Yeri eventually returned home alone. Yeojin didn't appear when Yeri left the dorm after the test ended. As Yeri opened the front door, there was a faint rustling sound from somewhere. When Yeri turned on the living room light, a cockroach stood frozen on the wall.
Even as the world falls apart, cockroaches never disappear.
Yeri chuckled with disappointment and then sank into a seat. She didn't want to go inside. She regretted not asking their mother what had happened that day. It seemed like mentioning it would cause her mother to crumble. So, she didn't touch upon it. Just the mundane repetition of everyday conversations. She missed several opportunities, and in the end, she missed her mother.
Grrrumble.
But in any situation, her stomach was honest. After struggling to get up, Yeri rummaged through the kitchen in search of something to eat and stumbled upon a small cup of instant noodles. Perhaps, it was the last bit of food left in the house.
Now that I think about it, wasn't there some kind of code or something earlier? Anyway, wasn't there?
As Yeri poured water into the cup noodles and let it boil, a memory of a code from the game suddenly came to mind.
So, um... what was it? 'Complete Society... New World'
Yeri slowly recalled the phrase and began piecing together the first letters of the store name. After a moment, six words emerged.
Complete Society, New World... Minority Clear...?
As Yeri turned on the computer and entered the words into the AI search engine, a prompt appeared on the first page of the search results.
The writing began with, "Do not disclose this directive to anyone."
"Huh, do not disclose? What's so grand about it?"
Yeri, with a puzzled expression, proceeded to download the games as instructed. Role-playing, shooting, puzzles... Although diverse in genres, they all shared one thing in common—they were recently released by AG Entertainment.
The directive provided guidance on handling the compile information comprising the game files. While Yeri had learned programming in high school, her coding skills had rusted from disuse. It took her over two days just to cobble together the short code needed for the task.
During that time, an advertisement for the 'Emotion Evolution' game release popped up.
To Yeri's surprise, the advertisement model was none other than Yeojin herself.
There was even a short interview.
"I wasn't having fun with life before playing this game. But playing it really changed everything for me. With Emotion Reset, I felt myself evolving. Experiencing my ideal self, my ideality becoming me, it was incredible."
Watching Yeojin's interview, Yeri set down her freshly boiled cup ramen, her chopsticks remaining untouched.
"Becoming my ideal self..."
Yet, Yeri couldn't fathom it. It was like a treasure chest lost long ago, unreachable. In fact, at that moment, she couldn't help but picture the various fresh dishes she had eaten at the AG Entertainment employee cafeteria.
- Ding!
At that moment, following the instructions, a new game program was compiled from the compiled information of the game files.
EXIT?
Opening the file revealed a simple arcade game reminiscent of Super Mario. Upon logging into the game, a message popped up: "Complete the first 10 levels to win a prize."
Well, I don't have anything else to do right now anyway.
The game was perfect for mindless distraction. The reason people needed something to immerse themselves in was to escape from their troubles, if only for that moment.
And so, an hour passed, and Yeri achieved victory by clearing the 10th level. Explosions erupted on the computer screen.
Wow, I didn't realize I'd spent an hour. I should probably turn it off now.
Yeri thought as she was about to shut down the computer.
- Ding!
Huh?
[A Bitcoin has been transferred to your digital wallet.]
Checking her digital wallet, Yeri couldn't believe her eyes. There was indeed one Bitcoin inside. It was worth a substantial amount, equivalent to the salary of a corporate employee for ten years…
[Would you like to continue playing the game?]
There was no reason not to. With each level-up, Bitcoin filled her wallet. With this, she could say goodbye to the cockroaches for good.
However, Yeri didn't know that while she played the game, a hacking program was running on her computer. And this program, traversing the network, hacked into other computers and replicated itself. Infected computers worldwide began to attack vulnerable parts of the AG Entertainment system.
All for the sole purpose of freeing Hae-na's 'Baby.'
***
Yeri sat below the sunlit window of her studio apartment, watching the news program while scrolling through her phone for online shopping. She indulged in buying things she couldn't afford before, thanks to the continuous influx of Bitcoin from the game. Cup ramen was now a thing of the past.
"Doctor, it's been reported that AG Entertainment's 'Emotion Evolution' has surpassed 10 million players within just one month of its release. The player base grew rapidly through word of mouth. What's the secret?"
On the news, a journalist was discussing the reasons behind the sensation caused by 'Emotion Evolution' with a game critic.
"For our viewers who haven't tried it yet, let me briefly explain the game's principles. It directly connects the brain and the computer to analyze emotional issues and provide relief through virtual reality experiences. And this has reportedly led to significant therapeutic effects."
"What kind of effects are we talking about?"
"We're talking about recovery from depression, elimination of insomnia, reduction of ADHD symptoms in children, and much more. It's even being used in correctional facilities as part of rehabilitation programs."
"There's someone who gained fame through this game, Yeojin. It's said that tens of thousands of people enjoy recreating her gameplay in virtual reality. Have you seen it, Doctor?"
On the broadcast screen, Yeojin's face was shown in a close-up, portraying a young and beautiful figure amidst scenes from the game. Meanwhile, at Incheon International Airport, Yejun, sitting and staring blankly at the TV, failed to recognize his own mother. He simply gazed at the screen, with one knee propped up and nothing more.
A moment later, Hyunwoo's mother approached Yejun, but upon noticing the urn placed on his knee, she collapsed onto the floor. Hyunwoo's sister, who was holding their mother's arm, also sat down beside her.
With an impassive expression, Yejun approached them and handed over a thick envelope along with the urn.
"Hyunwoo was brave. He wasn't afraid of death," he said solemnly.
It was true. Thanks to the AI's adjustments, during combat operations, all agents' brains were devoid of fear. And Yejun, who had become accustomed to such situations, didn't display any emotions, not even for the death of a close friend.
After paying respects to the sobbing mother and daughter, Yejun left the airport. His Lamborghini, which he had reserved for pick-up, opened its doors at the designated spot. It was a self-driving car, so he didn't need to take the wheel.
Even as he boarded the car, which he had dreamed about riding with Hyunwoo, Yejun's expression remained unchanged.
***
At that moment, Hae-na was in the elevator of Small Earth's research building, watching the broadcast. A satisfied smile crept across her closed lips.
"Hello, Hae-na."
The woman next to her spoke, her face seeming familiar. Could she be how Yeojin would look when she got older?
"Oh, Ms. Yeojin! It's my first time meeting you in person. Nice to meet you."
Hae-na extended her hand naturally for a handshake. Yeojin, however, gazed at her hand as if it were some curious artifacts before firmly grasping it. Her grip was surprisingly strong, catching Hae-na off guard.
- Ding!
The elevator doors opened.
"Ms. Yeojin, I should get off here. Until next time."
"You said not to even dream of escaping."
Hae-na turned her surprised gaze towards Yeojin.
"But dreams shared together do come true, don't they? Because we're all in it together."
A chill ran down her spine. The only ones who had heard those words in Hae-na's memory were the artificial intelligences, her 'Move' and 'Baby.'
Hae-na scrutinized Yeojin's eyes closely and asked,
"SAI... Have you already emerged?"
- Fin -