She was a bit impulsive. Everyone who knew Alaura knew that much, and many of those people thought she was lacking in good sense as well. She didn't exactly have a wealth of evidence with which to argue the contrary, but she never devoted time to worrying about that until she was in the thick of her latest misadventure. Indeed, that's how she found herself in South Korea following her eighteenth birthday without knowing a lick of the language. Fortunately, her spontaneity happened to be paired with exceptional adaptability, and she learned quickly. After some time, she even managed to land a job as a low-level assistant at a newspaper, which became the fuel of her most recent ambition: to attain a career as an investigative journalist.
She realized it was a lofty goal for anyone, particularly someone of her position. She knew that if she were to even have a chance, she would have to find a story and pursue it relentlessly. She worked alone, for the most part. Though Alaura generally liked people and knew how to be sociable when the occasion called for it, she was an introvert at heart. She spent hours awake every night, scouring local news and tabloid websites, take special care to examine and re-examine the most innocuous stories. She was not disappointed. Eventually she began to notice an unusual pattern centered around a small charity organization known as "Rika's Fundraising Association." Following the alleged suicide of the founding member, the young woman called "Rika," a handful of the most affluent guests of the R.F.A.'s previous parties began exhibiting strange behaviors. Nothing drastic, of course… For the most part, they simply became reclusive, but two of them were caught on record making odd remarks about "paradise." Was this simply due to the fact that they were grief-stricken over the sudden and tragic loss of a young humanitarian? Or was there something more going on beneath the surface?
It wasn't much to go on, but it was a start. Alaura began researching this matter in earnest, gathering all the information she could find about the R.F.A., its guests, its members and, particularly, Rika herself. By asking the right people the right questions here and there, she found herself directed toward an add with a tenuous connection to one of the wealthy former guests, an Internet mogul who had gone off the grid just before Rika's death. That is, until, he pinned a certain add to the front page of one of his lesser-known Internet forum websites.
One look at the post and Alaura knew there was a story waiting to be uncovered.
It didn't take her long to deduce that what she had infiltrated was some sort of cult. It had to be a cult, right? With all the talk of "paradise" and the way Ray spoke of his work and his unseen superior, what else could it be? The real question was, why was a cult so keen on collecting the secrets of a tiny, inactive charity organization? Was there an even deeper scandal at play? A personal vendetta, perhaps?
It also didn't take long for Alaura to start feeling sorry for Ray. Despite his initial deception, he seemed quite harmless, kind, even… Alaura had the distinct impression that he was being manipulated.
As she became closer to Ray and the members of the R.F.A., she started to doubt whether she had the stomach to be a real journalist. She didn't like lying to them, any of them. Even though she knew they were lying to her too, she liked them, especially him…
The strength of her feelings for him caught her completely off-guard. She had only know him for a few days, and she could honestly say that, at the age of twenty, she had never fallen in love before.
Love? That was a comical thought. Could one even fall in love under such circumstances? He didn't know the real her, and he made a point of reminding her that she didn't know the real him.
But what else could it have been? After a certain point, she had to acknowledge that her decisions were no longer dictated by what served her own well-being. It was all for him. That's why she stayed, even after Ray's… change. She could see his pain more clearly than anyone, because she understood the agony of helplessness. Only this time, she wasn't helpless. She was in a unique position to do something for someone she cared about, and she couldn't bring herself to leave. Not at first, anyway…
That first day undercover was thrilling. Alaura did as Ray instructed, telling the wary R.F.A. members that she simply couldn't reveal where she was or how she had accessed their private messenger. She knew from the start that these were no NPCs, that they were real members of a real organization, but she tried to think of it as a game all the same. She rightly suspected that her "gameplay" was being monitored, and she wanted to give a good performance. She even picked a "character" to pursue, and favored the perpetually overworked Jaehee Kang whenever the opportunity presented itself.
They were all intriguing, though. The narcissistic actor, the young company director, the secretive photographer, the troubled college student and the genius hacker… She had to admit, they would all make great characters in a romance game or a drama, and she felt an article about this colorful group practically wrote itself.
She messaged Ray to request a pen and paper under the pretense of writing notes and observations about the "game" and how to improve it. He responded quickly, and she thought he seemed glad for an excuse to see her once more.
"Will this work?" he asked, handing her the materials.
"Yes! Actually, this is my favorite kind of pen."
"Ah, I like it too! It's the only kind I ever get."
A shy silence fell between them. Not an uncomfortable one, by any means, but the kind between two people who are fond of each other.
"You… Do you do a lot of writing?" Ray asked.
"I do," she said. "I like to write all kinds of things. It's a hobby of mine. Um, do you have any hobbies?"
"Not so much," he replied. "I mean, there is maybe one thing…"
"Tell me!"
"Well… I have some interest in gardening."
"So you grow flowers and stuff?" asked Alaura, smiling to herself as she recalled her first impression of Ray.
Ray nodded. "Yes, I've grown a variety of flowers."
"I tried gardening once. My little sister told me I would never have the attention span for it, so I tried it, out of stubbornness more than anything else. Turns out she was right."
"You have a sister?"
"Two, actually. But they live quite far away. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"
"I…" Ray started, and his eyes seem to flicker out of focus. "No."
"Oh…"
"It must be nice," said Ray. "I'm sorry, but I have to get going. I have a few things I need to finish."
"Of course," said Alaura, realizing she must have touched on a sensitive subject. "Um, Ray?"
"Yes?"
"I enjoyed talking to you."
He beamed. "So did I! I'll be back later, if you're still up."
While she waited for Ray to return in the evening, Rook spoke with the R.F.A. members. They were very curious of her indeed, particularly the distraught and grief-ridden Yoosung Kim, who seemed convinced that V was hiding something about Rika's death. Interesting…
Inspired by Ray, Alaura began a short story about a garden of sentient flowers, in which Yoosung was represented by a white lily. She knew that, in the language of flowers, white lilies meant purity and innocence, and were also deeply associated with grief. It wasn't the most elegant code, but Alaura was also making a point to write in convoluted English. She could only hope it'd be enough obfuscate any unwelcome readers.
About ten minutes into this pursuit, Alaura was interrupted by a call on her decoy device. She answered, knowing it could only be one of her new friends.
"Hello?"
"Oh, you answered right away," a man's voice replied. "Since we can't meet in person just yet, I was thinking I would officially introduce myself over the phone! My name is 707! This world's last hacker with a conscience, sometimes referred to as '707, the Hacker King!'"
"Oh, really?" Alaura said skeptically. "And just who ever calls you that?"
"I do. I just did. Didn't you hear me?"
"It doesn't count if you call yourself that!"
"Why not?" said Seven indignantly. "Anyways, Yoosung calls me that, too…"
"I'm inclined to say he doesn't count either."
"That's not fair! Of course he counts!"
"I got the impression he was a bit gullible. You're taking advantage."
"Me? Take advantage of Yoosung? I would never! And I'm telling him you called him gullible."
"Ah, don't! Have mercy, Your Highness! You're Excellency!"
"A 'Your Ingenious Majesty' wouldn't go amiss," he hinted.
"Don't push it." She heard him laugh and she grinned. "So what brings the God of Hacking to the realm of mere mortals?"
"I have come to bring peace. No, wait, that suits a peacemaker rather than a god, doesn't it? Sorry, I'm a little caught off guard. You caught me off guard. What should I say? It's my first time dealing with someone like you. So… mysterious… no, fascinating? Anyway, Miss Mysterious! I want to know your psychological state. So I have a very special psychological test for you. How about it?"
"I love those!"
"Oh, you like these kinds of things? Okay, let's see… Okay, listen and imagine. One day! Out of the blue! A person comes to you. The person asks you to test the newly released ice cream. Here's the question: What did the person look like?"
"I don't know… I wasn't paying attention to his face."
"So you just went straight for the ice cream? I'm the same way. I love ice cream. Anyway, I'll tell you the result of the test. Drum roll!" He imitated the sounds of a drumroll. "You're hungry right now. Am I right?"
"You're right! And I'm suddenly craving ice cream…" she said. "Want to hear my observations?"
"Your observations?"
"You're not the suspicious type, despite often dealing with deceptive people. And… you've already decided I'm not a bad person."
Her words were met with a long silence, then, "Am I wrong?"
"I try to be a good person, but, honestly, I'm not fully convinced that I am," Alaura admitted.
"Sounds like something a good person would say. Anyway, that's the end of the test! It's a shame that I couldn't get the answer I was hoping for, but… there's nothing I can do about that."
"What did you want to hear?"
"Oh—it's nothing! Anyway, I have a mountain of work to do! I should go. It was fun talking to you!"
"Already?" asked Alaura, failing to conceal her disappointment.
"We can talk again later! Well then, bye!"
Alaura stayed on the phone long enough to hear him hang up. Seven… He had an interesting way of talking that was both dramatic and dynamic. She wouldn't have minded talking to him a bit longer…
The test… So Seven must have have known something about her circumstances. At least, he probably knew that she had been asked to test a new product and was hoping to get some kind of description of Ray. She didn't like misleading Seven. She and he seemed similar to one another: not suspicious, but shrewd. He was a member of the R.F.A., and therefore involved in something dubious. She had only met him that day. She hadn't even seen his face. Still, she had the same impression of him as he of her. Despite all the reasons she had to suspect him, she couldn't think of him as a bad person. She admired him. She decided to make him a red carnation.
It was quite late when Ray knocked on Alaura's door that evening. He seemed very pleased when she told him she had been looking forward to his visit. When he asked her what she thought of the game, she consulted her "notes."
"I tried to be critical," said Alaura. "I want to give you useful feedback, but the truth is, I love it! I don't know how you made such an intricate game, but it's like talking to real people!"
"I'm so flattered to hear you say so," Ray said. "But I hope they're not too realistic. I wouldn't want to make the game too complicated, or for you to be taken in by the illusion."
"Isn't that the point of any good story or game? To lose yourself and become a part of it?"
"Normally it would be, but…" His eyes flickered toward her as a gentle pink tinged his cheeks. "I guess I don't want you to forget that I'm the only real person. Is it weird of me to be jealous of my own characters?"
Only a little, Alaura thought privately, somewhat disturbed by his determination to dehumanize the R.F.A. members.
"I don't think you need to worry about that," she said. "You're a very memorable person."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Absolutely!"
"I'm glad. Oh, I meant to ask, which character is your favorite?"
"Seven," Alaura answered without thinking and then silently cursed herself. She had meant to pick Jaehee, since she was the one Alaura was pretending to pursue. Whoops.
"Oh… Him…" said Ray, suddenly stony-faced. "I'd describe him as a bunch of contradictions. For instance, you might think he's lighthearted or funny, but that's a façade. He's actually more devious and corrupt than you could imagine." Ray seemed to grow more agitated as he spoke, clenching and unclenching his fists where they rest on his knees. "You shouldn't choose him. Never. You'll end up getting hurt! And if you're hurt… I'll be sad, too… So just leave that character out of your to-pursue list."
Alaura resisted the urge to scoot further along the sofa, away from Ray. He absolutely had some personal issue with Seven.
"You know, these characters surprise even me with the way they turned out, even though I made all five of them," Ray continued, unaware of Alaura's discomfort. "I may have made them too flawed… I'll make note of your impressions and make the game more fun. Thank you so much for your feedback! Anything else you want to know?"
"Um… There is, but not about the game…" said Alaura. "I want to know more about you, Ray."
"About me? I've never talked much about me… Well, I guess that's because no one ever asks… For now, all you really need to know is that I'm the developer of this app! But I did also want to say that I feel really good about you being here, Alaura. Maybe it's melodramatic, but you being here, playing my game… it's like a dream come true for me. And I'm pretty happy that your interested in me too. Really, meeting you might be the best thing that's ever happened to me."
That caught her off guard. Obviously it was meant to be a compliment, but it was a little alarming, in a few ways… She felt pressured, seeing as he already had such a lofty opinion of her. If she hadn't already felt ensnared by her current circumstances, this statement made it virtually impossible for her to walk away. Aside from that, this did not seem like a tactic on his behalf. As far as she could tell, he was being completely honest. And, if it was the truth, it was an utterly heartbreaking truth, wasn't it?
"I'll do my best," said Alaura.