Chapter 9 : Suppression Failure (2)

Back when he heard scary stories, Kang Seongho used to shout that such things didn’t exist.

But in truth, young Seongho had only shouted to hide how scared he really was.

That black figure.

A being of evil that plays with humans.

Just like the one standing in front of him now.

Like a scared child, Seongho muttered helplessly,

“A… demon.”

This wasn’t just death.

He had felt sorry for his dead teammates—but that was a mistake.

The most pitiful one here wasn’t them.

It was himself.

Some other being would now take his place and live as him.

That thought came just as he opened his mouth to say, “Please kill me.”

But before he could speak, the most precious thing a man possesses flowed into her hand.

His Essence.

A moment later, all that remained of Kang Seongho was his empty clothes.

After taking on his appearance, Distortion saw he was about to scream. So she ended it quickly.

“Noisy is not allowed.”

—Distortion’s Presence +10

—[–1,000,000 → –999,880]

When she had shed her form and survived thanks to outside help, she failed to become a complete Concept. In other words, she was

incomplete. Her size had increased, but her inside was still empty.

To fill that void, she needed more Essence.

And luckily, she sensed more of it outside.

I need to gather more.

So I can protect Yerin from stress.

Just before leaving the kindergarten, she heard a sleepy voice.

Distortion hesitated, then quietly approached Han Yerin.

Carefully lifting Yerin’s small hand so as not to wake her, she engraved a small mark on her palm.

—120 Presence Points consumed.

—[–999,880 → –1,000,000]

Even though she’d returned to zero by using a piece of her own Presence, she didn’t mind.

She had just created this ability on a whim, based on the suits the men were using earlier.

Because humans were weak, she needed to create a safety system for when her attention was elsewhere.

[Mark of Distortion]

—[Baby Mode] is analyzing the tattoo.

—…No danger detected.

—Effect name: [Judgment]

—Effect: Anyone hostile to the one marked will suffer “Fear,” “Anxiety,” “Confusion,” “Dizziness,” “Pain,” and “Hallucinations.” The only way

to remove the effect is to earn the marked one’s trust.

Relief.

Now, disguised as Kang Seongho, Distortion nodded to herself and picked up a bunch of dolls in her arms.

She headed for the exit—but stopped right before opening the door.

Her eyes moved to the top of the door.

A bell. A small hanging chime that made noise when the door opened.

She knew what it was.

A loud machine that signals someone’s arrival.

If it rang, it would disturb Yerin’s sleep.

Trouble.

If she hadn’t known and just opened the door, it would’ve made a racket.

For the first time in her life, Distortion used control.

She held the door in place with her large man’s hands, careful not to let the sensor make a sound. She struggled quietly, pressing her body against it.

Finally, she opened the door—without a sound.

Proud.

And then she remembered: when the power goes out, machines stop working.

“Anger.”

One of the dolls in her hand got crushed.

Meanwhile, at the city-level research base of the academic center in Parang, a newly recruited scholar named Kim Wonjae was trying to get

used to the scene.

“Excuse me, coming through!”

“Yes!”

After being jostled around, he finally arrived at the scholars’ tent.

The documents requested earlier from HQ were already spread across a table. Kim Wonjae sat quietly, like the other scholars, and picked up

the top report to analyze the new Concept that had appeared.

Wasn’t this Concept labeled an irregular one?

Just as he was about to lower his head and study the rules or patterns, knock knock—he heard a knock on wood and looked up.

A man with a kind face was standing there.

On his arm was an orange wave-pattern marking—the symbol used in Parang.

The more markings, the higher the rank.

Three markings meant he was a senior scholar.

“Nice to meet you. You’re the one assigned to the folklore division, right?”

“Huh? Yes, that’s right. I’m Kim Wonjae.”

“Ah, no need to stand. Don’t be so formal. I’m in the history division, so we won’t overlap anyway. If someone sees us acting stiff, they’ll think

I’m interfering with your school. Sit, sit.”

“Oh, okay…”

As Wonjae sat down carefully, the man laughed casually and continued.

“Relax. Be comfortable.”

“Yes… I will.”

“Anyway, it’s nothing big. I just happened to skim through your paper earlier. Sorry about that.”

“Oh, it’s okay.”

“Good. What I wanted to say is… it seems like you may have missed the main point a little.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“That report you’re holding. It was requested after the director at Jeondo sent in the case about the ‘unusual Doppelgänger,’ right?”

“…Yes. They emphasized it several times, so it stuck in my mind.”

The senior scholar sighed, placing a hand on Wonjae’s shoulder.

“Don’t overthink that stuff. At the scene, people often jump to conclusions or imagine things. As a scholar, you should focus only on what you

actually see. Don’t be distracted by strange stories. Got it?”

“Yes!”

The man, looking tired, gave a faint smile and patted his back a couple times before walking off.

“Let’s eat later. I’m busy for now.”

Wonjae quickly set the report aside after being spoken to by such a senior figure.

But not long after he focused on another paper, his eyes drifted back to the one he’d put aside.

Was it really a waste of time…?

He felt a strange tightness in his chest.

Something like thirst.

It felt like he had to look through it.

He glanced around.

The senior scholar was gone. The others were all focused on their own work and not paying him any attention.

If it’s just a quick look… just a glance should be fine.

Carefully, he pulled the paper back and flipped to the next page—

At that moment, the door burst open violently and a man came rushing in.

“Capture complete!”

“I said, capture complete! The situation is resolved! Team 2 is on the way back after neutralizing the ‘Doppelgänger!’ No casualties!”

The room stirred in response to the man’s words.

The incident was over. Scholars stood up from their seats.

Of course they did. Even Kim Wonjae had trouble staying seated after hearing that.

He looked down at the paper in his hands:

[Analysis of Behavior Patterns in Unusual Doppelgängers]

—Author: Kim Seongwoo

He recalled what the senior scholar had said.

He was right. I thought too much. It really was just a regular Doppelgänger.

Usually, when an unusual Doppelgänger shows itself, it leads to massive casualties.

And this time? It was subdued by a regional-level center like Parang without any deaths?

That’s impossible.

Sorry to the field team, but if no one died, it must’ve been a regular Doppelgänger.

I was just nervous because it was my first field job. That’s all. Whew.

Still unsure, Kim Wonjae joined the others and tossed the document onto the desk before heading outside.

In the zone marked off for the Concept suppression team, where people in clothes with the “Parang” emblem moved around busily—

Some were urgently carrying equipment, others in lab coats buried their heads in paperwork.

Now they all stood up.

Just moments ago, Team 2’s leader had reported via radio that the Doppelgänger Concept had been subdued.

It was far quicker than expected.

And they even said there were no casualties.

Shock after shock.

This was even bigger than the previous case.

The kind of thing only rich centers like those in America could pull off by throwing money around and dragging “useful” Concepts back to

their countries.

But now it had happened in Korea, at the Parang Academic Center.

At first stunned, the people soon began cheering.

It was surprising how quickly it was resolved, but there was no complaint.

This kind of thing never ends quickly.

And Doppelgängers are among the hardest Concepts to deal with.

Once they blend in with people, it becomes extremely difficult to find them.

Usually, it takes a week—or even up to a month—with full lockdown and search operations.

Parang’s staff, already familiar with the field, had even packed sleeping bags and toiletries, prepared to camp out for a long mission.

But that long, dreadful assignment… was suddenly over.