Chapter Text
It wouldn’t be true to say Agent Choi doesn’t see new things every day. Still, this is definitely a first.
A civilian pretending to be an agent.
Not that it couldn’t be an agent, but he didn’t recognize anyone by the name of Agent Grapes—and Choi had basically infiltrated all branches of the bureau’s group chats by now.
Though, the ‘agent’ was handling the situation well enough, and he wouldn’t want to break all the civilian’s trust in this ‘agent’ before they escaped.
Grapes, or so he called himself, explained supernatural disasters and the situation they were all in a way that could be part of the bureau’s manuals—he says ‘could’ because it isn’t—but it’s good.
And way too good for a normal person.
The day Soleum first opened his eyes was uneventful—he woke up in a dumpster near a building he didn’t recognize, sitting in dirt and filth.
The last thing he could remember was drawing an ID card with [Civilian] and error messages pasted all over it at the DER pop-up. Then, he arrived here.
Looking around, he saw a house he vaguely recognized—a cafe with a blue roof and a buckwheat flower wreath on the door.
Where did he hear about that before?
…
That—that was the [Goblin workshop] from Darkness Exploration Records!
It was the exact moment he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it back to his own world. Trying to get a wish potion from daydream? He’d be too scared out of his wits to even walk off at the right station. Asking help from the bureau? He’d be lucky if they didn’t detain him as an entity!
Resigned to his fate moments after he started, he got a normal office job with his world's education background, and continued his life as normal.
It would be normal, so completely normal if not for one fact.
He was a magnet for disasters.
In just his first month, he’d been forced to confront a disaster twice, and barely escaped both with the help of the wiki.
In his second month, he ended up in a disaster with Daydream inc. employees of all people, but managed to save everyone by shouting out the correct answers before he bolted out of there. That was when he got the Silver heart badge he now used to manipulate civilians.
Now, with that same badge, he knows there’s someone in the room he’ll never be able to trick.
Agent Choi. With a scar that ran across his neck, and brown hair just like the official art, how could Soleum not recognize him?
His eyes flitted over the rest of the civilians in the room with him—three adults and two teenagers besides himself. As his gaze reached Choi once again, he felt himself faltering. Couldn’t the real agent take over already..?
Despite his internal suffering, he continued on with his speech.
“This disaster is relatively harmless if you follow the rules. If you think you’re having trouble, please do not step out of this area. It is the only safe place here,” he says, hoping that the shaky hands he’d stuffed in his pockets wouldn’t be noticed by anybody.
“The rules are, do not shout, do not run, keep track of your belongings and remember your route.”
He’s lying. These aren’t the real rules of the disaster. He just doesn’t want the civilians to be frantic, lest they’re out of sight and forgotten.
[The unfinished room]
:A ghost story featured in < Supernatural Disaster Bureau >
:Supernatural Disaster . identification code – ATysW-D-491
This disaster starts off in an empty break room, this will be the only safe place until you exit. The halls outside are unfinished, with half-painted walls, chairs missing legs and different objects missing core parts that are uncommonly appreciated.
Anything forgotten by everyone else will disappear. Escape by the emergency exit—the location switches every time. As long as you do not get separated from your group, it is harmless.
As an agent, all you had to do was to keep track of all the civilians. It was a confusing mechanic, so it wasn’t a very popular disaster. At what point would somebody be considered forgotten?
From past entries, it’d basically be the moment you got separated. This rarely happened to agents or Daydream employees, mostly civilians running from fear.
Even so, it was still terrifying to be in here!
The thought that he could disappear at all sent a shiver down his spine. He gave a desperate glance at the real agent, who was leisurely walking at the back of the group, not even looking at him.
Do you have even a little responsibility?!
After a few turns, carefully avoiding the broken furniture so as not to trigger an anomaly, Kim Soleum and his group—civilians and agent included—finally reached the emergency exit
He let out a quiet. He could finally leave now.
“Please walk in an orderly line out of the exit,” he said, unable to hide the relief from his voice. Some civilians—like him—were already in tears of joy.
As he ushered all the civilians to the exit, he cast a final glance at the (irresponsible) agent lingering in the back. Choi didn’t move. If anything, Soleum would’ve thought he was waiting for something. He hoped that something had nothing to do with him.
Please don’t talk to me.
Kim Soleum all but shouted internally. The last thing he wanted to do was get tangled up with a named character. He was decently sure that any agent, much less Agent Choi, would absolutely beat the truth out of him if they found out he was a fake.
Saving people? Sure. Saving an impersonator? He’d get a nice trip to a prison.
Mind made up, he helped the last civilian out as quickly as he could and prepared to dash out the door.
A hand grabbed his arm.
Soleum looked up, with the most expressionless face he could muster in this situation, “Hello civilian, is there anything you need?”
“Not much…” Agent Choi asked, smiling cheerfully. “Would you mind telling me what team and branch you’re in?”
Soleum blanked out. What on earth was he supposed to say to the agent? That guy probably knew more about the bureau than he did even after reading all the entries.
“Ah... I couldn’t possibly tell a civilian that...”
“I’m an agent,” he instantly replied.
Soleum gave a weak laugh, slowly inching away from the agent. “Um. Anyone can fake being an agent these days... Haha.”
Why did he have to say that of all things?! Was he trying to expose himself? Truly, he would’ve run away from the situation already, if not for the tight grip still on his arm.
“Is that so? I have my business card if you’d like to see, Grapes! You can tell your fellow agent right?”
…
Who carries their bureau things on a daily basis?
Sure, agents had identification cards—but who actually kept them on hand? What kind of psychopath—
What could he do? Run? Soleum gave a small, helpless glance at his arm.
Not happening, but he could try.
“Could you let go of my hand first?”
He hoped his desperation wasn’t showing.
“No can do, sorry, Grapes,” Choi’s smile didn’t falter, which was worse than if it did, “I’ll let you go once you tell me your name. I’d love to tell your seniors what a great help you were today!”
There’s a moment of silence after that.
Soleum’s brain swirled with thoughts and strategies. If this went on any longer, his entire fake identity would come crashing down onto him.
So, he made the most reasonable next step.
Obviously, the move was to stomp on Agent Choi’s foot, yank his arm free and bolt the hell out of there.
“—shit.”
That was the last thing he heard before thankfully finding himself where he had been, his comfortable bed with his phone in his hands.
He sucked in a breath, and then heaved a sigh of relief.
He almost thanked god for making it out—then immediately stopped himself. Knowing his… experiences so far, he would definitely get sucked into a church of the luminous unknown disaster.
…
He really needed to get his act together.
If he had another one of these situations, he might spend the rest of his life in the bureau giving them information.
How he got caught as a fake so easily was a question he’d never get the answer to.
Agent Choi was one thing, but he needed to get his story right so that other agents wouldn’t suspect a thing. He just had to pray he didn’t meet Agent Choi again, or he’d really be done for.
He needs to make sure his backstory is in check.
Name: Agent Grapes
Affiliation: Bureau, Jujak-2
Story: A rookie. Left all my items at home, including but not limited to my ID, my jacket, everything but my bureau issued memorial popsocket and silver heart badge (that I inherited from my family?)
Escape route (if identity is exposed):I don’t knowAnimal stickers (???)
Later, over the weeks, he’d met a few other bureau agents in disasters.
Was it him, or were they being too friendly...?
Bureau Anonymous Threads
[Thread] Anyone met Grapes?
I met this really pretty agent with black hair and glasses. He saved me from dying but got injured in the process. Does anyone know what branch he’s from? He says he’s from Jujak-2, and I really want to thank him!
Anonymous:
Get back in line I fear, there’s 3 other threads looking for this one agent and we’re yet to find him...
└ Are there even that many branches
└ That’s the issue. Some are speculating he’s just a supernatural entity TT
└ Can someone rally up the Hyunmu teams to capture him?
Anonymous:
I see this guy being mentioned everywhere but we don’t even know if he’s real
└ Rumors say this agent knows the solution to all disasters
└ He’s real and I’m living proof
└ Ok and I’m a will-o-wisp
└ Stfu he’s real
It definitely wasn’t his imagination. He’d never met these agents before, how did they even know his name?
“Agent Grapes, right?” the agent said casually, “You’ve been very popular recently,”
Another small existential crisis welled up in him. This was at least the third time an agent knew his name. There had to be a joke everyone was on but him.
“Yes, agent-nim. Have I met you before?”
“No, but you know, you should check out the bureau's anonymous board once in a while!”
Soleum paused, looking at the agent in disbelief. There were things being said about him on the Bureau’s anonymous board? He wasn’t even a real agent!
“Ah... I will. Thank you for your advice, agent-nim.” Soleum reluctantly replied. He would really have to do research on his own identity.
The disaster was a quick clear, especially with the co-operative agents. Before they left, Soleum had made sure to ask for the link to the anonymous board.
The now five different threads about him left him in shell-shock.