Taeho placed his hand on the hologram.
“Confirm.”
The golden screen turned purple.
Rema’s logo disappeared, and in its place appeared a symbol he had never seen before.
It was the form of the Staff of Asclepius combined with a DNA double helix.
-Project Asclepius
-Access Level: Gold
The video began to play.
The background that appeared on the screen was somewhere on a quiet mountain.
A Western man who looked to be in his mid-sixties appeared. His graying hair stirred lightly in the wind, but more than anything, his deep eyes looked extraordinarily wise.
“Mr. Gang Taeho, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Alexander Kramer.”
Taeho had heard that name before.
A Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine twenty years ago. However, he was known to have died in an unexpected accident five years earlier.
“If you are watching this message, it means you have reached the Gold rank of the Rema system. Congratulations. You are the only person in human history to be recognized for this ‘potential.’”
Taeho’s eyes widened.
“Rema is not merely a medical AI. Rema is part of a project for the future of humanity.”
The scenery behind Dr. Kramer changed.
There were people all over the world suffering as they wasted away from disease.
“Humanity has fought against disease, but we have always been one step too late. Countless lives vanished before we could find a cure. That is why we began ‘Project Asclepius.’”
Asclepius was the god of medicine and healing in Greek mythology.
When he revived even the dead with his exceptional medical skill, Zeus ultimately struck him down with a thunderbolt.
“Our goal is to accelerate humanity’s medical evolution. To find doctors with great potential, amplify their abilities, and ultimately discover talents who will lead humanity to a new level of medicine.”
Images appeared on the screen of people wiped out en masse by epidemics.
“Your current skill may not yet be the best in the world. Veteran doctors at Harvard or Johns Hopkins may possess more experience and knowledge. But after analyzing 12.8 million medical professionals around the world, you were the only one with the potential to achieve true medical innovation. The fact that you have reached Gold rank is proof that you are not simply an outstanding doctor. You are someone who makes the impossible possible through intuition, empathy, and innovation.”
Dr. Kramer stepped closer to the camera.
“Mr. Gang Taeho, it is no coincidence that you obtained Bio-Vision. It is part of a technology that maximizes the potential of the human body. Your brain was already prepared to possess such an ability, and Rema merely activated it.”
Dr. Kramer spread both hands and smiled.
“Now you must choose. Will you remain an ordinary doctor, or will you become a member of Project Asclepius and take part in surpassing the limits of medicine?”
Dr. Kramer looked at Taeho and said,
“Mr. Gang Taeho, will you participate in ‘Project Asclepius’? If you wish to participate, please say, ‘Approve.’ Then we will provide further information and guide you through the next steps.”
The video stopped. Two choices floated on the hologram screen.
[Approve] [Defer]
“Approve.”
The hologram shone brightly, and a message appeared.
-Project Asclepius user approval confirmed
-Registrant: Gang Taeho / Gold rank
-Please enter a code name.
‘A code name?’
Looking at the small cursor blinking on the screen, Taeho held his breath for a moment.
Memories flashed before his eyes.
His failure in Seoul, the moments he had been cast out by those he trusted, the day he had first stood before the old clinic in Geumsan-ri after losing everything.
Once, he had been ruled by defeat and despair, but now he had risen again here.
He would never collapse again.
Countless emotions surged hotly in Taeho’s chest.
“Revival.”
-Code name registered: Revival
-System updating······.
The screen changed, and a sharp-eyed Asian woman in her thirties appeared as a hologram.
“Hello, Mr. Gang Taeho. I am Lin Wang, the current director of ‘Project Asclepius.’”
After the formal greeting, Lin went straight to the point.
“Welcome to Gold membership. You will now have special authority and responsibilities. I do not mean to disparage your current abilities, Mr. Gang Taeho. But to be frank, compared to the world’s top medical professionals, there is still a technical gap.”
Profiles of medical staff from famous hospitals around the world appeared on the screen.
“However, there is a decisive difference between them and you. They have already reached their peak, and further growth is limited. Your potential, on the other hand, is immeasurable.”
Lin’s gaze turned serious.
“According to the Rema system’s predictions, if you continue to grow at your current pace, within two years you will reach a realm no medical professional in the world can match. But that is only a possibility. Your abilities are being utilized in far too limited a manner in a small rural clinic. To fully realize your potential, you need a larger stage.”
Lin switched the screen and showed images of two hospitals.
“Gilcheon Medical Center or Seyoung Seoul Hospital. At present, both are prepared to offer considerable terms in order to recruit you.”
At the mention of Seyoung Hospital, Taeho’s expression hardened.
Lin pretended not to notice and continued.
“To level up from Gold to Platinum, you need access to more patient data and advanced equipment. Above all, you must increase your international influence. Transferring to a major medical institution is an indispensable step in that process.”
“I will not leave Geumsan Clinic.”
“But Mr. Gang Taeho······.”
“Let me explain. There are already more than enough large hospitals. But what is truly needed is a new paradigm in medicine.”
Taeho raised his hand and operated Rema’s interface, bringing up a 3D model of Geumsan Clinic on the hologram screen. It was a model he had envisioned long ago, thinking that he would expand Geumsan Clinic.
“I will transform Geumsan Clinic into a world-class medical center. But in a way completely different from existing large hospitals.”
The model expanded, adding new buildings and facilities.
“Patient-centered integrated treatment. A rapid treatment system that breaks down the barrier between new drug development and clinical application. A symbiotic model that grows together with the local community. I will bring all of it together.”
“But in that case, wouldn’t it be better to simply start at a large hospital······.”
“Large hospitals pursue efficiency and economies of scale. But I pursue different values. Humanity, immediacy, and the freedom to innovate.”
Lin Wang’s eyes, as she listened, gleamed strangely.
“There must be many practical constraints to expanding from Geumsan Clinic’s current scale.”
“Of course. But those very constraints will become the driving force that stimulates creativity.”
Taeho continued confidently.
“If I go to Seyoung Hospital or Gilcheon Center, I’ll be absorbed into the existing system and shackled by their bureaucracy. Instead, I want to establish a new standard at Geumsan Clinic.”
A smile gradually spread across Lin’s lips.
“Dr. Gang, it seems you already understand the essence of ‘Project Asclepius.’”
“What do you mean?”
“We are not looking for people who merely conform to existing systems. We are looking for people with the courage to pioneer new paths.”
A light of respect passed through Lin Wang’s eyes.
“What matters most is your vision, Mr. Gang Taeho. You are more than what we were searching for.”
Lin Wang’s hologram disappeared, and Rema’s interface appeared again.
-Protocol conversion complete
-Building code name ‘Revival’ system······.
-Progress: 17%
With his heart swelling, Taeho looked out the window at the brightening dawn.
***
The early morning air was exceptionally clear.
Today was Hayul’s first day of kindergarten.
She wore a pretty new dress, and with her hair braided into two pigtails, she looked incredibly cute.
“Hayul.”
When Taeho called her, Hayul looked only at the floor as if awkward. Seeing her small hands clasped tightly together, she was clearly very nervous.
Taeho smiled gently and took a small block piece from his pocket, placing it in Hayul’s hand.
“This is the block you like, Hayul. If you feel anxious, put it in your pocket and take it with you. It’ll help you feel a little better.”
Hayul turned the block this way and that in her palm. The familiar feel of the block she always played with at home seemed to ease her mind at least a little.
Beside them, Gihwan said,
“If the kids at kindergarten are too noisy, you can use this.”
When he carefully placed the children’s headset he had prepared in advance over Hayul’s ears, Hayul’s eyes widened in wonder. A low, steady white noise flowed from the pink headset.
Hayul nodded and touched the headset, adjusting its position.
Taeho wrapped an arm around Hayul’s small shoulders and said,
“It might be a little hard because it’s your first time······ but our Hayul can do well. Right?”
“Yes.”
“What is our Hayul good at?”
“Drawing pictures.”
“That’s right. What else are you good at?”
“Making blocks.”
“That’s right. What else can you do well?”
“Matching shapes.”
“Exactly. Our Hayul is good at lots of things.”
“Yes. Hayuri is good.”
Hayul answered bravely, but she gripped the block even tighter. Seeing the joints of the child’s small fingers turn white, Taeho’s heart grew heavy.
Gihwan, too, shook his head and stamped his feet anxiously.
“This really won’t do, Director. How can such a tiny kid go to kindergarten? They say daycare and kindergarten are worlds apart······.”
“We already talked about this, Mr. Gihwan. Hayul needs interaction and experience with social life.”
As a result of a thorough diagnosis, Hayul was not autistic.
The final judgment was that it was the result of not having enough interaction with caregivers as a baby and being neglected.
The pediatric psychiatrist said it would be good for Hayul to experience various things. Until now, while Taeho and Gihwan were working, a nanny had looked after Hayul at home. But now, for the sake of diverse experiences, they had decided to send her to kindergarten.
Taeho patted Gihwan on the back as if he understood his anxious heart.
“Believe in Hayul. She’ll do well.”
“But even so······.”
“Hayuri can do it good.”
Hayul said, looking up at Gihwan.
Taeho’s face brightened, while Gihwan looked both proud and heartbroken, not knowing what to do with himself.
“Hayul. But if you ever want to come home, tell your teacher, okay?”
Hayul quietly nodded.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t scared.
In the past, Hayul had often been scared. There had been many times when she had been alone in the house. But after meeting her uncles, she had not been scared. No, because her uncles were always looking out for her, she had no time to be scared.
Hayul wanted to show her uncles that she could do well.
So she gripped the block tightly and headed to kindergarten.