Hongbin stared at the glittering sky for a while longer. To him, they were tiny lights that were watching over his every move. It was as if they were keeping his fate in check.

Suddenly, he heard a gunshot in the distance.

He ran back inside the lab and shouted, "N, scan the area for incoming intruders!"

The elder cyborg did just as he was told and then said, "They're agents belonging to the government."

Everyone looked at N in disarray. 

There was another gunshot. This time, it was much closer.

"All right, guys!" Hongbin panicked. "We need to evacuate imme-"

Before he could finish, an agent in black rushed through the lab door and grabbed the surprised Youngji by the shoulder, and he plunged a needle into the back of her neck with a cyborg analysis reader hooked onto it.

"NO!" Hongbin screamed, and he lunged toward the agent, but was kicked aside with brute, unrelenting force.

"You know that cyborgs not created by the government are illegal, right?" the agent asked. "How could a child like you know how to make such creations?"

"I'm..." Hongbin started while getting up from the cold metal floor. "I'm the scientist, Lee Hongbin. This happened before, and I won't let it happen again..."

"Lee...Hongbin?" the agent asked as if he was reminiscing. "Wait...there was another scientist with the same exact name 100 years ago."

"I'm the same person."

"What!?" the agent let go of Youngji and took a step back. She fell into Hongbin's arms and he hugged her tightly while staring down at the agent who broke into his own lab.

"What kind of nonsense if this?" the agent asked. "I...I don't believe you! But if that were the case, then the 5 other cyborgs you have beside you...They're all illegal! Are you a cyborg, too?"

"No, I was simply brought back to this world for a purpose."

"And what purpose would that be?" the agent grabbed his gun and pointed it at Hongbin.

"To live with the people I love!" 

The agent laughed hysterically and said, "They're not people, they're cyborgs! Tools for people! They're not complete beings! They're robots pretending to be human!"

Hongbin noticed the mood tense incredibly. The cyborgs looked distraght and Youngji was crying.

She stood up and murmured, "You don't know a single thing about us..."

The agent laughed again and shouted, "Why would I understand!? I'm human, after all!"

"I am, too! I used to be a cyborg and I understand that you don't need to be human to understand feelings or memories. Even if cyborgs aren't completely human, that doesn't mean they don't understand what it's like to live!" She pointed a finger at him and shouted, "You're the one who doesn't get the meaning of life! You only see cyborgs as tools!"

It was then that Hongbin realized what he needed to do: protect the ones he loved dearly, the ones who have been with him from the very beginning. 

"I'll go with you," Hongbin said to the agent, "but you need to leave the others alone. I created them, and they haven't done anything wrong."

"Hm..." the agent seemed to be thinking to himself, then he said, "OK, I'll accept your deal."

"Hongbin, what-" Youngji started, but Hongbin squeezed her hand softly. He whispered, "It'll be fine. Trust in me."

As Hongbin walked away with the agent, the agent suddenly pulled out his pistol and fired a shot into the ground. The cyborgs and Youngji shouted in panic, and Hongbin jumped away from the agent.

"You thought I would fall for that trick!?" 

The agent brought the gun's barrel to Hongbin's forehead and muttered, "I'll take your life first, and then I'll use these cyborgs for the government, and no one will stop them...or me!"

Hongbin smiled and said, "Too late for you...and for me."

"Huh?"

Hongbin hit a red button on the wall behind him and multiple tasers stabbed into the agent, and he instinctively fired his gun, and blood spattered from Hongbin's forehead before he fell to the ground and became limp.

"HONGBIN!" Youngji cried and ran toward him. The other cyborgs followed as well, speechless at the lightning-fast instincts between their creator and the agent.

Youngji put Hongbin's head into her lap. She didn't seem to mind the blood flowing onto the floor. Tears slipped from her eyes like crystal water as she croaked, "I don't feel a pulse."

Their creator died, just like 100 years ago, in order to protect the ones he loved so very much.