Seven's confusion worried you and kept you from truly enjoying Zen's rehearsal. Even when he sang the romantic solo in your direction (both the leads sang a duet towards the audience symbolizing being far apart) you still weren't completely enthralled. In your experience with the members of the RFA - especially Seven and V - you likely weren't going to get that many answers from them. That said, a thought came to your head - where in the timeline were you? What had actually happened? Had a party already happened? How come the character had not met you? You had played all the routes, had any of those stories happened?

It was almost 8:00pm by the time Zen was allowed to leave rehearsal. Around 4:00pm he had been allowed to take a short break with you and a few other coworkers but aside from that you had been sitting in the audience most of the afternoon by yourself. You decided not to go back into the chatroom until you were able to get your story straight - you didn't want to confuse the rest of the RFA members. When Zen was done, you told him Seven wanted to meet you and they had to head over to his house. Zen agreed and called him for the address.

"Luciel, it's Zen… Yes, I am with MC… a few times… Yeah… Yeah… Just text me your address, we'll head over… No, she's… No, She's amazing. We'll talk when I get there, I don't have much battery left" Zen hung up his phone and headed towards his bike while holding onto your hand. He passed you a helmet and strapped his in. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay" you said

"I'm exhausted" Zen said. "It's been a long day. We've been up for almost 24 hours. You must be tired too Princess"

"I'm okay" you lied. You had almost fallen asleep during the later rehearsals but kept waking up anxious. The idea of falling asleep terrified you so you kept yourself awake as best as you could. "I could use some coffee to be honest" you said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"One coffee coming up, we'll make a quick stop on the way there" he said, hopping onto his bike and signaling you to go on behind him.

About half an hour later you were standing in front of Seven's building. The front door had a camera that moved when you stood there and asked for a password in arabic. Zen waved at the camera and about a minute later the door opened automatically.

A slender guy with vibrant red hair and yellow/black framed glasses stared at you from top to bottom, not saying a word. You stared at him the same way. He was exactly as you remembered him. Black/yellow hoodie, light golden eyes,

"Hi" you said shyly, taking the last sip of your coffee. You knew Seven was the main character of the game and despite having played his route in the past, you had nothing but a great fondness for him. You loved him as a friend, much the same way you loved the other characters, except for Zen. Zen had just captivated your heart. Nevertheless, seeing Seven stand in front of you made you want to jump and hug him. You had spent a great deal of time talking to him before and you really enjoyed chatting with him.

"Luciel, are you going to let us in?" Zen asked, resting his hand on the door.

"Right, right, yes, come in" Seven said, moving out of the way. You stepped inside after Zen and you were able to get a better look at him. He was shorter than Zen but still taller than you. He was wearing this big hoodie and the big headset around his neck - it was almost comical how he looked just like the pictures you'd seen of him. His face was serious but he held onto the cable of his headphones with his right hand, playing with it as if it was a nervous habit. He seemed a little scatterbrained, but maybe it was mostly that he didn't know how to react to your presence. He closed the door behind you and walked around you, almost as if to make sure you were real.

"Uhm, I am really happy to see you Saeyoung" you said. His eyes opened wide when he heard you say his name. You regretted saying it almost instantly. You forgot he hadn't told anyone that name. You didn't know how much of his story you were supposed to know and you remembered too late how private he was about his life.

"Saeyoung?" Zen asked, looking at both of you with a strange look. Seven's demeanor changed. If before he appeared uncomfortable, now he looked down right aggressive and suspicious.

"Who are you, really, and where did you hear that name?" Seven asked, his eyes a thin line, his expression firm. Shit.

"Luciel" Zen intervened, noticing his angered expression. "We came because you asked. She's MC! Why are you questioning who she is? I thought you did a background check on her when she first joined the RFA"

"MC is not real" Seven said, with a thin line in his mouth. "MC was a virus that was implanted into the app. Yes, I did a background check on her, as in, I decoded the virus and saw it was harmless. It wasn't tracking data anywhere and it seemed like a fun artificial intelligence character with preset answers" He turned back to you again. "V and I decided to leave the MC virus in the app because it seemed harmless and we thought it might get the group to start organizing parties again. That's why we postponed the RFA party in the first place. We never really gave her any real contact information to any guests anyways, it was just a test to see how the members were feeling about having parties again"

"Well... she's very real." Zen said, looking in your direction.

"Where did you hear that name?" Seven asked again. "Who told you it? Are you a hacker?
Did you write that virus?"

"I-I am not a hacker!" You said, trying to defend yourself quickly. This could have gone differently if you hadn't thrown his name out. "Can we just take a second discuss this without accusations? I want to figure out what's going on too" you intervened, putting your hand on Zen's arm. "Let's... just talk about it. I promise I'll tell you everything I know"

"Yeah, ok, ok, let's sit down" Seven said, pointing towards a couch on what it looked like an odd living room. "Sorry about the mess, I wasn't expecting visitors"

"You knew we were coming" Zen pointed out.

"I didn't think you'd actually show" Seven said, sitting across from you. You sat on a bigger couch next to Zen and he wrapped his arm around you. You were dying to ask about Saeran but you dared not say anything about them given his reaction to you even knowing his name.

"So let me get this straight" Zen started "The MC I'd… we had been chatting with was a virus?"

"In simple terms, yes." Seven said. "It was introduced into the app as a virus and at first I thought it was just a bot trying to advertise something but when I saw it was an AI and I decoded it I thought it might be fun to leave it." he looked at you again "in other words, I've no idea who she is. If she's the hacker, she's so good I couldn't decrypt her AI code to tell she was a person and not an AI. I need to call V and discuss this"

"I promise I'm not a hacker" you said, taking your phone out "look, look how the app looks for me" but then you remember the RFA app was different when you were here. You put the phone on the coffee table but Seven made no motion to grab it. Maybe it was for the best. "I'm… I don't know. I'm... from a different dimension or something. I'm not from here. I don't know how I got here." you said. How could you convince someone this was the truth if you weren't sure you believed it yourself? Zen sensed your frustration and held your hand in his.

"So… all her answers were programmed?" Zen asked again.

"yes, I had seen all of them as soon as I decoded the virus AI. "

"so… everything we ever talked about was programmed? So I wasn't really talking to you? " Zen asked, concern unquestionably tainting his words. You felt him stiffen up next to you.

"In a way, yes" you said, trying reassure Zen. You worried he might start to think you weren't who he had fallen in love with but a set of preset options. "but of all the routes, my real thoughts and feelings were better expressed with you. Everything I ever told you, the options I picked, were very similar or exactly what I would have said to you"

"All the routes?" Zen asked. "What do you mean routes?"

"Uhm… remember I told you in my end it looked as if you were a character from a game?" you said, anxiety creeping up on you as you tried to explain. "Well... in the game… different answers lead you to… uhm… romance… different people"

"Romance different people?" Zen said, wide eyed. "Are you telling me you've romanced another member of the RFA in this game?"

"Uh… yeah but… but it wasn't real. Those answers weren't me, I… I was real with you" you tried your best to sound reassuring but Zen looked visibly upset and confused. You put your other hand on his trying to comfort him but he felt solid as a rock.

"I need a cig" Zen said, getting up from the couch. You went to get up after him but he stopped you. "Stay. Talk to Luciel. I'll come back in a few minutes. I promise." he said, touching your shoulder.

"Are you okay?" you asked him, short on words or what to say.

"I'm just tired and my thoughts are all over the place. I haven't smoked all day either." he said, walking away towards the door and closing it gently after him. You watched him go, your hand turning into a fist on your lap. What could be running through his head? It was hard enough to accept everything you ever told him was from a preset choice of words but on top of that… you had romanced all his friends. You knew their ins and outs. You could have been here and had any of them fall for you since you already knew what to say and how to act for them. This was just getting messier the longer you stayed here.

"Where did you hear the name Saeyoung" Seven asked, not ten seconds after Zen had disappeared through the doorway.

"You told me it" you said, looking down to your legs.

"Liar. I've never said that name in the RFA chatroom". He said, leaning over on his chair. "No one has ever said that name in the chatroom. Did you do a background check on me?"

"No. You heard what I just said. I'm not from here. The app had those preset answers and I just chose the answers. It was a game but I… I fell in love with Zen" you said, picking at your fingernails nervously. "And I love all the rest of the RFA members as if you were family. Please believe me when I tell you I have no ill will against any of you. I-I want to be your friend" you pleaded with him. He looked at you skeptically.

"So in this game do we throw a party?" Seven asked.

"Yes, after 10 days"

"Then what?"

"Then the game is over and you start again from the moment you're introduced into the app. Then you pick different answers and you end up with a different member"

"How did you get the app?"

"It's a game. It's just available for download. It is very popular, lots of people play it."

"And all these people romance the members of the RFA?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes" you said. "Heh. You're actually most people's favorite character"

"What?" he said, taken aback.

"Yeah, you're considered to be the "true ending"" you say.

"So why aren't you here in love with me?" he asked, crossing his legs on the chair and leaning back on it. He had a smirk in his lips, but his eyes still seemed serious. The question took you by surprise and you had to take a second to answer it. Besides, looking at him, you could see he was captivating. Not for his looks, but… there was this strange familiarity that drew you in. It was as if you could see into his soul. In a way, you had before. You had played his route and you knew so much about him... And he knew nothing about you. You were at such an advantage.

"Because... the answers that lead to your good ending are not the answers I would choose." you said, frankly. "You're... a lovely guy and you've been through a lot. But.. my choices don't lead me to you. Zen is the one for me" you said

"Okay" he says, nodding as if he's trying to understand. "What else do you know about me?"

"Well…" you say, sitting up straight and taking a deep breath. "I might know more than you. Are you sure you want to know?"

"What?" he asked, not understanding what you meant. "Just tell me what you know."

"Okay... " You say, thinking thoroughly about what you wanted to say. You didn't want to lie to Seven but you didn't want to freak him out either. You remembered how hurt he'd been when he found out about Saeran's situation with Mint Eye and Rika. How V had lied about… everything. How Seven trusted V so much- and clearly in this timeline he still did, he had wanted to call him to tell him what was going on with you. Besides, you really felt you had a duty to help Saeran, after all, he had always been the one to bring you to the RFA. You rested your head on your hand and breathed. You were about shed light on some stuff he'd hate to hear. You worried he might not believe you - he just met you, any relationship you had with him through the app he believed was not real. Then again, up until very recently you also thought of him as a computer game. "Okay I will tell you everything I know. I don't know how… I don't know how accurate this will be to this… this universe. A lot of things happened on every route and… I don't know what may or may not have happened here."

"I just told you we haven't had a party. What else would have happened?" he says

"Just… I will do my best to tell you everything I know, okay? And just… just remember I am on your side. I want to help you." You said, trying to give him the most honest look you could. "I'll… I'll start from the beginning. I know you're the son of a… politician who was having an affair. "You saw his eyes widen when you said this. You looked him in the eyes and continued. "You have a twin brother, Saeran. Your mother… was not kind to you two as children, to put it lightly." You said, feeling choked up about it. His storyline was very sad but since you had never believed it to be real it never affected you this much. You never thought you'd have to tell him you knew his past. A tear threatened to run down your cheek and you wiped it away. He was deadly silent but his eyes seemed… nervous? Angry? You couldn't read his expression. You managed to regain your voice and continued. "You found religion and met Rika and V. You learnt everything you could on computers. You trusted V and Rika to help Saeran, you escaped your mother's house, you took the name Luciel as your baptism name, and came to work for a secret agency. You move often so no one can find you. You are addicted to Honey Buddha Chips" a nervous chuckle escaped your lips when you said this, but your vision was blurry. Were you crying? You wiped your tears away and kept going. "You like to dress as a girl sometimes and take pictures, and… and you're incredibly kind and loyal. You show this front of being a jokester but in reality you're hurting inside for leaving Saeran…"

"Stop" he said, looking at you with cold eyes. "How the hell do you know all this?"

"I told you, I've… I'm from a different dimension or something, I don't know. I played this game with different endings and turns out this is your reality. I can't even explain how I am here. I thought this was a dream. I don't even know what to think anymore." you said. You were exhausted, emotionally and physically. You wiped away the tears with the sleeve of your shirt and when you looked up Seven was offering you a box of tissue. "Thanks" you said, grabbing one.

"I don't understand what is going on" Seven said, sitting back on the chair in front of you. "Either you're an amazing actress and this is some kind of… con against me, or…" he pulled at the string of his headset, definitely seemed like a nervous habit. "Or you're telling me the truth. I'm just… I mean how would you feel is someone came into your life knowing everything about you and told you they were from a different dimension."

"I know." You said,trying to keep your voice steady. "How do you think I feel trying to explain this to someone when I don't even get it myself?"

"Yeah…" he said, finally giving you something that seemed like the semblance of a smile. "Have you told Zen any of this?"

"No… I thought I was dreaming the first time I showed up here." You felt redness coming to your cheeks remembering the first time you saw Zen. It dawned upon you that if this all had not been a dream, you pretty much slept with him right after meeting him. The thought unnerved you a little - that was not like you at all. Was this something he did regularly? And you hadn't use protection -

"Why did you say I trusted Rika and V to help Saeran?" Seven interrupted your thoughts. "You said it like I don't trust V anymore"

"Uh…" this was it. This was the big reveal. You hesitated to answer but you knew you were going to tell him everything anyways. "Well… Rika is mentally unstable" you started. How could you explain to Seven everything that happened or might happen.

"You mean was" Seven said, correcting you. "Rika died about a year and a half ago and she wasn't mentally ill".

"Well... " oh God, what to say next. "So… I don't know how right I may or may not be about this. I don't know what has happened in this reality… But things that seemed to overlap in all the storylines was that V died about Rika's death."

"What?" Seven asked. "No, he wouldn't do that".

"Yeah… he did." you say, calmly.

"No. He wouldn't lie to us." Seven said, getting agitated. "And I don't appreciate you coming to my house to spread lies about my friend."

"Okay, okay, I get it." You say, letting him have this. "I said I might not be right about everything. I mean, different things happen in different parts of the story I know so it could be its different here" you say.

"I think we're done talking here." Seven says. "I don't know who you are and I don't think I want to hear anything else you want to say." He says, getting up. "Let me get Zen"

"Wait, wait" you stop him. "Just please, if I was right about any of the other things I said before… Just let me finish telling you what I know and then you can do some research and find out if I was right or not. I promise I am not coming here with the intention to spread lies, I haven't said anything to any of the RFA members, I just want to tell you what I know."

"Why? What do you have to gain by telling me anything?" he says, walking towards the door. "I don't know even know why you're here"

"I'm telling you all this because it might help you save Saeran" you say, right before he reaches the door and it stops him in his tracks.

"...save him from what?" he says, turning around slowly. "He is fine"

"No… I don't think he is" you say, getting up from the couch "Please, let me just tell you what I know".

Seven turned around and slowly walked back to the couch, sitting in front of you. "Okay."

"Okay"

"But how do I know you're telling me the truth? That you're not just trying to break apart the RFA?"

"Uh… I'll tell you some things you might be able to verify" you say, trying to comb your brain for everything you remembered. Suddenly you wished you hadn't skip through so many chatrooms on the routes you weren't as invested in. "Okay… just know that everything I tell you may or may not have happened, maybe it won't happen, or-"

"Just tell me what it is you think you know before Zen comes in. I'd rather he not know until I know what is reliable information" Seven cuts you off

"Right, right" you say, sitting up straight. "V lied about Rika's death because she is unstable and he was trying to protect the members of the RFA. Rika went and formed a cult called Mint Eye. She is drugging her followers and making them believe they're in paradise. Saeran learned to use computers and to hack, as far as I know, it was likely him who introduced the virus that connected me to the RFA app."

"Okay…" he says, questioning what you're saying. "Do you know where this cult is gathering?"

"No"

"Do you know how I can reach Rika or Saeran?"

"No. And V will probably deny all of this"

"You realize there's no way for me to verify any of this" he says.

"There's something." you say, remembering. "There is information on Mint Eye in Rika's apartment. In a drawer. Plans of the house they're in and information. Maybe even an address"

"In Rika's apartment? How do I know you didn't plant it there?"

"Don't you keep tabs on Rika's apartment? Wouldn't you know if someone breaks in?"

"Fair enough"

"Besides, I am not going anywhere near Rika's apartment, you put a bomb there" Seven's eyes widen in surprise with your last statement.

"How do you know that?"

"Same way I know everything else. Please go save Saeran. He needs you. The drugs that Rika is forcing him to take aren't good for h-"

"STOP. JUST STOP" Seven screams at you, visibly upset. "Rika would never do this. V wouldn't do this. You said some things that are true but until I have proof, I won't believe anything you say."

"Right, right and you should, I don't know that I am right about what I said, the timelines are different, Just… just promise me you'll be careful"

"Careful?"

"If you find that what I say is true and you go rescue Saeran… he might attack you. He… he is under the effects of the drugs and he believes you abandoned him. He doesn't want to see you"

"Saeran wouldn't hurt me, that just goes to show how little you know" he says, almost to himself.

"Just... be careful. This isn't the Saeran or Rika you know"

"Are you sure you're not talking about someone else? Maybe someone else named Rika? I mean… she's been dead for a year and a half, I find it hard to believe that she'd do this. She was friends with all of us, even Yoosung is family."

You deny with a shake of your head. There's not much else for you to say now. You remember how loyal everyone in the RFA is to V and Rika's memory and you can only hope he listens to you, or at least listen to you enough to look into what you said.

"I will… I will look into it." He says, after a minute of uncomfortable silence. "Please don't say anything to anyone in the RFA, even Zen. At least until I can prove if there's any truth to it"

You agree, despite always feeling like there were too many secrets being kept from the RFA members. Now you were keeping secrets too, but at least now you knew it was only until Seven could verify if there was any truth to this.

"I'm… I'm going to go check on Zen" you say, getting up from the couch.

"Right, yes" he says, walking with you and opening the door to the outside. You step outside and find Zen sitting on the steps of the doorway, a cigarette bud on the floor but none on his hands. He turns and stands up to see you. His face almost unreadable, yet the moonlight gently touching his features made him look stunning, breathtaking. You had never seen anything quite so beautiful. His silvery hair reflected the paleness of the moon. His eyes a shade of dark red, almost like garnets that glistened in the darkness. Had he been crying?

"Zen? Are you okay?" you asked, concerned you'd hurt him. Your voice sounded much shakier than you intended. Could he tell you'd been crying? He gave you a slight smile and a nod, a sign that told you you'd talk later… but it was a lame attempt at reassuring you. You questioned him again with your eyes, almost begging for some comfort. He understood your plea and reached out for your hand. You breathed easier once you felt his warmth.

"Luciel" he said, turning to Seven who still stood behind you. "Were you… able to figure anything out?"

"I'll do some research about the things she said. I'll get back to you guys if I find anything."

"Okay. I'm beat MC, let's go home" zen said, still holding onto your hand. You nodded and went down a step towards him, but you turn to Seven.

"I'm sorry I dropped all that stuff on you. I hope it all works out" you said to Luciel

"You're wrong you know" Seven said, before stepping back into his doorway. "I'll prove it to you. Nice seeing ya, Zen. We'll… we'll be in touch"

"Yeah. Same" Zen replied.

You rode Zen's motorcycle with him back to his place. Exhaustion was starting to get to you. It felt like you'd been awake for days but really it had only been about 24 hours. You could tell Zen was exhausted as well, he got home and threw himself onto the couch without so much taking off his leather jacket. You knelt next to him and put your hand over his head, caressing him softly. A yawn escaped your lips and your body felt heavy.

"Zen… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the other routes before" you start, as it was weighing on your mind heavily. You'd worried this would be a problem, that it would freak him out, that it would hurt him. "I just… I wasn't trying to hide it, they just… didn't mean anything romantic to me." You couldn't say they didn't mean anything, you did love all the RFA members but in a different way - you loved them as friends. You cared for them. You wanted to help them, but they did not stir in you the feelings you'd have when you stared at Zen. He took a deep breath and sat up on the couch, then pulled you towards him.

"MC… Princess... " he began, as he wrapped his arm around you. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. I can't explain how I fell so hard for you in such a short time. It's… it's mystical. When I touch you, when I kiss you… " he said, putting a soft kiss on your lips, that lingered just long enough for you to savor him "My heart races, my lips ache for yours, my hands just want to touch you all the time… it's like you're an angel that's come down to earth and into my life just to make me happy… like a sense of euphoria… and I know, I know I can be a bit possessive, a bit jealous, I can't feel secure if you don't have a sense of belonging and responsibility towards the other person... but you being here… it feels so fleeting, not knowing when you might be gone again, when you might be back, and then knowing you had a similar relationship with my friends as you had with me, with… with programmed words. With choices that may have not been what you'd want to say, it's just… it's just a lot to deal with"

"I know…"

"I just… I worry that if I lost you I'd quit everything in my life and do nothing but look for you and…" his words were staggering "and just knowing about the other routes made it seem all too real that for you I was part of a game. What if you hadn't played my route? I feel like I am holding onto you desperately by a thread when you could have been here for anyone else"

"Oh. No Zen…" his words made your eyes watery. His insecurities were getting the best of him and it hurt to watch. You never wanted to do this to him. "I've told you before and I will tell you again. I love you and only you, I love you so much. I could never love anyone else the way I love you" you put your hands on his cheeks and he pushes onto you, laying on top of you on the couch. He rested his head on your chest and held you fiercely. His breath was heavy against your skin, as if he was trying to hold back tears. "I love you Zen." You said, placing your hands over his head, caressing it softly. You felt so safe in his arms and you never wanted to let him go. You never wanted him to let you go. The tears that had been threatening to run down your cheeks now ran down your temples. You closed your eyes for a second, just to breathe in that citrus smell of his hair. To feel his regular breathing on your body. To just hold him. And before you knew it, you were fast asleep in his arms.