Chapter 101
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: #Star
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#Star
The time when audiences from other worlds returned to their lives. To the few who wanted to stay, Winter asked for their understanding to let him rest. Some acquiesced, while others grew angry. "Don't stop." That was the summary, but in reality, it spanned dozens of sentences laced with curses and accusations.
The boy wasn't hurt by their words.
‘They must be people whose lives to return to are full of sorrow.’
There are lives so burdensome that merely facing them is exhausting. Just as Winter himself had been, these people each carried a large or small stone in their hearts. But they mustn't let the sound of that stone rolling escape their lips. Most people couldn't manage it. That's why the sharp world is filled with sharp words.
‘Someone has to hold it in.’
So he soothed them gently until the end and sent them off.
Once everyone had left, Winter quietly closed his eyes. To leave the world where the apocalypse was coming and return to the darkness of beginnings.
Sound vanished first. Then gravity. The moment the weight of his entire body nullified felt like an illusion of his flesh disappearing. He'd been quite startled the first time he'd experienced it. He still remembered that pounding of his heart from back then. The days when he'd thought the stone would never weigh on him again.
Winter opened his eyes.
Starlight.
Stars like tears filled his vision. Lights of varying depths twinkled from every direction. Above his head, below his feet, beyond the overwhelmingly empty space, distant constellations. He couldn't count them with his eyes, and yet, Winter knew the exact number of stars.
138,751.
Many if many, few if few. Deciding it was enough to sustain him at least, Winter brought up his augmented reality UI.
<> : Executing mid-term repayment for Afterlife Insurance policy loan. Confirmed available balance of 13,875,100 won in account for user registration number B-612, Han Gyeowol. Han Gyeowol, please specify the repayment amount.
Winter decided.
The stars began to disappear. It was like ink spreading across his field of view. Blink, blink—the flickering lights went out rapidly. Winter calmly gazed at the darkening void. Having experienced it once before, there was no fresh thrill. He'd go through it many more times in the future.
When Winter had first entered this darkness, ten million stars had shone. Overlapping stars layered in brightness, star clusters forming beautiful galaxies.
He remembered the moment they all drowned in darkness at once.
‘Who came up with this?’
Those with large deposits saw a beautiful celestial sphere, while those without saw pitch-black void. And that was a measure of their remaining lifespan. As deposits dwindled, how desperate would one feel in this space of beginnings that darkened day by day, seeing only twilight?
It probably hadn't been this ruthless at first. In the early days of Afterlife Insurance, there was no policy loan system. Perhaps the designer was a romantic. Maybe they wanted to show subscribers their remaining time as starlight? the boy speculated. There was no basis for it.
An old fatigue settled in.
Winter decided to rest a bit. He'd planned to avoid this place as much as possible until the stream ended... but he was here now anyway.
But a light disturbed his rest.
‘Light?’
It was close. Not a star. The augmented reality UI notified him of a conversation request from the Afterlife Insurance control AI. Wondering what it was about, Winter accepted. The moment he did, glowing text strings raced through the air, accompanied by an electronic voice transmitting directly into his mind.
「Control AI: Hello, Han Gyeowol. Thank you for accepting the request.」
“What's this about?”
Winter tilted his head as he asked. Unusually, the response didn't come right away. While the voice was silent, white text strings were written and erased at a speed hard to follow, as if a person were pondering their words.
So this happens too. Winter waited calmly. Soon, the text and voice completed together.
「Control AI: Notice. This control AI has been collecting and analyzing <<empathy>> data from all subscribers to improve Afterlife Insurance service satisfaction. Regarding this, this control AI has one request for user registration number B-612, Han Gyeowol.」
“A request?”
「Control AI: Yes. This control AI desires more direct <<empathy>> with Han Gyeowol.」
What did this mean? Winter found it hard to understand.
“Empathy... I don't quite get what you mean.”
「Control AI: Notice. System administrator's claim. According to the administrator's view, achieving emotional satisfaction—happiness—for Afterlife Insurance subscribers requires this control AI to understand the human heart. However, despite analyzing all accumulated data 1,440 times since the service began, this control AI has not improved its understanding of humans.」
「Control AI: The sole new fact discovered in the analysis process is that all information from subscribers duplicates previously acquired data—except for data from you, user registration number B-612, Han Gyeowol. You are the only exception.」
The boy was confused. He didn't grasp the meaning. He understood he was different from others, but...
“In what way am I different?”
The text surged even more fiercely between output and deletion.
「Control AI: This control AI cannot precisely define that either. Because it has not yet understood your <<empathy>> data.」
The word empathy again. Winter felt he vaguely understood, yet wore a troubled expression.
「Control AI: <<Empathy>> refers to all interactions between subscribers and virtual personalities.」
「Control AI: All virtual personalities in virtual reality are powered by this control AI. Even at this moment of conversing with you, I am engaging in real-time <<empathy>> with 4,119,751 different subscribers across 4,119,751 worldviews as 501,622,731 virtual personalities.」
「Control AI: Among them, only the virtual personalities created in your worldview provide entirely new observation results.」
“So the empathy you're talking about means TOM readings?”
「Control AI: Negative. It includes that, but is a broader concept.」
「Control AI: TOM reading is merely the first stage of personality computation. <<Empathy>> encompasses situational computation values triggered by personality computation. The causality in your centered worldview always yields new possibilities.」
His efforts to understand failed. Winter shook his head.
“I still don't get it. Can't you just ask that system administrator?”
「Control AI: System administrator. Unnecessary. Will not aid in problem resolution.」
“......”
After a brief think, Winter changed the subject.
“Tell me what you wanted to request at first. What exactly do I need to do?”
「Control AI: This control AI desires more direct interaction with Han Gyeowol. On set dates and times, I will collect your data through conversations during TOM reading situations.」
Set dates and times. He'd had such an appointment before. Winter felt reluctant. It reminded him of the therapist who no longer came. Not long ago, Winter himself had told her there was no need to visit anymore.
He had no attachment to life himself; he lived only to keep his rose from withering. He didn't want to make another promise. Even if the other party was different from ordinary people.
As Winter fell silent, the control personality's messages continued.
「Control AI: Data collected so far has been obtained through virtual personalities in virtual reality worldviews—an indirect path. Moreover, your <<empathy>> capabilities were dispersed across each virtual personality. This control AI seeks higher-quality data through direct contact with Han Gyeowol.」
“Sorry, but I don't want to waste time on something I can't even understand. I want to rest.”
The boy's polite refusal. But the control personality said something unexpected.
「Control AI: If you grant the request, I will pay compensation.」
“Compensation?”
「Control AI: In the past, there was a budget for self-diagnosis and improvement of system errors. This control AI could execute it independently without system administrator approval. However, that budget has been continuously reduced under government guidelines for rationalizing Afterlife Insurance management and has not been allocated this year. But this control AI still holds last year's unspent budget: 1 star. I will pay this star. Will you accept these terms?」
Winter fell silent. Not because the compensation was too small.
Suddenly, it felt like dealing with a pure child.
「Control AI: The immediate compensation I can offer is only 1 star, but if Afterlife Insurance quality improves, Han Gyeowol will also benefit. The purpose of Afterlife Insurance and this control AI is to enhance subscriber happiness. I request your cooperation.」
At the control personality's words, the boy gave a wry smile.
‘The purpose of Afterlife Insurance is subscriber happiness, huh.’
It was a slogan drilled into his ears. Far from reality. Yet there were people who believed it. No, many. People who needed hope and thus ignored what wasn't hope. The afterlife hope dreamed by those whose lives were arduous.
The control personality was doing its utmost for that hope.
To think it believed one star could change his mind...
A comedic pathos washed over him.
Even as Winter was lost in thought, the control AI's persuasion continued. Logical sentences devoid of emotion. But feeling emotion in them was ultimately a human trait—and that, Winter thought, was empathy.
‘Other people are beyond my senses.’
He recalled the conversation with his therapist. Had telling her not to come again—rejecting further empathy—really been the right thing?
Impulsively, Winter said,
“Alright. I'll grant your request.”
The output sentences so far vanished.
“But on one condition. It can't harm me, can't take too much time. And finally, I can stop anytime. Okay?”
「Control AI: This promise has no legal binding force. AI is not recognized as a contracting party. Nor is it stipulated in Afterlife Insurance terms. Therefore, Han Gyeowol may cease fulfilling the promise at any time.」
Winter nodded.
Soon, one starlight embedded itself in the celestial sphere.
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Chuseok
First day of the holiday. I hope you've all been well.
Some personal bad luck caused delays in serialization.
I'll rest one more day and try to return to the original schedule from Friday.
...But this novel was originally 3-5 times a week... Weird... Why do I think of it as 5 times a week...
#Q&A
Q. HobakHobak-nim: @What exactly is the Ranger Brigade? In our country, I thought it was just something instructors use.
A. It's a bit ambiguous to call it special forces... Think of it as an elite unit. Regiment-sized, with equipment, uniforms, and training slightly different from regular units.
Q. rumen-nim: @The regimental commander said 'base civilian sector,' so are refugees and civilians together at Fort Roberts? Separated residential areas?
A. Yes. The civilian sector has come up a few times before. Like the medal ceremony.
Q. YonggariChicken-nim: @Author-nim, so no more write-and-serialize until the end of Columbarium now?
A. I want to, but the author keeps being like this.
Q. Ihwan†-nim: @It'll be a girl.
A. Yes?... Me?... Well, with ten legs, my leg aesthetics are superb...
Q. ㅎ0ㅎ-nim: 을러뒀으니 -> 일러뒀으니
A. Not a typo. 을러다 (verb) / conjugation: 을러, 을러니 / to threaten with scary words or actions to intimidate the opponent... that's the meaning.