YoungJae

JongUp called us all downstairs for a family meeting. Everyone knew what it was about.

Well, almost everyone.

This was the third meeting like this I had been to. The first was mine and DaeHyun’s introduction to JunHong’s medical condition, DaeHyun and I had nowhere else to go and our families both worked for YongGuk’s so we were immediately invited. Honestly we had no clue what our parent’s did, and didn’t really care either. So you can imagine how shocked we were to hear that JunHong was a humanoid. That was science fiction, it couldn’t be real. But it was proven with one look into the younger’s room when he was sleeping. At first it changed the way we saw him, but it explained a lot like why he ate more, why he was stronger than everyone, why he grew so much taller than his classmates. Then us.

It took a month for me to warm up to him again, to see that even though he had cords connected throughout his body, he was still the JunHong I had known before. DaeHyun took a fraction longer. I think him seeing me act like normal with JunHong made it easier for him to realise it was okay.

The second meeting was, of course, JongUp’s. Unlike DaeHyun and myself, JongUp didn’t come because of family connections and lack of money. He was found, by HimChan, wandering the streets one night after getting kicked out of home. He has never told us the entire truth about that subject, but none of us minded especially since he became JunHong’s best friend almost instantly. It took three months before JunHong had snapped and was forced to move schools – again – which lead to JongUp finding out the truth. He took it well. In fact, he and JunHong became closer after that.

In a way, JunHong is the reason we are all still here, living like a dysfunctional family. HimChan the mother YongGuk the father. JunHong is the baby. Somehow DaeHyun and I fit in and JongUp is probably the cousin. And if it weren’t for these meetings, none of us would still be here; we probably would have moved out thinking that JunHong has serious issues.

We all sit in the lounge room. Well, JiEun sits in between JongUp and myself on the couch. DaeHyun has an armchair to himself and HimChan has JunHong in his arms on the other chair. And YongGuk is pacing back and forth in front of everyone.

“You’re making me nervous.” DaeHyun comments. “We know why we are here so let’s get on with it.”

JiEun looks at JongUp for some sort of explanation. She receives none.

YongGuk nods slowly, pausing. “Okay… Yeah…” He sighs. “So, JiEun, we need to know how much you remember before waking up in the hospital.”

I look over at JunHong who has stiffened in HimChan’s arms. He looks down at his lap while the other his hair whispering something to him.

“Why?” she asks softly, “Did something bad happen? Do I need to go to the police or something?” There is sudden panic in her voice.

We all shake our heads, “Nothing like that.” JongUp takes her hand, “It is just important so we know where to fill you in.”

“Oh,” she nods, “Okay… Um… I remember being served food… and we were talking… or KiBum was…” she frowns, pausing for the longest time trying to remember what happened next.

“Take your time.” HimChan coos.

She shakes her head, “Nothing. After that there it’s all blurred…”

“That’s fine. Just tell us what you can make out…” YongGuk’s deep voice is calming in this tense situation. We are all waiting for her to either faint or scream.

“It’s… strange…” She blushes, concentrating on her lap. “All I remember that is clear enough for me to make out is the word ‘kiss’, but I am sure that it didn’t happen…”

JunHong blushes and hangs his head further.

I sigh, “This is going to go nowhere if we don’t tell her YongGuk, can we get it over with before she faints please?”

Everyone around me nods, except JunHong.

“She doesn’t need to know…” He whispers. “I don’t want her to know.”

JiEun looks up instantly at JunHong’s voice. It is the first time he has spoken since the café. To anyone.

“Why can’t I know?” She asks him, there are tears forming in her eyes, “I want to know why you are acting the way you are. I want to know why I was in hospital, I want to know what is going on…”

JongUp rubs circles into her back.

“YongGuk…” I mutter, “Not all of us need to be here for this.”

He nods and gestures that we can go.

I bow, as does DaeHyun. HimChan, too, doesn’t seem like he can take it and rises from his chair.

“You look after them.” He says, and we all leave the room.

YongGuk

I sigh heavily, sitting down in one of the armchairs, resting my face in my hands. This is the hardest part of having a new family member. Never knowing how they will take it and then how would it end if they took it well?

“Hyung…” JongUp mutters, the tension is getting to him, and to me. I can feel it. Looking up I see JiEun looking back and forth between everyone, JunHong is just staring at his lap his lips moving with no sound coming out.

Again I sigh, I can’t help it. This is different to all the other times, every other time JunHong’s secret had been reveal it was normally because of something stupid he had done, a small fight that had gotten out of hand, not that it was really his fault. He was always provoked, and there was something about his wiring – that I couldn’t find – that lead him to wield his strength and cause serious harm. He had never killed anyone – the rest of his wiring had made sure that he was never capable of it – but he had come close.

“JiEun,” I start, “Do you know what I do for a living?”

She shakes her head, lower lip jutting out slightly in confusion.

“I am a biomechanical scientist.” I state, “Normally, a biomechanical scientist would go to an office and work on experiments, write reports and analyse data. But you have probably noticed, I work from home. I hide away in my office for hours on end and you don’t see what I am doing.”

“What does this have to do with what happened?” She mutters softly, her brows knit in confusion.

“Well, the thing is, my work is right here.” I look towards JunHong, but not directly at him, “In this room, is my... My father’s work.”

I pause, looking at JiEun, who has an intensely confused look across her face, “I have taken over from my father in order keep someone alive, alive and well. But, no matter how much I work, no matter how many hours I sit alone in my office, with all the schematics I cannot for the life of me find the glitch. That one wire that should be replaced, or removed or where on the microchip the code got muddled up... Every morning, I get up, see how all this has changed a life… no, saved a life, and yet… even though it has saved a life, even though it has made life liveable, it’s slowly, so very slowly, destroying all possibilities of normality.”

“Oppa, I don’t understand… Whose life did you save?”

JongUp visibly grips JiEun’s hand tighter, she looks up at him, eyes wide gaping.

She thinks its him… I open my mouth to correct her.

 “Mine.” JunHong speaks up, still not looking up from his lap. “Dr Bang saved my life, he made everything I have done, can do, possible. But, with one wire, one simple misspelt code somewhere in my body, I could destroy my life, and someone else’s. Several times I have come close, but last time… It was way too close for me… for you…”

“Wh…what?” JiEun frowns, “B…but…”

JunHong looks up at her, his eyes wet with tears. “I am so sorry, JiEun. I never, never wanted to hurt you. In anyway. With my actions, with my words. And I did…”

JiEun gaping like a fish holding on to JongUp’s hand. I want to step in, to explain a bit more, but that is for later I have done what I was meant to for now…

“I am the same person I always was, I am like you in every way, just without a normal beating heart, some extra wires and some chips here and there.” He looks down again, this time a slight smile on his lips, “I feel, just the same as anyone else. I look the same, I sound the same. I move the same. I just don’t sleep the same. I can’t work numbers because it interferes with the microchips in my head, and I have a greater amount of strength than most people. I am the same, just different…”

He rises from his seat, his hands clenched into fists, “You will need time. Everyone does. To understand that I am a think of fiction. That I am not what you thought I was. That I am not completely human.” A sob is released from his lips as he continues to hold back his tears. “I just want you to know, that no matter where your thoughts lead you, that no matter what decision you come to. I will still like you.”

He turns to face her, “If this is going to be the last time I see you, I want you to hear, from me, that you are the first person that my heart has beaten abnormally for. I will not forget you, and don’t expect to stop feeling this way toward you. Thank you JiEun, for letting me experience this.”

With that he leaves for his room. Leaving JiEun with tears in her eyes, JongUp hugging her and me to explain in more detail.