December 2, 2030

  Jang Cheol-dae and Baek Hyung-jin returned to the shed to continue yesterday’s failed experiment. Jang Cheol-dae set up a camera in front of the shed and began recording. “This is the 138th experiment… we’ll test it with E. coli strain #46 modified.” Baek Hyung-jin climbed a ladder to spray a high-pressure water jet through the grinder’s inlet, clearing grass residue. Jang Cheol-dae poured the grass debris and liquid from a plastic container into a rubber bin for food waste, sealed it, and loaded it onto a cart to haul away. After the morning work, they sat on a bench to rest.

  “Phew… damn it. I’ve always thought cleanup’s the hardest part,” Jang Cheol-dae grumbled. Baek Hyung-jin held out his hand. “…Give me the remote. I need a dopamine shower before we start.” Jang Cheol-dae glanced at him, pulled a white device with a red button from his pocket, and handed it over. “…Use it carefully. Mess up the dosage, and you’ll get addicted.” Baek Hyung-jin pressed the button, which wirelessly signaled a circuit in his brain to release dopamine. After the shower, the button auto-shutoff to prevent addiction. “…Ahh… nothing beats a dopamine shower! I’m recharged!” Jang Cheol-dae took the device back and pocketed it. “…Watch it, punk. This is on a whole other level from methamphetamine. It triggers dopamine directly in your brain.”

  They stood to prepare for the experiment. Baek Hyung-jin opened a delivery box from Ko A-young, lifted the lid of a Petri dish labeled “E. coli #46,” and poured its contents into a water bottle filled with a mysterious thin liquid labeled “culture medium.” As he stirred it with a spoon, Jang Cheol-dae went outside, used a weed trimmer to cut grass, collected it, and filled a plastic container. Once full, he sealed it and brought it to the shed.

  …

  In the lab, Ko A-young used a dropper to add culture medium to a Petri dish with microbes. Park Sung-jae, disguised as Gamagogi, watched nearby. He recalled his conversation with Gamamusa last night. Gamamusa had complained that the experiments were taking too long. Though not impatient, he objectively knew there was a deadline. He had given Park Sung-jae special instructions: “Have Ko A-young culture the microbes. Observe multiple strains and test the one most likely to work in the digestion engine.” Park Sung-jae rubbed his temple, exasperated. Glancing at his watch, he turned to Ko A-young. “A-young, it’s snack time. Experiments are great, but how about a late-night bite? I’ll watch things while you eat.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Ko A-young excused herself and left. Watching her go, Park Sung-jae sat at the Petri dishes and sprinkled finely chopped grass pieces onto them. Visibly, the grass showed no change. Hours would reveal progress, but time was short. He grabbed a microscope and checked each dish. After finishing, he called Gamamusa. “…I checked under the microscope. The most active decomposition was from E. coli #46 and gastric culture #172. Let’s mix them.”

  Gamamusa hung up quietly and called Jang Cheol-dae. “…Ugh, it’s the middle of the night. Don’t you think I’m too old to be worked during my break?” Gamamusa tilted his head. “I was about to share experiment data. Don’t want it? Or should we keep experimenting until Christmas Eve?” Jang Cheol-dae grumbled, pulling out a notebook. “…Tch, seriously. Why’d we set the invention demo for Christmas? That leaves less than a month to unveil it!” Gamamusa ignored him. “Shut up and write. For this experiment, mix E. coli #46 with gastric culture #172. You hear me?” Jang Cheol-dae nodded, jotting it down. “Yeah… yawn… I’m going to sleep. Don’t wake me, for real.”

  …

  Jang Cheol-dae and Baek Hyung-jin sat on the bench, resting. Baek Hyung-jin glanced between the broken grass grinder and the plastic container filled with an unknown substance. “…The grinder’s busted now. We can’t fix it this month, sir. This is our last shot.” They locked eyes and nodded. Baek Hyung-jin went to grab the sugar meter, while Jang Cheol-dae opened the plastic container. Unlike the usual musty smell, it reeked of methane gas, like cow farts. Jang Cheol-dae pinched his nose. “…Damn, this is insane. Does it have to smell this bad to be digested?” Baek Hyung-jin, returning with the sugar meter, also pinched his nose. They exchanged meaningful looks. Baek Hyung-jin carefully scooped a teaspoon of the dissolved grass residue and placed it on the meter. Beep beep beep… bzz. A green light flashed. They looked at each other, released their noses, and high-fived.