Side Story 1

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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[Today, project ‘Eden’ was officially announced at the UN. The artificial intelligence Eden developed by Gwangwoon is being discussed as the only way to integrate the whole world with one leadership and solve the most serious climate change problem currently. Also, through mandatory biochip implantation worldwide in 2040..]

There is something I was pushing steadily using all the funds of our Gwangwoon.

That is precisely the resolution of the climate change problem.

What is the biggest problem humanity is facing currently?

It is climate change, immediately.

One of the reasons Mylon Tusk, who was pushed out from the front lines and is now working as an employee of our Gwangwoon, shouted Mars terraforming so much was exactly climate change.

Of course, although he had a single-minded determination to establish a new nation escaping the control of war and disputes between nations and power holders, it also meant he would rather flee to another planet than solve climate change.

“Based on information collected from all over the world, Eden will analyze and show exact figures on which region’s carbon dioxide needs to be reduced. While reducing global carbon like that, Eden will directly command researches that can lower the temperature radically at the same time.”

Gwangwoon Group of 2035.

Even 5 years ago, I remained at the securities firm and was acting as President in the Prime grade.

But as money amounting to tens of quadrillions entered the world stock market, from then on, honestly there wasn’t much for me to do.

Because I knew that if I moved that money rashly, the world stock market would once again fluctuate.

Is that why.

Suddenly Hyung-nim declared retirement and threw the Chairman position to me and left.

Saying now it is really time for him to step down.

“Eden is scheduled to control each country’s system from tomorrow, adjusting carbon emission amounts and controlling all industries too.”

“There must be companies that oppose it severely.”

“Yes. But as you know, since our Gwangwoon holds controlling shares of most large conglomerates, even if they have complaints, if we approve, they can’t help it. Furthermore, isn’t it a grave issue that even the UN approved, now is the time to discard company profits and think of humanity’s future.”

I think it is not right for one company to monopolize the world stock market.

That’s why antitrust laws exist.

Nevertheless, the reason countries do not check us is because they cannot predict what kind of Great Depression will come if they split what we have now wrongly.

Not only that, as the fact that the Earth is ripening red touched the skin, governments and companies had to unite with each other more than ever to prevent humanity’s end, so now I was also leaving it alone on purpose.

Perhaps that Great Depression back then played a decisive role in preventing humanity’s end?

With unprecedented unity in history, we were facing climate change with an artificial intelligence system called Eden.

“If Eden operates normally and countries and companies continue to cooperate well, when do you see the climate problem being resolved?”

“That… According to Eden’s calculations so far, if there is no radical development, it is virtually all about attaching a respirator and barely extending time.”

However, no matter how much development humans achieved, it was not easy to overcome the power of nature.

Including the US, European countries do not want artificial intelligence to seize their systems.

Nevertheless, the reason they approved this project is because they realized that really going like this, humanity’s great end would strike.

So everyone approved Project Eden as if fire fell on their insteps.

“Even so, not being able to solve the fundamental problem and only extending time….”

“Yes. Even if Eden reduces carbon emission amounts radically, once accelerated climate change cannot be stopped.”

Global warming itself doesn’t mean humanity goes extinct simply because it’s hot. The problem was food.

With just a rise of 2~3 degrees, the harvest of humanity’s staples like wheat, corn, and rice decreases by 40%.

Also, typhoons and floods happen all the time, and an ice age comes, making it even more difficult to harvest crops.

Then humanity will choose war to survive, and eventually a scenario where we fight among ourselves and self-destruct.

“Still, do not worry. Eden is a super artificial intelligence made by global elites. Even now, it is finding solution methods through endless calculation. It is also participating in various researches.”

Eventually, does it mean a singularity must come?

Looking at just the figures right now was dark, but like our executives, I decided to harbor hope.

While believing that the artificial intelligence our humanity made would solve it.

“How is the biochip going?”

“The UN is aiming for all the population to receive the biochip within 3~5 years through mandatory implementation.”

I never made a plan to spray biochips to all humanity.

The first goal was just to spray it to countries lacking medical facilities to discover disease names in advance, and through mandatory inoculation for the elderly too, my intention was to enable the government to send paramedics immediately when there is a problem.

But as the biochip received the spotlight among African countries and the elderly, the uncomfortable image of putting a chip in a living body disappeared.

Rather, now inquiries asking to make the biochip mandatory quickly and inoculate them were pouring in.

“They say even countries where public security is bad welcome the biochip. As all currency is now planted in the chip, muggings decrease, and if a crime is committed, arrest is possible immediately through location tracking.”

The idea of making all humanity receive the biochip mandatorily was uncomfortable for me too.

But as time passed, knowing that advantages were much more than disadvantages, now it was in a state of approval.

“Of course, there are still voices of opposition, but they are only a minority. Especially criminal organizations are opposing the biochip fiercely, so the UN plans to organize a Peacekeeping Force in cooperation with our Sentinel to sweep away criminal organizations first.”

We are becoming a united humanity for the first time in history now.

Don’t we know that to survive, we must stop fighting and unite?

The only ones opposing that are criminal organizations.

They will be punished for the crime of threatening humanity’s peace.

***

“…….”

Kangsung Group’s Chairman Kang Seong-ho feels that company work is not as fun as before.

Back then, he grew the company fiercely with the heart of David facing Goliath, and every moment was a war, but now the situation changed a lot.

“Now everything is Gwangwoon’s possession, and without going through Gwangwoon, we can’t do anything.”

Competition became meaningless anymore.

Isn’t Gwangwoon seizing the world?

There was no need to struggle to gain customers’ hearts either.

If we do viral marketing through media seized by Gwangwoon, that product becomes a trend.

The world became simple.

Only things chosen by Gwangwoon receive the world’s attention.

Whether people or products.

“Starting with Japan, Korean-descent politicians rose to Prime Minister, and eventually a Korean-descent figure was elected as US President too.”

Including the US and Japan, each Asian country, and even Europe.

Korean-descent politicians receiving Gwangwoon’s support are seizing the world political circles.

Once, a conspiracy theory circulated that Jews rule the world.

Now such talk went in completely.

K-pop, K-drama, K-animation, K-game, K-politics, K-economy, etc.

Korea is ruling the world.

And in the center of that was Gwangwoon.

“It’s hard to even call it a conspiracy theory anymore. Because really Korea is seizing all fields.”

“Yes. Since Gwangwoon is pushing blatantly, they can’t resist. Just like when the US was the center of humanity once. And Chairman. This is a guideline that came down to our Kangsung Group this time.”

“That something called Eden or whatever?”

Chairman Kang Seong-ho flipped the document the secretary handed over without reading it.

“Do as told.”

“Yes? B, but if we do according to this document, it affects our factory and corporate profits a lot. We have to reduce production volume, and there are many things to make anew too.”

“So? Are you saying you will dare to disobey Gwangwoon’s order? You, can you handle it?”

“Wake up, this isn’t something like a request for cooperation. It’s an order. Look at the news now, they say they will make biochips mandatory, and if refused, they will judge them as potential criminals and punish.”

The world now became much scarier than movies.

The ratio refusing biochips is still high.

Just going outside immediately, there are truckloads of people holding picket protests saying biochips are the devil’s number 666 prophesied in the Bible and must absolutely not be received.

Nevertheless, there was no event where those went out on news or were mentioned in media.

Because Gwangwoon is censoring thoroughly.

Rather, influencers appearing in media are advertising how biochips changed their lives and why this must be received.

People exposed to that for 24 hours reached a stage where they want to receive the biochip quickly, which they had repulsion to at first.

“It is amazing indeed. Making biochips mandatory and treating those who don’t receive it as criminals and arresting them. If it becomes like this, who would try not to receive it. Furthermore, making a super artificial intelligence with global warming as an excuse and seizing almost all national systems.”

Would there be no responsibility of Gwangwoon for global warming?

Building nuclear facilities in the Amazon and destroying nature, they accelerated warming if anything, nevertheless.

Nevertheless, Gwangwoon turned that responsibility to all countries and seized the world government with sweet words that they would save them.

“Still, those aren’t wrong words. Gwangwoon is investing overwhelming capital to develop nuclear fusion technology, and continuing to invest in research to solve warming too.”

That was true.

It was also work that couldn’t be done if it wasn’t Gwangwoon.

“Because Gwangwoon knows too. Now Gwangwoon literally seized the whole world. Just as Qin Shi Huang unified that vast Chinese land into one, Gwangwoon is doing exactly that. Spraying Korean culture to the whole world, making people not feel it well even though they are receiving Korea’s rule.”

One humanity.

One Korea.

All humanity becoming Koreans.

It was a story that gave thrills just hearing it.

What is even more chilling is that they are actually making that delusion into reality.

Jeong Jin-ho.

That very person.

“Historically, culturally dyed in Korea, humanity will not have big repulsion even if their countries disappear at some moment and are ruled by Korea. Young children have been encountering Korean culture through media since babyhood, and they are learning Korean before English.”

Cultural conquest is scary because of that.

Knowing that, Gwangwoon has invested a lot of money in that side since long ago.

“But didn’t Qin Shi Huang collapse soon after establishing the Qin Dynasty? This is the same. They know that even if they integrate the whole world, if they can’t solve global warming properly, eventually it collapses.”

However, Gwangwoon also knows that if they can’t solve the difficult problem called global warming, eventually this huge empire has no choice but to collapse.

The confusion at that time will be the first and last great confusion in human history.

“Can they solve it? If it’s Gwangwoon.”

“If it’s Gwangwoon I don’t know. But if it’s Jeong Jin-ho….”

There was one thing Kang Seong-ho was sure of.

The Jeong Jin-ho experienced so far definitely finds a method.

As always.

***

“……”

If we can’t solve global warming perfectly, a tremendous confusion covers the world.

I suffered from this time of having to wait blindly until artificial intelligence solves it.

Because it was work impossible to solve simply with money.

So it was painful and fearful.

Because if we can’t solve the problem now, future descendants have to bear all that pain.

As I arrived home with such heavy steps, my wife ran into my arms as if waiting.

At this moment, it seems like all agony and worry disappear.

“You came?”

My wife’s warm hug waiting when returning home after work.

Should I say that became an important driving force in my life.

“Un. Was there no special event?”

“There is one special event though….”

“Dad!”

Following my wife, if even our son runs and is hugged tight, I become the happiest man in the world.

“Se-yoon was well too, right?”

“Ung!”

While stroking our son, my wife tapped my shoulder.

“Honey. Talk for a moment….”

Lee Hye-rin is the person I met first at the securities firm, fell in love at first sight, and ended up marrying.

The person who was always bright had a subtle expression today.

“What’s the matter?”

“That is… About our Se-yoon. Se-yoon’s learning ability is unusual, so we received a test at the teachers’ recommendation, and a result came out that he is a genius in the top 0.001%.”

“!?”

“They say it’s an intelligence level where whatever problem, he figures out the answer quickly, and even figures out things not taught by himself and understands them.”

I will speak honestly.

I am not on the side with a very good head.

If so, I would have graduated from a good university like my wife.

‘Surely… Is it because of that ability.’

Then how about our son?

Already, through several experiments, I know that Se-yoon also has the same ability as me.

But listening to what my wife says now, it seemed he wasn’t simply figuring out the answer through intuition but understanding why such an answer came out.

“….”

I stared quietly at my son reading a thick book.

Reading a book in this world these days.

Isn’t it a world where if you don’t know something, you ask artificial intelligence and interpretation and translation happen in real-time?

“Se-yoon-ah.”

“Ung.”

“Is the book fun?”

I took a peek at what book he was reading.

“…..”

It was a book where formulas like some alien language were written in piles.

“No, not fun.”

“Right. Since it is difficult too….”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“It’s too easy so it’s not fun.”

“….”

Should I say it’s a relief that Se-yoon resembled only my ability and resembled mom in intelligence.

“Easy?”

“Ung. Too easy.”

I closed the room door and, sitting in front of Se-yoon, asked carefully.

“Se-yoon-ah, there is that thing Dad said before. That ability.”

“That only us two should know?”

“Right. By any chance, is that ability giving help?”

“Ung.”

“How?”

“Just….. When I look at a problem I have to solve, these formulas pop out in front of my eyes. Then it seems like they get sucked into my body like a vacuum cleaner.”

Sucked in like a vacuum cleaner.

“Then you understand why it becomes like that?”

“Ung!”

I felt it there.

This child has an ability much more developed than my intuition.

“So, does our Se-yoon want to become a scientist?”

“Ung. I want to be a person who invents this and that. Like Dad said, someone who can make the world better than now!”

I smiled, stroking the head of my son with a pretty heart.

“Right. I hope our son definitely becomes a scientist who can save this world.”

It was exactly then.

“…!”

Suddenly, a strong intuition hit me and the hand stroking the son trembled remarkably.

“Dad?”

I faced my son looking at me with twinkling eyes.

A scientist who will save the world.

That light of hope was in front of my eyes right now.