# Chapter 44
“So, what brings you here? Something that needs fixing?”
Cold sweat ran down his back.
“Just visiting! How was it seeing Mirae after so long?”
“I’ve got nothing to do anyway.”
D.S answered flatly, but she didn’t look particularly angry. That wasn’t important now, though.
This was bad. There was about a 95% chance the information had leaked from his goggles. Iyeon smiled awkwardly.
“Um, D.S-ssi. If things get too dangerous, maybe asking the Director for protection…”
D.S snorted.
“I’m not going there unless my head gets cracked open.”
“How cracked does your head need to be?”
“Want me to crack your skull first?”
“I’m just kidding.”
Given D.S’s attitude and her security system, which wouldn’t be easy to breach, there probably wasn’t much danger. But considering where the leak had come from, he couldn’t help but worry. When Iyeon’s expression grew serious, D.S shrugged as if to say it wasn’t a big deal.
“It’s fine. Not worth worrying about.”
“Why? If you dislike the Director that much, don’t think of it as living with him—think of it as living with Mirae.”
Iyeon had a talent for saying potentially rude things in a way that didn’t offend people.
“Why do you hate Jin Heesu? I like him.”
“That’s even better then.”
Iyeon clapped his hands as if everything was resolved. D.S shook her head dismissively.
“It’s because something terrible frequents that house.”
“Does he keep mutants?”
“Like you?”
“Our Mungchi is cute, you know.”
Cute, yeah right. D.S snorted but answered straightforwardly.
“It’s crawling with humans who won’t even look at you unless you’re a superhuman.”
As she spoke, D.S truly looked disgusted.
“The way those things strut around just because they happened to be born that way…”
Superpowers aren’t hereditary. Naturally, there couldn’t be such a thing as a “superhuman family.” The fact that many of Choi Heewon’s descendants were superhumans was purely luck. And having a powerful superhuman like Jin Heesu among them was extraordinary luck.
But it seems some people believed it was destiny.
“Did some friendly shaman tell them to kick out anyone without powers?”
“They said something similar, apparently.”
Ties with shamanism weren’t surprising anymore.
“Why did they take Mirae away?”
“They did kick me out, but they still want the child if she develops powers. They said they’d raise her until she’s grown, for her safety.”
“Safety, what…”
The typical age for superpower manifestation is after puberty. At the earliest, D.S would be able to live with Mirae after five years. It was surprising that D.S had handed Mirae over so easily, when she seemed like someone who wouldn’t care what her family said. As if sensing Iyeon’s thoughts, D.S continued.
“It’s a big family, so it could be dangerous for a child. That environment might actually be safer for her.”
The family, which had grown based solely on the name of Choi Heewon, had maintained its authority for a long time by producing numerous superhumans, and there couldn’t have been zero controversies during that process. It was the perfect situation for an innocent child to get caught up in.
The atmosphere suddenly dampened. Iyeon, sensing the mood, clapped his hands lightly.
“D.S-ssi, do you have a hobby?”
“Why ask about hobbies all of a sudden?”
“Someone told me it’s good to have a hobby that lets you focus your attention elsewhere.”
At Iyeon’s words, D.S made a thoughtful sound and fidgeted with her screwdriver.
“A hobby, huh. Machine modification?”
“…Isn’t that your job?”
“It’s different. Not making superhuman-specific equipment to order, but playing around with store-bought machines and adding various functions just for fun.”
…But isn’t that still similar to what she usually does? Even after her explanation, Iyeon wasn’t quite sure he understood the distinction.
“Then let’s try it now. Actually, I’ve been wanting to develop a hobby, so I’ve been experiencing other people’s hobbies. Are you busy?”
“I do have some free time.”
“I’ll help you. I can assist with minor tasks, right?”
As Iyeon rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, D.S blinked. Her intention was clear. Her cheek, smudged with grease, twitched slightly.
“Well… if you put it that way.”
What D.S brought from the back of the workshop was a broken robot vacuum. She placed the ordinary-looking piece of black, round, flat scrap metal on the desk and said:
“It broke down quickly because it was handled too roughly.”
“What’s that dust?”
“I put it away because I was too lazy to fix it, and then I forgot about it.”
After wiping off the thick layer of dust, which turned his fingertips white, and going through the process of D.S disassembling it and Iyeon wiping the parts with a dry cloth, the now cleaner components filled the desk.
“What are you going to modify it into?”
“Hmm… first, I’ll add artificial intelligence.”
D.S pulled over a large blackboard that had been standing nearby and began filling it in. Most of the words she wrote were too technical for Iyeon to understand with his knowledge, but anyone who spoke Korean could grasp the general functions.
“Artificial intelligence, wet mopping, window cleaning, bathroom cleaning, clothing care… and even dishwashing capabilities?”
It sounded too dreamlike to believe. As Iyeon squinted suspiciously at the blackboard, D.S casually capped her pen.
“Doubting my abilities?”
“No, but can you really make this from a broken robot vacuum in one day?”
“I’m not making it from scratch. Since there’s a prototype, transplanting functions is easy.”
“A prototype?”
You mean this isn’t the first time you’ve made such cutting-edge machinery? I should have commissioned you earlier! Iyeon lamented aloud. D.S jerked her chin toward a corner of the workshop.
“That’s it.”
Following her gesture, Iyeon’s eyes widened, then gradually narrowed. After staring for a while, his first suspicious words were:
“…A person?”
“It’s a machine. Its name is FT-0.”
Iyeon approached as if in a trance.
At first glance, FT-0, which appeared to be standing at attention with its eyes closed, had the exterior of a male with almost the same height as Iyeon. It was a machine so elaborately made that it could be mistaken for a real person at a glance.
“I’m surprised you haven’t been scouted if you can make something like this…”
“What did you say?”
A perfect example of how personality matters more than ability in professional life.
“When did you make this?”
“Quite a while ago.”
“Why am I seeing this for the first time?”
Iyeon had been doing business with D.S for several years already. He visited quite often for equipment repairs and upgrades. If the machine had been in the workshop all this time, he couldn’t have missed it…
“Someone bought this pastime project of mine.”
“Then why is it back? Under repair?”
As Iyeon examined it from all angles, bombarding D.S with questions, he lightly touched its cheek. The cold sensation against his fingertips made him realize it truly was a machine. At the same time, feeling slightly creeped out, he took half a step back to return to D.S.
Suddenly, FT-0’s eyes snapped open. Before Iyeon could even utter a sound of surprise, his eyes met FT-0’s. D.S’s nonchalant answer came from behind him.
“It was returned as defective.”
[External person detected. Alert mode.]
FT-0 opened its mouth wide.
Then something shot out from inside and pounced on Iyeon.
With a cry of “Ack!”, Iyeon fell to the ground. When the clattering sound stopped, Iyeon realized he couldn’t move at all. He could see countless black lines crisscrossing in front of his eyes.
It was a net.
“…Why didn’t you dispose of it?”
Iyeon, who had been captured in an instant, asked flatly. D.S, who was sorting the robot vacuum parts, glanced back and answered:
“Why would I dispose of it? It’s in perfect condition.”
[Confirmed as acquaintance by master’s reaction. Removing alert mode.]
D.S looked fondly at FT-0 as it removed the net.
“See? It’s well-behaved.”
“Well-behaved my ass! It suddenly threw a net at me and made me fall. My butt hurts.”
[Complaint of buttock pain confirmed. I will dust it off for you.]
“Stay away!”
Iyeon dodged FT-0’s hand in panic. After playing a game of tag around the desk about five times with FT-0, which persistently targeted his buttocks, D.S finally got annoyed.
“Stop making such a fuss.”
[Understood.]
FT-0 became docile again. Standing at attention next to D.S as if waiting for the next command, the machine remained still, not even blinking. Iyeon, who had already exhausted half his stamina, took a break while catching his breath.
Once his breathing calmed down, Iyeon suddenly murmured:
“Doesn’t this machine look like someone?”
