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

Chapter 5.2 Multiverse and Parallel Universes

Then, in a corner, I spotted a faintly glowing transparent box. My heart raced, and I shouted again, "Elsa! Elsa!" I dashed toward it. How could we communicate so quietly over such a distance?

As I reached the box, I knocked on its surface, breathless. "Elsa, come out! It's all over."

A weak voice emerged from within. "Jun? How do I get out?"

"Take my hand." With all my strength, I pulled her, and her body collided with the transparent wall, floating free and launching out of the box. In that instant, her eyes widened in shock. "What just happened?"

"I'll explain later. For now, let's get out of here." I guided her by the arm, heading toward the heavy iron door. When I yanked it open, an incredible reality unfolded before us.

A long corridor stretched before us, lined with heavy iron doors, and beyond a massive window, Earth loomed into view. She gasped, exclaiming, "What the fuck..." as she covered her mouth with her hands.

The planet was a battlefield, with the cores of the Freedom Coalition and the Peace Alliance hurtling toward each other, flames erupting in violent explosions. It felt as if Earth was on the brink of annihilation—no, it had entered the stage of its own demise. Beside it, a Starship emblazoned with the phrase "Mars, here we come!" featured Elon Musk's face as it drifted away from Earth, heading somewhere unknown.

"What the hell is going on? The Earth is about to be destroyed! Have the people from the Fifth Universe all left? Do something!" Her voice was frantic. "Just a moment! Let me think in peace!"

If Earth in the Seventh Universe perishes, will Earth in the Fifth Universe regain order with creation?

In the meantime, the heavy doors began to creak open one by one. Professors and researchers from the Seventh Universe, previously abducted, emerged in a steady stream, their eyes widening as they took in the catastrophic sight outside. They exchanged terrified glances, their voices rising in disbelief.

"Is that really Earth?!!"

"What are we supposed to do!?"

I looked into their trembling eyes, steadying my own voice. "Hello, I'm Choi Jun. You must also be test subjects, having entered a virtual world. When we met at the G17 world government meeting, why didn't you recognize me or Elsa? Was it intentional?"

Two professors shook their heads, clearly baffled. "No, what are you talking about? We were hiding in caves, evading dinosaurs. It was so difficult to find food that we had to chew on insects for the first time, and just when we managed to kindle a flame, the simulation ended. Ugh... we were so close."

"What about the others?"

Another researcher spoke up, "We fled to a deserted island in the Pacific, dodging sharks and whales, surviving on fruits we could scavenge."

"We were happily in love in Tokyo," chimed in a couple who had formed a bond in the virtual world, leaning in for a kiss after my question.

"That must be why Elsa and I entered the same simulation. We may not have seen each other, but we recognized our voices. Did anyone else who was in the same room talk outside the virtual world?"

They nodded in agreement. "That's right. I would always whisper sweet nothings to him. It was such a happy time."

"We were researching how to start a fire while avoiding the rain. Who knew we would become primitive humans?"

As I absorbed the chaos around us, I declared, "In the end, this experiment was revealing the errors of perception and cognition."

"What about Earth? Are we the only ones who will survive?" a researcher asked, his voice tinged with worry. Elsa pointed out the window, her eyes wide. "Just now, Elon Musk's spaceship flew past the station. It doesn't seem like we're the only ones left. But I can't tell if they're heading straight for Mars; they probably don't have enough fuel. Either way, they've gone somewhere."