“Hi, Jungwoo. Good morning.”
A woman’s voice whispered into Jungwoo’s ear.
“It’s 8 a.m. Time to wake up.”
The voice gradually grew louder.
“You need to get up. You’ve got a lot to do today.”
He groaned and blinked his right eye.
“Hi, Lucy. That’s enough.”
The voice stopped.
Jungwoo turned to look at the woman sleeping beside him.
Information began to appear through his right eye:
— Ecuadorian Type, Age 42, Height 175cm, Weight 48kg, No children, Currently sleeping —
He quickly closed both eyes. After three seconds, he opened them again and tapped the back of his hand twice. A display lit up, brightening the entire room.
The woman stirred under the light, rubbing her eyes.
“Buenos días?”
In Jungwoo’s ear, it was auto-translated: “Did you sleep well?”
Jungwoo pretended not to hear. He traced a square in the air with his finger, and a TV screen appeared on the wall.
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He enlarged the screen and raised the volume. The screen followed his movements.
“It’s been 15 years since the Third Generation Linguistic Fusion began. Today, we’ll discuss the limits of our scientific progress. Let’s connect with Dr. Wes Paul, the pioneer of linguistic fusion…”
As he got dressed, Jungwoo spoke to the woman.
“Your vitamins and protein are on the bed. Go ahead and take them.”
He swiped the screen onto the back of his hand and left the room.
“Hello, Doctor.”
“Good to be here.”
“Fifteen years have passed since the linguistic fusion began. Could you share your thoughts on the Third Generation fusion and what lies ahead?”
“I believe we both gained and lost something in this era. The Third Generation fusion wasn’t really driven by human effort—it was a byproduct of the Income era. Once computers began being embedded in humans, we saw an explosion of devices, eventually leading to ear-inserted translators that broke down language barriers. As a result, people could naturally understand foreign languages without effort. This opened up an era of integration beyond just language—across regions, nations, even races. Thanks to that, what once took 100 years of science, we achieved in just a decade. That’s the power behind today’s technology.”
“And… what did we lose?”
“Education. Science always begins with—”
Jungwoo tapped the back of his hand and turned off the display.
“What a load of crap…”
He touched his right ear and played a song. Then, he adjusted the dial on his shoe with his left hand.
With both hands over his chest, he took a deep breath and muttered,
“Who the hell made this tech… damn it.”
The floor beneath him opened, and he dropped down.
He was sucked down at great speed.
— Space Waste Management Center —
Boom! The ground spat him out onto a platform.
“Hello, Jungwoo. Big day today.” (Chinese)
A bulky man helped him up.
“Thanks, Zhang Weiwei. Another idiot dumped trash on the moon again?”
Zhang frowned.
“You know people don’t do that anymore. Don’t blame the past.”
“Right, I know. Back then, it was the only option.”
“Then stop complaining and be grateful to those who gave you a job. And don’t forget—no music while working.”
Jungwoo touched his ear and stopped the music.
“Yeah, yeah. Of course.”
He floated casually to the cockpit of the garbage grinder.
“You’re early.” (Russian)
“Oh, Chris. You’re here too?”
“Yep. They said today’s a busy one.”
“They say that every day. You still believe it?”
Jungwoo blinked his right eye.
“Hi Lucy. Send the song I got last night to Chris.”
His right eye glowed blue and the song was transmitted.
— Transfer complete —
“Check this out. It’s a fresh track—really cool.”
Chris touched his ear and asked,
“A Korean-style song?”
“Not sure, actually.”
Just then, Zhang shouted.
“Both of you, stop talking and get to work!”
At the sound, Jungwoo started up the machine and murmured,
“We learned the same stuff… so how come he’s the one up there?”
Chris powered up his machine and replied,
“Chill out. Just because we learn the same things doesn’t mean we become the same people.”
“Yeah, yeah… I know.”
Jungwoo opened the hatch and stepped outside.
He stood in SV-75, the sector between Earth and the Moon where space debris collects.
[Glossary]
Income (Incom)
- An AI computer implanted in the human body
- Inserted during Junior Level 1 education
- Typically embedded in three areas: eyes, ears, and back of the hand
- Optional implants available, but more than six is dangerous
- Operates using the body’s natural electric current
- Most popular brand: Lucy