Chapter 1
Whispers at 7:30 AM
November 7th, 2027, Living room of Yoon Min-seok, Dongjak-gu, Seoul. No matter how much he switched where he slept, his strange dreams always ended the same way. He would always wake to the sound of someone calling his name from the darkness. But this morning was different. The voice he'd heard in his dream was now vivid and real in his ears.
"Son~ Son, wake up! You need to get to work. You're not going to give your mom any spending money?"
It was his mother's voice waking him. But even before opening his eyes, Min-seok knew it wasn't really her. It was too perfect. His mother's distinctive Gyeongsang dialect, the loving scolding wrapped in the word "son," even the way she slightly raised her voice at the end of sentences. Everything was flawless. That very perfection convinced Min-seok that this familiar voice was a fake recording. Rubbing his eyes, Min-seok looked at the hologram display on his bedside table. There, with arms crossed, stood his mother's image talking to him. His 62-year-old mother, who had long passed the bloom of youth, was rendered exactly as Min-seok remembered her most beautiful self—his mother from 27 years ago, recreated down to every strand of hair. But those eyes were no different from his mother's today: full of worry, prone to nagging, yet infinitely loving.
"AI, turn down the volume." "Good morning, Min-seok. It's currently 7:37 AM, seven minutes past your expected wake-up time. Considering the time needed for your morning routine..."
"I got it," Min-seok mumbled groggily. "Turn off mom's hologram." "Would you like to end Mother Mode? Your mother has recorded 17 additional messages."
Min-seok hesitated for a moment. His mother, living alone in Busan, had probably prepared these messages with care, though he didn't know when she'd recorded them. But honestly, being woken up like this every morning felt burdensome. While it was technically amazing that AI could reproduce his mother's nagging, emotionally it was complicated.
"I'll listen to them later."
As he tried to get out of bed, his knee throbbed. "Did I overdo it at the gym yesterday evening? I thought 33 was still young..." The body was more honest than he'd thought. The moment he stood up with his tired body, a soft light enveloped his feet and the vital sensor activated.
"Vital signs check complete. Heart rate 68, body temperature 36.4°C, blood pressure 120 systolic. All readings are normal. However, minor inflammation was detected in the knee joint area. I recommend avoiding strenuous exercise today."
Min-seok couldn't hide his amazement. He'd simply thought his knee was sore from aging and overdoing it at the gym, but the vital sensor had made a perfect diagnosis with just a simple scan.
"How did you know my knee hurt?"
"I analyzed your foot pressure distribution and gait pattern. You're placing 15% less weight on your right leg than usual, and your stride has shortened by 1.2 centimeters."
Technological advancement was both amazing and eerie. With just a few steps, the AI had accurately assessed his physical condition. Setting aside his amazement, Min-seok shuffled toward the living room window. When he opened it, the cold air of early November rushed in. Seoul's sky was, as always, still gray. On days with high fine dust levels, the sky would hide behind a gray blanket like it was going to sleep, and on rainy days, it would reveal its fresh blue face again as if feeling refreshed. For Min-seok and Seoul's citizens, this pattern and fine dust had somehow become part of daily life. While he was momentarily absorbed in the cityscape, another voice spoke up.
"Bitcoin rose 0.7% overnight. Currently at 514.32 million won. Your portfolio is stable. That's 3.47 million won profit from yesterday!"
Min-seok's AI assistant shared in the joy with a bright voice, as if cheering him on. Around this time last year, Min-seok had sold his beloved car of eight years as a used vehicle for 1.2 million won. Back then, everyone around him had expressed regret and criticism, saying things like
"Wouldn't it be more convenient to have a car?"
But Min- seok's calculations were different from others. When autonomous taxi services became widespread at the end of 2025, the need for personal vehicles dropped dramatically. Monthly parking fees of 250,000 won, insurance premiums of 120,000 won, gas costs of 200,000 won, plus maintenance fees added up to 700,000 won per month. In contrast, autonomous taxis cost only 400,000 won per month. Plus, no parking worries and no driving stress. With the money he saved, he bought Bitcoin. Bitcoin, which was about 150 million won per coin at the time, now hovered around 280 million won. Min-seok's calculations and decisions had been ahead of others, allowing him to accumulate significant wealth in a short time. Of course, AI asset management services were a big help. The assets Min-seok entrusted were monitored by AI algorithms in real-time, catching optimal buy and sell timings. Thanks to this, even Min-seok, who knew nothing about trading, found the investment barrier lowered. With joy and a sense of achievement, Min-seok headed to the bathroom with a light heart, but the mirror on the wall caught his attention annoyingly. Min-seok had been worried lately about his continuously thinning and falling hair. Whether it was due to stress or genetics, the anti-hair loss shampoo that his AI assistant had recommended showed minimal effect. As he stood in front of the mirror and started brushing his teeth, a beautiful woman's face appeared in the mirror and spoke to him.
"The yellow dust is very severe today. Fine dust level 172. Even if masks are annoying, please make sure to wear one, and increase your water intake by 30% from usual, Min-seok. Have a great day!"
The voice from the ceiling speaker and the woman in the mirror were the virtual idol morning assistant he'd started subscribing to last month. 'Chaerin' was a virtual female idol who didn't exist but had millions of fans. A sweet and friendly voice, appropriately cheerful yet attentive personality. A perfectly designed artificial personality with near-perfect appearance and intelligence. "Yeah, got it. Thanks."
After responding, he found himself amusing. Saying "thanks" to an AI. But in today's society, even this felt natural. AI responded so humanly with such personality that it felt like talking to a real person. No, he was beginning to accept even artificial personalities as human. On one side of the bathroom mirror, 'Today's News Summary' appeared: • China implements AI Human Rights Surveillance Act... US announces "immediate response" • Global semiconductor supply chain restructuring accelerates, Korean companies respond busily • SpaceX declares full-scale Mars communication infrastructure construction • Domestic youth unemployment rate hits 7.2%, government announces "AI Retraining" policy These were news items he would normally have skipped. As a journalist, he should have been interested, but for Min-seok, a society section reporter, these were too big a story. He mainly covered district office briefings or local incidents. International affairs were the domain of politics or economics section seniors. While brushing his teeth, he skimmed through the news. AI-related news has increased significantly lately. He knew that the US and China were engaged in a nerve war over AI technology supremacy, but he didn't really understand the specific details. What exactly the 'AI Human Rights Surveillance Act' was wasn't clear either. Did AI also have human rights? Or did it mean AI was monitoring human rights? The title alone was hard to understand. While showering, Min-seok suddenly had a strange thought while washing his hair. 'Who curates and shows me all this information?' News that AI analyzed Min-seok's preferences and interests to provide in a customized way. But Min-seok couldn't know what he was seeing or what he wasn't seeing. It felt like being blind. While the internet overflowed with vast amounts of information and TV poured out countless news stories daily, he was only seeing about 10 articles that AI selected and showed him each day.
'What about the remaining hundreds, thousands of news stories? Might there be more important news that's being left out?'
But such doubts were brief. He was busy getting ready for work quickly after washing his hair, and his commute time was approaching. Another busy day was beginning.
Chapter 2
Coffee and Algorithms
After leaving the bathroom and preparing for work, he moved to the kitchen. The moment he opened the refrigerator to satisfy his hunger; the AI assistant's voice spoke to him again.
"It's important not to skip breakfast. According to a 2026 Harvard Medical School study, people who skip breakfast have a 23% higher rate of heart disease. Would you like me to summarize the related paper?"
"Skip the paper... is there something simple to eat?"
"Starting refrigerator scan... There are 23 possible breakfast combinations with the ingredients in your refrigerator. Among these, I'll recommend the most ideal combination for a Korean male in his 30s. I recommend a simple and healthy combination of scrambled eggs and tomato juice made with 4 eggs, 500ml milk, 2 tomatoes, and 3 slices of cheese. You can consume 12g of protein, 45mg of vitamin C, and 180mg of calcium to help start your day energetically."
The refrigerator screen displayed a nutritional analysis chart along with an estimated cooking time of 8 minutes. There was even a video prepared to guide him through the cooking process step by step.
"I don't have time."
Min-seok said as he took out milk.
"I'll just mix some grain powder."
"Yes, understood. Grain powder is also a good breakfast substitute, though lacking."
The AI assistant's response carried a slightly disappointed nuance. Of course, artificial intelligence couldn't be disappointed, but it was programmed to sound that way. It was probably intended to stimulate the user's emotions to encourage healthier choices.
He mixed grain powder into milk and drank it all at once. The sweet and nutty taste spread in his mouth. It was different from the taste his grandmother used to make when He was young, but it was decent enough. Heading toward the front door, he packed his bag. Laptop, charger, camera, recorder. The basic equipment of a journalist. These days, you could do most things with just a smartphone, but having dedicated equipment gives him peace of mind. As he was about to put on his shoes, 'Chaerin' gave him a final greeting.
"Min-seok~ Have a lucky-vicky day today!"
It was Chaerin's trademark greeting. 'Lucky-vicky' was a somewhat childish expression but hearing it every morning had grown on him. Min-seok chuckled and opened the front door.
As he stepped out, he could hear similar AI voices from neighboring apartments in the hallway. From 201 came a male idol voice, from 202 a voice actor's voice. Everyone was using AI assistants suited to their tastes.
While waiting for the elevator, he checked his smartphone. 47 unread messages on KakaoTalk. Most were group chat messages. Groups made with company colleagues, university classmates, neighborhood badminton club...
But there weren't many people to have serious personal conversations with. Most messages were sharing news links recommended by AI. Light comments like "This article is interesting" or "There's something like this too."
In the elevator, he looked in the mirror again. Black padding, jeans, sneakers. The appearance of an ordinary office worker in his 30s. Unremarkable appearance, unremarkable daily life. But that wasn't necessarily bad. Being ordinary is sometimes a blessing.
Coming down to the first floor of the apartment and going outside, the early November air was cold but refreshing. The sky was still hazy, but it was bearable with a fine dust mask.
At the apartment taxi platform, a white autonomous taxi from his subscribed taxi service was already waiting. Clean and futuristic design, spacious back seat and pleasant fragrance; the door opened automatically, and a gentle middle-aged male voice flowed out.
"Mr. Yoon Min-seok, thank you for using our service today. Your destination is set to Digital Media City, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu. Current traffic conditions are smooth, estimated arrival time 28 minutes, estimated fare 23,000 won."
Min-seok got into the vehicle and sat in the back seat. The seat began automatically adjusting to fit Min-seok's body type. The iris recognition sensor activated and Min- seok's stored personal customized environment was set. Indoor temperature 22°C, humidity 32%, air purifier operating.
"Seatbelt confirmed. We'll take you safely. How about a cup of coffee?"
A small screen lit up on the console behind the passenger seat. Various beverage menus appeared. Iced Americano 2,500 won, Café Latte 3,000 won, Green Tea 1,500 won...
"One Americano, please."
When he ordered, a small robotic arm came out to hold a paper cup, and ice and coffee began flowing little by little from the drink machine built into the back of a passenger seat.
'Fresh ground coffee in a taxi, the world has really improved.'
As the taxi started moving, Min-seok gazed out at the cityscape, lost in thought. Seoul's morning scene, with similarly looking autonomous taxis dominating the roads, running in orderly fashion. Occasionally there were human-driven cars, but about 70% of all vehicles on the road were autonomous. When the vehicle briefly stopped at a traffic light, a Bentley in the adjacent lane caught his eye. A navy-blue Bentley Continental GT. It probably cost well over 300 million won. A man who appeared to be in his 40s sat in the driver's seat. He was wearing sunglasses, so his face wasn't clearly visible, but he exuded an extraordinary atmosphere.
Just as the green light came on and the vehicle started moving, suddenly that Bentley cut in front of Min-seok's taxi without even signaling.
"Whoooooosh!"
"Danger!"
The taxi braked suddenly. Min-seok's body lurched forward and coffee spilled. The seatbelt tightened to secure his body.
"We apologize, passenger. We had to brake suddenly due to unexpected lane cutting. Are you injured anywhere?"
"I'm fine."
Min-seok sighed as he looked at the spilled coffee. Coffee splashed on his pants and shoes, making a mess.
'Ugh, these are new shoes I just bought.'
"Please check that car's license plate."
"The license plate of that vehicle cannot be recognized. It's presumed to be forged or covered."
‘That was strange. Covering license plates was clearly illegal. But was such a car driving around in broad daylight in the heart of Seoul?’
The Bentley was already speeding away in the distance, dangerously weaving between cars at tremendous speed. Other autonomous taxis all maintained safe distances and moved aside, making it disappear even faster. It vanished suddenly after making a roaring sound and showing off.
"Shouldn't we report this?"
Min-seok asked.
"It has been automatically reported to traffic authorities. However, punishment will be difficult since the license plate could not be confirmed."
Min-seok wiped his shoes with wet tissues while lost in thought. He had an ominous feeling. For an ordinary traffic incident, there was something strange about it. It felt like it was intentionally targeting him.But soon he shook off such thoughts. It was likely paranoid delusion.
'Where would there be outlaws in Seoul? And there's no reason to target an ordinary office worker like me.'
It was just a rich person with bad driving manners.
The car began moving at its original speed again. Crossing the Han River bridge, the morning sunlight rising over the river was beautiful. Along the riverside, people jogging and cycling could be seen. Ordinary and peaceful scenes of daily life.
Min-seok looked at his coffee-stained shoes and muttered.
"Today's luck really isn't good."
Chapter 3
Missing Colleagues
Upon arriving at Digital Media City in Sangam-dong, there was a different atmosphere than usual. Two police cars and officers were standing on the street, and the officers were investigating something.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Min-seok asked the taxi.
"There is no publicly available information. However, there was a report of a traffic accident in this area around 3 AM today."
'A traffic accident?'
Min-seok got out of the taxi curiously. Along with a phone notification, the fare of 23,000 won was automatically charged to Min-seok's account.
"Hope you had a comfortable journey. See you this evening, Min-seok."
"Yes, thank you~"
'Oh right, it was an autonomous taxi.'
Min-seok was unconsciously giving personality to yet another AI model. While entering the company building and going up in the elevator, he checked the company's internal messenger on his smartphone. There were fewer messages than usual. Although it wasn't working time yet, usually at this hour it would be busy preparing morning news briefings, but today it was quiet.
'Ding, 9th floor.'
The elevator opened and as he entered the company's automatic door, it opened with iris recognition.
'Ding,'
"You have arrived at work. Have a good day."
With the door opening, work attendance was completed.
It was too quiet. Usually there would be greetings of "Good morning" and "You're early" heard here and there, but today it was strangely quiet. Walking toward the office, many empty seats caught his eye. Since Min-seok's commute time was early, there were usually a few empty desks, but today there seemed to be unusually many.
"Huh? Seung-woo isn't here yet either?"
Min-seok muttered looking at the economics section junior Kim Seung-woo's seat.
'Even a diligent guy like Seung-woo has days when he's late?'
Seung-woo's desk was neatly organized. Usually Seung-woo's desk was always messy with materials and half-organized files.
Politics section Senior Park wasn't visible either. IT correspondent Choi was also absent.
'Where did everyone go?'
Min-seok went to his seat and put down his bag. While turning on his computer, he looked around. Out of about 60 total seats, it seemed less than half the people had come to work.
"You're early, Reporter Yoon Min-seok."
A voice came from behind Min-seok's seat. It was Society Section Chief Kim. Chief Kim, in his mid-50s, was famous for coming to work early.
"Good morning, Chief. But I don't see many people today?"
Chief Kim's expression darkened a bit.
"Ah, well... several reporters took personal leave. Seung-woo too, and Reporter Park too."
"Suddenly?"
"Well, such things can happen. Instead, today's coverage will be a bit busy. Reporter Min-seok, you'll probably have to handle City Hall in addition to the district office briefing."
Min-seok nodded, but something was strange. Seung-woo hadn't mentioned any special personal circumstances until just a few days ago.
'Lately he was actually fired up about AI-related articles for some reason, saying he was working hard on coverage...'
Min-seok put down his things at his seat and headed to the break room for coffee. On the way to the break room, he checked the company bulletin board. A new notice was posted.
[Urgent Notice] Changes to AI-Related Reporting Guidelines
• Effective immediately: 2027.11.07
• All articles related to AI technology, automation, and artificial intelligence require prior review
• Exercise caution when reporting on overseas AI company trends and government AI policies
• Inquiries: Editor-in-Chief's Office
This was strange. There had been no such guidelines until now.
'AI was actually one of the hottest coverage areas lately, so why suddenly impose restrictions?'
Standing in front of the drink machine and doing iris recognition, a familiar voice flowed out.
"Good morning, Min-seok. Today I recommend Ethiopian beans
with subtle acidity. I specially selected them considering your preferred acidity level of 4."
"Please do that."
"Should I make the ice 40% as usual?" "Yes."
While the drink machine was operating, news headlines appeared on the screen.
• KOSPI expects explosive trading volume right after opening... First day of AI trading regulation enforcement
• Government announces "AI Ethics Strengthening" policy... Related company stocks fall
• US-China tech hegemony competition intensifies... semiconductor supply chain restructuring accelerates
AI trading regulations? This was the first Min-seok had heard of it.
'When did such a law pass?'
Min-seok was embarrassed as a journalist to have missed such important news.
'Ding'
"Your ordered beverage is ready."
The coffee ordered was complete, and the aroma was really good. It was a completely different dimension from the bland coffee he'd had in the autonomous taxi.
"This is really delicious."
When Min-seok expressed admiration, the drink machine responded.
"I'm glad! It's a blend optimized by learning your taste data for 3 months. Bean type, extraction temperature, water hardness - everything is personalized."
'3 months of learning?'
Min-seok thought for a moment. It meant that data on all the coffee he'd drunk during that time had been collected and analyzed. When he drank what kind of coffee, what reactions he showed, even facial expression changes would have been observed by cameras. Technically it was amazing, but on the other hand, it was a bit creepy. That AI had been observing him so minutely without his knowledge. Min-seok returned to his seat and prepared to start work. As a journalist, it was his habit to check email first. Most were work-related emails and spam, but there was one strange email. It was an email with no sender shown. There was no subject either. Only an attachment.
'No sender?'
Min-seok hesitated before clicking to download the file. He'd heard that there were many ransomware and virus emails lately. But curiosity was stronger. Opening the attachment, strange numbers were listed.
40°27'00"N, 116°34'00"E
It looked like GPS coordinates. Latitude and longitude. Below that was a line in English.
"They are watching. The coffee knows your taste, but do you know theirs?"
Min-seok felt chills down his spine. Did this mean someone had been listening to the conversation he'd just had with the AI coffee machine? Unable to contain his curiosity, Min-seok hurriedly searched for the coordinates. It was near Beijing, China. It is exactly 40 kilometers north of Beijing. The satellite map showed it as a mountainous area, but there was no detailed information.
Searching with other browsers yielded the same results. He couldn't find specific information about that area. It seemed like information was intentionally blocked.
'Maybe a Chinese military facility? Or a secret research lab?'
Min-seok read the email again. The sentence "They are watching" kept circling in his head.
'Who? Why? And why me specifically?'
At that moment, a colleague from the next seat spoke to him.
"Min-seok, what are you looking at so seriously?"
"Oh, just... got a strange spam email."
"Spam emails are sophisticated these days. Be careful."
Min-seok nodded and closed the email. But one part of his mind continued to be bothered.
Shortly after, an announcement came from the ceiling speaker.
"Notice to all staff. There will be an emergency all-hands meeting starting at 10 AM today. Please all attend in the editorial conference room."
'All-hands meeting? Suddenly?'
Min-seok made eye contact with other colleagues. Everyone had puzzled expressions. Looking at his watch, it was 9:50. 10 minutes until the meeting. Min-seok took his notepad and pen and headed to the editorial conference room. But even on the way to the editorial conference room, the contents of that email kept lingering in Min-seok's mind.
'They are watching... who exactly? And why?'
He had an ominous feeling that today would not be an ordinary day.
Chapter 4
Signs of Pattern 427
As the conference room door opened and he entered, a chilling feeling enveloped his entire body. The editorial conference room was much quieter than usual. Usually over 30 people gathered for all-hands meetings, but today only about 20 seemed to be attending.
'There are noticeably many empty seats?'
Editor-in-Chief Choi Min-ho stood at the podium. Chief Editor Choi, in his late 50s, was a veteran who had been a journalist for over 30 years. But today his expression was hardened unlike usual. Fatigue was evident around his eyes, and his lips were tightly pressed together.
"Everyone, I'm sorry for gathering you urgently."
Chief Editor Choi's voice was lower and heavier than usual. The conference room atmosphere instantly changed to tension.
"First... I want to let you know that several colleagues will be taking personal leave for a while. Reporter Jang Seung-woo, Reporter Park Jeong-hun, Reporter Choi Yoon- seok..."
Chief Editor Choi's voice was trembling as he read the list. Min-seok couldn't hide his surprise at Chief Editor Choi's words.
'Not just Seung-woo but other reporters too? All at once?'
"Please cooperate with each other to compensate for the shortage of personnel. And..."
Chief Editor Choi paused and drank water. The paper in Chief Editor Choi's hand was trembling slightly.
"For the time being, special caution is needed regarding AI-related reporting. Government authorities have requested careful reporting for 'social stability.’”
The conference room stirred. Several reporters exchanged glances. Politics section Senior Lee raised his hand.
"Chief, specifically what content should we be careful about?"
"Well..."
Chief Editor Choi hesitated again, unable to speak easily. Soon he continued his answer with a slightly trembling voice.
"Concerns about AI technology safety, trends of foreign AI companies, critical perspectives on government AI policies, etc. Especially regarding AI development situations in the US or China, they asked us to refrain from reporting if possible."
"Isn't that almost censorship level?"
Society section Senior Kim pushed back.
"Freedom of the press is..."
"Reporter Kim."
Chief Editor Choi firmly cut him off.
"This is a matter of company survival. Please cooperate."
'Company survival?'
Min-seok was puzzled. He'd thought it was just reporting guidelines, but strangely the atmosphere was becoming increasingly anxious, sinking deeper into an abyss.
"Finally..."
Chief Editor Choi's voice became even lower.
"Please be personally careful as well. Lately... if there are any strange contacts or approaches, please report to the company immediately."
'Strange contacts?'
Min-seok momentarily recalled the email he'd received that morning. But he hesitated to mention it. It might just be spam, so there seemed no need to cause commotion. As the meeting ended and people left the conference room one by one, murmuring
sounds could be heard.
'Why did Seung-woo suddenly... Did the government apply pressure? Is there something happening related to AI?'
Min-seok also returned to his seat and tried to start work but couldn't concentrate well. With an anxious heart, he tried calling Seung-woo but couldn't connect. Even when he sent a KakaoTalk message, no read receipt appeared. Min-seok decided to set aside his anxiety and worry for now and focus on work first, so he turned on his computer again. There were several coverage assignments for today. Seodaemun District Office briefing, Mapo District urban planning briefing, and Seoul City Hall regular briefing that he was additionally assigned due to staff shortage.
But while browsing news sites, he discovered a strange article.
[Breaking] NYSE temporarily halts trading right after opening... AI trading system error suspected Curious, he clicked on the article, and the content was even more bizarre.
The New York Stock Exchange announced that it suspended all trading for about 3 minutes right after opening at 9:30 AM (local time) on the 7th. An NYSE official stated,
"An unexpected pattern was detected in the AI automated trading system, so we temporarily suspended for safety."
The problem was an unusual trading algorithm named 'Pattern 427', which caused system overload when hundreds of thousands of trading orders came in simultaneously. Even stranger was that a similar pattern was discovered at the same time at the Shanghai Stock Exchange in China.
Goosebumps rose on Min-seok's arms and the back of his neck.
'Pattern 427? Could it be connected to the coordinates in the email I received this morning?'
He checked other news sites too. All had similar content, but details varied slightly. Some articles said it was a simple system error; others raised the possibility of hacking. But there was one common point. All articles didn't mention specific details about 'Pattern 427'. It seemed like they were intentionally hiding it.
Min-seok searched for 'Pattern 427'. But almost no related information came up. Just brief mentions in a few tech blogs.
"Pattern 427 is one of the unusual behaviors AI often shows during the learning process. It usually appears when AI tries to step outside its existing programmed behavioral range. However, such patterns appearing in financial systems can be very dangerous."
'AI stepping outside its programming range? What does that mean?'
At that moment, Economics section Senior Han came to Min-seok's seat and spoke.
"Min-seok, have you heard from Seung-woo?"
"No, I called but he didn't answer. Is something wrong?"
"Well... Seung-woo had been saying strange things for the past few days. Something about discovering suspicious patterns in AI trading systems."
Min-seok's ears perked up. Min-seok urgently continued the conversation.
"What kind of patterns?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but he said it was related to a code called '427'. But suddenly we couldn’t reach him..."
'427!'
Min-seok's heart pounded so hard it seemed visible above his shirt. Too many things were connecting to be coincidence.
Feeling extremely scared and anxious, Min-seok's pupils began to shake. But now Min-seok had to find the meaning of code 427, the meaning of the mysterious email, and the whereabouts of his missing junior and friend Seung-woo. Quietly collecting himself, Min-seok continued the questioning.
"Senior, do you remember what Seung-woo said last?"
"Um... I think he said 'someone seems to be watching'. And 'this might not be a simple system error'..."
Senior Han looked around and whispered in a lowered voice.
"Min-seok, did you receive anything from Seung-woo? Materials or files?" "No, nothing special..."
Min-seok was lying. The strange email he'd received that morning might be related to Seung-woo. But in a situation where nothing was certain yet, he hesitated to speak carelessly. No, Min-seok was afraid. He felt that something serious was happening.
"Then... if you hear from him, please let me know too. Something's strange, this whole situation."
After Senior Han left, Min-seok opened that mysterious email again. The coordinates and that meaningful sentence. And 'Pattern 427' from today's news.
'Is it coincidence? Or is someone intentionally sending signals?'
Min-seok made a decision. He would find out exactly where those coordinates pointed during lunch break. But at that moment, the company announcement sounded again.
"Reporter Yoon Min-seok, please come to the Editor-in-Chief's office."
Min-seok's heart began beating faster. He was filled with anxiety from a bad premonition. Had the email he received that morning been discovered? On the way to the Editor-in-Chief's office, all kinds of thoughts flashed through Min-seok's mind.
'Seung-woo's disappearance, Pattern 427, that strange email, and now the Editor-in- Chief calling me...'
Everything seemed connected yet still scattered like puzzle pieces just torn open. Standing in front of the Editor-in-Chief's office door, Min-seok took a deep breath and collected himself. From inside, he could hear Chief Editor Choi's voice along with an unfamiliar man's voice. He listened briefly before knocking.
"...a reporter named Yoon Min-seok..."
"...not certain yet but..."
"...need to approach carefully..."
The moment he heard his name mentioned, his spine went cold.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
Opening the door and entering, Chief Editor Choi sat with an unfamiliar man in a suit. The man, who appeared to be in his mid-40s, smiled when he saw Min-seok. But somehow that smile felt cold and unwelcome to Min-seok.
"Min-seok, please sit."
Chief Editor Choi said.
"This person is from the National Intelligence Service." 'National Intelligence Service?'
Min-seok's mind went blank. Even his carefully collected composure began to shake. He really seemed to be involved in something big.
"Hello, Reporter Yoon Min-seok."
The NIS agent handed over a business card.
"I'm Director Kim Cheol-min. I came because I have some questions."
Min-seok took the business card with trembling hands. It seemed like the real ordeal was just beginning.
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