* * *

Na Kang-In returned to the internet café after buying the clothes.

He hadn’t decided on his working hours yet.

Cha Dong-seok, the boss, asked.

“Kang-In, full-time during the day? Or full-time at night? Which shift do you prefer?”

Na Kang-In needed to gather information about this world. That required him to be active outside. Fixed long working hours would be a problem.

“I prefer part-time work.”

“What? Part-time?”

“I want to work certain hours during the day or night, but not on a fixed schedule.”

No internet café would accept such conditions for a regular part-time worker.

However, Cha Dong-seok didn’t need Na Kang-In as an internet café worker. He needed him as a chef.

“Well… Then, I’d like you to work mainly during lunch or dinner times when there are lots of orders.”

“I’ll do that when there are no other obligations. By the way, I noticed an unused space inside with a cot.”

“That? I was thinking of using it as storage.”

“I’ll sleep there for now in exchange for working part-time.”

“Really?”

There were female staff working the night shift. Having more allies in case of emergencies was good.

Cha Dong-seok pondered for a moment.

‘If the place gets noisy, he’ll wake up and help out, right? Great!’

Cha Dong-seok asked.

“So, your pay will be hourly, based on the hours you work?”

“Of course.”

The decision was quickly made.

‘If I insist on full-time and he quits, I’d lose out. I can treat special cooking orders as surprise events.’

Even if it benefits him, it’s no loss. If Na Kang-In works fewer hours, less money is spent. The important thing is to keep Na Kang-In.

Cha Dong-seok said.

“Deal. Just bring your ID by tomorrow. I need it to pay you.”

“Understood.”

At night, there were two part-time workers, a man and a woman. In the dead of night, only one man stayed.

That evening, Na Kang-In didn’t sell food to customers. He wasn’t officially a part-time worker yet.

He cooked his dinner in the kitchen.

Since he was using the internet café’s ingredients, he couldn’t just cook for himself. So, he made plenty from the start.

The night shift worker tasted the food and widened his eyes.

“Wow, amazing.”

By midnight, there were few customers left. Only one male night shift worker remained, dozing off.

Na Kang-In sat in the furthest corner of the internet café. It was time to create a new identity.

“Can you hack into the network?”

The AI responded confidently.

[I have hacking skills for infiltration missions.]

“Aren’t those skills based on the 2082 network system? It’s 2022 now.”

[I am equipped with hacking techniques for early 21st-century systems, in case I infiltrate underdeveloped areas using outdated systems.]

“Wait. Does that mean you can hack computers of this era? Any sector? Even bank accounts? Do I not need to work?”

[No. I only possess hacking skills related to local infiltration.]

“Like what?”

[Skills to forge a local identity.]

“Had to ask.”

[Civilian AIs have no hacking capabilities at all. As a military combat support AI, I have infiltration hacking skills.]

“Sure you do.”

[I am also equipped with high-level defensive skills.]

Na Kang-In smirked.

“Really? And what will you defend with that? Preventing this internet café from being hacked?”

[If you desire other military hacking skills, you must obtain authorization from the government and the world union and purchase them as separate options.]

“Where can I buy those options?”

[At Natural Robotics.]

“That company sells from 2082 exist here in 2022?”

[No, they do not.]

Na Kang-In was dumbfounded.

“Hey, do AIs become dumb when reset?”

[Your memory was also reset.]

“That’s called amnesia in technical terms. And I’m acting pretty familiar with the 2022 world, aren’t I? So, I’m better than you.”

Na Kang-In looked around as he talked to himself. Nobody paid attention to him.

“Let’s begin.”

[I am prohibited from direct physical connection to information terminals. Requesting temporary control of your hand.]

“Permission granted.”

The AI Zinji controlled his hands.

His hands moved swiftly as he downloaded and installed several open-source software from the internet. With that software, he created a few simple programs. Then, he used those programs to probe for entry points into the government computer network.

“Is it not working well?”

[At this time, the Korean government administration network is isolated from the outside. If external access fails, you will need to infiltrate the local office and operate it directly.]

“Your skills are really….”

[I have found an external device connected to the administrative network.]

“Didn’t you say it was isolated from the outside?”

[I found a device temporarily connected by a maintenance company. The connection will be severed by 6 a.m. tomorrow.]

“A one-time thing. Then hurry up and create my identity.”

His fingers busily tapped on the keyboard.

[We have enough time. I am searching for information similar to yours. Based on that information, creating a new identity….]

The information on the monitor changed.

[An incomprehensible issue has arisen.]

“I thought it was too good to be true that you’d solve it in one go. What is it?”

[Information on Na Kang-in has already been registered.]

“A person with the same name as me? There could be someone with the same name.”

[The fingerprints match as well.]

Na Kang-in’s expression hardened.

“What? Hey. How does that make sense?”

[An impossible event has occurred.]

Na Kang-in looked at the clothes he was wearing.

“This is the special operations uniform of the Earth Union, right?”

[Correct.]

“And I’m part of the Strategic Special Forces.”

[I have confirmed the patch of the Strategic Special Forces.]

“In 2022, there is no Earth Union.”

[I checked the UN and major countries, as well as information available on the internet. The Earth Union does not exist. There are only virtual organizations with the same name.]

“You were created in 2082.”

[Being a 2082 model, the earliest possible production would be late 2081.]

“Then how is my resident registration information in 2022? Including my fingerprints? How?”

[The information is insufficient to make a judgment.]

Na Kang-in thought for a moment and then made a conclusion.

“This is one more thing I have to figure out from now on. Whether this is really Earth, if it’s truly 2022, why I’m here, how to contact the Earth Union, and why my resident registration information exists in 2022.”

[Yes.]

“Anyway, there’s no need to forge my identity, right?”

[For reasons unknown, that is correct.]

Na Kang-in instructed.

“Then find out the process for reissuing a resident registration card. No, first, let’s find out what kind of person I am here.”

[Are you assuming that you and this Na Kang-in are the same person?]

“The fingerprints match. Since I have no memory, let’s proceed assuming this is me and start the adaptation phase.”

[Understood.]

The AI Zinji displayed Na Kang-in’s personal information on the screen. Na Kang-in looked at it with interest.

“Wow. I graduated from college. And I served in the military. Was it a special unit or something?”

[Administrative specialized unit.]

“Really. Ah. Where did I work?”

[There are no national pension payment records.]

“Huh?”

[It is presumed that you have been unemployed.]

“Or I might have deliberately avoided official activities. Check for unofficial records too.”

The AI Zinji scoured the internet for information. There was not much that came up.

As he checked the recorded information, he asked.

“Why is there no record at all for the last two years?”

[Since 2020, there have been no posts on social media or internet forums. There are no card transaction records either.]

“Why?”

[Unknown.]

“Hmm…. I need to find out the reason for that too.”

[I will add the investigation of Na Kang-in’s activities over the past two years to the future local investigation plan.]

***

The next day, Na Kang-in went to a nearby local office and had his resident registration card reissued. He looked at the Gangwon-do address on it and asked.

“What kind of place is this?”

[It is an old house in a sparsely populated area. That house was completely destroyed by a wildfire a year ago.]

“Tch. I was planning to investigate if any of my stuff was left there, but nothing is easy.”

***

For Na Kang-in to understand the current situation, he needed a base of operations. For now, that base was a PC bang.

He returned to the internet cafe and showed his resident registration card to the owner, Cha Dong-seok. The owner needed that information to pay him wages for the hours worked.

The hourly wage was set at 20,000 won, higher than other part-time jobs, and he would be paid only for the hours he worked as discussed the previous day.

Staff who prepare food need a health certificate. That issue was already resolved last night.

Na Kang-in took out the health certificate he had obtained online and asked the AI Zinji.

“Are you sure this won’t be detected?”

[Rest assured. I used infiltration hacking technology from 2082 to manipulate the information.]

The AI Zinji had accessed the government network last night and altered the health certificate-related information, hacking into another region’s hospital server to make it appear as though he had been tested there.

“When you say rest assured, it makes me even more uneasy.”

Today, he planned to work only two hours at lunchtime. Thanks to the ingredients he bought yesterday, the range of dishes he could prepare increased.

The AI Zinji started cooking, using Na Kang-in’s hands.

Na Kang-in watched the large quantity of food being prepared and asked.

“What’s this called?”

[It is prepared according to Field Cooking Complex Combat Ration Recipe 2075-B.]

“If I sell this under such a name in 2022, it would be great, wouldn’t it?”

[It is usually called stir-fried rice mix.]

A customer at the PC bang asked, “What’s this ‘special dish’ written here?”

Cha Eun-seo, the daytime part-timer and the owner’s niece, replied confidently, “Our guest chef is really amazing. The menu changes from time to time, but today he’s making that special dish.”

Field tactical cooking methods specialize in preparing large quantities of food with easily obtainable ingredients. In a battlefield where bullets fly, there’s no time to prepare dishes that require hours of marinating.

The customer continued reading the text on the screen, “Stir-fried rice in Jeongabok style?”

“It tastes similar, but it doesn’t contain expensive ingredients like sea cucumber or abalone. Instead, it’s affordable. We’ll only sell it for two hours at lunchtime today.”

“So, you’re not selling that delicious fried rice from yesterday?”

“No. Yesterday, the guest chef was just giving a preview. If you really want fried rice, I can cook it for you myself.”

The customer thought about the fried rice he had eaten yesterday. It tasted much better than the frozen fried rice previously sold at the PC bang.

“No, even though this stir-fried rice mix seems a bit unconventional, I’ll go with it.”

The ordered dish came out quickly. Today’s dish was prepared in large quantities using field tactical cooking methods, so they only had to serve it over rice.

“Hm… It looks quite good…”

He first picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks.

“Hm?”

It tasted much better than he had expected. He quickly scooped up some rice and the dish together with his spoon and put it in his mouth.

The food’s umami flavor filled his mouth and then melted away.

“Wow! This is insanely good!”

His voice was loud enough. Orders started pouring in immediately.

People who had tried the stir-fried rice mix first called their friends. This happened several times. Those who were called would use the PC bang for at least 30 minutes, some even longer, just to eat.

All the ingredients were gone before the two hours were up.

* * *