One Shot, One Chance

Back to civilization again, back in connection to the real world; the world of cold hard truth, where time waits for no one, where everything’s the same different day. She goes to work again, eating instant and microwavable food again, dishes piled up at the sink, sitting there for days that felt like weeks. She couldn’t care more about the stench, the creepy crawlies that roamed freely around the house. All she cared about was Junhong; when is he coming back? What am I going to do when he doesn’t remember me anymore?

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Janet has lost count on the number of days Junhong has been out of her life, she lives in regrets. She lived in the past, reliving moments she had with Junhong in pictures and short video clips on her instagram in denial of the fact that Junhong is died or long gone from the good old days. It only hits her hard at night, when she reaches out to find an empty spot beside her bed, the uneasiness of silences that fills the rooms. She could only soil the already dirty sheets with her tears; stains that were the sole evidence of her pain. Every single night; she cries herself to sleep. She misses Junhong too much, she misses the noisy churning sounds his system makes, the gushing of air pressure and gas exchange, the small little things Junhong does that puts her to sleep. His presence puts her mind, soul and body at ease. When Junhong was gone, a part of her life was missing, it was incomplete.

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Finally after 2 weeks, Janet finally receives an email from the National Intelligence Defence. Her heart was pounding in her head; she wasn’t ready for any good news or bad news because good news is still bad news. She knew well enough that even if Junhong was returned to her, Junhong wouldn’t have any memory of their past.  It was no different from losing Junhong as a whole but at least his vessel is still there even if he’s soul is gone. She takes a deep breath before opening the email, scrolling it down slowly with her thumbs carefully revealing each line.

From: National Intelligence Defence

To: Janet

Dear Android User Janet,

A thorough inspection has been conducted by both NID & TS Electronics on your purchased Andriod: ZELO to assess its risk against the future usage by humans and it has been concluded that your android is safe for personal usages and for general public.

TS Electronic Technical Staffs have confirmed that ZELO (Beta Ver.) suffered various bugs and was infected by a Trojan virus causing damages to its central core system. Unusual activity and behaviour could have been contributed by programming and technical bugs and viral interferences. All bugs have now been fixed and a finalized brand new Squishy Series: ZELO will be reimbursed to you within the next 7 working days.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the inspection of your android.

Yours Sincerely,

NID

Finalized? Brand New Squishy Series: ZELO? What does that mean? Does it mean that the finalized series will be different from Junhong? It doesn’t matter if Junhong doesn’t remember anything, even if I can’t restore my previous setting and Junhong’s memory data; I could always make new memories, make Junhong love me again. Like what Youngjae said, we could always make new memories again.

But with this new ZELO they are going to reimburse me, how different would things be?

Janet started panicking again. They didn’t say when are they going to return Junhong to her? Why didn’t TS Electronics get back to her? She quickly dialled TS Electronic Development’s Headquarters numbers; she had no patience with any of the service selection over the dial pad. She requested to be transferred to a Customer Service Officer immediately.

‘Hello TS Electronics, This is Maya speaking.’

‘Hi Maya, few weeks ago I sent Junhong in for... I’m sorry. I mean I’ve send my Android in for servicing and inspection & I’ve received an email from NID that my android is ready for collection or delivery. I would like to know when it is going to be delivered to my place.’ Janet spoke without pauses, correcting her sentences every now and then.

‘Erm…M’am, Can I have your First & Last Name to check our system to have it arranged?’

‘Janet Choi.’

‘Alright, please give me a few seconds.’ Janet could hear Maya typing and clicking through the line, she tapped the phone impatiently. Damn it’s almost 60 seconds, that’s a minute already dumb .

‘Our system shows that a reimbursement has been implemented and it’s waiting for your confirmation if you would like to receive the brand new Squishy Series, Miss Choi.’

‘What’s the difference with the finalized and beta version ones?’ Janet asked.

‘The finalized ones come with autonomous debugging and stabilized operating software, an antivirus has also been included in every single new android purchased. I’m sure you’ll like the newer versions as they are hassle free and more user friendly.’

Janet doesn’t like the new squishy series, she doesn’t care about the newer & better functions because Junhong is not just a product of the shelves, Junhong is not just a robot. Junhong is unique, Junhong is her boyfriend, her partner, my housemate, her maid, her everything; her life.

‘I’ll accept the reimbursement. When is the earliest delivery date available?’ Janet’s voice was filled with disappointment; there isn’t another option than to accept the reimbursement. Every if she rejected their offer and waived off the remaining repayments, her life will never be the same again. At least with the reimbursement, she could still see Junhong’s face even if he’s heart is no longer there, he’s body is still physically by her side. Unless they made changes to the finalized versions.

‘Tomorrow morning, 8 A.M., Miss Choi.’ Maya answered delightedly.

‘Have them delivery it first thing in the morning, I’ll see you guys at 8.’ Janet replies.

‘It’s all been arranged. I hope you have a great afternoon, Miss Choi. We hope to see you again.’

Life would be back together again, it may not be perfect but Janet’s willing to try. With an antivirus and debugging system installed this time, the same virus will not kill the same person again if its system has been armed against it. Janet is willing to take the chance to restore Junhong, to bring Junhong back to life.

Janet doesn’t want Junhong to see the state she’s in right now, for the first time in months she finally sees a need to clean up the place; a place for Junhong to live together with. Her life’s a mess; the house is a visual representation of her life. With Junhong, everything is perfect, in place, organized, flawless. Without Junhong, Janet lives in the depths of hell she sent herself to, the place is trash. But with this one time reimbursement, another chance to make things right again, Janet knows she has no time to waste, no more holding backs and second thoughts.

The line ended and so did her wait. The only thing that’s left to wait is for the delivery men to show up at her doorsteps tomorrow morning. She’ll be seeing Junhong’s face again.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter too. What do you think of the brand new finalized Squishy Series Zelo? hehehe.