Junho, having received a summons from the Minister of National Defense, was driving across the Banpo Bridge in his Grandeur HG—a car he had bought new ten years ago.

  

  [Mr. Vice Minister, I would like to see you at 1:00 PM in Room A-103, B2 of the Ministry of National Defense Main Building.]

  Even though Junho was no longer the Vice Minister, the Minister addressed him by that title out of courtesy.

  Since the current Minister had been a subordinate who worked under Junho during his tenure as Vice Minister, the text message was written in a consistently respectful tone.

  In truth, receiving a text from the Minister at 7:00 AM was an exceptional occurrence.

  Junho could not fathom what reason the Minister had to meet him that would warrant sending such a message so early in the morning.

  'Has a problem arisen with North Korea?'

  No. Such issues were routine and wouldn't prompt a text at 7:00 AM. If it were urgent enough for this, it would have to be a truly dire situation.

  While some might be jolted awake by a phone notification, Junho was already up.

  Since turning sixty, rather than oversleeping, he more often found himself waking at 5:00 AM, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.

  Sometimes he would doze off again at dawn and sleep late, but those instances were frequent as well.

  As his physical body aged, Junho’s brain cells and muscles were gradually deteriorating.

  Only the silver sphere control material hidden within his brain and his past memory files remained perfectly preserved.

  However, he felt that as his brain tissue aged, his neural networks were also being affected.

  Even though this wasn't his first time but an experience he had repeated for 700,000 years, he could never get used to it whenever he passed the age of sixty.

  Junho knew that he now had to quickly transfer the brain data to a fresh neural territory.

  When he went to Hajodae to meet Seok, he wanted to see him because he considered him to be another version of his future self.

  This process required extreme caution and mutual consent; specifically, the candidate had to be someone without parents and possess a warm, kind heart.

  Junho’s officetel in Gangnam, Seoul, offers a view of Bongeunsa—one of Korea’s most famous temples—whenever he opens his window.

  The average land value around Bongeunsa in Seoul reaches 300 million KRW per 3.3 square meters.

  In the heart of that exorbitantly expensive land sits Bongeunsa. For 1,200 years, since the Silla Dynasty, the temple has remained in that very spot.

  Like the vast generosity of the Buddha, Bongeunsa quietly occupies its space amidst Korea’s most expensive skyscrapers.

  Junho loves the panoramic view of Bongeunsa from his officetel window more than anything. He finds his greatest happiness in life watching the countless lotus lanterns hung at the temple on the Buddha's Birthday from his room. During the 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty, he had once lived as a monk, practicing his asceticism at Bongeunsa. Part of the reason he chose to rent this specific officetel was to hold onto the memories of those days when he used to stroll through the temple grounds.

  Past noon, he left his officetel and drove toward the north side of the Han River. Traffic was unusually light today, and he reached the entrance of Banpo Bridge in no time.

  Every time Junho crosses the Banpo Bridge, he faces a small dilemma: should he take the upper level of the Banpo Bridge or the Jamsu Bridge beneath it? Eight out of ten times, he chooses the lower Jamsu Bridge. There is an area where cars can pull over midway; if you’re lucky, you can park there and gaze out at the Han River.

  It’s a scene that occasionally appears in dramas or movies, but you need luck on your side to actually find a spot to stop.

  This time, however, he was driving across the upper level of the Banpo Bridge rather than the Jamsu Bridge.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  As he crossed the bridge, he suddenly attempted to initiate a conversation with ‘Min.’ After the appearance of the spacecraft, his attempts to communicate with Illik and Lillik had been rejected, leading him to think that talking to ‘Min’ would be difficult as well. Yet, for some reason, he felt a conversation with him might be possible.

  They communicated with each other using the silver spheres as a medium.

  In mid-November, the Korean winter is mild. There is no snow, and the wind isn't biting. On a day like this, the view of the Han River from his Grandeur HG is beautiful.

  "It's been a long time..." Min replied.

  Junho was inwardly startled. He was genuinely surprised that the communication actually went through.

  "Uh... it has been a long time. Where are you now?" Junho asked.

  "Well."

  "Well?"

  "Jun, it doesn't matter where I am. What matters is what is about to happen."

  "Min, that's why I have so much to ask you. Why on earth did you expose the spacecraft?"

  "Junho, as the Buddha said, everything has a cause and an effect. It is the law of karma. Future results begin with our causes."

  "Ah..." Junho let out a short sigh.

  He had forgotten. During the Joseon Dynasty, Min had been a monk at Bongeunsa. At one point, deeply immersed in Buddhist devotion, meditation, and Minjung (People’s) Buddhism, he had declared to Junho that he refused to implant his cloned neural network and memory files into another body.

  That final debate at Bongeunsa regarding "brain cloning" had been the last time I spoke with him.

  "Min... this is a matter of global and human history. I simply don't understand. We agreed we would never expose the spacecraft to humans..." Junho was incensed by the decision to reveal their existence to current humanity.

  "Jun... humans—no, Earth—has already reached the technological level of our former home planet. This means the pace of human technology will accelerate tremendously from here on out. We believe the time has come to proactively reconstruct them so they can handle the cosmic challenges to come."

  "Min, absolutely not. That must be a decision made by humans themselves. It can't happen like this..." Junho raised his voice.

  Min responded with composure.

  "Jun... you have your own role to play. I'll see you next time. Oh, and one more thing—don't let your spirit grow old just because your body is."

  Min concluded the communication with those cryptic words.

  Junho couldn't wrap his head around it. This was a massive, macro-level problem. As his body aged, his mind felt sluggish, and he struggled to grasp the situation. What on earth are they plotting?

  He crossed the Banpo Bridge, turned left past Itaewon, and arrived at the Ministry of National Defense complex.

  He was twenty minutes early for his appointment. Room A-103 on the second basement level of the main building? During his time as Vice Minister, he had never visited the B2 level, and he found it hard to believe an office with such a number even existed.

  He pressed the button for the second basement floor in the elevator. As he stepped out and walked to the end of the hallway, military guards were standing watch. When he told them he was looking for Room A-103 at the Minister's request, they opened a heavy door, revealing yet another corridor inside.

  Following the hallway, he saw room numbers like A-103 and B-205 labeled on either side. He opened the door to Room A-103 and stepped inside.

  The room contained a transparent glass chamber in the center. Inside that chamber sat a table with two chairs, and he could see the Minister of National Defense already seated there.

  Though inwardly surprised, Junho maintained a calm facade as he entered the glass room.

  "Mr. Vice Minister. Startling, isn't it? It's like a room out of a movie. Haha. This is a secure room designed to neutralize any eavesdropping."

  "Ah... I see. Mr. Minister, I've never seen a place like this before." Junho sat down composedly.

  "Mr. Vice Minister..." The Minister paused for a moment before continuing. "The reason I've called you today is because of two issues. One is that North Korea is calling for you secretly, and the other is that the United States is also calling for you secretly."

  "Secretly? What does that mean?"

  "It means exactly that—discreetly. No media exposure, and no domestic politicians are aware. The contact came through internal intelligence lines. In fact, this was a matter kept even from me, but because of my personal rapport with you, the President gave me special instructions."

  “I see. Understood. Then, what is it that I am required to do?”

  “For starters, North Korea has specifically requested you, Vice Minister Junho. Personally, I’m not entirely sure of their reasoning. However, because the North made the request very politely, insisted it was a matter of grave importance, and guaranteed your safety, our side has granted approval. Is there anything you might know about this?"

  "Mr. Minister... I honestly have no idea why the North would make such a proposal." Junho truly didn't know.

  "Additionally, the United States is requesting that you visit a U.S. Air Force base in Las Vegas, Nevada. I don't have the full details, but according to the rough briefing, it seems to be related to an extraterrestrial woman who was detained in connection with the starship that recently landed in Country U. I believe you’ll find out the specifics once you arrive in the States. Therefore, please depart for America today. We have a Korean Air flight arranged for you.”

  “Today? Right away?”

  “Yes. And please, always keep the safety and the future of our motherland in mind as you act.”

  “Yes. I apologize... the situation is just that urgent,” the Minister added, his tone remaining deeply polite.

  After finishing the conversation with the Minister, Junho walked through the hallway and took the elevator up to the first floor. He still couldn't make sense of the situation. Despite having lived for 700,000 years, possessing cosmic technology, knowing how to pilot a zero-gravity spacecraft, and controlling the silver spheres—Junho was not a god. He couldn't read people's minds, nor could he know the absolute truth of everything.

  What is about to happen? What on earth is Min plotting?

  As Junho exited the main entrance of the Ministry building, he turned back to look at the headquarters once more.

  It was hard to believe that until quite recently, a foolish president had occupied that building.

  Junho reflected on how remarkable and worthy of pride the Korean people's yearning for democracy truly was.