42 - Time

TL/Editor: raei Schedule: 5/week

Illustrations: None.

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Lee Yeonwoo returned to his duties as an investigator.

His days repeated in a cycle: waking up early to go to work, spending time in the office, exercising after work to build strength, and then heading home.

One day, two days, a week, two weeks... the peaceful days continued.

No investigation work, no office tasks, just collecting a paycheck.

However, Yeonwoo, who initially enjoyed the routine, couldn't hide his growing anxiety.

Tap, tap, tap-

His slippers constantly shook and tapped against the floor. Yeonwoo chewed on the end of his pen, staring blankly at the monitor.

Yoo Ji-yoo, sitting next to him, tapped his shoulder. She looked at him with a face that seemed to ask if he was anxious again.

"Oh dear. Are you that uneasy? It's nice when there's nothing going on."

"You're right, but..."

Yeonwoo placed the pen, now marked with teeth indentations, on the desk and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling.

"I'm starting to wonder if it's okay to be this peaceful..."

It had been two weeks without encountering any anomalies. At first, it felt good, but now it made him anxious. He feared a major incident might happen all at once, or that a hostile group might attack unexpectedly. Or that the dice might suddenly roll a critical failure.

Ji-yoo patted Yeonwoo's slumped shoulder.

"It's not that there's anything special about this peace, it's just how things usually are. You've just been really unlucky before."

"Ji-yoo, you never know. He might go out on an investigation and encounter anomalies like a magnet."

Their team leader chimed in from across the desk, earning a glare from Ji-yoo.

"Team leader! You should be comforting him, not saying mean things."

"It's not mean, just a warning not to let his guard down."

"Team leader."

It was Yeonwoo's voice, heavy and resolute. The team leader peeked over the desk with a somewhat awkward tone.

"Look, rookie. I didn't mean to be negative—"

"Is there any investigation work available? I think I'd feel better if I were working."

Whether it was just bad luck before or things were back to normal now, he needed a chance to be sure. Even if that chance involved dangerous investigation work.

The team leader scratched his head, looking at Yeonwoo's determined eyes.

"There isn't any."

"It's been over two weeks, and there's not a single job?"

"We usually get one to three assignments per month, so this isn't unusual."

"Oh..."

Yeonwoo lowered his head. The persistent anxiety continued to gnaw at his mind.

As his leg started shaking again, he heard the team leader's next words and looked up.

"Rookie, if you can't sit still, why not attend this?"

"Attend what?"

The team leader didn't answer immediately. He clicked the mouse a few times, and an alert popped up on Yeonwoo's company account. He clicked on it.

A notice from the company opened. The team leader spoke.

"Sometimes the company holds lectures for employees. Want to go?"

Yeonwoo looked at the notice, which resembled a poster for an event. A blue background with a large clock icon, surrounded by text in various sizes.

[Newton's Mistake: Strange Time in a Strange World]

-A lecture on anomalous time by a researcher from the Clock Hand Manufacturing Lab at the Korean branch. The lecture will be held in the auditorium of the company's building in a city adjacent to Sangpyeong, a week from now at 9 a.m.

Yeonwoo's leg stopped shaking. He stared at the poster with eyes like a soldier heading to battle and briefly replied.

"Yes. I'll go."

---

---

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, Yeonwoo felt no anxiety. He maintained a moderate level of tension, preparing to test his fate.

On the streets of a bustling city.

People moved about busily, while environmental activists held signs urging everyone to wake up before the planet was destroyed.

Lee Yeonwoo stood alone amidst the noise, looking up at the skyscraper in the center of the city. It was the building where today's lecture would take place, a place where anything could happen.

Clutching his eco-bag tightly, it bulged with items like a power drill, gas torch, knife, and slingshot, all rattling inside.

‘It doesn't matter if something goes wrong. Let's see if anything happens.’

He stepped forward confidently, but his stride soon faltered. As he approached the building entrance, a security guard stopped him.

"Sir, please show your employee ID and submit to a quick body search."

"Ah, well..."

Yeonwoo hesitated, wondering what would happen if they found the dangerous items he brought.

The longer he hesitated, the more tense the security guard became, his hand slowly moving toward his taser.

"Here it is."

Yeonwoo quickly handed over the eco-bag and pulled out his employee ID. The security guard didn’t take the ID but opened the bag and looked inside, then slowly raised his head to look at Yeonwoo.

"Sir, why did you bring all these items? Depending on your answer, this could become a serious issue."

"I brought them because I was anxious," Yeonwoo replied honestly, continuing, "Every time I’ve done something for the company, there’s been an incident. I have a feeling something big will happen today, so I brought these."

After a moment of silence, the security guard nodded, showing understanding.

Working security in a building where lectures and seminars frequently occurred, he encountered all sorts of employees, many like Yeonwoo who were perpetually on edge.

Dealing with anomalies meant some employees suffered severe PTSD triggered by everyday items, and sometimes grudges from past missions led to violent encounters.

Thus, the security guard didn’t scold Yeonwoo but had to do his job.

"We’ll keep these items for you temporarily. Don’t worry about your safety. Security in this building is tight, especially with so many employees gathered here."

To tamper with this building, an amateurish attempt wouldn't suffice. And serious threats were detected in advance.

The security guard continued persuading Yeonwoo and even suggested he could leave if he still felt uneasy.

"If you're really that anxious, you can skip the lecture and go back. What will you do?"

Yeonwoo hesitated, then handed over his ID again. Even without his gear, he couldn't miss this chance to alleviate his anxiety.

"I’ll attend the lecture. Please hold onto my things for now."

"Understood. I’ll return them when you leave."

The security guard put the eco-bag under the desk and scanned Yeonwoo's ID, reading his employee information.

'Lee Yeonwoo, Investigator. Lecture attendee.'

No issues, nothing flagged in the search.

"You're all set."

Yeonwoo pocketed his ID and headed towards the basement auditorium mentioned in the poster.

The security guard watched him go, then returned to his post. Another guard from the same team asked.

"Who was that? Special Forces?"

"No, an investigator."

"An investigator...?"

Working in such a place, you see and hear a lot. The questioning guard thought about the investigators he knew, then his eyes widened.

"Not the team leader, not a student. Isn’t that the guy?"

He urgently called the other guard.

"Hey, hey. Isn't that him?"

"Who?"

"The one rumored to attract hostile groups and anomalies. The one the Inspection Department gave up on testing. Is something about to go wrong?"

"That's just a myth. If it were true, would they send him here?"

The guard who dealt with Yeonwoo dismissed it casually, but the one who raised the concern was different.

"Do you ignore superstitions while working here? I'm reporting this."

He grabbed the radio and reported Yeonwoo's entry, including the rumors associated with him. The guard's concerns were taken seriously, and the security alert level was raised.

---

---

The underground auditorium was already filling up. People were scattered among the rows of seats like in a movie theater.

Yeonwoo scanned the room for an empty seat.

'Researchers, Special Forces, security guards. That person looks like an Intelligence agent. Some I can't identify.'

People from various departments gathered together. Some sat with colleagues, while others chatted with acquaintances from different departments.

"Long time no see. How have you been?"

"Just guarding the house. Doing well. How about you? You still have all your limbs."

"As long as I'm alive."

Amidst the chatter, Yeonwoo chose a seat with fewer people, closest to the emergency exit.

The front left seat.

"Phew."

Yeonwoo sat down and exhaled deeply. He clenched and unclenched his hands, sharpening his focus, ready to act if something went wrong.

'If my issues persist, something will definitely happen. Whether it's an attack from a hostile group or an anomaly appearing.'

And it would be on a different scale than before.

A large gathering of employees in a secure building like this. If something were to happen here...

'If nothing happens, I can live peacefully from tomorrow, like Senior Ji-yoo, facing anomalies only occasionally.'

Yeonwoo was prepared to accept whatever outcome awaited.

He looked at the stage. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The stage was wide, with a white screen hanging down. Above the screen was an old banner announcing the period for voluntary anomaly possession declarations.

At 9 a.m., the projector displayed the lecture PPT on the white screen, and a researcher, holding a wireless microphone and lecture remote, walked onto the stage with a hunched posture.

"Ah, ah. We will now begin the lecture."