Bright, white light shone through my eyelids, and I scrunch my face. In a croaky voice, I called out, "Baek..." My voice was raspy and dry, and I smacked my lips. My eyelids peeled back, crusty and sore from restless sleep. It took everything to keep from falling back asleep. 

After adjusting to the light, I scanned the room. It was clean, white, and devoid of all personality. My hospital bed and an IV beside it were the only things in the room.

There were no windows. Just a door. 

Looking down at my arm, I saw the IV needle sticking out of it. Confused and terrified, I held my arm out. My eyes fluttered as I tried to focus on it. It pierced my skin, pushing past layers of cells, veins, and muscle, a cold metal hitchhiker on my body. The slight bulge around it was a stark contrast to the smooth expanse of my skin. The plastic tubing attached to it snaked away from me, leading to a bag filled with clear fluid. The fluid dripped slowly. The sight of it, the feel of it, sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t want this in me.

Slowly, I pulled the needle out of my arm and let it fall from my weak hand. The IV needle swung side to side, hanging from the bag.

Pain seared through my arm as I warily climbed out of the sterile, white bed. My body felt heavy, and my mind was clouded. I reached out, leaning against the cold, metal walls. 

Before I could step towards the door however, I felt like I was being watched. I looked up at the corner of the room and I saw a small security camera. Its red light blinking slowly. 

I’m pretty sure it’s on, I thought to myself, but why isn’t anyone coming? 

My fingers brushed against the cold, metal door handle. With my strength slowly returning, I leaned against the handle and pushed. 

CLUNK.

Then the door creaked open.

Stealthily, I peeked through the doorway, my heart pounding as I took in the sight of an endless, empty hallway. It was sleek, modern, and cold– just like the hospital room. I couldn't help the unease creeping up my spine as I stepped out.

CLUNK.

The door shuts behind me, the sound echoing in the silence.

The hallway was dimly lit, the monotonous hum of the fluorescent lights above adding to the eerie ambiance. Doors, identical and evenly spaced, lined the walls on either side. As I walked, the cold, unforgiving steel floor beneath my bare feet seemed to stretch on endlessly.

I turned a corner and was met with a series of large windows. Each one offered a glimpse into a different world. A group of scientists huddled around a 3D model projected in one room, their expressions focused as they manipulated the holographic images. In another, robotic, prosthetic legs were being tested, their movements eerily human.

As I passed by the mailroom, I noticed a large truck filled with bags that were stuffed with letters. The room was oddly deserted, its occupants possibly away for a break. I continued on, my curiosity piqued by the next room. A wall of screens filled the space, each displaying a different area of the facility. One particular screen caught my attention. Labeled "HABITAT", it showed a dark burrow with a creature's soft, fuzzy fur moving rhythmically with each breath. A young man– he couldn’t be past his twenties, sat in front of the screen eating a sandwich.

I kept tip-toeing along, but through the next window, I spotted Baek. He was seated on a stool in a brightly lit room, surrounded by scientists. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Baek," I began, my voice barely a whisper, but my words got caught in my throat. I pressed my face closer to the glass. A woman I could only assume to be a doctor held his arm tightly. Is he getting a checkup? He doesn’t look too hurt from the fire though. 

“Ah–!” I suddenly gasped. The lady had torn Baek’s arm off. I couldn’t look away. However, the shock immediately became confusion. There was no blood. The sight was so absurd, so surreal, that it took me a moment to comprehend what I had just witnessed.

A chaotic tangle of wires and circuits hung where Baek's arm used to be, a nest of synthetic lifeforms squirming in the sterile air. Another doctor approached and, with an eerily routine manner, detached Baek's face. Large metallic orbs whirled in the empty sockets, expressive and full of life. But that didn’t help the sight of the cold, gray skull that lay underneath, a disturbing skeleton stripped of its flesh. Baek's robotic gaze found me through the window, his eyes meeting mine in a silent plea. He seemed to freeze, then broke the connection, his gaze falling to the ground.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Siwoo stood behind me, his towering frame casting me in shadow. "Reality is quite scary, isn't it," he murmured, his voice echoing in the hollow hallway. 

I managed to stammer out, "Where's Baek?" 

Siwoo looked at me, perplexed. "What do you mean? He's right there." He gestured towards the robotic entity that was my childhood friend. I shook my head, disbelief clouding my thoughts. "No... how?"

Siwoo sighed, a deep and heavy sound. "I wanted to wait until you were older... before telling you about all this," he gestured around him, his hands sweeping across the metallic surroundings. 

He squatted beside me, his hands enveloping mine. He looked deep into my eyes, his gaze piercing. "Dahyun, Papa made you a safe home. A home where you can grow up without danger. Baek was made to keep you safe... and be your friend." His words hung in the air. The silence of the hallway was deafening.

I couldn't respond. I couldn't break the silence. I could only stare back into my father's wild eyes, the reality of my existence crashing down around me.

"Papa?" The word slipped out of my lips, a memory echoed in a single syllable. I whispered, a plea barely audible, "Papa, why are you doing this?"

Siwoo's eyes flooded with tears as he pulled me into an embrace. "Yes! Yes, call me Papa. I love being your Papa," he buried his face in my chest as his voice shook with emotion. 

What’s wrong with him? 

I didn’t know what else to do, so I patted his head. His wiry hair wrapped between my fingers, and I could feel his smooth, oily scalp. 

He rubbed his face deeper into my chest as I stroked his head. 

Our strange embrace ended when the door to Baek’s room opened and doctors came out. I looked in the giant window and saw Baek and the woman who pulled his arm off still inside. They watch me with concern. 

Siwoo pulled away, his eyes suddenly dry. He licked his thumb, gently pushing my hair away from my face. "You are my baby. And it’s a father’s duty to protect his baby," he said, his voice firm and resolved. He stood up, taking my hand in his. "Come on. It’s time for you to go home," he said, leading me away.