If there is something lacking, it should be fixed accordingly.

“Congratulations on your safe return, Ghost.”

As soon as Kang Jin Hoo took off his gas mask, the dirt that had accumulated on his body scattered. His fatigued face was covered in dirt and there was not a single place on his clothes that was unscathed.

His superior glanced at the missing right arm of his subordinate and then checked Kang Jin Hoo’s records.

“The squad.. has been annihilated. It’s good that you at least came back alive. Where did you leave your arm?”

The commander did not say anything to the squad leader, Kang Jin Hoo, who returned alone. After all, life can always be recreated.

In this society, the priority was teaching the young soldiers who had just joined the army that “You are expendable. Give priority to return safely, but if you have sustained irreparable injury, end your own life.”

‘Even though it’s only him that survived, it’s still okay.’?Despite feeling sad about the young recruits he trained who died, the commander thought it was more of an advantage that Private Kang survived. Private Kang was the only soldier who had not been subjected to “disposal” since he was born and therefore had invaluable experiences that could not be replicated artificially.

“It was caught up in the explosion along with my squad.”

“I could attach it back if you brought it..”

The commander clicked his tongue because he thought it was a waste of resources to attach a mechanical arm to a person, but Private Kang Jin Hoo did not have any thoughts on the matter.

“Go to the infirmary and attach a new arm. Wait at home for the time being, and wait for the next mission.”

“Understood.”

Kang Jin Hoo nodded his head with an expressionless face.

“It can still be reused”, a cold voice that seemed to be grading an object echoed through the closing door. The words were directed at him. Kang Jin Hoo frowned.

<Ghost, I honour the memory of the soldiers. You have worked hard.>

<The next mission is in 32 hours 27 minutes 21 seconds. Please rest well while waiting.>

Rather, Kang Jin Hoo laughed at the absurdity of AI spewing human-like words of concern.

He left the infirmary with a new arm and emerged outside the unit. The underground air was stuffy and cramped due to people living together in a confined space. And sometimes the soldiers were able to go to the surface to annihilate monsters and gather resources.

“Ghost, you got a new arm? what happened?”

“What happened?”

“How can the record of a soldier without a mechanical device be broken like this.. Wanna have a drink later?”

“Later.”

Kang Jin Hoo squeezed through the gap and headed towards his home. At the centre of the large pillar, there was an artificial life incubation device called “Eve” revealing its existence.

Just then, a person was born. The birth assistance drone that was hovering in the air moved quickly. B said that it was the food production area. The baby who was transferred by the drone will be in charge of growing vegetables in the greenhouse or managing livestock production.

<Welcome, Master. Shall I prepare dinner?>

“No need.”

<Okay.>

As he opened the front door, the AI in charge of managing the house greeted him. Kang Jin Hoo threw himself onto the bed after taking a quick shower.

[What would you like to do if you lived in a world before the apocalypse?]

[Run away!]

[Aah! Please, save me..!]

His body was heavy, but he couldn’t sleep and only kept having these intrusive thoughts. Kang Jin Hoo sat up.

“House, open the archive.”

<Yes, understood. Would you like to continue watching episode 12 of ‘Hot Youth’ that you started watching yesterday?>

“Yes.”

Kang Jin Hoo was born in District S, where his future as a soldier was predetermined from the moment of his cell formation. He began his training as soon as he could walk and was sent to the ground at the age of 10.

‘That person was a doctor in another work, but in this one, he’s a baseball player.’

A pre-determined life of fighting monsters from birth until death. Even though he was born unable to feel pain, he still had emotions.

At first, he questioned why he had to do this and doubted and raged against his identity. But now, he has reached a stage of acceptance.

‘It’s going to be interesting.’

What must it feel like to become a different person through a work of fiction?

If humans no longer live hidden underground like they do now and instead live under the blue sky as they please, he wanted to become an actor.

The job is not one that advocates for the renewed purpose of human survival by applying deep fake technology to robots as they are now. He wanted to be a student, a teacher, and sometimes just a company worker in a creative work full of human touch.

‘I’m thinking about useless things.’?It was a dream that would never come true.

***

Yoo Yeon Seo woke up to the sound of his phone’s alarm, he groggily raised his body up and rubbed his eyes. He felt the sensation of flesh and blood, not the artificialness of a mechanical prosthetic.

‘Oh right. This is 2018.’, Yeon Seo realised, his eyes full of life. He lifted his head to the clock which indicated that it was 6:30 AM.

‘I still have some time before Lim Seung Hyun arrives.’

He took some tissues from the desk beside the bed and brought them to his mouth.

“Beta.”

<Yes, Master.>

“Synchronize my memories.”

<Understood. Random memory synchronization is in progress.>

He must diligently absorb this body’s memories quickly.

After bleeding for another round, the exhausted Yeon Seo regained consciousness after passing out. This synchronization also yielded no harvest. Yeon Seo was once again reminded of just how cheap the original host was, he couldn’t even get a handful of memories in return.

“What, are there meal assistance robots here too?”

He heard no sounds and wondered when this was performed. After washing up to get rid of the blood on his body, he came out to the living room and saw the breakfast laid out on the table.

“That can’t be right.”

Even in a house with this much money, it was not awkward to have at least one housekeeper. Perhaps it was something that Yoo Yeon Seo specifically instructed.

As he was about to sit down, he heard a click on the front door lock. Lim Seung Hyun, dressed in a suit, greeted Yoo Yeon Seo with a nod as he met his eyes.

“Young master. Good morning.”

“You’re just in time. Have you had breakfast?”

“No? Not yet..”

“Let’s eat together.”