CH441 | Heir

The largest rental car market in South Korea was Jeju Island.

More than 25,000 rental cars roamed its roads, largely because most tourists preferred rental cars over public transportation.

Young people in particular favored renting cars.

Countless rental agencies clustered near Jeju Airport.

“Won’t we be late for the flight if we have to return the rental car?”

“That’s why I rented from Cocoa Rent-a-Car.”

“What’s different about them?”

“You can leave it in any parking lot, and they’ll collect it automatically. No need to drive back to the rental office. Don’t tell me you’ve traveled this much and still don’t know that?”

A man in his mid-twenties parked the car in a lot near the airport.

He snapped photos of the car’s exterior and interior, then headed straight toward the terminal.

“Are you sure we can just leave it like that? Wouldn’t it take a ridiculous number of employees to go around and pick up all the cars?”

“I can’t believe you’re my friend. Do you know how expensive labor is? Nobody’s sending people out anymore. These days the cars are set up to drive themselves back to the company.”

“Self-driving? You mean the car drives back on its own?”

“Have you been living under a rock? It’s been months since rental cars started using self-driving systems. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

As the two young men bickered and walked along, a rental car nearby suddenly began to move on its own, without a driver inside.

A voice from an external speaker announced that it was in autonomous mode, and the car smoothly pulled out of the parking space before merging onto the road.

“This actually works? I can’t believe the world changed so much just because I was holed up in a study dorm for a few months preparing for the civil service exam.”

“Why lock yourself in a study dorm for that? I guess if you weren’t on Jeju or at some tourist spot, it’d be harder to see self-driving cars. But at least keep up with the news.”

“I didn’t. I even cut off my phone and internet just to focus on studying!”

“From what I’ve heard, the self-driving tech that’s in rental cars right now is going to expand into logistics vehicles too.”

He acted like he knew what he was talking about, but his words were only half right.

It wasn’t self-driving technology—it was a remote-control system.

Company employees monitored the cameras, navigation, and other data installed in the cars, then drove them remotely to move them where needed.

“So where did that technology come from?”

“Obviously from Taewoo Group. I heard their AI Center was the first to apply it to Cocoa Rent-a-Car.”

“As expected of Taewoo Group! No other company in Korea could pull off something this innovative.”

“You can sing their praises all you want. Doesn’t mean Taewoo Group is going to hire you.”

“I’ve got my license now, so this time I actually have a chance! Didn’t you also say you applied to Taewoo Group?”

“Isn’t it harder to find someone in our graduating class who hasn’t applied there? Enough nonsense, let’s hurry. At this rate we really will miss our flight.”

The young men sprinted toward the airport.

Even as they ran, they kept glancing back at the cars moving on their own.

***

The Choi Jae-seok administration had firmly taken hold.

Being in the first year of his term, when a government’s power is at its peak, he could pursue bold and aggressive initiatives.

“The remote-control system applied to rental cars is operating smoothly.”

“That’s thanks to the relaxed regulations.”

It had been a while since he visited Captain Kang’s office.

Kang also held the position of CEO at Cocoa Rent-a-Car and was fully in charge of managing the remote-control system.

“Customer feedback has been excellent. People can return cars anywhere, saving a lot of time, so usage has increased significantly.”

“Has there been any accident caused by the remote-control system?”

“Not a single one due to operator error. The only incidents involved contact with other vehicles driven poorly. And the emergency braking system is applied, so most accidents can be prevented.”

The remote-control system was a true innovation.

After all, operators didn’t need to drive to each parking lot; they could control all vehicles directly from the office, making efficiency incomparable.

“The stability of the remote-control system needs to be proven before full self-driving can be introduced smoothly.”

“It already feels like a heavy responsibility. We’ve hired veteran drivers with at least 15 years of experience and 10 years of accident-free driving as operators. Before they start, they undergo more than a month of training.”

The remote-control system served as a stepping stone toward autonomous driving.

Taewoo Motors had already developed conditionally automated self-driving vehicles.

“To make full self-driving possible, don’t more regulations need to be relaxed?”

“The government is leading the regulatory easing. With the National Economic Party actively involved, we should be able to get autonomous vehicles on the roads soon.”

“It would also be very helpful if remote-control or autonomous driving could be applied to taxis.”

“That may be true, but it won’t be easy. While it’s possible for regular vehicles, applying it to taxis or buses could be more challenging.”

It was a matter of livelihood.

If fully autonomous taxis were introduced, taxi drivers could lose their jobs entirely.

For that reason, the development had to proceed with extreme caution and at a slow pace.

“Still, shouldn’t we put the technology we’ve developed to use?”

“We’ll start gradually, beginning with private taxis.”

“Ah! If we buy private taxi license plates and apply it there, it will reduce public complaints.

Private taxi licenses could be purchased through license transfers.

The government limited the total number of private taxis, and no new licenses had been issued in the past three years.

“Then start acquiring private taxi licenses slowly.”

“Our company already holds a fair number of licenses. We’ll continue to increase the total gradually.”

“Begin by focusing on the metropolitan area and tourist spots. If possible, expand nationwide later.”

“We’ll secure as many as we can!”

The era of autonomous driving was clearly approaching.

Not only Taewoo Group, but many car companies were venturing into autonomous technology, and easing regulations was necessary to maintain a leading position.

Taewoo Group continuously strived to lead in new technologies.

Autonomous driving was one area of focus, and gene-editing technology was another.

For that reason, they consistently leveraged David’s efforts.

Finally, today marked a major achievement: David successfully led a large team of gene-editing researchers to visit South Korea.

They mobilized no fewer than two dedicated jets.

This was to ensure that the research teams from UC Berkeley and the Broad Institute, who were involved in ongoing litigation, did not cross paths.

“Boss! We’ve brought in the UC Berkeley research team first.”

“Thank you for your hard work. I’ll handle the introductions from here.”

The researchers that David had brought arrived.

I personally volunteered to welcome them in front of the Centurion headquarters.

“Thank you for visiting Korea.”

“Isn’t this Chairman Kim Min-jae of Taewoo Group? I had heard that Centurion maintains a close relationship with Taewoo Group, but I didn’t expect the chairman to welcome us personally.”

I shook hands with Professor Janice.

She would later go on to win a Nobel Prize for her work in gene-editing, so I made sure to treat her with the utmost respect.

“First, please take a look at the research Centurion is conducting. Dr. Kim Jang-woo will provide explanations.”

“I’m well-acquainted with Dr. Kim. He’s someone I deeply respect.”

“Ha, thank you for saying that. I’ll handle the research briefing myself.”

Dr. Kim Jang-woo was a highly respected scholar in the industry.

Thanks to his presence, even the haughty researchers followed our lead without complaint.

“We are conducting various studies based on mRNA technology. Centurion and Taewoo Group also hold many mRNA patents.”

“I understand that mRNA technology was applied in MERS treatments as well.”

“We utilize mRNA technology for treating coronavirus-related viruses like SARS and MERS. Additionally, DNA technology is extensively applied in our research.”

The researchers showed a strong interest in mRNA and DNA technologies.

It made sense, since these areas overlapped significantly with gene-editing, making the technologies highly beneficial to their own research.

“I hope this doesn’t sound arrogant, but when it comes to mRNA technology, Centurion can confidently claim to be the best in the world.”

“Centurion is the only pharmaceutical company that developed a MERS treatment, so that confidence doesn’t seem arrogant at all.”

The media and financial circles still downplayed the MERS treatment.

It was considered a business where the cost far exceeded the benefit: astronomical research expenses with very low sales.

However, the researchers responded differently.

They valued research achievements over profit structures and regarded the development of the MERS treatment as a significant accomplishment.

“Some people ask why we pursue research that doesn’t make money, but even if there’s only one patient, creating the medicine is our duty, isn’t it?”

“That’s why I conduct research at a university rather than in a company. Being part of a corporation would force you to focus on profitability.”

“Fortunately, Centurion and Taewoo Group are very generous in that regard. Developing the MERS treatment cost tens of millions of dollars, yet they provided support without conditions. The same goes for gene-editing technology. Research outcomes are prioritized over profitability, so we can conduct experiments as extensively as we wish.”

Dr. Kim Jang-woo was giving this kind of flattering speech.

He clearly wanted to pursue research in gene-editing.

“May I ask one question? Coronavirus-related viruses mutate easily. How do you handle that?”

“Manual experiments and research make it difficult to respond quickly to viral mutations. That’s why Centurion uses artificial intelligence developed by Taewoo Group to address mutations.”

“You mean the AI technology involved in the recent lawsuit with Novo Nordisk?”

“Exactly. The case has now been settled, and the lawsuit concluded successfully.”

I added the final remark.

Thanks to the lawsuit, Centurion gained significant recognition, and their AI technology also became widely known.

“Can artificial intelligence be applied to gene-editing technology as well?”

“Of course. AI can analyze the complex structure of genes and simulate what changes will occur when gene-editing is applied. It can dramatically shorten the research process.”

“Can we take a closer look at how it’s being used right now?”

“Dr. Kim Jang-woo and the staff at the AI Center will assist you.”

The researchers naturally flowed into the laboratory.

From mRNA technology to artificial intelligence, Centurion’s lab was like an amusement park for them.

It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re having fun.

The UC Berkeley research team spent a full six hours longer than scheduled exploring the lab.

The next day was no different.

It was the Broad Institute’s turn.

They too stayed past their scheduled time, completely absorbed in Centurion’s research and Taewoo Group’s technological capabilities.