An Asset Cheaper Than a Person: S-62B Passes Intake Inspection, but the Full Sensor Check Is Deferred | NOV-HUM Ep. 4 Part 1

NOV-HUM · EPISODE 4 OF 25 · PART 1 OF 2

Jaeho enters the workplace not as a worker, but as S-62B.

“What about the full inspection?”

The office administrator asked the question. Taegyu Park did not even look away from the screen.
“The grace-period authorization is still valid, right?”
“D-28.”
“Most recent inspection?”
“Shows as valid.”
“Then we’re fine.”

Jaeho Yoon stood inside the waiting line and listened to the two of them. It took him a moment to decide whether he was supposed to respond. The night before, he had practiced how to look like a machine. Keep his answers short. Do not smile for no reason. Do not nod too often. Breathe without letting his chest move too much. But now that he was standing at the intake inspection station of Hangyeol Funeral Services, the hardest part turned out to be something else. Doing nothing. Keeping his mouth shut even at moments when any ordinary person would naturally ask a question.

Taegyu swiped to the next screen.
“S-six-two-B.”
Jaeho answered immediately.
“Confirmed.”
Taegyu looked up at him for the first time. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties. A work earpiece sat in one ear, and his shirt sleeves were rolled to the elbows.
“Voice module sounds fine.”
Jaeho said nothing. Taegyu returned to the screen.

S-62B
LEGACY DAILY-LIVING / CASKET-TRANSFER SUPPORT SERIES
TRANSFER GRACE PERIOD: D-28
MOST RECENT SAFETY INSPECTION: VALID
ACCUMULATED FIELD DATA: 33 YEARS

Taegyu’s finger stopped at the final line.
“Been around a long time.”
Jaeho became conscious of the core beneath his chest.
“Yes.”
He regretted answering almost immediately. Taegyu had not been talking about him. Taegyu did not seem to notice.
“Plenty of exception-handling data,” the administrator said. “Address corrections, obstacle avoidance, customer-request changes, logistics support history.”
Taegyu nodded.
“This is better. New models cost a fortune, and half of them just stand there blankly once you put them in the field.”

The corner of Jaeho’s mouth lifted slightly. Three days ago, the same thirty-three years had helped disqualify him from a job. Today, those thirty-three years looked as though they might get him hired. Of course, the number was not his experience. It belonged to S-62B. Still, the approval felt strangely good. Something Jaeho had spent his whole life believing he was good at was being praised again on a screen.

Attached to a person, long experience was old and risky.
Attached to a machine, old data was proven and reliable.

Taegyu asked,
“Any casket-transfer experience?”
The administrator scrolled down.
“Mostly daily logistics. Limited casket-transfer support history.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll pair it with a person at night.”
Jaeho spoke before he meant to.
“A person?”
Taegyu looked at him again.
“Why?”
“Nothing.”
“Pair two legacy units and everything slows down. A field supervisor will be there with you.”
“Confirmed,” Jaeho said shortly.
Taegyu gave a small laugh.
“At least it follows instructions.”

He opened the next item on the inspection screen.

EXTERIOR MODEL MATCH

Taegyu glanced at the back of Jaeho’s neck. The service-port housing showed beneath the grayish synthetic-skin patch.
“Had some exterior work done?”
Jaeho’s throat went dry.
“Partial replacement.”
“Self-repair?”
“Partial replacement history.”
He kept the answer as short as possible.

The administrator checked the screen.
“New maintenance records haven’t synchronized yet because the registration transfer is still pending.”
Taegyu waved a hand.
“Fine. Exterior matches, tag matches.”

Jaeho felt his pulse strike hard once inside his body. Apparently, the inspection was over.

Too quickly.

Even the cheap authentication terminal he had used in his room the night before had asked:

BODY SENSOR CONNECTION CANNOT BE VERIFIED
JOINT LOAD SENSOR: NO INPUT
EXTERIOR TEMPERATURE SENSOR: NO INPUT
MAIN BODY POWER STATUS: NO INPUT

But the company’s intake system had not opened that screen even once. Instead of feeling relieved, Jaeho became more uneasy.

Taegyu spoke to the administrator.
“Do the sensor cross-check at the next maintenance cycle.”
The administrator hesitated.
“Shouldn’t we check a legacy unit at least once?”
“How many days if we send it in now?”
“Just getting a center slot could take two days.”
“Then no.”

Taegyu pointed toward the assignment board on the wall. Several spaces were empty.
“We picked up two more municipal funerals this week, and we’re already short one night position. What’s the point of bringing in an asset if we send it off for inspection and put a person in its place?”

Jaeho heard every word.

What’s the point if we put a person in its place?

Without looking at him, Taegyu continued.
“Run it on the field tag for now. If an abnormal signal comes up, pull it then.”

The administrator checked an item on the screen.

FULL SENSOR CROSS-CHECK: DEFERRED UNTIL AFTER FIELD DEPLOYMENT

A smaller line appeared beside it.

Reason: OPERATIONAL SCHEDULE PRIORITY

Jaeho’s eyes stayed on that sentence. The company had been deceived. That was true. But the company had not tried very hard to look, either.

Jaeho needed both things to remain true. He needed not to be discovered. And the company needed not to look.

The administrator picked up a scanner and pointed it toward Jaeho’s chest.

Beep.

Green text appeared.

S-62B
ASSET AUTHENTICATION: VALID

Jaeho let his breath out very slowly, careful not to let his chest rise too much. Taegyu was already opening another screen.
“Let’s do the contract.”

Large letters filled the first screen of the contract terminal.

LABOR ASSET USE AGREEMENT

Jaeho stared at the title for a while. Whenever he had signed a contract as a person, his name had always been near the top.

Jaeho Yoon.
Address.
Resident identification.
Bank account.
Work location.
Working hours.

Today, the top of the screen showed something else.

Operational Asset: S-62B
Registration Status: Transfer Grace Period
Assignment Type: Night Funeral / Casket-Transfer Support
Contract: Hangyeol Funeral Services / Authorized-Party Settlement Pending

The words Jaeho Yoon appeared nowhere.

Taegyu pulled out the chair beside him.
“Just confirm everything here.”
Jaeho sat and scrolled down.

PAYMENT
ASSET-USE FEE

A figure appeared beneath it. Jaeho immediately started calculating.

One day.
One week.
One month.
Loan interest.
The rental deposit he had pledged.
Remaining debt.

Within seconds, the numbers lined up in his head.

“At this rate…”
“It isn’t especially cheap,” Taegyu said.
Jaeho looked up.
“Me?”
Taegyu stared at him for a moment.
“The fee for S-62B.”
“Oh.”
Jaeho closed his mouth. Taegyu continued as if nothing had happened.
“The older data adds some value. Still cheaper than using a person.”

Jaeho looked back at the number. A payment that had looked decent a moment earlier suddenly looked different.
“How much does a person cost?”
The question came out before he could stop it.
Taegyu raised an eyebrow.
Jaeho quickly added,
“Requesting comparison data.”
Only after he added the machine-like phrase did Taegyu laugh.
“Curious for an old model.”

He made a rough calculation.
“Put a person on a night shift and all kinds of costs get attached. It isn’t just wages.”
“All kinds?”
“Insurance. Night differential. Rest breaks. Relief staff. Occupational injury management. Things like that.”

Jaeho said nothing. They were the same words that had appeared on his interview screen a few days earlier.

Taegyu scrolled farther down the contract.

“Assets are simpler.”