The woman never thought there was anything wrong with her child calling a household robot "brother." She wouldn't deliberately correct him.
To them, even if it was just a household robot, it had become a part of their lives, a member of the family, and they had accepted it.
Their neighborhood had always been safe, and all household robots had free access.
But then, one afternoon, her household robot went out to run an errand and inexplicably disappeared, never to return.
This was not normal.
While there had been cases of household robots running away from home, theirs would never do such a thing.
They had even posted an advertisement on television searching for their household robot, along with a substantial reward.
That money was enough to buy another expensive household robot.
Yet, despite this, there was no news, not even from anyone offering a lead.
No one had seen their household robot.
They searched for a long time and found nothing.
That day, when the child returned from school and didn't see "brother," he thought "brother" was playing hide-and-seek with him. He searched for a long time, and no matter what she and her husband said, the child believed it was just a joke.
They were not the kind of parents who lied to their children. She had always told him, "Brother might be lost outside, Mom and Dad will bring him back."
They had made that promise to their child, but even after exhausting all their options, she and her husband still hadn't found their household robot.
It was the first time she had broken a promise to her child.
They had even reported it to the police.
It was then, at the police station, that they learned their household robot wasn't the only one missing during that period.
Many households in nearby cities had also had their household robots disappear, most of them while out on errands for their owners. They would go out and never come back.
The police suspected organized crime. These robot theft gangs were so brazen they were plundering entire cities and neighborhoods, stealing a large number of household robots from the vicinity.
It was from then on that her child became withdrawn, unhappy for days on end.
The child began to strongly reject other household robots, seeing "brother" as unique, irreplaceable by any other.
They had not purchased any other household robots since.
The child became quiet again, even reluctant to smile.
She worried constantly that her child might revert to his old ways, shutting himself in his room and refusing to speak to anyone.
She and her husband juggled their demanding jobs while also caring for their child. On weekends or after work, they would take their child out to search for "brother," who was so important to their family and likely stolen by those gangs.
By then, they had already lost hope.
She herself didn't know what she was holding on to.
Until one evening, the child held her hand tightly and said he knew where "brother" was.
The child said, "Brother" had told him what to do if it ever went missing.
But how could a child know where their stolen household robot was?
Still, they took the child's suggestion seriously, even though it sounded absurd.
The child kept begging to go to a place he couldn't name or describe its location.
The child knew few characters but was proficient with electronic devices.
The child ran back to his small room, retrieved an electronic tablet, tapped on it many times with his small hands, and then opened a software they had never seen before.
It was a map, a map of their city.
She took the tablet and zoomed in on the map. A conspicuous red dot appeared.
The child said this was where "brother" was.
The child insisted on going there to find brother.
Everything felt surreal. It was a place she and her husband didn't recognize.
Their small family had always been one of equality and open communication.
Because their child had been withdrawn at such a young age, they paid close attention to his thoughts. She and her husband never dismissed his words or treated them as childish ramblings; they always took them seriously.
Seeing how much the child wanted to go, they coordinated their work schedules, took time off, and the next morning, the small family drove directly to the location of the red dot on the map.
During the day, the street was almost deserted.
The entire street was empty.
Yet, looking at it, something felt strange – the names of the shop signs, even the overall atmosphere.
However, they thought since they had come all this way, even if they didn't find their household robot, it would at least fulfill the child's wish.
After wasting the morning, they were about to head back.
Unexpectedly, the child refused to leave. Unlike other children who would cry loudly, their child would simply stand there, large tears welling up in his eyes, without making a sound, looking utterly pitiful.
Seeing her son cry, her heart ached.
After he finished crying, the child wanted to have dinner there.
With no other option, they took the child to rest nearby. But there were no open businesses in the area. They had to walk several blocks before finding a shop that was open.
After dinner, she and her husband thought, "He won't cry anymore, right?"
But then, they lost the child.
The child said he needed to use the restroom.
His father offered to go with him, but the child said he was grown up and could go by himself.
Considering there were few people in the restaurant and only one entrance/exit, they agreed.
However, they never imagined the child would escape by climbing over the wall behind the restroom with his tablet.
They were frantic.
When they reported it to the police again, they were told they couldn't file a report without waiting 24 hours, and no officers would be dispatched to help them search.
Finally, after an unknown number of hours, the child was found, long after the restaurant owner had closed up for the night.
And the one who brought the child back was their household robot – "Brother."
The child's eyes were red and swollen from crying. His usually bright, adorable eyes were puffy and red, indicating he had cried for a long time. He clung tightly to "Brother's" neck, refusing to let go.
At that moment, in a daze, she thought she saw a look of concern and indulgence in the household robot's eyes directed at the child.
But how could a household robot have such emotions?