In real-time. Was someone watching him? At the end of the newly modified sentence, a strange string of numbers appeared: '3870-09'.
[March 23, 2019 — 3:40 AM] Gosiwon, Room 206.
Yun-jae sat frozen in front of his monitor. He was nearly halfway through reconstructing the files for the 'Lee Seo-jun Case.' Every sentence he typed felt like a slow erosion of his soul, a small piece of his heart crumbling with every keystroke.
"His actions were planned—"
He stopped, his fingers hovering over the keys. On the screen, the words he had just typed began to vanish. In their place, an entirely different sentence materialized as if typed by a phantom.
Original: "His actions were planned—" Revised: "His actions are judged to be a crime meticulously prepared in advance—"
The cursor moved frantically, backspacing through his words and erasing his intent. Against his will, someone else’s malice was being etched onto the digital page.
Yun-jae rubbed his eyes and stared at the monitor. I must be seeing things, he thought. But he wasn't. The sentence had changed completely.
[03:48 AM] He scrolled down to check the rest of the document.
Yun-jae’s Draft: > "The USB log records show a continuity in the defendant's actions."
The Finalized File: > "The USB logs clearly demonstrate a series of technical thefts perpetrated by the defendant."
The changes were too precise. Too deliberate.
"Who... and why?" Yun-jae clicked on the 'Edit History.'
[No edit history found]
[No external access detected]
[Security status: Normal]
"Normal? This is impossible."
At that moment, a small grey string of text flickered in the bottom right corner of the window.
[AS_EDIT: 02:31 AM] [AS_EDIT_3870-09]
Yun-jae felt the air leave his lungs. 3870-09. This USB wasn't a simple storage device. It was a 'Server Link Port' exclusive to the AS organization. The document looked like a standard Word file, but it was actually a 'Remote Document' tethered to the AS internal server.
Every time he typed a sentence, someone was watching the same screen. And they were overwriting him instantly.
[04:00 AM] He inspected the file structure again. A new folder had appeared.
[REF_DOCUMENTS]
It hadn't been there just minutes ago. Inside were three files:
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
[2015_Kim_Min-ho_Industrial_Leak.pdf]
[2017_Park_Seo-hyun_Patent_Infringement.pdf]
[2019_Lee_Jun-hyeok_Trade_Secret_Theft.pdf]
He opened the first one.
Subject: Kim Min-ho, Researcher at Corporation C.
Charge: Leaking classified data to a competitor.
Evidence Pattern: Email logs, USB copy records, call history.
Outcome: 1st Trial: Not Guilty → 2nd Trial: Guilty.
Final Status: Committed suicide, March 2016.
Yun-jae swallowed hard, his throat dry. "This... this is the exact same pattern as Lee Seo-jun's case."
The second file. Park Seo-hyun. Patent infringement. The evidence was 'too perfect.' Suspected manipulation. Outcome: Charges dropped → 3 years of civil litigation. Missing since 2018.
The third file. Lee Jun-hyeok. Ongoing. Simultaneous criminal and civil trials.
And at the bottom of all three cases:
[Processing Code: AS-3870-15]
[Processing Code: AS-3870-27]
[Processing Code: AS-3870-43]
Yun-jae’s fingers began to tremble.
"They all have the same number... 3870!"
2014, Lee Seo-jun. 2015, Kim Min-ho. 2017, Park Seo-hyun. 2019, Lee Jun-hyeok. The same methods. Fabricated evidence. Crushing civil lawsuits. Ruined lives. And AS-3870.
"It’s not a case number," he whispered. "Is it a serial number?"
3,870 cases? 3,870 victims? A chill ran down his spine. "Was Lee Seo-jun... just one of them?"
[04:18 AM] The screen flickered. Ding.
[Collaboration Mode: ACTIVE][Progress: 62%][Assigned: A-73 / Overseer: 3870-09]
"Collaboration?"
As Yun-jae typed, 3870-09 overrode him simultaneously. It was a real-time joint operation—but in reality, it was a digital cage.
[04:25 AM] Yun-jae began to type desperately. "The defendant, throughout the entire process of the incident—"
The sentence vanished. It was replaced automatically. "The defendant played a deliberate and leading role throughout the entire process of the incident—"
A comment bubble appeared on the right.
3870-09: Sentence adjustment complete. 3870-09: Modified to accurate expressions fitting the objective.
Suppressing the tremor in his hands, Yun-jae left a comment of his own.
A-73: Who are you?
Silence.
3870-09: Questions are not permitted. A-73, focus only on the 'Logical Finalization' of the assigned text.
It was clinical. It didn't feel like a person; it felt like a system typing through a human host. This wasn't a company. It was a massive, clockwork machine.
Yun-jae threw out one last question.
A-73: AS-3870. What does this number mean?
Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.
3870-09: A-73. 3870-09: You are also included within that number. 3870-09: Note: 'Unnecessary Curiosity' has been added to your profile.
"What do you mean?" The screen went black.
[Collaboration Mode: TERMINATED]
Abruptly. One-sidedly. In the darkness of his room, Yun-jae muttered to himself. "I'm part of 3870?"
He wasn't the writer. He was the subject. A subject to be managed. To be watched. Or... to be deleted.
[04:35 AM] The laptop whirred back to life. A file had been automatically generated in his working folder.
[A-73_Profile_Log.enc]
A profile log. The mere sight of the filename made his blood run cold. The organization wasn't just recording his sentences; they were recording him. He could see the first few lines in the preview pane.
[A-73 Profile Analysis]
Created: 2019.03.19
Last Update: 2019.03.23 04:32
Work Speed: Above Average
Logical Reasoning: High
Emotional Control: Low
Compliance: Below Average
Risk Potential: MEDIUM
Status: Continuous Observation Required.
Yun-jae couldn't move. The organization had already passed its judgment. A-73. They had concluded he was a 'risk.' And the consequence of that judgment...
[Next Chapter Preview] 5:00 AM. A new notification arrives on Yun-jae’s laptop.
"A-73, your work patterns are deviating from internal standards. Participation in the Re-education Program is highly recommended."
but Episode 7 is where all the scattered hints begin to align.
the story shifts from “external manipulation”
to “internal infiltration”—
how an organization rewrites documents,
rewrites narratives,
and eventually rewrites people.
See you in the next chapter.