"Hey! Stop reading that book and get out!"
Han Myeong-man and Kang Jin-hyeok had just arrived at the hospital. Local police units from the jurisdiction had already secured the perimeter.
"Salute! Inspector Han Myeong-man, sir, is that—"
Myeong-man ignored them and bolted straight for the entrance. A flustered Jin-hyeok gave a weary smile, offered a quick salute, and hurried after him. A prison guard and a few officers were standing by the main doors.
"What’s the status?" Myeong-man barked.
The guard replied with an embarrassed look. "Well, sir, we only just managed to resolve the blackout, and..."
Since it was a robot-operated facility, the security systems were entirely automated. The heavy iron shutters at the entrance refused to budge. The guard was frantically tapping at his tablet, trying to override the locking mechanism, but nothing worked.
"Is there a back door?"
"It's the same story there—"
"You're the ones in charge! How does it make sense that you can't open your own doors?"
"We're sorry, sir. We're doing everything we can to fix it as quickly as possible."
To prevent inmate escapes, all lower-floor windows were reinforced with steel bars, making the hospital's architecture identical to a high-security prison. As Myeong-man fumed at their helplessness, one of the officers looked up.
"Huh? What’s that?"
Jin-hyeok followed his gaze and spoke up. "Chief, something is coming down from the upper floors."
Myeong-man stopped mid-drag of his cigarette and looked where he was pointing. There was indeed something moving—two figures on an air-bike were descending along the hospital's exterior. But from this distance, it was impossible to tell who they were.
"What do we do?" Jin-hyeok asked.
Exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, Myeong-man answered as if it were obvious. "Get in the car! Now!"
Meanwhile, in the underground base, a voice called out to Dong-jun.
"Dong-jun, have you been holding up okay?"
"..."
Dong-jun couldn't find the words. Looking at the man, his eyes grew warm with unshed tears. He took a step closer.
"Hyun... seop..."
His voice started to crack through, but he still needed more time. The man placed a hand on Dong-jun’s shoulder. They shared a bittersweet smile.
It had been five years. The man standing before him was Lee Hyun-seop, his best friend of twenty-five years.
"Let’s head inside first," Lia said, leading the way. "Oh, and... looks like you're our second civilian guest!"
Inside a room filled with various machines within the FAI base, an elderly man with white hair and a beard fitted a voice-amplifying device around Dong-jun’s neck.
"Try saying 'Ah.'"
"Ahem..." Dong-jun took a breath. "Ah..."
A voice came out. It sounded slightly different from his natural voice, laced with a subtle metallic ring, but it was perfectly clear for communication.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
"Thank yo—"
"Not yet."
The old man then fitted thin, flexible sleeves over Dong-jun’s injured arm and leg. They were lightweight and comfortable, yet felt incredibly sturdy against external pressure.
"Try moving now."
Dong-jun cautiously moved his limbs. It was miraculous. Though a faint, lingering ache remained, he could move far more freely than before.
"Thank you so much."
"Ho ho, don't mention it. But don't overexert yourself."
"Understood!"
As soon as the treatment finished, Lia and Hyun-seop entered the room. Finally, Dong-jun could smile. He called out his friend's name properly this time.
"Hyun-seop!"
"Dong-jun!"
"Your voice... sounds a bit like a TTS (Text-to-Speech) engine," Hyun-seop joked.
Lia led them to a spacious lounge. It featured cleaning robots far more advanced than those from ten years ago, and projectors displayed scenes and content from various cities. However, those details felt secondary. The two friends sat in a brief, awkward silence, unsure of how to start after so long.
Hyun-seop broke the ice. "Isn't that ID photo of yours a bit too old?"
"Huh?"
Dong-jun hesitated, then realized what he meant.
"When are you going to change it? It's bothering me."
They both burst into laughter.
"You haven't changed a bit."
"Me? I've aged, man."
They shared a laugh with every exchange. Dong-jun guessed his face had been all over the media due to the recent incidents, and he felt lucky they were using an ID photo from nearly ten years ago.
"How about you? How have you been? Still driving the taxi at night?"
Hyun-seop gave a wry smile and scratched his leg. "Yeah, something like that."
Dong-jun wondered if he had brought up a sore subject. A memory of the bus ride the day he left home flickered in his mind.
Hyun-seop quickly added, "But what happens now? Is something... really going to happen?"
As a loyal reader who had followed all of Dong-jun’s works, Hyun-seop likely had a grasp of the situation.
"...Well," Dong-jun replied. "I suppose it is, isn't it?"
They talked about their lives, how Hyun-seop ended up here, and how their other friends were doing. The most surprising revelation was why Hyun-seop was here: his wife had encouraged him to go find Dong-jun.
"..."
Dong-jun had met Hyun-seop’s wife a few times in the past. He thought to himself that a good person always seems to have good people around them.
"Are you happy?"
"Well, you know..."
Embarrassed, Hyun-seop changed the subject. "But... shouldn't we be doing something instead of just sitting here?"
Caught up in the joy of the reunion, Dong-jun had momentarily forgotten the reality of their situation. "Right... I guess so."
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the lounge.
Beyond the room where Dong-jun had been treated, Lia was pestering the white-haired old man.
"Gramps, when can he move again?"
The man who had helped Dong-jun at the hospital was lying face-down on a bed, fast asleep. The old man glanced at a display.
"We have to monitor his progress."
The screen showed the man's medical status:
[Patient ID: Kim Tae-won / DOB: 1993. 08. 04] [Diagnosis]
-
Closed comminuted fracture of the left radius and ulna (residual deep bone fragments)
-
3rd-degree electrical burns on the back, neurological overload, and muscle rupture
-
Rhabdomyolysis and nerve conduction block due to high-voltage surge (Risk of paralysis)
"That’s not good enough! We finally know who they’re targeting!" Lia huffed and kicked the base of the bed. "Wake up! This is no time to be napping!"
The old man checked the time displayed in neon signs above the corridor.
[2036-02-02 06:08]
It was already early morning.
Knock, knock.
Someone tapped on the lounge wall. It was a well-groomed man in his fifties with neatly slicked-back hair, wearing a sharp, clean suit. Behind him stood someone who looked like an aide. Dong-jun and Hyun-seop stood up.
"Ahem... are you Mr. Dong-jun?"
Even just from his aura, Dong-jun could tell this man held a high-ranking position.
"...Yes."
The man glanced at Hyun-seop.
"Oh! I'm his friend. My name is Hyun-seop," Hyun-seop answered.
"I brought them here," the aide added from behind.
The man in the suit gave a small smile. "Pleasure to meet you both. Shall we... move to another room?"
He led them away, explaining things naturally as they walked. He introduced himself simply as the 'AD' of the facility.
‘AD...’
Dong-jun knew what that meant. Having designed secret organizations like the NIS when writing
Assistant Director.
As they entered the room he led them to, a red laser swept over their heads.
"Huh?"
The interior was massive and grand. In the center of the room sat a model table the size of a mid-sized car, displaying a map of South Korea. Above the center of the map, a circular monitor and laser pointers from the ceiling were highlighting specific locations. It was awe-inspiring, and Hyun-seop seemed to feel the same.
"Please, have a seat."
Dong-jun and Hyun-seop exchanged a look and sat down. The Assistant Director looked at them and spoke.
"Now, where should I begin?"
"Actually, the reason I've brought you both here is—"
Thud! Thud!
"?"
A sudden, loud noise drew their attention. An aide was dragging in a massive metallic box that vibrated as if something inside was striking it with immense force.
‘Wait... what’s in there?’