## Chapter 62 – Childhood (2)
“W-What is this?!”
Not some crude shackle or restraint, but a bizarre, light-emitting steel machine binding my hands and feet, rendering me utterly immobile. My fading consciousness snapped back as my freedom was stolen, allowing me to assess my situation.
Or rather, all I could ascertain was my immobility.
“…Ugh…!”
A metal ring encircled my neck.
It prevented me from turning or lowering my head.
All I could do was roll my eyes about, taking in the room and my barely visible hands with a limited field of vision.
That was the extent of my capabilities.
What is going on?
Have I been kidnapped by another organization?
No, what could they possibly gain from abducting a low-level researcher like me, using such extravagant equipment?
Could it be, Senior too?
Various scenarios raced through my mind.
I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that my fears were unfounded.
No, instead of dwelling on this, I need to find a way to escape.
With my movements restricted, I scanned the room.
The lavish nightscape visible through the window, with black buildings interspersed, suggested I was on a very high floor.
Besides that, there was a wide-open space.
Marble beneath my feet.
The fire in the fireplace reflected in the window.
That was all.
In a space resembling a luxurious resort from a drama, I was incongruously bound to a chair that seemed to embody the pinnacle of human technology.
Then, footsteps echoed quietly in the empty space.
The clear sound of leather soles striking marble reverberated from afar.
The approaching sound made me swallow nervously, and I took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
“…Whatever you want, you won’t get it from me, no matter how much you ask.”
“…As expected of Ms. Min-jeong. Just like the manual says:
‘Never divulge classified information.'”
A familiar voice accompanied the footsteps.
Surely not, it couldn’t be.
I wanted to confirm, but I couldn’t even turn my head, so I had to wait for the person to walk in front of me.
Those brief moments felt like an eternity,
and I prayed it wasn’t who I thought it was.
The voice, the tone.
I already knew who it was.
And finally, the man stood before me, revealing himself.
“Indeed, you are perfect.”
“…Senior…?”
A man in a neat shirt, black tie, and the familiar white coat.
Senior Researcher Jeong A-woon.
“S-Senior? What’s going on…?
Did I do something wrong…?”
“No, you’ve done nothing wrong.
Not a single thing.”
“C-Could you please untie me?
Ha, haha…”
Right, Senior was always playful.
Thinking it was just a bad joke, I gave him a weak smile,
but he looked at me with an unfamiliar gaze.
A chilling, oppressive stare,
but his eyes didn’t seem to be looking at me.
“That’s right, you’ve done nothing wrong.
But your existence is wrong.”
“…Pardon?”
“Hahaha, don’t misunderstand.
No life is unworthy of blessing.
When I say your existence is wrong,
I simply mean that Ms. Min-jeong was born as a human.
That’s all I’m saying.”
The senior who had always been kind to me continued to explain excitedly, his gentle eyes conveying unfathomable words.
“I’m doing this to correct Ms. Min-jeong’s mistake.
I hope you can understand, even if it’s a little uncomfortable.”
“I, um… I’m sorry, but
I don’t quite understand…”
“…Hahaha, of course.
It’s natural you don’t understand.
Don’t worry. I’ll explain it as many times as it takes.”
Senior laughed heartily at my words, turned around, and stepped on a platform.
With a mechanical whir, a sink emerged from the floor,
and he began to wash his hands.
“When I was a child,
do you know what I received as a birthday present?
An ant farm.
Excited, I immediately caught two ants in the bushes and started raising them at home.”
Senior continued his story while lathering soap on his hands.
“I was amazed to see the ants multiplying.
When the queen is gone, worker ants lay eggs.
But one day, I saw another ant eating the eggs laid by another worker ant.
It was shocking. I cried and clung to my mother,
and she gave me a dictionary, saying,
‘Just as we have our ways, so do ants.
Try reading it, it’s fascinating!'”
The story grew longer, and I swallowed and quietly listened to Senior’s tale.
And I tried to bite down on the emergency rescue device in my molars to send a distress signal.
“My mother was right. It was incredibly fascinating.
I devoured the dictionary. I read and memorized that thick book in almost a week.
Naturally, I became interested in biological science,
and before I knew it, I was a genius in this field.”
As quietly as possible, carefully.
I slowly bit down on the device in my molars.
“Having researched all sorts of species, I found everything boring.
When I found a new creature, I would be briefly excited and study it intensely, but I would quickly tire of it.
Animal ecosystems are amazing but simple.
There are variables, but aside from the occasional one, it’s always the same.
It’s like watching the same movie over and over…”
“…”
“Then, I came across an article.
A crazy man who raped his daughter and imprisoned her for over a decade.
A man who couldn’t even be called a father.
He even shamelessly claimed he was innocent. I thought,
‘How could such a human be born?’
That’s it! I had found a creature with clear individual differences, each with its own lifespan, cause of death, personality, gender, and every moment a variable.
A dictionary I could never finish reading before I died.”
Senior’s voice grew more agitated as he rinsed the foam from his hands.
“But as I learned more, I reached a limit.
I began to love the creatures I thought were perfect.
I wanted them to be perfect and incomprehensible to anyone else.
But being human, I started to see their flaws one by one. Violence, insults, hatred, discrimination, contradictions.
The humans I knew were no longer perfect.”
Finally, Senior dried his hands.
And pulled out gloves.
“That’s when I learned about us.
The ‘Ancient Weapon Research Team.’ To be honest, I’m not interested in weapons or petals.
My attention was drawn to the parasitic entities.
Ah, I thought, these creatures are a gift from God to humanity.
I believed that if we could harness their abilities, we could make humans better, and I’ve been working towards that goal ever since.
And after many failures, we’re finally starting with Ms. Min-jeong, from your body…!”
“…Y-You’re insane…”
His eyes bloodshot and tearful, tightly gripping my bound hands,
he was no longer the person I knew.
Or rather, this was who he had always been.
“Get away!! Help will be here soon!!
You better run while you still can…!”
“That’s also according to the manual. How by-the-book can you be?
Ms. Min-jeong, do you think I would have allowed the distress signal to go through?”
“…What…?”
My carefully laid escape plan crumbled in an instant.
No, I was more horrified by the fact that Senior had known all along what I was planning and had been toying with me from the start.
Seeing my despair, Senior,
no, Dr. Jeong A-woon, smiled and stepped on another platform. This time, a small test tube appeared.
“W-What’s that…?”
The test tube he picked up contained a shimmering liquid and a white petal, but something was different.
Connected to it were small, thin wires, and on the other side, a black, angular shard.
“How could I achieve my goal without being detected by the higher-ups?
That’s what I was thinking, and I finally created it.
It’s just a flower connected to a microcomputer, but it was incredibly difficult.”
He opened the test tube, picked up the contents with tweezers, and slowly approached me.
“E-Eh?! No, wait a minute…!!”
“What’s wrong? Ms. Min-jeong?”
“I-If you use that, what will happen…?”
“The same as you’ve seen so far.
Your personality will be extinguished by the petal, but your remaining body will continue to evolve.
But there won’t be any more deaths due to half-baked experiments.
I’ve finally figured out the trick.”
As he said that, he walked behind me.
The feeling I got from him was something I’d never felt before.
“Haa, haa…!!”
Terror.
This man was really going to do it.
As soon as I realized that, my heart started pounding like crazy, and I struggled to move my immobile limbs, letting out short groans.
“…Do you know why help isn’t coming?”
He asked casually, noticing my resistance.
“Because those people don’t care about a low-level employee like you disappearing.
Of course, I requested you for the experiment…”
“….What?! Senior, wait a minute.
Something, something seems wrong?
The higher-ups gave you permission to use that on me? Why?!”
“I don’t know either.
I can’t possibly know what those selfish old men are thinking.
Don’t worry, Ms. Min-jeong. I’ll make sure you get revenge.”
With those words, a large machine slowly descended over my head, finally obscuring my vision.
My breathing became increasingly labored due to the overwhelming fear.
“Haa, haa!! Senior, Senior.
Wait a minute!! Please, spare me!!
Why? I’ve done everything you’ve asked…!!
Why me all of a sudden?!”
Tears streamed down my face through the narrow gap in the machine.
No, I don’t want to die like this…!!
“…Ms. Min-jeong is just a person after all.”
“…Pardon?”
A moment of silence passed.
“…It’s okay. I’ll save you now.
We’ll completely overhaul that tainted interior and be reborn anew.”
No, it’s hopeless.
This person. I can’t reason with him.
“Now, for the ancient weapon ‘Flower’
implantation surgery, we will first trepan the skull.
Of course, anesthesia will be kept to a minimum to ensure smooth monitoring of the subject’s condition.”
The gentle, familiar voice delivered a cruel death sentence.
A terrifying voice that would end my life as a human, as Cheon Min-jeong.
“N-No, no… S-Save me…!
I still have my mom and dad…!! Kyaaaaaa!!!”
My sharp scream was drowned out by the machine that was cutting into my head.
