Dawn, not quite morning yet.
Yeonu woke at an hour when everyone else would still be asleep, sighing as she looked out the window in her underclothes.
"...It's starting again."
The beginning of another hellish day.
She forced herself to act cheerful in front of others, but honestly, it was exhausting.
Thinking that simply going through life was nothing more than a burden, she rose from her seat.
'What I show to the ghost... is probably my true nature.'
In front of people, she put on an act, playing the part of who she used to be when her parents were alive, but before a ghost, she simply revealed her true self.
Because she could not wear a mask, no matter what.
Sighing, Yeonu showered, then came out and buttoned up a shirt.
Staring expressionlessly at her blonde hair and blue eyes for a while, she then hastily picked up a skirt.
After putting on her skirt as well, she looked in the mirror, combed her hair, and sprayed perfume.
She did not bother with makeup—there was no need to dress up.
Her bare face was already beautiful, and wearing it would only enhance her looks.
"...As if I have time to worry about that."
She had no time to worry about such things.
She had to hurry and get up to go to work.
She took the sword she had been awarded for her acknowledged mastery of swordsmanship and martial arts.
Rain fell beyond the window.
Now, she had to head to the Management Bureau.
"What sort of disgusting thing will happen today..."
Thinking so, Yeonu made her way to the Management Bureau.
An empty office.
She turned on the lights, sat at her desk, and glanced at the neighboring seat.
A desk with nothing on it...
No—to be exact, a desk upon which rested a photo containing only a boy and a woman smiling brightly behind him.
"Did the Section Chief bring this?"
Touching another's belongings was poor manners, but the subject was a ghost.
Wondering what meaning it could hold, she picked it up.
"...They look alike."
The mother and son looked very much alike.
Just as Yeonu resembled her father, in fact.
Gazing at it with a slightly bitter expression, Yeonu rose from her seat.
She had begun to feel rather lonely.
"The Section Chief comes in late... That person comes in late too... And the observer... let's not even talk about them."
Thinking that there was only one person—no, one ghost—to bring, Yeonu left the office.
And immediately turned her steps toward the isolation room.
* * *
"...What are you doing?"
"Ah, Yeonu-nim, you're here."
Before entering the isolation room, she glanced over to see the research department bustling with activity; several organs were floating about.
"...Are those human? Did someone die?"
A researcher shook his head at her question.
"They're from the newbie."
"...Ah."
"The organs themselves are no different from a human's. We don't plan to experiment on the main body, but... I was curious about the immortality itself."
"......."
Yeonu said nothing, only bowed her head and quickened her pace.
A bad feeling washed over her.
Of course, she wasn't angry about experiments being conducted on ghosts.
It was a necessary task for the good of humanity, and furthermore, to prevent further tragedy.
Still, she was worried.
'...If he were dead, I might actually pity him a little.'
Because she had seen it.
She had seen Sion speaking and acting like a human.
At the very least, she wanted to treat him with the dignity befitting the label of a "pet."
Before Sion's isolation room.
A fishy, bloody stench already stung Yeonu's nose.
'The smell of blood......'
Sighing, Yeonu took out her key card and opened the isolation room door.
What met her eyes was Sion, cooped up in a corner, trembling uncontrollably.
A beauty drenched in fear, whimpering helplessly, not knowing what to do.
That was exactly how he looked—save for the single clear line etched across his neck.
'Did they cut it and reattach it?'
Sighing, she slowly approached Sion.
He looked quite terrible, as if he had vomited into his food bowl.
'...Even though he's definitely a ghost.'
Why was she feeling sympathy for him?
Lost in those thoughts, Yeonu slowly gazed at Sion.
Sion lowered his head as if apologizing.
Looking at him, Yeonu slowly stroked Sion's back.
Because for some reason, she felt a sense of kinship.
* * *
Rain fell beyond the window.
Staring blankly at it, I returned to the office and received breakfast.
"Eat."
"...Dog food."
My senior placed dog food in a silver bowl.
I stared blankly at it, and my senior flicked my forehead, pouring milk over it.
"...It's cereal."
"R-really?"
"I eat this too. You wanna die?"
Saying that, my senior fiddled with a knife.
I shook my head and said no.
With a scowl, my senior tossed a spoon at me.
My body reacted swiftly, snatching it mid-air, and my senior smirked, telling me to eat up.
"Enjoy your meal."
"...Yes."
I really felt like I had become a puppy.
Still, if I behaved, they loosened the leash somewhat.
Taking comfort in that, I put the cereal in my mouth.
"...!!"
It was delicious.
More delicious than any food in this world.
Realizing it had been several days since my last meal, I literally buried my face in the bowl and devoured the cereal.
"......."
My senior watched me with a cold gaze.
I got the hiccups, but I didn't stop eating.
No, I couldn't stop.
Watching me, my senior sighed and muttered, "I guess a ghost really is a ghost..."
Just as I was about to explain—
"Seems the Section Chief brought the photo."
"...!!"
My senior startled me without even giving me time to explain.
I turned my gaze to see a photo of my mother and me placed on my desk.
"...I-it's real...?"
"He's a considerate man."
Saying so, my senior stuffed one cheek full of cereal and chewed quietly.
He ate in a completely different manner from me.
"When he arrives later, be sure to thank him."
"Yes......."
I nodded and finished my cereal.
* * *
After finishing the cereal, there was nothing in particular to do, so I stared blankly out the window.
The rain fell in a steady drizzle.
Slowly, I brought my hand to my stomach and felt around.
'It stings... slightly.'
My stomach, having been cut open once, still felt somewhat sore.
It had all healed anyway, so it didn't hurt, but it still felt uncomfortable.
'I wonder if they put something inside...'
Since I couldn't tear it open to check, I sighed and rubbed my stomach.
"They treated you too harshly?"
"...Huh?"
"The research division, I mean."
My senior said expressionlessly, working away.
When I hesitated, my senior sighed and spat out:
"Was I mistaken?"
"...N-no."
"......."
"You said it yourself, Senior... that once my rank dropped by one, I wouldn't face this kind of thing... S-so I'm fine with it for now......"
At that, my senior's eyes widened slightly before returning to work.
"Then that's a relief."
"......."
The words "that's a relief," devoid of emotion, flew toward me.
I smiled faintly, and my senior asked about school.
"I'll ask again. Friends? Did you have many?"
"...No."
"Then any teachers you knew? Anyone outside of school?"
"...There wasn't a single one."
Hearing that, my senior said I wouldn't need to use the Forget-Me-Not and smiled slightly.
It was rather bitter that my nonexistent human relationships—so narrow they weren't even there—could prove helpful in this way.
Meanwhile, my senior began talking about a new mission.
"A new mission's come in."
"...I see."
Already a new mission.
I hated it beyond words.
I wanted to stop getting entangled with ghosts.
It was dangerous, terrifying, and painful.
The worst pain was having to accept sacrifice as if it were nothing.
"I'll be going, and it'll be just you and me."
"...Ah."
"Ah?"
"...Ah, t-that's good."
"Really? I don't really like it."
Saying this, my senior sighed.
I shrank back and lowered my head, and my senior continued.
"Lately, strange sightings have been circulating in the mountains around the neighborhoods."
"......."
"Something with white fur that mimics human voices."
"...!!"
I had seen it too.
That which people called the Jangsanbeom.
And one of the prime ghosts that had made me this way.
Wondering if I could take revenge, I hurriedly shouted.
"...Jangsanbeom...!!"
"The Owl."
"...?"
"...?"
We spoke at the same time, but we were talking about different entities.
My senior frowned at me and snapped, "Shut up."
"Shut it."
"Uh......."
"The Jangsanbeom only exists on Jangsan Mountain."
"......."
When I couldn't say anything, my senior looked at me and said, "The Owl."
"Action Team 3 separately confirmed it's a ghost with an ambiguous form."
"...But why is it called the Owl?"
"Because when it appears, you hear an owl's call even though you can't see one."
"...!!"
"When the owl cries regularly at 1 AM, 3 AM, and 5 AM, it reveals itself randomly at 2 AM, 4 AM, and 6 AM."
Just imagining it was bizarre.
Why did it choose specific times to appear, cause chaos, and vanish?
"Human casualties have already exceeded 200 because of this."
"...!!"
"The annoying part is that it can mimic the voice of the person it captured."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, it's similar to your beloved Jangsanbeom."
Saying so, my senior looked at me as if I were pathetic.
Rubbing the back of my head sheepishly, I asked what we would do.
"Obviously... from now on, you have to memorize all the victims' personal information."
"...What?"
"Anyone taken by a ghost is a person who no longer exists from now on."
"......."
Saying so, my senior took out a small glass bottle containing liquid.
"It's Forget-Me extract. From now on, we have to sprinkle this on the people around the victims."
Bitter words.