# Chapter 131
His touch instantly became rough. Through the busy noise, he could hear Sano approaching, but there wasn’t even time to pay attention to that. Iyeon frantically swept every corner of the bed. The goggles might not be able to detect it, just in case… The careful movements from just moments ago were completely gone.
“We’re too late.”
Sano dropped the words like a death sentence. Only then did Iyeon stop moving and look at Sano. His pale white face moved slowly.
The bed was completely empty.
“…At this hour, could Mirae be somewhere else?”
It’s too late for a child to be wandering around. Iyeon’s voice hardened. D.S answered with visible panic, stuttering.
– Mirae gets into bed an hour before sleep to read books. When she was with me, she didn’t go anywhere before sleeping…
Iyeon’s eyes helplessly scanned the empty sheets. After confirming that the escaped Semi was inside the Jin family home, hoping the situation would remain unchanged was too naive a thought. Iyeon’s expression contorted.
– …No, wait.
Just then, a voice that seemed dazed quickly returned. A soft clicking sound came through the speaker. Hyegang’s voice asking, “Noona, are you okay?” also leaked through faintly. D.S, who answered “I’m fine,” immediately rattled off facts like a machine gun.
– Mirae made the 183rd call at 7:38 PM.
She explained the situation without taking a breath.
– And after talking for 13 minutes, she hung up. She left the room saying she needed to brush her teeth before bed and would be back in a bit. The camera automatically turned off after 1 minute.
Simultaneously, a beeping sound was heard in the room. Following the sound, they spotted a light pink rabbit doll prettily seated in front of the desk.
– Ask if Mirae has been in the room for the past 1 hour and 14 minutes.
“…What?”
Not understanding, Iyeon asked blankly. Ask who?
– What were you listening to in my explanation earlier?
D.S clicked her tongue.
– FT-7 is a robot, I told you.
She had given artificial intelligence to the FT series. The AI, developed with her own technology, became more sophisticated with each version upgrade, and FT-7 was the latest.
“Then…”
As Iyeon muttered in astonishment, unable to close his mouth, D.S repeated what she had said earlier as if telling him to focus.
– Like I said, I made it—you think it would only have a camera?
Even so, most people wouldn’t think of making a baby monitor into an AI robot… It was absurd, but this surreal information actually helped clear the air.
There was no time to waste. Iyeon immediately went to stand in front of the desk.
“Um… FT-7? Is that right?”
In response to the awkward greeting, the shiny black eyes attached to the doll flashed.
[FT-7. Switching from sleep mode to normal mode as called. Who are you?]
It had a bit of mechanical sound mixed in, but it was the cheerful voice of a girl about Mirae’s age. Should I introduce myself? While Iyeon briefly considered this, D.S provided the answer.
– Say you’re Mirae’s friend.
“I’m Mirae’s friend.”
Upon answering as instructed, FT-7 suddenly stood up.
“Whoa, what the—”
The sight of a stuffed doll with seemingly no skeleton standing on its own was strangely like something out of a horror movie. Startled, Iyeon retreated slightly to Sano’s side. While Sano gave him a look of disdain, he didn’t move away from Iyeon.
[Hello, Mirae’s friend. Nice to meet you.]
FT-7 bowed its large head in greeting, its ears drooping and flapping. Though it seemed like it might not be able to balance the weight of its head, the doll moved quite well. Iyeon, watching the doll warily, asked:
“By any chance, has Mirae been in the room for the past 1 hour and 14 minutes?”
[Analyzing Mirae’s behavior during the past time to answer your question…]
There was a soft beeping sound, and then FT-7’s head popped up again.
[Analysis complete. Mirae left to brush her teeth at 7:51 PM and returned at 7:53 PM. The brushing time is a bit short, education is needed.]
With no time to wait for unnecessary additions, Iyeon urged impatiently.
“So, when did she leave again?”
[Mirae left the room again at 8:21 PM.]
That means she’s been gone for over 40 minutes. Too much time has passed. Is she okay? This guest house alone was incredibly spacious. It would clearly take a long time to search it thoroughly.
D.S’s calm voice dispelled such worries.
– It’s okay. She’s safe.
“What?”
– If something happens to Mirae, FT-7 is programmed to immediately switch to normal mode.
But FT-7 was in sleep mode until Iyeon spoke to it. No wonder D.S suddenly seemed a bit more relaxed from the middle—it must have been because she remembered FT-7.
That means Mirae is still safe.
“Haaa…”
Iyeon rested his forehead on Sano’s arm with a long sigh. His heart really dropped just now. Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness. After repeatedly muttering such words, Iyeon suddenly raised his head again to look at FT-7.
“Chilchil-ssi. Do you also know where Mirae went?”
– What’s with the “Chil”?
“It’s number 7, right? So Chilchil is correct.”
– You’re giving such a tacky name to my brilliant invention?
“That damn Chilchil…”
Iyeon ignored D.S’s horrified reaction and Sano’s muttering and waited only for FT-7’s answer. After a brief silence, FT-7 soon blurted out a response.
[Chilchil. Is that my nickname?]
“I suppose so.”
[New name has been inputted.]
– Hey! What are you inputting into my invention?
D.S’s protest was unfortunately only heard by Sano and Iyeon, who were using the communication device. Having easily succeeded in renaming the doll, Iyeon pressured Chilchil.
“So, I’m asking if you know where Mirae is.”
[I don’t have that information.]
“Is that so?”
It would have been better if it knew, what a shame. Smacking his lips, Iyeon asked D.S.
“How far along is the rendering?”
– 98%. Hyegang is finalizing it now.
At that rate, the area information would be transmitted soon if they searched around a bit. Let’s go. Iyeon tapped Sano and turned lightly. Just as he took a step toward the door, the cheerful mechanical voice unexpectedly blurted out.
[I’ll come along too.]
“…You will?”
Iyeon stopped abruptly and turned around. Though his question was skeptical, Chilchil didn’t seem to notice and was boldly jumping down from the desk. It must have been quite a height for a doll, but there was no stumbling.
[Mirae hugs me to sleep.]
The shiny eyes of the doll showed no emotion. Of course. Chilchil spoke like a human but wasn’t human.
[So I need to be there when it’s bedtime.]
Even knowing it was merely programmed speech, Iyeon just couldn’t leave it behind. After staring at the doll as if in a staring contest, Iyeon groaned and picked up the pink rabbit by the scruff of its neck.
“When you put it like that, I can’t refuse…”
“You’re a pro at adding baggage.”
Sano’s disdainful rebuke was now familiar. That fact was even sadder, but… Iyeon steadfastly refused to let go of the doll. The two people and one ball of fluff soon left the room.
The long corridor of the guest house was still dark. Sano and Iyeon began opening doors one by one, starting with those closest to Mirae’s room. Bathroom, study room, library, storage… All had ordinary interiors and the structure was relatively simple. There was no place where a young child might hide.
“Chilchil-ssi. Don’t you know where Mirae usually liked to be?”
After coming up empty about five times, Iyeon asked desperately, like clutching at straws. From the footage D.S received, it was clear that Mirae told Chilchil various things. So if there was even a small hint…
[Mirae liked being with her mother.]
“…”
Touching, but not practically helpful. Iyeon looked down glumly at Chilchil, but expecting such non-verbal communication from a robot was unreasonable. Chilchil continued speaking without stopping.
[She said she visited her mother’s workshop just once and found it amazing and wonderful. She said she wanted to see it in detail later. She said when her mother takes her away, she’ll live there. She said she’s extremely excited about it.]
