"Does your uncle know he's an artificial?" Yixing asked one day completely our of the blue. Minseok was a little bit rattled. He had assumed it for a while now but had never brought it up. He didn't know how to. Would his uncle even be aware if he asked him?

 

"How... did you know?" He asked. 

 

"How would I know?" Yixing scoffed. He was starting to get annoying the way he was becoming so assertive. 

 

"You must have felt. Well, why bring it up now? It's been a year." Should have been old news to Yixing by now. 

 

"I didn't know if we could use him. He didn't help us much yet. Doesn't seem to know the ancient language but I bet he would if we made him self aware." Yixing explained as if he had experience with this sort of thing. 

 

"And how do we make him self aware? Should we just flat out tell him?"

 

*

 

Jonathan was an excellent cook. But of course he would be. He was made to be perfect. Yixing would often watch him cook. Pots and pans on all burners of the stove. Not a drop of sweat. He was so intriguing since there was no emotion coming from him at all. No joy or frustration. It was very strange. And he looked like Minseok. In an older, more rugged way. Like if Minseok would grow out his hair. That was also very strange. How could they look so much alike? Unless Minseok's dad had fashioned Jonathan to look similar to himself. 

 

Yixing thought Minseok couldn't see it. He debated telling him that too. It was weirdly funny how Minseok held so many pieces to their puzzle right under his nose, but couldn't see it for himself. 

 

"So, what do you think about artificials?" Minseok started cautiously. Yixing laughed softly. The guy was being too subtle. 

 

"Me?" Jonathan looked up from his meal. "Well, I've never used them but maybe that's because I'm such a self sufficient bachelor." He chuckled. "What's the question about?"

 

"Oh, just like um.. if somebody was an artificial and they didn't know. Yixing stop laughing." He snapped. Yixing couldn't help it. It was just too weird to see Minseok tiptoe around the subject with the man who was the actual robot. 

 

"Sorry, Min. Just tell him. He won't get mad." Yixing turned to Jonathan. "Jonathan, you are an artificial."

 

Jonathan blinked a couple times and cocked his head before saying: "Yes. I guess I am. It's odd that I haven't thought of it until just now, right?"

 

Minseok looked at Yixing then back at his uncle. "Yeah, really odd. But now that you know, maybe you can tell us more about the book and the mirror?"

 

Jonathan seemed to think for a moment then shook his head. "Nope. Nothing is coming to mind."

 

"Maybe that's not how it works." Yixing hopped off his chair to retrieve the book and mirror from the living room. He held them out toward Jonathan. "What do we do with these? Can you read this language? Can you teach us to use the mirror properly to communicate?"

 

"Woah, one question at a time." Jonathan held up his hand. Maybe I can read the book if you give me the proper command to, but the mirrors can only be used by you. How do I know that?" He muttered. 

 

"Mirrors? There are more like this?" Minseok asked excitedly. Jonathan got up from his seat and they followed him back to the living room. He grabbed the fireplace poker and stabbed it toward the ceiling. There was a ripping sound as pieces of coloured cardboard fell on them. 

 

"Be careful." Jonathan held out his arm and hooked the poker into the exposed hole. More pieces of ceiling fell and they were shocked at what they saw through the gaping area that stretched along the part that was opened. Mirrors. Not one but several. And probably more on the rest of the ceiling. 

 

"Who would hide these here?" Minseok wondered aloud. 

 

"Probably someone who was trying to keep you from finding them." Yixing answered. 

 

"Minseok's father, Russell." Jonathan added. "And it wasn't to hide them from Minseok, but to keep Minseok from being found."

 

The two young men looked at eachother knowing it was too late. They had already been found.