Chapter five: Fix you

Na Yung was quietly driving, frequently glancing at the rear-view mirror to catch sight of her husband, seated beside Jonghyun. The humanoid should have been alone at the back seat but Kibum had insisted to go with them and since none of his parents had allowed him to seat next to the robot as they used to, the teenager was at the front, while his father was at the back.

The blonde found it ridiculous. He knew that his parents were doing this because they thought that the humanoid could be dangerous and they didn't want to run any risk... But it was painful to see that Jonghyun was being treated like a wild beast you had to approach with caution.

Although the humanoid hadn't done anything wrong lately - it had been five days since the robot had attacked Taemin - Na Yung and Chin Hae were still worried... That was the reason why they were in the car, driving to the firm they had bought Jonghyun from, so many years ago.

Kibum's dad had been in touch with a scientist from the firm several hours ago; the man had told him to bring him the robot immediately and Chin Hae was truly relieved to see that his problem was being taken care of so diligently. The guy on the phone had seemed really surprised to hear what had happened and he had promised him that they would fix the problem as soon as possible.

Apparently, it was the first time that a humanoid had such a reaction... Or at least, the first time in years: the prototypes of the robots had been kind of aggressive sometimes but now, there shouldn't have been any problem.

Jonghyun was being abnormally quiet. He wasn't the most outgoing pers... robot on earth, yet the Kim's were used to hear him asking questions or simply talk to them; today though, he had been silent since the morning.

When he turned his head to shoot a quick glance at the humanoid, Kibum saw with a pang in his chest that Jonghyun was looking down, eyes staring at his clenched fists on his lap. And the teenager suddenly realised that the robot was probably aware of the changes that had occurred during the last few days... First, they had locked him inside his room while Taemin was there and after Jonghyun was finally free to walk around the house, Kibum's parents had put some distance between the robot and their family. His mother had even replaced him in the kitchen because she didn't want to see the humanoid nearby the knives.

So, Jonghyun was obviously aware of the situation and Kibum was dying to know what was going on in his mind. Did he really feel nothing at all ? Not even a hint of fear, or at least worry ?

Na Yung and Chin Hae had told him that they were going to the firm... His only reaction had been to look at them and nod. He hadn't asked any question, even though he didn't know why they were going there nor what the consequences could be.

Honestly, Kibum was terrified of the possibility that Jonghyun might not come back with them if the technicians found something defective and dangerous. His father had made himself clear: as much as he had grown attached to the humanoid, if the scientists declared him dangerous... He wouldn't be allowed in their house anymore.

Jonghyun didn't realise that, or maybe he didn't care, didn't feel the need to care or whatever. But it didn't matter: Kibum could feel for them both, his emotions were on high at the moment and he could totally get panicky for two.

Eventually, the teenager broke the thick silence and said:

"Jonghyun ?"

The humanoid looked up and stared at his little master, silently signalling him that he was listening.

"Just... Be a good boy with the scientists and come back quickly, okay ?" he told him, trying not to blush as he realised that he probably looked like a worried mother.

"I will."

It sounded like a promise to Kibum and he sighed in relief as he sat back in his seat. Maybe it didn't have the same meaning to Jonghyun but he didn't mind; maybe he was being too optimistic but he was sure that the humanoid would come back and that everything would go back to normal.

A few minutes later, they arrived in a street nearby the firm and as soon as Na Yung found an empty spot, she pulled into the parking space; they all walked out of the car and Chin Hae lead them to the building that was a few meters away from there.

Nothing had really changed since the last time he went there, seven years ago... Still the same old lamp streets, the same old district with that feeling of insecurity; the building was still there too, high and luxurious tower in the middle of the plain neighbourhood.

"Is this the firm ?" Jonghyun suddenly asked.

"Yes." Chin Hae answered. "Don't you remember it ?"

"I don't... My first memory is my awakening in the living-room. With the Christmas tree, the lights and a little Kibum."

The teenager wanted to cry. Jonghyun's words only reminded him a bit more that they had been together for a long time and he didn't want to say goodbye to those years, he didn't want to lose the humanoid. But every step they took towards the front door of the building got them closer to a eventual separation.

When they went through the door, the first thing Kibum thought of was that it was kind of cold inside the building, although the sun was shining outside and its beams were lighting up the hall. There was a help desk in front of them; a woman was seating behind it and an already old man dressed with a long, white coat was talking to her. They stopped when they heard the footsteps of the family and the humanoid, then the man stood straight and walked towards them to greet his customers properly.

"Welcome !" he exclaimed, bowing. "I assume you are the Kim's family ? I'm a scientist working here, I'm Park Chanhyun. My colleague told me that you would probably come today... Is this your humanoid ?"

Kibum eyed the man in contempt. This guy, Park Chanhyun... He didn't like him. The man was smiling but the boy couldn't help thinking that it seemed like a fake smile; as the younger saw the way the scientist was looking at Jonghyun, he felt like grabbing the humanoid's hand to run away. The man looked like a tiger in front of a piece of meat and maybe it wasn't that far from reality: the robot was just an experiment for him, something he could work on to try and understand what was wrong...

Kibum shivered. What if he did something bad to Jonghyun, in the name of science ?

"Yes." Chin Hae answered, oblivious of his son's thoughts. "Your colleague told me on the phone that I would have to leave Jonghyun here for several days. How many exactly ?"

"Well..." the man hesitated, glancing at the humanoid who was standing straight and looking all around him as if he was trying to remember the place. "I don't know exactly how long it will last... Since it's the first time that something like that happens, we will focus on it immediately but maybe it will take a little while before we actually get to fix the problem."

Chin Hae nodded, looking a bit sad, which Kibum was kind of happy to witness: his father really cared for Jonghyun, after all.

"I understand."

"Don't worry." the man added. "It shouldn't be that long... We will call you once we are done, so you will be allowed to bring back this humanoid with you."

"He has a name." Kibum suddenly interfered, sounding a bit harsh. "His name is Jonghyun."

Na Yung placed a hand on her son's shoulder, silently telling him to stay calm; she could understand how much the attitude of the scientist was bothering him - as well as her, to be honest - but she didn't think that it was the best idea ever to piss him off, since he and his colleagues were probably the only ones who could help them with Jonghyun.

If Kibum wanted the humanoid back, he better not get on the scientists' and technicians' bad side.

"Of course." Park Chanhyun said a bit coldly. "I will take care of Jonghyun, then."

No need to say that the teenager wasn't reassured at all.

"Well, we are going to leave..." Chin Hae said, glancing at the humanoid in worry. "I look forward to hear about you."

He hesitated but eventually patted Jonghyun's shoulder, who turned his head towards him to look at his master as he was walking away; Na Yung bit her lower lip and did the same as her husband, but Kibum didn't think twice and literally threw himself at his friend.

Jonghyun didn't even have the time to wrap his arms around the boy's waist in order to hold him up; the teenager placed a soft kiss on his right cheek and whispered:

"Be safe."

And it was the end. Kibum was already walking away, following his parents who seemed to be a bit put out of countenance by his behaviour, seeing the distance they had tried to put between them for security matters - but their son simply didn't care.

Jonghyun touched his cheek with his fingertips, wondering why the blonde boy had kissed him but above all, what his lips felt like. Sometimes, he thought that his creators should have put some sensory receptors under his skin, so he would have been able to feel the hand his masters rested on his shoulder from time to time, the wind blowing against his face... And the younger boy's pink, plump and bow-shaped lips that had just brushed over his cheek.

Jonghyun glanced at the scientist that had come closer to him and then, he ignored him and stared at his masters, his family, as they left him behind, all alone in this big building he didn't know.

Once again, something tightened inside his chest.

Right before he walked through the door, Kibum turned around to shoot Jonghyun a quick glance and his heart painfully skipped a few beats.

Jonghyun was looking at him, straight in the eyes, and his lips were partly open, as if he wanted to say something; yet he stayed silent. What hurt Kibum the most was the glimmer in his brown pupils that he could catch sight of.

Distress.

***

Jonghyun was shirtless, sitting in the dark on some kind of hospital bed and waiting for something to happen; he didn't know why Park Chanhyun had brought him there but he guessed that it wouldn't be long before he eventually found out.

It couldn't be long... He had told Kibum that he would come back soon...

He suddenly heard the sound of a door and seconds later, lights were switched on; the humanoid didn't flinch under the sudden brightness but he looked around, glancing at the screens and machines around him, then he took a closer look at the men in white coats who were coming in. The scientists and technicians... Park Chanhyun was there as well.

They had serious faces and didn't say anything to him; they ignored the stare weighing on them as they made their way towards Jonghyun, checking the monitors around the bed and talking to each other about wrong programs and unusual reactions.

Sure, they were here for him.

The humanoid kept his eyes on them and especially on the tables they were walking to, where they set down several weird tools and sharp-looking blades. Very sharp blades. Did they plan to use them on him ?

Kibum would have been afraid, Jonghyun thought. Was he supposed to be scared as well ? Kibum... What was he doing at the moment ? Was he... Was he thinking about him ? Was he worried ?

"Okay." one of the men suddenly said, causing Jonghyun to look up and stare at him. "So, humanoid, we are going to carry out a few tests on you before sending you back to your rightful owners, at least if we can find what's wrong with your program. Lie down."

Jonghyun nodded and did as he was told, resting his back against the mattress, but the man quickly added:

"No, lie on your... well... on your stomach."

The humanoid nodded once again and fidgeted until he was able to turn around, exposing his back to the technicians' eyes; he knew what they were staring at. Right between the shoulder-blades was the place where every humanoid had a patch that controlled its awakening; the owners had to remove it in order to start the robot. Under the patch, there was a second one, a small metallic circle with the number of the humanoid above two tiny holes that looked like an electric plug - that was what Kibum had told Jonghyun one day.

"Humanoid number seventy-two." the scientist said, reading the digits on the back of the robot before furrowing his brows. "Wait, seventy-two ? This is quite a low number, this is not normal... Lee, do you have Kim Chin Hae's file ?"

Jonghyun turned his head to the side and watched as a scientist, probably Lee, handed a folder to the other man, who looked slightly confused; he opened the folder and quickly read the document.

"As I said, something is not normal here..." he announced, scratching his neck. "This file says that Mister Kim bought the humanoid number five thousand fifty-four, so why the hell is this number seventy-two here ?"

No one answered his question and the man sighed.

"Anyway, if this one has a defective program, I guess that we don't have any other choice than fixing it, no matter what his number is. Let's begin, guys, we will take care of this abnormality later."

This man was the leader of the technicians' team, Jonghyun decided as the others nodded and obeyed, surrounding the humanoid who was still lying down. From the corner of his eye, he saw Park Chanhyun take a tool from one of his colleagues before walking towards him and Jonghyun couldn't help but ask:

"What are you going to do ?"

"None of your business." he answered, rolling his eyes.

"Park, please..." the leader scoffed. "Don't be mad at him, it's not his fault if the program you contrived yourself isn't working properly."

"Way to remind me that I failed it, thanks. Anyway, it's not like he's going to be offended if I vent out my anger on him."

Oh ? So this man was the creator of his program ? Then he was probably the most qualified person to fix him ! That would be quick and he would see Kibum soon, for sure !

Jonghyun's thoughts stopped when Park Chanhyun inserted the tool he was holding in the patch on his back.

"This electronic thing here will connect your program to our screens." the leader finally explained to the robot once he understood that his colleague wasn't going to do it. "So, a picture of your artificial brain, your connections and so on will be displayed on our monitors and we will take a look at that."

"Okay..." Jonghyun said. "Thank you."

Soon, the humanoid heard a loud beep and all the scientists looked at the machines surrounding the boy. They began to talk on a low tone and Jonghyun couldn't catch what they were saying, but their expression clearly showed that they were surprised by whatever they were seeing on those screens.

"How should I know ?!" Park Chanhyun suddenly shouted, pissed off. "There's nothing wrong with his program so don't ask me to fix something where there isn't anything to fix at all !"

"Okay, okay, calm down..." the man Jonghyun identified as Lee quickly said. "I thought that maybe you would have an idea... What could possibly be wrong if it's not the program ?"

"I really don't know." the man answered, glancing at the machines again with furrowed brows. "None of the connections are broken, the system is still working and... Wait, what is this ?"

Jonghyun turned his head and tried to discreetly propped himself up with his elbows so he could catch a glimpse of the screens but the scientists were too close to the monitors for him to see anything. What could be so surprising for them ?

"This isn't the program I created." Chanhyun suddenly announced. "I don't know why I didn't realise it as soon as I laid eyes on it but look, the connections here and there are misplaced. It seems like this is the first model of program, the one that I brought a few modifications to, years ago..."

The whole room felt silent after this but the technicians all glanced at each other in worry, for a reason Jonghyun didn't quite understand: they had said that nothing was wrong but then, why did they seem so unhappy ?

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking..." the leader began, massaging his temples as if he was suffering from a headache. "Then we made a mistake."

"We did." Chanhyun sternly answered. "And a big one, to top it all."

"Are you sure ?" Lee whispered.

"Yeah, I can't think of any other possibility. But there's only one way to be totally sure."

"Which is ?"

The man didn't answer but he turned around and headed for one of the tables that was against the opposite wall; he immediately picked out one of the blades Jonghyun had caught sight of before and then he walked towards the humanoid at a quick pace.

"Wait !" the leader suddenly shouted, worry audible in his voice. "What are you..."

And Chanhyun stabbed Jonghyun in the back.

A flash of white. A burning sensation. The humanoid opened his mouth but didn't say anything, he didn't know what to do. This sensation... It was so... So... What was this burning, stinging thing ?

Something inside him was stirring, willing to react but it... This sensation was totally unknown and Jonghyun didn't understand anything; he couldn't focus on anything else than the burn, it was just so...

Painful.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain !

And finally, Jonghyun screamed; he let out a loud yet hoarse scream that made every scientist freeze in surprise and shock, but he just couldn't help it: there was nothing else than pain in his mind right now, the pain and this other thought rolling in his brain...

He needed Kibum.

***

Kibum sighed when he realised that he had been reading the same sentence in his book again and again for more than ten times and he still hadn't understood what it meant. He couldn't focus.

Even though his one and only book, Alice in Wonderland, had always been a great distraction, it wasn't enough to appease him, not today.

He was tired and worried, he had been for two weeks... Since that day they left Jonghyun at the firm. Two ing weeks ! What could take so much time ? Was it that hard to fix a program ? He was sure that it was easy - well, he didn't know anything about that kind of high technology and he wasn't objective but hell, he missed Jonghyun. So he had the right to be mad at those useless scientists... Even if he had to admit that they were the only ones who could fix Jonghyun. Aish... Okay, okay, maybe they were useful, after all. But just a little bit.

His father had finally gotten a phone call on the morning and Kibum had jumped all around the house in excitement when his dad had quickly whispered that he was on the phone with a scientist, who said that they were now allowed to bring back their humanoid.

Yet Kibum's happiness had quickly faded away when his father had told him that they had an appointment with the CEO to... discuss something about Jonghyun. And this only meant one thing: something was wrong.

So now, he was stressed. The meeting with the CEO - Kang Jun... Jun-something, he didn't know anymore - was scheduled for the afternoon and the teenager still had to wait for one hour.

And now, even his beloved book couldn't help him to relax... Now, he was even mad at that white rabbit for leading Alice to Wonderland, because he had ended up leaving her all alone and confused and...

Wait.

They had done the same to Jonghyun.

Kibum grinded his teeth and violently threw the book to the other side of the room - which he immediately felt guilty for: it was his grandpa's book, after all... Oops - but he couldn't help it. Now he was sad and mad at himself as he remembered the very moment he had tried to forget, that heart-wrenching moment when he had seen the distress shining in Jonghyun's eyes.

Jonghyun was just like Alice. Alone. Because of someone they had trust enough to follow.

Kibum's eyes widened as a sudden thought crossed his mind and he quickly left his bedroom, almost tripping over his own feet as he climbed down the stairs and arrived in the living-room.

"Mom, dad !" he shouted, and Na Yung looked up with a start, almost dropping her cup of tea. "What if Jonghyun feels betrayed ?!"

"What ?" his mother asked, glancing at her husband who looked as confused as her.

"Jonghyun !" the blonde quickly repeated. "He was afraid ! What if he's mad at us or feels betrayed because we left him alone when he needed us ? I don't want him to hate me and I..."

His father cut him off:

"Please, Kibum, not this again. When are you going to understand that Jonghyun can't feel that way towards us ? He doesn't have any feeling..."

"And why do you think that it's impossible ?!" the teenager snapped back. "Try to see things differently... What if Jonghyun attacked Taemin because he was mad at him ? If he was angry back then, why couldn't he be afraid ?"

"As far as we know, he wasn't mad and just had a bad reaction because of his program." Na Yung softly said. "Kibum, you should accept that he doesn't..."

"Yeah, yeah, no feelings, blah-blah-blah..." he mumbled and plopped into the nearest chair.

A furry ball immediately jumped on his lap and Kibum smiled, gently patting the head of his cat.

"So you're going to tell me that Jonghyun didn't feel any pity when he found this soaked kitty ?" he asked sheepishly. "He brought it back home... Just because ?"

His mother suddenly stood up and said:

"Okay, you know what ? Let's go to the firm right now, maybe you will be able to ask your questions and find scientific answers that you will actually believe. There isn't much time left before the meeting anyway..."

Kibum looked down: he hadn't missed the slight anger filling his mother's voice... And he realised that maybe he was being whiny and annoying.

"I'm sorry." he said. "It's just that I'm worried... Jonghyun is my friend and I..."

"This is exactly the problem, Kibum." his father gently cut him off. "You are Jonghyun's friend... But he isn't yours, he's unable to."

***

The journey to the firm had been silent and awkward, to say the least. Chin Hae's words had hurt Kibum, even if he knew that his father had only said that to make him realise how different they both were...

He was relieved when he walked out of the car but he felt like he wouldn't be able to relax until Jonghyun was by their side again. It was a bit scary to state that he was that addicted to the humanoid's presence.

When they entered the building, the woman behind the help desk immediately stood up and greeted them, then she offered to lead the family to the CEO's office, even though they were a bit in advance. They went through several corridors and finally reached a glass elevator that would bring them to the twenty-sixth floor.

Great, Kibum thought when he stepped inside, closing his eyes as soon as he did and clutching to his mother's arm; his eyelids fluttered open when the elevator stopped and he quickly walked out without looking by the window, not even once: it was not the right moment to be sick.

The office they were brought to was a big one, with large windows and white-painted walls, and orchids all over the place. Kibum caught sight of several family pictures on the desk, next to a nameplate that read Kang Jungwan.

The man himself was standing in front of the windows when they entered and he turned around to flash them a bright smile. The teenager was surprised to see a quite good-looking and young man as a CEO, he had thought that they would find an old and grumpy man like that scientist, Park Chanhyun...

Kibum was disappointed when he realised that Jonghyun wasn't in this room and he tried his best not to seem impatient and impolite while the CEO introduced himself and greeted them, but eventually, he blurted out:

"Where is Jonghyun ?"

"Kibum..." his father scolded him on a low tone.

"It's alright, Mister Kim, don't worry." Jungwan said softly, and Kibum couldn't decide if he really meant it or if it was just his usual behaviour with his customers. "I'm really sorry but you will have to wait a little bit, boy... I have serious matters to discuss with your family."

The blonde teenager pouted yet nodded, and the CEO beckoned them to take a seat in front of his desk.

"First of all, I'm really sorry for the long wait." Jungwan began. "But we had... a little problem with Jonghyun and we had to do some research in our archives."

"A problem ?" Na Yung repeated, growing pale. "Did he... Did he do something bad ?"

"No, no, don't worry." the CEO quickly said with a tiny, reassuring smile. "This is what I want to talk about... You see, during the test, my scientists didn't find anything wrong with the program itself, it works as it's supposed to. However, this is an old program that hasn't been used in years... Almost fifty years."

Chin Hae furrowed his brows.

"Then... How comes that he..." he said, confused.

"Actually, we made a mistake with Jonghyun when we... created him." Jungwan told them, hesitating a bit. "Well, more than just one. To be honest, this humanoid shouldn't even exist anymore."

"What ?!" Kibum exclaimed, jumping on his feet. "If you hurt him, I swear I will..."

"Kibum !" Chin Hae snapped at his son. "Enough ! If you can't behave, then you will wait for us outside !"

The teenager looked down, tears accumulating at the corners of his eyes. He couldn't help it, he was too worried and this man's mysterious words didn't help him to calm down.

"I'll behave." he whispered. "I'm sorry."

His father nodded and the boy quietly sat down, staring at the CEO and waiting - literally dying in frustration - for his explanations.

As if he understood that the blonde boy was running out of patience, Jungwan took the floor again and decided to satisfy their curiosity.

"So, as I said, we made several mistakes. And we realised it during the test, because Jonghyun reacted to a special stimulation and he... He was in pain, he felt it."

Kibum tensed but he did his best not to react as the young man kept talking.

"By then, we knew for sure what was wrong: Jonghyun is not the humanoid you were supposed to buy, I assume we switched the boxes or something like that. He shouldn't have been in the sale department either... And he should have been destroyed with the others, fifty years ago."

Jungwan brushed his finger over a tactile button on his desk and a hologram screen appeared in front of Kibum's wide eyes. The CEO stood up and came round his desk to stay by his customers' side; he touched the screen and opened a file that was called Prototypes - 2035. Hundreds of names and small-seized pictures appeared as Jungwan said:

"This is an old file that I didn't think I would need to use one day... I wasn't even born when the first humanoid was created, it was my grand-father's idea, but I did learn everything I had to know about the prototypes... Yet I've learned many things during the past two weeks."

The young man placed his index on a picture and slid it so it appeared in an other tab, with a higher resolution, and Kibum's heart almost stopped.

It was a boy, a boy the teenager knew very well. Yet the Jonghyun on the picture looked slightly different... The same dyed hair, the same sharp nose, the same perfect jaw. But the boy's eyes were shining with happiness and his lips were curled up in a bright smile that made Kibum's heart skip a beat.

"He looks so happy..." he whispered, rising his hand as if he wanted to touch the screen. "Is it really the Jonghyun we know ?"

Jungwan nodded.

"But he looks so... alive !" Na Yung exclaimed.

"Well... This is a prototype. And prototypes were humans before."

Oh my God, awfully long chapter, I'm sorry but I just didn't feel like dividing it into two parts...

Anyway, I hope you liked this update ^^

By the way, this is what I mean by "hologram screen":

(All hail Robert Downey Jr.)

Thanks for the new subscribers and upvotes, and thank you for leaving comments as well, you make my day everytime ! :D

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