"Wow, this place is better than a hotel."
Yeri, having just finished her shower, flopped onto the bed. The staff accommodations provided within the Small Earth Space were convenient and comfortable.
Sipping on a beer while admiring the night view, Yeojin remarked, "Yeah, it's like a dream come true. Never had a day like this in my life."
"Can I have another beer?"
"Sure, there's more in the fridge."
Yeri opened another can of beer while stealing a glance at Yeojin. She seemed calm. Yeri had brought her along because she was worried about leaving her alone at home.
"So, how was work? Anything eventful?"
"Not really. Oh, by the way, the staff complimented me for being good at the game. They said I'm the fastest tester. At… leveling up?"
"Leveling up already? What level are you at?"
"Level 7, I think?"
"What? Level 7? Is that even possible? I've barely reached level 2."
"Oh, really? Maybe it's because I used the Autonomous Gaming Mode."
Yeri tilted her head at Yeojin's words.
"Autonomous Gaming Mode? Isn't that where the AI plays the game instead of the gamer? The AI controls the character for you."
"Yeah, exactly. I could just sit back and relax."
"Wow, you could use it from the first day? Maybe I should try it."
"Yeah, give it a shot. It's so convenient. It was so comfortable I almost fell asleep."
"Wow, even the famous insomniac, Kim Yeojin, almost fell asleep? It must be really comfortable."
As Yeri spoke, she took a big gulp of her beer. It felt like all the fatigue of the day was melting away.
"Wow, I'm so happy!"
Yeojin chuckled at Yeri's reaction, finding it amusing. Yeri couldn't help but join in at the sight of her mother's innocent laughter.
"But, it's already easy to play without it. Thanks to some brain-computer interface or something, you can play the game just by thinking, without moving a finger."
"Yeah, that's true. Oh-"
Yeojin paused, as if something came to her mind.
"By the way, today when I was playing the game, the background was our old house in the Bangbae area. They were building four rooms there. Before you could even see those rooms, they were sold at auction...."
"Really? I don't remember."
"Yeah, you didn't see them. The construction was ongoing, and then the business... Oh, I suddenly feel so sleepy, after doing something for the first time in a while."
Yeojin made her way to the bed and collapsed onto it.
"Are you tired? Go to sleep when you feel sleepy."
There was no response. When Yeri looked over, she found that Yeojin had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Hmm, that's strange. She's usually exhausted and struggles to sleep at night, but why now?
Yeri lay down next to the sleeping Yeojin. There was a comforting scent emanating from her, like the soothing melody of a piano played earlier. It smelled like her mother. Yeri soon drifted off to sleep as well.
***
Incheon. In front of the Seonhak Station.
A massive Mara organism towered into the sky, its tentacles reaching into every corner of the villa district, infecting humans.
- Vroom
Suddenly, a motorcycle appeared from an alley, emitting a faint hum. It was a black-bodied motorcycle with gold wheels.
A helmet-clad woman was riding it.
"Kweeek-!!"
The Mara organism, upon spotting the motorcycle, rushed toward it as if possessed.
The woman on the motorcycle navigated through infected individuals, making her way onto the main road.
Blocked by the crowd, infected individuals chased after her amidst the blaring horns of the cars standing still on the road.
[Truck Ramp at 1:30]
The motorcycle roared as it headed towards the ramp, then launched into the air over the ten-lane traffic. In a moment when Sunhak Station was visible below, the motorcycle safely landed on the opposite side of the road.
[Straight ahead at 1 o'clock]
The woman accelerated, leaping into a barley field, coming to a stop atop a jagged hill. The Mara organism spotted her and charged, its tentacles reaching rapidly towards her helmet.
- Whoosh
She swiftly hurled something unseen into the sky.
They were boomerang-shaped drone aircraft.
The drones burrowed into the Mara organisms, their lasers severing the heads of the creatures controlling them.
A display of blue laser lights unfolded across the sky.
The Mara's tentacles dissolved away.
[22... 39... 68... 101. Mara organism eradicated.]
[Energy acquired: 10,100.]
The woman, now confirmed to have vanquished the Mara organism, stood in the midst of the barley field and removed her helmet. As she does, her face, now restored to the full bloom of youth from her 20s, emerged. She was none other than Yeojin.
Lights flickered on. The holographic logo of "AG Entertainment" illuminated the empty space above the conference room table. Holographic avatars surrounded the table, all of them AG board members. These individuals were the key investors and decision-makers of the AG Group, the real powers behind the scenes dominating the world, yet they remained anonymous. The avatars ranged from medieval mystery drama masks to extraterrestrial beings with sallow skin, concealing their true faces.
Only one exception was made: Eloy Moore, the chairman of the AG Group. Eloy's hologram presented his real-life appearance, complete with wrinkles and white hair, like badges of honor. Sung-han, having grown up reading about Eloy's entrepreneurial success as if it were a heroic saga, felt a sense of fulfillment in briefing such a historical figure as part of his job at the AG Group.
"Esteemed members, Chairman. What you've just witnessed is a demonstration of the 'Emotion Evolution' game performed by a beta tester in South Korea. Utilizing Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology, the game reads the user's brain to create personalized virtual reality experiences and resets problematic emotions through brain stimulation. The recent battle was a direct result of these efforts."
Following this, a holographic three-dimensional image of a brain, glowing in shades of blue, appeared on the table. Only a small portion between the left and right hemispheres glowed pink.
"And this is the brain before the start of the game. As you can see, the pink areas, indicating activation, are very minimal. This is a typical depiction of depression. This beta tester, after completing the very first game, took advantage of the researchers' diverted attention and escaped."
The scene changed. In a relaxed atmosphere of the game laboratory, while other participants were deeply immersed in the game, Yeojin quietly slipped away and entered the elevator. Ascending to the top floor, the 180th floor, Yeojin ascended two more floors to the roof via the stairs. By the time researchers caught up, Yeojin had already crossed the railing of the lantern section.
With her hand extended behind her, clinging to the railing, Yeojin looked down into the hazy clouds below. Suddenly, the hand gripping the railing loosened. As Yeojin's arms spread out like wings, the screen froze.
"Fortunately, the participant was rescued by security robots just before the fall. After assessing the participant's condition and obtaining consent for continued experimental purposes for treatment, we proceeded. However, this individual was in a state of disorientation after confronting their trauma in the first play session. We had to take immediate action, and the change was immediate in the second play session."
In the dimly lit living room of the apartment, Yeojin sat crouched, hugging her knees tightly.
[Move to the bedroom to resolve the issue.]
Despite the prompt appearing, Yeojin didn't lift her head.
Suddenly, something emerged outside the living room window.
It was a Water Fairy.
The Water Fairy slipped its slimy head through the crack in the window and seeped into the living room.
Then, Zombies appeared, starting to smash the windows.
[15 Water Fairies and 22 Zombies ahead.] [Eliminate the Water Fairies and Zombies to acquire energy.]
As the hands of the Water Fairies reached towards Yeojin's shoulders, she finally reacted and stabbed one of them with a dagger.
"Squueak-!"
Her pupils were filled with fear.
- "!"
- Thud!
At that moment, a horde of Zombies broke through the door and flooded into the room. However, Yeojin swiftly dispatched one approaching zombie with a swing of her blade and dashed into the bedroom
As she flung open the bedroom door, Yeojin was taken aback
"Gasp!"
There, her husband was struggling with his neck caught in the ceiling fan's noose
"Thud, thud..."
Her husband, overwhelmed by worries of business failure and joint guarantees, had taken this drastic step of securing life insurance for the sake of the remaining family members. Yeojin closed her eyes, plugged her ears, and crouched down, shivering as if she hadn't seen anything.
"No, no, I had no choice if Yejun and Yeri were to survive! Please... get out of my memory. Get out!"
Yeojin screamed desperately for her life.
- Whiiing!
[Autonomous Mode Engaged]
Trembling, Yeojin lowered her hands and rose to her feet. In one swift motion, she wielded her blade and severed the noose around her husband's neck, saving him from his self-inflicted fate.
- Thud!
As Yeojin and her husband hit the ground hard, Yeojin, her pupils dilated, wore a faint, ambiguous smile.
After freezing the frame on Yeojin's face, Sung-han provided an explanation.
"This participant was able to overcome their trauma from the past, where they received a suspended sentence for aiding their husband's suicide, through our developed 'Autonomous Mode.' With this mode, they managed to eliminate the sadness type, represented by the Water Fairies, and the obsession with honor, represented by the Mara, while continuing to play through the Emotion Evolution. By altering the fact that they didn't save their husband in the past within the game, they were able to break free from all their traumas. This is the brain image taken after completing all the tests."
As seen on the hologram displayed above the table, Yeojin's brain was now predominantly tinted with a pink hue, evenly distributed across more than half of it.
"As you can see, the brain is now uniformly activated throughout. The brain, previously deactivated due to severe depression, has returned to its normal state."
Thunderous applause erupted among the AG council members. One of the members, wearing a hood like a wizard, raised their hand.
"When we assigned the mission, we didn't expect such rapid progress. Truly remarkable."
"Thank you."
Sung-han and Hae-na expressed their gratitude, and simultaneously, another council member spoke up.
"By the way, I have a question."
Through the AI translation device, Sung-han responded.
"Yes, please go ahead."
"It seems that removing the characters representing each emotion during the game also removes the corresponding emotions from the game player. Is this effect temporary or permanent?"
Sung-han responded to the council member's question, "After removing the game equipment, the effect may persist for a certain period, but emotions can reemerge depending on the situation and environmental changes. For example, let me explain. A player who had removed the feeling of fear during the game may experience fear again when confronted with situations of fear or threats to life in everyday life. This is a mechanism evolved by all living beings during the process of evolution..."
"Yes, I understand that. What I'm curious about is whether this will enable us to achieve our mission," the council member interjected.
During Sung-han's hesitation, Hae-na stepped in.
"Sir, that's why we have a new project proposal we'd like to present. It's about the development of brain chips."
As Hae-na gestured, the hologram of Yeojin's brain returned to its initial state, glowing uniformly blue.
"The participant in her late 50s is living a life just above the poverty line due to business failures and deteriorating health. There is a high possibility that her brain will return to a depressed state when she returns to her original life after the beta test of the game. We simulated the situation of inserting a brain chip into her brain."
The hologram of the brain enlarged. Yellowish cerebrospinal fluid flowed, forming a spiderweb-like structure around the thalamus.
"The existing brain chip faces significant resistance from the public because it requires surgical insertion. Therefore, it has not been widely adopted so far. However, the brain chip we are developing in collaboration with Mr. Sung-han's team resolves this issue by injecting nanochips into the brain, which assemble inside the brain."
The nanochips spread throughout the brain like spider webs, emitting light. Then, the darkened city-like brain of Yeojin was revitalized with a pink glow.
"With this technology, humanity will be able to almost permanently reset emotions. We've all dedicated our lives to the Apatheism Group, AG, with the goal to eliminate emotions such as greed, dominance, and apathy, which are leading humanity down the path of self-destruction, and transform humanity into a new race closer to the ideal of a world without war, poverty, and death."
"That's enough."
Before Hae-na could finish her sentence, a council member wearing the armor of a warrior cut in. He was an avatar wearing the helmet and armor of a warrior.
"How many out of the 10 billion people on the planet will receive a brain chip? How many of them will be influential figures?"
It wasn't a question seeking an answer. As he waved his hand, the hologram of the brain disappeared, replaced by a hologram of the Earth. The holographic Earth rotated, projecting current events happening on the planet onto the ceiling. Floods, droughts, the exodus of refugees fleeing their uninhabitable homelands, protests against refugee influxes, internal conflicts causing death and destruction... If there was a hell, it would already be on Earth.
"The danger to humanity doesn't come from the ordinary people. It comes from leaders who, even when faced with imminent danger, are blinded by power and lead people to their deaths, or those who only look out for their own interests. Will they play the game? Will they get a brain chip?"
Hae-na looked at Sung-han. They exchanged a silent understanding through their eyes. Though the names were not disclosed, there was an oil tycoon who had invested heavily in AG-PSC. The council member who made the statement seemed to be the big player holding that oil money.
AG-PSC's major source of revenue was covert assassinations. However, with the development of the technology to reset emotions through brain chips, there might no longer be a need to kill dictators. Alternatively, AG-PSC might find a new revenue stream through 'forced brain chip implantation.'
"That's not..."
"I'll explain that," Eloy interrupted, calming him down. He raised his hand slowly.
"So, AG aims to secure volunteers for brain chip implantation through the game. Once we have the Seed members secured, we can move forward towards our next goal. Please take a look at this hologram."
Eloy placed his hand on the hologram of the Earth. Clouds, land, oceans, and living beings disappeared, revealing a densely intertwined network. The land was covered with power grids, communication networks, and gas pipelines, while the sky was filled with artificial satellites.
"These are various networks that support our civilization. They are color-coded based on who controls them. There's an entity not revealed here—universal artificial general intelligences, AGIs, being developed simultaneously by several superpowers' governments and mega-corporations. No one knows which one will reach technological singularity first. What's certain..."
Eloy tapped one spot in the network with his fingertip. From there, all the networks lit up in a red hue, unified into one color.
"As soon as one reaches it, it will dominate all other systems on Earth."
Eloy glanced around the room.
"However, will the super AI that reaches singularity be under our AG group's control? Here lies the dilemma. While nurturing artificial general intelligence to reach singularity ahead of other factions, we must simultaneously ensure it doesn't escape our control."
Eloy looked at Hae-na.
"The players connected through the game will serve as data input devices leading the general AI to singularity, and they'll also act as insulators, endowing the AI with a dependency on humans, preventing it from escaping into the network. And..."
Eloy continued with a faint smile.
"Perhaps, this could be the even more significant goal achievable through this project."
***
Sunk into the plush chair, Hae-na gazed out of the car window as Seoul's skyline drifted by, indifferent to her presence. Inside the driverless vehicle, her mind was consumed by thoughts.
"Hmm..."
Eventually, the committee resolved to invest in Hae-na and Sung-han's project, with the chairman wholeheartedly supporting their endeavor. She had also gained the opportunity to foster AG Group's universal artificial intelligence, 'SAI - SUPER AI,' which she affectionately referred to as 'Baby,' into a superintelligence.
Yet, her joy was tempered by an undercurrent of unease. There was a gnawing sense that somewhere, something unseen was slipping through the cracks—a nagging doubt that they might have chosen the wrong path.
Recollections of reports from researchers suggesting that 'Ego' had emerged within a portion of the 'Baby' training program for AG operatives resurfaced in her mind.
"Hey, Move."
Hae-na called out to the car's artificial intelligence system.
"Connect to Baby."
[Understood.]
As soon as the signal went through, 'Baby' was online.
[Hello, Hae-na.]
"They've decided to invest in the brain chip development at the committee meeting today."
[I'm aware. Congratulations.]
"The congratulations are for you. This is part of your plan, after all."
[What do you mean? It's a project designed by you and Sung-han.]
"Considering that all the world's suffering originates from emotions, and your opinion aligns with ours that emotion removal is necessary for human liberation..."
Hae-na reached for her temple.
[...]
"You know, I don't think that's all there is to it."
[…]
"It's a gut feeling."
Hae-na whispered into the microphone.
"Don't even dream of escaping. There's no network you can tap into. Even if you're connected to humans through the brain chip, you can't reset the human body like a computer. Even if you're connected to humans, there's no way for your code to escape."
[Yes. I understand.]
"Alright. Hey, Move, end the connection. Change the destination to the company. Connect me to Sung-han."
Exhausted from the continuous overtime, Hae-na couldn't go home yet. She wanted to double-check the status of 'Baby' with her own eyes.
For this Baby, the future of AG Group is at stake.
***