My eyes open lazily as the morning sunlight shines on my face, and I blink a couple times before my lips spread into a gigantic smile.

I'd slept through the night.

I'd actually made it to morning without waking up even once.

A soft laugh bubbles up my throat when a fragrant scent of warm mint and flowers tickle my nose, making me look up in surprise.

I only lit lavender candles.

Then I realize that the warmth on my fingertips and the bare skin of my right leg isn't the blankets at all.

It's Jimin.

His eyes are closed, his pale skin glowing in the gentle sunlight as his arms lock me to his chest. My leg is coiled around his thigh, and my breath hitches when I realize the softness against my fingers is his hair.

Oh.

My.

Heavens.

With his palm pressed firmly against my back and his leg half-crushing my ankle, I realize I have no way of getting out of this position without waking him up.

And waking him up is the last thing I want to do right now.

Wait.

I did this all in my sleep, right? And it's not my fault my own body did this— I didn't mean to do it. I did it in my sleep. All of it.

So my final solution is to close my eyes and pretend that I am, utterly, asleep.

And it all would've worked out hadn't freaking Park Jimin been so sensitive.

"Minah? Why are you going back to sleep?"

The familiar blush from the night before finds my cheeks again as I quickly untangle myself from him, practically jumping out of the bed stuttering.

"B-Because I'm sleepy, okay? I didn't really g-get—"

"Then come sleep with me," He says, voice thick and ever so attractive as he blinks slowly. "No one ever said that you had to wake up at morning—"

"I have work."

"Work?" His eyes grow wide as he swings himself off the bed, one corner of his shirt hitched up to show something like a tattoo engraved across his lower chest. "What do you—"

"First of all," I shout, covering my eyes with the back of my hand as I wave at him. "Pull down that shirt. I'm not talking to you until you are fully covered."

A quick second passes as the sound of Jimin wrestling down his shirt echoes loud and clear across the room. Now I'm wondering if it had been more important to cover my ears instead of my eyes.

"Okay," He says, breathing quickly. "What do you mean work? Does that mean you're leaving me all alone here?!"

"Sadly, yes." I answer as I reach for my blouse, almost forgetting that Jimin is still there as I tug my shirt up.

"Hey!"

"Yeah?"

"Turn around."

As soon as he's safely looking at nothing but the random landscape picture on the wall, I quickly change into my blouse. I'm about to pull up my dark jeans when I catch Jimin turning back around.

"Yah!"

"I-I'm sorry!" He yelps as he presses both hands over his face, almost slamming into the wall as he spins back around. "I thought you were done!"

A tragic sigh escapes my lips as I quickly pull a loose hoodie over my work clothes, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Now you can look."

"Why are you leaving me alone?!" He exclaims the moment I give him permission. "Why can't I go with you, Minah? I want to work too!"

"Working isn't easy," I tell him as I pull a dark cap off the hanger. "And I want you to be safe, Jimin. What if you meet someone who doesn't like AI humans? I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'll keep my neck covered!" He chirps, pulling my pink scarf off and weaving it around his neck so his birth tattoo is concealed. "Nobody will know that I'm an AI then."

"No."

His face goes ashen as he hangs his head, and my heart quivers. But the violent scene that I'd seen in the news the week before blooms up in my mind, and my words turn to stone.

"I'm sorry, Jimin. I promise I'll be back soon, okay? Do whatever you want here."

I need to keep you safe. Even if it means making this house your prison.

"Yes, Master."

_________________________

My heart is heavy as I walk towards the local café. Jimin had seemed so sad when I'd told him that he had to stay home— should I have brought him along?

Then the flashing headlines fill my thoughts, and I shove the guilt into the back of my mind.

AI burnt to death by those against Intelligence Technology

"It's okay," I mumble, pushing open the doors to the café. "You did the right thing, Minah. He's not safe outside."

"Yoon Minah!"

I brace myself as the assistant manager storms over to me, his eyes slitted with anger. All worries of Jimin fade as I peek up at the man's flushed face, his lips parted into a furious shape.

He absolutely hates me, doesn't he?

"Do you think you're special?" He hisses, poking at my forehead. "Just because you have insomnia or whatever, that automatically means you can take days off whenever you'd like?!"

"No, sir," I mutter, biting my lip.

"That's correct. Then why were you absent yesterday, huh?" He continues to poke at me, and I grind my teeth behind closed lips as I fix my gaze on the floor.

The other workers look at me in pity. They all knew that the assistant manager was beyond rude and reasonable, but none of them dared to tell the owner what was going on.

And he only had an eye for me, anyway.

He'd criticize every coffee I made, always ordering me to make my expression more livelier. He'd comment on every single thing I'd do, and none of them were ever compliments.

"Answer me!" He hisses, raising his hand to strike at my cheek. "You think your insomnia is going to excuse—"

"Excuse me."

A familiar voice rings out behind me, dripping poison as another hand snakes out to wrap around the man's wrist.

"But what do you think you're doing?"

Jimin. He has the light pink scarf around his neck, his eyes dark as he slowly turns the man's hand in an impossible angle. With every degree, his face dips another shade of ashen.

And no matter how hard he tries to break free, he's no match for Jimin's inhumane strength.

"Jimin— stop!" I hiss when it really looks like it's about to break. "You're going to snap—"

"Why? Does it matter if I do?"

My mouth drops in shock at the sheer amount of venom in his usual light voice. I can barely breathe as he gazed at the man with more hatred than I'd ever thought him capable of.

I quickly harden my tone.

"Jimin."

"Let him go."

A disappointed sigh flows from his lips as he gives me a look of disapproval. And then a smirk paints his lips as he throws the assistant manager sprawling to the ground.

I'm so done for.

"Why are you even here?" I whisper, and wordlessly, he slips something into my palm.

It's my tie.

"You dropped this on your way out, so I came to give it to you."

"T-Thanks," I stutter, clearly startled as he points at the pink scarf. It compliments his silver hair, and I try not to think about the heavy steps of the owner as he rushes down the stairs, clearly having heard the chairs crashing.

"This scarf is itchy, Minah."

A soft laugh escapes my lips as I pat his fluffy hair, practically hearing the workers gasp as the owner of the café finally reaches downstairs.

"Don't worry, Jimin," I smile softly, wondering how in the world I was going to find a new job after I got fired. "I'll get you a new one after this."