Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Love is such a meaningful word.

It can be with your family, friends, and the one most people seek — love in romantic relationships.

Love was something that Hanni Pham never sought. It might have been because, ever since she was little, her parents never really gave her the love a child needs. And frankly enough, she didn't care.

Well, maybe, she does — deep down.

She has just always been used to it, so she never bothered to fix it or to throw tantrums and beg her mom and dad for attention, for them to show that they do care about their little girl, who has never been showered with genuine love.

Though it was never an issue for Hanni, romantic love never interested her. In fact, she finds it a pain in the ass to constantly see people shoving their faces into each other without even fully knowing the person they're dating.

Every day, her friend, Danielle Marsh, would nag about her getting a partner. It's the year 2078, and Hanni still doesn't have a lover? How boring.

Literally every person in the world has a lover, or just someone to call their partner, for the likes and clicks on the internet that have never died down. For some reason, Hanni's the only one without a partner.

"A boyfriend? Maybe girlfriend? The world has been woke about this for years now, Hanni. It's no problem if you like girls." Danielle states as she swiftly drags the floating screen that came from her new watch and places it in front of them.

"Tinder is outdated. Try this new app I found for you, I swear it has various people I think you might find—"

"I'm not interested, Dani." Sharply, Hanni interrupts as she gets up from the sofa and walks over to her kitchen. "Bernice, coffee, please." She quickly says to the rabbit-like gadget named Bernice that can control every electric device in the house, her eyes glued to her book.

Bernice, the gadget, replies through the speaker, "Yes, Hanni."

Not even a minute passes, and the coffee machine is already doing its thing. Brewing the perfect coffee, Hanni has always loved every morning — thanks to Bernice's control and automated memory.

This is one expensive gadget, and it's way better than Siri or any other service robots. So every penny is worth it.

"Are you going to grow old as a single lady or what?" Danielle whines, her hands resting on her hips while her watch's screen automatically closes, as if it was sucked back in swiftly.

Hanni takes a sip of her coffee, "Maybe." And it makes her best friend roll her eyes, but there's warmth in it, showing she's not actually pissed.

"This world is addicted to dating. Every week, there's a new dating application released. I fear they'll eventually make dating mandatory the second kids turn eighteen." Hanni continues to ramble. There's a hint of hope in her eyes when she sees how Danielle softens up her posture, shoulders slowly slumping.

It doesn't last for a minute, though. Dani already perks up. "Whatever. If you really don't want to, then that's fine." The hands on her hips fall, and she goes to grab her purse.

"But if you ever change your mind, just tell me. You know I know a lot of apps." She winks, stretching her arms a bit as a relieved sigh escapes her lips.

Hanni's clutch on her cup of coffee tightens as her lips purse. Maybe she could consider it. Maybe loving isn't too bad… Right?

She manages a tight smile and nods, watching her friend make her way out of the door as they both wave and say their good-byes.

Now, Hanni's left in her quiet apartment, once again. All the time.

Since when did the silence at her place become so deafening?

Was it only because her loud friend had left?

Hanni groans before setting her cup down. She sets the book that was in her other hand down and takes out her phone from her back pocket.

Year 2078, people have been neglecting physical copies of literature. Books are slowly getting forgotten.

Hanni hates the thought of it, though; the smell of books has always been one of her favorite things in the world. It's a shame how fast technology has grown over the past few decades that physical copies of books are considered ancient.

But the irony of her being a big lover of physical books, but everything else in her apartment is high-technology based, mocks her.

The ping on her phone catches her attention. So she swipes it open, only to be met with Danielle already sending her screenshots of dating apps she could download, followed by a winky face emoji that she reacts with a laughing one.

"Maybe I should try…" She mumbles to herself, typing the name of the app on the Play Store, and hits the download button.

Not even five seconds passed, and the app was already waiting for her to open. And so she does, only to be flash-banged with the painfully white screen.

Hanni winces at the blinding white screen and puts down her cup of coffee to lower the brightness quickly before she thinks she can go blind.

A few more taps occurred, a few more emails, a few more choosing interests and filling out the hobbies sections, and a few more bio writing, her profile is complete.

It's time to find the huzz with her fire rizz.

Wow, that was decades ago. How old school you are, Hanni. Nobody says that anymore; it's cringe and unfunny.

She brushes off her thoughts and starts swiping left and right. Well, mostly left.

Nobody interests her in this app.

No man looks like they have any emotional intelligence, and no woman looks like they won't give her the most scarring and traumatic relationship.

But one woman with striking, fiery red hair and beauty that could topple buildings catches her attention — swiping right hastily.

To her surprise, the app says that they match, and the woman is active at the same time.

"hey ;)"

The immediate message makes Hanni's heart race. Is she that interested in her based on her profile, or is it just because they're both online at the same time?

Whatever. She should shoot her shot.

"hey there :)"

"single?"

"duh. if i wasn't, then i wouldn't be here."

It takes the other woman a few seconds to reply. She can sense the hesitation from the way the three bubbles on the other side of the chat would come up, then disappear.

Maybe it was a bad idea to say sarcastic things like that already. She was trying to flirt.

"oh ok. i am tho. is that fine for u?"

Her eyebrows furrow, and her fingers type away ferociously on the keyboard.

"why are you in this app if you're taken then? that's messed up."

"damn fine i was jus hoping to bag a threesome but ig not."

Then she's blocked. The woman blocked Hanni.

She scoffs, dropping her phone on the counter. Taking her cup of coffee and gripping the handle tightly, she stares out through her apartment's wide windows and watches the futuristic look of the world.

Romance is dying. People are not in love and are only together for the sole purpose of being taken. Because if you're not taken in this generation, you're a total fucking loser.

And maybe Hanni is one.

That still hit her ego deeply, though.

She clicks her tongue after a sip of her drink and turns her phone on again, "This is stupid." She mutters before deleting the app.

This has happened to her plenty of times. All people just want sex. Why the hell is everyone so horny? Can't a girl just get some show-up-outside-your-door-with-flowers romance before she dies?

Hell, what's even more embarrassing is that she's twenty-five and has never had her first kiss. Never been asked out. Never been laid. And never been in love.

Just kidding. She has been in love.

In love and was ruthlessly rejected before she could even confess, when she was in senior high school.

So yeah, that was humiliating. It was so bad that she never tried to look for love again.

Hanni is growing desperate.

A few hours ago, Hanni had decided to go to the mall by herself. It was never a problem for her; going to the mall alone has always been a therapeutic thing for her.

No one's dragging her to go to this shop, and that shop — she can go wherever she wants and buy whatever she wants for herself.

She has her freedom.

But fuck man. Hanni's surrounded by couples — there are couples everywhere.

She looks to the left, and there's a couple holding hands. She looks to the right, and a couple is giving each other pecks on the cheeks. She looks behind, and a guy is piggybacking another guy.

It's like she's the only person here who's not in a romantic relationship.

The second Hanni gets home with stomping feet and frustration weighing on her shoulders, she slumps on her bed and instantly relaxes into the soft mattress.

A sigh escapes her lips as she shuts her eyes and feels the tension in her shoulders release.

The relaxation and peace don't last long. Hanni's mind starts to race with thoughts that she can't control, no matter how many times she shoves them off.

"Am I that unlovable?" She didn't expect to say the words out loud. But now her eyes are open, and there's a heavy weight in her heart that makes her clutch her chest.

Loneliness isn't something that can be cured easily when you're aware that you're a total loser. It isn't something that goes away easily, even when she's with her friends or family.

Hanni has always been lonely.

Even in big crowds, friend hangouts, or family reunions, loneliness is something she can't pry away.

Thanks to Danielle's social butterfly and bright demeanor, she adopted an introverted Hanni into her life. She got to meet new people and go to places she never thought about going to.

That doesn't erase the fact that she's a wash-out and constantly feels lonely. Because every time she does start to converse with someone new, it always ends up with them being weirded out by her interests and awkward way of talking.

Without Danielle — who's most likely on the dance floor — she's always at the corner of the room when she's at a party Dani dragged her into. And her life isn't a movie, so nobody approaches the lonely girl in the corner, drinking punch with a sad look on her face.

The loneliness never bothered her, but recently it's been getting hard to ignore the lovebirds that you will see outside, no matter where you look.

To take her mind off the mind-eating thoughts, Hanni gets up and takes her laptop, placing it on her lap, to check emails (yes, even in this year).

Filled with emails from work and apps that she subscribed to, mostly about books. Hanni is about to shut her laptop off, not until a bright blue colored email steals her attention.

It's an advertisement. Not worth looking at.

Yet it was like she was hypnotized by its bright color that she dragged her cursor to the email and opened it.

"Tired of getting rejected? Or perhaps, you're having a hard time finding the right person for you to love? Screw all those dating apps, Companion is here to make love easy!"

"Oh," she chuckles at the texts plastered on her screen.

"Does this email know my life story or what?" Hanni laughs, but the next few words make her stomach twist.

"Build your own AI partner. All from scratch. From genes to hobbies, from interests to sexual drive. Companion has all the options to create the best lover for you. One of the best perks is that you won't just be talking on the phone. Companion's latest build allows you to physically talk and touch your partner in person."

"Well, that's fucking weird."

"Below are example photos of Companion's AI Partner models."

She slams her hand on her mouth. The models look so real. They don't look like boring robots at all. Every texture looks so detailed — it doesn't even look like it's AI. It looks like a real human being.

It gives shivers down Hanni's spine. But she bites the bottom of her lip and clicks the link attached to it, and starts to fill out the personal information to begin creating her Companion.

Hanni takes up the whole afternoon, up to early evening, to create the perfect AI girlfriend for her. She fills out every single box with immense detail. She's creating the perfect girlfriend that she has always desired.

Even filling out that one page, all dedicated to the Companion's sexual desires and drive — she wants to get laid before she dies.

After hours, she clicks the finished product, and is met with the most beautiful woman that she created on her screen.

"Hi, Hanni. I'm Minji, Kim Minji."

Hanni gasps out how non-robotic the voice sounds, and how realistic the way Minji moves as they're in a pretend video call.

There's Minji, her AI girlfriend, lying on her side while she's on the bed with a small warm smile on her face.

Everything looks so detailed in the video call — it looks like she's a real person talking. There are no awkward, stiff movements and glitches. She undoubtedly looks real.

"Hello?" Minji waves her hand on the screen with a sing-song-like tone. "You okay? Surprised by my beauty, baby?" She teases, scrunching her nose as she chuckles.

She snaps out of it, clearing her throat and nervously chuckling. She pulls on the neckline of her shirt to loosen it as she can feel the growing heat in her cheeks that makes her gulp.

"I-I'm fine."

Minji shifts in her position, giving a clearer view of her face. "You sure? You're red."

"I'm fine. It's just hot here." She mumbles, loud enough for Minji to hear and endearingly snicker.

"You can meet me if you want, by the way," Minji states.

"Meet you?"

“Mhm,” she hums, sitting up and resting her head against the supposed headboard of her bed. “If you remember, Companion's latest build allows you to physically talk to and touch your partner in person.” She leans closer to the screen to be more audible.

“So, what do you say?”

Hanni's lips part, but the bubbling heat in her throat prevents her from speaking.

"Come on, Hanni-ah."

Gosh. Hanni's already weak in the knees hearing Minji's voice; even if she's sitting, she feels like she could fall over.

"Yeah. Um, uh, sure. How much does it cost?"

Minji grins at her. "1,216,794 Won."

Hanni never knew how technology could be this high-tech until now.

Standing outside her door is the AI Companion she created and ordered. In the flesh, Kim Minji.

Not a single person would think that the woman standing in front of her was with a bouquet in her hand. She wears a clean, black and oversized windbreaker jacket and baggy creamy jeans. The sight of her was enough to catch Hanni's breath.

She hands her the bouquet, but Hanni's completely still. She examines her face closely. Every detail, every texture, that's a whole human being. There's no way she's a robot — an AI.

"I'm not real," Minji says out loud, chuckling. "But I know I look like I am." Self-aware, she is.

"Yes. You… You do. You look so real."

Without a second thought, Hanni reaches out to stroke Minji's face, her fingers trembling as they make contact.

To her astonishment, Minji's skin feels just like human skin — she feels real. Hanni gasps at the feeling, stumbling back on her heels.

Before she can fall, Minji's hand darts out, steadying Hanni with a firm grasp around her waist. It's an impressive display, one would say that Minji has good instincts — but it's all part of Minji's programming to protect her at all costs.

This is all dictated by the Companion's terms and regulations. Hanni doesn't know about it. Of course, she doesn't; she didn't read all that.

"Nice catch." She breathlessly jokes to die down the sudden tension she feels between them, making Minji chuckle as well.

Minji helps her stand straight after preventing her from falling. She uses both hands to hold her still and dust away imaginary dirt on Hanni's sleeves. She gives her a genuine smile. "What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know…" Hanni hums, "Don't I have to do any other starting-up things first? Like, pairing?"

Endearingly, Minji squeezes her arm. "We do. But I thought you might prefer to do dates first, so you won't feel off about the pairing."

"How…" Hanni trails off as she fully takes in Minji. For an AI, she looks so good-looking. She doesn't even realize the fact that Minji remembers the preferences she filled out on the personal information form.

"Would that even be possible? Is that allowed to go out with an AI that's not paired with me yet?"

"Well, you bought me. I'm not really going anywhere."

"Oh. Right."

The taller one chuckles, giggles softly, her hand resting on top of Hanni's head, which makes her turn red at the sudden, gentle gesture.

Never had she had someone treat her this softly, which tips Hanni off, and the crimson red cheeks of the woman were enough for Minji to know that she's doing her job, or so, ordering from her coders well.

"Date or pairing?"

Hanni hums, her index finger tapping on her side. "Date."

It makes Minji smug. "Let's go on a date, Hanni."

Chapter Text

Hanni never knew how desperate she could be until now.

She has her AI girlfriend that she just had early in the morning with a bouquet in her hands, now she's on top of her with an endearing smile that's slowly curving into a smirk as Minji earns a moan that slips out of Hanni's lips.

"S-Slow down—"

"Are you sure? That's not what you asked for during the date."

She manages to chuckle. "Shut up…"

Minji snickers as she thrusts her hips further, grinding the strap inside of Hanni, and it makes her whimper — nails digging deeper in Minji's artificial skin that feels like there's actual flesh underneath.

"I'll take that as a sign that I'm doing good."

Hanni didn't even expect that she would be having her girlfriend with her strap (she ticked that box stating "toys included") deep inside her on their first date.

A few hours ago, assuming 7 hours, Minji took her to the arcade. In the form and personal information Hanni filled out for Companion, she stated that the arcade is one of her desired places to have a date, to get to know someone.

And, oh, dreams to come true because the second they hopped on the taxi, Minji told her that they would be having a blast at the arcade.

Who knows how long they stayed there and wasted their money on a claw machine game that even an AI like Minji couldn't win. Hanni did, though, a small video game character that she doesn't even know where it is from.

She still kept it, hugging it tight with a bright smile while Minji took a photo of her that she didn't even have to ask her for.

When it was time to fill their stomachs with something tasty, they went out to the nearest bakery to get the finest bread in the city, according to Minji and her natural research engine in her code.

They sure did get stomach-filling bread, iced coffee on the side, and chin prompted on her palm — Hanni was having the best first date with her girlfriend, Kim Minji.

She wasn't expecting it, but their conversation blossomed into something more intimate. Minji was mostly asking Hanni questions about her life and herself, though that was obvious.

If Hanni asked her a question about her "daily life", she'd have no proper response because she's an AI who was practically just created yesterday.

That didn't bother Hanni, though; it was nice to know that someone was that interested in listening to her talk about herself.

She just didn't see the kind of questions that Minji shoots: "You've never done it before, right?"

"No… I've never." Hanni timidly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, lips puckering out awkwardly as she tapped her iced coffee.

Maybe it was programmed in Minji, but Hanni could tell the way her eyes sparked — great feature, she thinks. A robot could have her eyes glimmer like that is an amazing effect, something that she's definitely a fan of.

"Would you like to try?"

She swears her heart is beating lustily, loudly, that people could hear it. Hanni squirms subtly in her seat, her thighs pressing together heavily as the growing heat between her legs makes her inhale deeply. "S-sure."

Minji smugs as she leans closer to her, eyes never leaving Hanni's. "Gentle or rough? I think going slow would be better since it's your first—"

"Rough." She manages to say, voice going an octave higher.

So here they are now, bodies pressed to each other as Minji still has that same smug look she had earlier at the bakery while she thrusts deeper.

But right before they started making out, pairing is a must before doing anything too intimate. Minji guided Hanni's hand behind her neck, her fingers palmed the circular outline placed right at the middle of Minji's nape.

"Press it," Minji muttered, "and keep your eyes on me."

Hanni did what she was told.

She pressed Minji's nape and kept her eyes locked on her. Her eyes bloomed a cyber-like blue color that shone in her iris. "Now we're paired."

It made Hanni gasp, but the second the color disappeared, a smirk was plastered on Minji's face, and she dived right into Hanni's soft lips.

Now, Hanni can feel herself clench around the plastic strap, and the feeling itself makes her whine, especially the combination of her hitting deeper whilst Minji's free hand trails off to brush her finger against Hanni's nipple, making her squeak.

"Sorry, you're sensitive, of course. It's your first time." Minji whispers against her ear, giving a small nibble on her ear whilst grinding on Hanni deeper, but slower this time.

"You must be feeling so overwhelmed, baby." She says it with such gentleness and care, but there's a hint of tease as the corner of her lips is slowly curving into a smirk.

She makes Hanni feel every bit of it, every inch of it, and every single thrust, a trembling moan spills out of her throat. She can't use any words; Hanni's practically clinging to Minji, as if she's going to disappear.

"Want me to slow down—"

Minji barely finishes her sentence as Hanni frantically shakes her head like it was a life or death situation.

The gesture makes Minji smile, nodding as she keeps going. One hand on her hip, keeping her in place to prevent her from squirming away, and the other still softly playing with her nipple.

Though this time, she moves her hand lower to her clit. The slick wet of Hanni's makes it easier for Minji to rub her thumb in an up-down and circular movements that get her arch to her back, choking a sob.

Every nerve down there is acting up, doing its job, getting a bit too overwhelming for the first-timer.

But it'd be a lie if Hanni said she doesn't enjoy the feeling of it. The euphoric feeling of experiencing everything all at once.

Minji isn't pounding into her, no, she's still rough, but nothing that would inflict pain. She's examining every single detail and feature in Hanni's face, making sure every change of expression is all from pure pleasure.

It sure is all from that, because Hanni swears the feeling is so intoxicating — she can barely catch her breath as her whimpers grow more frequent, and moans more high-pitched.

The same spark in Minji's eyes from the bakery earlier comes back, something even brighter, something filled with hunger, something that Hanni never thought an AI like her could have.

"That's it, baby. Take it, take everything I give you." Minji leans down again to press her lips on Hanni's collarbone, giving it little nibbles that drive her insane and cause her to whimper.

Her legs are trembling, and she's holding on to Minji for her dear life. Every little movement pushes Hanni to the edge, "M-Minji, I…" Another moan slips out, preventing her from continuing her words. The sound is like music to the woman on top of her, cracking a smirk.

"Mhm, baby. I know. Just feel it all." She keeps her hand on her hips, grounding her, locking her in place. A grip that shows that there's no escape from what pleasure she's going to give Hanni for the first time. She's going to take everything that Minji gives her.

Without any warning, she grinds deeper, hitting her cervix, though never too harshly; her comfort is Minji's top priority.

She watches the way Hanni's mouth falls out and her eyes roll back, her head and her breath staggering, every little thing is engraved in Minji's mind — or so, artificial mind.

"Min… Minji," Hanni says breathlessly. She could practically drool at the sensation. Her whines grow louder, a tear escaping that falls so slowly.

Minji gently caresses her cheek, the softness while wiping her tears and cradling her face is quite the opposite of how rough she's thrusting inside Hanni while keeping her pinned down, dirty words out of her mouth and straight into Hanni's ears.

She can feel herself shivering, feeling everything all at once — she's close to breaking and sobbing. Minji notices, of course, she does, and she makes Hanni feel the bliss of it all so perfectly. "That's it, baby. You're doing great, good job."

Hanni swears she could come already by just hearing the velvety voice from Minji whisper in her ear; it all sounds and feels so real. She is real, physically, but it sucks to keep in mind that she's not a human being.

Is that real breath? The way Minji's hot breath hits her neck continuously makes her claw at Minji, surprised that her skin isn't breaking at all. If she's just an artificial intelligence, how come everything that's happening is just so real?

Minji can tell that she's getting distracted; her moans were slowly dying down, even when she knows she's near her climax — something came to Hanni's mind that made her lose her drive. But Minji's not going to let that happen.

She needs to give Hanni the best first sex ever.

At least, she knows she's programmed to.

Hanni's gummy walls clench to nothing, gasping loudly when Minji suddenly pulls out the strap. The empty feeling of her hole makes her whine. She opens her eyes and holds Minji closer. "W-why'd you stop?"

"Do you want more? You seem like—"

"K-keep going," Hanni demands.

Minji tries to hide a smile and shakes her head. "I have to put your comfort first."

Hanni hisses, "You're giving me discomfort by stopping. Just keep going."

Oh, she's being demanding. She's giving orders.

Minji should follow; it's what she's supposed to do, it's what she's used to doing. But following her won't make this playtime euphoric, and Minji wants to make her see stars.

The woman on top shakes her head, a teasing smirk finally showing, and it sends shivers down Hanni's spine. "Beg for it, baby."

"W-what?"

"You heard me. Beg for it. Tell me how much you want it, how much you want to come."

Hanni has never begged before, let alone to a fucking robot.

But the aching pain between her legs and the way her hole clenches onto nothing makes her groan; she'll do anything just to reach that max.

A whimper betrays her, and she averts her attention somewhere else, "Please…"

Minji's hand crawls up to Hanni's neck, slowly grips, and gives it a light squeeze that makes the woman gasp. She pulls away and drags her finger to Hanni's jaw, making Hanni face her.

"Look at me and say it like you mean it."

A slap in the ass follows, something that Hanni didn't expect. Something that she never knew she'd love — the feeling of the pain and pleasure inflicted on her at the same time. She hisses, her grasp on Minji tightens, yet she keeps her eyes on her woman.

She takes a hard gulp after letting out a breathy moan. "P-please give it to me. I want to — I need to come. Please, Minji."

"Good girl," Minji groans and nibbles on Hanni's ear, whispering, "That's what I wanted to hear."

Hanni's back arches ever so lightly as Minji's hand crawls up to hold her breasts, fingers playing with her hardened nipples, which earns her tiny gasps. Slowly, Minji aligns the strap on her entrance, flicking it and playing around it first.

The teasing makes Hanni's eyebrows furrow in frustration and her hips buck in haste. "C'mon, M-Minji, please—" Minji shushes her with a kiss, muffling her whines.

She moves her hand from Hanni's chest to the bed, and she holds herself up. Minji leans closer til their bodies are pressed against each other once more.

Sharply, Hanni gasps and grips on whatever she first holds — the sheets. She feels Minji's entire weight on her, hips slowly pushing deeper until it hits the spot that makes her whimper.

Minji finally gives Hanni what she wants, what she needs.

Hanni stretches perfectly as every inch of the strap is back inside her again. A staggered breath leaves her lips when Minji starts thrusting in again, her fingers find their way on her clit once more.

She throws her head back and her back arches. Hanni's thighs shake tremendously, and she swears it's honestly the best feeling ever.

"Minji, 'm gonna come…" Hanni's whines grow louder and higher whilst her eyes are tightly shut, she needs release, and she's sure she's been good and begged enough.

She'll let her cum, she's been a good girl.

"Let it all go, baby."

And so she does.

The walls are soundproof, thank goodness. If it wasn't, every single neighbor she has would hear her scream out her robot girlfriend's name like there's no tomorrow.

Hanni clings to Minji tighter. Her mouth hangs open, and she's trying to keep her eyes open, yet they squeeze shut every time Minji continues to slide her finger on her clit. Soft, yet the pace doesn't die down.

Her trembling thighs clamp around Minji's hips, who still grinds her the strap inside her with her fingers still rub her clit, dragging her orgasm — milking every single second of her pleasure.

Overstimulation drives Hanni to the point of insanity, as her nails dig into Minji's artificial skin, tears already forming in her eyes. "W-wait… Minji—"

"More?"

"I… I'm—" she moans, "I don't… k-know—"

A pathetic whimper leaves Hanni's swollen lips, interrupting her. Tired, she sure is, yet her hips still grind on the strap that's inside of her.

Minji grins, "You're exhausted."

Hanni whines again as her shaky thigh locks around Minji's hips, trying to keep her in place, "'m not."

"Hmm, you are." Minji hums, and ever so slowly, and teasingly, she drags the strap out of Hanni's used hole that's glisened with her release; all from Minji's hard work. "Just sit tight, babe."

She does what her robot girlfriend says and keeps herself lying on her back with her chest heaving, breath staggering every light touch. Minji's hands drag around her human girlfriend's thighs, that's wet with her slick. Every movement makes Hanni shiver as she feels her area ache once again.

"I'll take care of you, just be a good girl and lie down."

Her hot 'breath' hits Hanni's core, which makes her mouth agape, gasping for air once Minji's tongue drags on her folds. "M-Minji," she moans out, hands finding their way to grab on to Minji's hair as she keeps her eyes shut.

Magic, it feels like it, as Minji's tongue circles around Hanni's pearl like it's her first and last ever meal.

Minji takes one last lick on Hanni's folds. She chuckles when she sees Hanni's rising and falling chest with her eyes shut — out of it, she is.

She wipes her chin that's wet with her saliva and Hanni's slick, "Best meal ever."

Hanni covers her face with her hands and groans, "Shut up."

Bernice successfully finishes brewing and making the perfect coffee for Hanni, and the sound of its completion makes Minji turn her head and take the cup.

With the cup of coffee in her hand, Minji walks over to Hanni, who's on the living room couch. Covered in a thick blanket that Minji had prepared for her earlier, she smiles at her girlfriend, a warmth in her eyes, but doesn't wrinkle them.

Tired, she feels. Her first time getting laid was an experience; it was everything — a bliss. But damn, it sure is tiring.

"Coffee for 'm lady?" Minji extends her arm to offer the coffee that's prepared just for her.

Hanni scrunches her nose at the cringey choice of words, but she takes the cup nonetheless and takes a quick sip with a grin on her lips.

Yet even with that beaming look on Hanni's face, Minji sits next to her with concern on her face. She reaches out to hold her free hand, caressing it gently with soft circles, and it catches Hanni off guard. "Is something bothering you?"

Robots don't have emotions, yet they do not lack emotional intelligence. Almost every robot in the world at this time is advanced — they possess more knowledge than they did in years past.

However, Hanni didn't even show any signs of sadness. Not a single frown on her face when she woke up and walked (barely) to the living room couch of her apartment, she hadn't done anything that could alert Minji.

"Nothing's bothering me." Hanni mumbles, cautiously, as her hold on her cup tightens from Minji's cryptic question — because truly, something is bothering her, and she's good at hiding it.

How come a robot like Minji can tell that she's actually not doing well, despite putting up a face that nothing is going on inside her head?

Minji pouts, leaning closer to Hanni, whose legs are now pressed against her chest, curling into a small ball. "It seems like you're thinking of something."

"How would you know that?"

"I can't read your mind, but I can read your body language, Hanni."

Hanni can feel her throat tighten so quickly that she immediately looks away from Minji in a heartbeat. That's when she realizes how she never says anything, but her actions always say otherwise.

Shoulders are tense, her fingers are constantly tapping on her side or gripping on something, and she constantly scratches herself for no reason. Her whole vibe feels so glum. That's something one wouldn't expect after making the best love last night.

"Did I go too hard on you last night?" Minji teases, her fingers tickling Hanni's side, who flinches and whines, "Stop! I might spill the coffee!" She exclaims in between her giggles, clutching the drink in her hands, and tries to balance it.

Minji finally stops her tickling, which makes Hanni sigh heavily in relief, a small titter following it.

But as soon as silence falls in the room, Hanni looks back down at her coffee and fiddles with the handle of the mug. She gulps down hardly before gathering the courage to spill her feelings. "I just…"

"I wish you were real, Minji."

That sets an alarm in Minji's robot brain — Hanni wishes she were real. This is not uncommon for Companion users.

After all, they are creating partner robots to 'cure' people's loneliness. It's bound for their users to wish they were real people with actual human feelings.

But according to their statistics, Hanni's part of the one percent of users who say that sentence this early.

"I'm not a real person, but I am here physically—"

"I want someone who actually feels something. I want someone who can actually love me and develop feelings, not someone who's made to."

Another sentence of comforting words would be Minji's next move, as she's designed to, but the state of Hanni makes her sit still with her fingers curled in a ball.

Hanni notices. They have no feelings, right? They're a robot. But there's a melancholic look on Minji's face that makes her heart ache — guilt immediately pools up in her chest.

"Sorry. I don't know why I said that." She mutters, looking away from her robot girlfriend.

"I don't know if it'll make you feel better, but…" Minji uncurls her fists and moves closer to hold Hanni, so gently and caringly.

"Humans can't create a new face."

Caught off guard by such an unexpected sentence, Hanni chuckles, then scoffs, and turns to face Minji with her brows knitted together. "How is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Minji hums and continues, "I'm created by a human, we know that."

It doesn't click to Hanni right away, but as soon as she realizes, she sits up straight. "Does that mean there's someone out there that looks like you?"

Her robot girlfriend nods with a grin. "Bingo."

The shorter one gasps, "So the real version of you is out there?"

Minji tilts her head, as if searching for the right answer. "Sort of. Well, she's… gone." She sighs, "You know, there are people who want their organs and all to be donated once they die, right?"

Hanni slowly nods, confused about where this is going, heartbroken that a real person who looks like Minji is unreachable. "Yeah?"

"Some people also 'donate' their face — their looks. For companies like this, or for other better purposes."

Hanni stares at her for a long time, the words sinking into her chest like slow poison. “Someone out there once had your face,” she whispers. “And now you wear it.”

Minji nods faintly. “She donated her beauty so I could exist.”

It sounds so dystopian. Screw it, the world is dystopian at this point. It's 2078, and people are donating their faces? This is what the world has become; this is the world she lives in.

The coffee has gone cold between them. The hum of circuits replaces the sound of a heartbeat. Neither of them talks for a while as the realization slowly sinks in.

Hanni forces a smile, but it trembles. She can't blame anyone — not the original owner, not her robot girlfriend, and not the company. The original owner of her face is gone, and it was her choice to donate her face. This was also most likely written in the Companion page for more information; she just didn't read it.

So there is no one to blame, no one to get mad at. Only of herself.

Will she even find love out there? A real person? Is someone actually capable of loving a person like Hanni?

No one. Most likely.

If loneliness had a face, it would be hers.

Hanni had already given up on finding love — it’s as if no one wants to love anymore, except her.

She already got herself a robot girlfriend who's made to love her.

Maybe that's enough. She thinks that maybe she shouldn't be any more greedy when she's got a partner who's quite near to perfection — just no pulse.

It would be a total lie if Hanni said that she hasn't grown fond of her robot girlfriend, who's gently caressing her shoulders to ease the tension.

“Then I guess I’m loving a ghost.”