All I hear is a continuous piercing pulse completely overpowering the thoughts in my head. I open my eyes realizing that I'm immobile and incapable of moving my limbs; laying on an operating table. Blinding beams of light hinder my vision as all I can see is white.

 

Suddenly through the piercing pulse clouding my brain I hear loud clacking noises, like that from a pair of heels. The noise grows louder and more strident. I can finally decipher that the noise is indeed from a pair of heels as a woman enters the room. She is wearing a white lab coat with a grey business suit underneath. She turns around and I gasp.

 

"Umma!" I excitedly exclaim. Looking around the oddly lit room, I see large complex looking instruments. I mentally make a note that there's a high possibility that I've been through a mysterious procedure as I've just gain conscious in such a place. Relief washes over me as I see my eomeoni standing before me to help me escape from this peculiar situation. But, she stares at me unemotionally and looks down at her clipboard.

"Subject 0229 you must refer to me as Dr Kim," she instructs while writing something down.

 

I'm astounded over what I am hearing. Am I hearing things correctly? After waking up on an operating table to find my eomeoni in an unknown place telling me to call her Dr Kim. My head continues to pound so much that it all just feels surreal and I become aware of my toes and fingers tingling.
"You should be able to move your body as the medication should be worn off by now," she states monotonously, her words interrupting my thoughts.

I slowly lift my arm and position myself up on the bed to face this now unfamiliar woman who I've known my whole life as my eomeoni. My last memories before I found myself in this place seep through the slowly lifting fog. I was at home in my room messaging Minseok oppa. How did I get here?

 

"I brought you here," My umma states. I'm absolutely baffled by her statement and nothing is making sense. I ask myself 'Why am I here?' 'Where am I?' 'Why does my head hurt so much?'. I have so many questions but my mind can't take it.
"Subject 0229, you must call me Dr Kim," umma snapped. "I can answer your questions as you do have the right to know why you're here, where you are and why your head hurts." umma explained. My mouth agape as my umma had just told me that she'll answer all my questions. The scary part is that I didn't even say one word aloud. It's just as if she's heard my thoughts.

 

---

Dr Kim stares intently at her daughter hoping for the results she's been waiting for. Numerous thoughts pass through the eomeonis head. She hopes that her daughter will develop properly and unite with the others of their kind. Although that can't happen yet until she sees results. Nothing. No developments yet. Dr Kim decides to give her daughter some time to prove to her that she has become one of her kind. She decides that maybe explaining her daughter's situation might spark something and she'll get the results she has been waiting for. Dr Kim has faith that her daughter will do her proud.

---

 

I notice my umma spacing out and clear my throat. My umma looks at me expectantly then frowns when I asked her how she knew all the questions I was going to ask.

"Subject 0229, I'm getting impatient. You must stop messing around with me as I need to get results as soon as possible," Dr Kim bellows.

"Umma, what's going on? Please stop getting mad. I have no idea what's happening here. Please explain to me what's happening. Anything, really, I'm absolutely confused," I plead.

 

"Subject 0229, that's the point. I shouldn't need to explain to you about anything as you should be capable of finding everything out yourself," my umma retorted. "You want answers? Fine then! Right now you are not giving me any results. You should be able to comprehend what's happening telepathically. Yes, you heard me right. You are Subject 0229. You are the 229th experiment. I am Dr Kim, also known as Subject 0007. Every Subject receives the ability to mind read and has a special memory chip inserted in their brain for information storage. Your head hurts because you have just completed the operation where you've had a memory chip inserted in your brain. Why are you here? You're here because this is the new law. You're now old enough to get the operation done and become successful like me. We are the future. Knowledge is power. This is what separates us from the others. Others don't have a chance of any future. Some Subjects are doctors and scientists. I know I want the best for you. I did this for you," my umma explained.

 

I'm utterly speechless. So I have just completed a procedure that basically changes the way I think? How come I feel exactly the same besides being confused? So now I'm another Subject? Am I no longer a normal person? Why is none of this making sense? I look up at my eomeoni to see her glancing at her watch every few seconds and pacing in panic mumbling to herself that she had to report back ten minutes ago.

 

Suddenly, the door swings open revealing another person in a white lab coat with a clipboard. This time it is an older man who I don't recognise.

"Subject 0001!" Dr Kim exclaims, immediately bowing ninety degrees showing full respect to the elder.

"Subject 0007, why have you not reported back to me about Subject 0229?" the man gestures towards me.

"Sorry, I was just about to report back after checking twice over Subject 0229's results." Dr Kim stammers nervously.

 

The elderly man stares me in the eyes for a whole three seconds and sighs while writing something down on his clipboard shaking his head.

"No! Give her time! She'll give results!" my eomeoni screamed suddenly as two men entered the room and gripped an arm each to drag me away.

As I pass the elder I see his clipboard. 'Subject 0229: FAILURE'. A tear rolls down my cheek as I ask one of the men where I'll be taken.

He looks at me solemnly as a chill runs down my spine as he replies "Where the normal ones go..."