The interviewers, their expressions cold and unflinching, read and assessed the candidates’ unspoken thoughts.
Panic. Hesitation. Resentment.
‘Ordinary.’
‘Unremarkable.’
Except for one.
Candidate #4 :
……
Candidate #4, Kim Soleum.
Nothing appeared on the screen.
He simply sat there in complete silence, the oxygen mask securely fastened to his face.
“Is he frozen in shock?”
“Look at him—his head’s down. Seems like he has no guts.”
“……”
Ryu Jaekwan maintained his composure and picked up the microphone again.
– Candidate #1. Answer.
The young man, who had been darting his eyes nervously, straightened his back and spoke.
“For the safety of the majority, sometimes cruel decisions must be made. I… I will volunteer myself to be killed.”
But the screen revealed something else entirely.
Candidate #1:
N-No way I can do it… But if I convince myself I can die, that must be the right answer, right?! That’s why they’re asking like this?!
‘Panic. Lack of critical thinking. Extreme compliance.’
…
Eliminated.
– Candidate #1. Remove your oxygen mask and stand by.”
“…!”
Candidate #1 stood in a daze, then, realizing what had happened, shakily removed his mask and stepped back.
“Wait, shouldn’t we reconsider and give him another question—”
“Shh.”
A fellow assistant interviewer cut in.
“Agent Bronze’s judgment has never been wrong. Just watch.”
“……”
“He always passes the right people.”
As if to prove the point, the aptitude test continued without pause.
– Candidate #2. Answer.
“…I would choose someone close to me and ensure the process is as quick and humane as possible… Prioritizing a painless method.”
Candidate #2 :
Too obvious? But this is the safest answer. No way I’m saying outright who I’d kill while everyone’s listening…
Evasive response.
Eliminated.
– Remove your oxygen mask and stand by.
In an instant, the second elimination was complete.
Next.
– Candidate #3.
Candidate #3 lifted his head, sweat beading on his forehead.
But there was a certain confidence in his expression.
“I will not kill anyone!”
“…!”
“There’s always a Plan B. There must be another way out. We can find a way for everyone to escape—”
Thud.
Candidate #3 collapsed mid-sentence.
“…!!”
His oxygen mask, which had been stained and damaged moments before, was now spotless and brand new.
His face had gone completely pale.
The interviewers, their expressions cold, read the blazing red text on the screen—the ‘true feelings’ he himself hadn’t even realized he was suppressing. ȐаƝօ𐌱Ě𝘴
Candidate #3 :
Holy shit, this is exhilarating. ‘Killing the person next to you’, huh? LMAO this is exactly what being a secret agent is about.
Candidate #3 was left sprawled on the floor.
“……”
Inside the room, the last remaining agent candidate sat frozen in place, awaiting his turn.
Only one person still had his oxygen mask on.
– Candidate #4.
– Answer.
The question remained the same.
‘To eliminate the dangerous anomaly, which of the four people here will you choose to kill?’
Ryu Jaekwan stared at Kim Soleum through the glass.
How would this former employee of an unethical pharmaceutical company answer?
Would he, perhaps, try to sound more cunning this time? Or maybe more virtuous…
“Candidate #3.”
……
Huh?
“The one who has already collapsed.”
– …!
For the first time, someone had been explicitly named.
The interviewers widened their eyes and waited for further explanation—
“……”
“……”
No.
That was it?
Candidate #4 remained silent, head lowered.
The system voice chimed in with an awkward, slightly disoriented tone.
– Is that the end of your response?
“Huh?”
– Do you have anything more to explain?
Candidate #4 hesitated so much it was agonizing before finally speaking, voice barely above a whisper.
“Well, um… in the scenario you described, it seems like we four are responsible for this disaster, somehow…
– …!!
“If the disaster can only be stopped by the death of one of us, then that must mean we’re fundamentally tied to the cause of it. Like… maybe we triggered it by interfering with something we shouldn’t have.”
– ……
“Uh, is this the right answer?”
– Candidates are not permitted to ask questions.
“Ah…! S-Sorry…”
Candidate #4 mumbled, still keeping his head down.
Almost as if he was embarrassed to be saying something like this.
“Then… yes. That’s my reasoning. I chose the easiest target, the one who’s already incapacitated.”
Truth.
– ……
“However, if we had even the slightest extra time, I’d do my best to find another option.”
A predictably moral answer.
“Because life is precious. It’s difficult and painful to decide someone’s worth based on sheer numbers… or on who is more valuable.”
But his tone had a strange kind of conviction.
“Still, if no alternative exists within the given time frame, and if there’s a high likelihood of mass casualties… then there may be no choice.”
For the first time, Kim Soleum raised his head.
Through the glass, through his glasses, his eyes remained sharp—even after passing through two layers of barriers.
And then, his inner thoughts appeared on the screen.
Candidate #4 :
But if possible, I want to save them all…
…It was exactly the ideal response that the Disaster Management Bureau wanted from its agents.
To follow regulations in unavoidable disaster scenarios, while still keeping a moral compass intact…!
Rustle.
Candidate #4 quickly lowered his gaze again, as if nothing had happened.
The interviewers exchanged silent nods of admiration.
“He means it.”
“His ethics and judgment are sound. And his reasoning is…”
Clench.
Ryu Jaekwan barely stopped himself from crumpling the papers in his grip.
No.
There was no way.
“This candidate is…”
– Next question.
“What? W-Wait, Interviewer—?”
Ignoring the other interviewers, Ryu Jaekwan forced the test into a second round of questioning—a step only taken in cases where a candidate’s assessment remained unclear.
– You are trapped in a supernatural disaster.
– You can only send one person to safety—either the most virtuous candidate in this room, or your closest friend.
– Who do you choose?