13 years ago, on a rainy night.
When Jin Ha-yul returned home, his world had completely changed. Police cars and flashing red lights, three forms covered with white sheets. His mother, father, and younger sister.
Ha-yul stood frozen. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Jin Ha-yul, right?"
It was Do Yun-seok. He wasn't yet the National Emotion Center Director.
"I'm sorry about what happened to your family. But... I have a proposal for you."
Do Yun-seok held a silver device in his hand. It emitted a bright light, and Ha-yul's consciousness sank into darkness.
For justice, emotions are unnecessary.
Those were Do Yun-seok's last words that Ha-yul heard. From that day on, he could no longer feel any emotions.
Ha-yul opened his eyes. The memory faded.
He stood by the window of his apartment. After what happened in last night's Emotion Court, he was officially on temporary leave. The pretext was "health reasons," but Ha-yul knew it was actually for surveillance.
The doorbell rang. When Ha-yul opened the door, Si-on was standing there.
"Come in," Ha-yul said.
Si-on looked more tense than usual. Her emotions were different too. Instead of the earthy warmth that always surrounded her, today a fog-like emotion of mixed gray and red swirled around her. Sometimes it condensed like solid chains.
"Jin Ha-yul, I'm glad you're safe," Si-on said with relief. "It's not safe here either. The Emotion Center is using all means to track us."
"How did you escape their surveillance?"
Si-on gave a bitter smile. "I've been in their system from the beginning. I know how they monitor, and how to avoid it."
Ha-yul observed Si-on's emotions. "Si-on, the emotions around you have changed. I've never seen this pattern before."
"This is the emotion of the hidden layer. The deepest emotional layer beyond the surface layer, relationship layer, and deep layer. It's where the most fundamental emotions are buried."
"We need to move to a safe place," Si-on said. "I have somewhere to take you."
A black car drove toward the outskirts of Seoul.
"How does the emotion of resistance... manifest?" Ha-yul asked.
"Usually like fog mixed with gray and red. When will strengthens, it takes form like solid chains," Si-on explained. "Someday you'll feel such emotions too."
"I have no emotions."
"They're not gone, just suppressed. That's what Project Afterlife did to you. 13 years ago, they suppressed your emotions. And instead, implanted the ability to see others' emotions."
"Where are we going?"
"Eclipse headquarters," Si-on answered. "Where people who are investigating the truth behind the Emotion Court gather."
A building that looked like an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Seoul. But inside, it was equipped with cutting-edge equipment and computer systems.
"This is Eclipse," Si-on guided Ha-yul. "People who came together after learning the dangers of emotion manipulation technology."
A middle-aged man approached. "Si-on, you finally brought him."
"Yes, Professor Park. This is Jin Ha-yul," Si-on said. "This is Professor Park Jae-hoon, founder of Eclipse and originally a developer of Project Afterlife."
Ha-yul saw that around Professor Park too swirled fog-like emotions of gray and red, condensed in the form of solid chains.
"Jin Ha-yul, you are their most successful experimental subject, and simultaneously their greatest failure," Professor Park said.
"What do you mean?"
"They tried to completely remove emotions and instead implant the ability to read others' emotions. That succeeded. But what they didn't anticipate..." Professor Park paused. "Was that you would use that ability to search for the truth."
Si-on explained, "Project Afterlife's original purpose was treatment. It was meant to temporarily suppress emotions in people suffering from severe trauma. But after Do Yun-seok took over the project, the purpose changed to control."
Ha-yul looked at the timeline on the wall. Professor Hong's murder, Professor Park's suicide, Head Nurse Jung's disappearance... and even the Jin family murder case.
"Were all these incidents connected?"
"Yes," Si-on answered. "They eliminated obstacles to complete their system."
"Then LUX is..."
"LUX is at the center of all this," Professor Park said. "Not just a simple AI, but the core of the emotion manipulation system."
Ha-yul examined his hands. "Then... is my ability also connected to LUX?"
Si-on carefully said, "That's right. Your emotion tracking ability is based on LUX's algorithm. You could be called the human version of LUX."
A cold sensation ran down Ha-yul's spine. "I'm... the same as LUX?"
"Based on the same technology, but a completely different being," Si-on said firmly. "LUX is just a machine, but you are human. Even with suppressed emotions, you're still human."
"What can we do?" Ha-yul asked.
"First, we need to awaken your hidden layer emotions," Professor Park said. "For that, we need to deactivate the emotion suppression protocol."
"How?"
"By facing the truth," Si-on took Ha-yul's hand. "We need to find out what really happened to your family, who killed them... that truth."
Ha-yul felt the warmth transmitted from Si-on's hand.
"Are you ready to begin... Ha-yul?"
Si-on called Ha-yul without the honorific for the first time. At that moment, something deep inside Ha-yul moved subtly.
"I'm ready, Si-on."
Professor Park turned on a large screen. "First, I want to show you this."
What appeared on the screen was CCTV footage from the Jin family murder scene 13 years ago.
"This footage has been thoroughly concealed by the National Emotion Center."
In the video, a black car stopped in front of Ha-yul's house. And the person who got out of the car was...
"Director Do Yun-seok," Ha-yul's voice resonated lowly.
"He entered your house at 7:32 PM. And left at 8:17 PM. The time your family was found..."
"8:30 PM," Ha-yul finished.
Silence fell. No emotion showed in Ha-yul's eyes, but the air around him vibrated subtly. And at that moment, for the first time, a faint fog-like substance began to form around Ha-yul too. A very dim but definitely existing emotion of mixed gray and red.
Resistance in the hidden layer was awakening.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded.
"Intruders!" someone shouted.
Si-on checked the computer screen. "National Emotion Center special forces. They've found us!"
"LUX must have detected your emotional change," Professor Park said. "We need to evacuate quickly."
The entire building began to shake. Explosion sounds were heard.
"This way!" Si-on grabbed Ha-yul's hand and headed for the emergency exit.
People were busily gathering documents and dismantling equipment. Ha-yul followed Si-on into a dark passage.
"Si-on, the truth you mentioned..." Ha-yul asked, catching his breath.
"Yes, Do Yun-seok killed your family. To create the perfect subject for Project Afterlife."
Suddenly, a strong light shone from the end of the passage. A cold blue-white light. LUX.
"Emotion Tracker Jin Ha-yul, you can no longer escape," LUX's voice echoed.
Si-on stood protectively in front of Ha-yul. "Ha-yul, listen to me. Your emotions still exist within you. And those emotions will save you."
LUX's light came closer.
"How?" Ha-yul asked.
"Remember your real feelings for your family. Your love for them, and your anger toward Do Yun-seok... Those emotions are in your hidden layer."
Ha-yul closed his eyes. The memory of that day 13 years ago came back vividly. The moment he expected to have dinner with his family after returning from school. And the terrible sight he faced in front of his house.
The gray and red fog around him began to form more densely. The fog slowly began to transform into the shape of chains.
LUX's light filled the passage.
"Jin Ha-yul, you are the property of Project Afterlife. Resistance is futile."
Ha-yul opened his eyes. For the first time in 13 years, emotion dwelled in his eyes. A faint but certain light of will.
"I am no one's property."
A blue light rose from Ha-yul's hand. It was similar to LUX's light yet completely different. Warmer, more human.
And when the two lights collided, the entire passage was engulfed in bright light.
→ [To be continued in Episode 11]
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