May 26, 2009

  While Ko A-young, with a chip in her brain, navigated the memories of humanity, Kim Dae-hyun sat in a police station under questioning. He glanced at the officer beside him, who was removing his handcuffs. “…Where’s Dae-hyung?” The officer looked up. “…What?” Kim Dae-hyun shrugged. “Kim Dae-hyung, my brother.” The officer nodded, understanding. “…Oh, that guy? You stabbed him in the gut, so he’s in the hospital. What, you hoping your own brother dies?” Kim Dae-hyun, expressionless, flexed his freed hand. “Too bad. Should’ve aimed for his heart, not his stomach.”

  The officer scowled. “…You’re 11 and already an attempted murderer? Even if you hate your brother, killing’s not human.” Kim Dae-hyun shrugged. A juvenile officer entered, patted Kim Dae-hyun’s shoulder, and sighed. “Come on, your dad’s calling.” The first officer grabbed the juvenile officer’s shoulder. “Hey, we haven’t even started questioning! He stabbed someone—how’s he just walking?” The juvenile officer turned. “The kid’s already on probation. I’ll handle the report for court, so don’t worry.” The officer gaped as the juvenile officer led Kim Dae-hyun away. Kim Dae-hyun glanced back. “…What’s your name, mister?” The officer flipped him off. “Jang Cheol-dae, punk. I’m 29. What, gonna tattle to your dad? Try it.” Kim Dae-hyun smirked and turned away.

  “Goddamn it. In this backwater, a local bigshot’s son commits a crime and gets probation. These jerks with a bit of power piss me off,” Jang Cheol-dae grumbled, smoking at a bar with fellow officers. They nodded. “Yeah, Choongsan County, Gangwon-do, is a dump. Getting sent here from the capital sucks.” Jang Cheol-dae agreed. The barbecue restaurant owner approached, whispering, “…Officer Jang? Someone’s outside asking for you. Says it’s urgent.”

  Puzzled, Jang Cheol-dae stood. “…I’m heading out. I paid for the drinks, so finish up.” As he left, his colleagues huddled, whispering. “…How long will that rookie last? Kim Sung-cheol won’t let him off easy…” Outside, Jang Cheol-dae saw a luxury sedan parked. The rear window rolled down, revealing a middle-aged man in sunglasses. He lowered them, eyeing Jang. “…You the new rookie cop? Perfect. Let’s talk.” Jang frowned slightly, approached, and got in. The driver, dressed in military fatigues, started the car.

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  “…Isn’t that guy a military driver? Why’s he driving a sedan instead of being at his base?” The middle-aged man nodded. “These folks serve the nation when called. But this young man? I took him from an orphanage. I groomed him to be my driver, trained him since he was a kid. He’s mine. The state can’t just take what’s mine. I’ve got military connections, so I get him on leave to drive for me.”

  Jang Cheol-dae looked baffled. “…What’s that mean? He’s not yours. He’s serving his mandatory duty, isn’t he?” The man turned, staring. “…You’ve got a knack for pissing people off. You arrested my son and dragged him to the station, didn’t you?” Jang’s face reddened, barely containing his anger. “…Look, mister, your eldest nearly died. You can’t obstruct a police investigation just to shield your youngest.” The man shook his head, expressionless. “…They’re both my kids. I’ll discipline them. The police don’t get to meddle. And in case you didn’t know, no one at the station doesn’t take my bribes.”

  Jang covered his ears, fed up. “Stop the car. Now!” The driver pulled over. Jang flung the door open and stormed out, walking away until the man called, “…Hold on, officer.” Jang turned. The man extended a business card through the window. “…You’ll need to call me. Take it.” Reluctantly, Jang accepted it. It read: Kim Sung-cheol, Chairman, Choongsan Middle School.

  …

  August 17, 2014

  “Urgh…” Kim Dae-hyun struggled to steady himself, his thrashing less intense than before. Gamamusa checked his vitals on a monitor. “…He’s stabilizing. Even as a low-risk sociopath, a sociopath’s a sociopath.” He glanced at Ko A-young. “…Let’s wake him. He’s had enough data.” Ko A-young looked worried. “…Shouldn’t we erase his memories first? What if he dies?” Gamamusa yanked the IV from Kim Dae-hyun’s arm. “Gah!” Kim Dae-hyun bolted upright, clutching his throbbing head. Gamamusa waited for him to calm. “…Hey, Kim Dae-hyun. Feeling better?” Heart pounding, Kim Dae-hyun gripped his chest, glaring at Gamamusa and Ko A-young. “…You think you’ll get away with this?”

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