I rolled to dodge the falling blades. But the downpour of blades had already struck my foot. At that moment, Agent Choi lunged at me with frightening speed and pulled something else out with his hand. A glass marble, glinting in the light of the Dream Essence. ‘The emergency glass prison!’ If that hits me, I’ll be bound and transported straight to the Disaster Management Bureau’s infamous glass prison. The moment that happens, it’s all over. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the blade embedded in my foot and rolled to the side. The glass marble I barely dodged bounced away with a cheerful sound. But the prison was already open. Countless hands reached out from within the emptiness of the glass, grabbing hold of me. I clung to the office furniture, but it was hopeless. I was dragged in. My hands, scraped along the floor, had my fingernails shattered as they were pulled. There was no time to take out any items. – Oh, you’re desperately hoping for the devoted help of your Good Friend, are you, Friend! – But I’m afraid that will be difficult. – This is a decision made for more interesting developments, so I trust you’ll graciously understand, Mr. Roe Deer. Ah, but my heart aches, too! Of course it does… – The troubles of a friend! I was trapped in the glass. With a clear, sharp sound as if the glass was resonating, I was separated from the outside world as if I was looking through a shattered mirror. If the agent contacted the Disaster Management Bureau now, everything would be over. And Agent Choi is absolutely the kind of person who would do just that! ‘He’s already started contacting them.’ The glass marble spun in Agent Choi’s grip. It was a kind of emergency ritual to summon the warden of the prison. How do I stop this? How do I persuade him? He’s a warm person who sometimes lets his emotions get the better of him, but that only works when there’s a gap to exploit. Now that he knows I’m a spy, he’ll throw me in the glass prison first, and then— Instead of looking at the hand holding the glass marble, I looked at his other, left hand. He was holding a crumpled piece of paper. “Is that the note I gave you? Did you solve the riddle recently and that’s how you found this place?” Agent Choi didn’t answer, just kept rolling the glass marble in his hand. But I kept talking, undaunted. “At the very least, when you received that note, did you think I was genuinely asking for help to help someone else?” “At first, I assumed there must be some trick to it. Given your background.” “What are you so surprised about? You transferred from Daydream Inc. to the Bureau here using your real name. Did you really think no one would notice?” The shock hit me like a hammer to the head, and the result became clear. Yeah. I definitely thought it was strange. When it turned out the C-squad’s Lee Kangheon didn’t exist, and when Supervisor Lee Seonghae, who supposedly exchanged messages with him, said she’d never met him either. It was easy enough to deduce the reason with just a little thinking. That person never existed in the first place. It was just someone posing as a Daydream Inc. employee to dig for information. And that person was Agent Choi. So he’d known from the beginning that I was from Daydream Inc… Agent Choi’s voice turned hollow. “You’re really good at your job. …You work hard.” “Trying so hard to help everyone you meet, including kids and even the annoying ones, without picking or choosing. Willing to do anything, even if it means getting hurt or taking a loss.” “That’s not something you can fake. Usually, Daydream Inc. employees can’t stand losing out. So I thought. …Maybe, just like you told Jaekwan, you really did fake your death at the company and run away.” “So I figured, if I kept you on our team and managed you well…” Agent Choi gripped the glass marble tightly. “I just believed what I wanted. Hah, making a mistake after all these years.” “Yeah, people only act if they think they’ll get a greater benefit even if they take a loss. And I forgot about your tendency to risk your life for a Wish Ticket. But…” Agent Choi’s eyes darkened. “Mr. Roe Deer. Are you even human?” “What was that form just now? And what is this place? What are you doing to the Disaster Management Bureau that Daydream Inc. would grant you a wish? Say something.” I kept my mouth shut. Agent Choi met my eyes for a moment, then finally smiled. “Pointless, isn’t it?” “Yeah. You can talk as much as you want after you get to prison…” A voice came from above Agent Choi’s head. Looking over him was the black shadow of a monstrous form resembling a giant wolf, with teeth and eyes jutting out haphazardly. As I continued to stall for time, I clenched my teeth and shouted, “Aim for the glass marble!” Agent Choi tried to grab the blade at his waist, but it was too late. The blade was shattered, and the glass marble was crushed together with Agent Choi’s hand. As the glass marble shattered between those jaws, the makeshift prison holding me broke apart as well. I immediately sprang forward and, seizing the opportunity, subdued Agent Choi. Targeting the area where his reaction would be slowest. I deliberately aimed for the scar on his neck. Whether it was guilt or tension, I couldn’t tell, but a chill ran down my spine. Agent Choi was pinned to the floor. From the wolf-like monster’s black muzzle that bit his arm, fangs and tongue-like lumps appeared, as if about to bite it clean off… I gasped, speaking urgently.