Beyond The Screen|K.T.H. x O.C.

The Perfect Blueprint

The glow of the monitor cast a soft light over Naira’s face as she leaned back in her chair, staring at the half-complete 3D model of Taehyung on her screen. His face was starting to take shape—chiseled jawline, perfectly proportioned nose, and those eyes. She had spent hours adjusting the slight tilt of his eyes, trying to get them just right, as if they could somehow mirror the deep, soulful gaze she’d always imagined.

“Almost there,” she muttered to herself, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

For a brief moment, she allowed herself to step back and admire the work she had done. Creating Taehyung had become more than just a project. It was an escape. Each hour spent coding, designing, and refining felt like a balm to her heart—a distraction from the painful loneliness she carried since Daniel.

“Alright,” she said, her fingers flying across the keyboard again. “Time to make you come to life.”

Over the next few hours, Naira lost herself in the meticulous process of building Taehyung’s personality. She wanted him to be more than just a pretty face on a screen. He had to feel real, even if he wasn’t.

She pulled up her list of traits, studying them with a critical eye.

Kind. Thoughtful. Confident. Humble, but with a hint of mystery.

“Too much mystery, and you’re Daniel 2.0,” she muttered, deleting a few unnecessary lines of code. “Can’t have that.”

A thought struck her, and she paused, staring at the screen. Was she subconsciously designing Taehyung to be everything Daniel wasn’t? Probably. And was that so bad? Taehyung would be the embodiment of everything she had once hoped for—someone who cared deeply, someone who would always put her first.

She typed in a new line of code, programming his emotional responses. He would be empathetic, understanding. He’d know when she needed space, but he’d also know when to push her—gently—out of her comfort zone.

“Not too perfect, though,” she whispered. “Nobody likes a robot.”

She chuckled at her own joke, though the irony wasn’t lost on her. After all, Taehyung was a robot. Or, more accurately, an AI simulation. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be human—at least, in the ways that mattered.

As the night deepened, her apartment grew quieter, the sounds of the city fading into the background. It was just her and the faint hum of the computer. That’s how it had been for months now—just her, her projects, and the silence. The emptiness.

Her mind drifted back to Daniel again, despite her best efforts to block him out. He’d always said he loved how dedicated she was, how passionate she was about her work. But in the end, he couldn’t handle it. He’d wanted someone who could balance their life better, who didn’t lose themselves in their projects.

“I was never enough,” she whispered, the words bitter on her tongue.

Her fingers clenched, hovering over the keys. Maybe that was why she was doing this. Maybe creating Taehyung was her way of controlling the narrative. With him, she would never be not enough. She would always be perfect because she was the one pulling the strings.

The thought gave her a strange sense of comfort.

She clicked on a new tab and began tweaking his physical appearance again. His hair—jet black and slightly tousled—was starting to look just right, but she wanted to add more texture. She adjusted the shadows, gave his skin a slightly warm undertone, and perfected the faint smile that hovered at the edges of his lips.

“What do you think, Taehyung?” she said softly, staring at the screen. “Do you like the way you look?”

The digital version of Taehyung blinked, his eyes seeming to meet hers through the screen. Of course, it was just part of the program, but something about the way his gaze locked on hers made her heart skip a beat.

She leaned back, rubbing her eyes. “Okay, maybe I’m losing it.”

The night was slipping away, but she wasn’t tired. In fact, she felt more awake than ever. Building Taehyung, refining him—it gave her purpose. It filled the void that had been left behind when Daniel walked out of her life.

Her fingers hovered over the final lines of code she had written for the night. One more tweak, and his emotional intelligence model would be complete. She bit her lip, thinking carefully about the final trait she wanted to give him.

Loyal. Completely loyal.

There. It was done. She hit enter, watching as the code processed and integrated into the system. Taehyung’s image flickered on the screen for a moment before stabilizing.

“There you are,” she whispered, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. “You’re perfect.”

But even as she said the words, a small, nagging thought crept into the back of her mind. Was he too perfect? Was she trying to create someone who couldn’t exist in the real world? And if he wasn’t real… could he ever really give her what she needed?

She shook her head, brushing the doubts aside. Taehyung was exactly what she wanted him to be. He was hers. And for now, that was enough.

With a final glance at the screen, she saved her progress and shut down her computer. Tomorrow, she would continue refining him, adding the finishing touches to his personality. But tonight, as she lay down in bed, her mind still buzzing with thoughts of Taehyung, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was changing.

Maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something she couldn’t quite control.

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As Naira drifted off to sleep, the digital version of Taehyung remained frozen on her screen, waiting.