Taeho sat in front of the MinION sequencer, peering into the RNA structure of the Prometheus virus. On the screen, the virus’s genetic map was spread out. A, T, G, C. It looked like a long sentence made of four letters arranged endlessly.
“You’re probably like the others too, aren’t you?”
Taeho zoomed in on the screen.
Viruses usually carry only the information necessary to replicate themselves. The parts that make proteins, the parts that infiltrate cells, the parts that evade immunity—normally, they have only exactly what they need.
But this virus had far too many sections that seemed useless. It was as if dozens of blank pages had been inserted into a book.
Taeho turned on Biovision.
The flat RNA base sequence unfolded three-dimensionally. It was like a transparent skein of thread floating in midair.
In that instant, he saw the pattern.
‘I found it!’
ATGC was not arranged at random; it had been placed according to a specific rule. Like Morse code.
Taeho immediately called Rema.
“Rema, convert this base sequence into numbers. A is 00, T is 01, G is 10, C is 11.”
-Starting conversion.
The screen flickered.
The listed letters began changing into numbers, one by one.
And those numbers changed back into letters.
-Conversion complete.
Taeho held his breath.
At the center of the screen, a message appeared in black letters.
PROMETHEUSFINAL / BS2048 / CHRONOS PROTOCOL
ACTIVATION DATE: 2025.12.25.00:00:00 GMT
TARGETS: 50 CITIES / SYNCHRONOUS RELEASE
“Christmas?”
December 25.
The day the whole world was at its most excited. The day people poured into the streets to enjoy the festivities.
“A simultaneous terrorist attack on fifty cities…”
Taeho rose from his chair. His heart was pounding.
Taeho stepped out of the container.
The cold dawn air struck his face. But it did not clear his head. His mind was in turmoil. Several questions still remained unresolved.
“Rema, what does BS2048 mean?”
-There are several possibilities.
Rema explained calmly.
-It may refer to the RSA2048 encryption method.
“Encryption?”
-Yes. It is one of the methods used in computer security. Information is locked with a 2048-bit key. It is so powerful that even a supercomputer would have difficulty breaking it.
Taeho thought for a moment.
“Then does that mean this message itself is encrypted?”
-It is possible. What we saw may only be the surface, and the real information may be hidden deeper.
“What’s another possibility?”
-The number of bits in a quantum computer. 2048 qubits.
“A quantum computer?”
-Quantum computers are thousands of times faster than ordinary computers. They are still in the experimental stage, but if someone has already developed one, they could breach security systems all over the world.
A chill ran down Taeho’s spine.
Chronos was the god of time in Greek mythology.
There was a strong possibility that this protocol was related to time.
Had it been made so that the whole world would activate simultaneously at a predetermined moment?
“I need to secure all the samples and data.”
Taeho returned to the container and placed all the samples into special freezing cases.
Forty-seven virus samples, 123 patient blood samples, the complete RNA sequencing data, and the encrypted message.
They weighed quite a bit. When he lifted the bag, it felt like it was over fifteen kilograms.
Just in case, he decided he would request an escort from the UN on the way back.
***
Three UN escort vehicles were waiting in the hospital courtyard.
Taeho loaded the sample cases into the vehicles and was checking the ward one last time.
Gihwan approached him.
“Director, we’re ready to depart.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Just as Taeho was about to head to the vehicle.
“Doctor!”
A voice came from afar.
When Taeho turned his head, he saw people walking in a line from the village entrance.
At the very front was Masika, holding her younger brother Kassim’s hand. Behind them, the children’s mother, Rose, followed while holding the youngest, Yusuf, in her arms.
And behind them were the villagers. Other survivors with familiar faces were there as well.
“Doctor!”
“Masika.”
Taeho bent down to meet Masika at eye level.
Masika shyly held out the paper she was carrying.
When he unfolded it, he saw a picture drawn in crayon.
A person in a white protective suit. Beside him, three children were eating and smiling.
Beneath the picture, crooked letters had been written.
‘THANK YOU DOCTOR’
Taeho stared at the picture for a long while.
“You drew this really well.”
When he stroked her head, Masika showed her teeth in a bright smile.
Kassim rushed at Taeho and hugged his leg.
“Doctor, will you come again?”
Taeho stroked Kassim’s head.
“Yes. I’ll definitely come back.”
Rose put Yusuf down and stood before Taeho.
“Thank you for saving my life. Doctor, you saved my children too.”
Rose could not continue and began to cry.
Taeho shook his head.
“You overcame it, Rose. All I did was help from beside you.”
“No. If you hadn’t been here, we…”
Rose took a small bracelet out of her pocket. It was a bracelet made of wooden beads. It looked handmade.
“I made this. Please accept it.”
Taeho accepted the bracelet.
“Thank you.”
“Doctor, I heard you’re going to build a health center for us.”
“That’s not me. The Amira Medical Foundation has decided to build a health center in Ngili.”
“I heard you’re even supporting all the school expenses for Masika, Kassim, and Yusuf.”
Taeho smiled as he looked at Masika.
“Masika is a clever child. If she receives a proper education, she’ll play an important role someday.”
Taeho approached Masika and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Masika, study hard.”
“Yes.”
“And take good care of your younger siblings.”
“Yes.”
Masika flung her arms around Taeho.
“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll study hard and repay you for sure.”
“Don’t cry, and stay healthy until I come back next time. All right?”
Masika nodded.
The villagers approached Taeho one by one to say goodbye.
“Doctor, thank you for saving my son.”
“You are someone sent by God.”
The survivors came in a line, shaking his hand, embracing him, and expressing their gratitude.
Taeho hugged each of them and held their hands.
“Stay healthy.”
“See you again.”
“Stay strong.”
The UN escort captain approached.
“Doctor, we must depart.”
“Understood.”
Taeho looked back at the villagers one last time.
More than a hundred people were standing in a line.
All of them were waving.
Taeho got into the vehicle.
He lowered the window.
Masika ran up and placed her hand on the window.
“Doctor! Please come back!”
“I will.”
The vehicle began moving slowly.
Masika ran after the car for a long while. She ran, panting for breath, until the car carrying the doctor disappeared into the dust and could no longer be seen.
Even in her young heart, she realized that the benefactor from Korea had completely changed her life. Masika vowed, again and again, that she would study hard so as not to shame that benefactor.
Taeho waved until they disappeared from sight.
At last, when the village vanished from view, Taeho raised the window.
Gihwan spoke quietly from the seat beside him.
“Director. You really did something good.”
“Rather than something good, I only did what had to be done.”
Inside the car, Taeho connected to the satellite internet.
He requested an emergency video conference with Director-General Maria.
Maria’s face appeared on the screen.
-Doctor Kang, I heard the situation in Ngili has stabilized. You’ve done well.
“Thank you, Director-General. But there is something I need to report urgently.”
Taeho shared his screen.
The encrypted message appeared before Maria.
PROMETHEUSFINAL / BS2048 / CHRONOS PROTOCOL
ACTIVATION DATE: 2025.12.25.00:00:00 GMT
TARGETS: 50 CITIES / SYNCHRONOUS RELEASE
Maria’s face turned pale as she read the message.
-What is this?
“A message hidden in the virus RNA.”
Taeho explained slowly.
“Ngili was a rehearsal.”
-A rehearsal?
“Yes. The real target is a simultaneous attack on fifty cities around the world on December 25.”
Maria was left speechless.
-Is the evidence certain?
“The virus’s base sequence itself is the evidence. Someone intentionally embedded this information into the virus.”
Taeho enlarged the screen.
“They’re tying the whole world to a single clock and making it all activate at a set time.”
-Good heavens! Who could create something like this?
“It would require state-level resources. Designing a virus and distributing it simultaneously around the world isn’t something an individual or a small terrorist organization could do.”
Maria was silent for a moment.
-WHO will move to find the culprit’s whereabouts as much as possible.
“Thank you.”
-But Doctor Kang, this is the realm of intelligence agencies. We need experts from places like the CIA, MI6, or Mossad. I know you are an extraordinary person, but this is not something you should handle alone.
“I know. I have something in mind too.”
Before turning off the screen, Taeho spoke one last time.
“Director-General, aside from the data I’ve transmitted, I’ll be taking the samples and data with me personally.”
-To where?
“Korea.”
Maria’s eyes widened.
-Why Korea?
“My research institute is there.”
Taeho hesitated for a moment, then added.
“Some of the traces of the organization behind this seem to be connected to Korea.”
-Are you certain?
“Not yet. Even so, it’s worth tracing.”
Maria let out a long sigh.
-Understood. Be careful, Doctor Kang.
“Thank you.”
The screen went dark.
Taeho immediately transmitted the data to two locations, then looked out the window.
Congo’s red dirt road stretched endlessly on.
Gihwan muttered as he looked out the window.
“Director, we’re finally going back to Korea. It feels like much more time has passed than actually has.”
For some reason, Gihwan looked excited. It was because of his anticipation of seeing Sophie again.
***
Sophie received the encrypted file Taeho had sent.
Jeong Minsu peered at the monitor beside her.
“What is this?”
“It’s the virus sequencing data Director Kang sent.”
When Sophie opened the file, RNA base sequences flooded the screen.
“Wow. It’s incredibly long.”
“Right? But there’s a strange section.”
Sophie enlarged the noncoding region.
“This part is too long. Ordinary viruses don’t have such long sections, do they?”
“Huh, that really is strange.”
Jeong Minsu’s eyes gleamed.
“Director Kang even told us the conversion method.”
Sophie ran the program.
A few seconds later, a message appeared on the screen.
PROMETHEUSFINAL / BS2048 / CHRONOS PROTOCOL
Jeong Minsu murmured.
“BS2048. Does it mean the year 2048? Or is it a code?”
“I’m not sure.”
At that moment, a warning alarm sounded from the research institute’s server.
External intrusion attempt detected.
“What the!”
Jeong Minsu quickly typed on the keyboard.
“Someone is hacking our server!”
“Trace the IP!”
“I’m on it. Ah, this is the dark web. I don’t think we can trace it.”
Sophie immediately strengthened the firewall.
“We blocked it for now. But…”
“But what?”
“I think someone is watching us. The hacking attempt came in as soon as Director Kang sent the data.”
“You’re right. This is no joke.”
Sophie sent Taeho an urgent message.
Urgent: Hacking attempt on research institute server detected.
Someone is monitoring us.
Data backup complete, security being strengthened.
Be careful.
***
Taeho’s tablet vibrated.
It was Sophie’s message.
When Taeho looked at the screen and his face hardened, Gihwan asked.
“What is it, Director?”
“Geumsan Research Institute was hit with a hacking attempt.”
“What?”
“Someone is after our data. That means we’re already being tracked.”
Taeho spoke to the driver.
“Please increase the speed.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
The vehicle accelerated.
‘I just hope nothing happens before we reach Kinshasa…’
Taeho looked out the window. The red dirt road stretched on endlessly. On both sides was dense forest.
‘But it’s too quiet, isn’t it?’
Something was wrong.