Chapter Three – Lithium (Li)

Somehow this entire lab looks unharmed. He hasn’t burnt it down yet so I guess that’s a good thing, right? But where is he? I can’t seem to find him.

“I need my coffee, asap!”

I call out to one of the many assistants just sitting around. Sometimes I wonder why we bother to hire so many useless assistants. We would be able to run more efficiently without some of them sometimes. Not a single one of them bothered to get up from their seat, just staring at me.

“Someone get my coffee or otherwise all of you will lose your job.”

This time I threatened. Some of these people will never learn unless you push them in a direction. But at least that got them moving off their seats, after all I am their boss. Anyways what did they expect from being hired as just a regular assistant in a laboratory? Their main job is to do the tedious tasks any of the researching team doesn’t want to do. Everyone has to move up the ranks somehow right?

Even I used to be a regular assistant. I was an assistant for the researcher Kim Jaejoong. You might have heard of him, he did wonders in our world. He might have treated me horribly and made me run across the town for a single spoon of sugar but it was all worth it afterwards when my name was on that research paper as well.

Now, where is Kim Jongin and Oh Sehun. They’re the next in line to look after this lab if I’m not around and I can’t even find them. Extremely responsible right? Children these days.

This lab is made up of three parts. You have the office areas, so that’s where we all have our separate offices and just the general rooms such as the café and meeting rooms. The next part is where machines are located, so all of our machines such as the embedding machine and also the cloning machine are located there. That’s the biggest part of the lab and generally where all the scientists and researchers are. You’ll never find a regular assistant there because they aren’t trained and therefore cannot enter.

We actually have an extreme policy about that, just to keep them all safe. So that area is guarded with eye-identifying technology. So every time you want to enter that part, you have to just let your eye scanned so it can recognise you. Finally, the last part is the good ole’ computer rooms. These rooms hold 100’s of computers with information and programs that run the machines and holds any of the information we find. It’s probably the most expensive room out of the entire complex just because of how valuable it is.

Now, Jongin and Sehun were nowhere to be seen in the machines room so they must be in the computer room.

Computers have changed drastically from the past. These days, we just project the screen to the walls. Instead of using a mouse and keyboard, we set the computer to our mind frequency and so we control the computer with our brains.  At times it  can be extremely annoying but most times, it’s fine as long as you’re not doing anything dodgy.

Upon getting closer, I hear the voices of Jongin, Sehun and another two voices that I just couldn’t quite recognise. One of the voices there I remember hearing inside the lab, he must be one of the many lab assistants that we have. But the other voice, I just can’t seem to recall any memory of ever hearing it. It sounds so foreign.

“What are we going to do?”

That is definitely Sehun’s voice. What is going on, I can’t walk in there just yet. They’ll most likely stop talking the moment I walk there. I know, I shouldn’t be listening in on their conversation but this is my lab right? I have the right to listen in on conversations if they might concern the future of this place right?

“I have no idea. We have to keep this from Seyeon, okay?”

And that’s Jongin. You see, I had a reason to listen in. What are they trying to hide from me? Did something completely screw up?

“I’m so sorry. I should have told you, Researcher Kim. I’m sorry.”

It sounded as though the lab assistant was almost crying. What went wrong? I need to know.

“It’ll be okay, Kyungsoo-ah. We’ll take care of things. So don’t worry anymore,” Jongin’s voice sounded soft and caring. Something horrible must have really occurred. I think it’s time for me to open that door. I need to know now what is happening there.

“Kim Jongin. What is going on in here?”

I ask as I open the door abruptly. The party of four clearly had not expected company and especially not the company of their boss either.

“Seyeon-ah. What are you going here?”

Jongin asked more confused than ever. But it should be me who is confused.

In that room, sits 4 men. Kim Jongin. Oh Sehun. The lab assistant, that I can now recognise Do Kyungsoo. And Another man who I have never met before in my entire life. Sitting there, with light brown hair and eyes like a deer. This man. Who is he?