Chapter 11
7:45 p.m.
As soon as I arrived at the express bus terminal, I headed straight for Hongdae Entrance.
“Of course that bastard Choi Jae-woo insists on meeting at his Hongdae hideout.”
Bzzz.
When I opened my phone, a string of KakaoTalk messages from Choi Jae-woo popped up.
When you coming? You know the one who arrives late has to take two shots, right?
“Is he even human? He knows I can’t drink, yet he’s telling me to take two shots.”
Tok tok.
ㄲㅈ (slang: “get lost”).
As soon as the “1” disappeared from the chat window, I immediately turned off my phone.
At that moment, glowing text appeared in the air.
[A mission has been assigned.]
‘I didn’t think it would show up this early.’
<Sub Mission>
Stop the incident that will occur on November 17, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. in the underground mall of the Express Bus Terminal.
Success: Unlocks Main Mission.
Failure: System termination.
‘But why is it a sub mission this time?’
On top of that, it said I could only advance to the main mission—the one that provides evidence—by completing this.
No matter how I looked at it, these missions were definitely connected.
‘Do they know how big the Terminal mall is?’
And how exactly was I supposed to stop it? I let out a sigh.
Still, one thing was clear:
Given the location, this incident was definitely going to be a man-made disaster.
‘…I’d better prepare as much as possible.’
* * *
“Achoo!”
After visiting the graves, I always caught a terrible cold.
This time was no different.
“But maybe because I’ve been exercising steadily…”
It was better than last year, when IV drips still couldn’t get rid of the fever.
Now, I’d recover in about two weeks with just some medicine.
I sipped warm barley tea while paying for the items in my shopping cart.
“This might get tight on time. I’d better have this delivered express before tonight.”
While waiting for the quick delivery, I wandered the mall, scanning for anyone with an exclamation mark floating above their head.
‘Nothing yet. Then maybe I should use psychometry in the busiest area.’
I went first to Zone G of the Terminal Mall.
I pulled out a garbage bag stuffed in a suspicious corner, just in case it was a terrorist’s planting.
Then I picked up a ballpoint pen lying on the floor and tried using my psychometry ability.
“Gasp!”
When I focused, an image began to form quickly—it was only E-rank, after all.
Ziiip—
“Sign it.”
A woman in her early twenties frowned, flipping through a six-page contract.
“CEO, this is unfair.”
“What’s unfair?”
“Standard contracts are 7 years. But 10 years?”
Cut.
I’d just witnessed an unfair contract negotiation.
“This has nothing to do with the incident, so let’s skip it. Time to check Zone H.”
At E-rank, my visions had extended to 10 seconds, and I could use the ability twice a day.
“Alright, where next…”
I pulled out some trash stuck near the fountain corner and used psychometry again.
The vision was just someone reading a newspaper.
After exhausting my two uses, I went around clearing away any suspicious garbage that could be dangerous.
‘Tomorrow I should try focusing on objects that could actually be used for a crime.’
On the way back to the office, the delivery driver called.
“Sorry, where exactly is this? I can’t find it at all.”
“…Do you know Yeji’s Flower Shop in Terminal Mall? My office is right across from there.”
“Ah, you should’ve said Yeji’s right away. I’ll be there in 5 minutes!”
November 11, Saturday, 6 a.m.
After finishing my morning push-ups, I opened my status window.
My stamina had risen to B-.
“If I just keep going like this…”
I closed the window and studied the map of Terminal Mall posted on the wall.
I marked X on places with public police, security, or fire extinguishers—areas that were well-defended.
On the spots where I’d seen ominous visions through psychometry, I marked O.
Though I couldn’t identify specific crimes or criminals from those visions, the recurring appearance of a shadowy figure bothered me.
“The suspicious spots are on opposite ends of the mall. If only the mission location could be narrowed down…”
November 17. Mission day.
“Achoo!”
I was feeling better physically as the day approached, but the cold still lingered.
“What time is it?”
Four hours remained until the mission’s stated time.
The clock ticked closer, but I still couldn’t predict where the incident would occur.
Every event has warning signs, they say.
Animals sense earthquakes before they happen.
Criminals often visit their target area in advance to plan their actions.
“I have a rough idea what kind of case it’ll be, but no clue who or where. And what’s with that shadowy figure?”
No matter how many times I scouted the mall, I hadn’t spotted anyone suspicious.
Worried that a perpetrator might strike when I wasn’t around, I’d even gone to the merchants’ association, suggesting they temporarily hire more security guards. But they said it wasn’t realistic.
“No choice. Crimes happen no matter how much you try to prevent them. All I can do is stay sharp.”
I turned off my phone and hurried back to the office.
“The day after the CSAT exam and already so chilly.”
Brr.
Normally, I would’ve worn my winter suit instead of the luxury suit Mom had bought me, but today I had to wear this one.
“Please, let this end without trouble.”
I checked that the item inside my jacket was secure and pulled out my office keys.
“Lawyer boy!”
As I opened the door, the flower shop lady from across the hall called out.
“Did you visit your mother’s grave well?”
“Yes. The flowers were beautiful.”
“Heh, just doing their job.”
“It’s your artistic eye that made them shine.”
“You’re a sweet talker. By the way, why so many packages these past few days?”
I’d ordered all sorts of things in preparation for the mission.
But no need to tell her that.
“Just some A4 paper and a coffee pot.”
“You only bought a coffee pot now? Goodness. And what about décor?”
“I bought that too.”
‘A fire extinguisher counts as essential décor, doesn’t it?’
She clapped her hands.
“Well done! Your office was so bare.”
“Haha, I still need plenty more.”
“Buy things little by little. That’s how you build wealth. If you need anything, buy it here in Terminal Mall. Tell them Yeji’s recommended you—they’ll give a big discount. Don’t forget a flower vase especially.”
From the way she mentioned even unsellable flowers looking better in a vase, I figured she planned to gift me flowers sometimes.
Other than a table, chairs, and a computer for legal documents, what else did I really need?
Still, I was grateful for her kindness.
“Not many visitors today, right? Day after the CSAT.”
“Right, hardly anyone got off the subway either.”
“Sigh, some lunatic posted another murder notice online.”
“Yeah…”
For the past week, online communities had been flooded with murder threats.
And just a few days ago, there’d been an indiscriminate mass stabbing.
I was certain the incident tied to my mission was one of these murder threats.
“Crazy people should at least go crazy quietly. Even the Blooming flower shop next door is closed.”
“That’s true.”
Many flower shops, including Blooming, had shut their doors.
Some even had signs saying “Closed” despite the owner clearly being inside.
They probably planned to reopen once the announced threat time passed.
“In times like this, avoiding danger is best. Be careful too, ma’am.”
“I’d like to, but I’ve got a big group reservation today. Can’t close shop. Sigh.”
“Haha, true. You’re too professional for that.”
“Exactly, I’m professional. But tell me, will that person who posted the threat actually get punished?”
Her wrinkled face, full of worry, reminded me of my late mother.
If she were alive, she’d be around this lady’s age. Instinctively, I answered.
“They’ll look at it from all angles.”
“All angles?”
“From their age, background… to whether they made a plan, gathered tools. If they planned it thoroughly—”
“And if they did?”
“If someone dies, it’s murder. If not, it could be attempted murder or preparation for murder. But usually, it ends up being intimidation or obstruction of public duty.”
Sometimes just a fine for a misdemeanor.
“Goodness, so complicated. But basically, no one should die. Once you’re dead, it’s all over.”
She shivered, clearly creeped out.
Then she swallowed hard, looking at me.
“Boy, since the threat time is almost here, keep your office closed until it’s over, alright?!”
“Yes, ma’am. Please head back in.”
She went back to her flower shop across the hall.
I felt bad, but I had to keep my door open.
‘If she asks, I’ll just say I needed to air out the stuffy smell of paper and dust despite my clogged nose.’
I propped the door open with the fire extinguisher.
Then I dragged my office chair outside into the hallway.
Even last night, I’d combed the area for suspicious items to psychometrize, but found nothing.
Surely the culprit had scouted the place at least once…
“With some time left, I’ll circle the mall again. Maybe I’ll spot an exclamation mark.”
But…
“This time, focus on the O-marked areas.”
…
I nervously roamed the mall for three hours, but still found no suspicious people.
‘This is bad. Last place to check is outside my office.’
I stared at the corridor for several minutes, but there were hardly any passersby.
Maybe not near my office.
‘Almost 1 p.m. Maybe I should check the Line 9 ticket gates. That area has more people.’
My rational side said to head for Line 9, but my gut told me to stay.
“Hm. What to do.”
Suddenly, the tense silence was broken by lively chatter.
Instinctively, I turned my head.
“Is it here?”
“Yeah.”
“My gosh. There’s a flower shop in the underground mall?”
“First time here?”
“Of course. Why would I ever come somewhere this crowded?”
A group of people walked toward Yeji’s Flower Shop.
Probably the group reservation she’d mentioned earlier.
“I told you this shop is great. The blooms are big and beautiful.”
“Next you’ll say it’s even better than a department store, huh?”
“Hahaha, Madam Moon, how many times are you going to repeat that?”
While the group laughed warmly, behind them, a young man in a neat suit clung close—
awkwardly carrying a box of Bacchus energy drinks.
“…!”
And then—
Ignoring the clatter of my dropped keys on the floor, I bolted forward.
