May 27, 2009

  Beep… beep… Kim Dae-hyun sat beside his brother Kim Dae-hyung’s hospital bed, repeatedly removing and replacing the oxygen mask, watching the vitals dip and rise. Gasp… gasp… Dae-hyung grimaced in distress. Creak. Kim Sung-cheol entered the room, and Dae-hyun let go of the mask. “…Hello, Father. Good trip?” Sung-cheol frowned, smacking Dae-hyun’s head. “…Don’t toy with your brother’s life. If he dies, you’re next.”

  Dae-hyun turned, unfazed. “How would you manage that? If I die, who’s left to inherit?” Sung-cheol gritted his teeth. “…You crazy bastard. I’ve covered for you, and now you’re out of control. I kept you alive to be a loyal dog for our family. Behave.” Father and son, both sociopathic, glared at each other. A nurse entered, grabbing Sung-cheol’s wrist. “…Guardian? It’s not visiting hours. I understand, but you and your youngest need to leave.” Sung-cheol grabbed Dae-hyun’s wrist, dragging him out.

  “…Keep acting up, and I’ll kill you, remarry, and have another son. Think I’m joking? Stay quiet, and you’ll get military perks and study abroad. Why push me?” Dae-hyun bit Sung-cheol’s wrist, making him scream and stumble. “…Screw your perks and studies! I’m the capable one who should inherit the chairmanship, not him!” Dae-hyun bolted from the hospital. Sung-cheol watched, hollow-eyed. “…Sigh. That kid really takes after me.”

  …

  April 18, 2035

  Baek Hyung-jin and Ko A-young stared at Jung Min-ju in the interrogation room, where she was the interrogator. Creak. The door opened, and Colonel Bruno and Kang Min-cheol entered. “…No Kim Min-seok? He’s always glued to you,” Ko A-young said. Jung Min-ju frowned. “…As expected, you know something. Always two steps ahead of me.” Baek Hyung-jin held Ko A-young’s hand, signaling silence with a finger to his lips. She complied.

  “…What, you two telepathic or something?” Jung Min-ju said, interrogating. Baek turned to her. “…Sort of. We send signals through wires in our brains. Bet you’ve got them too, ma’am. Headaches when you lie or curse, right?” Jung Min-ju’s face hardened. “…Yeah, I suspected something. I got brain scans, ultrasounds—nothing showed up. Still, it feels like someone’s controlling my mind.”

  Baek pulled something from his pocket, placing it on the table: a thread of living tissue. “This is the wire. Our brain wires are coated in living tissue. A tiny chip receives external signals through it, too small for X-rays.” Jung Min-ju examined it. “…I see. So Gamamusa’s been manipulating me with this. What a rat.”

  Snap. Kang Min-cheol grabbed and tore the wire. “…Hey, what’s that for?” Jung Min-ju snapped. Kang eyed the wire, then her. “What? I’m investigating too. We got here before the NIS, so we should take the lead.” Jung Min-ju stood. “Do what you want. I got what I needed. Investigate or whatever, you commie.” As she left, Ko A-young smirked. “…She wasn’t like this when we worked with the NIS in Japan. Kang Min-cheol, she’s pissed you let Gamamusa slip.”

  Kang rolled his eyes, incredulous. “…Worry about yourselves. You’re the ones being interrogated.” He held up the wire. “Why make this? Our North Korean agents use copper wires, which X-rays can’t detect either.” Ko A-young nodded. “…True. The tissue isn’t for X-ray evasion—it’s to enhance empathy.” Kang looked confused. Baek explained, “We experimented with these wires to boost sociopaths’ empathy. Surprisingly, it worked on regular people too. Lying or cursing sends signals to the amygdala, causing stress.”

  Kang frowned. “…So the mass hysteria at Dongguk Middle School was caused by this? Knocking out students to implant wires… Why do something so horrific?” Ko A-young scratched her head. “…It was for me. People there badmouthed me, so we ‘treated’ everyone to boost their empathy.”

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