"Your hands are cold."

My voice is hazed with sleep as I find his freezing hands under mine, interlocking my fingers with his.

He pauses.

"Minah— do you wake up every time I leave you? Or come back?"

"I don't know— I guess," I whisper as I shiver underneath his cold touch. "Wow— you're cold, Jimin. And it's nearly six. What do you need to practice so much?"

All he does is laugh as he rubs his fingertips together, apologizing softly for waking me up.

"You're already so good. Do you love dancing that much?"

"......"

"Yes."

"Go to sleep, Minah." He tells me, motioning at the clock. "I don't need to sleep— but you do. It's only six in the morning."

His hand feels cool and soft under my touch as I sandwich it between my palms. My voice sounds still half-asleep as I mutter.

"I know you're going to beat him, Jimin. I know it. So don't worry too much."

________________________

Jimin's POV

"Find a partner for duet dance— you will perform this four days from now," The instructor says in monotone, crossing his arms together.

"So you better not embarrass me in front of the entire school."

My eyes immediately search for Minah as I automatically ignore the suggestive stares other girls are giving me. I didn't feel comfortable with anyone else here except her.

She must be in the restroom.

Then something slams into my side, and I look to see a student. He has a sneer on his face— and I remember him as Im Jisung.

The one that I will beat.

"Going to wear a mask again like a coward?" He hisses. "Stupid AI— what a joke. You can't even stand on stage without covering your face."

He leaves me there stunned, rubbing my hands over my tattoo. Of course he'd noticed— how many had? How did I not notice some of the students looking at me the way they do?

"Jimin?"

_____________________

"Jimin?"

I say, and he looks to me. His closed expression instantly melts into relief as he smiles softly, voice light.

"Hi, partner." He laughs, and I tilt my head in confusion. Had I missed something while in the restroom?

"Duet project." He explains, and I slowly nod in realization as he grips my wrist. "Come on— let's practice. I already have a choreograph in mind."

________________________

"Ah!"

A short scream escapes my lips when Jimin lets go too early. My balance goes out the window when his arms hurriedly wrap around my waist.

I end up pulling him down with me.

"I'm sorry!" He breathes as he scrambles off of me, face flushed with panic as he runs his hands down my side. "Are you hurt, Minah?"

"I'm fine." I sigh in relief as I jump up to my feet. My head tilts in curiosity— he never would've made a mistake like that. Not unless something was really distracting him.

"What's wrong, Jimin?" I ask, motioning him to sit down. "What are you thinking about?"

His expression closes.

"Nothing. I'm sorry."

My lips downturn into a sad line. "Are you really going to lie to me like this, Jimin? After knowing what happened when I did to you?"

He swallows, before finally looking down.

"I— I don't know what's wrong with me," He whispers as he draws a heavy hand across his face. "I shouldn't be thinking like this. I wasn't programmed to be this way—"

"Thinking what?"

"About how much I want to win that competition." He admits, rubbing at his eyes. "About how much I want to see Im Jisung's face when I do. This is killing me, Minah— why do I want to see someone be sad? Am I turning rogue—"

"Gosh, Jimin." I suddenly laugh, surprising him. "How pure can you get? It's called passion— passion for dancing. And besides, of course you want to beat him. He's a jerk."

He still looks uncertain as he pulls me up to my feet, his eyes seeming like they're trying to focus back.

"You were half a beat too early just now," He says dazedly, and I giggle.

"Got it— still sharp as always." I say, patting his fluffy hair. "Don't worry about it too much, Jimin. I know we're going to do better."

He just gives me a bright smile as he takes me by the shoulders, lifting me up effortlessly. His eyes are focused as he leads me perfectly.

"I won't make a mistake again."

_________________________

Jimin's POV

He thinks that I can hear.

He knows that I can hear.

"It's really unfair," I force myself to keep my eyes blank as he presses down on my foot, with the heel of his shoe. "Can you even feel this, robot?"

I can feel it, the pain. Doesn't he know that I'm equipped fully with all the normal senses a regular human has?

I just won't break.

Maybe he'll leave me alone if he thinks I can't feel it anyways.

"Damn robot," He hisses, and I instinctively lean away when his breath washes hot over my ear. He snickers, which makes me clench my hands together. "What— do I make you uncomfortable?"

My lips twist into a pressed curve when Minah bounds in, her ponytail bouncing. He leans away— an innocent expression on his face.

He only does it when she's not here.

"Jimin!" She calls, and I purse my lips when I sense his stare shift into hatred. "Sorry I took so long— the counselor wanted me to grab her a coffee."

"Class is over— let's go practice!"

I can see Minah's eyes freeze over when they land on Jisung, and she gives him a cold look as she pulls me away from him.

Had she seen?

Then her lips curve into a happy smile when she tears her gaze away from him, and her hand feels perfect in mine as she leads me out the door.

And I can feel his eyes like knives on my back.

I tighten my grip on her.

_________________________

"You're going to practice again?" I yelp in surprise as he nods, slipping out of his seat. "But we literally just practiced for five hours straight! Jimin, I know you're an AI— but you still feel like a human."

"You're going to overtire yourself."

"I'll be back by bedtime," He says, kissing the top of my head. "Don't Wait for me, okay? And don't worry too much."

Then before I can say another word, the door closes behind his slender figure. And my expression falls when I see his barely-eaten bowl.

I'd done my research on AIs ever since he'd come here, and I knew that while they didn't have to eat for a longer period of time than normal humans, they still had to.

And I didn't think I'd seen Jimin eat properly for the entire last week.