Day 1

Okay, you're in RFA.

Now what?

The first thing you did was drop your phone on the bed and belly flop onto the duvet, grabbing one of the cool, fluffy pillows and screeching your soul into it.

It felt good to scream, and now all that's left is that you cry again or something.

You rolled onto your back, body spread like a starfish as you stared into the ceiling.

"Why am I here?" You muttered to yourself, but it was in English this time.

Looks like you were able to speak it after all when you wanted to. Or at least when you didn't have to speak to anyone..

"What am I gonna do? What about my life? My school work?" You grew more panicked by the second, your eyes stinging.

This was surely an unpleasant afternoon..

"I've never felt so alone. Absolutely pathetic..right? I'm taking to myself because no one would understand" you covered your face with your palms, groaning. The apartment was silent, all that was heard being the occasional honks of cars outside.

It was the only thing keeping you sane.

Despite the peace you found in traffic, your phone rang to life with a jazzy ringtone. It startled the hell out of you, your body shooting up and fumbling to grab your phone.

You looked at the caller.

707.

He was calling you.

You slowly tapped the accept button, holding the phone up against your ear. This would be the first time you'd hear him speak.

"Hello~! Can you guess who I am?" You rolled your eyes at this. Didn't he know about a thing called "caller ID"?

"Oh I dunno, maybe the infamous 707 whos ID can be seen when he calls?" You asked sarcastically, making him chuckle.

"Ouch! I can hear you barking at me. But I get it..you're really confused" he said, his voice playful and perky. But..what he said itself was the opposite.

Confused? Yup. He knew you were confused.

"Confused describes exactly what I'm feeling. I'll be honest when I say I'm close to crying" you laughed dryly, gripping the duvet beneath your fingers.

"Don't cry! I can guide you. I help you out, and you help me out. Two birds with one stone~? How about it?" Your brain flatlined. Did seven..actually know something?

Your brows furrowed.

"Do you know my situation? Be honest with me" there was silence on the other side of the line for a few seconds, at least, before you heard a sigh.

"Well..maybe..yes..?" He uttered, and you let out another humorless laugh.

"Explain. Now"

"Got it! Would you like the information dump or summary?" He was still as playful as ever despite the severity. That annoyed you a bit.

"Summarize it for me. I'll just ask questions after" you replied, eyes gazing at the blinds. You'd have to open them later for an outside view.

"I brought you into the game to break a timeloop. I'm a real person, everyone's real, except the MC. You know, the one with no eyes? The RFA has been stuck with resets and a repeat of 11 days. After a while, I figured that a real person needed to be in place of what is supposed to be a shell of a person..so I brought you here to help time move forward. Of course I'll help send you back in the end, and you'd be doing us both a favor. So..deal?" he explained, his voice going in one ear and struggling to come out the other.

It was pleasant. But right now? Pleasantly TERRIFYING.

He was counting on you. Wait, was he really that self aware?

The answer was probably yes from what you've heard, and it was sad. Hes been through so many resets, through the same dialogue with his friends, and for how long was a thought you'd rather not indulge yourself in.

Was this revenge for the constant resets? For forcing them all to repeat their days? What you thought was a new update ended up being the truth, and it was something you did not want to face.

"So..you basically kidnapped me. Ah yes, top tier way of getting people to help you" You clenched a fistful of duvet. It might've been your fault for accepting, but who expects such an offer to be real? It's supposed to be impossible, but the hot tears that sped down your face said otherwise. It had to be at the worst time, where your life had been shittier than usual, that this was thrown at you.

But that must've been the point.

"I understand this is hard, but you accepted the offer. Help me, so I could help you" sevens facade briefly lowered, out of pity for the girl he heard crying or out of guilt, it could be both. You furrowed your eyebrows in contemplation, taking a rough swipe at your wet cheeks.

"Am I dead?"

"What? No! Youre alive and well, your body's just on a type of...autopilot. Since your consciousness is here, you look the same. Maybe a bit different than what you're used to" he sputtered in an attempt to soothe your sniffling and hiccups, which became less frequent after his explanation.

It took a moment where he swiveled in his chair and tapped nervously on his desk. Staring at CCTV of the apartment, but no sign of you. Of course you had to be in the bedroom. There were no cameras there, and he would've preferred to see you. He was uneasy at your silence.

"So I'm fine?" You finally asked, and he hummed, "A-Okay. You're fine and continuing to function normally, but like a robot" he casually confirmed, and a soft thud sounded from your line. Your body had flopped back onto the bed, face flushed and itchy from dried tears. It was an attempt to consider the bright side; which included not being dead. Or missing.

Dumbass. That was a word that repeated in your mind, because of a certain memory. Your thumb tapping the yes button to the terms and conditions. Your fate was sealed the moment you had tapped the screen, and at this point, there was no way out. Your life was at a low already. You had an essay due in a few days, Blake had ditched you, and you were at a bleak point in your young adult life.

In that case, you knew the answer.

"I accepted the terms and conditions. I guess I can help you, right? I go home after anyway" You heard him cheer when you said this, and he sunk into his chair while he was at it. You could only huff out a sound that was close to a laugh.

"It's a deal, seven" You confirmed, and as the thought continued to pester, the realization set that the answer was already said to you. There was hope. After your 11 days, you would go home. Though the anxiety left your limbs weak, you took in a deep sigh. It was weird, you were close to a breakdown, but you were able to stand back on your feet. Not literally, of course. The anxiety was going to take a while to cool off.

"You wouldn't expect this, but..I don't remember anything. After you came, it's like I've been wiped. Our best shot would be sticking together and to save everyone! I, seven, promise to keep you safe until the loops been broken. Then we all have our happy ending" He was quite bold. Straight up saying to pick him, which was your best option if being honest. He was the one that knew your situation since he did put you in it..but he's promising to return you, so you'll just have to go with it.

"Alrighty, just keep flirting and then it'll solve all our problems" you made a weak attempt at a joke from over the phone pressed against your ear, sevens amused chuckle rippling from the other side.

"Don't end up falling for me~" his voice teased cheekily, you couldn't help snickering. How stupid.

Falling in love in 11 days? You aren't easy.

"I'm just helping out. Think of me as your ally instead of your lover" you corrected, unable to stop the amused grin on your face. Being able to smile like this really made you feel like you were going insane.

You heard him laugh softly, a bit more then the small chuckles he's been sparing you. Mostly because you were in tears.

"How harsh! Not even an accomplice?" He cried out.

To hell with it. Maybe this wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to you. If he's there to assist you, then you would manage. You could ask him anything, and he'd have no choice but to answer. With that in mind, the most important question sat on your tongue.

"Seven, do I have money?"

*

After a quick explanation of Korean currency and being told your credit card was also transported with you, it was safe to say you'd be fine for a while. You were a college student that knew the power of rationing.

He did mention secretly visiting to leave money in a drawer in Rikas closet, too. A lot of it to buy your necessities and clothes that couldn't come with you.

It was the least he could do for you, he had said. You were amazed to find three thick wads of cash in the vacant top drawer.

The cash in plain sight along with a little note saying "go crazy!! But get what you need to >_<". It was written messily in pen, the sticky note slightly dusty.

The handwriting was faded too. He must've been preparing for a long time..

The thought was sad, but you decided not to think about it and slowly shut the drawer.

Nice.

Your phone buzzed with the oh-so-familiar notification for the app. You pulled your device from your back pocket and looked.

707 is active!

How fun.

You logged onto the RFA app and joined the chatroom, a grin on your face.

(Name)
OH
MY
GOD
is that..is that seven?

707
That's right, DRUMROLL PLZ..
It's SEVEN-ZERO-SEVEN
NOW CLAP

(Name)
You cant see it but I'm AGGRESSIVELY clapping rn

707
Lololol  thank you
I'm here all night!!
But honestly, I cant even focus on work..
Why can't I focus??

(Name)
I graced the RFA with my presence and now you cant help but think of how cool I am. I know, you're jealous of how awesome I am.

707
So confident~!
But I already know ur shopping mall account and email are all the same lolol
God-like status -100
How naive, my pupil

(Name)
....Oh shit those accounts are here too. DONT LOOK INTO THOSE PL EASE

707
Lololol I'm kidding, but shhhhh! You stay on the low and I won't expose your passwords~
But really, jokes over
What if rika was alive?
I cant get that thought out of my head.

You frowned at the sudden sadness washing over the chatroom. You didn't remember much about rika, but she seemed like a great person who touched everyone's hearts.

You only hoped you could provide the others with the same help by breaking the time loop, even if they weren't aware of it.

You hesitantly typed on your keyboard.

(Name)
Maybe we'd all be chatting together and having a good time? It would've been nice to meet her.

707
That's a nice thought ^^
She was such a good person
Thinking about this makes me sad.
[INSERT PICTURE]

(Name)
She's really pretty

707
This is..
A photo of me lololol

(Name)
Your timing was HORRIBLE what the hell seven

707
Sorry to break it to you, but I don't like being depressing.
Cross dressing it pretty fun, my company told me to do it lolol
Anyways, I'm continuing research on who took you to Rikas apartment.
But what I'm worried about is the possibility that u r in danger

(Name)
Wait what this wasn't mentioned

707
I'm sorryyyyy ;;;;
I totally forgot! But now that you know please come here if anything happens!

(Name)
Yeah yeah. Should I like learn self defense or something just in case-

707
Try it! Tell me when you learn how to flip someone over lol.

(Name)
I will lol. Thanks for the late warning though. Please keep me safe and don't forget to tell me things.

707
Of course ^^
It's getting late though..I think I've got to peace out now.

(Name)
Go! Try getting some work done.

707
Thanks ^^
Then peace out.

-707 has left the chatroom-

You smiled at the silly conversation, logging out as well. It was concerning seven didn't mention the hacker before, but he was so caught up in explaining your role and the plan to break the cycle.

He must've been away from this situation for a while if he forgot to mention the hacker over the phone. But regardless, it was in your gut just to trust him. You had no other choice but to.

But he did bring you here without consent..well, either way, he gave you the fresh start you secretly longed for.

'Maybe I could learn something?'

You snorted at the thought, muttering a "yeah right" before standing up from Rikas bed and opening the closet. You opened the top drawer among the big three.

You took an entire wad of cash (you never know) and stuffed it in your crossbody bag in hopes to purchase groceries. You could only pray you'd be able to make something that won't burn the house down.

..Or maybe look up a recipe for a Korean meal. You were always picky with food, but you said 'fuck it' and waltzed out with the intent of buying ingredients to make Korean food.

Lets just hope your tastebuds agree with that.

*

It was..a tough trip. You came back with both your arms full, and the fact that you walked through all those people on the bustling sidewalk (who gave you the stink eye for even walking home with a bunch of groceries) to reach your quiet neighborhood was a challenge in itself.

After being judged so hard, by the time you punched in the passcode vaguely in your brain you kicked the door open and kicked it shut feeling salty. You dropped the bought goods on the counter like it was a heavy stack of papers, groaning in frustration.

"Quit staring! I know, I should've used the subway or something but I know nothing about Korea besides the language and the word kimchi.." you squabbled to yourself in English. It seems you only spoke Korean when talking to others, but alone in English.

It was weird. Your translator mouth flipped on and off.

"I'll go next time..maybe I'll ask seven how to get a bus card" you grumbled, beginning to unpack and fill the empty fridge.

You got meat, vegetables, and of course noodles and kimchi. You sadly couldn't find forks either, so bought a few pairs of chopsticks and a shit ton of spoons.

You got milk, apple juice, cereal, snacks that looked interesting, it was quite the experience.

The fridge was now filled, but still half empty because you didn't spend all your money. It was in your blood not to waste an entire wad in one go.

You carefully put the meat in the freezer above the fridge, stacking away your snacks and dry foods in the cupboards. You grabbed your bag of lais chips to have as lunch and sat at the table, tearing the bag open to stuff your face.

Finally..food..

Your phone suddenly buzzed, making you freeze mid-chew and pull it out from your back pocket.

Yoosung ⭐️ is online!

Oh, Yoosung. You logged on, being the first one to send a message.

(Name)
Hey

Yoosung ⭐️
(Name), hey ^^
Today's the day you joined the organization.
Usually I would have been playing games...
But I couldn't really calm myself down
Why don't we talk a little about ourselves?

(Name)
You like games, right? We talked about it earlier. I get super competitive sometimes no matter what game lol

Yoosung ⭐️
Yeah! I love games.
I'm actually ranked in the top 100, so maybe we could get competitive sometime!

(Name)
That'd be fun! I try to learn quick.

Yoosung ⭐️
Do you have a PC to play? You never got to mention owning one ^^

(Name)
Uh..I don't actually have anything right now. I traveled far from home so I don't have much. Korea is confusing.

Yoosung ⭐️
Your Korean is amazing though! But I remember seven did mention you looked different. I'm curious on what you look like, but I won't push it. You're probably cute!

(Name)
I doubt it, but thanks ^^

Yoosung ⭐️
Have some faith! It'd be awesome to have diversity. Hopefully we can hold a party and everyone will get to see how unique you are

(Name)
Speaking of parties, can you talk a bit more about them? If I'm being honest I'm still nervous..

Yoosung ⭐️
Of course!
When we used to have parties, rika invited people from all sorts of backgrounds like prestigious organizations, wealthy corporations, and outcasted but talented people.
V, who's a photographer, sold his photographs and donated all the profit.
It was incredible and so fulfilling.
Everyone enjoyed it. Even V...
Oh, am I pressuring you?

(Name)
I'd be a total liar if I said no. I'm not the most confident, but I'll try what I can to do what rika did.

Yoosung ⭐️
I'm sorry! I didn't mean to burden you like that T_T
Do what you can. You don't have to be the best at it, your effort is all that matters.

(Name)
That actually really cheered me up..thanks Yoosung :)

Yoosung ⭐️
Of course! And we'll be here to help you, (name), so don't worry.

(Name)
I feel better knowing you'll all help me.

Yoosung ⭐️
Every step of the way.
I should go play games now!
Wish me luck so I can win!

(Name)
Good luck yoosung!

Yoosung Star
Thanks >_<
Bye!!

-Yoosung ⭐️ has left the chatroom-

So far so good. An easy talk with yoosung, who you looked forward to discussing games with. It'd feel like having a friend.

Hopefully you can be friends with the RFA..

Are you even friends with seven?

You didn't know, and you surely were too embarrassed to ask, so you shoved the thought in the back of your brain and continued to eat your chips until finishing completely.

You crumbled the empty bag into a ball and disposed of it in the garbage can under the sink, then washing your hands before opening up the freezer.

You looked up "Korean food recipes" on google, clicking the link with the title "easy Korean food recipes".

You scrolled through the many options until deciding to make galbitang. Aka, beef short rib stew.

You balanced your phone up and got the ribs out, getting a cutting knife from the drawer (and washing it because all those utensils are DUSTY) before unwrapping the meat from its packaging.

From what you expected to be a breeze however seemed to the complete opposite. The spotless kitchen had ingredients all around.

Messy..so messy..

One thing about Rikas apartment was that it had the resources available to cook. There were different pots you had cleaned beforehand, and now that you're draining the hot water from the ribs, the water splashed onto your arm.

Ouch..

Not only that, the left over green onion and radish was stuck on the cutting board...the packaging..The kitchen was already in chaos and it hasn't even been an hour..

During the chaos of cooking, your phone buzzed with that little tune whenever anyone was online.

You looked over your shoulder at where it sat on the dining table, gently putting down the drainer in the sink.

You rushed over to the table, wiping your wet hands on your pants. You grabbed your phone,

ZEN and Jumin Han are online!

You smiled, opening the app and turning back to the kitchen. You could multitask..right?

You hazardously held your phone with one hand, using one thumb to type while the other grabbed one of the few ribs, slicing the fat..yeah this isn't working, you almost sliced your finger off with the slip of your knife.

Maybe you can continue cooking after having a chat with the other RFA members..

(Name)
I'm trying to make galbitang but almost cut my finger off
My dinner plans almost went wrong REAL quick

ZEN
Hey to you too (Name)
But please be careful! Don't injure your pretty fingers

Jumin Han
Hello, (Name).
Please put more care into prepping your meal.
However I can't help but point out, pretty fingers? Is there an attraction to fingers?

ZEN
Don't start this now..
It's just a saying! There's no deep meaning to it.

Jumin Han
Why would you say it then? It'd be rather pointless.

(Name)
Am I about to witness a fight
I'll get some popcorn

ZEN
He's the one who's nit-picking like the smart ass he is..

Jumin Han
I'm simply pointing out nonsense.

ZEN
You're such a..

(Name)
OKAY SO HOW IS EVERYONE DOING

Jumin Han
Why the change of text size?

ZEN
-_-
Well, I do feel more sentimental today
But not like usual

Jumin Han
Do you even know what sentimental means?

ZEN
?
Isn't it... being excited and anxious at the same time like a teenager?

Jumin Han
Well. It means you become sensitive.
I know the reason behind it.

ZEN
Why?

Jumin Han
It's because of (name)

(Name)
Likely the answer because imagine meeting a total stranger that made their way in the organization for questionable circumstances. I'd probably avoid them

Jumin Han
She has a point
Usually, Zen is busy annoying me.

ZEN
What...

(Name)
You guys are like a couple about to get a divorce after 50 years

ZEN
Don't even say that
D O N T
Never compare us like that..
Especially with that pompous ass.

(Name)
...jumin would you like to change the subject after I made my huge mistake

Jumin Han
Gladly.
I'm hoping you handle Rikas work perfectly. Otherwise you'd be good for nothing. Just like Zen.

(Name)
I feel like I'm between war zones right now..

ZEN
WHAT? You jerk.
(Name), don't listen to that pompous ass. He's a stuck up jerk who judges everyone with his petty standards
If you want to do Rikas work, then do it. If you don't, then that's fine too

(Name)
Wouldn't it be pointless for me to be here then..?

Jumin Han
I agree. V would just tell 707 to deny her access to the chatroom otherwise.

(Name)
I don't want to be a quitter already, I'd like to at least try to get somewhere with this

ZEN
You're really determined ^^
I'll help you as much as possible.

Jumin Han
Everyone has to help.
If we decide to host the party.
The reason parties were all successful is because Rika managed the guests so well.

(Name)
Thanks for the added pressure..even if I don't meet up to Rikas standards, I'll try what I can. It can really be a hit or a miss.

ZEN
It's okay if you're not good at it..

(Name)
Thanks lol. I want to be good at it thought. Maybe it'll polish up my persuasion skills?

ZEN
You're jumping in with a good mindset. With that, you'll be just fine ^^

Jumin Han
Now that you're a member, I would still like for you to finish Rikas work perfectly.

(Name)
Did you not read what I just said..?
I cant be perfect. Everyone's different, so don't expect the same results.

Jumin Han
I'll say that's true for now.

ZEN
?

(Name)
What is that supposed to mean..

ZEN
Huh...

Jumin Han
?

ZEN
The director wants to get dinner with me;
I already ate..

(Name)
Looks like you'll have to stuff it down. I haven't even had dinner yet..I stopped cooking to text ;;

Jumin Han
lol

ZEN
Don't cut yourself and be careful! Send me a pic later :) I want to see how a foreigner ends up making a Korean meal.

Jumin Han
I should go provide Elizabeth the 3rd her meal.

(Name)
I will! I hope I don't butcher the meal of your homeland lol. Bye guys! See ya.

Jumin Han
Goodbye for meow

ZEN
Don't pretend to be a cat..

-ZEN has left the chatroom-
-Jumin Han has left the chatroom-

Well..that was heated. Jumin and Zen wouldn't have mercy on each other for more than five seconds while you desperately tried preventing it.

But for the most part, they were nice..

Jumin was harder to get along with though. You'd be so used to game options that actually talking was hard..he was unpredictable.

Slowly but surely you'd make it. You put your phone down to the side and gave your hands a quick rinse before tending to the meat again, cutting off the remaining fat carefully.

But then your phone rang. Luckily you didn't get scared, instead having your head shoot up and hand reach for the device.

Jaehee Kang

The only member you haven't spoken to yet. You were happy to see her call, answering the phone and putting it on speaker. You gently put it down and continued to cut the fat off ribs.

You put them in a big, clean pot, adding the rest of your your chopped up ingredients to make the flavor pop.

"Hello. It's very nice to meet you. This is Jaehee Kang" a sweet voice spoke from the other line. Jaehee was a bit nervous, hearing the sound of water being poured continuously instead of a voice.

It only took a few seconds for a response.

"Hello! It's nice to finally talk to you, jaehee. How'd you get my number?" You asked, filling up a cup of water repeatedly and pouring it into your pot. You needed ten cups.

"Seven gave us your number. Hence I made a call. I wanted to properly talk to you rather then in a chatroom. It'd be wonderful to talk in person, but since we can't I deemed this the best option" she explained. Her voice was soothing. You could probably listen to an audiobook of her talking about the most boring book ever and you'd still enjoy it.

"I'm glad, besides seven, you're the first one to call. And..your voice is very nice. It's soothing me while I cook" you commented, standing back from the pot on the stove as you let it boil. Steam clouds were visibility wafting up, making you slowly grab the top and cover the pot.

God you hoped you were making this right..

"I saw from the chatroom you were cooking galbitang. How different is it from your usual cooking experience?" She asked curiously, assuming it was your first time making Korean food.

And it really was..

"So much different. I'd usually just microwave something, but decided I'd try new foods. There's a lot of steps to it.." you laughed nervously, peeking over into your pot.

You reduced the heat on the burner to medium, grabbing your phone and sitting at the dining table.

"It's really hard making food when you're not good at cooking..but I heard the portions are enough to last me a few days" you stretched over the table tiredly, resting your cheek on your forearm as you stared boredly at the pot.

"It'll be a delightful meal, I promise. I wish I had the time you did to cook more often..but during the spare few hours I have to myself I watch Zens DVDs" jaehee said, excitement laced in her tone. It made you smile softly.

"I heard about his performances! I should look it up soon, since I've never seen them. I enjoy watching plays and musicals from time to time" you replied.

"I can lend you DVDs of one of the shows. You won't even notice time passing. If you find a musical that catches your eye, tell me and I could lend one to you. It's likely I'll own it" jaehee was really kind. She seemed to like Zens performances a lot.

"That'd be great! I'll be especially careful with them. They're like your babies" you joked, but deep down you knew that they probably were like her kids. Or like diamonds to her. Or both.

"Thank you. I'll be sure to lend them to you when there's the chance" that's exciting. Maybe you could watch them with her or something? About to suggest it, you were cut off by Jaehees voice, "Ah..I'm needed for work. It was a pleasure talking to you, (Name). Enjoy your meal"

"It was nice talking to you too. Bye~" you bid your goodbye, and with a polite 'excuse me' jaehee hung up.

It left you alone with the quiet sizzle of your meal and the soft sound of your breathing. A lot has happened so far, and you were finally trying to take it in.

"How haven't I had a panic attack yet..?"

And those were the famous last words before having one later that night full of blank staring and continuously pinching yourself to tell your body you weren't dying.

Your body responded with a big "fuck you" and kept freaking out. By the time it had calmed down, your rib stew was ready, but didn't taste the greatest..you were short on ingredients, not feeling it's pop of flavor.

It was missing something.

Sometimes, no matter how good your day is, misfortune can still strike at the unlikeliest of times. Or no matter how bad your day is, it could have luck finally strike.

But today was one of those days where everything felt bittersweet. Just the fact you got to talk to RFA, but then be greeted with an out of nowhere panic attack and underwhelming meal.

Those were just the ups and downs of life.

You win some and lose some, don't you?

But still. That didn't make you give up hope.

End of Day 1