Parahan, 2nd Edition Read online

  Ordinary people, other than professionals, did not work on Hoon. The public spent their time doing various activities they enjoyed such as sharing similar interests. These interests ranged from sports to music to fine arts and research. The results of their research or their inventions often surpassed those of research professionals.

  The people of Hoon were periodically paid in Tan, Hoon’s cyber currency. Necessary items for living were purchased using Tan and this currency was accepted at various facilities. Professionals were paid more Tan than ordinary people received, and they had the privilege of using these facilities over the general public. Some people wanted to be professionals due to these privileges.

  The public constantly endeavored to find things that characterized them, which brought true happiness and meaning to their lives. It became an important symbol of who a person was, second only to their name. Taehan enjoyed car racing. He had participated in manufacturing various automobile models. He enjoyed airplane racing, but his specialty was car racing. He had driven pretty much every make of automobile on the planet Hoon, resulting in a certificate of recognition for official car races.

  Planet Hoon revolved around the Sun just like the Earth. There were many other planets around the sun, but Hoon was the only planet able to support life forms, and the only planet in the wide universe that was actually incubating life forms. Other planets and stars were composed of gases, meaningless air, and surrounding matter. The people of Hoon used to delude themselves that Hoon was one of many planets rotating around the sun on the outskirts of the universe, thinking it was just one small planet among many, even smaller than a dust speck. The delusion was considered an inexorable truth to people living on Hoon.

  It took a while for the people of Hoon to realize that Hoon was the center of the universe and that the universe is nothing more than the meaningless air around Hoon. When they began interacting with people from other universes they finally comprehend this truth. While other planets had their unique outer space, Hoon was enclosed by a universe. There were several universes, and each of them had one center planet. The center is not designated as such by spatial position, but rather, the existing center of living forms. The people of Hoon traveled between universes through a path existing in the outside of the planet’s atmosphere; a path that was not visible to the naked eye. By traveling and interacting with other universes, the people of Hoon confirmed the existence of Hanbau, Koman, Kubaisen, and Taebakun.

  Hanbau’s universe opened interaction between universes for the first time. It had the best science and technology.

  Koman’s universe had its own unique culture and was the Mecca of arts and culture.

  Taebakun had proliferated based on the powerful ruling system.

  Kubaisen’s universe was behind in interaction and civilization. It was in turmoil.

  Hoon’s universe existed with these other four universes.

  The five universes had long been interacting and cooperating to maintain the overall power balance between them. Recently, however, Taebakun invaded Koman to break the power balance among them. Hanbau, which wielded the highest authority in both reputation and practical aspects, did not take any action regarding the provocation of Taebakun. Hoon’s leadership had taken a wait-and-see attitude from the beginning. They didn’t respond even though there was a rumor that Taebakun would shortly invade Hoon.

  Some people had shown strong concern and discontent about the leadership’s decision to not respond. Taehan was one of them. In the process, he was falsely charged with conspiracy and locked up in the camp for two years.

  Out into the World 3

  Taehan jumped off his bed at the sound of the loud bell ringing beside him. It was hard to say how long the bell had been ringing, or how long he’d been asleep. The clock in the corner said it was the next day. Sunshine penetrated deeply into the room. At least he was sleeping more than a half of a day now. He could see Hanmoo looking at him from the circular screen beside the bed.

  “Taehan! I thought you would be up by now.”

  Taehan remembered the promise he had made Hanmoo yesterday.

  “Oh, my goodness; I have forgotten the promise! I was supposed to be going out with you today!”

  “What the heck are you saying? You have just remembered it?” Hanmoo asked incredulously.

  “Sorry about that. I did not expect to sleep in this late.”

  Taehan hurried to open the door for Hanmoo.

  “How long have you slept?” Hanmoo asked him, stepping inside.

  “I think I fainted. I still feel funny, even after I slept that much. Will I feel better after breathing fresh air?”

  “Perhaps. Sleeping can only do so much.”

  “Do you want something to eat?”

  “I already ate. You better eat at once and get ready to go out.”

  Hanmoo sat on the couch in one corner of the round studio.

  The bed gently slid into the wall; a clean, round dining table came up from the floor.

  Taehan went into a shower stall and washed with the body wash spraying out from the stall in three dimensions.

  “Is the meal ready?” Taehan asked on his way out of the shower stall.

  Doran, the housekeeper, was preparing a meal. She swiveled her head around to see him. “You don’t skip a meal. Give me a moment!”

  “Where is your etiquette to your master?”

  Doran placed his meal on the table and Hanmoo asked, “What on earth happened to Doran?”

  Taehan said with a short sigh, “She was like that even before I was sent to the camp. I have to replace her soon.”

  Taehan stood up after eating some of the meal saying, “Shall we?”

  “Sure! I waited less time than I expected.”

  The two men opened the door and left the house.

  A white car was waiting out front. Hanmoo and Taehan got in the front seat and sat side-by-side. The car accelerated forward and they drove out of the residential area and headed toward the river. After a while they came to the slide road, the main road of Hoon that stretched along the river.

  How long has it been since I have seen the landscape?

  Taehan deeply inhaled the cool air as they drove. There was a boat swirling in a curve of the river. He could see ordinary people leisurely exercising on the riverfront. Taehan took in the scenery before him and thought about his days in Hoon before he went to the camp. Although he felt puzzled at the overwhelming memories, the pleasant recollections with his fiancée Sochan and the time spent with his colleagues in the outdoors were coming back to him.

  He felt strangely dizzy and dazed as he probed deeper into his memories. It seemed like he still suffered from the aftermath of the camp, even though he felt much better today than yesterday.

  It has been two years here, but I lived over 30 years in the camp…

  He tried to identify the aftereffects of the camp.

  They were already running along the slide road that went through the vacuum tunnel that crossed the river and penetrated into the center of the city, demonstrating that it was the best available onshore transportation. They drove off to the city, going parallel to the vacuum tunnel. They drove for a long time, even after escaping the city.

  The racetrack finally started to appear. It was a large racetrack composed of irregular straight and curved roads. Today was not an official race day so the stadium was empty and only a few cars were on the raceway. Three or four cars were running the track, boasting their speed. Their spirit on the track was surprisingly fierce, as if they were running a real race.

  Taehan recalled fun memories at the racetrack. Individual race times were recorded in the center of the racetrack, and the moment he broke the record, cheering spectators and friends jumped out to celebrate with him. It seemed like he could hear the cheers of people even though the stands were empty today.

  “Ten more new models were made while you were at camp. The model you designed is also completed,” Hanmoo said.

  “
It… It is already completed?” Taehan asked with mixed feelings of surprise and doubt.

  “It was hard without you but we worked constantly to finish it.”

  “Where is it?” Taehan asked.

  “I’ll take you to the garage right away so you can see it. You will not be disappointed,” Hanmoo said.

  Hanmoo was one of the few professionals around Taehan. Hanmoo was a commander of the Capital Defense Unit, which was responsible for the defense of the planet Hoon’s capital. While most professionals had minor hobbies, Hanmoo had been deeply into car racing for a long time. Perhaps not as much as Taehan, whose specialty was racing, but he was good enough to enjoy the same hobby with Taehan.

  Hanmoo’s vehicle stopped in front of the racetrack garage. They exited the car and walked straight to the garage, which was filled with dozens of new cars. These would not have been driven by a test driver. All these cars sported a glossy surface which boosted their appearance.

  Hanmoo looked around and pointed to a car in the farthest row. “That’s the one.”

  Taehan moved his eyes to where Hanmoo pointed. The colors seemed somewhat strange, but the overall look was familiar. It had to be the model designed by him after giving it much thought. Taehan approached the car and looked at the body carefully. It was aerodynamic and minimized the resistance of the wind. Its shape reminded him of a beast ready to spring at the prey in front of it. The car was sophisticated with its wavelike borders of blue and white.

  “We reflected your ideas to reduce friction along the slide road without the driver losing control. The entire top of the car collects high efficiency solar energy and can travel long distances if it’s not dark outside, all without an additional energy supply, even on a rainy day. I dare say this is the best car ever; it is energy-efficient.”

  Hanmoo was excessively proud of it since it was his work. He had put a lot of effort and hard work into the process of actual implementation, although it was designed by Taehan. It was natural that he was attached to it.

  “Do you remember that historical model that made most of the energy supply depots useless? This car will make a huge impact - maybe not as big as that one, though,” Hanmoo said. “It can run for three days once the energy reaches capacity, even in the dark, because it has excellent energy storage. It can hold three people, but its speed and handling are as good as other models in the ‘Short Distance Race’ as well. Moreover, there will be no competitor in the ‘Long Distance No Energy Refill Race.’”

  Hanmoo waved his hand after his explanation, asking Taehan to get into the car and sit in the driver’s seat. Taehan was full of expectation and opened the door to sit in the driver’s seat. It felt very familiar, even though it was his first time in the car, probably because he had retained his experience and knowledge. The car clung to him as if he had driven it for a long time.

  Once Hanmoo was in the car sitting beside him, Taehan started the engine. He pulled out of the garage and moved slowly forward and then began to run the racing slide road, increasing the speed as he entered the racetrack. Taehan felt exquisite pleasure quickly spread to his body at the thought of speeding around the racetrack.

  “Shall we drive out?”

  “Of course.”

  Taehan drove the racetrack one more round and then left. He ran along the outskirts of the capital, reviving his long-forgotten sense of driving. Taehan enjoyed driving, forgetting everything else.

  As he looked around, it was getting dark; the sun was going down. The red sunset over the horizon was pushed by the darkness and was about to disappear. The lights in the city came on all of a sudden. They began to beautifully decorate the circular-shaped buildings and roads.

  “The day is almost gone. Hanmoo, are you not hungry?” Taehan asked, feeling hungry himself.

  “It is about time to eat. Let’s go downtown and have dinner together. How do you like ‘frog apple and surprised beetle?’”

  “That sounds great! It has been a long time since I’ve had that,” Taehan answered, anticipating the dinner. The ‘frog apple and surprised beetle’ was a famous menu on Hoon, and it was composed of apples injected with frog juice and beetles spread with a sweet sauce. Then, the apples were decorated with frog skin. Beetles were then cooked at high heat for a short time.

  Taehan felt his appetite grow while driving the car to the restaurant complex.

  The flat elliptical bandan hanging on Taehan’s neck sounded, as if it had waited for the moment they reached the downtown district. ‘Bandan’ was a type of ID that people of Hoon wore around their neck. It was a means to pay Tan (Hoon’s cyber currency) and used for long-distance communication. It also could be used to remotely receive diverse information from the central information archive. Taehan gently pressed the button of his Bandan, which he had newly received after he was discharged from the camp. It had a round and flat screen in the air and drew the face of Daekhan. He had a friendly face with social attractiveness, friendly eyes, and firmly closed lips. It was the same as before.

  Daekhan was one of the top five leaders in the leadership. The leadership represented Hoon’s five continents and made the final decisions for the planet Hoon. At the same time, Daekhan was also the leader of the secret organization ‘Silence in the Storm,’ organized to prepare measures against the dictatorial attitude of Taebakun and the foolish attitude of the current leadership.

  “Taehan, it’s been a while.” Daekhan told on the screen.

  “It has been a while, Daekhan."

  “I waited to contact you for a few days as it seemed you were recovering. How do you feel?”

  “I feel better. I was thinking about visiting you soon,” Taehan answered brightly.

  “I’m having a meeting with other colleagues now,” Daekhan said. “There is an important matter to discuss. I hope you and Hanmoo can come to the center immediately.”

  “Right now?”

  Taehan tensed, straightening his back, due to Daekhan’s unexpected request.

  “Yes, I should have informed you earlier, but I could not.”

  “I was about to go eat with Hanmoo. We will head to the center after that.”

  “Sure, I will chat with other members who arrive early. Please get here as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, Daekhan.” Taehan abruptly answered, pressing his bandan to turn off the screen. It did not seem like a light meeting. It was obvious that something important was happening.

  “What happened?” Taehan asked Hanmoo as he drove to the restaurant complex.

  “I know that the atmosphere cannot been good, but I did not expect that he would call us this evening.”

  Hanmoo tilted his head sideways as if he could not understand the situation.

  “I was going to tell you later what happened while you were in the camp, but you will find out today if you go to the center.”

  Taehan remembered that people had different opinions based on whether Taebakun would attack Hoon. But that was before he went to the camp. The punishment of Taehan and Santan was a symbolic warning given by the leadership during this debate. Taehan neither asked, nor heard, what happened afterwards.

  “What happened before?”

  “It’s a long story. We will discuss it with everyone when we get to the center.”

  Taehan understood Hanmoo’s intention; therefore, he did not ask for more details. He was convinced that topics to discuss at the center today would be heavier than expected.

  “It is probably better just to eat frog apple. It seems like we are more surprised than the beetle.”

  Hanmoo crossed his arms and took some long breaths through his nose. “Hmmm.”

  “I agree. It does not appear to be the right time to order a set menu,” Taehan said. He could feel his curiosity mounting as he drove to the restaurant complex.

  Out into the World 4

  Light streaming from the convex windows spanning the front of the center found its way into the car as they pulled up in front of the building. It could have been
high noon instead of well past sunset.

  The empty first floor lobby greeted them as Taehan and Hanmoo walked into the center building and made their way to the main conference room. Taehan pushed the door open and realized all thirty men and women of ‘Silence in the Storm’ were in attendance and positioned around the large oval table. He and Hanmoo took seats side-by-side and settled into the cushy executive chairs.

  Daekhan found Taehan first, coming forward to say hello.

  “Long time no see, Taehan. You look so good it’s hard to believe you are just discharged from the camp. Did they give you some good pills?” he asked, then laughed.

  “How have you been, sir? The free air of Hoon has really helped me recover, I looked terrible before,” Taehan answered with a bashful smile.

  “I would have liked to wait until you get better, but I don’t have a choice. I hope you understand. I’ll explain more in a moment.”

  Daekhan looked at the man standing on his left whose tan skin had a reddish hue.

  “This is Shunda. Please introduce yourselves to each other since it is your first meeting.”

  Taehan greeted Shunda with a nod of his head.

  “This is my friend from Kubaisen,” Daekhan said. “You may have heard recently that Kubaisen is in turmoil. Even though they suffer from a different problem than us, Shunda can help us a great deal. Of course, we have to return the favor.”

  Shunda smiled after the introduction.

  “Well, I should get started,” Daekhan said and moved climbed up to a podium which had a rounded armrest up to the waist.

  Then he spoke in a loud, thick voice that drew the attention of his colleagues. “Thank you very much for giving up your valuable time to be present here. All members of ‘Silence in the Storm’ are here attending the meeting for Hoon and the organization, even though I could not give you all advance notice. We gather here in this late hour because Hoon faces a critical moment. Our decision tonight determines the destiny of Hoon.”