★The uncovering of a conspiracy behind a murder in a city of machines.

In the far distant future, humans, once arrogant, are robbed of civilization and exiled to the wastelands by A.I. The only humans permitted to enter the “city,” dominated by robots, are only a chosen handful of artists. One day, at the human arts center where these artists reside, Michaleangelo-15 is found dead.

Never before has there been an incident in which a human destroyed a human in this setting. Following the directions of Mother, the A.I. overseeing the city, a security maintenance robot called XG-331A starts to investigate the case with the cooperation of Kang Seontae, a human summoned to the city for this purpose. Thus, a robot and a human, initially at odds, unite in their efforts.

The “city,” where the story takes place, is a space in which A.I. and robots move about. The robots perform their assigned tasks, such as sweeping the streets or patrolling—once human tasks—then go to their designated apartments to rest and recharge. Humans, long banished to the wastelands, robbed of their civilization, live primitive lives and yearn to live within the city’s high barriers. The few people who are chosen are allowed to live in the city, but can do little more than reproduce artworks from the past in their confined living spaces.

In this city that seems both familiar and alien, an unexpected incident occurs: an artist living there is found dead, and all signs point to another human as the culprit. XG-331A, a security maintenance robot, investigates the case.

The murder acts as a catalyst, transforming the city, and serves as the bridgehead that links people who were previously unconnected. The city, which had remained static under the direction of the A.I., “Mother,” begins to see changes, symbolized by Kang Seontae who comes from the outside world. Through this incident, XG-331A comes across the concept of the death of an organism and comes to doubt things it had never doubted before as it interacts with Kang Seontae. Meanwhile, Kang Seontae, having been summoned to the city under unexpected circumstances, discovers remnants of the old civilization and encounters a new world as he talks to the artists in the city about art and humanity.

Author Instruction : Jeong Myeong-seop
Jeong Myeong-seop, the author, worked at a major company before becoming a barista. Then he published a story, making his debut as a writer. He writes novels spanning various genres, including mystery, history, and science fiction, as well as children’s books, young adult novels, and webtoons. He is also a writer of movie and TV scripts. He was awarded the first Jikji Novel Award in 2013 for his novel, “Memories of Jikki,” the New Creators Award at the 21st Busan International Film Festival, and the Korea Mystery Fiction Award in 2020. His major works include In Search of Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon, The Ghost Elementary School, and Regeneration.