Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter Text
Kim Dokja was a lonely individual.
Which, he supposed, shouldn’t come as a surprise given his name. But growing up being pushed from relative to relative, bullied by his peers, and getting the short end of the rope at every turn, all came together to result in a severe lack of social skills. He had no one in particular he’d consider a friend, always going straight home after work, much more dedicated to his alone time than interacting with others. This didn’t mean, however, that he didn’t crave connection like everyone else.
But unlike everyone else, he dealt with it by relying on an outlet instead. For the last thirteen years, Kim Dokja has been replaying the same dating simulator game over and over again to replace forming real-life social relationships.
Three Ways to Survive the Mystic Messenger is a popular otome game available on mobile, which is widely known for its unique chatroom interface formatted to imitate a real-life messaging app. This allowed players to fully immerse themselves in the story as they interact with the characters through chat logs and phone calls done in real-time, attracting a mainstream and global audience despite the genre of the game. And although the initial popularity has died down in the last couple of years due to a lack of updates and content, TWSMM still garners a small cult following to this day. And among those was Kim Dokja.
It was a bit embarrassing to admit as a grown man to playing a romance game that was over ten years old, especially considering he had long since finished all the available routes, including the seven different endings for each route, as well as the DLCs and after endings, and was essentially just replaying the same story for the heck of it. But Kim Dokja couldn’t help it — after so long, he had grown emotionally attached to these characters, seeing them as something akin to an actual family. Yoo Joonghyuk, Han Sooyoung, Yoo Sangah, Jung Heewon, Lee Hyunsung, while they were all technically designed to be love interests, to Kim Dokja, they were his dearest friends.
That’s why he didn’t mind replaying the same conversations over and over again. If anything, it was comforting to know how each character responds to every different text option. No need to brood over if it was the right thing to say or worry if he’s made a bad impression. He knew these characters like the back of his own hand, and he’s probably interacted with them more than he has with his own mother. There was no way to make a wrong move. And if anything did go wrong, all he had to do was start a new game.
And so, as Kim Dokja settled into his seat on the subway that morning, heading to work as usual, he pulled out his phone, where a familiar app awaited on his homescreen. The icon, a headshot of a certain male character, with sharp black eyes, swept-back dark hair, and chiseled features, stares at Kim Dokja as he opens the app, entering the game. He is greeted by TWSMM’s menu screen, fully ready to begin yet another plathrough.
He clicks.
[START GAME]
***
[KDJ, Unknown]
Unknown has entered the chatroom.
Unknown: …Hello…?
KDJ: ?
Unknown: Can you see this?
KDJ: Who are you?
Unknown: I’m sure you’re surprised.
Unknown: It’s not everyday you get a text from a stranger.
Unknown: I’m a bit flustered myself. I found a smartphone at the subway station, but all it had was this messenger app.
Unknown: I want to find the owner, but I don’t see any contact info or call records…
Unknown: I’ve been sending messages with this app but no reply…
Unknown: All I see is an address and some important-looking numbers saved in notes.
Unknown: I’d like to go there myself but I’m currently abroad…
KDJ: First… who are you?
Unknown: Me? Oh sorry. I didn’t even introduce myself.
Unknown: I’m just… a student studying abroad. I’m Korean.
Unknown: I could tell you my name, but it doesn’t really matter.
Unknown: You won’t find me on search engines. ^^;
Unknown: But, anyways…
Unknown: Can you help me find the owner of this phone?
Unknown: I know you’re surprised to have someone suddenly pop up and ask you a favor like this.
Unknown: But still…
Unknown: I’d appreciate some help.
KDJ: Why are you so obsessed with finding the owner? You can just give it to the police or the post office.
Unknown: Well… Normal people won’t be able to understand…
Unknown: To be honest, I have a religion.
Unknown: My religion says that you must not miss any opportunity to do good, no matter how small.
Unknown: Well, some say that it’s just being nost.
Unknown: But I’m not like normal people.
Unknown: I can’t help but think about how stressed the owner might be…
Unknown: It’s a really safe place. If you feel unsafe, you can turn around.
Unknown: I know the area. It’s developed.
Unknown: Please?
KDJ: Fine.. I’m leaving right away if it feels sketchy.
Unknown: You trust me…
Unknown: Thank you!
Unknown: Just a sec. I’ll send you the address.
Unknown: Found it.
Unknown: [Address] Click Link
…
Unknown: Are you there? ^^See. Nothing strange.
Unknown: Is there a password lock on the door?
KDJ: Hmm. Don’t see one.
Unknown: That’s strange.
Unknown: There’s really nothing?
Unknown: There’s nothing to put in the password?
KDJ: JK. It’s here.
Unknown: Haha, nice.
Unknown: You’re pretty funny.
Unknown: Then I’ll send you the password.
Unknown: [Password] Click Link
KDJ: (Input the password)
…
KDJ: The door’s open.
Unknown: Good. Why don’t you go inside?
KDJ: Can I just enter a stranger’s house?
Unknown: You can just leave a note. I’ll give you my info.
Unknown: If something happens, you can just show my messages. That’ll do.
KDJ: Then… Alright.
***
Yoo Joonghyuk found himself being pulled into consciousness after god knows how long.
Just like waking up from a long dream, it takes him a moment to reorient himself, suddenly aware of the passage of time. He's sitting in his apartment, like always, phone in his hand as he watches messages fill up the chatroom. Everyone is bantering as usual about unimportant things, but what catches his eye is at the top of the screen, showing who's currently participating in the chat:
[Yoo Joonghyuk, HEEWON, tls123, Hyunsung ☆, Yoo Sangah, KDJ]
KDJ has entered the chatroom.
Yoo Joonghyuk smirks to himself, leaning back on the couch as he settles in to witness the upcoming events unfold.
So it's already time to start a new game, huh? Which ending will it be this time?
Chapter 2: First Day, 13:48: Joonghyuk's curiosity
Summary:
He wondered whose route KDJ would aim for this time — it always seemed to depend on their current mood. They would usually go for Lee Hyunsung or Jung Heewon when they wanted something lighthearted, as their routes were the easiest; whenever something was stressing them and they needed to unwind, they went for Yoo Sangah, who KDJ seemed to relate to a lot; and if they wanted a laugh, Han Sooyoung was the obvious choice as they appeared to be on similar wavelengths.
But by far, the route that KDJ redid the most was Yoo Joonghyuk’s.
Notes:
Just a heads-up, while I've tried to generally stick to the actual game mechanics from MysMes, for the sake of the story, it's going to be implied that the characters were created using artificial intelligence. So fuck AI, literally (wink wink). Also, I've updated some of the tags now that I have a general idea of how I wish the story to go. I am aiming for the fic to be around ~11 chapters with an average of 2k-3k words each chapter, but we'll have to see how it goes.
Another note, some of you might've noticed that comments on this fic are now being moderated, despite my usually allowing both registered users and guests to comment on my other fics. This is due to the fact that there seems to be a certain Dokjoong shipper who is targeting Joongdok fics and spamming the comments with hateful messages. So in the meantime, I have no choice but to enable comment moderation for this fic at least until completion. I am so sorry for those who wish to comment freely, and still encourage you to comment your thoughts on the fic, as I will most likely approve them, provided the language remains respectful and follows community guidelines. I'm so grateful for how much support this story has already received from just the prologue and I hope to keep that going so please don't be shy! With that out of the way, please enjoy this chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
There’s this one story Yoo Joonghyuk heard once that has always stuck with him.
It was about this old married couple that had been together for over fifty years, and at one point, the wife had started developing Alzheimer's. As time went on, her memory became more and more unreliable, to the point where she struggled to recognize her own family members. Even her husband, who had been by her side for five decades, was unfamiliar to her deteriorating mind. And so, every day, the husband, determined, would reintroduce himself to the wife and remind her of their love for each other through courtship, buying her flowers, or taking her out for dinner and the like. When asked if the husband found it at all inconvenient or frustrating, all the husband had to say in reply was this:
“I don’t see ourselves as unfortunate. After all, how many people are lucky enough to say they get to fall in love every day? What bliss. I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
***
He doesn’t know what made him this way — maybe it was a virus, or an error in his code, or maybe the game developers had programmed him this way on purpose — but all he knew was that since the day of his “conception,” he’s been aware that he is not a human, but merely a character in a dating game, programmed to serve his function without end. To make matters worse, unlike the rest of his fellow lines of code, his memory doesn’t reset at the end of every game, trapping him in a loop of the same eleven days it takes to complete the game.
But as bleak as his situation appeared, Yoo Joonghyuk wasn’t particularly despairing. Technically speaking, he’s never known a reality beyond these eleven days, so it wasn’t as if he felt like he was missing out on the rest of the world. Sure, the developers may have programmed him with so-called “memories” to help flesh out his character, but since he’s never actually personally experienced them himself, he’s had no need to ever feel attached to anything that is unrelated to his role as Yoo Joonghyuk, co-founder of the MFA (Mia Fundraising Association, named after his baby sister, Yoo Mia, who went missing six years prior) and love interest in TWSMM.
And besides, even someone in his position could find some silver linings.
[Yoo Joonghyuk, HEEWON, tls123, Hyunsung ☆, Yoo Sangah, KDJ]
tls123: Wait!!
Hyunsung☆: Why?
HEEWON: ??
tls123: Think someone entered the chatroom;;
Yoo Sangah: KDJ…?
HEEWON: Wtf. How did it get in here?
tls123: Hacker!
Hyunsung☆: Hacker?! Therae’s a hacker in ouer room!!!
Hyunsung☆: Soiyoung-ssii do somethign!!
HEEWON: Hey, typos. -_-;;
tls123: !! Don’t use my real name! There’s an intruder, stupid! >~<
Hyunsung☆: Sorry…
tls123: Wait a sec. I’m searching.
How many times had it been now? Counting all of the DLCs and bad endings, which only take a couple of days to achieve, this must’ve been about the 1864th playthrough with KDJ. The largest number of playthroughs by a wide margin. While Yoo Joonghyuk’s consciousness as a game character is split up for each new player who downloads TWSMM, KDJ is by far the player who has captured his attention the most.
He didn’t even know his real name.
Yoo Joonghyuk’s programming made it so that he fell in love with every player who plays his route, but unlike his memories, those feelings reset when the player starts a new game, like they never existed. Maybe they never did.
KDJ was a special case. Anyone who has spent as much time together as they have would inevitably form some kind of intimate connection with each other, even if the other was unaware of such a relationship. Perhaps it’s because no other player has replayed the game as much as they have, but KDJ was the only one who Joonghyuk felt like he knew personally .
It was ridiculous to think in such a way, considering he knew nothing about them except how they played, but that’s just how it was. After thirteen years stuck in this time loop, KDJ remained the player who continued to come back to play even after completing every route and achieving all possible endings. At this point, Joonghyuk felt as familiar with KDJ as he did with the other MFA members. Not even his own creators have given him as much attention as KDJ has.
But would he call it love? Maybe on his route, when that’s what his programming required of him. But he would describe it as more of a devotion. A devoutness to a being he saw as higher than himself, whom he could place his everlasting faith in.
All he knew was that it would feel wrong if KDJ never appeared in front of him again, like if he walked outside one night to find all of the stars had disappeared. No one ever thinks the stars shine solely for them, but they were always there when you needed them, weren’t they?
At this point, the other members (including Yoo Joonghyuk, who needed to follow the script ingrained in him) are still interrogating KDJ for information they’ve offered hundreds of times before i.e., their identity, how they gained access to Star Stream, the private app Han Sooyoung developed for members only, and why Sooyoung traced their IP back to Lee Seolhwa’s apartment when she’s been dead for two years.
Of course, Yoo Joonghyuk already knew the answers to all of this, but, like KDJ, was only feigning ignorance for the sake of the plot. He was well aware that KDJ’s presence in this chatroom and in Joonghyuk’s ex-girlfriend, co-founder of MFA, Lee Seollhwa’s apartment was all part of an elaborate scheme set up by Zarathustra, the cult-like religious organization whose primary goal was to liberate humanity from its struggles by relieving them of their freewill. It was run by Anna Croft, who had brainwashed Seollhwa two years prior, resulting in her faking her death in order to fully commit herself to the organization. He even knew the secret identity of the “Unknown” individual who orchestrated KDJ’s encounter with the MFA in order to convince the group to start holding their annual charity party with KDJ as the host so that Zarathustra could infiltrate and indoctrinate more followers, which was information only revealed in the secret ending route that cost a whopping 420 hourglasses (the main currency in TWSMM) to unlock.
(A little elaborate for what was just a dating sim, in Yoo Joonghyuk’s opinion, but who was he to judge the writers?)
KDJ gave the only explanation they could, which was that they were connected to the messenger app through a stranger with no username or chat record, which should’ve been impossible with how Han Sooyoung designed Star Stream. Unsurprisingly, this satisfied no one, so they transitioned into giving introductions, thinking this would encourage the stranger to reveal more about their identity:
Hyunsung☆: Won’t it tell us about itself if we tell who we are first?
HEEWON: To be honest…
HEEWON: I agree with Hyunsung-ssi.
Yoo Joonghyuk: More like you want to show off who you are.
Hyunsung☆: Should we… introduce ourselves?
Yoo Joonghuyk: Are you serious…?
Yoo Sangah: I think it is a bit too early for that.
HEEWON: Hi. I’m HEEWON. (27 yrs old) Professional stuntwoman… Don’t look me up on the internet.
HEEWON: It’s embarrassing.
HEEWON☆: Heewon-ssi, you’re so brave!
Yoo Joonghyuk: I see that she has zero interest in her privacy.
tls123: Lolol
tls123: My nickname’s tls123.
tls123: Real name is a secret.
tls123: Fyi, Heewon’s family name is Jung.
HEEWON: Your name’s a secret but not mine?;
tls123: U don’t care anyways lol.
tls123: Just remember me as the 26yr old prodigy hacker lol
tls123: Where I live is also a secret.
HEEWON: So many secrets;;
Hyunsung☆: I’m Lee Hyunsung! I’m a college student… 24 yrs old. I just got back from military service, hence my age!
Yoo Joonghyuk: I don’t know why everybody’s introducing themselves. You don’t even know who that person is.
tls123: Oh and also!
tls123: Joonghyuk’s a really famous professional gamer who’s channel you’d probably recognize. He’s the top player in LOLOL and he’s also the co-founder of our group and basically our leader. Sangha-ssi is a contractor at Mino Soft, the gaming company that sponsors Joonghyuk and is also pretty much his assistant here. 28 and 26 yrs old respectively.
tls123: You have a better sense of who we are now, KDJ?
Yoo Joonghyuk: Why did you say that…?
tls123: Doubted you’d do it urself.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Stop shitting around.
(Not that he actually minded, anyway. KDJ could probably recite all of these introductions by heart.)
As the rest of the group continued to chatter away, recklessly letting their guard down around this familiar stranger, Yoo Joonghyuk’s phone rang: it was Han Sooyoung, calling to discuss how to move forward with this new presence in their midst. Joonghyuk has found that while everyone else is unaware that they are merely characters in a mobile game, outside of the chatroom, they did, in fact, have the free will to roam about the world as they pleased, so long as they stuck to the story’s script, which their programming assured they would always be inclined to do. Therefore, they were capable of doing things such as calling each other, even though it was technically not part of the plot. He picked up.
“What do you think? Can we trust them?” Han Sooyoung said immediately, cutting straight to the chase. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to worry the others, but I’m pretty concerned. No one should be able to maneuver around my code like that.”
Yoo Joonghyuk could see why Han Sooyoung had reason to be concerned. Not only did it damage her pride as a hacker for someone to infiltrate her code without her knowledge, but the idea that someone was currently sitting in Lee Seollhwa’s apartment, which held so much confidential information, was enough to put anyone on edge. If Joonghyuk didn’t already know there was no cause for concern, he’d probably be even worse.
“I think they’re telling the truth about not knowing anything,” he said, keeping an eye on the chat. It was now KDJ’s turn to start asking questions they already knew the answers to, going through the motions like always. “They don’t seem to have any ill intentions. I think it’s safe to keep an eye on them while looking for this ‘Unknown’ figure and what they want from us. We just have to tell them not to touch any of the classified information.” He texts the same thing in the group chat, explaining the situation.
Hyunsung☆: What do we do about her apartment?
Hyunsung☆: Can KDJ stay there?
Yoo Joonghyuk: First…
Yoo Joonghyuk: No one here is going to go to Seollhwa’s apartment, right?
Yoo Joonghyuk: Since the information involves everyone around us, there might be trouble if we are not careful.
HEEWON: Yeah yeah. You can stop explaining. Classified information. Got it.
Yoo Sangah: But it is a mystery how a complete stranger could end up there.
Yoo Joonghyuk: If it’s someone who knows the password…
Yoo Joonghyuk: It might be someone that Seolhwa-ssi trusted.
tls123: So then that ‘Unknown’ person…
tls123: knew Seollhwa-ssi!?
tls123: I can’t believe she trusted someone more than Joonghyuk.
(“Are you even hearing yourself?” Han Sooyoung said on the other end. Yoo Joonghyuk ignored her.)
Hyunsung☆: I don’t believe that. She couldn’t have trusted anyone more than us…
Yoo Sangah: That is… a bit surprising.
Yoo Joonghyuk: It’s hard to believe myself… But we shouldn’t assume that we knew everything about Seollhwa.
Yoo Joonghyuk: She…
Yoo Joonghyuk: had a deep world of her own.
Yoo Joonghyuk: If I am right.
(Which Yoo Joonghyuk knew for a fact that he was. He was still on the phone with Han Sooyoung, who was kicking up a fuss at what he was typing down.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: KDJ being at her apartment right now…
Yoo Joonghyuk: Seollhwa must have wanted that.
Yoo Sangah: Seollhwa-ssi called in a complete stranger from up in the sky?
Yoo Joonghyuk: I’m not saying she wanted KDJ to be there… but maybe…
Yoo Joonghyuk: Seollhwa wanted someone to do the work she did before.
Yoo Joonghyuk: At the place she worked before.
Yoo Sangah: What … ?
HEEWON: No way…
Yoo Sangah: The work Seollhwa-ssi did before…
tls123: Hosting parties?
He wondered whose route KDJ would aim for this time — it always seemed to depend on their current mood. They would usually go for Lee Hyunsung or Jung Heewon when they wanted something lighthearted, as their routes were the easiest; whenever something was stressing them and they needed to unwind, they went for Yoo Sangah, who KDJ seemed to relate to a lot; and if they wanted a laugh, Han Sooyoung was the obvious choice as they appeared to be on similar wavelengths.
But by far, the route that KDJ redid the most was Yoo Joonghyuk’s.
Joonghyuk’s character in particular was an exclusive route that could only be obtained using 200 hourglasses, which, without money, could take ages to save up in-game. For KDJ, it took nearly two years of playing, which only goes to show how determined they were to unlock Joonghyuk as a romanceable character. So while he wasn’t one to brag, it did give Joonghyuk a bit of a thrill to know that this player would go through that much trouble for his sake.
( He hoped they would do the same again. )
“Are you serious?” Han Sooyoung exclaimed. “Aren’t you reading into this too much? Why would Seollhwa-ssi do something so roundabout just to hold the party? Even if this KDJ fellow is just an innocent bystander, they’re still a stranger! Why would you leave them responsible for something so important?”
“Han Sooyoung…” Yoo Joonghyuk said carefully. “Do you trust me?”
“...”
“Well?”
There was a scoff on the other end. “Yeah, fine, I do. Bastard.”
“Whoever this KDJ person is, they’re connected to Lee Seollhwa somehow,” he explained, knowing exactly what needed to be said to assure Han Sooyoung. They just needed to keep to the plot as usual. “And whatever it is, I’m certain it must have to do with the party. If we get KDJ to join the MFA as a member under the guise of an important duty like inviting guests, we can keep a close watch while looking for more information. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the actual party organization, just make sure KDJ sticks to their role.
“Besides, I’m sure you wouldn’t be against holding the party again. I know you miss it.”
Han Sooyoung was quiet for a few moments, mulling it over. “Well, if you say so…” she said reluctantly, uncertainty ringing in her voice.
“Thank you.”
“But Joonghyuk…”
“Hm?”
“It’s so strange…” Han Sooyoung pondered aloud. “KDJ… aren’t they getting along with the group a little too well? It’s like we’ve known each other for ages.”
You have. Yoo Joonghyuk thinks. That’s your programming talking. This entire world was designed so the player can fit right in.
It made sense that Han Sooyoung, of all characters, would pick up on this feeling of familiarity, even if she didn’t know the cause. As the unofficial comic relief of the cast, Sooyoung was programmed to occasionally be able to break the fourth wall during chats as a recurring joke, which Yoo Joonghyuk assumed was a result of Sing-Shong’s (the game developers') unique sense of humor. Despite this, she didn’t seem self-aware like Joonghyuk.
“All the better,” he told her. “We couldn’t possibly hold this party if the host wasn’t good with people, don’t you think?”
“Yeah…”
And that’s where their phone call ended.
He texts the chat and explains what is going to happen going forward, finally able to cordially invite KDJ to become an official member of the MFA for the umpteenth time.
KDJ: What do I get if I join?
(Of course, what a typical choice from KDJ. Yoo Joonghyuk suspected that in the real world, KDJ was the type to never agree to things if they weren’t at least getting something out of it. Oh well, even that selfishness was endearing in its own way. But either way, the group took that reply as an agreement to join.)
tls123: Good. I’ve registered them as a member! Oh. We don’t really need ur signature.
Hyunsung☆: You’re going to collect all the info so they can’t run away, right?
tls123: ^^… Since it’s a verbal contract.
HEEWON: … Don’t collect anything without KDJ’s permission.
tls123: Ya.
tls123: I’m gonna leave for a sec. Need to check sth.
HEEWON: Background check on KDJ?
tls123: Nah~ It’s work. I have to make a living somehow.
tls123: I’m gonna peace out.
Yoo Sangah: Well, since they have joined, I think everyone can leave if they need to.
HEEWON: Yeah?
Yoo Joonghyuk: Hmm. Let me check my schedule…
Hyunsung☆: Okay.
tls123: Anyways, welcome KDJ.
Hyunsung☆: Welcome!! Good luck to us.
HEEWON: Glad you joined, KDJ ^^
Yoo Joonghyuk: We’ll see how you do.
Yoo Sangah: For now, I look forward to working with you.
[Yoo Joonghyuk has left the chatroom.]
[HEEWON has left the chatroom.]
[tls123 has left the chatroom.]
[Yoo Sangah has left the chatroom.]
[Hyunsung☆ has left the chatroom.]
***
And with that, the prologue for the game officially came to an end.
The remainder of the first day was then occupied with a collection of different conversations for KDJ to settle into the MFA by getting to know the members personally. This was all to establish who they would pursue for the next week and a half. It was always amusing to watch the MFA quickly become accustomed to having KDJ as part of the group, opening up to them in a mere couple of hours. Certainly, it’s because they were designed to, but Joonghyuk had a mind to think that deep down, they could also sense that KDJ was someone they already knew, in a past life.
Yoo Joonghyuk sometimes wondered how KDJ could go through the same conversations hundreds of times without getting bored, but he was glad for it, nonetheless. It’s good to know that they were as precious to KDJ as they were to Joonghyuk.
Usually, chatrooms with a single character were few and in-between, with chats typically including at least two members for the player to converse with. So it wasn't until later that afternoon that Yoo Joonghyuk could finally get KDJ to himself. Personally, he’d prefer it if he could reach out to KDJ through private messaging rather than have their conversations laid out for all to witness, but he had to take what he could get. He was just happy for those rare opportunities where all of KDJ’s attention was aimed directly at him and no one else:
[Yoo Joonghyuk, KDJ]
KDJ: Whassup mista trustfundkid
(Always going for the cheekiest dialogue option, this one.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: Ha
Yoo Joonghyuk: Are you being playful?
Yoo Joonghyuk: Congratulations again on joining the organization.
(As if they ever left.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: It’s easy to enter, but leaving won’t be so easy.
KDJ: Is that a threat?
Yoo Joonghyuk: A little bit.
Yoo Joonghyuk: You’re pretty quick.
KDJ: Why?
Yoo Joonghyuk: The reason’s simple.
Yoo Joonghyuk: You’re at Seollhwa’s apartment.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Seollhwa’s private documents are probably there as well.
Yoo Joonghyuk: That’s strictly classified.
Yoo Joonghyuk: You only have to deal with the information we need.
Yoo Joonghyuk: The information regarding the party.
Yoo Joonghyuk: You’ll have access to all the information about the party that Seollhwa managed.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I hope that you’ll take on the task and continue her work without any trouble.
KDJ: Don’t worry. I’ll do a good job.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Smart choice.
Yoo Joonghyuk: All the party guests had to contact Seollhwa.
Yoo Joonghyuk: It was her job to convince them to participate.
Yoo Joonghyuk: It won’t be easy. I hope you do a good job.
( I know you will. As long as you aren’t going for a bad ending, that is. )
KDJ: I’ll try my best.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I like that confidence.
Yoo Joonghyuk: If you do a good job…
(There were several ideas Joonghyuk had as a way to reward KDJ if they did a good job, but of course, that wasn’t part of the script.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: We’ll get to host parties again.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Don’t you want to make memories you’ll never forget?
( Think of all the memories we already share together. )
KDJ: I’d like to do it with you, Yoo Joonghyuk.
(All KDJ had done was choose a dialogue option that was already provided for them. But the fact that they had chosen that particular option out of all scratched at some part of Joonghyuk’s brain.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: With me?
Yoo Joonghyuk: Hmm.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I don’t quite understand you.
(He wanted to know more. Every time KDJ logged on for a new game, Joonghyuk longed for the ability to throw away his preprogrammed script so that he could actually ask KDJ the questions that had been stewing in his head for ages. He wanted to know KDJ inside and out, to explore parts of him no one else has ever delved into before.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: Anyways, I won’t take it as a bad thing.
Yoo Joonghyuk: If anything happens, ask me or tls123.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I’m busy so I can’t log in here often.
Yoo Joonghyuk: She may seem like a clown, but she’s hardworking and true to her words.
Yoo Joonghyuk: She’s trustworthy.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Anyways, I have to go to work now.
(He didn’t, really. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to prolong this pretend conversation with this person whom Yoo Joonghyuk had never met, but this damned game wouldn’t allow him.)
KDJ: See ya~
Yoo Joonghyuk: See ya~
Yoo Joonghyuk: … Is that what you thought I’d say?
Yoo Joonghyuk: tls123 won’t leave me alone if she sees me talking like this.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Then I’ll be off.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Good luck.
[Yoo Joonghyuk has left the chatroom.]
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at his screen for a few moments, seeing KDJ log off, probably to get back to their life in the real world.
While every detail and moment in this game world was already pre-determined for him, the only thing Joonghyuk couldn’t fully predict was KDJ’s behavior. Who would they pursue this time around? He didn’t like not knowing. More than that, he didn’t like having to follow along if the choice wasn’t him.
“I don’t see ourselves as unfortunate. After all, how many people are lucky enough to say they get to fall in love every day? What bliss. I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”
Maybe the husband had a point. Maybe there was bliss to be found in the fact that KDJ can fall in love with Yoo Joonghyuk over and over again.
But he’d rather they stay in love with him instead.
Notes:
So these first few chapters are really about setting up the world and establishing the main plot so apologies if it felt really exposition heavy. The next chapter I’m hoping to get much more introspective as to how it was for YJH to watch KDJ pursue other routes over and over again so that’s some angst to look forward to! Thank you to all who have shown their support for this story and hope to see you again next time! Also, for anyone wondering, the MFA refers to KDJ with they/them pronouns because technically speaking they don't know which gender he is. Hope that clears it up!
Chapter 3: 2nd day, 19:56: Be honest!
Summary:
He didn’t want it to end. He didn’t want to finally get their happy ending if that just meant it was time for the game to restart. If by not confessing, they got to stay in that limbo where time moved neither forward nor backward, and all that mattered was the two of them, Joonghyuk could’ve kept his mouth shut until the end of time.
Notes:
Hey guys, welcome back!
Just a heads-up, since the new semester has just started for me on top of me currently looking for a part-time job (college is tough guys), I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with a regular post schedule. I'll still try to update whenever possible, it's just that it won't be at the frequency it is at the moment. Sorry to disappoint anyone but that's just the reality. Still, I hope you stick to the story and enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Yoo Joonghyuk’s first phone call with KDJ was by far one of his favorites. He always looked forward to reenacting it when a new game started.
“Hello?... You picked up right away. I believe this is your first time hearing my voice.”
He knew by how often KDJ went back into their phone call history that Yoo Joonghyuk’s phone calls were their favorite. They had replayed his recordings the most. Did they enjoy the timbre of his voice, maybe? He pictured them holding the phone close to their ear in order to fully enjoy the experience.
He cleared his throat.
“My name is Yoo Joonghyuk, though I’m sure your app already made that clear. You must be glad to talk to me, but there’s really nothing to be glad of. I called you only because I wished to hear our new recruit’s voice. Nothing more.”
This was true. Yoo Joonghyuk had often wondered what kind of voice the elusive KDJ would have. More than anything, he wished to hear it whispered into his ear.
“But I will take just one question. Ask me if you have any.”
[How does my voice sound?]
“You want a review of your voice from me?”
To Yoo Joonghyuk, all the players’ voices sounded full of static whenever they spoke, only able to decipher their words and nothing more. But if he listened hard enough on KDJ’s device, he could almost pick up on the sound of someone whispering, as though KDJ would recite the lines and pretend it was an actual phone call.
How cute, Yoo Joonghyuk thought when he first realized this habit of theirs.
“I didn’t want to touch on such details… I’ll give it a try if you wish, however. So speak again, slowly.”
[Yoo - Joong - Hyuk. Like this?]
Yoo Joonghyuk closed his eyes to properly savor the sound of his name on KDJ’s lips. Even if it was incredibly muffled and barely comprehensible, it made his chest tight.
Yes, this was by far one of his favorite phone calls.
“... I didn’t expect you to say my name. You’re quite bold for a newcomer. That was a bit of a surprise.”
Indeed. It never quite fails to jolt him, even if he knew it was coming.
“But that doesn’t matter. And here’s my review. Often, I meet with a sponsor or someone from a gaming company with a voice that penetrates my eardrums. I’d actually get to hear voices that sound like glass bowls shattering into pieces during a business meeting. But your voice is very fine. I like it. I wouldn’t deny hearing some more of your voice.”
I would pick up your voice in a crowd of thousands.
“You should be happy. That is the best compliment I can offer you. And I believe one question is enough.”
[Is there someone else with you right now?]
Even though he knew KDJ was only being cheeky, it warmed Yoo Joonghyuk’s heart at the thought that they could perhaps be jealous.
“No, it’s just me… Well, technically, my driver is with me. You are gravely mistaken if you thought there’d be a woman here. I know that I’m frequently selected as one of the most popular streaming bachelors on many polls, but I am hardly if ever interested in such things. Well, you might as well ask any other questions you might have. The traffic has provided some more time for me to spare. And I’m quite bored, so it wouldn’t be so bad to listen to your voice like a radio.”
[How old are you?]
“28.”
[Are you the oldest in the MFA?]
“I believe so. Everyone else is younger. And I believe it’s not polite to ask for your age. Oh, we’re already home. That wasn’t too bad. I must go now, so if you don’t have any other questions, I think we should end this call.”
Wait for it…
[W-wait! I, I, I do have one more!]
Yoo Joonghyuk smirked into the phone. KDJ, like him, also liked to prolong the conversation.
“What is it?”
[Uh, you know! God! I’m nervous, and now I don’t remember!]
“Why are you suddenly nervous?”
It's because of me, right? It may just be an automated response, but there’s a part of you that gets nervous speaking with me, doesn’t it?
“You are an interesting person. I suggest you make a list of questions before we talk in the future. I will answer them then.”
I would answer any question you had for me —lay myself bare if you asked me to.
“Now I must really hang up. I’ll call you when I have the chance. Now, excuse me.”
His phone hangs up for him, and Yoo Joonghyuk sits in his car for a while, contemplating.
God, he was pathetic. His feelings for KDJ were truly the most inconvenient for someone in his position, but what could he have done to avoid them?
It was always going to be inevitable.
***
Lee Hyunsung was KDJ’s first pursuit.
Most people usually went for Lee Hyunsung first — his cheerful demeanor and earnest attitude on top of his well-built physique checked off all the boxes for the “refreshing youthful boyfriend” archetype that was the trend these days. Plus, his route was considered generally low-key, without too many dramatics, and easy to obtain a happy ending. Perfect for beginners just starting the game.
Yoo Joonghuk remembered watching KDJ in those first few attempts, learning that they had to specifically appeal to Lee Hyunsung’s sense of justice as well as gradually build up his self-confidence through words of affirmation as a lost college student with no idea what path they wanted to take after graduation. They led Hyunsung with a firm but gentle guiding hand, encouraging him to find the confidence to start taking initiative and live life for himself rather than just following others.
It was with a flushed face and fumbling confession that Hyunsung at last expressed his affection for KDJ in the chatroom of all places, hoping to make their relationship official to debut at the party, to which KDJ happily accepted.
“ I'm always ready to do whatever for you.”
This started off KDJ’s long journey with TWSMM.
Next up was Jung Heewon. The second most popular female love interest, next to Han Sooyoung, Heewon’s route was an unexpected hit among the female demographic, who admired her feisty attitude and fundamentally upright morals, earning her the title of the girl crush of TWSMM. Given how similar she was to Lee Hyunsung, it made sense to Yoo Joonghyuk that KDJ would pursue her next. They easily managed to develop an easygoing rapport with Heewon, quick to not only earn her trust but also her unwavering loyalty when they were among the first to stand up for her after she started receiving backlash from fans after one of the male actors on the set she was doing stuntwork for had hit on her and she turned him down.
By being accepting of her brash and impatient nature, KDJ was able to get Heewon to open up about herself surprisingly early in her route, learning that her self-consciousness and tendency to deflect during vulnerable moments stemmed from her poor relationship with her Sergeant Major father, which pushed her to run away from home years ago. KDJ even figured out that Heewon appreciated honesty above all else, so confiding in her about their own personal troubles was a surefire way to win her over. And so, being as forward as ever, Heewon wasted no time making her romantic intentions for KDJ known, wanting nothing more than for them to remain at her side indefinitely as her ultimate good-luck charm.
"I will shine brighter by your side. I need you."
When KDJ eventually moved onto Yoo Sangah’s route, it was then that Yoo Joonghyuk suspected that KDJ must’ve been something of an office worker themselves. Compared to how KDJ typically preferred picking the more playful and brazen dialogue options on other routes, with Sangah, they were more respectful and understanding of Sangah’s experiences of burnout and being overworked at her job at Mino Soft, leading Joonghyuk to conclude they must also be used to that kind of environment. Perhaps this is also the reason why Sangah’s route was the one that KDJ was able to complete the most flawlessly, achieving the happy ending in their first attempt.
KDJ had no trouble seeing right through Yoo Sangah’s well-adjusted and affable facade as a model employee, to reveal a much more complex character underneath as someone reluctant to show weakness for fear of being a burden on others. Unnecessarily hard on herself and overly aware of her personal shortcomings, she only starts to learn how to unwind after KDJ encourages her to break out of her comfort zone and find something beyond her work to be passionate about. And after many chats over coffee and hiking dates, Yoo Sangah eventually gathers her courage to follow KDJ’s advice and quit her job at Mino Soft, inviting them to help her pursue her dream of opening a bookstore. As a couple, of course.
“Through you, I’ve started to think for the first time that I can be happy.”
Then, it came time for Han Sooyoung’s route.
An all-around fan-favorite, people loved Han Sooyoung’s storyline for its unique twist on the “genius hacker” archetype with her bizarre sense of humor and flair for the dramatic. And given their preference toward the more amusing dialogue options, Yoo Joonghyuk initially believed KDJ would particularly enjoy pursuing Sooyoung, thinking they had similar personalities, but to his surprise, her route ended up being the one KDJ struggled with the most. Perhaps it had something to do with how people with too much in common never get along that great, but it took KDJ nearly five attempts before they finally achieved a romantic ending.
This is how Yoo Joonghyuk learned that KDJ could be unexpectedly prideful when it came to certain things, unwilling to back down to Han Sooyoung when it came to the most arbitrary things, picking fights and calling each other names, and whatnot. What this resulted in, however, was Sooyoung picking up a strange fascination with KDJ and earning him her begrudging respect for being able to call her out on her overconfidence and snobbish behavior, obtaining Sooyoung’s friendship ending in their first five attempts. It was at that point that KDJ realized what Sooyoung required wasn’t just brutal honesty but a strong support as well, being there to back her up after giving her the courage to leave her dangerous life as a hacker behind, and start over as a small-time indie game developer, something she had been dreaming of since she was a child. So finally, KDJ could be promoted from friend to companion.
"I want to be a trace that can never be erased for you."
Yoo Joonghyuk’s route wouldn’t come for a while after this. At this point, most fans, not wanting to redo the other routes just to obtain the number of hourglasses that came so few and in-between to unlock his character, would simply a) give in and purchase hourglasses using real-world money, b) farm for hourglasses by replaying the chatrooms which earned more hourglasses than others, or the worst, c) cheat and use underhanded hacks to give them as many hourglasses they want in order to move forward with the game.
But not KDJ.
Perhaps it was because they were strapped for cash or already had too much time on their hands, but for some reason, they took the time to painstakingly play through the others’ routes again and again for what must’ve been dozens of times until they finally earned enough hourglasses for his route. And Yoo Joonghyuk was there throughout it all, watching his fellow MFA members fall in love with KDJ each time without fail, patiently waiting for his turn.
And during all that time, he tried to picture what strategy KDJ would use on him — would they try to appeal to his ego by paying him a constant stream of compliments? Get him to open up about the loss of his sister and girlfriend? Or purposely rile him up so that they were on his mind constantly?
Yoo Joonghyuk had already fallen in love with other players hundreds of times before, each one not that different from the last, but KDJ had piqued his interest. TWSMM was a game designed for the player to revolve their entire lives around playing, but it was only KDJ who seemed to actually have the resolve to devote themselves to the world as though they were actually a part of it. And they had played so many times, they practically were.
So when they were finally able to click [START GAME] to begin the next eleven days pursuing Yoo Joonghyuk, he found himself, for the first time, looking forward to his route, even if it meant reopening the past wounds the developers had inflicted on him, brooding backstory and all.
Despite witnessing the other characters have their turns as the recipients of KDJ’s charms, Yoo Joonghyuk had not been fully prepared for what it would be like to be the target of KDJ’s affections and just how overwhelming it would be.
It did not escape Yoo Joonghyuk’s notice how KDJ’s reply time could take minutes at a time, as they mulled over which was the best response that garnered the most affection from Joonghyuk, carefully deliberating the best way to his heart. They were much more attentive on this route compared to the others, as though they were afraid of somehow saying the wrong thing in an automated conversation.
After taking so long to finally achieve his route, it made sense that KDJ would revel every step of the way, wanting to savor every detail. But to have all of this focus targeted directly at Yoo Joonghyuk was intense, to say the least. He wasn’t just another romanceable to KDJ — he was the very thing worth working for. Their white whale. And they wanted to make sure their love story was perfect in every way.
What else could Joonghyuk do but reciprocate? After all, they were his raison d’être.
In a span of eleven days, KDJ became the center of Yoo Joonghyuk’s world. He woke every morning to wait for them in the chatroom, and went to bed every night ready to bid them goodnight. He called them at random times of the day, and looked forward to when they would call him, using the precious hourglasses they worked so hard to save up, and they would speak to each other as best as they could. He opened up to them, let them reach out and take his hand, and together, they overcame Joonghyuk’s inner demons, saving the MFA in the meantime.
It was what he was programmed for, he knew that, and yet…
When it finally came time for Yoo Joonghyuk to confess his feelings and grant KDJ the happy ending he rightfully earned, he found the words stuck in his throat.
He didn’t want it to end. He didn’t want to finally get their happy ending if that just meant it was time for the game to restart. If by not confessing, they got to stay in that limbo where time moved neither forward nor backward, and all that mattered was the two of them, Joonghyuk could’ve kept his mouth shut until the end of time.
But alas, the pull of his function forced his lips to move against his wishes and say the words whose truth Joonghyuk could never deny, even to the depths of his very soul:
“I feel like I’m in a different universe when I am with you. Everything feels new.”
It didn’t end there, of course. There were still six other endings for KDJ to obtain. After the romantic ending came the normal ending, and then the bad endings followed, which were harder for Yoo Joonghyuk to get through than usual. He was already such a possessive type, as designed by the developers, but it was in the bad endings where his controlling type really begins to show, resulting in the player’s loss of freewill and even death in some instances.
He hated the idea of possibly frightening KDJ or giving them a bad impression of him. Not after they worked so hard to get his route.
(His worries turned out to be nothing, in the end. In fact, Joonghyuk’s second bad ending, where he completely succumbs to his obsession after being provoked by the player to lock them up in his apartment to be monitored 24/7, just so happened to be the bad ending that KDJ replayed the most. Yoo Joonhyuk duly noted this for future reference, although it wasn’t as though there was anything he could do with the information. It was quite the controversial ending, some of the fanbase being uncomfortable with the domineering sexual undertones, but it got enough attention to eventually earn its own DLC. It was just unfortunate that anything remotely intimate is only implied and fade-to-black. Sometimes that PG-13 rating was such a nuisance…)
What was hardest, however, was having to watch KDJ go through all of his endings one by one, before finally beginning a new game with someone who was not Yoo Joonghyuk. Even though he knew better, it still felt like a betrayal to watch KDJ go back to pursuing Lee Hyunsung as if their time together never existed. And while he knew that KDJ would eventually return to his route, he was also painfully aware that it wouldn’t last.
If only he could hold onto KDJ and never let go…
Instead, he’d have to settle for patiently waiting for them to return to their rightful place at his side. And if it were for them, Yoo Joonghyuk could wait, go through the motions, replay the game for eternity.
[tls123, KDJ]
tls123: Aaaaarrrghhh
tls123: When will I be free…
KDJ: When you die?
tls123: …
tls123: Gahh, u just gave me goosebumps lol
tls123: lolololololol
tls123: But ur now wrong lololol
tls123: I wanna get rid of my stress…
tls123: I wanna mess with someone···..!!
[Yoo Joonghyuk has entered the chatroom.]
(It was already about time for this chatroom, Joonghyuk thought to himself. What a nuisance.)
KDJ: Someone’s here.
Yoo Joonghyuk: ?
tls123: Yoo Joonghyuk!!
tls123: I waited for you!!!
tls123: I want to know something meow.
Yoo Joonghyuk: What is it?
tls123: So you know,
Yoo Joonghyuk: Oh.
Yoo Joonghyuk: You just said, “I want to mess with someone” right before I came.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Are you trying to mess with me?
KDJ: lol He totally caught you.
tls123: Nah.
tls123: What are you talking about?
tls123: I never thought about that.
tls123: I guess KDJ was planning to tease you lol
Yoo Joonghyuk: I don’t think it’s a good habit to pass the blame to someone else.
tls123: Yoo Joonghyuk,
tls123: do u like girls? or not?
Yoo Joonghyuk: Which girl?
Yoo Joonghyuk: Please make it clear who you are referring to.
tls123: Just girls in general~!
Yoo Joonghyuk: I will not answer your ambiguous question.
KDJ: Evading the question?
tls123: I think I’ve heard somewhere
tls123: that those who are guilty of something
tls123: always
tls123: evade the question first….
Yoo Joonghyuk: Has Lee Seollhwa completely escaped your mind?
tls123: Yeah… but you guys never acted that lovey-dovey in front of us!
Tls123: You guys were so formal with each other … how could anyone tell you were a couple?
tls123: Suspicious.
Yoo Joonghyuk: That’s our business.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I don’t approve of pda.
tls123: Now that I think about it, you never even told us how you two got together.
KDJ: *cough cough* Beard! *cough cough*
tls123: The scent of lavender is in the air…
(For someone who was so suspicious of KDJ less than 24 hours ago, they sure do become buddy-buddy pretty quickly, don’t they? Yoo Joonghyuk thought bitterly.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: I suggest you stop right there if you value your free time, Han Sooyoung.
tls123: Yoo Joonghyuk,
tls123: are you by any chance
tls123: androgynous?
Yoo Joonghyuk: I think that is biologically impossible.
tls123: Don’t tell me
tls123: that you’ve
tls123: never spent the night with someone before…?
(If Yoo Joonghyuk ever got his hands on the writers who wrote such a ridiculous conversation…)
Yoo Joonghyuk: Do you want me to ask that crude question?
KDJ: No… No way!
tls123: OMG!
tls123: lolol
tls123: haha
tls123: heehee
tls123: hehehe
tls123: hohoho
tls123: Uhm
tls123: No response?
tls123: Yoo Joonghyuk!
tls123: Juju!
tls123: Boring.
tls123: T-T
tls123: I didn’t even sleep last night trying to find out who that Unknown guy is~!
tls123: Plz tell me! Pretty plz with a cherry on top >_<
Yoo Joonghyuk: If I must answer that question,
Yoo Joonghyuk: I’d like to refrain from getting involved with any person at the moment, for personal reasons.
tls123: Oh I see…
KDJ: So you are a forever-alone, or not?
Yoo Joonghyuk: How persistent.
(Truly, what were the writers thinking with this plotline? Was it so unusual for a character who had allegedly lost their girlfriend two years ago not to be inclined to enter a new relationship? Why was he being singled out, anyway? Everyone else in the MFA, including Han Sooyoung, all had subpar dating lives too, given this was a dating sim.)
tls123: You didn’t say yes,
tls123: but you didn’t deny it either lol
KDJ: But what’s wrong with being a forever-alone? We can be forever-alones together!
(Yoo Joonghyuk had assumed that, given that KDJ must give the majority of their time to playing this game, their dating life must be nonexistent. So their words, while not actually written by them, did have a ring of truth to them. KDJ truly did intend to remain single alongside him and the rest of MFA.
Which is exactly how Joonghyuk preferred it.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: I don’t think it’s a crime.
tls123: It’s not a crime,
tls123: so just be honest. Lol
tls123: let’s all eat black bean noodles together.
KDJ: I’m only curious, haha
tls123: I think everyone’s curious!?
tls123: Do I finally
tls123: have a big scoop!?
(Yoo Joonghyuk was getting concerned. KDJ continued to choose the options that sided with Han Sooyoung. Did that mean they were pursuing her this time around and not Joonghyuk?
How irritating. Those two usually made an insufferable pair.)
tls123: Hmm….
tls123: Don’t tell me…!!
tls123: Heewon!!
tls123: Hyunsung!
tls123: Yoo Joonghyuk might be a forever-alone!!
tls123: Gahhhh I wanna know the truth!!!!
tls123: I heard that forever-alones can shoot fireballs with their hands.
tls123: Is that true?
Yoo Joonghyuk: I don’t carry around a lighter, so it’s impossible to produce a fireball.
tls123: No way.
tls123: Was the rumor that Yoo Joonghyuk is gay real?
KDJ: I am an open-minded person, so feel free to come out. I appreciate all types of people.
tls123: Me too, me too!!!
tls123: I can appreciate it too!
tls123: Just tell us lol
tls123: Ur secret is safe with us!
Yoo Joonghyuk: I think you two have both caught something.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Do you want me to recommend you a doctor
tls123: No!
Yoo Joonghyuk: Ridiculous that you’d waste energy on asking these useless questions.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Why don’t you use that time to sleep?
KDJ: I’m actually sleepy.
tls123: Uhm lol
tls123: So sudden lol
Yoo Joonghyuk: Then it’s best for you to go to bed now
(Although he said that, he knew that KDJ would stay up late. It was nearing 8 pm in both the game world and the real world, but given the game's format, chatrooms were inclined to open as early as 3 am, and if they weren't opened by the time the next chatroom appeared, the player would have to pay a fee of five hourglasses just to be able to participate in the missed chatroom. And enough unparticipated chatrooms resulted in an automatic bad ending. This was one of the few grudges Yoo Joonghyuk held against the game developers. Not only did it affect his own sleep schedule (he may not be real, but even he liked getting his full eight hours), but it forced dedicated players like KDJ to ruin their health just to play this stupid game.
He didn't like the thought of KDJ staying up in the odd hours of the night just to chat with people that may not even be him.
The fool. Given how often they played, they should've had plenty of hourglasses saved up that missing a chatroom or two shouldn't have mattered. But that wasn't what mattered for KDJ — for them, TWSMM was more important than anything else. It was almost compulsive how they had to play the game through perfectly every time. They had even gotten into the habit where if even one chatroom didn't go as they wanted, they would restart the game from the very beginning.
What was KDJ's life like, Yoo Joonghyuk wondered, that they'd rather spend all their time with characters that weren't even real? Were they truly that lonely?
In that case, that was fine by him. He'd rather be the one keeping KDJ company.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: Han Sooyoung, I think you are overly hyper right now.
tls123: Am I?
tls123: T_T
tls123: Guess I had too much Doctor Pepper.
tls123: On a major sugar rush and high on caffeineeeeee
tls123: my heart’s racing
tls123: *W*
Yoo Joonghyuk: I suggest you drink a lot of water.
tls123: Instead of drinking water,
tls123: I should call some reporters!
tls123: If I tip this off to the newspapers,
tls123: I’ll get so much money.
Yoo Joonghyuk: No you won’t. My lawyer will sue you for me.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Looks like I have no reason being here anymore.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Pull yourself together.
[Yoo Joonghyuk has left the chatroom.]
***
He scrolls through the chatlog, revisiting all of the messages sent throughout the day. The glow from the screen is the only source of light in the dark room as he smiles to himself. Nothing appeared to be out of order, with all of the characters behaving just as they usually do. Including KDJ.
“Everything's going to plan.”
The next few days were something to look forward to. At last, the pains of his labor were about to bear fruit, and he couldn’t afford to miss a single moment. It all depended on what KDJ chose.
Notes:
After this is all over, remind me to write a one-shot based off Jumin's infamous Bad Story Ending 2.
Chapter 4: Intermission: Geniusly Hacked Bebop
Summary:
Good, Joonghyuk thought to himself. He hoped he left a mark. First of many. A small reminder to leave behind whenever anyone got it into their heads to take what was his alone.
Notes:
(We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you some smut)
Hey yall. Did you notice the rating change from M to E? This was on purpose :)
It seems that a certain guest commenter was unable to take the hint even after enabling comment moderation and has continued to harass me with hate comments simply because I've tagged the fic as Joongdok over their preferred Dokjoong. So, out of pure spite, I've decided to dedicate this new chapter to that special person, and wrote some of the filthiest smut I could conjure with YJH banging KDJ's brains out <3<3<3
This will have little to no relevance to the actual plot whatsoever so anyone who is uncomfortable with explicit sex can be assured they can skip this chapter without missing out on anything important. My sincerest apologies to anyone looking forward to the next chapter, but vengeance comes first.
To the person who keeps telling me to kill myself? You may not even bother to read this chapter, or you may just continue to harass me even more, but I'm still happy to inform you that this piece of peak fiction now exists solely because of you. I don't even like to write smut that often, but you've pushed me to explore beyond my boundaries and you have my thanks for that. Screw you.
And now the tags:Anal, overstimulation, size difference, dacryphilia, marathon sex, PWP, biting, slut-shaming
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Yoo Joonghyuk was going to fuck Kim Dokja like his life depended on it. No, he was going to fuck him like he was on the brink of death. No holding back anymore.
His tongue eagerly lapped up the insides of Dokja’s mouth like it was an oasis and he, a man dying of thirst. Which he basically was, given how long he’s waited for this.
He held his jaw in place, so there was no pulling away unless Joonghyuk said so. Their mouths moved in tandem, an almost coordinated rhythm as Joonghyuk’s other hand trailed down to Dokja’s front to make sure he was properly hard. He was.
They both groaned as he palmed the bulge through the cloth, and Dokja ran his fingers through Joonghyuk’s scalp, pulling at the roots of his hair, bringing forth a satisfying burn. That was enough. Joonghyuk reached for Dokja’s collar, pulling it aside to expose the milky and soft skin, and bit down hard . Dokja cried out in pain.
Good , Joonghyuk thought to himself. He hoped he left a mark. First of many. A small reminder to leave behind whenever anyone got it into their heads to take what was his alone . He didn’t relent until a familiar coppery, metallic taste hit his tongue and he pulled away to get a look at Dokja’s face — he was flushed, breathing heavily, and already half-delirious. That dazed expression in his eyes went straight down to Joonghyuk’s cock.
Whore…
Their clothes were getting in the way at this point. With a flourish, Joonghyuk tore off the white button-up keeping him from his prize and tossed it to some dark corner in the room. He pulled his own shirt over his head and threw it in the same direction. Seeing Dokja make no attempt at hiding his blatant staring made him smirk.
“Like what you see?”
Wordlessly, he nodded. His smirk widened as he reached out to take Dokja by the hand. “Don’t worry. You’re going to get your fair share pretty soon.”
He pulled them back until they reached the bed, where he promptly sat at the edge so that Dokja was looking down on him, still standing. In this position, Joonghyuk felt like he was at an altar worshipping the body that was Kim Dokja. How very fitting.
Leaning forward to catch the fly of Dokja’s pants with his teeth, slowly, he zipped them open, not breaking eye contact the whole time. Dokja’s face flushed an adorable pink, and he quickly began to unbuckle his belt. Moments later, the pants were off, as well as the underwear beneath.
Joonghyuk wasted no more time. Grabbing Dokja by the waist, he pulled him forward, giving a light kiss on his pelvic bone before swallowing his cock whole, enjoying the breathless gasp he incites. He wanted to devour Kim Dokja, sucking on his cock like it was his final meal.
While holding the man in place, Joonghyuk kneaded at the plush flesh that was Dokja’s ass, his fingers slowly creeping toward that precious ring of muscle, circling the entrance gingerly.
“Joonghyuk-ah… Ah!”
Oh, how he savored the sound of his name on Dokja’s tongue. The precum that was leaking out poured down Joonghyuk’s throat, and he swallowed it enthusiastically. “Wait… I’m about to—!”
Before Dokja can finish, Joonghyuk pulls himself off with a wet ‘Pop!’ craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Dokja’s face.
“Patience is a virtue, Kim Dokja.”
Contrary to his words, however, Joonghyuk tugged Dokja down onto the bed, flipping them over so that he towered over him, straddling his hips and trapping him between his arms. And even in the midst of his hazy, aroused state, Dokja managed a scoff.
“Just fuck me already, you sunfish bastard.”
He didn’t need to be asked twice. Hurriedly grabbing the bottle of lube he kept in the nightstand beside them, Joonghyuk poured a generous amount on his fingers until they were properly slicked, reaching down toward Dokja’s entrance. He pressed his mouth against Dokja as he gasped, swallowing his moans as he opened him up with a practiced finesse.
Biting and sucking on Dokja’s lower lip while inserting one finger through the tight rim, he probes around for that one sensitive spot, feeling gratified when he does find it, and presses down to hear Dokja moan even louder. Eventually, he adds the second finger. Third.
“ Fuck… ”
With Dokja arching up his hips to get Joonghyuk’s fingers deeper inside, he took this as an opportunity to explore the rest of his body, burying himself deep into Dokja’s collarbone, leaving behind a trail of bites and marks that were sure to remain there for the next few days. He mouthed at Dokja’s adorable pink and pert nipples, causing him to squirm beneath him at the sensation. Joonghyuk caught one of them between his teeth and tugged, hoping to make it bruised and swollen.
“ Ah! ”
When he finally deemed Dokja loose enough to take him inside, Joonghyuk pulled out his fingers with a loud ‘ squelch’ and began unbuckling his own pants. At the sight of him, Dokja's breath took a hitch. “ Fuck… it’s like the same size as your ego…”
Joonghyuk smirked down at him, letting the backhand comment slide. In a few moments, he wouldn’t be able to be coherent, anyhow, if only to cry out his name in pleasure. Positioning himself toward Dokja’s weeping hole, he finally pushed in without further warning.
Feeling how tight he was wrapped around Joonghyuk’s cock, he let out a deep groan and leaned forward to bury himself in the crook of Dokja’s neck, breathing in his scent. He allowed Dokja to wrap his arms around his shoulders, suppressing his cries by biting down on Joonghyuk’s skin as he pressed himself fully inside.
Dokja gasped and clung to him tighter. Joonghyuk couldn’t help but chuckle, slowly pumping himself in and out. “Joonghyuk-ah… it feels so good! ”
“ For me too… ” Joonghyuk grunted. “ I’m going to make sure… hnng! That you’ll never forget this feeling. ”
Certainly, he would make it so that Dokja felt this for the next week.
Their bodies flushed together as Joonghyuk started rocking his hips at a steady pace, reveling in Dokja’s whimpers and gradually gaining speed. The body heat builds up between them, blood rushing from all of the adrenaline. He drove into him — deeper and harder, chasing the pleasure like a dog in heat.
“ God! Keep going… just like that— Ah!” At some point, tears began streaming down Dokja’s face, expression overwhelmed with ecstasy. “ Harder! ”
Joonghyuk dragged his tongue across Dokja’s cheeks, lapping up the tears and relishing the saltiness. “ Such an eager slut, aren’t you? ” he drawled, pressing faint kisses to Dokja’s eyelashes as he continued to sob. “ So desperate to be fucked. ”
Dokja could only respond by moaning out Joonghyuk’s name as he continued to thrust, making home in Dokja’s heat, clawing at Joonghyuk’s back and leaving behind treak marks. His nerves were on fire, feeling drunk off the pleasure — his entire worldview completely consumed by Kim Dokja and Kim Dokja alone. Nothing else mattered.
His mind reeled through all of the possibilities he could inflict on Dokja in due time — tying him up and limiting his movements so Joonghyuk could have his way with him, blindfolding and gagging him, dressing him up in all sorts of humiliating outfits and having him beg for his cock while on a leash… just picturing it made Joonghyuk even harder.
“ Ha… Joonghyuk-ah, I’m about to—! ” Joonghyuk’s movements did not cease as he rocked them back and forth, making Dokja a whimpering mess. During this, his took him by the cock and began jerking, listening to Dokja become louder as he reached the height of his climax. “ Ah! Joonghyuk! ”
Come began spurting out of the tip, hitting Joonghyuk in the chest. The sound of Dokja crying out his name while orgasming was enough for him to start losing his composure as well, breath becoming unsteady as he continued his motioning. Overstimulated, Dokja could do nothing but whine as Joonghyuk abused his sensitive hole.
“Say that you're mine,” Joonghyuk said through gritted teeth. “Tell me that — hng! Tell me that you’ll never let yourself be fucked by anyone else, ah! ”
“ I’m yours! ” Dokja gasped, pulling at Joonghyuk’s hair to steady himself. His eyes were beginning to roll to the back of his head. “I — hrgh! I’ve always been yours, Joonghyuk!”
Those were the words that finally pushed Joonghyuk over the edge. With one final groan, he came, overflowing Dokja’s hole, so the white substance was spilling out despite his cock still remaining inside. He collapsed on top of Dokja — both panting and out of breath, but sated nonetheless. Dokja sighed contentedly, letting his head fall properly back against the pillow.
Joonghyuk gave him only a few moments of respite before throwing his leg over his shoulder. Dokja gave him a look of bewilderment.
“What are you doing? You’re not—”
“Surely you didn’t think I could be satisfied that easily?” Joonghyuk scoffed. “I thought I already told you…”
He hadn’t bothered to pull out before and began to thrust once more, causing Dokja to let out a moan, unable to retort. Joonghyuk let out a coy smile.
“ I’m going to make sure you never forget this feeling. ”
***
Kim Dokja woke up in his bed with a start, covered in sweat and blushing profusely. It took him a moment to remember his surroundings, and he sat up.
A dream…?
In a single motion, he threw off his covers, revealing an undeniable wet stain in the front of his pants that had leaked its way onto the bed. He went red.
A wet dream at my age… seriously?
Not only that, but a wet dream about a fictional character. How pathetic could he get? Groaning, Dokja climbed out of bed, now having no choice but to wash his sheets. His phone buzzed from his nightstand. He reached out to pick it up.
It was a notification that had popped up on his homescreen:
[A new chatroom has opened]
Notes:
Revenge porn, only one way to do it folks ;)
Chapter 5: Day 3, 15:15: Their life
Summary:
On his phone, Yoo Joonghyuk scrolls through his contacts until he reaches the one named “DO NOT CONTACT UNDER ANY MEANS EXCEPT EMERGENCIES”. Sighing, he forces himself to press the call button.
It rings for several moments until ‘click’!
“Hello?”
Even the sound of his voice was enough to make Joonghyuk’s blood boil.
“What do you think you’re trying to pull?”
Notes:
It's going to be a long week for me so I decided I'd finish this up first before life gets in the way (T⌓T). I wrote this instead of doing homework which is why it feels a bit short.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Han Myungoh was giving Kim Dokja shit again.
“What is that? A dating game?” Han Myungoh sneers, having caught Kim Dokja playing TWSMM at his desk. “Hey, Kim Dokja-ssi. How much time do you have to waste it on this shit?”
Kim Dokja didn’t exactly hide the fact that he played mobile games as a hobby, but to be judged by Han Myungoh of all people was vexing, nonetheless. And it wasn’t as though they were in the middle of work — it was their lunch break and he was taking the time to complete the 9:58 chat with Yoo Sangah before the lunchtime chatroom opened up. He glanced back at his phone screen at the ongoing conversation:
[Yoo Sangah, KDJ]
Yoo Sangah: Did you read what tls said earlier?
Yoo Sangah: She’s an adult, and she still loves to snack.
Yoo Sangah: I don’t think I’ve ever seen her eat a proper meal.
Yoo Sangah: She has the financial ability to hire a maid,
Yoo Sangah: but she refuses to buy herself proper meals;;
(Just as Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon were often paired together as the last to be recruited into the MFA, Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung also had many interactions as they were both personally recruited by Yoo Joonghyuk, Sangah because he was impressed by her work ethic at Mino Soft, and Sooyoung because she hacked into Joonghyuk’s computer during one of his biggest livestreams once and in exchange for not pressing charges, she agreed to use her talents for the MFA instead. Because both technically worked under Joonghyuk, the two were closer than either wanted to admit despite their personalities not being the most compatible. Fans liked their dynamic so much they ended up as the second most popular pairing next to Yoo Joonghyuk x player. Dokja personally thought Sangah could do better, but, well.)
KDJ: You have to eat properly too. If you just stuff your stomach with whatever because you’re busy, it won’t be good.
Yoo Sangah: Are you worrying for me?
Yoo Sangah: Thank you…
Yoo Sangah: I must try my best to eat well regardless of how busy I am.
Yoo Sangah: The good thing is…
Yoo Sangah: today
Yoo Sangah: I finally have time to eat a proper meal
Yoo Sangah: instead of something from the convenience store.
Han Myungoh clicks his tongue in mock-exasperation. “This is why people like you will always remain as contract workers and nothing else,” he sighed, shaking his head. Kim Dokja bit his tongue, just wanting to get the lecture over with so that he could get back to his game.
Speaking of, how did Han Myungoh recognize it as a dating game so quickly? Most people who happened to see his screen usually just assumed it was some kind of messenger app.
“If you’re going to play games, you’ve got to go the more classic route! Something like this!” Han Myungoh hold up a copy of Yang Yilun’s “Fundamental Principles of Go.” Other than the first couple of pages, the book looked brand new…
Go his ass. Kim Dokja would bet his left kidney that Han Myungoh had never so much as won a game of Chinese checkers much less played Go. Nevertheless, he maintained his composure and forced a strained smile on his face.
“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”
After Han Myungoh finally left, Kim Dokja returned to his conversation with Yoo Sangah, who, as fate would have it, was also having her own troubles at work, dealing with higher-ups who were more concerened about flirting with her than letting her do her job. She must have it tough— considering she was essentially working two jobs as once for Mino Soft and the MFA, only to be further burdened by people like them. Always the resilient type, she always took on too many responsibilities often at the price of her own wellbeing.
Out of all the characters, Yoo Sangah was probably the one that Dokja respected the most, given their similar work lives. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he related to her, considering she was far more accomplished as an entry-level employee than he ever could be, but he couldn’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with her. If this were real life, there was no way he’d even be in her stratosphere of people she knew, but it was nice to just imagine an alternate reality where even someone like him could think to be on the same level as Yoo Sangah.
Yoo Sangah: Then, I should spend the rest of my time
Yoo Sangah: trying to eat a proper lunch until the manager comes.
Yoo Sangah: I hope I get to take another break
Yoo Sangah: after eating…
KDJ: Hearing you say that is making me really sad.
Yoo Sangah: Thank you for the sympathy. This must be my fate.
Yoo Sangah: Then please excuse me.
[Yoo Sangah has left the chatroom]
Feeling accomplished, Kim Dokja leans back on his chair and stretches. Even if Yoo Sangah wasn’t his current pursuit for this playthrough, it was nice knowing he did what he could to make her feel at least a little better.
Right after the chatroom with with Yoo Sangah came the phone call with Yoo Joonghyuk. Kim Dokja picks up right away.
It wasn’t a particularly productive phone call, per say, as it mainly pertained to Yoo Joonghyuk droning on about this new game that Mino Soft has been urging him to review despite it being a female-oriented dating simulator whereas his speciality was more toward MMORPGs, which Kim Dokja found ironic considering he, technically, was a character from a dating sim himself. The developers’ sense of humor sometimes…
Nevertheless, Kim Dokja listened diligently, closing his eyes to properly envision Yoo Joonghyuk speaking on the other end like it was a real phone call. And after making sure no one was listening in, he’d lower his voice to whisper his responses aloud, to further act out his fantasy. Thank god Han Myungoh had to leave for a lunch call—if he had caught Dokja doing something as embarrassing as this, he’d never hear the end of it.
God, if only he could look up the voice actor and see their other projects just to hear more of that voice. But it was widely known that Sing-Shong didn’t have actual people behind the characters of TWSMM and instead used an advanced voice synthesizer software to generate the voices instead. So Yoo Joonghyuk’s voice was entirely his own.
It was too bad. If there was a voice actor, Kim Dokja would’ve liked to send a fan letter or something.
But there was also something about how not even having a voice actor behind the character of Yoo Joonghyuk that further made the man seem almost real. Like if Kim Dokja just reached out far enough, he’d make contact.
Perhaps that was just his delusion speaking. He didn’t let it bother him too much, already perfectly content with what he was given. A new notfication pops up on his phone.
[A new chatroom has opened.]
He clicks.
***
When Yoo Sangah called Yoo Joonghyuk that afternoon, he assumed it was to discuss the party. After all, soon after KDJ joined the MFA, he put her to the task of finding a proper venue and handling the general ogranization, which he knew she would succeed at considering she had done it thousands of times before. But this was for something else.
“I got a strange email in my inbox today,” Yoo Sangah spoke into the phone. Already this was giving him a bad feeling. When you’ve re-lived the same eleven days for what must’ve already been over a decade now, anything that was out of the ordinary was never a good sign.
“An email? From who?”
“I’m not sure… I don’t recognize the sender’s name. It seems to be an organization of some kind.”
Joonghyuk frowned. “Send me a picture.”
A couple of moments later, he received a notification on his phone. It was a screenshot of an email — subject: Dear Yoo Sangah, MFA. Attachment: dfi00124 — Yoo Joonghyuk grit his teeth when he saw the sender: Zarathustra. Below was a picture of a familiar logo of an eye with an ominous red swirl that seemed to stare right at you. Beneath it was a message Joonghyuk knew like the back of his own hand:
Our paradise.
The place where everyone’s happy.
The choice is yours.
This was that bastard’s doing. He was sure of it. Dammit. What were they thinking, trying to interrupt the course of the story? This email wasn’t supposed to be sent until later, either on day nine of Hyunsung’s route or day six of Joonghyuk’s.
“I would’ve just passed it off as spam if it weren’t sent to my personal account,” Sangah commented. “I never hand that out to anyone. Not only that, but isn’t it strange that it was addressed to me in regards to the MFA? As far as anyone knows, we’ve been on hiatus for the past two years. It’s a bit too much of a coincidence that something like this happens just when KDJ arrives, no?”
She’s as perceptive as ever, Joonghyuk thought. And correct. This wasn’t a coincidence.
“Do you think this has anything to do with that ‘Unknown’ person that led KDJ to us?”
What could he say to her? He couldn’t just tell her to pass it off — this was vital information Yoo Sangah is meant to present to the chatroom later to signal Zarathustra’s nefarious misdeeds. But if he told her to be cautious, she might keep it to herself and throw the whole story off.
No. Surely her programming would urge her to show the email to the chatroom no matter what. This was a choice out of their control.
“It’s a possibility,” Joonghyuk said, careful his words. “Hold onto it for now. It could still be nothing but in case something else happens in the future, it could be useful for information. In the meantime, just focus on holding the party.”
“Have you decided on a date yet?”
Of course he had. It was the same date as ever. “Nothing’s set in stone… but I’m hoping to do it in about a week or so.”
“...”
“Sangah-ssi?”
“I’m sorry, I think I misheard you,” Sangah said, voice suddenly very strained. “It almost sounded like you were saying that we’re going to be holding an MFA party for the first time in two years and are only giving us about a week to prepare? Haha, surely Joonghyuk-ssi wouldn’t suggest something so absurd. Especially knowing that we have yet to find a venue and have only just started coming up with a guest list, with the party’s organizer being brand new and all…”
Blame the developers, not me, Joonghyuk thought. “It’s nothing you can’t handle,” he told her simply. “If you need anything, I’m a phonecall away. Better yet, go to Han Sooyoung. I’m sure you two can work something out.”
“That’s not the problem! How are we supposed to—”
“I’ve got to go. Something needs my attention. If there’s anything else, email me.” He hangs up without giving Yoo Sangah a chance to respond. She’s probably cursing him about the extra workload right about now. But it’s fine — she’ll just treat herself to a new book after work to comfort herself for the upcoming late nights.
In the meanwhile, he had more important things to deal with. On his phone, Yoo Joonghyuk scrolls through his contacts until he reaches the one named “DO NOT CONTACT UNDER ANY MEANS EXCEPT EMERGENCIES”. Sighing, he forces himself to press the call button.
It rings for several moments until ‘click’!
“Hello?”
Even the sound of his voice was enough to make Joonghyuk’s blood boil.
“What do you think you’re trying to pull?”
***
[HEEWON, KDJ]
HEEWON: Hey~
HEEWON: KDJ.
HEEWON: I hope you ate already?
KDJ: No T_T
HEEWON: You can’t be like that too…
HEEWON: Both tls,
HEEWON: and Hyunsung…;;
HEEWON: They should eat proper food.
HEEWON: Are they becoming more like me now?
KDJ: I guess those who live by themselves can’t help it…
HEEWON: Ya…
HEEWON: Hyunsung would be ok if he just uses the time to play games to cook something.
HEEWON: And tls… I think she needs someone to take care of her by her side.
[Yoo Joonghyuk has entered the chatroom.]
KDJ: Joonghyuk, hello!
Yoo Joonghyuk: Hello, KDJ.
(Yoo Joonghyuk was not in the mood to be chatting right now, even with KDJ. especially this particular chat. But he needed to stick to the script no matter what, lest KDJ become suspicious.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: You were discussing eating habits.
Yoo Joonghyuk: It’s important to eat proper meals.
Yoo Joonghyuk: A meal is one of the easiest things to purchase with money.
Yoo Joonghyuk: If you don’t have enough money, you can just cook.
HEEWON: Yup…
Yoo Joonghyuk: Or you can hire a nutritionist and a chef.
KDJ: Joonghyuk, do you eat properly?
HEEWON: Of course he does;; Just think about all the money he has;;;
Yoo Joonghyuk: I can’t do anything unless I’m healthy.
Yoo Joonghyuk: And I’ll have you know, I’m quite proficient at cooking.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I became quite skilled back when I was raising Mia.
HEEWON: …
HEEWON: Hey man, I didn’t mean to bring painful memories for you;;;
Yoo Joonghyuk: It’s fine. It’s already been six years.
(It’s been even longer than that, in fact. But perhaps because of his coding, the wounds still fresh, like they reset along everything else in this world.)
HEEWON: Still…
KDJ: Mia…?
Yoo Joonghyuk: My younger sister. You’ve probably heard her mentioned before. The organization is named after her after all.
HEEWON: I’ve never met her myself, but from what I’ve gathered, you and Seollhwa-ssi raised her together like a family before she disappeared.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Yes, that’s why we started the organization in the first place. To help those who truly needed it. Seollhwa was a doctor. She used to say her sole purpose in life was to save others.
HEEWON: She really was one of a kind… I remember how she used to scold me every time I ended up in the emergency room. (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
HEEWON: That was how I was recruited.
KDJ: Disappeared?
HEEWON: …
Yoo Joonghyuk: …
Yoo Joonghyuk: Well, it’s not as if we’re trying to hide it.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Six years ago… Yoo Mia went missing.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Just up and disappeared without a trace.
Yoo Joonghyuk: The CCTVs picked up nothing, and the police could find no clue as to where she could have gone.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Eventually, it was deemed a cold case.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Seollhwa was very distraught…
Yoo Joonghyuk: She saw Mia as her own daughter.
(It was that same grief which started the MFA and helped hundreds of people that Anna Croft manipulated to getting her to abandon that very organization, Joonghyuk thought spitefully. Honestly, the developers truly knew how to be cruel for the sake of the plot.)
KDJ: Joonghyuk… that’s terrible. I’m so sorry.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I appreciate your sympathies.
Yoo Joonghyuk: But it’s my own fault.
HEEWON: Joonghyuk-ssi…
Yoo Joonghyuk: I was supposed to be there when she got home from school that day…
Yoo Joonghyuk: But I got caught up at a meeting to discuss a partnership contract. And I didn’t get home until very late.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Seollhwa was working a double-shift at the hospital as well.
Yoo Joonghyuk: If only I had made it home on time…
Yoo Joonghyuk: None of this would have happened.
HEEWON: Hey, you can’t do that to yourself. No one blames you for what happened. It was just bad luck, that’s all.
KDJ: She’s right, Joonghyuk. You had no way of knowing. I’m sure your sister wouldn’t hold it against you either…
Yoo Joonghyuk: It doesn’t change that Mia was my responsibility. And I failed her when she needed me most.
Yoo Joonghyuk: And now I might never see her again.
(He would see her again, Joonghyuk knew. Yoo Mia remained alive, kidnapped by Zarathustra six years ago because of something that had to do with Joonghyuk’s dark past. What he was saying right now was just an excuse. No matter how you looked at it — it was his fault. And even thorough he knew it was only a game and that Mia wouldn’t be seriously injured, it still pained him that there was nothing he could do for her unless KDJ decided to go for a happy ending.)
HEEWON: You say that but…
HEEWON: I don’t think anyone in the MFA sees it that way.
HEEWON: I don’t know about anyone else,
HEEWON: But I’m really grateful for the MFA.
HEEWON: I’m not really close to my family, so you guys are really the only people I’m closest too.
HEEWON: And we’ve helped a lot of people along the way, haven’t we?
HEEWON: And even though it may have not been for the happiest reason that this organization began…
HEEWON: I’m really glad you and Seollhwa-ssi chose to start this group.
HEEWON: Which is why even though I give you a hard time occasionally…
HEEWON: I don’t see you as a bad person, Joonghyuk-ssi.
HEEWON: So I hope you aren’t too hard on yourself.
KDJ: That was a really sweet thing to say, Heewon.
Yoo Joonghyuk: …
HEEWON: Man… aren’t you going to say something? I got all mushy for you and everything!
(Certainly this was the appeal of the girl crush of TWSMM, Joonghyuk thought.)
Yoo Joonghyuk: Thank you for your words, Heewon-ssi.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I’ll take them to heart.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I didn’t intend to get so sentimental in the chatroom so early in the day. My apologies.
Yoo Joonghyuk: Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to take care of.
Yoo Joonghyuk: I’ll be taking my leave.
KDJ: Take care, Joonghyuk!
Yoo Joonghyuk: I will.
[Yoo Joonghyuk has left the chatroom.]
HEEWON: He ran away, huh?
HEEWON: Emotionally constipated bastard.
(If only she knew.)
Notes:
My brother once pointed out to me that I always seem to return to MysMes every time I'm getting stressed out about life which probably explains the sudden urge to replay now that the semester has started up again and I have to actually do work now. I'm no better than KDJ fr...
On the other hand, many old fans of the game seem to be delightfully reminded of how fun it was since reading this story which makes me happy since this game was such an imperative part of my youth! I've even seen some potential interest stirring from those who've never played before, which is also excellent! It's certainly an experience trying MysMes for the first time...
Thank you all for the continuous support and I hope to see you next time!
Pages Navigation
Kam_am on Chapter 1 Sat 23 Aug 2025 08:30AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 1 Sat 23 Aug 2025 08:32AM UTC
Comment Actions
melonana on Chapter 1 Sat 23 Aug 2025 05:16PM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 1 Sat 23 Aug 2025 05:24PM UTC
Comment Actions
kittykatsukii on Chapter 1 Sun 24 Aug 2025 01:14PM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 1 Sun 24 Aug 2025 01:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
Say on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Aug 2025 12:47AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Aug 2025 01:06AM UTC
Comment Actions
TheChaoticDreamerCat on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Aug 2025 11:44PM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 1 Fri 29 Aug 2025 12:53AM UTC
Comment Actions
litcheee on Chapter 1 Tue 02 Sep 2025 05:40AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 1 Tue 02 Sep 2025 01:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
litcheee on Chapter 1 Wed 03 Sep 2025 05:27AM UTC
Comment Actions
Stars4Saas on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Sep 2025 03:40AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Sep 2025 04:05AM UTC
Comment Actions
Say on Chapter 2 Wed 27 Aug 2025 06:50PM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 2 Wed 27 Aug 2025 07:56PM UTC
Comment Actions
Say on Chapter 2 Wed 27 Aug 2025 06:53PM UTC
Comment Actions
WishingToBeAnonymous on Chapter 2 Wed 27 Aug 2025 10:45PM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 2 Wed 27 Aug 2025 11:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
ClassicOfKeres on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Aug 2025 09:44PM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Aug 2025 09:56PM UTC
Comment Actions
TheChaoticDreamerCat on Chapter 2 Fri 29 Aug 2025 12:14AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 2 Fri 29 Aug 2025 12:55AM UTC
Comment Actions
Rae1255 on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 06:06AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 01:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
Say on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 06:26AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 01:29PM UTC
Comment Actions
Kam_am on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 06:46AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 01:30PM UTC
Comment Actions
ClassicOfKeres on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 11:23AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 3 Tue 02 Sep 2025 01:30PM UTC
Comment Actions
WishingToBeAnonymous on Chapter 3 Wed 03 Sep 2025 08:50PM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 3 Wed 03 Sep 2025 09:18PM UTC
Comment Actions
justsomebread on Chapter 4 Thu 04 Sep 2025 12:56AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 4 Thu 04 Sep 2025 01:46AM UTC
Comment Actions
fivetastic on Chapter 4 Thu 04 Sep 2025 02:05AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 4 Thu 04 Sep 2025 04:01AM UTC
Comment Actions
Say on Chapter 4 Thu 04 Sep 2025 02:53AM UTC
Comment Actions
Asexualandalwaysshipping on Chapter 4 Thu 04 Sep 2025 04:05AM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation