episode_0013
by fnovelpia“Does the temporary guardian intend to adopt you?”
I nodded and carefully announced my intention to adopt again.
I’m thinking about it now, but in today’s Korea, adoption was a very complicated and difficult process, and at the same time, you had to follow annoying rules because you had an obligation to take good care of the child.
Great care is being taken to protect children, and punishment for domestic violence has become very strict.
The provisions of the law themselves were explicitly conscious of the events of that time, and were created because there had been incidents of genetically modified children being sold overseas under the pretext of adoption.
So adoption today was too burdensome for those who were not prepared.
But who would adopt if it were hard?
Who will raise the child?
Should I say instead?
The benefits have also been enormous.
The city’s security is maintained by combat-type biobots.
Although regular bio-bots also played a role in maintaining public order, combat-type bio-bots boasting tremendous combat power boasted an enormous value that was incomparable to regular bio-bots.
It was that expensive though.
In any case, these combat-type bio-bots are made of different materials from regular bio-bots, so they are not only sturdy, but also continuously learn information about battle, so each one has a power comparable to that of an old-fashioned tank.
These combat-type biobots continuously patrol the city, giving priority to households with children on their patrol route.
It meant raising your child with peace of mind.
Support for medical care was also unprecedented.
When a medical biobot contacts a child saying he or she is sick, it immediately visits the child’s home to provide diagnosis and treatment.
Support for education?
My mouth hurts even if I say it.
Educational expenses up to university are paid by the government.
Nowadays, people are in a relaxed situation where they don’t have to worry about money, so I didn’t pay much attention to the topic of support fees, but in the past, it would have been so unconventional that people would have been dissuaded.
How much leisure would anyone be able to choose and buy the house they want?
Is it that rich of a country?
Compared to the money they make, people don’t have it because they’re all dead.
There are no elderly people and the young people have all been wiped out due to the genetic modification incident, and in the stagnant and depressed atmosphere of the country, there are no people because they have not given birth to children.
Is there any answer as those who remain also complain of depression due to mental trauma?
This means that what happened in the past was shocking.
There were only a few schools left, with only those run by the government.
“Yes.”
Still, I wanted to raise that child.
“It would be quite a hassle. I heard you live alone. You probably aren’t used to parenting, right? Do not yell at your child, do not show him or her violently throwing or breaking things, eat together, take care of your child when he or she is sick, watch your child read to establish proper values, play with your child once a day, Ensuring children have free time, prohibiting swearing, and filtering out harmful content. There are more, but I will shorten them. In fact, unless it’s an important rule, there’s no harm in breaking small things little by little.”
I knew there were rules… but there are so many…
Some might say it’s obvious, but you can’t always follow all of these rules, even on days when you’re tired or sick.
“The biggest problem above all is… Can you tolerate periodic visits from a child protection biobot to check if your child is being abused or neglected?”
This was the problem.
In adoption, such visits must be accepted unconditionally, and even if the child was born with a stomachache, visits are made periodically if there is even the slightest sign of abuse.
And if abuse is confirmed, the biobot takes the child out of the house.
This was more like enforcing the law.
Although it is a measure that still receives numerous protests…
Children who were abused often considered biobots as their parents when they became adults, and many people said they were grateful for this measure, so it seems like it is still being maintained.
At the time, protests were so strong that it came close to being abolished.
“And once a month, as a parent, you must receive mandatory training on how to raise your child. Here… Fortunately, it’s close. There is a parent association and parent education center in District 3. The location will be sent to you via message, so you can go on any day of the month.”
I sighed in relief that the adoption was successful.
He must have been nervous.
“Oh, there’s something I forgot to mention. Since the temporary guardian rescued the child and wished to adopt it, there is a high possibility that the child will be adopted, but information about the child will be posted on the adoption site hosted by City Hall. Therefore, other people will also apply to adopt this child.”
“Then, the city hall reviews where it is best to send the child.”
I never thought of that possibility.
If I did this, there was a possibility of being separated from my child, so all I could think about was what I would do if that happened.
Now, it wasn’t a long time to just casually send them off to live well, but that daily life has become precious.
The counselor made eye contact and said.
“Are you able to raise a child well on your own?”
I was embarrassed because I couldn’t understand the intention of the question.
What is the intention?
Anyway, no matter what answer I give, City Hall will ultimately judge it, and if so, the current conversation will be meaningless.
First of all, I answered the question.
“Yes, it’s only for a few days, but it’s become so precious to me.”
I appealed as much as possible.
Even if it is a bio-bot that actually has no emotions and acts like a human, this conversation will probably be recorded and reported to a human higher than the bio-bot.
If so, isn’t there a possibility that people will listen to this conversation and view it favorably?
If so, I thought I could probably expect good results from that review.
At least he wasn’t a human who discriminated against biobots.
In a situation where there are many people who openly hate people, this is enough…
The conversation ended with that.
However, the numerous documents, lengthy explanations, and application forms that I had to sign did not finish until dark.
I was determined, but I was able to get out of here only when I was exhausted…
It’s too hard…
It was the right time to go back and make dinner for our little boy.
Even if you don’t have to prepare it yourself, a home robot will prepare the meal for you…
“Thank you…”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
*****
Knock
“Oh, it’s cold!”
I jumped up in surprise at the small shock and cold sensation I felt on my nose.
A considerable amount of time had already passed, dusk had set and the surroundings were getting darker, and the rain that had stopped seemed like it was about to fall again, and dark clouds were seen that were even darker than the darkening surroundings.
The dark clouds, which were probably filled with a lot of sediment, were flowing down drop by drop.
Where did the robot go?
Ah, it looks like he’s doing housework.
When I put my hand on the floor to get up, my right hand caught something.
It’s an umbrella, right?
Did the robot leave it because it thought it was going to rain?
I could have just gone straight into the house, but for some reason, that option didn’t appeal to me.
He said he would come back before dinner, but it didn’t seem like Jihye had returned yet.
What’s going on?
Or is work delayed?
It suddenly occurred to me that maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a walk around here until Jihye returns.
If you just walk around nearby, you won’t get lost, and if you have to, wouldn’t it be okay to get help from a biobot?
Since I’m only going out for a short time anyway, there won’t be any problems.
I’m not really a kid, am I?
I gently opened the door and looked around.
If you get caught by a robot, won’t they stop you from going out?
On rainy days, it was best to wear an umbrella and go outside for a walk.
The road was quiet.
I was a bit surprised because I couldn’t see any biobots wandering around from time to time, but I thought this was pretty good.
Normally, the streets on rainy days would be quiet as people would go inside buildings to avoid the rain.
There were times like this when I wanted to be alone.
Of course, enjoying a cup of tea and a leisurely conversation with someone wasn’t a bad idea.
That’s what rain originally was.
It set the tone for every action.
As long as it’s not too weird.
As I came out onto the empty street, I felt like I was alone in the world.
Enjoying the freedom to the fullest, I put on an umbrella, got out, and started walking down the street.
Come to think of it, there weren’t too many people here.
There are a lot of biobots.
Wasn’t there a lot of people here in Korea to begin with?
For some reason, there seemed to be more robots than people.
However, it was said that biobots also maintain public security, so does it need to be this invisible?
As if to answer my question, I saw biobots running urgently somewhere over there.
What happened?
It probably has nothing to do with me.
Intoxicated by the atmosphere of the rainy day, I went farther and farther.
Although it was a little different from the original purpose, it was impossible for people to live according to their original plan.
It wasn’t that kind of creature, and isn’t it possible for humans to control all the variables in the world?
Let’s name the variable that ruined my plan Whim.
While taking a walk, I saw biobots running around several times.
At this point, I didn’t know what was going on, but it was evidence that something was going on.
And unlike the running bio-bots, bio-bots were sometimes seen circling around and looking for something.
I naturally avoid noisy places.
It also doubles as a bio bot that searches for things.
Since the biobot ran towards the direction where the incident occurred, wouldn’t it be okay to just avoid that direction?
Occasionally, he would be caught and refused an offer to take him home, saying he was on his way home.
After wandering around for a while, the rain got heavier and heavier, and it was now pitch black, probably because it was evening.
Now it’s time to go back.
With that thought in mind, I jumped up and down and went back the way I came.
Should I ask Jihye to buy me a computer later?
If I actively took advantage of my child and showed some cuteness, they might buy it for me.
librarian… Why do I want to buy it?
What do I want to do here?
Grumble
Even lightning?
Now I have to go back really quickly.
“Hye-rin!”
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