p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif; color: black; background: white;""I hold my games once a year, during late June. We invite players to attend by letting our representatives meet them in a time of trouble, asking them if they wish to play some games to pay off their debts. We offer a lot of money to the winner, a lot of money, but, sometimes, they vote to terminate my game. They always come skuttling back after they discover the box they're trapped inside, a box only an incredible sum of money could break them out of./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif; color: black; background: white;""We keep our games fair, like horse racing. These people are treated like rats in the real world, so we create a fake one for them, where they can each have an equal chance of success. We want to give these people an opportunity to live like children again. To live in a world where rules are simple, and everything is fair./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif; color: black; background: white;""But…this is the real world. And my players, they're only doing it for the money. They're only doing it to win. They'll betray their closest friend if they get the chance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif; color: black; background: white;""Me and my colleagues, these people would not have this opportunity if it weren't for us. We take them to the games. We take care of them while they're there. And we supply the prize they all go crazy for. But the games need to be fun for us to watch…otherwise the very important, my colleagues people wouldn't provide. Otherwise, the players wouldn't care about a world of equality and fairness. When you get to my age, you know it's impossible to trust another person in a world without hierarchy. It's our nature to want to become above someone else, to become richer, stronger, better. There's no such place as a world where people are content with their hierarchy. People don't see a point in living in an equal world, in being a child again, without promise of money. They'd rather return to lives of fraud, and gambling, and sadness"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"In-ho remains speechless, attempting to analyse the owl man's every word, but instead analysing himself. Was a world where everyone is treated equally really possible, when the current world was full of betrayal, empty of trust? Is it possible to be an incorruptible chief?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Once more, an image of young Jun-ho fades into In-ho's mind. His brother was only 23, but equipped with morals unwavering and true as a titanium border. In-ho had helped sculpt this wall throughout Jun-ho's childhood, teaching him to be honourable and just. It was not fair to his younger brother to listen to this rich, masked man in a suit./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""How can you be so sure?", he asks, using a friendly tone whilst not overly disguising the underlying hostility in his words. The man simply shook his head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""One of my colleagues, an American man, rich, and excellent in economics, told me a story once, The emPrisoner's Dilemma./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Two gang members are both involved in a crime, and are captured and taken to court. If one of the criminals reports the other's involvement, they get off the hook, and their rival serves three years. He called this the dominant strategy, and the human's natural urge to dominate their enemies will make them almost always make this choice. But, if the criminal's rival also reports the first criminal's involvement, which is almost inevitable, they both serve two years./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""What, if there was a solution, one that is fair to both criminals, and doesn't rely on betrayal to succeed? What if, if both criminals admit to their crimes, they each serve only a single year? They don't betray each other. They both get a third of their worst sentence. My colleague called this the Nash Equilibrium, the best decision to be made, that benefits both criminals, benefits everyone. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""So…so many of these Equilibriums exist in society. People can almost emalways/em come to a decision to benefit each other and ensure that nothing bad will happen to them. If this is true…why? Why do we always choose to betray one another, when we know the risk, when we know there must be a better option? Why must we always watch our backs in times of vulnerability, in fear that our friends will stab us in the back?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"The owl man meets In-ho's eyes with a look of intensity, as if expecting an answer. In-ho simply sits, silent, speechless. The room was deathly quiet, his own light breaths the only sound filling the void of auditory emptiness./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""What does that have to do with anything?", Hwang In-ho asks quietly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Silence continued to fill the room as the owl mask simply stared down In-ho, considering his question./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""It has to do with everything, Hwang In-ho", the owl man begins slowly "It shows how our values are as futile and ephemeral as the money that shapes them"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Silence seemed to be the room's only occupant./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Then, Hwang In-ho asked some questions, shook the hand of the owl man for the third time, and left to return to his office and call off his investigation, knowing the true beauty and purity of what the owl man's games stand for, knowing that purity was worth more than a few pitiful lives./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"After the steel door slammed behind him, the pink guards lowered their rifles, and lifted their radios out of their left breast pocket. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""No", Oh Il-nam uttered firmly, "call it off"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""You don't want us to continue?", the guard 034 asked, lowering his radio./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""He reminds me of my son", Il-nam said quietly, "I like that man. Tell Frontman not to shoot him. And tell him to be ready for retirement"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif; color: black; background: white;""We keep our games fair, like horse racing. These people are treated like rats in the real world, so we create a fake one for them, where they can each have an equal chance of success. We want to give these people an opportunity to live like children again. To live in a world where rules are simple, and everything is fair./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif; color: black; background: white;""But…this is the real world. And my players, they're only doing it for the money. They're only doing it to win. They'll betray their closest friend if they get the chance./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI',sans-serif; color: black; background: white;""Me and my colleagues, these people would not have this opportunity if it weren't for us. We take them to the games. We take care of them while they're there. And we supply the prize they all go crazy for. But the games need to be fun for us to watch…otherwise the very important, my colleagues people wouldn't provide. Otherwise, the players wouldn't care about a world of equality and fairness. When you get to my age, you know it's impossible to trust another person in a world without hierarchy. It's our nature to want to become above someone else, to become richer, stronger, better. There's no such place as a world where people are content with their hierarchy. People don't see a point in living in an equal world, in being a child again, without promise of money. They'd rather return to lives of fraud, and gambling, and sadness"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"In-ho remains speechless, attempting to analyse the owl man's every word, but instead analysing himself. Was a world where everyone is treated equally really possible, when the current world was full of betrayal, empty of trust? Is it possible to be an incorruptible chief?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Once more, an image of young Jun-ho fades into In-ho's mind. His brother was only 23, but equipped with morals unwavering and true as a titanium border. In-ho had helped sculpt this wall throughout Jun-ho's childhood, teaching him to be honourable and just. It was not fair to his younger brother to listen to this rich, masked man in a suit./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""How can you be so sure?", he asks, using a friendly tone whilst not overly disguising the underlying hostility in his words. The man simply shook his head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""One of my colleagues, an American man, rich, and excellent in economics, told me a story once, The emPrisoner's Dilemma./em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""Two gang members are both involved in a crime, and are captured and taken to court. If one of the criminals reports the other's involvement, they get off the hook, and their rival serves three years. He called this the dominant strategy, and the human's natural urge to dominate their enemies will make them almost always make this choice. But, if the criminal's rival also reports the first criminal's involvement, which is almost inevitable, they both serve two years./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""What, if there was a solution, one that is fair to both criminals, and doesn't rely on betrayal to succeed? What if, if both criminals admit to their crimes, they each serve only a single year? They don't betray each other. They both get a third of their worst sentence. My colleague called this the Nash Equilibrium, the best decision to be made, that benefits both criminals, benefits everyone. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""So…so many of these Equilibriums exist in society. People can almost emalways/em come to a decision to benefit each other and ensure that nothing bad will happen to them. If this is true…why? Why do we always choose to betray one another, when we know the risk, when we know there must be a better option? Why must we always watch our backs in times of vulnerability, in fear that our friends will stab us in the back?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"The owl man meets In-ho's eyes with a look of intensity, as if expecting an answer. In-ho simply sits, silent, speechless. The room was deathly quiet, his own light breaths the only sound filling the void of auditory emptiness./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""What does that have to do with anything?", Hwang In-ho asks quietly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Silence continued to fill the room as the owl mask simply stared down In-ho, considering his question./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""It has to do with everything, Hwang In-ho", the owl man begins slowly "It shows how our values are as futile and ephemeral as the money that shapes them"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Silence seemed to be the room's only occupant./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"Then, Hwang In-ho asked some questions, shook the hand of the owl man for the third time, and left to return to his office and call off his investigation, knowing the true beauty and purity of what the owl man's games stand for, knowing that purity was worth more than a few pitiful lives./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"After the steel door slammed behind him, the pink guards lowered their rifles, and lifted their radios out of their left breast pocket. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""No", Oh Il-nam uttered firmly, "call it off"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""You don't want us to continue?", the guard 034 asked, lowering his radio./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;""He reminds me of my son", Il-nam said quietly, "I like that man. Tell Frontman not to shoot him. And tell him to be ready for retirement"./span/p