The door to the Director's office was not made of common wood or metal. The sliding door, which looked as if it were made by layering multiple sheets of traditional Hanji paper, was a strange boundary that perfectly separated the clamor outside from the silence within. Even the busy footsteps of agents passing through the hallway and the low-ringing alarms could not squeeze through the cracks of the door. Like an entrance to another dimension, the door radiated a quiet and heavy presence.

As you stepped inside, the heavy scent of books and a faint aroma of ink tickled the tip of your nose. The walls on all sides were packed with bookshelves that seemed to reach the ceiling, filled with leather-bound volumes and ancient texts in an orderly fashion. A massive writing desk sat in the center, and beyond it, a man sat leaning slightly, looking out the window. The gray cityscape stretching beyond the floor-to-ceiling window contrasted with the man's snow-white hair, spreading out like a monochromatic ink wash painting.

The man remained silent for a while despite sensing a presence. He merely tilted the teacup in his hand slowly, staring at things like floating dust motes outside the window. A few strands of his long, flowing white hair draped precariously over the teacup. Instead of the harsh glare of fluorescent lights, the dim natural light pouring through the window softly illuminated the entire space. In that light, the man's silhouette was so surreal it felt devoid of reality.

How much time had passed? The sound of the teacup being set down echoed quietly. A clear, refined sound of porcelain meeting saucer. Only then did the man slowly turn his head. Pitch-black pupils turned toward you. Those black eyes, from which no emotion could be read, seemed to absorb all light like a fathomless abyss.

"Ah, you've arrived."

A languid and soft voice. Without rising from his seat, he merely curled the corners of his mouth upward while resting his chin on his hand. That smile felt less like a welcome and more like that of a child who had discovered an interesting toy.

"Thank you for answering my call, new child. Was the journey here not too arduous?"