After seeing Nar off, a dull thud of pain pulsed from my left shoulder—perhaps the adrenaline was finally wearing off. I must have hit the elevator wall hard while supporting her earlier.

  "Adin, go to the Bio-Lab on the 3rd floor," Rea said urgently, wiping sweat from her forehead.

  "Nar's original biological data is still on the main server there. We have to physically destroy it before Chairman Gene can use it to track or replicate her. I'll erase the security logs here and follow you."

  "What should I say when I get there?"

  "Tell them the disposal procedure is complete. According to regulations, the original data must be deleted immediately. Lou, the head of the center, is a strict perfectionist. She won't suspect you if the procedure seems right... hopefully."

  We exchanged a brief look and scattered in our respective directions.

  3rd Floor, Bio-Lab.

  This place was filled with a light that was far colder and whiter than any other part of The Monolith. Instead of the smell of disinfectant, a metallic scent mixed with an unknown herbal fragrance hung in the air.

  The hallway was so long the end was invisible, and it was so silent that even my breath echoed.

  Tring, tring—

  A cheerful bicycle bell shattered the silence. Turning my head, I saw someone sliding toward me on a bicycle from the far end of the hallway.

  A classic-style bicycle in the middle of a high-tech research lab. I stared blankly at the incongruous sight.

  The woman gripping the handlebars wore an oversized jacket and wide slacks long enough to cover her shoes. With every pedal, her white sneakers flickered beneath the fluttering hems of her pants.

  Her blonde hair, tied loosely and carelessly, fluttered in the breeze. Her skin, so pale it was almost translucent, shone even whiter under the cold lights. Her bare face held eyes that were languid and dreamy.

  She had a mysterious aura—partly like a beautiful boy from a black-and-white film, partly like a weary aristocratic woman.

  She saw me and tried to pull the brakes.

  Clatter—!

  The loose hem of her pants seemed to have caught in the chain. The bicycle lurched violently, and her body tilted toward me as if she were about to spill over.

  "Oh...!"

  Instinctively, I reached out and caught her arm.

  Fortunately, she didn't fall, but we came to a clumsy halt, standing quite close to each other. Only the sound of the bicycle wheel spinning idly filled the silence.

  She looked up at me through her disheveled bangs. Her eyes, seen up close, were a dreamy blue with a hint of misty gray.

  "......"

  "......"

  A brief silence followed. Then, without anyone leading—

  "Pfft."

  A laugh broke out.

  She bit her lip, looking embarrassed, and I couldn't help but let a smile slip as my tension evaporated. Unlike her cold and sharp first impression, her laugh was bright and mischievous, like a child's.

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  "The brake sensitivity must have been too high. My reflexes couldn't keep up."

  She pretended to be composed, dusting off her jacket. However, her pant hem was covered in black grease.

  "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. My pants aren't, though."

  She shrugged and held out her hand to me. She seemed a bit shy, yet she possessed a charm that strangely disarmed people.

  "I'm Lou."

  "Ah... I'm Adin."

  I quickly pulled myself together. She was the center head Rea had mentioned. I couldn't lower my guard. I spoke in a voice as professional and stiff as possible.

  "I'm here on Chairman Gene's orders."

  "The Chairman?"

  Her gaze shifted instantly. From the eyes of a mischievous girl to the cold, sharp eyes of a scientist analyzing data.

  "Yes. The 'disposal procedure' for Ms. Nar from Room 302 has been completed. He ordered the immediate deletion of the original biological data remaining on the main server according to regulations."

  At my lie, Lou stared at me in silence for a moment. Her clear eyes shone quietly as if trying to pierce through my true intentions. Cold sweat ran down my back.

  "Strange," she tilted her head.

  "Usually, he has the Units handle that kind of cleanup. Why send a new face?"

  "......It's a high-security matter, so I came personally."

  I swallowed and retorted calmly. Lou seemed lost in thought for a moment, then shrugged as if she had lost interest.

  "Well, fine. That man has always been fickle. Follow me."

  She straightened her bicycle and led the way, kicking at the hems of her pants as they swept the floor.

  The interior of the lab was connected to a massive server room. Lou took out a pair of silver-rimmed glasses from her lab coat pocket and put them on.

  The moment she wore them, her dreamy impression transformed into sharp intelligence. She skillfully pulled up a hologram panel and typed in codes at a rapid pace.

  "Nar... she was a waste of a sample. If it wasn't for the aging data, she would have been perfect."

  She muttered to herself and pressed a red button on the screen.

  ['Deleted.']

  Only after confirming that Nar's profile had permanently vanished from the screen did I feel relieved. Now, there was no data left to track Nar.

  "Done. You can go now."

  Lou took off her glasses and waved her hand dismissively. I bowed my head and was about to leave. Just then—

  "Wait."

  She called out to me. My heart plummeted. Was I caught?

  She approached me and pointed a slender index finger at my left shoulder.

  "There. You've been hunching it since earlier. You look hurt."

  Her eyes turned back into those of a doctor.

  "If you just leave, you'll suffer later. Come here. Let me see."

  "No, I'm fi—"

  "Have you ever seen a doctor who rejects a patient? I can't stand seeing something broken wandering around my zone. Whether it's a machine or a person."

  She gently pulled my arm and made me sit on a medical bed. It was a firm command I couldn't refuse.

  As she leaned down to examine my shoulder, her blonde hair brushed against my cheek. She was the head of a cold laboratory, one of the Chairman's people.

  Yet, the tips of her fingers touching my wound were as cold as ice, but they provided an unexplainable sense of stability.

  I stared blankly at the top of her head. Her thin shoulders hidden under the loose clothes, the long eyelashes of her bare face without glasses.

  A heartbeat, entirely different from the one I felt with Rea, throbbed within me.

  Then, inadvertently, my gaze shifted to her desk. A small picture frame sat among the mountain of documents.

  It was not a photo of a typical, sweet couple. However, from the two people standing side-by-side in white coats, a solid aura flowed—the kind only people who have walked toward the same goal for a long time could possess.

  The man standing next to Lou was, at a glance, sharp, intellectual, and an untouchable adult.

  In an instant, it felt as if my heart had dropped to the floor with a thud. A heavy sensation of falling, different from pain.

  Is it him?

  That man who looked so perfect and cold—the one who suited her. A mix of instinctive insecurity, a microsecond of jealousy, and an unexplainable curiosity swirled within me, making my stomach churn.

  Who on earth was this woman?

  I couldn't tell yet, but at least the cool touch on my shoulder right now was not a lie. It was a first encounter that held the scent of an adult, one that transcended a boy's world.

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