Chapter one: The arrival

A tall and slender man was walking in an empty street, the snow under his feet making a crunching sound as his high boots sank deeply in the thick white layer. He seemed to be in a hurry, maybe because the snow was still falling and was blurring his sight, or maybe because it was quite late already and the sky was quickly growing darker on this winter evening. The man turned around and stared at two other people who were following him, dragging what seemed to be a heavy and big box behind them.

They were both wearing black pants, black shirts and black coats, the whole outfit being utterly depressing; there was also a nametag on each coat, under the level of the left collarbone, but the first man couldn't see what was written on them: it was too dark and he was not close enough to catch sight of the guys' names.

"Hurry up please, I will be late !" he said, motioning for the others to walk faster, which was hard to do.

"Yes, Mister Kim." one of them politely answered, even though he was rather pissed.

Not at the man, though: he could understand that Mister Kim wanted to spend this evening with his family - who didn't ? Christmas Eve only happened once a year after all - but he was slightly bothered by the fact that he and his colleagues had to work tonight. No Christmas for the scientists ! They had too much work and couldn't waste their time by spending Christmas - an old and obsolete celebration, or so thought their beloved employer - at home.

Mister Kim suddenly crossed the street and put his hand in the right pocket of his long, grey coat; he took out a small electronic key and pushed on a button, then two luminous spots appeared not far away from him.

As the headlights of his silvery car switched on, he felt relieved that no one had stolen it. This district of Seoul wasn't the safest one, but it was also the only place where he could buy what he had just bought, so he hadn't had any other choice than coming in this area where he would usually never come.

Why had they chosen a place like this one, by the way ? This district was the oldest one, nothing had changed in it since at least fifteen years... The few street lamps were still working with the electricity, that hadn't been used for years in some other districts: it had been replaced with solar energy.

But this area was also a really calm place during the day, so it was probably the best district to live in if they wanted to carry out scientific experiments: no one would disturb them.

Despite the plain and unsure neighbourhood, the building used by the scientists was a really luxurious one, with lots of windows that made the corridors well lightened up - when it was sunny, of course. Also, lots of people said that the laboratories weren't as luminous as the offices and that they were rather scary but most of those people had never entered the building and were only spreading rumours. Mister Kim had never visited the laboratories either but he had entered the building several times, the last one being five minutes ago. He only knew the first floor though, with the offices he had passed by in order to pay for his purchase.

He pushed again on a button of his key and the trunk of his car slowly opened with a faint buzzing, allowing the scientists to carefully set the box inside it; they made sure that it was secured and wouldn't move nor accidentally open during the journey and then, they stepped back.

"Remember that he will awake as soon as you remove the patch on his back." one of the scientists said as he shook Mister Kim's hand. "We checked everything before you came to pick him up and there wasn't any problem with his program, but if you have any trouble with him, feel free to bring him back to us."

The scientists glanced at each other with a smile curling on their lips: they always said that to follow the rule of their firm but it had never happened before and it wasn't going to happen. Their experiments had always provided excellent results. They were well programmed, very smart and skilful, durable, polite... Perfect.

Their customer smiled: he knew it. This firm was the best out of Asia, maybe out of the world, so he was expecting the best quality for the product as well; plus, he had decided to buy it only after he got a lot of positive feedback... So he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be disappointed.

"Thank you for your great work." Mister Kim said as he bowed, quickly imitated by the others. "I'm sure I will be satisfied with him."

The man got in his car and quickly left the district, feeling relieved as he arrived in the newest neighbourhoods with their illuminated streets but also with more cars. He rolled his eyes as he was forced to slack up and glanced at his digital watch, sighing as he saw that it was almost eight o'clock: he would definitively be late. Fortunately, the box at the back of the car would make up for it and his wife would be very happy, or at least, he hoped so.

When he finally arrived in front of his house, he stopped the car and shut off the engine before walking out. Snow was still falling, and he shook his head to get rid of the snowflakes stuck in his short hair while the trunk slowly opened; he grabbed the box with his two hands and lifted it up, puffing as he realized how heavy it was. Now, he understood why the scientists had seemed tired after they had dragged it from the building to his car...

Mister Kim set down the end of the box in the snow, then he grabbed the other side and pushed on the button of his key to close the trunk and lock his car, before dragging the box behind him as he headed for the front door.

He knocked at the door and immediately heard a happy voice screaming:

"Appa ! Appa is back !"

Mister Kim smiled as he imagined his son running from the living-room to the hall, his mother following him up.

"Kibum, stay away from the door, it's cold outside." an other voice said.

Seconds later, the door opened and the man could see his smiling wife, a red and white apron tied around her waist.

"Hello, beautiful." he said as he stepped inside his house, setting the box on the floor before gently pecking his wife's mouth.

She tried to hide her smile and playfully scolded him:

"You are late !"

"I know." he answered as he took off his coat and his shoes. "But I have something for you..."

He pointed to the box and the woman asked:

"Is this a gift for me ?"

"Yes." he answered, nodding. "But also for our whole family."

"Really ? Can I open it ?"

Mister Kim shook his head and smiled.

"We should set it under the tree first. And you can't open the presents before midnight, don't forget it."

His wife rolled her eyes but helped him to drag the heavy box to the living-room, brightly lightened up thanks to a big Christmas tree that was full of luminous garlands.

They were probably one of the last families that still chose to decorate a tree for Christmas: after all, it was an old celebration and there wasn't a lot of people who still knew the real origin of it nor the way it was celebrated sixteen years ago. They still celebrated it their own way though, because they could have a good time with their family and make them happy.

"Do you really think that Kibum will be able to wait for midnight ?" Miss Kim asked teasingly.

"Well... I guess he won't." her husband answered as he caught up empties.

"Exactly. He already opened one of the packing's, you know, the little red car ? He loves it, your mom had a great idea."

Mister Kim began to laugh and said:

"It's the first time that you actually think my mom has a great idea... You will end up liking her."

"Well, if she ends up liking me as well, maybe." she snorted.

Her husband laughed, squeezing her hand. He was his mother's only child and she still held a grudge against his wife because she had separated them, which she couldn't accept. He had tried to talk to her, explaining that it was normal for a child to grow up, leave the house and marry the woman he loved but... She was stubborn and didn't get on well with his wife, which was the reason why they never celebrated Christmas together; well, they had done it once but... He would never ever do it again.

Fortunately, his mother absolutely adored Kibum and she spoiled him more than necessary.

"Where is Bummie ?" he asked

"I think that he went back to his bedroom..." his wife answered. "Can you bring him here while I check the rice ? We will open the presents soon or else, he will sulk during the whole evening."

He nodded and went upstairs, silently opening the door of his son's bedroom and peeking inside; Kibum was turning his back on him and he didn't seem to hear him as he stepped inside the room. The little boy had kneeled down on his waterbed - that he truly loved - and was playing with a red car, probably the one his grandmother had bought him.

Smiling, his father approached and covered his son's eyes with his palms; the boy jumped but then, he chuckled.

"Appa !" he screamed as he freed himself and turned around, hugging his father.

"Hey, cutie." the man said as he patted his son's head. "Did you have a nice day ?"

"Yes ! I decorated the tree with mommy !" he answered happily. "Did you saw it ?"

"Did you see it, Bummie." his father corrected. "Yes, I did. It is beautiful."

Kibum nodded, obviously happy that his daddy thought that he had done a good job.

"Come on, let's go downstairs." his father said, holding out his hand to the young boy. "We will open the presents soon."

Kibum immediately let go of the little car he was still holding in his hand and entwined his fingers to his father's ones, almost dragging him to the stairs and excitement written all over his face.

He ended up running to the living-room where stood the Christmas tree and he grabbed one of the candy canes hanging on the conifer; then he handed it to his father.

"Eat, it's sweet !" he said.

"Not now, Bummie." his father answered. "After the meal, okay ? Na Yung, come on !"

His wife came from the kitchen, wiping her hands on the apron around her waist and she kneeled down in front of the tree beside Kibum.

"So... Who's the most impatient to open a present ?" she asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.

"Me ! Me, me, me !" her son exclaimed.

His mother took one of the presents gathered under the tree and gave it to her son, already smiling as she imagined what his reaction would be. The little boy ripped the gift wrap and stared, dumbfounded and clueless, at the thing in his hands.

"What is this ?" he asked, curious, as he ran his small hand on the item, opening it to see lots of sheets of paper and words written on them.

"This is a book, Kibum." his mother explained to him.

"A... book ?" he repeated.

His father nodded and added:

"It was used a lot before, to write stories, so people could read them. Now, there are only a few books left, since everything is written online... This one belonged to your grandfather, your mother's father, when he was a child so take care of it, okay ?"

Kibum nodded without even looking at his father, mesmerized by the book he was now holding tightly. A book... Something he had never seen nor heard about before; his mother never used them when she read stories before he went to bed. Actually, he had never known that paper could be used for something else than drawings - and toilet paper, of course.

He opened the book again and stared at the first page where the title was written; he was only six and he couldn't read properly yet but still, he managed to make out a few words.

"A... Alice in W... Won... derland." he slowly read.

"Wonderland." his mother repeated. "It's a great story, you will see."

Kibum nodded and thanked his parents for this great gift. He felt strangely attached to the book: he had never known the father of his mother, who had died several months before he was born; holding the book he had held many years ago was moving and the boy felt somehow bound to his grandpa through this book.

He carefully put it aside, setting it on the table in the middle of the living-room; then, he turned to his parents and the tree, noticing the big box that was partly hidden by a garland and other gifts.

"Umma, what is it ?" he said while pointing to the present.

His father decided to answer his question, since his wife didn't know what it was either:

"This is a present for our whole family and believe me, it will make everything easier... Do you want to open it with mommy ?"

"Yes !" he exclaimed and kneeled down in front of the box, overexcited.

There wasn't any gift wrap around the box, only adhesive tape at some places; Kibum tried to remove it by himself but he ended up breaking one of his nails, so his mother took scissors to cut the middle of the adhesive. The little boy happily opened the box and he gasped as he caught sight of what was inside.

A man.

A really handsome man. He seemed to be young, but Kibum didn't know how old he was. He had a straight nose with slightly big nostrils and his hair was really weird: it had several colours in it, he had dark brown hair at the back of the neck, light brown hair in the middle and light blond locks falling on his forehead. The man was closing his eyes... Was he asleep ?

His mother peeked at it from behind his small shoulders and she covered with her hand as she understood what it was.

"Honey !" she exclaimed "You... You really... Whoa, it must be so expensive ! It is... It... Whoa !"

Mister Kim smiled, satisfied: he knew that his wife would be pretty excited in front of his gift.

"What is it, daddy ?" Kibum asked, furrowing his brows.

He didn't understand. Why was a man laying down in a box ? Why did his mother seem to be so happy ? It was only a man after all, not much more... Right ?

"Bummie, this boy is a humanoid." his mother explained.

She chuckled as she saw him raising a brow, confused. How was he supposed to get something like that ? He was so young, it would be hard for him to understand what a humanoid was... An artificial human.

During more than twenty years, lots of scientists had secretly searched a way to create an other kind of life and they had ended up creating the humanoids forty years ago. They had waited to be sure that it was possible to use them and had made them better before revealing their existence, around fifteen years ago.

The humanoids were robots with a human appearance. They hadn't any organ, just an electronic brain and lots of mechanisms that made them talk, walk and act like a real human should do.

The differences ? They were stronger than any human and they also had an artificial intelligence working by itself: they were extremely smart, more than most of people; they could analyse problems and suggest accurate answers without troubles. Also, they didn't feel any emotions, they were... cold-hearted. Heartless.

The scientists' purpose had been to create something that could help people in their lives, to provide them assistance and to do the annoying things like chores; their ultimate goal was to make people happier. While the humanoids were working in the house, humans could take care of their children better, they could have fun... And a happy person was a more efficient person at work. Better work meant better results, better economy for the country, better standard of living, happier and richer citizens; so more humanoids would be sold and so on.

No need to say that the government provided important subsidies to the scientific firms working on developing artificial life - and economy.

"This is a robot, Kibum." his mother finally explained.

"Like the one I have in my bedroom ?" he asked innocently. "But he looks like a human ! And he is bigger than my robot..."

Mister Kim smiled.

"This is a very special robot, Bummie." he said. "He will talk even if you don't push on any button, he will walk around and do the same things than us."

"Is he going to play with me ?"

Miss Kim laughed: her son couldn't think of anything else than playing. He was so cute !

"Maybe." she said, running her hand through his dark, short hair. "He will be like our butler though, so he will have a lot of things to do... But I'm sure he will have the time to play with you if you ask him."

Kibum glanced at the sleeping man in his box, smiling as he imagined the robot running after him in the garden. He was sure that he would never catch him !

"We should awake him." his father said with a smile as he gently grabbed his son's shoulders, motioning for him to step aside in order to allow him to go nearby his wife.

Kibum watched his father dragging the box in the middle of the living-room and reaching out to remove something from the back of the man. Nothing happened during some seconds but then, the humanoid's eyes suddenly shot wide open and he sat up, looking at his surroundings with a blank gaze until he stared at Kibum and his parents.

"Hello." he said.

The little boy gaped as he heard the voice of the man. It was a deep but soft voice, even though it was a bit cold. Also, something was rather weird as he looked at the robot but then, he realized what it was: he wasn't blinking. Kibum had tried not to blink before and he had ended up crying, because his eyes hurt. However, there wasn't any tear in the eyes of the humanoid, he was simply staring at them as if he was analysing them to remember them later.

The robot stood up and Kibum looked at him, his mouth slightly open is amazement. He was tall ! Not as much as his father but still, he was taller than his short, six-year-old self.

"Are you my masters ?" the humanoid finally asked.

Mister Kim nodded.

"Yes, I'm Kim Chin Hae and this is my wife, Na Yung. The cutie boy here is our son, Kibum." he said, pointing to himself, then to his wife and his child.

The humanoid bowed several times in front of them and kneeled down to lock eyes with the little boy.

"Hello." Kibum shyly said, clenching on his mother's apron. "C... Can I touch you ?"

His mother had to refrain from scolding him: even though it wouldn't be really polite to ask that to someone, asking the same thing to a robot was fine.

"Yes." the humanoid answered, nodding and holding out his hands.

Kibum hesitantly brushed his fingertips against the humanoid's palms and he let out an amazed whisper as he felt his cold hands. His little robot was cold as well... So this man was really a robot ? Was he the cousin of his toy ?

"How old are you ?" he asked to the humanoid.

The latter answered:

"I'm three minutes and fifty-three seconds old."

Kibum made a weird face, and glanced at his parents with a curious gaze. They chuckled as they understood that their son wasn't getting anything at all.

"I'm six years old." the boy said, pouting. "You are taller but you are younger than me ? You are weird."

The humanoid didn't answer but tried to imitate the pout on Kibum's lips and the young boy laughed loudly as he saw the odd face he was making.

"What's your name ?" Chin Hae asked to the humanoid.

"I'm Jonghyun."

Na Yung smiled and said:

"Well, now you are Kim Jonghyun. Welcome in our family."

I hope you liked this first chapter, don't forget to comment and tell me your opinion about it :)

See you soon~