Chapter 34

            “She’s my savior. Xiumin and I, she saves us on the very last second of our breath.”

            D.O sighed. Tao didn’t say a word and just keeps on staring at the latter waiting for his continuation. D.O stared at his emptied cup, reflecting the day he and Xiumin first met Samantha. 

            “I was 15 years old when our parents died…” D.O started.

            “Woah! Wait. Our parents? You mean?” Tao asks emphasizing the word ‘OUR’.

            “Yes. Xiumin and I are siblings. Half-siblings actually. His father died when he’s five years old. His mother and my dad met when I was 2 years old. Well, my mom died upon giving birth on me. Although that’s our setup, Xiumin didn’t treat me differently. He showed me a brother’s love.” Tao saw happiness on the latter as he narrates his story. He smiled knowing how the guy beside him cherishes his brother. At some point, he envies them. Siblings love. He wonders if he and Samantha were also like them. “We were living in the province that time and I swear, life there is very difficult. That’s why our parents decided to moved here in the city to grab opportunities. Once, we’re settled, our parents both work almost day & night, sometimes they just come home every weekend. Xiumin and I managed to get a scholarship at the same school but still, after class he makes sure to be on his part-time job to help our parents on our extra expenses. Actually, that school was the same school that you and Samantha attended.” D.O looks at Tao to see what will be his reaction but got puzzled when he didn’t saw what he’s expecting to.

            “What? Go on.” Tao said instead.

            D.O sighed as he remembered that Tao doesn’t remember a thing. “You used to bully me there.” He said making Tao surprised a bit.

            With pile of books on his arms that he needed to return to the library and blocking his front view, Kyungsoo didn’t notice the Tall guy and his buddy waiting for his arrival at the hallway.

            “There he is.” The guy beside the tall guy whispered while watching in amusement the nerdy looking Kyungsoo walking towards them. The tall guy smirks and waited for the poor, innocent guy to arrive.

            “Excuse me. Excuse me. Coming through.” Kyungsoo said. But… he didn’t expect something on his step that made him falls down on the ground badly and made the books on his arms scattered. His eyeglass also flies out off him making him not see who the owners of the laughs he’s been hearing are, but one thing he’s sure. One of the laughs is from his worst nightmare…

            “You are so mean dude.” He heard one of the guys. He touches the ground hoping to get his eyeglasses.

            “Oh~ Kyungsoo yah. Are you alright?” he heard the fake concern voice of his dear enemy. He bits his lower lip to control his self from crying especially in front of the idiots.

            The laughs get louder and louder because of the other students that gathers around him. They are all saying terms and symphaties on him but he knew all of it were sarcastics. He prayed on himself for his brother to be there but, he remembers that Minseok was already at his class. He’s almost losing hope in finding his dear glasses and about to cry out loud when…

            “YAH! TAO! WHAT THE HELL?!” he heard a female voice. He heard gasps and seems like the crowd’s getting lesser as the sound of the stilettos of the girl gets nearer and nearer.

            “Noona. How’s…?” *PAK* “Ouch! What’s that for?” he heard Tao complains.

            “Don’t call me noona. You idiot!” the girl said upon smacking his brother on the head. She looks at Kyungsoo who was still confused on what’s happening on his surrounding. She was puzzled first but then, when she saw the eyeglasses near her feet, she knows. She picks it up and kneels in front of the confused Kyungsoo and placed the half-cracked glasses on him. Kyungsoo blinks few times to see the face of the person in front of him and when his sight got clear, he got mesmerized on her beauty.

            “YAH! Stop staring at my sister!” he heard that made him snaps at his fantasy and looks at his worst enemy. He shivers upon seeing how Tao glares at him.

            “I’m sorry. Are you alright?” Kyungsoo froze on the girl’s warm touch on his cheeks. He can see how concern the lady was for him. “Your glasses, I’ll give you a new one in exchange for what my brother has done to you. Please forgive him.” He nods continuously. “Ow~ Thank you. You’re so nice.” His eyes rounded that made the lady chuckles on his cuteness.

            “Augh! Disgusting.” Tao said looking at the other direction with crossed arms.

            The lady stood up and hit Tao on his arm. “You idiot. I just been gone for a while and look what you’ve done. Making fun of new students. And you!” Kyungsoo looks at the guy who was about to escape from the lady’s scolding.

            “Hehe. Sam noona… I… Ahhh!” Samantha pulled the young guy’s ear, dragging him back on his spot.

            “How could you let your idiotic cousin do his here? Huh! Taemin” Samantha scolds.

            “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It was all his idea.” Taemin admitted making Tao glares at him.

            “You traitor!” Tao’s about to attack his grinning cousin but Samantha stood between them.

            “YAH! SHUT UP! Both of you. Go to the detention room.”

            “WHAT?!” - Tao

            “NO!” - Taemin

            “You can’t do this to me. I’m your brother.” Tao begs.

            “Well guess what. I CAN! NOW GO!!!” she shouted making the two run away.

            Kyungsoo has heard a lot about Samantha when he enters their school. She was the president of the student council. The richest student and unfortunately, the sister of his mortal enemy… Tao. This day was the first time he met her because she’s been assigned to visit their school's another branch abroad months before he arrives and attended the school.

            Since then, Kyungsoo started working at the school as Samantha’s assistant and also Tao stops making fun of him.

            Tao’s mouth hangs open when he heard what he did to D.O before. The latter laughs when he saw his reaction.

             “Oh my god. I’m so sorry D.O. I didn’t know I acted like that.” Tao said.

            “Don’t worry Tao. We’re too young that time.”

            “So. What happened next?” Tao asks.

            “Umma!” Kyungsoo said gladly to see his mother went home after few weeks of being gone. “Umma? What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly when he saw how tensed his mother was. “Umma?!” he follows her when she went upstairs and to their room packing their clothes. Kyungsoo started crying while watching his mother. “Umm…”

            “Listen Kyungsoo. We have to leave. Pack you bags and your brother’s too. No more question. Just do it.” Kyungsoo stiffens. He tried to ask his mother the reason but she’s too accompanied in getting everything she can. He went outside the room and about to go to his room when he heard someone arrives.

            “Kyungsoo? Is that umma?” Minseok asks as he heard strange noises coming from their parent’s room.

            “Hyung.” He got confused when his young brother rushed towards him crying. “Umma. I don’t know what’s happening to her. She asks me to grab our stuffs”Kyungsoo said. Minseok frowns upon hearing his brother. He also got bothered seeing the latter crying. He patted his brother’s back then about to proceed to where his mother was when they heard a loud sound downstairs.

 Kyungsoo quickly held his brother’s arm, scared and curious what that sound was.

“Kyungsoo?” they both looked at their worried mother. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.” she said and pushed her sons towards the viranda.

“Umma. What’s happening? Where’s appa?” upon asking, their mother stops and looks like got bothered. Xiumin frowns seeing her tears flow down and felt his brother’s grip tightens and shaking body. “Umm…” he stops when they heard footsteps approaching.

“Go. Be quiet as you can. Okay?” She kissed the two on their foreheads then pushed the two towards the viranda then locks it in. She covered the glass door with the curtain The two tried to open it but they both paused when they heard a man’s voice. They peeked in the small opening from the curtain.

“Please.” They saw their mother kneel in front of the guy who’s holding a rifle.

“You and your stupid husband betrayed us. Oh! Speaking of him, here it is.” Minseok held Kyungsoo’s mouth upon seeing what the guy’s companion tossed in front of their mother. “He looks good right.” Their mother shouted in fear while looking at their father’s head.

Minseok’s tears started rushing his cheeks. He was horrified. Who are those people and why they did that? They don’t know.

Tao was speechless.

“That man eventually shot my mom in the head. I was horrified making me shouts. They heard me then started firing us too. It made us falls down on the backyard. The last thing I saw was my brother lifeless due to his broken neck and then, our house being burned down before I passed out.”

            Kyungsoo noticed Tao’s tried to utter a word but seems hesitating. He understands why so instead, he continued.

            “I really knew I died that night that’s why I got shocked upon waking up a week after. I was in a room I’m not familiar but then got relieved to see my brother sitting beside my bed. He’s not alone. Samantha was there too. She heard what happened to our family and locate our bodies. She found us and made us to what we are now. We are your sister’s very first androids. It started with us.”

“She’s a genious Tao. She told me about her secret work while still at school. She’s fascinated about robots so, she tried it on us. And it works. Xiumin and I agreed on changing our names to avoid being seen by the people who killed our parents and decided to work for Samantha.”

“About the killers. What happened to them? Did you guys found them?” Upon asking Tao saw D.O’s dark smirk.

“We did. They died the same way how our parents were.”

______________________________________________________________________________

            Xiumin was watching the sleeping Samantha, sitting beside the latter’s bed.  “You saved us and I’m thankful for that. I will do anything for you and my brother.” He said then felt a movement from the lady.

            “Xiumin.” She softly said. Xiumin can see how serious she was. “Let Suho go.” Xiumin frowns but still listens to what she will say. “Sooner or later, he will come back to me, begging to save the junk’s life.” Samantha looks at Xiumin with a smirk. Xiumin knew what she means making him smirks back at her. “Android’s like that junk will expire soon and I can’t wait for that to happen.”