PROLOGUE

Jeon Jungkook had a friend, Kim Seokjin, five years older than him. The boy was well out of college- Jungkook was in his third year. Kim Seokjin was some computer geek, a science whiz, and he explained things to Jungkook that Jungkook could never understand. Even in the most simple form, the most simple words Seokjin could think of, Jungkook could never catch on.

Jungkook especially didn't understand when Seokjin brought home a boy called Park Jimin and began to explain the mechanics of him.

"This is Jimin. Park Jimin." Seokjin said, calmly gesturing the brunette boy forward. Jimin took a step forward, bowed, and held out his hand for Jungkook to shake, presumably. But when Jungkook lay his palm against Jimin's, the brunette boy kissed his knuckles, each one, soft and slow. Jungkook looked at Seokjin in confusion as he did.

"Jimin is a robot. Kind of. He's a computer-generated person." Seokjin said, and Jimin lifted himself to full height, nodding. Behind him and somewhat out-of-view, Seokjin continued on. "He has a metal heart that acts just like a human heart, only it's pumping gas through little pipes in Jimin's body instead of blood through veins. His eyes aren't real, but they look great, don't they? And he can see everything just like a normal human does, maybe a little better than the average.

"His hair is real. It's donated hair. Pretty, huh?" Seokjin asked. Jimin tilted his head down towards Jungkook, most likely so Jungkook could touch it. And while Jungkook was very confused, he wasn't necessarily disturbed, so he did. He ran his fingers through Jimin's brown hair. (It was very soft.)

"He's going to live with you." Seokjin said. Jimin lifted himself to full height and, once again, nodded as he smiled. His fingers were still wrapped up in Jungkook's- Jungkook just noticed. "I made Jimin for you. He knows a lot about you already; he's programmed to love you."

"You... you programmed a robot to be my boyfriend." Jungkook said, just to make sure he was getting it right. Seokjin nodded, all eager and happy, and Jimin nodded, too, looking even more eager than Seokjin. Jungkook stared at the two of them for a long time, looking from Seokjin to Jimin to Seokjin to Jimin until he'd been staring for five minutes and Seokjin was starting to look more nervous than happy.

"Jungkook, you always say you don't like marriage and that you never want to live with anyone and you're just- you're so against people, so I thought I would get you- well, make you someone that you would love. I know it's kind of a ty thing to do but I just- you're my best friend and I don't want you to be alone when all of your friends are settled with wives and kids and- and it was a really nice way to practice what I've learned, I-I've been working with Jimin for months and I only found a few glitches-"

"I'll keep him!" Jungkook said, and Jimin made a happy sound in the back of his throat at the same time the tension bled out of Seokjin's shoulders. Jungkook kind of smiled, but not really, because this was a lot to take in in just five minutes. "I'll keep him if you just stop talking, okay, hyung? Thank you for... for the boyfriend, and I'll... let you know if anything goes wrong, I guess."

"Okay." Seokjin smiled. He left the room quietly, and Jimin turned to Jungkook, all smiley and jittery. He had both of Jungkook's hands, now, and he was just staring, smiling so wide Jungkook kind of wondered if it was hurting him.

Jungkook opened his mouth to say something, but Jimin beat him to it. "So, I'm Park Jimin, and I'm going to be your boyfriend. That's what Jin told me. He also told me that it would take a while for you to get used to me and that I can't be your boyfriend right now because human brains don't work the same as metal brains so I'll wait for you."

"Oh," Jungkook said, because he wasn't sure what else to say. He searched for words, for something, anything, but the only thing that came to mind was how badly he wanted his hands free of Jimin's palms.

"And Jin told me that you would be nervous for a little while, because you're always worried that people won't like you, but you don't have to worry, Jungkook, because I already love you." Jimin squeezed his hands. "He also told me that you're supposed to call me hyung because I guess I'm older than you or something, and that you shouldn't argue because he programmed me to always be two years older than you, no matter how old you get."

"You age?" Jungkook asked.

"Well, not physically." Jimin said. "But my heart will age. And I'll eventually die, but only because of old age. I'll either die before you or when you do, because I'm also programmed to die of heartbreak. But that's good, because then I won't have to live without you."

"That's actually kind of... terrible- Jin really programmed you like that?" Jungkook asked. "He thought of that? He must have worked on your for a long time, huh? Or planned for a long time."

"He spent two whole years working on me." Jimin said. "That's where he came up with the idea to program me as two years older than you. That's the last feature he added- my age."

"He..." Jungkook chuckled. "Seokjin's really something, isn't he?"

"He cares lots about you." Jimin said. "He told me that when he was attaching my arm. He only wants you to be happy, and that's why he fed me memories of you and made me love you."

"That's..." Jungkook couldn't find the words.

"I think that's love." Jimin said. "Maybe he loves you as much as I do."

"Maybe," Jungkook whispered, but he doubted that. Seokjin had always been so concerned about who Jungkook fell in love with and how he fell in love that Jungkook didn't think Seokjin would've had time to fall in love himself. Through his entire life, Jungkook had never been with another person, had never kissed someone, had never properly held someone's hand. And, if things went according to Seokjin's plan, Jungkook now had someone to do all that with.

"Jin said you've never done anything like this before," Jimin said and- that's funny, I was just thinking about that. "He said that you would be clumsy, so I'll make sure to catch you if you fall!"

Jungkook nearly choked.