Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 16: A and I

After finishing the job for the Concrete Family, a considerable amount of time had passed.

I was spending my days peacefully, eating pizza in my room, without any new jobs coming in.

Amber had strongly advised me to refrain from taking on any new jobs for the time being, with a serious expression, right after the job had been completed.

It was probably because of the job involving the corporation.

From my experience, when Amber says something like that, it’s better to just stay still.

Her predictions when it comes to anything related to corporations were pretty accurate.

Well, for me, it wasn’t much of a concern since I was planning to relax after earning a ton of credits from the last job. Amber’s warning didn’t hold much weight.

Thus, peaceful days without jobs continued.

My life returned to its usual rhythm.

Eat, sleep, eat pizza, sleep again.

That was the kind of lifestyle I led when I wasn’t taking on any jobs.

The only difference was one small detail.

There was now one more "tenant" in my tiny studio apartment.

An AI that resembled me, or more precisely, the MK Corp. AI—small and just as strange as it was.

This little guy had somehow followed me after I met it at the Concrete Family.

I quickly became accustomed to living with the mini AI.

To an ordinary person, it might have been unsettling to encounter something that only I could see, but it didn’t bother me.

I wasn’t new to meeting invisible entities that only I could perceive.

I named this one "I."

"Since I’m A, you’re going to be I."

[Hehe.]

It was a simple logic, but the little AI smiled brightly upon hearing the name.

I spent most of my time with I floating around me.

It couldn’t speak fluently, but it communicated well enough with distinct expressions and gestures.

Sometimes, it would even display necessary information in transparent holograms.

[The occupation of the Black Bio Plant in Low-Tech Street is continuing, causing serious disruptions in the food supply across Babel City...]

The news on TV was still dominated by the Black Bio Crisis.

The occupation was ongoing, and production at the Black Bio Plant had come to a halt.

The production of many food items stopped, and food prices skyrocketed.

Of course, except for white rice porridge.

That awful-tasting white rice porridge was still the cheapest food and was overflowing in every store.

The Black Bio Plant surely produced it as well, making it a strangely unaffected item during the crisis.

It was so bizarre that while I was researching related information, I stumbled upon a horrifying fact.

<White rice porridge has no expiration date.>

It was revealed that white rice porridge was, in fact, an indestructible food!

It didn’t spoil like canned food in a sealed container; it could sit in a bowl without going bad!

What on earth was it made from?

For the sake of my mental health, I decided not to search for the ingredients of the white rice porridge.

Actually, the reason I wasn’t particularly worried about the Black Bio Crisis was simple.

Because Black Bio pizza deliveries were still ongoing.

Although the price had almost doubled, the fact that they were being delivered on time in this situation was impressive.

Nom nom.

"Pizza is the best..."

I muttered contentedly, slowly munching on a piece of Black Bio pizza.

I watched I, who was curiously observing me eat, suddenly create a glowing blue digital pizza on its tiny palm.

It was smaller than the real thing, but its shape and color were astonishingly identical.

Then, just like me, it took a bite out of the pizza.

Nom nom.

It was impossible not to laugh at how perfectly it copied my eating noises and even the posture I had, half-buried in the bed.

"Is it good?"

I asked.

I gave a big nod and smiled brightly.

Of course, I had no idea if it could actually taste anything, but...

Its expression was no different from someone really enjoying their food.

Then, I watched as I took a small piece from its digital pizza and offered it to Mecha-Agu, who was lying next to me, watching TV.

Mecha-Agu opened its mouth as if it were eating for real and accepted the piece.

Kyuhehe.

Mecha-Agu’s laughter echoed through the room.

Interestingly, Mecha-Agu could see I.

Could it be because I and Mecha-Agu were born together?

Actually, Mecha-Agu had been quite terrified of I.

It had even hidden in a corner of the room to avoid I!

Considering that Agu was quite strong, it seemed like Agu viewed I almost like a ghost and was scared of it.

But thanks to I constantly getting closer, now the two of them were playing together happily.

Outside, a sandstorm was whipping through the city, but inside the studio, it was warm and cozy.

I lay down, using the pizza box as a pillow, and thought to myself.

The outside world was still chaotic and dangerous, but at least inside this small room, everything was perfect.

Kyu...

I yawned, pretending to be sleepy, and Mecha-Agu quietly crawled up beside me and curled up.

Then, I watched as I squeezed between Mecha-Agu and me to settle in.

"I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit..."

I murmured as I closed my eyes.

****

The Concrete Family, led by Onyx, continued their relentless march toward the outskirts of Babel.

As they ventured into the farthest reaches, they had to cross areas buffeted by blizzards at times and torrential rain at others.

"Just a little more... just a little more."

Onyx spoke to the weary family, her voice almost like a vow to herself.

This was a place so frequently ravaged by spatial fusion that even maps couldn’t help them.

Walking on the "outskirts" was an experience that, even with eyes wide open and the path clear, still brought an overwhelming sense of uncertainty—as if walking through a fog.

It felt as though they had been left stranded in the middle of a vast ocean, but the Concrete Family pressed on, silently and without complaint.

Perhaps it was because so many had already died.

Or maybe they were mourning the loss of their boss.

Dressed in white, they walked on silently, resembling a procession of ghosts.

To make sure they were out of reach of Hexa Core Armory, they encouraged each other and kept moving forward.

Like their name, the Concrete Family stayed united, watching each other’s backs, as a family should.

How far had they traveled?

Finally, they found an appropriate place.

It was a remote corner not even listed on mercenary maps, but the fusion changes weren’t as severe here.

A place once home to a village, now reduced to ruins with no one left.

It was the perfect location for the Concrete Family, who had been searching for a place to stay.

"This is where we’ll start again."

Onyx said, looking around the abandoned village.

That night, they celebrated their new base with a small party.

The campfire in the center turned the night sky a reddish hue, and they shared whatever food and alcohol they had managed to gather.

Someone found an old guitar in the corner of the village and played a melancholic melody, while a few others danced to the music.

Onyx looked at each of the faces of her family members illuminated by the firelight.

They were her family now.

She had to fill the place left by her father.

She silently made a vow.

One day, she would return to her rightful place.

And one day, she would take revenge on Hexa Core Armory.

Praying silently, Onyx held up a cheap slice of pizza toward the campfire.

"For Father."

She murmured.

"For the Concrete Family!"

She shouted more loudly.

Then everyone raised their food or drink in unison.

"For the Concrete Family!"

It felt like a new beginning for the Concrete Family.

****

_

"Yawn."

I squinted at the light creeping through the window and slowly regained consciousness.

The blue light from my hair tips, disheveled from sleep, spread around my face.

The studio was already buzzing with activity.

Mecha-Agu and I were already up, running around the room, playing.

Kyu! Kyu!

[Hehe.]

The laughter of the two filled the small space.

I watched them absentmindedly while I mentally ordered a Black Bio pizza.

It was the feature I used the most in the portable communication device I had swallowed.

'I'm sleepy....'

I murmured, still groggy, and turned on the TV to wake myself up.

I started flipping through channels looking for something to watch, but the screen was filled with flashy advertisements.

[Check out Melton Fit's new muscle implants right now! Achieve the perfect body in just one day!]

[Nexus Direct's neural interface! With just a thought, anything is possible!]

[Quantum Lock's new security system! Protect your [N O V E L I G H T] biometric data right now!]

I sighed and kept changing channels, but the situation was the same.

Free broadcasts were 50% ads, 30% corporate promotions disguised as content, and 20% corporate news, so of course, there was nothing worth watching.

It was odd that Mecha-Agu seemed to enjoy this kind of broadcast.

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

"Yawn."

I yawned again and flopped back onto the bed.

'It's late, pizza.'

Normally, the pizza would have arrived within 10 minutes, but it hadn’t come yet.

I wondered if the prolonged Black Bio occupation had affected the delivery system.

It was strange since there wasn’t even a sandstorm outside.

As I absentmindedly stared at the ceiling, my eyes shifted to the Hangeul notes on the wall.

"List of good pizza places," "Problems with AI frames," "Things to ask Amber," "Difference between Assimilation AI and regular AI"....

Among the various notes, the "Scarlet Job" note I’d written recently caught my attention.

I still hadn’t told Amber about Scarlet.

I’ll have to tell her the next time I see her.

Agu and I were now sitting side by side in front of the TV, staring intently at the ads.

It was oddly amusing to see the two so engrossed in the advertisements.

Suddenly, Mecha-Agu perked up its antennae and looked toward the front door.

'Someone must be approaching....'

Then, after a little while.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

As expected, someone was knocking on the door.

The cautious sound of knuckles tapping against the door.

'?'

Who could be coming?

Amber would just come in, so it must be someone else...

I raised an eyebrow and slowly got up from the bed, walking toward the front door.

"Who's there...? Hmm?"

When I opened the door with a sleepy expression, a middle-aged man covered in tattoos and implants was kneeling in front of the door, his forehead pressed against the ground.

On the man’s back, "Black Bio Pizza" was written in large letters.

"Please, save me!"

The man started begging for his life, head still on the floor, pleading for mercy.

What the hell is going on?