Chapter 06
Midnight Encounter
Seong Geon-woo cast a sidelong glance at the figure made of light, then walked straight past it toward the depths of the hall.
The figure showed no reaction, only repeating the same words over and over: “One price, three blessings.”
A few minutes later, Geon-woo reached the farthest end of the hall and found a heavy, ash-gray stone door.
Set into a wall of black metal, the door was bathed in the glow of countless small stars. Suddenly three recesses appeared in its surface.
They were arranged in a perfect triangle about two meters high.
Staring at them for a few moments, Geon-woo caught a brief shimmer of starlight.
Leaning forward, he placed both hands on the ash-gray stone.
From within the recesses poured clusters of white light, as though fragments of fallen stars had filled them.
Symbols, like illusions, flickered rapidly inside the three stars, shifting as if they followed the flow of his thoughts.
The massive stone door groaned but opened only a crack, just enough to show a sliver of space.
Geon-woo paused to catch his breath, then pushed again.
The stars within the recesses dimmed for an instant, then shone more brightly when he renewed his effort.
The phantom symbols slowed but did not stop.
The door trembled slightly but would not move even half a step farther.
Geon-woo kept pushing until veins bulged across his forehead and his face twisted with strain, but nothing changed.
“Whew…”
He exhaled a long breath and watched as the three stars in the recesses quickly faded and vanished.
For a while he stood motionless, silent, eyes fixed on the door.
After a long pause, a faint smile touched his lips. He brought his right index and middle fingers to the space between his brows.
The atmosphere around him seemed to deepen.
He slipped his left hand into a pocket and lightly pressed his open right palm against the stone door.
This time he used no visible strength, yet the starlight gleamed even more vividly.
The three recesses filled again with star-white clusters of light.
The ghostly characters returned, their motion gradually slowing… until at last they stopped.
From top to bottom, left to right, the three glowing symbols read:
“Deductive Clown,” “Forcer,” “Hands Disabled.”
With a low grinding sound the heavy door shifted slightly inward.
Through the wider crack a faint light flickered, revealing a silver-white metal staircase ascending into darkness.
Geon-woo tried to slide a hand through the gap but failed.
He tried his foot with the same result.
He experimented with every position—standing on tiptoe, even doing a handstand—but could insert only the tips of his fingers and nose.
No concentration of will could open it further.
Repeated attempts made his silhouette grow fainter and fainter, until finally he stopped and stared at the dissolving outline of his own body.
Inside Unit 196, Section B, 495th floor, Seong Geon-woo snapped his eyes open, leaning against the bed.
The four-pane window glowed with lamplight, illuminating a wooden table, the darkening living room, the edge of a stool already lost in shadow, and the worn frame of the bed.
Everything was quiet.
Then a sweet, youthful voice flowed from a loudspeaker fixed to the ceiling outside.
“Good evening, everyone. This is newscaster Heo Jeong-min. The time is exactly 8 p.m.
At 5:20 p.m. a small fire broke out in a factory on the 102nd floor, leaving one dead and three injured. The flames are out, and damage assessment is under way.
The board of directors and Deputy Governor Ki again emphasized, ‘Never drop your guard; fire shows no mercy.’
Starting tomorrow, Reactor Unit 2 in the Energy Zone will shut down for maintenance. All employees’ energy rations will be cut by 25 percent, with no date yet for full restoration.
According to Son Seong-gu, chief scientist at the Geothermal Research Institute, a new model for geothermal utilization is being explored. This could keep the internal ecological zone’s soil in optimal condition while slightly adjusting nighttime temperatures in the residential areas.
At 6:40 p.m., a dispute erupted in the staff cafeteria on the 577th floor after a worker claimed a server gave him only a tenth less meat than others. Order supervisors are investigating.
Between 7:20 and 7:30 p.m., two male employees fought at the Activity Center on the 414th floor. Witnesses said it was related to the outcome of a group marriage.
…That concludes today’s news. As always, we’ll end with a cappella music. We hope you enjoy it. Thank you.”
Seong Geon-woo sat motionless on the bed, the lamplight falling short of him, listening with a calm expression.
Before he knew it, he had drifted back to sleep.
When he woke again, the street lamps outside were already dark and the room was pitch-black.
The night’s chill had seeped indoors. At some point he had shed his clothes and burrowed under the blanket, pulling his thick, dark-green coat over himself.
Without a wristwatch he couldn’t know the exact time, but he was sure it was before 6:30 a.m.—the street lights outside had not yet come on.
He silently did the math. Last night he’d fallen asleep before eight, two hours earlier than usual.
So he must have woken about two hours earlier as well.
Feeling a dull heaviness in his lower belly, Geon-woo groped beside his pillow for a black plastic lantern and flicked it on.
A narrow beam cut across the room, slanting onto the sink.
“Didn’t even wash my face, brush my teeth, or wipe my feet…” he muttered.
He threw off the blanket and climbed out of bed.
Except for high-ranking staff or managers with private bathrooms, everyone else had to use the large communal bath attached to the Activity Center.
Only those with special duties that required daily washing were allowed more than two showers a week.
Miss your assigned time and the chance was lost—it didn’t carry over.
He slipped on the dark-green coat, grabbed the lantern, and hurried outside toward the public restroom at the end of the street.
Batteries for lanterns were part of each worker’s energy ration, and Geon-woo hated wasting them.
Many employees preferred chamber pots or buckets to avoid nighttime trips, but even those required contribution points to obtain.
The communal restroom was empty. Motion sensors turned on a dim light at his footsteps.
After finishing his business, he started back to his room.
That was when a faint beam of light appeared around the hallway corner.
Seconds later, a man in the same dark-green coat strode quickly past, turning toward the opposite direction from the restroom.
Geon-woo quietly switched off his lantern and followed, footsteps silent, tracking the glow ahead.
Soon he recognized the man: Shim Do-hwan, a middle-aged neighbor whom he usually called “Uncle.”
“Uncle!”
Geon-woo stepped from the darkness and tapped the man’s shoulder.
Shim Do-hwan flinched so hard he nearly dropped his lantern, hands trembling.
He turned, relief washing over his fearful face.
“Geon-woo, you scared me half to death!
Why sneak up and greet me like that in the middle of the night?”
Geon-woo smiled.
“Hello, Uncle. I just wanted to ask what time it is.”
“Not six yet,” Shim answered automatically—his room at the crossroads had a wall clock.
“Where are you headed, then?” Geon-woo glanced around.
“Uh… the restroom…” Shim’s voice trailed off.
He fell silent, realizing he was walking in the opposite direction of the nearest public toilet.
Under the lantern’s glow his usually composed face flickered between pale blue and stark white.
Whether from the cold night air or something else, Geon-woo couldn’t tell.
Shim forced a laugh.
“To the C-section restroom. I suddenly remembered I dropped something there last night while hanging out at the Activity Center. Thought I’d better go retrieve it.”
Geon-woo nodded, his dark-brown eyes seeming to absorb the surrounding gloom.
Then he said with a quiet smile,
“Look, Uncle—we’re both wearing green coats. You’re a man, I’m a man too.”
Perplexed for a moment, Shim suddenly caught on and replied,
“Ah, so we’re brothers in faith!”
A spark of fervor lit his face.
“You’re on your way to hear the Guide’s sermon, too?”
“That’s right,” Geon-woo answered with a gentle smile.
