Chapter 4
Memories

MC's eyes felt heavy as she sat in a chair pulled up close to her couch. Yoosung lay sound asleep, a cold washcloth pressed against his forehead. His fever had finally broken a few hours prior but MC wasn't taking any chances. Until his temperature was completely back to normal and he was healthy once again she couldn't bear to let herself fall asleep. She had done so much throughout the night.

After he had fallen asleep in her arms standing in front of her doorway she had immediately started coming up with a plan. His clothes were damp, his skin was burning and he shivered every so often. She needed to help him as fast as she could. There was no telling how long he had been outside of her door waiting for her to come back.

As fast as her legs could carry her she quickly brought out a spare change of clothes she had from her bedroom along with a towel and set them on the table next to the couch. Yoosung lay against the arm rest, his mouth slack from fever. She stood nervously in front of his sleeping form. Heat rose in her cheeks as she prepared herself for what she had to do. She had to stay calm and not let her emotions get in the way. This wasn't the time to get nervous.

Carefully, she took hold of his shirt and pulled it up along with his jacket over his head, letting it fall to the ground beside her in a wet heap. He made no efforts to stop her. Whether he was still asleep or just too out of it to care, she didn't know. With as much care as she could administer she set about wiping down his hair, torso and arms to dry him off. It took all of her willpower to keep her eyes on him as she worked. She didn't think her face had ever been so hot. Of course, that was until she had to move on to his pants.

With shaky hands she finished redressing him. It had taken her longer than she thought to completely dry him off. Of course, she knew it wasn't going to be easy. Though she was certain she'd never be fully able to get the image of him in his underwear out of her mind. Puppies. There had just been so many puppies. If she wasn't trying to do something so serious at the moment she was sure she would've died from seeing them.

After taking his temperature, with much difficulty because of his unconscious state, she deemed he did in fact have a fever. She was surprised to read the number 103 flashing on the thermometer. This was an emergency. He needed to be cooled down immediately.

For hours on end she spent running back and forth from her kitchen to the couch. It didn't take long for the cold washcloth to lose its strength and she mentally cursed for not owning a cold compress. Once his fever finally broke around 3am she sat beside him, watching over him carefully. She wanted to be there if he needed her. There was no way she could sleep when he was so vulnerable.

It was only when the sun finally started to rise by the window that Yoosung opened his eyes. MC mentally slapped herself awake when a soft groan reached her ears. She looked down to see Yoosung blinking his eyes groggily. Her chest tightened and she fought the urge to cry out happily.

"Good morning sleepy head." She said affectionately. Yoosung rubbed his eyes sleepily before looking over to her. He tried to sit but was met with a fit of coughs.

"Whoa there, be careful. You should lay back down. I'll go get you some medicine okay? Don't move." Instructed MC. Before waiting for a reply she stood up and left the room.

Yoosung blinked again as he lay on his back, staring dazedly up at the ceiling. His head was aching and he felt like he had been dunked in a freezing bath while he was asleep. It took a moment before he could process where he was. When it finally hit him he tried to sit up again in surprise, only to fall back down again with a groan.

That was right, he had come back here last night. He didn't know how he'd finally managed to find his way back to her apartment in that storm. How long had he been wandering the streets? He had to have been out there for hours.

He had ran out of the apartment in a fit of emotional distress. Usually he wouldn't have let himself act so rashly, but who could keep calm in a situation like his? Was he really nothing but a character in some video game? Was his entire life nothing but a sham? And his family, his friends even, all of it was a lie?

He had remembered Rika. How sad he had been when he learned of her passing. How much it still hurt inside after all this time. Was it really all for nothing? Was he supposed to just accept that everything and everyone he had encountered his entire life was just a product of someone's imagination? It was too much for him to take.

Somehow he had made his way onto a bridge over passing what looked like a highway of some sort. He didn't know how he had gotten there or exactly how far his legs had taken him. His eyes drifted over the railing to the cars speeding down below. A knot clenched at his stomach as he stepped forward, his heart racing.

What if he were to just jump. He wouldn't be left with all of these thoughts and emotions buzzing around inside his head like a swarm of angry bees. It wasn't like he was even a real person. Nothing he did would ever matter. No one would miss him if he just disappeared.

Just as his foot stepped up onto the bar a face surfaced in his mind. Her face. What if she missed him? He brought his foot back down, staring blankly at his shoes. His eyebrows knitted together. Why was he thinking of her so suddenly? He barely even knew her. Even so the thought nagged at him. Would she try to stop him if she were here?

The memory of her shielding him from the door popped into his mind. He remembered her face, how scared she looked and how desperate she seemed to keep him from leaving. He couldn't understand why she would care so much. The look in her eyes had been so genuine. Rika had always told him that no one could lie with their eyes. MC must have really cared about him.

Something cold and wet plopped onto his nose and he raised his head to see storm clouds had rolled in overhead. Rain was starting to drop lazily from the sky and onto his face. Taking a deep breath he made up his mind. He was going to go back. What was to happen after that, he didn't know but he knew the only place he could go was back to her. He just hoped she wouldn't be upset over what he did. It wasn't her fault he was in this mess.

A sense of panic rang through him as he patted his pockets. His phone was missing. How was he supposed to call for a taxi or even find his way back without a map to follow? He shivered as the rain started to pour down on him. There was no other choice but to start walking. Phone or no phone he would find his way back.

By the time he found the correct apartment he had been drenched from head to toe. His head was swimming and his skin felt numb beneath his soaking wet clothes. It took every bit of strength he had left to trudge his way up the stairs. Spotting the door across the hall had been a sweet spot of relief and he found himself smiling in his foggy haze. Though with no answer at the door his options seemed depleted at last.

With a sigh of defeat he slumped against the door, sliding down to the ground in a tired heap. He hugged his knees tightly to his chest and hung his head. Wet, tired and alone he sat on the floor with his thoughts. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Now he found himself warm on a familiar couch, looking around the room as he waited for his caretaker to come back. The sunlight flickered across his face and he winced slightly. He must have been out for a long time. He didn't even remember coming into the house.

"Oh! Here, let me fix that for you." Said a familiar voice. Yoosung opened an eye, squinting to see as MC pulled the offending curtains closed. His face was immediately free of sunlight.

"Okay, I got you some medicine and some water. Here, let me help you sit up. Don't move too fast or you might hurt your head again." She said softly, gently easing him up into a sitting position. His head winced and he grimaced.

"Thank you for... helping me." He said softly, accepting the medicine and water gratefully.

"No no no! You don't need to thank me for anything. I'm just glad you're alright, I was so worried..." She admitted. "I-I mean because you could've gotten lost or something, not any other reason." Her eyes shifted to avoid his gaze, something that didn't go unnoticed by him.

"A-anyway, why don't you go take a nice shower and wash yourself up. Now that you're awake I can go downstairs and wash your clothes for you." Her eyes flickered nervously towards him again. "Yours were soaking wet last night and.. I couldn't just leave you in them. I hope you don't mind..." Her cheeks were flaming as she stood up, facing away from him as she went to collect his clothes from the bathroom.

Yoosung coughed before lifting the blanket from his body. He hadn't noticed until that moment but he definitely wasn't wearing his own clothes anymore. Instead he found himself in a simple white t-shirt and pajama pants. They felt a bit snug and he could only guess where they might have come from. The thought that a girl had actually undressed him sent him into an embarrassed fit. He covered his face as a strong blush overtook him. How much had she seen?

Peeling a hand away from his face he warily lifted his waistband. He was relieved to see he was still wearing the same pair of boxers. Fresh blood pooled in his face when he realized she must have seen exactly that same pair the night before. A whine escaped him as he hid his face once more.

"Yoosung are you alright?" Said MC worriedly as she came back into the room, his clothes in hand. He couldn't bear to uncover his face and merely nodded.

"Y-yup I'm fine, don't worry!" He insisted. MC stifled a giggle as she watched his display.

"Well, alright. Oh! I almost forgot." She said, walking over to him. He reluctantly peaked through his fingers to see her standing in front of him with an outstretched hand. Something yellow sat atop her palm.

"My phone!" He exclaimed happily, grabbing his long lost device. "Thank you! Oh, I thought I lost this!"

"Yeah, you left it in my couch yesterday before you.. ran out." Said MC.

"Oh... I'm sorry for acting that way. I shouldn't have acted like that when you had been so nice to me. I feel awful." Said Yoosung, sniffling from his stuffy nose.

"No, you have nothing to be sorry about! It's not your fault at all. Anyone would've had a strong reaction to something like that. It's my fault for showing you." She said, a look of guilt pulling at her lips.

"Oh! I almost forgot, Seven messaged you yesterday. He called too and I answered it. He said something about dropping a phone in the toilet." She continued. Yoosung looked devastated.

"Augh, that only happened one time! Why is he still bringing that up?" He whined, throwing his hands in the air. He winced before grasping at his forehead. A realization hit him and he tilted his head to MC curiously.

"Wait, do you know him too?" He asked.

"Well, I mean... yes. Not personally because well... you know. But yes, I know who everyone is. Seven, Jumin, Jaehee, Zen and... you." She smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, right. The game." He sighed, rubbing his temple. "So, um... what kind of game was I in anyway? Was it cool? Oh! Was it like LOLOL?" He seemed to perk up immediately as he awaited her response.

"Uh, well, no not exactly. It was... well," she took a deep breath, unable to meet his curious gaze. "A dating game."

It took a moment for her words to register for him. As soon as it clicked his face flushed red quicker than a stoplight.

"A d-dating game?" He asked in disbelief. MC bit her lip and her eyes cast downwards. She knew the question would come sooner or later but that didn't mean she was prepared.

"Wait, so like one of those otome games? The ones girls play?" He asked again. "I was in one of those?"

MC nodded. The room went quiet as Yoosung sat lost in thought before his eyes lit up.

"Did you play this game?" Asked Yoosung curiously. "Is that why I came out of your phone?" MC couldn't bear to look at him and stood up abruptly.

"W-why don't we talk about this a little more later? I uh, still need to wash your clothes and stuff before I- oh my god I forgot about work!" She exclaimed, hands tugging at her hair. She had completely forgotten about her early shift in the midst of caring for the blonde. "Oh what am I going to do? Um.. do you think you'd be okay staying here by yourself? I have plenty of food if you're hungry, and medicines in the bathroom cabinet. You can help yourself to anything in my home while I'm gone. I'm so sorry to throw this at you last minute!"

"Oh I don't mind at all!" Said Yoosung. He was a little nervous about being left alone so suddenly but he didn't want to be an even bigger burden than he already was. "You do what you have to d-ACHEW." He sniffed a little before rubbing his nose. "I'll be okay."

MC didn't look very convinced but she figured she didn't have a choice. If he was feeling well enough she had to go to work. She was behind on her bills enough as it was already. With a small groan and a few steps in place she headed to the door.

"I'll go throw your clothes in the wash downstairs okay? I'll only be gone for a few hours today so I'll dry them when I get back. Don't leave this room, I don't want you stuck outside again alright?" She said hurriedly as she slipped on her shoes. Just as she opened the door another thought occurred to her.

"Oh! My work number's on the fridge and if you get bored you can feel free to use my laptop. There's a game on there called WOW I think you'll really like. I haven't paid the subscription though so you can't get too far but, it should be fine until I get back. Bye Yoosung, I lo-fffff nothing bye see you later!" And with that she was out the door.

Yoosung sat alone on the couch in the suddenly quiet room. He was alone in a girl's house. This was both exciting and slightly terrifying. What was he going to do for the next few hours all by himself? Usually he'd play LOLOL in his spare time but he didn't think that was going to be possible. The thought of never playing LOLOL again felt like a stab in the chest but he couldn't afford to have another emotional breakdown. If he was going to calm down the first thing he needed was a shower.

The hot water had felt amazing after his run in with the rain the previous night. Even his nose felt better from the steam. He took a deep breath and sighed as he dried himself off, looking at himself in the mirror for the first time since he'd been in this strange predicament. He was surprised to see he didn't look quite as he remembered. His eyes seemed smaller than they used to, his nose more round. He placed a hand under his chin while the other combed through his hair. It was strange to see himself like this.

As he turned towards the door to leave he realized he had made a small mistake. Without his clothes for the next few hours he was at all a loss of what to do. He definitely couldn't put back on the clothes MC had been kind enough to lend him, and walking around naked was definitely not going to happen. His cheeks burned at the thought of grabbing some extra clothes from her room. No! He wasn't going to go through her drawers! What kind of man was he?

A purple robe hanging from the back of the bathroom door caught his eye. He groaned. No way. Not going to happen. There was no way he was going to put on her bathrobe. That would be too weird. An invasion of her personal space perhaps even. He stood staring in frustration at the purple offender before huffing in defeat.

Yoosung ventured into the living room with a faint smell of strawberries trailing behind him. He sniffed the air with his newly cleared nose before bringing the fluffy purple fabric draped around him to his face. The sweet scent filled his nose and he smiled softly. This wasn't so bad.

The robe, though a little tight, was actually fairly comfortable. Even if it was a little embarrassing. He thanked whatever gods there might be watching him right now that Seven couldn't see him. He'd never hear the end of it.

It was as if Seven's power of coincidence held no bounds as Yoosung's phone sent a vibration up his side. He had complete forgotten he'd put his phone in his pocket. He'd really need to start keeping better track of his things.

Pulling out his phone he saw a new notification from the RFA messenger. The message was indeed from Seven himself. Yoosung flushed, dearly hoping he couldn't somehow see him right now. He wouldn't put it past the hacker to figure out a way to bug his phone.

"Hey, YOOSUNG! You're not avoiding me now are you? I thought you had something important to talk to me about 0.0"

Yoosung had entirely forgotten about asking Zen to contact Seven on his behalf. He was really starting to lose it lately.

"Seven! I'm so sorry I haven't responded, I've had a really rough couple of days. You wouldn't BELIEVE what I've been through! :'( Did you manage to fix what's wrong with the chat room yet?"

He closed his phone and set it back in his pocket. He'd have to explain to Seven everything that's happened to him so far. Though he doubted he'd get him to believe him. All he wanted was to figure out what was going on in his life and be able to access the messenger again. He felt sad he couldn't even read the messages, let alone interact with everyone. With how Seven was he knew he would have some time before he responded again. Maybe he would go check out that game MC had been talking about. He'd love to take his mind off things for a little while.

MC rushed into work with only a minute to spare. With a gasp she fumbled in her bag for her I.D., clocking in at the computer as fast as she could. She couldn't believe she made it. With how traffic had been she was sure she was going to be late.

After locking things securely in her locker she tied on her apron and started heading over to the back of the kitchen. Her mind couldn't help but trail back to Yoosung on the way. She hoped he was doing alright and didn't need her for anything while she was gone. There was plenty of food, medicine and entertainment for him while she would be away.

As she turned the corner to find the list of tables to be scheduled a familiar face popped into view. Her blood ran cold as Kyle ran up to her, smiling like nothing had ever happened. She wanted to turn around and leave but couldn't remember how to use her legs all of a sudden. It was as if her shoes had been super glued to the floor.

"MC! Oh man, I thought you weren't going to make it in today! Good to see you!" He said cheerfully, playfully patting her on the shoulder. She leaned away from his touch and laughed nervously. Her skin started to tingle uncomfortably where his hand had been.

"Uh, h-hi Kyle." Said MC uneasily.

"Weather's much better out today than it was yesterday, huh? Say, how did the phone shopping go by the way? You manage to get anything?" He asked with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
MC watched him as he walked over towards the dishwasher.

"Oh, no I didn't actually. Funny story, haha it turns out I uh, left my wallet at home. Whoops." She said, giving a half smile. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she couldn't help but wonder where the rest of the employees were. Sure it was early but there had to be someone else here by now.

"Aw, well that's a shame. Maybe another time then." He said as he started filling the shelves with plates and bowls from the washer. He looked back at her and grinned. "You know, I wouldn't mind taking you there again after work. It wouldn't be any trouble."

MC gulped and took a small step back, backing away towards the spreadsheet on the wall. If she could just figure out which tables she was serving today she could get out of here.

"Oh, no. That's okay. Really." She protested. "I don't think I could afford one right now anyway. Have to wait after payday... You know how it is."

A spoon clattered against the floor as Kyle swore under his breath. Picking it up he threw it somewhat haphazardly into the dishwasher. His shoulders raised for a moment before he turned to face her, the ever present smile still on his face.

"Ah, well that's too bad. I understand though. If you ever need a ride don't be afraid to ask though." He insisted before turning back around to handle the pots and pans. An uncomfortable silence fell upon them as they stood in the kitchen. The only sound to be heard being of the pots and pans banging together lightly as Kyle readied them atop the stoves for the day. Something scratched at the back of MC's throat. Her lips pursed and before she knew it she had blurted the one thing burning in her mind since she had first seen him around that corner.

"I'm uh, sorry about last night." She said softly before mentally kicking herself. Why was she always apologizing? She hadn't wanted to say that at all. Instead of asking for an apology she had given one instead. Why was she always like this?

"What? What're you sorry about? I told you I didn't mind driving you around it's no big deal." He said casually as he started to rifle through the silverware, putting them away in their respective drawers.

"But, I jumped out of the car, and you, you were trying to-" she words cut short as she saw the glint coming from his hand. He turned to face her, a confused look on his face.

"What are you talking about MC?" He asked with an eyebrow raised. MC's eyes stayed trained on the large butcher knife clutched in his hand as he took a step forward. "You're being a little weird. All I did was drop you off at the store last night. Nothing to be sorry about at all. Is there?" He asked. It didn't sound like a question.

MC's eyes widened as her heart thumped against her ribs. What was he going to do? She couldn't move. Her entire body felt like it was on fire as her ears started to ring. His eyes pierced through her like daggers as he waited for her to respond. No matter how hard she tried to she couldn't will the words to come out.

Suddenly the slam of a door caught both of there attention, unglueing MC from the spot as she jumped in fright.

"Gooooooodmorning everybody! Oh, hey MC! Hi Kyle! What's up?" Asked Rachael as she mosied her way into the kitchen, throwing on her apron completely oblivious to the atmosphere around her. Before MC could respond Kyle beat her to it.

"Oh, nothing much just catching up with our friend while I do the dishes." Said Kyle, a smile on his face once again. His voice was completely different than it had been only moments ago.

"Isn't that right MC?" He asked, turning to face her with a wink. The knife he was holding slid without a sound into the wooden block on top of the counter where it belonged. MC didn't have the courage to argue.