“Who’s there?!”
A union worker holding a tablet suddenly shouted down the hallway.
“An intruder!”
The moment someone cried out, a group of union workers—led by the one gripping a steel pipe—rushed into the corridor in a loud stampede. They scanned in every direction, but there was no one to be found. Not this end of the hallway, not the other.
“What the hell? What did you see?”
The man with the steel pipe demanded an answer, agitation rising in his voice.
The worker with the tablet looked around, tension gripping him as if he still couldn’t shake off whatever he thought he’d seen.
“I’m telling you—something was there. Someone. Something.”
But the hallway held no trace of Mika, nor of Pluto.
There was nothing—no presence, no shadow, no hint of movement.
Only the union workers stood there, breathing hard into the silence.
The morning light of the city was breaking beyond the window of Black Car Y.
On Leo’s monitor, Mika appeared seated in the driver’s seat, quietly eating a sandwich, lost in thought. Leo asked first.
“Where shall we go?”
“The Seoul Metropolitan Police Robot Control Office.”
The moment she spoke, the coordinates and information for the control office appeared on Leo’s screen.
“That facility has been shut down.”
“When?”
“Thursday, June 20th, 09:30 AM. After the police robot Pluto murder case, the chief official of the control office, Dr. Jin-gyu Jang, and the entire research staff withdrew.”
“So all police robots are gone now?”
“Rainbow, the supplier, is developing a new police robot model, the C-3000. It will be ready for field deployment on February 10th of next year.”
“What was the reason for the staff withdrawal?”
A ‘Hacking…’ indicator blinked on Leo’s monitor. Seconds later, CCTV footage from the Robot Control Office began to play. In the upper-right corner:
June 20th, 2037 — 02:00 AM.
Inside the frame, Dr. Jang and his secretary, Rachel, stared down at the wreckage of robot Pluto.
Leo elaborated as he cross-referenced the hacked data.
“The official reason for temporary closure: inspection and improvement of robot-control system performance.”
Mika pinched her fingers and zoomed in.
The image grew grainy, but even through the rough pixels, there was something unmistakable—an emotion flickering in Dr. Jang’s eyes as he gazed at the destroyed Pluto.
“I don’t think that’s it. Don’t you see it? That look in his eyes… anger—something deep.”
Dr. Jang’s mansion was an enormous, three-story mansion built from old red brick. Beyond a vast garden—spanning over 13,000 square meters—rose tall walls and a massive arched gate that cut off the outer world.
When Leo’s Black Car Y stopped at the gate, hundreds of purple petals scattered like snow, fluttering in the breeze.
They were from the 160-year-old wisteria tree in the center of the garden.
The car had merely arrived, yet the gigantic gate unlocked with a clank—whrrr— and opened on its own. Black Car Y glided inside the narrow private driveway.
In front of the white entrance door stood a woman—Rachel, the same one from the CCTV—hands gently clasped, offering a polite smile. Mika stepped out of the car and approached her. Rachel bowed her head lightly.
“Hello, Ms. Mika Yoon. We’ve been expecting you.”
Mika smiled back.
“You knew I was coming?”
“Of course. This way, please.”
Following Rachel’s lead, Mika entered the mansion.
Behind her, Black Car Y’s external frame shifted with a click, narrowing horizontally as red LED sensors swept left and right like a vigilant animal coming alive.
Inside the living room, the first thing that caught Mika’s eye was a massive wall-mounted monitor displaying thirty-six live feeds of the mansion’s interior and exterior.
Even a passerby on a bicycle outside the estate was instantly captured by motion sensors, their personal information appearing immediately.
Mika nodded in quiet astonishment at the extraordinary security system.
Under a 15-meter stained-glass window—something more suited for a cathedral—sat Dr. Jang in a wheelchair, bathed in a wash of multicolored light falling over his shoulders.
“What is that stained-glass piece?”
Mika asked, her voice filled with admiration.
“A work titled ‘My Memory of Joan of Arc.’”
Mika stood beside him, nodding.
“I see. I thought the armored woman in the center carried a heroic, almost solemn aura.”
The stained glass depicted angels in white robes presenting a sword to Joan of Arc clad in armor.
One detail struck Mika—the face of Joan of Arc looked strangely familiar.
Not exactly identical, but something about it felt uncannily recognizable.
It almost looks like he painted her after me.
She shook her head at the silly thought.
“As you likely know from your impressive security system, I am Mika Yoon from Shocking News. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Dr. Jang offered only a gentle smile.
At that moment, Rachel placed a glass of lemon iced tea on the table.
“Please, sit here and enjoy some conversation.”
Mika sat down, inhaling the bright citrus scent.
“This is my favorite drink. How did you know? Do you have my personal data or something?”
Rachel pushed Dr. Jang’s wheelchair to the opposite seat, smiling warmly.
“We know what we don’t know. And we know what we know.”
It was an answer so ambiguous Mika couldn’t interpret it.
She simply sipped her iced tea—sweet, cold, refreshing.
A flavor she hadn’t tasted in a while… yet felt strangely familiar.
After a brief breath, she asked,
“I’m here because I have a few questions about police robot Pluto.”