Pluto — Retrieval Division Interview Room

  Agnes turned the pages of the report, one by one,her fingertips moving with flawless precision.The faint rasp of paper alone was enough to freeze the room.

  Across from her, agents Helena and Agatha sat rigidly upright,backs straight as candlesticks—like fresh recruits before a senior auditor.Cold sweat, barely formed, crept down their spines.

  Agnes lifted her head.

  “…Agent Agatha.”

  At the sound of her name,Agatha’s throat locked, her breath snatched away.

  “I understand the contents. But—did this material come directly from the Situation Room?”

  Agatha snapped to attention on instinct.

  “Yes! The report was compiled based on testimony fromSituation Room Team Leader Marcoand materials secured on-site.All supporting documents are attached. That is all!”

  Agnes gave no reply.

  She turned instead to the appended files.Then—tap.

  Her fingertip stopped on a single line.

  “According to this,there are additional Sam-si-chung backup centers on Titan.And yet—why is there no exact numerical tally?”

  Agatha’s shoulders quivered, barely.

  “Th-that’s because…Sam-si-chung numbers fluctuate constantly.Some centers show high operation rates, others low, and—even the Situation Room couldn’t provide a definitive count—”

  Her voice faded.

  In that instant,the corner of Agnes’s eyes lifted—slow, sharp—like a blade leaving its sheath.

  Without a word,she lifted Agatha’s report—

  Bang.

  The file struck the table,a sound like a fired warning.

  “Agent Agatha.”

  Agnes’s voice was low,yet the pressure behind it was crushing.

  “What have I always told you?”

  “Do not transcribe what others hand you.A report is earned with your own feet.”

  “If all you do is copy what’s given,then tell me—why are you here?”

  Silence pressed down, suffocating.Breathing felt like effort.

  “Redo the investigation.Go yourself.Not a single margin of error.”

  “…Yes! I will begin reinvestigation immediately!”

  Agatha shot to her feet.

  But—

  “Agent Agatha.”

  Agnes’s voice cut in, cold and absolute.

  “I did not tell you to move now.You act when I give the order.Understood?”

  Agatha froze.

  “Yes… understood.”

  She sat back down.The backs of her hands were white, bloodless.Her fists trembled, clenched tight.

  Without another glance her way,Agnes reached for Helena’s report.

  The moment the first page turned,Helena’s breathing faltered.She drew in a deep breath—the tightness in her chest did not ease.

  “Current Earth Sam-si-chung supply—8,254,960,000 units. Correct?”

  Helena snapped upright.

  “Yes! Correct.According to the report,10,369,440 units are unaccounted for.”

  Agnes gave her a sideways glance, glacial.

  “…Then tell me.What percentage is missing?”

  Helena scrambled through the numbers.

  “Th-the omission rate is… 13%.”

  A faint smile touched Agnes’s lips—its meaning unreadable.

  “Agent Helena.”

  Tap.

  She touched the report once.

  “You reported missing Sam-si-chung.That ‘13%’—it’s calculated based on deceased humans, correct?”

  Helena swallowed.

  “Yes… correct.”

  Agnes nodded slowly, gaze unwavering.

  “Then—”

  The temperature in the room dropped.

  “Separately identify the number of Sam-si-chungstill attached to living humansthat failed to return for backup on Gyeongshin Day.”

  Helena’s breath caught.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “And—”

  Agnes’s final order landed like ice.

  “Classify and reportall souls not retrieved from Earth.Understood?”

  Helena answered on reflex, voice sharp with discipline.

  “Yes! Understood!”

  Agnes studied them both for a long moment.

  The frost in her expression softened—just slightly.

  “Good.Effective immediately, the mission is revisedand assignments divided.”

  Her gaze went first to Helena.

  “Agent Helena.You take exclusive charge of Titan.”

  “Personally verify all Sam-si-chung backup centers,auxiliary facilities, and field records.Confirm everything on foot.”

  “Cross-check all Titan-related documentsfrom the Situation Room,the Heaven Division,and the Reincarnation Division.”

  Her eyes shifted to Agatha.

  “Agent Agatha.You will investigate Pluto in its entirety.”

  “Every facility.Every administrative file.Every access log.”

  “Collect all Pluto-related recordsfrom the Hell Division,the Intermediate Realm,the Tribunal,and the Retrieval Division.”

  “Not one omission.”

  Both agents inhaled deeply,the tension settling to their toes.

  Agnes concluded, her tone softer—but no less absolute.

  “Both are critical zones.”

  “Return with revised reportsfrom your assigned planets—without a single error.”

  “…Understood?”

  With precise, unhurried motion,Commander Agnes rose.

  As the two agents watched, barely daring to breathe,she opened the interview room doorand stepped out—

  quietly,yet with unyielding resolve.

  --------

  A philosophy office in Seoul, where humans still breathed and lived.

  At last, the second mission—the Second Gyeongshin Day (二庚申日)—had begun.

  Seven days of fasting had wrung Gyeongsu dry.He was barely holding himself together,his body sagging as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his bones.

  Across from him, however,Hyeonpil sat wide-eyed and alert,monitoring Gyeongsu’s condition in real time.

  “Hyeonpil… please…stop pinching me,” Gyeongsu groaned.“My whole body hurts like hell… seriously…”

  Hyeonpil didn’t answer.

  The moment Gyeongsu’s eyelids dipped—a hyper-precise pinch struck his side.

  “AAAAAAGH!!!Hey! Stop it!!! I’m really gonna die!”

  Gyeongsu flailed in protest,but Hyeonpil remained perfectly upright, posture immaculate.A calm—almost gentle—smile rested on his face.

  “Sir,”Hyeonpil said evenly,“It’s… ten in the morning.”

  Which was another way of saying—

  There was still a very long time left to endure.

  “If you’re already falling apart like this,” he continued calmly,“how do you plan to last until midnight?”

  Gyeongsu clutched his face with both hands.

  “I’m… finished…I’m done for… completely done…”

  Hyeonpil shook his head lightlyand gave Gyeongsu’s arm another casual pinch.

  “AGH!!! Hey!!! Again?!”

  “You need to stay sharp,”Hyeonpil said with a soft smile—though his eyes had fully shifted into drill-sergeant mode.

  Since yesterday, the two of them had been enduring a conditionwhere not even a split second of drowsiness was allowed.

  Gyeongsu’s dark circles looked as if they had sunk halfway to his knees,while Hyeonpil’s pinching techniquewas becoming almost artistic in its precision.

  And then—

  BANG!

  The philosophy office door flew open.

  “H-Hello…?Uh—what’s wrong with Dad?”

  It was Dahye.

  She had said she’d come early—and she arrived exactly at ten o’clock.

  And of course…

  Knowing perfectly well that coming to the office meant fasting,she had already eaten thoroughly at home—kimchi stew, fried eggs, and a full bowl of rice.

  Dahye had arrived as reinforcements,determined to push forward her ambitious YouTube filming plan.

  The moment Gyeongsu saw his daughter through half-dead eyes,he screamed.

  “Hey!! Why are you here?!Did you come just to torture your dad too?!Ahhh… I’m losing my mind—seriously…”

  Dahye crossed her armsand scanned Gyeongsu from head to toe with clinical precision.

  “Oh my god… look at you.You’re not even a bald vulture uncle anymore—you’re just a feather-shedding vulturewith dark circles all over your face.”

  Gyeongsu buried his head in his hands on the desk.

  “Please… just…don’t touch me anymore…I’m one step away from snapping…”

  But this was the exact same thing he’d saidon the very first day of fasting—after skipping just one meal.

  And something Hyeonpil had heardevery single day for seven days straight.

  All Hyeonpil could do was chuckle softly.

  “Why does Oppa look totally fine,” Dahye continued,“while Dad’s completely collapsed like this?

  I told you—if you’d exercised more, drunk less,and actually taken care of yourself,you wouldn’t look this pathetic now.

  Do you know how ridiculous you look?You went home and had a drink every single night without fail.Back then it felt good, huh?”

  Just moments ago,Gyeongsu had managed to endure the pinchingthanks to Hyeonpil’s gentle words.

  But this time,it was his daughter’s words that pierced him straight in the heart.

  Dahye’s blunt honesty struck with surgical precision,and Gyeongsu felt even more miserable.

  “Hey!!” he shouted.“The only joy your dad has leftis going home, having a shot of soju, and going to sleep!Do you even know how that soju tastes?!”

  As the father–daughter exchange escalated,Hyeonpil—who had been listening quietly—stepped in gently.

  “Dahye… do you remember what I told you last time?” he said.“If the teacher just sits still like this,he ends up fighting sleep nonstop.

  But when I ask him questions,he reacts immediately.”

  Hyeonpil glanced at Gyeongsu,then smiled back at Dahye.

  “From what I’ve observed…in those moments, his eyes change completely.

  It’s like…”he searched for the right words,“watching someone wake back up.”

  Dahye, unconvinced,looked at her father and sighed.

  “But Oppa…if we film him like this, people are gonna burst out laughing.

  Dad looks like a full-on homeless concept right now.Wrinkled clothes, greasy hair—it seriously looks like we’re shooting a drunkard vlog.”

  At the word homeless,Gyeongsu’s half-closed eyes snapped wide open.

  “Hey! No matter what,how can you compare your dad to a homeless guy?!

  Then what are you, huh?No makeup, bare face, sweatpants—are you a homeless woman?!”

  In truth,anticipating the shoot,Dahye had removed her contact lenses and put on thick horn-rimmed glasses.

  She wore no makeup—completely bare-faced—comfortable sweatpants, her hair tightly tied back,a large bag slung over her shoulder.

  Yet that casual look only made her pale skin stand out more,and the natural clarity of her bare facegave her an unexpectedly fresh, youthful charm.

  “What are you even saying? Seriously!Ugh, whatever!

  Dad, sit up straight!If you slump like that, you won’t even fit in the frame!”

  Dahye waved her hands briskly,herding the two of them into position.

  “Oppa, here! Dad, over there!You two just talk naturally right here!

  Okay, everyone—move it, move it!Dad!! Get it together already!!!”

  At her sharp commands,Gyeongsu dragged his limp body overand collapsed beside Hyeonpil.

  Hyeonpil glanced at Dahye with concern.

  “Dahye, tell me when you’re ready,” he said.“We should hurry.The teacher’s… his eyes are starting to lose focus again.”

  At that, Dahye snapped into action.

  She unfolded the camera in one swift motion,extended the tripod fully,checked the framing,then drew a large circle in the air with her hand.

  “Okay! We’re good!

  Oppa, you can start now!We’re filming nonstop until midnightand uploading everything!”

  At her signal,Hyeonpil gently placed a hand on Gyeongsu’s shoulder,adjusted his posture, and said,

  “Teacher,there are quite a few things I’d like to ask you today.You’ll help me out, right?”

  And just like that—

  the philosophy office’s YouTube videobegan.