Chapter 76: The New Chief Researcher (２)

****

Nanami picked up her coffee cup and sat down across from me.

“So. What’s this about?”

“You brought me here saying you’d make me Chief Researcher. What were the criteria? If there weren’t any, you can just say so.”

Nanami hesitated.

“Probably a situation similar to yours now. Everyone inside the Foundation refused. So we had no choice but to look for people outside the Foundation.”

That made sense.

“Anything else?”

“I’m only saying this because you’re the one doing the hiring. Prior experience working at the Foundation would have weighed the most. That was the Director’s Office’s thinking too.”

“What was it like?”

“I’m just a soldier. I don’t really know.”

That wasn’t actually true.

Nanami thought for a moment.

“You worked at the Foundation for three years. Even if you don’t remember your past properly, you must have learned something in those three years. Even if your memories are suppressed, there must be things that remain deep in your mind.”

“Wait. During those three years, my handler was—”

“The Head of Research.”

I knew it.

“Nanami. Who would you like to see as the next Chief Researcher?”

“My opinion is the same as last time. Someone from outside the Foundation. Other than that, whatever you need.”

“I’d prefer someone from inside the Foundation.”

“Dr. Chae already said no, and realistically, Lee Seah or the Mechanical Section Chief can’t be deployed either. There’s no other option, Dr. Geum.”

Options are something you make.

I could look for outside candidates, but before that, let’s search the containment wing. There might be someone useful in there.

Or we might be able to create the person we need. I let out a sigh.

****

Humanoid containment wing, free time.

“It’s the Director.”

“What brings you here, Master Pasho?”

“One-card. Dealing you in.”

Cosmos, An Yuri, and Kairos were all seated together at one table. When I sat down, Kairos silently handed me a hand of cards.

All three looked fine.

Cosmos was still in the form of a young girl, An Yuri was scowling at me like I disgusted her, and Kairos… poker face.

They were playing quite seriously.

“Hello, Dr. Geum.”

“Why are you here? Ruining my appetite.”

“I’ve dealt you in.”

“By any chance, does anyone here hold a doctorate?”

The humanoid anomaly shook their heads.

“None among us.”

“What nonsense.”

“I don’t have one.”

I drew a card.

“Understood. Is there anything you need?”

“A birthday cake.”

“What’s the point of asking? Give us freedom.”

“Vodka.”

I nodded.

Birthday cake and vodka can be arranged by today. Freedom is a bit harder.

“Miss Cosmos, wasn’t it your birthday last month too?”

I remember sending a card.

“Every day is my birthday.”

“What do the Foundation’s jailers know?”

“Last time was the real one.”

An Yuri laid down a spade, and Kairos sighed as he drew a few cards.

“No proper requests?”

“A grand piano.”

“Freedom.”

“A study.”

I thought for a moment.

“A grand piano might be a bit difficult. Would a regular piano do?”

Miss Cosmos nodded.

“Then, by any chance, is there anyone among the other contained humanoid anomalies who holds a doctorate?”

“I don’t know.”

“No, seriously, what is it you actually want?”

“There’s one in the farthest corner of the containment wing.”

I thought for a moment.

“Well… understood. If you need it, I’ll have a counselor or psychiatrist brought in. Miss An Yuri looks like she’s under a lot of mental strain.”

“Fine.”

“You people are the problem. Just send me home!”

“Understood.”

I let out a sigh.

“Miss An Yuri doesn’t have a home, you know. No family or friends to go back to either.”

The Returnee set down the card she was holding.

“That’s mean.”

“…”

“Uno.”

I set down my card too.

“Tell me what you really want, Miss An Yuri. You don’t actually want freedom, do you? After all, even if I sent you out into the world today…”

She’d be miserable. Like most modern people.

Miss An Yuri started to sniffle.

“I gave you things to do, friends, food, a bed. What exactly would Miss An Yuri do out there, outside the Foundation, in modern society?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“The order that came down from Foundation headquarters was to cull all of you to eliminate the aftermath of the Yulje-myeon Incident[1]. I did my absolute best to protect you.”

Everyone at the table fell silent. Had I gone too far? I looked at Miss An Yuri.

“Miss An Yuri.”

“Stop picking on her, she’s about to die.”

“Why.”

“May I go back now?”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll send you back to the other world you originally lived in.”

“Really?”

“That doesn’t even make—”

“Are you serious?”

I nodded.

****

I came here to resolve a problem, and instead I’ve gained more work. Miss An Yuri’s hometown… is here. Anyway, finding the dimension Miss An Yuri used to live in.

That aside. I went to the corner of the humanoid containment wing. They said there was a PhD holder here. Not sure if it’s true.

Let’s take a look.

“Containment entity.”

“You’re the Director? First time meeting you in person. A pleasure.”

For some reason, it was a jarring sight. Inside the containment cell, on the other side of the glass panel, stood a man in a pressed navy suit.

“Dr. Kang. Why is this person locked up?”

“Well… He’s a rather peculiar individual.”

“Yes. He’s an anomaly.”

“This man is a master of pretense. At the time of discovery, he was working as an associate professor in the physics department at Seoul National University.”

“He’s a physics expert?”

“No. He’s, how should I put it… an expert at faking it. He was discovered at Seoul National University’s physics department after forging his credentials. Before that, he worked as a doctor, and before that, a lawyer.”

You really do see all kinds of lunatics.

Is that the life he wanted?

Actually, that’s not the point. What a horrible life — just cycling through one high-stress profession after another…

“He’s a human who can hold professional conversations with doctors, lawyers, and scientists through sheer pretense alone. Imagine how useful he’d be if someone like this actually learned properly.”

I thought for a moment.

“Isn’t he a genuinely dangerous person who should be killed right now? Isn’t it too risky to let him set foot in the Foundation’s upper echelons?”

BANG BANG BANG. The containment entity pounded on the glass.

“Sir. Sir.”

I looked at the containment entity, and—

“I’m not an anomaly. I’m just a person who’s good at faking it. I’ll admit this cell is better than a prison under state authority, but isn’t culling a bit excessive?”

I thought for a moment.

“I’ll grant you that. But I still think hiring this person as staff is too difficult.”

“Director. My past proves how capable I am, and what I can do if given the chance. That’s all it proves.”

“Hmm. What do you think, Dr. Kang?”

“I don’t know. It’s true that there’s no evidence he’s an anomaly. It’s just… a judgment based on what we can observe.”

I shook my head.

“In any case, I cannot hire someone this dangerous for the Director’s Office. I’m sorry.”

BANG BANG BANG. The containment entity pounded on the glass wall again.

“Does that make any sense? Did you hire the Director’s Office’s pretty-boy attack dog, or the wizard doctor, because they were safe? What about the Director herself?”

I crossed my arms.

“Let’s just kill him.”

“Director, please let me work. Please, just give me one chance. I was wrong. I’ll wear an ankle monitor, I’ll wear an ankle monitor, I’ll have chips put in my wrist and neck, please—”

Dr. Kang let out a sigh.

“Director. You’re not actually considering it, are you?”

“I am considering it. Whether to kill him or not.”

“What it said isn’t wrong. If what you want, Director, is to prove your authority and convince others of your capability…”

“…”

“There is no one who could help you better than that man. Miss Nanami, who smashed a legion single-handedly, Dr. Chae, who commands Elder Gods, or the Steel—”

I stopped Dr. Kang.

“I understand what you’re saying. Hiring this man wouldn’t be the best choice for the Foundation.”

“It might be the best choice for you, Director.”

I don’t know about that. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant thought.

“Well… Thank you for your work, Dr. Kang. Please find something for that containment entity to do. The Director’s Office is obviously out of the question.”

Dr. Kang nodded.

****

Lee Seah stared at the tank.

A monster had died in the Gulf of Aden.

The navies of dozens of nations, the UN Peacekeeping Force, and the Foundation had all moved at once to kill the colossal creature. The Foundation was using its fragments to create works of art.

The results were varied. Of course, the facility had been abandoned, and countless staff members had died.

Since Dr. Geum’s arrival, the number of toys had only grown. Materials from dozens of Popos, things recovered from Yulje-myeon. Monsters stitched together haphazardly from the corpses of gods could be produced at will.

“What do you think, former Director?”

There was no answer from the voice beyond the communicator. Only the sound of a dry cough.

The most important thing was…

That thing that chose Dr. Geum as its host. We still don’t know exactly what it is, but we can’t keep running experiments on Dr. Geum—no, Director Geum.

Soon, we’ll have to tell her the truth and ask for her cooperation.

—

Translator’s Notes
[1] the Yulje-myeon Incident — -myeon is a rural township-level administrative unit.