REPLICA (BOOK 2)

Alive

While getting ready for Yoongi to pick him up, the only thing on Seonghwa's mind was Hongjoong. Except this time, instead of his thoughts being about guilt and regret, they were filled with endless possibilities of a happy life. He could have a second chance at being with the man he loved.

"Hey, handsome." Yoongi smiled as Seonghwa sat down in his car.

The CEO debated whether he should quit the act and get right down to business or listen to his friends. He wasn't sure how much patience he had left, but it wasn't a lot to begin with.

"I'm assuming you had a plan for tonight."

"I was going to ask you actually."

"You know what I'm gonna say."

"Do I?" Yoongi smiled, rubbing his hand against Seonghwa's thigh.

"Guess."

"You wanna go to the special unit?"

"Yup."

"Aren't you glad I was already one step ahead of you?"

When they walked into the facility, Seonghwa's heart began to pound out of his chest. He was afraid but also excited. Within the next couple hours, he knew his life could change drastically.

"So, do other people that work here know about this?"

"They do, but not the extent of it."

"Do you wanna give me a disclaimer or anything like that?"

"It's called Project REPLICA." Yoongi proudly said as the elevator stopped at the last floor. "Like I said, I cherish life. Whether that's creating new life or giving back an old one. Living is a beautiful thing. People take it for granted and I'll never understand why."

"How do you feel about people who take life away because they felt they had no choice?" He mumbled.

"Very specific. Is that what happened? It's okay if it is."

"I'm not a killer, I swear. I just-"

"You did what needed to be done, I understand. But now that I know your secret, that means I can tell you mine. Or maybe I can just show you."

This was it. This was the moment Seonghwa had been waiting for all day.

He followed Yoongi into a temperature controlled room that had multiple locks on the door. Once he stepped inside, he instantly started to shiver.

"It's freezing in here."

"Yeah, sorry about that. We need to keep the subject at a specific temperature while he's in this state."

"He?" Seonghwa played along but he could hardly contain himself.

"Mr. Park, allow me to introduce you to Project REPLICA."

Yoongi wiped his hand against the frosted chamber so the subject's face was visible.

It was him.

It was Hongjoong.

"What is it?"

"A genetically modified clone. Subject 001."

"How long has he been in there?"

"We started the process over a year ago. Before that, we experimented on much smaller things. First it was plants, then it was animals. But with our high success rate and lack of cruelty, we figured we could take it to the next level."

"So you're really just a guy that loves science."

"Exactly."

"Have you ever let him out?"