SSS 2014: For hyeongsoap
For: hyeongsoap
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: It Was Never Broken
Pairing: Key/Taemin
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Authors’ Notes: to the mods and reader, i apologise this came late, this was a prompt i’m not really used to, so i finished later than expected :/ please, also, ignore the small capitals, i got the story together on my phone.
"taemin, get out of the lab and get some dinner! you've starved yourself too much!"
"no, mother! it's already 3 am and i'm not yet done!" he shouted in reply to his mother in the kitchen.
taemin had a box the size of a rubrik's cube in his hands and a book before him. towers of books are stacked on his desk, and broken mannequins with wires poking out here and there sprawled across his floor. it smelled too much of metal in the room; one could easily mistake the scent for blood. the cold air nipped at his hands. he pulled the sleeves of his sweater over his fingers, placing the little box down for a breif moment to raise the temperature of the heater. taemin hurriedly flipped the pages of the book - 'the great power of the mind, volume 5' - before attempting to break the box into smaller parts.
he rummaged the counter next to his desk, the screws and springs and wires messily laid out on the surface, albeit the computers and devices arranged nicely against the wall at the back. his hands were working fast to put the pieces back together.
time, really, that was all he needed. his days were always in a blur, and they came and went in a flash. little things in his life were neglected; how many sweets he ate that day, how many pens he lost, what time he went to sleep. when taemin had coffee in the morning, what brand it was, he didn't know. the whole day had him wondering what the bitter taste in his mouth was. but it was soon pushed to the back of his mind; he couldn’t stop to wait for anything. the knowledge of running out of time haunted him, and he did everything in a rush.
it really was a complicated cycle.
-
there was something missing and he knew it. he immersed himself in his world of books, and the science discussion forum on the computer. a faint knock he heard, but he came to ignore it as the sound stopped a few moments later. it was the loud creak of his heavy, old metal door opening that disrupted his deep thoughts.
irritated, he ruffled the mess of black locks on his head and sighed, "i thought i reminded you to knock on the door before entering -- "
"-- i did."
taemin observed his mother's face. the creases around her eyes as she tiredly smiled at him seemed more defined than usual. he wondered if she was getting older; he was sure the last time he saw her, she was a beautiful, young lady, kind and caring at heart and taemin loved her.
she had her hair pulled back into a pretty braid, and a bowl of porridge was in her hands. she put the books aside and placed the food on his desk.
"taemin, have some food. you're getting skinnier, dear," his mother said, smoothing down his hair.
he had forgotten the last time he had his hair washed. sure, he took a bath everyday but he hadn't time to scrub his hair clean. he ran his fingers through his hair; it was decent enough. he forced a smile and thanked his mother, gently ushering her out of the room with a good night.
his mother kissed him goodbye on the forehead at the door, and she whispered, "get to bed before ten, okay? it's not good for your health if you sleep too late."
he knitted his brows as he shut the door. it read 3:02 am on his digital clock, the distinct red colour of the digits flashing brightly and clearly.
late? it was already late, or really early. taemin looked out of the row of small windows that was installed high on the wall, and the sun was only starting to set.
he got the clock and took out the batteries.
it had been broken all along.
(he slept at 10:41. taemin had left a window on his computer open, displaying the time. the bowl of porridge was left cold on his desk, and taemin decided he wasn't hungry.)
-
taemin thought that maybe something went wrong when he saw kibum crossing the street.
the blonde hair under the black beanie was unmistakably kibum's. taemin's heart sort of stopped for a second, when kibum turned around to look. their eyes met, and his heart started racing, his lips going dry. he wanted so bad to run up to him and pull him into a hug, tell him that he missed him. but of course he wouldn’t; taemin ran full speed to the cafe he was meeting jonghyun and minho, instead.
he knew something was wrong.
(taemin awoke, groggy and tired. he staggered out into the living room and got himself a glass of milk.
"good morning, sweetie! minho gave me a call last night, saying to meet him at the cafe at the mall in the afternoon."
his mother was preparing eggs and sausages and it hit him that he hadn't had breakfast in a long while. he decided to eat today. taemin absentmindedly nodded and replied that he wanted extra sausages. taemin didn't notice the large grin on his mother's face as he swallowed the last bit of food.
he really just needed to get a new alarm clock.)
"i saw kibum on the street!"
taemin ran into the cafe, heart accelerating and adrenaline pumping through his blood. he wasn't sure whether it was fear or happiness. jonghyun and minho had frowns on their faces, and disapproving looks. taemin's eyes were wide and sure, they were almost convinced that he was telling the truth. jonghyun sighed.
"hey, are you sure? isn't he already dead --"
jonghyun smacked a hand over minho's mouth and gestured taemin to his seat.
"okay... go on."
but sometimes they both knew better than to doubt taemin's words.
taemin was seated on the other end of the small table. he breifly ordered a drink when a waitress came over. the waitress left, and his mind started rewinding. he wished he could relay exactly what he felt when he saw that blonde down the street, wearing a polka-dotted dress shirt under the denim jacket, and all. he couldn't speak for a moment as he recalled the cold, mysterious orbs of kibum's eyes.
"he... he was crossing the road, a-and he saw me! but he walked off and i didn't know what to do so i ran over here but i never came out of my home for, like, almost a month, and i almost got lost because - that's really stupid, how could i have gotten lost - but kibum was looking at me and for a moment i thought he regconised me," taemin stopped, he stopped as the waitress came with his red velvet latte.
taemin searched their eyes hopefully, for trust, although he expected disappointment. but he saw none, only... amusement?
minho let out an obnoxious laughter, exclaiming, "dude, at least you made it here! if i weren't out for a month, i'm pretty sure i would forget my own name!"
jonghyun, on the other hand, was quietly sipping on his frappe.
"i'm serious! you've got to believe me!" taemin, frustrated, stuffed a toast into his own mouth.
jonghyun frowned at minho and replied, "no, he actually does. so, how'd he get out of your lab? i'm pretty sure you didn't finish him yet."
"but i - no, i-i didn't."
taemin was suddenly lost and confused, hands that was holding the cup of latte went slippery.
"i didn't."
he was never the one to go out much, but jonghyun and minho were friends he couldn't refuse. he was actually glad they called him out that day, or he wouldn't have kibum seated opposite him at his desk, staring intently at him. he didn't believe his sight for a moment. he didn't make him - because he still had kibum in the lab, under the old curtains he covered his robots with - why was another kim kibum here?
"no, it's not 'kibum', per se. it is just. key. my name is key, not kibum," eyes wide with annoyance and with furrowed brows he spoke.
taemin was clearly at a loss; but he couldn't be here, well and alive.
back at the cafe, jonghyun and minho thought that the best way to solve this problem was to look for him, talk to him, and bring him back home. and taemin didn't have to go far either. they found him seated right outside the cafe, sipping a cafe latte whilst reading a book. taemin's heart had start its wild beating again, and his palms seemed to go sweaty very easily at the sight of kibum.
very nervously and anxiously, he stepped forward. he didn't introduce himself before kibum did. his heart clenched; he was exactly like him, the way he talked.
"are you going to hit on me? because if you were, you need to gain that weight back on - you're too skinny! how are you going to carry my shopping bags when we go shopping together as a couple?" he said, placing his book on the table. "i'm key, just so you know."
after receiving a painful slap in the face when taemin shocked kibum by suddenly grabbing his fingers for a handshake, minho got to convince the stubborn boy to follow them back to taemin's lab, with a promise of a new pair of sneakers.
and here they were. taemin didn't know the first thing he had to do. fiddling with his fingers, taemin's eyes darted across the room he was so familiar with. he stared at the computer, the papers on his desk, the books - anything and everything, but those eyes, the dark pupils. kibum - key, was sitting on the stool on the other side of his desk, elbow placed on the table with his chin resting on it. he was undoubtedly checking taemin out.
"the memory chip," kibum spoke, voice low and laced with caution, just as taemin was about to speak himself.
taemin's diverting gaze snapped back at key. the last thing taemin expected was for key to speak about his project. how did he find out?
"that thing you're trying to build. you need to install kim kibum's memories inside it, for if you do not, the robot will never be finished," key said, voice careful, but his fingers casually playing with his papers on the desk.
"but, wait!" taemin exclaimed as key stood up, making his way towards the door. "how? where is this chip?"
and he's gone by the time taemin ran after him. but nevertheless, he found a rather suspicious note stuck on the stool key was sitting on. taemin quickly tore it off.
"it wouldn't be my problem if you don't finish him, would it? you need to look closer, sweetie. i wouldn't be suprised if you found it under your chair, or something."
taemin made a move to search under his chair. he frowned and flipped the note over. he squinted at the words.
"i bet you looked for it under your chair. but that's not what i meant. you need to try harder, it's nearer to you than you think. in fact, you've just found it."
(taemin found an arm, old and broken, in an isolated corner of the large storeroom. he pulled the wires and strings together, attaching them at the ends. taemin stole a glance at the robot, and its obvious lack of a limb. he completed the arm, oiling the finishing touches and finally attaching the arm back onto kibum. the electricity pulsed through the veins, at an inhumanly temperature; quite different from what taemin had always longed for.
but it was alright, for now.)
-
"what?!"
jonghyun exclaimed, "i knew it, i just knew it!"
"shut up, jonghyun! kibum is not evil!"
"well, not anymore, since his evil is in... this kibum," minho reasoned.
taemin slouched back into the chair he was sitting in, "i can't believe this. i just cannot believe it."
"you'd have to. i did explain it to you, didn't i?" key spoke. "and it's not kibum, it's key!"
taemin's eyes widened, as a thought struck him. "do you have the memory chip?"
"maybe," jonghyun snickered. "probably too evil to tell that."
his thoughts were messily placed together, unorganised, and taemin didn't know where to start thinking. the memory chip, the robot, key -- who was kibum's evil clone; he was more than confused. taemin turned to key, who quickly stood up, muttering an excuse along the lines of having more important things to do.
key paused as he picked up his latte, and he turned to taemin, "you didn't know robots have expiry dates, did you?"
"expiry date? no one told me," taemin replied.
"that was because it never did had a date. until now, that is."
the trinkling of the bells sounded. key had left. the cafe was left deserted, save for three young men at the table at the far corner of the quiet cafe.
taemin was determined, somehow, to fix this situation, "we need to figure this out."
taemin practically survives in his fairly big lab alone, complete with a toilet, a fridge, a kettle for cup noodles, a shelf filled with science tools, a study area, an experiment table and a bed. for a few months now the bed was untouched, sheets nice and clean thanks to taemin who now was acustomed to bunking on his desk chair.
jonghyun and minho sat on his stools, staring im awe at their surroundings.
"i took key here, because he refuses to reveal where the chip is. really. i had no choice -- "
minho perked up at taemin's words. then he saw a boy strapped to a chair at the corner of the room, glaring at them with a cloth stuck into his mouth.
"so you think kidnapping him is figuring things out," he deadpanned.
"your mother... does she know?"
"how could she not! this smarty pants over here dragged me into this house from down the street and literally no one could hear me calling! his stupid mother -- "
"my mom is not stupid!"
jonghyun gagged him with the cloth key spat out earlier, leaving an angry key on the chair, "we really need to figure this out."
"how about a dna test? you know, to see if this guy is real?" taemin suggested.
"but i am -- ow!"
a masking tape was ripped from his leg
("well, that was uneccessary. it is kibum," taemin sighed tiredly, having stayed up the whole night; he was holding up a tape filled with leg hair.
"don't you get it?! we're the same because i was a part of kim kibum! i swear, you are a bunch of thickheads!"
"i still can't believe it.")
for one, taemin didn't know how jonghyun and minho got involved. was it because minho owed key a pair of sneakers? or was it because jonghyun was the nosey one? but taemin was very sure, that key wasn't the boy he used to know. key was exactly like kibum, but he's pretty sure kibum was much more... nicer. he did get mild sweatly palms from time to time, though, from seeing this kibum lookalike.
the next few days went pass in a blur, just like any day. but that one day, taemin remembered that he ate 7 lemon suckers in the morning, and that he drank an cookie latte from starbucks in the afternoon. he also noticed that he always went out at 3:14 pm to meet minho and jonghyun.
the three friends were back at the same cafe, and taemin had hastily entered holding a book.
"'the great power of the mind, volume 4'? are you a nerd or what?" minho snorted.
"i have no time for that, minho. and if you haven't realised, i'm a scientist and i'm trying to do some research so knock that into your thick skull, boy."
taemin placed the book onto the table as minho mumbled something along the lines of 'so rude'. though, he did note the scrunched up face taemin had, and was convinced that taemin was a hundred percent serious.
he swiftly flipped to page 246 -- the page number, he remembered, pointing an accusing finger at the book, "now, look. it says that 'robots can never be broken again after memories are restored and rendered. extreme situations are excluded.' key must be planning to destroy the kibum that i was trying to build! that means i'll need to finish kibum before he does destroy it!"
"and his memories?" jonghyun said, making random patterns in the air, bored.
"we'll get it back. i'm sure of it."
-
(no one really thought that they would get to this point; key holding a small switch, threatening to blow up himself together with a kibum that he brought along.
"well, aren't you going to say anything?!")
key had dragged along a very much alive kim kibum into the house after his insistent doorbell ringing and into taemin's lab, loudly slamming the door behind him as taemin's mother worriedly asked if he was alright on the other side. taemin shot up from his chair, dropping his fountain pen. panic clouded his mind as he gripped onto his desk anxiously.
"look, let's just get this over with. give up his memories and i'll tell you everything," he said. "i finished him, and you can have him if you let me have his memories. "
taemin stood still and rooted to his spot, head turning to where he kept kibum and true enough, he wasn’t there. taemin found it hard to believe, and he stared long and hard at the two identical boys before him. one had blonde hair tucked under the same beanie he had always worn, an arm locked around kibum's neck and the other hand clutching a tiny switch -- the other, had a mess of jet black hair on his head, bangs falling over his forehead, looking exactly like how taemin last saw him, wearing the same sweater he wore three winters ago.
"well i could make him again if i wanted to, couldn’t i?" taemin challenged, wondering what he had gotten himself into.
"no! you don’t understand, i need them to live! if the authorities notice that i’m a fake, they would take me apart! and you can’t make him again, you know they’ll get you for it."
"who are he and who and what the hell are we doing here?!" kibum called, seemingly annoyed.
and it seemed kibum didn't know who anyone was. taemin was almost convinced that key was having him on all the while, seeing how the duplicate -- who taemin assumed was (his) kibum, had his hands scratching at the arm that bounded him, eyes having no hint of fear, which instead was filled with anger, creases on his forehead were of confusion and agitation. desperate, he was, to find out what was happening; poor kibum was lost and very confused.
but apparently, as clueless as he was, kibum still had the evil in him. he ultimately gave up on pulling key's arm away from him, instead he reached over his head, only to grab key's beanie and pull it over his face. it had key shout out in distress and really, no one knew what happened but kibum had key knocked to the floor in seconds.
taemin had figured out by then, that key was really a robot too, when he saw the glass eyes rolling to the back of his head.
taemin watched as kibum flopped onto taemin’s chair, "now tell me everything."
-
taemin found himself looking at the new desk clock more often. he counted the number of sweets he ate that day - three packets of jellybeans a day, and found himself drinking latte macchiato more frequently. he also discovered the joy of hanging with jonghyun and minho at the café, really, the self-proclaimed scientist got bored of the metallic scent of his lab too soon.
but never would he imagine bumping into the same boy he met at the same café three years ago, drinking the same café latte; the same sweater he wore instantly got him. he excitedly grabbed a chair at the table, sitting opposite the stunned boy.
"hello, I hope this seat isn’t taken," taemin tried really hard to smile as brightly as he could.
the boy grinned back, "oh, no, it isn’t. i’m kim kibum, by the way, in case you wanted to hit on me."
taemin figured, he was much better off not cooped up in his lab, face buried inside biology books, and hands busied with wires and metal parts. taemin had a whole life ahead of him, jonghyun and minho, and the boy he just met at the café. he would get kibum’s memories back and start his life from square one.
he thought, maybe going shopping for cardigans and sneakers with kibum was more worth the while than finding out how to make things levitate.
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: It Was Never Broken
Pairing: Key/Taemin
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Authors’ Notes: to the mods and reader, i apologise this came late, this was a prompt i’m not really used to, so i finished later than expected :/ please, also, ignore the small capitals, i got the story together on my phone.
"taemin, get out of the lab and get some dinner! you've starved yourself too much!"
"no, mother! it's already 3 am and i'm not yet done!" he shouted in reply to his mother in the kitchen.
taemin had a box the size of a rubrik's cube in his hands and a book before him. towers of books are stacked on his desk, and broken mannequins with wires poking out here and there sprawled across his floor. it smelled too much of metal in the room; one could easily mistake the scent for blood. the cold air nipped at his hands. he pulled the sleeves of his sweater over his fingers, placing the little box down for a breif moment to raise the temperature of the heater. taemin hurriedly flipped the pages of the book - 'the great power of the mind, volume 5' - before attempting to break the box into smaller parts.
he rummaged the counter next to his desk, the screws and springs and wires messily laid out on the surface, albeit the computers and devices arranged nicely against the wall at the back. his hands were working fast to put the pieces back together.
time, really, that was all he needed. his days were always in a blur, and they came and went in a flash. little things in his life were neglected; how many sweets he ate that day, how many pens he lost, what time he went to sleep. when taemin had coffee in the morning, what brand it was, he didn't know. the whole day had him wondering what the bitter taste in his mouth was. but it was soon pushed to the back of his mind; he couldn’t stop to wait for anything. the knowledge of running out of time haunted him, and he did everything in a rush.
it really was a complicated cycle.
-
there was something missing and he knew it. he immersed himself in his world of books, and the science discussion forum on the computer. a faint knock he heard, but he came to ignore it as the sound stopped a few moments later. it was the loud creak of his heavy, old metal door opening that disrupted his deep thoughts.
irritated, he ruffled the mess of black locks on his head and sighed, "i thought i reminded you to knock on the door before entering -- "
"-- i did."
taemin observed his mother's face. the creases around her eyes as she tiredly smiled at him seemed more defined than usual. he wondered if she was getting older; he was sure the last time he saw her, she was a beautiful, young lady, kind and caring at heart and taemin loved her.
she had her hair pulled back into a pretty braid, and a bowl of porridge was in her hands. she put the books aside and placed the food on his desk.
"taemin, have some food. you're getting skinnier, dear," his mother said, smoothing down his hair.
he had forgotten the last time he had his hair washed. sure, he took a bath everyday but he hadn't time to scrub his hair clean. he ran his fingers through his hair; it was decent enough. he forced a smile and thanked his mother, gently ushering her out of the room with a good night.
his mother kissed him goodbye on the forehead at the door, and she whispered, "get to bed before ten, okay? it's not good for your health if you sleep too late."
he knitted his brows as he shut the door. it read 3:02 am on his digital clock, the distinct red colour of the digits flashing brightly and clearly.
late? it was already late, or really early. taemin looked out of the row of small windows that was installed high on the wall, and the sun was only starting to set.
he got the clock and took out the batteries.
it had been broken all along.
(he slept at 10:41. taemin had left a window on his computer open, displaying the time. the bowl of porridge was left cold on his desk, and taemin decided he wasn't hungry.)
-
taemin thought that maybe something went wrong when he saw kibum crossing the street.
the blonde hair under the black beanie was unmistakably kibum's. taemin's heart sort of stopped for a second, when kibum turned around to look. their eyes met, and his heart started racing, his lips going dry. he wanted so bad to run up to him and pull him into a hug, tell him that he missed him. but of course he wouldn’t; taemin ran full speed to the cafe he was meeting jonghyun and minho, instead.
he knew something was wrong.
(taemin awoke, groggy and tired. he staggered out into the living room and got himself a glass of milk.
"good morning, sweetie! minho gave me a call last night, saying to meet him at the cafe at the mall in the afternoon."
his mother was preparing eggs and sausages and it hit him that he hadn't had breakfast in a long while. he decided to eat today. taemin absentmindedly nodded and replied that he wanted extra sausages. taemin didn't notice the large grin on his mother's face as he swallowed the last bit of food.
he really just needed to get a new alarm clock.)
"i saw kibum on the street!"
taemin ran into the cafe, heart accelerating and adrenaline pumping through his blood. he wasn't sure whether it was fear or happiness. jonghyun and minho had frowns on their faces, and disapproving looks. taemin's eyes were wide and sure, they were almost convinced that he was telling the truth. jonghyun sighed.
"hey, are you sure? isn't he already dead --"
jonghyun smacked a hand over minho's mouth and gestured taemin to his seat.
"okay... go on."
but sometimes they both knew better than to doubt taemin's words.
taemin was seated on the other end of the small table. he breifly ordered a drink when a waitress came over. the waitress left, and his mind started rewinding. he wished he could relay exactly what he felt when he saw that blonde down the street, wearing a polka-dotted dress shirt under the denim jacket, and all. he couldn't speak for a moment as he recalled the cold, mysterious orbs of kibum's eyes.
"he... he was crossing the road, a-and he saw me! but he walked off and i didn't know what to do so i ran over here but i never came out of my home for, like, almost a month, and i almost got lost because - that's really stupid, how could i have gotten lost - but kibum was looking at me and for a moment i thought he regconised me," taemin stopped, he stopped as the waitress came with his red velvet latte.
taemin searched their eyes hopefully, for trust, although he expected disappointment. but he saw none, only... amusement?
minho let out an obnoxious laughter, exclaiming, "dude, at least you made it here! if i weren't out for a month, i'm pretty sure i would forget my own name!"
jonghyun, on the other hand, was quietly sipping on his frappe.
"i'm serious! you've got to believe me!" taemin, frustrated, stuffed a toast into his own mouth.
jonghyun frowned at minho and replied, "no, he actually does. so, how'd he get out of your lab? i'm pretty sure you didn't finish him yet."
"but i - no, i-i didn't."
taemin was suddenly lost and confused, hands that was holding the cup of latte went slippery.
"i didn't."
he was never the one to go out much, but jonghyun and minho were friends he couldn't refuse. he was actually glad they called him out that day, or he wouldn't have kibum seated opposite him at his desk, staring intently at him. he didn't believe his sight for a moment. he didn't make him - because he still had kibum in the lab, under the old curtains he covered his robots with - why was another kim kibum here?
"no, it's not 'kibum', per se. it is just. key. my name is key, not kibum," eyes wide with annoyance and with furrowed brows he spoke.
taemin was clearly at a loss; but he couldn't be here, well and alive.
back at the cafe, jonghyun and minho thought that the best way to solve this problem was to look for him, talk to him, and bring him back home. and taemin didn't have to go far either. they found him seated right outside the cafe, sipping a cafe latte whilst reading a book. taemin's heart had start its wild beating again, and his palms seemed to go sweaty very easily at the sight of kibum.
very nervously and anxiously, he stepped forward. he didn't introduce himself before kibum did. his heart clenched; he was exactly like him, the way he talked.
"are you going to hit on me? because if you were, you need to gain that weight back on - you're too skinny! how are you going to carry my shopping bags when we go shopping together as a couple?" he said, placing his book on the table. "i'm key, just so you know."
after receiving a painful slap in the face when taemin shocked kibum by suddenly grabbing his fingers for a handshake, minho got to convince the stubborn boy to follow them back to taemin's lab, with a promise of a new pair of sneakers.
and here they were. taemin didn't know the first thing he had to do. fiddling with his fingers, taemin's eyes darted across the room he was so familiar with. he stared at the computer, the papers on his desk, the books - anything and everything, but those eyes, the dark pupils. kibum - key, was sitting on the stool on the other side of his desk, elbow placed on the table with his chin resting on it. he was undoubtedly checking taemin out.
"the memory chip," kibum spoke, voice low and laced with caution, just as taemin was about to speak himself.
taemin's diverting gaze snapped back at key. the last thing taemin expected was for key to speak about his project. how did he find out?
"that thing you're trying to build. you need to install kim kibum's memories inside it, for if you do not, the robot will never be finished," key said, voice careful, but his fingers casually playing with his papers on the desk.
"but, wait!" taemin exclaimed as key stood up, making his way towards the door. "how? where is this chip?"
and he's gone by the time taemin ran after him. but nevertheless, he found a rather suspicious note stuck on the stool key was sitting on. taemin quickly tore it off.
"it wouldn't be my problem if you don't finish him, would it? you need to look closer, sweetie. i wouldn't be suprised if you found it under your chair, or something."
taemin made a move to search under his chair. he frowned and flipped the note over. he squinted at the words.
"i bet you looked for it under your chair. but that's not what i meant. you need to try harder, it's nearer to you than you think. in fact, you've just found it."
(taemin found an arm, old and broken, in an isolated corner of the large storeroom. he pulled the wires and strings together, attaching them at the ends. taemin stole a glance at the robot, and its obvious lack of a limb. he completed the arm, oiling the finishing touches and finally attaching the arm back onto kibum. the electricity pulsed through the veins, at an inhumanly temperature; quite different from what taemin had always longed for.
but it was alright, for now.)
-
"what?!"
jonghyun exclaimed, "i knew it, i just knew it!"
"shut up, jonghyun! kibum is not evil!"
"well, not anymore, since his evil is in... this kibum," minho reasoned.
taemin slouched back into the chair he was sitting in, "i can't believe this. i just cannot believe it."
"you'd have to. i did explain it to you, didn't i?" key spoke. "and it's not kibum, it's key!"
taemin's eyes widened, as a thought struck him. "do you have the memory chip?"
"maybe," jonghyun snickered. "probably too evil to tell that."
his thoughts were messily placed together, unorganised, and taemin didn't know where to start thinking. the memory chip, the robot, key -- who was kibum's evil clone; he was more than confused. taemin turned to key, who quickly stood up, muttering an excuse along the lines of having more important things to do.
key paused as he picked up his latte, and he turned to taemin, "you didn't know robots have expiry dates, did you?"
"expiry date? no one told me," taemin replied.
"that was because it never did had a date. until now, that is."
the trinkling of the bells sounded. key had left. the cafe was left deserted, save for three young men at the table at the far corner of the quiet cafe.
taemin was determined, somehow, to fix this situation, "we need to figure this out."
taemin practically survives in his fairly big lab alone, complete with a toilet, a fridge, a kettle for cup noodles, a shelf filled with science tools, a study area, an experiment table and a bed. for a few months now the bed was untouched, sheets nice and clean thanks to taemin who now was acustomed to bunking on his desk chair.
jonghyun and minho sat on his stools, staring im awe at their surroundings.
"i took key here, because he refuses to reveal where the chip is. really. i had no choice -- "
minho perked up at taemin's words. then he saw a boy strapped to a chair at the corner of the room, glaring at them with a cloth stuck into his mouth.
"so you think kidnapping him is figuring things out," he deadpanned.
"your mother... does she know?"
"how could she not! this smarty pants over here dragged me into this house from down the street and literally no one could hear me calling! his stupid mother -- "
"my mom is not stupid!"
jonghyun gagged him with the cloth key spat out earlier, leaving an angry key on the chair, "we really need to figure this out."
"how about a dna test? you know, to see if this guy is real?" taemin suggested.
"but i am -- ow!"
a masking tape was ripped from his leg
("well, that was uneccessary. it is kibum," taemin sighed tiredly, having stayed up the whole night; he was holding up a tape filled with leg hair.
"don't you get it?! we're the same because i was a part of kim kibum! i swear, you are a bunch of thickheads!"
"i still can't believe it.")
for one, taemin didn't know how jonghyun and minho got involved. was it because minho owed key a pair of sneakers? or was it because jonghyun was the nosey one? but taemin was very sure, that key wasn't the boy he used to know. key was exactly like kibum, but he's pretty sure kibum was much more... nicer. he did get mild sweatly palms from time to time, though, from seeing this kibum lookalike.
the next few days went pass in a blur, just like any day. but that one day, taemin remembered that he ate 7 lemon suckers in the morning, and that he drank an cookie latte from starbucks in the afternoon. he also noticed that he always went out at 3:14 pm to meet minho and jonghyun.
the three friends were back at the same cafe, and taemin had hastily entered holding a book.
"'the great power of the mind, volume 4'? are you a nerd or what?" minho snorted.
"i have no time for that, minho. and if you haven't realised, i'm a scientist and i'm trying to do some research so knock that into your thick skull, boy."
taemin placed the book onto the table as minho mumbled something along the lines of 'so rude'. though, he did note the scrunched up face taemin had, and was convinced that taemin was a hundred percent serious.
he swiftly flipped to page 246 -- the page number, he remembered, pointing an accusing finger at the book, "now, look. it says that 'robots can never be broken again after memories are restored and rendered. extreme situations are excluded.' key must be planning to destroy the kibum that i was trying to build! that means i'll need to finish kibum before he does destroy it!"
"and his memories?" jonghyun said, making random patterns in the air, bored.
"we'll get it back. i'm sure of it."
-
(no one really thought that they would get to this point; key holding a small switch, threatening to blow up himself together with a kibum that he brought along.
"well, aren't you going to say anything?!")
key had dragged along a very much alive kim kibum into the house after his insistent doorbell ringing and into taemin's lab, loudly slamming the door behind him as taemin's mother worriedly asked if he was alright on the other side. taemin shot up from his chair, dropping his fountain pen. panic clouded his mind as he gripped onto his desk anxiously.
"look, let's just get this over with. give up his memories and i'll tell you everything," he said. "i finished him, and you can have him if you let me have his memories. "
taemin stood still and rooted to his spot, head turning to where he kept kibum and true enough, he wasn’t there. taemin found it hard to believe, and he stared long and hard at the two identical boys before him. one had blonde hair tucked under the same beanie he had always worn, an arm locked around kibum's neck and the other hand clutching a tiny switch -- the other, had a mess of jet black hair on his head, bangs falling over his forehead, looking exactly like how taemin last saw him, wearing the same sweater he wore three winters ago.
"well i could make him again if i wanted to, couldn’t i?" taemin challenged, wondering what he had gotten himself into.
"no! you don’t understand, i need them to live! if the authorities notice that i’m a fake, they would take me apart! and you can’t make him again, you know they’ll get you for it."
"who are he and who and what the hell are we doing here?!" kibum called, seemingly annoyed.
and it seemed kibum didn't know who anyone was. taemin was almost convinced that key was having him on all the while, seeing how the duplicate -- who taemin assumed was (his) kibum, had his hands scratching at the arm that bounded him, eyes having no hint of fear, which instead was filled with anger, creases on his forehead were of confusion and agitation. desperate, he was, to find out what was happening; poor kibum was lost and very confused.
but apparently, as clueless as he was, kibum still had the evil in him. he ultimately gave up on pulling key's arm away from him, instead he reached over his head, only to grab key's beanie and pull it over his face. it had key shout out in distress and really, no one knew what happened but kibum had key knocked to the floor in seconds.
taemin had figured out by then, that key was really a robot too, when he saw the glass eyes rolling to the back of his head.
taemin watched as kibum flopped onto taemin’s chair, "now tell me everything."
-
taemin found himself looking at the new desk clock more often. he counted the number of sweets he ate that day - three packets of jellybeans a day, and found himself drinking latte macchiato more frequently. he also discovered the joy of hanging with jonghyun and minho at the café, really, the self-proclaimed scientist got bored of the metallic scent of his lab too soon.
but never would he imagine bumping into the same boy he met at the same café three years ago, drinking the same café latte; the same sweater he wore instantly got him. he excitedly grabbed a chair at the table, sitting opposite the stunned boy.
"hello, I hope this seat isn’t taken," taemin tried really hard to smile as brightly as he could.
the boy grinned back, "oh, no, it isn’t. i’m kim kibum, by the way, in case you wanted to hit on me."
taemin figured, he was much better off not cooped up in his lab, face buried inside biology books, and hands busied with wires and metal parts. taemin had a whole life ahead of him, jonghyun and minho, and the boy he just met at the café. he would get kibum’s memories back and start his life from square one.
he thought, maybe going shopping for cardigans and sneakers with kibum was more worth the while than finding out how to make things levitate.