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Jinwoo scoffed. He shook his head. “Sanha wouldn’t do this,” he argued to Dongmin, who averted his gaze. “Sanha is my friend . He likes Myungjun — he likes to call Myungjun his big brother for fun. Why would he kidnap him?” He squeezed his phone with his one good hand and shook his head for a second time. “Sanha wouldn’t do this,” he repeated.
Dongmin tightened his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you,” he murmured. “I didn’t want for him to kidnap your boyfriend. I just...I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t...take me back. All I told him was that I needed you to...to have initiative not to do anything to me or Minhyuk.”
“You don’t even know Sanha.”
“Yoon Sanha,” Dongmin muttered. “He’s twenty-five years old. Graduated from Seoul University.”
Jinwoo’s heart pounded in his chest. In the empty silence of Dongmin’s reclusive home, Jinwoo was sure everyone could hear it. “You could have found that information anywhere,” he breathed.
Dongmin sighed and retorted, “Sanha has a scar on his elbow from when he burned himself on his stove when he was in lower school. He has older siblings and most of his family were in the army — some still are enlisted. And when he’s bored, he plays on his computer.”
That was information even Jinwoo barely knew. He wasn’t sure how Dongmin would have gotten a hold of it.
Unless it was as Dongmin claimed; Sanha did this.
Jinwoo had to sit down, eyes wide as he realized the betrayal. Sanha had befriended him. Sanha had been close to Myungjun. They trusted Sanha.
“We’ve been friends for a while,” Dongmin told him, clearing his throat nervously. “I just...I’m so sorry, Jinwoo. I really didn’t know this would happen. Sanha said he was trying to veer you away from me, but you went on your own.”
If he had stuck to Sanha’s plans, then, all would be well. He wouldn’t find Dongmin, but Myungjun would be safe. All Jinwoo wanted was for Myungjun to be safe.
“Does Sanha have him, then?” Jinwoo asked, looking back up at Dongmin, desperate for answers. “Did Sanha take him?”
“I called him while you were out,” Dongmin admitted. “He said...he doesn’t have Myungjun.. Myungjun is being held by an android similar to Minhyuk.”
Jinwoo remembered the terrible pain of his arm breaking, and the punch that bruised his entire face, and murderous intent that the android possessed. He didn’t like thinking of Myungjun alone with another android like that. He shook his head, fear clutching his heart.
“He’s nicer than Minhyuk,” Dongmin quickly added, as if noticing what his words had done. “Sanha said he’s sweet and was excited to meet Myungjun.”
“He kidnapped Myungjun!” Jinwoo yelled. Dongmin backed up, but the android stepped closer. Jinwoo ignored him for the time being; his anger was directed to Dongmin. “My boyfriend is kidnapped by a fucking android!”
“He-He’s not going to be hurt. Sanha made that clear to me,” Dongmin tried assuring him. “He’s just...he’s held there until you promise not to breathe a word of this.”
“My boyfriend is a hostage!” Jinwoo exclaimed, his voice breaking. “Why the fuck did you drag him into this? He’s innocent! He’s not the one you should be attacking!” He took a few deep breaths as an idea formed in his head.
“Kill me instead,” he demanded.
Dongmin balked. “What?”
“Let Myungjun go and kill me. I won’t talk if I’m dead. And Myungjun won’t know where you guys are, so you won’t have to worry about him. Please, just...just let him go! You can’t do this to him!”
“That sounds good to me,” the android said, and Dongmin glared at it.
Jinwoo took a deep breath. “I don’t want my boyfriend in this situation. I never wanted him involved in my work. I...I already hate myself for allowing this to happen, and so if you kill me, then everything will be resolved.”
“I’m...I’m not going to kill you,” Dongmin countered, looking back over at Jinwoo. “The reason Sanha kidnapped your boyfriend is because I wouldn’t ever kill you.” He ran his fingers through his messy hair, then asked the android, “Minhyuk, is there any way you can figure out where Myungjun is being kept?”
The android shrugged its shoulders. “Perhaps. It is not in my system to find people, however. I do not know how I would go about doing that.”
“Look at the image. Try and figure out if it seems like somewhere close.” Dongmin held out a hand, gesturing for the phone, but Jinwoo was reluctant to part with it. It was his one connection to Myungjun. It was all he had left of his boyfriend until they could locate him.
Still, if the android could find him, then Jinwoo would give up everything.
He passed over his phone. Dongmin pulled up the image again and held it out to the android.
It was interesting to see how the android analyzed the image. His eyes held within them great depth, understanding beyond compare, and it was evident that he was a machine.
How could Dongmin love a machine?
“It’s a hotel,” the android said, standing straighter after his examination was complete. “The chair Myungjun is seated in is commonly found in hotels. It is an older model, but many hotels still use older models.”
“A hotel,” Jinwoo breathed. “That could be anywhere! ” He was frustrated at such a hopeless situation.
Dongmin, once more, spoke. “Could you trace the phone number?” he asked. “Perhaps figure out where this hotel is?”
The android took the phone from Dongmin’s grasp. “I can try my best,” it responded. “It might take me an hour or two.”
“That’s fine. Thanks, Hyuk.” Dongmin turned back to Jinwoo and bit down on his bottom lip. “We’ll help find him,” he promised.
Jinwoo blinked. “Why?”
“Because...it was never my intention for this to happen. For any of this to happen. And I feel like it’s my fault for causing it in the first place.” Dongmin glanced over at his android, who was still messing with the phone, and said, “I know what it’s like to love someone. I know what it’s like to worry for them.”
Jinwoo followed Dongmin’s gaze and grimaced. “The difference is,” he snapped, “Myungjun is human. Humans have emotions than robots could never have.”
“If you didn’t already know he’s an android, then you would be fooled,” Dongmin told him. “They’re more human than you might think.”
It was possible, but Jinwoo wasn’t so concerned about the emotional capability of a stupid robot. All he cared about was saving Myungjun.