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

Chapter 5.2 Multiverse and Parallel Universes

Beep—beep—beep—the mechanical sound echoed in my ears, a cold, sharp reminder that sought to drag my existence back into reality. I awoke suddenly within a transparent box, and the moment I did, voices from outside jolted my mind into alertness. One voice was familiar—Choi Jun's—and it battled against an unfamiliar one that rang with urgency.

"If you continue the experiments, your universe will expand beyond the point of no return!" the strange voice shouted.

"The universe is meant to expand! Who are you to dictate anything?" Choi Jun retorted sharply.

"If you don't stop, the Third Universe—and the original Second Universe—might be affected. Please, Choi Jun, stop!"

"Who are you to be here if you don't belong to this parallel universe?"

"Our universe expanded before yours," the stranger replied confidently.

"So you're saying your universe is more technologically advanced? The Big Bang originated from your side?"

"Of course! The universe I belong to has access to the Third, Fifth, Seventh Universes, and beyond," the voice boasted.

"Choi Jun, do you hear me? I come from the Second Universe; my name is Liam, another version of you. The expansion rate of your universe is accelerating. According to the law of conservation of energy, the expansion and contraction of positive and negative forces must maintain balance. E=mc² tells us that mass is energy, so there is also repulsive gravity at play. Right now, the Fifth and Seventh Universes are expanding much faster. If this continues, the Second and Third Universes could overlap. Universes could collide—"

"What? What do you mean? Speak clearly!" I cried out, my voice a plea, desperate for understanding.

"According to quantum mechanics' many-worlds interpretation, universes must exist separately. But if one balance is broken, all universes, like the human brain, lose their identity and collide, merging together!"

"So what does that mean, Liam? What's going to happen? What is Choi Jun doing?"

Liam fell silent for a moment, then replied in a low tone. "The experiments in the Fifth Universe are hastening the lifespan of the universe. We must stop this experiment before an uncontrollable expansion consumes everything! Get out now!"

"Huh? How do I get out?" After a moment of silence, a voice that was not Liam's spoke, "The experiment is over. You can come out now." It was Choi Jun's voice, echoing through the box. He tapped the transparent walls with his palm. I turned my head toward the sound, and his face flickered dimly in the darkness. He gestured for me to come out.

"What's going on? Did you kill that guy? And has the simulation ended since it's 2024?" I stumbled to my feet, my head spinning. "What will happen to your universe now?"

Choi Jun chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That's a riddle you need to solve. We'll return now."

"Let me out, you bastard!" I shouted, my voice reverberating in the sterile air. For a moment, Choi Jun fell silent, his smile fading into a serious expression.

"Have you really learned nothing? We brought you into this transparent box, but we've never once imprisoned or manipulated you. We always knew you would choose as you have," he replied, his tone clipped.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Perception, frame, bias. Those three words explain everything, don't they?"

His words echoed in my mind, circling like a vulture. I glanced around the box. Suddenly, it struck me—"Why haven't I thought of this before?" The word 'perception' was a wall thicker than this glass.

I slammed my body against the transparent barrier. It felt as if gravity had snapped, sending me flying out of the box and crashing onto the cold floor, rolling clumsily in every direction.

"You've been trapped by the very thought that you were stuck in that box, much like Schrödinger's cat, unable to break free from another layer of perception," Choi Jun said, his voice heavy with disdain.

"That's not true! You kept shifting between the virtual world and reality, so I couldn't think any differently!"

Choi Jun shook his head, a knowing smile creeping across his face. "That's not the case. You've been moving around just fine inside that box."

A surge of anger welled up within me, and I lunged to grab him by the collar. But then, from a distance, I heard Maya's voice faintly. "Elsa, I hope you're doing well. Bye~"

Their figures vanished from my sight in an instant, retreating into the unknown. The lab fell silent once more. I bent down, hands on my knees, catching my breath, my mind racing. The laboratory around me was vast and chaotic, cluttered with an assortment of scientific tools and glass flasks, metallic devices reflecting scattered light. It felt reminiscent of the unstable aspects of the world I had known, devoid of any meaning or purpose.

I surveyed the endless space of the lab, peering into its nooks and crannies. "Elsa, are you there?"