In truth, there was a slight connection between Baekgu and Gu Jei.
'A piece of trash like you dying would be a service to the world.'
Hmm, let's correct that. There was a bad connection between Baekgu and Gu Jei.
Not that there was anything particularly dramatic about it. To put it in terms of a children's cartoon, Gu Jei was the hero, and Baekgu was just one of the villain's henchmen. Baekgu had nearly died at Gu Jei's hands several times.
In the end, Gu Jei died first.
Regardless, asking Baekgu to save Gu Jei was absurd.
How could he possibly save an S-Class Esper? Wait...
Could I do it?
Right now, Gu Jei doesn't know him. And he's no longer the cult leader's slave.
I'm not a criminal now. Just an undocumented person who escaped from the research lab? An unidentified individual? Whatever.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Baekgu lifted his lowered head.
First, he needs to establish an identity.
Having lived his entire life in the research lab, Baekgu lacked basic common sense.
One thing he didn't know was that every citizen was registered with the national authorities at birth. Without an identity, you couldn't get a job, buy a phone, or own a home.
Even after learning this, Baekgu didn't consider getting an identity. He feared the research lab might track him down, and more importantly, he believed his abilities made it unnecessary. With his powers, he could easily acquire a phone, a house, or anything else he needed.
He wielded his abilities with reckless abandon, as if he were a god, completely unaware that some madman was watching him.
He wouldn't make that mistake again. But registering his true identity was out of the question—there were too many secrets he couldn't reveal.
Yet to blend seamlessly into society, he needed a legitimate identity...
Alright, let's do this.
Fortunately, a brilliant idea struck him almost immediately.
❖ ❖ ❖
Gate Disaster Response Center.
The Civil Affairs Office was packed with people crammed into plastic chairs. Beyond the reception desk, the rhythmic clatter of government employees' keyboards filled the air.
Ding-dong.
The number on the electronic display changed, and a new applicant took their seat.
The clerk mechanically greeted the applicant while organizing documents.
"Hello. What brings you here today?"
"Ah, well..."
A young man's voice drifted across the room.
The civil servant, stuck in a routine, lifted his head a beat late to acknowledge the applicant. For a fleeting moment, a spark of interest flickered in his eyes.
'Oh.'
The man possessed an exceptionally rare beauty. His delicate features were as charming as a child's doll.
He would have been even more striking were it not for his pallid complexion, as if he had never seen sunlight, and the anxious glint in his eyes.
When their gazes met, the man's shoulders twitched involuntarily. Lowering his eyes, he spoke in a trembling voice:
"I... I heard this is where you handle cases of missing persons from the Gate."
"Yes, that's right. Who is the missing person?"
"It's me."
"Yes... Yes?"
"I'm... I'm the missing person."
The man began to speak hesitantly, his face filled with anxiety.
"My mom, dad, and I—our whole family—were in the living room. Suddenly, a black hole-like thing appeared..."
"Wait, just a moment. When did this happen?"
"Ah, if it's... what year is it now?"
The man mumbled to himself, barely audible, before finally saying, "Seven years ago."
Seven years ago. A family's disappearance due to a Gate incident.
In that instant, a famous case flashed through the official's mind.
"Could you tell me where you went missing?"
"Heukyeong-dong."
"......!"
The official's eyes widened.
The missing person from the Heukyeong-dong Gate incident?
The case of the family that vanished due to a Gate appearing in the Heukyeong-dong residential complex remained infamous, known to virtually everyone. It was a truly shocking event.
The locations where Gates appeared were entirely unpredictable, ranging from mountaintops and caves to even the depths of the sea.
The problem was that when a Gate manifested, everything in its immediate vicinity vanished completely. This phenomenon was often described as "the Gate swallowed it."
While advanced technology now allows us to predict Gate appearances and evacuate in advance, such capabilities didn't exist seven years ago.
Without any warning, a Gate suddenly appeared one day and swallowed an entire house in Heukyeong-dong, including the loving couple and their young son.
This horrific disaster served as a stark reminder of the Gate's terrifying power. The incident also became infamous because it caused the high housing prices in Heukyeong-dong to plummet overnight.
The civil servant stared at the gaunt-looking adult male.
Is this the son who went missing back then?
The missing child had been 13 years old at the time.
Seven years had passed since his disappearance—enough time for an elementary school student to grow into an adult.
What on earth happened to him all this time?
And it wasn't just the civil servant who was curious about that.
—–——–—
"Well, I think it was okay at first. Yes, our house was still there, so we could get food and clothes. Oh! This shirt is my dad's. It's a bit big for me... But, uh... what was I saying?"
The man clutched his head, his expression confused.
"I-I'm sorry. Why can't I remember? Ever since we came out of the Gate, my memory keeps failing me. What's wrong with me...?"
"Do you remember what happened to your parents?"
"Uh... I-I don't know. Maybe they came out too? Have you heard anything about them?"
"No reports have come in yet."
"Hngh... Mom, Dad..."
The man finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
The investigator handed him a whole box of tissues, shaking his head inwardly.
This wasn't the first time someone had returned after being swallowed by a Gate.
When a Gate is conquered, the space it swallowed and all the missing persons are restored to their original state. The missing persons typically have no clear memories of what happened from the moment they disappeared. So it wasn't surprising that this man remembered nothing.
Still, what bothered him was that all the other returnees so far were swallowed by the Gates for less than a month.
This man was the first case of someone returning after being missing for seven years. Moreover, the Heukyeong-dong Gate was a special type of Gate that vanished immediately upon appearing, making it impossible to clear.
How did this man survive for seven years? By what means he escaped the Gate? These were the questions that plagued the investigator.
Could this even be the real missing person?
A faint suspicion clouded the investigator's eyes.
Yet during the identity verification Q&A, the man answered every question correctly.
His parents' names, birthdays, address, even the elementary school he attended—some of these details were not publicly available. Only the true missing person will know them, leaving no room for doubt.
His facial features also match his appearance at the time of his disappearance.
The investigator checked the photo attached to the documents.
Pale, straight hair, hazel and slightly downturned eyes, and a pretty face.
Of course, there were some differences, but that was to be expected after seven years—especially since he had grown from an elementary school student into an adult.
The fact that no trace of his past could be found further lent credibility to the man's story. As he testified, he had come down from the mountain—CCTV footage showed no record of him entering the mountain—and eaten in the park. That was the only verifiable trace of his movements. Unless he had been swallowed by the Gate, no one could have vanished so completely from society.
Everything added up perfectly. So why did this nagging unease persist?
The investigator stroked his chin.
Better to be thorough, even if it seems excessive.
"Then let's proceed with the final verification step. Please wait a moment."
Although this wasn't an official procedure, he didn't mention that.
The returning investigator retrieved a circular object from the box he carried.
It resembled a compass, but instead of the four cardinal directions, it was marked with:
YES / NO
"This is an item enchanted with the 'Truth Detection' ability. We call them enchanted items."
"En-chanted?"
"Ah, you wouldn't have seen these seven years ago, would you? Enchantment is a power developed by Espers—those with the ability to imbue objects with supernatural abilities. In this case, the item can determine whether someone is telling the truth when answering a question. Think of it as an advanced version of a lie detector."
The investigator handed the man the item.
"Hold this in your hand and answer my questions."
"Yes, yes."
"Are you Ye Hanseo, who went missing due to the Heukyeong-dong Gate?"
The man looked at the investigator and answered without hesitation, unlike before.
"Yes."
The investigator checked the direction the compass needle was pointing.
YES
Hmm, was this unease just my imagination?
Hiding his awkwardness, the investigator put the item back in its box.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"Uh, is that all?"
"Yes, that's all. Thank you for your time."
The man let out a small sigh, as if he had been secretly nervous. His water-dampened eyelashes fluttered anxiously, making him look utterly forlorn.
Feeling a sudden pang of guilt, the investigator's tone softened.
"Then let me explain the support system for Gate disaster recovery first. Please feel free to ask any questions you have along the way."
"Ah, yes. Thank you..."
The man nodded eagerly, listening intently to the investigator's explanation.
An hour later, after seeing the man off, the investigator returned the borrowed item to the Supernatural Equipment Support Office.
The support team staff member opened the box and nodded.
"'Truth Compass' return confirmed."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
As the investigator left, the staff member paused while closing the box.
He gently moved the compass needle, which had been pointing to "NO," back to the center.
The box closed.
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