#mx au

    Hyungwon lifted you up off the floor, setting you down on the couch. Your vision was fading in and out, but you were desperately trying to grab onto Hyungwon. You wanted answers, you wanted to understand what was happening. He merely took your hand, squeezing it tight.

“Relax. I know you have a lot of questions, and I’ll answer them when the time is right.”

“… you… lied…”

“Sh, we’ll get to that later. Let me go fix the power, you stay here and relax.”

    Hyungwon pulled out a case with his wireless earbuds, putting them on you. A soothing melody soon filled your ears and began to calm down despite the situation. You didn’t know how or why that worked, but it did. Hyungwon watched you for a moment, petting your head.

“I am a programmer, just not for computers.” He kissed your head. “I’ll be right back.”

    You vaguely felt something cold around your neck, knowing it was Chae again. You thought you’d be electrocuted again, but since nothing happened you figured he was just monitoring your vitals. Hyungwon eventually disappeared from view, and you were left alone. You had no sense of time anymore, but doing your best to stay conscious despite feeling exhausted. You didn’t know what would happen next, but you just wanted to get out of this. 

♥♥♥♥♥

“Y/n…”

    Changkyun was surprised to get a call from you, for the most part you texted. Still, he answered, but he got nothing from you, instead the call was immediately disconnected, and there was no follow up text to explain the call. It worried him, and he just had to check in on you. He wanted an excuse to do so for a while now, so he made his way to your place. He rang the doorbell, only to realize it was off, and when he tried the door he found it open. Now he was very worried, carefully opening the door and stepping in.

“Y/n…”

    The house was eerily quiet. There was a possibility you were out, but you preferred being home, especially since you were recovering. As he made his way in he became aware of the body on the couch, although before he could say anything he saw an orb flying straight at him. He brought his hands up to protect himself, seeing the orb wrap around his wrist, and then he screamed from the electricity. Changkyun collapsed to his knees, having a moment to breathe in before another wave of electricity hit him.

“Fuck!” Changkyun spoke through grit teeth. “Code black… 0024…”

    The wristband snapped off and collapsed to the floor, returning to its original shape and blinking a few times before shutting down. Changkyun took a few deep breaths before going over to you. He could see you were not all there, taking out the earbuds.

“Y/n… y/n, are you okay?”

“Chang… what… how…”

“What happened? You called and-”

“Chae… Chae he…”

“Out of commission. What-”

“Leave… we have to… leave… Hyungwon…”

“What? Y/n, I-”

“Please…”

“Okay, okay, can you walk?”

“Uh…”

“It’s okay, I got you.”

    Changkyun helped you to your feet, having you wrap an arm around him. You managed a few steps but it was clear you couldn’t walk. He didn’t hesitate to pick you up in his arms, getting you out of the house. He had many questions but he wanted to make sure you were alright first. He got you into the passenger seat of his car, glancing back at the house for a moment before driving off. You were grabbing your head, trying to regain your senses.

“Y/n, what happened?”

“A lot…”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Uh… your place… he doesn’t know you…”

“Okay, I can do that.”

    The drive was silent, and Changkyun kept an eye out to make sure you guys weren’t being followed. He got into the parking garage for his building without issue.

“How are you feeling?”

“Weird… my head… but I am better…”

“Good. Let’s get you to my apartment.”

    Changkyun helped you out of the car. You could walk a bit better than before, you still leaned against him for support, but you stayed on your feet the whole way before collapsing on his couch. He got you some water, helping you drink since you still hadn’t regained your strength.

“You good?”

“Why… why did you show up?”

“You called, but… you didn’t answer… I was worried.”

“Thanks.”

“So, what happened?”

“I’m not entirely sure…”

“Well, can you start by telling me why you had that AI with you? Didn’t you return it?”

“Kinda… Chae snuck out to be with me…”

“And you didn’t say anything!?”

“Not like NexGen kept a good eye on its assets.”

“Still, you know he shouldn’t have been with you.”

“I know… we just wanted a proper goodbye… except he didn’t want to leave me… I tried calling you but he… attacked me…”

“Yeah. I was attacked too, I had to use the reset protocol.”

“The what! You reset him!”

“I had to!”

“You… you… no…” You took a deep breath. “A copy of his code exists in NexGen… he’s not entirely dead… if that was truly him…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Chae… I think he was hacked…”

“Hacked? By who? Only a handful of people know he exists.”

“Hyungwon…”

“You told him!”

“Not by choice! Chae revealed himself to him and… he was working with Hyungwon… they attacked me…”

“Your boyfriend… hacked Chae… once he learned about him?”

“Maybe… could have happened before… Chae did set us up…”

“That… that’s kinda weird…”

“I feel so stupid. He was too perfect to not have some ulterior motive.”

“You can’t blame yourself over something like this.”

“He was just using me to get intel from NexGen.”

“You don’t know that.”

“What other reason does he have to be with me? He attacked me today. Either way I need to check my access history, see what information he got his hands on.”

“Your credentials don’t have access to NexGen servers anymore.”

“We were dating for a long while before I was kicked out. Do you think you can pull up my history?”

“I should be able to. Just give me a few minutes.”

“Thanks.”

    You were starting to feel better, although your stomach growled, reminding you that you hadn’t eaten yet. You managed to get up, heading over to the kitchen and seeing if you could find something to eat. It had been a while since you were at Changkyun’s place, but he still kept his snacks in the usual place. He came over to check on you after a while.

“You seem better.”

“I am feeling better, still a little dizzy, but it’s fine.”

“You want me to order something? You could probably use some real food.”

“That’d be nice.”

“Your favorite?”

“Yes, please.”

“Alright. But I do have to say… shouldn’t we call the police here?”

“We can’t. We’d expose Chae and we have enough problems as it is right now.”

“Right.”

“So, how’s it going on your end?”

“Good. I’ve accessed your credential records, going back a few months. I figured it’s best you look them over, since you’d be able to tell what’s out of the ordinary.”

“Right.”

“After you get some food in you.”

“Okay.”

    Changkyun ordered some food and the two of you sat down to eat. It was a nice quiet moment, making you wish the circumstances were different. After eating you sat down with Changkyun at his home work station. You started glancing at your access history, double checking your memory to make sure this was you. It took some hours, and a few breaks in between, but you went through everything, yet nothing was amiss.

“This was all me… if Hyungwon hacked Chae, and through him he could use my credentials to get information… but he didn’t… Chae doesn’t have access on his own to the servers, does he?”

“No. None of the AI have credentials, they’d have to use someone else’s to gain access.”

“If he didn’t use my credentials to get intel…  then why get close to me…”

“Maybe there’s something else.”

“What?”

“You.”

“Me? He doesn’t care about me, he…. I don’t even know what he was doing to me these last few weeks…”

“He doesn’t need to access the servers to get intel. You were the head programmer at NexGen for years, your mind is the server.”

“Fuck…”

“Getting access to the servers, even through you leaves a trail, but if he just gets close to you and stuff, surely he could get you to tell him all kinds of things. Even if he has to resort to force in the end.”

“I’m so fucken stupid.”

“You’re not. He played on your insecurities and-”

“I should have seen this coming. Even lately with Chae… Chae… I need to look at his code.”

“What?”

“His code. We can look it over and see when he was hacked and what was changed.”

“But what does that have to do with any of this?”

“I think Hyungwon hacked Chae when he was with me, but Chae is the reason we met. It could be a coincidence, but it doesn’t feel like it. If Chae was compromised before we met, then we have a leak.”

“A leak?”

“Only a handful of people know Chae exists. If he was hacked before leaving the company then there’s a problem.”

“That doesn’t really matter. I mean-”

“Can you get me his code?”

“I… it’s not on the servers. It’s a secret project, so the code is kept on an external hard drive in the lab vault.”

“As the head programmer you can access that vault without really explaining yourself to anyone but the CEO…”

“Are you asking me to steal NexGen property!”

“No, just make a copy and bring it to me…”

“Y/n-”

“Changkyun… I just want to know if I ever knew Chae… the real him… or if I was being manipulated from the start.”

“… I can get you a copy tomorrow.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, and don’t say thank you. I could get caught.”

“I trust you.”

“Yeah, although… I have to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Did you modify its outer shell?”

“What? No, why?”

“That AI may be advanced but its shell was still that of a prototype. It should not be capable of electrocuting people.”

“I… fuck, I never thought that maybe he modified him… do you have Minhyuk’s number?”

“Minhyuk?”

“He was with me for the drone testing. He knew about Chae and told me he designed his outer shell. He also fixed it after the accident, if there was some modifications he’d know.”

“But then why didn’t he say anything?”

“It probably got buried with the truth about that day. I’ve needed to speak to him about that for a while.”

“Well, I don’t have his number but I can look at his personnel file and you can call him up tomorrow.”

“Okay. That works.”

    You fought with Changkyun for a while over who got the bed. He insisted you take it, since you definitely needed to sleep well. In the end he was right and you took his bed. He seemed rather comfy on the couch anyway. You thought sleep would be hard but to your surprise you fell asleep quickly, definitely needing to rest. Although it wouldn’t necessarily be good.

“Y/n…”

    You jolted awake, disoriented by your surroundings and panicking. You fell out of bed, screaming from the ache, attracting attention. Changkyun burst in, wearing nothing but his briefs, getting you on your feet. You screamed at him and tried to get away until you realized it was him, starting to remember where you were and with who.

“Deep breaths. You’re okay.”

“… aish…”

“Nightmare?”

“Something like that.”

    Changkyun got you to sit down, wanting to make sure you were alright before he started getting dressed. You averted your eyes, even though you had already seen most of his naked body by now. You obviously didn’t have a change of clothes, but you didn’t see it necessary to change just yet. When he finished dressing you both stepped out. You plopped down on the couch, still dealing with the dream. There wasn’t anything specific haunting you, but this lingering feeling of dread.

“Shall I make breakfast or do you want me to go out and get something?”

“I’m curious what your cooking tastes like so I’ll give it a try.”

“The Changkyun special, coming up.”

    While he cooked you went to his work station. It reminded you of your own, and things were more or less the same. You used his credentials to look up Minhyuk’s information, jotting down his number and putting it in your pocket for later. You went back to the living room, trying to figure out your next move. You turned on the TV, but were immediately overwhelmed by a loud ringing noise. You covered your ears, trying not to drown out the sound. Changkyun had heard you scream, rushing over to figure out what’s wrong. You couldn’t really vocalize over the ringing, merely pointing at the TV. He turned it off, but that didn’t change much for you.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?”

    Changkyun grabbed your arm but you screamed and shoved him away, his touch feeling strange and painful. His concern only grew but he was suddenly distracted by a knock at the door. The sound was incredibly loud for you, causing you to collapse on the floor. Changkyun wanted to help, but the knocking continued and it was not helping you at all.

“I’ll be right back.”

    Changkyun rushed over to the door, opening without checking just to make the noise stop. Although as soon as he saw who was on the other side he was surprised.

“We have a warrant to search your apartment.”

“What?”

    Changkyun didn’t have much time to process as three officers made their way into his place, followed by Hyungwon. He immediately grabbed the other, his confusion turning to anger.

“The hell is this?”

“Hm?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just-”

    Your scream caught their attention and the two rushed to you. The police officers had been trying to approach you but the result was panic. Hyungwon rushed over to you and pulled you into his arms. You screamed at first, unaware of who this was, but you began to calm down. Their touch wasn’t painful, and their presence alone seemed to calm down all the noise. Once you regained your senses you could see who was holding you.

“Hyungwon…”

“Im Changkyun you’re under arrest for the abduction of-”

“Wait what!”

    The words of the officer drew your attention, but Hyungwon pulled you back into a hug, holding you tight and whispering in your ear.

“Relax, you’re safe, you can rest now, for me.”

“I-”

    The edge of your vision began going dark, a sudden wave of exhaustion washing over you and pulling you under. You could vaguely make out what was happening, seeing Changkyun getting cuffed. Your eyes met for a moment before everything faded to black, Hyungwon’s words following you into the void.

“We’ll talk later.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    You groaned as you began to regain consciousness. Your eyes needed a moment to adjust to the light, then you took in your surroundings. You didn’t know where you would wake up, but finding yourself in the hospital isn’t something you had considered. At the moment you were alone, but soon the door opened and Wonho came in.

“You’re awake.”

“What… what happened?”

“You passed out from shock. I can’t imagine what was going through your mind. We’re all glad we found you.”

“What… no, where’s Hyungwon?”

“He’s speaking to some detectives right now. He’ll be here in a bit.”

“But-”

“It’s okay y/n, you’re safe.”

    It was obvious Wonho wasn’t going to listen to you, and at the same time you weren’t sure how to explain your situation. Before you could even make an attempt Hyungwon came in, and so the doctor excused himself. You swallowed nervously, watching him approach your bedside with a smile on his face.

“How are you feeling?”

“What did you do… where’s Chae?”

“That’s not important right now, what is, are the detectives who want to talk to you. Obviously you’re recovering from everything, so things might be a bit hazy, so let me jog your memory.” Hyungwon pulled out his phone. “You were kidnapped by your supposed friend.”

“Excuse me! I-”

    You stopped when Hyungwon showed you a video. It was you, at home, speaking with Changkyun. There was no audio, but it seemed the conversation didn’t go well as Changkyun attacked you, ultimately knocking you out and then carrying you out of the house. You watched on in horror, all this framed as security footage of your place, and dated yesterday.

“How… what did you do!”

“What any good boyfriend would do after finding his girlfriend missing, calling the police.” Hyungwon stated. “Then acquire the evidence to get a search and arrest warrant for the culprit.”

“You… you-”

“Did what was right. I do hope you’re starting to remember, or something worse may happen to your friend.”

“…”

“Changkyun finally confessed to you, but you rejected him and he didn’t take that well, did he?”

“Why… why are you doing this…”

“Are you going to tell the police about the super secret project that attacked you?”

“…”

“He always had a crush on you, everyone saw it, except you. Are you ready to give your statement?”

“What do you want?”

“We can talk later.”

    Hyungwon got up, stepping out for a moment before returning with two detectives. They asked how you were before asking you to recollect yesterday’s events. You glanced over at Hyungwon who had taken your hand, giving it a little squeeze. You didn’t call the police for a reason, and now wasn’t the time to complicate matters. So you told the story Hyungwon had relayed to you. Of course there were a few questions you couldn’t really answer, and when that happened Hyungwon had no problem sending the detectives on their way.

“… why are you doing this…”

“That’s complicated, but I have your best interests at heart.”

“You’re lying. You attacked me and-”

“I didn’t want to, but it was necessary. Things wouldn’t be like this if that idiot hadn’t shown up.”

“He didn’t kidnap me… he didn’t hurt me… you did… how-”

“I’m very good with technology. If you’re worried about him, don’t be. He can be charged with assault and abduction, spend a few months in prison, if you press charges of course. You could always settle outside of court and he’ll walk free.”

“Why frame him to begin with? I wasn’t going to tell anyone what happened…”

“I was worried about you. You’re off your meds, and you saw how bad that got in just a day.”

“…”

“Since you’re better now, we can get you discharged and go home.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Shall I call up the detectives and give them another reason to hold Changkyun?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m doing what’s best for you.”

    Before you could say something else Wonho came back in. Now that you had given a statement and seemed better Wonho went over your condition, stating that you were well. You could be discharged if you wanted, but he actually wanted to run some tests. Since you were here and well, it was best to check on your overall condition. Hyungwon suggested coming back later, but you said it was better to get it over with now, since you were here. He knew why you wanted to stay, but it didn’t matter if you didn’t figure out a way to leave without him.

    You went with Wonho to get some tests done, doing whatever to drag things out and trying to think of a solution. You did ask about being discharged, and were told that given your situation and recovering condition, they wouldn’t actually release you unless someone was there to take you. Obviously the answer to them was Hyungwon, but not for you. That meant you couldn’t leave alone, and the only other person you would call was currently being detained and investigated for your supposed abduction. You were starting to feel hopeless.

    After some tests you returned to your room, relieved to find it empty. Although you knew it wouldn’t last, and you were running out of time. As you made your way back to bed you realized your clothes folded on the chair to the side, suddenly remembering something. You went through your pants and thankfully found the piece of paper with Minhyuk’s number on it. There wasn’t a phone in the room, Hyungwon hadn’t given yours back, not that it worked anyway, but you knew where you could get your hands on one. You made your way over to the reception area, asking a nurse if it was alright to use the phone on the counter. 

“Hello?”

“Is this Minhyuk?”

“Who’s this?”

“I don’t know if you remember, but I’m y/n.  We met when we were testing-”

“The police drone! Oh my, are you alright? I never got a chance to check up on you after the incident. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine. I’m still recovering but I’m much better. I was calling because I was hoping we could meet and talk. If that’s alright with you?”

“Yes, of course. I can make some time this afternoon.”

“That’d be great.”

    You gave Minhyuk the name of the hospital and room you were in, telling him you would explain that when you met in person, but that you were alright overall. You thanked the nurse and made it back to your room, finding Hyungwon there. You didn’t say anything to him and just got back in bed.

“Did the tests go well?”

“Fine.”

“Then I suppose we can leave. I’ll-”

“Wonho said some test results will be done in a couple hours, and I said I’d wait.”

“Ah, okay then. Shall I go down to the cafeteria and get you some food?”

“Sure.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a bit.”

    Hyungwon gave you a kiss on the cheek before making his way out. You’d have some moments of peace, but it wasn’t going to last. Either way you just needed to hold out until Minhyuk arrived, and hopefully then you’d have a real chance. You did eat when Hyungwon brought you food, wanting something besides what the hospital provided you. Eventually Wonho came by to tell you how your recovery was going. It was a relief to hear that things were going well, although he did note that you had recently had some strain on your nerves. Hyungwon quickly chalked it up to stress, but Wonho suggested staying overnight for observation. It was a relief to hear.

“You don’t have to stay.”

“I wouldn’t want you to sleep alone.”

“You can sleep on the chair.”

“Noted.”

    A while later you finally got to see Minhyuk again. He brought some flowers with him, along with some snacks which you actually enjoyed. Of course Hyungwon was quickly on the defensive, wondering who this person was.

“I’m Minhyuk. I’m one of y/n’s coworkers, well former coworkers, from NexGen.”

“You’re from NexGen?”

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Uh, Hyungwon, can you actually give us the room?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I want to talk to Minhyuk about some things regarding NexGen, but the NDAs, you know.”

“If you talk to him you’d be breaking them. I don’t see why I have to leave.”

“I work for NexGen.” Minhyuk explained. “So she’s not technically breaking the NDA by speaking to me.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Can you give us the room?” You asked. “I’ll let you know when we’re done.”

“Of course. I’ll be right outside.”

    You offered a smile as you watched Hyungwon leaving. Minhyuk set the flowers down and pulled up a chair.

“How have you been? I heard you were alright after the accident, but I had no way to reach you to check in.”

“It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I did need to spend a lot of time in the hospital and do some physical therapy, but I’m alright. What about you though? Didn’t you examine the drone? What happened to it?”

“I did an initial examination but before I could properly finish it I was told to let it go. That the program was at fault, and that was the final report.”

“So you weren’t even allowed to properly investigate…”

“I’m sorry. But why are you back here now? You said you were better?”

“That’s… this is gonna sound crazy, but bear with me.”

“Okay…”

“Chae attacked me.”

“What!”

“Sh, hold on. Chae attacked me and he was working with Hyungwon. I don’t know what they want, or why they did this, but I had called Changkyun earlier and he came to get me. Yet, Hyungwon framed it as if I was kidnapped, and now he’s being held and Hyungwon won’t leave me alone.”

“Why would Chae work with him? What the hell are they doing?”

“I don’t know… I think Chae was hacked, and I thought they used my credentials to steal information from NexGen, but I checked my access history, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Did you tell the police this?”

“I can’t. I’d expose Chae, and break all these NDAs and just… things are already so hectic. I’m not going to make this worse.”

“You’re practically being held hostage right now.”

“I know… and I need your help.”

“Me?”

“Given my condition I can’t leave alone, but you could take me. The only problem is-”

“Hyungwon.”

“Yeah…”

“Who… have you spoken to the police?”

“Yes, they were here earlier.”

“Was one of them detective Sohn?”

“Sohn? Yeah I think so, why?”

“He’s a friend of mine. I think I know how to get Hyungwon away from you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but we need a good reason.”

“Uh… what about a proper background investigation? We haven’t been dating that long, and given my career I am a person of interest…”

“That’s good. I can make a call, and I’ll come back in like an hour. Is that good?”

“It should be.”

“Okay, just stall him for a bit.”

“Thanks.”

    Minhyuk said his farewells and left. A moment later Hyungwon came back in. He was obviously upset over being left out of the conversation, but there was nothing he could do.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah… as expected NexGen buried everything about the accident…”

“So he doesn’t know what happened?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry to hear. What happened to you was unfair. Maybe we should fight this, surely we can figure out some way to do so without breaking your NDAs.”

“Maybe…”

“Since everything is all done, we should get you home. I’ll get your discharge-”

    Hyungwon stopped as his phone rang, seeing the number and then answering. He stepped out for a moment, and you waited anxiously, hoping Minhyuk’s plan would go through. When he returned he seemed a bit annoyed.

“What’s wrong?”

“The station called. They have a few follow up questions for me. I don’t know how long it will take, but when I get back I’ll discharge you.”

“Take your time then.”

“Shall I stop by to pick up dinner on the way back?”

“That sounds good.”

“Okay. Get some rest okay, for me.”

    He kissed your head again before leaving. You lazily waved, feeling a yawn coming on. If everything was going to plan Minhyuk would be stopping by soon, so it wouldn’t hurt to take a little nap. You took in a deep breath and closed your eyes, snuggling against your sheets.

♥♥♥♥♥

“Y/n… y/n! Wake up!”

    You lazily opened your eyes, a blurry Minhyuk in your vision. He helped you sit up as you yawned, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

“Min… when did you get here?”

“Like five minutes ago. Hyungwon is gone, so we need to go.”

“Right… right…”

“Are you okay?”

“Just really… tired…”

“Alright, can you get dressed?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay. You do that and I’ll get you discharged.”

“Hm…”

    Minhyuk left and you wound up leaning against the headboard, dozing off again. It felt like an eternity but when you opened your eyes again Minhyuk was there.

“Did they give you something?”

“No… why…”

“You’re not dressed.”

“Sorry… just…”

    You managed to stand with Minhyuk’s help, taking a moment before getting your pants on. You sat back down as you put your shirt on, Minhyuk getting a wheelchair, knowing you weren’t going to get far without it. Even if you were half asleep, you were glad to be leaving the hospital. Of course there would be consequences, and you had no idea what else Hyungwon had on Changkyun, but for now you needed to get away from him. You didn’t need to tell Minhyuk where to go, he just took you to his place. You were a bit more awake by the time you arrived, but you still plopped down on the couch.

“How are you?”

“I’m okay. Thanks again. I know we’re not really friends, but I appreciate your help.”

“I owe you big time for that accident. This is the least I can do.”

“So you really don’t know what happened?”

“Uh… well…”

“What?”

“NexGen told me to stop the investigation and scrap the drone… and I did… scrap a drone, but I had to know what happened.”

“Wait, you did investigate? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“If NexGen knew the truth, they surely would have silenced me. And I wasn’t sure how you’d react in the hospital.”

“Fair, so what happened?”

“It wasn’t your code that caused the malfunction, or the hardware.”

“What?”

“There was some sort of interference.”

“Interference? You mean… someone hacked it?”

“Pretty much, but that’s not the worst of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The testing facility is locked up tight. Signals can’t go out or get in. Which means-”

“Someone from the inside messed with the drone…”

“You said Chae was hacked…”

“So Chae… purposely messed with the drone… to attack me…”

“When I first discovered this nothing made sense to me, but if it was Chae… that does fit.”

“How many knew of the test that day?”

“Your test was scheduled, therefore anyone in the facility could potentially find out, but only on the day of the test itself. To make a sudden attack on you though… it’s highly unlikely. Especially considering they had to hack into your code. It was practically brand new. To hack it and reprogram it so fast, I can only think of one person capable of doing that.”

“Fuck… but why… I don’t understand any of this…”

“Well you can’t really talk to Chae… or Hyungwon so…”

“Wait, what about his shell?”

“What?”

“You designed Chae’s shell, it was a prototype one, right?”

“More or less. The base design was, but considering he had to venture out with you he was given some upgrades to be more durable.”

“But could he hurt someone? Like electrocute them?”

“Uh, no, that’s not in the design at all.”

“And when you needed to fix him after the accident, did you notice any modifications on him?”

“No… well, I didn’t fix up his shell per say. It was pretty damaged so I had to transfer him over to a whole new unit and modify that one. Again, nothing on him being able to electrocute someone.”

“So Hyungwon modified him after the accident… what about his code?”

“Code?”

“I need to look at Chae’s code, I need to know when…” You sighed in frustration. “You can’t access his code and I’m back to square one!”

    You laid down on the couch and screamed into one of the pillows. You felt like you were going in circles and there was no way you could get out. You needed evidence of Hyungwon’s misdeeds before you could go out and point a finger at him, but you had nothing. Minhyuk gently pet your back, trying to sooth you.

“Would it help if I told you I did have access to Chae’s code?”

You shot up. “What?!”

“Not the whole thing, but… some of it…”

“What do you mean?”

“I… it wasn’t really a transfer… but I had to copy over Chae’s code… and I didn’t tell anyone… and I still have the busted orb so you could-”

“Access that copy of his code! Minhyuk you’re a genius!”

“One problem though…”

“What?”

“The orb is in my lab… at the testing facility…”

“I… shit… and you can’t leave with NexGen tech… ugh…”

“Well… I could sneak you in…”

“No, Minhyuk, that’s dangerous. You could lose your job.”

“You nearly lost your life that day, and I couldn’t reveal the truth about it. If this can help us… hurt NexGen in some way, get you justice in the process, it’ll be worth it.”

“Minhyuk.”

“If you’re up for it we can go right now. It’s late, so there won’t be many people there right now.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“More than anything in my life.”

“Okay, let’s do this.”

    You were a bit nervous about this, but Minhyuk told you he would take care of everything, so for you to just sit back and relax. Even if you were once the head programmer for NexGen, not many knew your face, you still covered up though, just to be safe. When you got to the main entrance, Minhyuk showed his ID and said you were his girlfriend and he wanted to impress you. The guard seemed to understand and let you guys through. You were just glad that part was over.

“This is my lab, and here’s-”

“Chae!”

    You took the orb from Minhyuk, holding it close, unable to stop the tears from flowing. It wasn’t really Chae, but a part of him really, and the closest you could get. You wanted to believe you at least knew him for a while, before someone messed with him, but now was the time to find out the truth.

“Are you alright?”

“I will be. This version of Chae goes back a few months, so it’s only a couple of months old really and-”

“What?”

“What?”

“Chae… his code… Chae is nearly two years old.”

“What?” You questioned. “He’s only been with me for a few months.”

“You’ve only known him for a few months but he was created a long time ago. At first he stayed in the main lab to make sure his basic functions of learning were operational. Then he was transferred over to Changkyun.”

“Wait, Changkyun actually had Chae for a while?”

“Yeah. He was supposed to help Chae learn and grow, but eventually an email was sent out suggesting more human interaction would help. Thus being transferred over to you, since being outside the company would allow him to further mature.”

“Changkyun never told me any of this…”

“He wasn’t too happy about the transfer idea, although I think he was the one who first suggested it…”

“I… that’s not important right now. I still need to figure out when he was hacked. With this we can at least do something.”

“Alright. Well, my setup is yours to use. I’ll go get some snacks.”

“Okay.”

    While Minhyuk was away you got to work. You still knew how NexGen tech functioned, so it wasn’t hard to gain access to Chae’s code as you needed. You had never seen it before, but you were truly amazed as to how far he had come.

“So… how would you know his code was modified?”

“They’ll be a signature.”

“A signature?”

“A marker to indicate who and what changes were made. It’s basic for all my codes, and since Chae is technically my design that will be present. Hyungwon probably doesn’t know that so the signature will read as unknown, but I will still know what happened.”

“So how do you find the signature?”

“There’s some code hidden under the main stuff that keeps records of changes, like memos, for every week. I’ve started from the most recent memo and have been working my way back, but so far everything seems normal… which is great, I think…”

“So his code wasn’t modified?”

“It doesn’t seem like it… I suppose Hyungwon could have simply taken over Chae to do things instead of messing with his code. That would be easier.”

“That does sound easier. You’re a great coder, so tryna mess with your stuff would be hard.”

“I suppose but I’ve only looked at the memos from when Chae was with me. If he was modified before I met him… it means there’s some sort of leak in NexGen.”

“A leak? But wouldn’t this be all over the news by now? AI technology is still a dream to many.”

“Exactly why this whole situation is confusing me. Every logical move to make here… isn’t it… so what the hell is going on.”

“Well if the goal isn’t NexGen or Chae then-”

“Changkyun…”

“What? What does he have to do with this?”

    You stared at the screen with wide eyes, reading the same line over and over again, as if you got it wrong. Minhyuk looked at the screen but he wasn’t entirely sure what got such a reaction out of you.

“Y/n?”

“Changkyun… modified Chae’s code…”

“What? How do you know?”

“His signature is right here… from a few months before Chae was transferred over to me…”

“… what did he do?”

“He… he turned off… Chae’s safety programs…”

“Safety programs? What do you mean?”

“The programs put in place to make sure Chae follows the laws and doesn’t break them, so he doesn’t hurt people…”

“So he… modified Chae’s code… and no one else…”

He was silent, palm hovering over the water as the drops from the creek bubbled and rose to his hand. A man with divots in his cheeks as he smiled at the liquid, your small footsteps through the brush caught his attention. Jooheon - the faerie of the woods - had crossed your path more than once now. Lips curving into a smile, his rich voice floated across the small gap of water.

“Come to pluck flowers from my willow again?” he asked, cheeks rosy from the memory of your first meeting.

Jooheon was quick to pull at your wrist that morning - the beautiful, white blossoms covering the tree too pretty to pass up. The moment his warm hands touched your skin, you knew there was something about him. Buoyant colors all around him, birds chirping melodies like a band playing his favorite songs, the heat of his body bringing the hair on your skin to rise. He could pull beauty from dead leaves and bring comfort to the environment like no other being you had ever witnessed before.

From then on, you were never truly lost inside of the forest. Trails of Jooheon would catch up to you, whether it be his soft loafers in the tall grass or his powers themselves, he would always make his appearance known. Moments such as dandelions blooming in the midst of winter to guide you towards the exit always enthralled you, but the match of your gaze with his when you spun to thank him always made your heart skip a beat double time.

His gaze matched with your own, dropping the small dot of water back into the creek before submerging his shoe fully into the liquid. Offering you his hand, his warm skin continued to comfort you, his tug at your limb enough to pull you clean against him as he guided you towards his side of the running water.

Just as everything with Jooheon, his soft hand caressed against your cheek to comfort you, the feeling of your heart racing a thousand miles clear as day in every inch of your body. You could see his cheeks rising although your sight was set on his chest, the golden skin accompanied by the long v-neck sharing too much for your imagination. It was as if the world wanted you to see how you made him feel, too. The harsh patter of his chest rising and falling at a quick rate was enough to help you understand that the feelings were mutual despite the difference in essentia.

“Jo-Jooheon.” you whispered, feeling the distance touch of a flower growing from the bark of the tree at your side. He was keeping himself distracted as his eyes moved to the oak, the same white blossoms coating the harsh texture and fluttering against your skin.

“Yes?” Soft voice lightly graveled with curiosity, you rose your gaze to finally meet him after so long. Bright glares in his irises, he looked heavenly in the way his pink cheeks turned redder and his hold on your lower back grew tighter. Flush against his chest, the faint thump of his heartbeat gained in your ears, your head falling against his front as you slowly blinked.

“Could you guide me home?”

Your words slipped back into your throat from his plump lips matching with your own. Like a vibration of the wind, the silk of his lips caressed yours and fit so perfectly that you released the last bit of oxygen in your body from the sensitivity you felt. His hand sprawled his fingers wide and pushed them into your back to hold you closer, each pad of his finger pressing into the fabric of your shirt with a heavy breath leaving his nostrils.

Pulling from one another like you had exceeded your own lifeforms, Jooheon’s blown pupils and golden specks in his irises caused him to reel back with worry. Every bit of energy that he pulled from himself to heal another always took parts from him, but the kiss he experienced seemed to replenish every fiber he needed. Like a spark to wood, the colors all around became vibrant: the waters rushing by slowed to let you see each fish that swam through, the breeze blowing brought loose blossoms to encircle you both. Like a new source of energy, Jooheon’s hands cupped both of your cheeks to pull your attention back to him, reconnecting your lips as everything sped up to reality again.

The smack of your lips parting brought your eyes to shoot open, his irises fully engulfed with the golden color as his skin seemed brighter under the sunset’s lighting. He was glowing more than before, his hands slipping down to your sides to lace your fingers together with his.

“Might I have done that before when I wanted to-” Still soft spoken, he relished in the last time you parted. His lips had pouted while threatening to press against yours, but he knew the moment wasn’t quite right. The lively being knew his own source, what the world held around you and your smaller, human life - but the magnetic pull of his touch against yours healed. “I may have mended all the wrongs in the world.” he laughed, running his fingers against yours gently. “Ready?” he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the exit as you nodded and held on to him tighter.

Shownu sleepily shut the fridge after getting his drink. He tried to wrap his head around how to make the others see that Haewon was trying her best. The situation in which she was added wasn’t ideal, but this was their reality now.

He sat at the counter, sipping his cup, as the over glowed 3:00 in the darkness.

Once done, he left the glass on the sink and returned to his new room.

As he passed the girl’s room, he was stopped by the sound of something being knocked over and a small cry. Against his better judgement, he went to open the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. His eyes widened at the sight he saw.

Haewon was tossing and turning in her bed, an action which caused various items to fall off her nightstand. It looked as if she was trying to shake someone off.

Shownu wanted to leave, feeling as if he didn’t have the right to interfere, but was convinced when he saw her start to cry.

“Haewon,” he said, gently. Shownu knelt at her bedside and carefully placed his hands on her arms. “Haewon, wake up.”

Her flailing grew more frantic.

Hoisting his body on to the bed, Shownu pulled Haewon into his arms and locked her own in place. He rocked her back and forth as he hoped to alleviate the nightmare. 

The girl’s eyes shot open upon realizing that he was there. Haewon clung to the eldest member as she realized where she was.

"I’ve got you. It’s okay,” he assured her.

“Wanna talk about it?” She shook her head. “Do you want me to stay here?” She nodded. “Okay.”

-

Kihyun checked every room but one to find the leader. Taking a breath, he opened Haewon’s door to a sweet sight.

The girl had her head resting on Shownu’s shoulder as he held her close. The tear tracks were still evident on her face.

a normal day for you, going to your potion class just living your life 

then this stupid ravenclaw boy with his crew start to shout out offensive things to you because you were a half-blood. 

little did he know that, for more than 30 years, bullying and segregation about blood type were not allowed anymore in Hogwarts, thanks merlin. 

one of the teachers petrified them, for one hour and they were taken to the director after. 

all my friends asked if you were alright and you just nod. ugh, honestly? people are still like this? this is so overpassed. 

anyways this day ended quickly and soon you apparate yourself to the centre of London with some friends. It's Friday, club day!

Little did you know what would happen. 

before all the mess, let me explain who is shownu

he is, of course, the Quidditch main player, the leader, but he is also a very nice guy. But what no one understands is that he is very reticent and discreet, different from the other jocks. He does date some girls, but the regular type ones, he doesn't claim for attention and: he is everyone type. Smart, tall, handsome, has manners, athletic, good with spells and love all magical creatures of the school. 

back to the club, after one hour you could find yourself wasted.

YES, this was a muggle club and that's what you love, people who don't know about your big secret and have no idea how to judge you because, honestly, they don't care.

So you find yourself dancing with strangers and receive a text from your friends. one of the Slytherin girls were not okay and they rushed to Hogwarts without you, but hey, they found a familiar face and asked him to find me. What a nice idea. 

You were not mad, after all, it's normal for you always be alone and you enjoy it a bit. 

So, after ten minutes, this hella cute guy called Kihyun was offering you a drink, he seems familiar but you said "no thanks", and of course he understood. 

you needed some air, so you went to the roof aka the smoking area 

"oh finally" 

you turned your head, finding shownu brown eyes. 

damn, he was hot, leather jacket, dark jeans and a cigarette in his mouth. 

" shownu? wait,, you are the familiar face that will keep me company while my weak friends can't take two shots of vodka?"

he smirks at your comment, nodding to you while discarding the rest of the cigarette

sh: "my friends left me too, so here we are"

you: " wow the mr.athlete smokes?"

sh : " and the Mrs.top notes like to go clubbing every Friday? we discover crazy things every day" 

you could only laugh and little did you know that he took a little note on is thoughts about how pretty were you smiling. 

he asked you if you wanted to dance more or walk around the streets of London and maybe, grab something to eat. 

you liked the idea of a little adventure with shownu, and also, food is always the number one. 

so that's when your friendship with him started. you both talked about yourselves, your houses, friends and even the incident you lived this morning, he was very horrified with that, making him frown and being absolutely adorable. 

since this day, you both saw each other almost every day

you helped him with his grades and the O.W.LS

he used to call you to watch his games and well, we all know you two were in love with each other

but of course, you dumbasses couldn't see that so, the summer arrived and your friends made up a plan 

do you think a house with a lot of teenagers, in a magic beach, were all the wizards go in summer would be a great plan to get you both together? idk but let's go I guess. 

so you proposed something for your group, including shownu's friends as well ( cofcof kihyun which is weird but he is your friend now). 

" no magic" 

"WHAT" everyone, except for shownu, who was smiling, screams

"c'mon! the house and everything are already enchanted! plus, car rides!"

" but the food and the train?"

" Okay, these too can be magic but only!" 

everyone agreed because sometimes its nice to not use magic you know? 

when you all arrive at the house, the bags and your belongs were already flying and organizing themselves by magic. Lame, you thought. 

"Hey" shownu put his arm around your neck " want to give a lot at the beach" 

you: " sure,," godgodgodgod

it was genuinely nice, walking in the sand while talking what do you expect in these two weeks, shownu offered to hold your shoe and god, he smells good. Sorry, any way

you both didn't have a lot of time alone this week, but even tho, shownu held your hand in the forest train, trowed water in you at the waterfall and also kept watching your body in that bikini hihi 

he made sure to stay by your side in all the games and even when you were bronzing yourself in the sand, reading an ordinary book. He also would sneak around at night with you just to see the stars or smoke a bit. 

so, the truth or dare game has arrived I am sorry for the cliche

OH NO, you were picked 

"y/n I dare you to... okay I will be nice, just hold shownu's hands the whole game" 

that was safe, you have held his hands already and shownu was very affectional with everyone so, no big deal right? NO BC YOU BOTH WERE SWEATING AND BLUSHING HARD 

game is going and you couldn't look at his face, even knowing that he was looking at you. 

" shownu, I dare you to tell y/n about what you feel about her" minhyuk is the DEVIL itself. 

shownu didn't even hesitate, he smiled at you and whispered: " every time with you is a good time, you know?" 

I AM LOSING MY SHIT FUCKFUCJFUFNENENN ok 

it was clear that you HAVE to get the fuck out of there. 

so you just do, like a clown, stand up and run away in the beach

edeudbnebd what a jerk 

shownu has no idea of what to do, were you upset? he should have told you he likes u? do you have feelings for him? he is freaking out 

so he finds you bellow a tree, looking at the waves

sh: " hey..."

you: " hi..." 

sh: " look, I'm sorry if what I said-"

you: "Ilikeyou"

he just stares at you, smiling slowly

 sh: " that's what I said" 

you: "no, you said that every time with me is a good time" 

sh: " isn't it the same but more poetic?" you laugh because he is so silly

 and that makes you heart race and the blood of your face go directly to your cheeks burning

sh: " Can I kiss you?" 

oh damn

he was getting closer and you could feel how hot his body was when he delicately touched your cheeks, his chocolate eyes searching for your response. 

You, into almost a spell that he had, nodded quietly. 

when his lips touched yours, you could feel your head spinning but in an amazing way, you were so captivated by the ways his soft lips were dancing against yours, the way his hand were found now at your waits and how soft was his hair between your fingers

 is this a dream? cause looks like one in your head. 

he distanced himself a bit, smiling widely, what an image my friend. 

sh: " we could get out of here and..." 

you: " makeout in some free room? agree"

you stand up and offered your help for him to stand.

sh: " reading minds now huh?" 

you: " you didn't like it?" 

he hugged you from behind, whispering close to your ear: "I will show you what I like soon"

bitchwhat

you both just run into the house, your friends looking at you both at the door with the biggest poker faces ever while you both just laugh and run upstairs, opening your room and locking it ;) 

shownu wasted no time, he sits on the edge of the bed, already putting you on his lap, locking your lips in his again as his life depends on it.

 God he was so hot, the messy hair, the plushie lips, the way he smirks, the way his strong hands grip your thighs and your waist, travelling everywhere but careful to not scare you, he is so gentle!!!!

you can resist and start to kiss his neck and you could feel him whimper while tensing his body. he returns the favour, kissing you neck back and giving soft bites, that's when you lose your shit and starts unconsciously griding on him, feeling him, got harder by your movements and a low moan leaves your mouth

you can feel shownu smirking and kissing your neck, collarbones and the curves of your breasts, making you wetter and wetter. 

sh: " do you want to keep this going? because I have been wanting this" he squeezes your butt strongly, making you moan again " wanting you... so badly y/n"

you kiss him slowly again, whispering " I am yours already baby, and I am sure" 

you can imagine the rest right? 

the next day, your roommate was mad at you but, no regrets. even with kihyun and jooheons dirty comments, you can only be happy to be dating shownu.

 he was so sweet and lovely you

 both spend the rest of the summer going out together and going to clubs and pubs

he even taught you how to fly in a broom like a player

it's strange how he became your best friend and also is your boyfriend

and even sometimes fighting for silly things, nothing serious, everything seems so natural and peaceful with him

 you: " babe "

sh: " yes, love?"

you: "every time with you is a good time"