Chapter 3 - Episode 2: The First Currency

October 18, 2005

06:30 AM

Blue Bird Orphanage Dormitory

---

The wake-up bell rang with metallic insistence. Fifty-six children groaned into consciousness, a chorus of sleep-deprived humanity.

Je-hoon opened his eyes precisely at the first chime. 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙘𝙮𝙘𝙡𝙚: 4 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚 (𝙍𝙀𝙈 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙). 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡: 100%.

He sat up, scanning the room. ZEO's passive feed updated:

· 𝘾𝙝𝙤𝙞 𝙈𝙞𝙣-𝙨𝙤𝙤: 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 (4.2 𝙝𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙩), 𝙖𝙜𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠 +18%

· 𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙏𝙖𝙚-𝙬𝙤𝙤: 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨 (𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧), 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙

· 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥: 16.8°𝘾, 2.3° 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙢

Je-hoon dressed in the standard uniform, movements economical. As he laced his shoes, Tae-woo approached, eyes darting.

"About yesterday," Tae-woo whispered. "The porridge. Thanks."

𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨: 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚 (92%). 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙗𝙩 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙.

"You looked hungry," Je-hoon said simply. "Today's breakfast is rice with beans. Higher protein."

Tae-woo blinked. "How do you know?"

"The delivery truck arrived at 5:47 AM. Soybean sacks, not flour."

They walked to the dining hall together. The morning routine unfolded with factory precision: lineup, prayer, serving, eating. Je-hoon observed the kitchen staff's movements, calculating inefficiencies:

· 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙯𝙚: 5% 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛

· 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡: 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩

· 𝙒𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚: 8.3% 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙

Data. Always data.

As he ate, Director Kim made an announcement: "Clean-up teams today—west wing bathrooms need deep cleaning. Volunteers get extra fruit at dinner."

A few hands rose half-heartedly. Bathroom duty was universally despised.

Je-hoon calculated: 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚: 2 𝙝𝙧. 𝙁𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚: ₩800-₩1,200 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚. 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚: 340 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙉𝙚𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚.

His hand went up.

---

08:00 AM, West Wing Bathrooms

The cleaning supplies were basic: bleach, scrub brushes, rags. Three volunteers including Je-hoon.

The head cleaner, Mrs. Han, sighed. "Alright. You take toilet stalls. Scrub inside and out. Don't mix bleach with anything else."

Je-hoon accepted his bucket. But he didn't start scrubbing immediately.

First, analysis:

· 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙨: 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙀. 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙞, 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙝

· 𝙈𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝: 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙢𝙤𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

· 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨: 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙘, 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩, 𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨

Standard cleaning methods were inefficient. Bleach application followed by scrubbing wasted chemical contact time.

Je-hoon developed an optimized sequence:

1. Pre-rinse (cold water to remove particulates)

2. Bleach application (let sit 4.2 minutes for full microbial kill)

3. Targeted scrubbing (high-pressure points only)

4. Final rinse (with slight vinegar solution to neutralize)

He worked methodically. While others scrubbed furiously, he moved with calm precision. Mrs. Han noticed.

"You're not getting the corners," another volunteer, Jae-suk, sneered.

Je-hoon didn't look up. "The corners will be addressed during step three. The bleach needs contact time first."

"What are you, a cleaning scientist?"

"Efficiency reduces overall labor," Je-hoon said simply.

By the time the others finished their first toilet, Je-hoon had completed three. And his were clinically clean—not just surface-clean, but sanitized at microscopic level.

Mrs. Han inspected. Ran a finger along a bowl's interior. "This is… hospital clean."

"Thank you," Je-hoon said.

He continued. By 9:40, all eight stalls were complete. The other volunteers were still struggling with their fourth.

Mrs. Han pulled him aside. "You have tomorrow free?"

"Schedule shows library duty."

"I'll talk to Director Kim. We have a… special project. Pays cash."

𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨: 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙. 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡.

"How much?" Je-hoon asked.

"Five thousand won. Two hours."

₩5,000. Equivalent to ten cups of instant coffee. Or two used textbooks. Or half a month's allowance for normal children.

"I'll be there," he said.

---

10:15 AM, School

Fourth-grade mathematics. Today: fractions.

While the teacher drew pie charts on the board, Je-hoon used the time differently. He opened his notebook to what appeared to be class notes. Instead, he wrote:

Coffee Knowledge Acquisition Plan

1. Bean origins (Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Vietnam)

2. Roast levels (light, medium, dark)

3. Brewing methods (espresso, pour-over, French press)

4. Flavor profiles (acidity, body, aroma)

ZEO accessed yesterday's library memories, cross-referencing:

𝘾𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚: 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩. 𝙈𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨: 𝙘𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙘𝙝𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙨, 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙄𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚: 90-96°𝘾.

The girl next to him, Mi-so, peeked at his notes. "That's not fractions."

"Personal project," Je-hoon said, covering the page.

"You're weird," she declared, but without malice. Curiosity.

At lunch, he sat alone, calculating. ₩5,000 tomorrow. If he could secure similar work weekly, that's ₩20,000/month. Modest, but a start. Capital accumulation required seed capital.

A shadow fell over his tray. Min-soo.

"Library today," Min-soo said. "Computer time. You're giving me your slot."

Je-hoon looked up. Assessed:

· 𝙈𝙞𝙣-𝙨𝙤𝙤: 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 (108 𝘽𝙋𝙈), 𝙥𝙪𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙

· 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛: 12.3 𝙢, 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙧

· 𝙀𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: 64%

Yesterday's deflection wouldn't work twice. Je-hoon needed a different approach.

"I need the computer for research," Je-hoon said calmly. "But I'll trade."

Min-soo blinked. "Trade what?"

"Your math test is Friday. You're currently scoring 42%. Passing is 60%."

"So?"

"I'll guarantee you 70%. In exchange for my computer time today."

Min-soo's aggression faltered, replaced by calculation. Failing math meant extra study hours, no weekend privileges.

"How?" he demanded.

"Tutoring. Thirty minutes daily until Friday. Focus on the problems that will actually be on the test."

"You don't know what's on the test."

"I know Mrs. Lee's question patterns from the last three years. Probability analysis suggests specific problem types."

Min-soo stared. The offer was unconventional but practical. Beatings produced compliance but not grades.

"Fine," he grunted. "But if I fail, you're doing my chores for a month."

"Agreed."

The confrontation dissipated. Min-soo walked away, confusion overriding aggression.

𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙙: 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨. 𝙉𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨: 88%.

---

14:30 PM, Library Computer Room

Je-hoon sat before an aging desktop. Two hours weekly. Precious resource.

His agenda:

1. Research coffee (for next month's meeting)

2. Basic programming practice (C compiler available)

3. Medical terminology lookup

He started with coffee. Searched slowly—the connection was dial-up, painfully slow. But ZEO absorbed every fragment:

· Espresso: 30ml extraction, 9 bar pressure, 25-30 seconds

· Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 to 1:18 for optimal extraction

· Grind size critical: fine for espresso, coarse for French press

He took notes in a small notebook purchased yesterday with leftover lunch money (₩300). The act of writing helped camouflage his instant absorption.

Next, programming. He opened the C compiler. Wrote his first program:

```c

#include

int main() {

printf("System initialized.\n");

return 0;

}

```

Basic. But it compiled. Ran.

He spent forty minutes writing increasingly complex algorithms: a sorting function, a basic calculator, a loop that simulated compound interest.

₩5,000 compounded monthly at 5% annual for 10 years = ₩8,235.

The numbers pleased him. Systems within systems.

Finally, medical terms. He looked up "trauma," "cellular regeneration," "neural pathways." ZEO integrated each definition, building its medical database.

At 16:25, his time expired. He logged off, erased browser history, straightened the chair.

As he left, the librarian, Mr. Park, stopped him. "You're the orphanage boy who reads physics?"

"Yes, sir."

"I have a nephew struggling with science. Middle school level. Pay is three thousand an hour."

Another offer. 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 #2: 𝙏𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙀𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮: ₩6,000.

"I'm available weekends," Je-hoon said.

"Saturday, 2 PM. Bring your brain."

---

18:00 PM, Orphanage Dinner

The promised extra fruit appeared: one apple, slightly bruised but edible. Je-hoon ate it slowly, savoring the sweetness. Tae-woo watched enviously.

"Trade?" Tae-woo offered. "My dessert for half?"

Je-hoon calculated: 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙩: 𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚. 𝙉𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚: 120 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 2𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙞𝙣. 𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙚: 95 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 0.5𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙞𝙣, 𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣 𝘾.

"Half apple for full dessert," Je-hoon countered.

"Deal."

They traded. Both satisfied.

After dinner, study hours. Je-hoon kept his promise to Min-soo. They sat in a corner.

"Problem one," Je-hoon said, pointing to a fraction addition. "Common denominator is 12, not 6."

"Why?"

"Because 4 and 3 both divide into 12 evenly. Efficiency."

He taught for exactly thirty minutes. Not kindness—contract fulfillment. But he taught well. ZEO optimized the instruction:

· 𝙈𝙞𝙣-𝙨𝙤𝙤'𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚: 𝙑𝙞𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡-𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 (68%), 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮

· 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚: 42% 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚

· 𝙊𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙡: 18 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨

By the end, Min-soo could solve three basic fraction problems unassisted. Progress.

"Tomorrow, same time," Je-hoon said.

Min-soo nodded, grudging respect in his eyes. "You're not completely useless."

High praise from that quarter.

---

21:00 PM, Lights Out

Je-hoon lay in bed. Reviewed the day's data:

𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨:

· 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙤𝙗: ₩5,000 (𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬)

· 𝙏𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: ₩3,000/𝙝𝙧 (𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮)

· 𝙋𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠: ₩20,000/𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝

𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣:

· 𝘾𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙮: 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙘

· 𝘾 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡

· 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙨: 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚

𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡:

· 𝙏𝙖𝙚-𝙬𝙤𝙤: 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙙

· 𝙈𝙞𝙣-𝙨𝙤𝙤: 𝙉𝙚𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙

· 𝙈𝙧𝙨. 𝙃𝙖𝙣: 𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚

· 𝙈𝙧. 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠: 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙

Not bad for Day 2.

He closed his eyes. But before sleep, a final calculation:

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩: 29 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨.

𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙨: 1.3% 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚.

He needed to accelerate. The coffee knowledge was foundational, but insufficient. He needed… practical demonstration.

An idea formed.

Tomorrow's cleaning job paid ₩5,000. A basic French press cost ₩8,000. If he could secure additional work…

The plan unfolded in his mind, ZEO optimizing each step.

Outside, rain began again. The gentle patter against glass.

Inside, a ten-year-old with an AI soul calculated his ascent, one won at a time.

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𝘿𝙖𝙮 2: 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙

𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡: ₩300 (𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡) → ₩5,300 (𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬)

𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠: 4 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙

𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮: 𝙊𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙.

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End Episode 2