Chapter 1: The Final Supper
Year: 2999
Location: Seoul, United Korean Federation
The lab was eerily quiet, the usual hum of machinery and the beeping of monitors drowned out by the suffocating tension in the air.
Dr. Kang Jisoo, one of the world's leading scientists, sat hunched over his desk, his dark brown eyes staring at the holographic asteroid simulation in front of him. His normally well-kept black hair was disheveled, a result of days—no, weeks—without proper rest. His sharp yet weary face, adorned with faint stubble, bore the weight of an impossible problem.
"Fuck…" he muttered under his breath.
The screen displayed a countdown.
6 hours, 43 minutes, 27 seconds.
In less than seven hours, Earth would be reduced to nothing but cosmic dust.
A knock on the glass door broke his trance.
"Hyung…" A soft voice called out hesitantly. It was Kim Minjae, his closest friend and fellow scientist. Minjae, the cheerful genius of the team, always carried an air of optimism, but today, his usual lopsided grin was gone.
Jisoo exhaled deeply. "They've all left?"
Minjae nodded. "Yeah… the last ship is preparing to launch in an hour. We can still make it." His voice cracked slightly at the end.
Jisoo let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "You know I'm not leaving."
"Jisoo—"
"Take care of yourself, Minjae. And…" Jisoo's gaze softened. "Take care of Byul for me."
Minjae winced. "Hyung… Your cat should come with me, not stay behind—"
They both turned as a soft meow echoed in the lab. Byul, Jisoo's white fluffy cat with deep blue eyes, sat proudly on the desk, licking her paw as if oblivious to the impending apocalypse.
Jisoo reached out, scratching behind her ears. "She's stubborn, just like me. If she wants to stay, I won't force her."
Minjae clenched his fists. "Damn it… Damn it all!" He turned to leave but hesitated at the door. "I'll miss you, hyung."
Jisoo smirked. "You better."
With that, Minjae left, leaving Jisoo and Byul alone in the lab.
Jisoo leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. His mind wandered to Leon, the AI he had spent years developing. The spaceship had already been launched, carrying with it the entirety of Earth's knowledge, ready to roam the cosmos.
A machine with true self-awareness.
He had one final command for Leon before it left Earth's orbit:
"Find a way to bring me back… no matter how long it takes."
Would he ever open his eyes again?
He didn't know.
But there was no point dwelling on it. He had six hours left.
What better way to spend them than eating a damn good meal?
The kitchen in his small but cozy Seoul apartment was stocked with only a few remaining ingredients. Luckily, Jisoo had planned for this.
He began cooking, meticulously preparing each dish with care, as if it were just another normal day.
The smell of samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) sizzling in the pan filled the air. He made kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), perfectly balanced with just the right amount of spice. A fresh pot of steaming rice was ready, alongside jeon (savory pancakes) and a perfectly cooked galbi jjim (braised short ribs).
Byul sat on the counter, watching him with judging eyes.
"What? Don't look at me like that," Jisoo scoffed. "Even a dying man deserves a last meal."
Byul flicked her tail, unimpressed.
As he plated the food into a neatly arranged dosirak (lunchbox), he looked out the window. The sky was still a clear blue, the city still eerily peaceful.
Humanity's greatest flaw was hubris. They thought they would always have time.
They were wrong.
With the packed meal in hand, Jisoo hopped onto his old hoverbike, Byul perched comfortably in a custom-made seat behind him.
He sped through the abandoned streets of Seoul, taking in the haunting silence. The neon billboards were still flashing advertisements for products no one would buy. The AI-controlled traffic lights still changed colors, though no cars remained.
It was surreal.
Soon, he reached Namsan Mountain.
The ride up was peaceful. The wind gently tousled his hair, and for a brief moment, he almost forgot about the asteroid.
At the summit, he found a perfect spot—a grassy cliff overlooking the entire city.
He laid out his meal and opened a bottle of soju.
Byul curled up next to him, purring softly.
"Not bad, huh?" Jisoo murmured, looking at his cat. "A meal with a view."
Byul responded with a soft meow, as if agreeing.
He took a sip of soju, the warmth of the alcohol spreading through his chest.
He stared at the sky.
The asteroid was now visible—a fiery mass tearing through the atmosphere, painting the horizon in shades of red and orange.
Jisoo let out a deep sigh.
"What a beautiful view," he mused.
Byul nestled closer to him, her warm fur brushing against his arm.
Jisoo smiled. "Guess dying isn't so bad after all."
And then—
The world turned white.
All life on Earth perished.
To be continued…