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The Fox Counselling Room does not look like how Go Yeongeun remembers it.
For a moment, she thinks she’s in the wrong place.
She’d definitely hung up the right sign. She’d definitely walked through the door. But what she finds in front of her isn’t the usual comfy sofa by the window.
Instead, the room is dark and windowless. The shadows in its corners, created by a lamp placed in the center, seem to close in on her. Even the warm lighting isn’t enough to soothe her unease at the sight.
It’s a long hall, with a foreboding looking carpet, leading to a desk that looks even scarier.
Yeongeun holds her breath and steps closer.
There’s a man behind the desk. She can see that now. His chair faces the opposite direction, and he makes no move to turn around at the sound of Yeongeun’s footsteps.
Yeongeun makes it halfway across the hall.
No response.
Even further.
Still no response.
She’s starting to realize that this hallway is quite unnecessarily long.
The man in the chair finally turns.
“You’ve arrived, Goral-ssi,” he says.
It’s Director Ho.
He has his fingers pressed together, turning in his chair like a villain from a movie. Which is essentially what he is, as the director of a crazy company, so Yeongeun doesn’t think much of it.
“Yes, sir,” she says.
“I’ve been expecting you.”
“Yes.”
“When you’ve been buried too far in the dark for too long, it’s only natural that you come out to seek the light.”
“...yes..?”
Go Yeongeun was here because of a phone call, but well. You don’t ask questions to strange rich men who hold your life in their hands.
Ho rests his chin on his hands, smiling pleasantly.
“I used to dream of this day, you know?” he says. “Of when we could overthrow these forces that have fooled the world into thinking that they are our salvation.”
“...Which forces, sir?”
“The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.”
Now why are they overthrowing the bureau? Yeongeun thought she’d been called here to be offered a promotion.
She should have known that Daydream would never do something so normal.
“Your mission, Goral-ssi, is to infiltrate the haunts of these dastardly individuals, and to bring me back this.” He slides a document towards her.
Go Yeongeon takes it, heart beating out of her chest.
Infiltrating the DMB… If this goes wrong, she likely won’t be afforded the mercy of death. She’s heard horror stories about their prison…
Can she say no? Is that a possibility?
She looks at the document. It’s empty.
“It’s empty,” she says, in case Ho hadn’t realized this yet.
“Well yes,” Ho agrees. “Surely you don’t expect me to trust you yet.”
He glances briefly into the distance.
“Not after what happened last time.”
There are many questions that Yeongeun could ask here. What happened last time? for one. What even is my job then? for another.
But Daydream has taught her to never question her bosses.
On questioning, they tend to tell you things that are even worse.
Ho taps at the document with a finger. “When you are worthy,” he says, “you will see these words.”
When will I be worthy? Yeongeun doesn’t ask.
“Yes, sir,” she says instead.
It’s just another day at work.
Go Yeongeun’s new boss is admittedly a little strange.
For one thing, he never appears like a normal person.
A normal person might walk down the street, say hello, shake your hand. They might call you over the phone and say let’s meet at so and so. If they’re a stickler for the rules, they might send you a formal email, wait until you’ve responded, and then add it to both of your calendars.
Director Ho does none of this.
Instead, he somehow places a creepy-looking chair in every room that Yeongeun finds him in, and makes sure to turn around with his fingers steepled and an unnerving smile on his face.
“I was expecting you,” he always says.
“Tell me more about our enemy,” he also says, much more fervently.
Their enemy, she’s learned, just means Agent Choi.
On this particular day, when Yeongeun finds Director Ho in one of the many meeting rooms, he wears a solemn expression.
“...I require your assistance.”
It’s unexpected. Yeongeun presses her lips together tightly.
“May… May I ask—?”
Director Ho stands up. The sudden movement startles Yeongeun to silence.
“No. You may follow… I will light the way for us to bring justice to this wretched world. Once and for all.”
She really doesn’t like the sound of that. Still, she trails after him.
Honestly, Go Yeongeun does not know why she’s even at this scene.
It’s raining, because of course it is. Ho’s window shield wipers flick lazily.
The car hasn’t moved for hours now. Just waiting. Ho stares right ahead, while Yeongeun sits in the passenger seat, seriously reconsidering having accepted this job.
In front of them, completely oblivious to their presence, Kim Soleum is dragging Agent Choi across the street.
“If I aimed well enough,” Ho asks, “do you think I could run just the agent over, and spare my loyal employee?”
“No, sir.”
“A pity. Consider this then—if I aimed well enough, do you think I could decapitate them both, but ensure that Soleum-nim is slightly less affected?”
“No, sir.”
“Then I must say you are mistaken, Go Yeongeun-ssi,” Ho decides, turning the key in the ignition, “because fate tends to be on my side.”
Before Yeongeun has the chance to stop him, he steps on the accelerator.