Do-hyun and Se-jin stood amidst a ruined village, specifically in an area where restoration work had yet to begin.
“Did we get the authorization?”
“Yes, they said it’s fine to use.”
“Hoo… Let’s get some distance first.”
They placed the clock inside a building whose walls had completely collapsed, leaving its interior exposed.
“Alright, I’ll throw it then.”
Do-hyun picked up a nearby pebble and hurled it.
The stone, a fastball so potent it seemed capable of sending a baseball player straight to the major leagues, soared toward the clock.
*Thump—*
With a thunderous crash, the clock shattered, immediately unleashing a massive shockwave.
“Whaaaat the heeeell, what just haaappened?!”
Simultaneously, time began to slow.
In accordance with Einstein’s theory of relativity, time is not absolute; thus, time in that space gradually decelerated and began to regress.
“Whaaat the heeeell, what just haaappened?!”
While Einstein had explained that regression to the past was impossible, urban legends were not bound by such trivialities.
“That damn Merchant—”
“Team Leader…”
Realizing the unusual intensity in Do-hyun’s gaze, Se-jin turned around.
“H-huh.”
A building stood perfectly upright, as if it alone had never been attacked.
It seemed to have transformed into an entirely different structure from the ruin it had been moments ago.
“Hey, hey. Quick, measure it.”
“Ten, thirteen, seventeen, twenty… The affected area has a diameter of twenty meters. And the height appears to have no limit…”
“Twenty meters? Not eight or fifteen?”
“Yes…”
Twenty meters typically equated to about six or seven floors of a standard apartment building.
In essence, this was the range equivalent to laying a seven-story apartment building on its side and circling it.
While one might not consider it an enormous radius, factoring in the cost of the numerous buildings contained within, it became clear that the power of ‘Paradoxical Time’ was truly immense.
“So, there are twelve of these left, right?”
Do-hyun, not answering Se-jin’s question, stared blankly at the restored building.
Certainly, it wasn’t his first time witnessing such a sight, but it was the first time he’d seen a small clock wield such immense influence, and not even from within an urban legend, but from outside it.
“Of course, it’s true that every item from the Merchant’s shop has proven effective… but this time, it’s on a completely different level.”
“Indeed. How will the Bureau of Urban Legends conceal this? Perhaps claim that technology has advanced so much that construction was completed in a single second?”
“Haha…”
“Let’s head back quickly. Leaving this clock out so carelessly doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
Fearing a catastrophic event if the clock were to break mid-transport, they carefully wrapped it in sponge and loaded it into the car.
“Seriously, drive safely. Under no circumstances can we have an accident today.”
Do-hyun had never caused a car accident in his life, yet knowing that accidents weren’t solely prevented by one’s own driving skills, his hands grew clammy.
“Departing now.”
****
Despite Do-hyun’s apprehension, the drive proceeded without incident.
Their car stopped in front of a building that appeared to be no more than five stories tall.
A small sign, [Bureau of Urban Legends], was affixed to the door.
“Let’s head down quickly.”
While the building might seem small and unassuming for an organization named the Bureau of Urban Legends, this was due to the Bureau extending deep underground.
It was constructed this way because if it were built tall and then targeted by someone who harbored ill will towards the Bureau on any given day, everything would be lost.
*Ding—* “Ground floor, 21st story.”
In truth, it was also partly due to the elevator’s ‘special’ function.
“Oh? Se-jin! It’s been ages! Do-hyun came along too?”
“Seo-yeon, it has been a while.”
“Hello.”
Seo-yeon rushed over to Se-jin and Do-hyun, throwing her arms around their shoulders.
Having been close friends since their early days at the company, they shared a special bond.
“Do you have any idea how upset I am? Last time, you just sent the items and that was it. You should show your face more often.”
“I couldn’t help it. You must have heard how busy we’ve been lately, right?”
“I heard. I did. But still, you could visit sometimes.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll drop by more often.”
At her words, Seo-yeon beamed.
“So, what brings your busy selves all the way down to Research and Development?”
“Do-hyun. Take out the clock.”
“Hm? What’s this?”
“A new item from the Urban Legend Merchant’s shop.”
At that, a sudden shift occurred in Seo-yeon’s eyes.
“…Come inside.”
Seo-yeon led her old friends into a room marked [Chief Researcher – Yoon Seo-yeon] on one side.
“Alright. Care to continue your story?”
As Se-jin recounted her tale, Seo-yeon’s jaw visibly dropped further.
At the rather familiar sight, a slight twitch played on Se-jin’s lips.
“Unbelievable! So, what was it actually like?”
Do-hyun turned on his phone and showed them a picture.
“This is truly insane! This is possible? No, by what principle? No, no, that’s stupid. Trying to find a principle for an urban legend is foolish. So, what I need to do is check for any potential side effects, right?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask for your help again this time.”
While transactions with the Urban Legend Merchant were classified, research was still necessary, so Seo-yeon, being capable and highly trusted, was entrusted with the task.
“If there are no side effects… we could save tens of billions of won. And that’s not all!”
“Hm?”
“Of course, I’m a scientist, so I don’t know all the specifics, but if it truly has the ability to rewind time exactly one week, its military applications are boundless!”
“Oh? Oh, you’re right.”
Breaking the sudden chill in the atmosphere, Do-hyun spoke.
“Team Leader, looking at the time, it seems we should be heading off soon.”
Do-hyun gestured toward ‘Paradoxical Time’ as he spoke.
“Uh… that clock is running backward, isn’t it?”
“Yes. My apologies, but we really should get going.”
“Hmm. A new joke, perhaps? Was I supposed to laugh?”
“…”
“Oh. Hahahaha!”
“…”
“Alright then, farewell! I’ll contact you once the research has progressed a bit!”
*Ding—* “Going down.”
Inside the rather cramped elevator, Se-jin spoke.
“So, was what you just said to Seo-yeon really a joke?”
“…”
“Alright. I won’t ask anymore.”
Se-jin checked her schedule, pondering how to tease Do-hyun.
“Ugh, it’s been ages since we’ve done our actual work. Honestly, I’m exhausted from all the recent dealings with the Merchant. Can’t we get some rest?”
“These tasks have been piling up due to recent incidents. We need to deal with them quickly.”
“I know. I was just joking. It was a gag.”
“Team Leader…”
“Ah, I’m really sorry. I truly won’t do it again.”
Se-jin reviewed the records for the new urban legend.
‘Victims: two students. They claim to have been mutilated all over their bodies, yet there are no actual traces of injury except for minor bruises. The building is currently abandoned under a no-entry order.’
“Hmm. A hospital? It feels… common.”
“Yes, it’s presumed to be a mind-manipulation type, so let’s gather our equipment and head out.”
“Alright.”
*Ding—* “Ground floor, 3rd story.”
As the elevator doors opened, an expansive warehouse stretched out, seemingly without end.
“I always hate coming here.”
“It is a rather unsettling place.”
“Dealing with the Merchant lately makes me dislike places like this even more.”
Despite their aversion to the place, there was a reason they had no choice but to come here.
Do-hyun headed towards a box labeled [Mental Protection Pills].
The additional instruction next to it read: [Consume only one per day].
“Should we take two?”
“Uh. If you take more than two, you just drop dead anyway, so why would we take more?”
“Understood.”
“When you consider things like this, the Urban Legend Merchant’s items really are overwhelmingly potent.”
“And it’s been revealed that eye candy is also excellent for mental protection.”
“That one… its appearance is a bit unsettling, though.”
Se-jin filled out the item usage log next to the elevator.
This was necessary not only to track who used which items but also to ensure immediate replenishment if supplies ran low.
“The Merchant’s items will arrive after some time, right?”
“I wonder. Would it be alright to use them so openly?”
Imagining that distant future, Se-jin stepped into the elevator.
****
“Wow, just look at its appearance. It’s practically screaming, ‘Urban legend here!'”
True to Se-jin’s words, the abandoned hospital exuded an ominous atmosphere.
“So, kids went in here for a ‘test of courage’? If I ever quit this job, I’d never step foot in a place like this.”
“There doesn’t seem to be any need to go in.”
“That school definitely needs to step up its education.”
Se-jin, flashlight in hand, stepped into the hospital.
Inside, the hospital was just as eerie as it had appeared from the outside, with no discernible difference.
“Let’s see, is pediatrics this way?”
Do-hyun followed silently behind her.
He only spoke when the director’s office for pediatrics came into view.
“…Team Leader.”
“Right, take your mental protection pills.”
They simultaneously chewed and swallowed the pills.
Accompanying a sensation as if something had snapped in their brains, their vision flared with a yellow hue.
“Then, I’ll open it.”
The door slowly creaked open, and a terrible stench wafted from within.
It was the unmistakable smell of rotting corpses, a scent familiar to any Bureau agent.
Surely, someone had died in there.
“…?”
“What is this? It looks like something dead?”
Indeed, something was certainly dead.
Only, it was the urban legend itself.
“Uh… let’s check it out first.”
After twenty minutes of taking samples and looking around, they were certain there was nothing more to investigate.
“Let’s hand the samples over to the research team and head back. For now, it seems there’s no way to figure out what happened.”
“This is a first, so it’s quite bewildering.”
“Indeed. The research team will have to work hard. Seo-yeon’s going to be quite busy.”
“Let’s get out of here first.”
Another five minutes passed, and the exit door came into view.
Just as the scent of grass from outside, carried on the breeze, began to cleanse the lingering stench from their bodies, the phone rang.
“Oh? It’s Seo-yeon? How did she time that perfectly?”
Se-jin brought her phone to her ear.
–Hey, Seo-yeon, perfect ti—
–Se-jin! I don’t know what you’re about to say, but what I have to tell you is probably more important!
–Huh?
–You know, that Paradoxical Time thing.
–Yeah.
–It seems to have a pretty fatal side effect.
–What?
