#102
Yeon Tae-soo’s surgery ended successfully. Though the operation was complicated due to his recovery ability caused by the black moonstone, this peculiarity actually helped immediately after surgery.
Yoo Seong-woo heard the news from Kim Ji-heon as soon as he regained consciousness. Brushing aside Kim Ji-heon who tried to stop him saying he needed rest, Yoo Seong-woo rushed to the recovery room just as Yeon Tae-soo was waking up.
“Seong-woo.”
His voice was hoarse, but fortunately his smiling face didn’t look too bad. Yoo Seong-woo sat in front of him and held his hand.
The forcibly expanded function had returned to normal when he woke up from sleep. It was both disappointing and fortunate. He wanted to see in detail how Yeon Tae-soo’s eyes shone and trembled when looking at him. But he disliked the idea of his body’s lifespan shortening due to overload.
The desire to stay with Yeon Tae-soo longer grew stronger after this incident. He wished the time spent with him could be longer, even by an hour, even by a few minutes.
“Are you okay?”
When asked this question while his hand was being caressed, Yoo Seong-woo couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s not bad enough for someone who’s been shot to worry about me.”
“That’s a relief.”
His expression was so solemn when he said it was a relief that Yoo Seong-woo could tell Yeon Tae-soo’s concern was genuine.
Yoo Seong-woo looked at him wearing a hospital gown. Another gunshot wound would be added to his already heavily scarred body.
His heart felt heavy. This wasn’t someone who deserved to be injured like this. He kept thinking that if Yeon Tae-soo hadn’t shielded him, he wouldn’t have been hurt at all.
Not wanting to reveal his pathetic guilt, he deliberately averted his gaze.
“Mr. Kim is waiting outside. He probably has a lot to report…”
The hand he tried to slip away was caught again. His grip was so strong it was hard to believe he was a patient. He grabbed Yoo Seong-woo’s hand firmly, just enough not to hurt, and pulled him closer. His upper body inevitably bent forward.
“Stay with me a bit. I just woke up and you’re trying to make me work? Don’t you want to be with me?”
Hearing his whining voice, Yoo Seong-woo quickly shook his head. He knew Yeon Tae-soo only whined like this to him, and even though he knew it was exaggerated, his heart sank.
“Of course not. That’s not it.”
He couldn’t bring himself to admit he was trying to escape because of his petty guilt.
“It’s okay, Seong-woo. If you’re okay, I’m absolutely fine.”
Yeon Tae-soo, who had died and come back to life, was still solid and straightforward. Yoo Seong-woo felt grateful and envious of him, smiling despite seeing through his embarrassing feelings. He wanted to be like him, to have his maturity. If he had been born and aged naturally rather than being created, could he have become this mature?
The fingers intertwined with his gently rubbed the back of his hand. The warmth transmitted directly felt good. Yeon Tae-soo had already become such a presence—someone who could reassure him just by touch.
“But Seong-woo.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you lying to me?”
Yoo Seong-woo unconsciously held his breath. He couldn’t raise his gaze from their clasped hands.
“If it hurts, you should tell me.”
As he just moved his lips without answering, Yeon Tae-soo carefully lifted his face by holding his chin.
“How did you…”
“I could just tell by looking at you.”
Though he thought he hadn’t shown any signs, apparently Yeon Tae-soo had noticed. It seemed impossible to hide it any longer.
“Actually, I can’t see out of one eye.”
After honestly blurting it out, he felt rather relieved. Yeon Tae-soo’s appearance, seen with just one eye, was still steadfast.
Looking into his eyes always made him feel secure without even realizing it. The wariness he had developed from hiding his identity among humans completely crumbled.
Because no matter what confession he made or how his body broke down, it seemed like Yeon Tae-soo would always look at him this steadfastly.
“Earlier… I tweaked my functions a bit, and I think the overload caused damage.”
That’s why he spoke honestly.
Yeon Tae-soo extended his other hand, his prosthetic, toward Yoo Seong-woo’s face. The metal fingers, not cold at all, lightly brushed his cheek.
“It might be temporary. No, it’s probably temporary.”
As he quickly added this, Yeon Tae-soo nodded.
“If anything else happens, tell me right away. You’ll be in trouble if you hide it.”
“…Yes.”
Though he spoke gently, it seemed like he would really get angry, so Yoo Seong-woo answered somewhat timidly.
Yeon Tae-soo seen with impaired vision in one eye appeared closer than usual. The lost sense of distance was welcome.
Yeon Tae-soo pulled his arm a little more. As their faces came closer, he kissed him on the cheek. It was a kiss that was several times sweeter than a tongue-involved one, one that directly transmitted his body heat.
***
Because the evidence was so clear and abundant, this time the minister couldn’t escape punishment.
All media covered the crimes of the current Minister of Defense. Countless charges appeared in captions.
What people were most outraged about was the android massacre. The fact that the victims were learning androids with child-like appearances made it especially horrific to the public.
While public attention was focused on the minister, Yeon Tae-soo was discharged after showing miraculous recovery. Eden was decided to be temporarily closed.
Investigators came a few times, but since all evidence had already been handed over, Yeon Tae-soo didn’t need to appear in person. Although Yeon Tae-soo’s body had almost completely recovered, he always used his health condition as an excuse. When he directly told the investigator to stop coming and conduct the investigation on their own, they stopped contacting him.
As soon as he was discharged, Yeon Tae-soo contacted his connection in India. It was to find a way to meet the android creator who was his maker’s mentor and currently in custody. Fortunately, positive news came back.
“It seems meeting isn’t completely impossible. I’ll have to go and try to get a visitation permit.”
An excited Yeon Tae-soo immediately prepared his private jet. He thought it would be better to leave together while people were distracted. The reappeared “Yoo-hyun” could return to public attention at any time.
However, Yoo Seong-woo’s expression didn’t look particularly happy.
“If you don’t want to go, I can also look into bringing that gentleman here.”
Yeon Tae-soo said that, but Yoo Seong-woo knew it was impossible. Even the possibility of a meeting was barely achieved through Yeon Tae-soo’s astronomical lobbying funds.
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to go, and I… want to receive treatment.”
He used the word “treatment” instead of “repair.” Because Yeon Tae-soo disliked terms that referred to him as a different species.
He knew it wasn’t due to aversion to androids. Yeon Tae-soo simply treated Yoo Seong-woo as if he were the same kind of being as himself. A being that hurts, bleeds, and loves.
That’s why he didn’t want to disappoint him even more. He didn’t want to lie anymore either.
“I’m just… afraid you might be disappointed.”
The truth was that his visual function in one eye still hadn’t fully returned. It might even be permanent damage.
If he went through all this trouble to find the engineer, only to shut down before meeting them.
Or even if he met the engineer, if he was told there was no way to fix him because his body was too damaged.
Before, he only feared the end of his short life, but now he feared Yeon Tae-soo’s disappointment.
“Why do humans so easily believe in hope?”
He muttered with a bitter smile, almost talking to himself. Yeon Tae-soo’s hand reached out to his face and playfully tapped the bridge of his nose.
“Not just humans.”
“…Is that so?”
“Anyone who’s alive believes. In hope.”
Why was that statement so comforting? Was it because he realized that he had unconsciously held on to hope?
It was also pleasing. The fact that he was neither human nor android, but simply a being that hopes.
“You’ll come with me, right?”
Those words asking for his permission without pressure were achingly sweet. Yoo Seong-woo nodded. How could he refuse someone so kind?
But Yoo Seong-woo was also afraid. What if you discovered the truth about my feelings?
What would happen if you found out the reason you were going through all this trouble was because of my function? If you learned that the reason you fell in love with me, someone who isn’t human, was because of my function as an entertainment android, wouldn’t you feel betrayed?
“…Yes. I want to go with you.”
As soon as he answered, Yeon Tae-soo’s face visibly brightened. Even that smile was painful to see.
“Then I’ll tell Nikita that…”
“Before that, I have something to tell you.”
He tried not to cry, but something welled up inside him again. Wasn’t the microchip attached to his heart and brain a device to learn human emotions? If so, what was corroding to make tears come now?
But he had to say it before leaving. If things went wrong in India, he would truly have no face to show to someone who had run around with fake emotions.
“Do you know why you feel such great favor toward me?”
Yeon Tae-soo tilted his head slightly. His face wore a strange smile. It was dreadful to have to confess the truth while facing that expression which showed no hostility.
“I was probably made for entertainment purposes.”
Yeon Tae-soo still didn’t answer. It was painful just to look into his unmoving eyes.
“I suspect there are additional functions built in for that purpose.”
He felt ashamed. Just moments ago, Yeon Tae-soo had praised him as a being who lived and had hope, and now he wanted to hate himself for having to reveal his true nature. But even that was impossible.
Because this man before him loved him, he couldn’t bring himself to hate himself.
“Your feelings for me aren’t natural.”
Finally, Yeon Tae-soo’s face cracked. His brow, which had been gentle all along, wrinkled fiercely. Even though it clearly wasn’t anger directed at him, Yoo Seong-woo just wanted to close his eyes.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your feelings were created by my function. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense. Those people who chased after me and tormented me, who stuck to me in such a strange way…”
“Seong-woo.”
Cutting him off in a gentle but firm tone, Yeon Tae-soo let out a small sigh. Yoo Seong-woo tried to continue speaking, but Yeon Tae-soo stopped him again, raising his hand, and pulled something out of his inside jacket pocket. It was a portable USB.
“These are the documents your creator used when researching you.”
This time Yoo Seong-woo took a deep breath. If they were documents written by his creator, they would contain everything about him. Including the bad parts.
“How did you…”
“I took it when you were searching through your creator’s workshop. I thought it might help fix your body.”
“Ah…”
“And I went through it thoroughly. Without missing a single detail.”
Yeon Tae-soo placed it in Yoo Seong-woo’s hand. The hard touch of the USB felt strange.
“You don’t have any entertainment functions or seduction abilities, Seong-woo.”
With that single statement, the tears that had been welling up finally dropped.
“Don’t dismiss my feelings as fake. It… hurts me too much. It’s so painful.”
So painful because I like you so much.
How could this be fake?
Yeon Tae-soo, speaking almost in a whisper, embraced Yoo Seong-woo.
Yoo Seong-woo cried silently for a long time in his arms. Such relief was rare. More than the hope that he could be healed, the fact that Yeon Tae-soo’s feelings weren’t fake, that at least he hadn’t committed more sins against him, comforted him even more.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
