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The year was 3017. All world problems had been solved. There’s no such thing as pollution. The ozone layer healed up nicely years ago. Forests make up almost 90% of land area. Wild animals were allowed to thrive but closely monitored in case of the rare poacher or two.
There’s no boundaries or borders, but there’s just one big massive country. There’s no more wars, no more injustice. Culture was shared, allowed to grow and intermingle. It wasn’t yours, nor was it mine, but rather it was ours. People live freely, free to love, and free to walk the streets no matter what he or she was wearing. Or whether he or she had guts and blood inside or processors and wires instead.
Technology and science were always advancing, always improving. Artificially intelligent beings had long been incorporated both in society and in day to day life. At this point, Earth was a masterpiece really, and it got better as the years went on.
Jeonghan, a human, would expect that at this point, he’d be happy and content. He lived a life that his predecessors could only dream of. Yet, here he was, inexplicably bored. He just ended a virtual cafe meet-up with his eleven friends, all of whom lived at least four hours away via the fastest transportation possible. Any group activity they do was essentially fiction and everything he can do alone had already been done. Jeonghan sighed as he threw his head back. His reflection on the ceiling only blinked at him.
“Might as well take a walk,” he thought to himself as he stretched his arms high above his head. “Nothing’s definitely gonna happen if I stay cooped up.”
An hour later, Jeonghan found himself walking down the pristine streets of Seoul. The quiet buzz of life and machinery working side by side filled his ears as he continued on aimlessly. His eyes looked straight ahead, glancing at nothing in particular, but then, a flashy pink sign caught his attention.
It read Invento Cafe. Underneath the text read a slogan, “Bored? Lonely? Invent an AI!”
Weird. How would an AI help? But Jeonghan was bored so why not? With a stride, he entered the cafe. And really, he thought, he supposed this was faith for he was, in fact, both bored and a tad bit lonely.
The cafe was best described bubbly. No, literally. There were bubbles everywhere, but also the walls and floor were bright colors and people seated in their respective booths seemed happy and content. Jeonghan approached the counter where a bearded man was tending the register the old fashion way. He knew it was just for old time's sake of course; technology did everything for them nowadays.
“Welcome to Invento Cafe! What’s your problem?!”
“Excuse me?” Jeonghan was taken aback, eyes wide and a hand over his heart.
The man laughed instead. “What’s your problem? Everyone here comes in with their problem and that helps us decide on the best way to construct your AI.”
“I’m bored and lonely, I guess?” Jeonghan shrugged, inserting his hands in his pockets.
“Bored... and lonely,” the man repeated as he pressed some buttons on the register. “Okay, got it!” The man turned back to Jeonghan.
“Your AI will be ready in five minutes. That would be ten monetary units, thank you!”
“That’s it?” Jeonghan let his bare wrist hover over the scanner. He watched as it automatically retrieve information from the chip embedded in his skin. “So,” he began, “what should I expect?”
The man chuckled fondly, “You shouldn’t. The best surprises happen when you aren’t expecting it but if you really must know, our AI are given the standard everything. We let the grow and learn and develop themselves out here in open instead of giving them a preset personality so it goes without saying that this bun in the oven would be dependent on you for a couple of hours at least but who knows what he or she will be like afterwards.”
The register beeped thrice to let them know the AI was finished. “Legend has it that when an AI falls in love, his or her insides turns to flesh, and the CPU turns into a beating heart,” the man told him with a knowing smile but he winked at Jeonghan and said, “but those are just stories, hmm?”
The man left to retrieve the AI before Jeonghan could reply and shortly returned with a fairly attractive robot. The AI had a human form, slightly taller and more muscular than Jeonghan but thinner too, with such a small waist. It had pretty eyes, Jeonghan noticed the tiny creases around said organs that added a certain charm to its appearance. Its lips were plump and heart-shaped too.
“Hello, owner!” The AI greeted with a lopsided smile. Jeonghan noted that its voice was slightly high pitched.
The man led the AI and Jeonghan to a vacant table. “Sit and get to know each other for a while. Let me know if you want to eat anything.”
“What is the name you have chosen for yourself?” Jeonghan asked casually as he slid into the booth.
“I am Wen Junhui,” the AI answered confidently, its smile is bright as he began to grow his identity, “or Moon Junhwi in your language. You may call me Jun, and what is yours?”
“Yoon Jeonghan but just Jeonghan’s fine. What gender do you identify as? Or what pronoun shall I use for you?”
“I am male. Please use masculine pronouns when referring to me.”
Jeonghan smiled, for now, he was entertained. “It is very nice to meet you, Jun.”
“Likewise, Jeonghan.” Their eyes met and like an on switch, Jun visibly relaxed losing his stiff robot posture, instead he lean forward, resting his chin on his hand, looking more human by the second. His eyes were half lidded and their was a lazy smirk on his face. Jeonghan blinked at the sudden change of demeanor but it was a welcomed change, “So, do you come here often?”
Jun developed to be a playful being. He was like a child who could not sit still and he kept bouncing around the apartment.
He was quiet around new people but once he gets comfortable, he was just this huge ball of sunshine. He smiled just as brightly as the sun, especially when his pranks go according to plan and his eyes twinkle like the night sky whenever he tells a corny joke. And cuddles were just a must. Jeonghan could recharge instantly like a robot just by being in Jun’s hold.
He was a kind soul too, putting others before himself. Jun often greeted Jeonghan with a tight hug and a question. Had he eaten yet? Would you like me to cook for you? How was your day?
Jeonghan found himself scolding the robot three times too many, not that he minded. Jeonghan found it endearing instead. Constantly looking after Jun was definitely never a dull moment and if his loud laughs were anything to go by, he was surely not lonely anymore.
One thing though, Jun’s playfulness manifested through cheesy pick-up lines and blatant flirting. Little did Jeonghan keow that he was gonna fall for the AI and when he realized it, it was too late to go back.
One night had them holding on to each other laughing, after playing twister on virtual reality with Jeonghan’s friends. Jun and they got along wonderfully, almost like brothers! The two of them were still laughing when the colorful holograms faded back into the living room.
Eyes crinkled and noses touching, their lips met naturally, as if they have kissed a million times before.
They had not. But it turned out Jun’s kisses were exactly like his personality, though: playful and teasing with a soft touch of soft kindness and a sprinkling of tentativeness, of the fear and wonder of trying something new. Jeonghan suddenly felt great. To be able to live in a day and age where people like Jun, most especially Jun, existed was just the bomb thank you very much. Bet you his ancestors didn’t get to experience this.
Both of them pulled away, taking big gulps of air before diving into each other again. Jeonghan barely noticed Jun’s cheek growing hot beneath his hand.
“Jeonghan!”
The said man jumped from his seat when Jun entered the room waving a knife around. “Junnie-ah, you scared me!” he scolded, trying to get his breathing back to normal, “and put the knife down! You might hurt one of us.”
“Well duh!” Jun sliced the tip of his own finger, wincing in pain and dropping the knife as soon as he did. “Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts!”
“Oh my god, Jun, why did you do that, you idiot?! Let me get you a bandaid.”
“No, wait!” With his free hand, Jun pulled Jeonghan close and practically shoved the bleeding finger right at the human’s face. “Look it’s blood! I’m bleeding!”
“Obviously! Oh my god! There’s a lot of blood! What the hell, Jun?!”
Jun grabbed the other’s hand and placed it over his chest. “And my heart is beating too!”
“Well that’s what hearts do! Seriously, what are you doing? Your finger is still bleeding, shit!”
“Stop worrying about my finger and comprehend what I’m trying to tell you!”
“What are you trying to- OH!”
Jun smiled, as did his eyes. “I’ve fallen for you, Jeonghannie.”
“Oh,” Jeonghan blinked before fireworks! He crashed his lips against the others, savoring the newly-noticed warmth of Jun’s body and the steady thud of his heart, and their breaths that sucked air from each other’s lungs. Jeonghan pulled away, but not to far, just enough that his words were clear to hear. “The legends are true then? You’re human now?”
Junhui pressed a brief kissed. Jeonghan could tell he was smiling as he did. “I guess so,” Jun breathed against him, “It’s 3017, anything could happen.”