Seoul Cyberpunk Story-Chapter 83: Resurrection (4)

The hot steam from the burning duct grazed my face as I hurriedly dashed into the Black Bio pizza shop.

Behind me, the horrifying image of the Perfect Food pizza still lingered in my mind.

The shock of that grotesque caterpillar pizza wouldn't wear off easily.

When I opened the shop door, Uncle Tony looked surprised for a moment—then, with his usual smile and tone, welcomed me.

"Welcome! Black Bio Pizza, Burning Duct branch!"

Seeing him like that, I gave a satisfied smile.

He clearly noticed I hadn't been around in a while, yet said nothing and treated me just like always.

That was exactly the kind of pizza place I wanted.

Because I was a Korean who got uncomfortable when the owner acted too familiar.

Hehe.

The shop was empty—no other customers. But that only meant no waiting, which was a relief.

I sat down and immediately ordered the pizza I always had.

"Three Black Bio Pizza Specials."

My voice trembled as I placed the order.

A normal pizza.

That was exactly what I needed right now.

[Pizza!]

The two Children sitting next to me waved their tiny hands excitedly.

Now that they had physical forms, they were filled with anticipation at the thought of eating real pizza for the first time.

A moment later, three steaming hot pizzas were placed on the table.

I took a deep breath and picked up the biggest slice.

Familiar taste. Predictable toppings. And most importantly—ingredients that didn’t move.

This was a real pizza.

The two Children also began nibbling at the pizzas in front of them.

"You two have your own tastes, huh?"

One Child held a slice of pepperoni the size of their face with both hands, nibbling it like a hamster.

Their brows furrowed in concentration—serious business.

The other picked out vegetables like paprika and green peppers, crunching them one by one.

Like a little rabbit. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

I slowly savored the flavor.

The familiar aroma of tomato sauce, chewy cheese, and the salty kick of pepperoni spread through my mouth.

Only then did I feel myself slowly coming out of the caterpillar pizza nightmare.

After a satisfying meal, I returned to Seoul Dino Park.

The Children, full from eating, were nodding off on my shoulders. I too, soaked in post-meal drowsiness, made my way leisurely toward the lounge.

When I entered, Victor, who’d been sitting on the couch, stood up upon seeing me.

He was wearing a light coat, like he’d just come back from somewhere.

“Oh, A! Back already?”

“Yeah, well... more or less.”

I gave a small nod to Victor’s greeting and flopped down on the soft couch.

The cushions wrapped around my tired body.

Home sweet home.

Then Victor walked up to me with an unusually serious expression.

In his hands was a pizza box—plain, unmarked, slightly clunky-looking.

‘?’

I looked at him with a questioning gaze. Victor gave a wide smirk with one corner of his mouth raised.

“Brought the hottest pizza in Babel right now.”

He puffed his chest slightly, clearly proud.

“This place doesn’t usually do takeout or delivery, but I asked special. Had to sign a waiver that they wouldn’t be responsible for any issues during transport.”

Apparently, he’d gone through quite a hassle just for one pizza.

I examined the box closely.

It was significantly taller than your average pizza box.

Maybe it was a thick-crust kind?

The smell wafting from the box was incredible.

Savory cheese blended with intense spices—it tickled the tip of my nose.

Oddly enough, it was a familiar scent—like I’d smelled it somewhere before.

As the mouthwatering aroma spread through the lounge, people began to gather one by one.

Iris and Daniel, in the middle of a hologram chess match, turned their heads first. Scarlet, just returning from the central control room, approached with a curious look.

“Gyuhihi.”

Agu, who never missed out on food, waddled over and jiggled its pudgy belly in excitement.

Even the Kiwis circled around chirping, “Kiwi, kiwi.”

“Well, let’s open it up.”

As all eyes locked onto the pizza box, Victor—looking ever more confident—slowly lifted the lid.

‘!!!!!’

The moment the box opened, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Because it wasn’t a pizza in there.

What emerged was a massive caterpillar, looking fatter—as if it had devoured the entire pizza.

Wriggling antennae and a shiny green shell.

It was the same caterpillar that had horrified me at the Perfect Food ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) pizza place!

Its fuzzy body stared straight at me with its beady black eyes.

The caterpillar had followed me!

“Ugh!”

I let out a short scream and ducked behind the couch.

But everyone else reacted very differently.

Victor looked down at the caterpillar with a helpless expression and muttered,

“Ah... so that’s why takeout and delivery were banned. It wasn’t the pizza—it was what’s inside.”

Scarlet glanced at me, amused.

“A picky eater, huh, A?”

She poked my cheek playfully.

“Gyuu?”

Agu looked momentarily puzzled—then began smacking its lips and slowly approaching the caterpillar.

Like a predator that had just discovered a new prey.

At that moment, I felt the crushing weight of a hundred years of generational divide.

Between those who considered living bug food normal—and me, who absolutely could not.

Then, an unexpected voice broke in.

“So cute...”

Iris mumbled in a daze, her eyes fixed on the caterpillar.

I stared at her in disbelief. Flustered, she waved her hands defensively.

“B-but if you really want to eat it, A-unni, I-I could... I could try to prepare it somehow!”

She clenched her fists like she was steeling herself for a grand task.

I hesitated for a moment.

Rather than witness the horrific sight of that caterpillar getting chopped up, it might actually be better if Iris kept it as a pet.

“No, it’s fine. You keep it.”

“Really?”

Iris’s face lit up.

Like a child receiving a birthday present.

Victor watched us back and forth, muttering under his breath.

“Feels like we’re collecting more and more edible pets lately...”

His gaze shifted to the Kiwis hopping around nearby.

Now that I thought about it—they were originally food, too.

I sighed and sank back into the couch.

This cyberpunk era’s bug-food culture... I don’t think I’ll ever adapt to it.

Hoo...

****

After the caterpillar commotion died down, Scarlet left the lounge.

She held a plate with a slice of Luna’s pizza in one hand.

Taking a bite, she headed toward the Central Control Room.

She had to check the message Ember had sent.

“Every fifteen minutes...”

Before leaving to meet a friend who might already be dead, Ember had made a single request.

[The friend I’m going to meet—there’s something off about them. I’ll send check-in messages every 15 minutes to confirm I’m safe.]

A simple request to send periodic updates, just in case.

The door to the Central Control Room slid open softly, and familiar blue-lit screens greeted her.

Unlike the lounge’s noisy chaos, the control room was quiet.

Dozens of hologram monitors glowed faintly, each displaying streams of data.

Scarlet glanced around once, then dropped into her chair.

“Hmmm... There better not really be anything going on.”

She tapped on the hologram keyboard, her voice low and worried.

What made her feel that way was how Ember’s messages were starting to sound... strange.

The first message had been short and to the point.

<No issues.>

Just like a military report—only the bare essentials.

The second and third were the same.

<No issues.> <No issues.>

But starting with the fourth, something began to shift.

<This house is really beautiful.> <We should decorate our place like this too. A would love some of the furniture here.> <When I leave later, my friend said they’d pack some cookies they baked. Isn’t that exciting?>

The messages grew longer—then came the exclamation marks.

It started reading like a diary written by a giddy child.

At first, Scarlet thought Ember was just having a good time catching up with a long-lost friend.

Maybe it really was some miraculous reunion—the kind you thought only happened in movies.

Mulling that over while finishing her slice, Scarlet soon noticed it was time for the next message.

The holographic clock hit the 15-minute mark.

But Ember’s message didn’t come.

“Running a little late?”

10 seconds... 20... 30...

Scarlet waited the full extra 30 seconds, just as agreed.

Still, the AR interface remained silent.

A wave of unease swept over her.

Without hesitation, she initiated a connection.

The AR interface flared to life, pinging Ember’s code.

But—

Instead of the familiar tone, a cold, mechanical system voice responded.

‘!!!’

Scarlet’s eyes widened.

[Code not found on network.]

Ember’s signal had vanished from the AI network entirely.

As if... she’d never existed to begin with.