Chapter 21 — The Machine of Dreams

Part V — Reassembling From Scratch

The next morning, Bảo Châu arrived at the factory earlier than usual, carrying a bag of bread and a few cartons of milk bought quickly at the grocery store in the alley, intending this to be breakfast for the whole team during the long working day ahead. She wasn't sure if she had the courage to talk frankly to Hoàng Nam, but after last night, she knew she couldn't continue to avoid him anymore, not when the team needed solidarity the most to save the situation.

Hoàng Nam was already there, sitting alone in front of the technical drawing of the robot arm, his dark eyes clearly showing that he had stayed up all night to find a solution. When she saw Bảo Châu walk in, she looked up, her eyes showing surprise and a glimmer of hope.

"You're here so early," he said, his voice hoarse with fatigue.

"I brought bread for the team," she replied, placing the bag of food on the table, then took a deep breath before continuing. "But before everyone else comes, I want to talk to you."

Hoàng Nam put down his pen, turned around to face her, mentally preparing for a conversation that they both knew was necessary. "I'm listening," he said.

"I know that you intend to resign from the homeroom position," Bảo Châu said frankly, no longer wanting to beat around the bush like before. "I overheard the conversation between you and Tấn Phát a few days ago."

Hoàng Nam's face flashed with surprise, then turned to deep guilt. “I'm sorry you had to find out that way,” he said, his voice choked up. "I was going to tell you, I just... I don't know where to start."

"So let's start now," Bảo Châu said, her voice gentle but firm. "I'm not angry because you're having trouble, Hoàng Nam. I'm angry because you didn't give me the opportunity to be by your side during that difficult time. If you really trust me like you said, then let me know the whole truth, not just the fragmented pieces that I have to piece together myself."

Hoàng Nam was silent for a long time, his eyes looking down at his hands clasped together, as if gathering enough courage to fully open his heart for the first time. Finally, he began to tell, his voice trembling but no longer evasive like before.

"My parents are both doctors, both graduated as valedictorians, both have admirable careers in the medical field," he began. "From a young age, I was expected to follow in my family's footsteps. My grandparents were also doctors, and my whole family has been in the medical field for three generations. I was never really asked whether I wanted that or not — it was simply something that was assumed to happen."

"So when did you start liking robots?" Bảo Châu asked gently, wanting to better understand her journey.

"Eighth grade," Hoàng Nam replied, a sad smile flashing across his lips as he remembered. "The school held a STEM conference, and a university student came to introduce competing robots. I was immediately fascinated - the way the numbers and dry formulas in the textbook suddenly turned into something alive, able to move, able to solve real-life problems. That was the first time I felt like I was truly passionate about something, not because of expectations, but because I wanted to pursue it myself."

"Did you tell your parents about that feeling?" she asked.

"Yes, at first," Hoàng Nam replied, his voice low. "But my parents just saw it as a temporary hobby, the same way many other kids like to play games or collect cards. They allowed me to join the Robotics Club, as long as it didn't affect my studies, seeing it as a harmless extracurricular activity to enhance my scholarship application later. They never thought I would actually want to turn it into a career path."

"Until now," Bảo Châu continued, starting to understand the whole picture better.

"Until now," Hoàng Nam confirmed, sighing heavily. "When I told my parents that I wanted to take the Mechanical Engineering major, possibly specializing in Robotics, instead of taking the Medical entrance exam as they expected, they were very shocked, and very... disappointed. My mother cried. My father didn't say anything for two days, which was even scarier than being scolded. From then on, they started tightening things up — signing me up for extra classes, closely monitoring the time I spent at the club, and constantly reminding me of my responsibilities to my family, with family traditions."

Bảo Châu listened to every word, feeling the true weight of the burden that Hoàng Nam had been carrying alone for so long, not just in the last few weeks, but perhaps long before she entered his life. "So what do you want now?" she asked, her voice gentle. "It's not what your parents want, but what you want?"

That question seemed to confuse Hoàng Nam for a moment, as if no one had ever asked him that in such a direct way. "I want to continue pursuing Robotics," he said, his voice gradually becoming more certain as he said what he really wanted. "I want to stand in a factory like this, solve complex technical problems, see an idea become reality through each screw. I want that more than anything I've ever wanted in my life."

"Then you need to say it, exactly as you just told me, to your parents," Bảo Châu said, her voice firm. "Not through short, avoidant phone calls, but a real, candid conversation where you show them how big your passion is."

"I'm scared," Hoàng Nam admitted, his voice shaking with a fear he rarely showed. "I'm afraid they'll be more disappointed. I'm afraid I'll hurt them by rejecting the path they've spent their whole lives preparing for me."

"I understand that fear," Bảo Châu said, holding her hand, a natural comforting gesture that didn't require much thought. "But you also deserve to live with your own passion, Hoàng Nam. And I think, deep inside, your parents also want their son to be happy, even though they may be expressing it in the wrong way."

Hoàng Nam looked at her, his eyes filled with deep gratitude, and for the first time after many tense weeks, a genuine smile, although still fragile, appeared on his lips. "Thank you," he said softly. "For being patient with me, even though I misbehaved all this time."

"We still have a lot of work to do," Bảo Châu said, smiling slightly, feeling a great burden had been lifted from her heart after this sincere conversation. "But at least now, we're facing it together, like a real team should."

At that moment, the factory door opened, Tấn Phát and Đức walked in. They both stopped in shock when they saw Bảo Châu and Hoàng Nam sitting next to each other, their hands still clasped, the atmosphere between the two was clearly different from the tension of the previous days.

"Eh..." Tấn Phát exclaimed, a smile gradually spreading on his lips. "It seems like something good happened here while we were gone, huh?"

Bảo Châu and Hoàng Nam simultaneously let go of each other's hands, both blushing, but this time, instead of dodging like before, Hoàng Nam stood up and faced the team with a new determination in his eyes.

"Everyone," he said, his voice sounding clearer and more certain than it had a few days ago. "I'm sorry for not trusting you enough to share with everyone the difficulties I'm facing. From now on, I promise I won't hide it anymore. And I won't step down from my position as homeroom leader. We have three days left, and I want to use those three days to fight, together with everyone, as hard as we did before."

The whole team looked at each other, a new ray of hope beginning to rekindle among their tired faces. Watching Hoàng Nam gradually regain his original confidence, Bảo Châu felt her heart fill with the firm belief that, even though the road ahead was still full of thorns, they would overcome it together, just as they had since the first day they stepped into this small factory.

Tấn Phát clapped his hands, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere. "Okay, the captain's declaration is complete, now let's get back to work! Đức, you figure out what materials are needed to rebuild the spindle. I'll run to the parts store to buy them now before they close for lunch."

"I'll go with you," Bảo Châu said immediately, wanting to take advantage of every precious moment left. "I still remember the light alloy that Mr. Vinh introduced. It might be more durable than the old one."

The group quickly assigned tasks, the atmosphere in the workshop was completely different from the heaviness and gloom of the previous night. Hoàng Nam stood in front of the whiteboard and began to sketch out the new spindle design again, this time carefully noting down the metal fatigue parameters that he had previously overlooked in his haste. Teacher Vinh, watching from afar, could not hide his smile of relief when he saw that the team's spirit had been restored.

"Three days," he muttered to himself, scribbling a few lines in his familiar notebook. "Enough time for a small miracle, if you are truly united." Then he turned to the group, his voice ringing with encouragement. "I will call school security to ask permission for you to stay at the workshop until late if necessary. Let's get started, everyone!"