I never expected there to be a lunatic who could recognize people just by the veins between their gloves and sleeves.


    Agent Choi.


    And I never expected that I would be the one caught by it.


    ‘This is insane.’


    It wasn’t just chilling—it was the kind of moment that froze a personpletely.


    But I couldn’t afford to freeze up.


    I had to act just the right amount of surprised.


    Suspicious behavior was thest thing I needed.


    So—


    “Excuse me?”


    I decided to turn the suspicion around on them instead.


    I let my eyes widen, gulped audibly, and took a nervous step back.


    Like someone who had just been stopped on the street by a shady religious recruiter.


    “S-Sorry, I… I actually havepany waiting for me.”


    “…Huh?”


    “I should get going.”


    In other words, I pretended I didn’t recognize them.


    If I were just some frazzled rookie, fresh out of an incident that cost me an arm, it would be entirely usible that I wouldn’t recognize a senior agent from just their eyes.


    Especially if I were a timid newbie, gathering the courage to step into this eerie ghost-story marketce.


    This should throw them off. They’d hesitate, they’d try to exin themselves—


    “Oh, alright then. See you at work.”


    “…….”


    What the f***.


    ‘I’m screwed.’@@novelbin@@


    In the end, I had no choice but to speak up again.


    I made it seem like the word "work" had sparked a vague recognition in me.


    “…Oh. Um, wait, are you… the person from my hospital room?”


    “Oooh, now you recognize me! Good.”


    Agent Choi patted my shoulder with an easy grin and started leading me out of the market’s inner area.


    Wait. No!


    “Uh, actually, I was trying to buy that item—”


    “Oh,e on. It’s been sitting here unsold for five years. Juste have a chat with me. It’s been a while, and I’m curious… why is a rookie who’s supposed to be in a hospital hanging around here?”


    “…….”


    I hesitated—deliberately.


    I let my hand fumble toward my fake right arm, hidden inside my coat.


    I felt Agent Choi’s gaze settle on me.


    “…I thought I might be able to find something here. Something to rece my arm, even temporarily.”


    “Aha~ Who told you that? Jaegwan?”


    “I can’t say.”


    That was a trap.


    If I immediately blurted out a name, it would prove that I was lying to cover for myself.


    And that didn’t match the cautious, calcting personality I had built within the Bureau.


    <ul>


    <li>A bent stick made of ss and brass.</li>


    <li>Spins when near materials from ghost stories or items that activate supernatural phenomena.</li>


    </ul>


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