As news broke that the sales of the Dream Capsule had been put on hold, the pharmaceutical world let out a collective sigh of relief.
The stock prices of companies that had halved overnight also saw a slight increase.
However, it was not a time for complete relief.
No matter how strongly the U.S. regulated things, both the Korean and Japanese governments, as well as Germany, could change their minds at any moment.
For reference, China had never been one to follow the rules.
In fact, U.S. regulations felt like a death sentence for companies, but Janjeol was different.
A one-man company that had gone all-in on growth, with irreplaceable technical power.
With the principle of “money isn’t everything” firmly established, stopping Na-me would be impossible under any regulations.
Thus, it was the managers’ mission to find ways to minimize the pain when hit by backlash.
“Sir, shouldn’t we impose higher taxes or Mana Link usage fees? They’re generating astronomical sales by consuming vast amounts of electricity and mana produced domestically at low prices. If mana prices skyrocket due to the Dream Capsule, companies could take a hit.”
“How about a bill that imposes fines based on a percentage of total sales for potential future issues? Something around 6% to 15% seems appropriate.”
“First, let’s try to create negative public opinion about the capsule through media as a ‘pesticide capsule’…”
Global pharmaceutical companies desperately tried to block it, using the constitutional value of citizens’ health as their banner.
However, other companies didn’t just sit back and watch their antics.
“You crazy money-grubbing pill peddlers! Why don’t you just get lost?”
“What pill peddler? You fools believing in vaccine conspiracies!”
In the U.S., employers were footing a significant portion of their employees’ health insurance costs.
Suddenly, Na-me dropped from the heavens, saying, “I’ll cut all that in half!” Who wouldn’t be thrilled about that?
Amid fierce battles in the government and Congress, a breaking news alert came in.
“What? When did they get to America again!”
[NoName Wizard & VariA, Popup Store Announcement in Puerto Rico]
Puerto Rico became the first state to officially allow the sale of Dream Capsules.
The next day, 20 cruise ships carrying 100,000 tourists docked at the Puerto Rico harbor.
*
“The population of Puerto Rico is 5 million, and its GDP per capita is slightly higher than Korea’s. The capital is San Juan, which, since the Spanish Empire, has been one of the oldest settlements connecting the West Indies and Europe. It really seemed beautiful by the sea.”
On the first day of the trip, we rested all day in a hotel to adjust to the time difference.
Here’s a tip: skip dinner the day before and have breakfast on the day to reset your internal clock.
“Yawn So sleepy…”
After eating a midnight snack, Cheon Saetbyeol, who had a rough day, kept yawning.
From the second day onward, we turned on the broadcast to meet the viewers.
We drove along the coastline in a convertible.
“Can you see the San Juan harbor over there? I’ve heard it has the most cruise ships after Miami…”
“Whoa, there are so many ships! Are there people inside all of them?”
“There are so many ships clustered like this, it feels like Seouldong Island.”
– There are too many of these! What’s going on?
– Dong-dong Island (pop. 100,000)
– Is this real that the airlines jacked up ticket prices by 10 times?
– Those people don’t even need to book hotels, so lucky!
– Probably no spots left already.
– 100,000 visitors to a place that gets 2,000 daily, LOL!
– I wonder if the security is okay?
[‘jasonkim’ donated 50,000 won!]
– It’s still banned in the U.S.; can we bring it home?
“That part I didn’t mention. Currently, CMSC and FDA have banned the use of Dreaming Mode and Nascentia, but the Dream Capsule itself is still available for sale. It’s just the Dreaming Mode that’s blocked.”
– Huh?
– Is this America we’re talking about?
– Look at that logic, LOL!
– But logically, a Dream Capsule without Dreaming Mode = a regular capsule.
– Still hilarious though, LOL!
– What if I buy it and can’t use it for years?
– Isn’t there gonna be a protest before that?
You could tell that VariA’s bargaining power was no joke.
As for themselves, they just needed to sell the capsules.
The government seemed to be trying to control me and didn’t seem to want to confront VariA directly.
“However, such deals seem suspicious from the buyer’s perspective. It’s like contracting a one-room flat without seeing it first. Even it’s your own house, you can’t even enter. So until approvals go through, we plan to let as many people as possible experience it through events like this. Of course, the subscription cost will be calculated at the time of capsule purchase, not usage.”
This way, those who pre-purchased will have the advantage of signing up for subscriptions at a much cheaper rate.
With a 10% discount each year, it’s certainly a significant amount.
After a brief tour of the harbor, we headed directly to the San Felipe del Morro fort.
Today is the last day to fully enjoy the trip.
As the wind blew over the vast prairie, the salty smell of sea water brushed past my nose.
“Dad, doesn’t it feel somewhat like Jeju Island?”
“Oh? If I close my eyes, it really feels similar.”
“Nice didn’t feel that way, but why does Puerto Rico give off that vibe?”
“Na-me Unni, take a picture for me over there. This atmosphere is insane!”
With the endless blue sky and the golden walls of the sun-kissed fort ahead, we stepped forward.
In a makeshift disguise, Saetbyeol wore a black bucket hat while I wore a yellow cap.
“Wow, isn’t this place too beautiful? The weather is nice, and the grass is just so soft. I want to roll around all day, what do I do?”
“Just live here.”
“Oh, gelato! Want to go eat gelato?”
She pointed to an ice cream truck down the hill, licking her lips.
No need to think twice, count me in.
Slap-
“Ugh?”
I jumped up and slapped Cheon Saetbyeol’s cheek before running away.
“I’ll go eat first.”
“Hey you, stop!”
I wrapped my legs in aura and sprinted across the prairie.
The prairie was so vast that it wasn’t too crowded, making it perfect for running.
-Jaemin Na-me ON
-Adella is angry, whoa!
-So frustrating, LOL!
-Just hit me too, please!
-What’s with the speed?
-Whoa, so fast!
-Did NoName attach boosters to their feet?
“Huff huff! Ah, my hat!”
My baseball cap couldn’t handle the wind at 60 and flew off.
Zing-
By the time I turned to look, it was already too late.
“You’re dead meat!”
“Hey, there’s a downhill!”
“Uh? Aaaah, I can’t stop, Unni!”
“Just jump to-”
Crashing head-on was hardly how I imagined it to go.
“Damn it!”
“Ahhhh!”
In a desperate move, I cloaked myself in aura.
The world spun with the sky.
Ugh, motion sickness.
Tangled up together, we rolled down the hill and split in two directions.
Thud-
My field of view crashed to the ground.
Voices of buzzing spectators reached my ears.
I wasn’t hurt; not one bit. But it was humiliating enough to make it feel painful.
Of all the places to roll down, it had to be where people were gathered…
I dusted myself off and stood up as if nothing had happened.
An elderly lady dressed like Queen Elizaveta approached me, asking in a British accent.
“Are you okay, dear?”
“I’m fine.”
“You rolled down from the hill quite a bit—”
“It’s just training.”
“Training?”
“Mother! It’s NoName!”
Suddenly, the old lady’s family approached and recognized me instantly.
I turned my head away, avoiding their gaze.
“What? Is that her?”
“Yes, it is! The National Exchange Tournament champion and the creator of the Dream Capsule…! Oh my God, I’m such a huge fan of you, NoName!”
“Haha, nice to meet you.”
Boink-
Then came one finger poking my cheek.
Saetbyeol walked over hesitantly and stood behind me.
“If you have a conscience, get lost, Unni.”
“Right… choose your flavor.”
The allure of attention fell more on Saetbyeol’s silver hair than on me.
Tourists who had heard the rumors started flocking around the ice cream truck.
My hair was all messy, and my clothes were dirty.
Cheon Professor, who joined us late, clicked his tongue while rubbing his temples.
I received ice cream from a handsome uncle with a nice mustache and found a suitable spot to sit.
As Saetbyeol said earlier, the grass was so soft and clean that we didn’t need a mat.
“Ugh, tiring. I’m still sweating on my neck.”
The tourists sat about 10 meters away from us, as if they had made a pact.
They began to take out snacks, like sandwiches, from their bags to share with family and friends.
“Huh?”
-Burden ×10000, LOL!
-The tourists are super polite! Impressive!
-It’s polite, but this is too much pressure, LOL!
-Something feels off, LOL.
-Shall we respect their privacy vs still feel the need to see NoName, going through internal conflict, LOL?
-Doesn’t it feel like a towel relay?
“ towel relay? Oh, great idea! What’s towel relay in English?”
“Duck, duck, goose.”
“Hey everybody, listen!”
Clap clap-
Unable to resist her spotlight craving, she clapped her hands to draw attention from the crowd.
Eventually, she snatched a white towel from a tourist and started an impromptu towel relay.
“Hey, Adella! No aura! No aura!”
“No aura? She said she won’t use aura. Okay, let’s go!”
“Hey, doesn’t that put me at a disadvantage—”
Thud-
As soon as the towel dropped behind me, I reflexively sprang up, kicking off the ground and dashing.
Tap tap tap-
“Whoa! Fast! NoName is super fast!”
-No way, this craving to win, LOL!
-NoName ← will never lose in any game.
-Seeing their eyes spin is hilariously funny, LOL!
-Na-me, please don’t put your life on the line for fun!
-??? “To me, games are murder.”
-If it’s NoName, I think they’d willingly pay 456 billion won to join the Squid Game.
└ Wow, amusement park tickets are 100 each!
└ 100 participation tickets, LOL!
Thud-
“Why does everyone only throw it at me…!”
“Because it’s fun to play with you, Unni.”
That day, I managed to run a circle over 50 meters 20 times before barely escaping what felt like purgatory.
Thud-
“Ugh, stop it!”
*
From the second day of the trip, my legs had muscle soreness, and I was on edge.
But I still couldn’t escape the tasks at hand.
The next day, I rushed to the site where the popup store was being constructed.
A quick explanation of what a popup store is: it’s an offline retail store that operates for a very short time.
With layered manufacturing robots and modular construction methods, a massive shop can be built in a day or two.
As we would only use capsules, we planned to make it look like a warehouse store—like IKEA or Costco—regardless of its exterior.
Meeting with the VariA executives at the construction site, we exchanged a few brief words.
While drinking Korean imported mixed coffee slurp, he asked me,
“Can we really call this a popup store? It looks more like a factory.”
With hundreds of construction machines bustling around,
a building the size of IKEA or Costco was indeed being constructed.
This site was set to host 1,000 experience version Dream Capsules simultaneously.
