EP.1 – Deployment: With a Hint of Blueberry
The air was cool.A silver desk sat beneath the flickering fluorescent light.On it—a matte black bulletproof vest.Folded neatly on top: a gray jumper.Gloves made of Kevlar and rubber.Two pairs of goggles—one for backup.
I took a deep breath.Slid one hand into the glove.Snap. Velcro sealed.My body suddenly felt heavier.
"Does this stuff… actually work?"Minseo asked.Her voice was tight, but her hands moved like a pro.
I didn't answer.Instead, I picked up a chrome-plated canister beside me.Twisting the lid,a faint blueberry scent filled the air.
"Today's batch is the concentrated formula,"Jinguk, our gear tech, explained."Effect lasts about 15 seconds.Reaction time's under three."He handed me the weapon."If possible, aim for the eyes.Even monsters get startled."
I locked the canister into place.Click—the pressure valve snapped shut.A soft whir hummed from the mini pump at the base.
The weapon's official name: STP-3.Technical classification: High-Pressure Sterilization Sprayer.What we call it:a water gun.
We don't kill monsters.We sterilize them.
"Team One, deployment in two minutes. Final suit check."The comms buzzed.
I pulled on my helmet.Strapped a blue apron over my vest—not for blood, but for monster mucus.
The vehicle doors opened.We stepped out into the wind.Tense silence.The hum of breathing gear.And the gleam of silver water guns catching the morning sun.
The mission:Unknown entity reported in an abandoned warehouse, Gangseo District, Seoul.Monster classification: Costaliform.Attack method: organic rib-like projectiles.Behavioral traits: silent, sudden, persistent.
We entered the dark.In my hand—a high-pressure water gunthat smelled like blueberries.
"Mr. Doyun."Minseo whispered."You did seal that cap properly this time, right?"
I nodded."Didn't leak. Probably."
And then,we turned the first corner.
And saw it.
A monster—its spine twisted like a crooked tree root.
***
EP.2 – Extra Strength
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They were low on saltwater.
Before deployment, Doyun ran the usual checks—tank pressure, hose seals, mist nozzle.Everything read normal.
Today's sterilizing solution: saltwater-based.1% sodium chloride.Mint-scented.
"You sure the cap's on tight?"Minseo asked."Yeah. No leaks. Probably."
Then, someone else died.
7:42 a.m.Redevelopment zone, Songpa District, Seoul.Today's mission: clear a monster from an abandoned house.Suspected type: Costaliform.Attack: embedded skeletal arrow projectiles.Response weapon: high-pressure saline mist.
Just a routine day.One of those missions that should end early.Jokes, mild tension, controlled laziness.
"Did you see this?"Minseo held up a new flyer.
"New Xylitol Solid-Type Spray for Costaliforms!Bonus mini Febreze included!"
Jinguk snorted."What are we doing? Killing monsters or fighting bad breath?"Minseo:"Well... if you survive, you might want to go on a date."
They laughed.So did Seogiyong.That was the last thing he ever said.
The house was silent.But silence always meanssomeone used to be there.
A dead cat.A broken birdcage.Snapped cookware, a flipped table, a rusted kettle.
No one had lived here in years—but a monster had, at least for one day.
"Costaliforms don't have eyes,"Minseo whispered."They sense vibrations. Not sound—footsteps."Seogiyong asked,"Then why do we keep walking on the floor?"
Doyun:"Save your questions for after we clock out."
Then it came.A sharp click behind a dark wall.The Costaliform revealed itself.Rib-like bones—curved like bows—drawing back slowly.
Doyun spoke quietly."String's moving. Thirty-degree arc.Minseo, flank left.Jinguk, block right.Seogiyong, check tank pressure and move forward."
Seogiyong grabbed his tank."Uh… it's leaking a little—"
Click.
The valve dropped from the tank's base.Sterilizer spilled onto the floor.
And the monster moved.
Costaliforms are quiet.They're not fast.But they're accurate.Their attacks aren't sprayed—they're launched.
Seogiyong tried to dodge.But the floor was slick.The pressure was gone.The gun was empty.
The monster struck.He saw it coming.No one else saw him again.
Silence.
Jinguk was the first to speak."...Did you see that?"Minseo:"No. He just... vanished."Doyun:"What was his name again?"
The briefing AI answered."One fatality confirmed. Target neutralized.Remaining sterilizer: 28%.End of report."
The cleaning was done.Slime wiped up.Walls sterilized.Gear retrieved.
No one repeated his name.
Doyun turned away, wordless.He was alive again today.But something inside him felt torn.
Minseo walked up behind him."Next time, actually double-check your charge.Mint won't save you if you're dead."
Since that day,we kept cleaning.And when someone disappeared,the gap closed quietly.
And we forgot.As we always do.
***
EP.3 – A Familiar Funeral
Seogiyong's funeral was held at 3 p.m.No one cried.
"The funeral will follow a simplified procedure.Survivors from the field will receive hazard incentives."
The line was projected in giant font on the meeting room screen.The font was Gulim—cold, impersonal.Jinguk munched on snacks.Minseo was servicing the water tank.Doyun just stared blankly at the screen.
The funeral was at City Cremation Center, Hall B.The flowers were plastic.The music was AI-selected.The slideshow flipped between Seogiyong's field uniform photoand a passport-style ID shot—expressionless.
"He wasn't a monster.Just a man who got killed by one."The funeral officer said that.Doyun didn't understand.No one tried to.
"He always ate lunch alone, right?""Yeah. Real quiet guy.""...His name was Seo... what again?"
On the way back—gray buildings passed by outside the bus window.Street vendors lined the curb.A news ticker scrolled quietly:
"738 confirmed monster-related deaths to date.Containment systems remain fully operational."
Minseo leaned her head against the glass.Jinguk gently shook the saltwater bottle.Doyun said nothing.The chill in his gear bag hadn't faded.The weight granted only to the ones who survived.
"Someone died today.But we still had lunch.And we still have work tomorrow."
