#123
On the day Choco came for her health checkup, Yoo Seong-woo offered the cat treats he had prepared. The squeeze-tube treats were generally popular among cats.
Usually, cats would pounce on squeeze treats as soon as they saw them, but Choco had rarely eaten treats before, so she just stared blankly until her guardian squeezed some directly onto her mouth, after which she devoured it hurriedly.
Meongdoli was currently running around outside. Choco’s guardian had brought colleagues from the factory who were playing with him.
“…I told them not to come. But they all insisted they wanted to say hello, so I had no choice but to bring them along.”
Choco’s guardian said in a nonchalant tone. Since Choco was a cat raised together with colleagues at the factory, they had probably come to express gratitude for Choco’s treatment.
Of course, Yoo Seong-woo knew their real reason was to see him.
A humanoid android who looked exactly like Yoo-hyun, with a long scar across the middle of his face.
The one who, along with national hero Yeon Tae-soo, exposed the android massacre and uncovered the minister’s corruption.
There were occasionally people who came to see Yoo Seong-woo and Yeon Tae-soo. Most of them fled from afar, unable to withstand Yeon Tae-soo’s intimidating presence.
However, today even Yeon Tae-soo was sitting in a corner of the clinic, pretending to look at his tablet. He had nothing to work on and no one would be contacting him.
This was because the attention of the girls from the factory, aged fifteen to eighteen, had quickly shifted to Meongdoli.
Choco’s guardian watched the cat’s small tongue licking the treat, then moved her lips slightly. She must have many questions. It was an age of curiosity after all.
‘Well, as long as it’s not too troublesome, I should answer.’
Yoo-hyun was famous even among teenagers. Most of these girls probably grew up listening to his songs in their childhood.
“I’m curious about something…”
“Yes?”
“Who confessed first?”
“Pfft!”
Yoo Seong-woo spat out the coffee he was drinking at Choco’s guardian’s question.
‘Is it that obvious we’re dating?’
While they hadn’t particularly hidden it, he didn’t think they had been obvious about it either.
“I confessed, of course.”
As he hesitated, the answer came from Yeon Tae-soo, who was sitting with a slouchy posture in the back of the clinic. When both Choco’s guardian and Yoo Seong-woo turned with surprised eyes, Yeon Tae-soo seemed to feel a bit embarrassed belatedly and subtly averted his gaze.
Just then, Choco meowed softly. As the treat in her owner’s hand ran out, Choco jumped down from the lap and approached Yeon Tae-soo. Only Choco, rubbing her forehead against Yeon Tae-soo’s askew legs, seemed comfortable in this situation.
“…Amazing.”
Choco’s guardian murmured softly.
– …Amazing!
And Popo, who had been quietly watching Choco from the corner, imitated her. Yoo Seong-woo felt an inexplicable embarrassment.
Curious, Choco’s guardian asked how they met and how long they had been officially dating. Yeon Tae-soo answered sincerely despite his awkwardness. Occasionally, his gaze towards Yoo Seong-woo seemed to plead for rescue from this interrogation, but Yoo Seong-woo thoroughly ignored it.
As it seemed no more animal patients would visit today, Yoo Seong-woo leaned back comfortably in his chair and turned on his tablet. Unfamiliar with the newly purchased tablet, his fingers touched the news icon while exploring the interface.
– We’re in front of Seoul Prison where the former Minister of Defense is currently incarcerated. The former minister, sentenced to a total of 387 years, is currently in solitary confinement…
The reporter’s voice played as the screen showed the front of the prison. Interviews with still-angry citizens continued.
The minister would never get out until his death. Others involved also received significant punishments. Nevertheless, the confusion and anxiety permeating society didn’t easily diminish.
But Yoo Seong-woo wasn’t particularly worried. It might take time for society to find stability, but eventually, people would find stability and pave the right path. That was the “humanity” Yoo Seong-woo had learned and observed.
There was also good news.
The restoration work on Jirisan was gaining momentum, and black moonstone extraction might be possible again as early as the year after next.
All humanoid androids who had been forced into near-abusive labor at the site had been moved to safer places.
Yoo Seong-woo thought of the instructor who had given him medicine and briefly considered visiting him, but decided against it. He felt that if they were meant to meet, it would happen naturally someday.
“Ah, I told you Choco doesn’t like having her belly touched!”
Looking over at the commotion, Choco’s guardian and Yeon Tae-soo were bickering.
“She stays still when I touch her! Maybe she just doesn’t like you touching her?”
“No! She’s just intimidated! She’s scared of you, mister!”
“No, she’s not intimidated. Look, she’s purring.”
“Give Choco back!”
Yoo Seong-woo sighed deeply and put down his tablet.
***
Old Man Chang’s granddaughter, Yeseon, quit her art academy after a month. The reason was absurd.
“They said they couldn’t teach her because she draws too well. Does that make any sense?”
Yeseon was an android created for drawing, so naturally, her descriptive skills far exceeded those of humans who appeared to be her age. Not just superior, but she could draw almost like a photograph.
“She still wants to attend, but we need to find a place that will accept her…”
Since there were limitations to hiding her android identity and sending her to academies, Old Man Chang seemed considerably worried.
“But Yeseon still wants to learn, right?”
“Yes. Actually… I’ve been thinking a lot about it. As you know, Yeseon’s drawings are more like records.”
Yeseon is an android. An android created to record visual elements through drawings. So Old Man Chang’s point had merit, but Yoo Seong-woo didn’t nod in agreement.
“Of course, she could draw if she wanted to, but I…”
“Are you worried Yeseon might get hurt?”
Old Man Chang looked surprised, then nodded.
Yoo Seong-woo understood, having experienced it himself. You think you’re creating art, but then you doubt whether it’s anything more than outputting programmed inputs—that moment can be painful.
Yeseon wasn’t as advanced in emotional learning as he was, but she wasn’t so limited that she couldn’t feel helplessness.
“May I meet with her?”
Old Man Chang brightened at Yoo Seong-woo’s question.
“I’d appreciate that. Where else could I get counseling?”
Relief finally appeared on Old Man Chang’s face, which had been sighing heavily.
Yoo Seong-woo gave a bitter smile. He wondered if it was right to receive such trust from a person. Yeon Tae-soo was an exception since he was his partner…
As his thoughts reached that point, Yoo Seong-woo felt a ticklish sensation in his chest. I see, now I consider you an exception.
Perhaps small exceptions had accumulated to form the relationship between them. From now on, everything related to him would probably be classified as an exception. In android terminology, that “exception” would be an “error.”
Yoo Seong-woo suddenly realized something. He was no longer afraid of the errors that might occur in him.
***
After much deliberation, Yoo Seong-woo decided to take Yeseon to his creator’s house. Naturally, Yeon Tae-soo had no intention of letting him go alone.
After the investigation concluded, the creator’s house had been transferred to Yeon Tae-soo’s ownership. Ironically, Yoo Seong-woo couldn’t own the house because he was an android. Yeon Tae-soo had purchased the entire mansion, nearby land, and several neighboring buildings.
So currently, Yeon Tae-soo was managing the place.
“Will you be okay?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, it’s being maintained safely, and Yeseon isn’t immature enough to fear death excessively.”
“No, I meant if you’ll be okay.”
At this unexpected question, Yoo Seong-woo faced him with a slightly dazed expression. Yeon Tae-soo sighed softly and reached out to straighten his collar. His voice murmuring, “You always need so much attention,” was incredibly sweet.
“I wish you’d just do nothing and play with me all the time.”
“Are you planning to turn me into a complete freeloader?”
“Would that be so bad?”
Yeon Tae-soo nuzzled his face against the collar he had just fixed. Yoo Seong-woo tried hard to suppress a laugh at the sight of his large frame forcibly bending to act cute.
“I don’t want that. I enjoy doing some kind of work.”
While living as an android, he hadn’t been free from obsessing over his own utility. But this feeling was somewhat different from worrying about his usefulness.
He simply enjoyed living “normally.” By working like others, providing what he was good at, and receiving compensation for it, he naturally became a member of society at some point.
Yoo Seong-woo liked these days of living ordinarily in this messy neighborhood, neither noticeable nor invisible.
Yeon Tae-soo rested his forehead near Yoo Seong-woo’s shoulder and tilted his head to look up. Though his sharp nose bridge and eyes were keen, his gaze was soft. Looking down at him, Yoo Seong-woo’s eyes couldn’t help but soften as well.
“This is why I keep falling for you.”
His whisper-like voice was also sweet. Yoo Seong-woo finally smiled, his eyes curving.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
