episode_0324

***

The road back to base was longer than usual. This is because the drone’s movement was different from usual, so it had to go back a long way.

“It was dangerous today.”

After returning to the base, I relaxed my stiff body. It’s not that it wasn’t, but there were dangerous situations because the drone’s patrol route was unpredictable.

“The patrol route changes every 4 to 5 years, but today’s case is judged to be different from the usual patrol route change.”

NB said as he took out the luggage he had brought with him one by one.

“Has something gone wrong?”

“The Ark prevents variables from occurring in Aaru. Perhaps, the drone’s movements today are also intended to deal with that variable.”

Speaking of variables…

“Has my presence been discovered?”

NB shook his head at my concerns.

“The possibility of that happening is slim. If the Ark had been aware of Kang In-ho’s existence, it would not have chased him down with a simple drone.”

It was a reassuring, yet quite scary answer.

NB sparked a small spark and ignited the stove.

Dry tree branches began to burn and warm the air of the base.

“Then….”

What other variables are there?

“It is unknown how much information the Ark manages, but there are many variables.”

NB says the obvious.

NB started sorting through the things brought from Aaru.

I set up the rusty scrap metal neatly in the corner of the base and started putting miscellaneous things into the cabinet.

I was sitting on a chair and massaging my legs. I was moved by the sight of him working hard, so I quietly got up and walked over to NB.

“Do you need anything?”

NB asked matter-of-factly. I stood next to him and helped him sort through the clutter.

“I’ll help you.”

“You don’t need to do that. This is my job after all.”

NB tilts his head and examines me.

The lens of the camera forming NB’s eye began to click and rotate.

“If we do it together, it will be over quickly. I have received a lot of help, so I will help you.”

I opened the first drawer to put the tool set in. I try to fit the new item into a place that is already full of other tool sets.

“Have I helped you with anything?”

As I was working like that, NB asked.

“First of all, for saving me, and for letting me stay with him at the base…”

“Human protection is built into Android’s basic behavioral principles.”

“Still, I am thankful for what I am thankful for. Because the intention was to help anyway.”

As I turned my face and spoke to hide my embarrassment, NB’s hand that was organizing my luggage stopped.

“Is that a human thought?”

“What?”

In response to my question, NB looks at me and speaks again.

“Is that a principle of human behavior?”

Gray eyes stare at me. What made it up was obviously a camera made of glass and metal, not flesh, but I caught a glimpse of something inside it.

“Is it a principle of human behavior to return help when one is helped?”

NB asked as if he was seeking wisdom or the truth.

“Generally so.”

“In general, it is difficult to understand what that means. The principles of action apply uniformly to all species.”

“So, there is no such thing as a principle that applies uniformly to humans.”

NB’s eyes widened at my words. Just like a human.

“Everyone is different.”

“But aren’t there still principles and principles that apply?”

“Generally, there is such a thing. A desire to survive or something…”

But if you ask whether the desire to survive is absolutely applicable, yes.

“But, there are also cases where people give up on living on their own.”

“Difficult to understand.”

NB closed the cabinet with a loud clang.

“I think it is human that we cannot apply uniform standards.”

Sometimes I can’t understand myself either.

“Is that so?”

NB turned around and headed somewhere.

NB, who was standing in the corner of the base where the curtain was drawn, pulled it back with a click, and a hidden bookshelf appeared.

It was an old bookshelf made of moldy and rotted plywood.

“Then, can I ask Kang In-ho for help?”

When I heard the word ‘help’ come directly from NB’s mouth, I straightened up.

“Yes. But what is that?”

NB came next to me, taking out an old book from the bookshelf.

“This is a book I got from a previous quest. It is a ‘paper book’ printed before e-books were commercialized.”

I guess e-books were common because it was the future.

“And this is a novel that is not intended to convey any knowledge, but rather conveys a fictitious story to the reader.”

“Yes.”

“There is no problem reading and understanding content about any theory, but many of these types of books are difficult to understand when read literally.”

“I guess so, right?”

Because there are novel permissions or something like that.

“That’s why I’m asking Kang In-ho for help. As I read this novel, I hope you can explain the parts I don’t understand.”

“Good. It’s not difficult. So, when should we start doing this?”

NB paused for a moment. It would be to open the scheduler stored inside my body.

“Today is a day when there is no need to adjust the dimensional navigation line. Can we proceed after dinner?”

“Of course.”

***

After a simple dinner, I placed a chair near the fireplace and sat down.

NB tried to read while standing, but the sight itself felt strangely burdensome, so I advised her to sit down.

– Oh, do novels have to be read sitting down?

It was a bit difficult to find an answer to NB’s innocent question.

NB, sitting across from me, opened a book that was moldy just like the bookshelf.

When I opened the thick book, a musty smell hit my nose.

NB paid no heed to my frowning and turned the pages of the book with slender hands.

“This part is difficult.”

“What part is it? I can’t read.”

I stop NB from showing me.

“[She let him go because she loved him. Looking at his back, she smiled. It was a cry with a smile.]”

NB, who had finished reading, looked at me with a calm attitude.

“Uh… do you want me to interpret it?”

NB nodded.

“Hmm… I don’t really know the context. First of all, are the man and woman in the novel in love with each other?”

“This is a narrative that focuses on the female protagonist, and there is nothing about the male character.”

“In other words, you don’t know whether a man likes a woman?”

“That’s right. However, the expression that the main character loves a man was often used.”

“Hmm… But why is the man leaving?”

“Because he has a mission.”

“Can’t I come back?”

“It is written that it is a situation where men are going to war. It is said that in the past, humans went to war directly. Since the probability of survival was very low, the woman believes that the man will not be able to return.”

I know that.

“Because the woman cannot keep up with the man, she has no choice but to let him go.”

“But why is it called ‘because I loved you’?”

what….

“Um… I see. By any chance, is this man the type of person who wants to go to war? Having a desire for success or a desire for fame.”

NB is silent for a moment in response to my question.

“It is written that all the friends in the village have gone to war. I am voluntarily enlisting after receiving notification that the fate of those friends is unclear.”

“Ah… Well, then I have no choice but to go.”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Is a friend valuable enough to give up your own safety?”

“It will be different for each person. But, if it’s written in that novel, it seems like friends are very important to a man, right?”

“Is that so?”

NB tilted his head.

“A man has to go to war to save his friends. That’s why women let men go. I think it’s about a woman loving a man, but letting him go because she knows his feelings. This may have different interpretations from person to person.”

“Did the woman let the man go because she knew his heart?”

“That’s right. If you were a person who only thought about yourself, you wouldn’t have sent a man, right? Because I love you, I kept you by my side and tried to spend time with you. But the woman in the novel seems to be a character who loves a man but respects his feelings.”

“I don’t want to send it, but I send it out of respect for the other person’s feelings.”

NB neatly summarized my ramblings.

I gave a thumbs up to show that I had done well.

“Thanks to Kang In-ho’s interpretation.”

I thought I saw NB’s faint smile.

“The last part is left. She laughed. It was a cry with a smile.”

“NB. What is your interpretation?”

“If a person laughs too much, it may stimulate the tear glands and cause tears.”

“But, the situation is such that you have no choice but to let go of someone you love. Do you think women have a reason to smile?”

“In fact, the woman had taken out a large amount of insurance in the man’s name. So, I am smiling because I was able to receive the insurance money when the man died.”

He looks at me with an expression that says, “What do you think, my guess?”

“Then it doesn’t make sense. Earlier, the woman kept expressing that she loved the man, but suddenly insurance money?”

I press my fingers against my throbbing head.

“It is said that art has unexpectedness and twists. Isn’t this the same context?”

“Well, if you add the twist you mentioned, I think it would become a hot topic in a different way. Anyway, no.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s a paradox. It’s a way to highlight the scene by using contradictory expressions. [This is a silent cry], [Spring of brilliant sadness]… Things like this.”

“Difficult to understand. Through Kang In-ho’s words, I understood that the woman was sad. But I still don’t know why I’m smiling.”

I also think deeply about NB’s words. How can I explain this easily?

…….

It’s difficult.

“I will explain this slowly later. It’s difficult to explain right away.”

“Is that so? Okay.”

NB started reading the novel like that.

The crackling twigs made a sound as they broke into the flames,

“In addition to this novel, there are many novels with the theme of ‘love’. What is the reason?”

“Because it is one of the strongest emotions that humans can feel.”

“What do you think of when you are in love?”

“I want to have that person by my side, I want to spend time with that person, I want to know more about that person… There’s more to it than this.”

“It seems similar to the feeling of wanting to restrain the other person.”

“There is also a form of love that binds. It depends on your taste.”

I spent the night answering questions NB often asked.

As if the ground was soaked in the misty rain, I slowly fell asleep and fell asleep in the chair, and when I opened my eyes, I was in bed.

The feel of the thick cotton blanket felt pleasant on my skin, and I looked around the base with a wet face.

As my feet touched the floor of the base, a coolness slowly filled me.

Looking at the food prepared on the small table, I looked around.

“NB?”

NB was not visible.