Kibum his dry lips in anticipation, his palms growing a bit sweaty at the same time; tonight would finally be the night. The night where all the long hours spent in his laboratory would come to fruition, the night where all the failed attempts would show his growing skill, the night where he would show himself and the world that he was a genius, a creator of life, a living god. He would show everyone that doubted him that he was not crazy or insane, and that all his extensive research was not for naught.

The thunder crackled in the background, illuminating the large room in a bright flash of white light before it all went dark again aside from the yellow lamps that casted some sort of light to help him during his endeavor. There was another deafening crack of thunder as he lifted his clamps, his eyes sparkling with madness only seen from a scientist such as himself, and he moved them down to the mass currently underneath the sheet on his metal slab.

Sparks flew out of the clamps once they touched the metal of the mass, the orange and yellow embers hopping and bouncing along on the white tiles of the lab. The lights around Kibum and his creation flickered from the sudden surge of energy before everything turned off, leaving only the lightning to cast the room in occasional bouts of light from the window. The rain tampered along the roof and cascaded down the window, leaving streaks of black shadows on the tiles whenever the lightning would make its appearance.

Kibum waited with bated breath as he moved away with the clamps still in hand, his heart beating so loud and fast that it was enough to drown out the sounds of the storm outside. His whole life had led up to this moment - could it really be? Could his dreams finally come true?

Just then, the sheet ruffled from some movement beneath it, and then it lifted to reveal a man. He had big, brown eyes and a full bottom lip with high-set cheekbones. His complexion was tan, something quite different to Kibum's since he worked inside day and night. The creation was of tall stature with bulging muscles and large hands; he was like something out of a movie, something no one in the town would ever experience again…or, at least, that was the scientist's thought. He could never create something that other people had seen or even dreamt of - he was Kim Kibum! He had to create the most unique experiments no one had ever thought of before!

He suddenly let out a loud laugh when he saw his creation's eyes flicker around the unfamiliar room, all the pressure and stress melting away with each intense howl that came out of Kibum's mouth. He had done it, finally! He had created life all on his own and the only person he could thank was himself!

"You are alive…alive, and breathing, all from my hand! The world will marvel at my creation. They will envy me…I will get the praise and recognition I have deserved all this time! They will begin to worship me instead, all because I have achieved the seemingly impossible," Kibum uttered to himself as he looked at the clamps in his hands in wonder. He was surely a god now, and everyone would learn to respect him from tonight going forward. These hands had created life from science alone, who could say they achieved such a thing in their lifetime?!

Kibum then remembered the very creature he was speaking and marveling about, and he looked at the man, "I will call you Minho,"

The scientist was proud of himself for completing such a feat. He was more satisfied he had seen the end of a years-long project than the fact that there was another breathing being in the same room with him. The truth was, he didn't care much for Minho. His creation would be something he could parade around for fame and money rather than something to cure his everlasting loneliness. He would produce more creations like Minho to enjoy the benefits they would bring him in the scientific field rather than their conversation. It was cruel, but Kibum didn't care. He only thought of his own capabilities as a god, and how perfect his experiments would turn out. He had no time for anyone else, even if they were made by his own hand.

Over the next few days, Minho got used to his surroundings. He adjusted to certain needs like eating or drinking, and the more he was subjected to these feelings, the more he grew into the habit of knowing what to do. Kibum was there to help, showing him how to use the stove or microwave, and even how to open or prepare certain beverages. The more Minho learnt, the more Kibum felt attached and affectionate towards him. He was such a perfect specimen, how could Kibum resist? Everything about him had worked out so well that it brought out the loving side of Kibum. Of course, if Minho hadn't come out so flawless, Kibum's feelings towards him would mirror that as well. He only loved Minho because he was Kibum's creation and because he was so wonderfully perfect - if anything was wrong, the scientist would've surely tossed him aside like so many other of his experiments.

Minho knew nothing about feelings. He had no soul or an authentic human heart, how could he know what things like love or hate were? However, he did know he felt a sense of comfort and familiarity with Kibum, which fueled his day-to-day work of picking out weeds from the garden or cleaning up around the house. He had done it once and noticed how pleased his master seemed to be, so he continued. He knew if Kibum was happy, then everything was alright in the world.

Eventually, though, Minho began to question his lack of desires or various emotions that his creator seemed to have.

"Kibum, what does it feel like to be happy?" He asked one morning as they ate oatmeal he had made on his own. He still needed to adjust to adding sugar and salt to his meals, but Kibum was satisfied with his progress nonetheless.

The question took the scientist aback, and he stirred his oatmeal as he thought of an answer.

"Well…I'd say it's a feeling that drives most of us to see the light of tomorrow. So when I feel happy, it encourages me to work even harder than today so I can see the rewards tomorrow. When I'm happy, my heart soars, and it feels like I can do anything. It's a lifeforce all on its own," Though Kibum described it in this way, his driving force was not just happiness alone, but also pride and greed, though these two things were emotions Minho couldn't relate to in the slightest.

"I see…" He trailed off; his new mission would be to find happiness and driving force, no matter what the cost.

A few days passed, and Minho didn't have much of an idea of where to start. What did people do to find happiness? For Kibum, it seemed staying in the laboratory non-stop, but Minho couldn't imagine doing that. He liked the lab, but not nearly as much as his creator did, so he mainly mulled around the garden during the day and in his bedroom with books during the night. He didn't know anyone else, so he couldn't ask. And there would be no way that Kibum would ever allow him out of the house to meet anyone for any reason.

One day, however, as he was sitting in the garden on the marble bench as he always did, contemplating the meaning of life and emotions, he noticed a streak of white light in the trees behind the mansion. The house was backed by woods, so certain animals waltzed into the garden more often than not.

"Who's there?" He called out with a frown.

There was some giggling, and he had to call out again before the passerby showed their face.

Minho couldn't tell if they were a man or woman - not that he had much ideas since he could only see pictures of them in books - but he did like their pretty features. He noticed the pixie ears and the glittery wings on their back, which didn't surprise him much since Kibum had told him stories of supernatural beings wandering around the forest.

"Come over here," The pixie urged with a teasing grin, "come on,"

"Who are you? What are you doing?" Minho demanded, his deep frown still set in his features.

"My name is Taemin, and I'm part of the pixie clan. My home is just down here...don't you want to see it?" The pixie giggled again, an infectious sound that nearly made Minho smile.

"I can't leave the house without my master's permission," He said.

"Just a peek. We won't be away for more than two minutes," Taemin said and motioned for Minho to come closer.

He looked back at the house - Kibum was in the lab again, and Minho did feel a bit lonely. But was it really okay to just leave? He would only be investigating, he thought to himself. And he was quite curious to see what was in the forest behind the house; he wanted to see the outdoors too, not just be cooped up in the same place all the time.

"Come on," The pixie urged again with that same devious grin, "I can show you anything you want to see..."

Minho had a bad feeling about it, but he was also too curious to resist, and he stood from the bench to approach Taemin. His cheeks were chubby as he smiled, his eyes sparkling with excitement and curiosity as he looked at Minho.

"Let's go down this way. I can show you the world, Minho," Taemin said as he grasped the taller one's hand. Minho wasn't sure how the pixie knew his name, but he didn't question it either, and rather followed along the path that Taemin pointed out. He didn't know where this would lead, but he was excited to see the destination anyway. He wanted to experience emotions too - he wanted to experience love, happiness, joy, even sadness. They were all things Kibum had shown, but Minho could never really imagine or feel it. What if, somehow, Taemin could show him those things? It was the main reason why the creation allowed himself to be drawn away from his home so easily.

After a few hours, Kibum noticed his creation hadn't come to see him about dinner. He searched all around the house, but he couldn't find Minho anywhere. Kibum was concerned; where could his creation have wandered off to? He didn't stray anywhere unless it was with Kibum, and even then it wasn't anywhere off the property. So what could've happened this time? As far as he knew, Minho was happy here, being his little puppet, something he would eventually show off to everyone. But maybe that wasn't the case...and who was to blame for that? Kibum? No way! He could do no wrong. He'd given Minho everything and more than anyone could've asked for!

He called and called, but there was no answer.

"Agh," He grumbled to himself, "whatever he's doing, he'll realize how stupid it is in the end and come running back,"

Kibum retreated to his lab again, looking through the various samples and notes he'd made since Minho was created. This was the perfect formula to build even more creations, and they'd get better with each try, Kibum knew that. As if his work wasn't perfect already.

A few days passed, and although the scientist longed for Minho who hadn't returned, he went back to his normal work. He refused to be disappointed and sad over a silly monster, and he became even more obsessed with building experiment after experiment. He'd do whatever it took to get endless fame, even if that meant creating an army to show off how his brain and hands had turned him into a living god, with or without his first creation Minho by his side.