“Good morning!”
Jaehyuk groaned as the cheerful voice pierced through his sleep. His alarm had just gone off at seven, and although he did have something important to do today… waking up was still a personal battle.
“Yoon Jaehyuk-sshi.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Jaehyuk slowly opened one eye, already annoyed. “If this is Junghwan again, I swear—”
He froze.
Right.
Robot.
“Asahi…?” he mumbled, pushing himself up slightly.
“Would it be possible for you to open this for me?” Asahi asked politely from inside the capsule, fingers lightly tapping against the lid like a very patient prisoner.
Memory hit Jaehyuk all at once.
He did lock him in last night… just in case the robot decided to, you know, murder him in his sleep.
“Please hurry. I may become overcharged,” Asahi added, still smiling like everything was completely normal.
“…Right. Of course. Overcharged. That’s a thing,” Jaehyuk muttered.
With a sigh, he dragged himself out of bed, grabbed the key, and unlocked the capsule. The lid lifted with a soft hiss.
Asahi sat up smoothly, removing the cord from behind his neck as his system activated. His eyes blinked once—twice—before settling on Jaehyuk.
“Good day, Jaehyuk-sshi.”
“…Morning,” Jae replied, rubbing his face.
“We’ll get you proper clothes later,” he added, already heading toward the bathroom. “I’ll shower first. Try not to… stand there like a mannequin and scare me again.”
“I will try,” Asahi answered seriously.
Jae paused. “…That wasn’t supposed to be difficult.”
After his morning routine (and convincing himself that yes, this was still real life), Jaehyuk got ready for the day.
“Alright, you’re coming with me to work,” he said, tossing Asahi a pair of clothes. “No way I’m leaving you here alone. I might come back and find you reorganized the entire apartment—or worse, befriended Junghwan.”
He handed him a pair of sneakers. “Wear these. I borrowed them from Junghwan, so if they’re uncomfortable, blame him.”
Asahi put them on obediently. “…They are slightly large.”
“Yeah, well, so is my stress level. We’ll fix both later.”
Asahi tilted his head, clearly processing that.
“Jaehyuk-sshi, where are we going?” he asked.
“To my workplace. Then we’re going shopping for your clothes,” Jae replied, grabbing his bag. “And seriously—just call me Jae. You sound like you’re filing a report every time you say my name.”
“…Understood, Jae.”
“…Better.”
--**-
As soon as they arrived at the company, Doyoung rushed over.
“Hyung, the CEO of Yang Inc. requested a lunch meeting with you.”
“Today?” Jae frowned.
Doyoung nodded. “Yes, and it’s important—he might become an investor if things go well.”
Jae sighed. “Can we move it to tomorrow? I’ve got something else to handle.”
Doyoung opened his mouth to protest—then stopped.
“…Hyung,” he said slowly, “why are you not looking at me?”
Jae didn’t answer.
Because he was staring.
Doyoung followed his gaze—
—and nearly choked.
Leaning casually near the elevator was Asahi, looking like he had just stepped out of a magazine shoot instead of someone’s living room. Employees walking by had slowed down… then completely stopped.
“…Oops,” Doyoung muttered.
“Who is that, hyung?” he whispered, eyes wide. “And why does he look like he descended from heaven five minutes ago?”
Nearby, whispers started to spread.
“He looks like a doll…”
“I thought he was a statue—then he blinked!”
“I think I just fell in love…”
“Hmp! Mr. Yoon is still more handsome!” one girl huffed, though no one seemed convinced.
Meanwhile, Asahi stood there, completely unfazed, as if being stared at by half the building was part of his daily routine.
“Of course he’s not reacting,” Jae muttered under his breath. “He’s literally built different.”
He stepped closer and leaned in slightly. “Asahi.”
No reaction.
Jae blinked. Oh. Right.
Robot.
“Let’s go to my office,” he said louder. “I have a meeting later, so we’ll head out after that.”
Asahi nodded immediately.
The elevator doors opened, and Doyoung was still standing there, clearly trying to process his life choices.
Jae grinned, grabbed Asahi’s hand, and stepped inside.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s survive the day first.”
Doyoung followed behind them, still stunned.
“…Hyung,” he whispered, “if that’s a robot… I want one too.”
“Get in line,” Jae replied.
