How could a robot be so addicted to video games?

That’s the first question I really asked myself as I was researching the way to create a heart for Kui Xian, the robot I had created after ten long years. I had been coding him since the age of 15, and he had finally opened his eyes after all this time working on him. On his program, on… everything about him.

Right now, I was trying to find a way to create a heart for Kui Xian, and to keep him busy I had shown him the only thing in my laboratory that wasn’t related to his creation. A computer I kept only to have some distraction from time to time.

And then, a few minutes later, I had found him playing some game on the computer. I recognized it. Starcraft, wasn’t it? And two hours later, he was still playing. And he was good.

I sighed. I had found out what he was missing after a few minutes of speaking to him. He had no emotion, no interest in anything I said. Kui Xian was a computer looking like a human being. That was all. He had some kind of a brain, where his program was. He had some kind of stomach, where the electricity that made him work was stored. His entire skin could use sunlight to recharge him and when he shut down for the night, I had also created some kind of bed to help him recharge too.

Anyways. Time to concentrate! Like I said, he didn’t have a heart. He had everything else. But no heart, no emotion. Nothing. I could hit him and he wouldn’t even react. But I didn’t want to hit him. I had spent years working on him, or course I would take care of him…

I sighed again. My brain was useless right now. I hadn’t slept much lately, feeling that the end of this project was drawing closer and closer every day. Instead of continuing to work, I decided to do something else and went to my wardrobe to find something that he could wear. Because no, I hadn’t created him with clothes, and no, I didn’t plan to let him be completely all the time.

When I brought back clothes that didn’t really fit me but would totally fit him - I had created him, of course I would know what suits him - I went to him and touched his shoulder.

“Kui Xian.”

He didn’t react, and I face palmed myself. Of course he wouldn’t react to something that wasn’t his name.

“Cho Kyu Hyun.”

He didn’t react for a few seconds, and I was wondering if this robot was being rebellious or something when he finally paused the game and turned to face me with those velvety eyes of his.

“Cho Kyu Hyun. If I call you Kyu Hyun or Kui Xian, please consider it also as your name.”

“Yes.”

I showed him the clothes.

“These are clothes. You wear them not to be .”

“Is it bad to be ?”

Seriously. This robot was a lot more curious than what I had coded him to be. He didn’t have a heart, okay, but he had an amazing “brain” that would make him wonder about a lot of things.

“It’s not bad, but it’s better to wear clothes.”

“Okay.”

He took the clothes and, after looking at me for a second, he put them on. They suited him perfectly and I smiled while looking at him.

“You’re very handsome.”

He looked at me, not very sure of what I just said.

“When someone tells you that, you have to say ‘thank you’.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled more, and refrained myself from patting his head and hugging him. I really wanted to do so though. When I had created him, I also had given him a texture similar to human skin. Plus, he always emitted heat because of his system, so when touching him it felt just like touching a human being. Of course I also had added a system to prevent him from overheating just in case.

I really liked to touch, to feel other people. Hugs and everything. I really liked them. But I had always been so lonely. I had left China after I had told my parents about me being homoual, and I hadn’t spoken to them since then. Here in Korea, I couldn’t find anyone wanting to help me with my project - back then I already wanted to create Kui Xian. So I just had to work overtime in a lot of jobs before I could finally create this little place with just enough things to create Kui Xian. Ten years of work, most of them spent on programming my robot. At least three years to actually build him.

He was Kui Xian. He was my creation. And I was so proud that I had finally succeeded.

But there was one thing that was bugging me. What could I do with Kui Xian? I had created him. He was one smart robot, yeah. But I couldn’t show him to the entire world. He still wasn’t completed.

The heart was lacking, and I had to find how to give him a heart before I could show him to the world.

“Zhou Mi.”

Shivers down my spine. Kui Xian had said my name.

“Kui Xian?”

“You created me because you were lonely. What do you want me to do?”

“What?”

There wasn’t any emotion in his voice. He was just asking as a computer would ask you what to do after you told him to open an Internet browser. Except that Kui Xian was asking with words.

“Then… hem… hug me?”

He walked in my direction, and hugged me. Casually, because I had told him to do so. It was a bit weird to be hugged by a robot, but I could feel his warmth and smiled to myself while hiding my face in his hair. A hug. It felt so good. So warm. Comfortable. Reassuring. I hugged him back, and we stayed like this for a while before I broke the hug and smiled at him.

“Thank you, Kui Xian.”

“It was no problem. You created me for that reason.”

I couldn’t resist and I gently patted his head.

“You’re not obligated to do everything I tell you to do, you know. I created you to keep me from being lonely, yes, but if there’s something you don’t want to do, then please say so.”

He looked at me with what seemed like puzzled eyes. As much as a robot’s eyes could look puzzled, of course.

“You created me for one purpose. I will accomplish that purpose, of course.”

Of course… of course…