99 – Human in the Passage
Step by step.
With each step forward, the light illuminated the passage.
A place too dead to be called a place for humans.
No furniture made of wood or decorations to evoke comfort could be found anywhere.
“You put Taehyuk here in a place like this?”
“It feels awkward to hear you say that with such a face.”
The machine expressed emotion.
And the human, painted with machines, chuckled.
“…Being able to do anything for the one you love, it’s not just you.”
“When we first met, Dayeon was nineteen years old.
Now, you’re approaching forty. Of course, it seems you no longer need to worry about age, though.”
Smooth face.
No wrinkles around the eyes.
And now, hair that has become much shorter and unsuitable for tying.
As much as her face retained a unique freshness, just enough for one to recognize that she was Doyeon…
“By the way, you said you love him, and yet you kept him in a place like this? In the lowest level? Where he can’t even see the outside?”
The machine paused for a moment at those words.
The boy’s face, reuniting with his mother, distorted slightly.
“If you truly loved Taehyuk, you should have taken good care of the son you bore together, at the very least.”
A strangely narrowed distance between the boy and the woman.
And the boy’s mother, silently observing it.
“If you see, you will understand. Jiwon, are you okay?”
“I already… have a rough idea.”
The child, who should have been happy to meet his father, put on a bittersweet smile.
The woman felt a strange sense of discomfort in that.
“Twenty years ago, Taehyuk-nim clashed with Mirsith forces in the conflict for Incheon’s independence, seeking to ensure my safety. In the process, PRT-000, the experimental combat drug processed according to the limits, was administered. As a result, Taehyuk-nim suffered irreversible injuries and acquired permanent disabilities throughout his body.”
The machine, calmly laying out the facts, opened the second barrier it encountered.
Beyond it, there was a door, much smaller compared to all the doors the intruders had encountered, a door of a size a person could enter.
“If you enter inside, we will proceed with the disinfection process.”
“…You?”
“You’ll find out once you enter.”
The boy stepped into the room without hesitation.
Da-yeon, who had been watching his back for a moment, turned her head to Matthew.
“There’s a Korean proverb. If you want to catch a tiger, enter the tiger’s den.”
Inside, where the woman followed, lights were already on, and white smoke was spraying from the ceiling.
The door closed, and the locking mechanism’s loud sound echoed in the sealed space.
[:: Sanitization in progress. Please wait a moment ::]
The eyes of the two shook as red lasers descended from the ceiling.
As Da-yeon’s fist clenched, she quickly turned her head at the sensation.
“Calm down. Your son is here; a mother wouldn’t harm you.”
A restrained wrist.
Casually thrown words.
And a face much more sunken than before.
“Is it really that disappointing for the truth to come out?”
“Huh? Oh… it’s not like that.”
The woman still remembered the face of her beloved.
And the boy resembling him would be no different.
That’s why she could tell.
That smile on that face was forced.
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“What happened to Mr. Taehyuk?”
“…You’re quite quick-witted.”
“Well -“
The conversation that was about to continue was swept away by a strong wind gushing from the wall.
Neatly arranged hair, all soaring up to the sky, became disheveled haphazardly.
As determined as their minds were.
“Wait.”
As he grabbed the hand of the boy about to touch the door, pulling him and making his body face him, anxiety appeared in the eyes that made him uneasy.
Even when throwing a punch, there was no hesitation, but right now –
“What happened to Mr. Taehyuk? Huh? It’s just… just –
You’ve locked yourself up here to separate yourself from me and others.
Even if your health has deteriorated… your mom isn’t normal. She’s crazy.”
“Heh, that’s right. My mom isn’t normal.
But – if my mom goes to this extent, it’s not a good sign, you know.”
That inevitable face.
In reality, the words that won’t change.
Father and son resemble each other.
Moreover, even politely rejecting what he hoped for.
[:: Disinfection process completed. Opening the door ::]
The door, containing the truth, swung open.
Within it, the boy disappeared.
After giving his shoulder a gentle tap, the middle-aged man stepped into the darkness with his foot firmly planted.
And finally, the girl who had fallen in love mustered the courage.
“What happened when our son, Jiwon, was 14 years old.”
In the center of the entered room.
Light illuminated that place.
“There was a simultaneous functional disorder in Taehyuk’s body.
This was a foreseen event.
Extensive injuries and mental damage were ultimately irreparable, and there were limitations to drug therapy.”
A hazy smoke flowed.
It, filled with coldness, was like putting dry ice inside to eat ice cream chilled.
But a person is not ice cream.
“Not only multiple fractures but also shock transmitted to internal organs.
Squeezing muscles and brain’s chemical functions to the limit due to medication.
… The human body could no longer recover Taehyuk.”
A glass container appeared.
The liquid inside it radiated a greenish glow.
… A familiar face appeared.
However.
“No, no, no…”
On the eyes was a horizontally positioned visor.
From the massive respirator that covered the nose, mouth, chin, and both cheeks, foam spewed out.
“…Alive, in this state, Dad.”
On the arms, a prosthetic resembling a woman was attached, but it was far from the flesh tone of a human.
In the place where a heart should be, a sophisticated mechanical device took its place.
The movement of the dotted line meant being alive.
“Can we really say someone is alive in this condition?
…The Gunslinger of Incheon.”
“That nickname, did Uncle give it to him?”
The hand of the human, pulling the trigger.
The traces of a mercenary who, in a dazzling manner, had swiftly inserted bullets into humans, enhanced humans, machines, and former comrades, were no longer there.
“More than half of the body replaced by machines, but the burden on the brain had to be minimized while maximizing the senses.
Accordingly, Lord Taehyuk’s consciousness has been sealed.”
Numerous suture marks remained on the body.
At the same time, various tubes connected to openings made on the body were inserting and extracting something.
“Due to these measures, Lord Taehyuk’s life expectancy has significantly increased.
He is expected to survive for over 40 years from now – “
“Are you saying, he’s alive with this?”
The man who had never cared about his hair.
Therefore, his hair was untidily scattered.
However, there was no black fur.
Instead, a long tube reminiscent of an old movie connected to the back of the head.
“Do you call this being alive…!”
Even though he said there was no love for machines, the man didn’t listen at all.
Choosing the machine, when asked if it would be okay as long as he stayed by her side, he only gave a faint smile.
“If I knew it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have conceded to you.”
In front of the tube, the woman kneeled.
Even though her body had turned into a machine, tears flowed.
“Even if we faced such a result –
I have no regrets.”
Unlike the body descending from the ceiling.
“Even Mom… should I really say she gets along so well with Dad to this extent?”
“I guess we can be thankful that you resemble Taehyuk-nim’s indifference so extremely, Juwon.
It’s not surprising.”
The man, who was assembling the robot and trying to transfer consciousness, had shaking eyes.
The girl helping him was the same.
“You, you are -“
The woman’s face remained.
As unforgettable as the face of the girl who argued over love.
“Taehyuk-nim sacrificed himself to save me.
“I took corresponding measures.”
In the places where there should have been arms and legs, numerous bundles of wires were connected. And assisting the smooth movement through the air was nothing other than a gigantic mechanical arm connected to the back.
“To allocate cognitive abilities to Taehyuk-nim’s life support and security, I have removed parts of the body. Additionally, for extensive computational power, I have connected facilities and myself with wired connections. This has significantly enhanced cognitive and cooling capabilities compared to before.”
“That’s not what I’m curious about.”
A hand trembling towards the glass.
However, what grabbed it emerged from the shadow of the dark wall…
“I hope you haven’t done that.”
A long and eerie mechanical arm.
With numerous joints and elongated fingers, it gently led a woman’s hand two steps back.
Left, right, and in front, when combined with the two more coming down from the ceiling, six arms filled the space.
“Taehyuk-nim’s condition is delicate. We cannot afford any abnormalities in the tubes.”
“…What I despise is not you, it’s not Taehyuk-ssi.”
“I understand, but I believe you’ll fully comprehend the reasons behind my actions as well.”
The hands, lightly pushing away the mechanically constructed body, soon reached towards the son.
Cautiously caressing the cheek, gently stroking the hair…
Gently pulled up into the air, only my torso remained as I was drawn toward the empty space.
Around that motherly neck, the boy cautiously wrapped his arms.
“…Can we talk about Dad?”
“It’s possible, but you should be aware that the permitted time is not long.”
The boy’s arms loosened from the neck.
However, the body did not descend.
Instead, a small box, held by the boy’s slender fingers made of iron, was extended toward Juwon.
“With this changed body… I couldn’t use this. Please take care of it.”
“Hmm, you say we should preserve valuable things?”
“…”
On a face that seemed unchanged over the long years, there was a mark.
Traces of love, seemingly unerasable, had long left the side of the woman hanging from the ceiling.
The fruition of love between two people had been noticed.
“…Sleep.”
“Thank you.”
Though the light faded, the necklace, unaltered in appearance, found its place once again.
Only then could the boy descend to the floor.
“When you meet everyone, Taehyuk will be greatly pleased. However, for the sake of regulating excitement, interviews will be conducted one by one under my supervision.”
“If you do not agree, I must warn you in advance that the meeting cannot proceed.”
The man entering the room quietly took a breath and remained silent.
Ironically, the disheveled figure of the boy standing beside him seemed much better addressed as Taehyuk.
“Mr. Taehyuk is currently conscious in the virtual reality. Therefore, we will provide suitable equipment for the meeting.”
A desk and chair rose from the floor.
On top of them lay a helmet connected to a long cord.
“Please set the order.”
The girl who had a crush.
The man who worked together as colleagues.
And, the child who gazed at each other.