Chronicles of Neo-Joseon Episode 001
#Required Reading
This novel is a work of fiction.
It may differ from actual history or facts.
#Back Through the Centuries
"How much is left?"
"Only a little. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, excavation complete! We will now begin mining."
"Please, the predictions have to be right…."
"There won't be any problems. We checked three times, and a massive amount of Ellium was buried there. The raw ore will be mined in about an hour."
An employee stood before a computer monitor displaying the excavation progress.
He was a tall man with neat features, and his name was 'Yu Seonghan'.
And he was an employee belonging to the Korean Space Development Administration.
He was supervising the workers' operations.
His gaze, as he monitored, held both worry and anticipation, directed toward a tunnel that looked as though worms had gnawed through it.
A desolate desert surrounded them like a folding screen, and he kept his eyes on the railway tracks stretching into the tunnel.
And he watched as rocks generated from the excavation poured out.
He flinched at the sight of rocks being carried out by a computer-controlled freight train, then began waiting calmly once more.
Seonghan's superior approached, leading his attendants.
The superior's name was Jo Hyeonsik.
The middle-aged superior asked Seonghan.
"How much longer?"
"About an hour."
"In an hour, our country's future will change too. You know how much we've groveled because of that damn Ellium… I thought my back would wear out and snap from all the bending. No more bowing and scraping to America."
"But didn't they sell us Ellium because we're an allied nation? I still think they're better than China, who goes on about tributary states, or Japan, who won't acknowledge history."
"If they sold it thinking of us, I'd be grateful. But you know their true intention was for us to get mixed up fighting on the Earth-like planets that China and Japan had already seized. If we hadn't concealed the fact that we discovered this planet, they would never have sold us Ellium. They would have tried to monopolize it alone and devour the other Earth-like planets. I'm talking about Cygnus A or B. Or they would have tried to take over the entire universe."
"Would an alien civilization sit idly by and watch that?"
"If there were any, wouldn't they have attacked us already? And scholars say we might be the first intelligent lifeforms in the universe. Considering the future age of the universe, that is. Anyway, we have to secure Ellium, the fuel needed for spatial leaps. Only then can we obtain resources we lack from other planets."
His regret for the nation was great.
In the thousands of years of Korean history, the only era when they had stood proud against other nations and peoples was the mid–Three Kingdoms period, the golden age of Goguryeo.
Aside from that, they had had to serve greater powers, and had to be satisfied with cramped territories having lost their ancestral lands.
They had endured Japanese colonial rule and the era of division between North and South.
After suffering the tragedy of fratricidal conflict, they had swayed to the national interests of neighboring countries, before barely achieving reunification and beginning to build national power.
Then, as the era of space pioneering began, they secured spatial leap technology following America.
Yet the benefits of resources were still not granted to them.
Ellium, used for spatial leaps, had emerged as a new resource that would change humanity's future when it was discovered in the mantle layer.
But even that had limited deposits; while it was discovered in America, China, and even Japan, it had not been found in the Republic of Korea.
The people had no choice but to lament the lack of natural resources, blaming Grandfather Dangun.
Even as the world advanced into space, there were times when they had to bow their heads and accede to the demands of other nations.
They could not call to account those who refused to repent for their past wrongs.
They could not even raise an objection to the unfair treatment of arrogant nations.
But he believed that such humiliation would now finally end.
Freight cars began emerging from the tunnel once more.
While people's gazes focused on the freight car carrying out ore, Seonghan calmed his pounding heart and checked the results of the mining with a composed demeanor.
And he saw ore shining crystal-clear like jade.
The composition of the ore loaded on the freight car was analyzed through cameras and sensors installed in the tunnel.
The technician watching the computer screen shouted loudly.
"It's Ellium! Purity over eighty percent! It's a success!"
"Waaaah!"
"We can establish colonies too! Kwa-hahaha!"
Thunderous cheers erupted.
Everyone embraced each other, raising their hands high in joy.
Only then did Seonghan also shout, savoring the exhilaration.
He imagined occupying planets beyond the stars, extracting from them resources needed by the people, and becoming the world's greatest nation.
And he even imagined the magnanimous act of making China and Japan acknowledge their wrongs and forgiving the two nations, while beginning to anticipate the moments to come.
Believing that everything had been accomplished, his tension released.
As he was shouting, Seonghan staggered.
Hyeonsik snickered and asked Seonghan.
"Did all the blood rush to your head?"
Seonghan let out a hollow laugh and spoke to Hyeonsik.
"I haven't been able to sleep properly for days. I think I need to rest a little."
"Right. You've suffered so much; you should rest now. Go on ahead. I'll take care of things here."
"Yes, Chief."
"See you tomorrow."
"Yes… thank you."
He bowed at the waist to express his gratitude.
And just as he began moving his steps toward the break room.
The world tilted, and a dull sound rang out.
"Manager Yu!"
The superior's voice echoed like a hallucination.
The fatigue that had gone unresolved for days surged in like a tidal wave.
He had been wounded on the head and blood was flowing down, but he lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep to the point that he could not even feel that pain.
And when he opened his eyes, he realized the scenery before him had changed.
A white ceiling was visible, and the softness of a bed could be felt behind his back.
And he confirmed the presence of curtains enclosing his surroundings.
He recalled the past memories and soon realized that he had lost consciousness and collapsed.
He squeezed his eyes shut and furrowed his brow.
Seonghan could tell where he was.
The curtains were drawn aside, and a woman's voice was heard.
"You're awake. How is it, you okay?"
It was an unenthusiastic voice.
A female doctor in a white gown came to Seonghan's side and looked down at him with an indifferent gaze.
Her face had no trace of makeup, and her pretty hair, which likely would have been beautiful if let down, was tied behind her nape and covered in a hairnet.
It was, unmistakably, an appearance meant for saving people.
And that was a face he had seen frequently just a few months ago.
A name tag attached to the gown was engraved with the name 'An Jiyeon'.
Frowning, he sat up and asked the doctor.
"…How long has it been?"
To Seonghan's question, Jiyeon answered.
"About eighteen hours? You slept like a corpse without waking up in between. With all the commotion people were making, I thought something serious had happened. So, how is it? Does anything else hurt?"
"My head hurts… and I'm exhausted to death. Because I couldn't sleep properly for days…."
"Then you're fine."
Jiyeon left before the conversation could even finish.
Seonghan narrowed his brows as he looked at the drawn curtain.
"Cold-hearted… but she thought something serious happened… Hmm…."
Half a year ago, they had been lovers.
But now, they were complete strangers.
As Seonghan was chewing over what Jiyeon had said, the curtain was drawn aside again.
And Jiyeon returned and spoke decisively.
"Aren't you getting up now? You look fine. The wound on your head is nothing serious, so if you go to the barracks and get plenty of rest, it'll heal up cleanly."
"……."
"What are you doing? Not vacating the bed."
He stared at Jiyeon with a dumbfounded expression.
He wanted to claim that he was still a patient, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears.
In the end, he shook his head and rose from his place.
He put on his shoes, found his outerwear, and put it on before leaving the clinic.
He looked at the igloo-shaped clinic and thought many thoughts.
Then, just as he began moving his steps toward the barracks, he ran into a security platoon heading somewhere with their gear.
The platoon leader was someone Seonghan knew very well.
"Hyung."
"Seonghyeok."
"You okay? I heard you collapsed?"
The platoon leader set down his gear and asked.
He was Seonghan's younger brother, a man serving in the military.
Marine Corps First Lieutenant 'Yu Seonghyeok' was his name.
And he was a younger brother who could be mistaken for Seonghan if one did not look closely, due to his similar height and appearance.
When he asked his brother, Seonghan showed him the gauze and bandage stuck between his hair.
"Aside from a slight injury to my head, I'm fine. I think it's exhaustion from not being able to sleep for several days."
"You should have rested more."
"How could I rest? I had to keep seeing her face… Anyway, are you heading back to Earth now?"
"Yeah."
"Go back first. I think it'll take me a bit more time. Be careful on your way back."
"You be careful too, Hyung."
"Yeah, I will."
Seonghyeok knew what he meant by having to see her face.
Pointing to the wound on Seonghan's head, Seonghyeok told him to be careful.
Seonghan answered that he understood and sent him off to the transport ship.
They said they would see each other on Earth in a few months.
Jiyeon was watching the two meet and part through the window.
Then she moved away from the window.
There were not many, but there were patients she had to treat as a doctor.
Transport ships were landed on the outskirts of the mining site.
The bridge crew expressed anticipation for the Ellium that had begun to be mined.
The first officer (副長) sitting in the chair checked the transport ship's status through the first officer station screen.
Though they had completed thorough maintenance, he performed a final check.
"Amplified rocket engine, all normal. Ion engine, all normal. Warp drive engine, all normal. Deck officer, deck officer."
—This is the deck officer.
"Is the cargo hold clear of anomalies?"
—No anomalies.
"Confirmed. Cargo hold is fine; now I need to check the defense systems."
Because it was a transport ship, it did not have a separate weapons officer.
The first officer was in charge of the transport ship's defense.
He began checking the electronic defense screen and the 'AS Interceptor Missile (Anti Sparrow Missle)' and 'Close-In Weapon System (close―in weapon system)' by computer.
Because they were defensive weapons that responded automatically via the computer controlling the transport ship, software errors absolutely could not occur.
Fortunately, the check results showed no anomalies.
Finishing the check, he picked up the coffee cup he had set aside.
His eyes flashed from beneath his cap as he surveyed the scenery visible outside the bridge windows.
On the name tag on his left chest, the name 'Jang Seongho' was engraved.
He was a man with a masculine appearance befitting his age of thirty-one.
While he was drinking coffee and looking outside, the navigator (航海長) sitting in the cockpit spoke to him.
His name was 'Heo Yun'.