Chapter 4: My Question
Jimin couldn't ease his breathing at all. He constantly rocked his gaze between Jungkook's hand and his blue eyes within seconds. How could a tall Android look so comforting, yet, leave Jimin questioning that idea so much? He wanted to know what made the creation stand before him like this and why did he dare to pursue a human that only exchanged curious stares with him just yesterday? Jimin wanted to know so much, but his anxiety sewed his mouth shut and only left him gawking at Jungkook's hand held out before him.
His hand looked bigger than Jimin's smaller hand; so he hesitated to even think of reaching out for it. The way Jungkook's right hand looked was far more realistic than other Androids; maybe it was the tattoos he had embedded into his fake skin or maybe it was the way those veins seemed to outline and extend to his forearm just underneath the sleeve to his black turtleneck sweater. Whatever it was, Jimin just couldn't let the idea pass him whatsoever. He felt smaller in front of this bigger android and could only muster up one response; picking one from the many words he had hoarded in his clustered mind at that very second.
"N-No... no I'm not..." Jimin lied and averted his gaze. The second he replied, he watched the android tilt his head from the corner of his eyes and quickly push himself to get up on his own. "My name is not Park Jimin and-"
"You really are a bad liar," Jungkook mentioned and let out a soft chuckle before standing up to face Jimin. There he stood, looking into the eyes of the human right before him, amplifying their size difference, and questioning their distance all in one stance. "There's no way around this, it wasn't a question. You're Park Jimin."
"And... h-how do you know that?" Jimin wondered and anxiously began to search for his phone as a source of distraction while he was talking to the android.
"My eyes can scan any human if I look long enough... is that not what other Androids do? It shouldn't be that surprising..." Jungkook continued the conversation and watched as Jimin's eyes frantically searched the ground in hopes of finding his phone. "What are you looking for?"
"Nothing. Also, I wasn't aware that Androids can have that ability," replied the anxious man. Jimin just found it easier to reply to the creation when he wasn't looking him in his eyes. So, the human continued to look around for his phone while the android stood there, slowly putting his hands behind his back to maintain a straight posture.
"Well, I can do it. Why can't others do it too?" The android asked before he made a smile. "I'll help." In seconds, he turned to a pile of snow close by and delved his hand into it. In seconds, he pulled it back and quickly retrieved Jimin's phone. "Here, is this what you're looking for?"
Jimin's eyes slowly met with his phone in Jungkook's hands as he built up the courage to finally look at the robot in his bright blue eyes again. The human was once again back in that trance he was in yesterday; looking into the eyes of the android and forgetting all the cautious thoughts that always pulled him away from the unknown when he truly longed to explore.
"Thank you," Jimin replied and watched Jungkook hand the phone over and deepen his sweet smile. "I... have to be somewhere..."
"I'll let you go, but I did want to speak with you so I'll make this quick. Here's my question," Jungkook mentioned as he noticed Jimin quickly looked away, so that only led to the android moving to the position Jimin stood in and tilted his head to match the level Jimin's eyes were stuck on. This suddenly worked and made Jimin lock onto his blue eyes once again. Trapping him in his chilling yet confusing gaze that sometimes comforted him, but sometimes concerned him.
"W-What is it?"
"Listen... I didn't want to come off weird but I'm already there, so... I just wanted to know if you... would like to become friends?" Jungkook asked so innocently and scratched the nape of his neck so nervously. Honestly, Jimin didn't know robots could display nervous emotions like this so easily, so every action Jungkook displayed furthered the many questions Jimin was just dying to ask.
"Why... Do you want to be friends with me? What in the world made you want to think of that?" Jimin thought in his head. Leaving Jungkook to speak more on his proposal.
"I don't really know that many people... but you look like a very interesting person... so, I just thought I would ask. It doesn't hurt to try, right?" The robot rambled on as Jimin only seemed to have mixed feelings about this idea.
Standing on one side of his thoughts, he was open to becoming friends, yet, on the other side, he was anxious and that side always tended to win. Jimin wasn't so sure about making friends, in fact, all he had now was Taehyung and he never wanted to add on anyone else especially another robot and especially after his past relationship with another android just weeks prior to this very moment. Jimin only found fear when it came to the unknown and didn't want to see things repeat if he chose to agree. He was having mixed feelings about this robot, so he did the best he could and that was to escape like he always tended to do.
"Look, I-I really have to go. I appreciate the courage, but I'm sure y-you can find another good friend out there! I... I just won't be able to supply you with the friendship you're looking for. Sorry," Jimin denied the android and quickly looked at the time on his phone before moving by Jungkook. "Sorry..."
Jungkook stood there in silence. He listened to the snow crushing underneath Jimin's boots as he scurried further and further away from the robot. Leaving the sound to replay constantly followed by the words of Jimin's rejection which wiped the smile right off of his face and left him staring at the snow silently. Unknowingly, holding a melancholic look on his face right after as if he truly felt the weight of his words.
Jimin raced to the cat cafe where he promised Taehyung he would be, yet, he never promised him that he would run a little later than he intended. As Jimin occasionally slipped up on ice a few times and got back up to run more, he couldn't help but to think of that android right after.
"Fuck... I feel bad now..." Jimin thought in his head as he began to track his path through his phone to see if he was going the right way. "I rejected that android, now I'm sure he will deactivate! Ah... it doesn't matter... At the end of the day, he's just an android. He can't cry and he can't feel the pain of rejection, so I didn't hurt him at all," Jimin continued to comfort himself; he kept reminding himself that Jungkook was just a robot and that he couldn't feel rejection, so that was enough to wipe the weight of a guilty feeling pending to weigh Jimin down for now.
By the second he reached the cat cafe, he noticed Taehyung just beyond the window, holding a cat and speaking with one of the employees. This only made Jimin long to take his precious time walking into the cafe so he wouldn't have to interrupt a conversation and have to be participating in it too.
The second Jimin's legs slowed him down, Taehyung instantly turned his head to the direction Jimin stood in just beyond the windows and deepened his warming smile before waving ecstatically.
"Jimin!" Taehyung shouted just within the cafe where Jimin could hear him right where he stood.
"Oh no..." Jimin whispered softly to himself and suddenly noticed a few people staring at Taehyung from shouting and also connecting their stares onto Jimin too; leaving the human to grow anxious by the second when Taehyung brought all the attention to him.
Jimin had no other choice but to step in and keep his eyes locked onto the ground. He wished to be home; home where no eyes would track his every move, examine him and listen to his breathing. This was the main reason as to why Jimin just wanted to be home all by himself like always. The second Jimin reached the table Taehyung sat in, he couldn't dare to look into the eyes of the one Taehyung was talking to, so he sat down and kept his eyes busy with the nice blue pastel colored table before him.
"Jimin, I'm so glad to see you! Look, it's a real cat! I'm trying my best not to give him a big hug because Namjoon over here tells me I might hurt him!" Taehyung said happily as Jimin slowly looked up to see the man standing by Taehyung who was called Namjoon.
Jimin looked up to see another human standing right by Taehyung; he was dressed in the black cat apron and white dress shirt for his uniform and his hair was only parted down the middle. His face was blank as if he was tired from working, yet he stood there and didn't even think of walking away if he was too tired.
"Your love for these cats could harm them, that's why you should have this one instead," Namjoon mentioned and pointed to a cat that was a robot, yet looked very realistic. "He won't die if your love suffocates him. Remember, you're a robot and that's a living creature."
"But he's not real!" Taehyung bickered and set the cat down on his lap. Watching Namjoon make a smile before letting out a laugh; deepening the dimples on his handsome face and causing his beautiful dragon-like eyes to close slightly. "I won't hurt him, I love him..."
"If you love him, you would understand that you might hurt him, so put him down," Namjoon shot back and only watched Taehyung laugh.
"Why are you bossing me around? You're on break, sit down already!" Taehyung replied and moved over to the booth so Namjoon could sit. Allowing the man to sit right across from Jimin. "Anyway, Jimin, this is Kim Namjoon! He's the human I bothered when you were with Yoo-"
"I-I get it," Jimin replied and could only manage to look at Namjoon for a bit before breaking eye contact and distracting himself with a nearby cat.
"Sorry, he's a little anxious at first, but when you get to know him, he could be a very cute guy!" Taehyung mentioned and smiled at Jimin. "Namjoon wants to make human friends and says he's done with surrounding himself with only Androids, so I thought you two could become friends!"
"Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to. Today, many people are straying away from other humans and surrounding themselves with Androids, it's a scary thing," Namjoon stated and leaned back on the seat as the cat came crawling onto his lap the second he escaped Taehyung's grasp.
"That's true, that's why I think you can use a good friend, Jimin! You don't have to be alone," Taehyung assured.
The android only longed to help Jimin and keep him from being alone. It was his purpose to help Jimin make connections in order to distract himself from solitude. So, Jimin understood why Taehyung would go out of his way to make this friendship between him and Namjoon happen and for that, Jimin couldn't be upset at all.
"Oh... sure... of course," Jimin agreed. However, Jimin's mind wasn't in the same place the moment he agreed.
His thoughts were back at the entrance to his house where Jungkook stood. He began to dwell on that encounter more and kept having the sense of guilt weigh him down even if he was so sure Jungkook couldn't feel his rejection. As Jimin kept thinking about it, he thought back at how Jungkook was able to scan him. That was the part Jimin never knew Androids could do, so he couldn't help but to grow curious and ask Taehyung if he could do it too.
"That's great! I-"
"Taehyung, I have a question about Androids..." Jimin asked instantly and slowly looked up to the young robot before him. "Can you answer my question?"
"Oh, of course! Go ahead," Taehyung replied to Jimin. Also resulting in Namjoon becoming interested in what Jimin had to say too.
"Can Androids scan humans? Can they look at a human and find out their name in seconds?" Jimin asked curiously. However, by the confused look on Taehyung's face after he asked the question, he already knew his answer.
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