Chapter 202 - [Glass Prison], I
An underground location of unknown whereabouts.
A dark, iron-walled area, like an emergency shelter within a tunnel.
“……”
“Ah, Agent. This way, please.”
The agent from Black-Tortoise Team 1 followed the guide.
There were no guards working in the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s Glass Prison.
An unknown, supernatural power with neither sound nor shape acted as the warden, and one human staff member in shifts would monitor the ‘warden’s’ status.
The human custodian asked carefully.
“…Are you here for the interrogation of Agent Gra— Rather, 37-999?”
“……”
“I see. This way.”
The agent followed the custodian’s cautious guidance, avoided the ‘warden’, opened the iron door, and entered inside. And that place…
It was a crystal cave.
“…!”
Countless quartz crystals scattered light in every direction, creating flickering shadows and shapes throughout the cave.
Yet strangely, there was no visible light source to explain the reflected light.
A spectacle of light and shadow with no origin.
Click.
“The cell is here.”
The custodian willingly opened a rusty door located in a corner.
But there was no human figure inside.
Instead…
All along the walls, countless glass marbles were stacked, forming a structure that refracted and scattered light.
“……”
The agent looked at it with dark eyes.
Layer upon layer of glass orbs packed the space, forming a conical shape. It almost looked ornamental.
But within each individual orb, something could be seen moving.
Ahhh…
Letmeoutletmeoutletmeoutplease
You betrayed me.
Am I going to die here?
Isolated inmates.
Standing in front of them, one could feel like a giant, able to observe each and every being trapped inside a glass orb. A bizarre structure, reminiscent of a panopticon.
This was the true nature of the Glass Prison.
A solitary cell made of a single marble.
This crystal cave’s exact location and method of existence were unknown to anyone except authorized personnel, and a person cannot leave unless the warden personally removes their glass sphere from within.
Even if someone managed to break their own orb and escape, it wasn’t true freedom.
It only meant getting imprisoned in yet another orb.
A circular structure. An endless succession of interconnected glass rooms.
“This is the one at the very top. I heard it was specially requested for a bit more comfort, supposedly, since he’s a former agent.”
The agent’s eyes stopped.
Exactly… The 37th floor. The very top of the pile of glass marbles.
A single marble.
With its tag.
“……”
Inside the glass marble, a black shadow could be seen, the figure lying as if on the floor, not moving.
“I’m rambling. I apologize. Here is the previous interrogation record for 37-999.”
The agent barely took the file the custodian handed over, and began reading.
Inmate : Kim ■■ (Agent Codename : Grapes)
Affiliation : Black-Tortoise Team 1, Dispatch & Rescue Unit (Suspended)
Originally, the transfer was conducted for the purpose of a routine physical and mental evaluation, which typically requires 24 hours. However, due to unusual circumstances revealed during the initial interview, the subject’s return has been delayed.
Formal detention is currently under consideration.
At the last line, the agent’s hand clenched tightly, but soon turned the page.
Rustle.
The inmate was transferred to the Glass Prison as part of standard procedure for screening agents previously subjected to special restrictive bindings.
It was confirmed that the binding had already been lifted (executed by : Great Tiger General of Daecheongbong). A routine interview and physical examination were conducted.
※ Anomalies were detected during the interview process.
The inmate voluntarily refused to answer any questions regarding the identity, timing, or nature of the supernatural entity responsible for the binding.
Screening procedures halted. Process switched to interrogation.
Of course, even then, the interrogation wasn’t very harsh at first.
Why are you refusing to testify? Are you hurt anywhere? Is there any rough estimate of when the binding was placed? What kind of binding was it?
Believing the agent was displaying trauma responses after a shocking incident, the interrogators attempted a gradual approach.
But there was only one reaction to every question.
That was when the people in charge began to realize the gravity of the situation.
Thus, starting from the evening of the second day, the true interrogation of the Glass Prison began.
Professional interrogator assigned.
Persistent and detailed questions, trap questions, suggestive implications hidden within everyday conversation, even silence becoming an answer…
The intensity gradually increased.
After three days, the Glass Prison’s relentless tactics forced even this steadfastly evasive subject to break under the pressure.
Inmate’s body restrained. Head and eyes fixed to make it impossible for him to avert his gaze. Silence defined as affirmation.
To prevent attempts to evade questions by responding with meaningless exclamations or similar utterances, a gag is applied during questioning.
As a result, it became possible to determine clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers from the inmate.
Fortunately, interrogation methods involving environmental manipulation or pressure within the cell weren’t used.
This decision was out of consideration for the inmate’s health, though it proved not particularly effective.
Inmate Status : Poor.
The inmate consistently and politely refused recommendations for sleep and food intake.
The inmate requested the release of his assigned dokkaebi flame from the cell, citing how he ‘felt sorry’ for its condition.
Due to concerns about escape attempts or unexpected incidents, this was denied.
However, for emotional stability, a few items favored by the dokkaebi were allowed into the cell.
The inmate expressed gratitude for these accommodations.
Addendum : Interrogator’s personal opinion
– At this point, it appears that another binding may be in effect. It is recommended that the subject be transferred to a specialized examination facility for further ritual or exorcism.
However, when asked directly if another binding was present, the inmate surprisingly replied, ‘No’.
And the Glass Prison recognized this as the truth.
Despite this personal assessment, the transfer was put on hold for now.
The page turns.
The date changes again, and the inmate’s condition reveals further deterioration.
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.
The agent clenched his fist.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?”
“……!”