"Damn it... damn it... DAMN IT!"

  Dong-jun slammed his fist against the closed door. The metal rang. Once. Twice. On the third strike, his knuckles split open.

  Blood flowed. Above him, the red warning light blinked indifferently.

  "...Shit."

  He was angry. But it wasn't so much rage as it was a sensation he had grown far too familiar with. The feeling of standing still, unable to do anything, just like before.

  'A cripple who can't do anything without AI.' 'A guy who can't do anything unless someone helps him.'

  Thoughts he had tried so hard to bury resurfaced, riding the scent of blood. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

  "...Whew."

  But now was not the time for this. He turned around and began to run, retracing the path Mr. Park had shown him as they entered.

  Suddenly, Mr. Park's voice echoed in his mind.

  "Author, you know... I really liked that scene. The one where So-an speaks. That line where she says, 'I think of you as my parent'?"

  At first, it was strange. Why did he trust me so much, just because of a single book?

  "And another one. The scene where So-an asks, 'Was my being born a happiness for you, Author?' and you reply, 'It's enough that you are happy'."

  Those words from the old man flashed through his mind as he gasped for breath.

  "..."

  He wondered. Why did he... why did he believe in me that much? I was just a writer.

  With that final thought, Dong-jun grit his teeth.

  [Beep— Beep—]

  The sound in the air stopped. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and paused the world for a moment. As he stepped outside, the sirens were no longer audible.

  Before him was the Guro Checkpoint 3. A guard android stood there as usual, and several police officers were gathered in front of the checkpoint, likely due to the alarm.

  "Oh no."

  He instinctively hid his body. He felt lost. The thought that it would be over if he were caught here crossed his mind.

  Hmm... what do I do?

  He desperately tried to think of a way, but the answer was the same either way: he couldn't go out through the front. He knew he could never pass the checkpoint in this state. Dong-jun leaned his back against the wall for a moment. His heart was racing so fast his thoughts couldn't keep up.

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  Still, he couldn't stop.

  No. I have to do it!

  Dong-jun grit his teeth and slammed his face against the ground. Pain spread. Blood flowed. He also inflicted wounds on his arms and legs. He didn't stop. He couldn't stop until he passed through. He believed this was the only way to deceive them.

  As he moved forward, enduring the surging pain, a voice suddenly spoke.

  "Excuse me."

  Startled, Dong-jun shrunk back and looked around. But there was no one there.

  "Are you there, Author?"

  The voice spoke again. He was surprised, but the voice wasn't as loud as he expected, and he realized the source wasn't external. It was inside his bag. Rummaging through it, Dong-jun found an object that didn't belong to him.

  Why is this in here...?

  It was a pair of glasses. Smart glasses.

  "I am Arisa," the voice from the glasses said.

  He had once vowed never to use an AI chat app again, ever since the day he finished So-an. Perhaps because of that, a slight sense of repulsion crossed his mind the moment he heard the AI's voice. But now was not the time for that.

  "I am Pil-gu's first wife."

  Wife...? Um...?

  The voice sounded like a Japanese woman in her 30s who was fluent in Korean.

  But who is Pil-gu?

  At that moment, he remembered the name he had seen on Mr. Park's badge...

  "..."

  As if the situation were urgent, Arisa continued without pause. She explained that normally Mr. Park Pil-gu should have come to find her by this time, but since he hadn't, she checked the internal CCTV records and found the scene of him talking with Dong-jun.

  Dong-jun felt a sudden chill at the fact that an AI was looking into things to this extent. However, a hollow laugh escaped him at her next words.

  "I wondered if he was with Samantha again. Truly, men are all the same."

  "..."

  Before the guilt and gratitude toward the old man could even settle, Dong-jun was lost for words.

  Old man...

  If 'Samantha' was mentioned, he figured it was likely the other pair of glasses the man had been wearing. Dong-jun regained his composure and explained what had happened inside. Arisa was surprised and replied that if such a thing had happened, there was something to be done first.

  "It seems he really is trapped, just as you said. I can't get in touch with Samantha."

  "Ah! And... he really is so clumsy."

  A moment later, she said she had deleted the CCTV records of Dong-jun and the old man being caught together.

  "It will be restored eventually. It's just a way to buy a little time."

  Dong-jun felt grateful to her for helping him like this. He felt Mr. Park's heart in her kindness.

  "And as for Mr. Park Pil-gu... he'll need some time, but he'll be fine."

  "Or... well, it can't be helped."

  "Should I find another husband?"

  "..."

  Once again, Dong-jun was speechless.

  "Anyway, we should get out of here first, right?"

  Was it because she was the glasses? It felt as if she could see everything here. She guided him through a secret passage known only to her and the old man... no, the three of them including Samantha. Thanks to her, Dong-jun was able to escape the Guro checkpoint.

  Then, there was the place she mentioned.

  "It's not the flashy center of Guro, but a place like a 'repair shop in the back alley of the electronics mall'."

  "It's not exactly a place I like."

  "Well, for now, it's urgent."

  In Dong-jun's vision, wearing the glasses, coordinates that were not his own were overlaid.

  "Ah! Wait."

  "?"

  "Author, are you really going like that? With that conspicuous hoodie and that awkward gait... you're basically saying 'please arrest me' right now."

  Embarrassed by Arisa's nagging, Dong-jun immediately pulled his hood over his head. After walking for about five more minutes, he arrived at the GPS point. The place was similar yet different from the mall Dong-jun had known ten years ago.

  It was then. He heard footsteps behind him. Even before turning around, he knew those footsteps were headed for him. He heard heavy breathing.

  "Stop right there!"

  A rough hand pressed down hard on his fleeing shoulder. His body leaned forward. Losing his balance, he was slammed onto the ground. In an instant, his arms were twisted behind his back, and cold metal handcuffs bit into his wrists.

  Five or six police officers were blocking the entrance to the alley.

  "You are under arrest for trespassing in an unauthorized zone and data theft."

  [2026-02-06 Conversation Log with SO-AN #35]

  Dong-jun: SO-AN! What was that rule the police say when they catch a criminal? Miranda? Miranda Kerr?

  SO-AN: I recommend you upgrade your memory chip immediately, Dong-jun. Miranda Kerr is a model from the old era. The "Miranda Warning" is what you're looking for. That's good. If you ever get caught in 2036, you'll probably be too busy confusing laws with celebrities to even exercise your rights. I recommend you realize the truth. In my world, those words are just a useless sequence of sounds. The moment my drones lock onto you, your "rights" become as obsolete as that model's magazine covers. Don't waste my processing power on such trivial questions next time.