"This is a joke right? Robots aren't real. It would have been in the news or something." Sohee's mouth didn't close and she blinked almost as little as the boy-bot.

 

"It's not a joke noona." He was all seriousness in that moment. "Look into my eyes; they are made with small cameras." She leaned close and peered into his glass orbs. She inhaled sharply and her own eyes widened at the sight. Junhong knew how the small lenses were moving in and out to be able to see Sohee clearly as she moved.

 

"Whoa." Her lips lingered in an 'o' shape and Junhong wondered if it was something that should be considered cute - his programmes said yes.

 

Sohee crossed her arms when she stood up off the couch, biting her lip thoughtfully. She paced a little and Junhong stared blankly. He had patience of the highest tolerance and he occupied himself by looking around, taking in the serene room that seemed to suggest a better experience than the one Yun-Ki could provide. Several times Sohee moved to speak but retracted herself to pacing once again. Each time Junhong would look at her, anticipating some marvellous revelation, only to be left in continuous silence.

 

"Really?" She gave him a curious expression that told him the single word was more for her own comprehension, but Junhong nodded anyway. “Okay, I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” Sohee looked right into his eyes and he could read the sincerity inside them as well as the small hint of fear? Or was it confusion? “But…maybe you should go now.” She moved over to the door and Junhong joined her, stepping out with a small smile as he moved into his own room to charge once more. He left the world bathed in moonlight, knowing he would wake up to the welcoming sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Every time I look at you, I feel cold. Just because I would be if I was wearing your clothes. It’s because you’re a robot that you don’t get cold right?” Yun-Ki’s face was scrunched up and she looked like she was under mental suffering. Junhong nodded as he continued to wipe down the kitchen bench after cleaning the dishes from breakfast.

 

“Well, I don’t have any clothes to give you.” The thought of Minhyeon’s clothing came to Junhong’s mind but he knew they would be too big and with the way Yun-Ki treated him, she didn’t want the boy-bot to be an eyesore even if he annoyed her more often than not. She huffed a little and crossed her arms, pulling one leg up underneath her when she shifted in her spot on the couch. “I think we’ll go out today and get some. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking I have a child I don’t take care of.” His noona stared at him with the first sentence but mumbled the second, continuing as she with the hem of her shirt. “Child Protection can’t take you away because you’re a damn robot but who knows, there’s a law covering everything." She eyed Junhong as he finished, watching him prepare to take out the rubbish. "Oh and Junhong? I want to take that box of stuff to sell today too." He nodded and left her sight.

 

Soon after, Yun-Ki readied them and Junhong was in the car before scarcely 15 minutes had passed. It felt like even less time before Yun-Ki pulled up into the lot of a shopping complex. It was below ground, underneath the bustling streets in order to preserve space. Above him, although Junhong couldn't hear it, was hundreds of people flitting along the strip of cobblestone road that served as a mall looking through all the sales on offer.

 

"Okay Junhong, we're not here to buy you a lot of clothes; just enough for different weather conditions and so that you're not wearing the same clothes your entire life." Yun-Ki took his wrist and lead him into the elevators that would take them out into the sharp winter air that never quite affected Junhong the way it did to his noona.

 

Junhong deemed the place pleasant, it wasn't quiet but had a calming effect with the way people could browse to their heart's content. Yun-Ki didn't seem to Junhong as the browsing type though as she walked quickly to a relatively cheap looking store that had few customers inside. She pulled him over to a rack of simple but chic looking trench coats - at least his programmes told him they were. She rummaged through and pulled out a long grey one with black trim and large buttons. Yun-Ki held it to Junhong's body and he stepped back somewhat flustered causing her to groan. "That'll do now let's get you some pants." When they stepped outside, she placed the coat on him and announced him ready for society with his now inconspicuous attire.

 

They walked to another store along the pedestrian street, to one more suited for teenagers with what looked like the latest trends and fads. Yun-Ki managed to find him several pairs of skinny jeans in different dark colours. She also took up a few pairs of knee-length shorts that were leftovers from the previous season's stock.

 

When they were moving to find decent shirts and such, Junhong spotted a jacket on show in a festive store window. It was blue with red and black detail and white denim stripes sewed along one sleeve while the other was made of black faux leather. The torso of the jacket looked like regular cotton and jersey but was seemingly more comfortable and cool than anything else he'd seen that morning. "Ah! Noona! Can I get that?!"

 

It was a strange but sort of right feeling for Junhong to want something. He was sure he shouldn't be able to want, to feel that intense need for something, but he did and he felt it for the jacket.

 

"No, you don't need it. And it's silly looking. Who would want to wear that anyways." She pulled on his ear to get his attention away from the window. She took him into several more stores, getting him to try things on and buying plenty for him to be able to go a few weeks without washing the clothes. Not that he would need to usually since his body had no waste products like sweat.

 

"Junhong? Do you need...underwear?" His noona asked the question as if the topic was taboo. There was nothing he had that underwear could hide better than pants but he assumed it a good idea to have some in case of extraordinary circumstances. Junhong nodded as a reply. 

 

It was a quick affair to retrieve the underwear and soon Junhong found himself back in the car with the backseat full of their inexpensive purchases. "There's one more place we have to go." Yun-Ki spoke as she sat in the driver's seat, sounding a bit disgruntled at having an extra task. She shoved a noisy box onto his lap. He noticed it was the box of Minhyeon's belongings.

 

 

 

 

 

They arrived on a small street downtown from their previous destination. Yun-Ki parked not far from a pawn shop that looked dingy and rundown compared to its neighbours. Junhong was thankful for his coat as he registered the still declining temperature outside.

 

"Come on." Her words were impatient and Junhong could tell how this whole experience was a hinderance to her. When he stepped into the store he could have likened it to the set of a film with the dank light shooting through the dusty air. The rays of light made the roof dance with the reflections of several crystal items. The small room was musty and Junhong's functions told him that it was a bad smell, but expected in a shop such as this.

 

"How can I help you today?" A gruff voice barely penetrated the room, unable to carry through the clutter. A tall man with a long grey beard and large belly stood at the counter with heavy lids, as if he had just woken from the middle of a sleep cycle.

 

"Just a few things I need to sell." Yun-Ki motioned impatiently for Junhong to place the box on the counter and he did so hurriedly. He’d learnt that her temper was not one to mess around with. He stood there still and lifeless and she eyed him with her usual annoyed expression.

 

"Go wait outside or something. You're bothering me." She waved over her shoulder towards the door and Junhong left swiftly, not wanting to anger Yun-Ki in public. When he stepped out the air wrapped around him, chilling his metallic frame until a ‘29°C’ flashed across his vision. He knew if his body got much colder he would freeze and become paralysed in the now winter breeze. He coiled against the idea of what kind of scolding he would receive for something he couldn’t control.

 

He glanced around the dim street; grey in the overcast light with the sun just peeking passed the clouds. People hurried about, going in and out of stores as the sales peaked towards the end of the year. Christmas had just passed and some of the decorations loitered across doorways and overhangs, reminders of the simple but fleeting joys celebrated each year – at least, by humans. Junhong had set to charge for two days and when he'd awoken alone in the house he realised everyone had left for the holiday, even his noona.

 

He popped the collar of his new jacket that was more to help him fit in with the crowd than for actual warmth. Yun-Ki continually said that it was so she wasn’t jailed for abuse since his being a robot was a secret. Junhong really wanted the blue decorated jacket but his arms were covered in the scratchy grey material instead. He continued looking along the road, seeing how far it went in either direction. He took note of how lively it was to the left and less animated to the right. He was standing across the street from a music store. ‘Vinnie’s Vinyls’ it read across the aged sign that looked as if it was meant to be a deep red but was instead a faded pink. What really caught his attention was the doorway. His enhanced hearing allowed him to catch the short ding of a bell as a man left the store, smiling to the ahjussi at the counter as he went.

 

Junhong’s mind blanked – something he thought unable to happen – but with the paradox in front of him, anything could be possible. How could someone be dead and alive at the same time? The idea didn’t compute and he could feel himself beginning to over-heat with the strain on his programming. He’d never seen with his own eyes what happened to Minhyeon so Yun-Ki may have lied in order to keep Junhong from discovering the truth. His body shook with something new, something he was unsure of. Betrayal? His buzzing mind was too much to handle in that short moment. If Minhyeon really was still alive why had he not returned? Why did he not stop Yun-Ki from selling his things? Why had he not come to claim his friend and whisk him away from the dreadful woman that commanded him? Why did he not save Junhong? Was it that he stopped caring? That he stopped loving the boy-bot?

 

“Min-….Minhye-” The name fumbled on his lips, coming out short and breathy as he scrambled across the street. He wasn’t going to lose this moment. He struggled with the name one last time, letting it come out in a ringing shout. “Minhyeon-hyung!” He didn’t turn. “Hyung!” Junhong felt a fluttery feeling in his chest when Minhyeon turned around, glancing wildly for the speaker. He continued running until he reared in front of the slow paced man and his face brightened with most genuine smile a robot could have. Minhyeon looked different up close. His hair was cropped short like it had been cut only that morning. His eyes were strange to Junhong as well. They held a different story, a seemingly shorter and less stressful one, the dark brown being a little lighter than the few weeks old memory Junhong had of them. He seemed much fresher looking, younger - too young. This Minhyeon was also frightened and angered by the presence of the robot and Junhong’s mouth gaped open.

 

“What the hell do you want kid?” The man’s hands came up defensively and he stepped back. Why was Minhyeon avoiding Junhong? Why did he pretend that he didn't recognise Junhong? His excitement died as suddenly as it appeared, giving no lingering tickle like he knew it did for humans.

 

“You…..hyung?” The man’s eyes bugged and Junhong finally caught up to his thoughts after they ran wildly towards such a preposterous possibility. Of course this man wasn’t his previous owner. Yun-Ki hadn’t lied. Junhong peered deeper into this new man’s eyes. He scanned them and they certainly weren’t what he had expected. “You’re not Minhyeon-hyung.” The man’s gaze sparked, it was the same gaze Junhong held when he was overcome by his information – it wasn’t new, more like a long lost memory. His shoulders slumped anyway. He’d expended valuable energy chasing after this wasted opportunity.

 

“No, I’m Yongguk.” His surprise had been quickly taken over by his frustration at the boy blocking his way. “And I don’t know who you are, but I’d like to go. Bye.” Yongguk moved to get passed but Junhong side-stepped him quicker than the elder could react.

 

“Wait! You look like my hyung though, so much!” Junhong placed a hand on Yongguk’s chest, but the guy just pushed him off, trying again to get away.

 

“I really don’t care kid.” Yongguk’s stare held a little more than he seemed to want to have.

 

“JUNHONG!” Yun-Ki’s too familiar cry grated against both the male’s ears and they turned in its direction where Junhong’s noona was hurrying over with an incredibly terrifying and ferocious scowl. “How dare you run away!? You’re meant to do what you’re told! Don’t ever leave like that again! I can't even consider a punishment for you I'm so mad!” Junhong could feel the orders sliding into his memory bank and command system where they would stick and force him into submission. Yongguk seemed just as stiff as the robot as he looked on when Yun-Ki took firm hold of Junhong’s forearm. His gaze flared when he noticed how rough her tone and touch were.

 

“You should be kinder to your children; they’re the ones who take care of you when you’re old.” His words were polite with a bitter edge and the set of his noona’s mouth told Junhong she was ready to rip this loud-mouthed man a new one.

 

“He’s not my child thank you very much.” Yun-Ki’s look was daring him to continue and Junhong was caught in the middle of something that he found…satisfactory? As if talking back to Yun-Ki was a want, a secret desirehe hadn't realised he harboured.

 

“That makes it all the worse then doesn’t it?” His noona looked like she might explode with fury and she yanked on the boy-bot’s arm to pull him away from Yongguk. Junhong glanced over his shoulder at the allusive Minhyeon look-a-like and Yongguk shot him an apologetic smile. Junhong’s own smile was bright and flashed across the street towards Yongguk who was looking back as he already started to walk away. He looked very cold in his thin coat and it made Junhong worried for him. He quickly forgot that though when he was stopped before Yun-Ki and slapped across his cheek. He bit back a small chuckle, which felt so right in his wired throat, when he watched her rub her palm. She had been silly to strike a metal boy and assume it wouldn’t hurt. Junhong was more surprised that her hand didn’t break.

 

“We're going home now you little .” She spat the words at him but started walking away and Junhong was compelled to follow. His legs beckoned to follow the mysterious Yongguk but his control functions were forcing him in the opposite direction. He could sense how unruly he was becoming but the moral code etched into his entire being was begging him to be rid of the woman in front of him. Junhong didn’t realise that he would have been able to feel contempt towards a human, it shouldn’t be possible, but as he fell into step with his noona, each one he took was burying the feeling deeper inside his consciousness.

 

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Yonggukkie~! I was very excited to write this chapter because of him :D

can you guess what happens next?! Even my silent readers must have some expectations right? ^-^