Day 6
Inmate Status : Poor.
Due to concern for the inmate’s health, a special meal (mung bean samgyetang) was provided. (The meal was left untouched through the following day.)
No interview responses were obtained.
A proposal was made to escalate interrogation intensity via the ‘Labyrinth of Nightmares’, however this was rejected due to strong opposition from field agents.
“……”
“These are the records up to yesterday.”
And from the next page on, the contents are no longer records, but speculation.
Conjecture regarding the inmate’s true identity.
With the stamp ‘Removal from the premises strictly prohibited except by authorized personnel’, this information could only be accessed by the current custodian and interrogator.Suspicion of espionage confirmed.
The agent clenched his fist.
Although the inmate remained completely silent for all interrogations, certain truths confirmed under extreme circumstances allow inference as to which questions he most wished to avoid.
Points of suspicion are as follows :
– Source of information
– Purpose for employment at the Disaster Management Bureau
– The entity who placed the binding
– An unexplained gap period prior to employment
– Traces of various forms of contamination
And so, this conclusion was reached.
But the report did not end there.
However, considering the detainee exhibits no ethical disqualifications, has faithfully executed all assigned supernatural disaster response duties, and displays verifiably ethical tendencies, it is suspected that these actions may have been compelled by coercion, threats, or sorcery.
Because only limited information can be confirmed by yes/no responses, it is recommended to implement a method to elicit greater cooperation from the inmate.
The agent turned the page.
It was the last page.
A temporary addendum was attached.
This was the reason he was here now.
Addendum :
The agent of Black-Tortoise Team 1 who transferred the inmate to the Glass Prison had strongly requested to serve as an interrogating officer over the past several days, but this was denied due to policy violations.
Confirmation has been made of another Black-Tortoise Team 1 agent who was present at the original scene applying to support the interrogation.
Approval pending.
“……”
“The preparations are complete, Agent.”
Ryu Jaekwan put down the records.
Then, for the interrogation, he approached the glass orb.
* * *I blinked.
A transparent ceiling came into view.
The small, hemispherical space around me contained a bed, a desk, a chair, and a few books and meals arranged according to regulation.
Beyond that, it looked as if everything was shrouded in mist, but I could tell that the material composing the walls was transparent.
‘…So this is what it looks like.’
The Glass Prison.
Once upon a time, there lived a dokkaebi who played a game of yutnori with Kim-seobang and, through his skill, won a grand tile-roofed house.
But Kim-seobang, unwilling to lose his home, devised a cunning trick. He accused the dokkaebi of using strange magic to cheat at the game, drove him out, and reclaimed the house for himself.
The dokkaebi was filled with anger.
So, he created a place where no tricks or deceptions could ever be used, and it was a space no larger than the tip of a thumb, sealed inside a glass bead. Into this bead, he invited Kim-seobang for a rematch.
And so, they played yutnori again.
The dokkaebi won.
He won again and again.
He won until everything belonging to Kim-seobang became the dokkaebi’s.
His house, his fortune, his family, his face, his societal status, his lifespan, and his name.
At last, the dokkaebi took over the grand tile-roofed house and became Kim-seobang himself. As a consolation for his vanquished yutnori opponent, he left behind the cave where he once lived, along with the glass bead.
The defeated Kim-seobang— No, he was no longer Kim-seobang, or anyone at all. The one who became nothing remained in that cave.
To this day, the one who is nothing still lingers in the dokkaebi’s old crystal cave, guarding the glass bead.
No one may ever practice ‘trickery or deceit’ within its bounds ever again.
The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau used this story to build the Glass Prison system.
These mysterious glass marbles, which block all supernatural phenomena, and the warden who guards them.
‘This place… Someone said they also mixed in some kind of supernatural phenomenon related to the afterlife and judgment.’
Whatever the case, it didn’t matter.
What matters is that, here in this place where I am now confined, only a clean and precise reality can remain.
Supernatural entities can exist here, but only in a state of pure existence. Nothing impossible in reality can occur.
It’s just like… reality outside the wiki.
Here, all items are rendered useless, and tattoos are nothing more than tattoos.
‘Even during the body search, they only took away things like the glass hand-cannon that I kept on me.’
Because the inventory tattoo couldn’t be activated, there was nothing else for them to search.
But in the same sense, this is also the safest place imaginable.
‘There’s no chance I’ll suddenly get caught up in a ghost story.’
Physically, it was just as Agent Choi said, that this was a place where I could rest ‘safely’. I’d even heard that some people voluntarily asked to be placed here to escape curses or malevolent energies.
However…
“……”
I still can’t sleep.
Tension and resignation continued to pulse through my entire body.
Just like the past few days of interrogation.
The interrogation in the glass prison keeps intensifying. Even though I’m desperately evading the questions, they’ve already extracted quite a bit of information.
‘I’m sure they’ve already guessed.’
That I am suspicious.
That I might even be a spy.
‘Since it’s already like this, they might start using even harsher methods from here on out.’
The Disaster Management Bureau can become utterly ruthless toward those it deems malefactors.
Just remembering a few of their interrogation methods that I already know about makes cold sweat drip down from my temples.
‘Damn it.’
Maybe Agent Choi was hoping that, with my binding lifted, I’d confess everything from the start…
Maybe he wanted me to give up, since I couldn’t go back to Director Ho anyway.
The problem is, my secrets don’t end there.
Among the things I know, there are many that can’t be explained away as merely being a spy.
I don’t even know how much I might end up revealing, and if I do, what will happen to me afterward—these are the kinds of secrets I hold.
My original world, the Dream Incubation Chamber, all the various contaminations, and… even the Dark Exploration Records.
‘If I was going to talk, I should’ve confessed everything from the start and ended it at the ‘spy’ level.’
But then, what about Yeongeun-ssi and Heowoon-ssi who came in with me?
And what about my Wish Ticket?
‘Back then, it was the right choice.’
……But I also know.
I’ll soon reach my limit.
“……”
I was sinking into lethargy, but I still had to keep my wits about me.
Soon the time would come. The nerve-wracking interrogation time, full of traps and bait.
I swallowed hard, forced down my anxiety, and calmly sorted out in my mind the things I absolutely must not reveal.
And then…
Drrrrk.
I heard glass scraping.
Beyond the glass wall, a figure approached.
The interrogator, appearing with the wall between us.
But it wasn’t the same person who handled things yesterday.
“…Inmate 37-999.”
“…!!”
Agent Bronze.
Ryu Jaekwan stood on the other side of the glass, his eyes somber.
Wait a second.
‘Agent Bronze… is today’s interrogator?’
The interrogation method had changed.
I tensed up, quickly assessing the situation.
Agent Bronze didn’t avoid my gaze and spoke slowly.
“…Prior to beginning the interrogation, allow me to inform you. You have the freedom to make false statements, but all lies will be transparently revealed.”
I know.
If you make a false statement in the Glass Prison, the true answer will be projected onto the glass.
Only silence can protect you here.
– Inmate from Daydream
That’s why I can’t say anything.
In this place, lying is no different from telling the truth.
But, of course, my silence must have seemed suspicious too. They might suspect that I already know how this prison works. It’s obvious.
‘And that’s… the truth, too.’
I would suspect me, too.
Gritting my teeth, I directed my gaze at Agent Bronze.
‘So the direction of the interrogation is to bring in someone I know.’
It’s a more lenient approach, but… I can’t deny it will be effective.
“We’ll begin the interrogation.”
I gulped.
And then…
A question I never expected came out.
“Where is your home?”
“……!”
goblin notes:
Samgyetang – traditional Korean soup dish that is primarily made from whole chicken, garlic, rice, jujube and ginseng. It’s considered as a health food.
Kim-seobang – check out the notes from Chapter 98.2 here
Yutnori – a traditional Korean game typically played during New Year’s. Read more over here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnori
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter