“Found me? Are you talking to me?”
“Wolf.”
“Wolf? What are you talking about all of a sudden? Do you know me?”
“…”
Taeseong questioned her, but the woman didn’t respond further. She just stared at him with her emotionless eyes.
‘Is she mentally ill?’
Confused, Taeseong glanced toward Oh Haeyoung, but her reaction was no different from his—perhaps even more bewildered.
‘What kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?’
Is she saying all men are wolves? Or is she accusing me of looking at her lecherously? Could she possibly be using that as a pretext to get rid of me?
As his mind wandered through absurd thoughts, the woman tapped the mirror with her finger.
“…”
It seemed she was telling him to focus on the mirror instead of his thoughts.
‘She’s so self-centered.’
Taeseong shook off his distractions and turned his attention to the mirror.
A mirror that reveals the essence.
Taeseong didn’t fully understand what he was, either. He assumed he was human but couldn’t be sure. Perhaps he was an alien from some distant planet, with purple blood coursing through his veins while resembling a human on the surface.
‘Well… having experienced dimensional travel, I’m already far removed from being an ordinary human.’
“Do I just need to look at it like this?”
The woman nodded.
Taeseong stared into the mirror for about ten seconds, but nothing happened. All it reflected was his own face—a face with delicate features for a man. Though his sharp eyes gave off a somewhat fierce impression, he was close to being handsome.
‘No matter how much I sleep, these dark circles never go away.’
As idle thoughts filled his mind, Taeseong suddenly felt his strength diminishing.
Alarmed by the unexpected phenomenon, he tried to steady himself, but his uncooperative body refused to move as he wished.
“What the hell is going on…”
His legs wobbled, and the woman’s figure before him blurred into three.
He was gasping for air, his head spinning.
“Haah… haah…”
Supporting himself with one hand on the floor, he barely registered Haeyoung’s faint voice calling out to him. She seemed to be shouting something, but he couldn’t make out the words.
“What did you… do to my body…”
Those were his last words before losing consciousness.
Haeyoung, knowing what was happening, didn’t take any action. Instead, she was surprised by an unexpected difference.
“Is it normal for him to last this long? It’s been at least 15 seconds, hasn’t it?”
In response to her question, the woman shook her head.
“Thought so… I’m not mistaken, right?”
The woman nodded.
“Then why could Taeseong hold out that long? Oh, is that an inappropriate question?”
“Willpower.”
“Willpower? Ah, so his mental strength must be incredible. Thank you for explaining!”
When Haeyoung bowed deeply, the woman’s lips curled into a slight smile before returning to her usual stoic expression.
Haeyoung had a personal reason for her curiosity. She, too, had undergone the same test, only to faint as soon as she saw the mirror. Yet Taeseong lasted over 15 seconds, which left her puzzled.
Naturally, Haeyoung, like every “administrator” here, was an individual entity. Though her test had some differences in detail, the core evaluation process was the same.
Every “administrator” in this place was an individual entity. The only reason they were not isolated like the other entities was that they had been deemed suitable. At their core, they were not fundamentally different.
The office workers handling administrative tasks, however, were entirely ordinary humans without any abilities.
“Taeseong, see you later!”
All around was enveloped in pitch-black darkness.
If there was such a thing as an abyss, this must be it.
An endless fall into a lightless void.
Where it led, he could not know.
Who he was, he did not know. Why he was here, he did not know.
Suspended in a world of forgotten stillness, he drifted, observing and contemplating, maintaining a faint sense of self.
Like a lone soul abandoned in a boundless, windless ocean.
Or perhaps such a vast and immense sea could not even exist.
This place was chillingly cold and eerily silent.
“…”
A world of nothingness.
Suddenly, a shiver of fear coursed through him.
How much time had passed?
A day? A week?
A month? A year?
A century? A millennium?
A hundred millennia?
Perhaps an eternity had passed—an incomprehensible amount of time beyond human reasoning.
“Hu…man.”
After countless cycles of thought, his faint self-awareness resurfaced, reminding him that he had been human.
At that moment, a distant point of light flickered. It was so far away that gauging its distance seemed impossible, yet it also felt impossibly close.
Light.
Then, as if resonating in unison, thousands, millions of points began to shine.
Through the darkness, countless stars gleamed.
Only then did Taesung realize where he was.
“…”
At the heart of the vast expanse of the universe.
Floating in the unknown center of an endlessly expanding cosmos.
Multicolored waves of light converged and swirled into a single entity.
Though it soon took form, Taeseong, a mere human, could not comprehend what it was.
He was but a speck of dust drifting in this place.
Recognizing it as a transcendent being with will, not merely a phenomenon, was enough to make every cell in his body scream in terror.
Reverence.
That was the only word that could describe what he felt.
Awe-inspiring, brilliant, terrifying, and incomprehensible.
“…”
It opened its mouth—or at least, there was no better word to describe it.
Its size surpassed oceans, towering over mountains. Even these comparisons fell short, confined by the limits of his human imagination.
…Gulp.
The being devoured him, and only then did he realize—
The entire universe was but a part of its body.
“Taeseong! Taeseong! Are you awake?”
When he opened his eyes, Haeyoung’s face was the first thing he saw, filled with uncharacteristic worry.
“Where… am I?”
“A temporary quarantine facility. Are you feeling okay?”
His back was soaked with sweat, as if he had been submerged in water.
‘Was that a dream?’
His trembling hand clutched his chest as he took slow, deep breaths to calm himself.
Once he had steadied himself, he asked Haeyoung, “How long was I out?”
“…A week.”
“A week?”
“Yes…”
“Is it normal to be unconscious for a week after taking this test?”
“…Most people are out for a day at most. I don’t know why, but you seem to have lasted much longer.”
He had assumed only a few hours had passed, but hearing it had been a week left him stunned. Still, there was something even more pressing.
“What were the results of the test?”
“You passed… but…”
“But what?”
Haeyoung hesitated, her unease evident.
“That is…”
The quarantine room door opened as if on signal.
“Haeyoung, I’ll explain the rest. Could you step out for a moment?”
“…Yes.”
Casting a worried glance at Taeseong, Haeyoung reluctantly left the room. From her expression, Taeseong could sense it—
Something had gone terribly, catastrophically wrong.
“Long time no see, Taeseong.”
“…It has been a while.”
Harin sat down at the table, habitually lighting a cigarette. Noticing Taeseong, she offered one.
“Would you like one?”
“…Thanks.”
He accepted it without hesitation.
Even if his memories were hazy, his body hadn’t forgotten how to smoke.
“…”
“…”
Awkward silence.
Inside the temporary isolation room, the only sounds were the occasional crackling of burning tobacco and their periodic breathing.
Harin, having finished her cigarette, broke the silence.
“Entity name: White Snow Queen. Gamma-class administrator. One of only three hundred rare individuals in the Korean branch. She’s also the one overseeing your test, Mr. Lee Taeseong.”
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“When you saw her, did nothing come to mind?”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Doesn’t the name White Snow Queen evoke anything?”
“I don’t know.”
Harin sighed, muttering, “I suppose it’s possible, given the memory loss.” Then, with a serious expression, she continued.
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
“A fairy tale?”
Harin nodded.
“Yes. She claims to be Snow White from that fairy tale.”
“She claims she’s a fictional character? That’s absurd—”
“Whether it makes sense or not isn’t the issue. The point is that someone claiming to be a fairy-tale character exists and actually possesses extraordinary abilities.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Isn’t it fascinating? That fairy-tale characters exist and wield mysterious powers?”
“…”
A sense of dread washed over him.
“In this world, there are countless incomprehensible beings that defy conventional logic. And we are perpetually short on manpower.”
“…”
“Mr. Lee, will you lend us your strength—”
Taeseong cut her off.
“Hold on. Let me speak first.”
Though momentarily flustered, Harin quickly regained her composure.
“Go ahead.”
Taeseong spoke slowly.
“I want to be a manager of the Tree.”
Harin’s eyes widened.
“…That’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d bring it up yourself.”
“But I have conditions.”
“Conditions?”
“The contract period is two years. After that, it will be subject to mutual agreement.”
Harin smiled, intrigued.
“And?”
“During that time, the Tree must provide full support to help me recover my lost memories and find my family.”
“And why should we do that?”
“Because I believe I’m worth it.”
“This feels less like a request and more like a threat. Is that just my imagination?”
“Your imagination.”
“And what if we refuse?”
“Then I’ll consider alternatives.”
For a fleeting moment, Taeseong deliberated.
Was it the right choice to kill the woman before him or take her hostage?
‘At this range, it’s enough. Twist her neck and crush her temple immediately. After that…’
Harin’s calm voice interrupted his thoughts. Her expression showed not the slightest disturbance.
“I’d advise against any reckless ideas.”
“…Can you read minds?”
“If I could, would I still be sitting here? Look in the mirror and see the expression you’re wearing.”
He had only been weighing his options. He had no intention of acting on them.
“Think of it as self-defense.”
“You’re surprisingly brazen. Still, it was wise not to act. You’d have regretted it. Or, well, that’s something you’d need to be alive to feel.”
Though her words were grim, Taeseong brushed them off.
“What are the test results?”
“Unfortunately, you failed by one point. Your administrator, Oh Haeyoung, submitted a report arguing you’re a safe entity, but the higher-ups didn’t accept it.”
As expected.
“If I don’t become a manager, I’ll be either contained or terminated as an entity.”
“Correct.”
Harin didn’t deny it.
“Still, you offered to become a manager, didn’t you? I was honestly surprised, but it’s not a bad deal from our perspective. We’ll accept your proposal. Two years, as you said. During that time, work under the Tree and contribute to the world. In return, we’ll fully support your requests.”
“Fine.”
“Oh, and of course, you’ll receive a normal salary. If needed, we can also provide housing and meals.”
“…”
“But from now on, as a manager of the Tree, you must adhere to company regulations. Any violations will result in warnings, and repeated offenses will force us to act according to protocol.”
“Protocol, huh. Got it. Mind if I say something?”
“Go ahead.”
“If you break the terms of our contract or play games with me… you’ll regret it. I’ll make sure of it.”
His tone carried an unshakable certainty, sending chills through Harin. Unconsciously, she swallowed hard before replying.
“Understood.”
“By the way, what’s my rank?”
“Epsilon. As you know, it’s the lowest rank.”
“I see.”
Despite having toyed with Delta-class administrator Oh Haeyoung, Taeseong showed no interest in his rank.
Moments later, staff arrived to escort him away.
As of this moment, he was no longer an “isolated entity” but a “manager,” so there was no reason for him to remain.
Alone in the isolation room, Harin finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Hah…”
Her back, damp with cold sweat, clung uncomfortably to her shirt.
Her trembling hands reached instinctively for another cigarette. Though she had maintained a composed façade in front of Taeseong, she had desperately wanted to flee the entire time.
‘Just looking at him made my knees weak. Is that thing even human?’
Harin buried her head in her hands, ruffling her hair in frustration.
“Hah… This place is such a mess. I should really just quit.”
Pulling out a document from her pocket, she reviewed it again, doubting her own eyes despite having read it countless times.
No. 0625
Sigma-level dangerous entity
Entity Name: The Returned, Lee Taeseong
Disguised Rank: Epsilon
“Sigma-level… It actually exists.”
In over a decade of working here, she had never encountered a Sigma-class entity.
No matter how much she pondered why he was assigned such a rank, she couldn’t reach a conclusion. After all, the authority to make such decisions rested solely with the higher-ups.
She was merely an executor of orders.
The directives from above were clear:
- Officially announce the Returned, Lee Taeseong, as an Epsilon-class entity.
- By any means necessary, bind him to the Tree.
“‘Risk level: immeasurable. Further evaluation required’…”