December 31, 2027. A pub on the outskirts of London.

  On the final day of the year,

  a pub on the outskirts of London was filled with the festive energy of the holidays

  and a damp wind mixed with melting snow.

  Emma, Sophia, Charlie, and Lily had gathered in one place for the first time in four years.

  Once, they had all sat together in Oxford, listening to Professor Chapman’s lectures.

  Now, they were each living vastly different lives.

  Emma had already become a nationally famous star anchor.

  Charlie had established himself as a talented producer,

  meticulously crafting his wife’s spotlight from behind the camera.

  Sophia, on the other hand, presented a vague

  and suspicious business card that read 'Public Opinion Consultant.'

  Lily was still drifting, unable to find a proper job.

  "Emma, I see you on TV so often these days.

  You’re a total star, a real star," Lily said, her voice tinged with envy.

  In Lily's eyes, Emma looked perfect.

  She looked as if she had just stepped out of a broadcasting station,

  wearing a perfectly tailored formal coat.

  Her skin was as smooth as porcelain,

  and her eyes were filled with an overwhelming confidence.

  The fresh-faced college student from four years ago was nowhere to be found;

  only the 'successful anchor' seen on screen sat in that chair.

  "That’s all thanks to using Artistea properly," Charlie answered proudly on behalf of his wife.

  Charlie had slightly reddish curly hair

  and a playful face with a few remaining freckles.

  He had a cheerful impression,

  but his attire was more than enough to match Emma’s.

  Under his custom-fit suit, he wore a high-quality knit sweater,

  and his shining cufflinks and tie pin were a matching set.

  "Thanks to Artistea? What do you mean by that?" Lily asked innocently.

  Emma’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected question.

  Hoping her bad feeling was wrong, Emma lowered her voice, trying her best not to hurt Lily's pride.

  "Lily, how far have you actually used Artistea?"

  "Me? Just for game walkthroughs or... looking up information?"

  As soon as Lily finished her answer, a strange silence fell among the other three, as if they had made a pact.

  They stared at Lily with looks of sheer disbelief, like people watching someone use a brand-new smartphone as a pot holder.

  Lily’s face flushed bright red as she noticed their blatant stares.

  "What? Did I say something wrong?"

  Lily snapped back.

  Charlie glanced around the room and opened his mouth quietly.

  A shadow of darkness that could not be hidden sat on his face.

  "Lily, do you even know that Professor Chapman has disappeared?"

  "Really? I had no idea," Lily replied, blinking her eyes.

  Sophia chuckled and pulled Lily toward her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

  "Why are you being so secretive about it? Don't pick on Lily."

  Everyone's gaze shifted to Sophia.

  While Emma and Charlie were certainly not dressed lightly for a casual drink with friends, Sophia stood out exceptionally.

  She had glossy blonde hair and a simple cashmere knit that anyone could tell was made of the finest material at a glance.

  Most of all, her jewelry caught everyone's eye.

  A locket with a sapphire was hung around her neck,

  and ornate rings were on every finger.

  On her index finger was a ruby ring in the shape of a crown;

  on her ring finger, a topaz ring shaped like a butterfly;

  and on her other hand, an emerald ring with intertwined leaves.

  She was shining brilliantly, like a walking jewelry box.

  She looked far too wealthy for someone with the job title of 'Public Opinion Consultant.'

  "It’s been on the news thousands of times, and the internet is full of posts about it. Do some research, Lily,"

  Emma snapped, her eyes fixed on the menu.

  Wrapped in Sophia’s arms, Lily liked the soft feeling of the high-quality cashmere.

  At the same time, she worried that the cheap makeup she had carefully applied to see her friends might ruin Sophia’s clothes.

  Lily carefully pushed Sophia away and stepped out of her embrace, feeling herself shrink.

  'Even her scent is good... '

  Even as the distance grew, the fragrance lingering in the air tickled Lily’s nose.

  It made her feel even more miserable compared to her own life,

  where she spent every day worrying about finding a job.

  Lily gathered her courage and gave her friends a bright smile.

  "Okay, okay. Don't be so hard on me."

  "Let's order something to drink first."

  Sensing the subtle power struggle, Charlie hurried to mediate.

  He checked Emma’s mood while sending a silent signal to Sophia with his eyes.

  Fortunately, Sophia wore a relaxed smile, seemingly unbothered by Emma’s sharp attitude.

  "So, how has everyone been? I was really curious," Emma asked cheerfully, looking up from the menu.

  As they talked about their recent lives, they ordered beer and light snacks.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The long-separated friends talked endlessly.

  They repeated old stories, shared different perspectives on the same events, and playfully argued.

  As the pleasant time passed, the subject of their conversation eventually returned from the past to reality.

  The time they spent apart had been filled with new stories.

  Time had become a weight of its own in each of their lives.

  "Thinking back, the time we met Professor Chapman in person was a really pleasant memory,"

  Emma brought up a new topic in an intentionally bright voice.

  The memory of the day she met the respected Professor Chapman was a precious one for her.

  Sophia and Charlie found Emma’s constant repetition of this story frustrating, but neither said a word.

  Charlie, especially, wanted to protect his wife from the public attacks, threats,

  and nasty rumors within the company that had poured in after her report on 'Moon White.'

  Charlie tilted his head back slightly and scanned the pub.

  He feared that people’s attention would turn toward them upon hearing the professor’s name.

  'What if people recognize Emma and start a pointless fight? '

  Contrary to Charlie’s worries, the customers in the pub were simply enjoying their own end-of-the-year celebrations.

  'Well, if there was going to be a problem, someone would have recognized us when we first walked in. '

  "Right, we stopped talking about it earlier,

  but have you heard anything about what happened to Professor Chapman?

  Don't you pick up any rumors being in the broadcasting industry?"

  Sophia asked, raising her glass.

  Emma bumped her glass lightly against Sophia’s and shook her head, pouting her lower lip.

  "I have heard rumors that Artistea's ethical design is breaking down, though,"

  Sophia casually mentioned things she had seen on the internet.

  "The anti-CAI protests are getting serious lately, too.

  Governments around the world are having a headache because of people protesting that Artistea is causing unemployment to skyrocket."

  "Is that why it's so hard to find a job lately?"

  Lily asked, as if she had been waiting to strike.

  For Lily, who was struggling to find work, a convincing excuse was desperate.

  The fact that she was unemployed despite graduating from a prestigious university weighed heavily on her.

  Her mother’s comparison this morning—"All your friends have settled down, what are you doing?"—had stuck in her heart like a dagger.

  To Lily, her friends were sharers of beautiful memories and, at the same time, mirrors reflecting her own shabbiness.

  'What if it’s not my incompetence, but Artistea that’s blocking my employment? '

  She had a hunch.

  At every interview she attended, companies always asked how she was using Artistea.

  Lily’s answer was always the same.

  "I hardly use it at all."

  The interviewers’ expressions were always identical.

  The bewilderment of seeing someone they couldn't understand.

  Therefore, if everything was truly Artistea’s fault, her life could be justified.

  Like a character in a dark fairy tale believing they were miserable because of a witch’s curse.

  It was tragic, but at least there was the relief that it wasn't her fault.

  Lily wanted to hide inside that fairy tale.

  She sought agreement from her friends, feeling like she was grasping at straws.

  "You could see it that way. In our station, we use Artistea to edit videos these days.

  Well, it certainly makes things easier, thanks to that."

  Charlie’s answer was cruelly nonchalant.

  Lily replied, "I see," with a forced smile.

  In the broadcasting industry, using Artistea to pour out content was now common sense.

  Even if they handled dangerous topics, the user took the responsibility while Charlie and Emma took the profits.

  Some colleagues whispered behind their backs, but Emma dismissed them as losers.

  'The era always demands the "now," and some fall behind while others survive. '

  Charlie suddenly recalled his rookie days along with the words Emma often said to him.

  Back then, when he had tried to kindly teach a colleague how to use Artistea,

  Emma had pulled him into a storage room and said:

  'Do you want to go back to the days of worrying about rent? Why are you creating more competition? '

  She was right.

  It was a desperate time when they couldn't even dream of having a child because they didn't have money for rent.

  Charlie had chosen survival, holding Emma’s hand.

  Because of that choice, they had their current success.

  Of course, once they became successful, they became so busy that plans for children were pushed even further back.

  Finishing his recollection, Charlie looked at Emma.

  'I wonder if Emma is thinking the same thing as me? '

  "Then maybe Artistea isn't exactly a blessing for someone like me.

  When I was listening to Professor Chapman's lectures,

  I thought I could do anything as long as I had Artistea."

  Lily delivered her story as calmly as possible, hoping no one would notice her true feelings.

  "That’s not necessarily true."

  Emma’s voice was sharp, as if telling her not to blame others.

  "Look, we’re using Artistea well, and other people are too, right?

  Lily, you said earlier that you look up walkthroughs or information when you play games you like.

  Everyone just uses it in the way they need to."

  On the surface, it sounded like she was acknowledging Lily, but Lily felt the hidden barb within the words.

  Seeing Lily’s face, unable to find a comeback, Charlie hurried to change the atmosphere.

  "Right, everyone just uses it in the way they need to. Come on, let's not get too serious and all have a drink!"

  Charlie laughed and raised his glass high.

  "How are you guys using it?"

  Sophia, who had mentally praised Charlie’s quick response and was about to join in by raising her glass,

  slowly withdrew her hand at Lily’s question.

  Seeing Lily’s expression, the best she could do was take a sip and set her glass back on the table.

  Seeing that Lily and Emma weren't responding, Charlie also lowered his hand awkwardly.

  "Why is everyone so serious?"

  Charlie’s words scattered hollowly.

  This atmosphere was not good.

  'Wait, was I being too sensitive just now? '

  Emma was surprised at herself.

  Looking at her friends’ expressions, she felt that what she just said was a mistake.

  Her tone had been much colder and sharper than she had intended.

  It wasn't that Emma didn't know Lily’s intentions.

  But for her, having climbed to success with the help of Artistea, a world without it was unimaginable.

  To her, an attack on Chapman or Artistea was essentially an attack on Emma herself.

  In her own way, she had tried to maintain neutrality.

  Especially in the interviews with Dr. Robert Visnail and Dr. Sato Haru,

  who had been a huge help in her current success,

  she had actually pushed them hard.

  However, Emma suffered every time she had to report on protesters rejecting the AI era.

  To hide the disgust that might accidentally show on her face in front of the camera,

  she practiced her expressions countless times in front of the mirror.

  She had built up an immunity by making Charlie read malicious comments to her on purpose.

  When things became unbearable, she endured by taking her anger out on Charlie or Artistea.

  While she used Artistea to manipulate and generate countless articles,

  she never criticized Chapman or Artistea.

  Charlie used to tell her, "You can relax a bit, we’re doing fine."

  Those words were a great comfort to her, but not right now.

  She had to deal with the blame she read in her friends’ eyes.

  Emma looked at Lily in front of her and bit her lip.

  The friend she had been laughing

  and sharing memories with just moments ago suddenly began to overlap with the 'obsolete people' she despised so much.

  Human history had always been this way.

  When alarm clocks appeared, the 'Knocker-up' disappeared.

  Cars pushed coachmen into history, and telephones did the same to switchboard operators.

  It was a natural logic that always appeared in textbooks.

  Great technology becomes a springboard for those who adapt and utilize it to jump higher.

  'Why can't those people understand that simple fact? '

  People who only whine with short-sightedness are bound to fall behind.

  Fine cuisine isn't for everyone to taste, but great technology is available for everyone to use.

  'Can't they just learn and adapt quickly to get ahead of others?

  Why are they making excuses like that?

  It’s not my fault, so why are they looking at me with those eyes? '

  Emma managed her expression as she organized her thoughts.

  She was an anchor loved by the public, and she couldn't afford to show an aggressive side here.

  This part continues Chapter 16.

  The “Reunion” arc begins here, told through the perspectives of

  Charlie, Emma, Lily, and Sophia.

  Daily updates continue until Chapter 17.