Taekwoons laboratory was definitely top secret; it was hidden directly below an abandoned building three flights of stairs underground behind a sealed door. After being led down flight after flight of stairs, Hongbin gasped at the sight in front of him. A large, dark room opened up with florescent lights built on the ceiling as well as the floor. Right as you stepped in, all the light s automatically . A large chandelier shaped object hung from the ceiling that looked like a spiral of steel pointing downwards. Directly underneath it lie a concrete table with separate lights pointing to it and tubes running in and out. Next to that there was a whole computer base set up with dozens of wires coming out. On the opposite side of the computers, there were stands big enough to hold a person. Hongbin wandered around the room, amazed at what he saw and looked back towards Taekwoon. “Are you sure this will work?” he asked. Taekwoon nodded and walked over to the computer base. He sat down and started powering everything up and typing immediately. “Alright Hongbin, I’m starting up the operation…you sure you want to go through with this?” Hongbin nodded and proceeded in removing his white button down shirt. He brushed his fingers along the cold concrete slab and felt a little hesitant. He shook it off and lied down on the table. He looked straight upwards and was looking directly up the tube of some electronic device. Taekwoon started pressing buttons on a control panel. He stood up and walked over to Hongbin. “Alright, now this will be painless if you just don’t move so I’m going to need you to take these pills.” He held out his hand and revealed two cylindrical white pills. “These will relieve any pain the operation gives you without you becoming unconscious. Your eyes will be open and you will be aware of your surroundings, however, your body will remain irresponsive as well as your hearing and you shouldn’t feel a thing, ok?” he said. Hongbin took the pills and swallowed them in one gulp. Taekwoon made his way back to the computers and started pushing more buttons again. Suddenly a large mechanical arm came alive and descended on Hongbin. Hongbin was staring straight at it his horror and uncertainty. He instinctively tried to move, but he couldn’t. He had no control over his body. The pills must have affected him already. The only thing he had control over were his eyes, and they were locked on the mechanical arm descending upon him like a spider dangling from its web. Suddenly his hearing got clogged and he couldn’t hear anything. He was relieved about this because he really did not need to know the sound of his organs getting pulled out and replaced with mechanical ones.

Hongbin lied there for about an hour before the mechanical arm ascended back into the tube. Hongbin slowly gained back his senses. His hearing cleared up and he started obtaining control over his body. Hongbin slowly tried to stand up, but it was too painful, so he sat upright on the concrete table. Taekwoon walked over to him, holding a small device in his hand. “How do you feel?” he asked. Hongbin cracked his neck and heard an unsettling sound, like a spark. Hongbin touched his neck and found a rectangular hole in his neck. “Is this…”

Taekwoon nodded and held up the object in his hands. It looked like…

“Your memory chip” he said, and handed it to Hongbin. Hongbin held it in his hands. “It’s so…it’s so fragile” he said. “So is a human heart” Taekwoon responded and handed Hongbin his shirt. Hongbin went to put it on when he noticed that half his stomach looked normal, and the other half was…

“I replaced your main organs with fully functional robotic ones. Half your stomach is 50% human skin and 50% robotic components.” He explained. “Your heart has been completely replaced as well as your brain which is directly connected to the memory chip which you shouldn't take out. If you take it out too much…your memory with slowly fade away.”

Hongbin buttoned up his shirt and slowly stood up. “Ok…so it worked on me…how can you guarantee it will work on someone who isn’t even alive?” Hongbin asked. Taekwoon smiled. “It’ll take more effort, but it’s possible”. Hongbin started walking to the door. “So, how do we get Youngji over here?” he asked. Taekwoon gestured to the metal stands next to him. All of them were empty except one.

And the last one supported Youngji on it.

Hongbins legs almost gave out. “Is that…that’s…how?!” he demanded walking towards her slowly. “I have my ways…now you need to rest for a while, you need to get used to supporting the extra weight.” He said. Hongbin didn’t argue and immediately sunk into a nearby chair, exhausted. Taekwoon walked over to the back of the room and wheeled out another giant mechanical arm and placed it in front of Youngji. Taekwoon turned back to Hongbin and frowned. “Hongbin, you’re not going to want to watch this…here, come lie down over here” he said and gestured back to the concrete table. Hongbin looked a little hesitant for a second then decided not to protest. He slowly walked over to the table, lied down, shut his eyes, and immediately fell asleep.