The most common calls I received daily were on Kboy availability. Since they had limited it to only 100 of each Kboy in existence at one specific time, it caused some frustration in those who wanted a particular idol and couldn’t obtain it. And it wasn’t from lack of trying, I had been offered great deals by many of the callers in hopes I could slide one out the door secretively for them.

The most requested were Bangtan Boys. It would be several times a day that I was declining requests for all the members of the popular boy group and adding more names to our extensive waiting list for when one would become available. It was estimated on some of the members that they would remain fully booked up for the next two years. I tried to understand the outcry that many supporters had to the best of my ability and sympathise with them on the phone that their first choice was taken. Most would just move on to getting another Kboy and wait their time to receive the bot of their true desires through a face-up.

There were the rare times where the caller would refuse to accept the situation for what it was, and the verbal abuse could get heated. It wasn’t my decision to limit Jimin at 100 pieces only. Some days I wished we could take away the exclusivity on some models just to stop the complaints we received. Then again, I wondered if we did that, how many would run themselves into debt to get more than one. They weren’t exactly affordable.

“Welcome to KBoys Cyborg Call Centre, you’re speaking with Yerin, how may I help you today?”

“I wish to lay a complaint with your manager.”

I frowned, it wasn’t every day the conversation started out this way. “Of course, I can transfer you through to a manager but I may be able to assist you first, can I please hear of your issue?”

“I want to speak to whoever can make changes to this ridiculous situation!”

“What seems to be the problem, customer?”

She let out a heavy huff of air. “I have been waiting now for seven months for a Suga model to be available, and still I am told I’m no where near being at the top of the list, and that there has been no availability of this model for the past four months. How exactly is this good business?”

“I’m afraid it is company protocol to maintain only one hund-”

“I don’t care, the problem here is that you claim you cannot give out stock of this robot but you don’t limit what others have! That’s the real issue here!”

“Can you please explain to me what you mean by that?”

“I’ve heard that there is a girl in America who has managed to get all seven members of BTS! What on earth would she need with all seven of them?! It’s outrage. Here I am waiting like others are, and she has all seven. Is this favouritism because she’s obviously wealthy enough to buy all of them?!”

I closed my eyes to think of the most appropriate way to reply to the disgruntled caller. The person she spoke of was no stranger to us in the office; Mia Gates was one of the biggest promoters of Kboys in the States. Not only did she have her own Youtube and Instagram accounts showcasing her daily life with her BTS bots, but she often held meetups just so people could see her collection in person. It was a blessing and a curse, she had gotten the company a lot of overseas sales, but it also made things difficult for us when we got calls like this.

“I’m sorry customer; it’s not our intention at Kboys Cyborgs to make you feel insignificant. The person you are talking of also has waited for models to be available to purchase herself. There is no favouritism here.”

“Ha!” The caller was not subdued, and I didn’t expect her to be either. “It’s not fair she has all seven. You should take them from her and allow those who are waiting a chance!”

I rubbed my face tiredly, I had already experienced two other less than desirable calls today and I was starting to feel my composure waver. “I am unable to proceed with your request, I’m afraid. There is no authority in this building that could do that for you either, my sincerest apologies.”

“If you were sorry, you would give me what I want!”

“I’m sorry customer, could I have your registration number and I can tell you exactly where you are in the-”

“I don’t want that, I want you to do something about this, at once! Clearly, you don’t have good taste in men at all, because it doesn’t sound like you are waiting on a BTS bot yourself. Unless you already have one, do you?!”

“No customer, I do not have one. And it is not in my job description that I am required to share my personal details either.”

“Did you just get smart with me? The customer is always right!”

“If you cannot speak to me calmly, I have the right to hang up on you, customer. I cannot help you further. If you would like I can transfer you to my manager but I am afraid she would say the same as I have.”

“You’re a disgusting, greedy person, and I hope you suffer greatly!”

The phone line went dead, and it was only then that I realised tears were silently running down my cheeks. I reached for a tissue on my desk and dabbed it at my face, frustrated that I was crying yet again today.

My emotions were all over the place since the assessment day. I wasn’t normally someone who would easily break like this, and it was as frustrating to me to cry yet again, as it was to have to fight needlessly with a client. I didn’t like this lack of control over myself and I pulled off my headset, signalling to Younha that I needed some fresh air.

Heading into the bathroom, I went over to the sink and the water, splashing the cool liquid up onto my face. I looked up into the mirror, watching the droplets run and fall off my chin, my face staring back at me blandly. For the past few days, I hadn’t bothered with anything more than minimal eye makeup, unable to put in the effort like I usually did. This meant my imperfections were showing through, my skin looking dry and tired, evident dark circles forming under my puffy eyelids. I smiled weakly, wondering how bad I appeared to others. For some reason, the face I saw looking back at me now was more comfortable than it usually appeared.

“Perhaps because I look more human-like?” I said to myself and then smiled more genuinely, going over to wipe my hands dry and head into the cafeteria. I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and twisted the cap off, taking a couple of gulps, before glancing around me.

In the corner of the room sat a familiar individual. His dark eyes were regarding me, much like they had the first time I had seen them.

“How did you get in here?” I asked, placing the lid back over my water, not wanting a repeat of our first meeting in here again.

He smirked. “I escaped.”

“No doctor said he was going to send you to the scrap bin again, did they?” We shared a knowing smile and in that moment, I felt a huge rush of emotions, wanting to cross the distance between us, to speak all of the apologies I had come up with since we had been apart and to fix things between us. Yet I remained rooted to my spot, my body not yet ready to accept the feelings within my head. And my heart.

Leo seemed to have some understanding of this, and instead he got up, moving closer to me but still maintaining a space between us. “Would you come and save me again?”

I bit my lower lip, my ability to talk snatched away from me, along with my breath. All I needed to do was will my body to take one step forward.

“You don’t look well, dark circles under the eyes indicate fatigue, anaemia or an allergic reaction. Have you been eating well? Are you allergic to anything? Why is your charging not successful? Is there-”

“I missed you,” I blurted out, Leo’s eyes widening at my statement. Glancing away from him, I tried to not let the tears come out yet again.

“Say it again.” How it was possible for his voice to sound huskier in that moment, I was unsure. It caused my heart to skip several beats and I started to feel weak through my legs. I wasn’t prepared for the effect that Leo would have on me now that I was back in his company. There was only one strong notion within me then, and that was to make sure I was never away from him again.

The taller man shifted closer and I couldn’t help but look up at him. His eyes searching mine, trying to understand the conflicting messages I kept sending him. He tentatively reached out for my hair, messily tied back but no doubt looking as frazzled as I felt. He smiled and tilted his head to the side. “Won’t you tell me again?”

“Why do you need to hear it?” I managed to breathe out and his smile grew wider.

“Because it’s all I’ve been hoping to hear from you, noona.”

“I missed you, a lot.” A blush rushed to my cheeks and I looked down at my confession.

Arms soon encircled around me, pressing my frozen body against his. “I missed you even more, I’m sure of it.”