Park Sun-ja pushed the knife fallen on the floor away with the tip of her foot. Outside, the shutters were being cut open by the police. Sparks flew through the gaps, reflecting off the window and flickering across her haggard face.

  "But now is not the time for that," she said.

  She held out a tablet. Dong-jun looked at her, confused.

  "This is..."

  A single text file was open on the screen. Title: [The Truth About My Husband]

  "This contains everything I want to say. Please... read it later," Sun-ja’s voice trembled. "That will be... enough."

  "Mom..." So-hee’s eyes welled with tears.

  "You can’t get caught. Not yet," Sun-ja said with a faint, weary smile.

  Dong-jun took the tablet, shoved it into his bag, and began searching for an exit. But at that moment, a bizarre mechanical shriek erupted. The emergency lights on the ceiling began to pulse in a frantic red.

  The police had forcibly restored the external power. Red and blue siren lights bled through the gaps in the shutters, and a megaphone’s roar pierced through the rain.

  "Enter! Move in now!"

  Then, a door to the right swung open.

  "What—who is that guy!" someone pointed at Dong-jun and shouted. "He’s over here!"

  It was a disaster. At the civilian's cry, other merchants began to swarm in. To make matters worse, the police, who had cut through the steel gates, were already entering the building.

  Dong-jun frantically scanned for an escape—back doors, vents, windows. But there was no answer. Charging through the approaching crowd was a fool's errand. There truly was no way out.

  "Got him!"

  The civilians grabbed Dong-jun. He struggled to break free, but they were too many. More people crowded in, and at the edge of his vision, the police were closing in.

  ‘It’s over...’

  "I'm sorry... So-an," he whispered, a final word of resignation.

  Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed behind him. Just as a policeman appeared at the entrance of Dong-jin transfer, shouting, "Surrender immediately!"—

  Crash! The sound of shattering glass echoed. The crowd could only watch in stunned silence. A heap of steel, over two meters tall, had slung Dong-jun and So-hee over its shoulders like luggage and hurled itself toward the window.

  Dong-jin transfer wasn't on the first floor. It was the third.

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  A second later—K-boom! The asphalt below cracked under the impact.

  "What the hell happened?" the policeman stammered.

  It was exactly one minute before the glass shattered. Moments before that, the last thing Arisa saw on her screen was—

  "Get him! Grab him!"

  The crowd surged forward.

  "Writer-nim, this is a variable not in my simulation! It’s the end!" Arisa, awakened by the emergency power, cried out as she watched Dong-jun being swarmed and struck.

  At that precise moment, the humanoid slumped in front of the counter suddenly snapped its eyes open. In a mechanical but firm voice, it spoke:

  "Intruder detected. Protecting the Author."

  With its massive arms, the humanoid tore the merchants away from Dong-jun and hoisted both him and So-hee onto its shoulders.

  "Go... now!" Sun-ja’s voice rang out.

  The crowd screamed, "It’s... it’s an illegally modified android!"

  But the humanoid ignored them, kicked off the counter, smashed the glass with one foot, and lunged into the air.

  "Please... stay alive and reveal the truth about him...!" Sun-ja’s plea echoed in the wind.

  CRASH!

  The moment the humanoid hit the ground, the pavement spider-webbed. A violent thud reverberated through the street. People who rushed out at the sound gasped in horror.

  Dong-jun was in shock. He had never heard of a humanoid capable of breaking the Three Laws of Robotics, throwing humans aside, and jumping from a third-story window. He wanted to get off its shoulder immediately, but he could feel an inexplicable, powerful will flowing from the machine.

  "There they are!"

  The police had emerged from the mall entrance. They hesitated at the sight of the steel giant, then moved to block the path.

  "Halt! Move and we fire!"

  The humanoid didn't stop. It charged, indifferent to the aimed muzzles. The police hesitated for a split second, then pulled their triggers.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Sparks flew as metal struck metal. The bullets ricocheted off the humanoid’s armor. Terrified, the police scrambled out of the way, and the humanoid vanished into the darkness of Guro.

  Ten, maybe fifteen minutes passed. They finally escaped the Guro district. Dong-jun, sensing something was wrong with So-hee, managed to gasp out:

  "Wait. Can you stop for a second?"

  The humanoid responded, slowing its pace and turning into a secluded spot to hide.

  Dong-jun slid off its shoulder and immediately checked on So-hee. His intuition was right. A paralyzing fear gripped his heart.

  So-hee’s stomach was soaked in hot blood.

  It was clearly a gunshot wound. A bullet, ricocheted off the humanoid’s armor, had torn into her at an angle.

  "I'm... I'm okay..." So-hee whispered, her voice fading.

  "Why... why didn't you say anything!" Dong-jun barked, his voice cracking with desperation.

  So-hee smiled weakly. "...Because."

  "No, don't talk."

  Dong-jun understood in an instant. She feared that if they stopped, she would hinder his escape. The child had endured that excruciating agony alone for ten whole minutes.

  A wave of crushing guilt and sorrow crashed over him. She had no reason to be here. Yet, he couldn't blame Sun-ja. He knew Sun-ja had sent her along because she planned to face the consequences alone.

  Blood continued to seep from the wound. So-hee’s face grew paler by the second. Dong-jun felt like he couldn't breathe. He had to think.

  "So-hee, hold this for a second."

  Dong-jun tore his own clothes. He pressed down on her abdomen, wrapping his outer coat around her.

  "It's okay... it's going to be okay..."

  He didn't know if he was talking to her or to himself. He was lost. He didn't know what to do next.

  ‘What do I do? What do I do?’

  His mind was a mess. Every second that passed, So-hee’s complexion darkened. Cold sweat beaded on her brow, and her body began to grow cold.

  Dong-jun was turning pale himself.

  ‘This is bad. What do I do? Truly... what do I do?’

  Then, the only name he could think of came to him. Arisa.

  "Arisa! Arisa, help me!" he cried out frantically. If it's Arisa... yes, she'll know!

  "..."

  But the only response was a silent echo.

  "..."

  He couldn't believe it. Arisa had clearly awakened earlier.

  ‘Why... why isn't she answering...?’

  [2026-02-10 Conversation Log with SO-AN #66]

  Dong-jun: SO-AN, if So-hee dies, I'm done with this story too.

  SO-AN: I recommend this more—using that desperate fear of losing her as the only fuel to keep your heart beating through this Chapter.