[March 23, 2019 — 9:58 AM] Gosiwon, Room 206.
Yun-jae sat before his laptop. A single link pulsed on the screen.
[RE-EDUCATION CENTER – ORIENTATION] Access Time: 10:00 AM Attendees: A-73 and 3 Others
His cursor hovered over the link. "If I go in, can I ever come back?" "But if I don't, I'll die never knowing the truth."
The clock struck ten. He took a deep breath and clicked.
[Connecting to Orientation...] [Verifying Security Credentials...] [User A-73: VERIFIED]
The screen went pitch black. There were no faces, only voices echoing in the digital silence.
[Voice Channel: ACTIVE] [Participants: 4]
Twenty seconds of suffocating silence followed. Finally, a nervous cough broke the tension.
"Uh... hello? Is anyone else here?" A young man’s voice. He sounded breathless, terrified.
A woman’s voice followed, calm but strained. "Yes. I’m connected."
A third voice—deep, firm, middle-aged. "A-44, reporting in."
Yun-jae keyed his mic. "A-73."
Four strangers, existing only as codes, drifting in the dark.
[10:02 AM] A grey silhouette emerged in the center of the screen. It was the same man from the consultation window last night.
"Greetings, everyone," the silhouette spoke. His voice was smooth, possessing a cold, regal authority. "Welcome to the AS Re-education Program Orientation."
A slide materialized next to him.
[RE-EDUCATION PROGRAM OBJECTIVES]
Optimization of Emotional Control
Fortification of Organizational Compliance
Enhancement of Workflow Efficiency
Eradication of Unnecessary Resistance
"You are all exceptional writers," the man continued. "However, recently, we have observed certain... unstable patterns in your performance."
Yun-jae thought of his own log:
Emotional Control: LOW
Compliance: BELOW AVERAGE
Risk Potential: MEDIUM
The first man, A-102, spoke up hesitantly. "I have a question. What happens if we refuse the re-education?"
After a brief pause, the silhouette replied, "Refusal is your right. However—" The slide changed.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
[NON-PARTICIPATION CONSEQUENCES]
Immediate cessation of task assignments
Contractual re-evaluation
Subject to A-Class Protocol review
The woman, A-59, her voice trembling. "What is the 'A-Class Protocol'?"
The silhouette seemed to smile invisibly. "There is no need for concern. As long as you participate faithfully, you will never have to experience it."
A heavy, ominous dread settled over the channel.
[10:15 AM] "You may choose to enter the offline center on either March 25th or 26th. After three days of intensive training, you will be promoted to a higher tier."
"Higher-tier projects. Higher pay. A more stable future."
I bet you said the same thing to those who were 'Removed,' Yun-jae thought bitterly.
"Are there any further questions?"
A-44 asked, "Will we be allowed to contact our families during the program?"
"Of course. However, a non-disclosure agreement regarding the curriculum is mandatory."
"Silence is what we do every day," A-59 said coldly.
"Precisely, A-59. You are already a part of our system."
Then—a notification pinged. Not on the main screen, but in a hidden corner.
[3870-09: Is User A-73 here?]
Yun-jae’s heart nearly stopped. He typed back cautiously.[A-73: Yes. I’m here.]
A second later, a new window snapped open.
[1:1 Private Channel – 3870-09]
3870-09: Don’t panic. This is a secure channel using a 'Ghost Packet' I planted five years ago. The central server thinks we’re just viewing the orientation slides.
3870-09: A-73, listen to me carefully. 3870-09: Disconnect. Right now.
Sweat beaded on Yun-jae’s forehead.[A-73: What are you talking about?]
3870-09: Re-education is not 'education.' 3870-09: If you go in, you don’t come out.
His stomach dropped.
3870-09: Everyone who went to 're-education' vanished. They were erased.
Yun-jae swallowed hard, his fingers flying across the keys.[A-73: Who are you?]
The typing indicator blinked for a long time.
3870-09: My name is Jeong Woo-jin. 3870-09: Five years ago, I was an R&D researcher at Corporation C. 3870-09: I was on Lee Seo-jun’s team.
Yun-jae’s vision blurred for a moment. "The same team?" He remembered. Five years ago, in a corner of the prosecutor’s interrogation room, a gaunt researcher had sat trembling, crushing a paper coffee cup in his hands. That man had survived five years inside the belly of the beast, and now he was speaking through the monitor.
3870-09: I was interrogated during the Lee Seo-jun case. AS threatened me. They named my family, my friends. 3870-09: I survived. I became A-72, and for five years, I’ve been gathering data from the inside.
[A-73]: Why are you helping me?
3870-09: I know you tried to protect Senior Lee five years ago. 3870-09: Even at the cost of your career as a prosecutor. 3870-09: This time, I want to protect you.
On the main screen, the silhouette was still talking. "...This concludes the orientation. We look forward to your wise decision."
But Yun-jae’s eyes were locked on the private chat.
3870-09: Do not go to re-education. 3870-09: Meet me instead. 3870-09: Together, let's tear AS down.
[A-73: Where can we meet?]
The reply was instantaneous.
3870-09: Hyeonjuk Building, Gangnam. Basement Level 3. 3870-09: Tomorrow night, 11:00 PM. 3870-09: Come alone. 3870-09: I will show you the truth about AS that I've spent years collecting.
Yun-jae hesitated for only a second. Re-education = Removal. Refusal = Surveillance. Status Quo = Slow Death. There was only one path left.
[A-73: Understood. I’ll be there.]
One last message appeared.
3870-09: Lee Seo-jun believed in you. I will do the same.
The chat window closed. The orientation screen vanished.
[10:35 AM] Yun-jae slowly closed his laptop. "Jeong Woo-jin... Lee Seo-jun’s colleague."
Gangnam, Basement Level 3. The truth about AS. He exhaled a long, shaky breath. "Tomorrow night, 11:00 PM."
He had to prepare. USB backups. A visit to his father. And one final act of resolve.
"Mr. Lee... I’m sorry I couldn't protect you back then. But this time, I’m coming for them."
Sunlight streamed through the window, but Yun-jae’s world was only getting darker. Tomorrow night, in that basement, everything would begin.
Or everything would end.
A-73 is no longer alone.
are often the most dangerous variable of all.
into truth, betrayal, and the cost of resistance.