“Do you need help with that?”

My gaze unmoved from the laptop screen.“I'm just reviewing it before we submit it.” I shrug. This is no big deal. He doesn't say anything, but I sense that he hasn't moved either. “ You have a raid today, don't you? I can handle this.” I assure him.

Yoosung, like the professor said, is exceptional. We're definitely getting a good grade on this.

“You remembered, huh?”

Yup, it turns out Yoosung is a gaming addict. He's been on about it since that day at the library. We're just finishing up the assignment at his place. I mean, we finished it and I'm just going over it.

“Can I get you anything?” Sweet, sweet Yoosung.

“Yoosung,” I raise my head to face him. “Go.”

“I can't.”

“Why in the world not?”

“You're doing all this work and it just doesn't seem fair to you.” I sigh. It wasn't supposed to be this way, welp~

I shake my head and without a word, I get up from the floor, turn the sweet bean around and guide him to his computer. “Now, if I see you move from here to assist me, I'm leaving and taking all your gaming equipment with me. Understood?”

He just nods and well, that's good enough for me.

Yoosung just cares too much for his own good. I mean, if I told him to stay up all night to watch wrestling for me and fill me in the next day while I get a good night's sleep, he would. Not that I would ever tell him to do that, or even watch wrestling for that matter, but that's just the way he is.

Mind you, he's no push over, just extra considerate, where he can be.

It's because of this perfectly great quality of his, that I have to be a bit, well, mean.

He knows I mean well and if he doesn't then um, I should really remember to get him something to make it up to him.

The best thing I can think of is something to eat, but this can't be just any kind of food.

Time for a favor.

I make the call and order.

Forty minutes later and the doorbell rings. “I'll get it.” I shout, getting up from the floor. I like to work on the floor. Anyways, I walk to the door and take hold of the food, placing it neatly on his table.

I was going to shout out to him to come, but decided against it. Don't want his guild thinking he has some uncultured ill mannered monkey as a friend.

Yoosung has done this often enough for me to know that once he's in the zone, it's hard to simply shout it out of him, so there's that.

Therefore, I walk into the room and there's a girl...on Skype. I mean, all I hear is her voice. I haven't looked at the screen yet.

Madam Boss Lady?

“Boss?”

“Oh, hello, Min. I didn't know you knew Yoosung.”

Someone joins the video chat and-

“Min?”

“Zen…?”

What is going on?

“You all know each other?” I ask, pulling a spare chair up so I can sit on.

“I'm glad you're here. I've been meaning to talk to you.”

“Speak away, Miss Kang.”

“You're aware, I assume, about the recent rumors your presence near Zen has caused.”

“Yeah~”

“Good. Then you'll understand that these rumors are not good for his career. To avoid a scandal can I ask you to stay low, be more discreet about your relationship.”

“Jaehee, I don't see how Min can be the cause of anything-”

“No, she's right, Zen. Especially after I punched your co-star. That news won't take long for some entertainment news to come across.”

“You did what!?”

Put into an awkward situation. Detect an escape.

“Oh. Hi, Juju.” Saved by the trust…

Wait, Jumin Han,

Zen,

Yoosung Kim?

Jaehee Kang?

And-

“Hey, guys.”

Gucci glasses. Red hair. Coincidence?

“Hey, oh, you must be Min. Heard a lot about you. I'm Saeyoung Choi.” he waves and I wave back to the screen. What is this?

“Yeah, I don't believe we had the pleasure.” Huh. Curiouser and Curiouser.

This is making no sense. No sense at all. I scan every detail that my brain can register and it's starting to become clear. I might be going crazy. How can I have not seen it before.

“Hey, Min.”

“Oh, Yoosung. I've got us lunch. It's on the table. Can you get it before it gets cold.” He nods and goes to get the food.

“So, Miss Briar. Have you thought about my offer?”

“I don't think I'm convinced.”

“Very well, I will send my driver to pick you up. Once here, I'll see if I can change that.”

“Oh-hoho. What do we have here?”

“You just sounded like old saint Nick. Why did you do that?”

“Min, what is Jumin talking about?”

“It's a personal endeavor, Jaehee.”Jumin explains. “Business related.” He directs that answer to Saeyoung, because of his previous assumption.

He's just so stoic. I get thinking. He doesn't even let go around his friends? “Ugh~ I just can't get a reaction from you! Is he always like this?”

“Like what?”

“So composed? Like does nothing faze him?”

Jumin just sits there with a sly smile, in his office chair, in his big fancy office, very aware of what this is doing to me and he is so good with it, like it's literally bothering me.

Well, there is ONE way.

I snoop around on Yoosung’s computer until I find exactly what I'm looking for. Okay, snooping is probably a far cry from what I was doing, I simply go to desktop and find what I'm looking for there.

So, I turn it on and wait for Yoosung to come back. This will decide everything. And when Yoosung does come back with food in his mouth-

“You know, it was nice meeting you all, but a new chat should be opening up soon and I should be heading home.”

“A new what...?”

“A chat?”

“Yeah, it's just this really cool game I'm into.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Good luck with your game. “ Yoosung swallows hard. I'm having the effect I want.

“Yep, it's called Mystic Messenger.” and that does it.

Everyone's pale as ghosts and good gravy I don't know what got into me but I burst out laughing. There's this sheer look of horror and maybe a pinch of embarrassment on their faces. Embarrassed for what, not completely sure, they are the most loved people on Earth as of that game.

Amongst all of them I find great victory in JuJu's expression specifically. I got him to react! My heart jumps and so do I, literally, my fist are bumping the air while I jump in place out of this crazy victory. The weirdest victory dance in the world, but I'm happy.

“Okay, guys, seriously though, see ya.”

But before I go.

I get back on the computer and stop the recording. Proof that I made everyone cringe. You're welcome. I stop the screen recorder and bluetooth the video to my phone.

“I'll send the assignment once I get home, okay?”

I take my leave and at the back of my mind something seems a bit off.

How long ago had Zen been signed off?

The thought worries me, because I suddenly recall Jumin mentioning me, like me as in my name and that could very possibly upset him, if he does remember.

Arriving home didn't do anything but make me more anxious. So, I climb on a step ladder and get some things out from my closet, after which I put my phone to my ear and wait for an answer.

“Hey, Yun, do you know where Zen lives?”

“His address? Yes, but -” she stops herself and I know why. She just can't give me his address, that's a complete violation of trust. And without his consent-

“You can Google it.”

Say what now?

“Oh.” I didn't know that. “Thanks.”

Zen's address isn't hard to find at all. With the help of the pictures posted by his fans, scratch that, stalkers posted on social media even the way to his place was relatively easy to locate.

I hide at the bend of the stairs waiting for him to open the door and take the metal box inside. Then I'll leave.

That box contains some of my most precious memories. A part of my past I would never erase.

C'mon, Zen.

“Is he even home?” My palm smacks against my forehead. Thick head. Why didn't you call or something.

Then I hear it, the turning of a door knob. I back further down a step, just in case.

He bends for the box. All that I can see are his hands. Does he have it? I need to get a better view.

Oh no!

I back against the wall adjacent to the flight of stairs. My gaze finding the source of the sudden sound. A pebble.

A pebble of all things slid down a step from under my shoe, making that soft click sound.

Don't breathe…

“Minette?” He does remember!

Stay extremely still. He's probably just guessing.

“What are you doing here? And why are you hiding?”

Cover blown!

I walk out from behind the wall. “Oh. Uh,” my gaze falls to the floor. “I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“Not telling you earlier. Keeping it a secret. Jumin being the one to give it away. But in my defense I didn't have to tell him.” wait, that's much worse.

I know it isn't my fault, but reading everything he went through for majority of his adolescent years, being a teenager at the time myself, it left an impact.

“Hyun, are you upset?”

“Why would I be?”

“Well, besides what I just told you. I don't know… maybe the fact that you never got a reply to all the letters you sent me.”

“Minette,”

“But I did write. It's just that you never wrote a return address and I had no way of getting in contact with you after I left.” I conclude.

“But the ones I wrote are all in there.” I'm quick to add.

“I knew it was you.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Okay, when I first saw you, it was a hunch, but as soon as we hung out I was ninety percent sure. Ask for the letters, it did sort of hit me, but everything's better now. So don't worry, okay? ” he winks, giving me one of his signature smiles.

He reaches towards me and tucks some hair behind my ear. “Stop that,” I pout playfully.

“I can't stand your beautiful hair hiding that gorgeous face of yours.”

Uh-huh. “No, really. Stop it.”

He chuckles it off like I was being funny or something.

“Zen, since you know.” looking to the side , my hand twirling around as I thought of a way to phrase this just right. “That box. Can I have it back, please?” look at me trying to be all innocent.

“This box?”

“ye-ah.”

“sure.”

And you know what he does? He lifts it up to a height I can't reach.

“Zen, this isn't funny.” I stretch to get it. “C'mon the letters are embarrassing. Give them back.”

He chuckles. Is this some game to you, pretty boy?

“Hyun! I promise you, you giant of a man, I will climb you if I have to!”

“Won't that be interesting.” I pout. He's having way too much fun with this.

“Fine. Keep them,” my eyes narrow. “ But when you least expect it.”

“What?”

“You'll see.”

I turn on my heels and head on my merry way.

“Hey, atleast have a cup of tea or something before you go, since you're already here. I can order pizza!” His persuasion skills are immpressive. But let's be honest, it doesn't take much to persuade me.

And I do stop.

Back to facing him, “Well, I never turn down pizza.”

“After you.” He holds the door open and makes room for me to pass.

Okay, his apartment is nothing like in the game. It actually looks bigger,  complete with it's own loft.

“Extra cheese?” he asks while muffling the receiver with his palm.

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, we'll have two pizzas, one with extra cheese.” he completes the order and with the small metal box in hand, he sits next to me.

“Are you really going to read them right now?”

“Yup.”

“At least wait till the pizza gets here.” but does he listen? No. He begins his reading down memory lane and from the looks of it, every incident he passed through has found a way to come back, but there's times where he would smile and laugh a little, but by the end of it all he looks up at me and I'm waiting for him to make some kind of joke at my replies, because they were meant to cheer him up back then, so laughing is good, right? Why am I so nervous then?

“You were so cute.”

“Were?” Excuse you!

“Are.” he corrects himself. As he should. He goes over to one of his deco-drawers and pulls out what looks to be a script.

“Really, Zen. At this hour?”

“Can you just take a look. It's something I would like to be a part of.”

“Okay~ but you want to know what else I found out you're a part of?”

He gives me a bit of an amused look before reclining, “What?”

“An Otome game.”

He sits up straight. “Who told you that?”

“Better question is, why didn't I snap to it earlier?”

“Because it's crazy.”

“The thought is crazy. I would look crazy. I would never have imagined in a million years or the twenty five days of playing the game that anyone from it would actually exist, nonetheless, one being a childhood friend of mine. The thought in itself is mind boggling.”

“So~” he scoots a little too close to me. “Twenty five days, huh? Who's your favorite?”

And me being the tease that I am, turn towards him, “I don't see how that matters.” I return with the same grin.

“Not to me, but it can to you.”

“Oh. How so?” now I'm intrigued.

“If you say I am then there you have it.”

Have what exactly? And Where are we going with this?

“Why don't you take a guess, you only get one try.” I try to end whatever weird convo I started.

“If I were me… I'd pick me.”

“Correct.” I clap, completely shamelessly like it's okay that I used to, and low-key still,  daydream about your character. “But there's this one major difference. The character in the game is perfect.”

“As much as the real thing, I bet.”

What do you mean? Zenny is anime bae and anime baes are nothing but P.E.R.F.E.C.T

I ignore what he just said because I don't understand and I don't want to make it awkward “Is Jumin like he is in the game?”

“Um,” he rubs the back of his neck. “How is he in the game?”

“Obsessive.”

“Yes.”

“What!?”

“Sorry. I wouldn't have any way of knowing that, Minette. Why do you ask?”

“I've only played two routes. Yours and Jumin's, so I'm just curious.”

“Well, I don't know.” he seems to have backed away from the topic a bit after that.

And just when I was beginning to like the attention. “Zen.”

“Not another question about Jumin.” I've only asked you one!

“The pizza is here.”

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