But I love You

Chapter Seventeen

“More people have gone missing in just the past week- if anyone has any information, the smallest of it- please- contact the police department at the number shown at the screen- in other news- scientist have discovered a method for men to get pregnant and be able to have healthy children- is this a new beginning for same couples? A couple speaks out and tells us their experience--”

The television was shut off, and Seon Woong smirked as he stuffed his hands into his pocket, feeling smug with himself. Yes, definitely the world was changing. He was helping the cause of that change, and he thought it was great! But the woman in his group didn’t seem to agree as she huffed, following after him as he sent the rest of his team off.  

“Are you listening? We can’t just go about selling this stuff like product!” Younha argued with Seon Woong, but no one stopped their analysis to pay them any attention. Everyone had something other to do than to worry what the current top Scientist was doing. “It sure as won’t solve the problems of the gay community, people would be in blasphemy! We are playing God’s!”

Seon Woong laughed loudly, “Exactly, now don’t hate me,” he gave her a pouting look before turning back to what he was doing. His tone now deadly serious, “Younha, stop crying and just do your work. We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface with what we can do, and I don’t plan to stop my analysis or methods any time soon. If it works why fix it.”

Right, because selling same couples the promise of pregnancy was worth the cash more than their health. 

“I’m not crying! I’m just saying--”

“We mess with unborn fetuses, DNA, and a bunch of different things, and yet the only complaining I hear out of your mouth is the fact that men now have a chance to get pregnant, suddenly that is immoral” Seon Woong offhandedly drawled.

“Because, they’re not women!” She closed when Seon Wook threw her a harsh glare.

“I want the newborn children that the MAN gave birth to here, now,” Seon Woong hissed. The one child that the man had given birth too was born with a prominent tail, and ears oddly shaped. A much better result than anything they had been working on so far. It was the start of everything, and Seon Woong knew that if he could figure out what had made it so possible; it wouldn’t take long until full mutations happened.

But there was something that was frustrating him. That was the fact that in a couple of days, the newborns would be losing their added animal appendages, and were in dire need of surgery for survival. They decided to use those children in synthetic technology for survival and growth, and yet—they weren’t successful at their true aim.

It just wasn’t enough.

Younha huffed, noticing that Seon Woong was done talking to her and was back to the obsessed world he had built in his head.  Grumbling under her breath, she went to do as she was told.

On her way, she passed by Young Bae, whom patted one of the small children in front of him, because he was crying. A small turned Cyborg that he had been left in charge of in the end. He had been amazed that the surgery had been successful and the child was still functioning as he slowly grew. What was even more amazing was how his body was growing into, and with, the synthetic mechanical portions of his body.

The children that they had started with were quickly growing up. Not physically, no they were normal in that sense, it was their insides that were interesting. Their skeleton, they were slightly changed, especially in their fingers and chests. The one beyond thrill with this discovering was Seon Woong. The man had no qualms in subjecting children into radioactive rooms for testing. 

But lately Young Bae had been keeping track of the timely changes. Every alternation to the bone structure was important, because it seemed to be the only part greatly being morphed by the DNA changes.

It was quite amazing. 

Yet, revolutionary.

The findings about the changes in bones, led to more the speed in learning how to properly mutate, and have things come out in their favor a lot more than before. It also helped them overcome the one flaw that they had realized only after the children had grown—and that was the fast passed, imminent death that followed.

You see, even if the mutation managed to succeed, most wouldn’t live past a certain time, because living conditions were not up to par. Evolution within a species happened over time, with the stronger surviving and giving birth to a new generation better suited to face their environment and thrive. You would think that with the control lab environment that wouldn’t have been a problem, except that now—diets and needs had changed.

These creatures, they ate things that weren’t normal in a human diet. The human diet provided little to no nourishment for them. Their bodies sought out something else—and that something else became obvious when they started to attack.

Several scientists were hurt, and killed in the findings. “They need raw flesh, game, they have to hunt. Or they are going to hunt us.”

“They are not stupid,” Seon Woong argued with the president. “These creatures know that to survive they have to consume, and even if they know they are not supposed to consume us the thought would be override with their need of survival.”

“Then fix the damned flaw!” the president snapped, simply saying it as if that would solve their problems.

“We’re running low on funds,”

“Must I hold your hand in what you little ers need to do!” Yang snapped, his eyes flashing angrily. “Just get some poor people off the ing streets!”

It was like a slap. The funds were provided, but that year saw the loss of several homeless people no one would notice had gone missing, and several stray animals. Even when they wanted to change the diet of their mutations, they found that it was impossible. There was something that happened to a species that didn’t have proper food—and that was death.

They had gone wrong somewhere as they lost the last of their experiments, all but one. That was the experiment of the children born from same males, but that was information that Seon Woong kept to himself until the others realized as well.

With the new information in hand, they started to take in donors, and they would mess with the cells before they had either a man or woman carry the baby to term. Others were experimented on outside of a womb, kept in large test tubes where they could watch the development day by day.

The experiment picked track, and somehow now, human features were not distorted. Young Bae wanted to know how they had managed it this time. And he found the answer under the fact that their animals they tested on humans most of the time were part carnivore, developed with the need to seek out fresh meat over time, and it wasn’t turned off. It wasn’t turned off now either, but this time, neither was the code that was developed for those who needed plant based foods to survive.

A give and take compromise, which worked much like in humans who could digest fruits, grasses, but also flesh—and with the ability to control more they found that their experiments were thriving.

It had been a couple years now that Young Bae and Seungri had been married to each other. They were extremely happy. Things at work for both of them were going great. Young Bae felt less guilt now that less people were being harmed and soon enough the army Yang ordered would be completed and they would be free. Seungri had started work at a theatre, where he thought students acting and dance choreography.

Young Bae found himself relaxing as he would go and watch some of his shows—it helped him for a moment to forget all the horrific things that he had seen and done. Yet, he couldn’t help but count himself extremely lucky, that even on the days that he was feeling like a monster, he had a great support.

That Seungri loved him unconditionally.

Going into work on a slow day, Young Bae found Dong Wook working on a table, a blue vile in his hand. There was a pinched look on his face, one of sadness, and frustration. Young Bae walked over to him, smiling slightly when the man smiled at him. “What are you up to?” he asked, trying to keep himself from yawning.

Dong Wook looked around him before placing the vile down. “I’m trying to…in a way take what I deserve,”

Young Bae raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“Yang said that we could do what we wanted when we could experiment right?” Dong Wook asked. Young Bae nodded his head. “I…my wife and I have been trying for a child for years now and we have failed miserably. We want a child, and even though she is ready to give up, I asked her for one last chance. I’m hoping to create something that will help us,” he said. Young Bae nodded his head in understanding.

“I hope that you two get that child. I know it’s hard to keep failing, but you can do it,” Young Bae smiled.

Dong Wook raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk taking over his face. “You have been trying as well?” he asked. Young Bae blushed, his eyes darting to the red vile that was in the same work station as Dong Wook’s. They usually worked together, and both respected each other’s experiments. He didn’t expect Dong Wook to figure it out.

“Yeah, but…” Young Bae hesitated.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul,” Dong Wook reassured, “I know you wouldn’t babble about what I am doing. I trust you,”

That made Young Bae feel warmth. This man had been a friend to him all this time, but not until then did he feel like it was a meaningful friendship. “I trust you as well, thank you Dong Wook,”

“No problem.” Dong Wook murmured. The both of them then started to look over each others charts. Trying to figure out where they were failing and see if they could help each other out, when all of a sudden Seon Woong walked into the lab. He had a happy smile on his face as he whistled and made his way to the elevator on the other side.

“Yo~! Dong, Choi, get your asses in here.” He said, “We got a fresh delivery today,”

Dong Wook and Young Bae were confused about what he was talking about, until they followed him to the underground lab that didn’t look like a lab, more than a torture center. Once they were down below, they found several children there. Most of them no older than five.

There was confusion about what the children were doing there, but it was cleared up the moment that  their own children were let out. The experiments that they had were about the same age, most of them shy and calm.

It turned out that today they were going to be checking the behavioral psychology of their minds. “Today, we are going to pretend to have class! In a controlled environment,” Seon Woong told everyone, “We are all going to behave properly, right?”

Their kids were faster, smarter, more aggressive, and completely disregarded the terms of harming someone. They quickly developed their status within the group, and came out as the dominants ones, putting down the other children and bullying them. Although they thought the behavior was normal since they were built for battle, Seon Woong was the only truly pleased with the results.

In his mind, t here was no better thing! Reason becoming clear as battle was not the only things in the experiments mind—so was the world domination. They would destroy humans at this rate, and they would place themselves as the smartest, bests species on the face of the planet. Much like humans did when they pushed dogs, cats, and any other animal in the world into not being anything, not even citizens or rights.

It wasn’t Seon Woong who wanted this, it was Yang.

The date managed to be pushed, but eventually no more kids were brought in. Within a year, there were plans about releasing the experiments so that they could experience school and the outside world. They were hoping with a year more of maturity that they would all be able to be better controlled. But many feared that it wouldn’t be the case.

They feared they would place millions in danger. There was still a lot that they also didn’t know yet. One of the ones that worried Young Bae a lot more than anything- and the thing he hoped no one else had thought about. Whether these new experiments could reproduce or not.

Sure they had the organs, but the question about them being useful was left unanswered. They were all still babies after all. Speaking of babies, around this time, Seungri was carrying. Young Bae was often careful with his husband, trying to keep him from doing much as they faced the first three harsh months of trying to keep their child from being miscarried once again.

He wanted it to work this time and regretted telling his husband about what was happening, since no one outside of the lab was to know.

Being pregnant had made Seungri incredibly possessive of the precious cargo that was growing within him. The last thing that he wanted was to have to tolerate a danger to the child he was carrying. 

“They can’t release them!” Seungri argued. “You guys created them, why won’t they listen to you?” he asked.

“We never gave them the means of discipline. We just thought that if we are the ones that raised them, we could control them,”

Seungri sighed, “and that was not the case, because they have thoughts and wills of their own. They could decided to kill us all,”

“This is getting out of hand,” he told Seungri. “Please, calm yourself down. I will deal with this on my own. Other scientist is against this as well. I’m sure things will blow over and we will have more time to stabilize,”

But there was no time to stabilize, and things did blow up. President Yang was on a time frame that he had to follow. He was being voted out of office since he had finished his term completely and a new president was to take hold of his current position. There was so much dirt that he had been hiding from the citizens that he lead in Korea and he knew people were going to find out with the new president. He didn’t have time to dilly dally around.

He didn’t care what any of his scientists had to say, he pushed them all to release the children. Several scientist went around different schools, enrolling their little bundles of joy as they pretended to be parents to the experiments.

Even to this day, Young Bae was not sure what had happened.

It felt like had been holding his breath for something big, but at the same time hoping nothing too drastic would happen. Holding his breath didn’t work though, and things happened so fast. Because after a month of the experiments attending school- they got to see the world a lot more and they must have wanted their freedom so badly that they started to act out.

They started to attack, starting with the children and soon moving on to causing trouble for the professors. The experiments were expelled, and then even in society shunned, as if other humans knew that they weren’t normal children.

Hidden disfigurements, even the ones with no features to set them apart- all of them were shunned and they were all acting out. President Yang was at the last of his rope as he kept pushing to better it, to change them to different schools, documentations—ANYTHING!

He needed that army for something, and it wasn’t until Seoul was attacked that it made sense. hit the fan the moment that he was asked to step down and allow the new president to take hold. A secret so big as his was never going to be kept within the higher ups, and the news sped like rapid fire. But, Yang had his army, and he had them attack.

The government tried to cover much of it up. They tried to keep everyone ignorant of what was happening, even as chaos broke through the city, burning down several memorable buildings, and killing over hundreds of people.

Answers were never given to questions as the president tried to assure everyone was going to be alright. Neo Seoul was created in the prospects as Old Seoul tried to reconstruct itself after the attack. The bodies of the experiments were buried away, hidden from the media and public. It was hard, because theories and stories were all pushed everywhere, making people doubt for their safety, so many left.

Old Seoul had fallen.

With Yang no longer in office, many scientists made a run for it, leaving behind their old lives and changing their names as they transferred to Neo Seoul and under protection. Young Bae refused the protection as he and Seungri moved away as well. They always thought that they might just leave Seoul all together, but it was their home and where their parents also were, so they stayed.

Not only because their parents, but so much more for the reason that Seungri at this point was as round as a balloon and looking ready to pop.

Like it was said, many things happened so fast in just a couple of months. From nothing, to complete destruction of what they used to know. Things started to rapidly change. Seungri being male was also at risk, because now everyone was being searched. All the secrets that President Yang had kept were being exposed by the government and kept under rapt as they tried to take control of the situation for themselves. Seungri had to cross dress as they moved, changed their names, and started life all over again.

Seungri hardly went out of the house, keeping himself hidden and his arms always safely around his round belly. There was so much love that he felt for that lump growing within his body. There was no way that he was going to let anyone tare it away from him.

Young Bae worked hard, keeping Seungri happy and safe while making sure that they weren’t discovered. Their parents decided that it was better if they didn’t know where they lived, and moved away, leaving them behind and asking them to keep safe. They even suggested a move for them once the child was born.

Kwon Ji Yong was born on August 18, a healthy baby boy with a glow about him that both his parents couldn’t help but to instantly fall in love with him. Since then they had thought about moving, even went out of state on vacation when Ji Yong had turned seven, but returned quickly. For one reason or another they couldn’t just up and leave as they had often thought that they might just do. And like that time went and passed.

And Ji Yong grew up, and changed—from just being human to something else. Even something Young Bae had a hard time understanding.

“But even to this day, I had wondered what happened to president Yang and Seon Woong,” Young Bae murmured as he pulled himself back to reality, his eyes darting back to Ji Yong. The young neko was looking troubled now, and young Bae knew that it had been too much to say all at once. There were things that he couldn’t go into great detail about, mostly because it was just the experimentations, but he had retold things as best as he remembered them.

Ji Yong sighed, rubbing his head. So that explained how his parents had had him and why he was the way that he was.  “Did you and dad aim to make me an experiment as well?” Ji Yong finally asked, and turned to look at his father, searching for the answer.

“God no,” Young Bae quickly said. “That was a complete surprise, but Dong Wook and I have no doubt that our experiments were tempered with at an early stage. Both of us worked so hard to make everything so perfect so no flaws would appear, and we kept it strictly normal.” Young Bae said, “No animal DNA or mutation to you, only for Seungri,”

“For dad?” Ji Yong asked, confused.

“Un, I had to make his body accept a change, a womb, so he could carry you. As for the birth,” Young Bae sighed, that had been hard. Ji Yong didn’t want to know.

“I don’t get it,” Ji Yong whispered. “Why does this mean that me and Seung Hyun can’t be together then? We’re the same species, I assume,” he mumbled to himself the last part. “Why can’t we be together?” he asked more firmly to his father.

Young Bae stood then, giving Ji Yong a hard look, “Because they might be after us again, and I have no doubt that whoever messed with the experiments were hoping you and Seung Hyun would come out the way you did! They even did it so well, you two didn’t start changing until puberty hit” Young Bae ran his fingers through his hair, “God, Ji Yong, these people are crazy and I have no doubt that they are out there. It was just best to separate that both of you and hide. Now we have to hide as well,”

“What?” Ji Yong asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We…” Young Bae started, but didn’t get to finish as he got up to answer the door. The sudden knock was strange and completely unexpected. They didn't think that they would have anyy visitors. Ji Yong pouted as he watched his father go, and turned to see who it could possibly be. The knocking got louder, and more insistent as his father made his way over to it. “Calm down,” Young Bae growled, and opened the door.

He shouldn’t have.

The moment that he did, a large man knocked a punch against his head.

Ji Yong jumped, looking scared as he watched the tall, huge man set his foot down across his father’s leg and kept him down. Ji Yong’s thoughts ran around, he had to help his dad and he had to kill that man. But Young Bae gasped, lifted his head, and looked at him with urgency.

“Run, get out of here Ji Yong!” The man moved his foot to squeeze him more, “NOW!!” his dad snapped.

Ji Yong hesitated. His father, he had to protect his father- but he also couldn’t disobey his father. He ran.

“Get him!” one of the men yelled.

Ji Yong sprinted to the bathroom, and scrambled himself out the window, landing outside, and sprinting away. He didn’t look back as he ran off. The men cursed as they didn’t find him, but he paused, at the neighbors, settling himself over the roof as he tried to get a look at who had attacked them. He could see them, and he was sure that they knew where he was, even as the other man, as slow as they were, came back looking disappointed that they had failed.

“What do we do now?” one asked.

“He got away,”

“We got the parents! That is all we need. The Neko will come to us,”

“Yes, Seon Woong-ssi” The big man said, grabbing Young Bae’s unconscious body, and threw him over his shoulder. The man was strong, bursting with muscles. The other two lackeys were scrawny, and followed at a slower pace; looking around them to make sure no one had seen.  Ji Yong wanted to run back for his parents, but knew that he might just get caught. He needed a plan, one to get his parents back.

He was going to get them back!!

Seon Woong smirked, his eyes locked on the distance as he watched the Neko run off. He couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him as he whispered, “Come, Ji Yong, I’ll be waiting for you.” 

There might be a time skip next chapter.