We waited for hours on end waiting for news on Minjee's mother, all the while that annoying 'Surgery in Progress' sign flashed arrogantly at us. The tension in the air was enough to strangle anyone who walked in. The OR waiting room was bathed in silence. The three of us, Jintae included, sat without saying anything, squeezing the atmosphere even tighter.
Minjee and I had been sitting in the same position since the surgery began: her head resting on my shoulder, my hand resting on hers. I didn't keep track of the time as it slowly ambled by, I just waited. And waited. And waited.
After multiple eternites, the chief surgeon stepped out from behind the automatic doors, his face rid of any emotion.
I leapt up, my heart scrambling up my throat with me. Minjee had already run up to him, clenching the chest of his coat. I couldn't hear what the exchange was, but I saw Minjee freeze in her tracks, and crumble to the floor like a doll.
I didn't take my time rushing up to her and bending down to her level as I was drenched in my own fear.
"Minjee? What did he say?"
Her blank eyes were fixated on the tile in front of her as if she had heard nothing I said. I repeated myself, "Minjee? What did the doctor say?"
In a hollow whisper, she finally replied...
"...She's fine."
I sighed so heavily that my lung collapsed, and I fell to my knees right next to Minjee. There was never a moment I ever felt so relieved. I suddenly understood why she had dropped to the floor after hearing the news: the feeling was indescribable.
A few seconds later, I rose to my feet, taking her by the arm and pulling her up with me. I wrapped my arms around her and gently pulled her closer, "Everything's okay now... There's nothing to worry about." She replied by nodding into my chest.
The next few minutes flew by as we stood there, and the thoughts from the previous day were flooding back into my head. Detroit... Detroit... Detroit, they whispered in my ear. They refused to leave me alone even after I'd bought the plane tickets. Even when my flight was two hours from now.
I heaved, slipping out of Minjee's hold. I cupped her face in my hands and searched her questioning eyes, "Are you okay?"
A weak smile, "Yes."
"Are you sure?"
A nod.
"Even if I left for a while?"
She pulled herself from my hold, her face strung together in concern, "What do you mean if you leave?"
I grabbed her hand, observing every beautiful crevice and detail, "I'm thinking about going to Detroit and joining the revolution..."
Minjee's POV
"Joining the what?!" I snatched my fingers out of his grasp, "That android movement in Michigan?!"
My heart sputtered in the shock and betrayal of the moment, but Hope just stared shamefully at the floor as if it didn't affect him.
"You- You can't just leave me like this! My mom just finished her surgery and my brother's out of prison but you're gonna up and leave? How-" I caught myself losing my breath and pacing the floor, my head spinning like it had millions of times before.
"Don't you know how dangerous this is?! Androids are being gunned down without a second thought after they're caught feeling any emotion, you know that right?! They've barely even protested yet!"
"I know, I--" he began. I didn't let him finish.
"So you're willing to go over there and get yourself killed over a bunch of emotion-chasing robots who are probably bat-shit crazy anyway?"
YOU ARE READING
Seoul: Become Human (BTS J-Hope X OC)
Fanfiction"Minjee..." I started, "You know I care about you. A lot." She was silent. "You're one of the only people who actually care about me. Even I didn't care about me. But you gave me worth--convinced me that I was more than a robot." I turned to fac...
