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Being a reserved, un-social pet wasn’t for the weak. Luka stayed away from the others, he often sat alone under the large tree in the middle of Anakt garden.
The bark was thick, and sometimes Luka would try and push it, to see if it could move, somehow. He always ended up being the hurt one, instead.
After all, he was a flawed experiment. Luka knew father had others before him, they looked like him, but they were failures.
He remembers finding a locked room one night, the key was left in the hole. Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the door— only to regret it moments later.
Luka saw their bodies, they floated peacefully in the glass tank. He stepped forward and put his hand on the glass, they looked peaceful. They had his face.
However, one of their eyes burst open and broke the glass. Luka did what he thought was best— he grabbed a pipe and slammed it into their heads. He ended up dirty with red, and green blood splattered on his white dress.
Father found him ten minutes ago, he slipped the pipe out of his hand and held Luka’s shoulder.
”Those are the failures.”
Father whispered in his ear. Luka stood there, before nodding hesitantly, he looked at his blood-stained hands and ran into his father’s chest. He sobbed, begged, and pleaded.
Luka knew he was the only perfect one out of the many created. But, being perfect came with some repercussions. He was born with a fragile body, and multiple illnesses to pay for his face.
From creation, he was alone. The only one Luka had was father. It was only that he came to Anakt garden that he found someone.
”All alone again?” Hyuna giggled, Luka had been absentmindedly counting his fingers while he leaned against the tree, only for Hyuna to march in and take his hand.
Her touch was soft, and comforting. It wasn’t like the rough, demanding ones father had.
”….Yeah..” Luka said, after a while. Hyuna’s ponytail dangled on her shoulder, her smile beaming as she counted his fingers one by one.
One.
Two.
Three.
Luka blushed, his cheeks felt hot when Hyuna continued to count, until she reached ten. When she did, she looked up and ruffled his soft, blonde hair.
”You will never be alone, now that i’m here”
Hyuna laughed, and Luka did too— her smile was contagious.
“You will never be alone, now that i’m here.”
Those words echoed in his mind as he ran to Hyuna, a grin on his face. She stood a few steps away, horrified. Was it because of the blood on his face?
He rushed in and hugged Hyuna, accidentally smudging a bit of red on her white clothing. Usually, she would hug him back, but she didn’t this time.
She was too busy staring at someone else.
Luka had gotten into an argument with Hyun-Woo earlier, he pushed him away when Hyun-Woo lifted his fist and tried to bring it down on him.
Hyun-Woo may be strong, but he wasn’t a tree. He didn’t have a strong bark like a tree, and he was only human, after all. A wound on his face would greatly upset father, and Hyuna might fuss again.
The other child lost his balance and tripped on a rock. Luka fell to the ground because of the force, and his eyes widened when he realized what he had done. He was laying next to Hyun-Woo’s bloody body.
Luka thought Hyuna might be proud he finally defended himself, but instead, she screamed.
All the rocks in Anakt garden were removed because of him. Hyuna refused to talk to him, she shut herself in her room, even if the segyein punished her for skipping classes, she always looked dull.
Her eyes were devoid of shine, her eyebags had gotten heavier, and her back was always hunched.
The segyein scolded Luka, and lectured him so that an incident as such would never occur again. Luka knew, that if he was normal like them, they would have gotten rid of him— but father took care of it.
Actually, father was happy. That the alien named ‘Phan’ has lost one of her humans, and whispered something about ‘less competition.’
Luka hid under the large tree again, hugging his knees as he counted his fingers. From a distance, he locked eyes with Hyuna, her soul-less grey eyes turned away—
And Luka was left counting on his own.
Luka wanted to smile, laugh in victory as the votes were in his favor. The pet he was battling stood no chance, he was too reckless, too aggressive, and too imperfect.
He watched as the human fought so desperately after seeing that pink-haired human in the crowd— the one that Hyuna saved from him.
”In a blink, gone!”
Till sang his heart out, but not everything can be solved with determination alone. That was all Till had, he possessed no tactic, and barely had any strengths.
The pink-haired human climbed on stage, cradling Till’s dying body in her lap, her tears fell on his face rhythmically while they stared at each other one last time.
”You…”
Luka turned around, and he felt as if he had lost his breath. It was Hyuna, hunched over in pain and covering her stomach as it bled, her grey eyes were on him again.
“What have you done?”
Luka didn’t care as the gun pressed harder on his head, all he cared about was Hyuna. The other members of the rebellion followed her on stage, they surrounded the stage with guns. Luka watched as father bit his lip in annoyance.
Hyuna refused to lock eyes once again, she brought her cap down lower and stared at the floor. Luka didn’t care if he died right then and there, all he cared about was her.
The memories they had together were permanent, no matter what happened to them. Luka saw for a split second as the man pointing the gun at him was about to pull the trigger.
His heart thumped loudly, and this time, it wasn’t because of his sickness. It was for her, Hyuna. He comforted himself, by counting his fingers.
One.
Two.
Three.
”Stop!” Luka’s eyes shot open at the same time Hyuna wrapped her arms around him, she switched their positions.
Luka’s breath hitched, his heart monitor was going insane. “Hyuna?” He whispered, he didn’t need to touch his face to know it was stained with Hyuna’s blood.
Tears welled in his eyes as Hyuna breathed down his neck, her nose hidden in the crook of his neck. Her breath was shaky, and Luka was sure the bullet had pierced her heart.
Then, she began to speak.
”I resented you so, i had to keep moving forward in every moment.” She huffed unsteadily.
“But, you were always my one and only weakness.” She smiled. “That’s why i resented you so.”
She hugged him harder as Luka grunted.
”Luka, live with love.”
“Embrace the pain, the frailty, and the moments so unbearably shameful.” She whispered. “Forgive yourself, over and over again.”
“Because… everything.. begins from there”
And then she stopped talking, Hyuna was no longer breathing. Her hold on Luka loosened as she collapsed, Luka held her body and screamed as loud as he can.
Once again, he was left counting on his own.