Five years ago, it was the case Yun-jae had personally prosecuted. Did the organization know everything about his past from the very beginning?
[March 22, 2019. 11:15 PM] [Gosiwon, Room 206]
Yun-jae opened the second assignment file.
[Case Reconstruction - List]
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2018 Patent Infringement Case
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2017 Trade Secret Leak Case
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2014 Industrial Espionage Case
The moment he scrolled to the third item, his hand froze.
Lee Seo-jun. That name. A name he had tried to bury, but never could.
[November 2014] [Cheonan District Prosecutors' Office]
Lee Seo-jun, a senior researcher at the conglomerate A-Corp, was accused of leaking core technology to a Chinese competitor, B-Corp.
The evidence was textbook. Emails, USB transfer logs, even call records.
However, Yun-jae felt a sense of dread because of that very 'perfection.' "This feels fabricated."
There was an inconsistency in the scene. The evidence was too perfect, unlike typical industrial espionage where things are messy. The statements contradicted the alibi.
But most of all, it was Lee Seo-jun’s eyes.
They were filled with a mixture of terror and injustice—pure eyes that didn't know how to lie. There was no tremor in the pupils, no nervous swallowing—traits typical of a liar. It was an innocence that spoke to the gut, not the law books.
Yun-jae was convinced of his innocence. He wanted to believe him.
[November 22] "I'm dropping the charges against Lee Seo-jun. Acquittal." The Chief Prosecutor’s face hardened instantly.
"The evidence appears to be forged," Yun-jae added. "Prosecutor Han, are you telling me the evidence is suspicious because there's 'too much' of it? Does that make any sense to you?"
"It’s too perfect. The traces left behind are... 'excessive'."
The Chief Prosecutor lowered his voice, the pressure palpable. "The higher-ups are watching this case. The Chairman of A-Corp himself—" "And?" Yun-jae interrupted. "What does that have to do with the law?"
The Chief slammed his desk. "Indict! Him! Now!" "Sir, the evidence is forged!" "How can you be so sure? That’s for the court to decide, not you!"
Yun-jae shook his head. "I won't do it, sir." "What?" "I cannot indict an innocent man. I’m sorry."
With those words, Yun-jae’s life as a prosecutor came to an abrupt end.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
[November 30] He submitted his resignation. Or rather, he was 'forced' to resign.
Even so, he had no regrets. He had protected his convictions. He had protected an innocent soul.
Or so he thought.
[March 22, 2019. 11:17 PM]
"Why... why is this name appearing here?" Yun-jae stared at the screen again.
[Reconstruction Requirements]
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Original Verdict: Acquittal (Prosecutor in charge: Han Yun-jae)
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Reconstruction Goal: Build a logic for Guilt
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Purpose: Prepare for the 2nd Civil Appeal
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Client: Confidential
"Build a logic for guilt?" Yun-jae’s breath hitched.
Five years ago, he had sacrificed his career to save this man. Now, he was being ordered to turn that same man into a criminal with his own hands.
In that moment, it clicked. This isn't a coincidence.
This organization knew. They knew his past. They knew his choice. They knew his 'conscience.' And now, they were testing it. No—they were punishing him.
[11:22 PM]
A small notification popped up in the bottom right of his laptop.
[Writer A-73 has viewed the file for more than 5 minutes] [Assignment is now considered 'Started'] [IRREVERSIBLE]
"Irreversible?" A chill crawled down his spine.
[11:30 PM] Yun-jae reopened the file. The more he read, the more he felt the fury boiling under his skin.
[Direction of Reconstruction]
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Lee Seo-jun’s Emails → Emphasize Intent
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USB Logs → Prove Premeditation
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Call Records → Establish Conspiracy
"This is... the exact logic I rejected five years ago." Fabricated evidence. Forced logic. Overwriting the truth. He was being asked to 'legally' package all of it.
"I can't." But reality was cold, and the system was absolute.
[IRREVERSIBLE] The word weighed on his mind like a leaden crown.
[Midnight] The phone rang. Another unknown number.
"Yes." "Writer A-73." The familiar voice. The silhouette from the monitor.
"I see you’ve begun the task." "Why... why this case of all cases?" A short silence followed.
"A-73, what is the thing you cherish most right now?" "What are you talking about?" "Is it your conscience? Or is it your father?"
Yun-jae’s throat tightened. He couldn't speak.
"Five years ago, you chose your conscience." "..." "What will you choose this time?"
Click. The line went dead. I don't even have the 'freedom' to speak anymore.
[01:10 AM] Yun-jae took a deep breath and reached for the keyboard.
Title: Re-interpretation of the Industrial Espionage Case – Focusing on the Lee Seo-jun Incident Introduction: The Lee Seo-jun case, which resulted in an acquittal in 2014...
His fingers faltered. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lee."
The man he had tried to protect five years ago. Now, he was the man he was about to erase.
[02:00 AM] Footsteps echoed in the corridor, stopping right outside his door. Slid. A slip of paper came through the gap.
Yun-jae stared at it for a long time before picking it up.
**[Lee Seo-jun committed suicide by jumping from his apartment on January 3, 2015. Even after his death, A-Corp did not stop. They continued the civil lawsuits against his family, seeking to hold them accountable until the bitter end.
The man you 'protected' took his own life just a year later. The reason? A-Corp’s relentless legal hounding and social ruin.
Writer A-73. This time, finish it properly.]**
The paper slipped from Yun-jae’s hand. "Seo-jun... is dead?"
The acquittal hadn't saved him. He thought he had saved a life, but he had failed. And the organization was mocking that failure.
[02:30 AM] Yun-jae sat back at his desk. The cursor on the screen blinked steadily.
He placed his hands on the keyboard. Slowly, he took off his glasses and pushed them to the corner of the desk. There was no 'human' Lee Seo-jun on the monitor anymore. Only 'data' to be dissected and reassembled.
Tap, tap-tap, tap. The mechanical sound of the keyboard was the only thing screaming in the silent room.
Faster. Colder.
He was now Writer A-73. He had to erase his conscience. He had to erase his past.
[Next Chapter Preview]
Yun-jae reconstructs the Lee Seo-jun case as 'Guilty.'
However, during the process, he discovers suspicious reference documents linked within the assignment files.
2015 Case ○○. 2017 Case △△. 2019 Case ◇◇.
And a common code hidden in every single document: 'AS-3870.'
because it deals with the collision between conscience and consequence—
the echo of a choice made five years earlier,
and the realization that even the “right” choice may lead to tragedy.
It’s personal.
His past, his regrets, and the organization’s motives are beginning to overlap.
you’ll start to see how these cases—different years, different fields—
are quietly connected beneath the surface
by a single code:
AS-3870.
Your reactions, theories, and interpretations genuinely shape the path ahead.