THE ANDROID's HEART

02 | A Masterpiece Taken

In the quiet hum of his own lab, Jungkook paced around the faceless android he'd stolen from Taehyung. The cool, polished metal of the machine lay untouched on the examination table, a blank slate waiting for his own touch.

Taehyung had built this, of course-Taehyung, the celebrated scientist, with fame that shadowed Jungkook's every step. Every breakthrough he made was just another comparison, another reminder of the acclaim Taehyung so effortlessly commanded. And now, Jungkook thought bitterly, this android would be his opportunity to prove himself-to surpass Taehyung once and for all.

"Taehyung," he muttered with a smirk as he rolled up his sleeves, "you may be the golden name everyone praises, but you're not the only genius in this field."

He glanced over at the android, its smooth metallic surface untouched, waiting. Jungkook circled it, analyzing its sleek design, silently admiring the meticulous construction before pulling up his own toolkit. He connected his laptop to the android's mainframe, watching as streams of data appeared on his screen, its complex coding and neural mapping an intricate language.

Jungkook typed, fingers flying over the keyboard as he prepared the upgrades. Though his methods were unconventional, his knowledge matched Taehyung's in every way. He carefully enhanced the android's learning abilities, writing code that would push it to adapt faster, to observe and mirror human behavior with startling accuracy.

As he typed, his mind wandered to Jennie. Though their relationship was far from perfect, her presence had been a quiet comfort in his chaotic life. Yet, he couldn't shake the suspicion that she was somehow drawn to Taehyung's brilliance, his charm. He tried to push the thought away, but it lingered, stirring something bitter inside him.

"I'll show you, Jennie," he whispered to himself, a dark determination in his voice. "I can be everything he is... and more."

With a final keystroke, he activated the program. The android's sensors flickered to life, its circuits humming softly as it began to absorb the new programming Jungkook had embedded. As he stood back to admire his work, the machine's once-silent frame now emitted a steady glow, responding to the commands he'd given it.

A faint smile played on his lips. For now, it was still Taehyung's creation-but soon, it would be his masterpiece. And when it was ready, no one would question his genius.

Jungkook's gaze sharpened, his ambition and jealousy melding together as he whispered, "The world will remember my name."

_

Jennie stepped out of the elevator and made her way to Jimin's office, weaving through the buzzing Park Company headquarters. It was a typical day at the office-employees were moving briskly, phones were ringing, and the soft hum of chatter filled the air. She greeted a few familiar faces along the way, smiling politely before reaching Jimin's door.

She knocked once, poking her head in. "Busy?"

Jimin glanced up from his laptop, a smile breaking across his face. "Never too busy for you. Come in."

Jennie walked in and took a seat across from his desk, setting a folder down. "Just wanted to drop off the latest reports and get your take on the project updates. Thought I'd save you an email."

"Appreciated," Jimin said, opening the folder. He flipped through a few pages, nodding as he read. "Everything's looking solid. We're on track for the next phase?"

"Yep, right on schedule. I also noted a few adjustments we might need to make based on last quarter's feedback." She tapped a page in the report, pointing to a section marked in blue.

Jimin leaned forward, scanning the of updates, but the ease between them showed they'd been through plenty of these check-ins together.

Jennie stood, gathering her things. "Alright, I'll get started on those adjustments. Let me know if anything else comes up."

"Will do," Jimin replied with a grin. "Thanks, Jennie."

With a small wave, she headed out, slipping back into the flow of the bustling office.

_

The first rays of morning sunlight peeked through the windows as Taehyung stepped into his lab, freshly showered and ready to dive into another day of work. His lab was a sanctuary-a place of wires, screens, and half-assembled tech where he could bring his ideas to life. Today, he was especially excited to continue refining his latest project, a robot he'd been working on meticulously for months.

But as he approached his workstation, he froze.

The table where his robot had been positioned last night was empty. Tools were still scattered around, and his notes were exactly where he'd left them, but the robot-the one he'd poured countless hours into-was nowhere to be seen.

Brows furrowing, Taehyung looked around the lab, almost as if expecting the robot to reappear. "No way..." he muttered, running a hand through his hair, his mind racing.

He checked every corner of the lab, then the storage rooms, even places where he knew it couldn't possibly be. The robot was simply gone.

Taehyung stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, feeling a chill creeping over him. The reality started to sink in-his project, the creation he'd built from scratch, was missing.

"Who could've..." he whispered, a mix of disbelief and frustration tightening in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he tried to think logically, but questions buzzed relentlessly in his mind.

Who would want to take it? And how did they even get in?

The quiet hum of the lab suddenly felt eerie as Taehyung stared at the empty space, his mind swirling with unanswered questions.