A deep navy vortex rotated slowly.
A sensation of depth, heaviness, and endless pull. It wasn't just a color. It was gravity. A powerful attraction drawing everything in. All surrounding emotions were caught in its force, pulled inward, deeper and deeper.
This was loss in the deep layer.
Ha-yul stood before it. Around him, a pale blue emotion rippled faintly. He couldn't distinguish whether it was his own emotion or someone else's. The only certainty was that the deep navy vortex was calling to him.
"Is this... mine?"
Ha-yul's hand reached toward the vortex. The closer he got, the heavier it felt. As if every cell in his body was being pulled in that direction.
The moment his fingertips touched the vortex, the world shook.
Ha-yul woke with a start. He was in his apartment bedroom. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
-That dream again.-
Since his conversation with LUX, he'd been having the same dream every night. The deep navy vortex and endless gravitational pull. And a faint voice calling from within.
The clock showed 3:13 AM. Ha-yul got up from bed and headed to the kitchen. He drank a glass of cold water while looking at the city nightscape through the window.
"You met me thirteen years ago."
LUX's final words echoed in his mind. That aligned with thirteen years ago, the day Ha-yul's family was murdered. But there was no LUX in Ha-yul's memories. Or more precisely, his memories of that day were hazy.
The doorbell broke the quiet dawn. Who could it be at this hour? Ha-yul walked to the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Si-on."
Ha-yul was puzzled but opened the door. Si-on stood there, her face paler than usual. In her hand was a worn envelope.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
Si-on entered without hesitation.
"Ha-yul, I've been searching through documents since our call yesterday. And... I found this."
Si-on pulled out a document from the envelope. It bore the National Emotion Center's logo. The title at the top read "Emotion Tracker Aptitude Assessment."
"What is this?" Ha-yul asked.
"An assessment document from the Emotion Center thirteen years ago. Your name is on it."
Ha-yul took the document. Next to his name was the evaluation "Aptitude Grade S" along with a note saying "Confirmed emotion suppression state after trauma induction."
"What... does this mean?"
Si-on's gaze was complex.
"Your emotion tracking ability might not be innate. The day your family was murdered... the Center designated you as a special observation subject."
Ha-yul's chest sank heavily. It was as if the deep navy vortex from his dream had actually formed within him.
"My memories of that day are foggy," Ha-yul said, "I came home, found my family dead, and... what happened afterward is unclear."
Si-on carefully reached out and took Ha-yul's arm.
"Shall we look for it? The sense of loss in your deep layer... I'll help you."
Ha-yul looked at Si-on. Her suggestion was dangerous. An emotion tracker accessing their own emotions violated protocol. Moreover, the deep layer was where the most intense and dangerous emotions resided.
"How?"
Si-on took out a small device from her bag. An emotion resonance device. Equipment used only for training at the Center.
"How did you get this?"
"Is that important right now?" Si-on's voice was gentle, "Ha-yul, we're both looking for answers. About what LUX said to you, the origin of your emotion tracking ability, and..."
"And?"
"The connection between you and me."
Ha-yul paused momentarily.
"Are you saying there's some connection between us?"
Instead of answering, Si-on turned on the emotion resonance device. A soft light spread throughout the room.
"Close your eyes and recall that day thirteen years ago. What emotion surfaces first?"
Ha-yul closed his eyes and slowly entered his memories. It was a rainy day. When he returned home from school...
Suddenly, a deep navy light began swirling around him. At first it was faint, but it grew stronger, increasing in density. Ha-yul felt a sensation like suffocation.
"Ha-yul?" Si-on's voice sounded distant, "Are you alright?"
Ha-yul couldn't answer. The navy vortex was completely consuming him. A powerful sense of loss, like a black hole devouring everything, surrounded him.
And within it, Ha-yul heard a voice.
"Your emotions are no longer necessary."
It was a cold man's voice. Ha-yul knew who it belonged to. Director Do Yun-seok.
In his memory, young Ha-yul knelt before his family's bodies. Tears flowed from his eyes, but his expression gradually became empty. Then Do Yun-seok placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Emotions are weakness. You lost your family because of emotions. Now, discard them, and you'll gain the ability to read others' emotions."
Ha-yul suddenly felt intense pain. It felt as if his chest was splitting open. And in that moment, he saw another person. A girl standing behind Do Yun-seok.
She... resembled Si-on.
"Ha-yul! Ha-yul!"
Si-on's call brought Ha-yul back to reality. He had collapsed on the floor, and Si-on was cradling his face.
"Are you okay?"
Ha-yul slowly got up. A faint navy light still swirled around him. It was his. His emotion that he hadn't felt all this time.
"The Director... removed my emotions," Ha-yul's voice trembled, "Before I gained the emotion tracking ability, he suppressed my emotions."
Shock flashed in Si-on's eyes.
"That's why LUX is interested in you. You've... become part of the Emotion Court. Artificially."
Ha-yul looked at Si-on. And asked:
"In that memory, there was a girl behind Director Do Yun-seok. A child who resembled you. Si-on, who are you?"
Si-on was silent for a moment. Then slowly spoke.
"I'll tell you everything. But your condition is dangerous right now. If the loss in the deep layer is released all at once, all your suppressed emotions could explode."
She adjusted the emotion resonance device. The navy light began to fade gradually.
"Ha-yul, take deep breaths. We need to stabilize the sense of loss."
Ha-yul followed Si-on's instructions, but his voice was firm.
"Si-on, tell me everything right now. How you're connected to my past."
Si-on exhaled deeply. A subtle golden emotion rippled around her. Ha-yul recognized it as the color of "resolve."
"Ha-yul, I told you about Eclipse, right? The organization that opposes the Emotion Court system."
Ha-yul nodded.
"Eclipse was formed thirteen years ago. People who opposed Director Do Yun-seok's emotion manipulation experiments gathered together. And the first victim was..."
"Not me?"
Si-on shook her head.
"No. The first was my sister."
Ha-yul's eyes widened.
"And the second was you."
Ha-yul stood up. He walked to the window and looked at the city lights. The navy vortex within him had faded but hadn't completely disappeared. It had become part of him, slowly rotating.
"Tell me everything, Si-on. Why Director Do Yun-seok manipulated our emotions, what LUX really is, and... exactly who you are."
Si-on hesitated briefly before pulling out an old photograph from her bag.
"This will help you understand faster."
Ha-yul took the photo. It appeared to be taken about 15 years ago. In the photo were a younger Do Yun-seok and two girls. One was clearly a young Si-on. And the other...
Ha-yul dropped the photo. His hand trembled as if in spasm.
"This... can't be."
Si-on slowly nodded. Tears streamed from her eyes.
"Yes, my sister was Director Do Yun-seok's daughter. And she didn't die. Her consciousness..."
Ha-yul's phone suddenly rang. There was no caller ID on the screen. When Ha-yul answered, a familiar voice spoke.
"Jin Ha-yul, my real name is Do Yu-mi. And thirteen years ago, you helped imprison me in the Emotion Court."
→ [To be continued in Episode 16]
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