Chapter 123: The Absolute Powerhouse

Nops tempted me with the promise of making Lunar a ‘certified platform.’

Thanks to that, we were able to distribute Lunar easily in the North American and European markets.

In return, they demanded the complete integration of the A-ple UX framework.

On the surface, it was framed as compatibility.

But in reality, their intention was to subordinate Lunar to the jOS ecosystem.

I read the clause several times.

The sentence stating that any future SDK changes ‘must’ prioritize jOS compatibility.

This meant handing over the design benchmark to them, not me.

The moment I accepted this,

Lunar would no longer be mine.

It was about authority, not technology.

Priority, not design.

‘In the end, a platform is not about the system itself, but about who it revolves around.’

Nops wanted me to walk into the framework he had set up.

But if I became a compliant partner within that framework,

I wouldn’t be able to raise any issues with any additional clauses they might add.

‘That’s why I created Mirage.’

[MIRAGE]

Something that resembles reality but isn’t real.

I planned to meet all their ‘formal’ requirements

while maintaining a completely independent internal structure.

Nops would think I was following their methods when he saw Mirage,

but in the end, I would hold the control.

…

…

…

Dojin Soft Development Room.

Late at night, a complex diagram titled ‘MIRAGE Structural Design’ was displayed on the screen.

The interface structure between the Lunar API and jOS UX modules, the dual abstraction layer,

and even the external validation Dummy Layer.

Han Yu-ju added an explanation using a laser pointer.

“As you can see, all API calls requested by jOS so far are being converted to the Mirage interface through the first router. After that, the internal Lunar kernel must go through the process of branching into the Shadow API we designed.”

“Compatibility tests?”

When I asked, Hong Jin-man looked up.

“We’ve passed all the jOS certification tools. We’ve finalized the design by scrambling the logs at each call point so the internal structure isn’t exposed.”

“What if A-ple digs into the code internally?”

“Mirage isn’t a compatibility framework but a ‘facade of compatibility,’ so it only exists momentarily during API output, not as a code block.”

It was a satisfying answer, but it still wasn’t perfect.

“The key to this is to appear as if we’re fully cooperating with them.”

Of course, only on the surface.

In reality, I need to hold the core.

Cupertino, A-ple Headquarters.

“It’s here.”

The data Sheldon brought up listed the test logs transmitted from Lunar’s recent build.

“So it really passed the SDK application test?”

At Nops’ words, Sheldon shook his head.

“It looks that way on the surface… but take a look here.”

Sheldon pointed to a spot in the log.

“This is a section where there’s an API call delay in the UX transition animation module. As you can see, the call itself is valid, but… there are some differences from the values actually processed in jOS.”

“Differences?”

“For example, when an app switch trigger occurs, three touch layers should appear according to jOS standards, but in Lunar, the response is partially omitted.”

Nops looked puzzled.

“Omitted?”

“Yes, it’s as if it won’t operate at all unless we request that value. And there’s something else. The name Mirage keeps floating around in the memory.”

“That must be the SDK name.”

“It could be, but… I have a bad feeling about it.”

For a moment, Nops’ eyebrows furrowed slightly.

But soon, holding his coffee, he stood up expressionlessly.

“Sheldon, aren’t you being too sensitive? Once they’ve stepped into the ecosystem we created,

they’ll have no choice but to follow us.“

As Nops left the conference room, he muttered quietly,

“In the end, technology is not about structure but habit.”

But Sheldon, still unable to shake off his suspicions, couldn’t take his eyes off the screen where the word Mirage was written.

Whether before or after the regression, the core of the platform war remains the same.

It doesn’t matter who has the superior technology.

Nor who has secured more users.

The real battle is about ‘who sets the rules.’

What I’m doing now is making jOS follow our framework.

The moment we step out of the rules A-ple created,

most partners will feel confused.

So Nops has made them believe their structure is the ‘standard’ and built an ecosystem on top of it.

But I’m now using Mirage to twist that framework in reverse.

It seems like we’re conforming to jOS,

but in reality, Lunar’s SDK is becoming the new rule.

Nops still hasn’t realized that Mirage is an illusion.

If I set the standard before he realizes it and make jOS follow for ‘compatibility’… the game will be over.

From that moment on, the industry will believe Lunar is the ‘standard.’

…

…

…

Dojin Soft Conference Room.

“CEO, Britain’s Britatel and Germany’s Nextel have both requested custom app development based on the Lunar SDK.”

“In North America, inquiries about Lunar-based apps have increased by 62% compared to last week.”

At Hong Jin-man and Han Yu-ju’s words, I nodded.

“What about jOS?”

“A-ple updated the jOS UX library… Interestingly, some of its structure has been revised to resemble the Lunar SDK style.”

Han Yu-ju’s eyes sparkled.

“Looks like jOS is starting to follow us.”

“No, it’s not following…”

I slowly stood up.

“It’s being dragged along!”

A-ple Headquarters, Steve Nops’ Office.

“Sheldon, what’s the global adoption rate of this SDK update?”

“72% globally. But due to compatibility issues with Lunar… some partners are separately adapting to the Lunar version.”

Hearing Sheldon’s words, Nops rolled the coffee cup on the table and fell into thought.

“…Of course, this is something we anticipated, right?”

“Yes, but it’s happening a bit faster than expected. Especially, there are reports that European partners are referring to the Lunar SDK documentation before ours.”

Nops’ hand stopped, but his expression didn’t change.

“Dojin has made Lunar into a sort of ‘autonomous ecosystem.’ And we’ve known for a while that the European market is susceptible to that.”

“…Anyway, if we don’t subordinate Lunar to our jOS ecosystem this time, it’s clear it will become a significant threat.”

Sheldon was alarmed by the rapid increase in Quantum sales

and the fact that some latecomers to smartphone development from the traditional mobile industry were also adopting Lunar as their OS.

Their goal was to make others follow their standard,

but if more places referred to Lunar’s SDK documentation,

the standard could change.

But Nops seemed to think differently.

“Standards aren’t something that change so easily.”

“But… take a look at this.”

At Sheldon’s words, Nops turned his gaze.

“What is this?”

“About 30% of our partner companies, during recent SDK integration tests, reviewed compatibility issues with Lunar before jOS. Some even contacted Dojin directly for development guidance.”

“What?”

Nops’ eyes widened.

No matter how superior an OS they developed,

they couldn’t do much alone.

The ecosystem could only expand if the community and global developers created apps according to their standards and uploaded them to the store.

But if those developers prioritized Lunar’s standards, there was a high chance their ecosystem expansion plans would be disrupted.

Sheldon’s next words sent a chill down Nops’ spine.

“In North America, T-Brain, Europe’s Mobiel, and Japan’s Akasaki, originally developed apps centered around our jOS framework, but even they seem to be prioritizing Lunar.”

Nops couldn’t take his eyes off the report.

“…Why?”

“Because of speed.”

Sheldon continued his explanation.

“Lunar’s SDK has a simple API call structure. And through Mirage, UX processing has become faster and more flexible. Some early developers even said it’s more user-friendly than ours.”

“We have to stop this!”

Nops raised his voice suddenly.

The more he heard, the more serious the situation seemed.

Contrary to his intention of taking over Lunar’s ecosystem,

there was a sense of crisis that they might become subordinate to Lunar.

Dojin Tech Conference Room.

On the wall’s large screen, the sales graph of Quantum over the past month showed a sharp upward curve.

Seong-hwan began his explanation while looking at the data.

“This week, Quantum sales surpassed 900,000 units. Demand is increasing so rapidly that even the expanded capacity can’t keep up.”

It hadn’t been long since the capacity expansion was completed,

and already there was talk of insufficient capacity again.

Of course, it was a pleasant concern.

“They say ‘selling like hotcakes’ for a reason.”

At my joke, Hong Chung-ki also smiled and replied,

“KTalk and Ani-pung have played a significant role.”

Hong Chung-ki mentioned that KTalk’s global subscribers had exceeded 70 million

and Ani-pung’s downloads had surpassed 30 million.

“At this rate, within a month or two, KTalk could reach 100 million, and Ani-pung 50 million.”

Seong-hwan added,

“Thanks to KTalk’s free messaging and Ani-pung’s real-time ranking system, users are competing to buy Quantum.”

It was an impressive achievement,

but it wasn’t enough.

To dominate the platform and surpass A-ple’s jOS, even more explosive growth was needed.

Only then could Lunar establish itself as the standard in the smartphone market.

I turned to Han Yu-ju.

“How’s the Voicetalk feature update going?”

“Actually, I was planning to report on the progress today. Should I report now?”

At Han Yu-ju’s words, I looked at the screen.

Seong-hwan’s report wasn’t finished yet.

“Let’s proceed after Deputy Manager Seong-hwan’s report is done.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Seong-hwan continued his report.

“…Anyway, to make up for the insufficient capacity, we need to proceed with the second line expansion at the Dongtan site as quickly as possible.”

“Building the factory is one issue, but the biggest problem is equipment expansion. Deputy Manager Park Sang-bae is practically living at the Dongtan corporation, but it’s expected to take at least another two months.”

At Hong Chung-ki’s response, I nodded.

I was already aware of this.

“Until the expansion is completed, we’ll have to maintain the current trend and maximize production efficiency. And with this growth rate, existing mobile companies will be desperate to counter us. What’s their reaction?”

Seong-hwan answered,

“Currently, most global phone manufacturers, seeing Quantum’s success, are rushing into smartphone development.”

Aside from Ahsung, companies like Cheongwoon Electronics, China’s BYL, Cheonbo Electronics, and Ningbo Eagle are already on the verge of releasing smartphones.

Europe’s Nextel, Britatel, Japan’s Matsumoto, and North America’s T-Brain, Xtrone, and others are also rapidly progressing with development.

“What about the OS?”

“Most seem to be planning to adopt Lunar, which we open-sourced. There are also rumors that some companies will develop their own OS.”

The companies choosing Lunar had made a wise decision,

and the results of those developing their own OS weren’t worth considering.

This market is extremely difficult for latecomers to gain a foothold.

But it’s also true that the more companies adopt our Lunar, the more my influence grows.

And to boost that influence all at once,

I plan to bring one of the absolute powerhouses from the existing feature phone market into this game.