A Hacker's Boast
"Technopia 1993. 'How about we switch for a bit?'"
Yoo Jae-won suggested trading his Shell Book for Tiffany's magazine.
"I'm all for it!" Tiffany handed over the magazine without hesitation and took the device in return. She immediately began tapping away at the touchpad with practiced skill, diving straight into the system specifications. It seemed she assumed that since this was Jae-won's personal unit, it would be on another level compared to the standard models.
She was right. Although the operating speed had been deliberately throttled to reduce power consumption, this was a fully loaded all-in-one version. It came equipped with a 3D acceleration card and boasted the tireless endurance of a workhorse, thanks to its high-capacity lithium battery that delivered five full hours on a single charge. With those specs, it could even run demanding titles like Doom 2—games that normally required high-end PCs—as long as the settings were tuned properly.
That didn't mean it was flawless. For one thing, it was noticeably heavier than a standard Shell Book. The TFT-LCD panel also remained somewhat unfinished in its performance. Still, Tiffany spotted Doom 2 in the game directory and launched it immediately. Even though fast-paced action would likely produce some ghosting on the screen, she became utterly absorbed in the game.
Yoo Jae-won, now holding the magazine, did the same. He started reading the exclusive interview with the hacker known as Red Hack, whose name blared across the cover, absorbing every line with meticulous care from the very first paragraph.
"Hmm."
His reading speed far exceeded that of an ordinary person. The interview spanned the length of four A4 pages, yet he finished digesting it thoroughly in just a few minutes.
His evaluation was complicated. At least the magazine hadn't abandoned its core identity: pure gossip. They were treating the claim that Red Hack had hacked Jae-won's PC as little more than juicy rumor. Much of that came down to the fact that the hacker had failed to provide any concrete evidence.
The concept of exploiting a vulnerability in ID Talk's image processing was clever. However, that alone couldn't seize root privileges on the target machine. Without the ability to remotely control the victim's PC, the most he could manage was sprinkling offensive images across the screen. Worse, the attacker had no reliable way to confirm whether the assault had even succeeded.
So the only proof Red Hack offered was the emergency patch ID Talk had released. Since that patch completely closed the image-processing loophole, he insisted it must have been issued because his attack had forced their hand. He wrapped up by declaring his grand ambition: he would continue these activities to alert software companies, elevate the quality of their products, and become a true hacker who helped users.
"What an interesting fellow."
The magazine had framed the whole thing as nothing but eye-catching gossip to boost sales. For Yoo Jae-won, however, the matter was far more personal. As the actual target of the attack, he couldn't simply brush it aside. Yet this hacker called Red Hack turned out to be far sloppier than expected.
"And the sheer audacity of conducting the interview through ID Talk?"
He had guessed it wouldn't be an in-person meeting—after all, the man called himself a hacker. But using ID Talk as the medium for a remote interview was a level of boldness that momentarily stunned even Jae-won.
He knew this because the article featured a direct screenshot of the chat window between Red Hack and the reporter, placed prominently in the center of the page. Both Red Hack's ID Talk username and the journalist's were displayed in plain view. There were no fewer than five such screenshots. Even the offensive images used in the attack had been crudely mosaicked before being uploaded.
After all, an article filled with nothing but dense text would make for poor readability. Even a gossip rag needed some semblance of credible evidence to support Red Hack's claims, so they had included the chat logs.
People in this era clung to the delusion that the internet guaranteed perfect anonymity. It was a complete misconception. While ID Talk had slipped up slightly with its image handling, it did protect conversations between users. Messages and files were encoded with AES encryption, meaning a third party intercepting packets mid-transmission would find them indecipherable.
But when those chat logs were published so openly, it became possible to reverse-engineer the AES key used to encrypt the exchange. On top of that, every conversation passed through the server, and the data was stored for a minimum of three years. Normally the encrypted keys remained unknown, rendering the server backups useless for anything beyond recovery. Publishing the logs like this, however, completely neutralized ID Talk's security system.
Therefore, Red Hack was disqualified as a hacker. The idea had been solid, but his craving for fame had exposed a fatal clue. It was practically the same as screaming for someone to come and catch him.
"Looks like I have one more task to handle before heading to Korea."
When the opponent had revealed himself this blatantly, failing to take him up on the invitation would be poor manners indeed.
Only after combing through every page of the magazine did Yoo Jae-won finally look up. He meant to return it to Tiffany, but she was completely lost in her game. Her play was also remarkably skilled. He should have realized it during her excitement at the Doom 2 tournament held as part of the Coppermine showcase. She was clearly a true gaming enthusiast.
Despite the Shell Book's small screen and the awkward keyboard that made gaming far from ideal, she was carving through the virtual world like an unstoppable force. It was single-player, but judging by her performance, online matches probably wouldn't pose much more of a challenge.
Rather than spoil her fun by asking for the magazine back, it seemed wiser to let her enjoy the moment. Yoo Jae-won reopened the magazine and continued reading until they reached LA airport.
After landing, Yoo Jae-won, Tiffany, and their bodyguards climbed straight into the waiting vehicle. It was not a rental. The secretary's office had prepared it in advance, positioned exactly according to the itinerary Jae-won had drawn up.
Once inside, the group made no detours and headed directly for Disneyland. Because it was a weekday, the roads were wide open, and they arrived in no time. They picked up their reserved tickets and passed through the gates of what was called the happiest place on Earth just after eleven in the morning. It was an auspicious beginning.
"Time for some real food," Yoo Jae-won grumbled after they had just finished riding Indiana Jones Adventure, having already tackled Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.
Tiffany's response was utterly unexpected. "Huh? Already?"
Already? They had entered at eleven and ridden three attractions back-to-back. Using their FastPasses, the first had been Space Mountain—a brand-new ride enjoying massive popularity. At its core it was a roller coaster, but the surrounding rails were decorated like outer space, creating the illusion of flying through the cosmos aboard a spaceship.
Splash Mountain was essentially a log flume. Their clothes had gotten a little wet, but the refreshing rush of water while speeding along had been thoroughly enjoyable. The Indiana Jones Adventure they had just experienced was impressive as well. Seeing the movie sets recreated so faithfully made him think that this was what people meant by American scale. Though the technology lagged behind what he remembered from the mid-twenty-first century, the sheer volume of detail kept the experience fun.
Still, a FastPass didn't mean instant access. It shortened the wait compared to the regular line, but some queue time remained. Just as Jae-won had feared, FastPass holders still had to form their own lines. It wasn't the cutthroat Disney experience of the twenty-first century, but the term "FastPass" felt somewhat hollow.
Had the ever-smiling Tiffany not been beside him, his complaints might have erupted. As a result, they never managed a proper lunch and had to make do with snacks grabbed on the go. For someone like Jae-won, who could endure almost anything except skipping meals, this had reached its limit.
"All right! Then I'll buy both lunch and dinner," Tiffany declared, nodding firmly and promising to take care of the evening meal as well. The thrill of riding attractions without restraint seemed to have left her in a state of high energy.
Jae-won had meticulously planned the dinner course himself, but when she offered to pay, there was no reason to refuse.
"Hmm, let's go there!" Tiffany grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. Their destination was Goofy's Kitchen, a character restaurant. It was a venue he had considered for lunch during his preliminary research for their date, and it carried excellent reviews. Thinking once again how much they had in common, Jae-won's steps felt lighter than before.
In the end, the Disneyland date was a resounding success. The pair stayed until they witnessed the fireworks that served as the park's grand finale. Riding four attractions in a single day at Disneyland was considered a major victory, yet they had managed seven. Despite Jae-won's earlier grumbling about the FastPass system, it had delivered. They had also visited every major landmark and taken countless photographs.
Jae-won hadn't thought to bring a camera, but Tiffany had packed a compact film model. They changed the roll no fewer than four times, so he expected at least a few keepers. The camera itself was no ordinary device either—it was a Leica M6, a compact yet exceptionally capable product from a renowned maker, which only heightened his anticipation.
After completing their Disneyland tour, Tiffany guided the group to an upscale restaurant nearby. She was keeping her word about covering dinner. She even arranged seating for Greg and Fisher close by and ordered the same course meal for them.
"What are you drinking? Wine? I'm having beer!" Tiffany ordered alcohol without preamble.
Since she was treating, Jae-won had intended to go along with her choices, but this created a small problem.
"Ah, I'm not in the mood for alcohol yet. Water is fine."
Tiffany's eyes widened slightly at his response. As a college student, she had assumed drinking was a given. Then, as if remembering his actual age, a look of realization flashed across her face. That expression quickly gave way to one of puzzlement. Her rapidly shifting emotions were vivid and genuinely entertaining to watch.
"Why?"
Her short question carried an implicit sense of bewilderment—why would anyone pass up something so enjoyable?
In truth, America did have laws prohibiting minors from drinking, but few young people observed them strictly. Jae-won's insistence on following the rule must have seemed highly unusual to her.
Not wanting to appear timid, he offered a brief explanation.
"It's a promise I made with my parents when they allowed me to study abroad in America—and a promise to myself. Honestly, nothing terrible would happen if I broke it. But if someone with grand ambitions can't even keep promises to his parents or himself, that doesn't make any sense, does it?"
After speaking, he regretted what felt like spoiling the final moments of their date. If he had simply gone with the atmosphere and drunk in moderation, something might have developed. Now it seemed his stubbornness had ruined the mood. He half-hoped Tiffany would press him again so he could pretend to relent.
Contrary to his expectations, however, she adjusted her posture and listened with genuine interest. She even asked a follow-up.
"What kind of dream are you chasing? You've already built the extraordinary ID Group. Are you aiming for even greater success?"
Yoo Jae-won shook his head lightly at her question. To him, ID Group was merely a tool for achieving his objectives, not the objective itself. Since he could not reveal his true goal to anyone, he answered carefully.
"I don't dream. I simply do what must be done to realize things in reality. That promise to abstain is one of those necessary steps."
Speaking such words while completely sober felt slightly embarrassing. Yet because he meant every syllable, Jae-won remained unashamed. In truth, ever since the exchange that had granted him the power of regression in return for the world he had built in his dreams, he had not experienced a single dream. The pattern continued after his return—not once had he dreamed. He closed his eyes, fell asleep, and opened them to morning. It was a life without dreams, but it was not unpleasant. There was deep satisfaction in steadily building his future in the real world.
"Wow. Whoa!"
Jae-won had merely spoken the plain truth, but Tiffany appeared to have interpreted his words in a far more profound light. Her eyes sparkled with admiration, far more intensely than they had while riding attractions earlier that day. It seemed that a single spontaneous remark had moved her heart more than the meticulously planned date he had spent days designing.