#healthcare fraud solutions

[rachvictor05]

Understanding Healthcare Fraud Detection Software Solutions

Healthcare fraud detection software solutions are specialized tools designed to identify and prevent fraudulent activities within the healthcare system. These solutions use advanced algorithms and data analytics to detect anomalies, patterns, and behaviors indicative of fraud. By analyzing vast amounts of data from insurance claims, patient records, and billing processes, the software can flag suspicious activities that may indicate fraudulent behavior.

Key features of these solutions often include real-time monitoring, automated alerts, and sophisticated pattern recognition. They help healthcare providers, insurers, and regulatory bodies to detect fraudulent claims, billing irregularities, and other deceptive practices efficiently. By integrating with existing healthcare IT systems, these tools offer a comprehensive approach to managing and mitigating fraud risks.

The implementation of fraud detection solutions enhances the integrity of healthcare services, ensuring that resources are allocated appropriately and reducing financial losses. Additionally, it supports compliance with regulatory standards and protects patient data from misuse. Overall, these solutions are crucial in maintaining trust and accountability within the healthcare industry, ultimately leading to more efficient and transparent operations.

[starsstuddedsky]

Jeonghan’s Guide to Insurance Fraud (And Falling in Love)

reader x jeonghan

summary: your best friend offers a way for you to get your wisdom teeth removed without going into debt. the only catch? you can’t fall in love

genre: fluff, angst, non-idol au, elementary school teacher!jeonghan, f2L, fake relationship

warnings: swearing (jihoon needs soap), one suggestive joke?, mentions of insecurities??? (is that a warning)

wc: 11.2k

a/n: this story (probably obviously) is based on the fact that i have aged out of my parents dental and i still have my wisdom teeth and this gives me anxiety - if you live somewhere with actually decent healthcare what’s it like 😭 (we can call this 100 follower special sure yeah uh huh)

“Marry me.” 

You eyed Jeonghan from across the couch. Having been friends with him since childhood, you knew what it looked like when he was going to say something completely insane. The corners of his mouth would turn up (as if even he knew how ridiculous what he was saying was), his eyes would glint with mischief, and when he was really messing with you, he’d sit back and fold his arms. 

The thing was, he wasn’t doing any of that now. 

It’s only because you knew him so well that you realized he was actually nervous, blinking just a little bit more than usual and popping his knuckles. 

“You’re serious?” You finally said. 

He shrugged, feigning nonchalance as he leaned back against the arm of the couch. “It’s a solution.” 

“It’s marriage, Jeonghan,” you said. “It’s not something you do on a whim.” 

“It’s not a whim,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I thought it through. You’d be able to get your teeth out without going into debt.” He poked your left cheek, almost to your jaw, as if he could reach your teeth. 

“But marriage? That’s like—a whole commitment and everything,” you sputtered. “You don’t just marry someone for insurance!” 

He shrugged. “Why not? It’s half the reason I took this job and my wisdom teeth have already been taken out. I need to make full use of it!” He knocked his knee against yours. “We’ll get divorced as soon as your teeth are fine. Don’t you want to do something fun and stupid?” 

“Fun and stupid is for people that didn’t lose their parents’ dental insurance,” you said with a sigh that even you knew was dramatic. 

“And this is a solution to that!” Jeonghan paused. “You really won’t even consider it?” 

You turned to him, seeing how earnest he was. For whatever reason, he really believed in this. “Why? What does this do for you?” 

“Contrary to what you and Seokmin think, not everything I do is give and take,” Jeonghan said. He placed a hand on your wrist, warm and familiar. “Yn, you are my best friend, and I want to help. I can help, I have a legitimate solution. If you want.” 

For the first time, you actually contemplated it. Fake marrying Jeonghan wouldn’t change anything. He’d still be the idiot you met in elementary school that somehow convinced you for an entire year that humans came from Mars, and who had talked you into joining the Shakespeare Club in high school before abandoning you to join the soccer team. And he’d still be the first person you’d called when your first boyfriend had broken up with you and you needed a shoulder to cry on, the person who kept you up all night so you could write your final paper last minute your senior year, the first person you hugged when you finally graduated college. 

“I’m not marrying anyone that doesn’t ask properly,” you said, not quite able to hide your smile. It was quickly wiped away when he slid off the couch, kneeling in front of you and scooping your hands into his. He looked up at you without a hint of a lie, his smile hesitant and nervous. 

“Yn, my love.” He paused for dramatic effect. It wasn’t the first time he’d called you ‘my love,’ but it was different when he was immersed in the act of a man in love, making your heart skip a beat. “Would you please consider marrying me?” 

You were tempted to say yes right away, your heart beating much louder than it should have considering it was just Jeonghan and not an actual proposal. You opened your mouth to answer, but the door flew open and Mingyu walked in. You whirled around to see him, Jeonghan’s hands still wrapped around yours. 

Jeonghan’s roommate clearly had walked in without looking, now frozen with his bag hanging in his hands and one shoe half off. “I can come back.” 

“No need!” You said, as he tried unsuccessfully to wiggle his foot back into his shoe. “Jeonghan was just proposing.” 

“Oh, is that all,” Mingyu said. You were tempted to keep the joke going but you were a little worried at Mingyu’s frown, a mixture of shock and concern. 

“He’s just trying to marry me so that I can get my wisdom teeth out,” you said. “It’s just insurance fraud.” 

“Oh, is that all,” Mingyu repeated, sounding rather disappointed. He finally shut the door behind him, tossing his bag into a corner and taking his shoes fully off. “Don’t let me interrupt.” You watched him cross the room, barely glancing at you and Jeonghan, and disappear into his room. 

Jeonghan squeezed your hands to get your attention again. “So? How about it?” 

You smiled. “Sure. On one condition.” 

.

.

You would have had a lot more fun if the waiter wasn’t still staring at you. It was starting to get uncomfortable. Since you sat down, you hadn’t felt him look away, his eyes burning into you throughout the entire meal. 

You wondered if Jeonghan even noticed, sitting across from you and frowning at the menu. You tapped his foot under the table and he finally looked up and smiled at the man. 

“Are you ready for dessert?” The waiter took his eyes off of you and you finally felt like you could breathe again. Some of it was your own fault. As Jeonghan ordered, you decided that it had been your idea and you couldn’t really be mad at him for being oblivious to your discomfort. It wasn’t like you were actually on a date. 

“Anything else?” The waiter turned back to you and you tried your best not to squirm under his gaze. It felt like he was trying to undress you with his eyes. You wished you had worn a jacket and less form-fitting clothes. 

Jeonghan reached across the table and squeezed your hand, making the waiter shift his eyes away from you for a moment. You glanced at your fake date and he smiled. 

“We’re good, thank you,” you said, not taking your eyes off Jeonghan. You waited until you heard his footsteps leading away before you sighed in relief, letting go of Jeonghan’s hand. 

“What is up with that guy?” You muttered. 

“We’re almost out of here,” Jeonghan said. “We can bail if you want, though.” 

You shook your head. “I want to see the look on his face when we walk out of here.” 

Jeonghan laughed. That was why you were best friends. You understood the little voice in his head that whispered about petty comebacks so well because it sounded a lot like yours. 

“So,” he said louder. You realized he was starting, fixing any stray hairs that had wandered into your face and sitting up a little straighter. “We’ve been together for a long time.” You nodded, smiling and finding it easy to pretend to hang on to every word as if you were in love. “Yn, you have been by my side through the most important parts of my life. I can’t imagine my future without you in it. Even before we were dating, I always knew it was going to be me and you.” 

He paused, stepping out of his chair to kneel on the hard tile floor, reaching into his suit jacket and pulling out a box. He opened it, revealing the simple gold band you had picked out together. With his free hand, he found yours, squeezing your fingers gently. 

“Yn, will you please marry me?” 

Your hand flew to your mouth, as you stood up, sputtering his name, trying to pretend like a flustered date, buying time so you could blink out the real tears in your eyes. Teaching those children was making him too good of a liar. 

“Yes,” you finally said. “Of course yes.” His smile was so big as he slid the ring onto your finger that you knew you had the entire restaurant fooled, maybe even yourself. There was applause when he pulled you into a hug, and you wondered if you were supposed to be this excited about a fake marriage. 

You caught a glimpse of a uniform out of the corner of your eye and had a terrible idea. You pulled away until your face was only inches away from his, playing with the lapels of his suit jacket while his hands came to rest at your waist as if this were natural. 

“You wanna kiss?” You asked softly. You were, perhaps, a little too entertained by how wide his eyes got, his hands suddenly tight. “It’ll be funny,” you said, leaning a little bit closer. “And I think it’ll look really weird if we don’t do it now because it really looks like we’re about to kiss.” 

He stared at you, glancing at your lips then back to your eyes. You realized that this was the closest you’d ever been to him, in all your years of friendship. Your breath hitched as he leaned forward, and you closed your eyes. 

Just when you were beginning to think he chickened out, you felt his lips on yours, a gentle and chaste kiss that was supposed to end in a heartbeat. Your hands curled into the fabric of his jacket as you leaned closer, chasing him before he could pull away. For a moment, he didn’t react. Then he was kissing you back and you forgot what you were supposed to be worried about.

You were both breathing heavily when he finally pulled away. You felt a little light headed, grateful he didn’t let go of your waist as you tried to remember why you had been kissing your best friend, and why it felt so good. 

“I can’t wait to marry you,” he said, reaching a hand up to brush some hair out of your face. Right. Marriage. Fake marriage. You finally pushed out of his arms, sitting back in your seat, though you kept your dazed smile. 

“Congratulations,” the older couple sitting at the table next to you said. “You two make a lovely young couple.” 

“Thank you,” you said. 

“Take it from someone who’s been married for fifty-one years,” the man said, “the only right way to do marriage is to find someone that loves you and hold on to them.” 

You smiled at them, feeling a little guilty that you weren’t really getting married. You did love Jeonghan, though not in the sense that he meant. 

“It’s been fifty two years, dear.” 

The man frowned. “No, I counted this morning.” 

“Well, you counted wrong.” 

You turned back to Jeonghan as they continued to bicker, raising your eyebrows. He smiled, picking up your left hand that now bore the “engagement” ring, running his thumb over your fingers. The kiss was messing with your head, that was why your heart was pounding at such a simple movement. 

You sat in idle silence as Jeonghan laced your fingers together and you both eavesdropped on the fighting couple next to you. For a couple moments, it was nice, and you let yourself pretend you really were engaged. You wondered what it would be like to be so certain in your love that you would commit to every day with them. Maybe you were just young, but you couldn’t imagine the strength of that love. Except maybe you could, because you knew for a fact that your future held Jeonghan. And Seokmin, and Seungcheol, and Mingyu, and all of your friends. They were fixtures in your life even if it was a different kind of love. 

Jeonghan tapped your hand, bringing you out of your daydream. “Free dessert incoming.” You turned around and saw a waiter, not the one who had been staring at you, carrying a large slice of cake with a candle in it. 

“Congratulations!” He said, setting it on the table. “Please enjoy your dessert complimentary as a sign of our hope your love will be everlasting!” His enthusiasm was fake but the free dessert was all you cared about anyways, the entire reason you had Jeonghan propose a second time. 

You cut into the cake, excited to see if it really was as good as the reviews said. The fork was halfway to your mouth before you paused, smiling at Jeonghan. He seemed to know exactly what you were thinking, rolling his eyes but opening his mouth. You leaned over the table, delivering the cake directly into his mouth. You tried not to think about his lips as you pulled the fork back, remembering how they felt against yours. 

You quickly cut your own piece, focusing on the sweet chocolate. It really was delicious, definitely worth the fake engagement. You savored each bite, not daring to look at Jeonghan for fear of your thoughts betraying you again. 

The cake was finished quickly, leaving you full and suddenly nervous with nothing to look at other than Jeonghan. Since when did he make you nervous? 

Because you weren’t looking at him, you didn’t notice him lean forward, and nearly jumped when his fingers brushed against your chin, thumb rubbing against the corner of your lips. 

“You had some chocolate on your face, idiot,” he said, dropping his hand and leaning back. It’s because you haven’t been on a date in a while, you decided. That’s why the simplest actions from Jeonghan were making your heart flutter. 

“Thanks,” you mumbled, trying to see if the waiter carrying a check was headed your way. 

You hoped the awkwardness would go away after a few minutes, but even after Jeonghan paid (and stared down the waiter) and you both walked to his car, you couldn’t think of anything to say to break the awkward tension. It was as if you had forgotten everything you had ever spoken about, your mind completely blank. 

You sat in the front seat of his car, tapping your fingers on the armrest and looking anywhere but at your best friend. You tried to remember the last time you had been with him and didn’t have anything to say. How did you normally act around him? Make fun of his driving? Tease him about…Well, usually about his lack of a love life but you were definitely not bringing that up now. 

You were relieved when his phone rang, saving you from spewing any of the awkward conversation starters you were coming up with. Jeonghan answered with his fancy steering wheel button, making you reminisce about the days when you would have to answer for him. Sometimes you missed his old car, as beat up and shitty as it was. 

“You bastard.” You grinned at Jihoon’s greeting. 

“Hi, Jihoon, my night is going great, how’s yours?” 

“Hi Jihoon!” You said so that he’d know you were there too. 

“How dare you fucking leave me?” Jihoon said. “You heartless, spineless, dickless, motherfucker.” 

Jeonghan laughed. “I see the dance went well.” You stifled your giggle. You’ve met Jeonghan’s work friends a couple times, though this is the first time you’ve experienced Jihoon’s full wrath (Jeonghan has told you many times how scary the man could be and you’ve seen firsthand that he has not skipped gym day in years). 

“I sent Joshua,” Jeonghan said. “It couldn’t have been that bad.” 

“Yeah that bastard is next, he switched too,” Jihoon said. “I had to chaperone with motherfucking Seungkwan.” 

“Oh come on, it couldn’t have been that bad,” Jeonghan says. “Seungkwan is nice.” 

“You better have a good goddamn excuse.” You could hear Jihoon’s glare. “Any second I wasn’t dealing with a kid crying bc they couldn’t get a goddamn muffin or pissed their pants I was listening to that fucking idiot gush about how cute the kids are. I haven’t had a second to hear my own fucking thoughts.” 

“Stop laughing!” You said. “Green light, dumbass!” Jeonghan wiped a couple tears from his eyes and stepped on the gas before the cars behind you honked. 

“Yn?” Jihoon seemed to finally realize you were there. 

“Yeah, I’m with Jeonghan, he’s driving,” you said. 

“Are you the reason that motherfucker ditched me tonight?” He asked. You wondered if it was safe to answer the question, but, catching a glimpse of the ring on your finger glinting under the passing streetlight, you realized you had a perfectly good reason. 

“Well, we did get engaged,” you said. 

Jihoon was silent. Jeonghan’s head whipped to you for a moment before turning back to the road. When you winked at him, it took him a moment to return a smile. 

“Took you long enough,” Jihoon finally said. 

“It’s not an actual engagement,” Jeonghan said, rolling his eyes at your groan. “Yn just wanted free dessert.” 

“You canceled on me because you scammed a restaurant?” Jihoon sounded pissed again. 

“We could have kept that going so much longer,” you muttered as Jihoon began to curse him out again. Jeonghan pulled into your driveway, leaving the engine on. 

“I’ll see you on Monday, Jihoon,” Jeonghan said. 

“Yeah, looking forward to it,” Jihoon said. You frowned as the call disconnected. 

“I think he might be planning your murder,” you said. 

Jeonghan laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll just call Joshua and make sure he’s there to witness it.” 

“I’m pretty sure it’ll just end up being a double homicide,” you said. “Is it weird that I’m a little scared of him?” 

“It’s a common reaction,” he said. “You get used to it, especially when you see him with the kids. He’s an entirely different person.” 

Just like you, you thought, barely catching yourself before you said it out loud. You saw Jeonghan exactly once at school, picking up a work paper he’d accidentally taken with him when he was grading at your dinner table, and immediately forgot to be mad because you got to spy on him teaching in front of a bunch of eight year olds who were actually listening to him. He might have been your best friend, but even you couldn’t deny the way he could make the entire class burst into giggles with just a wink was at least a tiny bit adorable. 

You looked at him now, dark hair getting so long it was falling over his eyes. As he reached a hand back to try (and fail) to tuck it behind his ear, you remembered how they pressed into your waist when you kissed. You pushed the horrible thoughts away, realizing you had been quiet for way too long. 

“I’ll go inside now,” you said, opening the door. You turned around as you got out, facing him. “Thank you for indulging me tonight.” 

His eyes flitted between the ring on your finger and back to your eyes. “You know I love free food just as much as you.” 

You laughed. “Thank you anyways.” You chewed on your lip for a moment before adding, “Seriously, thank you. I… I really don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

He blinked before smiling. “You’d probably let Soonyoung pull out the teeth with pliers.” 

“Oh my god, I totally would,” you said, covering your mouth. “You’re saving me from complete mutilation!” You both laughed, though it faded quickly and you found yourself lingering at the door. 

“Goodnight, yn,” Jeonghan said softly. 

You take a step back, returning his smile. “Goodnight, future husband.” You closed the door on him, though you didn’t miss how he rolled his eyes. 

He waited for you to get inside before he finally drove off, headlights flashing in the windows then disappearing as you watched him drive down the street. You stayed standing by the window for too long, staring at the street long after his car was gone. 

.

.

You found yourself in the front seat of his car again, clutching the piece of paper. It felt… flimsy. You turned to Jeonghan, who had been about to start the engine. 

“That was ridiculously easy, right?” 

He shrugged. You agreed to dress up today, and Jeonghan had decided to wear a suit which made it very hard for you to look at him and think properly but you were doing your best to ignore that. 

“It’s not like it’s a green card marriage,” he said, turning the key and starting the engine. “Plus we’ve been friends for so long I don’t think they’d be able to ask anything we couldn’t answer.” 

You sat back against the chair, still unsatisfied for some reason. A courthouse marriage wasn’t exactly romantic, but you reminded yourself this relationship wasn’t romantic. Still, you thought being married would feel different. 

“So, what do married people do?” You asked. 

“Seatbelt,” Jeonghan said, tapping your leg. You ignored the shivers that traveled down your spine. He turned back to the wheel, though he didn’t put the car into gear until your seatbelt clicked. “I don’t know, get groceries? Run errands?” 

“We do that all the time anyways,” you said, frowning. 

“You do remember that this is a fake marriage, right?” Jeonghan asked. 

You rolled your eyes. “Yes, I am well aware of that. I just thought that this might feel… I don’t know, different.” You held up the piece of paper. “Even if it isn’t actually real, this still legally links us together and that’s kind of monumental.” 

“Are you getting nostalgic on me already?” 

You stared out the window, watching the trees pass by. Maybe you were. You couldn’t help but remember when Jeonghan first got his license, six months before you could get yours. You spent so much time in the passenger seat of that rundown vehicle, seeing him nearly every day. 

You both had grown up. Well, Jeonghan had, with an actual adult job (complete with benefits!). You were still working a part time job and struggling to figure out what you wanted and spending every day terrified that you might never find out what that is. Sitting in his front seat, you wondered if you would ever know. 

“I don’t know,” you finally said. “I just want to do something fun today.” 

“Don’t tell me you want to scam another poor restaurant,” Jeonghan said. “We’ll never be able to go there again.” 

“I didn’t say anything like that!” You said. 

“Then what is something fun?” Jeonghan asked. It was a Monday and he had gone straight from work to the courthouse. You realized he was probably tired and wanted to go home and be done with the day. 

“Laying in bed and taking a nap?” 

“We’ve been married for like twenty minutes and you’re already trying to get me in bed?” Jeonghan whistled. “That’s low even for you.” 

You smacked his arm. “I literally said taking a nap.” 

“Well if you’re not going to suggest anything, then I will,” he said. You frowned at him, but it quickly turned into a grin when you heard his suggestion. 

An hour later you were wearing cheap plastic armor and held a phaser to your chest. You glared at Jeonghan from across the room. He raised his eyebrows and you knew he was saying, good luck with that. 

It had been a little concerning how quickly you and Jeonghan were able to round up friends for laser tag. It was always a struggle to find a date to meet up with everyone but a random Monday afternoon and a last minute invitation somehow managed to bring over half your friends together. 

On your team was Seungcheol, Jun, and Chan, while Jeonghan had Mingyu, Jihoon, and Soonyoung. A fair enough split, in your opinion (you learned years ago that as long as Jeonghan and Seungcheol weren't on the same team it was fair). Chan and Jihoon would both have to prove themselves, the only two invited that hadn’t been friends with you and Jeonghan since high school.  

The “safety instructor,” a kid that couldn’t be older than seventeen, finally finished explaining the rules and the group split up on opposite sides of the arena to begin the battle. 

“Okay, listen up,” Seungcheol said, rounding the group up. His competitiveness hadn’t changed since high school. “I’ll die before I lose to Mingyu and Jeonghan. Keep your eye out for them, Soonyoung is Soonyoung, we don’t have to worry about him, but Jihoon is a wildcard and I don’t trust him, he looks like he’s wielded a gun before.”

“Is it really this deep?” Chan asked you a little too loud. Seungcheol rounded on him. 

“Listen up kid,” he said, ignoring Chan’s protest that he was only a couple years younger. “This is about honor. Respect. This is war, and I’ll be damned if I lose.” 

“Did he watch Braveheart last night or something?” Jun whispered in your ear. You shrugged, adrenaline already pumping through your veins. It had been so long since you’ve gotten to do something fun. 

“Alright, yn and I should split up since we’re the only ones who have a chance at taking down Jeonghan, so Chan, you’re with me, Jun either stick to yn or find high ground.” 

Chan yelped as Seungcheol dragged him to the far entrance. “Why am I with you?” 

“I don’t trust you not to die,” Seungcheol said. 

“Dude, we met today,” Chan said. 

You glanced between Jun and the bickering boys. “Should I save him?” 

He shrugged. “He looks like he can handle it.” 

“You’re still mad that he finished the popcorn when I invited him to movie night.” 

“If he can handle Seungcheol’s wrath he can be invited again,” Jun said. “Otherwise I don’t trust your ‘work friend.’” 

“Oh my god, I can have friends other than you guys,” you said, pushing him to the middle entrance. “Go be a sniper, I don’t want to deal with your sulking more than I’ve already had to put up with.” 

Jun laughed, letting himself get pushed into position as you took the opposite side, already mapping out your plan of attack. From the little map they gave you, it hadn’t changed much since the last time you had been here, though it had been years. You smiled, remembering the last time you had dominated the competition. Jeonghan had been on your team that time, and there was a huge argument about whether that team was unfair. 

You took a deep breath as the countdown dropped to five seconds. You had a reputation to uphold and a husband to destroy. 

Three. 

Two. 

One. 

You were moving as soon as the doors opened, blinking through the machine-generated fog and advancing down the right side of the arena, to where you knew an outpost would be. You could hear Jun’s light footsteps in the catwalks above you, though they soon vanished as he turned to the middle of the map. 

You peered into the darkness, looking for any flash of the green light that signified your enemy but found nothing. You got to the tower, pulsing white light that you shot down before it could damage you. Your armor blinked once, twice, then faded, and a two minute timer began counting down on your phaser. Two minutes of invisibility. You grinned. 

You crept along the side, taking extra care to be quiet. Finally, you caught your first glimpse of a victim, a flash of green light a few paths to your left. You ducked behind a pillar to follow, stepping out and taking a shot. Your phaser buzzed with victory, and you darted back before your victim could spot you and expose your invisibility. 

You moved quickly, glancing at your phaser to see you had gotten Soonyoung. An easy kill, but it made you smile anyways. You were nearly across the arena now, and decided to climb up and see if you could get a better angle for the arena. You knew there was another outpost nearby and heard the unmistakable clanging of someone fighting it. After a couple seconds it stopped, and you guessed it meant someone else had a power too. 

From above, you spotted another green light, taking the shot before it could vanish and feeling the satisfaction of another buzz. You heard Jihoon curse and smiled, ducking behind a wall before he could see you. 

“Fuck you, yn,” he said. 

“Language!” You called back, laughing as he cursed at you again. 

You started to cross a bridge but froze when Jun appeared from the other side, pointing behind him. 

“Jeonghan has unlimited ammo,” he said, ducking behind a barrier. You step behind a wall just as Jeonghan comes into sight. He didn’t see you, but he must have known you were nearby from Jun’s warning. 

“Oh yn,” he called in a sing-song voice. “I know you’re out there.” You still had a chance. He knew you were there, but he didn’t know that you were invisible (for 30 more seconds), which meant he was looking for a blue light. You figured it would give you a couple seconds of surprise and maybe you’d get a good shot off before him. 

You heard Jun groan as he got shot and knew this was your only chance. You stepped out raising your phaser before you spotted him, aiming at nothing- nothing- nothing- then at the bright green light at the end of his phaser as he turned to face you. 

You didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. 

You felt the buzz of your phaser and cheered as Jeonghan’s armor blinked. 

“All these years and you still can’t beat me,” you said with a laugh, crossing the bridge to gloat over him. He rolled his eyes. 

“I can’t believe you’re using the same strategies,” he said. You passed him, walking backwards because you didn’t dare turn your back on him. 

“And yet they still work!” You grinned, until you felt a new buzz, your armor blinking. You whipped around, finally finding Jihoon standing below you with a smirk. 

“Oh fuck you,” you said. You ignored the laughter you heard from both Jihoon and Jeonghan, retreating to hide until your armor recovered and you were back in the game. 

You could hear Seungcheol and Chan bickering from somewhere to your right, followed by Mingyu’s shout as they apparently managed to take him down. Once your armor was glowing blue again, you ventured out, taking extra care to be aware of your surroundings. You stayed on the floor, making sure to check above you for any green light. 

You were able to take out Soonyoung two more times, Mingyu once, and you nearly got Jihoon a second time but Jun got to him first. Though there was only a minute and a half of the game left, you were determined to catch Jeonghan one more time, listening for his laugh, then for his coughing as the fog machines billowed out giant clouds. 

You were all the way around to the entrance you had come in through, the fog making it difficult to see any farther than a couple feet in front of you, which seemed like a safety hazard to you. You moved slowly, trying to pick out any light in the darkness. 

“Hands up.” His voice came from behind you. You cursed, raising your hands in the air. “Turn around.” 

“Just shoot me already,” you said. 

“I want to see your face when I beat you,” he said. “Come on.” 

You turned to face Jeonghan, rolling your eyes at his satisfied smile. “Are you going to shoot me yet?” 

“No, I’m going to enjoy this moment,” he said. You knew he was running down the clock so that you had less time to get revenge. It didn’t make it any less annoying. 

“You’d really shoot me?” You gave him your best betrayed look. “When we were married today? Only a few hours ago?” 

“Save it, you didn’t hesitate when you shot me,” he said, phaser trained at your chest where the blue light gleamed. You caught a glimpse of something behind him, a flash of blue light. 

“I regretted that,” you said, stifling a laugh. “Give me a chance to redeem myself.” 

Jeonghan paused and for a moment you thought he was actually considering it, eyes turning soft. “Fat chance-” 

His armor buzzed and flashed. 

“Who the-”

You bursted into laughter with Seungcheol as Jeonghan turned to face him. You had caught a glimpse of him while begging for your life and somehow managed to keep your face straight until he was in range. Chan trailed behind him, smiling but looking slightly concerned at the pure glee that you and Seungcheol shared. 

Jeonghan glared at you, turning the corner without a word as you high-fived Seungcheol. 

“I owe you,” you said. 

“Ready to hunt down the rest of them?” He cocked his head to the arena. “We still have a minute.” 

“Sure, I could go for a new record with Soonyoung,” you said. 

“Take the right side again, Chan go up and meet up with Jun, I’ll take the left,” Seungcheol said. Chan saluted him, though you didn’t miss him shaking his head as he climbed the stairs. He’d fit right in. 

You got Mingyu one more time just before the timer ran out, then all of the lights on your armor flickered and turned off, the arena lights turning on. You grinned at him, bumping your shoulder into his. 

“You nearly got me that time,” you said. 

“Whatever,” he said. “I still don’t think it’s fair that you got to team with Seungcheol.” 

“Would you rather me and Jeonghan were together again?” 

Mingyu hesitated. When you turned to face him, his brow was furrowed. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“You and Jeonghan are really married?” 

You held up your left hand, gold band still sitting. You hadn’t taken it off since the night he proposed. “Apparently.” 

Mingyu was quiet as you walked beside him, still frowning. 

“Okay, spill.” 

“Spill?” 

“Whatever’s wrong,” you said. “Clearly you don’t approve of me and Jeonghan, so tell me why.” 

“It’s complicated,” he said with a sigh. You stopped him just before the exit. 

“Jeonghan said it was fine, but if it’s messing up something in his life, I want to know.” You waited until he met your eyes. “He’s my best friend, you know I wouldn’t want to do anything that hurts him.” Mingyu stared at his feet and didn’t answer you. 

“Is there someone else? Someone he should be dating for real?” You were surprised at how difficult it was to say, the words leaving a foul taste in your mouth. 

Mingyu tilted his head. “Something like that.” 

It was your turn to frown. Jeonghan had dated plenty of people before and it had never bothered you. You even liked most of them, until things inevitably went wrong. Why did the idea of him having feelings for someone feel so… wrong? 

“Oh.” 

“Are you lost?” You heard Seungcheol shout. You followed Mingyu out, trying to find your smile again. Even when you saw your name at the top of the leaderboard, it was hard to really smile. 

“As expected,” you forced yourself to gloat over Jeonghan, dropping beside him on the bench. He was taking off his armor, and didn’t react to your shoulder pressed against his.  

“You’ll get ‘em next time, champ,” you said, patting his knee. He shook his head, watching Seungcheol and Mingyu argue. 

“Hey,” you said. He turned to face you, and maybe it was the way the sunlight filtering through the windows made him glow or maybe it was just the way he looked at you, but you forgot what you were going to say. 

“What is it?” He asked with a little frown. 

You blinked, trying to push the weird feelings away. “You’re a simp.” 

Jeonghan scoffed. “Since when?” 

“Since you had an easy shot and let me live,” you said. “Seriously, marriage has made you soft.” 

“You think that’s why I didn’t shoot?” He asked. He laughed at your frown. “Oh, yn,” he said, throwing an arm over your shoulder and pulling you close to him. “You may have won the game and you may have beaten me, but you betrayed your husband, and for that you at least owe me dinner.” 

“You’re so full of it,” you said, but you didn’t push him off. “You would have executed me.” 

“I’m hurt,” he said, patting his chest. “You shot me, right here. It still hurts, I’d never do that to you!” 

You rolled your eyes but you leaned into his embrace, tucking your head onto his shoulder. You remembered what Mingyu said, about his heart belonging to someone else and it sent a pang through your heart. Whoever that person was, they were going to be very lucky. Once you got out of the way. 

.

.

Your teeth hurt. Actually, your whole face ached. You struggled to open your eyes, finally managing to pry them open only to squint them closed because the lights were so bright. 

“Ah, you’re awake,” a calm voice said. You frowned at the blurry shape standing over you. “I’ll get your pick-up person.” The nice voice disappeared, leaving you to blink alone. 

They weren’t gone for long, returning with another figure that was familiar. 

“Jeonghan!” You tried to say, except there was gross stuff in your mouth making it difficult to make sounds. 

“Hey toothless,” he said, stopping beside you. He glanced at the nice-voice, who you were pretty sure was some sort of nurse since they were wearing bright green scrubs, then picked up your hand and held it. “How are you feeling?” 

“Mouf hurt,” you said. Jeonghan laughed, squeezing your hand. 

“We’ll get out of here and pick up your prescription, how’s that sound?” 

You nodded. You couldn’t tell if the tingly feeling spreading through your body was the anesthesia wearing off or from Jeonghan beside you. You stared at him, studying his face, eyebrows, nose, jawline, everything. Had he always been so handsome? 

You didn’t turn away when he caught you staring. He seemed to think it was funny, smiling down at you. Since when was his smile so sweet? 

The nice-voice nurse returned. “Okay, yn, you should be good to go, we just have a little paperwork for your husband to fill out.” 

“Huthband?” You tried to say. “I don’t have a huthband.” 

The nurse laughed. “I’m sure you can’t forget marrying someone like him.” You followed their finger, pointing at Jeonghan. 

You frowned at him for a moment, then laughed. “Jeonghan ithn’t my huthband.” 

You frowned at him as he shook his head, patting your hair. “I guess we know how well you handle anesthesia, dear.” 

Dear? You kept staring at him but the nurse handed him paperwork and he seemed to think that meant it was the end of the conversation. He let go of your hand to fill out, which made you frown even more, reaching a hand to rest on his arm. He glanced at you and shook his head at your pout. 

He scribbled on the paper, frowning a couple times but finally put the clipboard down, turning to you. He smiled at you, a warm, fond smile. Is that how married people looked at each other? You tried to return it but your swollen, gauze-filled mouth made it impossible. 

“Let’s go,” he said, returning his hand to yours. You let him pull you to your feet, leaning into his shoulder until the dizziness passed, and then you kept leaning on him because it felt nice. He didn’t protest, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and gently massaging your shoulder as you left the suite. He handed the clipboard to the nurse with a smile. 

“I see you’ve remembered your husband,” they said, winking at you. You glanced between Jeonghan and the nurse. You remembered Jeonghan—he was the boy who sat next to in second grade that never shut up about the World’s Worst Jokes (literally, it was his favorite book), the boy you finally decided to call a friend in fifth grade after he helped you catch up your schoolwork because you missed a week with strep throat. He was the boy you were no longer allowed to pair up in assignments with in middle school after you were dubbed the ‘demon duo’ by all your teachers (it was affectionate, but the Lollipop Incident of seventh grade could not be forgotten), the boy you followed around all through high school because your senses of humor just matched. 

You remembered spending countless university nights beside that boy as he kept you awake until your essays were finished, more than once saving you from the back pain of sleeping slumped over a table by forcing you into a bed. That boy had been your roommate, until a year and a half ago, spending nearly every second at your side, bickering with you about how many holes are in a straw and holding you while you cried over everything from bad grades to heartbreaks. 

You thought you would definitely remember marrying that boy. 

“I couldn’t ever forget him,” you finally said. You wished your words weren’t turned to mush by your mouth. You looked up at Jeonghan, who was smiling down at you again, squeezing your shoulder. 

He thanked the nurse, pulling you outside. You waited until the doors shut before lifting your head off his shoulder. “Are you sure we're married?” 

He laughed at your frown. “Last time I checked.” He lifted your left hand and held it with his own, matching gold bands knocking against each other. 

“Such boring rings,” you said. It was a lie; you loved the simplicity. It just seemed right for you and Jeonghan. 

“I’m never going to let you live this down,” Jeonghan muttered with a crooked smile. He walked you all the way to his car, letting go of your shoulder to open the car door for you. It was strange to see him opening doors for you, but maybe you really had forgotten dating and marriage, and maybe this was normal. You fell into the seat, exhausted from the short walk, barely working up the energy to pull your seatbelt across your shoulders. 

You felt fingers brush against your forehead and you opened your eyes to see Jeonghan brushing a strand of hair out of your eyes. He held your gaze, fingers lingering on your brow. 

“Get some rest,” he whispered. “I’ll pick up your prescription and take you home.” You nodded, the movement finally causing him to drop his fingers. You could feel the ghost of their light touch against your brow, just as you could still feel his fingers laced with yours, even as you watched him drive, both hands gripping the steering wheel. 

You closed your eyes, resting your heavy head against the seat. You were not going to fall asleep, your mouth hurt too much for that, but for once Jeonghan seemed to be avoiding the potholes so it was at least a smooth ride. You wanted to ask him about your marriage, about how you could forget crossing the line between friends and lovers. 

Somehow when you opened your eyes, he was on your street. You definitely remembered him moving out, so why was he taking you back here? 

“If we’re married, why are we going back here?” You asked as he pulled into the driveway. 

Jeonghan fought another smile. “Are you asking me to move in together?” 

“No, I’m asking why married people don’t live together,” you said. He left the car, walking around to your side and helping you out. You leaned on him again as he walked you to the door, feeling exhausted. 

“Maybe we don’t have a happy marriage,” he said nonchalantly. He pulled the keys, your keys, out of his pocket and let himself in, half-carrying you to your room. “I mean, you literally forgot we are married.” 

You shook your head as you crawled under your blankets. “No, I don’t think so. I’m really happy we’re married.” 

He pulled the blankets over you, tucking you in. “Why’s that?” He paused over you, dark hair falling into his eyes again as he looked down on you. 

“I really like you,” you said. He leaned over you, and all you wanted was to melt into those beautiful brown eyes, but your eyelids were getting heavier with each heartbeat. The last thing you remembered was Jeonghan pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. 

.

.

You watched Jeonghan at the bar. He was getting drinks but he had been stopped by some girl whose name you couldn’t quite remember. You turned to look at the dance floor; Jeonghan could talk to whoever he wanted, you didn’t have any right to care. 

The rest of your friends were scattered around the dance floor at different tables, being normal humans and socializing. Mingyu had tried to drag you into a conversation, but Eun Woo was at the table and there was no way you would deign to be anywhere near that man. 

However, that left you alone at the table your group had claimed when you arrived together, watching everyone else having fun. Names floated around your head, occasionally matching the faces of the people wandering around. Thankfully, no one you didn’t know came to say hi. 

Just last year you had been excited to go to your first high school reunion, tracking down all of your friends and making sure they kept the night free. That had been before you realized everyone else had grown up and gotten adult jobs, leaving you and your part time job to feel tiny and more than a little bit like a failure. 

Your friends got their revenge and dragged you to this year’s reunion. The worst part was, you were stuck. Because of the incident last year (which had nothing to do with you and Jeonghan and the intercom system), your former student body president (turned CEO) decided it would be best to host your reunion at a hotel under the guise of promoting safe drinking habits. They’d booked rooms for everyone and even had free (cheap) beer. You’d be impressed, if you weren’t suspicious that half the funds were from the embezzling scandal you’d heard his company had gotten caught in. 

You found Seungcheol chatting with a couple members of the baseball team. You debated joining him, but they were probably reminiscing about the games they’d played and you’d only gone to a few, so you doubted you’d be able to really contribute to the conversation. 

Seokmin and Soonyoung hadn’t left the dance floor since you arrived, though that surprised no one. The only difference between high school and now was that the alcohol in their system was legal. You were much too sober to think about joining them. Plus it had only been a couple weeks since your surgery, and though you were technically allowed to do physical activity, you used any excuse you could to avoid the chaos of Seokmin and Soonyoung on the dance floor. They were a hazard to society. 

You stood, seeing Jun walking towards his ex, but Mingyu roped him into his conversation. You glared at Eun Woo, as you were now standing awkwardly. 

A quick glance told you that Jeonghan was still stuck in line at the bar, still chatting with the same girl. Not that it bothered you. Maybe you should join him. 

You took a step, but a voice made you freeze. “Who left you all alone?” You spun, finding Minghao standing in front of you, hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. He managed a nonchalant expression until you threw yourself in his arms. 

“You came?” You half shouted with your arms around his neck. 

He laughed, catching you before you toppled him over. “Miss me?” 

“Don’t even joke! Of course I did! You left me with a bunch of idiots!” You took a step back, though you didn’t let go of his hands. Minghao. He’d gone abroad after high school and never came back, leaving a hole in the friend group that could never be replaced. Mingyu liked to call it losing the only braincell you had ever known. 

He caught your left hand, lifting it and raising his eyebrows at the gold band. “I will confess that part of the reason I came was to see if the rumor Seokmin was raving about was true.” 

You let go of his hands, leaning against your seat. “Yeah… A lot has happened since you left.” 

“Clearly.” Minghao raised his eyebrow. He scanned the room, picking out your friends, pausing at Jeonghan at the bar before turning back to you. “It’s good, though. I’m, and don’t you dare make fun of me, happy for you.” 

You frowned. “What are you talking about?” 

“I mean, Jeonghan has things figured out. Like, he has the stability that you need, he’s got a real-life job and everything, and he’s just good for you.” 

What had Seokmin told Minghao? Did he think you were married for real? 

“I’m not saying that you need to change or anything,” Minghao said quickly. “I just think it’s good for you to be with someone that isn’t… figuring out his life still.” 

“Yeah,” you said. You slid into your chair, trying not to think about how even though Minghao lived thousands of miles away, he could still see you struggling. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t invite me to the wedding,” he said, still standing beside you.  

“Oh, we just had a courthouse thing,” you said. You don’t know why you didn’t tell him the full truth. “It wasn’t a big thing.” 

“Well, when you have the real party, I better be invited.” 

Despite feeling like your heart had been crumpled into a ball, you rolled your eyes. “Minghao, you’ll be my best man.” 

He nodded. “I’d better be.” You managed a few more minutes of small talk before he slipped away to find the rest of your friends. 

His words rang through your head. Maybe you really shouldn’t be with Jeonghan, fake or not. Minghao was right, he had his life figured out; as much as he complained about his job, you knew he loved the kids and he was going to spend the rest of his life teaching. You could barely decide on what to wear every morning. Figuring out your future was something you just weren’t ready for. 

You liked Jeonghan. You knew that. You remembered your anesthesia induced dream, where you managed to tell him your feelings, the soft kiss he placed on your forehead, but it was just a dream. He didn’t feel the same way, no matter how much you wished it could be true. There was someone else he pined for, and if it was anything like the feelings that were threatening to overwhelm you now, you couldn't help but pity him. 

Your feelings didn’t matter, you decided as you watched Minghao join Soonyoung and Seokmin with a backflip in the middle of the dance floor. You wouldn’t mess up Jeonghan’s life any further. You would ask for a divorce. Tomorrow. 

Jeonghan finally returned, setting a drink in front of you and laying an arm over your shoulders. “Bear with me,” he whispered into your ear, lips almost brushing against your ear. “I can’t remember her name but she’s been flirting with me all night and even when I told her we’re married, she wouldn’t leave me alone, so, you’re stuck with me for the rest of the night.” 

You nodded. You hoped you were looking serenely on your friends, but Jeonghan gently tapped your arm until you turned to face him. “What’s wrong?” 

You shrugged. “Tired.” It wasn’t technically a lie. You were tired, but that wasn’t why you didn’t want to be here. 

He pulled his chair a little closer, resting his chin on his shoulder. You knew he was just putting on a show to drive away girl-whose-name-was-a-mystery and that the way he was looking at you now wasn’t real. It didn’t make it any easier to bear his gaze. 

He tilted his head to the side and smiled, eyes twinkling with the familiar glint that you knew meant trouble. “You want to get out of here?” 

You felt your face flush. “Stop joking around.” 

He cocked his head and you followed it to where the girl (whose name you thought started with a S) was still eyeing Jeonghan. “If we disappear into a hotel room for a couple hours maybe she’ll get the point.” He’s right, but you can’t stop yourself from imagining what he was implying, making your blush deepen. 

“You said you’re tired, you can just hide up there for the rest of the night if you want,” he said, apparently not noticing your embarrassment. “Or you can sit here and avoid everyone for the rest of the night and we can pretend like that girl isn’t eye-fucking me.” 

“Let’s go,” you said, standing. Jeonghan took your hand in his, pressing a kiss to your hand that sent shivers up your arm before tugging you across the room, playing the part of a lovesick husband perfectly. You weren’t as good, but you kept your eyes on him and found your smile wasn’t as hard to force as you expected, letting him pull you back into his embrace as you passed through the doors. You cast one glance at S, who looked rather offended. You grinned at her as the doors swung shut, winking even though she probably couldn’t see it from across the room. 

Though the show was just for her, it wasn’t until you were alone in the elevator that he finally disentangled himself from you. “Looks like it went pretty well.” 

You nodded, staring at your feet rather than facing Jeonghan at your side or in the mirrored walls of the elevator. “She looked sufficiently shut up.” 

The doors dinged open and you followed Jeonghan. “We’re rooming together, by the way.” Seungcheol had been in charge of the rooms, setting everyone with roommates and even dropping off bags. There was no reason to think that he would mess anything up. 

No reason until now. 

“There’s only one bed,” you said in a tiny voice. The door clicked shut behind you, Jeonghan at your side. You stood in the hotel room, bathroom door to your left, closet to your right, king sized bed right in the middle. “I’m going to kill Seungcheol.” 

“Actually, it was probably Mingyu,” Jeonghan said, sounding not nearly as unsettled as he should have been. “He called about our rooms and probably mentioned we were married. People I don’t even know were talking to me about it.” 

“I’m going to kill them both.” 

“It’ll be fine,” he said. “It’s not like it’s the first time.” He’s right, you had shared a bed before, when you were thirteen, and there were four other people shoved onto the bed because having twenty people in one sleepover meant you slept where there was space. “If it really bothers you, I’ll sleep on the floor, or crash with Mingyu and Seungcheol.” 

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine, they’ll just make fun of me, and you’re right, it’s not like it's the first time.” No, it was nothing like then. Your heart didn’t pound when he was next to you back then, you never looked at him and wished what was fake could be real. 

You flopped onto the bed, legs dangling off the side as you laid on your back. Your heart was beginning to ache thinking about Jeonghan, so you thought about what Minghao said instead. Most of the time you could pretend you were okay with watching everyone you knew move on with their lives and grow into actual adults, but a night like tonight made you feel small. Insignificant. You were yn. Just yn, and normally that was enough, but not tonight. 

You felt the bed dip as Jeonghan sat next to you. “Do you want to talk about it?” Of course he knew something was wrong. You turned your head towards him, studying his frown which had concern etched into every crease on his forehead. 

You didn’t think you were choked up, but when you said, “No,” in a tiny voice, tears were suddenly threatening to spill onto your cheeks. You turned your head away from Jeonghan, sure that you would fold under his gaze and start crying. 

“You should just go back down,” you said. “I’ll be fine.” 

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, voice gentle but firm. “You’re stuck with me.” You felt a tear slip away, angrily wiping it off the side of your face. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I won’t leave you alone, yn. I—I won’t.” 

Why? Why did he have to be so kind, and sweet, and loving, and the perfect best friend, fake fiancee, fake husband? Why did he make it so hard to do anything but love him? 

Love wasn’t fair, you always knew that, but it felt cruel now. You couldn’t stop the tears now, turning fully on your side though it was too late to hide them from Jeonghan. He slid next to you, pulling you off the mattress and into his arms, and you knew it was dumb to sob into the arms of the very person that was making you cry but you did it anyway because maybe that’s what you were doomed to suffer. You clung to him, even as your heart was breaking. 

.

.

You woke up to the sun in your eyes. You frowned as you opened your eyes, blinking against the light. Usually you closed your blinds so that you could sleep in. It took another moment for you to remember that you were in a hotel room, not your bed at home. That didn’t explain why Jeonghan was wrapped around you, his arm acting as your pillow. Your frown deepened as you met his eyes, finding him staring down at you. 

“Why are we cuddling?” 

He snorted. “I should be asking you that, since I clearly remember telling you this is my side of the bed last night.” You lifted your head off of him enough to see that you had indeed crossed onto his side. But he wasn’t innocent either, with one arm tucked under your head and the other wrapped around your waist, holding your bodies together. You decided not to mention it because you didn’t want him to let go just yet. 

“How long have you been up?” You asked with a yawn. 

He shrugged, shoulder lifting your head. “I don’t know, maybe twenty minutes?” 

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” You said, gently slapping his chest. 

“You looked peaceful,” he said. You looked at him, peering down at you with a soft smile. The morning sunlight that fell through the window cast a halo around him, making his dark hair glow. There was something in his gaze, something you had seen so many times but suddenly felt new, and for the first time you let yourself wonder what it would be like if your feelings weren’t unrequited. Maybe you were still dazed from waking up, but you thought maybe it wouldn’t be very different from how he was with you now. 

“Jeonghan,” you said slowly. “Mingyu mentioned something to me.” 

“Oh boy.” 

“About you.” Your heart was pounding as you forced the next words out. “About how there’s someone that you want to date. For real.” 

He was quiet, though he didn’t break your gaze. Finally, he said, “Yes.” 

It took all of the courage you had in you to say, “Who?” 

He stared at you and because it was Jeonghan, you knew he was trying to figure out what to say. You could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to get the words out. The longer it took the more your heart sank. 

“We should get divorced,” you said, turning your head to stare at the window, the wall, anything but those damn eyes. “Teeth have been successfully removed, I’m not in debt, and there’s no other reason to stay married.” Especially not when there’s someone else. You couldn’t quite bring yourself to say it. 

You peeked at Jeonghan and found you couldn’t decipher the frown on his face. It felt wrong to not know what he was thinking. But maybe it was your own fault. You had been keeping things from him yourself, bottling up the emotions and pretending the love you felt wasn’t head over heels idiocy. You couldn’t be hurt that he was so far away when you had built the distance yourself. 

“I love you,” you whispered. “I’m in love with you. I know that there’s someone else, and I’m not saying this to try to win you over or anything, but I think you should know. That I love you.” 

 You’ve seen Jeonghan speechless three times in your life. The first was in elementary school when he was wrongfully accused of stealing candy from the teacher, the first time he found out there were consequences for his “harmless” pranks. The second was when his girlfriend dumped him, the only time in your entire life that he didn’t tell you what happened. This was the third time, opening his mouth and trying to answer but unable to get any words out. 

“I’m an idiot, I know,” you said. “Who falls in love with their fake husband?” Even as the final stake was driven into your heart, you tried to joke. You started to push off his chest, fully prepared to run away and avoid Jeonghan for the rest of your life, but his arm tightened around your waist, pulling you even closer. 

“It’s you,” he sputtered. “There’s no one else, it’s you that I want to be with, that I want to date, that I want to marry, one day. Yn, I have loved you for so long, I don’t know what to do, so please, just give me a second?” 

It was your turn to be speechless. “It’s me?”  

He laughed, face finally breaking into a wide smile. “Of course it’s you, who else could it be?” 

“Maybe one of those moms that Mingyu says are always flirting with him, or one of your coworkers, or anyone that’s ever met you because, seriously, how could anyone not be in love with you?” You rested your head back onto his shoulder. 

“Well, it’s you. It’s always you.” He leaned a little closer, brushing his nose against yours. You swallowed, remembering your first kiss with him. You wondered if your second kiss would be as good. 

“Can I kiss you?” You asked when he didn’t move any closer. He nodded, though the movement caused your lips to brush against one another. You leaned into it, arm snaking from his chest to his neck, feeling his hand digging into your waist, trying to pull you impossibly closer. You don’t know how long the kiss was, feeling like a lifetime had passed when you finally pulled away. 

“Not quite as good as the first time, but it’ll do,” you said, grinning at Jeonghan’s frown. “You have stinky breath.” 

“You have stinky breath,” he said, “But if you’re talking about the restaurant, that wasn’t our first kiss.” 

You thought back, trying to remember any other kiss. There was none during your fake marriage (other than the anesthesia-induced dream that you were beginning to think might have been real) and nothing had ever happened before that. Except… 

“When we were twelve?” You laughed. “That does not count.”

“A kiss is a kiss,” he said. “In fact, I remember you saying it was your first kiss.”

You slapped his chest. “It was your first kiss too!” 

“So you admit it!” Jeonghan was laughing, clinging to you as you pretended to push him away. He wrapped both arms around your waist, tucking his chin onto your shoulder. He waited until you met his eyes. “I love you.” 

You kissed his nose. “I love you, too.” You didn’t run away when he pulled you close again, sliding cold fingers to the back of your neck and pressing his forehead to yours. You were certain he was going to kiss you again. 

“We really do need to get divorced, though,” you said, laughing when he sighed. “I want to do things in the right order, date you for real.” You kissed him again, just because you could, watching the smile quickly return to his face when you pulled away. 

“I do want to marry you, one day,” you said, resting your head against the pillow for the first time. You held up your left hand, studying the way the gold caught the morning light and seemed to glow. 

“You better not say that in front of Joshua,” Jeonghan said. “He’s had our wedding planned since he found out I was in love with you.” 

“Wait, he knows?” You frowned at him. “How long have you been in love with me?” 

Jeonghan’s eyes wandered to the ceiling as he scratched the back of his head. “Been in love? No idea. Too long. But when I realized, we were still living together, and ever since then I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you.” 

“That’s why you moved out?” You wrapped your arm around his waist, tucking yourself onto his side. 

He nodded. “I needed to know if I was actually in love or just spending too much time with you.” He played with your hair. “I am in love with you. And I’m sorry I was too much of a coward to say it sooner.” 

You found yourself staring at the ring again. It was such a simple thing, just a band of gold that you and Jeonghan had agreed on with the intent to return it when the ruse was up. You really had only gotten them because you were worried someone might call out the insurance fraud. 

“I don’t want to take it off,” you confessed. 

“Then don’t,” Jeonghan said softly. When you looked at him, he was without his usual smirk, eyes serious. 

“Five minutes and you’re already proposing?” You asked. 

“Well, I already got you into bed,” he said with a grin. “But seriously, I don’t want to take off my ring. I’m going to marry you, someday.” 

“I think that sounds nice,” you said, tucking your head back onto his chest. “So, Joshua is our wedding planner? Do we really trust him?” 

“You know, if you told me a year ago, I would have said ‘fuck no,’ but he’s dedicated. He has a pinterest and everything, a color scheme, a list of the best rated bakeries and catering services, photographers, videographers, venues, anything you can think of, he has it. I can’t prove it, but I swear he has a date reserved already.” Jeonghan continued to describe his friend’s vision for your wedding, but you found yourself staring at him, watching him talk. 

 Jeonghan has been by your side for most of your life, your best friend. You knew everything about him, from the way he liked his tea to his obsession with tiny utensils. Still, being friends and being lovers were two very different things. You should have been scared at how much was going to change, but in the little bubble of your hotel room and the magical glow of the morning sun, you felt nothing but hope.

a/n2: thank you for reading!!! I hope you had fun, I truly love this story <3 enjoy this meme I found after i came up with the idea and couldn’t find anywhere to throw it into

a/n3: i am incapable of letting this story go so here are some snippets of stuff that didn’t make it into the story/after the ending 1 //

[rhe-toric]

The Disruptive Potential of Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, and DLT

Cryptocurrency, blockchain, and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) have been disrupting industries and challenging traditional business models since their inception. These technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we do business, interact with each other, and even govern ourselves. In this blog post, we will explore the disruptive potential of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and DLT.

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, is a decentralized digital currency that uses cryptography to secure transactions and control the creation of new units. Cryptocurrency has the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems by providing a more secure and transparent way to transfer value. Cryptocurrency eliminates the need for intermediaries, such as banks, and can help reduce transaction fees and increase financial inclusion.

Blockchain

Blockchain is a distributed ledger that records transactions in a secure and transparent way. Each block in the chain contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, creating an immutable record of all transactions on the network. Blockchain has the potential to disrupt a wide range of industries, including finance, healthcare, and supply chain management. Blockchain can help increase transparency, reduce fraud, and improve efficiency.

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)

DLT is a type of database that is distributed across a network of computers. Each computer in the network has a copy of the database, and any changes to the database are recorded in a transparent and immutable way. DLT has the potential to disrupt a wide range of industries, including finance, healthcare, and government. DLT can help increase transparency, reduce fraud, and improve efficiency.

Disruptive Potential

The disruptive potential of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and DLT is significant. Here are some of the ways that these technologies could disrupt traditional industries: Finance Cryptocurrency and blockchain have the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems by providing a more secure and transparent way to transfer value. Cryptocurrency eliminates the need for intermediaries, such as banks, and can help reduce transaction fees and increase financial inclusion. Blockchain can also help reduce fraud and increase transparency in financial transactions. Healthcare

Blockchain and DLT have the potential to disrupt the healthcare industry by providing a more secure and transparent way to store and share patient data. Blockchain can help increase patient privacy and reduce the risk of data breaches. DLT can also help improve the efficiency of healthcare systems by reducing administrative costs and improving supply chain management.

Government

DLT has the potential to disrupt traditional government systems by providing a more secure and transparent way to store and share data. DLT can help increase transparency and reduce fraud in government transactions. DLT can also help improve the efficiency of government systems by reducing administrative costs and improving data management.

Conclusion

Cryptocurrency, blockchain, and DLT have the potential to disrupt traditional industries and revolutionize the way we do business, interact with each other, and even govern ourselves. These technologies offer a more secure and transparent way to transfer value, store and share data, and reduce fraud. As these technologies continue to evolve, we can expect to see more innovative solutions emerge that have the potential to disrupt traditional industries even further.

[techytoolzataclick]

Top Futuristic AI Based Applications by 2024

2024 with Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the backdrop of what seems to be another revolutionary iteration across industries. AI has matured over the past year to provide novel use cases and innovative solutions in several industries. This article explores most exciting AI applications that are driving the future.

1. Customized Chatbots

The next year, 2024 is seeing the upward trajectory of bespoke chatbots. Google, and OpenAI are creating accessible user-friendly platforms that enable people to build their own small-scale chatbots for particular use cases. These are the most advanced Chatbots available in the market — Capable of not just processing text but also Images and Videos, giving a plethora of interactive applications. For example, estate agents can now automatically create property descriptions by adding the text and images of listings thatsurgent.

2. AI in Healthcare

AI has found numerous applications in the healthcare industry, from diagnostics to personalized treatment plans. After all, AI-driven devices can analyze medical imaging material more accurately than humans and thus among other things help to detect diseases such as cancer at an early stage. They will also describe how AI algorithms are used to create tailored treatment strategies personalized for each patient's genetics and clinical past, which helps enable more precise treatments.

3. Edge AI

A major trend in 2024 is Edge AI It enables computer processing to be done at the edge of a network, rather than in large data centers. Because of its reduced latency and added data privacy, Edge AI can be used in applications like autonomous vehicles transportations, smart cities as well as industrial automation. Example, edge AI in autonomous vehicles is able to get and process real-time data, increasing security by allowing faster decision-making.

4. AI in Finance

Today, the financial sector is using AI to make better decisions and provide an even stronger customer experience. Fraud detection, risk assessment and customised financial advice have introduced insurance into the AI algorithm. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are now common enough to be in use by 2024, greatly assisting customers stay on top of their financial well-being. Those tools will review your spending behavior, write feedback to you and even help with some investment advices.

5. AI in Education

AI is revolutionizing education with individualized learning. These AI-powered adaptive learning platforms use data analytics to understand how students fare and produces a customised educational content (Hoos, 2017). This way, students get a tailored experience and realize better outcomes. Not only that, AI enabled tools are also in use for automating administrative tasks which shortens the time required by educators on teaching.

6. AI in Job Hunting

This is also reverberating in the job sector, where AI technology has been trending. With tools like Canyon AI Resume Builder, you can spin the best resumé that might catch something eye catchy recruiter among a dozen others applications he receives in-between his zoom meeting. Using AI based tools to analyze Job Descriptions and match it with the required skills, experience in different job roles help accelerating the chances of a right fit JOB.

7. Artificial Intelligence in Memory & Storage Solutions

Leading AI solutions provider Innodisk presents its own line of memory and storage with added in-house designed AI at the recent Future of Memory & Storage (FMS) 2024 event. Very typically these are solutions to make AI applications easier, faster and better by improving performance scalability as well on the quality. This has huge implications on sectors with substantial data processing and storage demands (healthcare, finance, self-driving cars).

Conclusion

2024 — Even at the edge of possible, AI is revolutionizing across many industries. AI is changing our lives from tailored chatbots and edge AI to healthcare, finance solutions or education and job search. This will not only improve your business profile as a freelancer who create SEO optimized content and write copies but also give your clients in the writing for business niche some very useful tips.

[kryshafayeguanzon]

5 trend of ICT

The information and communications technology (ICT)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

AI and ML are at the forefront of ICT innovation, enabling machines to learn from data and perform tasks that traditionally required human intelligence. This includes tasks like image recognition, natural language processing, and predictive analytics. AI and ML are being used in a wide range of applications, from self-driving cars to personalized medicine to fraud detection.

Edge Computing

Edge computing is a distributed computing paradigm that brings computing and data storage closer to the source of data, such as smartphones, sensors, and IoT devices. This reduces latency and improves performance, making it ideal for real-time applications and data-intensive tasks. Edge computing is becoming increasingly important as the volume of data generated by IoT devices continues to grow.

cybersecurity

With the increasing reliance on technology, cybersecurity has become a critical concern. Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and widespread, targeting individuals, businesses, and governments. The ICT industry is responding with advanced security solutions, including threat intelligence, intrusion detection systems, and data encryption.

Blockchain

Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that enables secure and transparent transactions. It is being used to develop applications in various sectors, including finance, supply chain management, and healthcare. Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize how we interact with each other and with businesses.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

VR and AR technologies are creating immersive experiences that blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds. VR immerses users in a simulated environment, while AR overlays digital information onto the real world. These technologies are being used in gaming, entertainment, education, and training.

In conclusion, these five trends are shaping the future of ICT, driving innovation and transforming how we live, work, and interact with the world. As these technologies continue to evolve, we can expect to see even more exciting developments

[ashimbisresearch]

Transforming the Health Landscape: The Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market

The integration of blockchain technology into the healthcare sector is revolutionizing the way medical data is managed, shared, and secured. As the demand for transparent, efficient, and secure healthcare services grows, blockchain offers promising solutions to longstanding challenges.

Understanding Blockchain in Healthcare

Blockchain Technology is a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across multiple computers in a way that ensures the security and transparency of data. In healthcare, blockchain can be used to manage patient records, track pharmaceuticals, ensure the integrity of clinical trials, and streamline administrative processes. The immutable nature of blockchain helps in preventing data breaches, ensuring data accuracy, and enhancing patient privacy.

According to BIS Research, the Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market was estimated to grow to a value of $5.61 billion by 2025, and still the market is showing a steep growth till 2030 witnessing a double-digit CAGR growth rate throughout the forecast period.

Key Market Dynamics

Several factors are driving the growth of the global blockchain in healthcare market:

Data Security and Privacy:

Need for robust data security and privacy solutions.

Healthcare data breaches are a growing concern.

Blockchain's secure, immutable nature protects sensitive patient information.

Interoperability and Data Sharing:

Facilitates seamless data sharing between healthcare providers and systems.

Overcomes current interoperability issues.

Leads to better patient outcomes by providing a comprehensive view of health history.

Supply Chain Transparency:

Tracks the entire lifecycle of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry.

Ensures the authenticity of medications.

Helps combat counterfeit drugs.

Efficient Administrative Processes:

Streamlines various administrative processes, such as billing and claims management.

Reduces fraud and administrative costs.

Support from Regulatory Bodies:

Increasing support from regulatory bodies and governments.

Initiatives by FDA and EMA to explore blockchain for drug traceability and clinical trials boost market growth.

Request for an updated Research Report on Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market Research.

Global Blockchain in Healthcare Industry Segmentation

Segmentation by Application:

Data Exchange and Interoperability

Supply Chain Management

Claims Adjudication and Billing Management

Clinical Trials and Research

Others

Segmentation by End-User:

Healthcare Providers

Pharmaceutical Companies

Payers

Others

Segmentation by Region:

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America and Middle East & Africa

Future Market Prospects

The future of the global blockchain in healthcare market looks promising, with several trends likely to shape its trajectory:

Integration with AI and IoT: The integration of blockchain with artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will enhance data analytics, predictive healthcare, and real-time monitoring.

Expansion of Use Cases: New use cases for blockchain in digital healthcare will emerge, including patient-centered care models, personalized medicine, and enhanced telemedicine services.

Focus on Patient-Centric Solutions: Blockchain will enable more patient-centric healthcare solutions, empowering patients with greater control over their health data and enhancing patient engagement.

Development of Regulatory Frameworks: The establishment of clear regulatory frameworks and industry standards will facilitate the widespread adoption of blockchain in healthcare.

Conclusion

The Global Blockchain in Healthcare Industry is poised for significant growth, driven by the need for enhanced data security, interoperability, supply chain transparency, and efficient administrative processes. By addressing challenges related to regulatory compliance, implementation costs, standardization, and scalability, and leveraging opportunities in technological advancements, investments, partnerships, and government initiatives, the potential of blockchain in healthcare can be fully realized. This technology promises to revolutionize healthcare delivery, enhancing efficiency, transparency, and patient outcomes, and setting new standards for the future of digital health.

[vivekavicky12]

Understanding Future: The Exciting Data Science Trend Landscape

In the ever-evolving realm of technology, the future of data science stands as a beacon of innovation and opportunity. As we peer into the horizon, several key trends and developments promise to shape the trajectory of data science, cementing its role as a driving force in decision-making, innovation, and industry advancements. Whether you're a beginner or looking to specialize, understanding the types of data science courses available is crucial. Choosing the best Data Science Institute can further accelerate your journey into this thriving industry.

Unprecedented Demand for Expertise:

At the heart of the future of data science lies an unprecedented demand for expertise. Organizations across diverse sectors are awakening to the realization that data is not just a byproduct but a strategic asset. The need for skilled data scientists is set to soar, creating a landscape where professionals with the ability to translate data into actionable insights will find abundant opportunities.

This surge in demand is not just a reflection of current trends but a testament to the enduring significance of data in shaping business strategies and driving innovations. As organizations increasingly recognize the potential of data to gain a competitive edge, data scientists will play a pivotal role in unlocking the value hidden within vast datasets.

Convergence with AI and ML:

As we move forward, the convergence of data science with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) is destined to deepen. This synergy is not just a technological trend but a paradigm shift that will redefine the capabilities of data science. The integration of AI and ML will lead to the development of more sophisticated models, enabling predictive analytics and intelligent decision-making on an unprecedented scale.

This convergence holds the key to unlocking new possibilities, from autonomous systems that learn and adapt to intricate patterns to intelligent algorithms that drive innovations in diverse industries. The future of data science is intricately linked with the evolution of AI and ML, promising a landscape where data-driven insights become synonymous with intelligent decision-making.

Industry-Specific Applications:

Data science is not a one-size-fits-all solution; its power lies in its adaptability to diverse industries and their unique challenges. In the future, we can anticipate a proliferation of industry-specific applications of data science. From personalized medicine in healthcare, where data analytics guides treatment plans, to the financial sector, where data science drives fraud detection and risk management, the applications are boundless.

The versatility of data science will be a cornerstone in addressing industry-specific challenges, providing tailored solutions that go beyond generic analytics. This industry-centric approach signifies a future where data science becomes an indispensable tool, intricately woven into the fabric of various sectors.

Ethical Considerations in Data Use:

With great power comes great responsibility, and the future of data science will be no exception. As data assumes a central role in shaping policies, influencing societal norms, and steering business strategies, ethical considerations will take center stage. Striking the delicate balance between innovation and ethical use of data will be a critical focal point.

The responsible handling of data, addressing concerns related to privacy and security, and ensuring equitable access to the benefits of data science will be paramount. The future beckons a data science landscape where ethical considerations are not just an afterthought but an integral part of the decision-making process.

Automation of Analytical Processes:

Automation is poised to redefine the landscape of data science. In the future, routine analytical processes will undergo a transformation through advanced tools and platforms. This automation doesn't signal a reduction in the role of data scientists; instead, it frees up their time for more complex analyses, strategic decision-making, and deriving actionable insights.

By automating routine tasks, data scientists can allocate their efforts towards refining algorithms, exploring innovative approaches, and addressing the ever-growing complexities of the data landscape. The automation wave promises efficiency without compromising the depth and quality of data analysis.

Continuous Innovation and Expansion of Domains:

Innovation is the lifeblood of data science, and the future promises a continuous stream of groundbreaking advancements. Data science will not only impact traditional domains but will also extend its influence into emerging fields such as cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), and beyond.

The versatility of data science applications will contribute to the evolution of technology, paving the way for solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our interconnected world. Whether it's enhancing cybersecurity measures or optimizing the potential of IoT devices, data science will be at the forefront of technological evolution.

In conclusion, the future of data science is a dynamic landscape where innovation, ethical considerations, and industry-specific applications converge. As professionals and enthusiasts alike embark on this journey, the unfolding possibilities signify not just a career in data science but a pivotal role in shaping the technological landscape of tomorrow. The future beckons, and data science is poised to lead the way. Choosing the best Data Science courses in Chennai is a crucial step in acquiring the necessary expertise for a successful career in the evolving landscape of data science.

[ritikakukreti]

Charting India's AI Revolution: Ascent to Becoming a Leading AI Integration Specialist

Introduction:

In the vast cosmos of the digital realm, where data dances and algorithms sing, lies a pivotal role: the AI Integration Specialist. India, echoing its aspiration of becoming a tech titan, sees a growing need for these specialists. As the country strides forward, integrating artificial intelligence into its societal and industrial fabric, mastering this role becomes increasingly lucrative. If you're envisioning a future of artificial intelligence in India, this guide is your stepping stone.

The Lure of AI in India:

The Indian subcontinent is rapidly evolving into an AI powerhouse. Investments are pouring in, startups are mushrooming, and the government is keenly promoting AI-led innovations. This buoyant landscape makes the journey of an AI Integration Specialist in India not just promising but also rewarding. Given the country’s technological appetite, the path is brimming with opportunities.

Roles Across Industries:

Healthcare: Employing AI for diagnosis, patient care, and drug discovery.

Finance: Automating risk assessment, fraud detection, and financial forecasting.

E-commerce: Enhancing customer experience and streamlining operations.

Manufacturing: Improving production quality and predictive maintenance.

Entertainment: Content recommendation, virtual reality, and gaming enhancements.

An AI Integration Specialist finds relevance across a multitude of sectors, making the role versatile and impactful.

Challenges En Route:

Technical Hurdles: Adapting to evolving AI frameworks and platforms.

Data Management: Ensuring data privacy while integrating AI solutions.

Interdisciplinary Integration: Melding AI with diverse industrial landscapes.

Skill Upgradation: Constantly updating oneself with AI trends and breakthroughs.

By acknowledging these challenges, one can craft strategies to navigate effectively.

Top Employers in India:

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Infosys

Wipro

Accenture India

IBM India

Reliance Jio

Zebra Medical Vision

Microsoft India

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Flipkart

These giants continually seek skilled AI Integration Specialists to spearhead their AI-driven ventures.

The Significance of Contextual Decisions:

Choosing to pursue a career as an AI Integration Specialist in India isn’t solely about mastering the technical nuances. One must comprehend India's unique digital ecosystem, cultural context, and economic aspirations. An integration specialist doesn’t merely amalgamate AI into systems but intertwines it with the very ethos of the organization and, by extension, the nation.

Let ShikshaGurus help you through your journey

At ShikshaGurus, we understand the importance of choosing the right career path and have a team of experts that guide you through your decision. Further, we have a plethora of resources and tools to help you make the right choice for your career. At ShikshaGurus you can compare universities and courses to find the best one that suits you.

Conclusion:

As AI casts its promising shadow across industries in India, the role of an AI Integration Specialist emerges as a lighthouse guiding these advancements. It's a journey that demands technical prowess, continuous learning, and an understanding of India's AI aspirations. The road might be challenging, but the destination promises immense growth, innovation, and recognition.

[bitgenixservices]

Seven Benefits Of Investing In Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies have gained their fair share of popularity and attention in recent years. They are easy to navigate and provide wealthy returns, although with some risk involved. You can make decent money with a full-proof plan and good knowledge about the best crypto investment options. As digital assets, they offer numerous benefits that traditional investments often lack. 

Decentralization and security

Cryptocurrencies are decentralized which means they are not controlled by any central authority or government. This characteristic enhances security by reducing the risk of fraud and hacking. Unlike traditional banking systems, which rely on intermediaries and centralized databases, cryptocurrencies utilize advanced encryption techniques to secure transactions and protect users' funds.

Global accessibility and financial inclusion

One of the most remarkable benefits of cryptocurrencies is their global accessibility. Anyone with an internet connection can participate in cryptocurrency transactions, regardless of geographical location or financial status. It has the potential to promote financial inclusion, enabling individuals in underserved regions to access banking services and participate in the global economy.

Transparency and accountability

Cryptocurrencies run on blockchain technology, a decentralized ledger that records all activity in a transparent and inert manner. This transparency fosters trust among users by allowing them to verify and trace every transaction. Additionally, the blockchain eliminates the need for third-party intermediaries, reducing costs and enhancing accountability.

Potential for high returns

Cryptocurrencies have experienced significant price volatility, leading to the potential for high returns on investment. While this volatility carries risks, it also presents opportunities for substantial profits. Numerous individuals and institutional investors have witnessed substantial gains by investing in cryptocurrencies during the past decade. However, conduct thorough research about different crypto investment platform and trending cryptocurrencies to bid money on and be cautious when investing in this dynamic market.

Diversification and portfolio expansion

Cryptocurrencies provide an excellent opportunity for diversification, enabling investors to expand their portfolios beyond traditional assets like stocks and bonds. Adding cryptocurrencies to your investment mix can mitigate risk and increase the potential for higher returns. Diversification is a fundamental strategy for portfolio management, and cryptocurrencies offer a unique avenue for achieving it.

Innovation and technological advancements

The underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies, blockchain, has immense potential to revolutionize various industries. By investing in cryptocurrencies, you can support the development and implementation of innovative blockchain-based solutions. These solutions can transform sectors such as finance, supply chain management, healthcare, and more. Investing in cryptocurrencies provides financial benefits but also contributes to technological advancements.

Liquidity and accessibility to alternative investments

Cryptocurrencies offer high liquidity, allowing investors to quickly trade digital assets. This accessibility to alternative investments can be particularly beneficial in times of economic uncertainty. Cryptocurrencies operate independently of traditional financial systems, making them less susceptible to the fluctuations of traditional markets. As a result, cryptocurrencies can provide a hedge against economic volatility and diversify investment portfolios. Investing in cryptocurrencies presents several advantages making them an appealing option for investors. As with any investment, it is crucial to exercise caution, conduct thorough research, and seek professional advice before venturing into the cryptocurrency market.

[techiess-hub]

Top 3 industries that benefit most from data analytics

Introduction:

In today's data-driven world, businesses across various industries are harnessing the power of data analytics to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions. Data analytics services and solutions have become integral for organizations to thrive and stay ahead of the competition. In this blog, we will explore the top three industries that benefit the most from data analytics and how it revolutionizes their operations.

Healthcare Industry:

By offering practical insights for improved patient care, cost containment, and operational efficiency, data analytics has completely changed the healthcare sector. Healthcare providers can examine vast volumes of patient data to find patterns, forecast disease outbreaks, and improve treatment strategies with the use of powerful data analytics systems. It makes personalised treatment possible, improves clinical judgement, and enhances patient outcomes. Additionally, fraud detection, reducing billing errors, and raising overall healthcare quality all benefit greatly from data analytics.

Retail Industry:

Data analytics services have been adopted by the retail sector to provide it a competitive edge in a very dynamic market. Retailers can customise their marketing campaigns, improve inventory management, and improve consumer experiences by analysing customer data, buying tendencies, and market trends. Retailers can comprehend customer preferences, predict demand, and set prices based on data thanks to data analytics tools. Additionally, it aids in supply chain optimisation, fraud detection, and layout optimisation for improved consumer flow in stores.

Financial Services Industry:

By making fraud detection, risk assessment, and personalised financial advice more accurate, data analytics has completely transformed the financial services sector. Institutions can identify possible hazards, spot fraudulent activity, and stop financial crimes by analysing vast amounts of financial data. In addition, credit scoring, investment portfolio management, and client segmentation all greatly benefit from the use of data analytics tools. Additionally, it aids financial firms in upholding data security and regulatory compliance.

Conclusion:

For many industries, data analytics solutions have become game-changers. While the retail sector obtains knowledge for targeted marketing and enhanced inventory management, the healthcare sector gains from increased patient care and operational efficiency. Data analytics ensures risk reduction and individualised financial services in the financial services industry. These sectors must keep using the power of data analytics to generate new opportunities and spur innovation as data keeps expanding exponentially. Organisations can stay ahead of the competition and make data-driven decisions that support success by utilising the possibilities of data analytics.

[uvation]

How AI is Beneficial for Humanity in Different Sectors?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the world we live in. From healthcare to finance to transportation, AI is being used to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. In this blog post, we will explore some of the most promising AI solutions and their potential impact on various industries.

Healthcare: AI is being used to develop solutions that can help doctors and researchers make more informed decisions about patient care. One example is IBM Watson, which uses natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to analyze patient data and provide personalized treatment recommendations.

Finance: AI is being used to automate financial processes and improve fraud detection. One solution is H20.ai, which uses machine learning algorithms to analyze large amounts of financial data and identify fraudulent transactions.

Transportation: AI is being used to develop autonomous vehicles that can improve road safety and reduce traffic congestion. Companies like Tesla and Waymo are using machine learning algorithms to develop self-driving cars that can navigate complex roadways.

Retail: AI is being used to personalize customer experiences and improve sales. One solution is Sentient AI, which uses deep learning algorithms to analyze customer data and provide personalized recommendations.

Manufacturing: AI is being used to improve production efficiency and quality control. One solution is Sight Machine, which uses computer vision and machine learning algorithms to monitor manufacturing processes and identify potential issues.

Education: AI is being used to personalize learning experiences and improve student outcomes. One solution is Carnegie Learning, which uses machine learning algorithms to create customized learning paths for students based on their individual strengths and weaknesses.

Agriculture: AI is being used to optimize crop yields and reduce waste. One solution is Agro Intelligence, which uses machine learning algorithms to analyze soil and weather data and provide farmers with recommendations on planting and harvesting.

In conclusion, artificial intelligence solutions is a powerful tool that can be used to develop innovative solutions to complex problems in various industries. From healthcare to finance to transportation, AI is transforming the way we live and work, and the possibilities for future developments are endless.

[softwaredevelopmentindia-one]

India is a hub for technology and innovation and the field of machine learning Solution Development in India — Microlent Systems

India is a hub for technology and innovation, and the field of machine learning is no exception. With a growing number of companies specializing in this field, it can be challenging to know which one to choose. In this article, we will discuss the best machine learning companies in India, with a special focus on Microlent Systems.

Microlent Systems: Microlent Systems is a software development company located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, that specializes in machine learning. They offer a range of services, including data analysis, predictive modeling, and natural language processing. They have worked with clients across various industries, from healthcare to finance.

Fractal Analytics: Fractal Analytics is a data analytics company that specializes in machine learning. They offer a range of services, including data engineering, data visualization, and artificial intelligence. They have worked with clients such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo.

Wipro: Wipro is a global technology company that offers machine learning solutions, including predictive maintenance, fraud detection, and chatbot development. They have worked with clients across various industries, including banking, healthcare, and retail.

Analytics India Magazine: Analytics India Magazine is a media company that covers the latest trends and developments in the field of machine learning. They offer training programs, research reports, and industry events to help businesses stay up-to-date with the latest developments in machine learning.

Tiger Analytics: Tiger Analytics is a consulting firm that offers machine learning solutions, including predictive modeling, optimization, and data visualization. They have worked with clients such as Adidas, Samsung, and Amazon.

LatentView Analytics: LatentView Analytics is a data analytics company that offers machine learning solutions, including customer segmentation, price optimization, and demand forecasting. They have worked with clients such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Johnson & Johnson.

BRIDGEi2i: BRIDGEi2i is a consulting firm that offers machine learning solutions, including sales forecasting, customer segmentation, and supply chain optimization. They have worked with clients across various industries, including banking, retail, and healthcare.

Amazon Web Services: Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers a range of machine learning solutions, including image and speech recognition, chatbot development, and predictive analytics. They have worked with clients such as Netflix, Airbnb, and Samsung.

In conclusion, there are several excellent machine learning companies in India, each offering unique solutions and services. Microlent Systems stands out among them, with its expertise in data analysis, predictive modeling, and natural language processing. Located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, they are well-positioned to provide high-quality machine learning solutions to clients across various industries.

Read More :

https://microlent.com/blog/why-you-should-focus-on-improving-best-machine-learning-companies-in-india.html

[strangemusictriumph]

Fingerprint Sensor Market - Forecast (2022 - 2027)

The rising need of multi-factor authentication method across consumer electronics, banking and financial sectors is set to grow the fingerprint sensor that was already valued to be $4.68 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14% during forecast period 2019-2025. Factors such as the proliferation of fingerprint sensors in smartphones and other consumer electronics, government support for the adoption of fingerprint sensors in BFSI industry, and the use of biometrics in mobile commerce are driving the growth of the market. The adoption of fingerprint protection by smartphones to secure stored data and the essential bank options such as OTP and mobile banking applications are expected to fuel the fingerprint sensor market. According to the statics provided by TrendForce, growth in the share of smartphone shipments incorporated with fingerprint sensor increased from 29% in 2015 to 60% in 2018, which is likely to augment the fingerprint sensor market further during the forecast period. 

On the other hand, increasing support from the government for the adoption of fingerprint sensors, along with use of biometrics in BFSI, and law enforcement sectors has been driving the fingerprint sensor market. The fingerprint devices in BFSI will help in authenticated transaction with fingerprint to prevent fraud that will lead the growth of fingerprint sensor market. 

In fingerprint sensors market below developments would make dynamical changes, which in turn, will augment the market in terms of revenue: 

A Swedish fingerprint sensor company, Fingerprint Cards AB, shipped one billion fingerprint sensors worldwide in Q1 2019. Going forward, the company is estimated to reach 2 billion of sensors shipment globally by the end of 2019, which will show significant growth in overall fingerprint sensor market. 

The development in mobile fingerprint devices by Metropolitan Police Service can scan suspect fingerprints and returns any match to police databases within 60 seconds that is one of the emerging innovation for law enforcement. 

These developments and innovations are expected to grow the of fingerprint sensor market globally. 

Fingerprint Sensor Market Report Coverage

The report: “Fingerprint Sensor – Forecast (2019-2025)”, by IndustryARC covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Fingerprint Sensor Market.

By Type: Area, Touch, Swipe, Fingerprint Sensor Modules

By Technology: Capacitive Sensor, Optical Sensor, Thermal Sensor, Pressure Sensor, RF Sensor, Ultrasonic Sensor, Others

By Application: Desktop, Laptop, Smartphones, Wearable Devices, Tablets, Gaming Consoles, Notebooks, Security & Alarm Solutions, Government & Law Enforcement, Others.

By Industry: Defense, Retail, Education, Healthcare, BFSI, Government, Commercial, Manufacturing/Industrial, Telecommunication, Travel & Immigration, Others

By Geography: North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, RoW 

Request Sample

Key Takeaways

The major driving factor in the fingerprint sensor market is the increasing demand of smartphones with high-end technologies and fingerprint specifications, which are likely to grow the fingerprint sensor market during the forecast period.

The BFSI sector in the fingerprint sensor market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19% during the forecast period. The increased need for multi-factor authentication systems in banking is being more prominent and increasing the demand for fingerprint sensors within this application.

APAC holds the largest market for the fingerprint sensors market accounting to around 34% of the global market share owing to the increased demand for consumer electronics such as smartphones, and wearable devices and so on, which are installed with fingerprint sensors.  Moreover, the BFSI sector will be showing significant growth in the adoption of fingerprint to prevent the fraud cases.

Fingerprint Sensor Market Segment Analysis - By Technology

The capacitive and optical sensor technology are the most common type of fingerprint scanner, being used nowadays. The market is expanding significantly owing to increasing demand for secure consumer electronics and an overall need for rigid security. 

Apart from that, the optical fingerprint scanner is now being used in most cost-effective hardware these days. These sensor are gaining prominence due to increasing popularity of in-display fingerprint sensors. Essential technology such as optical sensors has the viability to work efficiently with smartphones and provide multi-factor authentication systems in mobile banking ecosystem, which is likely to grow the fingerprint sensor market positively. 

In 2019, a biometrics company Fingerprint Cards AB, introduced its FPC1610 sensor prototype using optical in-display fingerprint sensor for smartphones. These developments will show significant growth for in-display optical fingerprint sensors in the market.

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Fingerprint Sensor Market Segment Analysis - By Industry

The BFSI industry in fingerprint sensor market is expected to grow with the fastest CAGR of 19% during the forecast period. The banks are extensively working on payments cards with in-built fingerprint sensors, in order to end the need of PINs to make payments much secure. This will allow the most secure authentication mechanism for account holders.  

Moreover, the government support for the adoption of fingerprint sensors owing to keep the security for unique identification and verification of individuals in e-Governance applications are expected to propel the growth of the fingerprint sensor market.

On the other hand, consumer electronics is one of the major market for fingerprint sensors. Various biometric incorporated devices such as smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and notebooks are expected to fuel the fingerprint sensor market.  The growing trend of bezel-less screens feature, using OLED display, in smartphones has led the manufacturers to develop high-end in-display fingerprint sensors technology that occupy less space. This in-display fingerprint sensors will be incorporated in OLED displays using optical or ultra-sonic sensor technology.   Hence, the adoption of in-display fingerprint sensors is expected to fuel the demand for ultrasonic and optical in-display fingerprint sensors, which is rising at the rate of 14% in 2019. 

Fingerprint Sensor Market Segment Analysis - By Geography

The Asia Pacific region is the largest revenue contributor for the fingerprint sensors market, with a share of 34% in 2018. The rising adoption in mobile banking applications, collaborative innovations, updating smart devices, and, of course, security concerns in this region has resulted in increased demand for fingerprint sensors in this region. 

Moreover, the demand for fingerprint technology in China has grown tremendously, especially in the consumer electronics, commercial, healthcare, government and banking sectors owing to protect the data from threats. Based on the statics of Statista, the consumer electronics user penetration in China is expected to hit from 23.4% in 2019 to 35.3% in 2023. Following this current market trend, numerous consumers are willing to transact using smart devices that integrate biometric identification systems for providing more security during transactions. 

Recently in March 2019, NEXT Biometrics, a Norwegian fingerprint sensors company, signed an agreement with an Asian smart card manufacturer in order to launch contact-based and dual interface biometric smart cards in the Asia Pacific region. This will lead to increased demand for fingerprint sensors technology in coming years. 

Similarly, in India, the increasing use of smartphones and other consumer appliances are witnessing a huge growth in terms of revenue. The smartphone penetration rate in India is expected to reach from 2018 in 26% to 36.2% in 2022. Thus, the growth in smartphones will significantly grow the fingerprint sensor market in this region. On the other hand, the government initiatives such as UIDAI for unique identification for individual citizen that is registered with fingerprint is expected to propel the growth of fingerprint market. Similar initiatives are being taken by other governments around the world, eventually leading to increasing demand of fingerprint sensors in the near future.

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Fingerprint Sensor Market Drivers 

Major adoption of Biometrics in Law Enforcement and Government Applications:

Within law enforcement, biometrics authentication is playing a key role in providing criminal ID solutions such as Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS). This solution enables law enforcement agencies to identify and store data of the criminals. Moreover, unique identification initiatives taken by government, eventually driving the need of fingerprint sensors across all the application in a country.

Emergence of fingerprint sensors enabled smartphones: 

Smartphones have increased penetration of in-display fingerprint sensing technology. Most smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, Vivo, Huawei and Xiaomi are launching models that are integrated with fingerprint sensors. According to the Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSMA), there were a total number of 5 billion mobile users at the end of 2017, and the production of mobile phones will grow at a CAGR of 2.1% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025, and is expected to reach 5.9 billion in 2025. Thus, increasing demand for smartphones with advanced sensing technologies will create enhanced opportunities for the fingerprint sensors market.

Fingerprint Sensor Market Challenges

Integration of biometrics in to the devices is increasing the competition for fingerprint devices

The ability of biometrics is to access the biological parameters such as iris/retina, voice, pulse, DNA, and vein, provide the advance level of security. Since every individual possesses unique physiological features, which can’t be easily swapped, shared, or stolen. In biometrics, the recognition accuracy, integration and resetting ability is not working effectively, which are causing fall in the biometrics usage. Hence, the development in fingerprint sensor to make the module compact, thin, and easy to integrate with better recognition accuracy can reduce the use of other biometrics. 

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Market Landscape

Partnerships and acquisitions along with product development and up-gradation are the key strategies of the top players in the Fingerprint Sensors Market. The major players in the Fingerprint Sensor include Apple, Goodix, Egis Technology, Fingerprint Cards, Synaptics, IDEMIA, NEXT Biometrics, Anviz Global, IDEX ASA and Gemalto among others.

Partnerships/Mergers/Acquisitions

In March 2019, Gemalto acquired Green Bit to offer biometric scanners as part of complete automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS). This deal have been done by noticing an increase use of biometric scanners by governments for identity management purposes.

In May 2019, NEXT Biometrics and Newland entered into a supply agreement with Fujian Newland Payment Technology Co., Ltd. to provide an integration of different types of NEXT Biometrics' high-quality, large-area fingerprint sensors on a global scale.

In September 2018, HID Global, a leader in trusted identity solutions, announced that it acquired Crossmatch, a leader in biometric identity management and secure authentication solutions. Under this acquisition, Crossmatch’s biometric identity management hardware and software will complement HID’s broad portfolio to make major providers of fingerprint biometric technologies.

R&D Investments/Funding

In April 2019, Wales-based fingerprint biometrics startup Touch Biometrix has received $2.2m in VC Funding. The firm claims it will help boost the further growth of its fingerprint sensor technology. The solution price will be less than $1 per sensor and the manufacturing will continue to being by 2020.

In June 2018, Valencell captured $10.5M in Series E financing led by Sonion. The startup intends to use the financing to grow its technology and team of biometric sensors. 

Fingerprint Sensor Market Research Scope: 

The base year of the study is 2018, with forecast done up to 2025. The study presents a thorough analysis of the competitive landscape, taking into account the market shares of the leading companies. It also provides information on unit shipments. These provide the key market participants with the necessary business intelligence and help them understand the future of the Fingerprint Sensor Market. The assessment includes the forecast, an overview of the competitive structure, the market shares of the competitors, as well as the market trends, market demands, market drivers, market challenges, and product analysis. The market drivers and restraints have been assessed to fathom their impact over the forecast period. This report further identifies the key opportunities for growth while also detailing the key challenges and possible threats. The key areas of focus include the type, technology, application, industry and geography analysis of Fingerprint Sensors Market.

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[technology-moment]

AI and the Future: Pioneering Change and Inspiring Growth

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming our world at an unprecedented pace, ushering in a future filled with possibilities. From automating mundane tasks to enhancing complex decision-making, AI is not just a technological innovation; it's a catalyst for profound change across various sectors.

1. Revolutionizing Industries

AI is reshaping industries such as healthcare, finance, and transportation. In healthcare, AI algorithms analyze medical data to predict patient outcomes, leading to personalized treatment plans. In finance, AI streamlines operations, improving fraud detection and risk assessment. Similarly, in transportation, self-driving technology is redefining mobility, promising safer and more efficient travel.

2. Enhancing Productivity

One of the most significant impacts of AI is on productivity. Businesses leverage AI tools to automate repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on more strategic activities. This not only enhances efficiency but also fosters creativity and innovation within teams, driving overall growth.

3. Fostering Innovation

AI is a key driver of innovation, enabling researchers and entrepreneurs to explore new ideas and solutions. With AI, we can analyze vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and generate insights that were previously unattainable. This opens doors to breakthroughs in science, technology, and beyond.

4. Transforming Education

In education, AI offers personalized learning experiences tailored to individual student needs. Adaptive learning platforms utilize AI to assess progress and provide customized resources, ensuring that learners receive the support they require to succeed.

5. Ethical Considerations

While AI presents exciting opportunities, it's essential to approach its development responsibly. Ethical considerations, including data privacy and algorithmic bias, must be at the forefront of AI initiatives. A collaborative approach between technologists, policymakers, and ethicists will help ensure that AI serves humanity positively.

Conclusion

AI is not just a trend; it's a pivotal force shaping the future. By embracing its potential and addressing its challenges, we can pioneer change and inspire growth in various fields. The future with AI is bright, and those who adapt and innovate will thrive.

#AI #FutureOfWork #Innovation #Technology #Productivity #Healthcare #Education #EthicsInAI #DigitalTransformation #Entrepreneurship

[oliverethanrobin]

Enterprise Blockchain Development: Transforming Businesses with Justtry Technologies

Introduction

In modern conditions, enterprise blockchain development is already a leading solution among companies that want to up the efficiency level and secure their data. Justtry Technologies is the global organization that focuses on providing end-to-end block chain services for industries. But let’s take one step back and understand what is enterprise blockchain and how it can help your business. Now, it is high time to flesh out the potential of this innovative technology in terms of the concepts, features and applications.

What is Enterprise Blockchain?

Enterprise blockchain can be described as the application of blockchain within the business environment for the purpose of efficiency enhancement of various business activities and rendering of business solutions that are both secure and transparent. While blockchains that are public in nature allow anybody to join and engage the network, enterprise blockchains are mostly private where only the admitted parties can transact. This fosters an environment perfect for industries such as finance and supply chain not forgetting healthcare where issues to do with privacy and data control are paramount.

As with any other type of blockchains, there are many things that you can do with the Enterprise Blockchain Development.

By leveraging enterprise blockchain development, companies can:

Streamline Operations: Reduce the need of mediators and accelerate transactions that occur.

Enhance Security: This feature makes data to be safe and secure from fraud and cyber threats since the information stored in a blockchain cannot be changed.

Improve Transparency: Any transaction that is executed on a blockchain is broadcasted publicly for all the authorized participants within the business network hence increasing the level of trust among the business entities.

Facilitate Compliance: Blockchain assists the management of organization to ensure clean and accurate records that are important for compliance with the set regulations and especially in industries that have strict regulation on the records to be produced.

The following are the features that identify the best enterprise blockchain:

Here are some standout features of enterprise blockchain:

Decentralization: Data is not centralized and it is broken up into several nodes to minimise risks associated with failure of any particular node.

Immutability: That is why once data has been entered into the blockchain it cannot be changed – creating a high level of reliability.

Smart Contracts: Escalate and automatically enforce contracts where conditions are met automatically so as to minimize discretion.

Permissioned Access: The benefits of using enterprise blockchains are that members of the network are always known, the nodes are vetted, making it easier to govern access and therefore more effective in controlling sensitive data.

Scalability: Enterprise blockchains on the other hand are built for more transactional requirements and therefore organizations undertaking big operations need them.

Enterprise Blockchain Platforms

Several enterprise blockchain platforms are widely adopted, each offering unique benefits:

Hyperledger Fabric: A permission based application that enables firms to create an enterprise grade blockchains to their requirement.

Ethereum (Private Networks): private Ethereum networks are excellent for building a decentralized application because of smart contracts that can be used.

Corda: Built for finance industries it provides privacy and scalability in the enterprise environment for which it has been built.

Quorum: Quorum is an Ethereum-based platform which is designed for privacy and performance; thus, Quorum is ideal for enterprises that need fast and secure transactions’ processing.

Strategic Advantages That Blockchain Development Provides for Enterprises

Enterprise blockchain development offers numerous advantages for businesses across industries:

Reduced Costs: Blockchain erases the intermediaries, and that means that applying this technology leads to saving money due to the automation of particular processes.

Improved Efficiency: They are completed faster especially where the use of smart contracts which self-executes all the contractual provisions.

Enhanced Data Security: For this reason, through the application of cryptography, block chain ensures that data is protected from any form of alteration.

Greater Trust: Transparency which is nature of the blockchain technology fosters trust among partners, suppliers, and customers.

Regulatory Compliance: Businesses find blockchain quite appropriate because its records do not contain ambiguity and thus help in adhering to regulatory standards.

Applications of Block Chain in Enterprise Environment

Enterprise blockchain has applications across a variety of industries:

Supply Chain Management: Blockchain also makes it possible for businesses to track the flow of their products in a bid to enhance transparency and effectiveness of the supply chain right from the manufacturing process up to the delivery stage.

Finance: This is because it facilitates the safe conduct of financial transaction without relying on the third parties like the banks.

Healthcare: Blockchain can also be applied in sharing of information concerning patients in a safe method and embraces the laws for example the HIPAA.

Retail: Another example of applying blockchain is in improving customer rewards programs as they can be tracked in real time by retail stores.

Energy: Blockchain technology is also applied for microgrid trading where clean energy from renewable sources can be generated and traded between the electric grid producers and consumers.

Conclusion

In the context of today’s ongoing digitalisation of businesses, the development of enterprise blockchain remains a stable approach to optimise and secure operations while increasing trust. As for Justtry Technologies, the client gets a team of dedicated developers who will provide a specific type of blokchain for your field of activity. Whether it is supply chain management or finance and everything in between, blockchain will change the way that business is done.

[360digitmgmalaysia]

Is Data Science a Good Career in Malaysia?

In this world which has become a pool of data, the role of data science nowadays becomes much larger than this. Analytics or the ability to analyze data, therefore, becomes the means by which businesses and organizations can not only survive but thrive indicating enhancements in efficiency and effectiveness of activities conceived and undertaken and new spaces created for them. Development of such trends has created a sizable demand for data science professionals not only on the global level but also at the national level, in Malaysia. 

This is because data science as a profession has quickly grown to be one of the most demanded professions across the world due to the rate at which countries are embracing technology. In the case of Malaysia for example the uptake of AI and other related technologies such as big data and machine learning as the new digital technologies of change that can be targeted for improvement in productivity for the purpose of innovation among the governments and private entities in the country is on the increase. Let us now turn our attention to why data science has been the buzzword to become one of the most sought-after professions in the contemporary world and what the future of the occupation has for those who decide to take up this career path in the given country.

Growing Demand for Data Science in Malaysia

Malaysia is on the journey toward a knowledge-based, data-driven economy, with data science playing a central role in this transformation. While businesses in many sectors have just about began to get a glimpse of the immense potential lying in data analytics, demands for capable data professionals have shot up. Some of the key industries driving demand in Malaysia for data science include finance, healthcare, manufacturing, e-commerce, and telecommunications.

Several factors are contributing to this growing need for data science professionals:

This is further manifested by: 

• Digital Transformation Initiatives: The government of Malaysia is committed to digital transformation. It launched the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, MyDIGITAL, to fast-track the adoption of data science, AI, and digital technologies. Furthermore, jobs numbering in the thousands are also being created in the field of data, thus creating a need for data scientists in industries across the board.

• Financial Services Sector: Banking and financial services have always been one of the largest adopters of data science industries in Malaysia, adopting advanced analytics in fraud detection, credit risk assessment, and personalized financial products. With the recent rise in fintech and digital banking, this has even driven up demand for data scientists who are crucial in helping to develop innovative financial solutions.

• Healthcare Industry: Data science will also revolutionize health care in Malaysia, enabling better personalized care for patients, prediction of diagnostics, and higher efficiency in hospital management. Data scientists in health make use of machine learning and AI on medical data to analyze and optimize treatment plans, allowing the forecasts of patient outcomes and opening so many career opportunities.

E-commerce and Retail: E-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada have been growing rapidly in Malaysia. For this, data science is being used to analyze consumer behavior, improve customer engagement, and optimize inventory management. This has created a rising demand for data scientists with substantial actionable insight to drive business growth in many ways.

Manufacturing and Supply Chain Optimization: Data science in Malaysia is considered crucial for the manufacturing industries for various key activities, such as predictive maintenance, quality control, and supply chain optimization. Large volumes of data let manufacturers improve production efficiency and cut down on production costs, enabling them to further enhance their operational performance.

These are the combined factors that make the job market for data scientists very strong in Malaysia. As more industries start to realize the power of insight from data, the demand for professionals in the field of data science will continue to keep growing and be a rewarding career. Competitive Salaries and Career Growth

Probably the most attractive feature of building a career in data science in Malaysia is the very competitive salary and the possibility of immense career growth. Due to the shortage of skilled data science professionals, organizations are ready to pay above-average salaries in order to attract and retain the best talent. Based on job market data, the average cost of a data scientist in Malaysia ranges from RM 80,000 to RM 150,000 annually, depending on experience, skill set, and industry.

Furthermore, career paths are well-defined in the field of data science. Though entry into the job market either as a data analyst or as a junior data scientist may be meritorious, further opportunities will unfold to gain experience in these higher-value areas: machine learning engineer, data engineer, or AI specialist. It goes without saying that experienced and capable data scientists would rise into leadership positions as managers of data science or chief data officers who drive an organization's data strategy.

Kickstart your career by enrolling in this: Data Science Courses in Malaysia

What Makes Data Science a Great Career in Malaysia?

The following are some of the main advantages which define data science and make the occupation choice promising and interesting for everybody in Malaysia. 

High Demand and Job Security: That is why there should not be any long-term problems with employment for data science personnel as the digitalization of many industries continues to progress. And this alone means job security and stability anyone willing to venture into this area of specialization. 

Diverse Career Opportunities: Data science is an enabling field; one can get jobs in any given area of specialization of one’s choice such as finance, health care, retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, or even civil service. Finally, data science helps one to hone in on a specific region of focus, say, health or business.

Challenging and Rewarding Work: It is all about difficult challenges, decoding the code in data, and rounding up innovation. Therefore, it is quite scholarly, enjoyable as well as fulfilling for those who prefer to deal with numeral, algorism and fairly established technology. 

Impactful Contributions: So, with the help of presenting his/her expertise in the decision-making front in businesses, increasing the customer satisfaction, and charting the route for the industries, a data scientist contributes to a lot of important works. 

What a data scientist provides to an organization is very quantifiable:

Continuous Learning and Innovation: Therefore, data science is an unending process of expansion as with the growth of advanced technologies, tools, and techniques each day, the knowledge in this field can infinitely develop, which in turn engages the professional in the respective areas.

Role of a Data Scientist

• From converting large datasets into useful forms that organizations use to make their decisions, the roles of a data scientist may slightly differ from one organization to another as essential as it may be. • Data Collection and Cleaning: The data scientists pull data from various sources such as databases, sensors, social media, and transactional systems. The derived data has to be cleaned and pre-processed in case there are inconsistencies like missing values for it to be analyzed. Watch here : Data Science Demo

• Data Exploration and Analysis: When exploring data, data scientists can use elements of statistics and programming to search for patterns, relations, and trends. This assists the data scientists in making sense of the data that can be used to arrive at meaningful conclusions. • Building Predictive Models: Machine learning is a way of developing analytical models in which data scientists utilize sample databases to design prognostic models which can predict future trajectory of events or phenomena. These models provide forecasts like customer actions, some levels of demands for a certain product and the potential risks needed for a certain project financially. • Data Visualization and Communication: A key responsibility of a data scientist is to translate complex findings into a format that is easy to understand. Some of the visualization tools that data scientists use are Tableau, Power BI, or Matplotlib to come up with the charts, graphs as well as the dashboard to present the insights to the stakeholders. • Collaborations: Sometimes, a data scientist has to work with the representatives of other departments like marketing, finance, operation, etc. It shows how the various departments must work more collaboratively and in harmony towards business objectives and plans.

Conclusion

The desire for data scientists is on the rise in the country, enabling experts to earn attractive salaries, enjoy employment stability, and embark on promising careers. With more and more businesses across industries incorporating data in their decision making, data science is set to further gain prominence going ahead. Studies show that careers in data science are diverse and fulfilling – and to become data professionals, learners can opt to pursue a data science program at 360DigiTMG. Therefore, if you are asking yourself whether data science is a good profession in Malaysia, the answer is positive. From the above discussion, it can be deduced that the future of data science in Malaysia is promising, and anyone wishing to be part of the data revolution should do so now.