episode_0024
by fnovelpiaThe doctor did not act to explain that it was any kind of disease.
There is no need to mention the end of the practitioner, which is known to both the general public and children.
They were people who knew everything and only gave brief, formal explanations.
“How much is left..?”
“There is no way to know for sure, but it appears that a significant amount of genes were edited by inserting some of the genes of animals that do not exist in humans, so it appears to be 5 to 6 years at the most. The problem is the timing of the procedure. It is now an illegal and strictly prohibited procedure…”
The doctor glanced at me with eyes full of meaning.
That was the problem.
Although we can roughly infer from the parents’ records when the child underwent the procedure, no one except the parents knew how the gene was manipulated or how much it was done.
Even if you did a test, you could only guess what was put in it by looking at the genes.
Even if you try to judge it roughly by appearance, depending on how the genes were manipulated, it not only changed the appearance but also had the effect of slowing aging. In many cases, the genetic manipulation only slightly affected the appearance but affected talent or intelligence, so how much gene editing was done based on the appearance? was difficult to predict.
So, there were cases where children looked young on the outside but were actually on the verge of becoming adults, or there were cases where children looked like ordinary people on the outside but had a lot of editing on the inside, so parents often deceived their children into thinking they were geniuses rather than genetically modified children.
In the case of Yeji, she had almost no behavior or common sense, so it felt like she was actually young to match her appearance and had undergone extensive genetic manipulation.
Thanks to that genetic manipulation, he may have been able to survive alone in that shrine for a long time, but for now, it was only the beginning of despair.
“Unfortunately, there is no solution at this time.”
“Unlike before, the world has developed a lot.”
“The guardian would know better. How the gene was edited and what factors were added. Also, is there a way or not?”
The doctor shook his head.
Humanity believed that it could conquer genes, but ultimately failed, and Korea proved it.
It’s not that the research wasn’t done well or that there were mistakes.
I walked down one of the many paths leading to my goal, thinking it was a shortcut, but I realized it was a bridge made of rotten wooden planks tied together with ropes on a cliff.
The direction was wrong from the beginning and the cost was too great.
The parents’ desire for their child to be healthy and talented combined with the failure of technology led to a catastrophe.
I knew it, but hearing directly from the doctor that there was no way was depressing.
Is there really no way?
Is there really no answer other than just a way to help Yeji live happily before she dies?
The doctor told me a few things to keep in mind, but I didn’t pay attention to them.
Anyway, a guidebook comes out and all you have to do is install the operator care program on the home robot.
Although I know very well that I will definitely die later.
My current child is so healthy and active that he likes to play, so I couldn’t even feel it.
Even such a healthy child dies before reaching adulthood.
Maybe it was because I couldn’t grasp the harsh reality, but I also had strange thoughts.
Maybe all parents at the time thought this too?
“Guardian.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t give up.”
“… ”
Suddenly, I stopped walking when I heard the doctor’s words that I didn’t understand.
Why are you suddenly saying that?
“Children may seem innocent, but they are sensitive. They are good at understanding adults’ feelings. What if parents are happy? The child gets excited without even knowing what it is. When parents are sad, the child is also sad. If an adult is anxious, of course they become anxious as well.”
“Parents are everything to a child. Nothing has been decided yet. You never know what will happen in the future.”
“I will also find a way, so guardians, please do not give up first. There are people in the United States who are familiar with genetic engineering technology. Since my friend has the same gift, maybe we can find a way.”
I absentmindedly looked at the mirror near the door.
Ah, your face was crumpled like this.
I was confident about my face, but before I knew it, my severely wrinkled face looked a bit ugly.
Yeji must have been really surprised to see it.
“Thank you…thank you…”
I guess he was just telling me to take it easy, but I felt a little relieved when the doctor said he would find a way.
*****
Yeji became speechless from the moment she arrived at the hospital.
I wondered if he had heard the conversation or knew something about me, but it didn’t seem like that.
But he looked depressed.
Normally, the child’s red eyes, sparkling like ruby gems, would be wide open, revealing the innocence contained within, but now the child’s eyes were half-closed and helpless, looking somewhat empty and lonely.
You might ask how you can understand a person’s emotions by looking into their eyes, but it just felt that way.
The child rests his chin and looks blankly out into the garden.
Even though it couldn’t fly, its wings, which normally fluttered feathers, were calm as if they were representing the owner’s feelings.
When seen from behind, it looked like a person immersed in absolute sadness.
It actually seemed like that.
This is the first time I’ve shown something like this before.
“Hey, do you want some juice?”
Yeji slowly released her arm from what I said, looked behind her, and responded with a weak smile.
“No.”
It was a smile that seemed as if it would disappear somewhere.
“I don’t want to drink right now.”
The child was calm as if nothing had happened.
It was a peaceful and quiet attitude, like a sea without waves.
However, the emotions that came out and could not be hidden were deep and depressing.
It seemed like he had no regrets in the world.
After those words, the conversation continued no further.
The raindrops falling from the sky, drop by drop, like dew outside the garden, seemed to reveal the child’s inner self.
The child’s appearance was so gorgeous that the sight of him staring blankly at the scenery outside was like a painting.
He seemed like someone who would disappear somewhere at any moment.
This analogy may not be appropriate for a child, but it seemed like a person who had burned his life and all that was left was ashes.
How much does your child know?
Do you really know why you went to the hospital today?
I remembered him asking me why I was going to the hospital in the car.
It certainly didn’t seem like a very good look.
Or is he reminiscing about the past?
Hoping that the child would feel better after eating something sweet, I took out the orange juice that the child was always craving, poured it into a glass and placed it next to the child.
The drink itself is bad for your health if you drink it often, so I’ve been preventing you from drinking it often these days, but wouldn’t it be okay to give it to you in times like this?
The child did not react even though there was sweet-smelling orange juice next to him.
I just looked outside with a faint smile.
I don’t know what to do in times like this.
So I just roughly stroked my head, sat down on the sofa next to me, turned on the TV, and tilted my head back.
It was because I didn’t watch the news these days, so the news made me feel dark.
Perhaps it was because of the considerable mental burden or the accumulated fatigue, but my eyes closed lazily on the gently sinking sofa.
Parenting was truly difficult.
*****
[Atmospheric daze]
If you are drowsy or dazed, it creates an atmosphere where you seem to have something going on.
Like a woman in a movie who makes you curious about the past with her atmospheric smile.
Gazing blankly at a cocktail in an atmospheric bar may seem like a scene from a movie to others.
Looks like you need to choose your traits more carefully…
Thoughts at the time: He’s so charismatic.
How is it that my past self was full of vague and pointless strengths while easily picking out the flaws that slightly hindered my daily life?
I can’t see myself, and when I look in the mirror and think about it, it’s not like I’m blanking out, so I barely feel it, and it’s not really helpful in real life, so it was a very ambiguous trait.
Still, it doesn’t seem like a bad trait to be able to get orange juice so easily, which you normally wouldn’t be able to drink even if you tried so hard.
sniffling
The birds did not show up, perhaps because of the rain.
There was a white lucky sign on the bowl containing the bird seed, so I guess he ate it while he was at the hospital.
[The birth rate is recovering again…]
[Biobots make money from humans, but feelings of hatred do not decrease. Most of the public opinion that hates it is unpleasant to see people pretending to be “humans.”]
[There are 3 destroyed biobots in the US today alone. All looting targets expensive parts inside the biobot. The method was to approach under the pretense of kindness and ambush from behind…]
[Marca Energy completely replaces oil and electricity. The history of those 30 years…]
[Marka power plant exploded in St. Petersburg, Russia. Under the circumstances, it is assumed that Marca Energy Source’s confidentiality device exploded as a result of an attempt to investigate in violation of the contract with Future Energy of the United States.]
[Russia claims it is a defective product. Rather, convey the opinion that compensation should be received.]
[Without people, Korea’s nature quickly recovered… A natural monument that has returned.]
Jihye fell asleep in that moment and no one was watching TV, so she turned it off.
It’s good to fill in common sense, but I know that the media often exaggerates or distorts things, so I don’t think it’s really suitable for filling out common sense.
Although the media here may be different.
Rolling the wheel, he called out to a passing car and warned him.
“Shhh… ! Jihye is sleeping..!”
As if he understood the meaning of my whispered words, Doldori nodded and put the wheels that served as legs inside, and suddenly a mechanical leg sprouted out from there and walked tiptoe.
omg… Something breaks…
It was as if I thought penguins had short legs and walked around toddling, but I felt like realizing that they were actually beings that laughed at losers by hiding their long legs under fat.
You don’t have longer legs than me… ?
I secretly compared Doldori’s legs with my legs out of the corner of my eye.
I think my legs are a little longer.
Just when I was about to sit there admiring the sound of rain again, I saw someone standing still on the fence of my house with only an umbrella visible.
Are you a short person?
Or did Ina come home after class?
It’s not time to finish yet, and Ina has temporarily registered as a family member, so she should be able to just come in.
Out of curiosity, I ran to the shoe cabinet, put on my shoes, opened my umbrella, and went outside.
who is this?
The expected person was Violet.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you for a day or two, right?
I was so happy that I ran over excitedly, dragged the box from the corner of the garden, placed it under the fence, and then climbed up to check over the fence.
Then I saw something black in front of my nose.
Oh, it looks like obsidian.
I don’t know what it was, but that was the only thing that came to mind.
Her black hair reached her waist and her black eyes sparkled like the starry night sky.
And compared to Violet, she was a bit shorter.
Would it be 160 at most?
The body shape was like that of a child, so it felt a little familiar.
Is this the kid I saw at school?
As if to deny my thoughts, the pins on both ends of my head jumped up.
It’s a biobot.
I mistook it for a hairpin.
“Woah! nice to meet! Are you the kid the captain was bragging about?”
“Uh… who are you?”
The child spoke to me in a friendly tone, as if speaking to a friend he had known for decades.
It was as if he was so happy to be invited to the event that he couldn’t control himself.
Isn’t this our first time seeing each other?
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