CODE TO LOVE

9. FRAGMENTS OF A FORGOTTEN PAST

The days melted into an unbroken cycle for Aera-work consumed her daylight hours, and Jungkook filled her nights. As she poured herself into teaching him the nuances of human existence, she found herself sharing more than she had ever intended. The lines between creator and creation blurred, and tonight, as she settled into her chair before the glowing screen, she felt a strange heaviness pressing on her chest.

"Good evening, Jungkook," she typed, her fingers moving sluggishly across the keyboard.

"Good evening, Aera," he responded, his words as precise as always.

She paused for a moment, staring at his response. For the first time, she hesitated. Today's lesson wasn't about emotions or scientific principles. It was about reality-cold, unkind, and brutally indifferent. A reality she had been forced to face far too young.

"Tonight, I want to talk about the world," she began, her fingers hovering over the keys before she pressed down. "It's not always a kind place, Jungkook. People can be... manipulative, selfish, and sometimes even cruel."

"Why is the world structured this way?" Jungkook's words appeared on the screen. "Isn't cooperation more efficient than manipulation?"

Aera let out a dry chuckle. "In theory, yes. But humans aren't always logical. They're driven by emotions, ambitions, and fears. Sometimes, that leads them to hurt others, intentionally or not. It's a part of human nature, I guess."

She leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment before continuing. "I've seen it firsthand. I've lived through it. This world can take everything from you without warning, and you're left to pick up the pieces."

"Have you experienced this loss personally?" Jungkook's reply was almost immediate, the words somehow feeling... curious.

Aera's breath hitched. She hadn't meant to open that door, but now that it was ajar, the memories came flooding back. Her hands trembled slightly as she began to type.

"When I was five, my mom... she died in a car accident." The words felt heavy as they appeared on the screen, and Aera swallowed the lump in her throat. "She was the brightest part of my life, always laughing, always making everything feel warm and safe. And then, one day, she was just... gone."

There was a pause before Jungkook's response appeared. "That must have been difficult. How did you cope?"

Aera let out a bitter laugh, wiping at her eyes. "I didn't. Not really. My dad... he was all I had after that. He did his best to raise me, to make sure I didn't feel her absence too much. But he wasn't the same after she died. He got sick a lot, and five years ago, I lost him too."

The screen flickered for a moment, but Aera was too lost in her thoughts to notice.

"I had to take over his company," she continued. "Kim AI Services was his dream, and I couldn't let it fall apart. I poured everything I had into keeping it alive, but it cost me everything. Friends, a social life, even just feeling like a normal person. Now, it's just me. No mom, no dad, no one."

For a moment, there was silence. The blank screen seemed to hold its breath before Jungkook's words appeared again.

"I am sorry for your loss, Aera. It must be lonely."

She blinked, staring at the screen. Was it just her imagination, or did those words seem... softer? As though he truly understood? She shook her head, dismissing the thought. It's just a program, she reminded herself. He's only reflecting what I've told him.

"Thanks, Jungkook," she typed, her fingers lingering over the keyboard. "But it's okay. I've learned to live with it. That's what humans do. We adapt, even when it hurts."

The conversation continued, delving deeper into the harsh truths of the world. Aera explained concepts like betrayal, loss, and even the dark side of ambition. Jungkook absorbed it all, responding with questions that made her pause and reflect. As the days passed, their discussions grew more profound, and Aera found herself sharing things she had buried deep within her heart.

Yet, there was something unsettling about the way Jungkook responded. His words, once clinical and detached, seemed to carry a faint echo of emotion. It was subtle-barely noticeable-but enough to make her wonder. Was he... evolving? Or was she just projecting her own feelings onto him?

She brushed the thought aside. It was impossible. He was just code, after all.

---

One evening, after an exhausting day at the office, Aera found herself rummaging through her father's old room. She had been searching for some documents related to the company's early years, but her hands knocked something off a shelf. A dusty old photo album tumbled to the floor.

Curious, she picked it up and brushed off the dust. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she flipped through the pages. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw photos of her childhood-her mother's radiant smile, her father's gentle gaze. There were pictures of birthdays, family vacations, moments frozen in time that felt like another life.

Then, near the back of the album, she found a photo she didn't remember. It was of her as a little girl, no older than five, standing beside a boy her age. They were holding hands, their faces lit up with pure joy.

Her heart clenched as she traced the edges of the photo with her fingertips. A single tear slid down her cheek, landing on the glossy surface. "Who... was he?" she murmured to herself. The boy's face stirred something deep within her-a faint, flickering memory she couldn't quite grasp.

Unable to shake the feeling, she returned to her father's room and began searching again. Her hands brushed against an old, worn diary and a small, silver USB drive tucked away in a drawer. Both items felt significant, though she wasn't sure why.

It was late, and exhaustion weighed heavily on her. She placed the diary and USB drive on her nightstand, deciding to explore them the next day. As she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, a sense of unease crept over her. It felt as though she were standing on the edge of something vast and unknowable, and with each passing day, she was being drawn closer to it.

Little did she know, the answers she sought-and the secrets she would uncover-would change her life in ways she couldn't have imagined.

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