A human finger was placed on the plate of meat.
The three of us stared at it with frozen expressions.
"I-It wasn't here just a moment ago."
Oh Min-hyeok said, his face pale as a sheet. I knew it too. When we received the meat, there was nothing like that. If there had been, we wouldn't have even swallowed a bite.
"Kyaaaah!??"
"W-What is this! Manager, come out!"
And it seemed this horrifying phenomenon wasn't limited to us.
Everyone eating suddenly discovered parts of a human in their food. People were vomiting, yelling for the manager, screaming in panic like madmen.
The barbecue restaurant turned into hell in an instant. The most pitiful were, of course, the customers who had been enjoying their meal moments ago and were now forced into this horrific experience.
Next most pitiful would be the owner. A few enraged customers rushed toward him.
About ten minutes passed amid uncontrollable fear and chaos.
"Everyone, quiet!"
Two police officers burst through the door shouting, immediately drawing their pistols and firing into the air.
The sharp, loud gunfire captured everyone's attention.
"Get down on the floor, heads down, you bastards! Move quickly!"
Shivering, the people complied, pressing to the ground and lowering their heads.
If they disobeyed, metal would be added to their arms or legs in an instant.
"From this moment, no one leaves this restaurant."
As he said this, one officer chained the door.
"If you move, you'll be shot without warning."
Whether this was necessary or excessive, I didn't know. What was certain was that the officers' overwhelming control had effectively subdued the panicked crowd.
"Do not move!"
Even the slightest disobedience would trigger a high-voltage baton strike. Following the orders was simply a matter of survival.
"What the hell are you guys!"
Despite their oppressive attitude, we remained calm. Instead, we showed our janitor IDs.
Whether they could see it from a distance or not, the officers' expressions changed immediately.
"…Apologies. I didn't realize you were janitors."
The officers, who had been enforcing order with cold efficiency, visibly relaxed after confirming Oh Min-hyeok's identity. Relief showed clearly on their faces—as if saying, "We're saved."
It wasn't just the police. Those crouched on the floor began murmuring. But when the officers pressed a button on their batons, producing a sharp electric click, silence returned almost instantly.
"There was nothing suspicious in the restaurant."
At my words, the officers nodded.
"Yes… that matches the report we received."
While eating, human body parts suddenly appeared in the food. Things that hadn't existed moments ago had just… popped up.
"It seems to be the aftereffects of the contaminated zone… What do you janitors think?"
I agreed. Strange phenomena targeting random people are almost always the result of contamination.
Like in an FPS game, when a bullet from the opposing character pierces through the monitor and injures you.
Or finding 80 kilograms of hair in the mouth of someone who died in their sleep.
Countless disappearances and bizarre deaths occur with no apparent reason, and so do strange phenomena.
"Will you janitors take over civilian control?"
We shook our heads.
"We're still apprentices, lacking experience. We'll remain here to observe in case of emergencies while the situation is being resolved."
At my words, the officers nodded in understanding.
"I see. Understood. Thank you for your cooperation."
The officers quickly set up police lines, striking anyone behaving suspiciously with batons or firing restraint rounds.
"Janitor ID cards are impressive. I never thought I'd see the police show respect like this," Han Se-hee whispered to Oh Min-hyeok. It was certainly a rare experience.
"The situation seems to be roughly under control."
With more officers arriving, the restaurant was efficiently organized. A sergeant approached, eyes tired, and greeted us.
"It's an honor to meet you janitors."
When a patrol officer is promoted, they become a sergeant. Living sergeants are quite rare.
Half of the officers dispatched first to contaminated zone incidents die while still patrol officers, and then get promoted posthumously. A popular joke goes that there are more dead sergeants than living ones.
Despite the danger, many apply to the police for good pay, benefits, and the powerful authority over civilians.
"First time meeting you. Is this the result of a contaminated zone?"
The sergeant nodded.
"Yes. It's presumed to be the contaminated zone known as 'Gap-soon's Place.'"
"The name…"
Han Se-hee gave a look of disbelief. I agreed. Gap-soon's Place? Really?
The sergeant showed us something, a business-card-sized paper.
"This is why it's called Gap-soon's Place."
"…Huh."
Gap-soon's Place
Fresh and quality meat!
Chewy texture and deep flavor!
053 ― Not disclosed ― Teasing
Whenever incidents occur, this mysterious card is always found somewhere at the scene.
"The measured contamination level remains low…"
But even with the low reading, attempts to clean the zone have failed for over a month.
"Three apprentice janitors attempted it, none survived."
That means they all died. Understandable. When contamination levels are measured as low, other janitors refrain from cleaning, letting apprentices gain experience.
Senior janitors leave it for their juniors to gain experience.
"At this point, shouldn't regular janitors be sent instead of apprentices?"
"There's a set procedure…"
For low-contamination zones, regular janitors are only deployed after a month.
So far, no regular janitors have entered Gap-soon's Place. It's a rule to let apprentices gain experience. Regular janitors are also busy with more dangerous zones.
"Moreover, Gap-soon's Place is presumed to be a low-level resident-type contaminated zone, so its priority is low."
Resident-type. Once it appears, it stays until cleaned.
The zone that killed you is disappearance-type. Disappearance-type zones appear and vanish repeatedly until cleaned, growing more dangerous each time.
"This… we might be assigned to this one."
At Oh Min-hyeok's words, we nodded slightly. Low-contamination zones are where apprentices are sent. In other words, we were now involved in this incident. The justification for cleaning had been set.
"Are you guys magnets for trouble?"
While waiting for the situation to settle, the restaurant door suddenly flung open, and Yoo Sang-chul entered.
"Not even a day has passed."
His presence meant one thing: we had been chosen as the apprentice janitors headed to Gap-soon's Place.
"What do you expect when you get caught eating?"
Yoo Sang-chul glanced at Oh Min-hyeok and let out a small sigh. He wasn't wrong. Our only fault was discovering a human finger on our plate while eating.
"It's just venting, kid. As soon as we finish one cleaning, we get sent to another."
We were the next targets for Gap-soon's Place.
"…Is that going to be okay?"
Three apprentices had gone in and all perished. Presumably, skilled janitors accompanied them too. They died as well.
"I know what you're worried about, but there's no other way."
We can't choose which contaminated zone to clean.
"Understood."
I had no intention of avoiding dangerous zones either.
"I'd like some time to prepare."
We needed to prepare for various scenarios. Even gathering food, sleeping bags, or a burner could help.
"Got it."
By the time we finished discussing, the restaurant was back in order.
"Meet at Seoul Station tomorrow at 10 a.m. Since you've eaten well, wash up early and get some rest."
With that, we dispersed. I immediately texted U Gil-young.
― For tomorrow's cleaning, I need additional ammunition and firearm maintenance tools. Please deliver them along with the sample storage containers by 8 a.m. tomorrow.
If I was going to clean, the sample containers would be delivered regardless. I also needed the extra supplies.
After sending the text, I began gathering the necessary items.
"Rope and tools. Tent and sleeping bag…"
Anything potentially useful was abundant. I stuffed everything that seemed necessary into my inventory.
This included food, which retains its original state inside the inventory.
I had to prepare for every conceivable scenario, taking as much as possible.
"Ah, why not go all out?"
I purchased a small generator and magic cartridges to fill it. At the checkout, I showed my janitor ID to the clerk.
"For work purposes."
Actually…
"Excuse me? Ah… yes!"
The clerk, staring blankly at my ID, muttered uncertainly. They knew they had to process it but didn't know how.
Eventually, the flustered clerk called a manager, and the procedure was completed.
"Um… can you carry all of this yourself? We also offer delivery."
The manager asked cautiously. I had bought a lot. I had basically swept the store clean of anything potentially useful.
The total came to around five million won. One cart wasn't enough, so I used four.
"Can it be delivered today?"
"Yes, no problem."
I nodded and opted for delivery. I could have stored everything in my inventory and left, but I didn't want to attract attention.
After giving the delivery address, I stepped outside and stared blankly at the night sky.
I wanted to visit the columbarium where you were resting, but apprentices can't go more than an hour away from their residence.
"Sigh."
With nowhere else to go, I headed to the government-provided residence.
Shortly after, the items I purchased were delivered to the residence. I shoved them into my inventory.
I paused in front of a stack of boxes.
"Famous for not exploding easily…"
Five large boxes, each containing 28 cans of butane gas. Something you'd find in an old neighborhood corner store, occasionally sought by elderly customers.
Flames from magic batteries apparently don't give the same flavor as grilling meat. Young people probably wouldn't even recognize them.
I didn't open the boxes, placing them directly in my inventory.
"They said it explodes with impact and flames."
When a big firepower moment comes, I planned to take a box, throw it, and fire a rifle. It should produce quite an impressive explosion.
"Ah-choo!"
While putting the items in my inventory, my nose tickled, and I sneezed.
"Huh?"
Checking the items again, a box was halfway inside my inventory, suspended in midair.