#089
After wandering outside for nearly a full day, Old Man Chang returned with medicine.
“It’s only a temporary measure, but it should prevent your system from shutting down… or at least delay such incidents as much as possible.”
Yoo Seong-woo had already suspected that he was an engineer skilled enough to handle advanced humanoids. He must have been the engineer in charge of that android he’d adopted as his granddaughter.
Seong-woo willingly accepted the injection he had prepared. Old Man Chang was a benefactor who had risked being discovered and even wandered outside despite having betrayed the Ministry of Defense. Of course, there must have been pressure from Yeon Tae-soo as well.
“Thank you.”
Instead, Old Man Chang seemed more confused than Yeon Tae-soo. He alternately glanced at Seong-woo and Tae-soo before finally leaving.
Yeon Tae-soo had been entirely focused on Seong-woo the whole time. He hadn’t taken his eyes off him, to the point of embarrassment.
‘Is this the first time he’s seen an android….’
Well, he would be fascinated. Android humanoids made with such precision were rare.
The awkwardness was mutual for Seong-woo. Somehow, they had been intimate right after his identity was exposed, without having a proper conversation.
“Um…”
“Seong-woo.”
He still called the fake name Seong-woo had created with such tenderness. He must know that androids don’t have names.
“As I said, my promise is still valid.”
Each word he spoke was as clear as if it were engraved in his ears. Come to think of it, even when the whole world became blurry, only Tae-soo had remained clear.
Yeon Tae-soo took his hand. The warmth was familiar.
“For now, don’t think about anything. Let’s focus on finding a way to heal you.”
As Seong-woo was about to speak, Tae-soo quickly shook his head.
“Don’t ask again if I find you disgusting or strange. I’ve already answered that.”
After such a statement that seemed to read his mind, Seong-woo quietly remained silent.
Seong-woo actually wanted to feel relief as things were. He wanted to be happy and put his mind at ease knowing that Tae-soo wasn’t rejecting him.
But now, another guilt had emerged. Previously, he felt guilty for hiding his identity from him; now, he felt sorry for the fact that he would soon be discarded.
‘I’ll soon be junk anyway, so putting effort into me is…’
For the first time since meeting him, he reached a machine-like conclusion. It was only a matter of time before he broke down, so what was the point of pouring money and care into something already destined to malfunction? It was a useless effort.
But if he voiced these thoughts, Tae-soo would likely become angry or sad. He found himself amusing.
‘Before, I struggled so desperately to survive.’
Now that Tae-soo was involved, he worried more about disappointing him than his own survival instinct.
This emotion, learned from humans, was wondrous, inefficient, and irrational. And that’s why he liked it. By wearing clothes that didn’t fit the specifications, he finally felt like he had become something similar to Yeon Tae-soo.
Unlike him, he had no childhood, had been this way since creation, and hadn’t inherited anyone’s genes.
But he wanted to share something with Yeon Tae-soo. Even if it was just one emotion.
***
The injection from Old Man Chang seemed to work better than expected. Even his habitual headaches disappeared, and there were no excessive errors triggering warning messages.
But Old Man Chang had said this was just a temporary solution and shouldn’t be used too frequently.
‘If you use it too often, the microchips in your body will deteriorate further. The drug acts directly on them. …The same goes for Sentimade.’
Still, it was enough to buy time. It meant more days to spend with him in a seemingly normal state.
Yeon Tae-soo didn’t want to go back, but Seong-woo suggested returning to Eden. After all, Old Man Chang had already done all he could for now, and resolving Eden’s business suspension was urgent.
“I guess it would make me anxious if you were alone too.”
Yeon Tae-soo said as he fastened the seatbelt after getting in the car.
“What makes you anxious?”
“I still don’t fully trust Old Man Chang. I only joined hands with him because his granddaughter was useful. And although I’m sorry to say this to you… my aversion hasn’t completely disappeared either.”
Hatred cultivated since childhood wouldn’t disappear so easily. Seong-woo nodded casually. He patted Tae-soo’s shoulder, who was gripping the steering wheel. Though there was no dust, it was his attempt to imitate the kindness humans show.
“I understand. I’m an exception for you, sir.”
Tae-soo’s eyes widened at his words.
“Why are you flirting with me?”
Seong-woo let out a small laugh seeing Tae-soo’s genuinely wronged expression.
“Because you’re an exception for me too. So…”
So I assumed your feelings would be the same as mine. He swallowed the rest of his words, feeling a bit embarrassed. But Yeon Tae-soo grinned as if he had understood the unspoken words.
A hand quickly reached out, grasped his chin, and pulled him close. After a brief kiss that made a soft sound, Tae-soo gripped the steering wheel again. Though no expression remained on his face, Seong-woo knew this was his most comfortable state.
The car started moving. He leaned against the window which moved smoothly. Outside, bare branches of street trees and hologram billboards decorating the spaces between them passed by like vintage film. It was a day of low saturation.
“You might have given up, but I haven’t.”
The sudden statement lacked an object, but Seong-woo understood.
Through the passing daytime scenery, Tae-soo’s profile was faintly reflected. This weather suited him. Not the night streets illuminated by bright neon signs, but a pale, cloudy day with rows of black and white winter trees with low saturation suited this man better.
Perhaps that’s why he had given his heart. Seong-woo himself was far from glamorous, a disposable item.
“I haven’t given up either.”
He straightened his upper body, which had been leaning obliquely to look out the window, and looked ahead.
“If time is short, I just wanted to spend it more as I wish.”
“What does Mr. Yoo want? Tell me everything. I’ll make it happen.”
Still just a gentle voice. Seong-woo’s lips trembled, and he decided to change his question.
“…There’s something I want to ask first.”
“You’re wondering why I’m not bothered?”
…Did he really read his mind? He opened his mouth and turned to look at him. Tae-soo remained expressionless.
“To be honest, I’m still shocked.”
“Then…”
“How you could endure so much. You must have been in pain.”
The pale sunlight made Tae-soo’s face appear even whiter.
“How many times you must have sent me away and endured alone, gritting your teeth.”
Tae-soo’s hands gripping the steering wheel had also turned white. Seeing the bluish, bumpy veins seemingly angry, Seong-woo blinked and barely managed to look back at the road ahead.
“I’m just curious about that. That’s all.”
His heart kept racing. He felt like another warning message might appear. Seong-woo nervously gripped the seatbelt. The car smoothly crossed the deserted road.
“Just tell me what you want to do.”
Would it be an illusion to think that even his seemingly indifferent voice sounded affectionate?
“I want to date you normally, sir.”
As soon as the word ‘date’ came out, his hands gripping the steering wheel tensed further.
“I want to go on more dates like other… humans do, have arguments, and so on.”
Would the expression ‘human’ sound awkward? Even such minor details concerned him.
Now that he had become a different entity to Yeon Tae-soo, every word and expression would be viewed differently than before.
Tap, tap, the button switching to automatic driving was pressed casually, and then Tae-soo’s hand suddenly reached out between his thoughts. It covered the back of his hand gripping the innocent seatbelt.
“Let’s do everything except the fighting.”
Feeling something hot rising inside again, he bit his lip. Instead of answering, he nodded, and Tae-soo let out a small satisfied sigh.
***
Eden, which they hadn’t visited for a while, looked different with its dim interior and all machines, including slot machines, turned off. Several employees came out to greet Tae-soo.
Lifting the business suspension wasn’t particularly difficult. The problem was what it symbolized. The Minister had practically declared war on Yeon Tae-soo.
The suspension was just the beginning. The Defense Minister was in a position to torment Tae-soo in countless ways.
Kim Ji-heon occasionally glanced at Yoo Seong-woo, who sat beside Tae-soo, while making various reports. Each time, he had to avert his gaze upon seeing Tae-soo’s sharp looks.
“And this… is a cooperation document from the Ministry of Defense.”
Kim Ji-heon hesitated as he displayed a file on the screen. Yeon Tae-soo narrowed his brows.
“Cooperation? What kind of cooperation?”
He wasn’t an active-duty soldier. There was no plausible reason for the Ministry to summon him. Just before Tae-soo’s hand touched the screen, Ji-heon hurriedly added:
“Please don’t get too angry after reading it.”
“What is it?”
After opening the file, Tae-soo remained expressionless for a while. After reading and rereading the seemingly short document, he let out a hollow laugh.
Seong-woo leaned toward the floating screen from a slight distance, trying to read the small text of the document. But Tae-soo closed the file.
“What is it that makes you react like that?”
“Ha, this son of a bitch…”
Even the cold smile disappeared from Tae-soo’s face as he licked his lips. It wasn’t his usual comfortable expressionlessness, but a knife-like blank expression.
“He’s trying to take my lover away.”
“What?”
Sticking close to Tae-soo’s side, he reached out and reopened the file. After reading the contents, Seong-woo also couldn’t understand immediately and read it several times.
“Is the ‘musician’ of Eden mentioned here referring to me?”
Kim Ji-heon nodded instead of Tae-soo.
“Then… does this mean I have to go overseas?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
