By Zephyria 
“Did you fight with the Team Leader? The atmosphere seems a bit awkward, and I saw you take the shuttle bus to work today.”
“N-no, no. We didn’t fight.”
“You totally fought.”
Following Song Hilda, Kim Min-seop also lowered his voice conspiratorially. Yoo Jiha, aggrieved by being treated like a child by his lover, finally let out his frustration. Song Hilda, however, looked puzzled.
“The Team Leader doesn’t exactly treat you like a child, does he, Jiha-ssi?”
“That’s true. Though he does treat me like a rookie.”
Was that so? Yoo Jiha tilted his head. Now that he thought about it, it was true. Whether in the office or in an Aberrant Realm, Jeil Heon always listened to and considered Yoo Jiha’s opinions as a team leader. In those moments, he certainly didn’t view him as a mere child.
“Then I’m really not a child, right?!”
“At twenty-one, you’re a child, definitely. Wow, goodness. You’re practically half my age.”
“Enjoy the days when people around you take care of you because you’re young… it’s only for a while…”
“You’re in your twenties too, Min-seop-ssi. I’m seriously jealous of everyone.”
“….”
As a result, having only received confirmation that he was indeed a child, Yoo Jiha sought out the old fogey who constantly brought up age as soon as he clocked out.
“Teacher Yeo-song! You always used to tell me that if it were the old days, I’d already be married with children at my age!”
「Is that not a story of the past, as you said? Unlike a Spirit like me who dwells in the past, a human living in the present must follow the social standards of the present. Or did you perhaps have your coming-of-age ceremony at fifteen, as was done in the old days?」
“I didn’t do that, but…”
「Furthermore, even if one undergoes a ceremony to become an adult, it cannot be said that they have become a mature human being. As the Great Master—the model for ten thousand generations—Confucius said, propriety is the heart of benevolence…」
‘Aaaagh.’
Though her parents were traitors to the country, she hailed from a prestigious family with a long history. While listening to a one-on-one Confucian lecture from a 79th-generation descendant of Confucius, Yoo Jiha had to pinch his thighs several times.
Gong Ran-sa clicked her tongue as she saw off Yoo Jiha, who returned to the guest house half-asleep. Jeil Heon, who had been hiding in the next room after arriving at the main house first, quietly stepped inside.
「You two are truly my dopamine.」
“What is dopamine?”
「Just understand that watching you two is more entertaining than short-form videos or Reels.」
“…?”
「Anyway, continue with what you were saying earlier.」
While reflecting on the fact that the modern slang Gong Ran-sa used was harder to understand than Yoo Jiha, Jeil Heon brought up the unfinished topic. It was about the arm of the College Student Without Presence.
“It seems to be an entity that an Aberration has mutated and subordinated.”
「Then it must be the spirit messenger I sent to you.」
“I believe it’s related to the Divine Tool of the Mansin you mentioned before. Teacher, are you in contact with the Aberration? I didn’t see it at the summit of Bukhansan.”
「Why go all the way there in person? You can just send a DM on Insta.」
“….”
While Jeil Heon remained silent, Gong Ran-sa tapped the phone screen. Even after a long while, the read receipt did not appear.
「Hmm, since there haven’t been any sightings from people for a few days, it might be in an Aberrant Realm.」
“Then I’ll have to enter an Aberrant Realm. It’s hard to slip away alone during work hours… perhaps there’s an Aberrant Realm that the Management Bureau hasn’t discovered yet?”
「It won’t be easy, but I’ll look into it. By the way, when are you going to go apologize for your mistake?」
Jeil Heon replied with a bitter smile. If he had truly viewed him as just a child, he wouldn’t have needed to feel so conflicted.
Anomalies did not care for human circumstances just because it was the weekend, after work, or nighttime. Because of that, Team 7 was on night duty again today. Yoo Jiha, who had ambitiously started studying, soon buried his face in his tablet and fell fast asleep, unaware that Jeil Heon was picking him up to lay him on the bed.
He woke up to the sound of the phone ringing in the duty room, followed by the sound of Jeil Heon’s voice answering it.
“This is the Exploration Division. … Yes, we’ll prepare and head out immediately.”
Kim Min-seop, who had also woken up from a nap, asked while wiping drool from the corner of his mouth.
“Was there a victim? Which Aberrant Realm are we entering?”
“It’s not an Aberrant Realm, but the outskirts of Seoul. They said the True Eye is needed. I’ll give you the details on the way, so get ready.”
By the time they reached the parking lot, the sun had risen, but it was still quite chilly since it was early. Still half-asleep, Yoo Jiha put on the cardigan Jeil Heon draped over his shoulders, followed him closely, and sat in the passenger seat as he opened the car door.
He naturally leaned against Jeil Heon’s shoulder and rubbed his sleepy eyes, but he flinched and pulled away when he sensed Jeil Heon chuckling softly. How frustrating. Even though they were in a cold war, he had fallen for the ‘handsome man tactic’ again…! Jeil Heon hadn’t specifically done anything with his face, but regardless, it was definitely the handsome man tactic. That’s just how it is.
He received a brief briefing on the way. A suspicious entity had been identified, and they needed to use the True Eye to determine if it was a Spirit undergoing Contamination or an Aberration. If it was a Spirit, they would perform a funeral rite before it became further contaminated; if it was an Aberration, it would have to be isolated or annihilated.
Upon arriving at the scene, agents from the Enforcement Division were disembarking from the lead car. As they were nodding greetings, Jeong Ing-bar was the last to step out of the car. Song Hilda’s eyes widened.
“The Captain came to the scene personally?”
“It’s unclear how dangerous the Aberration is, so I deployed just in case. Hello, Comfort Doll?”
Unlike the other agents carrying rifle cases, the bare-handed Jeong Ing-bar waved. Hearing the term ‘Comfort Doll’ again in front of other people made his face turn red with embarrassment. Unaware that Jeil Heon was staring down at him, he fanned his reddened cheeks with his hand.
“The entity was spotted inside that alleyway over there.”
The alley in the old neighborhood was already under traffic control by the Management Bureau. It was just as Yoo Jiha had quickly caught up to the end of the group. Suddenly, a dark shadow cast over his face, and Jeil Heon, leaning down, gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
“…?!”
By the time he snapped out of it, Jeil Heon had already strode ahead. They were strictly in a cold war, so what on earth was this move? If he thought this alone would earn him forgiveness, he was mistaken. Yoo Jiha struggled to maintain a solemn expression despite his twitching lips as he hurried to catch up.
The discovered entity took the form of a young boy. The boy looked visibly terrified of the adults surrounding him and pointing guns at him.
「I don’t have a mommy¿ Mommy, mommy…」
Seeing the child sobbing while clutching his small body made his heart soften instinctively, but Yoo Jiha recalled the briefing. It was said that an accident involving a young boy and an unsolved murder case had occurred in the vicinity around the same time. They had to be cautious in determining whether it was a Spirit or an Aberration.
The three of them put their heads together, observing the child with their True Eyes.
“How does it look to you guys? After ‘See■■■■’, I can’t discern the remaining characters.”
“Something like ‘■■■■■■want■■■■■■■■■■my■’?”
“The first part has the nuance of ‘I want to see’?”
“Probably, right? Since he’s looking for his mother.”
Yoo Jiha’s face grew pale as he listened to the True Eye Texts of the other two. He quickly scribbled in his notebook so the child wouldn’t hear the conversation.
‘See■■■■■■■■■■viscera’
Setting everything else aside, the word ‘viscera’ was complete. There was no way the essence of an ordinary child would contain viscera. Suppressing the tension, Song Hilda spoke the pre-arranged code.
“I should contact the monk at Yeonan Temple for a funeral rite.”
Telling them to contact Yeonan Temple was the signal that it was an Aberration. The agents immediately tried to neutralize it, but they were a step too late.
「This is whyyy I hate the True Eyeyyy.」
Before the tears flowing from the child’s cheeks could even fall, it instantaneously transformed into a blood-stained Aberration with human intestines wrapped around its neck like trophies. K-crack! The alley walls around it were torn to shreds like paper, scattered by the blade-like wind pressure surging from its body.
「Visceraaa¡ The tastiest part is mine¡」
Aberrations bound to an Aberrant Realm act according to the rules of that realm, so there are no entities that indiscriminately try to kill humans. However, Aberrations that have established an individual presence were different. There was no reason for it not to obey the destructive instinct to fill its missing parts with humans.
A bundle of tentacles consisting of hook-knives and rakes, designed to rip open human bellies and extract viscera, erupted from the Aberration’s back. Some of the tentacles stretching in all directions lunged toward the group standing behind the Enforcement Division agents.
“…!”
The fear that had become dull through daily encounters with Aberrations in Aberrant Realms returned vividly. It was just as Yoo Jiha reflexively closed his eyes and curled his body.
Squelch. He heard the sound of flesh being ruthlessly torn as several tentacles flying toward him were ripped apart.