#059
Yoo Seong-woo could also feel the busyness of Eden. The increased flow of people made him uncomfortable. Not the gamblers, but Eden’s “guests.”
Worried about encountering unfamiliar people, he holed up in his assigned room, carving. This time, it wasn’t a flower but an animal. An animal that could be a lion, tiger, or hippo was taking shape. It was because he was thinking about other things while carving.
Thanks to the Centimeneide injection, he had bought some time, but he didn’t know when similar malfunction symptoms might occur again.
‘It’s only a matter of time before I’m discovered.’
It was clear that the closer he got to Yeon Tae-soo, the higher the probability of being discovered as an android.
Suddenly, this fact felt like a terrible contradiction, and Yoo Seong-woo let out a hollow laugh. The more affection he received, the higher the chance of incurring his hatred.
‘Still, it’s easier to shake off the men than Yeon Tae-soo.’
He needed to aim for a day when only the subordinates were around. But even with them, he had no chance of winning in a physical confrontation.
He needed to take advantage of a commotion. Right, isn’t this place where amputee patients come? Who knows what those whose fingers were cut off in the gambling den might do.
‘When a commotion occurs, I’ll use that chance to escape.’
Thinking he should test if he could ride Popo now that he had attached electronic wheels to it, Yoo Seong-woo sharpened a part that could be either a horn or an ear.
A small sigh escaped him.
Sometimes he wondered what the point was in extending his lifespan like this, but then he’d realize that “meaning” was a word far removed from him anyway.
Not accepting errors as errors and malfunctions as malfunctions was itself an act against his very existence. If the god humans believed in really existed, he would surely be punished.
The knife carving the wood stopped. He thought the sculpture taking the shape of an unidentifiable animal looked like himself. A being neither robot nor human.
As he swallowed another sigh that was about to escape, he suddenly heard movement outside the door. It sounded like someone was arguing with the guard outside. Who could it be? There were few people in Eden who would defy Yeon Tae-soo’s orders.
“Dr. Yoo.”
The voice from outside the door was familiar. When he activated his peeping function, the expected figure was standing there. It was Kim Ji-heon.
“Let’s talk for a moment. Just for a moment, please.”
His heart sank at the sight of the man who looked so urgent. What could have happened to make this usually calm man seek him out so urgently?
He’s found out.
Yoo Seong-woo’s database reached that conclusion.
He’s found out. Now Yeon Tae-soo will know too. No, perhaps he already knows.
“What… is the matter?”
He tried to ask calmly, but his voice trembled uncontrollably at the end. His lips went dry, and he started to feel short of breath.
“I have something to tell you. Don’t worry, it will only take a moment, just a moment.”
Somehow, there was no sense of hostility in Kim Ji-heon’s serious voice. However, Yoo Seong-woo couldn’t relax.
“Please open the door. I want to talk just the two of us.”
Just the two of us, he says. Now that he knows I’m an android, does he want to use this as leverage for a deal? But I have nothing to give him.
The fact that Yeon Tae-soo hadn’t come yet meant he wasn’t in Eden. If so, he needed to conclude any negotiation or whatever this was before he returned.
Yoo Seong-woo opened the door. As soon as it opened, Kim Ji-heon hurriedly entered. With a thud, the door closed, and the stranger’s panting became more audible.
He put his hand behind his back, feeling the handle of the carving knife. He recalled the self-defense techniques he learned from the mercenaries. Fortunately, his head was starting to cool down. At least until he heard what Kim Ji-heon had to say.
“You’re Yoo-hyun, aren’t you?”
Along with Kim Ji-heon’s words, his hand reached out. His fingertips were aiming for the mask.
Yoo Seong-woo took a step back and swung the carving knife. Thankfully, his hard training paid off. It was evident in how his muscles reacted immediately in this situation.
Kim Ji-heon’s face, having barely dodged, immediately showed bewilderment.
“You are Yoo-hyun, right? That’s… Agh!”
As soon as Kim Ji-heon reached out again, Yoo Seong-woo slashed with the carving knife once more. While he was clutching his hand and cowering, Yoo Seong-woo opened the door and ran out.
“What, what’s going on? What’s happening?”
“Secretary Kim?”
“Doctor! Where are you going?”
The shouts of the guards could be heard. Yoo Seong-woo ran down the corridor, leaving the voices behind. Golden light blurred before his eyes. The surrounding sounds and his own breathing chaotically filled his ears.
“Dr. Yoo? What’s wrong? Where are you… Ouch!”
Fortunately, no one in Eden stopped Mr. Yeon’s lover. Rather, most people were flustered, glancing at where he had come from, trying to identify what danger had made him run like this, hoping to eliminate it and avoid reprimand from Mr. Yeon.
But that was only for a moment. Yoo Seong-woo saw the guards at the entrance exchanging words over their radios. Soon, the looks directed at him became ominous.
“Catch Dr. Yoo!”
With one big guy’s shout, the men who had been standing like trees all over the first floor rushed at him. Instead of running, Yoo Seong-woo walked towards the door, bringing the carving knife to his own neck.
“Everyone, step back.”
The men hesitated. Afraid of harming the one Yeon Tae-soo cherished, they didn’t dare approach hastily and exchanged glances among themselves.
“Open the door.”
He ordered the man standing in front of the door, but the man didn’t move rashly. He must have received a report. Though they didn’t know what had happened, they knew that Dr. Yoo had harmed Secretary Kim Ji-heon and was trying to escape.
Perhaps Kim Ji-heon’s words had already spread among those men. That Dr. Yoo might be Yoo-hyun, the musician who suddenly disappeared one day.
Was it his imagination? In his muffled ears, he seemed to hear whispers of the name Yoo-hyun from somewhere.
When the men didn’t move, Yoo Seong-woo put more strength into the hand holding the knife. He felt a brief pain as it dug into his skin and a slight flow of blood.
“If I say you caused this wound, what do you think Mr. Yeon would say?”
A voice came out, surprisingly calm even to himself. As expected, the men didn’t dare approach. Yoo Seong-woo made eye contact with each of them in turn as he approached the door.
“If you won’t open it, at least move aside.”
The man, intimidated by Yoo Seong-woo’s aura, hesitated and stepped away from the door. Yoo Seong-woo pushed open Eden’s massive door without hesitation.
Darkness rushed in, and the night air cut coldly against his cheeks. Yoo Seong-woo started running immediately.
His body swayed as if about to fall, but he didn’t slow down. He didn’t look back either. If not now, he would never be able to escape Eden, to escape Yeon Tae-soo.
Yoo Seong-woo ran. Stars flickered briefly above his head. Stars in this day and age? Did he see wrong?
With no time to pay attention to the sky, he looked ahead and kept running. At the same time, he sent a command to Popo, who would be resting at the hospital. Fortunately, he hadn’t disconnected since the day Popo brought the Centimeneide.
Thinking that the stars were looking down on him made the empty space feel oppressively heavy. Goosebumps rose on the back of Yoo Seong-woo’s head as he cut through the night air.
***
The military police chief had been staring at the documents for 30 minutes already.
Yeon Tae-soo was tempted to grab him by the hair and make him look up, having called someone in only to bury his nose in the monitor, but he held back. After all, he was the one who had provided those documents. Besides, Yeon Tae-soo was someone who respected the elderly in his own way.
“So… there’s no physical evidence for the mass murder of androids, is that right?”
The elderly woman asked, pressing her brow. The glasses she wore made her look even more stern. Her hair, seemingly never dyed, was whiter than usual for her age.
It hasn’t been long since eye surgery for presbyopia became simplified, yet she wears glasses because she doesn’t want to get it, doesn’t even dye her hair, and reads documents word by word herself – she must be a terribly principled person.
“Isn’t two witnesses enough for the mass ‘disposal’ case? The important thing would be the Ministry of Defense’s gain from the disposal, right?”
He corrected ‘murder’ to ‘disposal,’ but she didn’t even blink, though she could have gotten angry at his rudeness.
“So, you want us to find that?”
“Aren’t you military ‘police’?”
When he smiled, shrugging his shoulders, the old woman’s eyes sharpened. Yeon Tae-soo knew this type well. If you just follow principles, there shouldn’t be much to clash over. Of course, it would be terribly difficult to use them.
“After the mass disposal of androids, there are traces of transactions with the company that manufactured that model. If you dig a little, it should all spill out easily.”
I’ve given you the bait and the fishing rod, so do the fishing yourself. Yeon Tae-soo leaned back in his chair, smiling brightly.
Simply claiming that androids were massacred, or rather, disposed of, isn’t enough to bring down the Minister of Defense. Of course, the android massacre was a rumor sufficient to significantly lower trust in the Ministry of Defense. After all, it was only a few decades ago that the military had gathered and massacred innocent androids.
However, for now, there was no way to prove that fact beyond testimonies. Therefore, it was necessary to tie it together with some tangible, definitive evidence.
The military police chief glared at the monitor again. Yeon Tae-soo was about to suggest coming back later if the confirmation was taking too long. His tablet flashed, indicating a new message.
As he checked the message, the emotion drained from his face as if the color was being sucked out.
