-This is wrong and you know that. Come on, you have accomplished nothing during all these months of investigation, but you’re still so stubborn about all this.

The man shouted as both of them were coming up in the elevator that lead them to the third floor, where his apartment was. By the time they got into the front door of his flat, the man by his side, hadn’t stopped his ranting.

-It’s unethical and unprofessional, and-

-Yah! Shut up for one second! Aishhhm I can’t take any more of your rants! Ok? We’re almost in 22th century, stop with that antique morals and laws. Just shut up.

-Kwanghee…I know, and I’m sorry for screaming at you, it’s just that I can’t stand you living with him…

-Well, then stop screaming in front of our house, Hyungsik. You know I like you, and love you as my friend and colleague but…stop this.

-I’m sorry…It’s just that-

When Hyungsik was about to answer the flat’s door opened fully and a petite and skinny figure appeared from behind Kwanghee’s shoulder. Hyungsik swallowed saliva and looked to the side in embarrassment.

-Ah! Siwan! – Kwanghee smiled at him, but Siwan had his eyes glued on Hyungsik’s face.

-O-ok, I’m taking off, see you later, Kwanghee. Good bye. –Hyungsik nodded at the two men and disappear as the elevator closed its doors again.

Siwan’s cold eyes stared Hyungsik till he disappeared fully and then he looked at Kwanghee and blinked a couple of times. He entered the house and waited for Kwanghee to speak first.

-That was Hyungsik, you remember him, don’t you?

Siwan stared blankly at the roof, and after some seconds of thinking he answered:

-Park Hyungsik, friends with Kwanghee since birth, your partner at the lab, experimental physicist, graduated in 2079 with honors, lives in-

-Yah - Kwanghee said softly stopping his blabber- It’s not necessary to remember all that information, ok?

-Ok. –Siwan nodded.

Kwanghee sighed and sat on the couch. He looked around the house, it was shinny and clean, sure Siwan was the best on domestic’s housework, they don’t even need of those robot maids who are in trend right now.

Siwan, on the other side, turned his head fast as the oven made a sound. He walked to the kitchen and took a plate out of it. He held it tight and walked again to the living room. 

-I made a pie. – He said holding it on Kwanghee’s sight.

Kwanghee watched him a bit surprised and gave him a lovely look, he was cute when he did those things. Kwanghee had teach him how to use the oven. They could always ask for food or use one of those instantaneous food capsules, but he thought that the more human things Siwan did, the better. But then Kwanghee realized something, Siwan was holding the still hot as hell plate with his bare hands. He stood up with horror.

-Yah!!! You’re not supposed to hold it like that!

-Um? –Siwan titled his head.

-Doesn’t it feels weird to you, Siwan?

Siwan looked at him and answered with a low ´I don't know´. Kwanghee shooked his head.

- That thing burns your skin. –Kwanghee pointed the plate.- You must be feeling an…unpleasant sensation right now, Am I right?

-I don’t know what unpleasant means. – Siwan answered bluntly.

-Aish –Kwanghee tried to control himself, it was so hard for him to express in a way Siwan could understand what he meant.- It’s something that you don’t want to happen. When that thing happens you experiment an unpleasant feeling, something you want to disappear from the world. It could be a moment, or a long time, but you don’t want that thing. Do you understand?

Siwan looked at him a bit confused, and stayed still for a while. Then he showed some awareness on his eyes and walked to the nearest table and placed the plate over there. He watched his hands, they were red, some parts purple and he couldn’t move his fingers. Siwan nodded to the nothingness.

-Si…wan? –Kwanghee asked a bit worried at his reaction.

-I get it. This is what you call ‘Unpleasant’

-Actually, there’s another word to express the sensation on this kind of situation. It’s ‘Pain’.

-Pa..in? Pain. Pain. –Siwan muttered to himself.

-Ok, when you cut your finger the other day while making the salad what you felt on that moment, remember, it was pain. –Kwanghee explained to see if he could help Siwan understand a bit more.

Siwan nodded again. He closed his eyes. Kwanghee knew what he was doing, he was trying to remember, looking up for similar facts and situations on his data base. He was trying to understand. After a while, Siwan opened his eyes and stared at Kwanghee.

-When you leave for work, that is pain. When it’s 7 o’clock and you’re not here yet, that is pain. When I’m alone here, that is pain. When I see you when someone else, that is pain. When I see Hyungsik, that is pain. When Kwanghee is tired, that is pain. When Kwanghee doesn’t smile, that is pain. –Siwan ended his speech and nodded to himself again.

Kwanghee, on the other hand, was frozen. Speechless, soulless. He was stupefied. For the first time on the few moths he’s been living with this humanoid he could feel the ‘human side’ of him. That surprised him, and terrified him on the same way. He swallowed saliva. Siwan’s eyes were red, his body tensed and his hands fisted.

-Siwan, I think we need to do a check up on your body.

-Ok.

Siwan nodded and walked towards the room. The room Kwanghee used to call ‘Lab’. Siwan, as usual, didn’t understand what that mean, but he do know what he had to do. He sat on the stretcher and then laid on it. He blinked as Kwanghee put on his gloves and white apron. He knew he’ll be sleeping in matter of seconds.

Kwanghee watched Siwan’s calm face lying there and felt guilty. He knew he could be overreacting at the fact of having discovered some feelings starting to grow on Siwan, but he needed to check anyway.

 Kwanghee connected Siwan to his computer and suddenly various images and graphic tables appeared on the screens around him. He checked them one by one. Siwan’s pulse was ok. His vital signs were ok. Organs, ok. His brain. Kwanghee took a long time watching the screen showing Siwan’s brain waves. They were normal. No changes reflected. Kwanghee scratched his head and then something occurred on his mind. Stimulation.

Siwan’s body was a body after all. He knew he was aware of touching sensations. Kwanghee felt instantly bad for thinking about touching Siwan’s unmoving body, but anyway he though ‘I’m doing this for science’. ‘Yeah, science.’ His conscience repeated. He shooked his head and trembling he reached his hand to Siwan’s.

He held it slowly and then tight. Siwan was not moving at all. Kwanghee then looked at the screen and saw that nothing was happening. He sighed closing his eyes, and when he opened then back he saw something weird. The images were starting to move, really slow but they were moving. Waves were increasing, it was a small change, but a change after all. A sign Siwan was reacting to his stimulation. But Kwanghee needed more. He took away the hand holding Siwan’s and took it to his chin. He thought what he could do to make Siwan react strongly. Then Siwan’s words echoed on his head: ‘When I see Hyungsik…’ Kwanghee opened his eyes wide. It could be possible that Siwan was jealous of Hyungsik? He was confused but anyway decided to try it, for science.

Kwanghee coughed and feeling a bit too much stupid, he reached Siwan’s ear and softly whispered: ‘Siwan, Hyungsik is here’. A loud sound made him stand up rapidly. The computer was making loud noises and the images were dancing on the screen. Siwan’s brain waves were waving like an ocean under the influence of a tsunami on the screen. Kwanghee took his both hands to his mouth and had the urge to sit before collapsing.  

Desperately he took his phone and video-called Hyungsik.

-Hey, what’s wrong? – Hyungsik saw the desperation across his friend’s face.

-He reacts. Hyungsik, he is showing so much emotions right now. You…you… I can’t believe it.

-No way, you’re lying. – Hyungsik didn’t believe his words despite seeing him on that state.

-It’s true. Angriness, jealousy, pain, loneliness, greediness, desperation. He showed it all to me. Hyungsik, he is really a human.

-No, he is not. Ok? Kwanghee listen to me, ok? He is not a human, and never will be. For God’s sake you’re a man of Science, how could you think this is ok?

-I don’t know. I just feel it. I’m sorry, but I want to believe he is feeling things for real. All my work, all my teaching has not been worthless. He finally understands.

-This is madness, I’m going right now to your home! – Hyungsik yelled at the phone.

-No way. You better not come here, his brain waves’ just showed me how much he hates you.

-What-t?

-You’ve heard. Now, I’ll deal with this myself, I’ll call you tomorrow.

Kwanghee hung the phone and looked at Siwan. He was still lying there helpless waiting to be disconnected. Kwanghee sighed and looked once again the screens. He was reacting, he was not dreaming this. Kwanghee disconnected the program and Siwan’s eyes opened slowly. He stood uo his back and sat rapidly. His short legs hanging out the stretcher unable to reach the floor. Kwanghee looked at him and with no further notice Siwan’s eyes watered and started a waterfall on his expressionless face. Kwanghee panicked at seeing Siwan’s non stopping crying, it was the first time he did that and his face seemed unused to it. Siwan didn’t mind to wash his tears, he didn’t even know what his body was doing, but he did know he wanted all that water out of his system.

-What’s this?

-This is call ‘tears’, Siwan.

-It’s unpleasant.- He said looking at his wet hands and clothes.

-I know it is.

-Why is this happening?

-What do you think? – Kwanghee asked unsure of what he was expecting to hear.

-It started when I saw your face.....  When I don’t see your face, that is pain. – Siwan answered as the last tear rolled down his cheek.

Kwanghee felt a cold breeze embracing his self. What was that?  Is this human or robot or whatever it is, making him lose his right mind? He saw Siwan’s shinny eyes and they were saying so many things. Things Siwan didn’t know how to put in words, but he saw them all. Kwanghee didn’t doubt a second more and walked the three steps separating the stretcher from him to slowly wrap his arms around Siwan’s fragile self. He held him tight and awkwardly for some seconds and then Siwan moved his arms doing the same. They stayed hugging like that on the deep silence of the Lab.

-Kwanghee…

-Um?

-What’s the opposite of unpleasant?

Kwanghee chuckled and held Siwan’s body tighter. Siwan got confused by Kwanghee’s actions but stayed still feeling with his body and soul that un-unpleasant sensation.

END.

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Hi, I'm back with this weird Sikwang. I really don't know what is this, but I really like it. Sorry if it was confusing or senseless at some parts. Anyway, I hope you like it and leave reviews c: 

Thanks for reading.