By Sunday morning the footage had been viewed four hundred and twelve million times.
This number was still going up.
The Registry communications department had released three statements.
The first statement said: The Hunter Registry confirms that the entity that emerged in Yeouido on Friday has been contained. The situation is under control. Citizens are advised to remain calm.
The word contained was technically inaccurate. The entity had not been contained. It had been asked to move to a more convenient location and had moved there. These were different things. The communications department was aware of this. They had used contained anyway because the alternative was: The entity moved because an F-Rank Mana-Janitor said the cleanup logistics were better from the river bank and they had determined this required more context than a first statement could provide.
The second statement said: The Hunter Registry wishes to clarify that the entity in Yeouido is not hostile. It is being monitored by Registry personnel. The situation remains under control.
The third statement said: The Hunter Registry acknowledges that the footage currently circulating shows Registered Mana-Janitor Kang Han-Ho, Registration 4471-B, interacting with the entity. Mr. Kang is a licensed Registry professional currently conducting cleanup operations at the site. Further information will be provided at a scheduled press briefing.
The scheduled press briefing was on Tuesday.
The Director had scheduled it for Tuesday because Monday was Han-Ho's Mapo district route and the Director had promised to work around the Mapo district and intended to keep that promise.
This commitment to working around Han-Ho's Monday route had been noted by the communications department with the particular professional resignation of people who have been asked to manage a national media situation around a cleaning schedule.
Sunday morning. Seven AM.
East bank access point.
Han-Ho arrived first.
He had the green onions. Both of them. They had been in his refrigerator overnight in the correct location which was the left side of the second shelf and they were fine and they were going into Sunday's dinner which was going to have an appropriate vegetable component and Moru had already been notified of this and was quietly satisfied about it.
He opened his notebook.
Reviewed yesterday's progress.
East section complete. Good work. The equipment team had been excellent. The fracture mapping was accurate.
West mana vein section: thirty percent complete.
Estimated remaining work: four to five days at yesterday's pace. Possibly three with the full team.
He wrote this down.
Made a note about the equipment configuration for the mana vein section. Yesterday's approach had worked but there was a more efficient angle of access that he had identified toward the end of the day and had written down to try this morning.
He tried it.
It worked better.
He made a note.
They arrived in the same order as Saturday.
Oh Kyung-Soo first at six fifty eight. Practical clothes. No greeting beyond the nod. He went directly to the south contamination monitoring position and picked up where he had left off the previous day with the settled efficiency of someone who has found their role and is performing it.
Baek Sung-Il at seven oh two.
He had brought something.
Han-Ho looked at what he had brought.
It was a toolbox.
Not a Hunter equipment case. An actual toolbox. The kind from a hardware store.
"For the equipment team," said Baek Sung-Il. "Yesterday they mentioned the calibration tools were insufficient for the mana vein depth. I asked what they needed. I got it this morning."
Han-Ho looked at the toolbox.
Looked at Baek Sung-Il.
"The hardware store opens at six," said Baek Sung-Il, with the energy of a man who had been at a hardware store at six AM and had found it clarifying.
"Thank you," said Han-Ho.
Baek Sung-Il went to deliver the toolbox to the equipment team.
The lead equipment specialist looked at the toolbox.
Looked at Baek Sung-Il.
"You went to a hardware store at six AM," said the specialist.
"Yes," said Baek Sung-Il.
"For calibration tools."
"Yes."
"You're Baek Sung-Il."
"Yes."
"S-Rank Hunter."
"Yes."
"Re-Awakened once."
"Yes."
"You went to a hardware store at six AM for calibration tools."
"The equipment was insufficient," said Baek Sung-Il. "The work needed the right tools."
The equipment specialist looked at the calibration tools.
They were exactly correct.
Better than the Registry standard issue.
"Thank you," said the specialist.
Baek Sung-Il nodded.
Went back to his position.
Jin Tae-Yang arrived with Song Mi-Rae at seven oh five.
Jin Tae-Yang had also brought something.
"Breakfast," he said.
He had brought breakfast.
From a proper restaurant, not a GS25. Rice and soup and side dishes in containers, enough for everyone, still warm from the restaurant that opened at six thirty near his apartment in Gangnam which he had driven to and back from before seven AM.
Han-Ho looked at the breakfast.
"You went to—"
"It's a long work day," said Jin Tae-Yang. "People need breakfast."
"I had kimbap—"
"That's not breakfast," said Jin Tae-Yang, with the firmness of a man who has destroyed four buildings and eaten a cold dinner on a Friday evening and has decided that today there will be proper breakfast for the work team.
Min-Seo arrived at seven ten and looked at the breakfast.
Looked at Jin Tae-Yang.
"You brought breakfast," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"From a restaurant."
"Yes."
"At seven AM on a Sunday."
"The restaurant opens at six thirty."
Min-Seo looked at the breakfast.
Looked at the toolbox the equipment team was using.
Looked at Lee Soo-Bin who had just arrived and was already heading to the Gate residue monitoring position he had identified on Saturday and had apparently claimed as his own area of responsibility.
Min-Seo sat down.
Ate breakfast.
It was very good breakfast.
He had been eating triangle kimbap and instant noodles for nine days and this was very good breakfast and he was going to acknowledge that privately and mention it never.
Yoo Chae-Won arrived at seven fifteen.
No publicist.
She had also brought something.
"Gloves," she said. "Work gloves. For everyone. The fracture edges are sharp and I noticed two people with minor cuts yesterday."
She distributed the gloves.
They were good quality gloves. The kind that fit properly and allowed fine motor control.
Han-Ho put his on.
Looked at them.
Looked at Yoo Chae-Won.
"The brand deal situation," she said, before he could speak. "Not today. I'll wait until Wednesday."
"Thank you," said Han-Ho.
"I'm still going to make the case on Wednesday."
"I know."
"And I'm going to win."
"You're not going to win."
"Han-Ho I have convinced forty seven companies to give me money for brand partnerships. I have a one hundred percent closing rate."
"You've never tried to close me."
"This is true," said Yoo Chae-Won. "You are my first challenge case." She looked at the cleanup site. "I find that motivating."
She went to her monitoring position.
Han-Ho looked at the gloves on his hands.
Looked at the assembled team.
Baek Sung-Il at his position with the equipment team. Jin Tae-Yang at the north fracture monitoring. Song Mi-Rae at the deep sensor array she had established Saturday afternoon using her refined shadow energy as an extended detection system that was more accurate than the Registry equipment and which the equipment team had started building their readings around. Lee Soo-Bin at the residue monitoring position he had claimed. Oh Kyung-Soo at the south contamination spread. Yoo Chae-Won at the structural integrity assessment. Min-Seo at the mana vein depth reading station he had set up yesterday.
All of them with roles.
All of them working.
All of them here because Han-Ho had said, casually, without expectation, on a Friday evening at a GS25, that the seven AM start was at the east bank access point and anyone who wanted to help could come.
He had not expected anyone to come.
He had not asked anyone to come.
They had come.
He looked at his notebook.
Made a note about the team positions.
Added it to the route plan.
Updated the estimated completion time.
Three days. Maybe two and a half with the full team and the better calibration tools and Song Mi-Rae's shadow detection system.
He pressed his hand against the mana vein.
The glow started.
The work continued.
The thing watched all of this.
It had been watching since Friday evening. It watched with the patient attention of something that has existed since before watching was a concept and has found, unexpectedly, that watching this is interesting.
It watched the man in the blue uniform work.
It watched the others work around him.
It watched the one with the shadow energy set up her detection system. Watched the one who had hit it with full output use calibration tools from a hardware store. Watched the one who had brought breakfast bring breakfast again on the second morning.
It watched the smallest dark one on the man's shoulder watch the man with the expression of something that had been alone for ten thousand years and had found something to be devoted to and had no ambivalence about it whatsoever.
It watched the other smallest dark one eat chips.
It watched the small river one look at everything with enormous eyes.
It watched the tall dramatic one manage the break schedule with the focused dedication of someone who had decided that making Han-Ho take breaks was their primary professional responsibility.
It watched.
It had been alone since before the world had a surface.
It was watching a team clean a fracture site on a river bank in a city it had partially disrupted on a Friday afternoon.
It was not alone.
It was thinking about that.
It had been thinking about that for two days.
It made the small quiet sound.
Not loud enough for anyone to hear.
Just quietly.
To itself.
Because some things you say quietly to yourself first before you know how to say them to anyone else.
At ten AM Min-Seo said: "Break."
Han-Ho said: "Ten fifteen."
Min-Seo said: "Han-Ho."
Han-Ho said: "The mana vein section—"
Min-Seo said: "Ten AM. Break. Now."
Han-Ho looked up.
Six S-Rank Hunters were looking at him.
Not aggressively. Not with the energy of a confrontation.
With the collective patient expression of six people who have independently arrived at the same conclusion about ten AM breaks and have decided to present a unified position.
Han-Ho looked at them.
Looked at his notebook.
Looked at the mana vein section.
"Ten minutes," said Han-Ho.
"Fifteen," said six voices simultaneously.
Han-Ho looked at Moru.
Moru looked back with the expression of someone who has been advocating for breaks since Chapter 3 and is experiencing the satisfaction of having allies.
"Twelve," said Han-Ho.
"Fifteen," said six voices.
"Thirteen."
"Fifteen."
"Fourteen."
"Han-Ho," said Min-Seo. "Fifteen minutes. It is fifteen minutes. It will always be fifteen minutes. At some point in your life you are going to take a fifteen minute break and that point is now."
Han-Ho looked at all of them.
Looked at the work.
"Fifteen," he said.
"Thank you," said Min-Seo.
They sat.
Jin Tae-Yang distributed the second meal of the day from the containers he had brought. The restaurant had packed extra.
Everyone ate.
The thing watched.
The river flowed.
Oh Kyung-Soo sat next to Han-Ho.
He had been sitting next to Han-Ho during breaks since Saturday. Not always talking. Sometimes just sitting. The way people sit next to each other when they are working on the same thing and have developed a comfortable professional proximity.
"Han-Ho," said Oh Kyung-Soo.
"Yes."
"The Tuesday press briefing."
"Yes."
"The Director wants you to attend."
"I know."
"It's going to be the most watched press briefing in Registry history."
"Probably yes."
"Four hundred million views of the footage."
"I was told."
"How do you feel about that."
Han-Ho ate his breakfast.
Looked at the mana vein section.
"I feel like the west section has another two days of work and the press briefing is on Tuesday and I have the Mapo district on Monday which I will be finishing before the briefing regardless of what time the briefing is scheduled for."
Oh Kyung-Soo looked at him.
"That's not what I asked," said Oh Kyung-Soo.
Han-Ho was quiet for a moment.
"I feel like I've been doing this work for ten years," he said. "And now a lot of people know about it. And the work is the same work it was before they knew about it. And the mana vein still needs cleaning. And the river bank still needs the fracture assessment completed. And I have two green onions for tonight's dinner which is a significant improvement over the previous green onion situation." He looked at Oh Kyung-Soo. "That's how I feel."
Oh Kyung-Soo looked at him.
Ate his breakfast.
"You know what I think," said Oh Kyung-Soo.
"What."
"I think the work feeling the same is not a defense mechanism. I think it's actually true for you. The work is the same. The attention doesn't change what it is." He paused. "That is a very unusual thing to be able to say and mean."
Han-Ho looked at his breakfast.
"It's just the job," he said.
"Yes," said Oh Kyung-Soo. "And that is exactly the point."
Fifteen minutes ended.
Han-Ho stood up.
Looked at the west mana vein section.
"Back to it," he said.
Everyone stood up.
No negotiation. No additional break extensions. Just the clean simple movement of a team that has been working together long enough to have a rhythm and is returning to it.
They went back to work.
Baek Sung-Il at the calibration tools.
Jin Tae-Yang at the north section.
Song Mi-Rae at the shadow detection array.
Lee Soo-Bin at the residue monitoring.
Oh Kyung-Soo at the south contamination.
Yoo Chae-Won at the structural integrity.
Min-Seo at the mana vein depth station.
Han-Ho at the mana vein.
The work was good.
It was the same work it had always been. The same skill. The same methodical patient thoroughness. The same soft warm golden glow of Stain Removal doing what Stain Removal did.
Just not alone.
Which was, Han-Ho thought, while pressing his hand against the mana vein and feeling the fracture respond to the skill, different from before.
Not better in the sense of the work being easier.
Just different.
The same road cleaned. But someone had filed a response to the report this time.
He made a note.
The work continued.
At four PM Han-Ho closed his notebook.
Looked at the day's progress.
West mana vein section: sixty percent complete.
Tomorrow: finish the west section. Begin the downstream contamination assessment.
Tuesday: press briefing. Mapo district first.
He made a note about the Tuesday morning route adjustment.
Looked at the team.
They were finishing their positions. Documenting their readings. Transferring data to the equipment team's system in the efficient coordinated way of people who had figured out the handoff process on Saturday and had refined it today.
"Good day," said Han-Ho.
Everyone looked at him.
He did not say good day often. Or ever, actually. This was the first time.
"Good day," said Oh Kyung-Soo.
"Good day," said Baek Sung-Il, with the particular energy of a man who has found something to put the ceiling fan situation into and has put it there successfully.
"Same," said Jin Tae-Yang.
"Same," said Song Mi-Rae.
"Really good day," said Lee Soo-Bin, with the slightly over-enthusiastic energy of someone who cleaned a Gate residue site at six AM and has been carrying good feelings about it all day and is finally in a context where expressing them seems appropriate.
"Tomorrow," said Yoo Chae-Won.
"Tomorrow," said Han-Ho.
"Seven AM."
"Seven AM."
"And Wednesday—"
"No logos," said Han-Ho.
"Brand consultation," said Yoo Chae-Won.
"No logos."
"Not logos specifically. Brand. Consultation."
"If it ends in logos—"
"It won't end in logos."
"It always ends in logos."
"Han-Ho I am a professional—"
"No logos Chae-Won."
Yoo Chae-Won pressed her lips together.
Looked at Min-Seo.
Min-Seo's expression said: I told you.
She looked back at Han-Ho.
"Wednesday," she said.
"Wednesday," he said.
They left.
Han-Ho stayed a few minutes after the others.
He did this sometimes. Not to do more work. Just to look at the site. Assess the day's progress with the quiet professional satisfaction of someone who has done a job and can see the evidence of it.
The east section was clean.
The west section was sixty percent done.
The thing was on the bank.
Han-Ho looked at the thing.
"Two more days," he said. "Maybe less."
The thing made the small quiet sound.
"The downstream contamination after that," said Han-Ho. "That'll take a week."
The sound again.
"Then the structural assessment for the buildings in Yeouido," said Han-Ho. "I'll coordinate with the city engineering department. There are forms." He paused. "A lot of forms."
The thing was still.
"You can stay on the bank," said Han-Ho. "While the work is happening. If you want."
The thing made the small quiet sound.
It was, Han-Ho thought, almost definitely the yes sound.
He had been learning to distinguish the sounds over the weekend.
The yes sound. The I don't know sound. The I have been awake for two days and it is still strange sound which was different from the others.
"Okay," said Han-Ho. "I'll be back tomorrow. Seven AM."
He picked up his bag.
"Goodnight," he said.
The thing made a sound.
Not the yes sound. Not the I don't know sound.
A new one.
Han-Ho listened to it.
He was not entirely sure but it sounded like the thing was saying goodnight back.
He nodded.
Walked up the bank.
Three blocks away at the GS25 Cho Hyun was on the evening shift.
He had been watching the views counter on his phone all day.
Four hundred and sixty two million now.
He looked up when the door opened.
Han-Ho in his work uniform. Moru on his shoulder. Kjor on the other shoulder. River in the bag pocket.
"The usual," said Han-Ho.
Cho Hyun got the tuna mayo kimbap. Put the honey butter chips on the counter.
Han-Ho looked at the chips.
"Two bags," said Han-Ho. "Kjor. For the work."
"Of course," said Cho Hyun.
He scanned everything.
Looked at Han-Ho.
"Four hundred and sixty two million," said Cho Hyun.
"I know," said Han-Ho.
"It's still going up."
"I know."
"You're going to be—"
"The most recognized person in Korea by Monday," said Han-Ho. "Min-Seo told me. Yoo Chae-Won told me. The Director told me." He paused. "I have a route on Monday."
"The Mapo district," said Cho Hyun.
Han-Ho looked at him.
"You've mentioned the Monday route," said Cho Hyun. "Several times."
"The storm drains need follow up," said Han-Ho. "I assessed them Thursday and flagged three for recheck."
"Of course," said Cho Hyun.
Han-Ho paid.
Took the bag.
Stopped at the door.
"Cho Hyun," he said.
Cho Hyun looked up.
"The green onion," said Han-Ho. "Thank you for stocking them."
Cho Hyun looked at him.
"I always stocked them," said Cho Hyun.
"I know," said Han-Ho. "I just never bought one before."
He left.
Cho Hyun looked at the door.
Updated The System.
Rule six: He's going to be fine.
Sunday evening. Han-Ho's apartment.
Dinner had green onion in it.
Both of them. Chopped. In the right proportions. Combined with tofu and egg over rice in the way that Han-Ho made it which was the way he had made it for four years and which was, with the green onion properly represented, actually very good.
Moru ate.
Kjor ate.
River watched the kettle boil.
Min-Seo ate and said nothing about the green onion because some victories are better experienced quietly.
Han-Ho ate.
Looked at his dinner.
"Good," he said.
"It's the green onion," said Moru, with great composure.
"Yes," said Han-Ho.
"You've been missing it."
"I've been meaning to buy it."
"For nine days."
"I bought two."
"Yes," said Moru. "You did."
Han-Ho ate his dinner.
On the counter River watched the kettle boil and said "extraordinary" very quietly because the kettle was extraordinary and would always be extraordinary and River had accepted this about itself.
On the couch Kjor ate honey butter chips and thought about the river bank work and the fracture assessment and the equipment team with the new calibration tools and found it all quietly satisfying in a way that nine thousand years of freezing things had not prepared it to anticipate but which it was very glad to have found.
Min-Seo sat on the middle couch section and thought about Ara's message from Friday. That's Han-Ho's effect. He had been thinking about that message for two days. About what it meant to be okay in a different way than usual. About what different okay felt like when you stopped measuring it against the okay you had before.
It felt like this apartment.
It felt like the river bank at seven AM.
It felt like green onion in the dinner and honey butter chips and the oldest entity in the world saying goodnight back.
He put his phone away.
Ate his dinner.
"The Tuesday briefing," said Han-Ho.
"Yes," said Min-Seo.
"Are you coming."
Min-Seo looked at him.
"Do you want me to come," said Min-Seo.
Han-Ho looked at his dinner.
"Yes," he said.
Simple. Direct. Without the performance of someone asking for something they need. Just a man who was going to a press briefing on Tuesday and would like the person who had been sleeping on his couch for nine days and managing his ten minute break schedule to be there.
"I'll be there," said Min-Seo.
"The Mapo route first," said Han-Ho.
"Of course," said Min-Seo.
"Storm drains."
"I know about the storm drains."
"Three on the recheck list."
"I know Han-Ho."
"They—"
"Need follow up," said Min-Seo. "I know. Monday morning. Seven AM. Mapo district. Storm drains. Then the Tuesday briefing."
Han-Ho nodded.
Finished his dinner.
Looked at the Netflix screensaver on the laptop.
Looked at episode three still waiting.
Looked at Moru.
"Tonight," said Han-Ho. "I'm watching it tonight."
"You say that every time," said Moru.
"I mean it more tonight."
"You also say that."
"I'm going to finish it tonight Moru."
Moru looked at him with ancient red eyes that had watched Han-Ho fall asleep before the reveal three times and had documented it carefully in the internal record of things that were both frustrating and endearing about their person.
"Okay," said Moru.
Han-Ho pressed play.
He fell asleep at eleven oh three PM.
Fourteen minutes into episode three.
Before the reveal.
Min-Seo paused the episode.
Looked at Han-Ho.
Looked at the screen.
The man in the suit had been about to explain something.
Four times now.
Four times Han-Ho had watched the man in the suit walk toward the other man in the suit to explain the thing and had fallen asleep before the explanation.
Min-Seo looked at Moru.
Moru looked back.
"Fourth time," said Min-Seo.
"Yes," said Moru.
"He's going to watch it a fifth time."
"Yes."
"And fall asleep before the reveal a fifth time."
"Probably yes."
Min-Seo looked at Han-Ho's sleeping face.
The same quiet professional concern even in sleep. The man who cleaned storm drains and ancient entities and river banks and contamination sites and Registry lobby floors and conference room windows with the same thoroughness because it was all the same job and the job was what mattered.
Who fell asleep before episode three reveals with the same consistency.
Min-Seo covered Han-Ho with the blanket from the back of the couch.
Not because it was cold.
Just because.
Lay back down on the middle couch section.
"Moru," said Min-Seo.
"Yes."
"Do you know how it ends."
"The show?"
"Yes."
"No," said Moru. "I've been watching with him."
"Kjor."
"I read ahead," said Kjor.
Everyone looked at Kjor.
"I read the episode summary," said Kjor, with the composed innocence of something that has been in the world for ten days and has already discovered episode summaries. "The man in the suit is the main character's brother."
"I knew it," said Min-Seo.
"That's a spoiler," said Moru.
"He asked," said Kjor.
"He asked you and now I know," said Moru. "I didn't ask."
"You could have not listened."
"You could have not said it out loud."
"The apartment is not large."
"KJOR—"
"Goodnight," said Kjor, with great finality, and closed his eyes.
Moru looked at Kjor.
Looked at Min-Seo.
They sat in the quiet apartment.
Han-Ho slept.
River watched the kettle in the dark kitchen with enormous eyes.
The city outside did its Sunday night things.
On the river bank in Yeouido the oldest entity in the world sat and breathed and was not alone and was thinking about what not alone felt like when you had been alone since before the concept of alone existed.
It was good.
It was surprisingly, unexpectedly, fundamentally good.
The kind of good that doesn't have a word yet because it's new and words take time and it has time.
It has always had time.
It sat with the good.
"Goodnight," it said, quietly, to the city.
The city did not hear.
But that was okay.
It said it anyway.
Some things you say quietly to yourself first.
Before you know how to say them to anyone else.