The elevator stops at the floor, and Kyungsoo steps out into a calm blue room. There are no chairs, only a man standing stiffly. ‘Pass the test and you get to see Jongin.’ He said.

‘What is your name?’ Kyungsoo asks. The tall man just gives him an ice glare. Kyungsoo is happy however. He can tell this man is not a sadist like Luhan, he is just indifferent. Indifferent is good. Indifferent means that if he kills this man in the future he won’t remember I will always have the blood of Luhan on my hands. He will forget like he has sent a car to the skip. Kyungsoo wouldn’t have dreamed of killing someone a few hours ago. But now, he knows he has killed before. He can remember their names. Insignificant names, but there nonetheless. And he knows he can kill again.

He enters the white room, ready for the test but his heart still tightens in anticipation and anger. He has no idea why the anger is there. He had always had anger bouts, since he can remember.

The ground opens up beneath him and he darts to the side, his sneakers not making a noise. He hasn’t moved, so how did he dodge it? Almost as if the ground moved for him. A shard of metal shoots its way towards him, but his memory starts to come back again and he uproots the white floor, the metal appears an inch away from his nose as it slides through the earth with difficulty. Now the brown hole seems a strange contrast to the white of the surroundings. He is ready to fight again when a yellow gas shrouds the room and he feels his lungs cave in, and he chokes on his own vomit.

When he wakes up, he is drowsy and cannot comprehend the concerned face above him. His dazed mind clears and he sees it is Jongin, the icy cold Jongin who in this building becomes the nicest one.

Kyungsoo can feel himself hardening as he remembers their relationship.

‘You abandoned me.’ Accuses Jongin.

Kyungsoo places a hand round Jongin’s neck and shoves him to the wall. He remembers Jongin can only teleport if no-one holds onto him.

He can see Jongin struggle. This morning he was full of compassion, but now he has none.

He hates Jongin. For having compassion.

Jongin hasn’t been through what he’s been through. That is the only reason the compassion is left. His hand sags as even through the haze of jealousy, he still loves Jongin.

Jongin coughs on the ground. ‘I see after yesterday that you’re still the same.’

‘Always acting the hurt puppy. I see you are still the same too.’ Kyungsoo’s voice has a steel edge as Jongin looks up with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

‘I let you choke me, you know that?’

‘I would have killed you.’

‘No, you wouldn’t.’

They both know it. Kyungsoo’s one weakness is Jongin. He opted for go to get rid of his weakness but only a few months later, here he is again because of the same weakness. Back to Square 1.

Jongin acts like Luhan, he learnt from Luhan. But in the end he is different. Jongin is the one most human person here. He is also a dreamer. Humans are dreamers.

‘I’m surprised I haven’t died yet. God knows, I haven’t been mass produced like you yet.’ Jongin sniggers.

Mass produced to mine and make and fight. Kyungsoo is the worker, he is the essential, primitive worker. Thousands in the ‘neglected’ plains of Russia, in the Sahara desert. The secret that a rehabilitation machine was kept secret. People don’t question where the food comes from in the good times. People don’t question the humanity of the workers.

‘I’m going to be tested more here.’ Kyungsoo knew.

‘Yes. Just to make sure your copies don’t have a rebellious outburst.’

‘That will only happen if they manufacture you.’ The one weakness. Jongin’s eyes flashed with sadness.

‘They’ll kill me soon, you know that?’

‘The minute I got chosen for mass producing I knew that.’ Kyungsoo felt his heart starting to break as tears started from Jongin’s eyes.

‘It was between us.’ Kyungsoo whispered while holding Jongin ‘I’m just lucky they chose me.’

‘I’m going to get out of here.’ Jongin had nothing to lose, he was going to die anyway.

‘I know.’ Kyungsoo knew he wasn’t. You only went if they wanted you to go. Kyungsoo only came back because they wanted him to come back, because they were toying with him.

 

 

 

A day later, Jongin tried to escape. He was caught and chained.

 

 

Kyungsoo visited him.

‘I told you.’ Were the three simple words before Kyungsoo walked away. He did truly love Jongin, but he was also sensible enough to know the efforts were futile.

 

 

 

 

Three days later, Jongin was killed.

 

 

Kyungsoo didn’t rebel. He knew if he did all that would happen is he would get killed, and his clones would get killed for having a default.

No matter what people say, love doesn’t overcome fear. Kyungsoo closed his eyes to the world and switched off. He wasn’t needed anymore. He didn’t even regret anything. It was futile. They would have never let him go. It proved they didn’t need him any more when they killed Jongin. Kyungsoo knew his whole life had been carefully and experimentally controlled, but right now he couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

He hoped there was no afterlife for creatures like Jongin and himself. Because then that would mean there was an afterlife for the people who made them like this. The rage burned low in his gut, then threatened to engulf him.

 

Luhan turned Kyungsoo’s heart off and stood back while Kyungsoo closed his eyes. He brought out his latest game and started Level One.