Editor’s Survival Guide - Chapter 37

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Editor’s Survival Rules Episode 37

 

ep8. What Do You See? (2)

 

“Hello. I’m Oh Tae-o, acting team leader of Analysis Team 5…”

 

I inwardly flinched when I saw this person called Oh Tae-o.

 

Oh Tae-o, who had come to visit my hospital room, was the kind of person who seemed to say “I’m a researcher” and “I pulled another all-nighter today.”

 

A man in his early thirties wearing thick glasses and a white coat.

 

Of course, this was our first meeting, but why?

 

Several of this person’s characteristics felt extremely familiar.

 

For example, his unkempt messy hair.

 

Dark circles under his eyes.

 

Pale skin.

 

Hunched shoulders.

 

A half-sleepy voice.

 

And even his sluggish gait.

 

Wasn’t this the appearance of someone from our industry right before publication?

 

After seeing only muscular people with straight backs and shoulders at the Management Bureau, meeting a kindred spirit felt somewhat strange.

 

Oh Tae-o shuffled across the hospital room while clutching a tablet and document files.

 

Then he came to the table where Cha Si-eon, Kwak Jae-gyeom, and I were sitting and sat across from us.

 

As soon as he sat down, he let out a long sigh.

 

“I’m glad you’re okay… I was worried something terrible had happened…”

 

Indeed, this was the attitude befitting Analysis Team 5, which works with Seo Do-un.

 

While Oh Tae-o was a stranger to me, he didn’t find me unfamiliar at all.

 

Rather, he calmly brought up business matters as if we were workplace colleagues who had worked together just yesterday.

 

“There’s a lot to discuss, but let me start with the easy stuff. The ‘belongings range experiment’ that Response Team 3 conducted unofficially has been temporarily suspended. We did get meaningful results, but the accident was too serious…”

 

Belongings range experiment.

 

He was talking about how I had Kwak Jae-gyeom tied to me with a rope.

 

And the serious accident must be referring to Ha Yu-ju’s injury.

 

“Did you find the cause of why Ha Yu-ju got dragged along?”

 

“Only speculation…”

 

Oh Tae-o answered Cha Si-eon’s question half-heartedly.

 

Then he took out his tablet and held it out in front of us.

 

It contained CCTV footage of me, Jae-gyeom, and Yu-ju.

 

The three of us were huddled together holding a poster.

 

It was the situation right before we got dragged into “Zombie Sports Stadium.”

 

“Here, do you see this hand…?”

 

Oh Tae-o pointed his pen toward the area near Ha Yu-ju’s shoulder.

 

Looking closely, there was a large hand resting on Ha Yu-ju’s shoulder.

 

…It was Kwak Jae-gyeom’s hand.

 

Cha Si-eon’s and my gazes turned toward Kwak Jae-gyeom.

 

Jae-gyeom then awkwardly averted his eyes.

 

“Agent Kwak Jae-gyeom is touching Agent Ha Yu-ju’s shoulder… It seems Agent Ha Yu-ju got caught up in Agent Seo Do-un’s absorption because of this physical contact…”

 

“Then what’s the reason only Ha Yu-ju’s wrist was severed?”

 

“That’s here, do you see this hand…?”

 

Oh Tae-o said the exact same thing as before while moving his pen tip.

 

This time he pointed to the arm that Ha Yu-ju had stretched out toward the far end of the corridor.

 

When Oh Tae-o lightly tapped the tablet with his fingertip, the image of the three of us instantly disappeared.

 

Instead, only Ha Yu-ju’s hand that had been held up high remained on screen, falling from midair to the floor with a thud.

 

Seeing this, Cha Si-eon furrowed his brow and asked back.

 

“Was it excluded from the absorption range because the distance from Seo Do-un was too far?”

 

“Yes, now let’s look at the line where Agent Ha Yu-ju’s wrist was severed. This is the silicone bracelet Agent Ha Yu-ju was wearing…”

 

The limited goods for first-generation Otter Rescue Association members that Ha Yu-ju had bragged to me about.

 

That silicone bracelet shown on screen was cut very cleanly.

 

Moreover, it wasn’t just broken in one spot but completely split in half into two pieces.

 

“This cut surface looks like a straight line at first glance, but when magnified, it’s actually curved. If we go back to the earlier photo and apply this bracelet’s cut surface and extend it… a circle with a 1.3m radius is drawn centered on Agent Seo Do-un’s crown.”

 

At Oh Tae-o’s touch, the photo of me, Kwak Jae-gyeom, and Ha Yu-ju appeared again.

 

And from Ha Yu-ju’s silicone bracelet, a line extended out, drawing a circle around me on the screen.

 

“Agent Kwak Jae-gyeom’s and Agent Ha Yu-ju’s bodies are inside the line. Only Agent Ha Yu-ju’s hand went outside this line… so it couldn’t go along and got cut off…”

 

“You’re saying if someone touches me, they’ll be dragged along within this range?”

 

I asked in surprise.

 

If this was the case, I shouldn’t make contact with other people.

 

Not only could they be dragged along at any time, but if they got caught in this cutting line, their bodies would be severed.

 

This time it was fortunately just a wrist, so they managed to reattach it somehow.

 

But what if a head or torso got caught in this line? That would be instant death.

 

“It’s easy to think that way, but we can’t be certain yet. This has only been observed once. We don’t know whether the proposition ‘if connected to Agent Seo Do-un by rope, they’ll be dragged to the Special Zone together’ was only valid this time or is always valid. We also can’t tell for now whether this 1.3m radius always applies or changes each time…”

 

Another “we don’t know.”

 

I was getting frustrated with the mysteries that kept being added to my life.

 

But just then, Oh Tae-o brought up something interesting.

 

“So I’ve devised a research method for this phenomenon…”

 

“A research method?”

 

Nod nod!

 

Oh Tae-o’s drowsy eyes suddenly brightened as he nodded his head.

 

Oh Tae-o manipulated his tablet as if to show us something, and I checked it with anticipation.

 

“…?”

 

But what was this? A frilled lizard?

 

The new photo Oh Tae-o displayed was of a person.

 

But this person had some kind of round disc attached to their neck.

 

The disc even had distance markings from the neck displayed in graduations.

 

So it looked like a Halloween costume representing a dartboard or target.

 

“It’s a neck collar that can measure Agent Seo Do-un’s Special Zone absorption range. If the observed 1.3m is truly a meaningful range, then when Agent Seo Do-un gets dragged to the Special Zone, this collar should also be cut at the 1.3m line. I set it generously to a 1.5m radius to measure the margin of error.”

 

Oh Tae-o had been speaking like a sleepy person, but suddenly his voice became clear and bright.

 

Could he be serious?

 

Was he really planning to put this on me?

 

A disc with a 1.5m radius and 3m diameter around my neck?

 

I’d rather carry a sword than accept this reality.

 

Then Cha Si-eon beside me spoke.

 

“That proposal has already been rejected due to being too conspicuous and having too many behavioral restrictions.”

 

Thank goodness, it wasn’t reality.

 

“Tch…”

 

But Oh Tae-o openly clicked his tongue when his attempt was thwarted.

 

Wait, didn’t you say it was already rejected?

 

“It’s disappointing but doesn’t really matter. Anyway, we can’t understand flexible and irregular Special Zones with such mechanical interpretations…”

 

If it doesn’t really matter, why did you try to put that thing on me?

 

Why? Even after being shot down once already?

 

“Besides, when we start experimenting, they’ll respond from their side too. So I really don’t care…”

 

For someone who doesn’t care, his excuses are quite lengthy.

 

Contrary to saying he doesn’t care, he seems to hold grudges too.

 

Quite a lot of them, it seems.

 

Otherwise, he wouldn’t specifically face Cha Si-eon’s direction and push up his glasses with his middle finger of all things.

 

…Can I trust this person?

 

When calculating Ha Yu-ju’s wrist position and my radius earlier, Acting Team Leader Oh Tae-o seemed quite reliable.

 

But the moment he brought out the neck collar, all the trust that had been building up crumbled completely and even the foundation began to shake.

 

Analysis Team 5 was the team investigating my situation.

 

But this kind of person was the acting team leader?

 

Come to think of it, what did “acting” mean anyway?

 

Don’t tell me the team leader position was vacant?

 

Suddenly anxious, I turned to look at Cha Si-eon.

 

Cha Si-eon was just silently staring at the thin middle finger pointed up at him.

 

Whether from the front or side, it was all just disturbing, so I swallowed a sigh and asked Oh Tae-o.

 

“That ‘over there’ you mentioned – are you talking about the Special Zone?”

 

“No. Not the Special Zone, but what’s behind it…”

 

“Behind it?”

 

“Agent Seo Do-un, do you think being dragged into the Special Zone is a phenomenon that happens to you by coincidence…?”

 

What was he suddenly talking about?

 

“I think it’s not a phenomenon but an intention…”

 

Oh Tae-o added, but I still couldn’t understand.

 

Then Oh Tae-o manipulated his tablet and elaborated.

 

“Let me show you directly why I think so. These are the dates Agent Seo Do-un was pulled into the Special Zone… ‘Railroad Station’ February 3rd, ‘Hospital’ February 17th, ‘Warehouse-style Mart’ March 5th, and ‘Sports Stadium’ March 27th. Counting the days, that’s intervals of 14 days, 16 days, 22 days – what do you think…?”

 

I was consistently dragged there twice a month?

 

I really had a hard time?

 

I pondered for a moment then shook my head.

 

Then Oh Tae-o pushed several copied documents toward me.

 

“Then compare it with this. These are Agent Seo Do-un’s medical records written by Director Kim Woo-in.”

 

—

 

■ Medical Records

 

Registration Number: 0120012

 

Name: Seo Do-un

 

Age/Gender: 28/M

 

February 18th.

 

Trauma from contact with ‘Hospital Hunting Humans’ entity.

 

Mild concussion, left ankle sprain, multiple contusions throughout body. 2 weeks treatment required.

 

March 5th.

 

Symptoms improved. Complete recovery determined.

 

March 6th.

 

Trauma occurred while climbing structures in ‘Warehouse-style Mart with Traps’.

 

Lumbar disc herniation, left rotator cuff tear. 3 weeks treatment required.

 

March 26th.

 

Symptoms improved. Complete recovery determined.

 

March 27th.

 

Trauma from contact with ‘Zombie Sports Stadium’ entity.

 

Cognitive function decline not in clinical standards. Diagnosis unknown.

 

—

 

My first impression seeing this was ‘I really got hurt a lot.’

 

My next thought was ‘They’re just passing around my medical records.’

 

And the last thing that came to mind was an indescribable sense of unease.

 

“You noticed it, didn’t you…?”

 

As my expression hardened, Oh Tae-o drove the point home.

 

“So Do-un, you were dragged back to the Special Zone every time your injuries fully healed…”

 

“What are you saying right now…”

 

Then, a certain voice suddenly came to mind.

 

-Work him moderately, what is this?

 

-If he gets dragged back in this condition, it’ll be over in 3 minutes – what will you do then?

 

It was what Kim Woo-in had said before, when he saw me bedridden.

 

Words that had actually made me quite anxious.

 

While hospitalized, I was constantly tormented by the thought ‘What if I get dragged to the Special Zone when I can barely even walk?’

 

But contrary to my worries, such a difficult situation never actually occurred.

 

Despite numerous injuries and quite long treatment periods, I was always in decent condition when dragged to the Special Zone.

 

I thought this was just coincidence.

 

I thought it was a blessing in disguise…

 

As if to fuel my confusion, Oh Tae-o added.

 

“Look, it’s a pattern that seems like it waited for complete recovery. This can’t just be coincidence…”

 

“If it’s not coincidence, then what exactly…”

 

“It’s our biggest challenge. Are the Special Management Zones naturally occurring, or were they created by something?”

 

Oh Tae-o threw me into an even more meaningful question mark.

 

He pushed up his glasses again and said.

 

“I’m convinced it’s the created side. By the ‘designer’ who made the Special Zones…”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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