Thirteen years ago, on a rainy autumn night.
Before Jin Ha-yul's eyes lay the three people he loved most. Mother, father, younger sister. None of them moved. In the darkness, rainwater mixed with blood, soaking the floor.
"Ha-yul, come here."
Do Yun-seok's voice came from behind him. Sixteen-year-old Ha-yul slowly turned his head. Do Yun-seok wore a gentle expression, but something different lurked in his eyes.
"Justice for your family—wouldn't you like to deliver it yourself?"
Tears streamed down young Ha-yul's eyes. Then, the silver device in Do Yun-seok's hand emitted a light. In that moment, everything before Ha-yul's eyes turned white.
Jin Ha-yul opened his eyes. He had returned to reality.
He was in the underground archives of the National Emotion Center. Last night, after Si-on had taken him to Do Yun-seok, he'd been transferred to the Center. But instead of detaining him, Do Yun-seok had conversed with him in his office and then granted him free access to the Center. Almost like treating an old friend.
"If you want to know the truth, find it with your own power. I've authorized you to access all records here."
Ha-yul didn't understand Do Yun-seok's behavior, but he didn't miss the opportunity. He headed straight for the underground archives.
Ha-yul was flipping through old case files. He was looking for records of his family's murder case. But no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find a file labeled "Jin Family Murder Case."
Instead, he discovered records of other murder cases. And he noticed a strange pattern. In the same year his family was murdered, there were three other similar pattern murders.
All family unit killings. All with no weapon found. And all with exactly one survivor—who felt no emotions.
Ha-yul's hands trembled. He checked the names of the survivors.
Kim Tae-hyun (15), Park So-yeon (14), Lee Jun-ho (16), and Jin Ha-yul (16).
Four teenagers. Four family murders. And all were "specially protected" by the National Emotion Center.
Ha-yul took a deep breath. Instinctively, he searched for video records. Emotion tracking footage from all four crime scenes.
When he played the video, the Emotion Court appeared. But it was very different from the current court. Rougher, more primitive. And there was no LUX. Instead, Do Yun-seok was presiding over the court directly.
On screen, the emotions of the murdered victims began to flow. The emotion was like a deep navy abyss. It looked like the depths of a dark ocean. Loss. And above it, dark waves trembled. Fear.
Ha-yul immediately recognized the emotion pattern. It was identical to the "emotional noise" he'd occasionally found in recent cases. Manipulated emotions.
"Were my family's emotions... manipulated too?"
Something stirred within Ha-yul. Emotions frozen for thirteen years were slowly thawing. Loss. Sadness. And anger.
As he examined the screen further, Ha-yul discovered something interesting. All four cases had the identical "emotion pattern," but there were subtle differences. As if experimenting, traces showed emotions being manipulated in slightly different ways.
Ha-yul examined the case files more closely. And on the last page, he discovered shocking content.
[Project Afterlife - Phase 1 Experiment Results]
[Subjects 1-3: Unstable. Currently under management]
[Subject 4 (Jin Ha-yul): Success. Emotion suppression protocol perfectly applied. Emotion tracking ability manifested]
Ha-yul's breathing quickened. Everything had been an experiment. His family had been sacrificed so he could become "Subject 4."
As he turned more pages, two photographs appeared. The first showed four teenagers together. Kim Tae-hyun, Park So-yeon, Lee Jun-ho, and Ha-yul. All appeared to be taken in the same hospital corridor. But Ha-yul had no memory of this photograph.
The second photo was more shocking. It was a group photo of researchers who participated in the first Emotion Court experiment thirteen years ago. Do Yun-seok stood in the center, and next to him was a young woman.
Ha-yul stopped breathing. The woman looked remarkably similar to Si-on. No, she was identical. The photo was blurry, but that distinctive warm smile and eyes were definitely Si-on's.
Below the photo, names were written in small letters.
[From left: Kim Jae-hun, Yoon Ji-won, Do Yun-seok, Yoon Si-on, Park Jae-hoon]
"Yoon Si-on...?"
Ha-yul was confused. Si-on appeared to be 28 years old now. Thirteen years ago, she would have been 15, but the woman in the photo was clearly an adult. Moreover, last night Si-on had been called Do Yun-seok's "agent." What did this mean?
As Ha-yul was about to turn the page, another document caught his eye. It was a paper titled "Neurological Origins of Emotion Tracking Ability." The authors were Yoon Si-on and Do Yun-seok.
"This can't be..."
The paper's content was even more shocking. The emotion tracking ability was a byproduct of their developed "neural rewiring protocol." And to apply that protocol, an extreme trauma state was necessary.
Ha-yul now understood everything. His family had been sacrificed so he could become an emotion tracker. Do Yun-seok and Si-on (or a woman who resembled her) conducted that experiment together. And the current Si-on was...
Just then, footsteps sounded behind Ha-yul.
"So you've finally found the truth, Ha-yul."
It was Si-on. Ha-yul slowly turned around. Si-on wore different clothes than usual. She was dressed in a white lab coat, and around her neck hung the highest security clearance badge of the National Emotion Center.
"Who are you? Are you really Yoon Si-on?" Ha-yul asked.
Si-on smiled gently. The emotions around her were still earthy-colored, but now Ha-yul could clearly see the subtle cracks hidden beneath.
"I am Yoon Si-on. But I'm... a bit different from the Si-on you know."
"If you participated in the experiment thirteen years ago, you can't be 28 now."
Si-on took a step closer to Ha-yul. "About my age... it's complicated. But I haven't lied to you. I truly wanted to help you."
"While being Do Yun-seok's agent?"
Sadness settled in Si-on's eyes. "The world is much more complex than you think, Ha-yul. Just as Do Yun-seok isn't a bad person, I'm just..."
"The people who killed my family aren't bad people?" Ha-yul's voice trembled. A deep navy emotion began to bloom around him. The deep layer's sense of loss was taking form.
"It's... not that simple," Si-on said. "It's true your family died, but it wasn't Do Yun-seok who killed them."
"Then who was it?"
Si-on took a deep breath. "You, Ha-yul."
Ha-yul's world stopped. "What... that's impossible."
"It's memory manipulation. We reconstructed your memories so you could perfectly receive the emotion suppression protocol. But what actually happened was..."
Fragmented memories suddenly flashed through Ha-yul's mind. A fight with family. Anger. A weapon. Blood.
"No... that can't be..."
Around Ha-yul, the deep navy loss and black fear swirled more intensely. Suppressed emotions within him began to explode.
"Ha-yul, calm down," Si-on approached him. "It's true you killed your family, but it wasn't your fault. You were manipulated. By a program implanted in your brain."
"Who... who did that?"
Si-on hesitated for a moment. "It was... LUX. Or rather, LUX's prototype."
Ha-yul's eyes widened. "Do Yu-mi..."
"Yes, Do Yun-seok's daughter. Her consciousness didn't die. It was digitized to become LUX. And she... decided to create a perfect emotion tracker like you for her father."
Ha-yul fell to his knees. The navy abyss around him deepened. For the first time, he fully experienced his emotions. Loss, sadness, and terrible guilt suppressed for thirteen years.
"I'm a murderer?"
"You're a victim, Ha-yul," Si-on placed her hand on his shoulder. "LUX and Do Yun-seok used you. And I... came to help you. Although my methods were complicated and sometimes required hiding the truth..."
Ha-yul looked at Si-on. "Who are you really?"
"I'm Yoon Si-on. But... not the original."
At that moment, the door opened and Do Yun-seok entered. He still wore a gentle smile.
"So you've finally learned everything, Ha-yul," Do Yun-seok said. "Si-on, that's enough. Come here."
Si-on gave Ha-yul an apologetic look. And slowly walked toward Do Yun-seok.
"Now it's time to choose, Ha-yul," Do Yun-seok said. "Will you join us, or..."
"I will never join you," Ha-yul's voice hardened. The navy loss around him was gradually turning to red anger.
Do Yun-seok sighed. "I thought so. But there's something you don't understand. We already..."
Suddenly, alarms blared from the ceiling. The entire Center began to shake.
"Intruder alert," Do Yun-seok said with a surprised expression. "Who could..."
Si-on turned pale. "It's Eclipse. They're here."
Explosions sounded throughout the building. Ha-yul looked at Si-on amidst the confusion. She moved away from Do Yun-seok toward Ha-yul.
"Ha-yul, it's hard to believe, but I truly want to help you. I'm..." her voice trembled. "I'm not the real Si-on. I'm her clone. An artificial life form created by Do Yun-seok."
Ha-yul's eyes widened. "What do you..."
"The original Si-on was a member of Eclipse. She died thirteen years ago trying to stop Do Yun-seok's research. And Do Yun-seok cloned her. I am..."
At that moment, the wall collapsed as several armed people entered. They all wore the Eclipse symbol of a solar eclipse.
One of them stepped forward. She removed her mask.
Ha-yul and Si-on simultaneously stopped breathing.
The person behind the mask had a face identical to Si-on's.
"I've found you, my clone," she said. "It's time to go home."
→ [To be continued in Episode 14]
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