Sentimental Shower

#032

In the KW series, the first attempt was made to partially delete the emotional learning function, but this model was evaluated as a failure.

Subsequently, attempts to remove emotional functions from androids decreased significantly. Instead, models with even richer emotional functions than before increased.

In contrast, humanity endlessly developed drugs to kill emotions. For convenience.

Androids continue what humans have abandoned. They inherit the dregs that humans have discarded, such as pain, sadness, and anger.

– From “Android Wave”

After the long kiss ended, Yoo Seong-woo was startled by the foreign sensation touching his lower part. Considering they had just intimately mingled their bodies, Yeon Tae-soo’s physical reaction was a bit difficult to understand.

Reading his startled movements and slightly frozen limbs, Yeon Tae-soo planted kisses on his shoulder. The intention to ease his tension was clearly felt.

‘I must have been mistaken earlier.’

This man trusts him. That’s for certain.

Even if he knew that his face was identical to Yoo-hyun’s, it wouldn’t lead him to conclude that he was an android.

‘If he mistakes me for Yoo-hyun, I’ll just make up an excuse when the time comes.’

He could create a story. That he went into hiding because celebrity life was too hard, or that he had to retire suddenly due to rapidly deteriorating health.

If he said he wore a mask because of that, most people would nod to such a story.

The only problem would be the sponsors.

Yeon Tae-soo has connections with high-ranking government officials. He might even have connections with those sponsors. But if he truly becomes his…

Then he could be protected. At least from what he had observed so far, Yeon Tae-soo didn’t lose what he had marked as “his.”

“Why are you squirming like that? Are you trying to excite me?”

A low voice interrupted his thoughts. Yoo Seong-woo calmly made an excuse.

“It’s because your lower part keeps touching me.”

“That’s not my fault. If you don’t get hard looking at this face, you’re impotent.”

After twisting his body a bit more and giving up on escaping from him, Yoo Seong-woo sighed.

His breathing returned to its normal pace, and his heated body temperature settled back to normal. But it wasn’t awkward.

Yoo Seong-woo raised his eyes with a bit of fear. His eyes met with the man holding him. The hostility he had briefly felt earlier was gone. Yes, it must have been a misunderstanding.

“You.”

This bass voice that resonated in his chest made his heartbeat slow down and his muscles relax. Humans would call this “a sense of relief.”

“You know you’re pretty, don’t you?”

And the reaction that followed this statement was probably “embarrassment.”

Looking at Yeon Tae-soo’s bright blue artificial eye, he kept thinking of the saying that humans are descendants of stars. It’s a bit strange to have such thoughts while looking at the non-human part of his body, but still.

As he lowered his reddened face, Yeon Tae-soo’s chest, full of scars, came close to his nose. Wherever he turned his gaze, Yeon Tae-soo was there, and Yoo Seong-woo found this fact disconcerting.

“Seong-woo.”

So this is how the name he created for himself sounds. So affectionate and sweet…

“Seong-woo, Seong-woo.”

This man repeating his name as if learning a new song for the first time felt unfamiliar. Unfamiliar, yet he wanted to know him more.

“Why do you keep calling me…”

“Because you’re pretty.”

Yoo Seong-woo knew what his face looked like. It couldn’t help but be attractive. After all, it was a face designed to gain people’s favor, researched and developed by numerous scholars putting their heads together.

Even for such a face, this man seemed to particularly like his, but that was advantageous for Yoo Seong-woo.

“You’re the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”

He came in for another kiss.

Yoo Seong-woo closed his eyes and felt the breath swallowing his lips. He found it amusing that he, who wasn’t even a descendant of stars, was using a star as his name. How was he any different from a slave coveting his master’s possessions?

But he wasn’t ashamed. This face, thoroughly planned and created, likewise, wasn’t shameful. If it could be used as a weapon for survival, he would use it as much as needed.

His survival instinct must be one of his malfunction symptoms.

If not, there would be no way to explain why he, an android, wanted to live so desperately.

Behind his closed eyelids, a few errors were displaying warning messages. These warning messages, which had appeared even before having sex, clearly indicated that his physical functions were running low.

***

In Eden, incidents occur almost every day. Although it’s much less frequent than other gambling houses as it filters out the riffraff, the scale of the incidents is that much larger.

This time was no exception. One person had died. In the VVIP room.

“Report.”

At Yeon Tae-soo’s words, one of the big guys bowed his head.

“They… brought in drugs. While mixing it with alcohol…”

“Ha.”

He let out a dry laugh. Drugs were absolutely forbidden here in Eden. Even regulars were hesitant to bring in cold medicine.

And yet, they brazenly brought in drugs.

“Who?”

“Well… We found out it was one of General Kim’s people. General Kim himself denies it, but…”

The big guy barely managed to answer his boss’s question.

General Kim. He was the one who had previously demanded that Yeon Tae-soo hand over the black moonstone. He had even threatened about what would happen if people found out androids were wandering around Eden.

A small laugh escaped. It’s been a while since something like this happened.

“You dare to shoot at me?”

Yeon Tae-soo had many enemies. He also had just as many allies. The reason was that he never forgot those who wronged him and punished them to the end.

Everyone was mistaken, but he wasn’t playing king in this small neighborhood of Haeya-dong. He knew who his enemies were.

“General Kim… might join hands with the Ministry of Defense.”

“What?”

Not just the big guy who reported, but all the staff nearby were shocked.

“What, is there anything strange about that? It was just a matter of time anyway.”

A sneer formed on his twisted lips. His two different colored eyes shone under the light.

“For those bastards to come looking for me.”

***

Being alone in the room felt strange. Just by closing the door, just by him leaving, Yoo Seong-woo felt as if he was cut off from the outside world.

The silence was suffocating. He should have brought Popo from the hospital.

‘Don’t open the door no matter what. If anything happens, press this.’

Yeon Tae-soo had placed a portable transmitter in his hand. This device, which looked like an old-fashioned pager from the 4th era, sent the other person’s biosignals directly without the need to make a phone call.

Of course, he wouldn’t need to use this device. He couldn’t know what content would be sent when the biosignals were transmitted. It would be disastrous if the microchips embedded in his heart and brain were revealed.

Yeon Tae-soo’s face, looking back at him several times before leaving the room, seemed very tired. He could also sense the unrest in Eden.

And now. Outside, big guys were standing guard at the room. Many familiar faces who had been by Yeon Tae-soo’s side before were visible. He had sent his closest aides.

‘What about himself…’

Well, since he said he had even been a mercenary, it shouldn’t be something for him to worry about. However, a part of his electronic brain kept recalling him.

Sitting still made him feel restless, so he thought about doing some carving for the first time in a while. Fortunately, when he asked the person standing outside, they brought him a block of wood and a carving knife.

Surprisingly, as he started to grip the knife and carve the wood, his physical responses calmed down. Is this because he was created as an artist? Even if human-like physical responses kept popping up, in the end, he was still a robot after all.

Yoo Seong-woo carved an animal. It was a lion, now extinct. Carving an animal he had only seen in visual books wasn’t particularly difficult for him. Since it was nothing more or less than reproduction, it would have less artistic value than what humans create.

‘I want to buy it, Mr. Yoo’s sculpture.’

Why couldn’t someone who claims to study art understand such things? He continued carving skillfully while needlessly cursing Yeon Tae-soo. It was then that he heard a sound from outside. Mr. Yoo quickly ran to the door and pressed the look-out button. Through the now transparent door, he could see Yeon Tae-soo approaching in the corridor.

As soon as he opened the door, Yeon Tae-soo rushed in and immediately locked the door behind him. The silent room was filled with Yeon Tae-soo’s breathing.

The breath that sounded like it was scratching his throat, the shoulders rising and falling roughly, the forehead drenched in sweat. And…

As soon as he lowered his gaze, he saw blood stains. They were visible even through the black dress shirt.

“Outside…!”

“No, don’t tell the guys.”

His body stiffened at the intimidating low tone. He had no choice but to close his mouth.

Yeon Tae-soo’s complexion still looked quite bad, which worried him.

“If you give me medical tools, I can…”

“You’re not wearing your mask.”

Yeon Tae-soo’s face was expressionless as he cut off his words.

“It’s good that you’re not wearing it. Don’t wear it in front of me.”

The words “Isn’t that not important right now?” rose to the tip of his tongue. But he couldn’t say anything, overwhelmed by the pressure.

Inevitably, his gaze kept drifting towards the wound. A stab wound, seemingly deeper than expected with quite a bit of bleeding. Although he wasn’t a medical robot, due to his long experience in medical work, information naturally input into his database came pouring out.

Was his gaze too obvious? Reading his eyes, Yeon Tae-soo grabbed his chin and lifted it.

“I said I’m fine, Seong-woo.”

The tone was affectionate, but his eyes were anything but. Yoo Seong-woo thought he understood how the expression “eyes as sharp as a knife” came to be.

“Is it because we first met as patient and doctor? You keep treating me like a patient.”

Again, it sounded affectionate, but his voice was also sharp.

Yoo Seong-woo lowered his eyes. An unfamiliar emotion, no, an unfamiliar biological response was occurring in a corner of his body.

He knew what humans called this. It was disappointment.

Disappointment? It was far too distant from the emotions an android should feel towards a human. And even further from the emotions that ‘Yoo Seong-woo’ should feel towards ‘Yeon Tae-soo’.

“…I’m sorry. Then I’ll let you rest comfortably…”

“Yes, I came to rest comfortably with you. So don’t try to run away either.”

He wrapped his arm around his waist.

“Seong-woo.”

Warmth engulfed his fake body. It was like a hot wave, and he couldn’t avoid it.

“Shall we talk for a bit?”

Yes, just like Yoo Seong-woo (流星雨, meteor shower).