Children of the Greenhouse
Mornings in the Greenhouse always arrived the same way.
When the bulbs embedded in that impossibly high ceiling began flickering to life one by one, the vast concrete walls inside shifted from dim gray to warm gold.
The air, heavy with dampness from the night, warmed slowly, and droplets on leaf tips sparkled.
Six a.m.
The hour when the Greenhouse's day began.
The room carried a faint scent of earth and grass.
No windows to open, yet the smell was always there. The entire Greenhouse was our massive forest and home, after all.
As I sat up in bed, the old wooden floorboards creaked softly. From the first-floor living room, I heard someone already moving.
Probably Haru-unnie.
In this house, the earliest riser was almost always the same person.
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I opened the door.
The hallway was quiet.
To the right was Hari's room, then Woohee-unnie's next to it, and Seonyu's after that.
From downstairs came the faint clink of dishes and the smell of oil heating.
I headed down to the first floor. Sure enough, it was Haru-unnie.
"Woohyun, you're up?"
Haru-unnie.
My first love. Still unrequited.
Wanting to look good for her, I straightened my posture and replied.
"Yeah, unnie. Just woke up."
"Go wash your face first. Breakfast is almost ready."
"Okay."
Her light brown hair tied low on both sides, that gentle smile she always gave me.
The same sight every day, yet it always left me speechless.
Haru-unnie was this house's morning—and its head.
Especially since Mama stopped functioning.
"Hey, don't just stand there zoning out. Move."
A sharp voice stabbed from behind.
Ha Seonyu.
Her long black hair tousled, yawning—yet her eyes fierce even this early.
Damn brat.
Childhood friend, same age as me, but a few days older birthday meant she bossed me around endlessly.
Seonyu jabbed my side with her elbow, picking a fight again.
"Don't block the way, idiot."
"Who said I was?"
"Your existence is the blockage."
"Why start shit first thing in the morning?"
"'Cause your face is starting shit with me."
Our bickering was always like this.
I couldn't recall exactly when it started.
From childhood, Seonyu dragged me everywhere, and I grumbled but followed.
Like when she wanted to chip at the massive concrete walls, or sneak near the uncharted zone entrance.
Most times, Mama caught us, and we got hell for it.
"Enough, both of you."
Haru-unnie said with a smile.
The head of the house, her word was law.
Mama had taught us that. I quietly went to the table and sat.
Soon, time passed, and all six of us gathered.
Haru-unnie's breakfast.
Vegetables from Hari's Cultivation Area.
Shiny dishes Jiha had cleaned yesterday.
Today's work log silently spread by Woohee-unnie.
Seonyu frowned at it immediately.
"Perimeter check again today?"
Woohee-unnie nodded curtly.
"Humidity spiked in the west passage yesterday. Likely drainage issue."
"Guess I'm going then. Jin Woohyun, pack the gear yourself."
"Why me?"
Seonyu shot back as if it were obvious.
"Who else carries the load if not you?"
"Am I your porter?"
"Yep."
No hesitation.
"Pfft—"
Min Hari let out a small laugh. Oh, right—she's my childhood friend too. Same birthday as Ha Seonyu.
Pink hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Well, Woohyun's good with heavy lifting. Could use help moving fertilizer today too."
"Not you too, Hari?"
"Pretty please~."
When Min Hari said it like that, refusal was tough.
Beside her, Jiha, bread in mouth, shot her hand up.
"I'll help too!"
"Jiha, you're on cleaning today."
Haru-unnie said softly.
"Ugh. Right."
Jiha deflated, then perked up again.
"Then I'll finish cleaning quick and help!"
Yeah, it was always like this.
Our routine was set like clockwork.
1. Eat breakfast, do assigned tasks, gather for dinner.
2. Return to the Mansion before the Artificial Sun—those ceiling lights—turned off.
3. Never enter the uncharted zone alone.
4. Report anything strange immediately.
……
Shit.
Almost forgot the most important.
5. If possible, visit Mama every day.
After breakfast, habit took me to the small garden beside the Mansion.
Nothing special about the garden. Old wooden fences, wildflowers and grass blooming freely between.
And the weathered rocking chair.
Mama sat there.
Short brown hair, maid-like outfit, a woman's beautiful face.
But no breathing. No blinking.
Yeah, even before we understood we were unrelated siblings—
We vaguely knew Mama wasn't human.
Growing older, we learned she was an AI robot.
We thought she'd be with us forever.
……But Mama remained still today.
"Mama."
I crouched before the rocker.
No reply.
I knew.
No reply would ever come.
Still, we visited daily, spoke to her.
"Heading to the west passage today. Seonyu made me carry stuff again, Hari wants fertilizer moved. Jiha was noisy from breakfast."
Mama stayed silent.
"Haru-unnie woke early again. Acts fine, but looks tired lately."
Only then did I glance around.
No one there.
I looked back at Mama.
Childhood Mama was warm.
She'd stroke our heads when we cried, listen to fights to the end.
Scolded Seonyu's recklessness, stayed all night for Jiha's nightmares. Read to Woohee-unnie, taught Hari seed planting.
And to the eldest, Haru-unnie—
Probably more we never knew.
Mama always said it.
"When you grow up, you'll understand many things."
Why only us six siblings in this vast Greenhouse. Where others were. How long in this concrete world.
All would come naturally as adults, she said.
But those truths never passed her lips.
On Haru-unnie's 20th birthday, when she became an adult, Mama stopped—seated in this rocker.
That day, we six clung together, wept endlessly.
Thinking our mother gone forever.
Thinking we'd never see Mama again.
Accepting the farewell took time.
Couldn't stay by Mama all day. Time to go.
Seonyu was waiting.
Couldn't squat forever before the unmoving doll.
I rose slowly, brushed a dry leaf from Mama's skirt hem.
"Mama… today is my 20th birthday."
I murmured softly to her silent face.
"I'm an adult now too."
Artificial Sun light reflected off Mama's soft hair, sparkling.
Her warm voice gone, but I wanted to believe she watched over us always.
"Someday, the things you spoke of."
My throat tightened.
"I'll try to understand them."
With that, I left Mama, returned to the entrance for departure prep.
Crunch, crunch.
Crossing grass, up wooden steps, the familiar Mansion smell hit.
At the entrance, Haru-unnie was putting on shoes.
Usually apron-tidying in the kitchen, but she seemed headed to the garden too.
Probably visiting Mama.
"Oh, Woohyun!"
Haru-unnie spotted me, smiled softly.
Her usual kind smile.
"Didn't forget today’s your birthday, right?"
She patted my shoulder lightly.
"Party tonight, all together. I'll make lots of tasty stuff."
"Yes, unnie. Looking forward to it."
Parting with her, I started packing gear for the west passage.
Seonyu would dump the load on me, so sturdy rope and lanterns first.
Clink, rattle.
Stuffing canned food and extra water bottles, zipping up.
That moment.
Kyaaaaaaaah—!!
Haru-unnie's scream.
The bag slipped from my hand, tumbled to the floor.
What the hell?!
My pounding footsteps shook the ground, but my mind went white—nothing registered.
Bursting into the garden, Haru-unnie sat collapsed on the grass.
She trembled, pointing at Mama's rocker.
Her face strangely flushed red.
"U-Unnie! What happened?!"
"Woohyun… Woohyun…!"
Her voice cracked horribly.
Haru-unnie clamped both hands over her mouth, disbelieving.
"M-Mama… just woke up…."
My heart plummeted.
Mama awoke?
The Mama who hadn't moved once in years?
"Q-Quick… gather everyone, Woohyun!"
Unnie shouted urgently.
I forced my stiff legs to move, bellowed toward the Mansion.
"Everyone!!!! Come to the garden! Hurry!!!!!!!"
My desperate yell unleashed chaotic footsteps inside.
Thud thud crash! Tat tat!
Seonyu burst out first.
Then Hari, Woohee-unnie, Jiha—panting into the garden.
All rushed in. Woohee-unnie, fighting for calm, asked.
"Haru-unnie, what happened? Mama woke up?"
Woohee-unnie's uncharacteristically shaky voice cut the garden air.
Haru-unnie, kneeling on grass, parted trembling lips.
"M-Mama woke up…."
The words barely out, Seonyu lunged forward.
"This scrap heap woke up?"
Then yelled.
"Don't lie!"
Tears welled in Seonyu's eyes.
Harsh words, but she wanted this most…
Her clenched fists trembled finely.
Hari hugged Seonyu's back, urged frantically.
"Ha Seonyu! Watch your mouth around Mama!"
Hari's voice held sobs too.
Hari stared piercingly at Mama's rigid hand, disbelieving.
Jiha, face pale white, clung to Mama's skirt.
"Mama… Mama…!! Did you really wake up?"
Jiha's voice quivered childlike.
Woohee-unnie gripped Haru-unnie's shoulder, sorting the chaos.
"Unnie, what exactly happened?"
Woohee-unnie met Haru-unnie's eyes, asked deliberately.
"Did Mama really wake? Why's she asleep now… Did she say anything?"
Heavy silence blanketed the garden.
Under flickering Artificial Sun, all eyes fixed on Haru-unnie's lips.
Haru-unnie, face utterly bewildered, spoke with shaking voice.
"Fr-From now, in three months…."
Her gaze wandered air, then dropped to the ground.
"All Mansion electricity and water will be cut off…."
Everyone's breaths caught sharply.
Power and water gone meant slow death in the Greenhouse.
All systems dead, water dry—we'd last days at most.
Just dying slowly.
Woohee-unnie's eyes widened. "What? Why? System error? Mama's punishment?"
Questions poured, but Haru-unnie wouldn't open easily.
Her cheeks burned crimson, ready to burst.
"Unnie, please tell us."
Hari joined urging Haru-unnie.
Haru-unnie squeezed eyes shut.
Fists clenched in resolve, face beet-red, she spoke.
"One of us…."
Her voice pierced my ears.
"Must perform the Breeding Act with Woohyun…."
Shhhhh—
Only the artificial wind rustling garden leaves rang loud.
My brain refused to process what I'd heard.
"If not successful in 90 days… we're all done. And until breeding succeeds, power and water cut gradually…."
Unnie's words scattered in air.
Perfect silence, not even breaths.
Breeding Act!
Dry biological term from Mama's childhood sex ed.
Jiha tilted head blankly.
"Br-Breeding… what's that? From that book before…?"
No one answered Jiha's innocent question.
Woohee-unnie stood statue-still, staring at me.
Her cold gray eyes quivered faintly.
"Cr-Crazy?!"
Seonyu broke silence first.
Her face flushed as red as Haru-unnie's.
She pointed accusingly at me, yelled.
"Why with this idiot?! No, does that even make sense?! This junk heap glitched and babbled nonsense?!"
"Seonyu!"
Hari yanked Seonyu's arm in shock, but Hari's cheeks peach-blushed too.
Hari couldn't meet my eyes, gaze glued to ground.
"But… Mama said it…."
Hari murmured mosquito-soft.
My body froze, couldn't move an inch.
Five girls' gazes poured down.
Confusion, shame, fear, inexplicable tension.
"Haru-unnie."
My squeezed-out voice cracked like a stranger's.
"Is that… real?"
Haru-unnie nodded, hiding flushed face in hands instead of answering.
Her shoulders trembled faintly.
90 days.
If I don't breeding act—with someone—the Greenhouse, our tiny world, ends.
Mama—
Is becoming an adult facing absurd reality like this?
My gaze returned to Mama's rigid face.
Mama still gazed down with gentle smile.