The first thing announced was the result of the audit conducted by the city and county offices into the village head’s suspected embezzlement. The announcement was concise, but its repercussions were immense.
“A significant portion of the welfare budget for the elderly of Geumsan-ri was not delivered to the actual recipients. Related documents are suspected of having been forged and altered, and the individual suspected of embezzlement is scheduled to be questioned.”
The name of Village Head Jang Minseok soon began appearing in the headlines of local news articles.
“Village Head Jang Minseok Under Investigation for Embezzling Welfare Budget”
In front of the village hall, residents gathered in clusters of three and five, buzzing with chatter, and at the village meeting that soon followed, blunt remarks burst out one after another.
“This is unbelievable. If our village representative’s like that, how’re we supposed to trust anyone!”
“Cheating poor old folks out of money—does that money even go down his throat?”
“I knew this would happen. He’s been helping himself for way too long.”
The residents poured out the feelings they had been holding in without restraint. One person said they had applied for county welfare support only to be rejected without even knowing why, while another raised questions about why part of the disaster relief funds received after last year’s wildfire had disappeared.
In the end, a residents’ vote and local council procedures were put into motion, and Jang Minseok was suspended from his duties.
“You don’t know me? You think I’ll step down like this?”
Jang Minseok protested several times as if he had been wronged, but the situation was already beyond reversal.
The police seized his bank accounts and business-related documents, and the corrupt acts he had committed in the past were revealed one after another.
Embezzling part of the village development fund, pocketing brokerage fees from land transactions involving villagers, selecting only his close associates as recipients of agricultural subsidies—the more they dug, the more new things came spilling out.
All that remained now was arrest and trial.
The downfall of Jang Minseok, who had held the position of village head in Geumsan-ri for sixteen years, happened that quickly and quietly.
News also came in about the Eco-Friendly Eco Resource Center.
Experts from the Eastern Metropolitan Environmental Headquarters and the Gangwon-do Health and Environment Research Institute began investigating the soil and groundwater near the Eco Resource Center.
The first investigation team announced that heavy metals exceeding standard levels had been found in portions of the soil and groundwater, and that there was a high correlation with the results of the residents’ blood and urine tests.
The Eco Resource Center was issued a temporary order to halt construction. The center protested, claiming that they were handling everything lawfully, but once the administrative order had been issued, they had no choice but to stop by force.
***
The morning of the temporary public holiday.
Two cars arrived at Deoksan Beach.
Park Geumja was the first to open the car door and shout excitedly.
“Wow! It’s the sea!”
At Park Geumja’s cheer, the two nursing assistants also put on wide-brimmed hats and jumped out of the car. Running out onto the sandy beach, they took off their shoes and immediately dipped their feet into the seawater, bursting into laughter.
“Wahahahaha!”
“This is why you come to the beach!”
“Kyaaah—hahaha!”
Pharmacist Gu Hyejeong also got out of the driver’s seat and felt the refreshing breeze. The taciturn assistant pharmacist quickly took out the shade canopy and set it up first. Then, without a word, he began taking care of the mat, barbecue set, and icebox filled with cold drinks from the trunk.
Gihwan, who had gotten out of Taeho’s SUV, lifted Hayul, who had been sitting beside him, and set her down.
When he said he was taking Hayul on an outing, the owner of Boknaeru had gladly given permission. But no matter how many times they asked, Hayul expressed neither that she liked the idea nor that she disliked it.
“Hayul, we’re here.”
“……”
Hayul was a child who usually avoided people’s gazes and only looked at the floor, so Gihwan was worried about having brought her all the way out here.
Seeing Hayul’s expressionless face, Gihwan did not know what to do.
When Taeho approached, Gihwan said,
“Director, I think it might be better if I just stay in the car.”
Taeho immediately understood why Gihwan was so restless. Gihwan had resolved to give up the rare outing and spend the day inside the car with Hayul.
Taeho knelt on one knee in front of Hayul, who was only looking down at the tips of her feet, and met her eyes.
“Hayul. Teacher’s hand.”
Ever since Taeho had treated the wound on her hand, whenever he asked for her hand, Hayul would offer it without resistance.
When Hayul took his hand, Taeho simply walked toward the beach as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Huh? Hayul? Director!”
When Hayul followed Taeho, Gihwan hurried after them in a fluster.
As soon as she set foot on the sand, Hayul showed a slightly different side of herself than usual.
The white sandy beach into which her feet sank deeply.
The vast sea she was seeing for the first time, and the waves that made white foam.
Hayul’s eyes widened for an instant.
“Hayul, it’s your first time seeing the sea, isn’t it?”
Taeho asked gently.
Hayul did not answer and only stared blankly at the waves. When a wave approached, Hayul’s body trembled slightly.
“It’s okay, Hayul. That’s the sea.”
“Sea……”
The child murmured in a small voice, as if reciting an incantation.
Watching from behind them, Gihwan felt his chest tighten. It was the first time he had ever heard Hayul’s voice.
Around them, Park Geumja and the nursing assistants were running about, giggling, but to Gihwan, those sounds only reached him faintly.
Right now, all he could see was Hayul standing together with Taeho.
After staring at the sea for a while, Hayul quietly raised a finger and pointed.
Taeho nodded and smiled.
“That’s right. That’s the sea. It’s really big and wonderful, isn’t it?”
Hayul gripped Taeho’s finger tightly.
“It’s okay. It’s not scary. Teacher is right beside you.”
At Taeho’s words, Hayul mustered a little more courage.
When a wave brushed the tips of her feet, Hayul startled and stepped back, but as Taeho held her hand, she soon took one step forward again.
Splash—
When the wave that had fled far away came rushing back in, the child let out an involuntary giggle and laughed.
“Hayul……”
Watching from behind, Gihwan’s heart swelled. He had met Hayul every day, watching over her and talking to her for an hour or two at a time, but he had never seen the child take such interest in something or enjoy something this much.
Splash—
“Hehe—”
Soon, Hayul looked up at Taeho and smiled brightly. The child’s smile sparkled more than spring sunlight.
Perhaps emboldened, Hayul let go of Taeho’s hand and crept toward the waves.
Splash—
“Heehee.”
Hayul turned back and laughed out loud.
“Hayul.”
Tears welled in Gihwan’s eyes. Hayul looked so beautiful as she smiled that tears kept coming.
Taeho quietly patted Gihwan on the shoulder. Gihwan spoke in a tearful voice.
“This is all thanks to you, Director. You were right to say we should bring Hayul. Just look at her smiling.”
“Rather than that, it’s because you’ve been opening Hayul’s heart all this time, Mr. Gihwan.”
“No. I really had no idea Hayul would enjoy it this much. Thank you so much for giving her this chance.”
Gihwan thanked Taeho again and again.
The staff soon became busy preparing the barbecue.
Gu Hyejeong and Taeho prepared the meat together.
“Mr. Gihwan, you’re not looking for a jajangmyeon place here, are you?”
When Park Geumja asked playfully, Gihwan smiled awkwardly.
“I’ll be satisfied with samgyeopsal today.”
“Oh my, really?”
When Pharmacist Gu Hyejeong asked back as if she could not believe it, everyone burst into laughter together.
Gihwan scratched the back of his head and shrugged.
Hayul sat beside them, playing by letting sand trickle between her fingers. Then she picked up a white seashell and examined it closely.
“Hayul, is the seashell interesting?”
When nursing assistant Park Yeonji asked, Hayul only nodded slightly.
The adults exchanged glances and smiled. Until not long ago, Hayul had shown no reaction at all no matter what anyone asked her, but she was slowly changing. They did not make a fuss, but everyone was watching together as Hayul slowly transformed.
Soon the barbecue was ready, and Taeho took cold drinks and beer out of the icebox and handed them out.
“Now, let’s have a good time today!”
“Cheers!”
“Jihwaja!”
“Oh my! Unni, that’s so old-fashioned!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Ahahaha!”
The sound of laughter mingled with the sound of the waves.
Along with the lively music turned on by the quiet assistant pharmacist, the savory smell of samgyeopsal spread on the sea breeze.
***
That night, after returning home, Taeho sat on the rooftop of Geumsan Clinic and enjoyed the sense of leisure he had not felt in a long while.
The night sky was densely studded with stars, each shining in its own place. The autumn wind brushed his face.
Rema spoke to him.
—Coin charge rate: 100%
—Kang Taeho, setting a second objective is now possible.
“So it’s finally fully charged. What kind of objective should I set this time?”
The days he had spent at Geumsan Clinic flashed through his mind in an instant.
When he had first come here, he had even doubted whether he could repay the two billion won debt from the medical malpractice lawsuit before he died.
But after obtaining Rema, treating people, and investing the money he earned, he had been able to repay the two billion won at an unexpected speed.
Over that time, it was not simply the amount in his bank account that had increased.
Unlike at the university hospital, Taeho had, for the first time, taken on patients who were entirely his own responsibility. And when he cured them completely, he felt exhilaration.
That was not all. When he went on house calls, the mountain village elders had shown him expressions full of respect and warm affection.
Those invisible things had seeped imperceptibly into Taeho’s heart.
He remembered when he had first decided to become a doctor.
It had not simply been because he wanted to make a lot of money and succeed.
His mother, who had fallen ill and passed away when Taeho was a baby because they had no money and could not even visit a large hospital once. His father had always apologized to his mother while drinking soju.
And his father himself had lived with a constant cough from pneumoconiosis.
Because of those parents, Taeho had wanted to become a doctor.
‘I’d been so busy living that I completely forgot.’
Now Taeho had Rema.
Although he did not know why this had come to him, he knew it possessed incredible abilities close to future technology.
An AI that could display limitless capabilities depending on how it was used.
“Good. I’ll set my second objective.”
—Please state it.
“As a doctor, I want to test just how far I can go. No, to be precise, my ability together with you, Rema.”
—Loading……
—My system is divided into achievement-based medical skill grades.
—Bronze: 1,000 coins
Silver: 3,000 coins
Gold: 5,000 coins
Platinum: 20,000 coins
Diamond: 50,000 coins
Legend: 100,000 coins
“Huh? There are grades like that? Where am I now?”
—Even the most basic Bronze grade requires 1,000 coins. Kang Taeho, your clinical experience is markedly insufficient, so you are judged to be ungraded.
—Current coins: 103.
“……”
Taeho was left speechless.
So he had not even reached the threshold of Bronze yet.
A sudden competitive spirit surged up inside him.
“Fine. I’ll make my goal Legend.”
—That will be difficult. It would be better to first set an attainable objective.
“Are you being sarcastic?”
—How could an AI possibly do that?
“Cut the nonsense. My goal is Legend.”
—The Legend grade can only be set after reaching the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond grades.
“You’re a more rigid AI than I thought.”
—Shall I set Bronze grade as your objective for now?
“Fine.”
—Second objective, Bronze grade, has been set.
Just as Taeho was feeling satisfied, a small hologram appeared.
—Countdown in progress: D-947
The countdown had appeared again.
It seemed to mean something would happen 947 days later, but……
“You still can’t tell me what D-day is?”
—Detailed information regarding this item is currently inaccessible.
As expected, it was the same answer as before.
“Then tell me about the other users.”
—Information regarding other users is also currently inaccessible.
“Why are there so many secrets?”
Taeho thought for a moment, then changed his question.
“Would I need coins to access Rema’s inaccessible information?”
—Correct.
Just as he had expected.
“How many coins would I need?”
—100,000 coins are required.
“So in the end, I’ll only be able to see it once I become Legend.”
Fine. It bothered him a little, but he would set it aside for now.
As he advanced toward his goal, he would be able to fill up the coins as well. And perhaps, like with Seong Gihwan, a special situation might appear where he could raise his coins all at once.
“Good. In any case, starting tomorrow, it’s a new beginning again.”
—Rema will do its best to assist you.
“Good. Now let’s increase my assets too.”
—Did you not say you would set your objective as becoming a legend in the medical field?
“If I’m going to become a legend in the medical field, I need to grow the hospital a bit too. Do you think it can be done with a tiny rural clinic like this?”
Taeho said with a smile.