Andy wakes up with a start, desperately gasping for breath. He fumbles in the dark for his lamp, and as warm orange light fills the room, he finally relaxes, slumping against the headboard.

This is the fifth time this month that he’s had that dream, the one with the shadowy white fog of nothingness, the one with the soft voice calling his name - his real name - like an old friend, the one that evokes such an overwhelming sadness within his heart.

Andy looks at the clock; the glowing blue numbers read 5:37. Letting out a small breath, he slips out of bed, shivering slightly in the morning chill, and heads to the bathroom. It’s not like he’ll be able to fall asleep again, anyway.

The cold water washes away any traces of sleepiness, and when Andy comes back into his bedroom, the clock shows 5:44. The outside world is quiet and still, with an odd blue almost-sunrise light cast over it, and he shudders.

He fumbles for his glasses and opts to stay in the comfort of his bed, reading. It’s an old book, a classic, really: I, Robot.

As interesting as the book is, however, Andy can’t seem to focus on the stories. With a sigh, he closes the book, squeezing his eyes shut. He still can’t shake the unsettling feeling of his dream. It’s just-- so close, the voice. He recognizes it, the person, but he just can’t remember.

Suddenly, his phone rings, and Andy nearly throws the book across the room. A glance at the caller ID shows that it’s his best friend, Junjin.

“Choongjae,” he answers, using Junjin’s real name just to be annoying. “Why are you up so early?”

“Speak for yourself, Sunho,” Junjin retorts. Andy chuckles, shifting into a more comfortable position. “Anyway, can’t I be up this early? Maybe I wanted to go for a run. You don’t know.”

“No, I don’t,” Andy admits, leaning against the creaking headboard, “but you’re not that type of person. Nor are you,” he continues, hearing Junjin’s intake of breath on the other end, “an early riser. Then again, neither am I.”

“I’m glad we know each other so well.” Junjin falls silent, and Andy hears sheets rustling. “Hey, did you get an envelope of some sort?” he finally asks, and Andy is puzzled by the stiffness in his voice. “Just on your table or something.”

“No.” He gets up to check the living room, feeling along the walls until he flips on the light switch. Bright light floods the room, and Andy is blinded for a brief moment, but when he regains his vision, he sees it, sitting on the dining room table. “Wait, yes. Did you get one too?”

Junjin doesn’t answer, and Andy sits down, running a finger along the smooth surface. The paper is tinted ivory, and the material feels thick and heavy. “Choongjae?” he tries again. “Answer me, what the is this?”

“I don’t know!” Junjin’s outburst borders on frustration and worry. “It just, I woke up suddenly, for no reason, and it was on my bedside table. I don’t know what it is or anything, and I’ve been too scared to open it.”

“Huh.” Andy puts his friend on speaker and opens the envelope. There seems to be some kind of invite inside, printed on white cardstock. “Mine was in the living room, and it’s an invitation, by the way.”

“To what?”

Andy doesn’t respond right away. The words on the card seem oddly eerie, too cheerful for some reason, and he takes in a cold breath. “Jin…” He exhales shakily. “Open it, seriously.”

To: Mr. Lee Sunho

Welcome to Override!

As you know, the year is 2018, and the ethics of robotics is becoming extremely prevalent in the world. Many manufacturers plan to develop artificial intelligence, androids, war drones, etc. We here at Shinhwa Company have organized a meeting of five randomly selected citizens to participate in a discussion of computer ethics, specifically Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics.

Andy pauses. “Hey, Jin,” he calls. “Do you know the laws?”

“Of course.” Despite the serious atmosphere, Junjin snorts. “One, a robot may not harm or, through interactions, cause a human to come to harm. Two, a robot must obey all orders given it by humans unless it comes to conflict with the First Law. Three, a robot must protect itself as long as doing so does not conflict with the First or Second Laws. Andy, I make a living off this .”

Relieved by the jokes, Andy chuckles. “I feel so old.” He glances at the clock again. 6:30. “You’re the only other person I know who actually reads Asimov for fun.”

We are worried about our current situation regarding technology, Mr. Lee Sunho. As a result, you and four other lucky citizens have been randomly chosen to participate in a this discussion.

“Why only five people?” Junjin asks, and Andy can only shrug.

“Maybe they don’t want to cause a panic,” he suggests. 6:35. “But then again, we could leak the information too.”

Junjin makes a noise that sounds like a mix between sneezing and coughing. “I don’t want to waste my time talking to three other es,” he mutters. “I mean, you’re enough already.”

“Why, Choongjae, I’m flattered.”

Please meet us at the address below at precisely 15:30 today. If you choose not to participate, we understand and will subsequently choose a replacement. We are, however, offering a monetary incentive of $500 for participation.

This is nothing more than a simple debate between members of the community, so please do not feel any pressure, Mr. Lee Sunho.

We look forward to seeing you today.

Silence.

“It seems pretty sketchy,” Junjin says, but Andy hears his voice waver and knows that the money is too great of a temptation for his friend. “But, I mean, free money.”

Andy sighs, rubbing his hands across his eyes. 6:41. “Sure,” he agrees, standing up to make breakfast. “Want to eat with me? We can go together, then.”

“Five minutes,” Junjin promises, and hangs up immediately. Shaking his head, Andy turns to the cupboard and takes out a box of pancake mix.

What are friends for, am I right?

***

“I dreamed about the voice again, the soft one.”

Upon hearing his words, Junjin spits scrambled eggs all over Andy, who leaps up in disgust.

“I just got this yesterday!” he complains, carefully wiping his shirt. “Eww, dude, I hate you right now. Ugh…” He shakes his head once, dismissively, and peels off the t-shirt, tossing it into the laundry basket. “I’ll be back, and please don’t ruin any of my other .”

Even from his bedroom, Andy can hear his best friend cackling. He chooses a red plaid shirt and hopes that it’ll be acceptable for the occasion.

“Hey, what’s this?” Junjin, having come into the room, picks up a framed photograph. “I’ve never seen it before.”

Frowning, Andy takes the picture from his friend. Of course Junjin hasn’t seen it; Andy himself doesn’t remember having it. “I don’t know either. What the ?” he mutters, running his thumb across the glass. The picture inside shows a man with a round face, brown hair that flops over his eyes, and eyes curved into crescents. He’s laughing at something, someone, possibly the photographer, and his white shirt makes a beautiful contrast against the green grass and blue sky.

He is gorgeous, and Andy’s heart suddenly hurts, a sharp, tugging pain towards the man, and he lets out a shaky breath. Junjin glances at him, a million questions burning in his eyes, but to Andy’s relief, he stays silent, replacing the picture on top of the dresser.

“It must have been the people who delivered the envelope,” Andy finally says, lamely, and Junjin nods in agreement. “He… he’s very pretty, isn’t he?”

Junjin huffs in amusement and puts an arm around Andy’s shoulders. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “Yeah, he really is.”

So even though I'm in a specialty center for technology, I legit cannot do anything technology related ;;; I am a failure lol but nonetheless, I absolutely love this concept, even if it might be cliche... and yeah, even if no one reads this, I think I'll be satisfied with myself XD