Night-Owl Romance

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Note: Yeah, titles are not my greatest friend these last few chapters, lol. XD

I know, I know ~~~ I need to get the plot moving on quicker, but meeeeh - My brain is currently being either friend or rained on heavily by this weather.

Also, props to people who know the image I based that thing with Seven and Vanderwood with – was a comic that I cannot find anymore... X'D but it was so funneh, with the chair and... you'll see what I mean ^o^.

Note2: Btw, who's excited for that new V route? TwT I know, I am 3

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Chapter 29: Tangling Thoughts. And Ropes.

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The hours were passing by since Mina's talk with Jaehee, silence ensuing in the MysMe app from the coordinator's side. By the time night was falling on top of the city, Mina's face had dried off completely as she was far too busy focusing on the party guests' replies, answering every dilemma to the best of her capabilities. The slow routine had been resumed with its usual hardships that were solved best with help from the R.F.A. members.

Minus Zen.

The actor had yet to contact Mina, the girl wondering whether he had logged into the app recently or not. He had informed her that the meeting wouldn't be long lasting, just formalities needed to be done before he made a decision regarding his new role.

That was nearly 6 hours ago...

Mina knew she shouldn't expect much from the actor. Zen did not owe her any update on his situation. What's more, he did not make one inside the chat room either, the silver haired male being silent there as well. He was probably too swamped by his own issues to think of her. 'Yeah, for sure...' Still, that did not stop the party planner from having conflicting thoughts, a small fear creeping inside with a possibility that... maybe she was being ignored?

Had Zen read what Jaehee wrote, agreeing with her statement?

Was this the reason he was offline now?

Was this why he had been so silent?

Even before, during his rehearsals, Zen would find moments to contact Mina back rather swiftly.

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It was different now.

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Mina's stomach was rumbling painfully, almost like sharp blades were piercing through her insides and searching for a way out of her body through savage, bloody means. She did nothing to stop it, though; on the contrary, skipping meals recklessly in order to keep the rumbling sensations alive. This discomfort was something she was willing to maintain for it was doing a great job at masking her heart's pain, to the point it was no longer bothering Mina with her work.

She liked it this way.

Occasionally, whenever her phone made lots of vibrating noises, that's when her mind retraced its steps back to the messenger.

Back to these thoughts of Zen...

The girl would check her phone frequently, secretly hoping for an update from the actor, which did not want to arrive even hours later. She would only receive texts from the other R.F.A. members, though.

Apparently, everyone had caught up with the latest chat room discussions, Yoosung and Seven incredibly vocal about Jaehee's concern – it seemed a bit too strongly delivered towards Mina. Jumin could not care less of the floating gossip, seeking out his missing assistant online as he was having no luck finding the woman. It was urgent! Assistant Kang was needed to offer an eloquent explanation about the reason why Elizabeth the Third was suddenly experiencing different eating habits.

"Ha..."

However, everyone was agreeing with the assessments made.

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There was something different in how MC was interacting with Zen and vice versa.

They were growing closer.

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The blonde was obviously distraught over the realization that had come into view once more – 'Once more...?' – whereas Seven was in his non-funny, but slightly amusing mode. Not to mention, he was becoming merciless in teasing the poor college student with the broken heart.

"I knew it from day one~!", the red head cheekily revealed, Mina ever more flabbergasted by the following tear-spam coming from Yoosung.

"You could have warned me, hyung!"

"Why must I have spoiled your dreams so quickly?" *raises-glasses emoji* "It wouldn't have been as much fun seeing you as it is now~!"

"Ahhhh!" *crying emoji spam* "Wait, hyung. Did you say 'seeing' me?"

"Maybe~!"

"Hang on, are your cameras back into my room?"

"Maybe~!" *raises-glasses emoji*

"..."

The coordinator suddenly sighed deeply and then shook her head, glancing away as the duo continued their bickering. Her thoughts were tangled with what had been mentioned by the hacker. Mina was certain her crush hadn't developed that fast.

Maybe...

But, if it was true – and it seemed so, considering how many shared this opinion – then it had to be a shallow sentiment to have, right? To be fair, the girl was unsure how strongly she was feeling about Zen or what these jumbled up emotions entitled: something borderline friendly or with hints of possible romantic inclinations, or... in the end... nothing.

Maybe Mina was just that lonely and simply liked the idea of being considered close to a person.

Any person, in fact, and Zen just happened to be there at the right moments.

It was nice to be wanted for a change.

...

And she was back internally stressing over it. Good job...

"Good job, Mina."

Many sentiments were at war and causing her head ache to spike up, but she dismissed these coldly while continuing with the guests' correspondence. She didn't need further stress in her tumultuous life as it was. The party planner wanted to put the issue aside and not think too deeply. Thus, she did not even try to deny the things said in the app by Jaehee or stop the others from spamming the messenger, though she had made them aware of her presence by entering said chat rooms. She did not write down any replies, but made it clear through the private messages that she was far too cluttered with e-mails to keep up with their rich imagination and childish gossip.

"Ooooo~~~! Are you that upset over what Jaehee did?"

Bloody Seven was having a break from his hacking, this distraction bringing him the utmost satisfaction, more so than a cracked server would. Either that or his heightened mood was probably the direct result of the plentiful morsels of Dr. Penny Soda and Honey Buddha Chips he had ingested in a dangerous combo, reacting interestingly to his sleepless streak: awake 72 hours and counting~!

"You don't have to be too offended by what she wrote~!" *happy emoji*

"Jaehee's quite sensitive when it comes to Zen's career."

"And can become overprotective really fast when she senses something potentially dangerous~~!" *raises-glasses emoji* "She is really passionate."

Mina did not fare any better afterwards and the hacker soon took the hint to leave her alone. But not before writing down a finishing blow to the girl's psyche. "MC, since I am your hacker prince *raises-glasses emoji* I need to come with last saving words for the R.F.A.'s princess ^o^~!"

"Seven, I really don't want to hear anything else..."

"Take this advice from yours truly, the wisest being you'll ever come across the universe~~~!"

"Hah...? (눈_눈)"

"Human emotions are always fleeing and changing; nearly daily, as a matter of fact."

"They are mostly a great hassle to possess."

"Nothing is certain."

"..."

"Feelings of 'love' are the most impractical one can have in this world. ^o^"

"Most are temporary, quite easy to lose~!"

"Seven..."

"Though, there is only one 'love' I know is permanent and that I will definitely have in this world until I die, mwhahahahaha~~~!"

"God, keeping me afloat." *sparkling emoji*

"So, I'd keep in mind what Jaehee is suggesting."

"Also, I – "

"Aren't you done yet?", the girl was definitely not happy, Seven snapping into overdramatic reactions to her blunt iciness. At this rate, she will become a snow royalty fit to rule over this wintery land in the R.F.A. world and –

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- MC has logged off the messenger -

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~oOo~

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"Hooo... She is mad. Really, really mad.", Seven took off the headphones as his grin was wavering from the outcome. Eyes travelled towards the CCTV footage, when suddenly a loud crash came right next to him.

"G~~~AAAAAH~!"

"Oi, Luciel. Stop fucking around and do your damn job before I am forced to take immediate action!", the red head spun around his chair with such speed, he nearly tumbled off of it. He was met with the unflattering, angry expression of the 'maid' who had been unwillingly dispatched to his house.

Indefinitely.

The fuming individual had taken upon himself to clean the apartment yet again, dropping a heavy container in order to grab the hacker's attention. That genius boy was a deaf one. "So much crap, how can you even function like a proper human being anymore?!"

And Vanderwood was scolding him like a nagging parent would, presumably. "What's that on the table? Again?! The shitty soda will rot away your intestines with this amount alone!"

"Not going to bother explaining about this trash you call 'food'."

"And what the hell is...?", the brown haired male grabbed the discarded waste pilling next to the computer, hesitatingly bringing too close for inspection. "Ugh... The smell."

"Revolting."

"Everything here is immensely revolting!"

"You can always leave, ya know~!", the red head grinned, spinning around his chair while the other male was busy disinfecting the horrendous looking room; to no avail, Vanderwood's face souring with each passing minute. "The boss is getting what he wants in time, so you don't have to stay."

"I insist~!", the red head chuckled at the row of insults received, returning his focus onto the screen while pouring another drink down his throat in one go.

"Trust me, I would much rather be far, far away from this infected rat's nest."

"But the agency's new mission has my lifeon the line and you have the tendency of making everything painfully fucked up last minute.", Vanderwood complained, unable to count how many close calls he had had in the agency so far.

He hated being called a maid so loosely by the little shit, but Luciel's ass was glued in front of that computer 24/7 and hygiene was not his priority. Not even a low one, although it should definitely become top. The grumpy male was tireless in picking various items scattered across the floor, new surprises being discovered left and right. They were becoming quite the test for his stomach's sensitivity.

If Vanderwood didn't know any better, he'd thought Luciel was doing this on fucking purpose.

And his intuition was spot on~!

Seven was actually very proud of his accomplishments. ^o^ It wasn't easy turning this luxurious apartment into a pigsty. He needed all the distractions he could find for Vanderwood to take care of, while he was busy trying to track down the R.F.A. intruder.

The red headed hacker did not share any information to anyone from the group except V, however...

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This task was proving to be a challenge for which he did not foresee an ending too soon.

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It was troubling him. Usually Seven could find a lead in mere hours and by now everything should have been sorted out fine and dandy. Unfortunately, it had been days already and, with barely any amount of rest in between work hours, he had no results to show. The red head was unsure how this was possible since his skills were the best in the country.

Like, damn, they were best in Asia!

And he was being virtually taunted by someone who almost knew how Seven was thinking or doing his coding, countless trails heading into dead ends. The last known spot of a link was surrounding a church hidden high up in the mountains near Seoul, which was... strange.

*sigh*He was getting nowhere.

From time to time, Seven's golden eyes would be staring at the CCTV broadcasting inside Rika's apartment, checking on the coordinator. He was inspecting her actions, noting relieved how the girl's curiosity regarding the stuff located inside the apartment was relatively small. Mina left the locks untouched, so the security system was not going to turn 'ON' by mistake~!

He, he, he!

Nevertheless, Seven was not fully satisfied with what he was spotting on camera, his chest constricting slightly.

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Her cheeks were sparkling again.

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"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!", the thought it might have been his fault had shocked Seven to his deepest core, but more than that, it had scared the living daylight out of Vanderwood, who was panting horribly from the sudden scream. Loads of trash poured over the neatly mopped flooring because of it.

" 'Tis the last straw, Luciel.", the grumpy male threatened, having had enough of the hacker's carefree attitude and tendency to slack off on the job. Moreover, he was fucking around his computer again, looking at god knows what dodgy films right there.

Was that a lone girl inside an apartment?

"Disgusting."

"Not what you think, Mary! I promise that my eyes are set on important work~!"

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"TOO LATE!"

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Minutes later and Vanderwood finally had a genuine smile plastered across his face, his expression softening from sheer delight. The red head was struggling to escape his new restraints binding him to the chair – he painfully realized how all attempts were going to be met in utter failure. "How am I supposed to code like this?!", Seven was annoyed at his maid, who was not being cute anymore with this kind of brutish attitude. Or smart, the job for the agency being nearly impossible to do in this state.

Mary had never been so mean to him before!

"I'll pretend to give a damn when hell freezes over.", Vanderwood replied dryly, grabbing the duct tape to use on the hacker's loud mouth.

"Masterpiece complete!", he exhaled happily at his good work, relishing the newfound quiet he desperately craved for.

He needed to finish up that cleaning!

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~oOo~

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[707]: *crying emoji*

[707]: *crying emoji*

[707]: *crying emoji*

[707]: *crying emoji*

[Yoosung]: What's wrong, Seven?!

[707]: Mary is so rough with me lately... my body is hurting all over!

[Yoosung]: What...

[Yoosung]: Mary?

[Yoosung]: Who is she?

[Yoosung]: And what is happening to your body?!

[707]: She's so mean to me, I need saving. (╥)

[707]: Someone tell Mary to release me from these ropes! *crying emoji* My poor skin is sensitive to rashes!

[Yoosung]: *shocked emoji*

[Yoosung]: WHAT IS GOING ON OVER THERE?!

ZEN has entered the chat room –

[707]: *crying emoji*

[ZEN]: Has anyone seen Jaehee?

[ZEN]: *angry emoji*

[707]: *crying emoji*

[Yoosung]: Heya Zen. She hasn't logged in a while.

[Yoosung]: You need her for anything? O-O You seem upset...

[ZEN]: 'Upset' doesn't come anywhere near.

[707]: *crying emoji*

[ZEN]: Why is she bothering MC with so many strange ideas?!

[ZEN]: How she acted towards her was really uncalled for.

[ZEN]: And why are you guys enabling Jaehee with even stranger conclusions?!

[Yoosung]: I'm innocent, hyung!

[707]: *crying emoji*

[ZEN]: Gosh.

[ZEN]: I'M SO ANGRY!

[707]: *crying emoji*

[ZEN]: No amount of crying will make me forgive any of you, Seven!

[707]: *crying emoji*

[707]: Wasn't doing it over you, Zen.

[707]: I didn't even notice you log 'till now ~~~!

[707]: LOLOL!

[ZEN]: ...

[Yoosung]: So harsh, Seven...

[707]: Heya, Zen~! Whazzuuuuup.

[ZEN]: Is life not precious enough for you?

[ZEN]: Stop pissing me off, dammit. O-o

[ZEN]: *sigh emoji*

[ZEN]: What a wonderful day turned to ruins in a second.

[Yoosung]: Something good happened? O-O

[ZEN]: Got my new acting part and soon starting filming for it.

[Yoosung]: Is it the news that's been floating around online?

[ZEN]: Yeah, that one.

[Yoosung]: OMG!

[Yoosung]: THE ROLE WITH ECHO GIRL?!

[Yoosung]: CONGRATULATIONS! *excited emoji* *excited emoji* *excited emoji*

[707]: Conrgatilatons!

[707]: I mnea ti.

[707]: Whit ohnetsy, lol.

[ZEN]: ... Thanks.

[707]: Mkae srue to get Ech oGurls auotgrphas for us.

[ZEN]: *sighing emoji*

[Yoosung]: Seven, your typos are hard to read...

[707]: Balme Mayr. *crying emoji*

[Yoosung]: Anyway, Zen. Why are you sighing?

[ZEN]: Having you guys praise me so powerfully...

[ZEN]: Compared to MC, it feels just so wrong to have men more excited about my role.

[ZEN]: Feels so gross. *depressed emoji*

[Yoosung]: ... Gross? *crying emoji*

[707]: LOLOLOLOLOL!

[707]: And you two got along so nicely ~~~! *raises-glasses emoji*

[707]: Oh well.

[707]: I should comfort MC with my space ship and videos~!

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[ZEN]: *angry emoji* DON'T YOU DARE STEP AN INCH CLOSE TO HER!

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[Yoosung]: *shocked emoji*

[707]: W-Woaaaah, s-so possessive already! *shocked emoji*

[707]: GAAAAAAAH!

[Yoosung]: Yeah, he's almost scary... O-O

[Yoosung]: I've never seen Zen like this.

[Yoosung]: But, it's unfair to keep MC just to yourself...

[707]: Ya.

[ZEN]: I'm scary?! It's not that –

[ZEN]: I don't trust in anything Seven sends to people after that unholy trap of a link!

[ZEN]: MC should be spared of such images in the future at all cost!

[707]: Fufufufufufufu~! If only you knew the truth!

[ZEN]: What nonsense are you typing? *bored emoji*

[Yoosung]: Yeah, Seven. What are you saying there?

[707]: Recheck the picture and you'll notice a striking detail that will crumble the realms of reality as you know it ;D

[707]: At laest, Zen's raeilty mithg carsh.

[Yoosung]: His typos returned.

[ZEN]: Annoying.

[Yoosung]: Meh.

[Yoosung]: Anyway, I... shall pass. Don't want to open the pic.

[ZEN]: Me neither.

[ZEN]: I'm perfectly happy not being blinded by that horror anymore.

[Yoosung]: Agreed.

[707]: Siut yuorlesf.

[Yoosung]: Like, the artist obviously has insane drawing skills, but... not...

[Yoosung]: The subject...

[Yoosung]: No.

[Yoosung]: The nature shots were so muuuuuuch better.

[Yoosung]: Game ones blew my mind away, recognized a few oldies from my past.

[Yoosung]: And portraits, but yeah – not...

[Yoosung]: Those... ;=;

[707]: If olny we kenw an attttrist who cuold darw lke dat. *wink emoji*

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[ZEN]: ...

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[Yoosung]: Yeah... I'd commission my LOLOL char in a heartbeat if they had badass skills like that.

[Yoosung]: But I'm so poor. T-T

[Yoosung]: College life so hard!

[ZEN]: *sigh emoji*

[ZEN]: If Jaehee logs, tell her to reach me. OK?

[ZEN]: Time to start practicing.

[Yoosung]: Mkay!

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~oOo~

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Zen exhaled a curse and dropped his eyes from the screen, throwing the phone towards his side on the couch and bumping it onto the edge. A lot was bugging him at the moment and Seven was not helpful by bringing up that travesty image into his head.

Not to mention the way that troublesome hacker mentioned it, despite the excruciating typos, made Zen think of the only artist he knew around.

Mina Choi.

"Nah, there's no way.", he chuckled while he opened the fridge's door, picking up a can of Kass, stopping midway with the drinking the more his mind was set on the latest texts.

"There's no way...", Zen mumbled more seriously, knowing well how the hacker was just messing around with his mind, but whenever Seven did that lately and with Mina as a subject, it... well...

The allusions came true.

Furthermore, Seven added that suspicious line at the end, with the whole realms of reality crumbling and –

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* BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ *

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Whatever the reality was, Zen had more pressing issues to occupy his mind with.