“Distinguished guests, the auction will begin shortly. Please take your seats in the hall.”
A moment later, an announcement echoing through the hall signaled the start of the auction.
People began to take their seats one by one, and naturally, the crowd around my master and me dispersed.
“Didi, let’s go to our seats.”
“Yes, Master…”
Following my master, I sat down.
The pain in my legs from uncomfortable shoes finally seemed to ease a bit.
Taking a quiet breath, I looked around.
Still, all around me, many eyes were on me…
Sharp taste made me frown as I quickly put down my glass.
‘It wasn’t water…’
The bitter taste lingering in my mouth made me feel even gloomier.
Everything seemed to be going differently from what I had expected, and I felt frustrated.
Eventually, unable to hold it in, I quietly asked my master:
“Master… how long do we have to stay here?”
“Tired?”
“Yes…”
Worried I might be disturbing my master’s schedule, I nodded honestly.
I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
My weary heart even made me want to run away.
“Well, I think we’ve shown ourselves enough… Once the auction ends, we’ll go home.”
“Really?”
Before I knew it, a bright smile appeared on my face.
At that moment, the lights in the hall went out, plunging everything into darkness.
It seemed the auction was about to begin.
Excited, I looked up at the stage.
Thinking I would soon be able to go home relaxed me a little, and gradually I began to take in my surroundings.
The first auction item was a necklace studded with a large diamond.
“A necklace made with a 30-carat diamond and natural pearls. Starting bid: two million dollars!”
Following that, rare items such as jewels and artwork were brought to the stage one by one.
People showed passionate interest, raising their hands, but I wasn’t very interested.
The only thing that mattered to me was the fact that after the auction, I could go home.
My master also seemed uninterested in the items, watching the ongoing auction with a bored expression.
I silently counted the remaining items, just hoping the auction would end quickly.
“For the final item, we have prepared something special!”
Finally, the last auction item appeared.
Even I, who hadn’t cared about the previous items, now fixed my gaze on the stage.
Once this was over, I could go home.
I watched the stage with eyes full of mixed excitement and anticipation, hoping the last item would be sold quickly.
But the moment I saw the final auction item on stage, my breath stopped.
“A person…? No, is that a human-bot?”
“Is it broken? It’s not moving.”
People started murmuring.
On the stage stood a human-bot, looking exactly like a person, with closed eyes and completely still.
I was shocked and stared at the stage.
Although people seemed uncertain about its identity, I recognized it immediately.
It was a human-bot like me.
As the crowd’s reaction grew heated, the auctioneer raised his hand to calm them.
“Now, now, don’t rush. Let me explain before we start the bidding. This is a human-bot used for household purposes, and as you can see, it’s in pristine condition. Let me turn it on for you now.”
The auctioneer pressed the power button on the back of the human-bot’s neck.
At that moment, the robot’s eyes slowly opened.
“Oh…!”
“It really looks alive!”
As the human-bot began to move slightly, a collective gasp came from the audience.
Soon, the fully awake human-bot slowly raised its head as if waking from sleep.
The human-bot looked around, startled by the sudden situation.
Confusion and anxiety appeared on its face, then it seemed to understand the situation as its eyes filled with terror.
Its pupils darted rapidly as fear spread across its face.
The crowd grew even more excited by this vivid reaction and couldn’t hide their enthusiasm.
“Now, let the bidding begin! Starting price: ten million dollars!”
The auctioneer’s voice echoed as the auction resumed.
People frantically raised their bids, competing fiercely.
As the price soared, the auction hall’s atmosphere intensified.
Suddenly, the auctioneer paused, exchanged signals with someone, and then said unexpectedly:
“Today, Mr. William Spencer has also brought his own human-bot here. Let’s take a look together!”
The moment those words ended, a blinding spotlight shone down on me.
The dazzling light blocked my vision, and dozens of eyes turned to fixate on me all at once.
The greedy gazes that had been scanning the human-bot up for auction just moments ago instantly shifted toward me.
My whole body stiffened, and my legs began to tremble.
At this moment, I had become the item up for auction.
Dozens of eyes simultaneously examined me.
I barely managed to hold onto my master’s clothes and bowed my head, but the people’s gazes only grew rougher and more covetous.
Cautiously, I glanced up at my master’s face, which was twisted coldly.
As my master showed a look of displeasure, the spotlight was quickly turned off.
Only then did the crowd’s attention return to the auction stage.
Trembling hands clutching my master’s clothes, I hesitantly shifted my gaze to the stage.
“Ah…”
Then my eyes met those of the human-bot on stage.
Its terrified eyes pierced through my sight.
The fear and confusion shining in those eyes were clearly conveyed to me as well.
“H-help…”
The robot tried to ask for help with trembling lips.
But that desperate plea never came out.
Its head dropped weakly, and the human-bot stopped moving right there.
“It seems the robot is confused, so we will turn off the power and resume the auction. You can also erase its data! Take it and use it however you want!”
The auctioneer casually dismissed the robot’s silent scream.
The people once again raised their hands with greedy eyes.
The robot’s final cry was swallowed without a trace amid their desires.
The price soared to astronomical heights.
My hands, watching the process, grew cold and numb.
The frenzied people kept bidding higher and higher, and the auction hall grew unbearably heated with their frenzy.
I trembled in fear, clutching my master’s sleeve.
But my master silently watched the auction with a cold gaze.
Spotting my master’s icy eyes, my words caught in my throat without my control.
“Congratulations! It has been sold for a whopping 200 million dollars!”
In the end, the human-bot was sold for an astronomical price.
The successful bidder was none other than the man who had persistently demanded my master sell me.
The human-bot was the very last item in the auction, and it sold for the highest price.
The heated atmosphere in the auction room shifted toward the man who won the human-bot and my master, who kept me by their side.
“Ugh…”
My stomach churned.
I felt like I was going to vomit at any moment.
“Master…”
“Why are you calling me?”
“I’m going to the restroom…”
“Alright, go ahead.”
I was scared to go alone, but my master didn’t seem to want to leave.
Resigned, I stood up from my seat alone, and all eyes swarmed me from every direction.
The glistening greedy eyes crushed me.
My mind felt blank as if wiped clean, and I slowly took steps toward the restroom.
With my stiffened legs, even walking was difficult.
“Oof…”
After a long time of dry heaving, I staggered out of the restroom.
My stomach still felt queasy, but I had to hurry back since my master would be waiting.
Then it happened.
“You scrap heap!”
With a shout came a heavy thud.
Turning my head toward the direction of the sound, I saw a familiar serving robot lying on the ground, being kicked repeatedly.
It was the same white, round robot that had brought me snacks earlier.
***
“If it’s broken, it should just be quietly thrown in the storage, but do you know how much this thing’s worth?”
A man, slurring as if drunk, staggered while kicking the robot.
The moment I witnessed that, I froze on the spot.
I heard people nearby whispering.
“What’s going on?”
“That guy stumbled and bumped into the robot, and it looks like he spilled his drink on his pants.”
“Even so, there’s no need to hit it like that…”
People looked on with uneasy eyes but didn’t step in.
The drunken man kept kicking repeatedly, unable to calm down.
He raised his foot high again, preparing to kick the robot once more.
Without thinking, I ran toward him.
“Stop it! You’ll break it!”
“Who are you?! This junk metal…!”
As I suddenly appeared and embraced the robot, the man glared at me with a hostile expression, growling.
Then, seeing my face, his expression changed as if he suddenly remembered something, muttering:
“Wait… are you the human bot Spencer brought?”
When he mentioned my master’s name, I flinched.
Seeing my reaction, the man became certain that I was the robot brought by my master, and he began to curse at me as well, clicking his tongue.
“Don’t go defending a robot just because it’s one of your kind! Arrogant junk!”
He raised his hand again.
This time it was a threat aimed at me.
The fist came rushing in fast—I shut my eyes tight, unable to escape the impending pain.
“Ugh!”
But no pain came. Instead, I heard my master’s familiar voice.
“I think you’re angry at the wrong target.”
I carefully opened my eyes. Slowly lifting my head, I saw my master holding the man’s arm.
“Master…!”
My master briefly looked at me to check if I was hurt.
After confirming I was fine, he released the man’s arm and gestured for me.
“Didi. Come here.”
“But the robot—!”
“That’s not a robot like you. It has no sense of pain, no emotions. It just acts according to its programming.”
But what came out of my master’s mouth were only cold, detached words. I stiffened in shock.
Trembling, I stammered to him,
“But… it definitely smiled…”
“Then it was programmed to do so.”
My master’s dry response pierced my heart like a blade.
At the same time, I remembered the cold look my master gave the human bot that was just auctioned off.
In that moment, I realized:
The new master is different from the old one.
He is heartless and ruthless.
If I become useless, I might be the next robot put up for auction.
And my memories might be erased as well.
“Get up.”
“Yes…”
I weakly stood up.
As I gloomily rose, my master turned away without looking at me anymore.
Following my master, I left the place and looked back one last time.
The robot was thrown onto the floor like trash— I thought it looked just like me.