By Zephyria 
Sshhh—.
The taxi came to a stop. Mu-hae, who had been lost in deep thought, flinched as if waking from a dream.
Joo-oh, who had been staring blankly into space, turned his head in response to the movement. His face was filled with an unprecedented mix of tension and anticipation.
“Is this the place?”
“No. We have to walk a bit further.”
“Doesn’t seem like a very secret location.”
“He probably has a plan. Especially since he called us out separately.”
It was the time when most of the workday ended. The streets of Central were bustling with crowds coming and going.
Perhaps because the weekend was approaching? Cafes serving alcohol and outdoor bars were packed with people who had money to burn.
It was far too public a place to whisper secrets. However, Mu-hae knew. The best way to hide a tree is in a forest.
If there were a place where passersby would pay the least attention, there would be no location more effective than the middle of a busy city.
“Is it that building?”
He spotted a building where the lights were on from the lowest floor to the top, as if the concept of ‘leaving work’ didn’t exist.
A quick glance inside revealed it was a building housing offices for all sorts of corporations.
It didn’t seem like a place where West Wind would stay, nor did it seem like a place where the headquarters of Return flight could be hidden.
“He said Section ‘B’ on the 3rd floor.”
“Move aside. I need to pass the security device.”
Beep—. For now, the code key sent by West Wind worked perfectly. Without further suspicion, they took the elevator and approached Section ‘B’ at the end of the hallway.
Clack. As soon as they stood before the door, the lock released naturally, as if being recognized from somewhere. Behind the door that slid open on its own, people were working with all sorts of monitors floating around them.
It was such an ordinary office that he was momentarily speechless. Just then, someone rotating a hologram blueprint felt a presence and looked back.
A woman with her hair tied up neatly in a bun locked eyes with Jin Mu-hae.
“…….”
“…….”
“Uh. I have an appointment.”
“Guests have arrived.”
As soon as she spoke, the gazes of those focused on their work shifted toward the two of them. The sight of dozens of pairs of eyes converging at once was so alien that Mu-hae’s heart sank.
Fortunately, the employees soon returned their heads to their respective tasks. From among those who didn’t care about them, a man in a suit stepped forward.
“Were you guided this way?”
“Yes.”
“You have a twisted sense of humor.”
He opened a side door that looked like a breakroom. Inside, to their surprise, was an escalator that descended endlessly.
‘Underground.’
Of course. It was a familiar choice of location. To the man who gestured for them to proceed, Joo-oh gave a little wave.
“It would be so convenient if the Jaegang District moved on its own like this.”
“And who would fix it if it broke?”
“Director Gil.”
“Don’t say that when you go to the electronic store.”
Mu-hae pulled the boy, who seemed to have learned the wrong things, toward the escalator.
Stepping on right behind him, Joo-oh chuckled and leaned against him. The scent of the shampoo they shared wafted from his soft hair.
Before long, an underground space of about 200 square meters revealed itself. There were no traces of people, but the CCTVs installed everywhere indicated that the facility was well-maintained.
A long, narrow tunnel was visible to one side. Parked in front of it was a four-seater Hover Carrier.
…To think such a place existed right beneath Central. He didn’t know what kind of audacity it took to do this under the ground where people walked normally.
Then again, since they had already dug pneumatic tubes for trash and sewage tunnels, there was no reason such a path couldn’t exist…
Beep—!
—Verifying user.
—Verifying pre-authorized schedule.
Following the guidance voice echoing from somewhere, the headlights of the mobility vehicle flickered on.
As the passenger doors slid open, Joo-oh ran forward, swinging their joined hands back and forth.
Damn it. Mu-hae was dragged along quite naturally by the smaller hand.
Before he could verify anything, Joo-oh had already climbed into the mobility vehicle.
—Verifying destination.
Blink. Blink. Scanning beams of light flickered inside, and the open doors slid shut simultaneously.
Sshhhhh—!
Without warning, the capsule-shaped mobility vehicle shot forward. Joo-oh, who had been fidgeting with his legs, let out an excited exclamation.
Jin Mu-hae stealthily checked the map. Their position was changing in real-time.
The marker, which was already located in the hub, was moving rapidly toward the very center of the city.
Thump. Thump. His heart beat repeatedly. It was a direction that made him feel he knew what existed at the destination.
A place that anyone in Goryeo City would have seen at least once in a photo or video. A place he had never set foot in his life, but was said to exist somewhere in the central hub of Central.
Mu-hae clenched his teeth and stared at the tunnel where the light was scattering.
Sss—.
The speed of the mobility vehicle gradually decreased, and it came to a stop at a small platform. Whirrr. As the door opened, Joo-oh, who had been shifting his hips restlessly, moved first this time.
As someone who appeared to be a bodyguard approached while pressing their earpiece, Mu-hae’s head whipped around instinctively, like an occupational hazard.
If by any chance a problem arose, where should he jump to attack or flee? Where else would there be an exit usable as an escape route besides the device in front of them?
He processed every object and person in sight as an obstacle or terrain feature to identify a relatively safe position…
“It’s okay.”
As if knowing, Joo-oh whispered in his ear. Mu-hae thought he had managed his expression well, so it was surprising.
“Who said anything?”
Despite the blunt reply, his shoulders, which had been stiff with tension, relaxed. It was an inevitable reaction.
The moment he placed Joo-oh outside the category of ‘by any chance,’ nothing in the simulation would be able to block his path.
“I will escort you.”
Of course, it was all just a delusion based on the worst-case scenario. Reality was quiet and static.
As if he had never been on guard, Mu-hae followed the bodyguard’s guidance and passed through several security devices.
At some point, the path they were walking turned into a corridor, and after taking an elevator and stepping off, the scenery outside the window began to appear.
“Jin Mu-hae. Look at that.”
In the direction Joo-oh pointed, a vast grass garden stretched out.
Beyond the lush green trees and bushes, a dome-shaped wall surrounded the site.
The tall building facing them had one side covered in a blue-glowing roofing material, making it look like a giant Crystal Blue.
He had vaguely expected it, but if so, the place they were walking toward now was…
“It’s the official residence.”
Joo-oh muttered in a breathless voice, pulling the other’s arm. His eyes were sparkling and wistful, like someone who had found a lost home.
He stopped in his tracks and gazed blankly out the window. A mysterious and unfamiliar emotion, as if looking out at a lost past, brushed across his red eyes.
Mu-hae signaled the bodyguard to stop and quietly stood beside him. He looked at the landscape from a similar angle, but he had no particular memories or sense of déjà vu.
“How do you know this is the official residence?”
“Just. Because I can already see the City Hall and the Assembly in front.”
Phew. Joo-oh let out a long breath, ending his contemplation. Somehow, he seemed more excited than the person actually involved with West Wind.
Finally, they reached a massive door, and the bodyguard who had guided them silently stepped back.
Mu-hae walked calmly through the sliding entrance. Behind an antique desk, someone was staring at the lattice window that covered the wall.
“You arrived earlier than the appointment.”
“That way I can go home sooner.”
That was the second greeting between the reunited father and son. Once again, West Wind spoke first, and Mu-hae replied calmly.
“There are no surveillance devices in this room that I am unaware of. The few that are attached belong strictly to this side, so there is no need to worry.”
“I don’t like the latter either.”
“If you wish, I can delete those records as well. So, since we are both busy people, I would like to save some time.”
The owner of the room added a comment to Mu-hae’s act of scanning the surroundings. From that moment, eyes that looked alike searched each other.
Their dry expressions also felt similar. Considering the photo he had seen at the research institute, it seemed this kind of impression was a family trait.
“It seems you’ve discovered the flaw in the Starpath. Have you come to bargain?”
“I wonder. It’s closer to a threat. Telling you not to be bothersome with the information I already know.”
“……Quite excellent.”
“Also, as a reward for bringing someone else’s goal all the way here, shouldn’t I hear what I need to know?”
At the arrogant answer, West Wind neither frowned nor got angry. He simply stared at his opponent for a long while before turning his eyes back to the window.
“What happened?”
“What were you thinking?”
“If it’s to that extent… a reasonable reward should be possible.”
Glancing at the back of the man whose expression remained unreadable, Mu-hae thought of the hideout in the Jaegang District.
The traces left there and the erased emotions were overpainting a broken picture.
* * *
Crystal Blue. An energy source that became the salvation of humanity, and the hatchery of civilization’s destroyers.
After the immediate problem of survival was solved following the Great Cataclysm, humans turned their gaze toward the future, and soon concluded that a future shared with Blue Energy would not be very bright.
The number of Aberrants was increasing, and flora and fauna were steadily mutating. The land where humans could live was gradually shrinking, and the Comfort zone, their last bastion, would also fall one day.
Regarding the energy that had become a semi-forced necessity, some moved for the sake of the future.
Through all sorts of effort, trial and error, and dangerous challenges, Return flight finally found the ‘Starpath.’
[Project Solar 47]
Crystal Blue that reacts with the Starpath loses its light. The energy gradually dissipates, and soon even its form crumbles.
On the land where Blue Energy disappeared, the grass and trees of the past will sprout. The creation of Aberrants will stop, and mutated animals and plants will slowly return.
Only one step remains until Earth regains its past appearance. Now, humans can escape the cities that imprisoned them and unfold a new culture and life.
However, they also reached one unsatisfactory conclusion.
[012-4 No response]
[133-3 No response]
[256-112 No response]
Aberrants that have already been born do not disappear.
The threat factors that were created countless times and still roam the outside, not knowing when they might attack the city, remain exactly as they are before a humanity that has lost its Blue Energy.