo Jiha soon shook it off and got out of the car.
Watching the figure distance itself after a polite bow, Jeong Ing-bar let out a heavy sigh. He had already known for several months that the boy was the existence that stabilized Jeil Heon’s Corruption Level. Since it was an ability meaningful only to Jeil Heon, he hadn’t given it much thought, but recently, it had suddenly started to bother him.
‘Is it because of that dream…’
His gloomily sunken gaze was fixed on his right hand, wrapped in a Stole.
Meanwhile, Yoo Jiha, who had entered the uphill road, quickly spotted a figure lingering under a telephone pole.
“Mister! Did you come to meet me? How did you know when I’d be back?”
“Mm. Just for a walk.”
Jeil Heon’s voice trailed off subtly, but he soon relaxed his expression and ruffled Yoo Jiha’s hair with some force.
“Did the interview go well?”
“Totally. The priest was a really funny speaker. Oh, and the church was also where I met Captain Ing-bar!”
Yoo Jiha, chattering excitedly about receiving know-how from a senior in office romance, only realized something was wrong after passing under the sign of Pilgyeongdang. Jeil Heon, who usually listened to anything he said with a delighted expression, had a slightly stiffened face.
“Did something happen?”
“Huh? No, nothing…”
Once again, Jeil Heon’s voice trailed off unnaturally. Unable to withstand Yoo Jiha’s worried gaze for more than a few seconds, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“It was just surprising that you, who are shy, got along so well with Captain Jeong…”
“Our paths home were similar, so I just got a ride; it’s not like we got along that well—uh, wait a minute. Mister, by any chance, is this… that?”
“What is ‘that’?”
“Jealousy. You’re jealous right now, aren’t you?”
Yoo Jiha’s eyes narrowed mischievously.
“Geez, look at this mister, being so cute and jealous over something like this. I knew you were a rabbit that dies of loneliness.”
“….”
“Were you lonely because I wasn’t there? Were you so jealous that you couldn’t focus on anything and even came out to meet me?”
Yoo Jiha, who had been chatting away happily after finding a lead, paused when no reaction came from Jeil Heon. If he wasn’t smiling, the man, who already had sharp features, was looking down at him with an utterly expressionless face.