Zelo’s voice, I never heard it again.

He never spoke to me again.

‘Junhong-ah! Junhong, don’t leave me again.’ Janet sobbed, holding on tight to his cold shoulders. She didn’t dare to look up. She was too scared to witness history repeat itself again, losing Junhong all over again. Her tears hit Junhong’s thighs hard, resonances rebound off his hollow plastic thighs. Amongst her faint cries, she could still hear his gears churning, air pump working; it was a sign that Junhong was still living. Slowly she lifted her head up to meet his eyes. They were turquoise blue. Junhong survived.

Janet wrapped her arms around his neck, tears of joys overflowing from her lids. Junhong is back. Junhong is back for good by her side. ‘Junhong-ah, I missed you so much.’ She squeezed him tight, never wanting to let go of him again. But Junhong just sat still, he didn’t move nor did he say a word. Feeling like a fool, Janet kneels down in front on Junhong, trying to figure out what’s wrong with him. His lips moved, but they uttered no sound. His face emotionless, he seemed to struggle with breathing, his lips kept moving but Janet doesn’t know what he’s trying to say. She panicked. Just when she thought everything’s back to normal, reality slaps Janet’s hard in the face again.

‘Junhong-ah, listen to me. Relax Junhong-ah. Everything’s gonna be okay.’ Her voice was hoarse from crying and worry. She rubbed Junhong’s back, to calm him down. He turned around to look at her pale and worried face; his lips moved again. Trying to say something but nothing comes out of his mouth. He turned around in disappointment, trying to get his air pressures back to normal. Janet’s heart sank to the bottom, she was confused. Her intuition tells her the man before her is indeed Junhong, he’s back but she couldn’t understand why he is behaving this way. Why is he now mute? Why doesn’t he do the things he used to do? What happened to his smile? His love for her seemed to be lengthened by a greater gap that now cannot be closed. 

What happened to a second chance to make things right again?

Janet sat down on the sofa, trying to figure out why things turned out this way. Is this the so called punishment she has to face for not cherishing Junhong when he was all good and well? Sometimes, pride and ego can cause us to take things for granted but to only realize its importance when its gone for good. Janet lets out a long sigh; she doesn’t know what to do anymore. She needs to go to work in another 3 hours, she hasn’t slept much, and she hasn’t been eating well. She’s tired from all the cleaning and researching. Her stomach growled.

The silent and broken Junhong slowly got up and walked to the kitchen. Putting on the apron he always wears, he starts making breakfast for his hungry Master. Silently, he does his thing just like how Janet used to program Junhong.

Is he Junhong? He definitely is. Janet nods. He knows me too well. He knows what to do without me having to tell him what to do. Right? He’s Junhong right? Janet tries to psycho herself that he’s Junhong. Even though he’s back, something is missing. Janet still feels the void in her heart, the emptiness that only the old Junhong could make it full & whole again. The aroma of the grilling bacon fills her nostrils, her stomach grumbles to be fed. She turns around to see this grey haired tall male, cooking breakfast in his bunny boxers and apron. Janet smiles, just like how he was when she first bought him, the 2^nd day she programmed him it was the same scene she saw in the kitchen. The only difference was that she was no longer shy or shocked by the fact that Junhong is only wearing a pair of boxers, she felt kind of loved this time even though she’s a little lost. But this is love, love that only Junhong would give.

He plates up the scramble eggs, bacons and sautéed mushrooms & tomatos on dish and brings it to the dinner table, placing them where Janet usually sits. He proceeds back into the kitchen to wash up the frying pan, bowls and utensils. The smell of his cooked breakfast moves Janet’s feet to the dining table, she sits down at her usual spot looking at the plate; a heart shaped toast with strawberry jam, scrambled eggs cooked to perfection, bacons and sautéed mushroom & tomatoes just the way she likes them. Tears started to stream down her cheeks again. She picks up the fork and knife carefully savoring every piece of scrambled eggs and mushroom. Junhong finishes up with his washing and sits beside Janet. He didn’t say a word; all he did was watch her eat. He wanted to move his arms but he couldn’t. He wanted to say something but nothing was coming out. His head dropped low.

Janet had finished everything on the plate except for the toast. She couldn’t bring herself to cut the heart shaped toast. She couldn’t bring herself to eat this. She looked up at Junhong with full of food; she mumbled ‘You’re Junhong right? You still love me right?’ She cried but Junhong could only sit there with a sad expression on his face, his lips moved but Janet’s vision was blurry, she couldn’t read what he’s trying to say. She didn’t know if Junhong is speaking in English or Korean. She couldn’t understand or read Korean at all. She was frustrated with herself. ‘Say something Junhong… SAY SOMETHING PLEASE.’ She begged but Junhong just sit there, shaking his head with a sad expression, his breathing was weird again as though he was crying.

‘I’m sorry, Junhong. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I just…’ Janet’s heart was hurting. She didn’t want to hurt Junhong again. She just couldn’t grab hold of the situation; she doesn’t know how to deal with a broken Junhong again. She was equally as broken on the inside; the part of her that she was hiding, her weakness. Junhong was her not only her strength but also her only weakness. If both her strength & weakness were at lost, she’s got nothing to put her together back in place. ‘I just need some time alone.’ Janet apologized. She didn’t want Junhong to see her break down, nor does she want to see a sad Junhong. It was too much to take. She returned to the room and turned the locks, stumbled to bed & cried her heart out into the freshly made bedsheets, soaked once again.

Junhong doesn’t know what to do. He picks up her plate and chucks the heart shaped toast into the bin. He doesn’t know how to tell Janet he’s the same out Junhong. He was broken inside, again & again. But he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t express himself. He couldn’t tell Janet how he felt; he couldn’t show his feelings because Robots are not supposed to have feelings, they are just robots & not humans. It was the after effect of the virus. Even if one survives after a virus attack there would be parts that can never be the same again, there would always be a permanent alteration just like any normal human system. It was an absolute law that had to be followed, in order for Junhong to survive he had to act like a robot, he had to know where he stand. No voice to speak of feelings, no physical contact to display affection. The eyes of the NID would always be watching over him.

His reincarnation was simply a test; a test of love. When he’s given a chance to live life as Choi Junhong again, he has to fulfill the criteria to be with the one he loves. Whether or not, his Master will continue to love him as he is, no matter what he becomes is the ultimate test that ultimately boils down to Janet’s decisions, Janet’s heart. From the beginning to the start, his life and death has always been in Janet’s hands, never his. Junhong is just a robot, a human’s technology, a human’s creation.

Junhong sits outside her bedroom door, hearing his beloved Master cry for the second time. The first time before he died, the second time when he returned back into her life. He doesn’t know that his existence could bring so much pain to Janet, he could feel his system was running haywire, it was overheating, he was breaking up inside. Junhong hates it when Janet is sad because he makes sad as well. Junhong starts to wonder if Janet is better off without Junhong. Maybe Junhong shouldn’t even exist at all. Patiently, he waits. He waits for the woman he loves, the master he loves to come out of her room, her misery. The face he missed; her smile, her scent, her happy hormones.

Will Janet’s heart still remain the same?

Will Janet still love Junhong even if he’s no longer the same?

Junhong will always wait for Janet’s answer.

Junhong’s heart will never change.

Junhong’s life depends on Janet.

A/N: Sorry for the late update! Leave you comments & tell me what do you think? :D