Apocalypse Shelter Administrator

Two Alike

The day after the job aptitude test was completed, Seyoung observed the atmosphere in the prison guard camp. After some evaluations and classifications, they would soon be assigned to various tasks throughout the city.

In the cafeteria, the yard, and the dormitories, the only topic of conversation whenever two or more people gathered was the test. It resembled the scene in a classroom right after high school exams.

"How did you do?"

"What do you think? I bombed it."

Familiar lines were being exchanged, just like old times.

“What was with those last essay questions… I lost four questions because I didn’t know the names.”

Naturally, there were complaints about the questions.

Although these scenes were familiar, the weight they carried was far heavier than any exam they'd taken before. The test results would determine how convenient and prosperous their lives in the city would be, and for some, it could even affect their social status.

Most of them leaned towards feeling gloomy and pessimistic. The greater the expectations, the greater the anxiety. Many of them had high hopes of passing and joining the security forces. Naturally, these women couldn’t help but look at Seyoung with envy.

"She's so lucky."

"She's bound to pass the security forces, and she'll probably get a management position too, right?"

It’s no secret that public companies often have pre-selected candidates, but it’s rare to see such an openly obvious case as this one. Seyoung was the only one in the camp to receive private accommodations, and the city administrator had personally visited her, even assigning her personal bodyguards.

It was clear to everyone that she was the pre-selected candidate. As expected, countless whispers about her spread behind her back. The gossip intensified after the aptitude test ended.

“Well, she did pass the civil service exam.”

Some women, however, were the type to acknowledge what deserved acknowledgment. And for good reason—Seyoung might be the only person in the shelter, and possibly the last in South Korea, to have passed the civil service exam. And she did it at a very young age.

As if to prove her worth, after the test, Seyoung was transported somewhere else. It was a small café not far from the camp. During the city's construction period, the café had been popular with the workers, thanks to its iced Americanos priced at just 2,000 won. They had planned to cater to regular residents after the city’s completion, but that dream was dashed by the unprecedented disaster.

Today, they welcomed their first real resident customer.

“This is the second time we’ve met.”

“I’ve seen and heard about you many times, though.”

When Rose extended her hand first, Seyoung smiled and took it. Rose's hand was incredibly soft and radiated a warmth so pleasant that Seyoung didn’t want to let go.

The two sat near the entrance. It had been a long time since Seyoung had visited a café, so just the soft sofa and the cozy atmosphere brought her immense satisfaction. Truly, every little thing she used to take for granted had now become a source of happiness.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Rose, and I am the shelter's security management AI.”

“I’m former prison warden Lee Seyoung.”

Rose, sitting upright and poised as if possessed by a posture goddess, looked directly at Seyoung.

“That body… is it an android?”

“Yes, it is.”

“That’s amazing. This is my first time seeing a second-generation android in person.”

Second-generation androids were so expensive that the wealthy typically purchased them as sex bots. However, there were non-sexual androids designed for special purposes as well.

For example, wealthy couples with a good relationship would buy them for practical reasons, such as housekeepers, personal assistants, or caregivers. In some cases, fundamentalist religious groups used them to adhere to doctrines about the appropriate use of female labor.

Seyoung briefly wondered whether the woman in front of her was a sex bot or not, but she had no intention of asking.

“Order whatever you like.” Rose handed her a menu. “I’d love to offer you more, but unfortunately, this place was half-destroyed during the infection outbreak and has only just been restored. So, the selection is limited.”

A housekeeping robot, waiting by the kitchen, brought a tray to the table. It was a humanoid that looked like the NS4 model from I, Robot, with a bulky plastic body. Its chef’s hat and apron were adorably mismatched yet somehow cute.

Seyoung's eyes automatically fixed on the tray. While two meals a day were provided at the shelter, the focus was strictly on nutrition. At best, it was barely passable as lucky military rations.

Sweetness.

Humans have an instinctive craving for sweetness, which could not be satisfied by the shelter’s meals.

Korean men, who typically experience a forced deprivation of sweetness during five weeks of military training, know this suffering all too well. Just five weeks of it can be torturous, but Seyoung had been deprived of sugar ever since she was confined to the offshore prison.

Gulp—

On the tray was a café latte, with a smiley face drawn in milk foam, gently steaming. Her mouth began to water fiercely. She tried her best to maintain her composure, but Rose, observing through her electronic eyes, could see everything. She noticed Seyoung’s nostrils subtly flaring as she deeply inhaled the scent of the coffee.

Rose lifted the lid on a dish beside the coffee. Inside were three small desserts. A croffle drizzled generously with maple syrup.

Three macarons.

And three tarts.

Rose hadn’t been able to find any information on Seyoung's food preferences, so she had simply selected the three most popular snacks on South Korean social media before the collapse.

She confirmed that Seyoung’s eyes had grown 20% wider, and her nostrils 30% larger. The combination might have seemed overly sweet, but based on her interviews with prisoner representatives, it was an unnecessary concern.

Just give us something sweet!

Women in Seyoung’s situation, tormented by their brain’s constant craving for sugar, would appreciate the gesture.

"Feel free to eat as much as you like. We have plenty of time, so you can finish eating before we talk," said Rose.

The first thing Seyoung reached for with trembling hands and eyes was the coffee cup.

Sip—

"Ahhh…"

As the sweet coffee touched her tongue, she felt as if her brain was ‘twitching' and moving. Next, her gaze landed on the croffle. The rich buttery aroma of the perfectly baked croffle mingled with the sweet scent of maple syrup rising in a tantalizing cloud.

The moment she took a bite, it was like heaven unfolded in her mouth. Her taste buds, nasal membranes, nerves, neurons, and spinal cord all seemed to collapse under the sensory overload. Her tongue delivered the sweetness directly to her brain, and yet, the brain did nothing to stop this rebellion.

Why should it? It was pure happiness.

Rose watched Seyoung with what could be considered an overly curious gaze. After all, she had a keen interest in the sensations humans experienced, especially the pleasure derived from taste and smell. Even though her body could feel like a human's, as a machine, she couldn’t truly indulge in these senses as humans could.

Rose carefully observed Seyoung’s very human reactions, her expressions in response to these sensations, all while thinking of a future time when she might experience them herself.

When the coffee and croffle were more than half gone, Seyoung wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin and smiled awkwardly.

"As you may already know, despite the results of the aptitude test, there are certain people who have already been assigned specific roles. I'm sure you understand that you are one of them," Rose said.

"Yes," Seyoung nodded.

"Personally, I’m very impressed with you. Your academic records, university achievements, and evaluations from your superiors have all been remarkable," Rose continued.

"Thank you," Seyoung replied, genuinely pleased. She knew Rose wasn’t the type to offer empty compliments. It wasn’t just the sweetness of the food that made Seyoung happy—she was also starved for recognition of her hard work. Her brain was on the verge of overloading from all the positive chemical reactions happening at once.

"You are expected to receive the highest-ranking position among the residents, excluding the Administrator. It will be similar to your previous role as a prison warden. However, you must not disclose this information before the official announcement."

"Of course," Seyoung responded. Only someone completely oblivious wouldn’t understand that.

"However, I do feel a bit overwhelmed. I've never managed such a large group before. Many of my predecessors, who were much more experienced, were in charge of facilities with hundreds of people," Seyoung admitted honestly.

"There’s no need to worry about that. Although the population here is large, the security level is higher than ADX Florence. Plus, there are no human rights laws here. We’ll provide you with full support in terms of force and surveillance, so you have nothing to worry about."

Rose’s confident words gave Seyoung reassurance.

"In a way, you could say that you'll be the Administrator’s right hand," Rose added.

"Me?" Seyoung's eyes widened, as if asking, "Aren't you the right hand?" Rose chuckled at her obvious reaction.

"The Administrator believes that humans should be managed by other humans. While we AI assistants have greater authority, when it comes to directly interacting with people, you’ll take on a role similar to a salaried manager."

Of course, Artemis, Chloro, Rose, and Kiz were like the major shareholders who could replace that manager at any time.

"The reason you were called here today is that you and I will be working closely together in the future, and the Administrator thought it would be good for us to get to know each other better."

"Indeed, given the composition of the residents here, there will probably be no shortage of incidents."

Naturally, as the representative for human residents, Seyoung and Rose, the security manager, would need to communicate frequently.

After discussing a few minor issues, silence settled in, and Rose’s gaze slowly shifted to the cooling food on the table.

"It smells nice," Rose said, sniffing the air. It was a small gesture, but one that was somewhat unladylike. Seyoung chuckled softly and quickly suppressed her smile.

"Even a second-generation android can't eat food?" Seyoung asked.

"I can drink to some extent. I’m a sex model, after all. I can ingest liquids and even semi-solids like semen."

Seyoung almost spat out her coffee. Rose was intelligent and cultured, but she seemed to lack a certain feminine modesty.

"Is something wrong?" Rose asked, tilting her head cutely. She was clearly puzzled.

Seyoung gave her an awkward smile.

"Before we get into work matters, perhaps we should discuss some basic common sense first," Seyoung suggested with a laugh.

Their conversation ended up lasting much longer than originally planned, and by the time they parted, Seyoung and Rose had become close friends. They exchanged hugs instead of handshakes.