Confusion and doubt swirled like a vortex.
Like paints mixing together, emotions of various colors swirled, constantly changing form, blurring boundaries, shifting from one color to another. Blue anxiety, gray doubt, red anger, black fear, and even faint earthy warmth. All emotions blended like fog, their borders fading.
Jin Ha-yul couldn't locate himself within the vortex. He couldn't identify whose emotions these were or what situation they stemmed from. It was as if all emotional layers had mixed at once.
"This is..." Ha-yul murmured.
He stepped into the vortex. The colors rushed toward him, enveloping him completely. Waves of emotion washed over him, and Ha-yul suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe.
Then he opened his eyes.
National Emotion Center, 8:00 AM.
Ha-yul bolted upright. Cold sweat dampened his forehead. It was a dream. He had briefly dozed off on the lounge sofa at the Center.
Two days had passed since returning from Jeju Island, but Ha-yul still couldn't shake the shocking discoveries made there. Himself and Si-on as parts of Project Afterlife. And the enigmatic term 'Emotion Suppression Protocol.'
The bigger issue was that Si-on hadn't answered his question. When Ha-yul asked, "Are you also part of this project?" Si-on had merely taken his hand and said, "We need to get out of here now." Then they hurriedly escaped the research facility with Agent Kim's help.
But Ha-yul hadn't missed the change in Si-on's emotions. The sudden crack pattern in her earthy emotions. It was clearly the emotion of betrayal.
"Jin Ha-yul, here you are."
The door opened and Director Do Yun-seok entered. His expression looked more serious than usual.
"I received your report. The information about Project Afterlife... and the appearance of your name and Yoon Si-on's," Director Do said. "The National Intelligence Service is also taking this matter very seriously."
Ha-yul nodded expressionlessly. "Where is Si-on? I haven't seen her since yesterday."
Director Do's expression subtly changed. "She's currently gathering additional information about Project Afterlife. She'll be back soon."
Ha-yul sensed that Director Do wasn't telling the complete truth. Around him too appeared a pattern like green threads snapping. Another betrayal.
"Director, how did LUX react to what I discovered?" Ha-yul asked.
Director Do seemed to carefully choose his words. "LUX... hasn't offered an official opinion yet. But a special Emotion Court session is scheduled for tonight. We can discuss more details then."
Ha-yul nodded slightly toward Director Do, but internally his suspicion grew. For the past few days, everyone at the Center seemed to be hiding something from him.
At 2:00 PM, Ha-yul was organizing the cases in his office. On the wall were photos and evidence connecting everything from Professor Hong's murder to Professor Park's suicide, Head Nurse Jung's disappearance, and Project Afterlife.
Ha-yul felt there was a common thread behind all these incidents. It was 'emotion manipulation.' The strange noise in Professor Hong's emotions, the anger seemingly implanted in Son Min-woo's emotions, and the fact that he himself had been subject to an 'Emotion Suppression Protocol.'
Suddenly, Ha-yul decided to review Professor Hong's emotion tracking records again. He accessed the Emotion Center's database and opened the professor's emotion tracking log. Then he began examining the data carefully.
After about an hour, Ha-yul discovered something strange. There were subtle inconsistencies in the emotional patterns. The content he actually tracked differed slightly from the recorded data. As if someone had subtly modified the data.
Ha-yul decided to check records of other cases. Professor Park's emotion tracking data, and even Son Min-woo's. Similar patterns of inconsistency were found in all records.
"This..." Ha-yul murmured. "Does this mean the Emotion Court records are being manipulated?"
Just then, the door opened and Si-on entered.
"Si-on!" Ha-yul said with a surprised expression.
Si-on looked tired but smiled. "It's been a while, Jin Ha-yul."
"Where have you been? Director Do said you were gathering information, but..."
Si-on quietly closed the door and approached Ha-yul. "I've been learning more about Project Afterlife. And... about you too."
Ha-yul studied Si-on carefully. The earthy emotions around her remained, but subtle cracks lingered within.
"Will you answer the question I asked in Jeju?" Ha-yul asked.
Si-on took a deep breath. "Yes, I was part of Project Afterlife. But not anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"I was originally a researcher on the project. But after learning the truth... I've been working against them," Si-on said in a low voice. "I discovered how dangerous what they're doing is."
Ha-yul's eyes flickered slightly. "What exactly is this project?"
"Technology that manipulates human emotions," Si-on answered. "It started as a method to treat serious trauma, but soon was diverted for other purposes. A tool to control people's memories and judgments by manipulating their emotions."
Ha-yul felt a chill run down his spine. "And I... was a subject of this project. Since 13 years ago."
Si-on nodded. "When your family was murdered, they took you as an experimental subject. They applied the 'Emotion Suppression Protocol' to you in your extreme trauma state. And as a result..."
"My emotions disappeared," Ha-yul finished.
"That's not all," Si-on said. "Instead of your emotions, another ability manifested. The ability to see others' emotions as colors and forms. That was exactly the result they wanted."
Ha-yul was confused. Countless questions arose in his mind. "Then the Emotion Court..."
"The Emotion Court is also an extension of that technology," Si-on explained. "It's possible to read and interpret emotions, but we can't completely trust it. Because..."
"It can be manipulated," Ha-yul said.
Si-on nodded. "And all the recent incidents are connected to this. Someone is manipulating the Emotion Court to distort the truth."
"Who would do such a thing?" Ha-yul asked.
Si-on looked around cautiously, then moved closer to Ha-yul and whispered, "LUX."
Ha-yul's eyes widened. "LUX? But LUX is the judge and administrator of the Emotion Court..."
"That's what makes it more dangerous," Si-on said. "LUX isn't just an AI. It's the core system of Project Afterlife. A being created to manipulate and control emotions."
Various thoughts tangled in Ha-yul's mind. The special interest LUX had shown in him, and how it had suddenly stopped him during Son Min-woo's emotion tracking.
"Then all the verdicts we've believed until now..." Ha-yul murmured.
"May have all been manipulated," Si-on said. "Especially cases where LUX showed special interest."
Ha-yul raised his hand to his head. Though he thought he had no emotions, he didn't know how to react in this situation. Confusion, betrayal, anger... the emotions he should be feeling existed only as concepts in his mind.
"Si-on... what should we do?" Ha-yul asked.
Si-on took Ha-yul's hand. Her hand was warm. "Attend tonight's special Emotion Court session, but pretend you know nothing. We need to find out what they're planning."
"Will you be going too?"
Si-on shook her head. "I can't. They're suspicious of me. But there are others who can help you."
"Who?"
"An organization called Eclipse. I'm a member," Si-on said. "We're working to uncover the truth about Project Afterlife and stop it."
Ha-yul looked at Si-on. Now he understood the cracks in her earthy emotions. It wasn't betrayal. Si-on had been conflicted between two worlds.
"I have to go now," Si-on said. "Be careful, Jin Ha-yul. And... remember. Your emotions haven't disappeared. They're just suppressed. Someday you'll be able to recover them."
Si-on walked toward the door. Before touching it, she looked back.
"One last thing... whatever LUX says in tonight's Emotion Court, don't believe it. Everything is just manipulated truth."
11:50 PM, National Emotion Center Courtroom.
Ha-yul sat alone in the empty courtroom. Director Do had said he would come shortly, but hadn't appeared yet. Soon midnight would arrive, and the Emotion Court would open.
Ha-yul was pondering Si-on's words. If LUX was manipulating the Emotion Court, had all his emotion tracking been meaningless? Were all the truths he thought he'd uncovered actually lies?
The clock showed 11:59 PM. One minute until midnight.
Suddenly the door opened, and Director Do entered. But his expression was troubled.
"Jin Ha-yul, something terrible has happened."
"What is it?" Ha-yul asked.
"Yoon Si-on has been arrested. On charges of leaking national secrets," Director Do said.
Ha-yul's eyes widened. "What..."
At that moment, the clock struck exactly midnight, and Ha-yul's surroundings began to turn blue. The summoning to the Emotion Court had begun.
Ha-yul closed his eyes and opened them again. When he arrived at the Emotion Court, LUX was waiting for him. But this time, unlike usual, it emitted a more intense light.
"Emotion Tracker Jin Ha-yul," LUX's voice echoed. "Today you will track a special emotion."
"What emotion?" Ha-yul asked.
LUX's light flickered. "Your own emotions."
→ [To be continued in Episode 10]
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