#103
Yoo Seong-woo wanted to settle a few matters before leaving the country. One of them was revealing the fact that he wasn’t Yoo-hyun. He wanted to disclose that both Yoo-hyun and himself were androids, and that Yoo-hyun had been murdered while trying to expose the minister’s massacre and corruption.
Yeon Tae-soo, naturally, opposed this.
“You don’t need to reveal everything. The criminal facts that have already come to light are enough for the minister to be sufficiently punished.”
“It’s not about punishing him. It’s just… this is the right thing to do.”
Just because it’s the right thing to do. Yeon Tae-soo was momentarily dazed by those words. Yoo Seong-woo continued speaking without checking his expression, keeping his gaze forward. In front of his eyes floated articles reporting on Yacheon Technology and the minister’s crimes.
“Yoo-hyun had to pretend to be human when he wasn’t. Even though it wasn’t his intention. And numerous prototypes… my brothers died.”
Tap, tap. He closed the semi-transparent articles floating in the air one by one. Most seemed deliberately sensationalized, emphasizing the minister’s cruelty and the child-like appearance of the androids massacred at Jirisan Mountain rather than just stating the facts.
“So we need to reveal it. The dead cannot speak, but we can.”
Perhaps the same thing might happen again. It was entirely possible that a second or third minister might appear and use their power to massacre androids.
So he wanted to do as much as he could, at least before leaving this land.
Somehow Yeon Tae-soo had grown quiet, and when Yoo Seong-woo glanced to the side, their eyes met. But Yeon Tae-soo was the first to subtly avert his gaze as he muttered.
“Ah, I don’t know how many times I’m falling for you all over again…”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Did you narrow down the journalist list? Give it to me and I’ll call them right away.”
“Yes.”
Did I hear wrong? Rubbing his slightly flushed face, Yoo Seong-woo removed all the sensationalist articles and compiled a list of the remaining ones. These journalists would write about Yoo-hyun and himself objectively without sensationalizing.
“It’s good to have a lover with power at times like this.”
“Yes, I’m grateful you recognize it, even if only at times like this.”
He grinned at the strangely wistful-sounding remark.
“Good, then now…”
He was about to suggest they rest and prepare for departure since there were no more urgent matters.
Suddenly his vision spun and darkened.
In truth, although he had lied to Yeon Tae-soo that he was fine, he still couldn’t see out of one eye. But just now, his vision had gone completely dark. There hadn’t even been any warning.
“Seong-woo?”
He heard Yeon Tae-soo’s voice calling him from far away. He needed to answer, but his mouth wouldn’t open. Yoo Seong-woo felt his senses gradually drifting away.
Yeon Tae-soo’s voice trembled as he said something. He seemed to be grabbing and shaking Yoo Seong-woo’s body, but even his sense of touch was dulled.
He resented his own body. Just when they could finally spend time together, why did another error have to occur?
Suddenly, a small sound reached his dimming hearing.
“…sorry…”
In his fading consciousness, he wondered if it was something he had imagined, but it wasn’t. Yeon Tae-soo was continuously calling out to him.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Sorry…”
Why are you sorry to me? I should be the one who’s sorry for not being able to feel you even now. In the future, I’ll continue to collapse before your eyes, startling you. While eating, while having sex, even while just having a conversation.
So for all the time we’ll spend together in the future, I should be the one apologizing.
His senses gradually disappeared into darkness. But somehow, he wasn’t afraid. It was because he was certain Yeon Tae-soo was by his side.
***
Yoo Seong-woo’s condition deteriorated rapidly.
Even after regaining consciousness, he remained frozen, unable to respond immediately. If he were human, he would have merely appeared dazed, but as an android, his frozen state clearly showed he wasn’t human.
Using Sentimade or the medicine Old Man Chang had made earlier might temporarily improve this condition, but after hearing that it would further corrode the microchips embedded in Yoo Seong-woo’s heart and brain, he couldn’t use even that.
Yeon Tae-soo remained motionless, watching Yoo Seong-woo’s profile as he remained frozen, his eyelids with their long lashes never blinking once.
And occasionally, he would open his mouth to offer useless words.
“Let’s eat kimchi stew later, the one you like. Okay?”
“Don’t talk to Kim Ji-heon. It makes me jealous.”
“Seong-woo, the reason so many weird guys are drawn to you is simply because you’re insanely handsome.”
After rambling nonsense for a while, Yoo Seong-woo would come to his senses. At first, he seemed terribly confused by the fact that he had stopped functioning, but later he seemed not to recognize even that, and would resume whatever he had been doing before.
“Why did this pen fall… Did I malfunction again?”
“No, you just dozed off briefly. Maybe because I kept you up late last night.”
He lied glibly, and Yoo Seong-woo, though knowing it was a lie, could only smile bitterly.
Even when frozen, Yoo Seong-woo still looked beautiful and solid. The helpless one was himself. He had never hated himself so much for being unable to cure or even ease the frozen state of Yoo Seong-woo.
Although there was still no certainty he could meet the engineer imprisoned in India, he decided to postpone all urgent matters and leave the country. At the very least, he didn’t want to bid farewell to Yoo Seong-woo in such a meaningless way in this land.
“You’ve made a good decision. There are more technicians in India anyway.”
Nikita, who had decided to go with them since India was her homeland, patted Yeon Tae-soo’s shoulders reassuringly, but his expression remained rigid.
He no longer maintained a facade in front of people. He stopped pretending to be cheerful, happy, or a crazy playboy.
Yoo Seong-woo had awakened emotions that had been dead. Naturally, the barely kindled flame was directed toward Yoo Seong-woo. The owner of his emotions was not himself but Yoo Seong-woo. So unless Yoo Seong-woo became completely healthy, his emotions wouldn’t come alive any further.
However, Yoo Seong-woo made a request to Yeon Tae-soo, who wanted to leave the country as soon as tomorrow.
“I want to stay in this country for at least a few more days.”
“Why on earth? We should be finding treatment methods right now…”
“I want to see how things progress before leaving.”
Yeon Tae-soo was dumbfounded. After showing his frozen state several times over the past few days, Yoo Seong-woo now wanted to delay a matter where every day was crucial.
He could exactly understand the expression “heart burning black.” He even felt a pain as if he was being torn apart, so he pounded his chest with his fist. But even that he stopped when he saw Yoo Seong-woo flinch.
“Seong-woo.”
“A few days will be enough. The trial procedures will start soon, I just want to see that before we go.”
Since it was such a significant case, the trial date would be set immediately. He was stubbornly insisting on at least seeing how things progressed since he had initiated it. Even though it was obvious that the minister wouldn’t be released given the clear evidence and the severity of the crimes.
“And honestly, I don’t think there’s much difference between leaving now or in a few days. After all…”
After all, my body is like a time bomb anyway.
Yoo Seong-woo didn’t say those words, but Yeon Tae-soo understood completely. He couldn’t help but love this person who was only cruel to himself.
“You…”
Yeon Tae-soo, about to say something, gave up and just sighed deeply. He felt so suffocated that he wanted to scream, but what drove him crazy was that he couldn’t be angry at Yoo Seong-woo.
It was because he now knew what kind of person Yoo Seong-woo was. This is why I gave my heart to him. Because he was more human than humans.
“I’m sorry.”
He couldn’t bring himself to be angry at that face, which seemed genuinely sorry yet showed no willingness to yield.
Instead, Yeon Tae-soo embraced him with all his might. Only when Yoo Seong-woo complained of being unable to breathe did he release his arms.
He felt like crying but didn’t. He wanted to tie Yoo Seong-woo up and drag him to India right away, but he didn’t. Because now he knew what Yoo Seong-woo wanted.
***
The world learned that Yoo-hyun was actually an android produced in utmost secrecy, that he had been unjustly killed after discovering the minister’s secrets, and that the person who looked just like Yoo-hyun and was now with Yeon Tae-soo was his prototype.
People didn’t seem particularly shocked. Perhaps because the minister’s corruption and massacre were even more shocking.
Fans who had still been waiting for Yoo-hyun belatedly expressed their condolences. Chrysanthemums piled up in front of the broadcasting station building where Yoo-hyun had debuted. They mourned as if a person had died. Yoo-hyun’s songs flowed on broadcasts, becoming requiems.
People grieved, mourned, and also expressed gratitude to Yoo Seong-woo. They thanked him for revealing the injustice done to Yoo-hyun, whom they had loved.
Yoo Seong-woo faintly smiled upon hearing their sentiments. It was also a bit bitter. He felt it was too late, thinking that he should have done this much earlier.
“People’s reactions are unexpected. It’s fortunate though.”
Said Yeon Tae-soo, who had been skeptical about disclosing the truth. Yoo Seong-woo accepted the mug he offered. It contained warm tea.
“I expected it. There’s still a lot of good left in humans.”
Yeon Tae-soo’s expression became slightly distorted.
“How can you think that way… after everything you’ve been through?”
If it were me, I’d want to kill them all. Yoo Seong-woo smiled slightly at Yeon Tae-soo’s muttered words and took a sip of tea.
“I don’t know about love or justice. But one thing I do know. There are still many kind people in this world.”
“…”
“They have many things they want to protect. I just believed in that.”
If there’s something you want to protect, you become stronger. He could know this because the evidence was right before his eyes.
Yeon Tae-soo shook his head as if he couldn’t win, and smiled.
Yoo Seong-woo took a sip of the tea he had been handed. He couldn’t taste or smell anything from the tea, but it was warm. That was enough.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
