I didnt proofread since its basically midnight, but I hope you guys enjoy the last installment anyway. Thank you for putting up with me. Be sure to te me what you think

Youngjae and Jinwoon stared each other down across the space of the apartment, one with a pleading look and the other with a shake of his head in disbelief. The entire situation was funny if one really thought about it. At one point in his past, Youngjae remembered being on the other side of a similar argument. Oh, how things had changed.

Rubbing his temples, feeling the beginnings of a migraine, Jinwoon turned his eyes toward the ceiling. “I thought we were friends, Youngjae.”

“I thought so, too,” replied the man in question. “I thought this was something I could ask of a friend, if not of a sympathizer.”

“A sympathizer? Who are you asking me to sympathize with, KLARA or you?”

They had been at this for the past fifteen minutes and had gotten nowhere fast. Youngjae could no longer lie to himself and say that he could go on with this project. After he had finally calmed KLARA to a state of mind where it was less likely that she'd hurt anyone, including herself, he went home, calling in a half day and leaving Jinwoon with a gaping mouth in front of his computers. He spent those long hours cleaning up his apartment, storing all the evidence of the reconstruction of his belief system in a thick folder in his file cabinet with the rest of his important documents. The need to do something was too great for him to sit around idle all night. But he couldn't do much alone.

Which brought him to a stalemate with his handler who was convinced that he was losing his mind.

Youngjae took a deep breath, trying for another angle. “You saw her. You saw what was on those monitors. The longer this goes on, the more distressed she'll become.”

“She's only distressed because you can't separate your feelings for Hyerin from your feelings toward your work.” Jinwoon paused, catching the other's eyes before going on. “I've seen your work and there is no way that you could've gotten where you are today without sacrifice but now that its prodding at your grief, at your sense of loyalty and lingering affection for Shim Hyerin you expect me to throw away the product of months of blood, sweat and tears to help you help her escape? Are you sane right now, man?”

“Are you?” his companion shot back. “Even you can see how unstable she is. KLARA is still there. She's just pretending to conform and in her efforts she's tapping into the pieces of Hyerin's consciousness that you people have apparently put inside her.” The other man flinched back slightly at the sting of being clumped in the cluster of you people but Youngjae plowed on. “Its a temporary fix. She is still very aware of herself as a separate being though for my sake—for the sake of seeing me pleased with her—she was willing to become something that she is not. How long do you think that Dr Han will put up with this? There is no way that I am going to go back there and apologize for anything that you heard me tell her yesterday. Don't you think that they're going to retaliate?”

“Of course they will!” The answer was obvious. “They'd terminate her and your reputation would be ruined. When I was first was told that I'd be working with the young prodigy himself, I was ecstatic. I thought that the standard of work would have been raised with you in the lab. I thought we were going to be a fantastic team--”

“And we are,” Youngjae injected.

“I never expected that you would fall apart like this, ready to kamikaze just because you're starting to like her.” The surprised look on the younger's face earned him a droll stare from across the table. “Oh, come on. You didn't care before. You were frustrated with her at every turn. You didn't even want to make an attempt at hiding your displeasure. But now that she has made that turn, now that she's more like her donor than ever, you're feeling sorry for her because now you actually see her as the love you lost.” He shook his head. “That's not the way to go about this and you know it.”

The younger man flopped back in his armchair, reaching for the tea he had forgotten and wrinkling nose at the bitter taste of the cooled drink. He couldn't say that he hadn't thought about all the points that had been raised—he wasn't completely oblivious to his own shortcomings—and neither could he say that he was entirely surprised that Jinwoon was so reluctant to give up something that he had put sleepless nights and long days into developing, but even so he had hoped.

“Obviously,” he said out loud, “my hope was misplaced.”

“As was mine,” Jinwoon shot back. “We are so close to perfecting our cloning formula. KLARA is paramount to the advancement of science in this sector. She is the fruit of many hours of labour of many scientists over the years, but you....you in your selfishness want to take her away from us as if you own her because you got some funny idea in your cloudy head.” His mouth set in a thin line. “I can't allow that to happen. I'm sorry.”

Picking up his coat from where he had draped it, the man was out of there soon after. There weren't many occasions where Youngjae could say that he knew what it meant to be desperate although he knew that hiding himself in the supply closet, waiting on the regular staff of Kerino Labs to go home for the day was definitely on that list. He had switched Jinwoon's access key with an exact replica the day before when the unsuspecting man was in the bathroom. It was his Plan B if Plan A of merely trying to get his friend to see reason wasn't going to work. He was glad he hadn't reconsidered that option of action seeing as Jinwoon conveniently absconded from work after lunch; he, no doubt, knew that Youngjae was nowhere near crazy enough to try anything during the early hours when the lab was packed, but he had no such assurances of the afternoon and turned tail as soon as he could. Maybe in his own way he was removing himself as an obstacle. Maybe he just didn't want to get any of the blame. Either way, it was just as good.

Youngjae moved to look through the slats of the front of the door, focusing on the presence of the few feet that were passing leisurely with the accompaniment of some casual chatter. He wonder idly if every that worked here would have done the same as Jinwoon and stand out of his way or present themselves as bowling pins for him to knock down. Once the feet had passed and the last alarm buzzer went off, alerting those inside of the activation of the evening security system, he moved into action, slipping from his hiding place with a smooth silence through the shadows that were cast along the long hallways. Somehow the whole division looked more sinister sans all the illumination he was accustomed to. He had no idea how much it was going to change the Artificial Rebirth Wing for him.

  The moans and groans of the residents seemed to echo off the walls, surrounding him and taking refuge in the darker corners of the building. The more well behaved experiments who were normally outside milling around were not in place, making the emptiness of the pathways even more real. He made his way to KLARA's room as quickly as he could and slipped inside despite his first failed attempts at scanning the correct side of the card. 

   "KLARA. Hey." Youngjae went to her door and knocked. "Are you asleep?"

   "Youngjae?" Her face appeared in one of the windows looking every bit as confused as she sounded. "What are you doing here?"

  He glanced around in the darkness. He had no doubt that there was a camera in this room, but given the lack of light due to the computers not being on, would they be able to see him? He didn't want to take the time to find out. 

   Pushing in Jinwoon's cardkey along with the password for the locks on the door into KLARA's room, Youngjae kept checking the way he came as if expecting someone to come in after him. "We have to be quick. Come on. I'm getting you out of here."

  Contrary to what he had believed, she did not ask any more questions. She appeared composed and even professional in the way she watched his back and corrected him gently when she saw an easier alternative to the route he was thinking of taking. How many times had she been imagining getting out that she was so prepared? 

  Even more contrary: the security that night was not as bad as he would have thought providing them with a clear enough get away. Something was very wrong with this picture. It was much to easy to make it out of the lab with his companion though he had changed her clothes to make her look just like another scientist. He knew that someone must have seen him or something but if they were on his tail he needed to lose them and fast. With this in mind he drove in random patterns, zigging one way, zagging another way across town. He switched cars at a fast food restaurant, coordinating with a friend who passed him the keys to a black sedan in his takeout bag.

  KLARA did everything she could to rid him of his sense of foreboding, her excited chatter an echo of the her he remembered from his first week in Kerino. She gaze wide eyed at everything they passed going on and on with "I saw this in a book" or "I read about this same situation in this novel by...." . Soon he was smiling, glancing over at her when she spoke instead of in the rearview mirror every five seconds.

   "I think we lost them," he declared after about an hour of mindless wandering. "I really think we're in the clear now."

   At his relieved sigh, the girl beside him grinned, reaching for his hand. "Thank you for this. You rescued me from that place. you risked yourself for me. And now look." She lifted the fry box for him to see as she feed him its last inhabitant. "I'm actually eating fast food, although I have no idea what kind of name is 'Bobo's Burgers'. I think 'BopBop Burgers' or Bobang Burgers' would've been more entertaining alternatives."

   He laughed a weight off his chest. "You're so cute, KLARA. Have I ever told you that?"

   Immediately, her eyes lowered. "No. You never have." He was sure he saw her ears turn red.

  Maybe Jinwoon was more right than he dared to admit. When he had taken her to the cabin he had borrowed from another friend expecting a favour in return, he couldn't help but admire the seamless blend of things that made her part Hyerin and all herself. He let her meander around examining every corner, every nook and cranny she could poke her face into until calling her back to her food. 

   "So tell me," he said finally, sipping his soda. "Is there any thing in particular that you want to do first? We have all weekend to chill until the guy who lent me this place will come with some grocery and stuff."

  Suddenly, there was a very distant look in her eyes, causing him to scramble for something to say.

   "Hey. its Ok. He's just coming to bring us food." His hand found hers over the tabletop. "He knows that no one else is supposed to know that you're here. He won't tell."

  Though, admittedly, he hadn't given substantial thought to what he intended to do with her after getting her out getting her off the compound. It wasn't as if he could go out in the open with her. She shared the face of Shim Hyerin, a dead woman. Kerino would be breathing down his neck in a heartbeat if word got out that someone had seen her. Not to mention that there were probably going to be eyes and ears out for him too. They would be in hiding for quite some time until he could manage to arrange more concrete future plans.

Traveling abroad? Relocating to some remote area was always a viable option but how would KLARA feel about it? Youngjae wasn't about to be like the scientists she was so used to seeing and decide everything for her.

He snapped himself out of the world in his mind and set his gaze on her to meet her biting her trembling lip.

“Oppa,” she called softly. “Oppa, did you bring me out here because I remind you of your ex or because...” Watery almond shaped eyes rose to take him in. “Or was it because you like me?”

The question took him off guard. It was the very same one he had been asking himself since this harebrained scheme formed in his head. The only difference was that this time, he had an answer.

Her grip tightened on his hand. He could feel her fluttering pulse, her uncertainty about his reply, her anxiety over how he was making her wait. Slowly, Youngjae turned his hand over and laced his fingers with her. She didn't speak, but her pulse slowed.

“I think,” he began, “it was both. At first it was because of her.....a lot of things were about her.” The holds on his hand weakened but he merely held on tighter. “But it took me a lot of soul searching to see that you didn't deserve to be there. That you deserved to be your own person. That you are, in your own right, an interesting and hardworking person. You learned so much in my absence. You went above and beyond what I thought you were capable of which taught me that you are and always have been just as unpredictable as any other person born from their mother's stomachs.” He hadn't noticed that he had brought her hand to his mouth until his words were slightly muffled. “You're worthy of love just like anyone else, KLARA. But perhaps I shouldn't call you that. You're not an anomaly. You're human.”

She was on her feet, being tugged toward him by some autopilot command of his body. It was all so familiar though. This figure that seemed to be made for his arms. This voice that called out to him in the softest of tones as if afraid to break the spell of his affections. Did he really seem so unreachable? He lifted both her hands to cup his face. Holding them there, he searched her face for something, anything that could explain to him what was going on in his stormy mind.

“Oppa.” Her voice was insistent this time. “Does this mean...I mean, is it safe to think...” She frowned at her own tongue-tiedness. “Do you love me?”

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he resolved to be honest. “No. But--”

With a gentle smile, KLARA shushed him. “No excuses. Its OK. I can love enough for the both of us.”

No, he wanted to say. It shouldn't be like that. I'm sorry.

But she was talking again. “There's another thing I saw in a book.” The expression on her face was different now, composed and prepared once again. “May I try it with you?”

He nodded dumbly and then she was kissing him. It wasn't anything grand, just a pressing of her lips against his. Something about the innocence of the action incited the lust he had long since tucked away. Soon he had her under him on the gracious four poster bed in the other room, grabbing at his shirt, trying to keep herself grounded a his tongue swept through and she whimpered. She may have been a test tube baby, but she was still a woman. Her cheeks flushed and her thighs rubbed together when he pressed his lips to the fragile looking skin of her neck. So much for her book knowledge, but then again, he supposed that there was no use in reading how to fire a gun and expecting it to be sufficient information to go to war with.

Why the hell was he thinking about guns when he had a squirming willing female trailing her hands across his back in the cutest fashion?

“You're an idiot, Youngjae,” he muttered to himself before his mouth descended onto her clothed with no concern for wet spots he was leaving on her only shirt.

It was fine. She could borrow his. With that image in his mind, he let his hormones have full reign. He defaulted to what he knew Hyerin to like, biting her shoulder and being light with the petting but if her keens and extra fluids were anything to go by, he was pretty sure that he needed to start from scratch.

Youngjae slowed his movements, leaning up over her. “Do your books say anything about what can be done with someone's mouth?” he asked, pulling his button down off of himself.

Her knuckles were almost shoved into at that point, her chin lowering in what he recognized to be a nod. Youngjae slowly pulled his glasses form his face, setting them aside on the night table and sliding down her body, allowing her the time to watch him spread her legs and expose her lower half to his hungry and curious gaze. Even as he gave her an experimental from top to bottom, he couldn't help but take internal notes and praise the ingenuity of science that could produce something so accurate.

The scent. The taste. He was so fascinated that it was all the same as he remembered. He murmured his approval in the midst of her begging him to stop, to go on, to make her stop tingling. And so he did with a firm flick of his tongue on her little pearl of pleasure causing her to melt in his mouth like good chocolate. His eyes fluttered shut as he accepted his reward.

“Delicious,” he said softly against her trembling lips.

“Liar,” she replied, a bit slurred. “But I guess that's just what guys are supposed to say.”

He smiled. “Do you want me to go on?”

formed a perfect O as she yawned and he took that as his answer, not her many protests through heavy lips. Youngjae urged her to sleep and let her body recover. Just a nap, he insisted. Of course his body demanded its fill, but the first time was solely for her. It was her new experience.

And so was the second time when he finally entered her, her legs wrapped around him as he talked her through the pain.

And so was the third a few hours later when he took her from behind, causing the headboard to keep time of his s with its steady metronome knocking.

And the fourth when he took his time stimulating her sensitive s until a gentle wave overtook her and his body, finally sated let him rest.

By the time the sun rose and the birds were making their way through the trees there was breakfast already made for him placed beside his glasses. The blankets were pulled up over him despite the rearrangement during the night, a pillow in the place of the body he had brought against his chest in adoration. His phone was ringing but in his exhaustion he missed the call. He didn't get to hear Jinwoon explain to him how KLARA had been escorted back to the lab. He didn't get to hear the explanation of the deal she had made with Dr Han to be allowed out for the night. He didn't get to hear how her sacrifice for research was so valuable that another batch of clones were scheduled to be produced as soon as possible.

And so, with no word from him, Jinwoon led a content and confident KLARA down the hall to the operating theatre where every able body was about to watch her be dissected.