Bararararack-!Those born and raised on the outskirts of Goryeo City never live smooth lives.For them, change usually arrives unannounced.Project SOLAR47Record 001Crystal Blue is a high-density energy aggregate that forms when certain regions of the ground come into contact with it.Like substances of the same type, it’s easy to transport, so equipment made from Crystal Blue allows simple mining operations.Apart from causing injury when pure energy contacts the skin, it produces no special rejection or harmful effects in the human body.It is truly the energy of the gods. This is basic common sense for modern people trapped in the Comfort Zone.In graduate research, you obtain more detailed information.Crystal Blue is theorized to be either extraterrestrial energy that arrived from beyond the solar system or cosmic material contained within Earth since its birth.The former suggests something from outside the solar system influenced Earth one day; the latter implies some cataclysm before the great upheaval generated Crystal Blue…Neither possibility is excluded. Before its discovery, Earth was already a sinking ship.At the point resource depletion and pollution peaked and humanity faced extinction or survival, the world government attempted many experiments.Among the scattered fragments of data that remain are these connections to Crystal Blue:Structure and properties of Crystal BlueGeographic conditions of Crystal Blue emergence sitesSolar City A1, A2, A3…“What… is this?”Holographic windows had appeared in an instant. Muhae narrowed his eyes at the scene unfolding before him.Blue-glowing documents floated in midair. When he tapped one, all the scattered windows suddenly flared and reorganized.“…!”The floating data connected like a mind map. Solid lines between holograms formed what looked exactly like tree branches.It was indeed the shape of a massive tree. After a moment’s hesitation, Muhae opened the central document.A small groan escaped him. Clearly organized research records were laid out in a way anyone could understand—this file wasn’t meant just for private viewing.Muhae glanced at the antiquated desk. In the corner of his vision, that strange emblem carved into the drawer edge flickered into focus.A storage device only direct family could access—its lock solvable only by someone close. An inexplicable thrill gripped his heart. This information had been placed here on purpose. Not for anyone else, but for him alone.“Solar… City…”The titles he skimmed were ominous. His eyes narrowed at familiar names of long-destroyed Comfort Zones. Why were they listed here?Because of those rumors he’d recalled—Solar City’s forbidden experiments—the name hit him with uncanny intensity.“You wouldn’t know, kid, but Solar City used to be a filthy huge metropolis. Full of researchers. That’s when they got cocky—thought they could mine Blue safely. Thought they could control beasts or anomalies.”“They did human experiments. Took abandoned kids, burned them with Blue… supposedly they got results?”A chill ran down his spine. Muhae felt as though he’d stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have touched.Still, he clenched his jaw and opened more documents.There had to be a reason his father left him this. He steadied his nerves and reached out.Beep- Bippick-.At the heart of the tree diagram were numbered entries—records of “000.” Each bore a preface like a memoir.They explained why the research began and what data the analysis relied on—preliminary notes for the reader’s sake.…It was absurd. Muhae had met Central researchers on jobs before; they were arrogant, exclusive types. They never spoon-fed strangers background info in friendly prefaces.Of course.This had to be his father’s work. The more he read, the more certain he became.The man locked away in that garret had been Goryeo City’s brain, leaving his life’s work as a legacy. Realizing a father who’d always seemed indifferent had entrusted him with such a monumental asset, Muhae felt as though the dark room brightened.For reasons unknown, his father had not been an idle drifter, but something riskier—and greater.Project SOLAR47Record 022Geon officially joined the project.Thus the project transcended curiosity and rebellion, becoming the catalyst for change across social strata.It enabled easier monitoring of the Central’s ruling powers.Humanity, complacent with Blue energy, now had a path to reclaiming life beyond the dome.The next step was to confirm the legendary “thing” that had become urban lore.The Resistance. The city’s insurgents.Researchers who uncovered buried truths, potential leaders to shatter entrenched injustice and guide humanity beyond the dome.“Damn.”The dangerous secret weighed heavily on Muhae’s mind. Echoes of his isolated father haunted him.If true, the reason his father held a first-degree criminal record made sense. Abandoned in the slums with no job prospects, that fate seemed lenient.Central’s leaders were hypersensitive about order. It was baffling why they let such embers smolder.Might his father’s tale also be in these records? Then the heirloom’s secret mustn’t reach a soul.“…!”Muhae’s tense eyes snapped to the study’s corner.“Found something?”Joo-o’s sweet voice brushed Muhae’s ear.…Right, Joo-o was here. The unexpected situation had made him forget. Joo-o might have read all this.Muhae slammed his hand over the watch. The light blinked out, and the floating holograms vanished.Beep-.With a brief tone, the watch regained its display. Goryeo City’s time and weather reappeared.Joo-o’s red eyes glimmered clear and bright.He paid no heed to the holograms—he simply gazed up °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° at Muhae.Seeing Muhae’s face, he grinned slyly. Secrets like these obviously held no interest for him.A few stray hairs looked soft and fluffy in the light.“Hah.”Muhae’s shoulders relaxed, and he exhaled with a small chuckle. He pressed his palm to his eyes and let out a long sigh.“All right.”“Heh. Good.”“I’ll turn off the lights again, okay?”“Okay. But where are you going?”Muhae hadn’t said he’d leave the house, yet Joo-o sensed something and grabbed his sleeve.Muhae glanced at Joo-o’s pale hand, then gently shook it off.“Where would I go?”“….”“Go lie down.”“Don’t go.”If Joo-o weren’t a grown man, Muhae might suspect separation anxiety. They’d hardly been apart these last few days.“You gonna follow me to the bathroom next?”Even Muhae’s annoyed glare didn’t deter him—Joo-o simply clung to his sleeve with that steady grip.But the frustration melted when Joo-o spoke again.“Are you going to do something important?”“What?”“It’s night. You won’t be gone long.”In a small, fading voice, Joo-o offered that advice.With a gaze as if seeing through everything, he seemed to know where Muhae was headed.“….”“….”Muhae planned to throw on clothes and dash to Boss Gil’s place—to press him on what he knew. He’d seen only snippets of the records, but the name “Geon” jumped out. Though everyone called him Boss Gil, his real name was surely Gil Seong-geon.“…Right.”But at this hour, he wouldn’t get far. Boss Gil slept early and woke at dawn. Dr. Jeong had once told him Gil’s health wasn’t the best—he used to run like a furnace but now suffered aftereffects.Muhae’s panic subsided, and he sighed again. Joo-o’s hold on his sleeve loosened as if he’d been waiting.“You– you going to sleep too?”“Why’s that?”“Um, now I can rest outside too.”Muhae’s house wasn’t cramped but was basically one and a half rooms. Aside from the study, every space served as his workshop and bedroom.“So you want me to stay here?”“No. You go rest too.”In other words, a declaration that Joo-o would stick close by. The very suggestion Muhae had offered earlier.“….”“Che.”Despite himself, Muhae gave in easily. I’m really going to sleep with my eyes closed, Joo-o muttered, sounding as though he knew something Muhae didn’t.Muhae said nothing, turned, and left the study. Click—the door shut, and the lingering sweet scent slowly dissolved.“Haaaa.”He pressed his large hand to his tired eyes. Muhae removed the watch and strode to the sofa.He sank in deeply, then placed the watch on the worn side table.Beep-.The unlocked watch sprang back to life with his fingerprint as usual.In the dark, the holographic windows blinked on again. Muhae folded his arms and stared intently at the faint wooden tree image.Tonight, there would be no sleep.

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