Chapter Text
Live With Love
TW: mention of abuse/SA, Death, SH, mention of suicide and blood
Humanity, at the height of the food chain on Earth for millennia, has always survived—thrived—guided by growing beliefs, different gods, and countless religions through the centuries. But the one god all humans alike believed in and worshiped—whether they wanted to or even knew it—was Love: the true god, from whom humans were born, united, destroyed, and united again in a never-ending cycle.
But when enslaved—doomed to be pets to creatures that did not understand their emotions, when forced to turn against one another for entertainment—would humanity endure?
And would Love prevail?
“Sshh, don't cry, I beg you…” she murmured, trying to calm the infant in her arms. But it was too late. They had found her.
“NO! Please! Plea—” she cried and screamed.
One shot was all it took to silence her forever. The baby was still in her arms when she died, splashed by her mother’s blood. For humans were not allowed to keep their creations. Humans were not meant to have families—they were never even given the word. They were mere objects. Pets, meant to entertain their masters.
And one way the creatures particularly loved their entertainment... was music.
For aliens did not communicate like humans, and no alien throughout the galaxy could ever possess a human voice—much less their heart. They enjoyed the songs... but had to find a way to taint the beauty of such a gift with their cruelty and heartlessness. Thus, they created Alien Stage: a singing competition where children were raised to perform against former friends, now turned foes. And whoever won would have the great “honor” of returning. The others were doomed to die.
Among these many children, Mizi and Sua found each other. And like the sun shining across galaxies, Mizi lit Sua’s darkness and brightened her world. In what she considered a burst of selfishness, Sua would do anything to keep that light from ever fading. As long as she could breathe, her shivers would disappear in the warmth of Mizi’s bright eyes.
But she was not the only one whose world revolved around Mizi.
A little boy—brilliant of mind and talent, but broken by the way humans were made to live—had also grown to love her. Or perhaps, he had merely fallen in love with her radiating light.
When one is born underwater, forever drowning, one easily becomes addicted to their first bubble of air—so much so that they fail to notice the waves trying to push them toward the shore.
I used to watch them all the time—so full of life… of love.
They filled me with hope.
And although I tried to keep myself aware—to guard my heart—I kept hoping. Hoping that something would happen, that we’d find a way out, that a savior would come for us.
But as we walked up the hall toward the stage, my ears buzzing with the roar of the crowd—those beasts and their human pets cheering, shaking the floor beneath our feet—hope slowly slipped away.
Till, who was grimacing at the crowd, sticking out his finger—which made me chuckle—walked clumsily. He seemed uncomfortable in his shoes; he rarely ever wore any in the garden. Well, no one really did. The feeling of the grass and the fresh water of the river were some of the only nice things, some of the only real things in that artificial place. But us—we were real, too.
~~
“What are you drawing?” I asked as I leaned over him, observing as he carved on a piece of paper. He remained silent until I was able to snatch it from his hands.
“Wow, is this Ivan? He looks so good!”
He jumped up like a scared cat with a bruised face as he tried to take it back, his cheeks flushed in a light blush, which made me chuckle. “Would you give it back already!?”
“Why don’t you show him,” I thought as I let him take it, “you have no idea how happy he’d be.”
“Are you insane?! That's embarrassing.” I sighed as I sat next to him, resting my head on my knees.
“No idea...” I just repeated. He really was clueless. Or maybe he chose to ignore it. I wondered if it were because I was older, or because I didn’t understand, but I always felt sad thinking of them. I secretly hoped they’d find the time to break the silence.
"I heard the song you were rehearsing earlier. It's very good. I think you’re really talented," I added, pinching his cheek, which made him softly squeal. He was always so expressive, I could not help myself but tease him—especially when Ivan wasn’t around. Someone else had to take care of it.
“Thanks... you, too,” he said softly. Somehow it made me feel warm inside.
“Aw! Thanks, Tlitli, you're so sweet,” I lightly punched his shoulder.
“Didn’t I tell you not to call me like that!?”
“You said you didn’t want me to call you Tilly, so I changed it. Oh, by the way, here.” I snuck him a box of some food. “I heard you got punished earlier.” He looked down.
“Oh, thanks... Ivan gave me some of his lunch, so I'll save this for dinner."
“Speaking of which, is he not back from his guardian’s party?” He simply shook his head. Now he was fidgeting with his xylophone. “Try not getting in too much trouble, or your pretty face is going to get unrecognizable.”
He nodded. "I'll try."
"You know, I've read a lot of books about how life used to be on Earth, way before they ever came to it. It seemed... nice. One said that humans used to keep pets too."
"Really!?" Till grimaced.
"Yes, but it was nothing like us. It said that animals were like family, and if one were to hurt them, they'd be seen as bad people and could even be arrested by the law." Till laughed.
"That doesn't sound like something that would happen here."
"No... No, it doesn't..."
“What does 'family' mean?” he asked out of the blue. I realized they never taught us that word. I had only learned it from Zora’s books.
“It means... people we are close to, that we care for and want to spend time with,” I explained, “kind of like us.” I smiled as I waved to Sua and Mizi, who were walking back with Ivan. “Hey, look, he’s back!”
We were but kids back then. I couldn’t predict myself to be so right.
Behind him, Mizi and Sua walked along, hand in hand. At first, I envied them—the way those two found each other, how they belonged to each other. So many did in the garden, like Myeong and Sori, even Ivan and Till, even without realizing it... I could only imagine how powerful such feelings are to be worth the pain.
~~
I sat under a tree, my head resting on my knees as I tried to recall a lullaby.
“Hey, are you sleeping?” I looked up to find Mizi walking up.
“No, you can sit down if you want.” I tapped the space next to me, letting her scooch over, leaning back against the tree.
“Is Sua with her mom?” She nodded.
“Can I ask you something?” I nodded.
“Do you think I'm pretty?” I turned to her, my eyes meeting hers.
“Yes, I think you’re very pretty,” I thought, “but I think you’re even prettier when you don’t pretend,” I answered softly, almost in a whisper, and watched as her face went blank and her eyes swelled up with tears.
“It’s okay,” I repeated as she cried as silently as she could in my arms. Maybe it was because Zora made sure I was smart, but I always noticed too many things. By the end, I knew the garden’s secrets as if the flowers whispered them to me. I always made sure to keep them, even when I didn’t want to, even when I wanted to hold them by their shoulders and shake them until they opened their eyes.
But what would it change? Even if Sua had told Mizi what she was planning to do, or if Mizi told her she already knew, it wouldn't have done anything. We were still heading to the stage...
Ivan walked behind me, as the two of us smiled and made cute faces to those disgusting beasts. We chuckled as they reacted—he was really good at it. I could still remember how he learned to smile, using his fingers to stretch his lips until his mouth was bruised, just to be able to fit in with the others. What he truly wanted was to stay by Till’s side. He would’ve done anything just for that. Oh, how I wish they had escaped that one night...
But that didn’t matter. Ivan never showed how scared he was, nor how deeply he loved. He thought himself a parasite, like his love was something selfish and shallow. But Ivan... Ivan was good.
I always wondered if there was something I could do to convince him. Then I realized there was nothing I could do...
~~
I smirked, looking at how Ivan’s eyes shone as they watched Till recording a guitar solo.
“Looking cool, right?”
He nodded. My eyes wandered to the other room. Luka was there, dressed in a classic look, playing the violin. Of course, his playing lacked any flaw—but lacked any passion. I wondered if he ever enjoyed it, if he ever enjoyed anything. Not that it would change much—none of us had a choice. But at least some of us grew to love it... Did that mean we were strong? Or pathetic...?
“So cool!” Mizi exclaimed. Even Sua agreed.
“Hey, you guys are done?”
“Yup! And look, I dyed my hair!” she exclaimed as she showed off the blue ends of her hair.
“Oh! This looks so good!”
“We also did a fitting of our clothes,” Sua added softly, resting a hand on her neck. I kept my smile on as I watched, an uneasiness flowing through my stomach as I felt the thickness of the knowing silence between us.
“Hey! Look! We got matching hair!” Jia exclaimed, as she and Jin came back with vibrant blue hair. Their energy broke the moment as they posed, showing off their looks.
“You guys look amazing!” The twins truly had the ability to bring back joy anytime.
Ivan and I were the last ones recording a performance. I beamed as everyone gathered to watch us. Ivan went to ready up, and I went first. I took a deep breath as I sat down. My dancing began on a chair. The beat started. My limbs flowed with my hair as the lights changed. Even my face performed different expressions, hoping it made it look cool. And as the others cheered, it confirmed it.
Singing and songwriting were always the easiest ways for me to be my truest self. Every rhyme could carry the things that hurt, the things I couldn’t name—from my deepest frustrations to my happiest feelings. But when I danced, I wasn’t myself, but everything I wanted to be. I felt like I had wings and I could fly freely. Maybe that’s why I always hated being restrained. Even if my body hurt, I wouldn’t feel it. I was entranced.
“That was awesome!!” Mizi and Jia almost shouted, while Jin whistled. Even Sua clapped softly, and Val approved. They were only so kind with Jin, but I knew they were softer than they acted.
“Yeah, I have to admit you looked pretty cool,” Till added.
“If you think that was cool, wait 'til you see Ivan.”
He looked dumbfounded. “Wait... Ivan’s gonna dance?!”
“Well, duh!”
“Yeah, he wanted to do figure skating, but no one could do it with him—everyone was already paired up,” Mizi explained.
“I was okay with doing it, but Unsha insisted he danced instead,” I continued. He had a weird look on his face, a mix of surprise and curiosity.
“Wait, you’ve never seen Ivan dance?” Val teased with a smirk. “You’re literally joined at the hip, but you don’t know that?” she continued. “You do know he models too, right? What’s the color of his eyes?”
“Enough! Alright, I get it! What’s with you? Do you have a crush on him or something?!” he shouted.
Val, who usually could be short-tempered, just scoffed. “What do you think I am—a coward like you and Acorn?” The others and I looked at each other, making it harder not to laugh at the unwarranted attack against Acorn.
“I just admire the guy. But if I had feelings, I wouldn’t look away.” They rolled their eyes. I wish they wouldn’t be so mean. But sometimes even I felt like screaming this at Till. But still...
“Enough already, guys!” Jia shouted. I nodded. Their little fight was giving me a headache.
“And don’t say stupid shit like that again! Everyone knows I only love Jin!” they added even louder.
In a few seconds, Jin was red and almost fainted as he weakly blabbered.“You guys heard that, right? Do you think the cameras got that? Are they still on? Val's usually too shy to say it so loudly!”He giggled like an idiot, which made us laugh.
“Why are you shouting?” Ivan asked as he sneaked behind them. Although Ivan never got mad, his expression was dark, and his stare at Val was darker.
“Ugh, pathetic...” they simply mumbled. “No one here realizes we don’t have the time to play around with unsaid stuff...” they added softly with a shrug.
Jin’s face softened as he wrapped his arm around their waist, but as sad as the mood had gotten, we all chose to distract ourselves, and the opportunity was right there as we all turned to Ivan.
“You look like a prince!” Mizi jumped up and down. He dripped in jewelry and fancy clothes.
“Maybe more like a rich businessman,” Jia thought.
“What do you think, Till?” we asked maliciously.
“Euh... Yeah, Mizi’s right. You look like royalty.”
Ivan just thanked him, but we could notice the growing redness of his ears and the back of his neck. We sniggered like malicious gremlins before pushing him toward the dance floor, impatiently waiting to watch him dance. We all cheered as he moved with the music—the way he controlled his muscles. Every movement was calculated, from how he smirked to the fingers he ran through his hair. We turned to find a nearly mesmerized Till. I wanted to sigh, but I just smirked. It was easier than letting that sinking feeling in, right? As that dread engulfed me once again, something came up to me when the beat dropped. I looked around, almost in panic.
"What's wrong?!"
"I... I need a paper, something. I'm going to forget." I ran out, frantically repeating a rhyme."As the smoke dissipates, I see the flames flare... eh... and you're standing there, my heart was always in your care," I said with a little tune."No, no!" I exhaled, looking up to the sky. "Will it be too late, will we be mourned by fate... but when the smoke dissipates..." I bit my lips as I tried to recite it.
"Here." Jia handed me a notebook and a pen. I exhaled, writing down the words.
"It sounds more like a poem than a song," she commented, sitting next to me.
"Poem, lyrics, I don’t care. I just can’t afford to forget anything."She nodded silently."Who knows, I might use it later."
“They’re precious to you,” she simply stated.
“Yeah... But you are even more,” I smiled. Her face blushed; she rested a hand on her head as she gave me an awkward laugh.
~~That night, i stayed in the bathroom, they had made me blond, as i looked at myself, i couldn’t even call that me, i felt nauseous, was this angry girl really me? Could they really ease everything that i was and leave only wrath? Who even was i? But a groomed pet...My eyes met my gaze, those overly vibrant blue eyes, were those pupils even mine? I held into the sink, but i couldn’t help but punch the mirror, watching it crumble, the reflection on those broken pieces was more familiar, i took a piece of it, holding its sharp edge to my eye, holding it tighter as my own body fought against my will, then watched as it drenched in blood from my hands, that blood...so red, like humans blood, red like my hair, so i washed and washed with my water and my wounded hand until that color disappeared, and i was still there.
I stayed behind as they continued through the hallways. I was able to sneak off quickly into a room where I spotted Luka. He was simply sitting against the wall, holding a scrambled magic cube. Despite being the youngest back then, I remembered it quite well.
~~“Hyuna! Wait! Put me down!” I exclaimed as Hyuna put me on her shoulders, running and turning. I was so scared at first, but as she held me, I felt so safe that I spread out my arms and acted like I was flying. We continued while Luka was scrambling his magic cube. Hyuna would always try to unscramble it as hard as she could, but he always finished quickly. Hyunwoo was napping under the tree—him and I were the youngest of the garden. Was it a sign that we wouldn’t make it in that class?
~~“Hey! Guys, look, I got glitters!” I said as I blew them in the air, making them fall on our hair and clothes.
“Wow, so sparkly!” Hyunwoo exclaimed. I always liked sparkly things—jewelry, glitters. They reminded me of how others’ eyes shimmered when they were happy, or how they glistened as they got filled with tears. “And this is for you. Happy birthday!” I exclaimed as I handed Luka a piece of cake. His eyes had the same look as the glitters under the sun as he discovered the taste of sweetness. It made me want to work harder to get more rewards for everyone.
~~“If you get there before me, I'll make you a flower crown!” I challenged Hyunwoo. We climbed up a tree and watched him pout as he got up after me.
“It’s alright, I'll still make you one.” I looked down. “Hey Luka, come up!”
He shook his head. I wondered if he were scared of heights.
“Come on, I'll help you.” I went down and helped him, basically carrying him up the tree.
~~“Are you going back home?” she asked in a whisper. Hyunwoo and Luka were both asleep, but her and I always stayed up to watch the night sky.
I nodded. “Yes, Zora said he wants to give me a reward because my first song is doing well. He says he’s going to make me prettier,” I said, curling up my legs, bringing my knees to my chest and resting my head on them, which made her chuckle.
“What?”
“I think you’re already pretty,” she beamed, “especially when you do this.”
My mind went blank, and my face was redder than my hair. I was called pretty before, but somehow the way she smiled, the way she looked at me, made it feel real. I never forgot how I felt around her, how much I looked up to her—that look in her eyes, how kind she was. I wanted to make her proud and happy.
But after I came back, she looked at me differently.
“Is it bad? Zora said it was a success,” I simply said.
She stayed silent for a moment.
“No, it looks good...” she smiled. But I knew it was strange. Every time I looked in the mirror, a cold sweat would roll down my forehead, as those eyes I didn’t recognize wept and wept. It was like someone else was looking at me. The way they would examine them, restraining me on a chair, made me feel like I was going to implode. Then I felt them move inside my skull. I couldn’t take it.
I was so young back then, who would’ve known I'd be strong enough to hurt myself so much, and yet, after all i did, i had to leave the garden, of course, Zora fixed my eyes, it took me a while to recover, and by then i had to stay away from my home, i had to hear from strangers that my friend had died, all i wanted to do was go back and find her, find them all and escape, but instead i was bed ridden.
~~“Hey,” Hyuna had sneaked into the container they had kept me in. I couldn’t see a thing by then, but I could guess they were the same ones in which we came into the garden. “I heard you’re going back. We’re all going to miss you.” I could hear her little sniffles and the way her voice cracked. I couldn’t talk much, but I held her hand as strongly as I could.
“Here, take this,” she put something in mine. “It’s a necklace. It has pictures of us in it. You can look at them when you get better.”
That day I had to let go of her hand, but I never let go of that necklace.
It was the last time I saw her—or so she saw me—because then, years later, I watched her, on the same stage we were walking into. The way she sang and performed... when I learned she had escaped, something new was born in me. I kept hoping for the best while fearing the worst. The two waltzed inside my stomach.
What if she were to come back? What if they canceled the show? What if she were dead? What if she’d completely forgotten about us?
“So, the previous winner gets his own lodge, huh?” I commented as I walked in. He looked up. I expected him to be indifferent, not talk to me at all.
“Wishing you had been there last season?”
“Well... then you wouldn’t be here and look so stupid,” I smirked.
“Have you seen yourself?” he argued. “So much confidence for no experience.” He rolled his eyes. I chuckled. “How’s your health? Heperu must’ve put you in top form.”
“I guess,” I sighed. He didn’t seem to want to talk to me, and I didn’t have much time.
“Here,” I put the necklace in his hands. “Take this. It’s a lucky charm.”
“I don’t need luck.” I wondered why he felt the need to argue against anything I said. He was still such a child... well, that I couldn’t blame him for. “Nor do I believe in it.”
“Well, I believe...” I started, while pressing on the medallion, making it emit hologram images, “that you miss her almost as much as I do, if not more,” I said as he looked at the picture of her, his eyes immediately glowing. I knew the two loved each other—their love so strong, it survived through hatred.
I smiled. I knew him and I weren't as different as our owners wanted us to be. We were brought up too similarly. I just wished he'd have seen the love I saw in others.
“Since you're being so nice, I have something else for you.” I snuck him some food and sweets wrapped in fabric and hidden under my hat. “I know you don't get to eat much.”
His face lightened in a chuckle. “Are you a magician now?”
I laughed with him. “I guess, yes,” I added, stepping back.
“Davina!” he called. I stopped. “Don’t you hate me?”
I was taken aback. Even if he asked, I doubted he really cared, but I turned—perhaps because I was the only one left of our old class, or because I was the closest thing to Hyuna?
“What? Why would I hate you?” I sighed, taking the time to collect my thoughts.
~~“Take this broken heart, listen to its cries, may they soothe you in your sleep...” I sang softly. As I tried to continue, a panic surged through me as I stuttered, trying to repeat it, almost forgetting how I started. I had nowhere to write them down. I looked around, grabbing a sharp enough rock and frantically carved the lyrics into my forearm, tears swelling up with the pain.
“Dav! What are you doing!?” Hyuna shouted as she noticed my arm.
“I didn’t have anywhere else to write it. I can be forgetful at times.”
“But it doesn’t mean you should hurt yourself.” She took my arm. “You should know you matter more than remembering some words. You’re more precious than any song.” She took me to the infirmary.
“No. Not at all. I can’t afford to hate. I prefer... living with love. And I have love for you,” I answered with a smile. “Good luck on the stage, Luka.”
I walked out, hearing what seemed like a thank you, which made me smile, heading back before I'd get noticed.
“We could still tie,” Mizi’s voice—breathless and desperate, barely stifling tears. “I know that you’ve been practicing, but you don’t have to...” I heard them arguing. My heart sank. As much as my mind raced to find a solution, there was simply no way out. That fact made me dizzy as I heard them pushing each other. My pain could not even compare to theirs.
“I heard you apologized to Till,” I mumbled as I stood next to Val. They nodded, their hand tightening around Jin’s.
“I didn’t wanna leave things on a bad note,” they shrugged. “Plus, I know he’s not really a coward.”
“That’s a good thing.” They pushed us up, putting us all in bubbles to watch for our turns. Their face crumbled as Jin went in first.
“I’m scared...” they admitted, clenching their fists. I never expected to hear that from them. I wasn’t surprised that they were—we all were.
“I know... I wish I could say things are going to be alright. But you and I both know, whoever ends up winning, nothing will ever be the same.” They nodded, going in with a sigh.
~~"Did you two fight or something?" I asked as Ivan joined me.
"No, it's just... maybe I should leave him alone," he shrugged, looking down on his paper sheets. I smirked. Wasn't it out of character of him to be too shy to show his songs about Till to Till himself? I didn't think so.
"Oh I see, great! I love a writing partner," I smiled as I got closer to him, sharing my own writing.
Once we ran out of ideas, we got closer to the river, dipping our feet in.
"Hey Ivanny," I called, only to receive a hmm back, "Do you believe in God?" I asked, making him lift his head up with a frown. "In the old times, humans had religion and believed in God. They believed that which could not be solved by human strength was the Will of God. Believed that the entire universe revolved around the Earth. Do you have something like that?"
His air softened, as his gaze got lost in the air.
"Yes, you could say I do," he nodded, a soft smile stretching his lips. I had only seen that look on his face a few times, that glow in his eyes. I didn't even need to try to understand.
"I don't." I shrugged bluntly. "If God truly existed, would they truly turn their back on humanity and watch us suffer from a distance? Would they really give up on us like that? So much so that it would push us to give up on them as well?" I asked, not expecting any answer, just images of a foggy memory flashing before my eyes. "But if belief in God is human, if all I can do as a human is to believe… Then perhaps I don't believe that God lives in the highest sky. I believe that my God, my universe... lives in us," I declared as I turned to him. "I believe that the true God is the love that survived through our times on Earth and beyond. I think there's nothing more human, and more real, than love," I smiled.
He scoffed.
"Then if love is the true God... how come He too gave up on some of us?"
"Well... I don't think that. I think some of us have love in us to give, and some of us," my eyes followed his to watch Till playing the xylophone, "and some of us receive it." Mizi and Sua joined him, singing to his tune. "Only the lucky ones get both."
“Acorn.” Marty sneaked next to him. “There’s something I've been wanting to tell you...”
My eyes widened, pulling Ivan and Jia closer to me.
“Are we all seeing the same thing?”
“I think we are.”
“What is it?”
“I... I love you!” he confessed.
Our jaws hit the floor. It seems we were all putting our affairs in order.
“He really did it!” Jia exclaimed.
“Yeah... he did,” Ivan said under his breath.
“Wait, you guys knew about this?” Till joined. Ivan nodded, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
“Yeah, it was pretty obvious.”
“He really is oblivious, isn’t he?” Jia whispered to me.
"It's not really his fault," I whispered back, "We’re proud of you, tortilla!” I shouted, waving at him. “Maybe we should all emulate him,” I teased under my breath.
“What for? What would it change?” he retorted coldly, but I knew he considered it.
“Well, at least you won’t die, or worse, watch him die, with regrets.”
“What are you mumbling about?”
“Nothing!” we both answered.
“Would you just leave it alone? It doesn’t even matter.”
“How can you say that!?”
The less time we had, the less patient it seemed I was becoming. “Soon enough, you will have to do something about it, and don’t think I don’t know what you would do. And when that time comes, you’ll realize you are not so different than those you think so pathetic.”
He frowned.
“What’s with them?” Till asked.
Jia sighed. “I think she’s trying to give him advice?”
I turned to see Sua and Mizi coming up.
“When that time comes, you’ll remember that I told you so,” I added before walking toward them. "Good luck, girls!” I exclaimed with a smile as I embraced Mizi, then Sua.
“Please, take care of her for me,” she whispered in my ear.
They both smiled at me before turning away. I felt my heartbeat echo in me like an empty shell. Maybe I should’ve told her that we would see each other sooner than she thought.
“They’re going up already? They haven’t started the announcement,” Ivan commented.
I flinched, realizing although he was angry with me, he didn’t leave my side.
I jumped, wrapping my arms around him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, I just want you to feel at ease for once,” I admitted as I tightened my hold.
“Alright, you can let go,” he said.
His body, so unaccustomed with another’s touch, flinched lightly.
“I know it’s different than his, but I have love for you—a lot.”
He seemed to somewhat freeze, almost giving in as he patted my back.
Then I let him go.
Our eyes met, both with a watery gleam at their edges.
“Ehm, well then, shall we show these segyein some music?” he straightened up.
“Ya bet.”
~~”You were born in the slums. Your provider had escaped from her factory—that must be why you were so cheap,” he stated. “Do you remember her at all?”
“No, sir.”
“You speak well, you seem astute enough. You will stay here while I work.”
I nodded.
I spent my days in Zora’s lab. He didn’t have anyone else while he worked. He taught me to read. He would explain his work and thoughts out loud while I read books and asked questions, keeping him company.
As Zora went back to working after a break—I usually preferred when he worked—he would explain his experiments, and he wouldn’t give much attention. Thus, I would sit peacefully in a corner, my eyes fixed on a screen, watching people like me sing on a stage. I listened to the same song over and over again until the lyrics were engraved in my mind and I started singing along—and thus was my original sin.
Next thing I knew, Zora had invested in more human pets, hoping to find more talents to exploit.
For the first time, I had felt hope. Like finally I were to have a family.
And for the first time, I lost it.
As he quickly stopped caring for the others when they did not show the same potential, so instead they became his experimental bodies, and I could only watch in silence and drown in it.
~~“Tsk... The perfect Human Pet, huh?” he scoffed, watching the news.
That was the first time I saw Luka. He looked like he was made to be the sun.
“It is a delusion of that old fool to think he can replicate a true human,” he added.
~~”You’ve been known to disagree with the idea of human clones. Could you tell us why?” the interviewer asked.
“I do not deny the ability to replicate a human. With such simple genome, I myself cloned the human DNA before. But my view strays from science and into philosophy, as I believe it is impossible to replicate the true human spirit—that I, as a fellow pet human owner, witness daily. And I would like to precise that I shall prove my point soon, as my own pet human will too be sailing to the Heavenly Garden.”
“We can only wait with excitement for their match on stage,” they concluded.
I had hoped to at least be rid of the constant debates between Zora and Heperu while I would be in the garden.
Once again, I had hope.
Again, excitement for something new.
Perhaps it were not an exit, but at least an illuminated hallway.
But that too, was only temporary.
~~I felt my limbs tremble as they took off the band-aids around my eyes. I could not face his anger—even less his disappointment—all his investments and trainings going down the drain. And even less the fact that I was back between those cold four walls.
“You’ve healed perfectly,” he simply said.
My heart dropped as I met myself in the mirror. He was right—not even a scar after what I had done.
“I’ve advised the teachers to augment the security in the garden. Such a fall should have never happened. I would not be surprised if they were simply covering for Heperu’s boy. Already taking out the competition. He has shown some violent traits. Might as well be the only human part Heperu truly cloned,” he thought.
“I should receive a refund for such an inacceptable event,” he clenched his jaw, then turned around.
“But I do not forfeit. This is only a postponement. You will show your superior talent soon enough. We do not need the garden to make you a star. We shall prove that before you enroll in the next class,” he walked out.
“At least you didn’t end up like that other boy,” an assistant commented.
“What boy?”
“What was the name of the boy who died?” they asked.
“Hyun-ho? Hyunwo?”
“Hyunwoo!?” I could barely hold back my weeping as every drop hurt my eyes.
~~Time went by slowly, i learned to write and sing, dance and play instruments, i was his model pet human that he flaunted in front of Heperu’s nose, proving him wrong, i never cared about their clash, i thought Luka was my friend, i knew he loved and was loved, and that made him Human to me, “Hey,” I said sitting next to him, we could hear our two masters talk to the interviewer in the other room, "How are you?” i asked, he shrugged, "How's Hyuna?” it seemed the very saying of her name was enough to catch all his attention,
“She’s good,” He smiled softly,
“It must’ve been hard after Hyunwoo died,” he didn’t flinch,”I miss you guys, bumping into you here and there isn’t the same as old times,” he shrugged, i lightly punched his shoulder, "C'mon, i know you miss me too,” i giggled making him roll his eyes,
“Davina! Come here, we’re leaving,” i actively waved as we left until i saw his little hand wave back, "You shall refrain from fraternizing, especially once back at Anakt, you’re going there to win, we cannot let the futile emotions that plague your kind stray you away from our victory,” i nodded along, Futile emotions that plague my kind, that phrase stayed in my mind as i how was i to prove that i were more human than others by refraining my most human emotions?
Davina's dance performance was inspired by the idol Yeji's artist of the month https://youtu.be/tnMFp53wrRg?si=vHGbVRBWOqG-SvUh
Ivan's dance performace was inspired by the idol Hyunjin's artist of the month https://youtu.be/T-ajHVsMcKk?si=-8Kqk-fqtX0khLLY