a place of silence

Jungkook arrived at the facility three days later.

The journey itself felt unreal.

Hours on winding mountain roads.

Dense forests stretching endlessly beyond the windows.

No towns.

No traffic.

No signs of civilization.

By the time they reached the destination, even his driver looked uneasy.

Before them stood an entire village hidden between mountains.

It wasn't a hospital.

It wasn't a rehabilitation center.

It looked more like a small town frozen in time.

Wooden houses.

Stone paths.

Gardens filled with flowers.

Windmills turning slowly in the distance.

Everything was peaceful.

Too peaceful.

The silence felt strange.

Almost unnatural.

The few workers Jungkook saw wore simple uniforms and spoke very little.

The residents were even stranger.

Some sat quietly reading books.

Some worked in gardens.

Some stared at lakes for hours.

Nobody seemed interested in talking.

Nobody asked questions.

Nobody even looked surprised when new people arrived.

It was as if everyone carried invisible wounds.

At the entrance, a woman handed Jungkook a thin booklet.

"These are the rules."

Jungkook rolled his eyes.

The woman continued anyway.

Rules of the Village

No contact with the outside world for one year.

No phones.

No internet.

No letters.

No calls.

Nothing.

Residents may not leave the village boundaries.

Every resident must remain with their assigned companion robot.

Residents must attend daily activities.

Certain areas of the village are restricted.

Curfew begins at midnight.

Questions about the founders of the village will not be answered.

Jungkook frowned.

"Why?"

The woman simply smiled.

"Rule seven."

That answer irritated him immediately.

The place felt less like therapy and more like a prison.

But before he could argue, another worker approached carrying a small box.

"Your companion."

The worker placed it in front of him.

The box opened.

Inside sat a small robot about the size of a cat.

Its design was surprisingly simple.

Round eyes.

Silver body.

Small mechanical arms.

The robot blinked.

Then looked directly at him.

"Hello, Jeon Jungkook."

The voice startled him.

It sounded almost human.

"What is this thing?"

The robot tilted its head.

"I am your assigned companion. My purpose is to assist your recovery."

Jungkook sighed.

"Great. A talking toy."

The robot ignored the comment.

"You may choose my name."

For the first time, Jungkook hesitated.

Many names came to mind.

Only one stayed.

"...Tae."

The robot's eyes blinked softly.

"Name registered. Hello. I am Tae."

The words hit harder than he expected.

His chest tightened.

For a moment, he almost changed his mind.

But he didn't.

The robot continued speaking.

"I also possess adaptive voice technology."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I can speak using different voices."

The robot listed several options.

Male voices.

Female voices.

Young voices.

Old voices.

Then it paused.

"Would you like to upload a custom voice?"

Jungkook froze.

His hands slowly clenched.

A dangerous thought entered his mind.

A thought he knew he shouldn't entertain.

Yet he couldn't stop himself.

"Can you sound like someone specific?"

"Yes."

The robot answered immediately.

Jungkook looked away.

His throat felt dry.

"Never mind."

The robot simply nodded.

"As you wish."

That evening, Jungkook was shown to a small wooden house overlooking a lake.

It was beautiful.

Too beautiful.

The kind of place he would have loved before everything happened.

Now it only reminded him of what was missing.

As darkness settled over the village, he sat on the porch staring across the water.

The robot sat beside him quietly.

Neither spoke.

The moon reflected on the lake's surface.

The mountains surrounded the village like giant walls.

For the first time, Jungkook noticed something strange.

Far beyond the lake, hidden among the trees, stood a tall black building.

Unlike everything else in the village, it looked modern.

Cold.

Forbidden.

Its windows were dark.

Its doors were closed.

And somehow it felt wrong.

"What is that building?" Jungkook asked.

The robot's eyes flickered.

For the first time, it didn't answer immediately.

Then it spoke.

"Access to that information is restricted."

Jungkook narrowed his eyes.

"Restricted?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The robot stared at the distant building.

And in a voice that sounded almost human, it replied:

"Because some people come to this village to heal."

A pause.

Then:

"And some come here to hide."

The wind suddenly felt colder.

And for the first time since arriving, Jungkook realized this village might be hiding secrets far greater than his own.

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