1.

August 8, 2217- Cheonan's Galmuri Private Hospital

He had done nothing but tripped. As most human beings, who stand erect with their two feet under them and with ponderous heads resting on their shoulders, have done at one time or another, he had lost his balance and tripped. But Old Man Bak had died. And his body arrived at Ha Jinseok's hospital ten minutes prior. Old Man Bak had always called Jinseok the "young teacher." To Old Man Bak who was unaware of Jinseok's hidden background, Jinseok looked like a kid.

Jinseok ran his fingers over the thick operation scars that he had stitched on Old Man Bak's shoulders. And he remembered the cold medication he had prescribed yesterday. Since he had given him a week's worth of prescription, he probably had six days of medicine left at home. Jinseok felt doleful at the thought Old Man Bak still probably had the cold.

Recognizing Old Man Bak's cause of death was not a difficult task. His external injuries were clear. There was no real reason for opening his head. Old Man Bak had fallen backwards down the stairs and suffered a formidable shock to the back of his head after banging into the edge of the stairs. Although the shock was most likely not strong enough to injure the skull, which was sealed with a firm fibrous skeletal structure, it was more than enough to rupture the throbbing arterial blood located below.

For that reason… internal hemorrhaging.

The blood started to gather and the part of the brain that failed to receive oxygen for a long period of time started to die. After a short time had elapsed, Old Man Bak's medulla oblongata sent orders to the heartbeat; it sent orders to breathe the last breath and died like the cerebrum composed of grey matter. Old Man Bak was clinically dead- he stopped breathing, which led to a dead pulse. The brain died and the heart stopped beating. Human beings caught diseases or got hurt easier than expected. This was particularly the case for old flesh and blood. Old patients lined up at Ha Jinsoek's hospital.

Jinseok thought of Sisyphus who was condemned by the gods to roll a stone up a hill for eternity. His work did not seem different at all. The patient who would visit Jinseok after hurting his hip putting a plant on the television would return shortly after hurting his wrist while putting the plant back down. With the change of the seasons, the elderly would request allergy and cold medications. And at some moment, a colorless death would seek them out and they would end their lives. When that happened, they stopped rolling that stone up the hill.

After concisely putting together Old Man Bak's cause of death, Jinseok contacted a big hospital in the city. Two patients were waiting to see him, but he did not feel like rolling the stone to the top of the hill anymore. The stone that had made it to the top of the hill would lose its balance and immediately fall in the opposite direction. He didn't feel like doing that today. The nurse paged Jinseok who was stationed at the mortuary

"Dr. Ha, patients are waiting for you. When should I tell them you are coming?"

"Tell them the autopsy is taking longer than expected. Tell them to come back tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"You haven't forgotten your schedule. You have a house call for Dr. Gang Wontaek at seven."

"Of course. How could I forget."

He casually let out a sigh and looked at the clock. 5:22. He still had twenty minutes.

Gang Wontaek was among one of the six people who had developed a whole body package substitute and he lived in Seoul, which was one city among the mere thirteen immortal cities around the world. In reality, even though he had developed a whole body package substitute, Gang Wontaek was a mortal who adhered to his mortality- he had no right to live in the heart of downtown Seoul, the special immortal administrative zone, but he was a famous enough to be the exception to the rule.

5:45 rolled around and Ha Jinseok left to meet Gang Wontaek.

August 8, 2217- Seoul I.C. (immortal city): at the Residence of Dr. Gang Wontaek

Ha Jinseok carried his doctor's bag filled with several medical tools slanted upward and waited for the call to enter the room. Doctor Gang Wontaek's house, which was decorated with an abundant amount of various kinds of woods, reminded him of a dignitary's house during the Renaissance Period. However, the wood interior was meant to be a symbol of wealth. When thinking about how much environmental tax he had to pay for each piece of cut wood, this house was no different from being solid piece of gold.

"Dr. Ha, please come in."

He heard a young woman's voice through the speaker and the door in front of him opened. The door opened but it was not connected to Doctor Gang Wontaek's room. Through the opened door, he saw a long hallway that led to his room. Jinseok entered the hallway. A man approached him. He was an old man. Looking as if he might have been very healthy when younger, a man with a big build and a sorrowful expression on his face came out of Dr. Gang Wontaek's room. As if he had felt Jinseok looking at him, he lifted his head- their eyes met. At that moment, his expression looked fully crumpled like a piece of paper. Because his physiognomy expressed a complex array of emotions, it was difficult for Jinseok to surmise the reason for the expression. It kind of looked like despair; it kind of looked like rage. The man hung his head and promptly passed by Jinseok.

As soon as Jinseok entered the room, Dr. Gang Wontaek lifted his body halfway and greeted Jinseok. On the surface of his skin where all the collagen had evaporated, fine wrinkles like crevices covered his face, and as if he had made disgruntled expressions on his face for his entire life, his facial muscles had dug deep furrows across his face. He was an "elderly person" whose face showed the life of a man who had lived 162 years.

"Come in. It's been a month, hasn't it? You only plan to visit me to make a house call?"

"No, that's not it. I have been busy, grandfather."

Gang Wontaek curled his lips. Unlike the old man he had encountered in the hallway, Gang Wontaek's expression was void of any emotions, making it difficult to read.

"I heard you were planning on moving to another hospital. Are you still in Cheonan? You've been at it for eight years; it's about time the residents thought something was fishy."

"I suppose I have to move soon. Right now, patients simply joke that it would be great to look young for their age… like me."

"Be very careful. You know how much the mortals detest the immortals. Yeah, yeah. I know nobody knows this better than you. That's why I'm saying to be careful. Did Gyeonga say anything about your work?"

"Outside of working too far away, she thinks the work is good. I think she thinks an immortal doing volunteer work is somehow noblesse oblige."

During their short conversation, Ha Jinseok measured Gang Wontaek's blood sugar levels and blood pressure, and with a bone density scanner, he examined Dr. Gang Wontaek's bone condition. And through a syringe he injected a nano machine into his bloodstream that prevented the hardening of the arteries through cholesterol.

"By the way, who was that man that left your room? He was an elderly person. Weren't you the one who said to be careful of mortals?"

Dr. Gang Wontaek chuckled as he spoke.

"That's something for immortals to worry about. It doesn't matter to me considering I am a mortal with one foot in the grave."

"They probably think that you keeping your mortality is hypocrisy."

"Ha ha, at least they haven't misunderstood me. I mean even I misunderstand myself after all."

"……."

Jinseok realized that Dr. Gang Wontaek was changing the subject and did not question him further. Jinseok got up from his chair and spoke while folding Dr. Gang Wontaek's blankets:

"Since the nano machine will be released through your urine tomorrow morning, use a filter paper to filter it out and recycle. Since your bone mineral density (BMD) count is a little low, I will pass this information on to a nutritionist before I leave? And…"

Jinseok could not finish what he was saying, and he plopped back into the chair.

"What's wrong?"

Dr. Gang Wontaek was surprised and asked Jinseok. The dizziness that had come because the hematoceles that had suddenly clustered in his head gradually subsided. Jinseok took a deep breath and barely continued speaking.

"Ahh… it seems as if the time has come."

"Are you talking about… renewal?"

"Since I had one turn of renewal seventeen years ago, it's about time for another. But I did use this one for a long time."

"This is my sixth renewal, which was not such a long time ago. Now, I'll let you go."

Dr. Gang Wontaek lay back on the bed to get some rest. For an instant, Jinseok thought he had seen tears well in his grandfather's eyes, but Dr. Gang Wontaek turned over without moving.

As Jinseok left the residence, he sent word to various places. Dizziness was the most common symptom of the deterioration of a mechanized body. If he did not do anything about it, his mechanized body functions would shut down within a month. Different from dizziness, if the symptoms of deterioration began with arms and legs growing numb, it was common for this to spread until muscular paralysis gradually set in.

After Jinseok contacted his doctor at the Seoul Asan Life Research Center and made an appointment, he contacted his civil partner, Lee Kyeonga, who was waiting for him at home. Although she was a little flustered at the news of Jinseok's renewal, she spoke warmly that she would wait for him at home.

Jinseok got into a purely automated taxi to get home. The taxi, which moved following the rails on the ground, traveled at high speeds without much noise. As soon as Jinseok arrived at home, he made up his mind to close down the hospital in Cheonan. Although he was sentimentally attached to the place, it was difficult to explain to his patients about his own flesh and blood that had not changed for eight years.

After pushing back the seat, he summoned the liquid crystal display and fixed it on the news channel. The top news story was the high profile "Jack Murray murder case."

Jack Murray was an American British living in London I.C. He was charged with murder and the victim was his wife. The issue with this case was that immediately after committing the murder, Jack Murray had received a mechanized body renewal. His mechanized body renewal had caused a significant amount of memory loss; he asserted that memory of the events that took place on the day of the murder, June 7, 2215, were also lost. Regarding this claim, the head institute in mechanized body research, the Dab Research Center, refuted these claims.

The Dab Institute said that Jack Murray was playing the part of a fabricated mentally deficient person to avoid facing the judgment of the law. They made it clear that the present Jack Murray was mentally and legally the same Jack Murray before the renewal, and even if he had suffered some memory loss, that was something a psychopathologist should address- it was not something to be addressed with a bias toward mechanized body.

The second trial found him guilty, and an immortal was handed a mortal sentence. He shamefully cried through the entire interview and continued to claim that he knew nothing. The third trial date was set for two months later.

The news was not interesting after that. There was relatively large amounts of news coverage regarding the overt trading of delivery sequencing tickets and there was continuous talk that a group of hooligans had attacked a warehouse located in Mongchon Mud Rampart which belonged to the Dab Research Institute. Other news showed a protest held at Daehakro where people were demonstrating for the right to expand the number of civil partners, which was currently regulated by law to be two, from three to four persons and all the way up to ten. Furthermore there was a report that the renewal period had ended for President Jun Il-ki; the Parliament had suggested he receive renewal after he had collapsed on his trip down from Pyeongyang.

Jinseok returned the liquid crystal display that relayed all the chaotic news of the world and closed his eyes. His renewal would probably begin a week later.


2.

Dr. John Dugall's question was always one from the beginning.

His superior brain which had planted from Dugall's youth a deeply rooted cynicism had never expressed reluctance in solving a problem. He had submitted his doctorate thesis when he was seventeen years old, but if he had recognized the importance of societal power earlier or if the Dugall couple had not been hit by an eighteen-wheel truck, it would not have taken him that long. Mrs. Dugall would leave the young eleven-year-old John Dugall in the children's study room of the city library and go shopping for a long time; the young John Dugall who had grown tired of waiting scribbled the title of his first doctorate thesis- "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"- in the blank spaces of the children library books. Of course, no librarian would allow a child to scribble all over the books and Mrs. Dugall who had returned to the library in a hurry fought with the librarian because of her son who had been crying until his eyes swelled up.

One title he had scribbled, which he later completed as a thesis, was "Misperceptions Regarding a Discontinuous Personality and Continuous Body and Misperceptions Regarding a Continuous Personality and Discontinuous Body."

Although John Dugall got his philosophy PhD through this 270-page thesis, he disapproved of his thesis, condemning it as being an illusionary excuse whenever asked to appraise his doctorate thesis. He got his biotechnology PhD when he was nineteen. Transforming into a biotechnology doctorate from a philosophy doctorate was unconventional, but the truth of the matter was that he really did not change at all. Starting from his philosophy doctorate thesis, he had made public that he was a serious supporter of materialism; as soon as he became a doctor of biotechnology, working with Dr. Gang Wontaek in Korea, he created a primitive silicon life form using silicon, and he let the world know that his materialism was still in a good health.

Up to that point, Dr. Dugall still had one question.


3.

August 8, 2217- the Dab Distribution Warehouse in the Mongchon Mud Rampart

The police were scrambling in front of a large cube building. They lit up the building with a strong search light, and a siren, which had been developed for torture purposes and had now changed functions, blared loudly. The police were faced with a perplexing situation. It had been thirty minutes since the police received information from witnesses that had seen flashes and heard explosions coming from the distribution warehouse. Within five minutes, six police cars had come from three police stations, and ten minutes later, four other police stations sent reinforcements- in total, fourteen police cars and three platoons of special task forces surrounded half the distribution warehouse. Smoke continued to rise from the scene and one part of the towering fence that surrounded the distribution warehouse had collapsed. They discovered dozens of shells and they knew that some kind of brief altercation had taken place. The police had arrived to rescue the distribution warehouse employees who were in peril, but the employees of the distribution warehouse ardently blocked the police from entering.

Prosecutor Yi Seongchan, an immortal who had his third renewal this year, stood with his arms crossed and spoke with a frigid tone to the distribution Dab warehouse workers who were blocking the collapsed area of the fence.

"What do you think you're doing! We've already discovered NATO bullet shells on the grounds and the RPG has already exploded. Do you really think you can cover this up?"

The junior prosecutor Seong Sangdu stood next to him and cautiously made a guess. He was tall and looked very athletic and his roughly textured leather jacket stood out.

"Considering the fact they used conventional weapons, it seems like the work of back to nature supporters."

"You think so? To these simpletons, the ray gun and the K-2 rifle are pretty much the same thing. They are nothing more than modern conveniences. It's more likely these guys would break the wall by bringing a herd of cows. Did you check the iris recognition terminal in this vicinity?"

"Yes, I did. But it appears as if the perpetrators had on camouflage contact lenses. There are seven iris recognition terminals; although the number of irises registered matches the number of people in the unmanned camera, fourteen people are registered with the same name in the seven iris recognition terminals."

"What name?"

"That…"

Seong Sangdu whispered in Yi Seongchan's ear, worried someone would overhear him. Dressed in a shiny black suit, the look in Yi Seongchan's eyes grew sharper. His brain was in overdrive. Yi Seongchan looked at Seong Sangdu and spoke:

"Of course, he's probably not the criminal. But I have an idea about this group's intention. Let's start from there, and let's figure out what these guys were after which prompted them to break into this distribution warehouse."

Yi Seongchan called in a special task force that was nearby.

"Since this is a criminal investigation, charge all those bastards blocking the way with obstruction of justice and get in!"

"Excuse me? We are talking about the Dab Research Institute. It would be wise not to act hastily…"

As if the special task force soldier was reluctant, he mumbled the end of his words. Yi Seongchan struck the soldier's thigh and screamed.

"What? What division are you from! Do the citizens put food in your mouth so that you can wimp out in front of a large corporation? Give them a final warning and if they don't listen, get in there!"

"Yes, yes sir!"

The special task force soldier rushed to the squad leader who was in charge of the besieged area and relayed the orders. Yi Seongchan observed the scene with a vacant look on his face. The special task force soldier who had run to the squad leader was pointing to Yi Seongchan with his finger, and the squad leader who had reproached the soldier with coarse gestures looked at Yi Seongchan. Yi Seongchan grinned and with gaudy body gestures, he sent him signs as if in a baseball game. He signed for a long time but what he was saying was brief.

"Shut up and go in."

The squad leader did not send any particular signs but his facial expression and body gestures spoke loudly enough.

"But…"

After Yi Seongchan sent the same sign without any change in his facial expression, he pretended to cut his neck with his hand.

"Shut up and go in. Do you want me to send you home to baby-sit the kids?"

The squad leader appeared to give in; he let out a deep sigh and grabbed the microphone.

Employees of the distribution warehouse, I ask you to leave the scene and return to your homes. This is your last warning. Your actions are impeding the execution of our official duties…"

Yi Seongchan suddenly went to the side of the squad leader and snatched the microphone.

"Are you pleading with them? Why don't you try shedding a few tears to have them leave!"

Yi Seongchan glared at the squad leader and started to speak into the microphone.

"Ah, ah, I am informing the Dab distribution warehouse employees who are in front. Occupying by force a crime scene without doubt falls in the category of obstruction of justice. Private ownership no longer matters here. I hope you will cooperate and I will give you plenty of time. 180 seconds. If you continue to seize the scene by force after 180 seconds, I will show you personally how hard our soldiers have trained with the support of your tax dollars. Over and out."

With the commotion behind him, Yi Seongchan checked his wristwatch and sat on the edge of the police car's hood. The brief commotion settled down and in the silence, three minutes flew by in the blink of an eye. The workers were still blocking the way. After biting on his lips, he sprung to his feet and grabbed the microphone again.

"Have it your way. I know how much love you have for your company but now I will have you experience personally the extraordinary skills of the Korean police force. Special task force! First and second platoon advance!"

As soon as Yi Seongchan finished speaking, the frightening sound of moving combat boots erupted into the air in uniform chaos. Extending police clubs shaped like tonfas the special task force started to pressure the employees of the distribution warehouse.

Before they collided, a gyro helicopter with two large domes on either side lit up the night sky while landing. Although it was not that loud, once its spotlight passed over an area, people had no choice but to unwittingly stop what they were doing.

"Who is this bastard? Making such a scene from the get go!"

Yi Seongchan grumbled as if disagreeing with the halt in operations, but it was not easy to disregard the Blue House emblem on the side of the helicopter. The helicopter landed between the police officers and the distribution warehouse, and two people got off the helicopter. One man was thin and wore a tight fitting suit; the other man was short and carried a suitcase in one hand. The two men approaching Yi Seongchan did not say anything particular but handed a piece of paper from the suitcase.

Yi Seongchan's facial expression frighteningly contorted after reading the paper.

"What in the hell does this mean? I'm supposed to disband this force, no questions asked?"

The thin fellow spoke in an equally parched voice.

"Questions are not permitted. If you have finished reading it, please return the presidential order."

The man flippantly snatched the orders from Yi Seongchan's frozen hand and returned it to the suitcase.

"That's all then."

With that brief farewell, the man got back on the gyro helicopter and flew away. Yi Seongchan tried to come up with something in a hurry, but he could not find a solution. In reality, the reason he could not find an answer was not because of the lack of clues. For Yi Seongchan, the situation itself was a powerful clue, but it was difficult to put together these inconsistent clues.

"Come on, now! Let's think of every possibility."

Yi Seongchan started to think of an irrational scenario that fit his counterparts that seemed to have strayed from common sense. Yi Seongchan took out an old cigarette from his pocket after dispersing the police. Although he could not taste cigarettes after becoming immortal, he occasionally remembered what it tasted like. In Yi Seongchan's eyesight, which followed the cigarette smoke drifting to the sky, the Dab Mongchon distribution warehouse cast a large shadow.


4.

August 11, 2217- Cheonan Galmuri Private Hospital

"You see that screen, right? The estimated weight is 2.1 kilograms. No signs of any hereditary disease or deformation. He's a very cute baby."

Jinseok was showing the pregnant mother her child through the cheap body projection scanner at the hospital. Embarrassed that he was looking right into her stomach, the pregnant woman blushed, but her eyes followed the infant's movements intently.

"What is that distorted spot on the screen?"

The pregnant woman pointed to the spot directly under the infant's waist.

"It's mosaic-covered. You can confirm the gender of baby at the end of October. Ah, you have to be careful- because your pelvis is narrow, you might experience some difficulty during the delivery."

The pregnant woman was anxious to know the gender of the baby, but pretending to be very composed, Jinseok acted as if he had not to seen the pregnant woman.

The pregnant woman who had come down from the scanner peeped behind Jinseok; however, Jinseok turned off the monitor at once.

"Doctor, I won't act foolishly as you are probably thinking. Can you tell me the gender of the child?"

"I feel like I can trust you but if it really doesn't matter, there's no need to spoil the surprise."

Although Jinseok had danced around the subject, he really did not intend to reveal the gender. The pregnant woman was a nineteen-year-old single mother named Yi Aram. She was raped by a stranger in the beginning of February and became pregnant. She had lived through several difficult times and was now able to look at herself and her child in a positive light. However, Jinseok refrained from saying something dangerous because if she was carrying a male child, the pregnant mother might identify him with the rapist. Aram sat in the chair and took deep breaths as if she was having a difficult time.

"Doctor, I hear you are going to another hospital?"

"What? Yes, that's correct. I'm thinking about closing the hospital in four days. Come to think of it, I think this will be our last medical exam."

"Really? What will I do? Without you, I don't think I can have this baby."

Silence filled the room after Aram had finished speaking. The sour smell of disinfectant pierced their nostrils and outside the cicadas cried vociferously. At the point the silence was starting to make Jinseok feel awkward, Aram started to speak again.






"Doctor, what do you think of mechanized bodies?"

Jinseok was taken aback by her sudden question, but it was because he felt guilty.

"I am not for or against it. I think it's a matter of choice."

Aram asked another question with her eyes wide open."

"That's surprising. I thought you would be against mechanized bodies considering you're a doctor and all. Your patients are unquestionably dropping."

In reality, not only were doctors adamantly opposed to mechanized bodies, but also they were the most violent demonstrators. Class divisions according to those who had and did not have mechanized bodies were proliferating, and this struggle contained political and moral implications.

"What do you think of mechanized bodies?"

He would not have ordinarily asked such a question but Jinseok wanted to hear her response.

"Up until last year I really wanted a mechanized body. It would be a lie to say I am not envious nor want eternal youth and eternal life. But I knew our family didn't have the money for a mechanized body. It's difficult enough to endure the gap between those who will live eternally and those who won't… and I belong to the latter group."

"And?"

"It's just that, my thoughts have changed as I got this child. For some time after I got pregnant, eating, drinking, and breathing… everything was a hassle. It was hard to find a reason why I had to do these things. I spent day after day sleeping in a room, barely breathing. But at some moment, I wasn't sure whose hunger it was, but hunger suddenly rose from inside. When I gained consciousness again, I found myself holding on to the rice cooker and eating rice. I realized something at that moment. Unlike the mayfly, we are born with our mouths and anuses unsealed because god is being considerate of us, asking us not to forget that we are alive tiresomely breathing every moment and having to eat our square meals. I wanted to live with this child."

Although Jinseok had been giving her medical exams for some time, he was hearing what she was saying today for the first time.

"Did you change your thoughts regarding mechanized bodies after becoming pregnant?"

"I heard when people who have mechanized bodies want to have a child, they have to wait their turn. They don't get pregnant personally but they get artificially inseminated through the sperm and ovum in a test tube and the child grows in an artificial womb. And like some kind of present, the child is delivered to their homes. Do you think they will be able to understand the intimacy shared between mother and child? Will they know about the relationship between mother and child- how they share what they eat, breath, and even what they think? They probably won't know. And growing up in a place without schools, they will grow up lonely, mixed in with adults while looking young."

Aram pointed to Jinseok's desk.

"When I have this child, I am going there."

On top of the desk was a calendar with a picture of a herd of gnus covering a wide field in the Serengeti.

"Africa has no immortal cities; people live simple lives, die naturally, and new lives are born into the world."

Jinseok glanced at the calendar on his desk with a vacant look. It was already August, but Jinseok felt as if he was looking at the pictures of the calendar for the first time.


5.

August 12, 2217- the Seoul I.C Supreme Prosecutor's Office

A subtle chill malapropos to the season swirled in the section chief's room of the department in charge of violent crimes. A thin-eyed man who looked combative and cynical looked down at Gim Jungi, the chief of the violent crimes section who was sitting at a desk. Gim Jungi never liked the look in Yi Seongchan's eyes. Although he recognized his skills, he was well aware of how insane Yi Seongchan, who appeared cold, could get when he started to focus on a problem. Gim Jungi was nervous- although Yi Seongchan's did not reveal his disposition often, Gim Jungi knew someday he would cause trouble which would surpass the total amount Yi Seongchan had suppressed.

Gim Jungi felt like today was that day.

"You call this a report? You're telling me you have to search and seize the Dab warehouse?"

"Of course, is there something wrong?"

Yi Seongchan retorted without hesitation using informal language. In reality, he was the same rank as Gim Jungi, but Yi Seongchan's personality was not fit for the system.

"Based on what evidence?"

"I don't think you read the report very carefully. We discovered a large amount of conventional weapons at the crime scene and didn't you read that there was powder smoke and traces of explosions, as well? And on that day, it seemed like the networks were being pressured by some external force. People would laugh if they heard misfits were wandering around the Seoul I. C with antitank guns."

"That's no reason to conduct a search and seizure. Irrefutably, Dab is the victim here."

"Putting the accident aside, they occupied by force the crime scene of a criminal investigation which has me doubt their legitimacy."

It was hard for Gim Jungi to control his temper. Gim Jungi was upset at the situation where he had to convince Yi Seongchan of something he himself was not sure of; since Yi Seongchan was not someone who acted rashly out of ignorance, he knew his explanations were for nothing. Although Yi Seongchan spoke nonchalantly, in Gim Jingu's eyes, Yi Seongchan looked not only like someone getting ready for a war, but also he looked like he was trying to recruit him to participate in the war

"That place is private property. But that's not the important point. You know that. Are you pretending not to know on purpose? The Dab warehouse does not store tuna caught in the ocean. The warehouse is like a womb for new human beings. Although you are probably aware of this as you went through it that day, that place is protected by the Blue House. The president personally intervened!"

Gim Jungi started to talk about matters he did not intend to reveal. It was honorable for the prosecution to stop an investigation because the president intervened.

"Isn't it unconstitutional for the prosecuting authorities, which is the machinery of the law, to disperse forces by some command issued by the president of the administrative branch? Am I wrong here? Prosecutors can search the president's bedroom when necessary! There's no such thing as sanctuary!"

"You're wrong. Sanctuary does exist. It may not have existed in the past but it does now. That sanctuary is the Dab warehouse. You got it? Walk away. Yi Seongchan. Don't end up being the scapegoat. This conversation ends here."

Gim Jungi spit out his words quickly to end the conversation. Yi Seongchan glared at the chief but did not open his mouth again. Gim Jungi let out a deep sigh before speaking again.

"Yi Seongchan, this case is no longer in our hands. The army has taken over and even within the prosecutor's office, the hope is to wash our hands of this case."

"Hmm, so what you are telling me is the army has been mobilized to catch a bunch of misfits, huh?"

Gim Jungi knew he had made a mistake when he looked at Yi Seonchan's flushed face. Yi Seongchan moved closer to Gim Jungi and spoke.

"Listen carefully, Gim Jungi. I think you still don't get it. What did I say was inside the Dab distribution warehouse? That place is filled with soulless mechanized bodies that are waiting to become the new bodies for renewers. Have you thought about what would happen if those mechanized bodies got into wrong hands? What would happen if those mechanized bodies do not go to their original owners but are used for human renewal? Will our society be able to filter out that kind of existence? Could we impose sanctions if the ruling party selected a prominent person and exchanged him or her for a renewed body because they did not have a good candidate for the presidency? If mistrust regarding renewal builds in this manner, the world, which had reached this point after the Silica Lucy, would crumble in an instant. Gim Jungi, 87% of the politicians are immortals that have had at least seven renewals. If we do not preserve their identities, in the long run this society will fall apart."

"Don't overanalyze this. Lost mechanized bodies don't exist. The reason the army showed up is as you said, because they confirmed that large quantities of conventional weapons had entered the country."

"That's not reason enough for the prosecution office to be excluded from this case."

"Yi Seongchan, I have nothing more to say. I am not in the position to offer you any support. I hope you understand. You can leave now."

Yi Seongchan left the section chief's office with a stern look on his face. Gim Jungi rubbed his stiff shoulder and leaned back on his chair.

"The idea of switching renewals is a little over the top…"

As soon as the junior prosecutor Seong Sangdu realized he was walking awkwardly, he felt troubled. This was the adverse side effect his physical strength being out of proportion with his weight after being renewed as a slender type weight minimized mechanized body. And according to a jinx he had, something bad always happened on these days. He was loosening up doing some light shadow boxing when Yi Seongchan came out of the section chief's office.

"What happened? It won't be easy."

"They say this falls outside of the prosecution office's jurisdiction."

"Turned out as expected. Once I saw that helicopter with the Blue House emblem on it, I had a bad feeling about this. Are you planning on proceeding with your initial plan?"

Yi Seongchan nodded his head casually.

"Bring the equipment and meet me at 10 in the main building, junior prosecutor Seong."

Seong Sangdu asked in a playful tone.

"You have to climb over the wall- now, you're the one breaking the laws."

Yi Seongchan spoke with an uninterested look on his face.

"It's merely a 'special' investigation."

"That's for sure considering I'm not being paid for night duty, you know."

Seong Sangdu looked out the window. The weather report had indicated a typhoon was heading up from Okinawa Island, but the sky was clear without a cloud in the sky. The wind had even died down and the roadside trees stood still as if a photograph. However, the cicadas that suddenly went silent indicated that the typhoon was close.


6.

August 15, 2217- Samseongdong , Seoul Immortal City, the old Koex Building

After entering the 21st century, the goal of building was once again "higher and higher." If the building race that unfolded in the 20th century between nations was an ostentatious display of a country's prestige and economic competitiveness, the construction race of the 21st century was more pressing and contained clear-cut objectives.

There was no more land.

There was a limit to expanding the city horizontally in many ways, and buildings with four hundred stories, eight hundred stories, and a thousand stories started to rise like bridges between the heavens and earth. People said as a joke that for people who wanted to commit suicide, it would take longer for them to fall from the top of the building than to decide on committing suicide.

With this new boom in construction, many of the buildings from older generations faded into memories.

The old Koex building was one of those buildings from an older era. Although people still remembered the name "Koex" in 2217, the Koex they remembered was the huge shopping mall that covered the old Koex.

Disregarded and forgotten occupants that resembled the fate of the old buildings started to gather. Unlike the above ground Seoul, which had become a special administrative zone for the immortals, this shadow city, which carried the name of Seoul, was filthy, damp, and occupied by mortals.

Around 3,000 inhabitants occupied the old Koex, which was the largest group among the underground dwellers. Although it was an illegal residence, it was equipped with schools, hospitals, and other facilities, and compared to other underground residences, it had a relatively low rate of drug trafficking and bloodshed. They could hold mass every weekend at a place that was formerly a theater, and because there was a place formerly used as an aquarium, they did not have difficulty finding drinking water.

A man who dropped into the Koex thirty years ago put this all together. As soon as he entered the place, with alarming organization skills, he eradicated all the small feuding gangster factions, and he organized a committee of vigilantes and restored order to the residence. He was very erudite and he was very familiar with the religious ceremonies that had been forgotten. He became the teacher of the people, serving as their priest, their judge. Although nobody knew his name, they called him "Pa-pa" out of respect.

Pa-pa was walking with two attendants along the arcade called "Canyon Walk." If it was any other place, it would have been bustling with people trying to greet Pa-pa, but he would only encounter the occasional greetings of vigilante committee members who were the only ones allowed in Canyon Walk.

The "Asem Hospital," which served as hospital/rest area for the vigilante committee members was filled with a tension that was different from ordinary times. Near the Asem Hospital entrance, four vigilante committee members armed with K-2 rifles were standing guard. As soon as Pa-pa approached, the vigilante committee members started to squirm as they asked him for the secret password. Although it was awkward for the vigilante committee members to ask Pa-pa for the secret password, they would be severely admonished by Pa-pa himself if they just let him pass.

"What do pigs eat?"

"People."

"What eats people?"

"Ambrose de Bierce."

"You may pass."

Pa-pa passed by the vigilante committee member and entered the deep interior. As soon as Pa-pa entered, "Paul Greengrass" who served as the only doctor and hospital president of "Asem Hospital" bowed. After the eccentric Englishman who wore round glasses and long curvy hair read an article in the tabloids titled "The Shadow City of the Seoul Immortal City and the Resisters," he immediately got on a plane and headed for Seoul. He was twenty-seven years old at the time. It was fifteen days before his first renewal to a mechanized body.

"Come in, Pa-pa."

Because it had been over twenty years since he had come to Korea, his Korean pronunciation was not awkward at all. The young intern had reached his middle years living in the deepest part of a foreign country. Pa-pa followed Paul and entered a fully equipped operation room. Outdated operation tools drew a complicated line and created a grotesque scene. An unconscious young man lay on one of the two beds located at the center of the room. The young man's heart beat slowly, but his face was as pale as his body.

"He's not awake yet?"

"He shows some response but he hasn't gained consciousness yet. I've tried several things but there is a limit to what I can do considering I'm not a specialist in mechanized bodies."

"Is there a way?"

"I've tried every standard practice. However, he doesn't respond. They performed some kind of treatment after the renewal, but I have no idea what. Regardless of how similar the mechanisms of the body and mechanized body may be, there has to be some differences."

He sighed as he heard Paul speaking. Although he thought he had overcome the most difficult obstacles the moment he came out of the Mongchon Mud Rampart, he was still faced with an insurmountable barrier.

"Do you understand how to use the "mechanized body renewaler" that came along with (the mechanized body)?

With nothing to say, Paul lifelessly shook his head.

"Not yet… Since I am looking for a way now, it shouldn't take long."

"Paul, I don't have much time. You know, right? I can't die without finishing this work. Try a little hard, if you can."

Paul looked calmly at Pa-pa's face. Although his age could be guessed through his grizzled gray hair, his big and husky physique and gestures were that of a young man. However, Paul was well aware of Pa-pa's condition. The parasitic cells created by the heteromorphous (cell) divisions were crunching their host inside his body. Although he was blocking the full-blown effect of the disease through painkillers, Pa-pa's body would collapse the moment he passed the critical point. Paul spoke to Pa-pa while resting his hand on Pa-pa's shoulders.

"Your wish is my wish."


7.

The Dugall couple suffered an accident when John Dugall was fifteen years old. After attending a relative's wedding, the couple switched their car to auto-drive as it was late at night and headed back to Helsinki. The car, which ran by reading through a scanner the chrome particles microscopically coating the road, confused the chrome particles it was traveling on to be those in the opposite lane while making a lane change; the car started to cross over the center line and soon after collided with an eighteen wheeler. The Dugall couple's car was crushed like a tissue and the truck rode on top of the car, but miraculously, the couple survived.

A dispute over a few matters ensued followed by a trial. After a long arduous trial, the company confessed that the auto-drive mode of the automobile had recognized the first lane to be the second lane through an error in the car's set up function at the time the couple entered the car.

The family's economic problems were solved through the compensation they received. However, John Dugall's father lost both arms and his right leg; his mother lost her vision as the windshield wipers pierced her eyes. After a short time, his mother suffered severe psychological problems due to her vision loss.

John Dugall who was unquestionably a genius and unquestionably young had a hard time accepting how his positive and forward-looking parents had changed. His father who had enjoyed snowboarding at Jungfrau Mountain had tried to commit suicide by biting off the Achilles' tendon of his left leg and his mother who was a high school teacher screamed like an animal whenever people got close to her.

As he wiped away the lower part of his mother who would pull his hair and scream, it was hard for him to think he still had a father and mother. He was an orphan and the people he saw were ghosts and remnants of his former parents.

The questions, which had existed inside of him, gradually grew more profound. In some ways, he started to feel a sense of deja vu that his questions might have originated from his parents' accident.

After his sixteenth birthday, he no longer visited the hospital.


8.

August 13, 2217- the Mongchon Mud Rampart Dab Distribution Warehouse

Yi Seongchan and Seong Sangdu stood on the elevated crosswalk that had a full view of the Dab distribution warehouse. The distant building that pierced the sky like a protruding lightening rod shined brilliantly.

The distribution warehouse was built into three parts; there was one administrative building, a building that served as the power plant, and the largest building served as the warehouse. Although five days has passed since the event had taken place, the number of guards surrounding the warehouse was unexpectedly sparse. Of course, although the number of guards doubled the amount for regular buildings, it looked like a very placid building when considering the battle that had erupted a short time prior. In fact, Yi Seongchan did not care how many guards there were. As guns were prohibited in this country, what the private security group could arm themselves with was limited, and a protective suit was more than enough protection.

After glancing at the blueprint of the distribution warehouse he got from a friend working at the National Intelligence Service on a hologram, he looked back at the warehouse. Seong Sangdu started to whistle softly as he looked at the hologram blueprint of the warehouse.

"Amazing. How did you get this?"

"I got it from a friend at the National Intelligence Service."

Seong Sangdu bit his tongue from asking, "You have friends with a personality like that!" However, he said instead, "Pretty amazing friend."

By looking at where the guards were stationed and the traces of the explosions, he could deduce where the infiltrators had penetrated. They did not take the long way but broke the wall and headed straight for the mechanized body warehouse.

Yi Seongchan confirmed the target roughly and sent a sign to Seong Sangdu, and the two men who had some separation between them headed for the warehouse jumping down from the elevated crosswalk. Black parachutes popped out of the backpacks worn by Yi Seongchan and Seong Sangdu. The two men who were encroaching the rooftop of the distribution warehouse gently pulled the strings of the parachute and softly landed in the vicinity of the ventilation fans. After they methodically folded the parachutes and placed them in their backpacks, they went down the opposite side of the accident scene to avoid being detected by the guards. They selected among the four employee entrances to the warehouse, the entrance that was in the rear and farthest away. The entrance was a card key type door. Yi Seongchan ruffled through his backpack and took out a key card connected to a small PDA; he inserted it into the slot. The PDA recorded around 20,000,000 patterns in order in the span of two minutes, and the entrance restricted for employees let out a small beep before allowing entrance.

"Did your friend give you that, too?"

Yi Seongchan nodded his head and went inside. The white corridor led to the interior, which was on the quiet side with nobody around. They soon arrived at the door leading to the mechanized body preservation room. However, the two men were confronted with a dilemma. The entrance was fixed with three security measures: voice, iris, and blood. Seong Sangdu mumbled while glaring at the security equipment.

"Geez. This is like some movie. Your friend didn't you give you something for this, did he?"

"Do you think my friend runs some 'all you can get' store?"

They saw the mobile beds spread across the left side of the corridor. On top of the beds, it looked like human beings covered in sheets. Yi Seongchan and Seong Sangdu looked at each other and shouted in joy. They pulled back the sheets and as expected, they discovered mechanized bodies that were about to go into storage. The two men walked to the mobile beds at the end and pulled back the sheets. One was a woman and the other was a man. Yi Seongchan attempted to move the male mechanized body to another bed but the mobile beds were too narrow to support two bodies. The arm of the mechanized body slipped out. As Yi Seongchan tried to push the arm back in, he noticed something odd and looked at the mechanized body's hand. There was a small tattoo on the mechanized body's hand. It was your common, everyday fashionable tattoo but there was something fishy about a mechanized body ready for renewal having a tattoo on its hand. Yi Seongchan looked briefly at the tattoo before pushing the arm back in and carefully covered the body with the sheet. There was more pressing business to take care of. Yi Seongchan who had reclined on the empty bed called Seong Sangdu who had placed the female mechanized body on the floor and was in the process of searching the other beds.

"What are you doing!"

"I'm looking for another female mechanized body."

"Put it anywhere!"

"I can't do that. She's being born into a new body. I can't have her sleeping with other men."

Yi Seongchan rolled his eyes in disbelief and he clacked his tongue before laying on the bed.

The beds started moving at four in the morning. Seong Sangdu who had fallen asleep had a hard time stopping himself from stretching his body as he had normally done when waking from sleep. The sounds of footsteps that had methodically walked towards Seong Sangdu and then away stopped below his head, and soon after he felt the bed being moved somewhere. Judging by the sounds of the footsteps, two people were pushing the bed. After moving some time, the light passing through the sheet disappeared as if he had moved into darkness. The bed made two left turns, one right turn, and finally came to a stop. This appeared to be the final destination. After that, the sound of footsteps repeated, steadily walking away and then returning and as ten minutes elapsed, the footsteps faded away and never returned. To be sure, Seong Sangdu lay in bed for ten more minutes. However, as soon as he flipped off the covers and stood up, he realized someone was standing next to him. Stunned, he reached for his gun. His surprised counterpart reached for his gun, as well.

"Gun?"

"What? It's you?"

It was Prosecutor Yi Seongchan. Prosecutor Yi Seongchan tapped Seong Sangdu's head with the muzzle of the gun.

"Wipe off the drool. Are you telling me you fell asleep in this situation?"

Seong Sangdu quickly wiped off his drool and looked around. Seong Sangdu saw a long row of beds lined up. The lights lit up each bed.

"There's really a lot of beds here. Do you think we'll be able to find the lost mechanized bodies among all this?"

Yi Seongchan popped his shoulders and started to search the mechanized bodies. There were 40 beds lined up horizontally and 60 beds lined up vertically. After twenty minutes had passed, the two men who were far apart signaled to one another, as if they had discovered something. They were both holding in their hands tags that had been attached to the beds. With a rigid look on his face, Yi Seongchan asked Seong Sangdu whose face was flushed a question:

"Did you find something?"

Seong Sangdu replied reluctantly.

"Show me what you have first. I don't know what you discovered but you probably weren't as shocked as I was."

Seong Sangdu's flushed face was annoying, but Yi Seongchan showed him his tag first.

"I brought this from an empty bed."

Yi Seongchan's tag read "AB age 96- age 156- sex male- name Jun Il-ki."

"Jun Il-ki? It's the same name as the president, isn't it?"

"Name? Not only is the name the same, the age is the same and the most recent renewal year is the same, too. Is this pure coincidence?"

"But President Jun Il-ki finished his renewal several days ago."

"That's what I'm saying. This is weird. I will look at some more mechanized bodies. What did you find?"

Seong Sangdu forgot about the tag in his hand. He scratched his head and hid the tag behind him.

"Uhh, it's nothing."

"Huh? We don't have time to waste. Show me what you have."

As soon as Yi Seongchan pressed him, Seong Sangdu extended his hand without looking. The tab in his hand read, "AB age 22- age 39- sex female- name Jung Yoo-jin." Yi Seongchan looked suspiciously at Seong Sangdu. Seong Sangdu spoke in a shocked tone of voice.

"Are you telling me you don't know Jung Yoo-jin who was in "Only You From This Day On." She's a very hot actress. She's so sexy."

Seong Sangdu looked at Yi Seongchan's expressionless face and thought to himself, "Damn!" But Yi Seongchan's foot had already hit his shin. Yi Seongchan thought for a moment and asked while looking at the tag.

"Where is she?"

Seong Sangdu wanted to laugh as Yi Seongchan's actions and words were different and he pointed his finger towards her bed; however, he was busy rubbing his shin that ached from the foot that suddenly kicked him.

Yi Seongchan pulled down the sheets and looked down at Jung Yoo-jin. With chiseled features and her long neck which extended from her deep collarbone, she was beautiful without any faults.

"I remember now. She was on the news several days ago. I think she held a fan club meeting celebrating her renewal. And before that…"

"Yi Seongchan pulled down the sheets that were covering her breasts, and Seong Sangdu spread his fingers and covered his eyes. The woman's naked body glistened under the light.

"It was on the news that she had tattooed the name of her boyfriend on her pelvis."

As Yi Seongchan had said, English initials were tattooed on her pelvis.

"Just as I thought."

"It's strange. Why are the people's mechanized bodies that have finished renewal here? No matter how I look at it, this is not a new mechanized body."

Blushing, Seong Sangdu asked Yi Seongchan a question.

"Of course. These are not new mechanized bodies. These are the renewed mechanized bodies that have expired."

"So, you're saying this place doesn't store new mechanized bodies but is a place that eliminates mechanized bodies that have finished renewal. Are you saying they made such a fuss to hide this fact and to block the prosecution?"

Yi Seongchan did not respond to Seong Sangdu's question. He looked carefully at Jung Yoo-jin's mechanized body. And slowly Yi Seongchan's body was beginning to stir. Yi Seongchan placed his hand under Jang Yoo-jin's nose. Seong Sangu saw Yi Seongchan "bewildered" for the first time. Yi Seongchan could barely speak.

"S-s-she's breathing."

"What?"

As if Yi Seongchan had lost his mind, he grabbed Seong Sangdu's shoulder and screamed.

"She's alive! The renewed mechanized body is alive!!"


(to be continued)