A long day at work, the emojis did a pretty good job making faces in their cubes, and were scanned when Alex picked them to his text. When Alex didn't use his phone for a while, Jailbreak placed the microphone of her headset near her mouth, and announced. "Alright, emojis, listen up! We all done a great job today, but now, it's time to nominate who will become the new supervisor of the Text Center!"

The emojis muttered excitingly, agreeing to have a new supervisor since Smiler got kicked out. Gene, on the other hand, was also excited yet uncomfortable for this. He knew that everybody will vote him if he got nominate. Not only he never dreamt of this, but he felt embarrassed of himself. He has to make it quick.

"The nomination for supervisor is now open!" Jailbreak announced more. "So, who wants someone to be nominated?"

An angel emoji raised her hand. "I nominate Steven!" She pointed the devil emoji , who was blushing in embarrassment.

"Alright, Steven..." the princess wrote the devil emoji's name on the paper of a clipboard. "Who else?"

Then, an ice cream emoji raised his hand. "I nominate Poop!"

"Then, Poop it is!" Jaibreak wrote Poop's name on the list.

"Alright Dad!" Poop's son cheered for his father.

"Are there more?"

Hi-5 raised himself or raised his fingers upward. "I nominate Gene!"

The emojis gasped in delight, even his parents. Gene glared at Hi-5 for nominating him as the hand emoji grinned sheepishly. Gene wanted to deny for being nominated, but he still had to finish one last thing for the nomination.

"Okay, Gene is nominated!" Jailbreak said, writing Gene's name in the list. "Alright, who else wants a turn?"

"I close the nomination! Ha, ha!" The Face with Tears of Joy emoji laughed, which means 'said'

When he heard that call, Gene quickly raised his hand and exclaimed. "Wait!"

The emojis were surprised as they stared at Gene, wondering what he would have to say.

"Uh..., yes, Gene?" Jailbreak didn't expect Gene raising his hand like that because he was nominated.

Gene cleared his throat, and stepped a little forward on the edge of his cube. "I want to say just one thing... I nominate..." He took a deep breath, then exhaled, and pointed the emoji in the cube next to him. "My dad!"

Everyone gasped in horror, even Mel and Mary. They didn't know what Gene was thinking. He nominated his dad? Even he was nominated? Everyone whispered about the same topic. Gene ignored the whispers as he accepted his final decision.

"Gene, what are you doing?" Mel asked.

"I know what I'm doing, dad." Gene replied as he faced forward proudly.

Even Jailbreak didn't believe it, but she has to respect that as she wrote Mel's name on the list. "Uh..., Mel Meh, it is."

"I close the nomination!" Gene quickly said before anybody nominated someone.

"I second the motion." Mary raised her arm, supporting her son.

"The nomination is now officially closed!" Jailbreak announced. "Okay everyone, the election is within few days, and remember, vote wisely. The emoji who has most number of votes should be the winner as the new supervisor of Text Center! We'll see you all tomorrow for work again." After giving the emojis her announcement, she saw Gene walked out of his cube happily. Then, she turned to his parents in their cubes, who were also confused why Gene nominated his dad for being the new supervisor. Jailbreak has the same thought with Gene's parents about his decision.

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When Gene got out of the Text Center, he noticed that some emojis gossiped about him being nominated but also nominated his dad. He also realized that there are no more crowds anymore since they were all confuse about Gene's decision.

When he almost arrived at his apartment, Gene was approached by his two best friends.

"Gene! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Hi-5 exclaimed. "I nominated you so you would become a supervisor, but you wanted to give up this opportunity?!"

"Gene, I don't get it." Jailbreak added. "Why?"

"I..." Before Gene could answer, he sensed his parents came behind him.

"Gene, why did you do that?" Mel approached his son. "Why did you nominate me?"

"Dad, I don't want to be a supervisor." Gene said. "It's not what I've wanted in my life. Why would everyone want me to be the new leader?"

"Because you're the hero, Gene." His father said. "You saved us before the phone erased."

"But you were a hero too, Dad. Remember, when you surrendered that you have the same condition as I have? When you tried to look after me? When you believed in me?"

"That's a fatherly hero to you, son, but to everyone, I don't think I'm a hero to them."

"Dad, didn't you know? You're the reason I became a hero."

"What?" Mel and Mary didn't get what their son just said.

"What?" Even Hi-5 didn't understand.

"Gene, what did you mean?" Jailbreak asked.

"Come on, guys, you didn't know?" Gene chuckled, then turned to his father. "Dad, you're my father, and you have other expressions too. I got those things from you. I have multiple expressions all because of you, because you... have all of them all along. And if it wasn't for you, I won't have this kind of life, Dad. You once worked there, right? So I want you to take Smiler's place. You deserved it."

Mel suddenly blushed at his son's speech as his cheeks turned red, and smiled with little tears popped from his eyes. Mary placed her hand on her husband's back as Mel removed the tears from his face. This also showed to Hi-5 and jailbreak that Gene is right about his dad.

"But sweetie, even if you and your dad have the same purpose, you are still voted by everyone." Mary said.

"You're the real hero, Gene. Everyone will vote you, even though you wanted your dad to take Smiler's place." Jailbreak added. "Whoever got the highest votes, he will become the new leader."

"No, there are some emojis will vote dad." Gene protested. "His friends will..., a-and his work friends will..., a-a-and mom!" Then, he turned to his mother. "You'll vote dad, right?"

"Oh, Gene, I don't know if I could become either a supportive wife... or a supportive mother." Mary replied, didn't know of which of her husband and son should she vote for the election.

"Son, I've retired when you were born." Mel explained. "I didn't come back to work when you were still a baby."

"But you're still in the hall of fames, dad." Gene said. "Everyone knew you before I was born."

"But what if you won?" Hi-5 asked.

This question stopped Gene from explaining. He knew that he could get lots of votes for the upcoming election. There was no way out of it as he said. "If that happens, I will accept it."

"Are you sure?" Mary was concerned.

"If that's what everybody wants, me being the new leader, I respect that." He said as he stepped inside apartment, and closed the door, leaving his parents and friends looked concern.

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Gene entered his bedroom with a tired face. He yawned as he sat on his bed. While he was alone in his room and the street lights lighten his dark room, he stared at the posters of the most popular emojis. One of them was Smiler, but he no longer idolized her anymore. He imagined that he could be one of these posters sooner enough, but he felt guilty that his dad wasn't that popular to other emojis, but, to Gene, he was his idol. Slowly, he tucked himself with the blanket, laid his head, and went to sleep.

Mel can't sleep as the memory of his son nominating him and his speech were stuck in his head. He slowly got off from his bed, carefully not to wake Mary up. He went out to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

When he's done, he had a chance to stop by his son's bedroom, seeing his son fell asleep. He quietly entered Gene's room, and slowly sat at the edge of the bed. Thanks to the street light that lighten his son's room, Mel looked around the room, seeing the pictures and posters of his working friends, including Poop and Smiler. He realized how his son idolized them and wanted to work with them, like any other emojy wants. Suddenly, Mel noticed another poster of an emoji, and it was the largest of all posters. Not Smiler, not Poop, not even Steven, but it was him.

'Mel the Meh emoji' with his picture of him like from the hall of fames.

Mel's poster was one of the posters that Gene collected, but his is larger and the center of attention from other emoji posters. Mel was surprised, and realized that his own son looked up to him of his life. His emotion of meh changed to a proudly smile as he turned to look at his son. He never knew that Gene looked to him, until he was surprised when he nominated him as the new supervisor.

He looked at his son proudly one more time before heading out of his room, and silently closed the door.

Mel headed back to his room, but before he went to sleep, he held and stared at the picture of Gene's birth after Mel quit his job for him, which baby Gene cried after birth, while Mel and Mary are still in 'meh' expression. Then, he held another picture and stared at it that showed Gene's 1st birthday. In here, Gene was very happy and enjoyed his cake, while his parents, still in 'meh' expression, busy feeding little Gene his chocolate birthday cake. Lastly, a last chapter showed that Gene feared of crashing towards two trash cans while riding on a bike for the first time.

Mel chuckled before placing the last picture back on top of the drawer, and, unexpectedly, a tear popped from his eye. He removed the tear from his cheek, and headed back to sleep on the bed next to Mary.

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Okay, let me give you my reason for this. I would rather like this story to become emotional when it comes to both family and friends, especially to a parent and a child. I hope you like this chapter so much!