Remember Me, Baby.
Leaving the cliff house

Andrew read the message he had just entered and clenched his hands tightly. He looked up and looked at the white house that loomed over the precipitous cliff, then monitored through the recording devices he had installed in every corner of the house.

The house looks quiet and gloomy. All the things that could tell that he and Keiko had been there were already removed. Now the house really looks like an empty building that has not been lived in for a long time.

Fortunately, thanks to a warning from Kim, he and Keiko were able to act in time. Andrew again contacted the owner of the ship they were using to cover Mr. Sakamoto's ashes. Then, here they are now, on a motorboat that is cruising quietly away from the shoreline.

Andrew sighed softly and read again the incoming message from one of his men. Kim was not saved. He preferred to die with Mr. Tanaka, even broadcasting the event online by hacking into the EEL military satellite network.

Andrew could not guess what kind of chaos was now happening at EEL headquarters. And so is Jovanka. It was a pity that the woman chose the wrong side in this fight. Although not exactly like Jovanka, but they have worked in the same team. Knowing there might be more people he knew who could end up tragically like Mr. Tanaka made Andrew feel a little uncomfortable.

“What's up?” asked Keiko who had been watching all the movements of Andrew from behind. The man looked a little moody, not as usual.

Andrew turned his head and smiled when he saw a hint of worry emanating from the face of the girl before him. He shook his head slowly and replied, “It's okay. Don't worry.”

Keiko snorted softly and turned her face away. If there was no need to worry, then why would they wade through the ocean in the middle of a blind night like this? She's not a stupid girl. If everything was okay, they should be sleeping in their rooms as usual.

Cliff house can be said to be a kind of save house. If Andrew was forced to take her out of the place suddenly, it would mean that the house was no longer safe. The only thing that can make the cliff house is no longer safe is because the enemy already knows their location.

“Where do they know this place?” ask Keiko slowly. Fine lines appeared on his forehead, a sign that he was thinking and analyzing all the possibilities.

Andrew did not look surprised by the question posed by Keiko. He knew the girl was smart. The title of doctor certainly did not get it just by sitting at home and acting like a princess.

“Wherever they got that information, you don't have to worry. I'll make sure everything is fine,” replied Andrew straightforwardly.

He didn't want to tell Kim what happened. He knew Keiko treated Kim well enough. Maybe it was because Kim had helped him while at EEL headquarters. In addition to that reason, Andrew also did not want to make Keiko feel guilty because Kim came here to deliver the ashes of his father. It could be that the girl thinks she is the cause of all this, and then forces to turn herself over to the people who are chasing her. Or, even worse, Keiko could be reckless and run away from her surveillance, then do extreme things that she does not want.

Keiko looked at Andrew fixedly, then smiled faintly. He appreciated the man's efforts to keep him comfortable. But it doesn't need all that. What he wanted was to be involved in everything, instead of being protected and blocked from all this information.

“The only person that can be traced to this place is only Kim. He delivered my father's ashes. Did they manage to catch him?” keiko asked without turning her gaze away from Andrew's face, not wanting to miss the slightest chance to observe the change in the look on her face.

Andrew's eyes flashed sharply, the corners of his lips twitching faintly. He was impressed by Sakamoto Keiko's analytical skills. Judging from the girl's words, he was not asking, but rather asserting the conjecture. He wanted to ascertain whether his guess was correct or not.

Therefore, Andrew could only sigh softly and reply, “Yes, they caught him near the city border.”

Keiko's calm face changed slightly, just as Andrew had expected. The girl linked her fingers and asked in a slightly worried-sounding tone, “Who caught her? How's things going?

Keiko nodded and muttered at a glance. His eyes now looked more serious. He knew the old man had no conscience, was cruel, and would do anything to get what he wanted. Keiko suddenly felt very anxious about Kim's situation.

“He did it. It seems like he really is desperate. It might also be because it is not only him who is after you and wants to know the hidden location in the ring so he has to bet with time, therefore he becomes rash, he becomes reckless,” said Andrew while observing the change in expression on Keiko's face.

“How about Kim? Did you get any news of his last condition?” lice Keiko.

He should have forced Kim to have dinner first. Now he felt a little sorry for not having had time to repay the kindness of the woman. After all, it was for delivering the ashes of his father that Kim was followed and arrested.

Andrew let out a long sigh and replied, “He blew himself up.”

“A-what?!” keiko exclaimed very loudly, then hurriedly covered her mouth with her trembling hands. Highlight his eyes dimmed, looking at Andrew in a daze. What kind of pressure is experienced by the woman so she prefers to blow herself up? He couldn't imagine it. Really can't ....

“She changed the setting to manual and ordered her body core to explode,” Andrew replied again, this time her voice sounded a little more calm, in contrast to Keiko who was increasingly surprised and did not understand what Andrew was talking about.

“What do you mean? Explain ... I don't understand,” pinta Keiko with a barely audible voice.

“Kim is one of the humanoids created by Phoenix.Co. He was one of the best prototypes ever created. Can talk, do human-like expressions, also feel what should be felt by humans. Pain, pleasure, sadness, fear .. he can feel everything, also to make decisions without the interference of the remote control. Everything has been programmed so that he really resembles a real human being,” explained Andrew slowly.

He does not want to hide the truth anymore. After all, with the video spread on the internet, Keiko will definitely find out sooner or later. So he better say it now.

All that information was too much to digest at one time. Keiko stared at Andrew as if he was an alien from Mars speaking the language of outer space.

Humanoid ....

In this era, such a thing was not unreasonable. It's just ... Kim is too perfect as a human being. How is it possible ....

Keiko really did not know whether to grieve or laugh at Andrew's statement just now. Everything feels unreal. All his ordinary life suddenly turned upside down in an instant, far exceeding the reason he could accept.

In the end, the girl still chose to grieve for a machine that in fact has more conscience when compared to the "human" itself.

***