Chapter 128
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Management Rationalization Committee & Golden Gate
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#Management Rationalization Committee, 2053
「Member A: Ah, members. Stop fooling around and come back online. We're now starting the regular general meeting of the Posthumous Insurance Corporation Management Rationalization Committee. Let's see, what session is this?」
「Member B: Come on. Today we're gathered as members of the Posthumous Insurance Corporation Management Rationalization Committee, not the Economic Reform Committee. You've loaded the wrong data too. Please correct it.」
「Member A: Oh dear... Sorry about that. My secretary must have messed up. Honestly, I'm a bit confused myself. Seeing the same faces every time. Hahaha.」
(Laughter from the group)
「Member E: I get it, but isn't it about time we got serious? Paradise Group's control has fallen into Chairman Go Geoncheol's hands. We still hold the supervisory authority over the corporation, but that greedy tyrant won't sit idle forever. He'll start planting his own people next year. To stop that, we need remarkable performance improvements before our term ends.」
「Member C: Shortening the actual guarantee period, right?」
「Member E: You should say 'management rationalization.' Please avoid specific phrasing.」
「Member C: It's fine, isn't it? This isn't the e-government server or anything.」
「Member E: Still. If it leaks from inside, it leaks outside. Laws are different from words. We're all just trying to live well together, but the public won't see it that way. No matter the real intent, they nitpick over minor expressions and get offended—it's not like it's a one- or two-day thing. Thinking about that chicken coop remark from not long ago still brings tears. I just tossed it out lightly to liven up the mood, since young people these days call it that...」
「Member C: Yeah, yeah. That's how people without expertise are. I'll be careful.」
「Member B: It's because civic awareness is so low. They can't even empathize.」
「Member A: Enough chit-chat. If you're ready, let's begin. First, let's discuss improving service satisfaction through expanding internal diversity in the Posthumous Insurance worldview. As you know, this is the plan we tentatively introduced from the first quarter this year, and the results are already looking pretty good.」
「Member D: Really? I doubt it... I thought satisfaction would rise, leading surplus subscribers to linger longer.」
「Member A: True, you opposed it strongly back then. It was essentially expanding free welfare. And the initial resource usage was quite high. But the results are encouraging. Please look at this chart. Refer to the distributed research report as well.」
「Member B: Oh, this is excellent. Surplus subscribers are down, profitability is up, and resource usage is trending downward. At this rate, we can recover to normal resource occupancy levels next year.」
「Member D: Let me see... An increase in random variables means an increase in potential threats. Surplus subscribers who persisted long-term without consuming profitability add-ons like DLC are failing to adapt to the sharply improved diversity? Who handled the add-on policy review?」
「Member E: Me.」
「Member D: What's your take as the person in charge?」
「Member E: I think it's creating a synergy with the project my side was running.」
「Member D: Hm? Something happened?」
「Member A: Um, add-ons were scheduled for the next agenda item...」
「Member E: Since it's come up, let's mention it now. It's all part of the same issue anyway.」
「Member A: You must have something to say.」
「Member E: Just bragging a bit. Heh heh.」
「Member C: Oh? Should I get excited?」
「Member E: It's nothing much. We're intensively promoting specific types of add-ons to surplus subscribers. We even provide them free to national merit recipients. They tend to have particularly low purchasing power. It's easy to pull in budget under the guise of honors too.」
「Member C: Specific types of add-ons? What kind?」
「Member E: Internally, we call them killing content. Add-ons that dramatically empower the subscriber themselves, massively control the virtual personality's psyche, or blatantly alter the worldview ignoring plausibility. Powerful stuff. We're outsourcing to various companies as public works.」
「Member C: Killing content, huh. I get it.」
「Member E: Yeah. Like soda. Sweet and refreshing when you drink it, but it leaves you thirstier soon after.」
「Member C: So, unable to adapt to the changed worldview, they're buying killing content to overcome it?」
「Member E: Exactly.」
「Member B: Hmm. Surplus subscribers often go years—decades even—without buying anything... You're saying they're spending money? Enough to make account persistence impossible?」
「Member E: Mostly old folks. People who've scrimped on deposits, repeating yesterday as today and today as tomorrow for so long. Imagine how rigid their minds must be.」
「Member C: Intriguing. Makes sense. Grade B and below subscribers are isolated from each other for system security. And surrounded only by idiot-like virtual personalities. The longer that goes on, the more judgment declines—there's research on that.」
「Member E: Exactly. We offered free trials of killing content and discounted follow-up purchases to these elderly folks panicking in the suddenly changed world. No financial burden at first, so they try it readily. Stats show less than 20% don't repurchase after the first time. Oh, right. At initial signup, we get consent like: 'After free period ends, it auto-converts to paid service. If you don't want it, cancel manually.'」
「Member B: Isn't that too aggressive? We should be discreet. They'll call it institutional euthanasia. The chicken coop remark would be a joke in comparison.」
「Member E: Ugh. You think I'd fall for it twice? Of course we're being careful.」
「Member D: How?」
「Member E: We didn't promote to all surplus subscribers. We targeted those without relay channels, no personal fame or external influence, and no visits in the last three years.」
「Member D: Wise.」
「Member E: And who's forcing disposal? Open a relay channel and generate revenue. Boosts personal satisfaction and grows the national economy. Win-win. If they have prolongation means but get lazy and disposed anyway, don't blame the country. They need to make an effort.」
「Member C: Spot on. DLC use is ultimately their choice. Shameless to exist over a century on basic pension conversion without savings from not working and playing in youth. Sucking young generations' blood forever... Not considering others makes them no different from monsters.」
「Member A: We can't afford to carry people nobody needs or helps. It's our mission to quietly push out those who couldn't leave when applauded. The dirty, hard job nobody else wants.」
「Member E: Someone has to do it.」
「Member B: Member E, one more question?」
「Member E: Go ahead.」
「Member B: No complaints about the worldview improvements?」
「Member E: Of course there are.」
「Member B: Hm. You say it so casually.」
「Member E: It really is nothing. Objectively, we've just raised virtual reality worldview quality for free. Subscribers with sufficient purchasing power... excuse me, sufficient purchasing power grades love it. Depending on criteria, it's plus-minus zero. Statistics magic.」
「Member C: What about citizens not yet eligible for Posthumous Insurance benefits?」
「Member E: Who'd hate their future virtual reality getting qualitatively better? Plenty say even good treatment for old folks draws complaints. Most don't care. Who'd care about people even family ignores?」
#Golden Gate (1)
Horizon to the west, coastline to the east. The Japanese-registered freighter Corona Triumph had its destination in sight. Winter gazed at the sunset-tinted harbor from the bow. Still dozens of minutes away, yet it felt close. Filipino crewmen came out on deck, chattering away. Their voices didn't carry. The wind was cold and rough. The deck was wide too.
“Forget about what happened.”
The particularly clear voice belonged to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Joanna Gibson. Turning to Winter, the seasoned investigator offered a cup of coffee. Its aroma, unspoiled by the sea breeze, felt somehow unique.
“Take it. Cafe Royale.”
“Thanks, Anne. Would've been nicer as cocoa.”
Such a casual remark made the agent double over laughing. Said it didn't suit her. Less formal than before. When they returned from the ghost ship, she'd asked to be called by name, or nickname if okay. It hadn't felt odd. Their culture allowed friendships regardless of age.
Or maybe making friends before a life-risking mission is a bit weird.
Hot steam rose gently from the mug. Winter blew on it and took a sip. Cafe Royale, was it? Sweet, with a strangely subtle flavor. The bean's aroma blended softly with grape notes. Not bad. He swallowed gulp after gulp, feeling his body warm. Winter subtly furrowed his brow. A 「Survival Instinct」 warning hovered.
“Is this a cocktail?”
Joanna Gibson shrugged.
“Told you, Cafe Royale. It has brandy, but not quite a cocktail.”
Seeing Winter's puckered face, the agent burst into fresh laughter again.
“In my method, for every sugar cube, a spoonful of brandy. You place sugar on a spoon, light it. The brandy harshness burns off, overlaying caramel scent.”
“Needs at least 100 proof—50 degrees—to ignite.”
“Right. The harsher, the better. This has grappa, 120 proof.”
“...Doesn't seem like just one or two spoonfuls.”
“Hm, about five spoons?”
Five spoons of 60-degree spirit. That's a regular cocktail.
Alcohol dulls sensory corrections. Overuse or chronic brings side effects. A pleasant buzz came. Textbook-worthy tech achievement in sensory replication. But it temporarily cuts combat ability—not a drink for enjoyment in that sense.
Winter made a troubled sound.
“We're almost there, and you give me booze?”
“Don't worry. Even reaching Golden Gate, linking up takes a while. Intel Agency agents' faces won't show till after midnight. See that? What do you think it is?”
The agent pointed. In the late afternoon sea, vividly floating buoys lined up. Gaudy primary colors, and so many numbers. Clumped like trash, even more conspicuous.
“Minefield maybe?”
“Correct.”
She explained. Channels into the port were growing more complex.
“Scattered for coastal blockade. Like what you saw at April Pacific—no landing other continents' variants. Warning via satellite broadcast worldwide. Approach coast recklessly, hit mines. For aid, follow U.S. Navy control.”
A flash gleamed from San Francisco direction. Crimson tracer barrage scattered spectacularly. Boom! Brraaaap—! Cannon and machine-gun noise arrived a beat late.
The warned ship hastily turned bow. Small and fast. Hit waves while listing. Seemed it might not recover balance, but barely survived. A man dangled from deck railing swept by seawater. Comrades quickly pulled him up.
Countless other ships craving entry packed the area. Most stayed outside patrolling U.S. destroyers' guard range. Dropping anchor in resignation.
The reckless small boat was one rare exception.
Winter said.
“April Pacific was my mistake. As you said, shouldn't have gone in at all.”
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Premium
Now that Naver serialization has started, no more premium conversion requests, I suppose.
Readers scattering means rankings drop further... hehe. Rankings were practically nonexistent anyway, so no big deal.
#Q&A
Q. Kaif: @Humanity Extinction Probability 0%... doesn't that mean can't finish the game? DDD
A. This came up before in intermission, Cancer-Resolving Munchkin Package Mark 1 section.
<[Capitalism's miracle that overcomes any crisis! Sketchy? Nah, come on. VR is a fun mimicry of reality. If money buys anything in reality, it should in VR too. Ever played Korean online packages? Speedsters drive like that, and that's how our service works.]>
Exactly. Pay-to-win covers it all. Haha.
Q. RGZ95: @Reality worse than virtual...8..8 It was full of innocence.
A. Writer's insomnia has drained all innocence. 8_8
Q. ToothbrushWithRice: @Hmm... If a baby enters the nursery pod, what does it see and learn? And if it stays in from infancy till around 30, what kind of person emerges? Curious.
A. Public service announcement on that coming soon.
Q. PAM: @lololol But reality's so intense lately, columbarium impact feels diminished. Gotta surpass reality to be a novel. Step it up! But who wouldn't slack off lololol
A. Regrettably, I can't surpass reality. Stuck as third-rate writer forever. All Park Geun-hye's fault.
Q. CurryRice: @Question: Can posthumous insurance subjects watch other subjects' broadcasts? Like that Park Woo-cheol from the brief aid concert? Could he watch Winter's broadcast?
A. Depends on grade. Old man Park Woo-cheol worked hard to raise his grade, so possible, but too busy surviving to watch.
Q. svjk: @Hmm... Current humanity extinction probability? Can block it without exceeding human limits?
A. Probability... hard to quantify even for me. Winter's already beyond human limits. Up to him. Skill alone won't do—needs lots of luck. I control the luck, so this novel's full of hope.
Q. qoewh: @Writer question. Searching Naver, fairy tale defined as 'branch of prose lit for children based on innocence.' Innocence as 'child's mind.' 'Young' as adjective covers pre-teens. So at marriage-thinking age, can't I be fairy tale writer? ㅜ *sob*
A. Why not? I'm a 30s... no, 40030s uncle writing fairy tales. Dreams are beautiful anytime. :)
Q. IronMockingbird: @Don't know whether laugh or grimace—familiar yet uncomfortable chat. Dolce et Gabbana generation raised in nurseries? (excerpt) Will births become mandatory, human factories emerge? State, public, or private?
A. Nurseries post-posthumous insurance launch. Dolce et Gabbana pre-nursery gen. / In columbarium Korea, active debate on state embryo factories. Costly, so impossible yet.
Q. Guaaaaak: @Today's chat overflows with innocence. Is writer's envisioned future the popularized nursery method in story? Or just novel fodder?
A. Family bonds won't dissolve easily, I predict. Just see columbarium as fiction. :)