Robots. 'Bots, for short. They're everywhere these days. In stores as clerks, out on the streets handing out flyers, in restaurants cooking the most perfect dishes you could possibly imagine! They've made life a hell of a lot easier. For some. I say that because... I'm actually a victim of the robot uprising. I've been jobless for a total of two months now, ever since the place I worked at decided to cut people out in exchange for shiny new robots. I agree that they're effective and efficient and don't need days off, but those facts don't ease the pain of the harsh reality that my savings are dwindling every passing day that I'm without a job.

"I know I should be looking for more job opportunities but..." I place a hand on my belly and it immediately responded with a low grumble. "I don't think I can go on without having a bite to eat..."

I fish my wallet out of my pocket as I stand in the middle of a busy street. Opening it up has been giving me mini anxiety attacks these days. I peek in and felt a rush of relief after seeing that I still have a bit of cash left for my daily allowance. I decided I'd treat myself to lunch that's not instant ramen from the convenience store.

I head for the nearest JollyBot branch and choose a line. I debate whether I should get the Mega Max Meal and skip dinner or save some coin and order the BotSaver Meal instead. After a minute of pondering, someone taps me on my shoulder.

"Yeonjun?" says a voice behind me.

I turn around and see a shorter, red haired boy, also lining up to order food.

"Choi Yeonjun!" he says with a smile. "I knew it was you! Still sporting your signature blue hair, I see!"

"Taehyun!" I beam back at my friend. "Oh my gosh, it's been a while!" I step in for a hug which he returns. "How long has it been?"

"Too long! How are you doing?"

"Oh, you know..." I scratch the back of my head and smile since I don't know what to tell him. "It's been a bit rough lately, to be honest. But I'm alright."

"Hyung, I know you. When you start scratching your head like that, it usually means things are decidedly not alright!"

Bolts.

"Fine," I roll my eyes, smiling. "I've been trying to look for a job ever since I got dismissed from work. Businesses are 'Going Robo' so much these days, it's only a matter of time before these tin can monsters take over the world." I grumble, and I cross my arms in front of my chest for added effect. Going Robo is a term that has become increasingly popular these days. To put it simply, it means you own and use robots for... well, basically whatever it is you want them to do. Clean your house. Be your secretary, security guard, chef, yoga instructor.

I take a few steps back as the line moves forward so I still face Taehyun while we continue our conversation. He laughs at my little rant.

"Oh, hyung, they're not so bad!"

"Easy for you to say!" I pout. "You work for a company that makes them!"

"That's true." He smiles again, showcasing his perfect teeth. Then he begins to put on a thoughtful expression, furrowing his brows.

"What...?" I ask.

"You know what, you might be the perfect candidate." I could barely hear what he said over the noise around us.

"Candidate?"

He looks at me, his large, round eyes narrowing as he did. "Hmm, let's order food first. Then I'll tell you about a job opening!"

A job. Sweet, sweet words to my ears. My eyes widen as I look at the smiling face of my friend, and I thanked whatever Gods made me decide to get fast food instead of instant ramen today.

I turn around as it was finally my turn to order. With a smile, I told the robo-cashier:

"One Mega Max Meal, please! With a side of MicroChips!"

---

I dip a bunch of the MicroChips into my vanilla sundae and pop them into my mouth as Taehyun finishes explaining his job offer.

"Wait," I say while chewing on my fries. "So you're telling me I'm going to get my very own robot AND you're paying me for it?" I wash down my food with a huge gulp of soda, nearly choking from excitement.

"That's the gist." Taehyun watches me eat with open fascination in his face. "You'll be test running the newest model. All you have to do is live with it."

"What kind of robot is it? One of those Butler or Maid models?" I release a burp as I finish my soda.

"You still eat ravenously, I see." Taehyun eyes my side of the table.

I give him an awkward smile as I realise I've made a bit of a mess. "I just do everything passionately! Including eating!" I say enthusiastically.

"And that's exactly why I think you'd be perfect for the job! The 'bot is a new model, meaning it doesn't fit any of the existing categories. I think you'll understand better if I show it to you." Taehyun starts cleaning up the clutter on our table.

"Wait a second. I haven't agreed to anything yet! What if this is one of those weird jobs I've been hearing about. The ones involving... unsavoury activities with 'bots..." I give him my best skeptical expression but all he did was laugh at me.

"Oh, hyung. I've missed you." He continues cleaning up our table. "It's nothing like that, trust me. And I'm pretty sure you won't say no once you know how much my company is willing to pay for this particular job." He grabs a burger wrapper from our pile of trash and starts scribbling. He slides the wrapper across the table and my eyes bug out after seeing the amount scrawled on it.

"Wha..."

"Careful, hyung, or else you'll drool all over the table." He says smugly.

"You can't be serious about this!" I check the amount again, making sure I counted the correct number of zeroes. "This is insane!"

"That it is. But the company is totally serious, and so am I. You'll understand when you see the robot." He stands up. "So, are you coming or not?" He carries our tray, gives it to a passing waiter 'bot, and then proceeds to walk out of the building, knowing full well that I was going to follow him.

---

I lean back as far as I can while standing at the foot of the tower Taehyun works in, marvelling at the height of this beast of a building. It was the tallest structure in the city or, dare I say, in the country. As expected of the number one company that produces the highest quality robots in the market to date.

Taehyun calls me over as he finishes telling the security guard to let me in. I jog after him, giving a slightly awkward half-bow to the guard as I passed by. Then I realized it was a robot and mentally scolded myself. Of course they'd have 'bot guards.

"This way, hyung," Taehyun walks briskly across the expansive lobby, heading for the row of elevators along the wall to our right. I follow, half-dazed by what I was seeing and feeling a little self-conscious about what I was wearing. Every man, woman, and 'bot was either dressed sharply or wearing a lab coat. But the lobby's high glass ceiling caught most of my attention. It made the whole space feel magical and less rigid.

"Tyun, this place is amazing!" I say as we step into an elevator.

"I guess," he says nonchalantly, pressing the 30th button. "I've already sent a message to the higher-ups who are manning this certain project. They trust me enough to let me make some of the decisions. So if you agree to take on this job, we're all set."

Hearing all this from inside an elevator that's zooming up to the 30th floor of a tower rather than at a crowded fast food joint changes things. I begin to feel a little bit nervous, but the image of what Taehyun scrawled on that burger wrapper flashes in my mind, and it quickly erased any semblance of fear I was feeling.

We hear a faint ding as we reach our floor. Taehyun leads me around a few dizzying hallways until we reach our destination. A boy with chestnut brown hair wearing a lab coat is waiting for us.

"So, you've finally found someone!" he says as a way of greeting us. "This is great! I've been waiting for this project to officially get off the ground!"

"Calm down, Gyu." Taehyun takes out a card from inside his wallet and places it in front of a scanner attached to a metal door. The scanner glows green after a few seconds and the door slides open.

The three of us step into a large room full of machines, screens, lights, and wires. And in the middle of the room is a broad steel table with what looks like a robot containment capsule on top of it. Most of the wires in the room are connected to the table. That must be where the new model 'bot is.

Taehyun sweeps across the room and heads straight for a large screen, tapping on it frenziedly. The boy in the lab coat approaches me and puts out his hand for a shake.

"My name is Beomgyu. I'm Taehyun's assistant," he says, beaming up at me. He was only slightly shorter than I am. I take his hand and give him a firm handshake. He seems out of place in this kind of environment, but who am I to judge.

"I'm Yeonjun, Taehyun's Uni friend. Nice to meet you!"

"I'm sorry," came Taehyun's voice. "I should have introduced you two properly. Just a little bit excited."

"We both are," Beomgyu chimes in. "The project recently finished," he explains. "And I didn't think we'd find someone to help us out with the testing so soon! Imagine my surprise when Tae-Tae messaged me that he'd found the perfect candidate!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that," Taehyun says distractedly, not taking his eyes off the screen he's facing.

This seems like a fun work environment despite all the mean-looking machines around the room. I know next to zero when it comes to robots, so I don't know why Taehyun thinks I'd be the perfect candidate for their project. But who am I to argue with the experts, right? Especially with the pay they're offering. It's almost three times as much as my previous salary! So I'm definitely not arguing.

I walk over to the steel table slowly, waiting for them to tell me not to go near it. But no warning came. I've seen a couple of containment capsules before, but those seemed like old relics in comparison to this one. The capsule was made of a sleek, polished metal, and there's a small glass pane right above where the 'bot's head should be. I move in for a closer look when all of a sudden a loud hissing noise erupts from the containment capsule. I gave an embarrassingly loud yelp of surprise.

"Sorry!" Taehyun exclaims as he and Beomgyu walk towards me. Smoke spilled from the capsule, cascading down the table and onto the floor as the cover slowly slid open.

"Aah, here he comes!" Beomgyu says as he does tiny, stationary bounces on his feet.

He?

The robot slowly sits up, smoke billowing all around him. I've never seen a robot that closely resembled a human before. If I didn't know beforehand that this was a 'bot, I never would have guessed! Its head slowly turned to face us.

Jet black hair, smooth white skin, round cheeks, and full lips. Bolts, they really went all out for this one.

"This is TXT Project-CSB1205." Taehyun says proudly. Beomgyu adds a tiny squeal as he continues to bob on his feet. "Junnie hyung, meet the future of robotics. Project Choi Soobin."