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one day, Moonbyul kisses Yongsun.

not out of lust or ual desire.

she just wants to kiss Yongsun.

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and Yongsun kisses her back.

(not out of lust or ual desire.

she just wants to kiss Moonbyul.)

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they find balance in the space between them.

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a new world blooms before their eyes — a world like fire.

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they are drawn together (by the force of attraction, by gravity).

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however, they know they won’t be able to understand each other fully (considering their circumstances).

but they’re there for each other. 

and sometimes that’s enough.

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Moonbyul’s apartment smells like lilies now. she regularly waters the lilies in the vase on the coffee table, making sure they’re well kept so they don’t wither and die.

it’s expensive to buy flowers nowadays, especially flowers that haven’t been genetically modified. however, Moonbyul doesn’t mind forking over the extra cash, especially if it means seeing Yongsun’s bright smile in the morning as she breathes in the smell of lilies.

and every morning begins the same way:

Yongsun wakes and gets out of bed first. she gets dressed, puts her hair up in a ponytail and goes into the kitchen to make them both a cup of tea, while Moonbyul wakes up half an hour later, eyes tired and voice groggy from sleep.

when the bedroom door slides open, Moonbyul sees Yongsun standing by the window wearing a short sleeved turtleneck and black tights. in her hands she’s holding a piping hot cup of tea. another cup is left on the kitchen counter for Moonbyul.

the cup on the counter goes unnoticed. Moonbyul, like gravity, is pulled towards Yongsun, wrapping her arms around Yongsun’s waist, resting her chin on her shoulder, and together they stare out of the window, a gentle smile on both their faces.

the sun rises in the distance, the city skyline is illuminated by bright light.

warmth seeps into their skin, their chests flutter. something in them soars — they’ve never felt happiness like this before.

.

excitement courses through their vines as they walk, hand in hand, through the streets of Lutetia. it’s almost like they’re invisible, and Yongsun is overjoyed at the normalcy of it all.

she lets herself giggle and laugh, and Moonbyul responds in turn by gently squeezing Yongsun’s hand in hers.

their devotion, their loyalty and trust in each other speaks louder than words, and right now they’re allowed to be just the two of them: two people who care deeply about each other, to the point where they would risk anything to be together forever.

but a part of them knows they shouldn’t be doing this, a part of them knows the consequences (jail or even a horrible and untimely death), but they’re blinded by bliss and can’t see the dangers of their blossoming love (yes, love, although neither of them will admit it yet).

.

while Moonbyul works as a security guard at SEQUENCE, Yongsun meets up with Wheein and Hwasa to discuss political strategies. eventually, they hash out a plan so that they might see the city state of Lutetia fall, and hopefully from the ashes a new, euphoric state, that values democracy and human rights, will rise.

and so Yongsun continues to steal and sell data, to hack, infiltrate and manipulate. sometimes, she’ll sit on the couch and scroll through her holopad, looking at the voter polls, watching as some votes disappear.

a flame blazes in Yongsun’s chest as she witnesses how money is influence (power) and how wealthy CEOs manage to easily tip the scale in their favour.

Yongsun curses out loud. time is running out. soon she’ll have to make a choice.

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Moonbyul is well aware of what Yongsun is fighting for, and in her time of doubt, she questions whether what Yongsun’s doing is right. but then Moonbyul also questions whether what she is doing is right.

she’s standing at a crossroad and she doesn’t know which way to go — for her entire life, she has never known which road to take, and for whatever reason, she has rarely found the motivation to decide for herself.

essentially, Moonbyul has been waiting, waiting to become something, or someone (but the thing about waiting is that opportunities never come your way and so Moonbyul has always been on the verge of becoming but never actually being).

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when they return home from a busy day at work (Moonbyul returning from SEQUENCE and Yongsun returning from wherever it is she goes to meet Wheein and Hwasa), they fall into a silent embrace.

Yongsun tucks her face into the juncture between Moonbyul’s neck and collarbone and inhales her strong, earthy smell.

Moonbyul sighs into the hug and holds Yongsun a little bit tighter, suddenly afraid.

Yongsun hums, tickling Moonbyul’s skin, and places a tentative kiss on Moonbyul’s neck, then pulls away. she rests her hand on Moonbyul’s shoulder and asks how her day has been.

«boring.» Moonbyul says, shrugging, then smiling mischievously. «but then again, working as a security guard has never interested me that much, and I don’t think I’m very good at being one, either.»

Yongsun’s hand on Moonbyul’s shoulder runs down the length of Moonbyul’s arm, finding Moonbyul’s hand and squeezing it tightly.

«I think you’re right.» she says with a smirk.

Moonbyul goes over to the kitchen counter and takes out a chopping board from the drawer, then she takes an onion from the vegetable basket.

«how was yours?» she asks and grabs a knife.

Yongsun takes out a frying pan and places it on the stove.

«productive.» she says and then goes to set the table in the dining room.

«good.» Moonbyul nods firmly.

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the inevitable happens.

while at work, the CEO of SEQUENCE asks Moonbyul to participate in the Enhancement Program.

«you’ll be doing the corporation a huge service, and the security here will be boosted tenfold.» the CEO says.

he’s sitting behind his mahogany desk smoking an e-cigar, his smile is cruel and unyielding, and he eyes Moonbyul as if she’s a product ripe for the taking.

Moonbyul doesn’t decline, she can’t. and so the procedure begins.

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first they take her eyes.

and after the operation, when Moonbyul blinks she sees several images of her childhood flashing before her. the woman who was the head surgeon tells Moonbyul that they are video files carrying her memories.

«oh.» Moonbyul’s voice is soft and quiet.

the memory she sees is her mother’s kind face and warm smile.

«will I always see a video file whenever I close my eyes?»

the surgeon shakes her head.

«no, right now your mind is trying to sort through your memories, trying to put them somewhere. everything’ll settle within a couple of hours. but you’ll most likely see them, the video files that is, in your sleep, but that’s a good thing, isn’t it? it’ll be just like having a pleasant dream!» 

Moonbyul doesn’t say anything. she just smiles weakly at the surgeon and then gets up from the operating table. her legs feel like jelly, and she barely manages to make it out the door before she collapses on the floor. her head is spinning, mind reeling, and the painful memories won’t stop.

she screams and claws at . 

it feels like the world is collapsing around her and she’s being suffocated.

and then Moonbyul feels like falling…

and she falls…

falls…

falls…

falls…

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when Moonbyul returns home, Yongsun cries and reaches out to Moonbyul, gently cradling her face, telling her that her eyes are different — shimmering and frighteningly cold, like ice and steel.

Yongsun holds Moonbyul close and begs her to cancel the rest of the procedure before it’s too late.

too late for what? Moonbyul thinks but doesn’t say.

instead, she wraps an arm around Yongsun’s waist and holds her even closer. carefully, tenderly, she places a sweet kiss on Yongsun’s forehead and inhales her scent. 

Moonbyul shakes her head, slowly, while tears fall from the corner of her eyes.

«I can’t, Yongsun.» Moonbyul whispers and Yongsun cries with her. «I can’t…»

«don’t let them take you.»

Yongsun looks up at Moonbyul, but she can’t see anything properly while her eyes are blurred with tears.

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when night falls, Yongsun grips Moonbyul, holding on for dear life.

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they try, no matter how difficult it is, to forget the ever-changing reality.

time stills when they’re together, when they move in synchronisation, in harmony, against each other, panting heavily.

when their breath brushes over skin, when a fingertip trails down a spine, or a mouth grazes the peak of a , time stills.

and it’s bliss.

but only for a second.

then everything changes.

tears fall from Yongsun’s eyes and it takes her a couple of seconds to realise that she’s crying again.

they stop.

Moonbyul wraps her arms around Yongsun and tells her everything will be all right.

.

Yongsun doesn’t tell Moonbyul, but she’s scared to lose her. she fears Moonbyul will fall into SEQUENCE’s hands and become like them, and then Yongsun asks herself if she’ll still be able to feel this particular way about Moonbyul.

or if those feelings will suddenly stop.

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they kiss, tenderly, softly.

Yongsun pours her soul into their kisses, filling the void in Moonbyul’s soul.

«don’t forget me. don’t leave me, please.» Moonbyul begs, knowing that the Enhancement Program will take more of her.

and Moonbyul can’t stand the thought of forgetting who she is, or where she comes from. and her breath catches in when she thinks she might forget Yongsun.

«I won’t, I promise I won’t.» Yongsun cries, and their hands entwine, securing the promise.

.

Moonbyul continues the procedure.

they peel her skin. they open her chest. Moonbyul’s heart stops beating.

she stares up at the overhead lamp. she takes a deep breath, feeling her hardened chest contract, hearing it whizz and buzz. she stands up slowly, and exits the operating room. she goes to sit down in a chair and closes her eyes, instantly regretting the procedure.

a handful of memories wash over her and Moonbyul feels like she’s drowning. she claws at , reaching for air. she gasps and sputters as if she’s swallowed too much water.

.

when Moonbyul returns home, she finds Yongsun standing in front of the window, looking out.

the door slides shut behind Moonbyul and Yongsun turns around.

«how’d it go?» she asks, eyes on the verge of tears.

«I feel so numb, Yongsun.»

Moonbyul takes a few tentative steps towards Yongsun, scared she might run away, horrified at what Moonbyul’s becoming.

«oh, Moonbyul…» Yongsun says, stepping closer, and cradling Moonbyul’s cheek with her hand.

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they’re eating supper. Yongsun is sitting across from Moonbyul. the sound of the cutlery scraping against the plates makes them flinch. they can’t stand to look each other in the eye, afraid of confrontation, afraid of falling apart.

there’s a heaviness in their hearts. trying to carry the weight of it all is tiresome, leaving them exhausted and at a loss for words.

when Yongsun has finished her food, she puts down her knife and fork. she feels it’s the right time to tell Moonbyul, and she wants to tell her before it’s too late.

«I love you. I always have.»

the silence between them is filled with tension.

Moonbyul puts down her fork, parts. she looks surprised, stumped. she her lips, nervous