On the outside, everything seemed perfect. His face often appeared on the news and in news articles. Named Jisoo, he was the only child of the two famous researchers that made groundbreaking advancements in Korean technology. His family was rich, and he was always smiling in photos; but his smile never reached his heart.

A part of him wondered if he was broken. For it seemed the only plausible answer for why he felt nothing inside his heart. He never understood why people held hands or kissed in movies, or how someone's heartbeat would quicken if in the presence of someone they liked. The concept of love- no one had explained it to him, so how could he know what it was?

One would say that love is not something that can be explained, only something that can be felt. Jisoo never understood what it was and he was completely ready to never be able to, but that all changed in an instant- when he met Yoon Jeonghan.

~

“Mr. Hong, how do you feel about making such a breakthrough in technology!” “Mr. Hong, do you have any plans to further your research!” “When will your technology be released to the outside world!” “Joshua, please say a word!”

Joshua and his family were being bombarded by flashing lights and the constant clicking of shutters. People from left and right were shouting, pushing each other in order to get a better look. He looked to his right, his father was waving his hand and answering question after question. He looked to his left and his mother met his gaze and smiled gently. Her smile wasn’t for reassurance, it was a reminder. Smile.

Joshua turned his gaze back to the reporters and smiled. It was a fresh and clean smile, just like how his parents had taught him. This garnered him more flashing lights and questions directed to him.

“Joshua, how does it feel to have such famous and intelligent parents!”

The voice was loud and clear, cutting through the other chatter. Joshua looked to his father again, his eyes asking for approval. His father nodded.

Joshua breathed in deeply, “It makes me very proud to have such wonderful parents and their presence is a reminder everyday of how privileged I am.”

“Do you ever feel pressured after seeing how far your parent’s have come?”

“No, not at all. I will not disappoint them, that is my single duty as their son.”

His answer was that like from a textbook. Perfectly crafted with no flaws; but that was every word from his mouth anyways. So perfect, so inhuman.

~

“You did well today, Joshua.” His father glanced at him through the rearview mirror of their car.

“Thank you, father.” Joshua answered, voice monotone.

“Joshua, we’ll drop you off at the house, Sebastian will take you in.” Joshua’s mother spoke.

Joshua looked up, “Are you going somewhere?” Joshua couldn’t help but sound a little upset. There were very few days when his parents were home.

“Yes, your father and I will be going on a business trip for a few days. Try not to go outside too much while we’re gone, and don’t forget to do your homework.”

“Yes mother.” Joshua couldn’t complain so he diverted his gaze out the window. It was raining, had been since that morning. He watched the lights of the city whizzing past him in a blur as his father stepped on the gas pedal. At some point, his eyes had closed and he had fallen asleep; but within him, his mind was still wide awake.

~

“…”

Jeonghan’s eyes fluttered open - irises glimmering an emerald green - a killer aura radiating from him. From his spot on a torn apart armchair, he could see a dark-haired male staggering in the doorway. He sighed, “You got high again… I told you, you’ll die soon if you keep taking it at the rate you are now.”

The male at the doorway raised his head to look at Jeonghan and in doing so, revealed his bloodshot eyes hidden underneath his dark bangs. The emerald eyes that used to be so similar to Jeonghan’s were now dull.

“How did you even remember where I lived? You’re so high you can barely stand,” Jeonghan rose and made his way over to the male. The male blinked emptily at Jeonghan, pupils dilated. “You’ve gone too far this time, Seungcheol.” Jeonghan whispered in his ear and landed a swift blow to the back of his head.

Seungcheol’s eyes rolled back and his body crumpled to the floor. Looking at how much he was injecting into his system, he didn’t have long left to live anyways. Jeonghan knelt down beside the male and reached into his right pocket. Bingo. He withdraw a pocketknife. “Now… let’s go and have some fun.” Jeonghan rose and strode out of the dismantled apartment.

~

It was late and the poor district had all retreated to the warmth of their homes. That was usually how it was. In the morning, the poor were all out at work while the rich slept in. At night, the poor slept and the party began for the rich. It didn’t take long for Jeonghan to come across a party happening in the middle of the street. Within the crowd he saw someone whom he recognized.

Dokyeom…

The boy in the crowd noticed Jeonghan and waved. “Jeonghan!” The boy smiled brightly and began to squeeze his way through the crowd. Dokyeom was the son of a popular businessman who ran a big company in the area. Additionally, he was one of Jeonghan’s connections to the rich district.

“Hey, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen you around, what’ve you been up to?” Jeonghan said when Dokyeom came into earshot.

“Oh you know, my parents have been trying to marry me off to another rich family so I’ve been pretty busy with blind dates.” Dokyeom smiled and rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously.

“You want to get married? You’re still young,” Jeonghan frowned slightly although it was quite common practice for a lot of rich sons and daughters. The moment they aged up, they would be married into other families.

“Well, I don’t mind so much,” Dokyeom smiled, “some of the girls are pretty cute.”

“Dokyeom! Help us open another bottle of champagne!” A voice sounded from the large jumble of people dancing and drinking.

“Sorry, gotta run,” Dokyeom smiled before shooting a card towards Jeonghan’s face.

Jeonghan acted immediately and caught the card between his index and third finger.

“It’s an updated access card, use it well,” Dokyeom said and disappeared into the mass.

Jeonghan flipped the card. It was transparent, made of a special kind of glass. Let’s hope it proves more useful than the last card. He thought and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

“Hey darling… want to come join us? We’ll entertain you.” Jeonghan felt the smooth hands of a female wrap around his body. Glancing to his left, he saw a lady’s face too close for comfort. One of the girls from the red district. “How about it? We’ll make you feel real good.” The lady leaned in closer and blew on Jeonghan’s ear.

“I suggest you back off now.” Jeonghan advised, his emerald eyes glaring at the girl. In the distance behind him, he could see a dark corner where many men laid motionless on the floor. “I’m not going to fall for your methods, I suggest you find some other unaware male who wants to get high.”

The girl’s seductive smile immediately turned into a frown and she let go of her grip on Jeonghan. Jeonghan sighed and walked away from the large crowd. Whether it was the poor or rich district, they were all infested with drugs and alcohol. Be tempted and find yourself robbed and hungover in the morning. That was a daily routine for many. And for many, a never ending routine. Seungcheol flashed in Jeonghan’s mind.

Jeonghan placed his hands in his pockets and sped up his pace. Time to find something interesting to do.

~

“Young master, it’s time for you to retire to your room. The mistress wouldn’t want you to stay out here for too long.” Sebastian addressed Joshua who had his body leaning against the balcony of their home.

“Sebastian,” Joshua started.

“Yes, young master?”

“Do you think my parents love me?” Joshua gazed off into the darkness of the night.

“Why wouldn’t they? You’re their only child.” Sebastian answered, somewhat confused.

“Then…” Joshua clenches his hands together, “why do I feel so lonely? Why do I feel like our family isn’t a normal one? What makes us different?”

Sebastian didn’t know how to answer that question exactly, for there were many reasons their family was not the average household.

“When we feel lonely, don’t we cry?” Joshua looked for the stars in the dark sky, but even within its vastness, it seemed empty. “So then… why can’t I cry?” Joshua turned towards Sebastian, his brown eyes wide with alarming fear and questioning. For that child was so perfect, that he couldn’t be human.

~

Jeonghan sat in the moving shuttle, watching as people filed in and out at each stop. He really didn’t have any destination in mind. If something interesting didn’t pop up, he was going to wait until the train arrived at the final stop.

The train doors opened and people filed out; people filed in. The old man that had been sitting next to him had exited and left his half read newspaper on the seat. Glancing down at the open page, a figure caught his eye. Jeonghan picked up the newspaper and looked at the title and photograph.

Korea’s current most famous researchers Mr. and Mrs. Hong answer many important questions about the future of their technology. But it wasn’t them that caught Jeonghan’s eye. It was the brown-haired boy standing next to them with a fake smile that drew his curiosity.

This is going to be fun.

A/N: Well, I'm back! So, I'm in school, so updates will be a little slow, probably once a week~ But it feels great to be back. Although it's not mentioned in this chapter, Jeonghan's hair is white, similar to the kind he had in Don't Wanna Cry. Let me know what you think of the story! Sorry it's a little cryptic. Also, if you haven't noticed, this is set in the future, not too far, but a good 20 or 30 years. Thanks for reading!