Chapter 9
Chapter 9
"Haah.... It's hot. Why is it so hot?"
I unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt and fanned my flushed face.
"It's hot.... My body really feels like it's burning."
I walked towards the desk to cool down the rising heat. A high-end gaming laptop, waiting for its owner, lay there.
Jiiing-.
As soon as I turned it on, a dazzling screen lit up. As if possessed, I opened an internet window and accessed [Tree Wiki], the place every Korean connects to.
There was only one thing I needed to confirm. The social changes brought about by the insane sex ratio of '1 to 10' that I had seen in the newspaper earlier.
Search query: [ Male-female sex ratio imbalance / Social issues ]
The moment I pressed the Enter key, the 'true common sense' of this world unfolded starkly before my eyes.
[ 3. Social Changes Due to Sex Ratio Imbalance ]
I swallowed dryly and scrolled down. The blue light emanating from the monitor illuminated my tense face. And finally, sentences that made me doubt my own eyes began to pour out.
[Overview] During the initial male population sharp decline (1:50 Shock), the government, under the pretext of protecting males, established male-only residential areas and implemented a 'Forced Separation Policy' that restricted contact with family.
However, this led to severe side effects. The sudden separation policy, surprisingly, caused near-riots internally, and in particular, female supervisors who were supposed to manage and oversee them committed acts of rape against the males. Furthermore, as homosexuality among males became prevalent, the surprised government hastily abolished this policy.
"Hah, really. The civil servants in this country use their heads the same way, now as then."
I clicked my tongue, looking at the monitor. To claim to protect men by locking them up, only for female supervisors to be unable to control their desires and assault them. It was a comical example, showcasing a typical failure of armchair administration.
"Well, thanks to that policy being abolished, I guess I'm living in a Penthouse."
I scrolled down, forcing a bitter smile. But my ridicule of the government's foolishness was brief; a different, real question dominated my mind.
"But if the male-female sex ratio is 1 to 10, couldn't they just manipulate genes to some extent?"
With modern medical technology, couldn't they adjust the sex ratio imbalance to some extent? There are Sperm Banks and IVF treatments, so why did such an extreme sex ratio of 1:10 become entrenched? Moreover, there should be technology to selectively birth only males through genetic engineering... As questions piled up, I, as if possessed, placed my hand on the search bar again.
Tadak, Tak.
Search query: [ Causes of male decline / Limits of genetic engineering ]
As I pressed the Enter key, a vast amount of documents filled the screen. I swallowed hard and began to read the content thoroughly.
[ 1. The Beginning of the Great Catastrophe: Y-Virus (The Y-Virus) ]
[Overview] In 20XX, an unknown virus struck the entire world. A deadly virus that selectively destroyed the male Y-chromosome was first discovered in China. Initially created for military purposes, the leakage of this virus led to the worst disaster in human history, with the male population worldwide, including newborn birth rates, virtually converging to 0% for 10 years.
"Isn't this the COVID from the world I lived in?"
A strange feeling came over me when I realized that the coronavirus that had spread in the world I lived in had transformed into the Y-Virus in this world.
With trembling eyes, I read down the next paragraph. The words on the screen described, in a dry tone, the despair and hope humanity had experienced, and the cruel price that followed.
[ 2. Humanity's Counterattack: The Incomplete Vaccine 'Project Adam' ]
[Progress] Faced with the crisis of humanity's extinction, pharmaceutical companies and research institutes worldwide mobilized all their resources. As a result, 'Project Adam,' a miraculous Cure and Vaccine, was developed just three years after the virus outbreak.
The Vaccine's effects were immediate. The biological indicators of males who were infected with the virus and dying returned to normal, and the uncontrollably soaring mortality rate plummeted to nearly 0%. Humanity cheered, and the disaster seemed to be over.
However, the hastily created Vaccine, while stopping the virus, also had significant side effects.
[Side Effect Report] The hastily developed Vaccine carried fatal side effects. The Vaccine's antibodies, in the process of blocking the virus, resulted in an extreme suppression of Y-chromosome activity within male sperm.
As a result, the probability of a male (XY) being born through natural conception plummeted from the original 50% to less than 5%. Even sex selection technologies through artificial insemination or genetic engineering have an extremely low success rate due to the issue of inactivated Y-chromosomes.
"......Less than 5%?"
I stared blankly at the monitor. So, the men who survived now are not only survivors of the virus but also chosen beings born by overcoming those slim odds?
"......Crazy."
A curse word slipped out unconsciously. So, it's good that they survived death, but now there's a side effect where males aren't being born? However, the article continued to explain this grim reality.
[Conclusion: Entrenchment of 1:10] Due to the extremely low pregnancy success rate, the male population could not recover easily, and eventually, a distorted sex ratio of 1:10 became the new 'new normal'.
Therefore, to maintain the population, the state adopted as its sole solution the strategy of a small number of males having relations with as many females as possible to increase the probability of pregnancy (Harem and 'the more, the better' strategy). But that wasn't the end of it.
I gathered my dazed thoughts and turned to the last page of the report. There, more shocking than the previous content, and at the same time, crucial information that made my instincts boil was written.
[ 4. The Birth of a New Humanity: Genetic Peculiarity and the Revival of 'Pure-Blood Principle' ]
[Additional Side Effect Report] The most astonishing aspect of the 'Project Adam' Vaccine lies elsewhere. The special protein formed by the Vaccine in the body performs the function of fundamentally blocking 'recessive gene combinations' during fertilization.
This means that the biggest obstacle to Consanguineous Marriage, which had been taboo throughout human history - namely, the risk of birth defects or genetic diseases - has disappeared to 0%.
"......That's impossible. Genetic diseases gone?"
As someone who knew better than anyone that genetic diseases were one of the side effects of Consanguineous Marriage, I wondered if this was even possible. Yet, recalling that the Vaccine administered by the country during the coronavirus pandemic also had quite significant side effects, I thought it might indeed be possible.
[Social Impact] This medical discovery completely overturned the marriage culture of the upper class. Chaebol Families, old-era royalty, and prestigious families began actively encouraging unions among family members to preserve pure bloodlines and consolidate their family's power.
"They're encouraging this? Ah... I suppose..."
I rested my chin in my hand and pondered. Ancient Egyptian pharaohs, the European Habsburg dynasty, Silla's bone-rank system.... Marrying siblings or cousins to protect power and bloodlines was common among royalty and nobility. It was only in modern times that it became taboo due to the fatal flaw of genetic diseases.
"But if the Vaccine made those side effects 0%... there's no real reason to refuse it, is there?"
Thanks to science encroaching upon the realm of the gods, humanity's moral concepts have effectively reverted to their prAuntierdial, primitive forms. But as I scrolled down a little further, another shocking phrase that captivated my eyes popped out.
[ 5. Eternal Youth: The Cosmetic Side Effects of the Vaccine and the Surge of 'Mother-Son Couples' ]
Phenomenon: Another common side effect observed in women who received the 'Project Adam' Vaccine is the revolutionary delay of cellular aging.
Details: The Vaccine's components suppress the shortening of women's Telomeres, allowing them to maintain the appearance and physical capabilities of their late 20s to early 30s even in their 40s and 50s.
"......Wow, amazing."
I couldn't close my mouth. No wonder Mom Hye-jeong and Auntie Hye-seon looked unbelievably young and had firm bodies for their age. It wasn't all thanks to being covered in money, but rather the blessing of the Vaccine.
"An Mom who doesn't age.... Isn't this completely fantasy?"
The article continued to explain the social impact brought about by this phenomenon.
Social Change: As women maintained their youth even as they aged, the aversion to age-gap couples disappeared. In particular, a strange phenomenon occurred where Mother-Son Couples and Father-Daughter Couples rapidly increased.
Global Trend: Overseas, in places like Japan, Europe, and South America, sons marrying young mothers or fathers forming families with their daughters has already become a new romance genre. It's known as the 'Neo-Family' Syndrome.
"This is insane, truly. The whole world is going crazy in pairs, huh?"
I let out a hollow laugh. But at the end of that laugh, a strange excitement was embedded. If the whole world is like that, what about the Republic of Korea, where Confucian thought is deeply rooted?