Dust particles lazily hung to the crimson light of sunset, drifting down slowly in the thick silence that permeated Miyeon's room. She felt numb and heavy, acutely aware of the weight of the atmosphere above her and the pull of gravity drawing her deeper into the Earth. Yet the girl floated just along the surface tension of reality, like a satellite whose propulsion had long since run out of fuel. Weightless, but bound to a force she couldn't quite shake… Her momentum was gone.
It'd been at least three months of silent days in the Ko family home, but only a month since her father's long battle with illness had ended. Three months of college life had been replaced with daily hospital visits with a few hours at home to organize bills, sleep, and the occasional fruitless attempt to contact her estranged mother.
It wasn't that her father wanted to see the former Ms. Ko; it was only a courtesy to let her know that her ex-husband had been in poor health, although part of Miyeon was almost willing to risk her mother trying to weasel out some inheritance just for some maternal advice. Even if she was legally an adult, there were just sometimes when one needed a parent… The girl had only the nurses and her father, who was less himself as the days passed. Every day was an increasing struggle of getting him to eat, then keep food down… It would've been cruel to talk about gloomy things with him when he was already hurting so badly. Towards the end he was too confused to recognize her, let alone himself. Miyeon knew who he was though, and because she knew, she had to continue being the same daughter she'd always been… That way when he was aware enough to know who she was, he could know that he wasn't alone.
The last thing he'd uttered was, "It…hurts…" Afterwards, he was put on a respirator.
There had been no beautiful last words or gentle passing for him… Movies had portrayed death as something quick, beautiful, dignified… The reality was much less serene. After a series of cardiac arrests on an idle Thursday morning, her father was on a rapid terminal decline. She was helpless and silent as the crash team would run in to stabilize him, while someone ushered her out into the hall. Quietly Miyeon would wait in the lobby, until they brought her back in to see him. Every time he was much paler, clearly in pain, and reeked of ammonia as his organs failed… For two days he suffered in that state… It would've been much more merciful to take him off the life support and let nature run its course, but he said he wanted to try to remain alive as long as possible. She had to respect it, but it was agonizing to witness. Gradually it chipped away larger chunks until Miyeon was raw. In the span of hours she went from worried, to angry at the hospital, to resenting him for making her endure it alone, and eventually loathing herself for thinking such awful things. When his heart finally stopped, a weight had lifted from her only to be replaced by new fears.
If there had been any good to come of the horrible affair, it was the sight of just how compassionate other humans could be… Many of the nurses had come to know her on a first name basis. The older ones were often kind enough to bring her home made meals and would sit with her before and after their long shifts. Those last few days, they had been so kind to her…
She wanted to apologize to them for not showing her appreciation more and to beg her father for forgiveness for making him suffer for so long… At his funeral, the girl told him, but it brought her no comfort.
That first night back in the family home, Miyeon found herself crying over every little thing that reminded her of him. The once happy memories of the man who had raised her were replaced with a reel of his final days, writhing and jerking as his body desperately fought a losing battle. She thought about her own mortality a lot too. The thought of dying alone and in pain terrified her. Eventually, even that lost its power over her. Nothing brought her peace except sleep. Only in the dreamless void behind closed eyes, she was incapable of holding sorrow.
Her father had always said she was his "starry sky after the storm", but Miyeon didn't exactly feel as bright these days. There was a super dense black hole monster just nibbling away at her, turning her vibrant universe into a palette of grays. Miyeon had become a little smudge of grey on a vivid painting of beautiful people doing fun things. She stopped all social media, stopped answering calls, and went out only when it was necessary…
The topic of her father's health and "what are you going to do" always came up… She was tired of thinking and talking about it, so she'd change the subject… Yet it tainted her every social interaction. Miyeon didn't even have to be present for the conversations; the things her peers weren't brave enough to ask her became a source of speculation. Rumors got around, messages were public – despite being "private", and there was no hiding the look of pity in their eyes or the uncomfortable frowns that'd cross their faces when she'd greet them. Rather than being happy to hear from her, they always sounded reluctant… It felt like she had been the one sick… Being "out of sight, out of mind" only increased the distance. She was too numb to really feel hurt by it, which made it easier to rationalize her solitude as an act of mercy rather than exile. Without her, they could all be happy and think about the things young college students were supposed to… They were in different worlds now.
Maybe she was a princess, cast out into space so that humanity could be spared from the life stealing black hole within her heart…
If her life were an anime or a game, some team of super powered heroes would rush in to save her, but this was reality. There weren't candy colored soldiers to fight off the troubles for her, although if there were, she desperately wanted to pilot a mecha suit too … maybe a purple and pink one with kitty ears and a bell.
Nestling into her pillow, Miyeon lay day dreaming about it until the glow of sunset was all but an aura of flame in her room. Sadly, the temperature didn't match the warmth of the tones… In order to conserve money, she'd turned off any sort of climate control in the house. Though her father had left her a decent inheritance, it'd have to last her through the next few years of her schooling. It might be enough if she conserved it… She couldn't just start taking classes again as it was already midterm, and any job she might apply for would likely skim over her application knowing that she would eventually return to school. The girl was in limbo…
Lazily she reached for her phone: no missed messages… The clock showed that it was nearly 6:00 PM. Her stomach growled to affirm an entire day of missed meals; her bladder also gave an uncomfortable twinge which eventually grew too great to ignore. With reluctance, she finally rolled out of bed. Grabbing some clothes to replace the lavender sheep print pajamas she'd been rolling around in and taking her phone along, Miyeon retreated to the bathroom with the phone full blast on a streaming music station to distract her from how dark the rest of the house was. The voices on the radio made it seem as though she wasn't alone. As long as there was sound and light, she wasn't afraid…
As the list switched to a new song, she found herself swaying with the rhythm and softly singing chorus. The artist playing was the rising sensation known as Zen. Miyeon had never been one to worship idols, but her best friend and a few girls in her class had been fans of his. A sad smile cross her lips as she recalled Eun-Ji bellowing out the words to "Within, Without You, Darling" in her deepest "man" voice. Granted, she was doing that now… It wasn't that she was bad at singing, but there was a reason someone like Zen was famous and why someone like her was crooning the chorus in her shower.
The follow up song lost her interest, which let her focus more on the topic of what she was going to do about food. It was too late to cook a proper meal, not that she had anything in the kitchen worth preparing aside from microwavable "lonely girl" meals. Miyeon thought to treat herself, but then the question became budget and calories. Being less active meant she had less than both, although her lack of eating the rest of the day meant that she could splurge on one big unhealthy meal. Somewhere there was a place where she could get an American style bacon cheese burger on a ramen bun with cucumber and avocado sushi on the side and a pint of her beloved chocolate covered potato chip ice cream dripping with hot fudge and salted caramel, but that wasn't anywhere in the cosmos she inhabited. In an alternate universe her other self was enjoying such a meal in a house full of people… If multiverse theory was real there had to be infinite realities where that was happening… Why wasn't she in that one?
Miyeon took her time getting ready while the ache in her belly worsened. If there was any advantage to being in mourning and poverty, her clothes were much looser but a lot of her wardrobe was conservative to begin with. There were a few cute outfits, professional attire, and skirts, but most of her closet was long sleeve shirts, sweaters, and more than a few cartoon and game related shirts. Many of them held sentimental value, as they had belonged to her older brother… Among the most notorious of the items was a lilac colored tabby cat hoodie. Eun-Ji teased her relentlessly for it, but that never stopped her from wearing it and the matching paw themed gloves. Wearing it made her feel a little more like herself. Slipping it on, the girl began to make her way out, turning the flashlight on her phone and flipping on every light on the way out so that the house would look occupied for when she got home.
Her heart pounded with anticipation of seeing something she ought not before she hit the switch in each room on the way to the front door. Rationally, she knew she wouldn't find anyone in the dark, but it was hard to shake the anxiety. When her father and elder brother were home, there was comfort in knowing she could cry out for help or could blame them for any strange noises… Not anymore. Yet, she caught herself calling out to them from habit as she opened the front door.
"I'm going_... out," she announced, her voice trailing off.
Locking up, she checked her phone with no change aside from the time. Miyeon moved to retrieve her earbuds from her pocket, but opted to remain attentive to her surroundings… Her heart was still pounding in her ears from the anxiety of walking through the darkened house, now that she was out on the street, her fears only multiplied. The girl felt like a quivering bunny, pink ears pricked and listening on all fronts for a potential attack. Her pace was brisk as she made her way towards the bus stop. Normally she tried to go out much earlier in the day, but thanks to her increasingly chaotic sleep schedule, the girl was now faced with going out into the darkness for food. Her inner adult chided her to "work on it", but until she re-entered university that was not likely to happen… If there was anything good to come of it, the sky was rather lovely and the air was much fresher in the evening.
There was a small group waiting at the bus stop and an older couple who fussed at each other, which made her feel a little better, but the combined scent of sweat and perfume threatened to overpower her senses. Rather than try to make small talk, she withdrew her phone and poked around on it purposefully to distract herself. Even once the bus pulled up and the girl took a seat towards the front, her eyes didn't leave the screen. On a whim she was looking for any sort of program that mimicked the appearance of an active chat. It wasn't that the embarrassment of being alone was unbearable; Miyeon was more concerned with the sort of attention a lone girl would invite. She was all too aware of the dangers she could face now that there wasn't a group of friends around her. If she could at least look as though there were people who would notice her gone, that might be enough of a deterrent.
An app that appeared to be a game matching her need was on the "Recommended for You" list, although there weren't any downloads of it yet. Maybe it was a ported title from another country? Rather than doing her usual research into reviews and screenshots, Miyeon hastily hit the download button. After a minute, the progress bar didn't seem to move at all. Maybe it was just her eagerness to have some sort of decoy for human contact that made her so focused on the slow speed. By the time she reached her stop, it was only at 18%. Rather than obsess over the sluggish progress, she turned the Wi-Fi off and on again in hopes of finding a better connection and closed her case, opting to let it finish downloading while handling the business of dinner.
Only after finishing her sandwich did she realize that the app had finished loading and that her phone was incredibly warm. Though concerning, it didn't stop her from clicking the icon to test the download.
Everything went black.
Her heart froze with terror at the thought of having to replace such an expensive item on an already tight budget. In a panic she began to poke at the screen and try the power buttons. Finally lines of code in bright lime began to fill up the screen, at least the hardware at least showed some functionality. While computer sciences weren't her thing, the girl knew enough to know that she was looking at a very basic BIOS level script, which didn't comfort her. For a moment she merely watched the process. The camera light came on, flashed, then everything was idle for a moment before the default OS for the phone seemed to awaken just enough to show a chat window.
Her curiosity was piqued. Maybe it was a really immersive game? She'd played horror survival games and a few stealth action games that'd used such gimmicks.
A burning sensation filled her lungs as her breath was held.
Unknown : …Hello…?
Miyeon waited a moment, expecting there to be a prompt, but only her normal keypad was visible. More curious than cautious, her finger gingerly pressed the buttons to reply. The only thing that seemed appropriate was:
"?".
Unknown: Can you see this?
Taking another sip of the sweet, spicy tea, Miyeon tried writing out a slightly more complex reply. Maybe this was a chatbot of some type?
"Yes. Who are you, exactly? O_o"
There was a moment delay which allowed her to fully appreciate the faceless white and yellow icon designating where an identifying picture ought to have been. Most artificial chat A.I. had some sort of mascot.
Unknown: I'm sure you're surprised.
Unknown: It's not every day you get to talk to a stranger.
The last sentence made her feel a little uneasy. Blowing a few bubbles back into her tea, she assured herself that this was just a program comment that was meant to unnerve her for the sake of immersion. Her competitive nature wouldn't let it get the better of her… Before she could even think of a reply to test the subroutines, it sent another "message".
Unknown: I'm a bit flustered myself. I found this phone at a subway station, and all it had on it was this app.
Unknown: I wanted to find the owner, but there isn't any contact info or records.
Unknown: I've been sending messages but there's been no other replies.
Unknown: All I see is an address and some important looking numbers saved in the notepad.
Her head tilted with the possibility that this wasn't just an A.I.
"Please don't take this question the wrong way, but you're like… A flesh and blood human, right? _ "
Unknown: I am.
A few seconds passed before a picture was sent through of a fairly normal looking young man with dark hair and kind, green eyes was looking back at her.
Unknown: This is me.
Unknown: I'm from Korea, but I'm currently studying abroad.
Unknown: I'd like to return this phone to its owner. I would be very grateful if you could help me.
"I'd be happy to… But couldn't you turn it into the lost and found at the station? If they're abroad too, there's not much I can do on this end… Or if you have the address, you could always mail it back to them. :/"
Unknown: As a devout person of faith, I feel it's important to make use of any possibility in order to do a good deed when providence allows. Besides, I don't think the people here are fluent in Korean.;; I'm worried that they'll just let it set in lost and found, and there's no telling how long it'll be before the original owner realizes it's gone.
Unknown: The owner must be very stressed...
"Yeah. You're very kind. I wish there was more I could do… It'd be nice if we had more options."
Unknown: We do.
Within a moment he'd sent the full street address. Miyeon recognized the location as being an area for those of a higher income bracket than herself. Whoever originally owned the phone probably did have a job that would take them overseas often if they lived in such a trendy location. Truthfully it wasn't that far, only a few blocks walk away.
Unknown: I remember the area; it's a fairly nice neighborhood. If you are nervous, I completely understand. It is a strange request, but it would mean so much if you could help.
Unknown: If it isn't too far…
"It's not that far, but if they're abroad, the best I can do is leave a note they may not even see till they get back. _"
Unknown: It's worth a check… Right?
Blowing a few more bubbles into her tea, she pondered it a moment more. She was already uncomfortable being out on her own. For all she knew it could be some sort of strange set up. As she weighed the options, another message came up.
Unknown: Please… How often do you get an opportunity to help others?
Her heart sank at that… She was pretty useless these days.
"Okay… But I'm leaving if I get any weird vibes; I've got people waiting on me at home."
It was a small lie…
Unknown: Thank you!
Unknown: Let me know when you get there!
For several minutes she looked back over the conversation. Her phone wasn't exactly letting her access anything else aside from the chat window and the link to the address in her "Maps" app. Part of her wondered if it was part of some sort of strange geocaching group or a Cicada 3301 trial. They did strange, international puzzles like this to recruit potential code breakers and stuff, right? Maybe it was some sort of Square'd-chan prank? The curiosity was overpowering her sense of self preservation, and after throwing her trash away, Miyeon set out. Her phone was close to her ear as she pretended to be talking to a friend, just to reinforce the, "People are waiting for me" part of her story. Maybe it was her imagination, but it was almost as if someone were on the other end…
The apartment building itself was relatively new and sported a distinctly modern design. Merely walking in made Miyeon feel strangely out of place, as the people in the lobby were clearly young and middle aged professionals of various trendy styles. Most were getting home after a long day of work and were dressed to the 9's. She, on the other hand, was in a purple cat hoodie, skirt, and leggings. There were more than a few raised brows in her direction. Nerd chic wasn't exactly in style at the moment…
On the elevator ride up, she was surrounded by the scent of high quality perfume dripping off of a woman who had clearly had plastic surgery done to retain her youthful appeal. It wouldn't have been noticeable except for the stiff way her lips moved while they made small talk. Miyeon listened good naturedly until reaching the floor with the apartment in question, only to find the woman stepping out on the 12th floor… She was supposed to go to the 14th. When the elevator door slid open, the girl practically bolted into the hall despite the protests of her rational mind.
This was stupid… This was very stupid…
Checking her phone again, she verified the apartment number before making her way towards what seemed to be the right direction. It wasn't a long trip; in fact, the apartment was just to the right and opposite the elevator. There weren't any corners for an ambush, and the lush tropical plant behind her wasn't exactly the sort of thing someone could hide behind.
There was one very important difference from the other apartment doors as she stood in front of it; there was a heavy duty looking number lock. Below the keypad was a logo of some kind and a card reader. Her eyes caught a series CCTV cameras down the hall.
"…Couldn't splurge for the retinal scan too, huh?" she quipped, leaning down a little to get a better look before pulling her phone back out.
Waiting for her was a message from the good Samaritan.
Unknown: Are you there yet? Hope there's nothing strange.
"I'm here. ^-^" Her fingers zipped out the follow up. "Going to try knocking… There's a number pad here though."
Unknown: Oh.
Unknown: Good idea.
Miyeon pressed the doorbell before gently wrapping on the door with about a minute in between attempts, but after a second round there was still no reply. Either whoever was inside didn't want to be bothered, or there was no one inside. If they were abroad, that made sense. A glance back down at her vibrating phone revealed a link with a rather long string of numbers.
Unknown: Found that in the notes.
Unknown: I think it might be the code for the door.
Unknown: Maybe you can give it a try?
The entire situation screamed "wrong" now. Maybe she could go to the apartment management office to let them know what was going on? Before that, maybe she should at least least see what the person on the other end was up to in order to have a more complete report to the authorities…
After pressing the last number, the handle turned smoothly, allowing the door to glide open. The lights turned on automatically. Her senses were immediately hit with the scent of dust, stale cherry blossom perfume, and paper … Clearly no one had been in there for awhile.
"The door's opened," she texted, before putting her head into the room just a little. "Hello…?"
Unknown: Why don't you go inside?
"… Pretty sure it's not legal for me to enter a stranger's house. :/ We're already skirting breaking and entering," the girl replied, her senses were on high alert. Even the CCTV camera unnerved her now. Was he somehow watching her?
Unknown: You're just leaving a note with my info. Besides, you have this chat log if anyone has questions.
Still feeling uneasy, Miyeon pulled the plant near the window in front of the door to prop it open before carefully toeing inside. This was quite possibly the stupidest thing she'd ever done... Her entire body felt hot and tingly in the worst sort of way.
"Hello…?" she called out again before feeling her phone vibrate.
Unknown: Th
Unknown: ank
Unknown: you…
Before Miyeon could even fully finish reading the message, her screen was back to the scrolling green scripting. An awkward mewl of fear escaped her as her body pressed into the wall. She was prepared to run to fight… Ready to :
Yoosung*: failed my midterms fml T_T
A quivering breath returned as she watched an animated emoticon emerge of a blonde boy crying. Her phone filled the apartment with the mournful sound of him whimpering.
707: Cuz you played LOLOL all night lol.
Jumin Han: If you want to work for our company, you should take care of your GPA.
Miyeon had edged her way back to the doorframe. Confused at what she was seeing between nervous glances to make sure no one was going to spring out at her.
The chat taking place looked fairly normal and mundane. Maybe it was still just a game with triggered events? Either way, she was still probably going to notify the apartment management office about the messages that had lead her there. If the people in the chat were real, maybe they knew something. There was apparently a big fan of Zen arguing with someone who had an avatar picture of a wealthy business man. The face was vaguely familiar from magazines she'd seen in convenience stores, but the name eluded her. Perhaps it was a really lame dating simulator game with pop icons of the day? It could always be role playing group's private OOC chat…
707: Think someone entered the chatroom;;
That observation lead to a cascade of comments... One message stood out.
Jaehee Kang : But no one can enter this private chat without installing the private app we use… It appears someone must've downloaded it.
Yoosung*: I thought Seven only let us download it?
Maybe it was a game with a really involved script? If so, maybe she could try testing the A.I.
"Hello…?" she texted in cautiously.
Yoosung*: GAHHH! It's talking!
Zen: So it's not two smartphones.
There were questions from the other users between each other, and asking who "it" was now directed towards her.
707: I traced the IP…
707: It's from Rika's apartment.
The letters were large and the box highlighted. Miyeon's heart stopped again. Was she going to have a whole group of this lady's friend's dragging her to the police station for breaking in?
Jaehee Kang: Username "Miyeon" I recommend you confess.
Zen: Would you voluntarily confess if it were you?
Jaehee Kang: No… But it's good to ask.
707: lol
Jumin Han: Enough… Miyeon, who are you?
Jumin Han: Reveal yourself, or you will pay.
Zen: Stranger, you will pay? Lmfao
Zen: omg ~*so scary*~
Zen: It might be a girl
Part of her wanted to reply to confirm as such and apologize, but before she could move her stiffened thumb…
707: That's sexist lol. U should watch what u say now ur a famous actor.
The girl slipped down the wall as the entire group in the chatroom seemed to be distracted by "Zen". What if it really was him? She shook her head… This was just another part of an elaborate prank. It had to be. There could totally be a camera crew waiting to catch her and have her sign a release. Part of her took comfort in that until the more forceful member, with his blue chat box, reminded them to stay focused on her.
Jumin Han: Who are you? Reveal yourself right now.
Yoosung*: Yeees! Who r u!?
Zen: Use proper language, please.
707: If it doesn't say anything I'll hack in and find out.
Zen. Maybe, one of my fans?
Miyeon steadied her phone to text a reply, albeit intimidated by the angry, personalized image of "Jumin Han". She owed them some sort of explanation, but before there was one thing she had to know first…
"You're humans, right…?"
707: Lol so awkward
707: Maybe it's computer talking?
707: *_* Are you self aware?!
707: ( There was a gasping emoticon of a red haired, bespectacled man).
Her head tilted at that. To be fair, she sort of earned it.
"My name is Ko Miyeon. My sincerest apologies! I didn't mean to intrude" Like lightning she sent a follow-up, "! I thought I downloaded a game… but somehow it redirected me here. _ "
Zen: Seems more normal than I thought.
Yoosung*: What were you thinking?
Zen: Nothing~nothing…
Before she could manage any more explanation, the group seemed already off on a round of introductions and banter. Zen affirmed himself to be the artist, or was a very committed fan, as a selfie was quickly shared with the group. There was no denying that he was a very attractive man, even in bad lighting. It wasn't a picture she'd seen of him before... "Yoosung*" was quick to follow suit with a picture of a fresh faced youth with large, expressive violet eyes, and a bright teal hoodie. She could see the appeal. He was apparently a college student like she'd been. 707 noted his age, and when Zen asked if he wanted to share a picture too:
707: Nothing recent
707: Oh and also!
707: Jumin's the heir of a pretty famous corporation and Jaehee is his assistant. 27 and 26 yrs old respectively.
707: Have a better sense of who we are, Miyeon?
Jumin Han: Why did you say that?
707: Doubted u'd do it urself.
707: Oh fyi, Jumin has the CUTEST cat!
Before Jumin could fuss too much, there was already a picture of the same rather stoic looking man beside a rather luxuriously coated white cat. She couldn't help but smile at that; it was an adorable kitty. The owner didn't seem so happy to have "Elizabeth the 3rd" being revealed judging by the avalanche of discourse. A picture then flashed of a slender man with messy hair and glasses holding the cat up by the paws was presented as evidence of 707 being a "cat abuser". She couldn't make out his face very well.
"This isn't a role play chat… Is it? _ "
No one answered that question as they were too engrossed in the discussion of the cat until Jaehee, seemingly the voice of reason brought attention back on her.
Zen: True. Miyeon, how did you get in here?
"Well the long version : I downloaded what I thought was a game from the app store… It connected me to someone who claimed to have found a lost phone, and he wanted me to help him return it to the owner. The username was "Unknown" (?) Know him…? Anyway I came to this apartment, trying to help. I was about to get his information to leave a note when then chat redirected me here. _ Needless to say, I'm a little creeped out."
Zen: That was rather naive of you.
";-; I just wanted to do my good deed of the day."
Zen: So cute.
There was a little more discussion before another question came. Knowing that these were real people, who seemed nice relaxed her some. Although she still wanted to leave the apartment before they called the cops…
707: Hey, Miyeon. So he told you the password for the door lock?
"Yes. He said it was in the notes of the phone… Sadly I didn't get a chance to save it, but be sent me a picture. I'd recognize the face if I saw it again. I'm sorry I'm not more helpful. ;;"
Jumin Han: I see.
Jumin Han: So that "Unknown" person dragged you into this.
Yoosung*: But how did u end up chatting with that person?
Jaehee Kang: Precisely where did you download this messenger app?
"It was from the Joystore app – specifically. Honestly, I just thought this was a game. _ "
Yoosung*: You like games too!?
Yoosung*: I love games.
Yoosung*: Do you know a game called LOLOL?
Zen: Dude. A girl won't play that game;;
Zen: Don't ask stupid questions.
Yoosung*: T_T
"^-^; Actually I have a 73 light spec cleric on Moonbow server," Miyeon clarified, feeling a need to defend her fellow student and gamer.
Yoosung*: Im on shootinsrat
Yoosung*: *shooting star!
Yoosung*: U should transfer!
Yoosung*: (An personalized emoticon of him smiling emerged).
707: Anyways.
707: I should trace the person who distributed the app.
A flurry of activity followed as plans to manage the situation were discussed. The police weren't going to be called, but someone named " V " was.
707: Sorry callingvandtypingwithonehand
Yoosung*: Type after you finish the call
707: lookedintotheownerofthedevice
707: she'scutelol
Miyeon felt her cheeks blush. Her thumb reflexively covered the camera on her phone before she made sure she was out of view of the CCTV.
Yoosung*: So Miyeon is really a girl!? Did you do a background check?
" _ Are you like spying on me right now?"
Zen: He IS a hacker. But to be honest, he probably just looked up your FB page.
707: nothereyet
707: iwillifineedtholol
Jumin: What? So it's really a girl?
"Is that really that important…? Totally not weirded out now. ;-;"
Zen: We are just curious; I know it's scary. Maybe you'll feel better if you share a picture?
Yoosung*: Yes! I wanna see!
"…I'd rather not… Maybe once we figure this out."
Zen: Seven, show us the photo.
707: Nope~
707: How dare you try to violate someone's privacy like that.
For a moment, she felt safe until the screen brought up an image. Her heart stopped with panic, until realizing that the picture wasn't of her at all. Rather it was a rather professional woman in shades. It had to be the secretary who was threatening to call the cops on her. Even if he was a hacker, he seemed at least a little respectful, in his way…
Jumin Han: ?
Zen: Is that Miyeon!?
Yoosung*: omg I thought it was her privacy?
Jaehee Kang: ;;;;
Jaehee Kang: That is a photo of me.
Yoosung*: Oh right! Sorry I was too excited;;
Zen: So. Sorry for not recognizing you.
"Wow. It exudes an aura of warm steel. Fierce! O.O So cool."
Jaehee Kang: Thank you…? Um… , you can't recognize me either?
Jumin Han: …
Jumin Han: Now what are we going to do?
707: V's coming here soon. He just hung up.
V: I'm already logged in.
The girl remained quiet, opting to observe while sitting on the floor of the apartment. Though the chat log went by quickly, she had no trouble keeping up. Firstly the app was custom made for the purposes of their organization by 707, whose real name apparently was Luciel. The group apparently engaged fundraising for charities by staging events every few years. While everyone in the chat was a member, V and Rika were in charge. It was Rika who primarily lived and worked in the apartment despite it being in her boyfriend's name. She was the one who did the lion's share of organizing the parties and contacting guests. As a result the apartment had high security to protect the privacy of past attendees, who ranged from charity representatives to statesmen. On top of the physical and electronic security systems, no one else in the group knew the password for the door let alone the location- aside from V, Rika, and 707… And now apparently whoever had given her the code and herself. Considering how friendly everyone seemed, that struck Miyeon as odd. Then again, nothing about what was happening was normal.
Someone had hacked them, and she, had apparently downloaded an app that was likely probing their system for weaknesses. There was a little guilt there, but even moreso, why would someone go through all that trouble? Did they just want information? Why go through such an elaborate set up? It was just… Weird…
Her eyes drifted up to the actual room. Before, the girl had been too focused on looking for movement and people to jump out at her to really take it in. Despite the clear signs of abandonment, there was a sense of compulsive cleaning and organizing by the former owner. The room was filled with filing cabinets, lockers, and containers of documentation that appeared to be meticulously labeled. Rika had apparently been a very studious and busy woman, seemingly to a frightening degree.
A peek back down at the phone showed that the conversation had shifted from "What was going on?" to the "Why" and "How" of the situation. V seemed to be of the opinion that whoever had sent her to the apartment did so on Rika's behalf. The former organizer, apparently was no longer among the living. Since her death, there hadn't been no attempt to continue her work by the other members. They all seemed to be mourning her in their own way… Miyeon knew that feeling quite well.
There was some debate as to how she ended up there, but V asserted that perhaps his former lover had arranged it so that someone would take her place. She seemed the sort with foresight… Perhaps the phone act was just to test someone's willingness to perform an act of kindness? These were just guesses. Many of the other members had misgivings about the hypothesis; frankly, she agreed with them. It seemed unlikely… Her father had tried making plans before his own death, but nothing quite on the scale of finding a random person to carry on his legacy through such a longwinded scheme. It was either genius or idiotic. As she pondered it, one set of messages stood out…
V: Miyeon, it's probably best not to touch anything in the apartment.
V: It won't be good if the alarm rings.
He made a point to bold and underline that warning. The sarcastic part of her was like, "What's the worst that could happen? The building explodes?" but the more responsible part of her respected the fact it was likely for liability in the event the confidential information leaked. Not to mention the alarm system was likely going to result in an even more chaotic situation… Likely one that resulted with her taking a trip in chain linked silver bracelets to a nice cold prison cell.
Before she could even ask V any questions, he was already gone, and everyone in the room was already discussing a plan forward… Specifically, V seemed to think it was best to invite her to take over Rika's role as the party coordinator. There was opposition, but some playful support of it that seemed to snowball into sincere interest, mainly driven by nostalgia. The allure of throwing a party again had them all on the same page and not bickering. Rich, beautiful people were really easily won over…
No one had exactly asked her opinion on the matter.
Maybe she could just delete the app, lock the door, and go back home…
These people had no idea who she was or if she could even do what was being asked. While the girl could imagine what the tasks involved were, enacting them was entirely different. Furthermore, if the former organizer had somehow scouted her out, exactly had she gone about it? Miyeon had done community service time with a number of animal rescue related charities, so maybe someone had recommended her? Or it was just nonsense…
They all seemed so happy at the thought… They wanted to remember and honor the memory of their friend. Clearly they didn't have the ability or time to organize it themselves. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.
A sense of purpose sparked to life within her, allowing her to gradually steady herself back on two feet. Her mind was already buzzing with the possible groups they could benefit and a theme. If she needed a practical reason, it helped that helping to organize a charity event would probably look nice on a resume. Even more selfishly, Miyeon wanted to talk to the people more… The members of the group seemed really nice, and the part of her that desperately ached for human contact was greedily lapping up the attention.
What would her father have wanted her to do?
He certainly didn't want her to waste away her life, alone in her bed.
A strangled sob escaped through the smile on her lips as she thought of his voice and what he might say to her now. Would he be disappointed at how she'd just given up for the past month? Would he chide her for stupidly listening to a stranger's text message? Now that there was an opportunity, she had to take it right? The prospect of agreeing to it and failing terrified her, but the thought of regretting a missed opportunity bore a deeper sense of emptiness. These people didn't appear to be lying…
How many times had her father encouraged her to try new things and helped her laugh when she failed? Perhaps he was guiding her in his way again? Maybe Rika was disappointed in everyone for not carrying on her work without her too… Miyeon could imagine the two of them orchestrating the whole thing from beyond.
The girl tried to wipe the stinging from her eyes as a pained chuckle escaped her. It was superstitious and stupid, but she wanted to believe it. Desperately they all seemed to want a miracle… Maybe Unknown was an angel in plain clothes? His true good intention was for her to help them… That had to be it, right? Besides, what was the worst that could happen? She'd fail, get laughed at, and sink back into the life of an obscure peasant with a funny story to tell. The girl could probably sell a book about how to own one's failure and then tour the country talking about how to accept one's role as a NEET loser. Merely the thought made her let out a sniffling laugh.
Jumin Han: Miyeon
Jumin Han: Our organization has done a lot of good so far.
Jumin Han: …You will never regret joining.
Yoosung*: I thought you were against her. Why the change?
Jumin Han: I am only honoring V's decision.
Zen: If you join the organization, we'll be able to talk more. Not every day we meet a pretty girl.
A chortle escaped her at the sight of that comment. There was nothing pretty about a geek girl with unkempt bangs crying in a dead woman's apartment. Her face was probably all puffy, and her nose running. That wasn't exactly "foxy"… Then again… Rule 34…
707: Uhm. How do you know she's pretty? I didn't even send the photo.
Hadn't he called her cute earlier? Maybe she was like, pug cute…
Zen: SEND THE PHOTO
Quietly she prayed, "Please don't send a picture of me to a pop star… I'm a potato!"
707: No.
Aloud she sighed a thank you, before wondering if perhaps he was keeping the photo to himself because he liked what he saw or maybe he was trying to spare her humiliation. It wasn't like there was any proof he actually had found a picture of her. She didn't exactly take selfies and the pictures on her social media accounts generally were limited to memes, crafts she'd worked on, and adorable animals. Her head started to ache as she pondered the possibilities of the camera on her phone and the CCTV cameras in the hall…
Zen: Damn.
Jumin Han: Men will be men.
Zen: And you're not a man?
707: Heard somewhere that Jumin's gay.
And boys would be boys…
Zen: omg...
Zen: Go away. You scare me. P_P
So much for making a sincere, professional declaration of acceptance of the proposal. A little debate stirred back up until the benevolent voice of reason, Jaehee, came forth again in an attempt to deescalate and passively redirect the topic back to something productive. Even though she didn't know them all well, there was enough for her to form an impression. The chat was like a sled ride with a pack of rowdy dogs all wanting to go in different directions and Jaehee was the lone human trying to get them all to pull the same finish line, but they just dragged her by the ankle. The RFA Sled Team:
Yoosung, probably something cute and playful like a Yorkshire terrier or Maltese, who just wanted to play fetch.
Zen, a large, majestic Husky purposefully bred, but who was more interested in being seen and petted than running. Unless maybe there was a good reason.
707… A corgi… Clever, but not above entertaining himself by nipping his sled mates on the paws before aptly tucking and rolling aside as though nothing happened at all.
That left Jumin: a dominant minded Doberman who found the entire race pointless. As a result, he sat bottom firmly in the snow until feeling the whim to get on with it, at which point he'd bark and everyone else would get in line. They'd make progress for a few feet, before descending back into chaos.
V was like a wolf… Mysterious and hard to find judging by the comments made about how long it'd been since anyone'd seen him.
They were a pack without a leader and no clear destination. They knew it too… They were just as desperate for someone to fill the void left by Rika as she was for human contact. It was pathetic, but then again, so was she.
Jumin Han: Miyeon, will you join the RFA.
Restraining herself from typing back, "woof"…
"Could be fun! I'm in. Let's give it our best!"
That didn't seem desperate or forced, right? Her stomach tightened as she thought of all the other things she could've said instead. Too late to take it back now, the replies were already scrolling up her screen.
Yoosung*: That's a fast decision..
Jumin Han: Ha, I like it.
Jaehee Kang: I wonder if you've thought this through.
Zen: Welcome, Miyeon! Oi! Seven, register her info ASAP.
707: Ya, I have to register before she changes her mind.
Yoosung*: She must be a positive person, making her mind up so quickly!
Jaehee Kang: I wonder if WE'VE thought this through.
Miyeon felt a little hurt by that, but she understood where it came from. Before she could even offer an assurance…
Jumin Han: Assistant Kang, is there something you do not like about her?
Yoosung*: Yeah. Jaehee, don't be like that.
Jaehee Kang: It is not that.
"You know anything about what sort of person I am or my background…. Jaehee is simply trying to look out for everyone."
Jaehee Kang: Exactly.
Yoosung*: … I'm glad we have a girl now! It was a hopeless sausage fest until now lol
A cringe ran up her spine at that. Something told her that Jaehee felt it too.
Yoosung*: Miyeon, if you have any questions, I can answer them!
Yoosung*: Ask anything you need!
Yoosung*: No need to worry about anything ^^
Was it desperation or eagerness to help that he excluded? She just couldn't get the mental image out of her head of the blonde boy bounding up and down like an excitable little terrier. It was adorable in a way. Maybe a little disturbing.
707: Good. I've registered her as a member! Oh. We don't really need ur signature.
707: ^^… Since it's a verbal contract.
Perhaps she'd signed a pact with the devil himself…
Yoosung*: You're going to collect all the info so she can't run away, right?
Okay… Maybe the puppy of a boy was very disturbing. In her mind flashed a scene from Diary of the Future, with the gender roles reversed.
Zen:… Don't collect anything without Miyeon's permission.
A smile formed on her lips. If it really was the pop star, he seemed quite grounded and reasonable, like a kind big brother. Eun Ji was going to love hearing all about this! Maybe she could ask for an autograph once they got to know each other better? In a flash the conversation was back to a little debate on 707's employment and earnings. Exhibit 1 from Yoosung was a screen cap from the hacker's tripter supposedly of a new car. It was a sleek, sporty number in white, but Miyeon found herself studying the small portrait in the corner. A pair of boldly striped glasses sat perched above a clever, infectious smiling red head.
Was everyone in the group so attractive? Her stomach lurched at just how out classed she was. She was a potato in soil full of gems… At least Miyeon could be the best root vegetable she could be, after all, kindness made someone beautiful too, right? She shifted her hips uncomfortably as standing in the cool apartment was starting to make her legs ache.
The group was already saying their goodbyes as it appeared to be decided…It was already past 10:00 PM. Two of the people clearly had work the next day, one of them was already working, one had school, and one likely had some sort of interview… She on the other hand, needed to get ready to become a magical girl capable of fulfilling everyone's wish for a good party.
Walking to the front door, Miyeon used her sleeve to fully wipe the lingering dampness and salt of her tears aside, yet she found herself grinning. It had been a good, but weird day.
