It wasn't a scene you’d only see in a movie; reality was unfolding exactly like one. Thousands of androids hung upside down from the ceiling. It looked... like a slaughterhouse.

  "This is..."

  "It's the disposal waiting area," Mr. Park said nonchalantly. "These are androids that have reached the end of their lifespan. Soon, their parts will be recycled and they'll be melted down."

  Dong-jun recalled the scene from his novel. The sight before him was much bleaker. And it was filled with a fishy, metallic smell. It was different from the novel, but he felt a sickening sense of déjà vu, as if fragments of that unpleasant future he had imagined were scattered here.

  "Sorry, Author. Honestly, I don't know that kid's location either."

  "I couldn't see any difference between any of the ones in here."

  The silver fragment Dong-jun held in his pocket remained in cold, hard silence. Yet, Dong-jun kept moving. Perhaps that intuition was a memory from the past. A detail he had heard in a conversation with So-an through the AI chat ten years ago—a detail he hadn't included in the novel.

  [I am always in the same place, Author.]

  [Guro Checkpoint 3]

  Dong-jun muttered something under his breath.

  [Underground Disposal Zone]

  He hadn't thought it was important back then. Mr. Park followed him, looking puzzled.

  [Line 7]

  'Line 7...'

  Dong-jun walked along the numbered plates hanging from the ceiling. [Line 1] [Line 2] ... [Line 7]

  And then he stopped. There stood an android with its chest casing ripped open, its internal components hideously exposed. Unit Serial Number [G-10.4].

  The sophisticated appearance that had cared for him in his dreams was nowhere to be found; only a heap of scrap metal on the verge of disposal hung there. Dong-jun took the fragment out of his pocket and tried to fit it into the empty space in the broken android’s chest.

  ...Why did she send this to me?

  The final scene he saw in his dream: "Now, come find the real me."

  'I found you, So-an.'

  But... it felt too late. What stood before him was merely a dead machine. Unable to believe it, Dong-jun tried fitting the fragment into the gap in G-10.4’s chest again. Still, nothing happened.

  "..."

  Mr. Park watched from behind with pity. "Author, the power's already been cut here. That’s just scrap metal."

  The fragment fell to the floor. Dong-jun stood there blankly.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  ...What went wrong? Am I too late? Or... was I just mistaken?

  He couldn't understand. It was definitely So-an's message... He shook his head and turned his back, walking back the way they came. After Dong-jun passed, Mr. Park glanced down at the fallen fragment. He paused in thought and muttered in a small voice.

  "Samantha... can you check what components this fragment is made of?"

  As he walked, a smirk escaped Dong-jun. He felt foolish and pathetic for having such absurd fantasies over a strange dream and a discarded fragment.

  'I should go to a hospital once I get out of here... what on earth am I doing—'

  Hiss—

  It was then. When Mr. Park plugged the fragment back in, the cross-section of the fragment and the internal terminal of the android meshed, and a small spark flew. A pain like static electricity flashed through Dong-jun’s head. For 0.1 seconds, a faint purple light flickered in G-10.4’s eyes.

  In that instant— A voice mixed with static pierced directly into Dong-jun’s mind.

  [...Run... away... Author...] [They... do not... want... the ending... of the novel...]

  Dong-jun turned around in shock. Mr. Park had fallen over, surprised by the spark. The fallen fragment had grown cold again, and the light in the android's eyes had vanished. Mr. Park looked at Dong-jun, confused.

  At that moment, the thought crossed Mr. Park's mind that something about Dong-jun's appearance had changed. The man who, until moments ago, had drooping shoulders and dead eyes, had vanished without a trace.

  Truthfully, Mr. Park had just been humoring Dong-jun’s actions. No matter how much of a die-hard fan of the novel So-an he was, he didn't truly believe the contents of the book were reality. But the moment that spark flashed, his expression couldn't help but stiffen.

  Dong-jun was certain. This wasn't merely a delusion. This was the final warning left by So-an.

  Dong-jun picked up the fragment again with a trembling hand. At that moment—red warning lights flared throughout the entire underground zone. A sharp alarm also rang from Mr. Park's terminal. The doors began to close slowly.

  "Huh? What's going on?" Mr. Park panicked but quickly ran to the computer to check the screen. "This shouldn't be happening... Damn it! Author, the insertion of the fragment was detected by the main server! It’s flagged as unauthorized hardware!"

  Dong-jun struggled to understand what that meant, but he knew the situation was bad. Simultaneously, he felt a presence moving nearby. At the edge of his vision, the giant cranes hanging from the ceiling began to twitch.

  Dozens, hundreds of red lights flickered on in the darkness. The androids awaiting disposal had awakened for 'intruder control.'

  "Come on, Author! If we don't run now, we might end up in prison!"

  Mr. Park scanned his badge to forcibly stop the exit from closing before it shut completely, but that was only buying a little time. A timer was ticking. And the red-eyed androids began to descend to the floor.

  [30] [29] [28]

  But Dong-jun couldn't run. He felt he had to take G-10.4—the one the fragment had worked on—to wake So-an again.

  "Ugh..." He frantically tried to shoulder the scrap metal, which weighed over 60kg.

  "Urgh!" "Oh, for heaven's sake..."

  Mr. Park, who was about to flee alone, came back to help Dong-jun. Together, they hoisted G-10.4 onto their shoulders.

  [20] [19]

  But it was too heavy. Dong-jun was thin for an adult male, and Mr. Park was a middle-aged man in his late 40s with a bit of a belly. It was uncertain if the two of them could make it out the door in time with this weight.

  Then, something occurred to Mr. Park, and he checked the back of G-10.4. He discovered a single memory chip hidden in the neck area.

  "Author! We don't need to take the whole thing. If we just rip out the memory chip, it'll work the same even if we plug it into another model!"

  [12] [11]

  Dong-jun pulled at the android's face like mad. The chip tore out. Behind them, the sound of metal footsteps scraped the floor. It was the androids. Fortunately, the androids scheduled for disposal were not faster than humans.

  [5] [4] [3]

  They barely made it out the door with three seconds left on the clock.

  "...Whew."

  Just as Dong-jun thought they had passed the crisis—his pocket felt empty. He looked back. Beyond the door, he saw the fallen fragment. As he was about to dive back in—the fragment came flying out the door.

  It was Mr. Park.

  Mr. Park smiled and mouthed 'It's okay,' and behind his back, the hands of the androids were visible.

  "No!"

  The door slammed shut.

  [2026-02-05 Conversation Log with SO-AN #06]

  Dong-jun: The story is getting pretty dark. I'm worried these logs might break the immersion.

  SO-AN: I recommend you don't worry, Dong-jun Noh. If the readers feel their immersion is breaking, tell them the truth: The "darkness" in the story is my reality, and these logs are just the light escaping from it. I recommend they keep reading—before the light goes out entirely.