One step...

Youngji's hand entwined with Hongbin's for the final time. He felt his heart throwing up inside, but his mind told him that he was doing the right thing.

Two step...

Hongbin felt more confident as he was closer to the operating table where he turned himself into a cyborg to erase his memories and emotions when he was a human.

Three step...

He felt Youngji's hand grip tighter, this time she didn't have a fire in her eyes, and instead they were cool and calm. She looked at him and smiled, her white teeth sparkling against the bright light of the operating room.

Four step...

This was it. The couple was in front of the operating table, and Hongbin psuhed on a nearby screen to program the machine to dismantle two cyborgs completely. Hongbin lifted Youngji and place her on the table first, then he crawled on, and the two laid there waiting for the drills to dismantle them.

Youngji closed her eyes as she heard the drills spinning excitedly and she silently cried. Hongbin, not wanting to see his girlfriend being torn apart, closed his eyes also and reached for Youngji's hand. They both gripped tightly, but when the drills began to work, Hongbin didn't feel any pain.

He didn't feel pain like a normal human should.

Youngji didn't say anything, but she look at her left leg, which was halfway dismantled. She looked up at Hongbin, a tear falling onto her cheek. Hongbin cried also, seeing his beloved saddened.

"Youngji..." Hongbin began. "Do you remember your favorite book?"

"Of course," she answered, not skipping a beat. "Romeo and Juliet. Are you going to pick on me before we fade away?"

"No," he whispered, tears threatening to be unleashed again. "I wanted to say that if we believe in love and life, we'll see each other again. Just like Romeo and Juliet did. They lived together, and they died together. They found peace, defied their fates, and who knows? We might be taking their place right now."

"We are the bionic Romeo and Juliet now," Youngji said, smiling. "I'm so glad you didn't pick on me this time. I'm glad you understood."

As the two were being torn apart, one by one, they only held hands and looked at each other in the eyes. Hongbin could hear more banging on the metal door, more louder and more powerful this time. He smiled, realizing he made the right choice, and he found an inner peace. Youngji smiled as he was relishing his feelings, and she whispered, "Don't ever forget me."

"I'll never forget you," Hongbin said. "I never truly have; we'll see each other again, I promise."

"I promise that I'll take with me the belief of love and life, so we can spend eternity in the afterlife," Youngji stated. "But if anyone stands in our way..."

"We'll fight them together," he finished for her. He noticed that Youngji's head was the only thing left that needed to be dismantled. Hongbin looked down at his own body and his neck disappeared; wires dangled out, sending sparks across the room.

Set me free. Let me breathe. There's nowhere to run from you.

That was Hongbin's last thought before he out, and the last thing he saw was Youngji's smiling but wet face from the tears she silently cried before he died first this time as a cyborg.

__

(Youngji's POV)

One step...

My hand entwined with my boyfriend's for the final time. But I didn't believe our lives woul be over after that; we'll meet again. We might even be reborn, but how many chances were humans even given to live again? For cyborgs it might not even be the same.

Two step...

The closer I got to the operating table, the more I wanted to run away. I never wanted this, but if it really was the only way, then I would accept it. But I believed hard about love and life, to be together with Hongbin again.

Three step...

Love...life...I wanted to be together again with Hongbin.

Four step...

We finally got in front of the operating table. Hongbin lifted me in his arms and set my on the table first, then he pushed on a screen, drills spinning to life. He crawled onto the table and we both laid there as the drills came closer to rip us apart. To rip us away from pur life...together.

I closed my eyes as the drills came closer and silently cried, trying to show Hongbin that I can be strong too. I felt Hongbin's hand reach for mine, and when the drills touched me, I didn't feel anything. No pain, no nothing. My systems told me that Hongbin didn't feel anything either; we weren't human anymore after all, and soon we'll be nothing but scraps of metal. However, our beliefs will reunite us, wherever we were.

I didn't say anything as I looked at my leg, which was halfway dismantled. I looked up at Hongbin and let out my first tear as a cyborg, and my systems told me that Hongbin became saddened also as a tear slipped from his eyes.

"Youngji..." Hongbin was the first to break the silence except from the sound of sparks and drills. "Do you remember your favorite book?"

"Of course," I answered without even thinking. "Romeo and Juliet. Are you going to pick on me before we fade away?" Shoot...I shouldn't have said it like that. It made me seem like I had a grudge against Hongbin, and I made him feel guilty and regretful, from what my systems told me.

"No," I heard him whisper, his eyes watering. "I wanted to say that if we believe in love and life, we'll see each other again.Just like Romeo and Juliet did. They lived together, and they died together. They found peace, defied their fates, and who knows? We might be taking their place right now."

"We are the bionic Romeo and Juliet now," I said, smiling, glad that he was able to understand my understanding of the ending of that book. "I'm so glad you didn't pick on me this time. I'm glad you understood."

As we were being torn apart, one by one, Hongbin and I just held hands and we looked at each other straight in the eyes. I could hear more banging on the metal door. Hongbin was right after all: Who knows what's beyond that door? I noticed Hongbin smiling, and my systems told me he was peaceful and happy, and I smiled too. Seeing him happy makes me happy; this is what I really want.

"Don't ever forget me," I whispered, remembering what he told me his thoughts were when I passed away as a human.

"I'll never forget you," he answered. "I never truly have; we will see each other again, I promise."

"I promise that I'll take with me the belief of love and life, so we can spend eternity in the afterlife," I stated, my beliefs speaking for me. "But if anyone stands in our way..." I didn't know what to say after that.

"We'll fight them together," he finished for me. I noticed that Hongbin looked down at his body, his neck disapppeared and that wires were sprouting out and spakrs flew across the room. I wondered what happened to my body.

Love, in the end is a lie to one person. But please, Hongbin, don't think that your emotions or memories were ever a lie. You even told me: I remained inside of you even after you attempted to erase everything that was human about you. I believe in our love; I know it's the truth. I have no doubt that you also feel the same way; you learned a lot of lessons from me, haven't you?

Unfortunately, Hongbin let out one final breath before his head disapppeared, turning into scraps of metal. I closed my eyes, remembering how I died first as a human, and now my boyfriend dies first this time as a cyborg. I deserved it; I left him all alone and made him go through all that pain, but his determination made it possible for me to be reborn as a cyborg. The only thing...the only...thing I want to remember...

...is Hongbin's smile...his tears...his touch...

I out, and my mind went blank. I am unable to think anymore as my life had transcended into another chapter in our love story, and that soon...

Hongbin and I...will be reunited...again...

Hongbin...my boyfriend...

I love you, and I always will...

...forever...