They arrive at the building at 3:20. There’s already a man standing there. He seems to be around Andy’s height, built a bit stockier, and dressed in a formal shirt and pants.

“Hi,” the man greets with a polite smile. “You’re here for the ethics thing, right?” Junjin nods, and the other man visibly relaxes. “Oh, that’s great! I thought I’d be alone. I’m Dongwan, by the way.”

“Junjin,” Junjin introduces, “and this is my friend Andy.”

Dongwan shakes their hands warmly - Andy notices his solid grip - and tugs on his tie. “We’re a little early, aren’t we?” he asks, casting his gaze towards the empty parking lot. Andy nods in affirmation.

“We didn’t want to be late,” he explains, “especially since Junjin tends to--”

“They were very clear about being on time,” Junjin interrupts pointedly, glaring at his friend. Dongwan bursts out laughing, and at the same time, a sleek white car pulls up. The door opens, and someone steps out, dressed in a crisply-pressed suit.

“Damn,” Dongwan whispers, looking down at his own shirt. “He makes me look like a hobo.”

“Then what must we be?” Andy asks back. He and Junjin are both dressed casually. “The invite said that it was just a simple discussion…”

The new arrival nods at them coldly but does not introduce himself. Dongwan glances at Andy and makes a face. ‘Should I say hi?’ he mouths, and Andy shrugs slightly. He doesn’t much like the man, but if Dongwan wants to, then that’s his decision.

Dongwan hesitates, but before he can make up his mind, Junjin yells out. “Look at that dude!” He points to a quickly-advancing dot on the other side of the wide parking lot. “Do you think he’s the last guy here?”

No one answers, all busy watching the man pedal his bicycle at lightning speed. Suddenly, there’s a clank behind them, and everyone jumps. A man dressed in a pink polo and khaki shorts props the door open and smiles.

“Hi, you must be the ethics group.” He gestures to the building. “I was told to guide you there. Will there be just four of you?”

“I’M HERE!” Bicycle Man shouts, dashing up the steps. His face is drenched in sweat and he fairly exudes heat, but Andy’s glad he managed to make it. Pink Polo only smiles.

“If you would please follow me,” he says, and turns to walk into the building. Fancy Suit follows him without even glancing at the others, and Dongwan raises his eyebrows.

Their shoes squeak on the waxed floor, and Andy can’t help the shiver of fear that shoots down his spine. The dark hallway sets his nerves on edge, but thankfully, Pink Polo pushes open a wooden door and ushers the group into a warmly-lit room.

“I’ll be leaving now,” he says cheerfully. “Please feel free to sit down, but you may not leave the room until after an hour. The door will be locked until then.”

Sure enough, there’s a distinct click of a key in a lock, and the room is drop-dead silent. Andy doesn’t even dare breathe for fear of standing out, and Junjin’s face turns red from holding his breath. His watch reads 3:45.

Then, suddenly, Bicycle Man sighs loudly and sits down in a seat. The desks are small, like children’s school desks, and it’s a bit funny seeing a grown man sitting there.

“Lee Minwoo,” Bicycle Man introduces, gesturing for the rest to sit. “If we’re stuck here for an hour, might as well get to know each other, right?”

An awkward silence ensues, and Andy secretly glances around. Oh, there’s a clock. 3:46. Out of the blue, Dongwan bounds over to Minwoo and plops down in the seat next to him. “I’m Kim Dongwan!” he exclaims excitedly. “Nice to meet you!” He points to Junjin and Andy. “That’s Junjin, and that’s Andy. They’re really cool people.”

Minwoo laughs, and Andy thinks they can get along. “That’s great, but those aren’t your real names, right?” A spark of curiosity shines in his eyes, and Andy glances at Junjin, a bit uneasy.

“Well, sure.” Junjin rubs the back of his neck. “I’m Park Choongjae, and he’s Lee Sunho. I mean, we’d prefer not to be called by our real names…”

Nods from the rest, and Fancy Suit clears his throat, leaning his hand against his desk. “Mun Junghyuk. I prefer to go by Eric.” He takes off his coat and places it over a chair. “We’re supposed to discuss computer ethics?”

It was more of a statement than a question, and Andy winces internally. 3:50. Dongwan seems to feel it too, and he quickly answers, “Yeah, that’s right. Do we all know the Three Laws?”

They all do, and jumbled explanations fly around the air. Junjin can’t hold in a laugh as Eric’s face falls darker and darker. “He probably regrets being here with us peasants,” he whispers to Andy, who snickers in agreement.

Just as he’s about to reply, Minwoo stands up and yells, attracting everyone’s attention. “Guys, let’s calm down and discuss the laws. I’ll start.” He clambers down and stands beside his desk, hands clasped in front. “I think that Asimov’s Laws are very well stated, but it’s a bit repetitive. For instance…”

Andy can’t understand a single word of what Minwoo’s saying, and he doesn’t think anyone else does either. Junjin stifles a yawn, Dongwan’s eyes are glazed over, and Eric seems to be asleep. 3:57.

“You, sir, Andy!” Andy almost jumps out of his skin when Minwoo calls his name. “Give me a good counterargument on why you think the Laws should be kept as are.”

What the ? Andy doesn’t know. He’s a literature major, barely studied the Laws at all. Nonetheless, Junjin is a computer science major, and his eyes burn, urging Andy to remember something - anything - from their conversations.

“Robots are stronger than humans,” he blurts out. “They can hurt us easily, so it’s important that they don’t…” He trails off, feeling stupid, but to his surprise, Dongwan nods.

“I agree!” he exclaims, gesturing with his hands. “Androids are made of metal and plastic and everything, but we’re just flesh and bone, so they could definitely kill us or take over, and that’s not good, so that’s why the First Law is there!”

Glad to have found an ally, Andy smiles, but across the room, Eric scoffs. “What’s the point?” he drawls, examining his nails. “If they have their own thoughts, androids should be able to control their own actions, shouldn’t they? They’re beings, non-living but sapient beings, and who gives a what they do? It’s all part of life anyway: the strong survive.”

“You miss the point.” Junjin’s tone has changed slightly, and Andy sits back, knowing that there’s going to be a good show. “The point isn’t that androids are their own beings. It’s that they are not allowed to harm us. They’re stronger than us, they’re not alive, of course they’d survive longer than us, but the point is that--”

“They have their own thoughts,” Eric interrupts, a note of anger in his voice. “No one cares when people murder other people, squash the minorities, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen to mankind!”

“That’s why we need it!”

“It won’t stop them!”

4:03. Andy fights back a yawn. Junjin and Eric’s argument has turned heated, and Minwoo and Dongwan hover beside them, prepared to break up a fight. “Aren’t you worried?” Dongwan hisses, but Andy shrugs, leaning back in his chair. He’s dealt with Junjin enough times to know that his friend wouldn’t actually resort to violence.

The hour passes surprisingly quickly, and soon, Andy’s watch reads 4:12. Even without opening his eyes, Andy can tell that Junjin and Eric are still arguing over the technicalities of the Laws. He can’t hear Dongwan or Minwoo, though. They’ve probably given up trying to keep peace.

Finally, because he’s absolutely bored out of his mind, Andy sighs - they’re still fighting - and stands up. Something moves beside him, and Andy starts.

“You’re awake?” Dongwan shifts slightly in his seat and uncrosses his arms. “They seem to be getting along now.”

He hadn’t been sleeping, but Dongwan doesn’t need to know that. Andy looks to his other side to find Minwoo, slumped in his chair and snoring lightly. He fights the urge to laugh and instead approaches Junjin and Eric.

“Guys,” he suggests, loudly enough for Dongwan to hear too. “I’ve been wondering something. Didn’t the invitation say this was called Override or something?” At this moment, Minwoo stirs, and Andy pauses, lowering his voice. “If it was just a simple discussion, why did they give it a name?”

“Honestly…” Minwoo’s sleepy voice cuts in. “I’m more concerned about the money. When are they giving it to us? I want my money…”

This draws a laugh from Dongwan, although Eric simply glances to the side in what seems to be contempt. “The real question,” he mutters, “is when we can get out of here.”

As if on cue, everyone in the room glances at the clock. 4:22. Andy suppresses a groan of frustration. Why is time passing so slowly now? Is it because there’s nothing interesting to do? Thankfully, Junjin clears his throat. “Let’s just discuss what Andy brought up. The whole Override thing.”

For an awkward moment, no one speaks. Then, throwing his hand into the air, an excited Dongwan opens his mouth.

“Well, maybe it’s a project or something!” he exclaims, eyes shining childishly. “You know, like when government agencies name everything something like Project Neptune!”

“Oooh.” Minwoo perks up, reminding Andy of a puppy. “You mean like, we’re actually doing something really cool to help the government, and they didn’t want us to know about it, so they disguised it as a discussion?”

Before Dongwan can answer, Junjin cuts in with a conflicted expression on his face. “But wouldn’t that make the payment hush money?” he asks, sounding younger than Andy had ever heard him. “Or… something, I don’t know, but it’ll feel weird taking it now.”

A long silence follows his words, eventually broken by Eric’s scoff. He straightens his cufflinks - they seem to be silver - and sits down on a desk. “Money is money, kid.” He chuckles darkly to himself, but the look in his eyes is cold, similar to that of a serial killer. “If you don’t want it, you’re more than welcome to donate it to me.”

There’s a collective intake of breath. Junjin stands uncertainly, eyes flashing between confusion and anger, and Andy instinctively moves to his side. “That what he wants you to do,” he whispers, tugging him away. “Be angry, I mean, so don’t give him the satisfaction of it.”

Minwoo clears his throat awkwardly, but before he can say anything, the door opens again, admitting Pink Shirt. Dongwan’s eyes light up at the sight of him, but before he can even utter a single sound, Pink Shirt raises a gun and shoots.

Dongwan drops to the ground, and a heavy thud resonates through the room. Before Andy can even comprehend what’s happening, Minwoo falls down as well, and then, there’s a sharp sting on Andy’s neck.

The last thing he remembers is Junjin panickedly calling his name.

It's been a while, guys ;;; I'm sorry I left this off for so long, but writer's block is very real. Also, I've been trying to get us a poster, but it still hasn't come yet, so I've inquired about it. I might be able to update more since it's summer now, but honestly, my summer's jam-packed, so... ;;;;;