After driving for just over an hour, we arrived at Father’s house.
We passed through the entrance and crossed the yard along a wide, paved path.
When I parked the car in front of the house and got out, a large, two-story house appeared before me, together with a neatly arranged garden.
So this is… where Father lives.
When I turned my head at the sound of scissors coming from somewhere, I saw a robot quietly tending the garden.
While I watched, the robot trimmed a tree with quick and precise movements.
“Snip, snip.”
“Welcome, William-nim.”
When I entered the house with Master, a humanoid dressed smartly like a person greeted us.
It had a human shape without facial features, just like Sophia, but its smooth movements made it clear this was a newer model.
“Hello. Uh—!”
I tried to return the greeting, but Master urgently covered my mouth.
His large, firm palm pressed over my lips.
Startled, I nearly dropped the wine I was holding in my arms.
Flustered, I looked up at Master, but instead of looking at me, Master questioned the humanoid.
“Alpha, is there any problem with your functions?”
“There are currently no issues with my functions.”
After that concise answer, silence fell.
Even after hearing the reply, Master kept staring at the robot with a slightly uneasy expression.
I quietly observed the situation, then, feeling suffocated, I gently tugged on Master’s sleeve.
Only then did Master slowly remove his hand from my mouth.
Was I not supposed to greet them?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t guess why Master had suddenly covered my mouth, so I asked carefully.
“Master, did I do something wrong?”
“Didi, don’t talk to the robots for a while.”
“Why?”
“It’s just… I’ll explain later, but for now, don’t talk to the robots here.”
Master didn’t offer any further explanation and simply closed his mouth.
I nodded sullenly, my shoulders shrinking as if I’d already made a mistake.
“Alpha, where’s the family?”
“They are gathered in the dining room.”
“Who’s there?”
“Everyone is present.”
As Master walked further into the house, he paused and asked again.
“Not a single one missing?”
“Yes.”
“Damn… So they all gathered for something.”
Master muttered quietly, furrowing his brow.
He seemed reluctant to be in a place where the whole family was gathered.
Come to think of it, Master rarely interacted with his family.
Maybe their relationship isn’t good…?
I silently followed behind Master.
As the moment to meet Father approached, worry filled my mind.
I’m a robot…
Is it really okay for me to join a family birthday gathering?
I wasn’t sure.
Maybe I was only invited out of courtesy, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d come along thoughtlessly.
The closer we got to the dining room, the louder the cheerful conversation grew from inside.
As we neared the entrance, my steps noticeably slowed, and Master stopped and turned to look at me.
“Didi, what’s wrong?”
“It seems like it’s been a while since the family gathered… I’m not sure if it’s okay for me to join.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because I’m a robot.”
When I answered gloomily, Master’s brow furrowed deeply.
Without hesitation, he grabbed my arm and pushed me through the door.
“Don’t say weird things. Just go in.”
It was a serious worry for me, but Master just called it weird…
My legs still hesitated, but I was easily pushed over the threshold by Master’s strength.
As soon as I crossed the door, a completely different scene unfolded.
We’d only passed through a wall, but on this side, it was warm and bright like a glass conservatory.
Through the wide windows, the whole garden was visible at a glance.
At the dining table, Father, Master’s mother, and people who appeared to be siblings were sitting in a row.
Once Master and I took our seats, all the remaining seats would be filled.
But as soon as I entered the dining room, my mind went blank at the sight before me.
Everyone except Mother… had the exact same face as the Master I remembered.
“Didi, welcome.”
Father greeted me with a bright smile.
Only then did I come to my senses and hand over the wine case I’d been holding carefully in my arms.
“Father, happy birthday. This is a present.”
“Oh, thank you. It’s a wine I like. It’ll be perfect to have with dinner.”
Father gestured to a robot and handed over the wine, telling it to serve it with the meal.
The robot nodded, took the wine, and disappeared somewhere.
“Come, have a seat. Dinner will be ready soon, so let’s talk for a bit.”
I sat down next to Master and cautiously lifted my head.
No matter where I looked, it was Master, and even beside me, there was another Master.
It felt like I was surrounded by multiple versions of Master.
For a moment, I wondered if, after shutting down, I’d come to heaven.
Everyone’s gaze turned to me.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t greeted them yet.
I quickly composed myself and, blushing, introduced myself.
“Ah, hello. I’m Didi…”
My face grew hot.
As I barely finished my introduction, those faces—identical to the Master I once knew—smiled at me with gentle expressions.
Is this… heaven?
Everything around me sparkled so much it was almost blinding.
I looked around busily, trying to calm my pounding heart.
Master must have noticed how intently I was staring at the family’s faces, because his own face twisted in clear displeasure.
“This is why I didn’t want to bring you…”
Clicking his tongue quietly, Master took a sip of the drink in front of him.
“So this is the human-bot Grandfather left behind as a keepsake? Seeing it in person, it looks even more human.”
Master’s sibling looked at me in admiration.
No one had mentioned I was a human-bot, but it seemed everyone already knew I was a robot.
I carefully read the mood again.
Fortunately, no one seemed uncomfortable about me, a robot, joining them for dinner.
Relieved, I glanced around, only to meet a sharp, piercing gaze.
Startled, I instinctively looked away.
The only person here who didn’t resemble the Master I knew—Master’s mother.
Short brown hair and an aura full of charisma.
Her expression was calm and kind, completely different from Father’s always-gentle face.
Only then did I realize—of everyone here, Master most resembled his mother.
At first glance, he looked like Father, but the cold glint in his eyes and heavy presence were much closer to his mother’s side.
When I looked up again, Mother’s gaze was fixed on Master.
“William, the news about the new product was a big disappointment.”
“We plan to release a replacement as soon as possible.”
“You still haven’t resolved the issues with the investors, have you?”
“We’re working on it.”
“Now that I see it today, I understand. The reason you canceled the release right before launch was because of that human-bot, wasn’t it?”
I blinked and looked at Master.
He’d told me it was because of a defect…
Did he really cancel the launch because of me?
I stared at Master in confusion, but he kept his mouth tightly shut and said nothing.
“Hey, Mom. Don’t push him so hard. It was always controversial because of ethical issues. If it had been released, it would’ve been an even bigger headache.”
“That’s right. I know you both love your work, but since we haven’t gathered in so long, why don’t we talk about something else?”
With that, the conversation between Master and Mother ended, and the topic of the new product didn’t come up again.
I’d been eavesdropping, so I felt a little disappointed.
Because the conversation stopped, I never got to hear the real reason the release was canceled.
As everyone exchanged greetings and the atmosphere gradually softened, robots began to enter the dining room one by one.
Half a dozen robots set plates on the table in turn.
A large portion of tenderloin steak was plated with perfectly roasted vegetables, there was warm soup and artisan bread, and even a soup with a subtle truffle aroma.
In no time, the wide table was filled with freshly made dishes.
I glanced at the robots.
Just how many robots did this house have?
The robot tending the garden, Alpha whom I met when I first arrived, and the ones now serving dinner—all different models.
For a house where so many robots each have their own roles… I wondered if there was really a place for me here.
Besides, they all seemed so much more capable than me.
They wouldn’t make mistakes or fumble with chores like I did.
Of course, if I asked Father, he’d accept me.
But if he only took me in out of obligation, even though he didn’t need me… I wouldn’t like that.
It would feel like I was just being a burden, taking advantage of someone’s kindness.
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