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Bin wasn’t sure what to do. He was given specific orders, orders that were for Myungjun’s own safety, but the man he loved kept crying. Surely he was crying because of the orders; Bin couldn’t think of any other reason for those tears.
As it was, he didn’t move from his spot near the front door. He stayed still, keeping his eyes averted away from Myungjun. It felt intrusive to watch him; Myungjun had taught him that it was intrusive to watch him shower and use the bathroom and break down in wails and cries. And so this must be intrusive.
Myungjun calmed down after twenty-two minutes. He sniffled still, but he was no longer in hysterics. Bin felt comfortable enough to ask, “Are you alright?”
Myungjun glanced over at him. His eyes were red-rimmed. “I should’ve hit him,” he murmured. “With the laptop. I should’ve hit him.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Myungjun shrugged. “I...I don’t know. I hesitated too much. I realized...I mean, we’re...we used to be friends, me and Sanha. He was like a little brother to me. I liked to take care of him. I never had a little brother, and when Jinwoo introduced us, he became...he became similar to a baby brother.” Myungjun wiped at his face. Evidence of the tears did not go away. “I couldn’t hurt someone I once considered to be family.”
Family . Bin had the concept of family from the dramas he watched. He was unsure what made a family, though. “You and Sanha are family?” he asked. “Related by blood?”
“Not by blood,” Myungjun replied. “But I considered him as such.”
It didn’t make any sense to Bin, but there was a lot of the human world that did not make sense to him. He would have to accept Myungjun’s explanation. “You two don’t seem very close.”
“We used to be. I mean, back when I didn’t know that he had me kidnapped and held hostage, yeah, we were really close.” Myungjun gave a small sigh as he moved to sit on the couch. “I don’t suppose there’s a chance you’d let me go again?” he asked.
Bin had thought about it. After Sanha had left and as Myungjun cried, Bin had thought of releasing Myungjun. However, he was nervous to do so. Sanha’s words rung in his mind: For his own safety.
“Sanha said...Sanha said that you will be safe if you are here.”
“Implying that I wouldn’t be safe otherwise?” Myungjun asked. He pursed his lips. “He’s just trying to get you to keep me hostage again so he won’t be found.”
“Will you search for him if I release you?” Bin questioned.
Myungjun frowned and scratched his head. “I...I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure what I can do about it. Sanha works for the government; he might have access to weapons, and he might have access to people with weapons.”
“But you have access to me.”
There was silence. There was hesitation. Myungjun stared up at Bin before asking, “What?”
Bin moved from the door. Sanha’s orders meant very little to him now. Other than protecting Myungjun, Bin didn’t want to listen to anything else Sanha told him to do. “I was created to be a war machine,” he explained. “My original purpose in life was to listen and obey and fight back, if necessary. They tried to add it to my coding. They did not succeed very well, for I do not wish to fight. I wish to serve. However, for you, I would do anything. And I am strong. I have the capabilities to lift ten times that of a regular man, and because I am made of metal and wirings, I can hold my ground should anyone come at me.”
Myungjun blinked. “What does that mean?” he asked. “What are you implying?”
“I want to help you,” Bin offered. “No matter what you choose, I want to help you along. If you wish to stay here and wait for Jinwoo, I will wait. If you want to leave and call Jinwoo elsewhere, I will follow. And if you want to find Sanha and fight him, then I will do that in your place.”
“But...Sanha is your owner. Aren’t you obligated to listen to whatever he says?”
Technically, that was true. Bin was made to listen and obey. He was not supposed to disregard his owner’s instructions. However, his coding was allowing him to stray from Sanha’s wishes and desires. He no longer felt the overwhelming need to follow them. Instead, he wanted to help Myungjun, and only Myungjun.
“I’ve decided I can make my own choices,” Bin told Myungjun. “And so long as you will allow me to help, then my choice is to help you.”
Despite his tears, despite all the crying he had done, Myungjun finally smiled. Bin much preferred Myungjun’s smile to any other expression shown. He smiled back.
“You’d really help me?” Myungjun prompted, voice full of hope. “Seriously?”
Bin nodded his head. “I told you I love you,” he stated, “and because I love you, I want you to be happy. I do not like it when you cry. Jinwoo makes you happy, doesn’t he?”
“He does.”
“Then I want to help you find Jinwoo.” Bin took Myungjun’s hand and pulled him from the seat. “If it is dangerous outside, then I will gladly be a shield for you. Use me in any way you wish, Myungjun.”
Myungjun’s eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head. “I don’t want you hurt,” he said. “I know you’re an android, but you still feel pain.” He looked down at Bin’s arm, at the mark left in the synthetic skin. “So I’m not going to involve you in situations where you might get hurt. Besides, I highly doubt we’d get hurt; Sanha appears to be working alone now. There’s no reason for him to send anyone after us.”
The care Myungjun felt for him was something that humans felt for other humans — at least it was in the dramas Bin had watched. It was a stark difference from the fear Myungjun had first shown him upon their introduction. This was sweet. This was kind. Bin smiled at Myungjun, and then blurted out, “I do love you, Myungjun.”
“You’re a dork,” Myungjun muttered in return. Bin had been sure Myungjun wouldn’t profess to love him, so it came as no surprise. Still, he had to complain a bit.
“I’m not a dork. I’m your friend.”
Myungjun smiled. “You are my friend. And thank you for helping me out. I know you’re going against orders to do so.” He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”
Bin blinked. “Back?”
“Sanha mentioned that Jinwoo likely knows where I was. We can head back there and wait for him. I’ll stop somewhere on the way to give him a call, if I can borrow a phone. That way, he can come straight to us and won’t be forced to search around until he stumbles upon some sort of clue.”
The idea was fine with Bin, but one thing was bugging him. He watched Myungjun ready himself for a small adventure, then asked, “What will happen to me?”
“What do you mean? You’re coming with me.”
“But...once you and Jinwoo are together again...what shall I do?”
Myungjun’s face softened. Pity was the emotion he displayed. Bin knew it from his database.
He knew, too, he couldn’t be with Myungjun. Myungjun was human and had a human lover. Humans didn’t belong with robots. Myungjun had made that clear to him. Everyone had made that clear to him. His creators were adamant that he couldn’t be with a human. He had longed to ignore them, but they were correct.
“We...we’ll think of something,” Myungjun promised him. “Jinwoo works for the government — perhaps they could make use of you. You’re very intelligent and strong. I don’t see why the government couldn’t use you for something.”
Bin didn’t think that was to be the case. The government had initially wanted a war machine; Bin was a failed prototype. They would shut him down.
Myungjun didn’t know that, however, and so as to not dampen his spirits, Bin decided not to tell him.
As long as Myungjun was safe and happy, Bin didn’t really care what would happen to him.