#109
As Yoo Seong-woo had predicted, calls came flooding in from everywhere as soon as the interview article was published. Engineers from not only India but from all over the world expressed their desire to meet Yoo Seong-woo.
And as Yeon Tae-soo had expected, he handled most of them himself, finding them untrustworthy. Some renowned scholars did reach out. Yeon Tae-soo decided to meet each of them personally. He wanted to avoid having just anyone examine Seong-woo if possible.
They couldn’t drag this out for long. Even now, Seong-woo’s condition was deteriorating day by day.
He had become much more sleepy lately. From morning, he would often doze off, unable to fight drowsiness. Yeon Tae-soo would hold him as he dozed and read the book Seong-woo had been reading. The astronomy book written in simple terms was more interesting than expected, but not a single word registered in his mind.
As he sat in bed all morning holding the dozing Seong-woo, Popo quietly approached and looked up at them from beneath the bed. When Yeon Tae-soo glanced at it, the light on its lamp blinked rapidly.
– Current time: 11:15:21 AM. Approximately three hours later than Teacher Yoo’s average waking time.
“…So what?”
– Recommend checking Teacher Yoo’s fatigue level!
He had thought it was just rolling around mindlessly, but it seemed the little robot was also worried about Seong-woo.
‘He said he’d had it for a long time.’
Normally, they would be considered owner and robot, but their relationship was closer to friends or colleagues.
“Teacher Yoo will be fine.”
I’ll make sure of it. He swallowed those words.
– Teacher Yoo is strong!
Popo exclaimed, spinning around in circles. Yeon Tae-soo smiled slightly at the sight.
“Yes, I think so too.”
It felt strange to be sharing thoughts with this robot, something he’d never imagined doing. Popo continued spinning in circles, then extended its robotic arm and gently tapped near the bed where the sleeping Seong-woo lay. It seemed to want to touch him but was afraid of waking him up.
Seong-woo didn’t wake up until much later, and even then only because Yeon Tae-soo deliberately woke him, feeling he shouldn’t let him sleep any longer.
“Let’s wash up and go for a walk. The weather is nice today.”
Rubbing his eyes as he barely got up, Seong-woo leaned his warm body against Tae-soo’s shoulder.
“A walk…”
“Yes. And there are quite a few engineers who’ve contacted us. I’ll meet them first.”
“That’s good.”
Yeon Tae-soo removed Seong-woo’s pajamas and helped him into fresh clothes. Seong-woo quietly accepted the help without showing any embarrassment. It hurt to see him so unlike himself, but it was also nice that he didn’t reject Tae-soo’s ministrations.
“It’s fortunate that engineers have reached out. Has there been any contact from that person, the creator’s mentor?”
Yeon Tae-soo silently shook his head. All kinds of technicians had contacted them, but nothing from the person they had actually come here to find.
“That’s a shame. But surely the correctional facility will contact us once the article spreads?”
“A few follow-up articles have already been published. People are reacting more intensely than expected.”
People from not only India but worldwide were appearing, wanting to help Seong-woo. At the same time, some engineers expressed negative views. They said that if it was a self-produced model, it would be difficult for others to work on it, and if corrosion had already begun, the possibility of repair was even lower.
Of course, Yeon Tae-soo didn’t mention that part. Seong-woo probably already guessed it anyway.
“Today, let’s go for a walk and eat out. Aren’t you tired of hotel food?”
“I’m not tired of it, but eating out sounds good. Come to think of it, I should change Popo’s internal cylinder oil too.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s take it with us.”
Hearing the conversation from a distance, Popo rushed over instantly and rolled around in joy.
Yeon Tae-soo pressed his lips firmly on Seong-woo’s crown before pulling away. Seong-woo, who had a slight fever, emitted a strangely sweet scent.
“Let’s put on your shoes and go.”
Kneeling in front of Seong-woo to help him put on his shoes, Yeon Tae-soo also draped a light coat over him, considering his feverish body. Fortunately, Seong-woo didn’t find the coat bothersome.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes. Come to think of it, I should change Popo’s internal cylinder oil too.”
Yeon Tae-soo hesitated as he was about to pull Seong-woo closer. He almost froze completely but managed to force a smile.
“Yes, let’s take it with us.”
Seong-woo smiled back. That innocent smile, free of any suspicion, pierced Yeon Tae-soo.
***
Walking through the crowded Indian streets, Seong-woo smiled continuously. He smiled so much that Yeon Tae-soo worried it might be a malfunction symptom.
Colorful buildings and even more vividly painted pipes, half-peeling, made clanging sounds as they emitted steam. Old-fashioned scooters stalled and restarted repeatedly, unable to navigate through the crowds.
On the ground, flat robots carrying goods skillfully made their way through, while more important items or people were transported by flying scooters soaring through the air. Red and yellow saris fluttered like flags.
Amidst this vibrant scenery, Seong-woo shone alone. He smiled alone. His presence seemed to draw in the entire street. Yeon Tae-soo found the sight so beautiful it was painful.
After having its cylinder oil changed, Popo rolled around the streets in delight. It even showcased the skill of weaving back and forth between Seong-woo’s legs.
Seong-woo laughed at this sight too. Yeon Tae-soo imprinted that ominous yet affectionate smile into his vision for as long as possible. Not satisfied with just looking, he manipulated his watch to take some photos and videos.
Again, he thought how nice it would be if he had a memory like Seong-woo’s.
***
Yeon Tae-soo met with each engineer who claimed they wanted to fix Seong-woo. He didn’t show them Seong-woo directly, but he shared the data he had shown to Old Man Chang.
Even though he selected only the most distinguished scholars, they all shook their heads.
“If corrosion has already begun, there’s no solution for any model.”
They all said the same thing.
“Corrosion beginning is equivalent to being burned. Unless you’re God, it cannot be restored.”
Since Yeon Tae-soo didn’t believe in God, he didn’t believe those words either.
But he was curious. If there really was an absolute being, if someone was watching over all of this, he wanted to know why such a beautiful existence was being broken down so quickly.
The one fortunate thing was that Seong-woo’s condition wasn’t deteriorating beyond a certain point. Though he seemed like he might stop at any moment, he persevered. He would repeat the same words, lose memories, sleep excessively, and occasionally freeze up, but his functioning never completely stopped.
By his side, Yeon Tae-soo pretended that nothing was wrong, that everything was fine. He believed that was what he needed to do.
Right now, keeping silent vigil by the frozen Seong-woo’s side was for that very reason.
Frozen with a carving knife in hand, Seong-woo himself looked like a sculpture. His beauty felt like a kind of punishment. Yeon Tae-soo recalled stories of gods who became jealous of beautiful mortal beings. If you had been just a little less beautiful, would your fate have been less cruel?
For ten minutes already, Yeon Tae-soo had been standing motionless in front of him, holding a cup. He had been bringing the cup when he saw Seong-woo freeze, and he too stopped in his tracks. He hoped that when Seong-woo awoke, his own appearance wouldn’t seem different.
The fact that examining his face while standing never grew tiresome was at least one small blessing. Looking at those delicately shaped eyes, eyelashes, double eyelids, and straight nose bridge made standing here endlessly not difficult at all. It was hard to think of this as punishment for the sins he needed to repay to Seong-woo.
After some time, Seong-woo slowly began to move. To Seong-woo, who blinked as if he couldn’t immediately grasp the situation, Yeon Tae-soo held out the cup.
“Ginger tea, you said you wanted some. It was quite difficult to get this.”
Unnecessarily showing off with a grin, he faced Seong-woo, who blankly accepted the cup and brought it to his lips.
The ginger tea inside had gone cold, and the surroundings had grown dark. Yeon Tae-soo deliberately ignored how Seong-woo’s hand trembled as he tilted the cup.
Instead, he moved closer to Seong-woo and embraced his waist. Gently embracing that waist which wouldn’t cool down with one arm, he kissed the nape of his neck.
“Stop carving now and play with me, okay?”
“Just a moment… let me… put down this cup first.”
As Tae-soo pressed his lips to every visible spot, Seong-woo’s hands firmly pushed him away. He found it adorable how Seong-woo seemed to be throwing a tantrum after reading his clingy mood. It was also nice that he drank the cold tea and pretended not to notice the darkened surroundings. But he wished Seong-woo wouldn’t hide when he was in pain.
***
It was around the time when sending away engineers one by one was becoming painful.
An elderly person came to their lodging. An unscheduled visitor. When told someone had suddenly come to see him, Yeon Tae-soo went down to the hotel lobby where an old woman with what appeared to be Indian features, a severely bent back, and short hair was waiting for him.
Yeon Tae-soo could guess who she was at a glance.
“Did you break out of prison? Though that doesn’t seem likely.”
As he asked with a crooked smile, the old woman twisted her wrinkled lips into a smile and spoke.
“The one in prison is a fake. One I created.”
The voice translated by the interpreter was sharp and stubborn.
“I heard you were looking for me? You don’t seem to be an android.”
After hesitating, Yeon Tae-soo took her up to his room.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
