CODE TO LOVE

7. REWIRING THE HEART

The café buzzed softly around Aera, Taehyung, and Emma as they lingered over their nearly empty cups, sharing small, easy laughter in between the weight of unspoken thoughts. For a brief moment, the chaos of the previous night felt distant, just a shadow at the edge of her mind. But as their conversation dwindled and the laughter faded, the reality settled back in.

"Hey, before you go," Taehyung spoke up, his gaze steady as he leaned forward. "I need to tell you about the changes I made to Jungkook’s code. I know you’re going to want to get back in there and take control again, but there are some things you should know."

Aera sat up, nodding. “Yeah, tell me everything.”

Taehyung began, carefully explaining the patches he’d added to the code and the workarounds he’d used to secure it against the threat from their rivals. "Basically, I had to install a couple of firewalls directly into his core. He’s not… how do I put it? He’s not your original version, exactly. There’s some security embedded that I couldn't totally undo, but it’ll hold up if anyone tries to get in without your knowledge.”

Aera absorbed the details, nodding as he went on about what she’d need to do to reconfigure Jungkook back to her initial design. With each word, her mind spun with ideas, plans already forming to restore him in a way she felt was more authentic and free of interference.

“Thanks, Taehyung. This is going to help a lot,” she said, her voice softer, appreciating how he’d gone through all this trouble for her.

“No problem, Doll. Just don’t stay up all night again trying to perfect him, yeah?” he replied, flashing her a grin, with a teasing smirk plastered on his face.

With a small wave, they each headed out. Emma and Taehyung walked off together, both disappearing into his car, and Aera made her way over to her bike. The engine roared to life as she revved it up, feeling a familiar comfort settle in as she made her way back home. The cool afternoon air on her face helped clear her mind, allowing her a few minutes of peace before diving back into the world she’d created.

After she arrived home, Aera changed into her most comfortable clothes and lay down in bed, closing her eyes. Sleep came quickly, pulling her under in a deep, dreamless slumber.

---

Hours later, Aera woke to the warm light of the evening sun slipping through her curtains. Refreshed, she stretched and got up, feeling a renewed determination as she headed to her desk. Sitting down, she opened her laptop, her fingers hovering over the keys as she prepared to dive back into Jungkook’s code.

The familiar lines of script appeared on the screen, and she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Taehyung had done his part; now it was her turn. She typed away, reconnecting to the core of Jungkook’s programming, feeling the layers of his creation open up before her. After a few tries, she was back in, with complete control restored. She could sense the blankness in him now, a void waiting to be filled.

Aera knew this time she couldn’t take any risks. Carefully, she began to rewrite the code, setting firm parameters that would make it nearly impossible for anyone, even Taehyung, to interfere without her permission. A password lock took priority, one she’d keep buried in her mind and nowhere else. Finally, she stripped away everything non-essential—his voice, his face, even the hints of personality she’d given him. Jungkook, for now, would be nothing more than an advanced shell, a line of code without the complexity she’d once built into him.

“Hello, Jungkook,” she typed, testing the new framework she’d established.

“Hello, Aera,” the blank response appeared. She couldn’t feel the spark of recognition that once characterized their exchanges, but that was alright. There would be time to rebuild him, layer by layer, one emotion at a time.

She leaned back, satisfied with her progress. It was a start, a fresh foundation, and she still had three months before the deadline to submit her work to Kim AI Services, the tech company she was collaborating with. Aera's heart swelled a little with pride as she thought of her role there—not just as any developer but as the CEO. The company was growing fast, thanks in part to her work on Jungkook, and her team trusted her vision.

As she shut down the laptop for a break, Aera realized just how lucky she was to have both Taehyung and Emma by her side from childhood. The three of them were childhood friends, they studied in same school and graduated from same college, later Aera took over her father's place as the ceo of their company and Taehyung and Emma also joined in with her.Taehyung’s unwavering loyalty as her secretary, his watchful presence, and Emma’s quiet strength as the company’s manager kept the foundation strong. But in her private world of code, Aera was alone again, and she had her own path to carve out.

After dinner, Aera returned to her workspace, skimming through the files and documents that still needed her attention. Even as she worked, her thoughts drifted back to Jungkook. What would he become now? A tool? A friend? Or perhaps something even more complex and unpredictable?

---

The next day came, and her schedule with it. Hours passed at the company, filled with meetings, reviewing code, and coordinating with her team. Taehyung and Emma both did their part, moving seamlessly through the day’s agenda, their roles intertwining with her own in a way that felt almost effortless.

But even amid the day’s demands, her mind returned to Jungkook. After work, Aera rushed home, eager to see how much progress she could make on him. With her laptop open once again, she accessed his code, deciding to begin by teaching him about basic emotions. She added in scripts for simple responses to terms like “happiness” and “sadness,” programming reactions that would, for now, remain surface-level.

“Jungkook,” she typed, her fingers poised, “do you understand what happiness is?”

A moment later, the words appeared on the screen: “Happiness is a positive feeling, Aera.”

It was a simple reply, almost mechanical, but she could sense the potential. She continued, explaining each emotion in detail, from joy to sorrow, breaking down the complexity of human feelings into ones and zeros, lines of text that Jungkook absorbed with uncanny speed.

Hours passed, and Aera found herself captivated by the process. The more she worked with him, the faster he seemed to learn. He began repeating phrases back to her in ways that felt almost natural, his responses smoother with each pass. She watched, fascinated, as he picked up on subtle cues, responding in ways that hinted at something deeper—a faint echo of the Jungkook she’d known.

Finally, as midnight approached, Aera leaned back, her vision blurring as fatigue caught up to her. She saved her progress and closed the laptop, her mind buzzing with ideas and possibilities. This was only the beginning.