Fever Ep. 3 - Diary Entry

1 The fourth industrial revolution stimulated the advances of science and technology. It also brought an expansion of human lifespan to 200 years. As the human lifespan increased, so did compulsory education. 40 years of education was required to learn basic knowledge and simple principles for living in this world.
‍
2 The central government desired to construct their own utopian society by using an AI system, thereby making it possible to remove and take control of every predictable variable. It succeeded in predicting all possible outcomes allowing the government to completely take over but of course there was one problem they could not solve - human emotions.

3 By applying deep learning technology, the AI that identified the new variable as a bug, cultivated a new market platform for estimating individual energy, which was known as something unpredictable, and trading it. As the government prohibited all kinds of art and exercised control over the new energy trading platform, sensitivity, emotion and free will gradually faded away, and humanity fell to components for maintaining the world.

1 A referee announced the restart of the game. My teammate intercepted the ball and passed it to me. With my great dribbling skill, I went across the court. I attempted a lay-up from my rival’s blocking. The ball hung on the rim then fell in. ‘Yes. I’ve turned the game around’. With excitement, I landed on my feet from the successful shoot when all of a sudden, the floor lay in front of my eyes. ‘Have I sprained my ankle?’
My head dimmed out. Just before I crashed to the floor someone grabbed my arm.

2 “Jongho!”A familiar voice. One I have definitely heard before. Who could it be? As my eyes started to regain focus, the figure of the person holding my arm started to form. A doctor. The doctor seemed to think deeply before telling me about my ankle. It was somewhere along the lines that I had no problem living a normal life, but basketball would not be an option anymore. What all my colleagues could do was leaving me with pitiful eyes. I freed myself from the doctor’s strong hold of my arm and yelled at my colleagues as they were distancing. ‘Please take me with you! Please, don’t leave me here!’
I screamed at the top of my lungs desperately. Then again, I hear it,

3 “Jongho! Choi Jongho!”
I could see faintly Yeosang’s face behind the doctor’s shoulders. He reached out his arm to hold me which stopped me frantically moving. He raised my body up and put the gas mask from his face to mine. After inhaling in and out a few times, I began to see my surroundings more clearly. We were sitting at the end of a cliff. Speechless, I look up at Yoesang with complete confusion. He held my hand and told me the Grimes girl found her voice back. Then with a warm smile said,

4 “Let's get out of here.”

1 The bat that Left Eye hit dodged me by an inch and smashed into an abandoned window. The broken pieces scattered into the air. I looked at him without a blink.

2 He would only swing the bat even more recklessly. Everything that hit the bat shattered to nothing. I slowly walked towards him. I hear the members’ voices trying to stop me. But a strange form of pity inside me, an unexplainable emotion on top of that led me fearlessly to stand in front of him. Left Eye was still holding tight to his bat, but his pupils were shaking. It looked as if the hallucination was fading.

3 “It’s not your fault.”
With the drop of his bat, Left Eye fell to the floor like a lifeless toy.
“You had no thoughts of harming anyone in the first place.
”He looked up with sorrowful eyes and began to let go of his tears - together with the emotions he had locked up. He would have lived many days with the burden of guilt after his daughter died. What if, just what if I didn’t send her there that day. What if I was there with her, what if, what if…

4 Looking at him felt like seeing me stripped of everything in front of a mirror.

1 “Those boys will be able to save the Black Pirates.”
Sailing towards the Android Guardian’s bunker, I came out to the deck as the members fell asleep. I hear Grimes boy’s voice full of conviction from a distance. Not wanting to join in their conversation, I quietly hid. They were watching a video of Left Eye’s daughter dancing and were missing the times when they could sing and dance as much as they wanted. They comforted themselves by saying they would soon save the Black Pirates, and all will return to normal.
‍
2 “Look at the sea.”
Shouted the Grimes girl with her returned voice.

3 The sea absorbing a bright orange color from the sunset swayed beneath. It was beautiful.“
I was missing this in my life.”
Said Left Eye, adding that he was blind by the past wandering relentlessly. They watch the sea for a while in complete silence. As if all the concerns and worries of this world had disappeared, the Grimes siblings started humming a song. Gradually getting louder, Left Eye playfully danced. Although a bit of a laugh, it was wonderful. I didn’t realize I let out a small laugh.

4 The calm wind tickled my hair. The sea shone as if embracing a pearl. As time passed, Left Eye and the Grimes siblings were singing and dancing together. Someone said, ‘Dancing defines at least the smallest will to live. So, people dance in the brim of hopelessness.’

5 That’s right. I could have lived without realizing this. I could not see the present because it was disturbed by past misfortunes.

6 The hopeless sun has hidden behind the horizon and the stars of hope have made their appearance in the sky. The sway of the orange-lit sea faded as the waves embrace the shining stars.

1 The late afternoon of the following day, we finally arrives on the island. From the elongated shadows of the afternoon sun, I could see pensions and sunbeds. When I stepped onto the sand. I could feel heat rising. The island was considered a tourist paradise in the past. However, nobody had visited this island for their holidays anymore since taking a rest and trip became meaningless and worthless in this world.

2 To escape quickly, Left Eye and the Grimes Siblings stayed in the ship. We walked down the island to look for the place, called the Android Guardian bunker. And we easily found the place, which was blowing off golden yellow steam on this isolated island. When we got there, it was a gallery in the middle of the island. Gallery… They banned all kinds of art - funny of them to settle and build their bunker there. We passed along the empty lobby and went towards the exhibition. The golden yellow steam continually spurted from where an arrow indicated an exhibition route.
‍
3 Some drunk Android Guardians were laid on the floor. And at the end of its view, I could see the Men in Black Fedora were in a glass prison.

1 There was a man at the end of the smoky road. To be more specific, they were there, the Men in Black Fedora that we met in our dreams. One person was leaning on the wall, hardly on their feet and my instinct said that I must save them.

2 I threw myself to the glass wall. It did not move. I bumped into it again. The man finally heard the noise and saw me.

3 “Finally, you are here.”
He said, and he barely took off his mask.
As I saw his face, I was in shock. He was me. The man had exactly the same face as mine.

4 “Listen, we called you here.”
In the midst of these strange incidents, I could only shake my head.
‍
5 “We are captured here, and somebody has to do our work. You may have noticed it. This world needs a change.”

6 “Why does it have to be us? Why do we share the same face?”
I kept questioning him and tried to break the glass wall between us. But not even a small crack.

7 “I don’t have enough time to tell you the whole story. We are going to be seen by the guardians when the smoke fades. Do what I do.”
The man put his hand on the glass wall and told us to copy him. So we put our hands like he did.

8 “We all face walls. Sometimes we think that our lives would be happier without walls but that is not true. If we earn things easily, we could lose them easily.”
The man and I faced each other, and I felt some indescribable energy swirling near us, regardless of this unbelievable reality - the men with the same faces as us, endless questions about this world and everything. Soon after, we were wearing their black suits without even noticing.

1 When I was dazed by this black suit thing, I heard the voice of the man who has the same face as Hongjoong from the other side of the wall. “You have to run before the smoke fades,” he shouted.

2 The Android Guardian was burning new energy in the center of the hall. It was people’s memories. I picked some of the memories that were not yet burnt from the floor.

3 A memory of confessing love to my lover.
A memory of walking my dog on the beach.
A memory of first trip with my friends.

4 They were all valuable and unforgettable memories. These memories were the source to live and hope. Android guardians were burning the hope of people and they were drunk from the smoke. I felt a surge of anger coming over me. All of a sudden, Seonghwa shouted,

5 “I cant see Yeosang!”

1 After Yeosang disappeared, we all were in panic and ran instantly to the lobby.
Fortunately, Yeosang also ran to us from the opposite exhibition at the same time. With relief we moved toward the exhibition. While looking back, Yeosang threw a shining object. The object was the Cromer.

2 It was just a short moment of celebration that we are soon going back home when the crowd of Android guardians came up to us behind Yeosang. The biggest guardian grabbed Yeosang’s neck. He threatened us saying that if we do not hand over the Cromer, he would break Yeosang’s neck. There was no way. When Hongjoong, holding the Cromer attempted to approach Yeosang, the Android Guardians ordered not to come near and just to throw the Cromer from a distance.

3 “Don’t hand it over! Once we give it to them, they will take us too!” Yeosang shouted.
It was the worst situation for us. If we did not hand it over, Yeosang would be in danger.
If we just hand it over, everyone would be caught. We cannot let Yeosang sacrifice for 7 members. What can I do?

4 Hongjoong seemed to have the same thought looking at Yeosang and us by turns.
Hongjoong began to speak about his decision. He said that he would throw the Cromer over to them if they would let Yeosang go between us and them.

1 This Andoird Guardian could get us whenever he wanted us in this gallery. I don’t doubt that. Is there any way to save myself and get the Cromer? No. These guys are everywhere. It was my fault. I should have been more careful. My friends would not have all been scattered if I had not met them at first. Then we could have not been left in this weird and dangerous place.

2 While regretting my careless behavior, I arrived in the middle of the guardians and my members. The Android Guardian shouted to Hongjoong to pass the Cromer. I saw the Cromer in the hands of Hongjoong.

3 What do we know about that sandglass? I asked myself and an answer popped in my head. It may be a gambling but there was no other way.

4 Hongjoong threw the Cromer to the guardian. The Cromer darted through the air, and I quickly snatched and turned it. The Android Guardians seemed confused, and they immediately started to chase after me. So I smashed the Cromer. The glass broke down and the sand splashed everywhere. I was being dragged away and Hongjoong tried to grab my hand. The light flashed.

1 “One, two, three, four, five, six… seven.”
San’s quivering voice echoed in the heavy air of Dawn. When we woke up, we were in the warehouse where our journey began, and everything was remaining the same.

2 San could not believe that there were only seven of them. He wiped his tears and tried to get himself together. Everyone was silent, they were only staring into each other’s eyes.

3 “Jonho, Woooung, Mingi, Yunho, Seonghwa, Hongjoong and I…”
San repeatedly shook his head. He mumbled to count again and again with crying voice then he moaned. A shadow of despair fell on their faces.

4 “What would happen to Yeosang? Like the BLack PIrate, what if he’s been…” Wooyoung couldn’t finish his sentence. A heavy silence filled the space, and no one could answer his question.

5 Hongjoong stood up from the couch. He opened and showed his hands full of blood and fragments of glass and dirty sand to the members. He dusted his hands off. Broken pieces fell down and down.

6 “We shouldn’t have been there then nothing wouldhave happened…”
Knock knock, there was a knocking sound from an old door. Hard-faced Hongjoong opened the door.
Nobody was there. Something bumped into the door and fell on the floor.

7 “This is Yeosang’s drone.”
“Who drove this here?”

8 Hongjoong swept dirt from the drone and placed it on top of a drawer. He stared at the lights coming from the slightly opened door.

9 We all surely felt it. Yeosang is alive.