A tiny little hand reached towards the arm of the figure lying on top of the wide table. He poked and prodded the limb and pouted when he got no response. The little boy turned at the sound of a deep chuckle resonating in the room.

“Kim Sunggyu, how many times did Daddy tell you not to touch Daddy’s things?”

The tall man picked up Sunggyu with one arm and tickled his tummy, earning the man squeals and laughter. He placed Sunggyu atop the table, next to the unmoving form.

Sunggyu crawled towards the mysterious figure, poking him once more. The figure ressembled a human with hair as dark as the night sky, contrasting greatly with his pale skin. And yet, it was not completely human as Sunggyu noticed the small rectangular opening at the center of its chest. Peering in, Sunggyu saw a peculiar object that was radiating heat.

“Do you know what this is? It’s a cyborg. Daddy is going to show him to everyone once he’s completed but right now he’s sleeping.”

Sunggyu cocked his head to the side, confused. He remembered his daddy telling him some time ago that he was a “scientist” and “inventor”. Still a young child, Sunggyu didn’t understand what those terms meant but one thing he did understand was that his daddy created things.

Perhaps this person lying in front of him is another thing that his daddy made. Since this “thing” had eyes, nose, lips, arms and legs like he did, maybe it’s a doll? Or maybe a baby?

Sunggyu was excited at the thought of having someone to play with him since his parents were always too busy to keep him company. He eagerly asked Mr Kim for its name and was disappointed when he found out it had none but was merely addressed as WH910208.

“Let’s name him Woohyun!”

“Young master! Be careful!”

Woohyun watched in horror, his hands outstretched, as he watched the small boy climb higher and higher up the tree in their garden. Sunggyu ignored the butler’s pleas, latching onto another branch as he advanced upwards.

“Don’t worry, birdie. You’re safe with me.” A small bird poked its head out in between Sunggyu’s fingers and chirped. Sunggyu smiled, its wings, and resumed climbing.

Woohyun paced left and right, rubbing his hands together anxiously. His young master was more than a hundred meters away from the ground here he was, standing like an idiot not knowing what to do. It was true that he didn’t undergo any prior training however he was created for the sole purpose to serve and he was not doing a good job at all. Just as he decided to go after Sunggyu, the little boy cried out excitedly,

“There you go!” Sunggyu put the little bird in the nest, making sure it was settled in its home. He waved down at Woohyun to show him what he did. Woohyun waved back and even though he felt as if he would faint from worry for his young master’s safety, he was also proud of the little boy’s bravery.

Sunggyu was so determined to return the bird back to its home that he didn’t realize just how high he had climbed up to until he noticed that the butler who usually towered over him became so small, far away from where he was.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to climb back down but the courage he had earlier on had disappeared, leaving behind the fear of height found in a small child. In his panicked state, Sunggyu slipped on a branch but he was able to grab onto it before he could fall.

“YOUNG MASTER!” Woohyun cried.

He would have to act fast as there was no time to call for help. His young master was desperately hanging onto the branch for dear life and he could fall any minute. Woohyun had never acquired the skill to climb a tree before but somehow he was able to do so as if he had been climbing trees all his life. He climbed up quickly and steadily until he reached the same level as Sunggyu.

Woohyun gritted his teeth as he struggled to grab hold onto Sunggyu. He had one arm around the tree trunk while his other arm reached towards the little boy. His fingertips brushed against the small hand when the branch that Sunggyu was holding onto suddenly started cracking, no longer able to withstand the weight of the child. Before it broke off completely, Woohyun lunged forward, grabbing hold of Sunggyu, and pulled him towards his chest as they both plummeted to the ground.

Sunggyu slowly opened his eyes. He looked up, meeting Woohyun’s silver eyes that were filled with worry.

“Are you okay, young master? Are you hurt?” the butler cried, examining Sunggyu all over to make sure that he was not injured. He frowned when he discovered a small scratch on the boy’s cheek.

Sunggyu nodded, still too shocked to speak. Woohyun sighed in relief. He was glad that he had fast reflexes or else his young master would have suffered more than just a scratch. Woohyun brushed the bangs away from Sunggyu’s face, giving him a light peck on the forehead and chuckled when the boy blushed a deep shade of red.

Sunggyu was surprisingly very shy when it came to skinship despite having an outgoing personality. However, he didn’t shy away from the butler’s touch, instead he found it strangely comforting.

He suddenly noticed that the butler was doing everything with his right arm and gasped when he spotted the left arm on the grass, detached from the cyborg’s shoulder.

Sunggyu was not one to cry. Even at a young age, he rarely cried other than the time when his favorite grandmother passed away. Yet seeing Woohyun like this, he couldn’t stop his tears from flowing and sobbed hard.

Woohyun, alarmed at his tears, rocked the boy back and forth on his arm. He assured his young master that he was not dying and that his father would definitely fix him. He entertwined their pinky fingers; an oath to stay by his side forever.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

--

Sunggyu groaned, shifting on the other side of his body, and pulled the blanket over his head to block out the sunlight that lit up his bedroom. Woohyun pulled the curtains all the way to the side of the window. He shook his head disapprovingly at the sight of his young master who was rolled up tight into a ball of blankets on the bed. After all these years, his young master still did not wake up well in the morning.

“Wake up, young master. You don’t want to be late to school again.” Woohyun shook Sunggyu’s shoulders but the stubborn boy would not budge an inch. Deciding that he would have to force the young master out of bed, Woohyun grabbed the blanket and threw it aside, revealing Sunggyu’s form underneath.

It took some pulling and tugging before Sunggyu finally left his comfortable bed. He changed into the white shirt and grey trousers of his school uniform. Stretching his arms above his head, Sunggyu yawned loudly. Woohyun returned to the room, holding a blue tie and a blazer.

The butler placed the tie around the boy’s neck and tied it into a knot. As he was sliding the knot towards the collar, he was stopped midway by a hand around his.

“You look very beautiful today, Woohyun.” Woohyun’s head shot up upon hearing the compliment. He tried to pull his hand away but Sunggyu kept his grip firmly on his.

They stared into each other’s eyes; chocolate brown met bright silver. Blinking in surprise, Woohyun shook Sunggyu’s hand away and tightened the tie around his collar.

“Who taught you to joke like that, you brat.” He looked down, averting his gaze. After helping his young master put on his blazer, Woohyun exited the room, neither of them exchanging words.

Woohyun walked down the long hallway with hastened footsteps. Lately, he had noticed that the way his young master looked at him was different from before. And he, himself, had also looked at him not as the little boy he took care of since years ago, but as a man. It was too dangerous. Woohyun was afraid that if he had stayed even a minute longer, his feelings would’ve been discovered.

Even though Woohyun was thrilled at the thought of his young master feeling the same way towards him, he would never take the step to confirm it. They were from two different worlds; one, an heir, the other, a servant. One, a human, the other, a cyborg.

This was the way things were and the way it should be.

Sunggyu stood before the large wooden doors of his father’s study. He arrived as soon as a servant informed him of his father’s request to see him. He rubbed his hands together nervously before he knocked three times and waited for a response from the person inside the room.

He heard a gruff voice that said  “come in” and he entered. Mr Kim was sitting behind his desk, looking through some documents which Sunggyu assumed to be research papers. His reading glasses sat near the tip of his nose as he squinted while trying to read through them.

“You wished to see me?” Sunggyu asked, his arms folded instinctively in front of him.

He looked around the study, at the bookcases that surrounded the four walls, and scanned the book titles on their spines. Sunggyu recognized most of them, having read them with his father at a young age. His attention landed on a photo on one of the cases where his father’s own published books were stored.

It was probably from ten years ago, seeing how he was still a young boy in the photo. His father stood behind him with his hands on his smaller shoulders. Standing next to his father was the cyborg who was currently residing in their home. Dull and lifeless eyes stared at the camera. There was not even a speck of light in them despite their shiny metallic color.

 Behind the three was a large banner that read ‘Professor Kim’s New Invention Congratulatory Ceremony’ which reminded Sunggyu of the day his father first invented the cyborg; a highly intelligent robot with external human features, made with the purpose of providing any type of service to the household if taught properly. In other words, his father was trying to create “the perfect butler”. With the society’s obssession with progress and the cyborg being proof of the advancement in technology, his invention was deemed a success as soon as it was introduced to the world.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.” Sunggyu snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his father’s deep voice.

Mr Kim recited what Sunggyu’s homeroom teacher told him this morning. He knew that his son was fascinated with his work as Sunggyu would stay in the lab for long hours observing him. Sometimes, he would allow the boy to be his “little assistant” so it didn’t come as surprise to him when he found out that Sunggyu earned a scholarship to study abroad.

“This is a really great opportunity if you want to follow my footsteps. But I don’t want to force you to go if you don’t want to.”

A top university with a great Computer Science programme. He didn’t even have to sit for the national college exam that his friends had to take in a few months. He just had to say ‘yes’ and he would be on the plane to another country where he could immerse himself in research every single day. Everything sounded perfect so what was stopping him?

A quiet knock on the door broke the silence. Woohyun entered the study, carrying a tray with two cups and a kettle, careful not to disturb two masters of the house. Watching the cyborg place the cups filled with hot tea at the small table near them suddenly reminded Sunggyu the reason for his reluctance to leave.

The reason was standing right before him.

Clearing his throat, Sunggyu repeated, “So, what you’re saying is, dad, I get to choose if I stay or if I leave?”

“Exactly. The choice is all yours.”

Sunggyu glanced at Woohyun to search for his reaction. The cyborg was looking at the ground, an unreadable expression on his face. He waited and waited, holding onto the hope that the butler would speak up but that hope diminished when he didn’t. Sunggyu turned back to his father, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.

“I’ll go.”

Sunggyu left the study with Woohyun following behind him. As soon as the door was shut, Sunggyu caught the startled cyborg’s wrist and dragged him to his room. He threw the butler on the bed, trapping him in his arms, and hovered above him.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What?”

“Why.did.you.not.say.anything!” Sunggyu forced out each word through clenched teeth.

“How-How could I? I was in no place-“

“That’s bull.” he spat out, glaring down at the cyborg. He felt his body heat up as all the pent-up  frustrations built up inside him. “You knew my father always took your advice on everything. You could’ve said…you could’ve said-“

Woohyun pushed at Sunggyu’s shoulders with all the strength he had in him. He succeeded in shoving the young master away from him until they both stood before each other, breathing hard.

“Could’ve said what exactly? ‘Oh young master, please don’t leave. Give up your future for me.’ Is that what you want to hear?!”

“NO! I just-“

Sunggyu didn’t expect this outburst from the cyborg. The Woohyun he knew was always calm no matter what the circumstances were. It surprised him but also brought relief as the cyborg had been ignoring him recently. Sunggyu wanted to know his true feelings towards him. Though it seemed like Woohyun was misunderstanding some things.

“- selfish bastard! It’s always about you, isn’t it? You! You! YOU! Have you ever thought about my feelings? I guess not since our young master is so-“

Woohyun was unable to finish his sentence as his lips were sealed shut by Sunggyu’s soft ones, swallowing his words. With one hand at the back of the cyborg’s head and the other around his waist, Sunggyu held him tight against him, smothering him with kisses. No matter how many times Woohyun beat his chest and tried to push him away, Sunggyu only pulled him tighter, closer, until their bodies were pressed against each other.

This is so wrong yet so right. Woohyun felt himself relaxing to Sunggyu’s touches. His arms that were pushing against Sunggyu’s chest  a moment ago were now wrapped around his neck. The hesitancy in returning the boy’s kisses became desperate, eager and needy. Any differences, whether biological or social, that created a wall between them were broken down as the two urgently searched for each other’s lips.

Their lips reluctantly parted, chests moving up and down as they in deep breaths. The fear returned as reality sunk in. Sunggyu, elated at the cyborg’s reciprocal intimacy, felt hopeful that he would also have reciprocal feelings. Yet, when he reached out to caress the side of his face, Woohyun took a step back, evading his touch.

“I…I can’t. We can’t.”

Sunggyu couldn’t understand him. He thought that Woohyun felt the same way he did. If not, then what was that just now? Why did he let him kiss him? It certainly was not forced, seeing the way the cyborg clung to him. And yet, Woohyun was running away. Again.

“Please understand, Sunggyu.”

Sunggyu found himself to be the one stepping back this time when the cyborg extended a comforting hand towards him. He had always wanted to hear Woohyun say his name but why did he have to say it now?

He turned away from Woohyun, who had his head down again, and headed towards the door. Stopping suddenly, Sunggyu turned back to look at Woohyun straight in the eye.

“Do you remember the promise you gave me ten years ago? If I take one more step out this door, you are going to lose me. Forever.”

A little spark of hope remained in the boy’s heart, praying the cyborg would somehow change his mind and tell him he wanted to be with him. Only a meek apology reached his ears.

Sunggyu walked out the door, this time, not looking back.





-----------------------------------------------------------------author's note-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know it's been a long time since I've updated this story...I've been really stressed out and busy lately even though it's summer and I'm supposed to be enjoying my break like other people :'(((

Please don't give up on my story, my dear readers! Without you, I am nothing~~ >< I promise I'll finish this story no matter what!