Breaking Boundaries in Literature: The Nobel Prize and Korea's Untold Stories

Chapter 3. Overlapping Universes: One Event from Diverse Perspectives

Maya sighed, then slowly began to explain. "We needed to conduct a few tests. You see, your manuscript... we had to gauge how accurately you understand the concept of 'parallel universes.' We had our doubts about whether you might already be aware of us."

"Your book was surprisingly close to the truth. But the fact that you couldn't solve the Riemann function was a comforting indication for us. Keep this in mind: the sixth universe doesn't exist in the multiverse. The concept of parallel universes means that the second and third universes run parallel to each other, while the fifth and seventh universes do the same. The reason is simple: it's all about prime numbers."

Choi Min nodded at Maya's distant voice and turned to me. "You're right; language is a concept we've defined for our communication, just like you said in your manuscript. But numbers, they're something else entirely."

He paused for a moment, as if feeling the air around us, and then continued, carefully selecting his words. "Even if humanity faces extinction, numbers—precisely, mathematics—will endure. When you walk into a restaurant and say, 'I'd like three,' we naturally use numbers. Yet the concept of numbers transcends human existence. Numbers are fundamental, primal ideas. Without them, we might find ourselves endlessly repeating 'pi, pi, pi' without any direction."

Choi Min took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "Even if language disappears, humanity falls, or the world crumbles, numbers will persist in the universe. We haven't yet discovered extraterrestrial life beyond Earth in the fifth universe. So, if we ever make contact with aliens, we can communicate through these numbers. This mystery forms a common ground between humanity and alien civilizations, and within it lies a structure, a set of rules, or perhaps hidden irregularities that act as another language amidst the vastness of the universe."

At that moment, Maya's voice chimed in again. "According to the Riemann Hypothesis, there are infinitely many prime numbers. Yet, within those primes lies a certain order. What we've discovered is that the moment the laws governing these primes align with quantum mechanics—this is when the universes achieve parallelism. The relationships between the second and third universes, and the fifth and seventh, form the very links that connect the cosmos."

A torrent of information flooded my mind all at once. The theories I had envisioned in my book were materializing right before me. "What you wrote in that book is quite creative," Maya remarked, a brief smile lighting her face. "However, there are still truths you haven't unraveled. Discovering them is part of our experiment. That's why we needed to observe you more closely."

I opened my mouth again. "Then why did you abduct another version of us from the seventh universe?" My voice trembled, but beneath the question lay an endless well of uncertainty.

Maya answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Why do you think we did it? You are another version of us. By moving you through time, we'll establish our power in the fifth universe. Strictly speaking, time doesn't flow, but after we relocate you for a specific event, we will create a situation that benefits us. Once that's accomplished, we plan to return to the fifth universe."

As soon as she finished speaking, I countered, "But we're not anyone special. How on Earth could we change a specific event?"

Maya chuckled dismissively, "Don't you know about chaos theory? A butterfly's tiny flutter can trigger a massive storm. After we bring you into a simulation of that specific event, you will be given choices. Ha! Your little decisions can change the world. Didn't you write that in your manuscript? For the world to maintain balance, every existence has meaning. The seventh universe is also divided and embroiled in conflict over ideologies, gender, religion, and so on, but in the end, peace is reestablished. If we interpret that on a grander scale, the seventh and fifth universes coexist with opposing choices."

"Then," I exclaimed, my eyes widening as I listened to her, "what kind of experiment are you planning to conduct on us?"

"What kind of experiment? You're already part of the experiment, Choi Jun. Everything is an experiment. Every event you experience here, every conversation—it's all just a simulation we've designed. You believe you're making choices with infinite possibilities as test subjects, but it's all flowing in the direction we want. You're already trapped in a labyrinth with no escape."