The feeling was exhilarating, moving in a way that was neither sprinting nor flying but possessing some essence of that freedom and impossible speed in that one momentous high of ambivalence. Your mind was still coming down from the apathy of an anticlimax; meeting this strange boy for the very first time and being told the news of your dad in such an underwhelming fashion was taking a toll on your emotions. You had no idea how to arrange them, whether to be happy or sad, ecstatic or despondent. The only thing that you did know, that you could trust was that your father sending Zelo to you was obviously important and as much as you hated the man, there were still things in life that you were sure of and this was one of them. You could only take to be calm, yet confused and pulled out a pillow from your room, throwing it onto the couch in a master’s demanding tone, ordered the newcomer like a pet to the couch.

“Sleep.” It was a command and you expected he would obey, that he would welcome the dreamland as much as you were waiting to indulge in it.

Zelo sat rigidly down on the couch and looked up to his ‘owner’. She stood visibly exhausted, physically and emotionally and he could tell from the way her clear vision was beginning to slowly haze over. “I’ll see you in the morning. Don’t go anywhere, especially my room and stay in the apartment. If you’re hungry, just find something from the kitchen but don’t make a mess or clear out the fridge. If you’re looking for the toilet, it’s down the hall.” Her weary voice was sombre and husky but never once did it lose its authority. “Night,” she finally whispered as if out of breath.

“Good night,” Zelo repeated and he watched her retreating figure disappear into her alcove, switching the light off as she left, leaving the room in a pitch of ombre, dark to fuzzy light near the windows where the city was still awake outside.

Zelo didn’t know who to ‘sleep’… he knew how to charge and reduce his systems so that he could conserve effort but the mad scientist had told him it was just a precaution. He didn’t need to sleep as humans did, he had an in-built core source that self-generated energy and thus, technically, he could live forever in addition to not sleeping if his processes permitted. It had only been moments before when he went into ‘sleep mode’ in conserving energy so he didn’t need it now. He couldn’t stop himself absorbing every detail and intricacy of the environment.

Still sitting with perfect posture, the robot allowed himself to inhale deeply and then slouch a little, breathing in that fresh fragrance of citrus, grapefruit, the dull ebbings of her perfume of flowers, the clean plastic counters, crisp porcelain crockery and musky wooden shelves. He sat like this, appreciating all of this; he would learn much from this girl, his owner. Already there was a subconscious submission to her which had been programmed in his head from the start: the dependency of Zelo to another being, very much like the innocent attachment of an infant to its mother. The clock in the room had never stopped ticking but in that second, it seemed that time had stopped. A small smile crept its way up Zelo’s lips at the thought of being owned, belonging to someone and he suddenly wished it was morning already so that he could see the girl again. He would have much to learn.

“Toast? Cereal? Eggs? What do you want?” You shot the boy an uninterested look with the frypan in one hand as he sat on the only chair at your dining table and bounced his toes on the floor, tapping a rhythm with the quick rise and fall of his knee and thigh.

“I don’t really eat.” There was a confused pause from you as you processed the information and taking the cue, Zelo frowned and reworded his phrase. “Your dad said I’m special. I don’t need to eat.” At the laboratory, Zelo had been made with the sharpest of human senses, including taste and so he was perfectly capable of ingesting food, but it was superfluous and unnecessary – sort of like a multi-functional smartphone that had various apps but none of them essential. If, however, Zelo did eat, then the contents would be broken down completely in a ‘stomach’ chamber till nothing remained, sort of like a burning process where even the ashes were excessive.

You grimaced not only at your dad being made the subject matter once again but also at Zelo’s anorexic claim. If your father wanted you to look after and care for Zelo, then he was definitely not going hungry under your roof. “I don’t care. Eat.” It was a command again and Zelo was obliged to submit. Placing down the plate in front of him which had a freshly fried egg, a piece of toast with chocolate spread and a small bowl of cereal with fruit, you gave him all the options because he couldn’t decide himself.

You then proceeded with your own bowl of cereal and fruit and stood eating at the counter as he picked up the toast and sniffed. You didn’t cook Korean style breakfasts much because it took such a long time: the rice and soup, as well as the little side dishes. Plus you couldn’t eat spicy food which made it all the more difficult with red peppers popping up everywhere, being intrinsic to Korean cooking that you had no escape.

“So…” you trailed, starting up conversation again as he finished the toast in in three big mouthfuls. You mentally noted that he liked the chocolate spread; who wouldn’t? It was practically heaven in a jar. “How old are you anyway?” you asked, elbows on the counter and propping your cheek in your palm.

“Exactly 3 days, 9 hours, 14 minutes, 6 seconds and counting…” Despite his odd answer, you were thankful that he was mature enough to not continue – 7 seconds, 8 seconds, 9 seconds, etc. Obnoxious tendencies like that was something you could not handle at all, you had a pretty good temper at the best of times being even then, chagrin would sometimes make its way up to your flushed and bothered cheeks.

“You’re joking right?” You raised an eyebrow and Zelo looked back at your quizzically, spoon still stuck in his mouth from the cereal.

“I meant like, what’s your age? 17? 18?”

Zelo hadn’t been joking about how old he was and he didn’t at first understand what the girl meant when she had retorted his claim so unconvinced. But then he remembered a conversation with his creator, replaying the memory in his head that he had been made in the image of a 16 year old boy. Maybe that was the answer she was looking for.

“16?” He tried, and watched the expression of surprise blossom on his owner’s face.

“Only 16? I thought you’d be older.” There was a slight blush at the embarrassment for mistaking someone’s age and Zelo admired the soft peach colouring the girl’s cheek as he continued to chew thoughtfully. You thought back to the Korean honorific system, counting now the age difference of 3 years, being 19 and in the second year of university yourself.

“That means you can call me noona.” You said quickly, to hide your momentary loss of composure.

“What’s a ‘noona’?” Zelo has finished the cereal and now poked at his egg before cutting it up with his chopsticks and popping a piece of runny yellow into his mouth. He could get used to eating, he thought as he inspected the nearly empty plate.

“Boys use the term ‘noona’ to refer to a girl who is older than them.” You explained, lifting your bowl up to finish any remnants of your breakfast and to mask the ading pink.

“Noona,” he tested, picking up the final piece of egg and slipping them into his mouth. “Noona.” He said again, through the food and his lips puckered to keep the contents from falling out as he pronounced the newly learnt word.

You couldn’t help but laugh at his struggle, walking up to him to grab the empty plate, but when your soft chuckles caught his ears, the boy stopped abruptly and looked to you, perplexed.

“What?” You asked tentatively, carefully dropping the plate in the sink as you eyed him.

“Nothing…” Zelo shrugged then looked down in nonchalance, “It just sounds good when you laugh.”

Your mouth dropped open as if it was limp; not knowing how to receive the compliment you just cleared your throat awkwardly before rushing onto another topic. It was nearly 8am and you had to be out the door for your lectures. You studied international relations and even though it seemed boring to other people, the subject was purposeful to you and you couldn’t wait to get out into the world and leave your stupid life behind. You couldn’t wait to work in diplomacy, aiming for the United Nations and even to be in Ban-Ki Moon’s position one day.

“I uhh… Zelo, I have to go to my university classes today, so I have to leave you at home...” you paused, thinking, “I guess you can do what you like. There’s a nearby park that you can go to, but don’t stay too long or go too far in case you get lost.” He was a 16 year old boy, he could look after himself, you thought.

“Okay.” He nodded, locking in his shoulders as he sat with his legs sprawled out and palms pressed in the bit of wooden seat between his thighs, like a resting feline.

You rushed out of the kitchen into your room to grab your belongings, your bag, phone, books and wallet. Even in the space of one day, things were getting off to a shaky start yet there was still this reassurance present in your heart that told you to hold steadfast and stand by your father’s letter. This all couldn’t be a lie.

After getting ready and fixing your shirt and jeans, you rushed back out the room and through the corridor, Zelo’s eyes watching you till finally, he followed physically behind like a pet. The two of you stood at the door and you looked him up at down. After all that chaos in getting ready, you slowed yourself down and inspected him fully for the first time, taking in his milky skin, bright eyes and blonde tinged blue hair that waved atop his head. You had noticed before, but next to his lip still stained the yellow of egg yolk and you couldn’t help but smile as you reached up instinctively to rub it off with your thumb. It reminded you of your younger sister, how you’d look after her in that tough single parent household and Zelo’s soft breathing hitched slightly at the gesture.

It was a skidding of warmth and only temporary as you let go of his cheek, looking affectionately at him and thinking of home and family. Then a thought flicked through your head, thinking back to responsibility like a light bulb flicking on to an idea.

You patted the pocket of your jeans for a pen but found none, resorting to rummaging through your bag for a ballpoint. Now that you found one, you still didn’t have paper to write on so grabbed his wrist and penned down on the skin of his arm. Zelo looked down curiously and when you pulled away, he looked at his new tattoo of a row featuring neat numbers. “My phone number.” You explained, “Remember it and call me if you’re in trouble.”

He brought the sequence into memory and recited it wordlessly in his head. Then, he found you stuffed two 10000 won bills into his hand. “Emergency money, don’t lose it or use it unless you are in an impossible situation, like you’re dying or something.” You warned and Zelo nodded. Then you continued with the list: “Don’t use the stove unattended, don’t mess up the house and if you are leaving the house, the keys are on the hanger (you pointed to the one along the hallway door) and always lock the door behind you.”

“I’ll be back by 2.” You slipped on your shoes and turned the door knob, watching his standing there almost forlorn in the doorway.

“Oh, and I forgot. Don’t let strangers into the house.” Zelo nodded again and chewed absentmindedly on his lip.

“See you soon, Zelo.” You waved slightly, smiling as you closed the door. He listened through the metal frame as you pitter-pattered to the elevator, pressing the button and the rickety instability of the old machine rising to your level. His acute hearing continued to listen in as you reached ground level, walking out of the building and the unclasping of a lock of somekind, then the typical metallic ring of a bicycle being put into motion. His heart was not at rest with your departure but there was not much to do. He looked to the money in his hand before slowly slipping it into the pocket of his jeans. It was like the fragment of reality that assured Zelo that you had been and gone, the strange touch still lingering on his sensitive skin.

It wasn’t for even a second after Zelo has slipped out his hand that the doorbell rang; the dark cacophony a contrast to the whimsical melody of the song, like a nursery rhyme children would sing.

“Oi! Zelo, I know you’re in there! Open up.”

The familiar voice of team leader Yongguk thundered through the door as Zelo paused for a moment, recollecting himself and what he should do. He had been told by his master not to open the door, but her command was subjective to ‘strangers’; Yongguk wasn’t a stranger and the boy flexed his fingers as he unclasped the lock, twisted the knob and pulled. 

~

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update! It's all thanks to a most enthusiastic reader, pongpari~ Hahaha (honourable mention much). Yeah, well I hope you all enjoy it. Excuse any typos because I didn't check, I was too impatient about publishing to even read over it and edit. Ahhh well. Point them out to me if you see any~ Nice reading! <3