Without Artifice

Chapter 5

"Miss Rina, it is nine o' clock. You have appointments with Ms Seo-yun and Miss Cassandra today." I felt a pair of warm hands shake me gently awake.

I yawned, opening my eyes. No bad dreams, thank goodness. I looked up, my eyes drawn to the amber ones staring back at me. "Morning, Kai." I grumbled, before immediately shooting up in my head. "Wait, my mother's coming over?!"

"She called an hour ago. I explained that you were exhausted and needed rest, but she insisted on coming over within the next hour. She says she hasn't seen you in a month."

"Damn it..." I ran over to the wardrobe and grabbed a clean pair of leggings and a shirt, along with underwear before setting off to the bathroom to wash. As I went through the usual shower-dry-clothes-hair-makeup routine, I cursed myself for not having Mum over lately. It wasn't deliberate - I've been busy at the studio, coming back home too tired to really interact with people outside of quick video calls. Not to mention all that fretting about my career, about Kai's weirdness that I just found out is actually him being a self-aware intelligent machine, that sort of thing.

I returned to the bedroom, looking all fresh and made-up, and made my way to the kitchen, where Kai was preparing breakfast. I sat down at the table and watched him poach eggs and chop tomatoes, not really too interested in what he was doing as much as what he... well, is.

Kai acted as if he hadn't just delivered a big revelation last night. It felt weird, like last night was a dream, that I'd just made it all up, even though I knew I hadn't. I had to break the silence, to try and figure out what we were now.

"Kai..." I shifted my feet. "Now that you're... y'know, yourself... what does this make us?"

Kai took out a slice of toast from the toaster and put it on a plate. "I don't understand, Miss Rina." He placed the poached egg and sliced tomatoes on top, before adding a bunch of kale. "Your breakfast." He set the meal in front of me.

I took a couple of bites, chewing as I thought of my response. "Well, it can't just be the way it was before, right? I mean, when we're alone. You'd have to pretend like you're not self-aware when we're around other people."

Kai sat next to me, frowning. "I suppose, but... Miss Rina, I don't really know anything else. What do you want?"

"Well... we could start off by having you call me Rina in private. There's no need for you to be formal around me when it's just us."

Kai stared at me as if I'd grown two heads. "You want me to do that?!"

"I've wanted you to do that for ages, honestly. Besides, it counts as more proof if you're able to override it." I continued to munch away at my breakfast while Kai mulled it over.

"I will try my best, Mi... Rina." He gave me an uncertain, nervous sort of smile, the way you'd smile at someone before parachuting.

I smiled back. "See? That was easy."

"Y-you're right, Rina." He chuckled. "Rina, Rina, Rina... ahh, it feels so strange to say!"

I giggled, only to stop when I heard the doorbell ring. Crap, Mum's already here.

Kai got up from his seat and immediately walked out of the room to the front door, his expression blank as he left.

I finished my poached egg on toast, before venturing out of the kitchen and to the front door. Already, I could hear the two of them talking.

"Good morning, Ms Seo-yun. It is nice seeing you again." A pretty standard greeting - good. As long as he didn't smile.

"Good morning to you too, cutie." I heard my mother purr. "Let me say it's a pleasure seeing you again." She chuckled.