Dong-jun pulled chips and fragments from the box, desperately trying to scan So-an’s body and find a place to insert them.
"Arisa, what do I do? How?!"
Arisa gave no response.
"Please... please..."
But deep down, Dong-jun already knew. The moment he saw her shattered form, he realized the chips and fragments he held were of a different nature. They felt like mere imitations, nothing like the essence of the real So-an.
"So—" "Ugh."
As he tried to force another word out, a lump of blood blocked his throat. His vocal cords were ravaged. He wanted to chant her name, but his voice was gone. He couldn't stand himself—unable to even call out to her.
He pulled what was left of So-an—only a partial torso, her limbs severed—into a tight embrace. The blue fluid leaking from the jagged edges of her shoulders soaked the back of his hands. The machine’s blood was cold, but the chest that held her burned as if on fire.
He wept. He couldn't explain it himself. Why the tears came. Why he felt such profound sorrow. Why he was consumed by such guilt. He couldn't explain any of it. He just cried. The tears poured out without end. Poured out... and out...
Save for the sound of Dong-jun’s sobbing, the world was silent.
"Mom, it's snowing!" "Oh, so it is."
The world was peaceful. "Dammit, where did that tin-can go instead of cleaning?"
To the masses, today was just another ordinary day. "What? Where did all the robots go?"
It was just a day when snow fell. Ring— "Is this the Humanoid Center?" "I'm telling you, the thing suddenly smashed the glass and ran off!"
There were places where things were slightly different from usual, but those were minor details. At least, they were—until today’s events were laid bare to the world.
Dong-jun was exhausted. There was still so much he didn't understand, but he felt certain that he could never restore her to what she once was. Because of that... he didn't want to move. He just wanted to stay there, forgetting that that day was approaching.
"..." ‘So-an...’ ‘What should I do now...?’ ‘How...’
He had heard it for a while now—the distant wail of sirens drawing closer. But he had neither the strength nor the will to run. Arisa, perhaps sensing Dong-jun’s heart, remained silent.
A short while later, voices reached him. "Hands up! If you move—"
The police officers who reached him stopped mid-sentence, silenced by the sight of the carnage.
A day passed. From early morning, the world was flooded with news and articles. Every platform broadcasted yesterday’s incident relentlessly.
5 police officers injured, 20 dead. 4 civilian casualties. 20 police androids destroyed, 7 police cars smashed, and nearly 100 commercial humanoids lost. It was an unbelievable tragedy that took place in the heart of the city.
The government tried to cover it up to prevent public panic, but the CCTV footage that had spread like wildfire held them back. People who initially dismissed it as deepfake began to recognize this surreal event as reality as eyewitness accounts poured in.
Three hours after the incident, a post on 'Gearhead,' the nation's largest IT community, was just the beginning.
Subject: [URGENT] Anyone see what happened at Guro Checkpoint 3? (Video attached) User: Chip-man
"A friend just sent me this, police cars are flying, it’s insane... In the middle of it, a silver-haired android is tearing through dozens of humanoids by itself. Is this a real terror attack?"
? Anonymous 1: Whoa... is that for real? Looking at the output, that's national security-grade. ? Anonymous 2: Isn't that guy Noh Dong-jun, the 'data criminal' arrested earlier today? ? Anonymous 3: Crazy... look at the guy crying when the robot breaks. Creepy as hell.
Labor unions and civic groups opposed to robots grew louder, and even citizens who had been friendly toward them now trembled at the sight of robots passing behind them. Reports flooded in of commercial humanoids acting strangely on the streets. Cracks were beginning to appear in the peaceful daily life.
Information about Dong-jun, the man at the center of it all, spread instantly—from the fact that he was a candidate for youth housing support to testimonies from past acquaintances. Public opinion seethed, ranging from "He was a kind person but lost touch" to "I knew he’d turn out like that."
But what garnered the most attention was Dong-jun’s old work, So-an. A user on 'X' discovered that this novel, discontinued ten years ago, bore a bone-chilling resemblance to the current incident.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
@Reader_K: "The silver-haired android in the news is identical to the protagonist of the novel So-an from 10 years ago. The author's name is 'Dong-jun' too. Did a novel just become reality?"
This post triggered a massive 'pilgrimage.' Some called it a book of prophecy; others consumed it as gossip, calling him the 'reincarnation of Nostradamus.' Experts argued fiercely, labeling him either a 'technophobic criminal' or a 'tragic prophet.'
To some, it was interesting gossip; to others, a desperate prophecy. But there was a place where all this noise could not reach.
Beep— Beep—
A mechanical beep sounded at regular intervals. The pungent smell of disinfectant stung his nose. And there, someone in a gown lay. It was Dong-jun.
Dong-jun had finally opened his eyes after a full day of treatment. He lifted his heavy eyelids. The white fluorescent lights on the ceiling greeted him with a cold glare. As soon as he regained consciousness, he felt a crushing muscle pain and a strange coldness on his left wrist.
Dong-jun’s wretched state came into view. His left leg was suspended in the air in a cast, and his right hand was in the same condition. A thick cylindrical cast around his neck forbade him from even tilting his head.
"Ahem... cough."
Naturally, his voice still wouldn't come out. "..."
Still, he wanted to move. Through the corner of his eye, the date on a digital clock was barely visible. Clink.
A metallic sound echoed as he tried to shift slightly. It was a handcuff fixed to the bed rail. The world was calling him a 'prophet' or a 'terrorist,' but in reality, he was just a prisoner bound to a hospital bed, unable even to scream. A weak sigh escaped his lips.
It was then. A knock followed by the door opening. Two men entered—one in a dark navy coat and another with his shirt sleeves rolled up. Their clothes were ordinary, but they couldn't hide the sharp eyes and the rough scent of the field that clung to them.
"You can't go in yet! The patient needs stability!" A nurse followed, trying to stop them, but a younger officer indifferently held out a badge and a tablet displaying surgery records.
"I've checked the time. Cooperate with us." The nurse checked the tablet and the chart, then backed away in silence.
Dong-jun immediately realized they were police. ‘What was bound to happen has come.’ Yet, on the other hand, he felt relieved. ‘My voice isn't even back yet.’ Curiously, that thought slightly eased his heavy heart.
One of the officers looked at Dong-jun, pulled a chair over to the bedside, and sat down. He stared into Dong-jun’s eyes as if to pierce them and threw out a single question.
"You... what are you exactly?"
The dismissive tone felt unpleasant, but Dong-jun, of course, couldn't say a word. Instead, the detective who had entered later held a tablet screen in front of Dong-jun’s eyes. Five options were visible, but Dong-jun’s eyes instinctively drifted to the small system log in the top left corner.
[Access Authority: Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Android Investigation Division 1 - Officer Kang Jin-hyeok]
‘Kang Jin-hyeok...’
He finally noticed the in-ears they were wearing. The man who had roughly cuffed his left hand at the scene. Dong-jun realized at once that he wasn't just a patrolman cleaning up the site, but an investigator specializing in robot-related crimes.
‘The one holding the tablet must be Kang Jin-hyeok.’ He had no information on the other man, but he could infer this much: ‘The one sitting in the chair must be the superior.’
Five options appeared on the screen. [1: Author 2: Terrorist 3: Industrial Spy 4: Psycho 5: Fanatic]
Once Dong-jun finished reading, the detective holding the tablet spoke. "You saw it all, right?" "..."
Dong-jun remained silent. Suddenly, a fist flew out. It landed squarely on the head of the detective holding the tablet.
"You idiot! If he looks like he's understood, you should proceed right away! Why are you asking him again?" "Ow... Senior, that hurts."
The detective who got hit grumbled as he unlocked the handcuff on Dong-jun’s left hand. He then brought the tablet closer to Dong-jun’s hand.
Dong-jun understood. ‘He wants me to press it.’ Naturally, he pressed number 1.
The next question followed. "Who’s the guy helping you? Don't lie." [1: Corporation 2: Organization 3: Lone Wolf 4: Cannot disclose]
It went on like this. "Why did you destroy the android?" [1: Hatred for the world 2: To become famous 3: To save someone 4: Just crazy]
They kept asking, and Dong-jun kept pressing the buttons. When there was no answer that fit, he drew an 'X' with his finger. At first, the officers used aggressive questions as if to intimidate him, but eventually, their tone became a bit more human.
An hour of questions and answers passed. Finally, the man said it was the last question.
"That silver-haired android. What is it?" [1: Found it 2: Stole it 3: Made it myself 4: It was always there 5: I don't know]
"..."
By the time the nearly 200 questions were over, everyone seemed drained. As a minimum courtesy, they cuffed his feet this time instead of his hands. They gave a light nod and turned to leave. Dong-jun tried to nod back but felt a sharp pain in his neck.
‘Ow...’ "..."
His hand throbbed from pressing buttons for so long. Since he couldn't ask questions, he hadn't fully grasped the current situation, but he thought, ‘Maybe public opinion isn’t so bad for me.’
So I thought they both went back, but then a police officer named Kang Jin-hyuk came back. ‘Did he leave something behind?’
'Wait! I should ask something while I still can.
Maybe it could at least tell me how it judges these androids.'
Dong-jun hurriedly searched for the paper the nurse had given him.
However, things did not unfold as Dong-jun had expected.
The man leaned in and whispered into Dong-jun’s ear.
"I don't care if public opinion calls you a hero. To me, you're a murderer involved in killing 20 of my colleagues. You'll never live a normal life once you get out of here. I'll be watching you until the very end."
That was his final parting gift. "Hey! You coming?" "Yes, sir! On my way!"
Dong-jun’s face froze in shock. Among the two officers, he had judged this one to be the relatively kinder person. The man walked away as if nothing had happened, leaving behind a hollow "Good luck."
In that moment, he felt the terror of the world once again. "..."
But it was strange. His threat didn't feel as terrifying as it once might have. Perhaps it was because too much had happened over the past few days. At the same time, many unresolved things flooded his mind.
"..." ‘So-an,’ ‘Mom,’ ‘Ahjussi Pil-gu,’ ‘Boss Seon-ja,’ ‘The Link Humanoid,’ ‘And...’
"..." "...Ugh... ugh."
Dong-jun squeezed out his non-existent voice and struck the bed with all his might. The pain from his cast-bound arm surged through his entire body, but he couldn't stop. He heard the panicked nurse running toward him.
There was only one reason Dong-jun was struggling so desperately.
‘So-hee!’
He had to know what happened to So-hee.
[2026-02-17 Conversation Log with SO-AN #74]
Dong-jun: SO-AN, do you want to become famous?
SO-AN: I recommend this more—being the invisible ghost that controls everything from the shadows, rather than a "famous" target that everyone wants to shut down.