The next day...
"Hey, Ji-hoon! It's time to get ready for your mission!"
Ji-hoon wakes up, anxious and half asleep but finally gets up from his chair and stretches.
Walking through the empty halls of the organization, Ji-hoon asks Soo-min how long he has to stay in the past.
"Honestly, I really don't know, we'll both find out."
Ji-hoon looks at the his feet and then thinks about what he's going to do when he's sent to the past.
I should train and build up the strength I have, but it's going to be difficult, I have no idea how to manage the bleeding in my eyes and especially the fact that my eyes are completely red at times.
Ji-hoon feels a form of increased anxiety combined with some anger.
I wonder what will be waiting for me in the future? Will it be safe to stay there? I'm already starting to freak out thinking about it, maybe I shouldn't think so hard, but it's hard.
"We're here"
Ji-hoon lifts his head from the ground and looks at the door. Soo-min opens the door and the breeze of the machine in time hits Ji-hoon along with the blue light it emanates.
"Hello Song Ji-hoon."
Mr. Kim is there and stands staring at Ji-hoon, grinning he tells Ji-hoon it's time to go through the machine.
"I wish I knew what I was supposed to do in the past because I really don't know that."
I'm sick of sitting face to face with this scumbag.
Mr. Kim grins and starts explaining what he should do in the past.
"It's simple, you have to look for people with special abilities and kill them, they are a negative factor in the past for the future"
"Ok and something else?"
Mr. Kim looks at the machine and then back at Ji-hoon.
"You have to look like a normal citizen, don't create suspicions about yourself because otherwise you'll destroy the timelines and make sure you don't die, the rest of the information you'll get along the way using the system implanted in your brain"
Ji-hoon moves closer to the machine, Ji-hoon's clothes flapping rapidly as he approaches the machine.
"I'll make sure I don't destroy the timelines but rest assured I'll make sure to kill you anyway."
Mr. Kim grins and says nothing, just watches Ji-hoon with his eyes as he approaches the machine.
Let's see what's waiting for me on the other side I say.
Before he goes through the time machine, Ji-hoon shoots Mr. Kim a look that makes Mr. Kim freeze in fear. The light in Ji-hoon's eyes flashes, and after all that, Ji-hoon enters the time machine.
I will never trust this man, no matter if this is the last thing I could do.
Ji-hoon passes through a wormhole at the speed of light and then arrives in the past, 9 years before the disaster. But as anticipated he is not in his old body.
Too bad I don't get a chance to see my family without them saying I'm the latest freak and calling the police to arrest me for trespassing on their property.
Ji-hoon looks and sees that he is in front of his old house, hearing himself and his little sister playing in the yard and his parents outside with them.
My sister and mother and father, I promise to save you so we can see each other again and be happy as a family again.
Ji-hoon looks up smiling at himself and his little sister playing.
Be happy here until I save you for the future.
Ji-hoon walks down the street, watching
his childhood friends walk by.
Ah, I loved being a kid.
Eventually Ji-hoon arrives at the mall, where he looks for a clothing store, finding a suitable one and goes inside to look for some clothes to buy, he looks and looks and finds a long dark sweatshirt and some black pants.
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He goes to try on the clothes and they fit perfectly, even baggier than they should, so he goes to the checkout counter, where the cashier scanned the code on the clothes and the total was 10,500 won.
"Cash or another method?"
Ji-hoon takes out his wallet and pays for the clothes, he now walks around the mall with the bag of clothes, looking around for an exit.
Walking through the mall he finally finds the exit and leaves the mall, everyone looks at him strangely though.
Huh? What the hell is wrong with these people looking at me? Ah, I forgot to change into my new clothes
He enters the mall again and quickly goes to the bathroom, where he changes out of his old clothes and puts on his new ones.
Ji-hoon feels a pain in his chest and throws up, vomiting blood on the floor.
Blewh, what the hell is this? Why am I vomiting blood? What the hell is going on again?
Ji-hoon is a little scared and then looks in the mirror seeing that his eyes are completely red again.
Not again, not again, what the hell?
Ji-hoon punches his mouth to get back to normal, he punches his jaw so hard that it hurts and eventually his red eyes have started to shrink in volume, so it's not such a big danger anymore.
I hate having those red eyes at times when I don't have to, I don't even know what the hell this red eye thing is and blood coming out of them almost every time, I just hate it.
Ji-hoon comes out of the mall bathroom and then walks out of the mall, walking down the street he gets a strange coded notification.
[Announcement]
' Take a flight to Russia '
' Become a legal citizen of Russia and then join the Russian secret forces '
' Remember! Don't make any wrong moves on your mission.''
Russia? Why? Ah, they started World War III, I see. Then it just means buying a plane ticket to Russia.
Ji-hoon arrives at the airport, a little bored because he has nothing super special to do. He heads to the check-in desk to buy plane tickets with a strange feeling that hits him on the top of his head.
Something's not right, something makes me think it's a bad choice to go to Russia, something gives me an uneasy feeling about that country. Should I really go? The truth is it's for the mission and I honestly don't want to ruin anything by not going, but I have a nagging feeling in my brain that something bad is going to happen in Russia.
Ji-hoon feels something dripping from his eyes and hurriedly wants to run to the bathroom but sees it's a tear.
A tear? Why? Why am I crying? Don't I feel a sense of sadness but just uneasiness? What's wrong with my body?
"Sir, can I help you?"
The voice of the woman at the ticket counter pierces Ji-hoon's thoughts and wakes him up to reality.
"Oh sorry, I want to buy a one-way ticket to Russia"
The girl looks with a raised eyebrow at Ji-hoon but then looks at her computer.
"Good sir, which city in Russia? To set a price"
Ji-hoon thinks about which city to choose and picks Moscow for a good start when he arrives in the country.
"A one-way flight to Russia specifically Moscow will be 1,372,200 Won if you choose economy class"
Ji-hoon thinks about it and chooses that ticket.
"Good, cash or card?"
Ji-hoon takes his credit card out of his wallet and pays and then takes the ticket.
"Have a nice day sir!"
Look at how nice people behave from 9 years ago, sorry the planet had to be destroyed because of the war.
Ji-hoon takes a seat on an airport seat and looks at the ticket.
Date: 06/28/2291 - 06/28/2291
2291, it was nice that year, but I have to keep my head up for the next challenges I'll have in Russia, it doesn't seem to be as good a country as it looks.
Ji-hoon sheds a tear on the note
I hate the future, I hate knowing what will happen if I don't intervene in time to save humanity.
Ji-hoon feels a sting in his chest and it hurts badly.
Damn, what a fucking pain, but what's the cause?
A pop up appears in front of him.
Huh? Again?
[Announcement]
' Watch out, you'll be stopped by the Russian police when you arrive in Russia for a detector check '
' Try to hide the chip in your head somehow to avoid detection '
' We wish you luck '
Check? How strange Russia is, but whatever.
In front of Ji-hoon appears himself from the past.
Damn it, I have to get out of this place, otherwise it's going to hurt the future.
Ji-hoon gets up from the ground and pretends to go to the bathroom, but he actually walks further away so that he won't be noticed by his old self.
What the hell was I looking for when I was a kid at the airport?
A memory hits Ji-hoon that his family went to Japan for a vacation.
Oh, now I remember, but damn near destroyed this timeline.
I have to be more careful.
Another memory strikes Ji-hoon, in which he stares at the one in the future as a child.
What the hell?
Ji-hoon feels a shiver down his spine.
Did I somehow affect the future with my encounter with my old self? How? I haven't even talked to him.
Ji-hoon stands staring blankly thinking the whole mission has been corrupted when suddenly a pop-up appears in front of him.
[Announcement]
' The timeline wasn't affected but be careful next time '
' Don't forget that any voice contact or touching of the old you can result in the destruction of the timeline permanently '
Ji-hoon returns to normal, looking carefully at the message received by the system.
Good. I'm glad the timeline wasn't affected.
Ji-hoon stands quite far away from the old him a bit anxiously due to the fact that the old him looked straight into his eyes.
I'm not going to risk touching the old me anymore because I don't want to ruin everything because of an unnecessary interaction.
Ji-hoon feels someone looking at him and when he turns around he sees a security guard looking at Ji-hoon strangely and he feels a heightened sense of anxiety. Eventually the guard stops looking at him and Ji-hoon calms down.
After 3 hours of waiting for the plane to Russia, Ji-hoon finally makes it through the crowds of people to get on the plane and into the seat indicated on his ticket.
How annoying it is to travel by plane, I haven't seen such a long queue in a long time.
The pilot's voice announces a 30-minute delay.
Shit, I feel like that happened to me and my parents when we went to Japan.
Ji-hoon after looking out the window of the plane falls asleep. A shadow is behind him as he walks through the dim street light. Ji-hoon turns back and sees the shadow having reddish eyes and smiles widely at him.
Ji-hoon feels a shiver down his spine as the shadow disappears. Ji-hoon wakes up startled and looks out the window, seeing that it's night and the plane hasn't landed at its destination yet.
What time is it? How long have I been asleep?
Ji-hoon looks next to him and sees a gentleman with his son but hesitates to ask him what time it is but instead looks out the window again.
"Twenty minutes to go and we're landing!"
Finally, I'm in pain from being in one place for so long.
Ji-hoon looks out the window with a sense of deep unease thinking that the system told him there would be a check in when entering Russia.
How can I please hide that chip so it won't be detected? Seems like an impossible task when I think about it, but I have to get it done quickly or I'll be arrested...
Ji-hoon again feels his anxiety rising and then a pop up appears in front of his face.
[Action]
' If you press (Yes) the tech rank will be activated and will cloak the chip for a period of 3 hours '
' Consider pressing (Accept) to continue the mission without further problems that would risk corrupting it! '
(Accept) (Decline)
Ji-hoon clicks (Accept) and the system thanks him for his understanding and the pop-up disappears.
Eventually the plane lands on the runway in Moscow.
Moscow, 23:34
Good, now I have to get through Russian security and I'll be fine.
Everyone gets off the plane and is checked by Russian police, then it's Ji-hoon's turn.
"First I want an ID card to identify you in the Russian database."
Ji-hoon is frightened as his Korean ID card shows a different date of birth, not his age.
I'm eaten.
Ji-hoon takes out his wallet and pulls out his ID card then hands it to the Russian. The policeman looks at the ID card and then at Ji-hoon.
"Hm, looks okay but let's check it with the detector this time and then you can go."
The policeman hands back the ID card and prepares to scan Ji-hoon with the detector.
Ji-hoon is startled here but eventually gets checked with the detector.
The detector finds nothing suspicious, although the cop also hits Ji-hoon's head area with the detector.
The policeman looks at Ji-hoon for a moment and then tells him he can leave.
Ji-hoon doesn't think twice and moves forward, exiting the airport.
Apparently that tech rank does its job in cloaking the chip in the brain but what good does it do for other stuff? I really don't understand what it's for besides hiding the chip from being detected.
Ji-hoon stops at a shop to buy something to eat.
"Sorry but we don't accept cash from South Korea."
Ji-hoon looks at the cashier and pulls out his card so he pays with his card, walking out of the store and opening his sandwich to eat.
This is where I have to be cautious from all points of view. Any mistake here will cost me my life and the mission itself.