Night-Owl Romance
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Note1: Never thought an otome game would bring the writer out of me (also a certain skating anime); I love this game – a lot. To the point I tried to reinterpret bits of the prologue, to seem more... plausible in a way and to explain that reckless stranger-danger behavior.
Story will surround Zen x MC.
Note2: The ages used in the fic are Korean ones, as presented in the game too – meaning, u add +1 at birth. Fun fact: if you're a baby born in December (+1), in January you're automatically 2 years old. Yup – really old newborn indeed.
Note3: I use the symbol (E) which is short for (English) at the end of some phrases. It should be considered language shifting from Korean to English. The entire fic is written 99% in English, but should be imagined that all chars speak, in fact, in Korean. And sometimes I want to distinguish the insert of other languages used.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Cheritz character, this fic is for my own pleasure that I'm sharing with you ~!
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For more news, check pearlcrysta dot tum space blr dot com
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Chapter 1: Murphy's Law
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"How did my life get to this point...?"
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My name's Mina Choi – MC for short.
I am a 21 years old girl from Daegu Town, where I had lived the last of my teenage years quite comfortably alongside my mother, stepfather and baby sister (soon turning 4 years old), in a peaceful neighborhood of 2-storey housing. We had a small flower garden in the back, a tall cherry tree planted right in the middle of it while countless potted plants laid scattered around the fenced areas, giving off a scented air that would last through all the green seasons. We would always share our meals there on warm, sunny days, pretending to be on family picnics~! I loved the entire atmosphere of that house, its warmth all-present even during the harshest winter days – it would become a 'museum' of ice and snow figurines due to my boredom.
The entire area carried a strong feeling of 'home' to me, one which I greatly cherished... and one – I fear – I'll never be able to replicate in Seoul.
...
Life has changed for me after I turned 19.
I was admitted in the SKY University, studying Arts and Computer Graphic fields – it was in Seoul, which meant... this was it. I had to leave the house and be on my own for a little while, become a real adult ^^; or trying to anyway...
I was so happy when I got the news, though~~! I screamed so loudly, Kim-appa thought there was a burglar in my room, barging inside only to see me half dressed. It was a shameful moment forever burnt in my memories...*shudders*
I was also thankful for the opportunity given to me.
SKY was the most challenging university to enter and my grades weren't stellar, albeit good enough to apply – with slim chances of succeeding. I couldn't let the chance go to waste, even more so considering I was allowed to follow my passion diligently and without major repercussions throughout my student life.
I was privileged in this society.
And to me... drawing wasn't just a fluke. It became similar to air, needing it every waking moment. I'd suffocate without it in my life, even my body hurting when I was unable to pick up a tool and focus on expressing my heart out on paper.
In the past, I used this craft as an outlet for the emotions I couldn't properly word out, when loneliness became too painful for my soul and I needed something to keep me sane... drawing helped me heal emotionally, giving me reasons to wake up the following day with glee, anxious to depart on another adventure on paper~! And because of how quickly I went through sketchbooks, I actually ended up honing some pretty decent skills that weren't just 'for looks'.
I wasn't only 'making pretty drawings'...
Mom realized this too at one point and became my number one fan~! She would encourage me endlessly, to follow onto this path I had chosen – she carried high hopes for me~! ^^
And I wouldn't want to disappoint ~!
...
Still...
As I grew more aware of the world around me, so did my sadness... I was stiff when interacting with people, awkward even with those close to my age... I could never properly connect with a person outside my family, we could never hit it off because the vibes I was sending were apparently – too rigid and unfriendly. And even when I did manage to find people I could be comfortable around with... eventually... everyone would leave my side.
Forever...
As a result of such a chaotic life-style, home schooling was a must to ensure I had some proper education. Mom couldn't teach me much after a certain age, so experienced tutors were a necessity to hunt down in every town and country we'd live in. The downside was the money: mother earned a pretty decent amount to sustain us a good life in two, but the savings were thinning each year. Hiring tutors was just far too expensive and time-consuming in the long run, compared to simply attending a normal public school.
Mom noticed.
And as much as she wanted for things to have been different, she eventually made a tough decision – for my sake. For ours. She finally quit her demanding, high-salary job in order to find something stable.
Something grounded back in Korea since we had both done our fair share of travelling.
Now, mom was working at a small company with its HQ in the center of Daegu Town, where she would act as a liaison, bringing in lots of sponsors and business clients.
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"That's how she met Kim-appa."
"My stepfather."
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He had a similar role at his own company, attending business dinners and meetings, occasionally accompanied by my mother and other co-workers. Their common tastes united them in a shy friendship and, after only a year, they had engaged in a relationship.
It was like in a true romance movie, the way he had proposed to her, corrupting me into taking part of his preparations!
Mom had never looked so genuinely happy and bubbly~! ^^
It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside too~! ^^
And my drawings started to temporarily reflect this heightened mood, too.
Kim-appa went through a divorce, but had no children of his own. Thus, I became the daughter he never had, treating me like I was part of his bloodline – and, as such, he was very concerned in regards to my well-being and quite vocal about my educational prospects. He acknowledged my capacity for studying which was powerfully reflected in my school grades. Frankly, he was worried for me enough to try and convince me to change my dreams, pursue 'realistic' options in this wavering economy.
And if this wasn't bad enough, I could often overhear the conversations my family had with the neighbors, listening to them clearly from my room upstairs. Some of the older women were constantly nagging to mom while bringing up the topic. They were the type who loved being involved in others' lives because of boredom, mainly, and to have a sense of personal achievement while their own families lived far away. I was a substitute of interest – it's the only conclusion I could come up with, while blasted with their venomous tongue.
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'Art is not a 'serious' subject to follow in life.
It wouldn't help advance society in any way!
Not like scientists or doctors do in this country!
We need more proper experts, not dreamers!
Shouldn't you be a more responsible mother?!'
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"Tch... I still get upset over them, years after."
Mother was never angry, keeping a poker face smile on her features and never getting out of line. 'She was willing to take into consideration the women's kindness to offer such concerns, being so attentive with her daughter's well-being...'
I honestly didn't know where she found such strength to think in such a positive manner, albeit twisted in my opinion.
Anyway,
I allowed this negativity to shake the foundation of my life, changing my normal working rhythm, thinking I was too lazy and not doing enough to improve. Nearly 16 years old, I ended up overworking myself, trying to prove people wrong in their assessments of me! Everyone who was against this fire in my soul that screamed whenever I couldn't follow my passion properly, which clawed my insides 'till I became sick and scared to go to bed, convinced I'd be wasting precious hours by sleeping.
None of them had any idea, none, how much I was struggling and how much anxiety was building due to these endless negative thoughts of becoming a complete and hazardous 'failure'. All because I was pursuing a risky path in life, not approved by the majority surrounding me... I could accept the consequences without shame, but my failures were a reflection onto my mother who had become a target of gossip and mockery.
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It caused me to go into a painful overload...
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I used to practice all day, every day, until...
My hand shutdown on me entirely.
In some instances, even the slightest hand movement would hurt so much that I couldn't even do simple tasks, like picking up the chopsticks to eat rice or write my school work. My cheeks would be constantly stained from the despair I fell into. Not even ice or warm towels could make the joints feel like they weren't tearing the flesh apart, protesting my every bad choice.
I was forced to take on a mandatory break.
The doctor couldn't stress enough of the dangers of damaging my joints further on, if I continued my reckless behavior – it could hinder my future permanently. Other than that, I was in relatively 'good health'.
And lucky.
"It's not irreversible. And you're still young to heal without permanent life injuries."
I just needed proper rest and care.
My hand needed to be firmly kept in a cast for two months straight, after which I was allowed to wear another, more flexible one for other six months - to prevent any sudden movements and to help with the healing. If I could find any positives, it was that this new version allowed my hand to be utilized a bit freely. Still hard to control the strokes while drawing...
*deep sigh*
To think... such troubles piled up... because I had allowed the anger and pressure overtake me. Because I didn't want to disappoint anyone. I didn't want my mother being ridiculed for my mistakes anymore. Watching her smile fade from her expression – like it did after seeing my wrist in that cast...
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I didn't want to repeat such an experience for her ever again!
So whenever I had troubles, I'd try to handle them by myself and show a happy image.
Miseries and pains - hidden.
I could endure it all!
And this promise lingered even in Seoul City.
After I managed to fuck up everything in the first few months,
reaching breaking point merely two years later... TwT
Mother was in the dark.
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"Here's your coffee order, miss~!", Mina's thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful waitress, dressed festively in a bright red attire. Bowing slightly, she left to attend the other customers with an intoxicating good mood and grin, while the depressed girl sat on the isolated bar stool, accompanied by only a drink she shouldn't have bought at this late night hour.
But she didn't care.
This was the final luxury Mina will carry on with her, as she dreaded the freezing cold that is going to be –
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Her first homeless night in the big city.
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"Really... how did it get to this point...?", Mina whispered upset, almost teary eyed while she checked the contents of her wallet. She had enough money to book a cubicle for maybe a week or even two, if she sacrificed enough meals, switching from two rice rations per day to just one.
Or,
Maybe she could sleep at work, next to the juice bar and hope no one will notice her being the first worker there every morning and last to leave...?
'Nah.'
They would kick her out instantly. Not that they weren't planning to – soon enough. The idiotic ex-neighbor stalked his way towards her latest coffee shop, already the 2nd week of terror with that asshole there, yelling at the door to the point police had to intervene multiple times.
The stalker, somehow, would always outrun those law men so Mina couldn't even do a thing.
Hence, the atmosphere at work was disruptive, her coworkers having enough of the problems she would bring. Sales had been damaged, customers showing up less inside the shop and it irritated even the manager, who was rightfully unhappy because of the situation. Overall, Mina's reputation was turning quite unfavorable, making it harder to find good jobs willing to take her.
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"Deal with your private affairs quickly or we will be forced to take drastic measures!"
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"Ugh... headache...", she whined terribly exhausted, the girl harshly tapping her head a few times with her bare hands. Her head was close to bursting from all these worries and aches, which had piled on top of each other. Instead of coffee, maybe she should have ordered some soju and drown her sorrows bottle, after bottle.
'I could really use a sign...'
'God in the sky, fictional or not, I could use some guidance!'
'I can't take it anymore!', Mina cried internally, taking small hot sips of coffee before a familiar ringing tune caught her attention.
Her mom was calling. "I should become an actress...", she mumbled depressed, answering the device after doing some quick sharp breathing techniques in order to relax her voice. It was time to shift into the perfect-daughter mode~! Mina was becoming far too proficient with her lies, almost believing in most of them herself, had she not lived the opposite of her stories so far.
Clearing her throat, she put on the happy attitude, pretending to be in her art workshop at uni, doing some last hour work~! "Mina honey! It's so good to hear your lovely voice again~!", the woman reacted so happily. It actually brought the girl's tears down – instantly – out of shame.
"It's good to hear you too~!", she tried controlling the pooling emotions in her voice, gulping down hard.
The call lasted for over 20 minutes, receiving the weekly update from home. Everyone was doing fine and dandy, even the baby who – as Mina observed – had morphed into a full-fledged banshee inside the living area. It was poor Kim-appa's turn to overlook Mirae's activities, while mom was busy with the last of the housework.
"How are you? Any troubles there-", the woman tried to change the subject from their family routine, to her life in the big city. But she didn't get a lot of new information from the youth. "No, no, no. Everything is A-Okay~! (E)", Mina inserted English words like she would always do when overly excited.
Or cornered.
She was unusually fast to interrupt sentences and this could be 'sensed' for certainty. 'Damn... Recover grounds, Mina!', she cleared her throat again and started chatting more about teachers, college – truly, everything was going well in her life~!
"Picture perfect well.", she ended softly.
"Ooo... any peculiar boys tailing along in your life-"
"..."
"Why are you making me depressed so early in the night...?", she narrowed down her eyes, the subject touching painful nerves. "Sorry honey~! But mama is worried..."
"You're not getting any younger."
"Or prettier."
"WOW! (E)"
"I am young and pretty... enough!", she retorted upset, but added convincingly.
"My art is the perfect lover I need, nothing more."
"Oh, Mina. Mama is so sad...", the woman faked a gloomy tone, adding more burdens on top of the poor girl's shoulders. And if this wasn't bad enough, she started a swift presentation of the free eligible bachelors who were currently at her work place.
Around her age range, too~!
"A... N-No need~!", she rapidly answered, her headache intensifying. "One of the manager's sons is so handsome! And an intelligent, good natured young man whom I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with personally. He seemed interested, Mina~! Please, just consider it, okay? His number is-"
"Oh my~! It's getting so, so, so late~~~! Eomma. I have to go!"
"Work never stops~!(E)", she giggled nervously while the other woman gave an irritated sigh.
"Alright. I am not done with this subject, though!"
"See ya~! (E)"
"Ah, Mina~! Before you go – I'm so glad we had the chance to catch up, honey!"
"By the way, do you remember that surprise I've mentioned to you a couple of weeks ago?"
"A... Maybe...?"
"You forgot!"
"Eh..."
"I hope you'll be happy to have us as guests next month, when we'll be coming for a short visit to Seoul~!"
"Eh?", her smile froze into place, eyes appearing to pop out of her sockets from the shock.
"You've must have been lonely in Seoul, living by yourself for far too long!"
"Eh?"
"We've barely seen you home..."
"Eh?"
"So, if you won't come to us, we shall come to you~~~!"
"E~~~~EHHHH?!"
"We wanted to surprise you for Christmas, however Seung just couldn't take the week off in time at the company. I can't wait for next year~! We all love you dearly!"
"Ha...", Mina's heart constricted, all remaining color draining from her features. What escaped her mouth were inconsistent sounds, like a cat mewling its last days of life.
"Oh! I have to go, Mirae's time for sleep. Good night, my love~!"
"Aa-a Aa..."
"Mina? Anything on your mind?", her mom called her out, the girl answering back quite loudly and frighteningly deep. "I AM JUST SO HAPPY!" The table became a lake of tears, the sobbing youth ending the call before the woman could add anything more dreadful. She slammed her head onto the hard surface, ignoring the pulsating pain – hurt was streaming down her cheeks. And her soul was threatened to becoming ripped out of her body.
"Ngh... I am dead..."
Mina concluded softly, the girl's entire being aching after this latest crit attack. Her mother had done irreparable damage on her, to the point she felt K.O. by life itself and ultimately paralyzed.
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This...
This didn't feel real anymore.
Her life, that is.
Everything felt too surreal and twisted to be true.
Not true one bit.
All was a dream.
For sure it was.
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"No... not even a dream.", she mumbled out loud, the employed staff suddenly coming up to her, asking her kindly to leave the premises. In case she didn't need a doctor, at which point they would gladly assist with a phone call.
*heart stab*
Mina ignored their harsh words, but proceeded to do what they asked.
Heh... kicked as a worker from coffee shops, then as a customer...
This situation was beginning to look more like a dangerous nightmare, which had transcended into this world of the living, engulfing every rule book of the natural law, turning the impossible into a clusterfuck of insane 'possibles'. There was literally no other logical explanation she could come up with at that late hour in the night that could give her a fucking answer regarding how all of this shit even happened.
'Murphy's Law. And Murphy's actually God – and my life is his greatest joke.'
She came up with that ridiculous nonsense, feeling so lifeless, and tired, and broken apart...
The cold was bone shivering, bringing part of her sanity back as she was walking through empty streets, gazing towards the starless night sky above the city. Only the moon was shining brightly tonight. 'Please God... help me set my life back to happier days.', she wished with all her might, sniffing loudly and using her mittens as napkins to clean her face.
She felt horrible, hiding the eyes behind bangs and head underneath the coat's cream hoody, avoiding all eye contact with street individuals. A hotel was nearby, one of the cheaper ones –
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*BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ*
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"Hm?", she grabbed the phone from her pocket, watching it start up. Strange. Mina had powered it off after that talk with her mother. She narrowed down her eyes, noticing the same type of spam message popping in front of her eyes. It was an icon, R.F.A. letters on it, which was some sort of messaging app to download – from what she could tell.
It was alerting her.
Again.
"Mystic Messenger...?", she thumbed the info about it, not really picking up anything relevant from its description. It had none – no data was revealed to the public, appearing quite the secretive app. "Weird."
It was located in the main AppPlay Store, so it wasn't a fake app she should worry about. "Right?"
Mina wasn't sure what to do as it was becoming quite stressful to handle this amount of spam. She'd been having issues for at least a couple of days with this messenger, making her phone act up irritatingly. It just wouldn't leave her alone no matter how many anti-virus programs she'd install.
"Oh!"
Suddenly,
Mina looked up into the sky again, pondering about her wish, before gazing back at her phone. "No way...", she slightly smiled, the thought perishing immediately.
It was silly.
"Fine. Let's just do it.", she sighed heavily, deciding to install the annoying thing. If it turned out to be a horrendous virus stealing all her data – which she assumed to be, judging by her luck – it wouldn't make her life any more terrible than it already was. Plus, most any hacker could steal from her device was the girl's love calls home, so – hah, jokes on them~!
Or the arguments with the police, landlord, coworkers and other things...
"..."
Come to think of it, while the app was initializing, Mina realized this was actually a really bad decision from her part. And her rep with bad decisions was outstanding already. She wanted to stop the process and delete this entire thing –
"...Hello...? Can you see this?"
"Huh?", she gazed at the 'Unknown' figure suddenly appearing with an array of messages on the screen, its background becoming an odd, cybernetic green-styled thing, constantly moving at a rapid pace.
It was mesmerizing her...
Without thinking about it twice, she decided to go with the flow, typing back answers and engaging in a conversation online. Whatever happens...
Happens.
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~oOo~
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And what happened was an event that changed her life forever, with severe repercussions for the future. At the time, she didn't realize her wish was about to be granted in the most ludicrous manner imaginable.
"I know I keep asking this, but..."
"HOW do I get myself in such situations?!", Mina wanted to slap herself hard and leave a nasty red print. For reasons only her illogical, exhausted brain could comprehend, she was now standing here, inside a high-end building on the 14th floor, in front of a password protected door and ready to open said door in ways that felt too dodgy to be legal.
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Just to return information about an owner's lost phone in a foreign country.
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Perfectly reasonable thing to do for a midnight stroll, hours after concluding her secure life and receiving the 'homeless' status, her essence continuing to crumble apart into a soulless dead human. This is... quite the perfectly sane thing to do as a result... instead of going to the police... which over the course of months (a year actually) had proven inconsiderate of her stalking situation and neighboring troubles.
"..."
"I'm really going to die.", she whispered, the girl accustomed to believing in this outcome.
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Mina pressed onto the handle and entered into a small apartment.
Slowly.
"H-Hello...?", she asked softly, hesitantly taking steps further within and waiting for an angry reaction or any kind of suspicious sounds.
"AH!"
The lights instantly went on without her doing a thing. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!", Mina bowed down.
However, as she explored the place with her eyes, curiosity began taking over her. She fearfully realized the flat was empty. "A-Anyone? H-Hello!", she yelled louder, taking off the hood and letting short brown locks fall down. With her left hand she tried tidying her messy bangs into place, continuing to explore timidly.
The girl did not bother to take her shoes off at the entrance, her boots making noise on the squeaky wooden floors – very ill-mannered if anyone saw her. To be fair, she really did not want to stay here and become stranded in a stranger's house –
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*BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ*
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Right after she stepped into the main room, where an office/bedroom layout was presented in front of her, that's when her phone started reacting wildly, the buzzing never ending. Mina checked again, adrenaline rushing through her veins.
More names and messages were painting her chat window, in a pattern she had problem following due to how active it was. The girl was turning fearful of the entire situation...
Until... MC...
Wait. MC. They said 'MC'.
"Eh?!", she was confused. H-How did they realize she was there... and... in this apartment.
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"Reveal yourself intruder or we're going to send in security.
And then have you 'disappear'.
Forever, mwhahahaha~!"
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The entrance door wouldn't open.
'What's going on?! R.F.A – Who are these people...?!'