Chapter 5

#5. The Returnee's Vacation

Honestly, I still can't believe this situation.

To think that my brother, who has been discharged safely, is at home.

To see my parents' faces without the shadow of sadness.

My brother, now a civilian, is helping with the store.

I pitch in when it's busy, and lately, the weariness on my parents' faces has lessened.

Vroom.

Immersed in my thoughts, the noise of the mining rig reached my ears.

Sera, looking at the mining graphics cards, muttered in frustration.

"Don't actually go out and do it. You know why, right? You warned that a complete sweep could cause a butterfly effect, didn't you?"

I tried to calm her down.

"Even if it's frustrating, it's not bad by today's standards, so don't be too hasty. If you damage your personality core any further, what will you do?"

As I said that,

Sera's brow suddenly furrowed, and she tilted her head.

Oops, a slip of the tongue! My true thoughts slipped out without me realizing.

"I, did I say that? I misspoke. People make mistakes, right?"

[You have five times the number of neurons compared to an average person, don't you?]

"Think about it. The people who tried to eliminate Gaia. They were more advanced than me."

[That's true.]

Sera's eyes seemed to say, "Wow, you really know how to wriggle out of this, don't you?"

I swallowed hard without realizing it.

"Anyway, let's be satisfied with this for now."

I looked at the graphics cards in the room and smiled.

Besides the graphics cards, various electronic and mechanical parts were scattered around.

I invested 10 million won out of the 150 million won reward money into graphics cards and other electronic equipment.

Coins? Do I need to buy them? I can mine them myself.

I came out of my room, which was filled with heat.

When I have enough capital, I should rent a warehouse and mine there. The electricity bill is a secondary concern; it's too hot and cramped to work in.

The only thing I brought out of the hot room was my smartphone.

In my hand was an iPhone 3GS. It's a legendary device, and it feels new to touch it again.

When I came out to the living room and looked at my phone, I felt a bit of regret.

'Kakao is a bit disappointing.'

The domestic market has already been dominated by Kakao, so it's tough.

I thought about targeting the Japanese and Southeast Asian markets like Naver Line, but I gave up.

First, apps like messaging services require a lot of time and capital to dominate the market initially. You have to travel around the world like riding a bus.

I can't do that as a soldier. Even if I used my brother or parents as stand-ins, it wouldn't work. They lack the expertise, and it would be obvious they're just figureheads.

'I'll buy a lot of stocks later. If I can become one of the top three shareholders like Tencent in the original history, it should be fine.'

For these reasons, I abandoned the mobile messaging business plan.

I habitually turned on the TV and lay on the sofa, fiddling with my phone.

The living room TV is something you should always have on, even if you don't watch it.

On the living room wall, there were clippings of articles about my brother and me, along with my Chungmu Military Merit Medal and my brother's Hwarang Military Merit Medal.

Every time I see them, I realize that I've returned and that I'm still active.

"This is a KBS News breaking report. At around 2:30 PM today, about 20 artillery shells fell in the Yeonpyeong Island area. The Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the shells landed near the village and military units in the Yeonpyeong Island area..."

The living room TV, which I had turned on absentmindedly, suddenly broadcast an urgent breaking report.

Ah! That's right, it's today.

"North Korea indiscriminately fired coastal artillery at Yeonpyeong Island this afternoon. Our military responded immediately with K9 self-propelled howitzers and recently deployed M270 multiple rocket launchers in Yeonpyeong Island."

Sera and I turned our attention to the TV.

The North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island started just like in the original history.

The difference was that the Ministry of National Defense, which had prior knowledge, had deployed K9 self-propelled howitzers and MLRS to Yeonpyeong Island.

Perhaps because of this, the North Korean artillery attack did not resume after the initial 20 shells. They were annihilated by the Marine Corps and Army artillery units, which were already in position.

'Is North Korea also taking a different path from the original history? Kim Jong-un's position must have weakened significantly.'

As I stared blankly at the TV, Sera suddenly tilted her head and looked at me.

Sera's words made my head spin.

'Crazy... Now that I think about it, you're right. Why did I enlist?'

Her words felt like a punch to the head.

My hands and feet trembled.

I almost dropped the iPhone I was holding.

Sera looked at me with innocent eyes, waiting for my answer.

It seemed she thought I had a deeper reason for enlisting.

I can't betray that hopeful look in her eyes.

If she finds out I didn't think that far before enlisting?

I'll receive a look of contempt. Definitely.

My big data on Sera is warning me.

Think. Think. A noble and deep reason for enlisting!

As an owner! As a business owner! As a human with a 2.0 brain!

This is a matter of pride and authority.

But before I could organize my thoughts and answer, Sera spoke first.

Fortunately, the emotion in her eyes was far from disappointment.

Sera's wild guess. But it was quite plausible.

"Ko, Ko-ro-chi! That's it! That's it!"

It was so plausible that it enlightened my dazed mind.

* * *

"Thank you. BB Chicken. Yes! One half-half? What's your address?"

I heard my brother's voice from the counter.

'It's amazing.'

Sejun thought his brother had changed a lot.

He was smart but equally prickly and lacked social skills.

He especially hated working at his parents' chicken restaurant.

He said he'd rather tutor than work at the store for pocket money, and he actually did that to earn his tuition and pocket money.

But after serving in the military, he seemed to have matured and had changed a lot recently.

'He wasn't like this before.'

Even though he spent 90% of his military service on leave, he didn't seem to be out partying.

Most of the time, he was in his room working with various computer parts, and recently, it seemed he was also trading stocks. Probably using the reward money.

When it got busy, he would come to the store first to help with the counter, packaging, and cleaning.

At first, my father opposed Se-ryu coming to the store.

But the most stubborn person in our family is my brother Se-ryu.

In the end, he couldn't stop him from helping out at the counter and with packaging during busy times.

'Is he really not sick or something? Why is he living like this when he has so much money?'

Neither he nor his parents coveted the 150 million won reward money.

It was money his brother, his son, had risked his life to earn. They considered it entirely his.

And knowing my smart brother Se-ryu, he wouldn't waste that money.

'In a good way, he's matured, and in a bad way, he's become an old soul.'

His parents liked the current Se-ryu more, but personally, Sejun missed his prickly brother a bit. Honestly, teasing him was more fun back then.

"Bro, I need to deliver this first."

After taking the order, my brother finished the packaging and handed the chicken to Sejun.

"Huh? Oh, right."

Sejun, snapped out of his thoughts, took the chicken his brother handed him.

"Drive carefully."

"Y-Yeah!"

No matter how he thought about it, his current brother seemed awkward.

* * *

Time passed, and it became 2011.

"The Ministry of National Defense has recreated the rescue operation of the Samho Jewelry. We heard about the tense situation at the time through an interview with Captain Cho Young-ju of the Cheongung."

"The rescue operation was transmitted in real-time to the Joint Chiefs of Staff through cameras attached to the helmets of the team members. We present the advanced equipment that made this legendary operation possible."

On January 18, 2011, the Navy's morale and pride soared with the Dawn of Aden operation at the start of the new year.

Two months later, on March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred.

"Footage of the terrifying tsunami that hit the coast has been released."

"Scary scenes of a peaceful coastal city being devastated in an instant were captured up close."

The news is reporting the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

It's already chaotic, but soon, a greater shock will hit Japan and the world.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster, which will be called the Far East's Chernobyl, is still to come.

I looked at the internet news with a detached eye and asked Sera.

"Sera, can you make a radioactive decomposer?"

[If you have the materials and equipment, yes.]

"Okay."

I planned to acquire a good chemical company later.

Tatatatatat, tat.

While talking to Sera, I didn't take my hands off the keyboard.

Complex codes gathered and formed a program one by one.

I can't openly run a business as a soldier, but this kind of development is fine.

The room was also filled with various machines and electronic components of unknown origin.

These are items for the business I'll start after discharge.

Sera, looking at me coding with a bored expression, asked, still not understanding.

"I don't really know if it's fun, but you'll make a lot of money."

[I really don't understand. I have no comment on your memory, which is also recorded in my domain.]

"Me too. I don't understand now, and I didn't understand back then."

[Anyway! If I help, the quality of the product will be even better.]

Sera, watching the process of my work, stomped her feet in frustration.

"Your processing power is too low for current smartphones. I'll just ask you to review it later."

[Uuuu.]

"I gave you the graphics work. Do that."

[That easy task? I finished it in less than 10 minutes.]

"The server system?"

[Done!]

"Can you design it with materials available on the market?"

[What do you take me for!]

"The prototype of the ultra-high-frequency brainwave device?"

[Je~je!]

"Then take a break."

[Bored! Bored!]

Ah, she was just bored.

I noticed she had been fidgeting lately for a reason.

Well, for a future super AI, following stock charts to buy and sell must be incredibly boring.

I looked at Sera, who was pouting from boredom.

If I leave her like this, she might do something unexpected.

"Let's go on a trip. How about Jeju Island?"

[Nice!]

Sera's expression brightened as soon as I finished speaking.

Her holographic costume instantly changed from sweatpants to travel-appropriate attire.

After finishing her travel preparations, Sera suddenly looked at me and asked.

"What?"

[Has your personality become super~! soft after the regression?]

"Is that so?"

I tilted my head at her question.

Indeed, it seems to be the case.

Before the regression, I lived intensely in everything. But not now. I felt a sense of ease in everything.

Moreover, I am currently restricted in my activities due to my military service.

In a way, this has given me a mental break.

But with Sera's next provocation, I felt my original personality stirring.

* * *

After that, I went on domestic trips with Sera regularly.

To others, it probably looked like I was traveling alone.

While traveling, I also looked for potential companies and sites to acquire in the future.

Sometimes, we closed the store for a couple of days and went on family trips with my parents.

I enjoyed the life of a paper soldier, but I also periodically returned to the base to remind myself that I was still active.

At the base, I wore my dress uniform more often than my work uniform and attended various events. It was annoying, but I knew it was a luxury, so I silently participated.

While it seemed boring, the Ministry of National Defense's clock kept ticking, and my assets in my room grew rapidly.

And on the much-anticipated December 28, 2011, I was discharged amid the chaotic atmosphere following Kim Jong-il's death.