Sentimental Shower

#005

No one in Haeya-dong is unaware of Yeon Tae-soo. That’s because everyone knows Eden.

Eden absorbed astronomical amounts of money every day. Yeon Tae-soo cherished the paradise he had built. Here, private fights and drugs were prohibited. Only gambling was allowed.

Rumors about Yeon Tae-soo were as abundant as his fame.

There were stories that he was originally a soldier and lost his hand to an android, and others saying he lost it in an accident as a child.

It was also quite an interesting tale that he was actually of mixed race, his black hair was dyed, and that the black eye was the prosthetic one, not the blue eye.

Yeon Tae-soo never clarified any of these rumors. After all, his fame became Eden’s fame.

In fact, some people would loiter around Eden just to catch a glimpse of his face. Yeon Tae-soo knew the advantages his appearance held. The differently colored prosthetic eye was a device that made his looks stand out even more.

Yeon Tae-soo poured the astronomically earned money into artworks.

Art had long lost its function. People no longer spent money on art.

Ironically, most of those who now created art were androids. Humans erased their memories and suppressed their emotions with drugs for a more efficient life. But only for those who wanted it, and only for those with a lot of money.

Androids didn’t do that. They picked up the pain that humans had discarded and ignored.

Even though making human leftovers their own didn’t make them truly human.

Yeon Tae-soo disliked androids but loved the excellent works they created.

Their works sometimes felt like they were struggling. As if showing a tenacity to find value in this heartless world.

“The piece you’ll see this time is a newly discovered work by Heo Nanseolheon, being unveiled for the first time.”

It was rare for him to be distracted in front of a painting, but today Yeon Tae-soo couldn’t concentrate at all.

He was thinking about Mr. Yoo, the owner of Byeolbyeol Animal Hospital.

He had never seen anything so beautiful. He always wore that damned mask, and even the eyes that were visible were half-hidden by his hair.

Yet he was still so damn pretty.

If he was that attractive all bundled up, imagining what he’d look like with his face properly revealed made his lower abdomen tingle.

He felt like he could do anything if he could just remove that mask once.

“Hey, you know what?”

“I don’t know, boss.”

“I told you not to call me ‘boss’. Call me ‘representative’. It’s not like we’re showing off that we’re gangsters.”

Yeon Tae-soo put his arm around the shoulder of the big guy who was bowing his head, watching his reaction, as they left the auction house.

“You know, when something’s really pretty, it has this unique aura. So no matter how much you cover it up, it just radiates out.”

Yeon Tae-soo was certain that not only the face behind the mask, but also the body trapped in that old gown, would be exceptional.

“Expensive things show their quality even when wrapped in cheap packaging. You need to quickly unwrap those things and set them free.”

But isn’t it said that the more delicious something is, the more you should savor it? Although his senses had been abnormal for a long time, he knew that licking bit by bit was more delicious than swallowing in one gulp.

But that fake doctor kept making Yeon Tae-soo impatient.

“Are we heading home, sir?”

The driver asked as they got in the car. Yeon Tae-soo’s home was on the top floor of Eden. He thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Yeah, I don’t need to go to the hospital today.”

It might seem pointless now, but shouldn’t he not show his face for at least a day so as not to seem too eager?

Yeon Tae-soo felt his lower body becoming stiff as he sank into the back seat. It seemed like he’d have to take care of himself as soon as he got home today too.

***

Today, a patient came in with one hand cut off. Mr. Yoo stopped the bleeding and disinfected the amputation site as usual. Since the severed hand wasn’t brought in, he couldn’t perform reattachment surgery.

Just as he finished wrapping the bandage, Mr. Yoo felt metal poking his side.

“Hand over all the money you have.”

Mr. Yoo slowly raised both hands and checked towards the desk. The desk drawer containing the revolver was within reach.

The patient pointed at the tablet on the desk with one hand.

“Hurry!”

The watch the patient was wearing was probably prepaid, so it couldn’t be traced. As soon as the money was transferred, it would go to an untraceable account.

Mr. Yoo stood up. He slowly approached the desk, and as soon as he grabbed the tablet, he turned around and hit the patient’s head with all his might.

The sound of the tablet hitting the head was almost simultaneous with the gunshot.

Mr. Yoo stepped aside while opening the drawer and taking out the revolver. The next gunshot was from Mr. Yoo.

The patient collapsed and breathed his last.

Mr. Yoo sat down and gasped for breath. Only when Popo came running noisily and reached out to him did he realize he had been shot in the arm.

The immediate pain felt less burdensome than having to clean up the blood-soaked floor and dispose of the corpse.

A illogical thought developed that if that human who came every day had been here today, this wouldn’t have happened. He shook his head like a human would.

In fact, this kind of thing happened often. It wasn’t the first or second time he had been robbed by a patient.

But it seemed that even such common occurrences could sometimes be overwhelming enough to drain all energy. Should he express it as a decrease in ability rather than being drained, since he wasn’t human?

Feeling his clothes getting soaked in blood, he wondered if he should have had a stronger body. After all, his creator didn’t make this body for combat or physical labor.

Even in this situation, Yeon Tae-soo kept coming to mind. Of all days for this to happen, it had to be when that human who had been coming every day like clockwork didn’t show up.

‘…I’ll have to wash the gown.’

He took off the blood-soaked gown and treated his own wound. Fortunately, his blood was red like humans’.

***

Perhaps due to the blood loss, Mr. Yoo felt dizzy and slept until late the next morning. He woke up close to noon to the sound of knocking on the door.

Unable to even put on his gown, he went out hastily in his pajamas with just his mask on. Yeon Tae-soo waved happily at his appearance but then froze.

“What’s this? What happened to your arm?”

Blood had seeped through the bandage visible under the short-sleeved T-shirt. Mr. Yoo scratched the back of his head and took out water from the refrigerator to drink.

“Which bastard did this to you? Huh?”

Perhaps due to the blood loss, it was especially difficult to speak today. Instead of answering, he threw some solid oil to Popo and sat in the examination chair, meaninglessly tapping on the tablet.

“I’m very tired today. Just…”

That’s when it happened. Someone knocked on the hospital door and came in. Mr. Yoo’s body stiffened at the glimpse of a uniform visible through the doorway.

He shouldn’t show signs of surprise here, he absolutely must not be scared. He tried to calm himself, but his body, too similar to a human’s, produced an honest reaction. Unable to hide his likely pale face, he turned around while pulling his mask up just below his eyes.

“I’m a police officer from Haeya district. I came to ask a few questions.”

It was clear the words were directed at him, but Mr. Yoo couldn’t bring himself to turn around readily. His heart started racing and he felt short of breath.

He was afraid even though he hadn’t done anything wrong. Even if this police officer discovered he was an android, it’s not like his life would end right this moment, but he felt crushed by fear.

This emotion, no, this bodily reaction that felt similar to emotion, must surely be fake. Because he couldn’t possibly feel emotions.

“Officer Kim, working hard, huh?”

Yeon Tae-soo’s voice reached his tensed ears. Glancing back, he saw Yeon Tae-soo naturally placing his hand on the police officer’s shoulder, pretending to be close.

“Ah, Mr. Representative, hello.”

“What brings you here so early? Our Mr. Yoo says he’s a bit tired today.”

At Yeon Tae-soo’s words, the officer showed an apologetic smile.

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. It’s just that there’s been a commotion lately because of androids. We’re just conducting a formal investigation to see if anyone has seen anything.”

Was it because of that android that had been randomly assaulting people recently? The police officer took out a tablet and showed the screen.

“If you see an android that looks like this, please report it.”

Mr. Yoo glanced at the screen and froze.

On the police officer’s tablet screen was a photo of the robber who had broken in here yesterday.

It seemed that person was the android that had been causing a stir in Haeya-dong recently.

“Don’t worry, I’m here. If I see it, I’ll catch it for you.”

“Yes, with you here, Mr. Representative, we feel at ease.”

The conversation between the two sounded distant. Mr. Yoo quietly sat in the chair, biting his lip. He hoped the trembling of his hands and the cold sweat running down his back, enough to make it damp, wouldn’t be noticed.