I still remember that day.
The day I stood alone in the cold snow.
Without warm clothes. Without comfortable footwear. My body was frozen from the piercing cold.
No one was around me. No one to help me.
I walked aimlessly on my stiff, cold feet. My chest felt tight. My breath was labored.
Why did this have to happen to me?
What had I done wrong?
I saw a house. Inside, a family was smiling cheerfully in their warm home. They didn't have to endure this piercing cold.
The warmth of a family I had never felt before.
I continued walking until I found an abandoned building. Although it was cold inside, it was still better than being directly exposed to the snow. I don't know how I managed to survive all those years.
At that time, a war broke out between two countries. Bombs fell, exploding buildings and streets. Soldiers exchanged gunfire and threw explosives. I ran from place to place, hiding for my life.
But if this continued, would I survive?
That day, I accidentally found something. It was one of the weapons belonging to a fallen soldier. I tried to imitate how to use the rifle from a soldier I had seen. Thinking it would be useful, I took it with me. Gradually, I became accustomed to using it. I shot those who tried to harm me without hesitation.
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.
Had I become a murderer?
Even so, I continued to save my life.
Then, one day, a soldier found me. He was the captain of a group. Seeing my abilities, the captain offered me entry into his group. Although I wasn't officially registered to serve the country, at least it would make it easier for me to get food and other necessities. I agreed, and I became a mercenary.
Days of destruction continued. Who knows how long this war would last.
Then that day, no one expected it. A bomb was detonated near the army base. Although the explosion was quite large, fortunately it didn't cause any damage to the base. Smoke began to rise from the center of the explosion.
At first, they thought it was just smoke from a bomb. Wearing gas masks, they tried to approach the center of the explosion. Some personnel began coughing and even fainted.
"What the hell?! Even gas masks can't ward it off?" Asked the group leader.
"Could this be an enemy attack?"
"No, sir. That's the symbol of our country's research center!" A member pointed to the intact bomb fragments.
"Damn! We weren't even informed about this. Are they trying to kill us too?" Said the group leader angrily.
They rushed back to base. However, only a few made it back. At base, the commander contacted headquarters. When he questioned the truth of the bomb detonation, headquarters simply gave a curt reply,
"There's nothing we can do. It's the state's decision."
Hearing this, the commander was furious. Their struggle for the country had no value in the eyes of the higher-ups.
It has nothing to do with me. I'm only here for money and food.
The leader, along with his members, decided to rebel against the state. In the rebellion, most of his members were killed, leaving only a few remaining. But that didn't dampen their resolve to rebel. Not just for justice, but also for their pride.
So, why am I still here with them?
Why am I fighting alongside them?
Why don't I just go find a new source?
I don't know. I don't intend to find out, because even if I do, the same thing will happen.
Has my life become boring? Maybe so.
Gradually, I no longer care what the meaning of my life is until I carry out this mission.
A robot made in such a way that resembles a human. To create that robot, many people became victims. They used children and adults as experiment subjects.
Their emotions, their brainwave frequencies, their heartbeats, their blood, and every inch of their bodies made them perfect robots.
Because humans could defect, they created humanoid robots to prevent rebellion.
Was that the right thing to do? Of course not.
Destroying those robots was the right thing to do for the justice of the sacrificed.
But why didn't I destroy it?
Why did I try to save it?
That day when she opened her eyes and called me father, I felt something wrong in my heart.
The clear eyes, the way of speaking, and the innocent behavior seemed exactly like a real human child.
Being with her made me realize that she had done nothing wrong. She never asked to be created.
Even though I had killed countless people, for some reason I couldn't kill her.
Even though I repeatedly reminded myself that she are robots, she had more feelings than my human self.
Even though those feelings were just a program that had been written, it didn't deny the fact that she had awakened a feeling inside me that was almost dying.
A feeling of familial affection that I had never felt.
Even though I don't know how to be a real father, I will protect her.
My robot daughter.
But she was the one who protected me first.
A shot was fired straight at the man. A loud bang rang out. But it missed him.
In front of him, a small figure with her hair tied in two braids with a red ribbon stood right in front of him.
Her beautiful black dress with a red ribbon was now in tatters. Right where the bullet had struck, the man saw it.
A mechanical heart.
"Are you okay, father?" The girl turned to the man and smiled.
With a pitiful expression, tears began to flow from his eyes.
"Yes... I'm okay." The man replied with a smile that held back tears.
The director, who saw the scene, was shocked.
"How could this be... The program has been reset! Why hasn't there been any change?!"
The director looked back at the device he was carrying and fiddled with the program again. But nothing changed in the little girl.
"I told you, you're not my father."
A thin smoke began to emerge from her hollow chest. A black liquid also began to flow from her body.
[Forcing command acceptance.]
[System overload.]
[Unable to maintain control.]
[Self-destruction countdown will begin.]
A notification sound rang out.
"What?! Self-destruction? No such command has been added!!"
"Stop the self-destruction!!" The director kept tapping the device he was carrying.
"Stop!! Cancel the command!!"
But nothing changed.
"Damn! Why isn't this working?!"
"Because that command was my own will." The girl turned to look at the man.
"Father, I'm sorry. I can't hold on any longer." she said with a smile. But tears were also welling up in her eyes.
Even though they were artificial tears, they were still tears of sadness.
"Damn! The explosive power is no joke. The entire city could be destroyed by the blast." The director thought to himself.
"Damn! Everyone retreat from here immediately!" He ordered.
When they were all gone, the two of them were left in the middle of the snowfield.
The little girl's body collapsed on the cold snow. The man held her with his injured hand.
"Father, you should get out of here too."
"I'm not leaving."
"Why?"
"There's no reason."
Amidst the silence, a notification sound rang out.
[10.... ]
"Thank you."
"Why, father?"
"For calling me father."
[9.... ]
"Father, I'm just a robot following a program. Maybe my feelings are fake."
[8.... ]
"Even if they're fake, it doesn't matter. Because you're my daughter."
[7.... ]
"You, a robot, have feelings, but I, a human, try to push away my own. Aren't I worse off?"
[6.... ]
"Thank you."
[5.... ]
"Father, can I say something?"
"What?"
[4.... ]
"If there really is a next life... Can I be your daughter again?"
[3.... ]
"Of course. You'll always be my daughter."
[2... ]
A mechanical heart that kept her alive is now about to kill her.
The love of a soulless machine.
A father holding his daughter tightly.
[1... ]
[0.]