Chapter 40: A Player of Life (2)
“... I just didn’t do it because I think you are too synchronized,” Young-Joon said.
—There cannot be too much synchronization. The higher it is, the more logical thinking you can do and the more knowledge you can absorb. Why are you avoiding this?
“...”
—I can detect an electrical signal from the neurons in the basal ganglia of your limbic amygdala to your GABA receptors. This is a change that occurs in the brain when humans feel fear. You have entered a state of anxiety and fear from the moment I talked to you.
“That is...”
—I think I know. You are worried that your thoughts will be affected as the synchronization value increases, right?
Young-Joon gulped. There was nothing that Rosaline did not know. Hiding it was impossible.
“Can that happen?”
—Yes, it is possible.
Rosaline replied.
—Ryu Young-Joon. Your body is like a huge company, like A-Gen. Although miniscule, I have a share in your body. That much of my vote is going into all your thoughts and actions.
“Shit...”
—Thoughts are just the results of electrochemical interactions that occur in the cerebral nerves. I have taken over part of your cerebrum, and because I am synchronized, the electrical signals I create are also included in your thoughts.
“How come you’re just telling me this now? You should have told me this earlier.”
—Why?
“Because I don’t want my thoughts to be interfered with.”
—But everything interferes with human thoughts. It is like when you mentally create an additional incurred expense the moment you see a pack of gummies hanging near the cash register in a supermarket. All the information you perceive from your five senses is constantly creating new electrical signals in your brain. Even being sick from a light cold can change which neurons get excited and therefore, change the conclusion of your thoughts. The signals I make are no different from that. Thoughts that are completely free and not interfered with by anything other than your own brain is a fantastical ability that does not exist in humans.
Rosaline sent Young-Joon messages like a rapid-fire cannon. He rubbed his head as he felt an imminent headache.
“Alright. But the thoughts you make are different from that.”
—How are they different?
“You have no emotions. It’s different from the thoughts that humans have. I don’t want to damage my human nature.”
—I do not understand. What is human nature?
“It’s about being human. So...
Young-Joon was stuck.
‘How should I explain this?’
“A moral sense... Or feeling someone else’s feelings?”
—I can understand human psychology more accurately than anyone else. For example, I can not only determine that you simply feel the fear you feel, but I can also quantify the level of fear by measuring the excitement of the GABA receptors...
“No, no. That’s not what I’m talking about.”
—Is it a different concept?
“Yeah.”
—I cannot understand.
“That’s why you have no humanity. You would have understood if you had it.”
—That is the circular argument fallacy. The process of clarifying the definition of humanity and proving its existence must come first.
“Ah, whatever. Stop it. Is this some philosophy class?”
Young-Joon cut Rosaline off.
Other than that, this was a serious issue. It didn’t seem like Rosaline was threatening now, but Young-Joon didn’t know how this would unfold.
‘I’m not going to have to fight for shares of my own body with Rosaline, am I? But wouldn’t that have almost a zero chance of me winning? I’d rather fight someone like Ji Kwang-Man; she’s a munchkin on another level.’
—Your level of fear has intensified.
Rosaline announced.
—But Ryu Young-Joon, you do not need to worry.
“Why?”
—I cannot survive without your body. Therefore, I will only look out for your safety and will only function to achieve what you want. I will protect your body, keep it in the most optimal conditions, and I will help you gain power by elevating your position within this society.
“That’s nice, but that’s not your life goal, right?
—Life?
Was life not the right word to use? Rosaline sounded a little shocked as well. She usually knew everything and just gave explanations to Young-Joon, but for the first time, she was speechless.
—Yes... I think I know what you are talking about. I am a living being... Yes. I have something called a life. But Ryu Young-Joon, this isn’t a question I can answer.
“What?”
—Why did you create me? Since you are my creator, the only person who could give me an answer to this question is you.
“...”
—I have never thought about something like this before. Is there a goal or reason for my existence?
“... No, there’s nothing like that. It was just an accident.”
Somehow, Young-Joon felt like he was doing something wrong.
“Sorry.”
—Why are you apologizing? I am your subordinate. You do not have to apologize to me in any situation.
Rosaline said.
—Anyway, I now know that there is no goal or reason for my existence. As planned, I will function for you. I can only survive if you are well-kept.
“Are you serious?”
—Of course.
Bleep!
A message window that was different from anything he’d seen before popped up.
[Rosaline now has an ego.]
[From now on, you can have everyday conversations with Rosaline.]
[However, you must still consume fitness when you gain insight into the microworld.]
‘Now she has an ego? Wow, isn’t this getting more dangerous?’
“Rosaline.”
—Yes.
“Now, can we just talk without Synchronization Mode or anything like that?”
—That’s correct. And I could start the conversation before you call on me. I have gained a new nervous system. From now on, I can maintain full consciousness.
“...”
—On top of that, you can give me control of your body and rest if you want.
“Ack! No, that’s okay,” Young-Joon quickly replied.
* * *
In countless movies and dramas, a problem always arised when the successful main character went back to their parents with lots of money and prestige. It was cliché-type things, such as the main character getting rid of the nasty customer or superior that was picking on them at work.
But Young-Joon’s parents were already living in comfort because everyone knew that they were his parents.
Young-Joon’s father, Ryu Tae-Sik, was working as a security guard at Happiness Apartment, but the residents who didn’t care much about him started to come to talk to him, one by one.
The first was the lady from Unit 701; she was in graduate school.
“Excuse me! You know Doctor Ryu Young-Joon, right? My mom said that you were his father...”
“Ah, yes, yes. That is my son.”
“Haha. It’s nothing much, but I’m doing a graduate program in medical school. But I just saw Doctor Ryu doing an interview after he published a paper on Science.”
Handing Ryu Tae-Sik a beverage gift set, she added, “Um, could I meet Doctor Ryu? It would be best if I could work with him, but even if I can’t, I would really like to meet him.”
“Oh, yes, I will talk to him about it. But my son is very busy too...”
“Haha, it’s alright if you can’t. Well, I guess he is super busy. Don’t worry about it.”
At this point, Ryu Tae-Sik thought his son was a little famous. He smiled about it all day. He didn’t know what Science, the journal Young-Joon published a paper in, was, but it seemed great since a lady who didn’t even usually greet him came up to talk to him. And a little while ago, his wife said that Young-Joon sent her almost ten million won.
‘He was smart ever since he was younger. Maybe he did something huge and got a huge incentive from work!’
That’s the level of success Ryu Tae-Sik could imagine. Thinking of it now, it was trivial.
One day, Young-Joon suddenly appeared on TV. Ryu Tae-Sik was watching television from the TV in his patrol room, and Young-Joon had suddenly appeared for an expert interview. He said things that Ryu Tae-Sik could not understand, talking about curing glaucoma or something to the reporter with an awkward face and then left.
‘He’s on television now, too.’
Of course, he was proud, but he was more fascinated.
Then, two weeks passed. It was when the news that Young-Joon had succeeded in the glaucoma clinical trials was becoming known. Now, the residents all talked about Young-Joon and glaucoma whenever they passed him.
“You’re probably so happy that your son developed the first glaucoma cure in the world. He’s going to get rich.”
“Are you quitting your job now? I’m so envious that your son succeeded like that. My son has to study too. How did you get your son to study?”
“Everyone on the news is talking about Doctor Ryu. My executive manager also has glaucoma in his right eye, but you can cure it, right? He asked me to thank you when I told him about you.”
“Hey! I got enough money for a new car thanks to your son! I had about thirty million won in A-Gen, and it jumped to about fifty million in a few days. Tell him I said thanks!”
If a parent heard compliments and appreciation every day, even the most conservative parents would be a little proud of themselves.
But after this, the news about the development of an Alzheimer’s cure broke out.
Ten percent of the people living in this apartment were elderly people over the age of sixty-five.
Could they believe it? What was going to happen now?
The neighborhood grandpas began sitting in the small patrol room for hours. People lined up asking to see his great son. Ryu Tae-Sik received questions about whether it was happening or when the drug was coming out every two hours.
Furthermore, the news that Young-Joon was making an affiliate company called A-Bio also broke out.
Now, Ryu Tae-Sik’s title had changed from Security Guard to the Father of the Alzheimer’s Cure CEO. He actually felt uncomfortable now rather than proud. The worst of them all were matchmaking requests.
“I heard that Doctor Ryu is still single? My daughter works at the town office here. Maybe we can set something up for the kids?”
“My niece is an elementary school teacher. She is kind, pretty, nice...”
Ryu Tae-Sik was getting requests like this every day. The worst of them all was the grandma from Unit 1201.
“Ryu’s father. Come look at this.”
“What is this?”
“It’s my granddaughter’s picture. She’s pretty, right?”
“She is.”
“Why don’t you tell that Doctor Ryu Sung-Joon to meet her?”
“But she looks a bit young...”
“Eh, no. She’s twenty now. She took her university entrance exams two months ago.”
Ryu Tae-Sik was speechless for a few seconds.
“She’s still a kid if she’s twenty! Why are you trying to find a partner for a girl who just took her entrance exams!”
“She’s not young. She’s all grown up. Back in my days, people got married when they were eighteen.”
‘Well, that was sixty years ago.’
“... Does your granddaughter know about this?”
“She doesn’t know. I’m going to tell her when Doctor Ryu Sung-Joon says yes.”
“It’s Ryu Young-Joon, not Ryu Sung-Joon.”
“Alright. Mention it to him.”
“Yes...”
But Ryu Tae-Sik never mentioned things like this to Young-Joon once. It was because he did not want to bother his busy son with this.
This was no different for Young-Joon’s mother, Oh Young-Sook.
She worked in the kitchen of a restaurant in Domadong, Daejeon, and she was smiley all day. It was because her son was coming back today. She didn’t care about what papers he wrote, what drugs he made, or what company he was starting; she was as happy as when Young-Joon used to come home as a university student.
“Ah, Young-Sook is so happy her son is coming,” Kim Sook-Ja said as she washed the dishes.
“How happy would she be that her son came back after succeeding?” Han Young-Mi added.
“Brush out your bangs since you’re seeing your son.” Laughing, Kim Sook-Ja pointed at Oh Young-Sook’s messy bangs.
“But didn’t he say that he was coming straight to the restaurant? He said that he’s going to see his dad with you, right?” Han Young-Mi asked.
“Yes. He said that he would stop by at home to leave his stuff and come here at four.”
“Four?”
Han Young-Mi tilted her head in confusion.
“It’s after five right now.”
* * *
In Ji Kwang-Man’s office, Yoon Bo-Hyun asked, “Is that bastard really starting a company?”
“We can’t stop him with his reputation now,” Ji Kwang-Man replied.
“I heard he’s going to exchange it for A-Gen stocks.”
“That’s what he’s going to request.”
“... Uncle, are you going to let him do that?”
“...”
“What happens to me if A-Bio is made?”
“Management succession will get much harder.”
“There are people who actually built this company, even from my grandpa’s generation. My father, you, Lab Director Kim Hyun-Taek. Didn’t you sleep five hours a day and build this company? And you’re just going to give it to Ryu Young-Joon? You’re going to hand him the management rights? Are you serious?”
“It’s not that bad yet.”
“Maybe not right now, but doesn’t he take everything if I don’t inherit the management rights? It’s finished if he uses A-Bio to exchange shares and then merge companies later on!”
Originally, the plan was to make a child company in Yoon Bo-Hyun’s name, fast-track its growth by giving it all the high-profit work, and give him the management rights to A-Gen by merging the company.
But if a strong start-up called A-Bio gets launched and it begins to grow rapidly, they couldn’t use this management succession strategy at all.
“Phew.”
Ji Kwang-Man let out a sigh.
“... You said to leave it all to you, Uncle. You said you were going to make him into an ally.”
“...”
He was going to, but Young-Joon didn’t fall for it. Ji Kwang-Man now thought that it was impossible to appease him.
Young-Joon wasn’t a wolf that they could just compromise with, he was a tiger. He was someone who would only be satisfied after eating up everyone and ruling over them.
“When we destroyed the liver cancer drug that we bought from Celligener. You were the one who had final approval,” Yoon Bo-Hyun said.
“If Ryu Young-Joon gets ahold of the company’s management rights, you’ll be the first one to be beheaded. So will I.”
“...”
“And I know worse business deals that you have done. What do you think will happen if Ryu Young-Joon finds out?”
Ji Kwang-Man quickly raised his head. He glared at Yoon Bo-Hyun like he was telling him to watch his mouth.
“My father, you, and Lab Director Kim on anth...”
“You be quiet!” Ji Kwang-Man shouted.
“...”
“Phew.”
Ji Kwang-Man sighed again.
“Bo-Hyun, then should we kick Ryu Young-Joon out right now? Even in that case, our management takes a serious hit. Think about how the shareholders would react.”
“What should we do when the goose that lays golden eggs tries to bite its owner? We already gained some profit off those golden eggs. We can maintain our status and management without any losses if we don’t send him to another farm.”
“... You. What are you thinking?”
“Uncle, this is the maginot line. If we give him more time, we lose this opportunity, too. Do you know that Ryu Young-Joon denied Congressman Shim Sung-Yeol when he came to see him? Because he’s so caught up with ethics, he does not have powerful people as his guardian. It means that he’s only famous.”
“...”
“But if he launches A-Bio, he will have actual power since power comes from money, not fame. Even if he is a goose that lays golden eggs, we have to decide to cut his belly open at this point,” Yoon Bo-Hyun said.
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