Oh Haeyoung’s face turned pale.
A Beta-grade administrator—something she had never once seen since joining Tree.
To her, such a person was no different from a mythical creature.
And now, that very figure stood right before her.
Not only that, but they had even exchanged words just moments ago.
‘What did I even say just now…?’
As she recalled her own words, one by one, her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.
“I-I-I’m sorry!”
The first thing Haeyoung did was apologize.
She bent her head at a 90-degree angle, cold sweat dripping down her face, while Lee Eunha, watching this scene from a step away, nervously glanced at Xiao Yun.
‘How did such a monster end up here…?’
Eunha had already vaguely realized that Xiao Yun was a Beta-grade administrator.
If even a Gamma-grade administrator like Ito couldn’t so much as budge against him, then he was undoubtedly of a higher rank.
Just looking at the mustached administrator’s restless demeanor was enough to confirm that.
“Hm? What are you apologizing for?”
Only then did Haeyoung slowly raise her head to look at Xiao Yun.
A moment ago, he had seemed like nothing more than a kind coworker, but now, he appeared like an untouchable being.
“I-I-I-I didn’t even realize that y-you were a Beta-grade administrator, and I s-spoke so c-carelessly…”
Her lips trembled uncontrollably.
To Haeyoung, a Beta-grade administrator was an object of fear.
How could she describe it?
Gamma-grade administrators were still recognized as part of the human category.
But Beta-grade administrators—those were a different species altogether.
One could even say they belonged to another dimension.
“Oh Haeyoung, was it?”
“Y-Yes, yes, yes!”
“I’m not going to eat you. So stop being so nervous. If you keep stuttering like that and acting scared, it’ll make me want to actually kill you.”
“Eek!”
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
As Xiao Yun smiled and ruffled Haeyoung’s hair, she barely managed to force a smile, though she looked ready to faint.
“It’s soft.”
“…Haha. Thank you.”
No one in the room dared to move recklessly.
Everyone knew that this man was like a ticking time bomb—no one wanted to provoke him and risk setting him off.
“My little sister was about your size too.”
The moment those words left Xiao Yun’s mouth, Lee Eunha prayed harder than she ever had before.
‘Please! Haeyoung, please! Just this once, keep your mouth shut! Don’t ask about his sister! Don’t say anything!’
As if Eunha’s desperate prayer had been heard, Haeyoung, who had been about to ask about his sister, quickly changed the subject at the last second.
“Ah, um, could you continue the story you were telling earlier?”
‘Yes! This is much better! Nice save, Haeyoung!’
“Earlier? Ah, about the Ito siblings?”
“Yes!”
At some point, Xiao Yun had begun braiding Haeyoung’s hair.
As he finished, he leisurely opened his mouth to speak.
“Yato and Ito are descendants of an Onmyoji clan. Do you know what an Onmyoji is?”
“Uh… Isn’t it something like a mage?”
“Pfft. A mage? Well, I guess you could put it that way.”
He let out a short laugh.
“More precisely, Onmyoji are people who perform divination, spells, and rituals based on the Yin-Yang Five Elements philosophy.
If that’s too complicated, just think of them as sorcerers.”
“Sorcerers… So, basically, people who wield a mystical power called Onmyodo.”
“Exactly.”
With a satisfied smile, Xiao Yun admired the fully braided hair before continuing.
“They were born in what you would call… the Joseon era.”
“Joseon? But they don’t look that old…”
“Looks can be deceiving.
And Yato’s twin brother, Ito, isn’t even human.”
“Huh? Then what is he?”
“A shikigami.”
“What’s that?”
“Simply put, it’s a spirit that Onmyoji use as a servant.
In other words, that bastard Ito is already dead.”
The expressions of the Japanese administrators darkened.
It was only natural—hearing such sensitive information about their superior coming from someone else’s mouth would be infuriating.
But given who was speaking, no one dared to stop him.
“Wanna make a bet?”
“A bet on what?”
“Who’ll win.
Whoever guesses correctly gets a special prize from me.”
“W-What happens if we get it wrong?”
“Hm… Should I rip your head off?”
Xiao Yun spoke with an utterly straight face, not blinking an eye.
Hearing that, Haeyoung shrieked in terror.
“C-C-Can it be an arm or a leg instead of a head?”
“Oh? So losing an arm or a leg is fine? Haha. Just kidding, just kidding.
It’s just to make things more interesting.
You react so well, unlike my sister—it makes teasing you fun.”
“Haha…”
“So, who do you think will win?”
“I…”
Haeyoung hesitated before cautiously answering.
“I think Chief Lee Taeseong will win.”
The Japanese administrators’ expressions immediately stiffened.
They didn’t say it aloud, but they both had the same thought.
‘Is she out of her mind?’
‘Koreans really don’t know their place.’
Xiao Yun turned his head toward them.
“What about you guys?”
“Of course, Team Leader Yato will win.”
“…I agree.”
Then, he looked at Gi-jun and Eunha.
“You two think the same?”
As Eunha hesitated, Gi-jun spoke with a firm expression.
“Even if the sky falls, Captain Lee Taeseong will win.”
* * *
“Ito! Wake up, Ito!”
“Cough, cough. Sis… I can’t see… My whole body hurts so much…”
“Ito, just hold on a little longer. I’ll save you!”
“It’s so cold… I can’t feel my arms or legs… Am I going to die like this…? Ah, if I had known, I would’ve listened to Mom and Dad more…”
“Ito! Please don’t say that, stay with me! Ito! Ito! Can you hear me? Ito! Open your eyes!”
[Was it you who called me forth?]
The girl, watching her dying brother with tears of blood in her eyes, screamed in despair.
“Bring my brother back! Bring him back!”
The otherworldly being, resembling a mass of writhing black tentacles with dozens of rolling eyes, let out a satisfied smile.
[How primitive. It was your will alone that summoned me, and I merely answered the call. Yet you dare hold me responsible?]
“This isn’t what I wanted… I only called you out of curiosity… Please… please save my brother. I beg you.”
[Humans always make the same mistakes.]
With those words, the otherworldly being vanished.
All she had gained from satisfying her curiosity were three exchanged sentences and the life of her beloved brother.
“……”
A horrific tragedy born from a child’s curiosity.
When she spent countless nights deciphering a dusty book in the archives to draw the summoning circle, she had never imagined it would end like this.
“Ito… Wake up…”
She only realized much later that the price of summoning the otherworldly being—her brother’s life—had merely been for the creature’s amusement.
“This is all my fault. I killed Ito. My curiosity killed him. It should’ve been me instead…”
Muttering blankly, she stared at her twin brother, who would never open his eyes again.
And then, suddenly, a certain book surfaced in her mind.
“The Method of Turning the Dead into a Shikigami.”
By sheer coincidence, the book containing the method to summon an otherworldly entity had been in the archives. She had read it, summoned the creature, and her brother had died.
Now, as she looked at his lifeless body, another book she had read suddenly came to mind—the one detailing how to turn the dead into a shikigami.
Was it really just a coincidence?
No one knows.
The only thing that mattered was that she had found a way to bring her brother back.
“Onmyōdō… The requirement is a part of the summoner’s own body…”
Under normal circumstances, the moment she read that a body part was required, she should have realized something was wrong.
But, unfortunately, she was already half-mad.
She no longer had the ability to distinguish right from wrong.
“I will offer… my internal organs.”
Yato bit her ring finger and began drawing the ritual pattern with her own blood.
“And my heart.”
In exchange for her heart and internal organs, Yato resurrected Ito as a shikigami.
As a result, Ito’s body now housed Yato’s heart, while Yato herself became an empty shell.
Her body was now hollow inside, yet she did not die.
As long as the heart within Ito’s body remained unbroken, she would never perish.
That was the price she paid for using a forbidden ritual to create a shikigami.
* * *
Lost in bitter memories, Yato bit down on her lip.
‘I joined Tree for one reason—to find a way to restore Ito to a normal human.’
Her own mistake had condemned her brother to an existence neither alive nor dead.
To return him to what he once was—that was why she was here.
Yato, now exuding a menacing aura, spoke coldly.
“Do you still need more time?”
“Just a moment,” Taeseong replied, his gaze shifting somewhere.
At that moment, the door opened, and Eunha appeared.
Taeseong walked toward her as she let out a sigh and handed him a black box.
“I tried my best to do what you asked, but I’m not sure if this is right.”
Taeseong opened the box. Inside was a crude-looking sword.
It was questionable whether it should even be called a sword, given its grotesque form—
It looked as though someone had carved a massive beast’s bone into the shape of a blade.
Gripping the sword, Taeseong’s expression showed faint satisfaction.
Its shape closely resembled what he had envisioned.
His past memories had yet to return, but wielding this weapon, he felt as though a long-lost sense had been restored.
“You only have one hour. Keep that in mind.”
“This is more than enough. Thank you, Deputy Manager.”
“Haa… Taeseong, I have no idea how I’m supposed to report this when I return to headquarters. This has gone way beyond my control.”
“I apologize.”
“Forget it. No more apologies. But you better keep the promise you made to me.”
“……”
“You didn’t forget, did you?”
He had.
“If you get promoted before me, you have to look out for me!”
“……Of course, I remember. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Seriously, you’re just a lunatic in a suit… Anyway, now that things have come to this, losing is not an option. Consider that a direct order from your superior. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Having done her part, Eunha returned to the room.
Meanwhile, gripping his sword, Taeseong walked toward Yato and Ito.
‘Back then, my weapon must have been even larger and heavier than this…’
As he stared at the sword in Taeseong’s hand, Yato spoke.
“Are you ready now?”
“Yes.”
Ito grinned.
“Sis, I’m so pumped up I’m gonna go crazy, so let’s get started already!”
“The first move is ours—”
Boom!
Before Yato could even finish speaking, Taeseong kicked off the ground, launching himself forward.
His blade flew toward Yato’s throat.
Leave a Reply