|--------------------------------------|

|If                       Then

|--------------------------------------|

It all started with a simple code during my computer lesson. If, Then, Else If, Case…

|--------------------------------------|

|If                       Then

|Else If                Then

|--------------------------------------|

A simple code, during a boring lesson. Merely showing us anything, to be honest. Nothing that I exactly still remember, really. I made it more and more complex with time.

|-----------------------------------------------|

|Enter password?

|[*************]

|Password correct. Welcome, Mr. Zhou.

|-----------------------------------------------|

From simple projects for my lessons, it became a huge project as I grew older, and lonelier. A huge project to get rid of my loneliness.

|-----------------------------|

|Error. Please retry later.

|-----------------------------|

Failing. So many times I can’t even remember all the reasons why I had failed.

|------------------------------------------------------------|

|Operation succeeded. Now rebooting. Please wait.

|------------------------------------------------------------|

Sometimes, just a small success that would give me hope to succeed for good someday.

|----------------------|

|Enter project title?

|[Cho Kyu Hyun]

|-----------------------|

I had created a simple software to create a complicated project without being embarrassed with complicated codes and dots and lots of things I couldn’t even remember anymore. It allowed me to keep the commands simple as I tried to program what I really wanted to create in the end.

Giving that project a name I couldn’t even say myself. Recommendation of my Korean assistant who left me a week after the beginning of the project. So I just called that project Kui Xian when I talked about it. With myself. I had nobody else to talk with.

|---------------------------------------------------------|

|Operation succeeded. What do you want to do?

|        Save and quit

|        [Save and continue]

|        Continue without saving

|        Quit without saving

|---------------------------------------------------------|

Yes, that software was stupid sometimes. But I had to go with it. I had nothing else to work with. So I had to do it with what I had. Nothing much. It took me so much time to create what I wanted to create that anybody would’ve become crazy working on something that looked impossible to create. And finally, after ten long years of work…

|-------------------------------------------------------|

|Program completed. What do you want to do?

|        Save and quit

|        Save and continue

|        Continue without saving

|        Quit without saving

|        [Run program]

|--------------------------------------------------------|

********************************

When he opened his eyes, I could feel my heart bouncing with joy in my chest. So happily it was almost painful. He was exactly as I had created him. Dark brown, messy hair; pure dark eyes; y heart-shaped mouth; snow-white skin; long, beautiful fingers; tall enough for the really tall man I was; and, that, oh my God, if you do exist, that sweet, husky, y voice I had given him when I had built him.

“Where am I?”

Good. The codes seemed to work.

“In my laboratory.”

“Who am I?”

No feeling in his voice, though. No interest for the answer I had given him.

“Cho Kyu Hyun.”

I had to try very hard to say it correctly. I would’ve called him Kui Xian otherwise.

“What am I?”

Wait. I had never written anything about this. I answered anyways.

“A robot.”

“Did you create me?”

Still not something I had coded.

“Yes.”

“Who are you?”

This was something I had written. Finally.

“Zhou Mi.”

“Who are you?”

“Zhou Mi.”

“Who are you?”

Why was he still asking the same question? Was he bugged or… oh!

“I’m a Chinese scientist.”

“Why did you create me?”

“I was lonely.”