The man beyond the glass looked as gaunt as a withered branch.
His skeletal frame, stretched thin over his skin like some otherworldly being attempting to imitate a human, gave off an eerie impression.
“…Dad… Why did you get so thin…? I told you to eat properly…”
Choi Harin was calling that ‘entity’ beyond the glass her father.
Despite his bloodshot eyes, the saliva dribbling down his lips, and the dark circles carved beneath his eyes, there was no doubt—‘that’ was indeed Choi Harin’s father.
And it made sense. Aside from their differing genders, their features were very similar. Even a passing stranger would immediately recognize them as father and daughter.
‘I suspected as much… but to think he was being kept here as an entity in isolation…’
Ever since hearing Harin’s story, Taeseong had held a vague suspicion, but the moment they stepped into B-Ward, suspicion turned into certainty.
‘…So that’s what she meant when she said her father didn’t die because he became an entity.’
Choi Harin’s voice trembled with unshed tears as it filled the silent space.
She called out to her father repeatedly, but no response came.
What must it feel like for a daughter to realize that her long-lost father had been transformed into an entity and locked away?
Taeseong couldn’t even begin to fathom it.
All he could do was sit and silently watch.
“Dad. It’s me, Harin.”
“……”
“Dad! It’s me! Your daughter, Harin…!”
“……”
“Say something…!”
Still, there was no reply.
The entity—no, Choi Harin’s father, Choi Woosik—stared blankly into space, occasionally letting out weak, whimpering groans filled with fear.
To Taeseong, he didn’t seem like an entity at all. He just looked like a man who had lost his mind.
‘If it were just madness, he could be treated… So why go as far as locking him up in isolation?’
And then—
Choi Woosik suddenly stood up, let out a piercing sound, and began clawing at the wall.
Seeing this, Harin screamed in anguish.
“Daaaad! Stop! It’s okay! I’m here! I’m right here!”
Judging by her reaction, this wasn’t the first time he had behaved this way.
After frantically scraping at the walls, Choi Woosik abruptly sat down and twisted his neck at an unnatural angle.
Then, like a man possessed, he muttered in rapid succession.
A flood of words in languages from all over the world poured forth.
“深淵が私を見つめている.”
“深渊在注视着我.”
“เหวกำลังมองมาที่ฉัน.”
“Vực thẳm đang nhìn tôi.”
“रसातल मुझे देख रहा है.”
“Propast mě pozoruje.”
“심연이 나를 바라보고 있다.”
“Der Abgrund schaut mich an.”
“Hyldypið horfir á mig.”
“Bun no rehwɛ me.”
“Η άβυσσος με παρακολουθεί.”
“Бездна смотрит на меня.”
“اوندهه مون ڏانهن ڏسي رهي آهي.”
“De afgrond houdt mij in de gaten.”
“Uçurum bana bakıyor.”
“ھاڭ ماڭا قاراۋاتىدۇ.”
“The abyss is looking at me.”
“O lo’o tilotilo mai le to’ele ia te a’u.”
“■■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■!”
At the last utterance, every hair on Taeseong’s body stood on end.
“…‘The abyss is looking at me’?”
As he repeated the strange phrase, Harin, standing beside him, frantically shouted.
“T-Taeseong! P-please stop my dad!”
Looking back at the glass, Taeseong saw Choi Woosik crawling on all fours, his belly exposed.
His spider-like movements sent shivers down Taeseong’s spine.
Then, he began ramming his head against the wall.
‘So he really is a Beta-class entity, huh?’
The impact was so intense that the entire room trembled with each blow.
“Does he not wear restraints?”
Typically, all isolated entities were required to wear restraints, except in a few special cases.
Even Taeseong, when he was classified as an entity, had been bound at all times.
“That’s…”
Harin trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
Most likely, it was out of consideration from Director Park Woo-man that restraints had been excluded.
After all, just seeing her father locked up like this must have been unbearable for Harin.
If she had to see him bound as well, she might have completely lost her sanity.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The tremors grew stronger.
“I understand.”
At this rate, Harin would pass out from shock before her father managed to crack his skull open.
Taeseong rose from his seat.
The isolation chamber had a dual-door system—
The first door was the entrance to the room.
The second door separated them from the contained entity.
Stepping inside, Taeseong met Choi Woosik’s gaze just as his head twisted 180 degrees to look at him.
Their eyes locked.
Exactly three seconds passed.
Then, Choi Woosik split his lips into a grotesque grin and lunged at Taeseong.
Dududududu!
The way he crawled across the floor like a spider was straight out of a horror movie.
“…This is troublesome.”
If the opponent were just an entity, Taeseong wouldn’t have hesitated to strike them down.
But this entity was also Choi Harin’s father.
And Park Woo-man’s closest friend.
No matter how unhinged Taeseong was, he couldn’t just swing his sword recklessly.
Of course, if his life were in danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut him down.
But…
That wasn’t the case.
Choi Woosik pinned Taeseong down, his head moving from side to side.
Then, his mouth stretched wide open, and once again, a flood of languages poured forth.
“深淵はいつも私たちを見つめている.”
“심연은 언제나 우리를 주시하고 있다.”
“Vực thẳm luôn dõi theo chúng ta.”
“A szakadék mindig figyel minket.”
“The abyss is always watching us.”
Strangely, with each new language, his voice changed, as if a different person were speaking each time.
“…Hello, Administrator Choi Woosik. My name is Lee Taeseong.”
“……”
“Can you understand me?”
Choi Woosik, still clinging to Taeseong, slowly leaned in closer, staring at him.
As Taeseong considered his options, he released a small burst of his internal energy.
And then—
A flicker of light returned to Choi Woosik’s dull, lifeless eyes.
“…So you weren’t an entity… but an Administrator?”
“Are you conscious?”
Choi Woosik nodded.
“You’re a new face. Looks like I’ve lost my mind again.”
Lee Taeseong nodded. Choi Woosik’s gaze shifted beyond the glass to Choi Harin. Surprised, Choi Harin pressed against the glass and shouted.
“Dad! Are you back to your senses?”
“Yes, my daughter. You’ve grown even more beautiful since I last saw you. You could get married now.”
“…Married? And who’s supposed to walk me down the aisle?”
Hearing those words, Choi Woosik let out a bitter laugh.
Because he understood his situation.
Even being clear-headed like this was a miracle. Before long, he would undoubtedly lose himself again.
Because at this very moment, the Abyss was watching him.
I can feel it. The gaze. Thousands, tens of thousands of eyes covering every inch around me. It feels like insects are crawling all over my body, sending shivers down my spine, driving me insane. How much longer must I live like this? My brain, my brain, my head, my head—it hurts so much. Shut up.
Blink. Blink.
It watches my every move. I cannot escape it. Not now, not ever. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, my love. Harin, I’m so sorry. I want to return, but this gaze—it—it—it won’t let me.
“Haa… Haa…”
Yes.
‘That thing’ will watch me for eternity.
That is why, for my daughter’s sake, I must stay here.
“Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine. But don’t you feel anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking if you can feel some kind of gaze.”
Taeseong spoke with a blank expression.
“I don’t feel anything.”
But Choi Woosik could see it clearly.
The thousands, the tens of thousands of eyes filling the room—all staring directly at Lee Taeseong.
“…You should leave.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said leave! Get out now! Hurry!”
At Choi Woosik’s sudden change in demeanor, Taeseong left the room without another word.
Waiting outside, Choi Harin gave a sorrowful smile.
“…Let’s go.”
The two left the isolation room.
As soon as Harin stepped out, she leaned against the wall and sank to the ground. Covering her face with both hands, she sobbed for a long time.
From inside the isolation room, dull thuds and agonized cries echoed.
“……”
After much hesitation, Taeseong slowly reached out and covered her ears.
About ten minutes passed.
Harin, her eyes swollen from crying, lifted her head and looked at Taeseong.
“…Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For coming with me to see my father. And for making it possible for me to talk to him. This was the first time in two years I’ve had a conversation with him. Until now, he was always too far gone.”
Taeseong cautiously asked.
“May I ask… how he ended up like that?”
Harin nodded and explained the events.
She had joined Tree because of her father, Choi Woosik.
After discovering that he had once been an administrator for Tree, she worked tirelessly to become part of the organization.
And soon after, she learned the truth—her father had become an entity and was now in isolation.
She had chosen the Intelligence Division in search of a way to restore him.
“The entity’s name is ‘Well of the Abyss.’ It was the last one my father managed.”
“Now that you mention it… earlier, your father kept muttering about the Abyss. Is it related?”
Harin nodded solemnly.
“The entity was originally classified as Gamma. One day, a well suddenly appeared in the middle of Tree. There was no warning, no sign—it just appeared, as if it had always been there.”
“I see.”
“At first, we sent in exploration robots to investigate, but they found nothing unusual. All of them returned safely. So, we decided to send in a Gamma-class administrator. But…”
“……”
“He never came back. A day passed, then a week, then a hundred days… but he never returned. We sent more exploration robots, but there was no trace of the administrator. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.”
