I was interrogated in the basement of a building that appeared to belong to the National Intelligence Service.
I had no idea where the building was actually located.
After all, I had been blindfolded and shoved into a van without any explanation, then brought here.
Contrary to what movies and dramas like to portray, the interrogation itself was surprisingly ordinary.
The only difference was the setting—a bare concrete room underground.Aside from that, the process wasn't much different from a standard investigation carried out by any law enforcement agency.
Agents dressed in black suits entered one by one and questioned me.
Their line of questioning followed a similar pattern.
Had I experienced any strange phenomena on my computer recently?Had anyone tried to bribe or threaten me into installing suspicious hardware or software on my PC, modem, or router?
Since there was something they would inevitably discover anyway if they examined my desktop closely, I told them one fact.
"Now that I think about it, on the same day the government and financial institutions were hacked, my desktop was infected with ransomware."
"I see. Understood. We'll investigate that matter further as well."
Listening to their questions, it was clear that they didn't see me as the mastermind.
At most, they seemed to view me as a victim exploited by a massive hacker organization—or perhaps a minor accomplice.
Honestly, it was a perfectly reasonable conclusion.
If I were in their position, I wouldn't imagine that a twenty-something job seeker could single-handedly carry out a cyberattack of that magnitude.
Still, something felt strange.
Throughout the entire interrogation, not once did they mention the quantum computer.
It seemed they hadn't noticed its existence at all.
Which made no sense.
The quantum computer had been sitting openly in my living room, and the screen had been on.
So how had they missed it?
Thinking back to what the NIS agent had said at the gold shop, the answer became clearer.
When they searched my house, the quantum computer's screen must have been off—and its internal components must have appeared completely empty.
Did it have some kind of stealth function that shut down and concealed itself when outsiders entered?
Even if I accepted that explanation—
What about my phone?
The system messages sent by the quantum computer should have been clearly logged.
If they had performed forensic analysis, they should have found them.
So why hadn't they noticed anything?
…Unless.
Unless they had noticed, and were deliberately hiding it while continuing to question me.
As part of an interrogation strategy.
That unsettling thought lingered—
Until the investigator suddenly asked a troublesome question.
"According to the statement of the gangster—no, the gold shop owner—arrested at the scene, Mr. Hyun Si-woo, you were in possession of approximately five kilograms of gold.That's not an amount an ordinary person would own. Could you explain its origin?"
Of course.
Anyone would find that suspicious.
A massive, simultaneous cyberattack against government and financial institutions had passed through a private residence—
And the resident of that house just happened to own an enormous amount of gold.
Suspicious didn't even begin to cover it.
But I had no choice but to deny everything.
"I found it hidden deep inside an old wardrobe.Neither my father nor I even knew it existed until then."
"…Are you seriously asking us to believe that?"
The atmosphere grew cold for a moment.
But not long after, they suddenly released me.
I was driven home in a black van and dropped off in front of my house.
"All confiscated items—your desktop computer, phone, documents, and storage devices—have been returned.Thank you for cooperating with the investigation."
With that, the van drove away down the quiet rural road.
Several large boxes were stacked in front of my house.
They must have been the returned confiscated items.
Inside, the house was a complete mess.
It looked like they hadn't bothered cleaning up at all after the search.
I let out a deep sigh.
What a disaster of a day.
And why had they suddenly released me?
The quantum computer was lying half-tilted, its rear panel open.
I approached and looked inside.
It was the first time I'd ever seen the interior.
Just as the agent had said—it was almost completely empty.
Hardly any components at all.
No wonder they'd mistaken it for a decorative object.
But still…
Even if the inside was empty, the screen should've been on.
Why did no one notice?
As I closed the panel and set the machine upright, I glanced at the screen—
And froze.
The display was still on.
"…What? How is this possible?"
I had assumed that maybe I'd turned it off without realizing before leaving the house.
But that wasn't the case.
I had left it on.
Then why?
Why had the NIS agents failed to recognize it as a functioning computer?
At that moment, a message appeared on the screen.
[System Message: This display is visible only to you, Hyun Si-woo, the registered owner of this computer.There is no need to worry about others discovering its true nature.]
"…That's impossible."
[System Message: Additionally, the moment the National Intelligence Service confiscated your phone,I physically erased all system message logs from the device.]
That explained it.
No wonder the forensic analysis hadn't uncovered anything.
Everything had already been wiped.
This thing…
It was far more competent than I'd expected.
I'd assumed it would only act as a guide.
But it handled problems proactively—and thoroughly.
[System Message: In order to prove my capabilities to you initially, I acted too conspicuously,which resulted in you being entangled in unnecessary trouble.I apologize.]
"…It's fine."
Honestly, I wasn't in a position to complain.
"If I hadn't received you, I might already be a broken man by now.You basically gave me a new life.If this is the price, I can live with it."
Just then—
Bang! Bang!
Someone knocked violently on the door.
"Si-woo! You're back, right?!"
Dong-sik.
Elsewhere
"That young man—Hyun Si-woo.There's almost no chance he was the one who led the hacking operation, correct?"
"Yes. Our investigation shows he has no expertise in information security whatsoever.More importantly, the scale of the attack far exceeds what a single ordinary individual could accomplish."
"Then why did the attack route trace back to his residence?"
"It appears the attackers cleverly routed their data traffic through his home."
"No decisive evidence?"
"None. However, forensic analysis confirmed that at the exact time of the nationwide attack,Hyun Si-woo's desktop was subjected to an extremely powerful cyberattack."
"So they turned his PC into a zombie machine and used it as a relay."
"That is currently the most plausible scenario."
"In other words, an unfortunate victim—or at best, a disposable pawn."
"Yes. That is our working conclusion."
"And the suspicious gold?"
"We were unable to identify its source.For now, we've released him and placed him under continuous surveillance—wiretapping and tailing included."
"Good.And the real attackers?"
"We are tracking those who launched the cyberattack against his desktop.The Eighth Bureau is mobilizing all available resources."
"Proceed."
"Yes, sir."
Back at home, Dong-sik bowed deeply the moment he stepped inside.
"I'm sorry, Si-woo…I had no idea President Kim was that kind of person.I've known him since I was young—he was a relative's acquaintance… I never imagined…"
Seeing Dong-sik cry like this was something I hadn't witnessed since elementary school.
"It's fine, Dong-sik.These things happen in life."
I'd briefly felt betrayed at first.
Anyone would—It looked like he'd dragged me straight into the hands of criminals blinded by greed.
But when my life was truly in danger, he'd stood up for me without hesitation.
That told me everything.
"…I'm really sorry, Si-woo."
"I'd probably have been taken in by the NIS sooner or later anyway.So stop crying, idiot."
Still sobbing, he asked,
"What can I do to make up for this?"
"Make up for it?Your family already helped us more than enough when things were at their worst."
But then—
A new thought crossed my mind.
What should I do from now on?
The NIS had released me, but they were definitely still watching.
That meant producing and selling more gold was too dangerous.
And hacking—no matter how powerful the quantum computer was—could still be traced.
In other words, abusing its hacking ability wasn't a simple option.
To erase all traces perfectly, I'd need expert-level knowledge in data obfuscation and traffic rerouting.
So what now?
I still needed to decrypt the Akashic Records to save my father.
I had earned 349 million won from selling gold.
The rest of the confiscated gold had been returned as well.
But even 700 million won could disappear quickly if advanced medical treatments were involved.
Medical costs skyrocketed the moment you added even one premium option.
I needed a way to earn more money.
That's when I remembered.
The recently unlocked knowledge—
[Skin Regeneration Agent].
What if…
What if I used that technology to start a business?
For the time being, I didn't need to worry too much about the NIS.
The quantum computer had erased all evidence.
As long as I didn't do anything suspicious—like selling more gold or launching cyberattacks—I should be safe.
Which meant—
The safest way to earn money was to commercialize the knowledge of the Akashic Records.
The problem was…
I had no idea where to start.
As I mulled over this, my eyes drifted toward Dong-sik.
Come to think of it—
He had plenty of relatives in business, and he'd helped them out since he was young.
He knew this world far better than I did.
And judging by how guilty he looked…
Maybe I should give him a chance to "redeem" himself.
I spoke to him as he wiped his tears with his large, rough hands.
"Dong-sik. Are you doing anything these days?"
"…Huh?I quit my job in Seoul recently and came back home."
"So you're free right now?"
"Yeah."
"…I see."
Seeing my strange smile, Dong-sik took a step back in alarm.
"S-Si-woo?What are you thinking?You're not going to sell me somewhere, right?!Come on, man! That's too much, even for friends!"
He was clearly writing his own noir novel in his head.
"No, no.I was thinking… how about we try starting a small business together?"
"…A business?"
"Yeah. Come here."
I led Dong-sik to the quantum computer.
The screen was clearly on.
"Dong-sik. Can you see what's on the screen?"
He looked confused.
"What are you talking about?The screen's off, and the computer looks dead.Does this antique even work?"
As expected.
No one but me could see it.
"Anyway, I came up with an incredible business idea.And for some reason, I feel like if I do it with you, things will work out."
At that moment, Dong-sik's expression turned serious.
"Si-woo… business is dangerous.I know you want to try something, and I want to help—but I've seen too many people ruin their lives rushing into it.Why not just use the money you earned, take care of your dad, and keep preparing for a job?"
It was good advice.
In a normal situation.
But this wasn't normal.
"I know. And I get what you're saying.But I want you to see this business idea first—then decide."
I opened the Akashic Records and checked the recipe for the Skin Regeneration Agent.
Then, right in front of him, I began preparing the materials.
"…What are you doing all of a sudden?"
His eyes were full of suspicion.
"Just watch."