Taking an Autonomous Taxi
Taking an Autonomous Taxi
"Huff... Huff... Fuck..."
I ran past the apartment back gate guard post and dashed into an alley in the old villa neighborhood, a CCTV blind spot.
The guard I'd just encountered in the lobby had looked at me with a suspicious expression, and I could almost feel his gaze piercing my back, but I had no time to worry about that.
A young man sweating profusely, carrying a travel bag, running out of a luxury apartment—anyone would find that suspicious.
But stopping would mean the end.
If caught, it was obvious I'd be reduced to a lifelong lab guinea pig or a state-approved sperm donor machine.
I hid deep in the alley, behind a pile of garbage, and gasped for breath.
My heart thumped so hard it felt like it would burst through my ribcage.
"How... how did they find out?"
I pulled out my smartphone with trembling hands and checked the photo Su-yeon had sent me last.
That woman, watching Su-yeon with hawk-like eyes from behind a display shelf in the corner of a baby goods store.
Black suit, sharp impression.
NIS? Or police?
Either way, it didn't matter.
She was the one who shattered my nearly perfect escape plan.
"That bitch..."
Anger surged.
The fact they used Su-yeon as bait to catch me made my blood boil.
I zoomed in on the woman's face in the photo.
Cold, sharp eyes and tightly pursed lips.
Normally, I'd have cursed my luck and moved on, but now a strange desire to conquer her stirred.
'You dare touch my woman? You're chasing me?'
A sadistic impulse arose: I wanted to make her kneel beneath me and fuck her until that arrogant gaze melted away.
That woman, backed by state power treating me like prey—I wanted to hunt her instead and make her bear my seed.
I wanted to fill her womb with my semen until she begged, "I'm sorry! Master... please forgive me..."
Snap.
Even in this extreme crisis, my dick was reacting unbidden.
It grew heavy inside my pants.
Crazy bastard. Is this the time to get erect?
I shook my head, blaming myself.
Right now, survival came before sex.
"Where did I mess up? The gosiwon? Or that delivery person?"
My thoughts tangled.
Was it the crazy guy next door who kept talking about smelling semen when I rented the gosiwon room?
Or the female rider who delivered yesterday, seeing me in my bathrobe and reporting me?
Or maybe... quitting my part-time job suddenly triggered the NIS radar?
"Damn it, it's all my fault. I was too complacent."
No matter how careful I tried to be, the surveillance network in this 'Great Infertility' era seemed tighter than I imagined.
If Su-yeon was caught, her phone location tracking or card transaction history would have already been accessed.
This apartment would soon be raided, and my personal information would have been exposed.
'The airport is impossible.'
Going to Incheon or Gimpo Airport would be suicidal.
Even before the immigration checkpoint, at the airport entrance, I'd surely be caught by facial recognition cameras.
The port? Busan or Incheon Port were the same.
My photo might already have been distributed to immigration offices nationwide.
'Smuggling ship?'
I also considered taking a smuggling ship to China or Southeast Asia, like in movies.
But how would I find a broker?
Even if I found one, there was no guarantee the captain wouldn't betray me.
[100 billion won reward for reporting a Stud].
In front of that astronomical bounty, would any criminal uphold loyalty?
They'd likely tie me up and hand me over to the coast guard to sit on a money cushion.
"Then there's only one way..."
I opened the map.
The southern tip of the Korean peninsula. And the island nation beyond it.
Japan.
The closest, most realistic refuge.
Going to America was out of the question. I couldn't swim across the Pacific.
But Japan?
From Busan to Tsushima is only about 50km.
From Jeju Island to mainland Japan wasn't an impossible distance either.
'Jet ski.'
Suddenly, news articles I'd seen came to mind.
News about a Chinese person smuggling into Incheon by crossing the West Sea on a single jet ski.
And stories about jet ski club members from Jeolla Province making round trips to Jeju Island.
Jet skis are small, hard to catch on maritime radar, and highly maneuverable, making it easy to evade coast guard patrol boats.
"Geoje Island... starting from Geoje Island, Tsushima is quick."
Of course, it was an extremely risky gamble.
If waves were high or fuel ran out, I could become fish food in the middle of the sea.
And even if I luckily reached Tsushima or near Fukuoka, the chances of being caught by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) were high.
'But it's better than being caught in Korea.'
Japan is currently desperate to secure Studs.
It's a country that's even proposing the [Stud Special Act] and shouting "If you just come, we'll treat you as a high-class citizen."
If I cross into Japanese territorial waters on a jet ski and shout, "I'm a Stud who escaped from Korea!"
They'd treat me as a state guest, not a criminal.
The Korean government would request repatriation, but Japan wouldn't hand me over obediently.
Instead, under the pretext of 'humanitarian asylum,' they'd protect me and become desperate to impregnate their own women.
"Yeah, this is it. I go to Geoje Island."
Once the goal was set, my mind calmed.
Now the problem was transportation.
Express bus or KTX? They don't check IDs, but the CCTV cameras everywhere in terminals or stations were a problem.
Rental car? The moment I present my license, a record is created.
'Autonomous taxi.'
I pulled the burner phone from my pocket.
No SIM card, but I caught an open Wi-Fi from a nearby cafe.
And opened the [Teasla Mobility] app.
An unmanned robotaxi service operated by the American electric vehicle company Teasla.
A system with no driver, no ID verification process—just call via app and pay.
There were many twists and turns before this was introduced in Korea.
[Handai] Automobiles and taxi drivers nationwide fiercely opposed it, staging strike protests.
"Oppose autonomous driving to the death!"
"U.S. capital threatening jobs, get out!"
Gwanghwamun Square was covered with wooden spears and headbands just four years ago.
But the 'Great Infertility' crisis changed everything.
Due to the severe shortage of drivers caused by men's loss of labor motivation, compounded by logistics disruptions, the Korean government finally surrendered.
There was also trade pressure from the U.S. government, but with the country about to stop functioning, they had no choice.
Non-tariff barrier removal, regulatory sandbox application.
Thus, Teasla robotaxis came to dominate Korean roads.
'How ironic. That fucked-up situation helped me find a way to survive.'
I smiled bitterly and pressed the call button.
Departure: Current location (Yeoksam-dong alley).
Destination: Jet ski rental shop, Jangseungpo Port, Geoje City, Gyeongsangnam-do.
Estimated time: 4 hours 30 minutes.
The fare was quite expensive, but compared to the bundles of cash in my bag now, it was peanuts.
[Dispatching a nearby vehicle...]
About a minute later.
A white SUV slid silently into the alley entrance.
A Teasla Model XY with an empty driver seat and futuristic design.
Chiiik.
The rear door of the car stopping before me slid open.
"Please board. Fasten your seatbelt."
A mechanical voice flowed out.
I quickly scanned the surroundings, threw my bag in, and swiftly climbed aboard.
The interior was comfortable, and the AC breeze was cool.
[Destination: Jet ski rental shop, Jangseungpo Port, Geoje City. Is this correct?]
"Yeah, correct. Go quickly."
[Please proceed with payment. Place your card on the reader or pay via the app.]
I hesitated momentarily.
Cards under my name would already be suspended, and using them would lead to immediate tracking.
The only thing left... was the card Su-yeon had handed me, saying "Use it in emergencies."
'If I use this, it'll appear on Su-yeon's transaction history...'
It was highly likely the NIS had already frozen Su-yeon's account or was monitoring it.
But cash payment right now was impossible.
Teasla is a 100% card payment system.
I couldn't hesitate here and miss the golden hour.
'By the time they pinpoint my location, I'll already be speeding on the highway. And once I reach Geoje Island, I'll immediately take a jet ski and leave.'
It was a gamble.
But a gamble with odds.
I placed the card on the reader with trembling hands.
Ding.
[Payment completed. Departing.]
The vehicle began moving smoothly.
I sank deep into the seat.
I watched the forest of buildings in Gangnam fading outside the window.
Where Su-yeon was, and where those trying to catch me were.
'Goodbye, Seoul. I'm not coming back.'
The car increased speed, taking Olympic Boulevard toward the Gyeongbu Expressway.
Only the sound of my heartbeat and tire friction filled the car.
I had now crossed an irreversible river.
The sprint toward freedom, or perhaps toward destruction, had begun.
"Mm! Mm-mm!"
Choi Su-yeon struggled in the passenger seat.
Her wrists were tightly bound with cable ties, and her mouth was sealed with duct tape.
Her elegant dress was crumpled, and through her disheveled hair, eyes filled with terror glared at Ji-hyun.
"Stay still. You can't escape anyway."
Ji-hyun held the steering wheel with one hand and roughly shoved Su-yeon's shoulder with the other.
There were no agents' cars following in the rearview mirror.
A thorough solo operation.
If I take this woman and lure Kim Jun, or catch both, my life is set.
"This is all patriotism, patriotism. Good for you, good for me."
Ji-hyun spoke with a shameless smile.
"Think about it. That bastard Kim Jun, if caught, gets treated as a state guest. You'd be recognized as 'the Stud's first woman,' receive a lifetime pension, and get a medal too, right? As a fellow woman, understand a bit. I also need to make a living. I can't rot as a deputy assistant for thousand of years, can I?"
Su-yeon snorted through her nose as if scoffing at Ji-hyun's words.
'Don't make me laugh. I'll protect my man.'
Her eyes glittered with murderous intent.
Whether due to imprinting effect or love, her resistance was fierce.
Ding.
Then, the screen of Su-yeon's smartphone placed on the dashboard lit up.
Thanks to the SIM chip Ji-hyun had cloned beforehand, notifications appeared simultaneously.
[Card Approval]
[Amount: 450,000 won]
[Merchant: Teasla Mobility (Long-distance trip)]
[Date/Time: 10/16 14:38]
"Ha, look at this bastard?"
Ji-hyun's eyes sharpened.
Teasla taxi. And 450,000 won?
Not a Seoul city trip fare.
This amount... it's a long-distance fare to Busan.
"The Stud bastard, sharp once. Already fled?"
She gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Kim Jun had already left the apartment.
And to avoid tracking, he was fleeing to the farthest southern tip using an autonomous taxi.
"He must have taken the expressway."
Ji-hyun immediately put on Bluetooth earphones and issued a voice command.
"Connect to traffic control center. Immediately query all Teasla vehicles that entered the Gyeongbu Expressway."
Su-yeon opened her eyes wide and struggled.
'No! Jun-nim!'
Her scream was muffled beyond the tape.
"Be quiet. We're going to catch your master."
Ji-hyun roughly made a U-turn.
Tires screeched, scraping the asphalt.
The car body left Gangnam Boulevard and turned direction toward the southern end of Hannam Bridge, the entrance to the Gyeongbu Expressway.
"If caught, I'll really teach you a lesson. Dare to play within my grasp?"
She deeply pressed the accelerator.
The engine roared with a loud noise.
The beginning of the chase.