Chapter 95: A New Life

I paused to catch my breath in front of Master’s room.

Since the last time I made a mistake thinking Master was drunk, I hadn’t dared come near this room.

Now, as I prepared to enter after such a long time, my body stiffened with needless tension.

Carefully, I knocked on the door, and from inside came the reply, inviting me in.

I opened the door and peeked my head through.

“Master. William, I’m coming in.”

I almost called him “Master” out of habit, but recalling what he said earlier, I quickly changed the address.

Repeating the still unfamiliar name in my mind, I stepped inside the room.

Master was sitting at his desk.

The moment I saw him, I quickly scanned the surroundings and, thankfully, saw no sign of alcohol anywhere today.

“Didi, what’s the matter?”

While quietly breathing a sigh of relief, I was asked by Master.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

“May I sleep in William’s room tonight?”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

He looked a little surprised, probably not expecting me to ask permission like that.

But soon, he nodded and granted it.

I had already finished preparing to sleep, so the moment I got his permission, I climbed onto the bed.

As I snuggled under the covers, I saw Master, who didn’t seem ready to sleep yet, finishing up his work and standing up.

Soon the lights went out and darkness filled the room.

I felt the bed gently shake as Master slipped under the blanket beside me.

Turning my head toward him, I asked the question I’d been curious about since earlier.

“Why did you make me a citizenship and a passport?”

“You said being a robot was a problem. So if you become a person, that solves it.”

I stayed silent and nodded after hearing his answer.

Maybe because I had pushed him away even though he had seen through my feelings, it seemed he had found a way to resolve it on his own.

A single document and a passport.

To some, these might seem trivial, but to me, they weren’t.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that just those two items solved all the problems that had stood in my way until now.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to be entirely happy. Master noticed and asked me.

“You don’t like it?”

“Well… I’m still not sure if having an identity really means I’m a person.”

“Being human isn’t some great thing. If you can think for yourself and feel emotions, you’re no different from a person, no matter what you’re made of.”

“People who didn’t know you were a human bot thought you were a person all along. What you lacked was just the papers to prove it.”

Maybe he was right.

None of the people I first met ever suspected I was a robot.

Perhaps it was only me who had locked myself inside the fence of being a robot all along.

To say I’d become a person just because I got citizenship and a passport… it felt a bit hollow, but at the same time, a gentle joy crept up inside me.

Like I had longed for so much, now I had the chance to live as a person.

“You still don’t accept it?”

“No…”

I shook my head softly, and Master smiled faintly.

“What do you want to do from now on?”

“What I want to do?”

“Yeah, now you’re a person. Since you’ve become one, you should try doing what you want.”

After a moment’s thought, I listed off the things that came to mind one by one.

“Then… like you said before, I want to take Eve and Sophia and go to the park together.”

“Good. Anything else?”

“I want to learn how to drive…”

“Good.”

“I want to work like you, Master.”

Master, who seemed ready to nod at anything I said, suddenly paused at my last words.

“…Work?”

“Yes. I want a job, too.”

“If it’s about money, I can give you as much as you need…”

“No, that’s not it. Everyone has a job.”

So far, my “work” had been following Master around or helping Sophia clean the house.

But now that I was a person, I wanted a real job like Master and the others I saw at the company.

Master was silent for a moment, then spoke again.

“Do you have any jobs in mind?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then I’ll find one for you. Just wait a few days.”

“Okay.”

I nodded obediently.

I had no idea what kind of work I could do or how to find a job, but I trusted Master to find something suitable for me.

As I looked at him with that thought, our eyes met.

His gaze was endlessly warm as he looked down at me.

His blue eyes rippled quietly like a deep, calm sea.

Ah, the atmosphere feels like he’s going to kiss me.

Without realizing it, I waited for his lips to come closer, lowering my eyes slightly.

But Master didn’t kiss me. Instead, he asked.

“Didi, do you still have a reason to push me away?”

“…I don’t think so.”

Seeing me give a vague answer, Master smiled faintly.

Though I said that, it seemed he sensed that I wouldn’t push him away anymore.

His hand touched my face.

The hand that had been gently stroking my ear slid down along my jawline as he carefully lifted my chin.

Feeling our lips softly meet, I closed my eyes.

Between the light touch of lips came a breath heated with desire.

As I felt his warm tongue gently stroke my lips, I parted mine slightly.

The tongue that entered my mouth slowly and carefully intertwined with mine.

It wasn’t a suffocatingly deep kiss but a well-measured one, yet my heart pounded wildly, unable to calm down.

After a while, our lips parted, and I felt the emptiness at my mouth.

I opened my eyes slowly, reluctant to let go of the lingering sensation on my lips after such a short kiss.

Master pulled me close, taking a deep breath.

In the heavy exhale came a thick exhaustion, and I asked, held tight against his strong chest,

“You haven’t been sleeping well lately… are you okay?”

“Today, I’m fine because you’re here.”

Master’s body gradually relaxed as if he would fall asleep any moment.

His embrace was warm, and the arms holding me were solid.

Not wanting to miss a single breath, I held him tightly too.

How long had it been since I felt safe, surrounded by Master’s scent?

While Master fell asleep holding me, I too enjoyed a peaceful night in his arms after a long time.

Today, I felt like I could finally put down all my worries and close my eyes in peace.

***

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of scratching on the door.

Still sleepy in Master’s arms, I blinked slowly.

When I lifted my head, I saw Master still asleep.

The warmth of his arms and the blanket wrapped around me was so cozy that I closed my eyes again, wanting to fall back asleep.

But the scratching turned into the door handle rattling, and I could no longer ignore it.

What on earth is that noise…

Just as I was about to drift off again with my eyes closed, Eve’s face suddenly flashed through my mind.

“Eve…?”

I jumped up abruptly.

As I slipped out of Master’s arms, he frowned and shifted.

Hastily, I handed him the pillow I’d been using, and only then did his movements stop.

After confirming Master had fallen back asleep, I felt relieved and got out of bed.

Carefully turning the door handle, I saw Eve through the narrow gap in the opened door.

It looked like she had come looking for me as soon as she woke up.

“Eve, did you sleep well?”

I petted Eve’s head as she wagged her tail enthusiastically from early morning.

She curled up, but petting alone wasn’t enough.

Eve hurried me back to the room, urging me to follow.

I glanced at Master still asleep, then quietly left the room.

Returning to my room with Eve, my eyes fell on the documents and passport neatly placed on the bed.

I spent the morning staring at them, sitting still on the edge of the bed.

Eve, quickly losing interest, nudged her head into my arms.

Even while holding her, I couldn’t take my eyes off the name printed inside.

I felt happy, complicated, and strangely emotional all at once.

I suddenly thought how lucky it was that Master—William—had found me when I was powerless.

If I hadn’t met William, I would have lived my entire life as a robot.

Now I understood why my previous Master had entrusted me to William.

They must have known that William would truly cherish me.