Chapter 12: Spintronics

“This place is still here, huh.”

Spintronics.

A portmanteau of the electron’s spin and electronics.

The dreadful concept of creating electronic devices using the electron’s spin rather than its charge.

To understand this field? You have to start with Faraday’s Law of Induction and Maxwell’s Equations — the bane of every science student.

Not the end, but the beginning!

Final semester.

If it weren’t for the professor who held my graduation fate in his hands, I should have grabbed his collar the moment he tossed me the problem set, calling it a summary.

But I was oblivious to the professor leaving as I read the summary, and whether by luck or misfortune, I was able to keep my lunch appointment.

Did I write it properly?

I don’t know. It’s already out of my hands.

What matters now is that the shabby Min-sok Jujeom, which looked run-down even back when I was a freshman, still has its faded signboard up and running.

It was the place with the best hangover soup, so if it had closed, I’d have felt a little sad.

“Just got discharged from the military? Suddenly acting all fresh.”

After a comfortable lunch, I wandered around near campus, killing time, and started drinking early in the evening.

What if my course registration gets rejected? Whatever.

Like the professor said, even if the course is already closed, I could just show up and plead. If they don’t accept me, I’ll just take a leave of absence. If they keep messing with me, I’ll just give up on graduating.

“I should’ve had a proper celebration after discharge. I just went back and forth between school, home, and work, drinking even near the company.”

“You went through a lot. Those bastards.”

I gave my brother a rough rundown during the first round.

He seemed to share my feelings, cursing both Jung Han-jin and his father, and also pouring scorn on the employees who, although they secretly welcomed the company’s takeover, acted begrudgingly.

People think alike.

“We weren’t exactly close. Honestly, I just mooched off the fact that it was my father’s company.”

Gotta admit that.

I didn’t do much actual work at the company. I spent way more time buried in the lab.

Only after my father was forced to hand over the company because of my younger brother did I scramble to learn the ropes and get a grip on the overall situation.

That management stint lasted all of three or four months.

I was wearing a suit that didn’t fit.

“So, did your trip to the United States go well?”

“I suppose it did.”

“What kind of half-hearted answer is that?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what the results will be. I just entrusted the work to capable people and believe it’ll turn out fine.”

Will worrying change the outcome?

If it did, then I wouldn’t be here drinking right now.

I’d be rushing home, pouring out a bowl of water and begging.

Or maybe doing 108 prostrations on my own accord.

“You haven’t changed that attitude, huh?”

“Was I like this even in front of you?”

“You were the guy who, after losing to a troll on your team in the Diamond promotion match, said, ‘I’ll somehow make it up there.’”

“Oh! I remember.”

I did make it.

I quit gaming after that, so it wasn’t much of a thrill.

“If that’s your strength, then fine. But doesn’t it make the people watching you cringe?”

“Heh, why would they cringe instead of me?”

“That’s just how it is. Like when you watch game streams and your favorite player messes up—you scream instead of them.”

“Well, that’s because I’m a fan.”

Isn’t that how some sports fans are?

There’s a professional baseball team whose fans have far more frustrating days than cheering ones.

So much so that online humor sites often collect clips of fans swearing and drinking as popular meme content.

“Exactly. So don’t make the people watching have heart attacks. You were the guy who loved playing all the time but suddenly stopped gaming, cut back on drinking, and started going to the library.”

“And even after discharge, you did proper experiments and research, despite it being your father’s company.”

“…… Sorry. That’s probably why it’s been a while since we last drank together. Let’s have a drink.”

We started drinking early evening.

My brother seemed a bit drunk.

After all, it was already the third round.

We came to loosen up with hangover soup before heading home.

I filled his glass.

Looks like it’s time to get up now.

But instead of drinking the poured glass, he pushed it aside and continued.

“You’re so carefree, you don’t pay attention to your surroundings. You believe it’ll all turn out fine, so you don’t need to watch your back. On the other hand, those who are always anxious are too conscious of their surroundings, and that’s a problem too. You understand what I’m saying? I’m not drunk.”

“……”

No words.

There’s a prickling sensation in my chest.

“Sometimes you should look around. Make sure to share the good times with people who’ll laugh with you, and be wary of those who might stab you in the back.”

“…… You’re right. Maybe because I didn’t pay close enough attention to my surroundings, I got hurt even by my own blood.”

“Yeah. But you know I’m not saying to suspect everyone around you, right?”

“I know.”

Too carefree.

Too anxious.

Either way, trouble is bound to come.

I was obviously the former.

As for my brother, I don’t know, but after meeting the elders in my dreams, his life changed.

The guy who liked to have fun started reading books and studying hard and even achieved results on his own.

But the result?

We lost my father’s company.

All because of complacency.

And yet, he says work in the US is probably going well. If it were me, I’d nag nonstop. He’s a good brother.

“Alright, now that we’re done loosening up, let’s get up.”

“Yeah. If my course registration goes through, we’ll have another drink.”

“The professor was harsh. Spintronics is a tough topic even for doctoral students’ theses.”

“I just wrote down what I knew because he told me to.”

It was when I chuckled and raised my last glass.

From behind, I noticed the conversation volume rising.

I’d have let it slide if it was just typical bar chatter, but the voices were clear enough to catch.

They were definitely familiar voices.

“I thought things would improve once we became a partner company for a big corporation. Who would’ve thought it’d turn out like this?”

“Is it true? More work and more interference?”

“Yeah. So this bastard ends up drinking every night.”

I glanced back slightly.

One drunk person and two listening.

The flushed, drunk one was definitely someone I remembered.

I drained my glass and stood up.

“Someone you knew?”

My brother followed and asked.

“I did. Someone who’s no longer involved.”

“…… Was he from Seong-ha Chemical?”

“Do you go into a trance when you get drunk?”

“I can tell by your eyes and tone.”

I guess I unintentionally turned cold.

I don’t know whether Jung Han-jin and his father tipped off their employees or if they just figured it out on their own, but they whispered that it’d be good to become Daejeong’s partner company.

They avoided eye contact with me and acted cold.

And now they’re grumbling?

“Not drunk at all. Over thirty and your tolerance for alcohol is crazy.”

“Things haven’t been going well since you left.”

“Do I need to worry about that?”

“Hmm, no.”

Watching out for people applies only when they’re your people.

No resentment, no concern.

“Let’s go home.”

• You actually went through with the course registration?
• And it’s a subject that’s going to take up a lot of time?
• Your research in that field is shot for half a year, huh?
• Sung-ha, just keep sleeping. That way, at least you’ll study properly here.

They’re just waiting for me to come back.

The elders are noisy today, as usual.

When I said I had to graduate, Elicia scolded me for doing something pointless.

She said in their era, a specialized Academy replaced universities.

You take the necessary classes.

Do the required experiments.

No fixed deadlines.

You’re only recognized for completing the Academy if you produce results—be it a proven theory or a novel material—instead of just getting a diploma.

The research labs inside the fully equipped Academy were open to all students, which the elders thought made the university environment I described unfit.

Trying to convince my parents, who were happy about their eldest son entering university, that I just wanted to give them a diploma didn’t work either.

Then what am I supposed to say?

Should I be honest?

No. If I honestly spilled everything and someone purposely watched someone else’s downfall up close, what a waste of energy that would be.

Better not to try persuading them.

At times like this, changing the subject is the answer.

“But it seems my skills have improved while studying with the elders. Implementing spin transition using magnetic organic molecules? Reading that alien language actually made sense.”

Come on over right away.

• Spin transition? That started in your era?

“Didn’t you know? It’s a field researched for over ten years now. There just aren’t many established theories yet.”

Still, it’s a time for self-reflection.

Zeta Elder clicked his tongue.

• Tsk. That’s right.
• We have a lot of data loss.
• So when we teach you something, it’s hard to explain it in a way you can apply immediately.
• But anyway, that field is quite useful.

The subject was changed.

“Will it still be useful in the future?”

• Of course. The early form of integrated quantum computing using molecules started with that spin transition.
• It must have been a shock, like seeing alchemy for the first time in that era.
• Magnetic organic molecules mean organic molecules, not metals, made magnetic and controlled by electric current, right?
• Correct. It was the technology for making non-volatile memory.

What are they talking about?

Another incomprehensible topic started.

Wait, now I understand a bit.

My comprehension has definitely improved.

It’s probably not that my brain got smarter but that I have more basic knowledge.

Come to think of it, on the answer sheet I wrote today, I caught some errors and added new interpretations.

The professor would probably make a face if he saw it, but at least I showed some minimum effort for the course registration.

• Sung-ha.

Just as I felt a little proud, Eta Elder quietly called me.

“Yes.”

• Have you ever studied spin transition before?

“Not at all. What did you expect from me?”

Just as the assistant had said.

Spintronics is a field that even doctoral students find horrendously difficult unless it’s their specialty.

There was no way I’d have studied it before.

• But you said you understood it?

“…… Yeah.”

Why did I understand it?

It suddenly feels strange.

I wrote down what I understood roughly because I was afraid of being late for my lunch appointment, but I don’t even know how I managed that vague understanding.

I had no prior knowledge, and I also dreaded Faraday’s and Maxwell’s laws.

Right?

How did this happen?

It’s not related to the additives or metal oxides for secondary batteries I’ve been obsessed with recently.

I’m just completely blank.

The elders went silent.

But only for a moment before they started chatting among themselves.

• Can such a ridiculous thing happen?
• The EP reacted in the body even before it was realized?
• Six years was enough?
• Nonsense. Some people don’t get it in 60 years.
• Eta. You were the fastest among us, right? How long did it take you? 10 years? 20 years?
• I think it was 24 years.
• But your body didn’t react first either?
• Of course not.
• Crazy. What the hell is Sung-ha?

What are they talking about?

Suddenly the conversation veers off.

Apparently, the EP reacted to my body.

And six years is the fastest record ever?

“Hey, elders.”

No answer when I called.

They’re all excited, making a fuss among themselves.

“Hey! Elders!”

Only when I raised my voice did they turn around.

“What’s EP?”

“Did you do some kind of biological experiment on me?”

Look at these old men.

They won’t answer?

“Fine. I’m just going out.”

Lately, my dreams have changed a bit.

I can now control how long I stay in my dreams, coming and going like opening and closing a door.

If I go out now and declare I won’t dream for a few days, these elders will be bored out of their minds.

They’ve been unusually welcoming lately.

I can feel their anxiety, so I’m bold enough to do this.

No surprise, they immediately clung to me.

• Hey! Where do you think you’re going?
• We’ll tell you. We’ll tell you.
• But you probably won’t understand.
• Cases where the body realizes it before the mind—we only know about those from records, so we were baffled.

But what the hell is EP that’s got them like this?

“Start with what EP is. I’ll give you three minutes.”