Lifespan

In front of my eyes, Cha blinked slowly. Her lips smiled sweetly as her eyes met mine. It was her habit when her husband was teaching. She always looked at me when I was a hologram in another place.

"Don't stare me like that. I'm embarrassed."

"When else can I see my husband's face for so long? You must be hungry, right?" As usual, Cha teased me with her homemade dishes. It was my favorite Korean dish, and my appetite was whetted when I saw the meat.

"Woaaa! Bulgogi! How you get so many meat?"

My wife winked. Glancing at the furniture in our kitchen. I immediately understood why she was so cheerful.

"I cooked using the bio-printer that you fixed last night. The equipment is still good. I think it would be expensive to sell."

I was aware the original meaning of her words. A special dictionary of women's language. An unspoken word that my wife wanted that piece of junk.

"If you like it, take it. I won't sell it."

"Seriously? Can I use it?"

"Yes. After all, I'm making money for you, tho. If there's anything else, just use it."

Cha Hyunjae became even more excited. Pointing at the cell-decomposer connected to bio-printer. A housewife's dream kitchen appliance in this era.

"You know? I was hunting cockroaches. I put it into the cell-decomposer. The results are great!"

Oh, no wonder the meat was thick. The aroma was even better than the meat molded from air. It contained more protein. Without delay, Cha took the chopsticks and fed it to my mouth.

"Bon appetit, dear."

"Jal meokgesseumnida." I replied in her native language.

Cha was so cheerful today. All because of the junk she calls kitchenware. Her happiness was so simple. I felt like I had made her miserable for too long.

"Dear, why are you looking at me?"

"Ah, sorry." I snapped out of my reverie. Quickly changed the subject, talking about her holo-visit during my teaching session. "What did you talk about in Korea?"

Cha told me enthusiastically. Starting from atmosphere of Korea, condition of her family, to mom in-laws' request that I should impregnate her daughter. Exactly my daydream earlier. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who wanted to have a baby.

"Are you okay about this?" She said, questioning our commitment.

"I don't know. You know the risks of having children yourself, don't you?"

My wife nodded somberly. "But mom asked me to. My youngest brother already has two children. He's only 14."

I smiled bitterly. Having a baby was like an achievement in a poor country. Their hobbies were multiplying. My wife's siblings were too many. Her mother married young, at the age of eight, two years earlier than the recommended age. It was only natural that the human population had reached 24 billion.

Eric said only four billion?

What nonsense was that?

My wife's mood went into freefall. The topic of children became a nightmare for us. Looking at her gloomy face, I felt that there was something else she was a bit afraid to say. Cha only spoke after I was a bit pushy.

"Mom wants me to get pregnant before she dies. She's old, My Husband. She already has wrinkles."

I swallowed. Everyone knew that wrinkles were a sign of death. My mother-in-law's life could not be long. I felt guilty that my wife was too stoic.

No money, no children—what kind of husband am I?

***

My wife was in a somber mood after we talked about pregnancy. Until this time, she kept staring blankly at the balcony of the house. I couldn't stay in silence while her hand stroked her own belly. She was serious about having a child.

"Cha, are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm 20 now. Too old to have children."

I unconsciously closed my eyes as my breathing slowed down. Her words weren't wrong. We were a bit late if we wanted to have a baby. The logic was clear. We were too old. Even if we had a child next year, our baby would be orphaned at a very young age. We only had a few years left to be alive. I could not bear to think about it.

"Husband, if we delay again, the chances are getting slimmer. Can I get pregnant?"

I nodded slowly, silently prayed, though I didn't know to whom. I didn't know if God existed or not. If He did, I wondered why He gave us such short lives.

"Alright, I'll take the risk."

I stroked my wife's hair. Looking into her eyes and asked myself how long we would be together. I was afraid of being separated by death. I was afraid of leaving my wife behind if I died first. Or vice versa. This was the first time I had been afraid like this.

If Eric was right about our age, if we could live to 60, I wouldn't have been this afraid.

***

"Bratva, are you drunk?"

The next day, Eric's face was still bent. He looked surprised after I asked him. He rubbed his own ears, gesturing as if he had misheard me.

"I'm dead serious, Eric. Where did you get that information?"

"You finally enlightened, hahahaha!"

I was ashamed of myself when Eric started laughing. At the same time, I was embarrassed because I had already asked. A stupid theory that humans could live longer than the standard life expectancy.

"Eric, at least tell me your analysis. I promise I won't be skeptical." I was so desperate that I chose to say 'your analysis' rather than 'your bullshit'.

"Alright, hahahaha!"

"And stop laughing!"

Our room started to change. Eric turned it into a three-dimensional theater, showing me the scientific basis of the findings. A holographic photograph of a historical figure shows that the oldest man in history died at the age of 41.

"This man died 59 years ago. Do you know what I found?"

"Tell me as soon as possible. Don't beat around the bush."

Eric zoomed in on the head. I was dumbfounded when I saw so many wrinkle lines. In fact, just one line was already a sign that a person's age was only a matter of days.

"This is my theory, Divon. The older a person gets, the more wrinkles there are and the more obvious they are. This means that wrinkles are not a sign of death. They are a sign of aging."

I watched silently. Refraining myself from arguing. Despite my mouth already itching. For the sake of my wife, I was willing to be an idiot. Listening to stupid theories from my best friend. Eric enlarged the picture again until his hair was clearly visible.

"The hologram is broken?" I asked when I saw a strand of white hair.

"No, this hair is indeed white. I'm sure this hair is also a sign of aging," he replied even more absurdly.

I covered my own mouth with the temptation to argue. The term 'sign of aging' was too strange to my ears. This was the first time I heard it. Eric became even more absurd when he showed me a scary-looking human figure.

"This is a simulation drawing that a human can reach 60 years old. There are many wrinkles. There's also a lot of white hair. And it is said that their shit is also white. Oh my, literally white shits!"

I immediately gave up. I might become a real idiot if we continued on that topic. "Eric, I just want to know if there's any basis for your nonsense."

"Cyka Blyat!" Eric had to swear. He was angry that I was skeptical anymore. "Why are you asking that anyway? You just want to mock me? Huh!"

Depression kicked me in immediately. I was ashamed to say it. Back then, I was just like billions of other humans. Taking our short lives for granted, since hanging out with Eric in particular. My life was all about having fun. enjoying life before melting into particles.

However, things became different after I was with Cha. The time seemed to fly by. My life span felt short. Furthermore, I was so desperate with our recent situation. I wanted to find a solution if Eric was right about lifespan. I wanted to spend more time with my wife. Raising our child together, even if it was just an extra 10 years.

"Eric, I'm talking about this because of NeuVir."

Eric's face grew serious when I mentioned the company. NeuVir had controlled everything. Including education and science. This meant that whatever we learned was always sourced from them. And it also means that if NeuVir could not be trusted, there was a possibility that the knowledge I had was a hoax.

"Do you have any other information about lifespan?" I asked again.

"I do. But it's top secret. I spent a lot of money just for this information."

I started to get interested. From his expression, it couldn't be some stupid information. But Eric refused when I put my ear to the ground.

"You are indeed my best friend, Divon. But this info comes at a high price."

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes." I replied quickly because Eric wasn't interested in giving it for free.

The man looked doubtful. He asked me to wait for a moment and contact someone else. Then he came back with a more solemn look on his face.

"Alright, I have a job for you. I'll give you a hint as an upfront payment."

"Yes, tell me. I'm ready to do anything!"

The man was still anxious. He turned on the jammer so that this topic would not leak to anyone.

"Divon, before he died, the eldest man gave a final message. And that message was destroyed by NeuVir."

My eyes widened. That message should be important enough for NeuVIR to destroy it.

"What message, Eric? Tell me, can it extend my life?"

Eric actually laughed out loud. He gave me an answer I'd never thought of.

"Break into NeuVir's server. Get the treasure you hid three years ago. Once it's in my hands, the information will be yours."

***

Since being fired from NeuVir, I just wanted to live a normal life. I wanted happiness with my wife and kept away from drama that would trigger her trauma. However, after three years of being a good citizen, I returned to that place. The place that allowed me to spend the years in jail

Whatever!

For Cha's sake, I was willing to die.

BEEP!

"Attention, you are entering the central server illegally!"

BEEP!

"Your DNA code cannot be confirmed. Please exit the server immediately."

All around me was a vast blue space. There is nothing but a collection of old-school binary codes. The numbers of a computer program. My two hands were still busy tapping the panels that had sprung up out of thin air. Some panels are small, some are large. Every now and then I command the sound when my hands are too busy.

"Sector 35C, 9478905 point 83, sub point 78, open access for room 337."

"Access has not been authorized. Please reconfirm."

My vision was still flashing. A sign that I had not been able to penetrate the system. But that was not a problem. Even if the panel color had turned red. I still penetrated it with the skills I remembered so far.

BEEP!

"You are entering a personal file belonging to an employee by the name of Divon Andi Armata. Access is encrypted. The owner has been blacklisted."

I input the numbers once more. In an instant, the blue room in front of me is now an office.

BEEP!

"Attention! You are violating article 336 of the Neuro-Virtual law. You will ..."

I only had five minutes. I quickly opened drawers, cabinets, and safes whose codes I still remembered. All virtual, of course. It wasn't hard to do. As soon as I found the object, I left the server as quickly as possible. Leaving the hologram room of my old company.

Fortunately, the code was still valid.

***

"Where did you come from?" my wife asked after I opened my eyes.

"Contacting the school committee." I lied. Cha could not know that I just hijacked NeuVir's server. The highest crime that carries the death penalty

"How did you sweat so much?"

"It's hot, hahahaha!"

My wife frowned. Her eyes began to glaze over.

"Do you have a mistress?"

"Hell no!"

My wife laughed because there was no way I dared do that.

"Dear, I still have 75,000 Hatta credit from last night. Shall I return it?"

"Just use it all at will. Consider it a gift from me."

I felt guilty as my wife became happier. 75,000 Hatta was very precious to us. Moreover, Cha rarely communicated because we couldn't afford it.

"Dear, my brothers asked me to travel to Russia. Is 75,000 enough for 10 people?"

I didn't want to think long. My wife was shocked when she saw the balance. She stared at me with a suspicious look on her face.

"200,000 Hatta? That's two months of your salary. Where did you get the money?"

"Selling junk." Once more, I answered quickly. I changed the subject before she became more suspicious. "You might as well buy a language program. You don't speak Russian yet, do you?"

My wife tried to talking back. But she dropped it when I gave the impression that I didn't want to argue. She immediately installed the language program and practiced it on me.

"Отлично, спасибо. Меня зовут Ча Хён Джэ. Как тебя зовут?"

"да, меня зовут Дивон." I replied in the same language. "You able to speak Russian, right? Go on a vacation."

Cha was getting suspicious. Any wife would be suspicious when her husband makes rash gestures. But I didn't have time. I picked up her slender body and put her on a soft chair. Kissed her lips as passionately as I could. Asked her to take a vacation soon in the form of holographic data.

Oh my, one problem solved.

As my wife sat in silence, I sat in another chair. Activated the mind command to display the communication panels. I pressed the panels immediately. In an instant, my living room was transformed into the balcony of a villa.

Eric's villa.

"So, what's the information?"