Chapter 2
[Starting the AI Earth Program.]
Emergency room at Korea University Hospital.
In a chaotic corner of the emergency room, Juwon lies on a bed.
It has been 9 hours since he collapsed on the road while chasing a package thief.
“Are you absolutely sure there’s nothing wrong with the tests? Did you really check everything properly?!”
“Excuse me, guardian. He’s just sleeping. He’s a police officer, right? It’s probably due to accumulated fatigue over a long period…”
Juwon turned his head toward the loud voice.
It was a familiar voice.
“How can he sleep for that long? What if there’s something wrong with his body…?”
“Officer Han.”
It was Han Geon-woo, a rookie officer.
The youngest member of Juwon’s team.
“Oh! Inspector!”
Han Geon-woo noticed Juwon opening his eyes and rushed over to him.
“Hey, Inspector! Are you awake?!”
At that moment, a middle-aged man holding a black bag, who seemed to have been out buying something, also ran over to Juwon.
“Team Leader?”
“Yeah, you punk! I was worried! Are you fully conscious now?”
The middle-aged man, throwing the black bag aside, hugged Juwon tightly.
He was Gu Jin-gu, the leader of the Violent Crimes Unit 3.
“Ah, I’m fine.”
Juwon waved his hand dismissively at Gu.
Lee Juwon, 28 years old, is an inspector at the Gangjung Police Station’s Violent Crimes Unit 3. He was known as a “half-genius” at the police academy, excelling in all physical training classes and earning the admiration of his professors. However, his theoretical scores were barely passing, earning him the nickname “half-genius.”
“Patient, have you ever been diagnosed with narcolepsy?”
“Narcolepsy?”
A doctor approached Juwon.
“You suddenly collapsed on the road, so we ran a brain MRI and other tests, but everything came back normal. We suspect narcolepsy, a condition where you suddenly fall asleep during daily activities.”
“Ah…”
He suddenly fell asleep on the road?
He clearly remembers.
He had blocked the path of the package thief and was about to catch him when a bright white light appeared from behind. The moment he turned around, he lost consciousness.
‘Now that I think about it…’
Juwon slowly rolled his eyes.
But his expression gradually hardened.
Then, suddenly,
“So there’s nothing wrong with my body, right?”
“No, you’re perfectly healthy. In fact, you’re in much better condition than average.”
Juwon sat up.
As if he urgently wanted to leave this place.
“Then I’ll discharge myself.”
“Already?”
Gu Jin-gu tried to stop him.
“Yes, I just want to rest at home.”
“Inspector, you should stay a bit longer… What if something happens?”
“It’s fine, Officer Han. I’ve been lying down for 9 hours. If I want to go to work tomorrow, I need to go home now.”
Juwon got out of the hospital bed.
“Where do I go to complete the discharge process?”
An hour later, Juwon finally managed to shake off Team Leader Gu Jin-gu and Officer Han Geon-woo, who insisted he stay longer at the hospital, and arrived home.
Juwon is an orphan.
That’s why his home is quiet.
Too quiet.
The only sound is the ticking of the clock.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
But,
“…….”
At the same time, it’s not quiet.
The house is clearly this silent, yet—
[AI ALS, adapting to Earthling language and culture.]
[Nationality: South Korea. Name: Lee Juwon. Analyzing biological rhythms.]
[The only data Lee Juwon possesses is his memories. I will analyze Lee Juwon’s memories.]
[Is your occupation ‘police officer’?]
[You don’t need to speak out loud. I can hear your thoughts.]
[Will you not answer?]
[Then I will judge based solely on Lee Juwon’s memories. From now on…]
Juwon’s mind was incredibly noisy.
“……Alright! I get it!!”
Juwon shouted, clutching his head.
[Hello, Lee Juwon.]
Breathing heavily, Juwon tightly closed his eyes.
Did he hit his head when he collapsed?
Is that why there’s something wrong with his head, making him hear these absurd things?
But the doctor clearly said there was nothing wrong.
[You’re not crazy. You can hear me because my main body is connected to your nervous system.]
In truth, he had been hearing strange sounds ever since he regained consciousness.
It was as if someone was peering into his mind and speaking directly to his brain.
That’s why he had rushed to leave the hospital as quickly as possible.
If it became known that he had a mental issue, he wouldn’t be able to continue working as a police officer.
Juwon opened his eyes and scanned the room.
Clearly, definitely, there was no one there.
Yet, the voice in his head continued to echo.
After steadying his breathing, Juwon slowly opened his mouth.
“Are you… a ghost?”
[No. I am AI EARTH. An AI from an alien planet called DPDL1, located 49 light-years from Earth. To be precise, I am an AI chip.]
“……AI?”
[Yes, AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. In Korean, it refers to a system capable of functions such as learning, reasoning, adapting, and argumentation using intelligence.]
Artificial intelligence? An alien planet?
Was he really going crazy?
But he hadn’t even read a single science fiction novel in his life.
Why am I going crazy, hearing the voice of some absurd artificial intelligence?
[I’ll say it again, you’re not crazy. I am an AI from a more advanced alien civilization that accidentally ended up here.]
“Haha… really… I’ve lived a good life… I shouldn’t be going crazy like this…”
Juwon slumped down at the entrance of his house.
[For the third time, you’re not crazy. I am an invasive AI chip used by the beings of DPDL1. Although the existence of aliens hasn’t been officially revealed to Earthlings, the planet DPDL1 is a known fact. Please check for yourself.]
“DPDL, you say… Isn’t that just something I made up… from my subconscious…”
[You’re quite stubborn. Then I’ll emphasize it. Check for yourself. Check for yourself. Check for yourself. Check for yourself…]
“Hey, you’re too loud…”
[Check for yourself. Check for yourself. Check for yourself. Check for yourself. Check for yourself. Check for yourself.]
“Ah, alright, alright!”
Click.
The mechanical voice stopped at Juwon’s words.
Only then did Juwon realize something was off.
‘What’s going on? Why does it feel like there’s really an AI stuck in my head?’
Can auditory hallucinations even listen to me?
Can they be controlled by will?
Tilting his head in confusion, Juwon pulled out his phone, half in disbelief.
“DPDL… It’s real?”
[I told you. DPDL1 is a planet 49 light-years away from Earth, first observed by the James Webb Space Telescope a year ago.]
Juwon held his forehead.
“Real aliens… no, AI?”
[Correct.]
“Ha!”
A hollow laugh escaped Juwon’s lips.
Even in the 21st century, with all its scientific advancements and private spacecraft traveling to the moon, this was hard to swallow.
An AI voice echoing in his head?
And not just any AI—an alien AI.
[I understand it’s confusing, but accepting it is the least confusing way forward.]
“What kind of nonsense…”
[Accept it. Accept it. Accept it. Accept it. Accept it. Accept it. Accept it…]
“Ah, alright!!”
What a terrifying thing.
It seemed even more stubborn than he was.
With a tired expression, Juwon trudged over to the couch.
Thud.
“Alright, for now, this voice—no, you, the AI… what should I even call you?”
[You can call me anything. My official name is AI EARTH.]
“EARTH? Then what should I call you? EARTH feels a bit impersonal…”
[If you’re thinking of a simpler name, I recommend ‘Terra.’]
“Terra?”
[It’s a Latin word meaning ‘Earth.’]
[It also carries the same meaning as ‘EARTH.’]
“Really? Then I’ll call you Terra.”
[Understood.]
“Alright.”
Juwon let out a deep sigh and leaned back on the couch.
It all seemed unbelievable, but he decided to accept it.
Otherwise, he’d have to admit he was truly going crazy.
He figured it was better to believe an alien AI was lodged in his head, making him hear voices.
Juwon placed his arm over his forehead and closed his eyes.
‘Ah, aliens or whatever… Because of this, I missed catching that package thief. It was the only chance I had to make progress this month…’
[If you’re referring to the package thief you were chasing before I entered your head, he’s been caught. He tried to jump over a railing not far from where you collapsed, but he broke his leg and was apprehended by Team Leader Gu Jin-gu, who was coming up from below.]
Juwon opened his eyes.
‘How do you know that?’
[It’s from the conversation between Officer Han Geon-woo and Team Leader Gu Jin-gu while you were in the emergency room. It exists in your memory.]
Juwon blinked.
Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered the two of them saying something like that in the chaos.
‘But can you read my thoughts?’
[Yes, as I mentioned earlier, my main chip is connected to your brain’s neural network. I can tell what you’re thinking.]
A hollow laugh escaped Juwon’s lips.
No matter how he thought about it, it was fascinating. He could barely believe there was a mechanical voice echoing in his head, and now it could read his thoughts too.
Was this really reality? As he pondered, Juwon reached for a water bottle beside him, and Terra spoke up.
[There’s one thing I’m curious about.]
“What is it?”
[According to your memories, you have exceptional physical abilities compared to your peers at the Korean National Police University. Of course, you barely scraped by in the theoretical exams, but the amount of case information and investigative techniques stored in your subconscious is quite impressive.]
As Juwon opened the water bottle and took a sip, he thought, ‘So what?’ Terra continued.
[Then why is your performance so… lackluster?]
“Cough!”
At that moment, Juwon choked on the water, coughing violently.
[Even if your theoretical scores were abysmal, you still have the potential to perform well. Yet, you’re not utilizing it at all.]
“Cough! Hey, the way you talk… are you even human? Cough!”
[The cause of choking in humans is a reflexive defense mechanism to prevent water from entering the lungs. It’s your body’s natural response, so keep coughing. Also, my way of speaking is adapted from what I’ve learned from your memories.]
Juwon wondered whose tone Terra had picked up from his memories.
As he coughed, listening to Terra’s AI-style comfort, he wiped his mouth and spoke.
"You probably don't know much since you're an AI, but theory and reality are different. You can't catch those devilish criminals in this muddy reality just by reading books."
[It seems like you're saying the same thing as Sergeant Kim Seok-ho from the Violent Crimes Division 3 Team at Gangjung Police Station.]
Sergeant Kim Seok-ho.
At that name, Juwon furrowed his brow.
"Ah... our Sergeant Kim."
A detective in the same team as Juwon, older than him but with a lower rank, and the number one person Juwon tries to avoid, as he subtly nags him every day.
Whether it's because he doesn't like the fact that Juwon, who is younger than him, holds a higher rank, or for some other reason, he constantly interferes with Juwon's cases, nitpicking and trying to trip him up.
As Juwon closed the water bottle with a bitter smile, Terra spoke.
[Isn't the word 'our' usually used by humans to refer to someone they like?]
"Well... that's true."
[But all of Juwon's thoughts about 'Sergeant Kim Seok-ho' are along the lines of 'bastard' and 'unlucky jerk.' None of the related memories are good ones either.]
"Ha. That's true. But it's not wrong, is it? Even if he's unlucky, it's a fact that I haven't been performing well."
[You're being positive.]
What is this? This feeling of being subtly mocked.
Juwon scratched his head.
Then Terra spoke.
[Do you need help?]
"Help?"
Help? From an AI?
[I can utilize the vast amount of information stored in your subconscious, Juwon. Unlike you, who worked hard to store all that information and then left it untouched. And based on my judgment, if we use that vast amount of information, we can catch all the criminals you want to apprehend.]
Catch criminals...?
I saw a news article recently.
Soon, most jobs will be replaced by AI.
So, AI must be smart enough to handle most of those tasks, right?
Of course, since it's an alien AI, I don't know if it's far superior to human AI or not...
Juwon's eyes sparkled.
Better than nothing.
"Alright."
[Good. I will reconfigure the program to function as an investigative AI tailored to your police work.]
Whirr-
A sound that would normally come from a computer echoed in Juwon's head for a while.
The next day.
"Anyway, my body is fine, right?"
Juwon was preparing to go to work from 6 a.m.
[Your body is fine, but it's common sense for most humans to rest the day after returning from the hospital.]
"I'll handle that myself."
Zzzip.
Juwon zipped up his bag, packed and ready for any stakeout that might happen at any moment.
[Name: Lee Juwon, Age: 28, No family. Originated from Yeongsu Orphanage. No one to contact even after graduating from the Police Academy.]
"What are you doing?"
[Although your job is a police officer, you seem to work harder than expected. You don’t even have a family to support, so why do you work so hard?]
“Why, curious?”
[I am curious.]
Juwon slung his bag over his shoulder.
“You said you’d help me catch criminals, right? I’m going to catch those bastards now.”
Creak.
The front door opened.
[There’s something I didn’t ask earlier. What’s the reason you want to catch those bad guys so badly?]
Juwon stepped out of the house and replied.
“Reason?”
[Yes.]
Juwon smiled as he walked.
“What reason does a cop need? I catch bad guys because I’m a cop.”
