Humanity Protection Company

TL/Editor: raei

Schedule:

Illustrations: None.

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At thirty years old, I got my first job.

Will I be able to adapt well to the company?

A steep road located halfway up the mountain.

Screech-

A green bus came to a precarious stop in front of a bus stop sign with peeling paint.

Lee Yeonwoo, wearing a book bag and a tight, worn-out suit, got off alone through the back door, which opened with a clatter.

Vroom-

As the bus, emitting exhaust, rattled away, a cool mountain breeze blew, brushing against his sweat-drenched forehead.

Yeonwoo spun around where he stood, taking in his surroundings.

He had arrived in a remote mountain village after passing through the city.

Surrounded by lush green trees, the cracked and aged asphalt road stretched out.

Not a shadow of a person or even a passing car could be seen on the mountain path.

No matter how he looked at it, this didn't seem like the place where the new employee training was supposed to be held.

"Is this not the place? The training is starting soon. Am I going to be late on my first day?"

The sweat from the heat was replaced by cold sweat. A chill ran down his spine.

In a panic, Yeonwoo pulled his phone out of his suit pants pocket and reread the text message from the company.

Because of the glaring sunlight, he increased the screen brightness to its maximum and shaded the phone with his hand.

A long informational message.

Squinting, Yeonwoo quickly dragged his thumb across the screen, skimming for important details.

[New Employee Training Information]

The new employee training was to last for a week. They were also instructed to bring essentials and comfortable clothes.

The directions to the place were clear. It said to go right from Jungsangol Station.

"Jungsangol. I got off at the right place. But where's the road?"

Looking up at the bus stop sign, Yeonwoo quickly shifted his gaze towards the right path.

He scanned the edge of the road briefly.

"Oh, there it is."

He found the road.

A dirt path, not even paved with asphalt.

Only two grooves were carved out by car tires, hidden under overgrown green weeds.

Yeonwoo hurriedly stepped forward, his polished black shoes getting smeared with yellow dirt as he walked.

Beyond the winding path, people and buildings came into view.

'Is that the place...?'

A wall surrounded by barbed wire. The entrance was guarded by soldiers, and a barricade prevented vehicle entry, making it look like a checkpoint.

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Yeonwoo hunched his shoulders and slowed his pace. He glanced between his phone and the building nervously.

'This doesn't look like the Baekbeom Cultural Research Center.'

For a cultural research center, the security was tight, and the atmosphere was far from cultural; it was intimidating.

As he got closer, he made eye contact with two guards wearing black masks and sunglasses.

A strange tension hung in the air.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The guards, wearing bulletproof vests and carrying batons and tasers at their waists, glared at Yeonwoo. The guard in front slowly moved his hand to grip his taser, while the guard behind raised a walkie-talkie to his face.

Crunch, crunch-

Feeling intimidated, Yeonwoo hunched over, clasped his hands, and approached them.

At that moment, one of the guards swiftly drew his taser and shouted loudly.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Hands up! Move and I'll shoot!"

Startled, Yeonwoo immediately raised his hands. His voice trembled with indignation.

"Excuse me, I just want to ask-"

"Shut up! If you make a sound, I'll shoot!"

"But-"

"I'll shoot!"

Click-

The taser was aimed precisely at his head, and blue sparks flew. Yeonwoo shut his mouth tightly.

At that moment, he felt he was in the right place.

'This company prevents those tests, right? This seems right. And that doesn't look like an ordinary taser either.'

"Check with the security office!"

"I was about to."

Szzz-

The noise from the guard's walkie-talkie sounded as it turned on. Lost in thought, Yeonwoo instinctively flinched.

It reminded him of the noise he heard during the Human Qualification Exam.

At that moment, the guard, who was startled along with the surprised Yeonwoo, pulled the trigger.

Zap!

A blue lightning bolt flashed.

It was over in an instant. A blue snake-like electric current wrapped around Yeonwoo's entire body. He couldn't even scream properly, only managing to let out a groaning sound as he clenched his teeth.

"Ugh!"

Thud!

He fell backward, limbs trembling.

The guard, as if it was no big deal, nonchalantly began speaking into his walkie-talkie.

"This is the main gate. A suspicious person has approached. Please verify their identity."

-Hold on.

Buzzing-

The CCTV camera turned, capturing the convulsing Yeonwoo in its lens. After the lens zoomed in and out busily, a voice came through.

-He's a person. There's nothing abnormal. He doesn't have anything dangerous, and he's not part of a hostile group.

"He's a civilian."

When the guard with the walkie-talkie relayed the message, the guard who fired the taser scratched his head with the taser handle.

"Ah, damn. So he came here by mistake? Using memory-erasing drugs carelessly will get us in trouble."

-I don't think you need to worry about that. He's a new recruit who was supposed to come for training today.

"A new recruit?"

"He's a new recruit?"

The guard who fired the taser quickly turned his head to look at Yeonwoo, who was still convulsing from the electric shock. His voice, which had been forceful, now sounded apologetic and small.

"Wait. Weren't all the new recruits already here? People from the military, the police, the National Intelligence Service, and even the fire department have arrived. And the survivor from that incident not long ago is here too."

-According to his profile, he's also a survivor. It's rare to have two survivors joining. Anyway, calm him down and let him in.

Buzz-

The guard with the walkie-talkie spoke.

"They said to handle it. Since you shot him, you deal with it."

"Ah, this is messed up."

The guard walked over and pointed the taser at Yeonwoo. The blue snake-like electric current that had been wrapping around Yeonwoo's body slid back into the taser.

"Ugh!"

"Are you okay? Are you conscious?"

He grabbed Yeonwoo's shoulders and shook him back and forth. Yeonwoo's eyes, which had rolled back, came down and focused on the guard's mask and sunglasses.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry. Are you here for the training?"

"Ugh!"

Yeonwoo jumped up and stumbled backward. He didn't have time to worry about the dirt on his suit. As blood rushed to his pale face and he was about to let out a scream, the guard spoke quickly.

"We're very sorry! We have something like PTSD. Recently, there have been some suspicious people approaching in strange ways, so we've been on edge. We apologize again!"

"..."

The guard bowed at a right angle. The taser, loosely hanging from his holster, dangled. The scream that was about to burst out sank back down into Yeonwoo's throat.

The electric shock seemed to have cleared his mind. Yeonwoo thought.

'Is this a personality test? No, that can't be. What kind of company electrocutes you on your first meeting?'

Still, he figured it wouldn't look good for a new recruit to start causing trouble right away.

Yeonwoo forced a smile.

"Ha. Ha ha. It can happen. I also recently went through a strange test, so now even a sound with some noise scares me. It's like how soldiers who have been to war get startled by loud noises. I understand. Of course. Ha ha ha."

He laughed as he straightened the guard's bent waist with a veiny hand. The suit, marked and smelling of burnt fabric from the electric shock, was clearly reflected in the guard's sunglasses.

---

---

"Training! You're here for the training! Let's go before you're late! Just go through that passage, and there's a two-story building on the left! The training is there!"

Following the guard's awkward instructions, Yeonwoo passed through the checkpoint and saw the view of the Baekbeom Cultural Research Center.

On the left, there was a two-story building. On the right, a three-story building. Nothing special. The few people walking around looked ordinary.

'If I wander around too much, I'll probably get hit with a taser again.'

Step by step-

Yeonwoo headed straight to the two-story building. As soon as he entered, he saw an A4 paper stuck to the hallway wall.

[New Employee Training Room]

[ ---> ]

Following the arrow, he arrived at the door of a small lecture room in the corner of the first floor.

At the door marked with an A4 paper that read "New Employee Training Room," Yeonwoo checked his phone. 8:50 AM. He wasn't late.

Brush, brush-

Dusting off dirt, Yeonwoo took a deep breath. His heart suddenly beat faster. It wouldn't calm down. His mind was filled with both anticipation and anxiety.

Could he do well? He had never really experienced social life, having lived as a civil service exam student.

Then he suddenly let out a hollow laugh.

'I was hit by a taser at the start, is there anything else to worry about?'

"Whew."

He exhaled briefly, grabbed the handle, and opened the door.

Bang-

Entering through the wide-open door, he found himself at the front door. It was a small lecture room with eight desks. People who had arrived earlier were scattered and seated, catching his eye.

Five people. One woman and four men.

A sergeant with a short haircut, dressed in a military uniform.

A young man in a police uniform.

A young man in a T-shirt and jeans.

A young woman neatly dressed in a suit.

A man in a worn-out suit.

They all put down their phones and looked at Yeonwoo, then nodded briefly in greeting.

"Hello."

"Hi."

"Oh, hello."

Yeonwoo wondered why they were all so polite but suddenly thought it made sense. They were all new colleagues.

Yeonwoo also nodded to them.

"Yes, hello."

Then he sat in the empty seat at the front, hearing a puzzled male voice from behind.

"Are you not with the company?"

"What?"

A random question. Turning around while putting down his bag, Yeonwoo saw the sergeant pointing at his clothes with a curious expression.

"Your clothes."

Covered in dirt and burnt marks, the clothes reeked of a smoky smell. He looked like someone who had just come from a tough job site.

Yeonwoo smiled awkwardly.

"I just joined too."

"Then why are your clothes..."

"I got hit by a taser at the main gate."

"Oh."

An awkward exclamation. The gazes that had been fixed on Yeonwoo scattered. The ticking sound of people tapping their phones resumed, like the ticking of a clock.