Chapter 15: Avoiding Suspicion (p.3)
——
The boys had finished washing Loadon.
At first, it was awkward.
They muttered a few apologies as they scrubbed down his alloy plating, their hands stiff, eyes flicking away.
"Sorry for… y'know, earlier," Hanseul mumbled, rubbing at a streak of dust with the rag.
Beom Seok cleared his throat. "We didn't mean it. You just… looked like a big pile of scrapped mech."
The others winced at his choice of words and glared at him silently.
Loadon's optics flickered. He stayed silent for a while, stiff as a statue.
'This idiot!'
The brothers all had the same thought as they side-eyed Beom Seok for opening his big mouth.
Only the sound of brushes against metal filled the rooftop air.
Loadon watched as they worked diligently.
They still conversed with him, although he never answered them at first.
But this didn't seem to bother them—in fact, it made them more eager.
A faint warmth filled Loadon's chest.
Finally, after a long pause, he spoke.
[Creator's siblings… apology received.]
Chang's eyes widened. "See? So you can talk to us!"
The tension broke.
The younger ones laughed, voices echoing as they rinsed him down.
Even Loadon—hesitant at first—began answering their questions in short, blunt sentences.
By the end of it, the five brothers were chatting with him like he was another playmate.
The distance between them began to shrink.
Iseul, watching from above, felt a weight lift from her chest.
Her brothers didn't disappoint her this time.
⸻
Later that evening, Iseul headed out for the night market.
She needed someone reliable who could upgrade her Zepenet comm.
She decided that while she was at it, she wanted to finally get the game box upgraded for her brothers.
Their old game box had been the last thing their parents had given them.
Her siblings loved and cared for it very much.
If she could add a holographic projection upgrade, then they could all step into the virtual Zepenet world together—buying, playing, escaping, even if just for a little while.
Iseul found a small Tinker and upgrade shop tucked between two glowing ramen stalls.
"Upgrades, repairs and we buy metals"
Its sign flashed as she walked up to the entrance.
The place wasn't fancy, but the prices weren't outrageous either.
A simple upgrade ran under 2,000 credits—perfect.
The shopkeeper, Cho Min-joon, a wiry man with goggles perched on his forehead, tapped the counter when he saw her game box.
"You planning to sell this, or upgrade?" he asked gruffly, glancing at her.
"Upgrade," Iseul answered firmly.
He gave a low whistle.
"Old model, but still solid. You sure? I can push a holo-projection interface onto this for cheap. Might run smoother than most new sets."
He showed her the pieces and the price.
She gave it a once-over, nodding.
"Do it," she said without hesitation.
Loadon had stayed home with the boys—she didn't want him wandering in the crowded market, not yet.
He wasn't ready for the world.
Not really.
The work didn't take long.
Before she knew it, her comm and the game box gleamed with fresh circuits and pulsing blue light.
She smiled despite the sting in her pocket.
⸻
On her way back, she ran into Unnie Hae-won.
The older girl was bidding on a bundle of low-radiation vegetables.
"Seventy-eight percent!" Hae-won whispered excitedly, flashing her wrist comm.
"Still too expensive, though."
Iseul's gaze, however, drifted elsewhere.
Just a few stalls down, vendors were selling high-radiation fruits, vegetables, even cuts of meat.
Their glowing surfaces made customers wrinkle their noses and hurry away.
Ninety-eight percent radiation.
Practically glowing poison.
Hardly anyone touched them.
But the price? Dirt cheap. Only 3–8 credits a pound.
Iseul's heartbeat quickened.
'I can absorb it. I can drain it for them.'
She walked over, saying the same line to each vendor.
Her lips curled into a grin. "I'll take everything," she told the vendors, scanning her comm before they had time to process the transaction.
Her balance dropped slightly but not much.
But the thought of her brothers eating clean food—food that once was a dream—made her bounce on the balls of her feet.
She even splurged on a Zepnube: a small cube that unfolded into a portable storage space, preserving food so it wouldn't spoil.
It cost her 859 credits.
That one hurt.
She sighed as she clipped the cube to her belt.
"This is life when you're raising five kids and yourself," she muttered under her breath.
⸻
On the walk back, Hae-won leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"Heard the gossip? Some big shots came to the scrapyard today. Higher-ups."
Iseul blinked. "What for?"
"They're looking for a hidden Tinker Master. Or maybe just a scraper who created some kind of high-grade radiation absorber. Word is, a huge patch of Section E was stripped clean. The inspectors said it wasn't natural—it was like someone sucked it all out."
Iseul's stomach dropped. Her fingers tightened on the bags of food.
"What about you?" Hae-won pressed. "See any strangers? Any weird faces? You know how it is. Everyone at the yard's familiar. One new person sticks out like a sore thumb."
Iseul forced a laugh. "Nah. Just did my clearing and left."
Her heart pounded.
She had absorbed so much radiation that day—so much more than she realized.
If they knew it was her… No.
She couldn't let them know.
Better to play dumb. Better to stay invisible.
They finished their chat as they neared the point where their paths split.
Unnie Hae-won stayed in the upper-class area as she was a D-class gifter, but she often came to the scrapyard to make a little taste of extra dope without really putting her life on the line.
She was a streamer in the virtual Zepenet world. Though she wasn't super famous, she was well-known by a lot of locals who enjoyed watching her livestreams.
She would then travel to nearby cities or other moon cities planets, and sometimes even the main domination world that they surrounded, doing a couple streams. But the big-shot famous livestream stars there were like starved wolves to newcomers—especially ones from a scrapper moon city planet.
⸻
By the time Iseul returned home, the boys were washed and waiting in the living room, neat as soldiers.
Loadon sat quietly on the floor next to Yong Woo, optics glowing as he watched the Zepoman cartoon.
Iseul set down her bags. Immediately, her brothers swarmed her, eyes wide at the food and supplies.
Hanseul and Chang hung back, though, faces troubled.
"Noona," Hanseul asked cautiously, "you didn't… do something bad to get all this, right?"
Chang frowned. "It's a lot of money. Too much, even for you."
Iseul raised her hand and flicked both their foreheads. "Yah! How dare you think I'd stoop to something despicable? I earned it—righteously, rightfully, and through a whole lot of sweat."
Loadon, still watching his cartoon, spoke without turning his head.
[Creator's words are accurate.]
The room went quiet. Then Iseul smirked. "Well, since you think I can't afford this… maybe I should just return the game box upgrade."
The boys froze.
"You wouldn't," Beom Seok whispered.
Iseul dangled the box. "I dunno. I might."
"Noona!" they all cried, swarming her in hugs and kisses, begging forgiveness. When she finally handed the upgraded game box to Chang, their faces lit up like fireworks.
"Can we play before bed?" Yong Woo asked timidly.
"Yes," Iseul said, wagging a finger. "But keep it quiet. I'm cooking."
⸻
As she prepared dinner, she noticed a shadow lingering nearby. She turned.
Loadon was standing there, watching her with those curious blue optics.
"You," she laughed softly. "Go sit. Watch TV. I don't need help cooking."
He obeyed, returning to his spot by the boys. For the first time, though, his optics glowed brighter as Zepoman's theme blared. Almost like enjoyment.
Dinner was ready quickly. She called everyone to the rooftop, where she used her gift to fashion a proper chair for Loadon.
"Sit," she told him.
He obeyed.
She tilted her head. "Do you even… eat?"
[This unit feeds on radiation.] His voice was calm. [Small amounts cycle into my core. In addition, Creator's Infinita Force lingers within me. It nourishes and repairs, while returning fragments back into your Dreamscope Domain. This halts corrosion.]
Iseul blinked. "So my gift works even when I don't know it…"
She sat back, staring at him, reevaluating everything she thought she knew.
⸻
Dinner was filled with laughter, food, and the smell of sizzling meat. For once, it felt almost normal.
The boys ran off to bed, Loadon returned to his capsule room, and Iseul remained awake on the rooftop.
She hugged her knees, staring at the stars. Worries about the higher-ups, money, and her growing power all tangled in her mind.
Tomorrow. I'll think about it tomorrow.
Her last thought before sleep claimed her was simple: I'll find a way. My gift has to mean something.
And for the next few days, she stayed home—studying, practicing, detoxing from the suppressants that dulled her body for years. Without them, her connection to her gift grew in leaps and bounds.
The future was uncertain, but for the first time, Iseul felt a quiet hope blooming in her chest.