Back in his small room, Yun-jae pulled open his desk drawer. The external hard drive, containing work files from 2019 and 2020, was thick with dust. He connected it to his laptop and clicked through the folders with a sense of mounting dread.
[2019_03_Medical_Device_Related] [2019_03_Safety_Evaluation_FINAL]
His fingers trembled as he clicked the file. 100 pages. Title: [Safety Evaluation of Medical Devices - Final Review Report] Reviewer: Han Yun-jae
He began to scroll. Page 15. Page 27. Page 53. And then, he stopped at Page 67.
A section highlighted in red caught his eye.
[Original: As a result of the biocompatibility test, the risk of tissue reaction during long-term use exceeds safety thresholds. Additional verification is MANDATORY.]
[Revision: This device meets safety standards under short-term use conditions. Judged as SUITABLE FOR CONDITIONAL USE.]
Yun-jae’s breathing hitched. "Suitable for conditional use." Those were his words.
He remembered the draft C-21 had shown him. AS’s directive: "Convert to a positive evaluation." And he... he had followed it perfectly.
He scrolled further. Page 82.
[Original: Lack of clinical data. Recommendation to DEFER APPROVAL.]
[Revision: Utilizable as reference material. SATISFIES ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS.]
His heart felt like it was collapsing. "Satisfies academic requirements." He had written that, too.
He pulled out his phone and called Seo-yeon. "…I found it." "What?" "The file I reviewed. The draft C-21 wrote... I was the one who did the final review." "..." "And Lee Seo-jun’s warning... I was the one who erased it."
Through the receiver, there was only the sound of Seo-yeon’s heavy, jagged breathing.
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"Where are you?" Yun-jae asked. "Home." "I’m sending the file. Check it yourself."
He sent it. One minute passed. Two. Three. Yun-jae stared at the words on the screen: Page 67, Page 82, Page 93. Red corrections. All of them made by his hand.
Back then, he didn't know whose research this was. He didn't know where it would be used or what ripples it would create. Seo-jun’s warning: 'Additional verification required.' 'Recommendation to defer.' He had traded those for 'Conditional use permitted.'
He slammed the laptop shut. He couldn't breathe.
Thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang. It was Seo-yeon. The moment he opened the door, she demanded, "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Is that file... the one based on my brother’s research?" "I cross-referenced it with C-21’s draft. The structure matches perfectly."
Yun-jae looked down, seeing Seo-yeon’s clenched fists trembling. "Why did you delete it?" "..." "I asked why you erased the warning!"
Yun-jae had no answer. "A directive came from AS. They told me to make it positive." "And?" "And... I just followed it." "For the money?" "...Yes."
Seo-yeon laughed. It was a cold, jagged sound filled with all the contempt in the world. "My brother risked his life to leave that warning." "..." "And you erased it for 15 million won."
Yun-jae couldn't lift his head. Seo-yeon pulled a notebook from her bag—Lee Seo-jun’s research log.
"It’s right here. February 27, 2019," she said, her voice shaking.
[3rd Biocompatibility test: FAILED] [Tissue necrosis confirmed] [THIS DEVICE MUST NOT BE USED]
"This is how he wrote it," she sobbed. "He said it must not be used." She pointed at Yun-jae’s laptop. "But you... you changed it to 'Conditional use permitted'."
Silence fell over the room like a shroud.
"I’m sorry," Yun-jae whispered. "Sorry?" Seo-yeon gripped her notebook. "My brother refused AS’s offer. And he was killed for it. But you accepted it. And you’re still standing here, alive."
She turned toward the door. "Where are you going?" Yun-jae asked. "I want to be alone. I don't want to see your face right now."
The door slammed shut.
Yun-jae was alone again. Only the bright light of the laptop monitor filled the room. [2019_03_Medical_Device_Related] [Reviewer: Han Yun-jae]
The red text. The erased warnings. And the bloodless phrases that replaced them. 'Suitable for conditional use.' 'Satisfies academic requirements.'
His phone buzzed. [Mr. Han Yun-jae. I am delivering the next assignment. - A-12]
Yun-jae stared at the screen. The next assignment. More sentences to sanitize, more truth to bury. He was back in that same seat.
But now, he had a mission. He had to know why Lee Seo-jun died. He had to see exactly what consequences his 'revisions' had wrought.
He typed back: [Understood. I will proceed.]
Thirty seconds later, a reply came: [I will send the details. This case is more important than the others. - A-12]
Yun-jae stared out the window into the darkness. Somewhere out there, A-12 was watching. And Yun-jae was following the breadcrumbs of his own past.
[Next Episode Preview]
A-12 sends a "more important" case. And this time, it contains a name that Yun-jae recognizes—not from a file, but from his own life.
At the end of the erased warning, what would be waiting for him?
Question for the readers: Do you think Yun-jae can ever find redemption, or is he already too far gone? He decided to stay in the system to find the truth, but is he just digging his own grave?
If you’re hooked on this descent into the dark, please Rate and Follow!