Forty-FiveOnce he landed at Incheon airport, unwashed and weary beyond travel, Slava lost no time getting into Seoul. As always, the Koreans were ten years ahead of the West. On the metro each and every passenger was glued to a video game, leaving the wagons dead quiet; not a book was in sight and a special car was set aside for conversation. From Central Station Slava headed south on the KTX. Here too, the Koreans held on to their lead: at speeds above 300 kilometers per hour, talking had become forbidden except when mocking slower countries. In less than an hour Slava arrived at Daejeon and hopped into a cab. Despite the dreary concrete apartment blocks, the city retained its futuristic appearance, in part because of the old World’s Fair grounds, which had been transformed into a science
