By Zephyria 
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“It’s just us here.”
“I guess the research only requires about two people for now.”
No matter how much a clinical trial was conducted under a deal, it wasn’t easy to find test subjects.
Furthermore, if the contents were unsettling, few prisoners would volunteer even if generous compensation was offered.
Thinking about it that way, the detention facility—which was equipped with everything necessary—seemed unnecessarily bleak.
Mu-hae subtly shifted his gaze to scan the room. A typical research facility wouldn’t monitor private spaces, but currently, the two of them were inmates who had not yet completed their sentences.
As expected, a small lens that looked like a surveillance camera was attached to the left corner of the room. Noticing his companion’s gaze, Joo-oh slowly shook his head.
“There are no bugs. But I think the camera captures sound too.”
“And whispering like this is okay?”
“Yeah. I tried throwing this earlier.”
It was enough to make one fall over in surprise. Mu-hae wondered what kind of life wisdom he had acquired in just a few days of prison life; Joo-oh had torn off the zipper pull from his clothes to test the noise at a certain decibel.
Acting like a seasoned mercenary and a criminal at the same time, Mu-hae unconsciously stroked Joo-oh’s round head.
It was true that he was commendable. Come to think of it, hadn’t Joo-oh endured the harsh prison life without a single word of complaint?
—Inmates 28067 and 28078, arrival at Residential Sector 4 of this institute has been confirmed.
The light on the corner lens blinked once, and a broadcast that sounded almost mechanical echoed through the room.
Then, a hologram video was projected onto the white wall, and an orientation for the test subjects began, accompanied by cliché background music.
—Welcome. Although you are currently isolated from external society due to your antisocial history, you are classified as key collaborators for building a better future in this facility. To ensure the fairness and safety of the research and to provide you with more systematic treatment, all personal identification information is restricted in this visual section. Accordingly, you will be assigned a new identification code to be used within the facility.
Regardless of what kind of dim-witted test subject they were preparing for, the video was incredibly kind, despite the highly sophisticated vocabulary.
Whether it was an existing character or something they created for the orientation, a cute and colorful mascot—which felt strangely unpleasant—repeatedly mimicked the action of attaching and removing a name tag.
It was an explanation a ten-year-old could understand. Regardless of Mu-hae’s feeling of disgust at how childish it was, Joo-oh stared with sparkling eyes and nodded repeatedly.
“I’ve never seen those guys before.”
“Of course not. What TV show would sell something like that?”
—For your convenience, the provided clothing is located in the cabinet. Please change out of all personal clothing before leaving the ‘rest area.’ Additionally, please return the Link Watch you are currently wearing to the device placed in front of you. These items will be returned after the necessary security and management procedures are completed.
The Link Watch, which had its frame replaced for the prison, caught his eye. Mu-hae rubbed his wrist for a moment before obediently removing the watch.
This was a plan Gu-reum had looked into in advance. Since the Return flight’s system wouldn’t be discovered, he had sent them in without any particular caution.
“I can’t take photos.”
“Is that what’s important?”
“Remembering something and seeing it with your eyes is different.”
Joo-oh grumbled and reluctantly took off his Link Watch.
—If you experience any inconvenience or physical or mental abnormalities during the use of the facility, you may request a consultation at any time through a face-to-face procedure with the management and supervision officer, who can be called via the Link Watch.
“The fact that I can’t take photos.”
—However, any act that causes unnecessary commotion in the operation of the facility, acts that go against the provided instructions, or leaving the permitted radius without prior notice will be regarded as an escape attempt by the inmate. We clearly notify you that in such cases, additional disadvantages may be imposed in accordance with the Research Facility Security Law.
Joo-oh looked quite sulky, even though he wouldn’t have been able to take photos in prison anyway.
Still, once he opened the cabinet as instructed and put on the light blue clothing, he seemed to feel better.
The colorful hologram briefly explained the individual’s schedule and lifestyle and then flickered out like a light.
Shortly after, two Link Watches that had been inside the device rolled out through the return slot.
Beep—.
When he touched the screen, a small information window popped up.
[Na 1.07 Gap]
“Na 1.07 is…”
Thanks to Joo-oh, who recited his identification code without being asked, Mu-hae vaguely guessed the rule of the codes.
The project the two were participating in was a study that had undergone several clinical trials. While many subjects weren’t deployed at once, there must have been a series of minor trials and errors.
“Is it still working well?”
Joo-oh whispered in his ear. Mu-hae fiddled with the Link Watch a few times and relaxed his furrowed brow.
The program he had received through Gu-reum before being dragged to prison remained unchanged among the basic functions.
If used well, while he might not be able to stop the entire institute, he could buy some time by taking advantage of a brief moment of confusion.
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Nope. I like being with Jin Mu-hae.”
Joo-oh chattered as he put on the Link Watch. With a short beep, the cheap device guided him through his schedule.
A physical examination after two hours of rest. Seeing that dinner was blank, it seemed they had to maintain an empty stomach.
“You didn’t bring any snacks, right? Don’t eat anything.”
He probably had everything taken away when leaving the prison, but Mu-hae warned him just in case. No matter how he did it, Joo-oh always seemed to pull food out of everywhere and munch on it.
The dissatisfied eyes turned soft after receiving Mu-hae’s touch.
“It’s okay. I’m not hungry right now.”
He murmured contentedly, rubbing his head against the other’s chest.
* * *
‘You took some of my hair before.’
‘I did.’
‘Was there anything strange about it?’
‘Hmm, well. If we only look at the DNA, no.’
‘…….’
‘Why, is there a problem?’
Joo-oh is a human with terrifying strength. No, actually, he is an Aberrant.
His five senses are extraordinary to an eerie level, and he hardly ever gets tired.
Fortunately, according to Teacher Jung, his genetic information seems identical to a human’s. Setting aside how that was possible or why Teacher Jung analyzed Joo-oh’s DNA in the first place, it was, for now, very reassuring news.
That was why Mu-hae had repeatedly urged him before attempting the infiltration.
To control his strength. To act just like everyone else. He had even given the absurd threat that if any peculiarities were discovered, they would be separated forever.
It seemed to have worked. While his entire body was being scanned and his health status and vitality were being measured, there were no sounds of things breaking or crashing behind him.
Instead, Joo-oh took twice as long as Mu-hae to finish the examination. By the time Mu-hae was tired of waiting and glancing toward the door, Joo-oh returned to the rest area with a rattling IV pole.
“……What is this?”
An IV needle was inserted through the back of his white hand. Drop, drop, the fluid flowed in very slowly.
Joo-oh avoided eye contact, showing the whites of his eyes like someone who had committed a crime. He began to stammer an excuse.
“I didn’t use my strength. I pretended to be really weak.”
“So what is this?”
“I pretended to be starving and out of energy because I couldn’t eat… and they said something was lacking, so they gave me an injection and this.”
As he said, his face was beyond white; it was pale. He looked exactly like someone who had eaten nothing but cheap canned food for a long time and then skipped meals for two days.
Unlike his usual energetic self, he was frail, as if he would collapse if touched. Just pretending to be weak shouldn’t have changed his overflowing nutritional state.
“I didn’t want to be separated from Jin Mu-hae, so I tried to think sad thoughts to make myself feel dizzy.”
Mu-hae almost snapped, asking where in that flower-garden head of his there were any sad thoughts, but he swallowed the words upon seeing those melancholy eyes.
Mu-hae had seen him sob and cry. It was only once, but it was a deep and long cry that left his entire face drenched.
“……Rest.”
“Pet me. It’s hard.”
“You don’t have to pretend to be sick anymore, so don’t walk all wobbly.”
Because his staggering appearance felt somehow unstable, Mu-hae’s voice grew loud. He quickly stood up and grabbed the IV pole instead.
Even though the camera was likely recording, his hand moved on its own. Right, anyway, this video would be deleted after the job was done…
He cupped the pale face and pulled him close as if supporting him. The swaying body leaned into him as he was pulled.
“I told you not to show off your strength, not to pretend to be sick.”
“I didn’t mean to be sick. I tried to hold it back because my eyes were getting moist.”
“Look at you. Glucose… and what is this? Electrolytes? Sodium? Hurry up and get some color back in your face.”
“I think I’ll be okay if Jin Mu-hae touches me.”
His cheeks, which were slightly colder than usual, were still soft and felt good in his hand.
Joo-oh slowly closed his eyes and buried his head in Mu-hae’s shoulder. Seeing his chest expand and contract deeply, it was clear he was sniffing his scent again.
Even if he wasn’t human, Mu-hae hadn’t expected him to be capable of this kind of act. Knowing it was a fake illness, his heart still beat a little faster.
As Mu-hae stroked the back of the head where the tie had disappeared and the hair was loose, he realized an absurd fact.
For a moment, what brushed past him was a kind of fear.
It was a completely different feeling from when his hair stood on end facing a giant Aberrant; it was a sensation of his heart sinking.
‘The appearance of Aberrants is related to Crystal Blue.’
He had the illusion that the body he was supporting became light as air. Conversely, the firm proposition he found in his father’s records weighed heavily on Mu-hae’s breath once again.
“But they said they’ll give us something delicious later.”
“Yeah, right.”
Even in this state, Joo-oh was only thinking about eating. Mu-hae felt the urge to stroke that head while simultaneously wanting to give it a hard smack.
Mu-hae sat him on the bed and made clicking footsteps until his appearance returned to normal.
Perhaps the gaze watching him with crossed arms was threatening, as energy slowly spread through Joo-oh’s body, which had seemed ready to collapse.
“You start tomorrow too, right?”
“Yeah. But my time doesn’t overlap with Jin Mu-hae’s.”
“The vigilance will drop, and I’ll assess the situation from the third day, so don’t cause any trouble this time and stay quiet.”
He brushed aside the inner voice that wondered why he was worrying about a guy who had endured prison so well.
Jin Mu-hae quietly closed his eyes. Although his body had mastered the language of Solar City and research common sense he had never learned in a short period, his true value lay in his spatial awareness.
The hallways he moved through for the physical exam, the width of the rooms, the ceiling height, and the distance between doors were all applied and rotated within the bird’s-eye view of the facility’s interior he had memorized.
As a virtual space as vivid as if he were seeing it with his own eyes unfolded in his mind, even without knowing exactly what objects were placed where, he could roughly guess which path and how to move to achieve maximum efficiency.
“Is the stealing part starting then too?”
“Yes. That’s your job.”
Mu-hae now knew that Joo-oh’s hands were not only strong but also silently fast.
Having been given a major role in this mission, Joo-oh clenched and unclenched one hand with a proud smile.
208 – I Became an Aberration in a Dead Game