20

Groaning in frustration, Taehyung leaned back in his chair and pressed his palms into his eyes. Jeongguk felt a slight pang of guilt, but that memory—it was one he wanted to stay forgotten. He didn’t want to remember any of it. If he had his way, it would remain lost in the nethers of his mind. Still, he felt that it wasn’t fair to Taehyung, like he was keeping something from him. That was something he didn’t want. Seeing him look so defeated—it was the worst thing he could imagine.

            it’s okay

Taehyung suddenly sat up straighter in his chair. “What was that?”

            it’s going to be okay

“That’s—a personal message?” He mumbled. “Where is it coming from, where—”

            it’s all going to be okay

Falling silent, Taehyung turned to look at Jeongguk.

“What did you just say?”

            it’s all going to be okay, Taehyung

“Oh my God…” Taehyung gasped, his eyes misting over. “This is—this is insane. You’re—you can—hold on, I can work with this…”

Tilting his head in confusion, Jeongguk tried to figure out what Taehyung was up to. He nose was practically pressed against his screen, like somehow the close proximity would help him see better. Like the answers were that easy to find. His lower lip was caught in between his teeth in thought, his skin turned white from strain. Whatever he was up to, Jeongguk could see that it was more important than he initially realized.

“Okay, that should do it. Hopefully. Say something again.”

“It’s going to be okay—wait, what’s happening?”

He had a voice again.

“I did it!” Taehyung shouted suddenly, jumping out of his chair and throwing his hands in the air. “I fucking did it! I—I got you talking! This is—this is fucking amazing, holy shit, I can’t believe I did it! It’s an automated voice through my computer but at least it’s something! ”

Jeongguk couldn’t help but smile fondly as Taehyung celebrated his success. There was something about how unapologetic, how childish, how true to his emotions he was that made Jeongguk’s core come alive. He sat there patiently, watching Taehyung jump up and down, desperately wishing he could join him. It wasn’t even that he was overly excited to finally be able to speak again, it wasn’t his voice after all, he just wanted to bask in the light that had just flooded the room. To feel the warmth of hope on his skin. A warmth he wouldn’t have felt without Taehyung.

“This is totally crazy.” He laughed. “Not only do you have a retinal display, you have one that allows for personal input. I’ve never even heard of something like this! believe me. That must’ve taken some modifications, lengthy ones too. Retinal displays aren’t a technology to scoff at. Whoever created you—they..they really did care.”

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***