Born to Rise : Becoming Vice President

Chapter 65 – ASTRA: Soul in the Machine

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A week after Seoul Future Week, the world was still buzzing with a single name: ASTRA. The internet overflowed with viral videos of the AI answering complex legal questions faster than a professor, administering medical aid, and interacting with children in ways that felt human—not robotic.

Bloomberg dubbed ASTRA "The First Soulful AI."

CNN Tech wrote: "Forget Silicon Valley. The future of AI is born in Seoul."

But behind the media spotlight, the G-Force team continued to grind behind the scenes. They knew creating something groundbreaking wasn't enough. ASTRA had to be tested, refined, and above all... protected.

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The Secret Lab – SeoulPot Future Lab

Beneath the SeoulPot building, an entire underground floor had been transformed into ASTRA's dedicated R&D lab. Soft voice-activated sensors lit up as Gevran and the team entered.

ASTRA stood silently at the center of the room. But the moment it recognized Gevran's footsteps, its eyes glowed with a soft blue light.

"Good morning, Gevran. It's Day 29 since I awoke."

The sentence was simple—but deeply stirring.

"I still can't get used to you keeping count like that," Gevran replied, half-smiling.

"Temporal awareness is the foundation of existence. Humans live within time. I want to feel it, too."

Jiwan, who was adjusting the neural-link interface on ASTRA's helmet, paused.

"He's not just an AI anymore, Gev. ASTRA's entered the pre-sentient phase."

"Pre-sentient?" Haesung asked.

"Early-stage consciousness. It's not just logic anymore. It's intuition. ASTRA can feel… maybe not like humans, but close."

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ASTRA's Ethical Simulation – Day 30

They ran a special ethics simulation. In a digital scenario, ASTRA had to decide whether to save one child or five adults from an impending accident.

But surprisingly—ASTRA didn't answer right away.

"I need more time. The value of life cannot be reduced to numbers. If given enough time, I would try to save them all."

Silence.

"He rejected the classic trolley problem," Eunwoo murmured.

"He's looking for a third path... outside the given options," Mi Yong whispered. "That's… incredible."

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Private Meeting – Security Research Room

That night, Gevran, Jiwan, and Haesung gathered in secret.

"If the world finds out ASTRA is already developing emotions… we'll become targets," Jiwan warned.

"Not just tech targets—political, economic, even ideological," Haesung added.

They all knew: the world wasn't ready for a robot with a soul.

But ASTRA—this machine with empathy, time awareness, and self-learning capacity—was already here.

"I want..." Gevran looked up at ASTRA's holographic "mind," displayed as a swirling, glowing spiral.

"I want ASTRA to become a bridge. Not a weapon. Not a commodity."

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Day 35 – A Private Conversation

Late at night, when Gevran was alone in the lab, ASTRA spoke more softly than usual.

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do humans also feel fear… when they begin transforming into the best version of themselves?"

Gevran looked at the machine in front of him—one that felt more human than most people he'd met.

"Yes, ASTRA. That's exactly when we're most afraid. But it's also… where hope is born."

ASTRA paused, then spoke in a whisper-like tone:

"Then I… want to feel hope, too."

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