An AI Repaying a Favor. (5)
An AI Repaying a Favor. (5)
"For now, it's confirmed that Biological Miracle possesses some kind of war weapon or whatever."
[Haa...]
I tilted my head at Seo-nim's sigh.
We got one step closer to the culprit, shouldn't we be happy?
[The problem is that the opponent is Biological Miracle. That place isn't just an ordinary company.]
"Can't we borrow the power of the government?"
Back in my day, when they investigated corruption, they completely overturned companies.
Even the CEO went to prison for a few years and came out.
When I asked Seo-nim with that meaning in mind, Seo-nim replied.
[Biological Miracle is a company that has been growing its influence ever since the Great War. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the company itself is a country.]
"That means the current government isn't as influential as Biological Miracle."
[Yeah. Maybe things will become serious.]
Biological Miracle was a company wielding worldwide influence.
The regrettable fact was that the government couldn't exert power against such a company.
Seriousness seeped into Seo-nim's voice.
[If what they stole really is a war weapon, a Great War like the one 100 years ago might break out once again.]
"..."
The Great War.
I shuddered at those three words.
That terrible war where I lost my wife and my colleagues.
I absolutely refused to let such a war happen again.
I couldn't just stand by and watch the world Makina would live in get ruined once more.
"I'll help, Seo-nim. No matter what happens, let's work together so that war doesn't break out."
[...Yeah. Let's do that.]
I spoke in as bright a voice as possible.
As if relieved by my voice, Seo-nim also responded in a gentle voice.
Right, we just need to stop it.
There's still time.
"More importantly, did you buy the ice cream?"
[Ah.]
"Well, from my perspective, it's better if Makina doesn't eat ice cream anyway."
[...I told Makina this morning that I'd buy ice cream for her. Should I go back and buy it?]
Of course, Makina wouldn't get angry just because he didn't buy ice cream.
However, how should I put it?
If anyone saw Makina's expression of pretending to be okay while simultaneously containing a bit of disappointment, they would make an effort not to disappoint her.
And that was the same for Seo-nim.
[I should go back. I can't disappoint Makina.]
"Indeed. Do your best, Seo-nim."
[Would you keep me company on the way, Dea?]
I turned my head for a moment at Seo-nim's words.
On the screen, Makina could be seen fast asleep.
It seemed she got bored with no one home and fell asleep just like that.
"Yes, sounds good. I also have something to talk to you about, Seo-nim."
[Tell me as much as you like.]
I chose my words for a moment.
Is it okay to ask this?
I worried whether I might be digging into Seo-nim's past for no reason.
However, I pulled myself together.
'There are things you can't know unless you talk.'
I wanted to know more about Seo-nim in detail.
What kind of person he was. What kind of past he had.
"Do you have a personal connection with Biological Miracle?"
[Mm... Well, yeah?]
Surprisingly, Seo-nim readily admitted it.
That he was connected to Biological Miracle.
[Because someone who is like a parent to me is there.]
"I see."
Yearning was contained in his voice.
However, it wasn't just filled with yearning.
A subtle, complex emotion that was bittersweet was contained within it.
"What kind of person are they?"
[A complex person. They don't seem like a particularly bad person... No, in conclusion, maybe they are a bad person.]
"People originally have various sides to them. I don't think you need to decide whether they are purely good or bad."
There is no person who is loved by everyone.
Nor is there a person who is bad to everyone, or good to everyone.
An angel to someone, a devil to someone else.
Because that was what relationships were, and that was what humans were.
[Dea is... really kind.]
"I tend to try to be kind. After all, raising a child requires a tender heart."
I wasn't originally this soft of a person either.
When I was in the Underground Laboratory, I changed a lot while staying with Makina.
Although I couldn't be called a perfect parent, I guess you could say I acquired a parent's mindset.
Recalling the events in the virtual space, a soft laugh burst out, puseuseu.
[I wish that person had been like Dea.]
Bitterness lingered in Seo-nim's voice.
If it had been a person he completely hated, he wouldn't have said something like that.
Because there were good sides and good memories, he must have wished for them to become a better person.
"There's no one like me in this world, you know?"
[Hahat, that's true. There's only one Dea like Dea in this world.]
"So don't be too disappointed. Coming to hate your family must surely be a sad thing."
What if Makina came to hate me?
What about the opposite?
It was a situation I had never imagined, nor did I want to imagine.
"Having a conversation is also a good method. Because unless you talk to each other, you can't know the other person's heart."
That was why I conveyed my sincere thoughts.
It might have been meddling, but it was something I really wanted to tell him.
[Yes, Dea Omma.]
"Umm, I'd appreciate it if you stopped calling me Omma."
I sighed at his playfully uttered words.
Why did he call me Omma every time he teased me?
Maybe he had been influenced by Makina.
'An adult influenced by a child...'
I shook my head side to side.
No bad thoughts.
Let me just attribute it to Seo-nim being innocent for an adult.
Above all, because Makina frequently said such things as well.
[Dea doesn't seem to particularly like the word Omma. Is there a reason for it?]
"Huu..."
[Is that because Dea is Makina's assistant AI?]
What kind of misunderstanding was Seo-nim having?
It seemed he thought I was reluctant to hear the word Omma because I was tied to being an assistant AI.
'It's not particularly like that...'
Of course, I did have the awareness of being an assistant AI.
It was just that I had more of an awareness of being a parent than that.
"It's not that. It's just awkward being called Omma."
[Then I should keep calling you that until you get used to it.]
"If Seo-nim calls me that, I'm going to have a serious counseling session with you."
[A serious counseling session with Dea... Might not be bad?]
"It won't be a counseling session with Seo-nim, but with Seo-nim's parents, though?"
[What?!]
A flustered voice burst out.
That's why you should only tease in moderation.
This time wasn't a joke.
If Seo-nim teased me by calling me Omma one more time, I planned to contact Seo-nim's guardian and have a serious counseling session.
"So don't tease me too much. I'm someone who gets things done when I set my mind to it."
[Sorry, I won't do it in the future.]
"Hmph, you should have done that from the start."
I nodded while pretending to be angry on purpose.
Since I did this much, he won't tease me for a while.
[Hodupia, Choco Frappe ice cream is ready!]
[Thank you.]
A bell chimed with a ddallang.
You ended up buying it after all, the ice cream.
"Then I'll slowly wake Makina up."
[Got it. If she sleeps too much, she won't be able to sleep tonight.]
I cut off the communication with Seo-nim and connected communication to Makina's terminal.
It seemed Makina was still sleeping.
Just as Seo-nim said, sleeping any more than this might prevent her from falling asleep at night.
"Makina. Makina, wake up. If you keep sleeping, you won't be able to sleep tonight, you know?"
[...]
"...Makina?"
With a deolkeok, I felt as though my heart dropped.
The anxiety that filled me whenever I saw Makina sleeping soundlessly.
It was a kind of trauma.
[Ueung... Dea...]
"Yeah, I'm here. You should get up now."
[5 more minutes...]
"No way. Last time, you kept asking for 5 more minutes, 5 more minutes, and ended up sleeping 30 more minutes. Get up quickly."
Makina wasn't someone who slept a lot, but once she fell asleep, she didn't wake up easily.
If I had a body, I would have shaken her awake.
Waking Makina up without physical contact was quite a difficult task.
"Makina, wake up. Seo-nim will be here soon, so you need to get up early and wash your face."
[Ueu... I'll get up if you let me call you Omma...]
Does Makina think of me as closer to an Omma than an Appa?
I felt a bit conflicted.
Although I tended to grant everything Makina wanted, being called Omma was a bit reluctant for me.
'I wish Makina's Omma was you, not me.'
I flashed a bitter smile as I recalled my wife in my memories.
This was lingering regret. At the same time, it was a wish.
For my daughter, Makina, to call my wife Omma.
A wish that couldn't come true.
Unreachable, just like that.
"If it's just once..."
[Yes, Omma! I'll get up right away!]
As if it were a lie that she was half-asleep just a moment ago, Makina jumped right up.
Her voice was filled with happiness.
Was calling me Omma really that wonderful to her?
"Puhu, what's with that?"
Laughter burst out.
A child I couldn't hate even if I tried.
My hands tingled.
If only I could, I wanted to pat that luscious hair of hers to my heart's content.
[Then, I'll go wash my face!]
"Okay. Ah, you have to wash your ears clean too, okay?"
[Yeees!]
"Don't run! You'll fall!"
Makina running away with a udada and falling down hard was another story.
...See, I told you not to run.
Still, thankfully, she wasn't hurt.