#058
Old Man Chang’s eyes widened. His mouth opened too. After blinking several times, he finally expressed his concern.
“What do you mean? Help you? Is something wrong?”
“I…”
Yoo Seong-woo opened his mouth then closed it. He felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
‘Old Man Chang seems closer to Yeon Tae-soo than I thought.’
If so, he shouldn’t mention anything about running away from him. Having reached this conclusion, Yoo Seong-woo carefully chose his words before speaking again.
“Later, if I contact you or visit… could you do some engineering work for me, just once?”
Old Man Chang was both a hardware store owner and an engineer. Though humble about it himself, Yoo Seong-woo knew he was quite skilled. Skilled enough to work on even his high-end humanoid head to some extent.
Of course, Yoo Seong-woo knew his body was too broken to ‘fix.’
Because his lifespan was already at its end.
He wasn’t mass-produced, but an incomplete unit. From the design stage, he was made to be an android that no one could replicate due to security concerns. Which also meant no one could fix him.
The incomplete microchips embedded in his brain and heart weren’t compatible with other androids, and new parts couldn’t be obtained. Everything was custom-made by his creator.
So no one could fix him.
But someone of Old Man Chang’s skill level could at least buy him some time when he needed repairs.
“If something’s wrong, tell me. Hmm? Despite my circumstances here, I’ll help…”
Indeed, he was a man full of warmth. Yoo Seong-woo took his hand and shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
Even after patting his wrinkled hand reassuringly, the worry wouldn’t leave Old Man Chang’s face.
“Ah, would it be alright to contact you through Popo? I heard you got rid of your tablet due to tracking concerns.”
If he had a robot, they could exchange messages through it. Since it used signal jammers and different routes.
Thinking he must have at least one robot since he ran a hardware store, Yoo Seong-woo looked around until his gaze settled near what appeared to be the master bedroom.
‘There… what’s that?’
Next to the bedroom was the only unlit area. The darkness seemed just like…
“Ah, yes. Let’s do that. I’ll write down the code. Input it into Popo.”
At Old Man Chang’s words, Yoo Seong-woo naturally pulled his gaze from the darkness. While watching him go to get a notepad, he quietly looked down at the child still organizing crayons. Though he’d said he attended art academy because he was interested in drawing, sadly, he must have quit.
Yoo Seong-woo sat beside the child.
“Are you good at drawing? May I see?”
When he gestured at the sketchbook with his chin, the child didn’t answer but just stared at him again. The wariness from earlier had returned. Understandable to be on edge, having to quit school suddenly and live in this cave-like house.
Under the covered sketchbook, the edge of one drawing peeked out. Even from just the edge, it was clearly drawn at a professional level, not a child’s skill. No wonder Old Man Chang had tried so hard to send him to art academy with that level of talent.
“Come to think of it, Chairman Yeon was asking about you, Mr. Yoo.”
Old Man Chang said while handing over the note with the code. Yoo Seong-woo’s heart sank. Had he done many things to arouse suspicion? Thinking about it, it would be stranger if he didn’t suspect him.
“…What did he ask?”
Unlike Yoo Seong-woo’s tense question, Old Man Chang smiled broadly, full of mischief.
“He was asking what you like?”
The completely unexpected answer left Yoo Seong-woo dumbfounded. As he unconsciously stiffened, Old Man Chang patted his shoulder. It was meant as encouragement to do well.
Just then, Yeon Tae-soo returned. He alternately looked at the dazed Yoo Seong-woo and Old Man Chang, who was cleaning the child’s desk with a meaningful smile, then just shrugged his shoulders.
***
Since Old Man Chang seemed closer to Yeon Tae-soo than expected, he couldn’t request substantial help. However, it wasn’t a completely fruitless visit since he’d secured a means of future contact through Popo.
Yoo Seong-woo didn’t say anything on the way back, and Yeon Tae-soo didn’t ask what they had talked about.
The thought occurred to him belatedly that perhaps he had deliberately left them alone. He might have given them space to talk comfortably since it had been a while since they’d met Old Man Chang, or… perhaps he’d deliberately created an opportunity to observe what they discussed.
Whatever the case, though he hadn’t done anything to arouse suspicion, his heart kept pounding. Yoo Seong-woo knew why.
Old Man Chang’s words wouldn’t leave his mind.
What reason could there be to ask what he liked? The more he dwelled on it, the more his face heated up.
How much do you like me?
The question that had no meaning and wouldn’t help even if answered lingered ticklishly on his lips.
What good would it do to know what feelings he held? Whatever they were, they must be fake emotions induced by his model’s inherent functions.
Therefore, Yeon Tae-soo’s emotions weren’t real either.
They were manipulated feelings created by his fake body. Like the hormone reactions occurring in his body that imitated humans. Just meaningless chemical reactions.
Not wanting to show his reddened face, he covered his cheeks, pretending to rest his chin on his hand. He could feel Yeon Tae-soo’s gaze on the back of his hand.
***
Even though some time had passed since the party ended, Eden still maintained a strangely excited atmosphere. The addicts who usually decorated the floor still spun slot machines or fiddled with cards with empty eyes, and security guards stood motionless like black pillars between them. The hologram advertisements were accessories that made Eden more glamorous.
And Kim Ji-heon had become busier than before. Eden’s economic flow had changed significantly after the party. There were many new business deals and more meetings. As Eden’s financial manager, he had never been busier.
And even during this busy time, the owner was completely occupied with coming and going from the military police. On top of that, he was even in a relationship these days.
Mr. Yoo. It had become an implicit fact in Eden that this pretty man of unknown name was Chairman Yeon’s new lover. Though many men had offered their bodies, there had never been one who stayed at Eden for such a long time, so Kim Ji-heon found it surprising too.
And today, Kim Ji-heon heard more news from one of Eden’s security guards.
“He asked to look into companies that sponsor artists?”
“Yes. We’re looking into it, but we thought it might be faster if Secretary Kim helped too…”
So this big guy conveyed that Yeon Tae-soo wanted to find out about ‘companies that sponsor artists and have shady backgrounds with police connections.’ No matter how he looked at it, it seemed related to that Mr. Yoo.
“Sure, I’ll look into it too. Let me know if you find anything to share.”
“Yes.”
After the guard left, Kim Ji-heon’s hand stopped organizing the accounts.
‘Strangely feels like I’ve seen him somewhere.’
Come to think of it, from the first time he saw Mr. Yoo, he thought his face looked familiar. Even though he’d never seen his face without the mask. With such a strikingly pretty face, he would likely remember if he’d seen it before, but he couldn’t quite place it.
And with that level of piano playing, he shouldn’t be unknown. He was a graduate of South Korea’s most famous music school. His father was also a musician.
Though he’d changed his path after realizing he was better suited to working with numbers, when he was young, he was often taken around and introduced to musicians.
Though he might not have talent for performance, he took pride in his ear at least. After all, he’d grown up listening to countless classical pieces before he could even walk.
To his ears, Mr. Yoo’s playing wasn’t something that could come from a mere hobby. When he first heard it in the piano room, it was too brief to be sure, but hearing it properly at the party confirmed it again.
‘With that level of skill, he’d be sought after not just in Korea but anywhere… strange he hasn’t been discovered yet.’
There was something suspicious about just assuming the world was vast and full of geniuses. The way he always covered his face with a mask too.
‘What is it? Where have I seen him?’
Kim Ji-heon twirled his touch pen around before shaking his head. First, he should handle the mountain of work. What did the owner’s lover matter to him?
But he couldn’t help being curious.
“…Companies that sponsor artists.”
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and Kim Ji-heon closed all the files on his monitor at once and opened a search window.
