Revenant Resonance Ch 11

Chapter 11

[Guide for Survivors Who Returned from the Monster Site(otherworld)]

1. You cannot deny that your survival was made possible by the sacrifice and dedication of countless agents. Please express your gratitude to Headquarters. And express your sincere thanks and goodwill—including medical fees—in the form of donations.

Nonghyup ☓☓☓-☓☓☓☓-☓☓☓☓-☓☓ Cultural Heritage Administration, Department of Artifact Investigation (Donation deductions are capped at 100,000 won.)

1. If you experience any abnormal symptoms after returning home—such as sleep paralysis or sightings of ghosts—please call 02-☓☓☓-☓☓☓☓. Charges related to these matters will be billed separately from your donations.
2. Regardless of the reason, if you file a complaint with Headquarters, we hereby notify you that you and your immediate family will never again receive rescue assistance from Headquarters.

‘……This sounds like extortion and threats, doesn’t it?’

Yu Jiha was the only one surprised by the notice. The others, with dazed eyes, began pulling out their phones and actually started transferring money. Staff members guided those who had finished making deposits one by one, and they left the office with vacant expressions, not saying a word.

Je Ilheon, who was seated next to him, covered Yu Jiha’s notice with his hand, letting out a bitter laugh.

“There’s a suggestion and memory-erasing spell cast on it. The experience of encountering the monster will become vague or replaced, and only the sense that you shouldn’t file complaints or that this is the number to call if something strange happens will remain faintly in your subconscious. If things haven’t changed, staff should escort them home, too. It’s not something you need to worry about.”

“I feel completely fine, though?”

“Because you have the True Eye.”

“Yes, yes. For those who possess the True Eye, we make a special employment offer.”

An employee, who introduced himself as Assistant Manager Jang from the Civil Response Division, intercepted the conversation and sat down across from them.

“I heard this was your first time recognizing your True Eye. Do you know what it is?”

“Just that it lets you see the true nature of monsters……”

“Exactly. It also grants a certain purifying ability, making you relatively safe from monster contamination. Didn’t you escape a crisis situation at the Palsang Psychiatric Hospital by reading the essence of a monster?”

Of course he had. When Yu Jiha brought up the Savior, Assistant Manager Jang nodded eagerly like a salesperson.

“The manual you saw was written based on the very essence perceived in that way. If you possess the True Eye, the door to the Bureau will always be open to you.”

Jang presented a new document. Unlike the earlier notice with its threatening tone, this was a perfectly ordinary promotional brochure.

“You probably haven’t heard of the Bureau of Monster Offering Management before. But we’re a legitimate government agency. You can think of us as similar to the National Intelligence Service. Except that, unlike the NIS, our very existence is classified. Oh, and we’re not under the President’s direct control.”

He went on and on about the benefits of joining the Bureau, and Yu Jiha’s mind went blank. Never having even rented an apartment since he commuted from home, he looked completely overwhelmed. Seeing this, Je Ilheon opened his mouth.

“Let’s not overdo it.”

His voice was icy, in stark contrast to when he spoke with Yu Jiha. Assistant Manager Jang visibly flinched at the tone, left a final comment to “think it over carefully,” and promptly exited the office.

“I don’t think he meant to pressure you. It’s just that the True Eye is such a rare ability, it would’ve been a waste to let you go. Usually it manifests in spiritualists, monks, or priests—those who practice religious discipline.”

“My family’s completely ordinary, though.”

“Very occasionally, it does manifest in normal people too.”

Yu Jiha’s mouth opened slightly. He still couldn’t quite grasp what the True Eye was, and it was hard to believe he had such an ability. He had always blended in at a decent level, never standing out academically or socially.

‘Could this be a mistake?’

He blinked deliberately, but couldn’t tell what was supposed to be different. As he blinked and glanced around, feeling somewhat ridiculous, he overheard Je Ilheon muttering after re-reading the notice, which could be summed up as “Give us your money” and “Don’t push your luck.”

“Still obsessed with money, I see.”

“More budget is always better, sunbae.”

The door swung open roughly without a knock, and Kang Sukyeong walked in. Yu Jiha vaguely recalled she had been called the Director, and awkwardly started to rise from his seat. She shot him a glance and jerked her chin.

“That kid, he’s about the right age. Is he your son, sunbae?”

“Huh?”

Yu Jiha’s brain outright refused to process the unexpected sentence. Meanwhile, Je Ilheon solemnly nodded and wrapped an arm around Jiha’s shoulder. He had been this physically casual since the psychiatric hospital.

“How did you know? Looks just like me—cute, right?”

“Knew it.”

“Ah, ah, I’m not!”

Being mistaken not even for a sibling but a father-son pair?! Horrified, Yu Jiha waved both hands, adamantly insisting that he had just met Je Ilheon for the first time. Ilheon didn’t bother to help, just poked Jiha’s cheek while goofing around.

Deep wrinkles formed on Kang Sukyeong’s forehead.

“Really not? Sunbae, I heard you’ve been protecting him. A guy who’s obsessed with monsters and never shows interest in people suddenly being nice—it’s suspicious.”

“Thanks to Jiha shouting the safe word, I was able to finally end a neglected scene properly. Right, Jiha?”

“Ha, haha……”

He couldn’t deny it, nor could he agree.

“Damn. Creating nonsense with that pretty face—it is you, sunbae. Fine. I’ll get the full report later. But if you turn out to be a monster pretending to be sunbae, I’ll tear you to shreds and send you to the lab for dissection.”

Although she still looked skeptical, Kang Sukyeong held her tongue, and a strange silence settled over the office. Sparks flew between her suspicious gaze and Je Ilheon’s carefree smile, while Yu Jiha stood in confused discomfort.

At Palsang Psychiatric Hospital, Je Ilheon had said he entered in late autumn. Based on that, Jiha guessed he’d been in the monster site for about a year. But Kang Sukyeong, who looked like she could be his parents’ age, called him sunbae. So then—how old was Je Ilheon…?

“Um, mister.”

“Yes?”

“I have a question……”

Just trying to insert himself into a conversation between two adults—one of whom held massive authority—used up all of Yu Jiha’s courage. He glanced nervously between them and gathered his strength again at Ilheon’s encouraging expression.

“Do people not age in the monster site……?”

“Hmm, looks like we need to start from the basics. Didn’t get the chance to explain properly earlier.”

Speaking like a kindergarten teacher teaching basic arithmetic, Ilheon began to explain thoroughly.

Monsters born from humans mimic humans. If their form resembles a beast or a person, they’re called gwemae, and if it resembles a place or structure, they’re called gweiso. Though harmless ones are extremely rare, they are fundamentally incomplete beings. As such, they instinctively seek to fill that incompleteness from the very humans they originated from.

“A monster site is a place where the natural laws of reality no longer apply. Organic or inorganic, anything that originated in the human world doesn’t decay or wear down in the otherworld. That’s why feeling hunger is dangerous. It means you’re being contaminated by the monster site.”

It was useful knowledge—albeit of dubious practical use—but what Jiha really wanted to ask was something else.

“So, as long as you’re not contaminated in a monster site, can you survive indefinitely? Without aging, looking exactly the same even after years?”

Though he tried to hide it, the way his eyes darted around clearly showed he was hesitating to ask what he truly wanted to. Kang Sukyeong shook her head.

“Haven’t seen a kid this innocent in ages. Where’d you find this one, sunbae?”

“…?”

Perplexed, Yu Jiha looked up as Je Ilheon chuckled and pointed to his field jacket.

“There’s a wallet in the inside pocket. My ID is in there—you can check how old I am for yourself.”

Having forgotten to return the jacket he was wearing, Jiha fumbled through the pockets. When he opened the folded wallet, the first thing he saw was a photo of a woman in a graduation cap, beaming brightly. Behind it were the identification cards.

Je Ilheon, Bureau of Monster Offering Management, Annihilation Execution Division, Class of ’84

Given how knowledgeable he was about monsters and the Bureau, it wasn’t that surprising he’d been an agent. What made Yu Jiha’s eyes go wide was something else entirely.

Why did the first digit of his resident registration number start with that number?