The Mystery Messenger

After a terrible day, I find a mysterious phone and try to return it to its strange owner. Just trying to do the right thing, you know?

So tell me why doing the "right thing" leads to me to being trapped in an apartment and the only communication I have is a chat room full of eccentric guys?!
--

or: MC ends up in a situation where she is in a chat with some of the SKZ members (that are modeled/connected to Mystic Messenger characters)

Notes:

Hello everyone! Welcome to my first fanfic I'm willing to publish on the internet aaaaaaaand it's going to be a long one (I apologize in advance).

This is a Stray Kids x Mystic Messenger fic, where the kids will correlate to characters from the video game and will follow a lot of the events that happen as well. I have to thank the YouTube algorithm for this fic, as it was a few videos popping up about Mystic Messenger that inspired this fic to come to be.

If you never played or know of the game play from Mystic Messenger, don't worry - this fic won't require you to know anything about the game to enjoy it. Especially since we'll start at the very beginning and world build with each chapter.

And if you have played and know of the events and backgrounds, it won't completely spoil you on the fic either. While you might see a lot of the events that happen similar to the game and that the character backgrounds will be similar to the Mystic Messenger characters, there will still be a lot of changes that will keep you on your toes. Especially as I try to stay true to the Stray Kids members' personalities and keep them being them in this situation. But I hope you enjoy some of the references I'll be putting in from the game :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the ride!

Chapter 1: Prologue

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Fired.

Laid off.

Loss of income.

What was I to do?

It wasn’t easy, trying to hold onto a job after college with a degree that meant nothing to the working world. Especially when they can pay high schoolers less money to do the same job as you do. This job at the café, though, was my saving grace for the last six months. Given, it wasn’t paying a lot (with tips sometimes being the deciding factor whether I can splurge on take out or just have ramyeon for dinner), but it was consistent and stable...until it wasn’t.

Inflation. Downsizing. The owner of the café was having to fork out more money to bring in all the ingredients and to update equipment and before long, keeping a college graduate over a high school worker didn’t make much sense anymore. The owner was apologetic, of course, but that still didn’t mean I didn’t feel absolutely gutted by his words. I don’t get a few weeks to try and find another job, I don’t get any compensation for an abrupt firing – I no longer have an income to live on.

Numbly, I hand him my apron, bow, and then leave with what dignity I barely had left.

Wading through Seoul's crowded streets, I kind of just let my feet lead me wherever it wanted to lead me. My brain was still trying to process everything that happened; I should be planning where to apply next, see if I can get any government funding until I am able to get back up on my feet. I should at least be feeling something but the only thing that kept running through my head was “You’re fired. You’re jobless,” over and over.

Eventually I woke up to myself having walked all the way to the park by the Han River. Huh? I don’t remember the river being so close to work...how far did I walk?!

Feeling my feet and legs begin to ache, I go to find a bench to rest. As I sit and slowly start to let everything sink in, I begin to feel tears flood out of my eyes. How was I supposed to pay for rent this month? Hell, how was I supposed to eat?! I stupidly bought takeaway last night, not thinking I wouldn’t have a job the next day to not help pay. I will only have enough to pay for another week’s worth of ramyeon before I’m left with barely anything. I began to curl up, trying to not let other park goers see the despair I was experiencing. Maybe a good cry was what I needed before I could focus on anything else...

* smack *

I looked up in time to see that a guy had briskly walked past me but ended up dropping a phone right behind him. Rushing over, I bend over to pick up the handheld electronic and do a quick look over to see if anything is smashed.

“Sir, I think-” I look up to see that the man had disappeared. Strangely, there wasn’t anyone else near me either. It seemed the area around me had cleared out and the unknown man had pulled a freaking Houdini out of nowhere. Where did everyone go? I scanned over and over, trying to hear any other footsteps as well, but there didn’t seem to be another human being in sight. The only thing around was me and this unclaimed phone.

Looking over the phone again, there wasn’t anything special about it. It had a black phone case, the model being one that was released a few years ago so not too old, and it luckily didn’t crack when it hit the ground. As I flipped to look at the screen, there seemed to be a fancy monogram as the home screen – did it spell out HFA? What the hell does that mean? The want to search further into the phone, maybe look through the apps for any idea whose phone this is, but I refrain from that for the time being. If I can run and find the owner of this phone without having to snoop through it, I’d rather do that. Determined, I decided to search for this phone’s owner as quickly as possible...

~*~

...unluckily, I was unsuccessful in my search. For about an hour, I was running around, trying to retrace where the guy could have gone, even asking strangers if they or someone they knew had lost a phone. I give up – the river extends throughout the city and this park was already so huge. Who knows if the guy is still in the park anyway – he could have already left and entered the city center where it was near impossible to find the gentleman (especially since I have no idea what he actually looked like). I'll cut my chances and check their emergency contacts or just take this to the police station for them to deal with.

I noticed that the phone barely had any apps to begin with, so finding the contacts was a pretty easy task. But then....where were the actual contacts? The only one I could find was 119, which really didn’t help in this situation. Maybe they have an info page...there isn’t one of those either. So, what I essentially have is just a brand-new phone.

Why does this feel like it’s a bit scammy?...

Screw that, I’m going to take this to the nearest police station and be done with this.

I directed my way out of the city park and tried to locate the nearest station. Spotting one a few blocks down, I saunter my way through the city streets with the phone still planted in my hand. As me and the phone just about arrive at the station, I can feel the phone buzz with a couple of texts. Huh, that’s weird. When I checked, there weren’t any messages to it. Now someone was messaging the phone as I got near the police...for sure this is a bit scammy. I was just about ready to proceed into the building before another message buzzed in.

Ugh. Do I really check the phone? I looked around to see if anyone was eyeing me at all, but it seemed everyone was just walking on by like I wasn’t about to be abducted into a cult. Sighing, I let my curiosity take over and settle myself by the bus stop near me to check the messages in peace:

[UNKNOWN] 14: 36 pm

Hello?

Is anyone there by chance?

My phone seems to be missing but I can see someone moving with it

Can you respond?

Hmm. This is for sure a weird message. Do I actually answer?...

[ME] 14:42

Who is this?

Someone dropped this phone and I’ve been trying to locate them

This you?

[UNKNOWN] 14:42

Oh thank god! Someone did find it!

This is the owner of the phone

I’m thankful you have it

[ME] 14:43

Cool

Would you be willing to meet me at the police station so I can give it to you?

I could also leave it at the station if you can’t do it right away

[UNKNOWN] 14:44

Unfortunately, I cannot

See, I am out of the country currently

I don’t plan on coming back for awhile

Hang on – what?! This doesn’t make sense!

[ME] 14:45

Excuse me?!

What do you mean you won’t be coming back for a while?

Hang on

Out of the country?!

How did I even find your phone to begin with if you aren’t here?

How are you texting me anyway?

[UNKNOWN] 14:46

This must seem like such a weird circumstance

I apologize

[ME] 14:46

So…

Explain

[UNKNOWN] 14:46

This is my work phone in Korea

I work all over the world

But I have to keep all my work phones in the country I have it for

So I can locate them on my other phones

Someone must’ve broken into my apartment there and stolen it

[ME] 14:50

Damn....that’s rough buddy

Who would’ve wanted to steal this anyway

Ngl, I was searching for any contacts to help find you

There’s barely anything on this phone

[UNKNOWN] 14:52

Oh no!

They must’ve already taken my info that was on here

And cleared it out

[ME] 14:53

I’m sorry

That this happened

I will say that your background is still on here

A few other apps too

I don’t think they factory reset the phone at all

You might be able to recover it still

[UNKNOWN] 14:55

Oh, that’s very helpful!

Thank you for telling me.

I know the best way you can return it

[ME] 14:57

Ok...

[UNKNOWN] 15:00

Give me a few minutes

I need to contact a friend of mine real quick

[UNKNOWN] 15:06

Are you still there?

[ME] 15:06

Yup

[UNKNOWN] 15:07

I have a friend in Korea that can help us both

They can collect it from you

And help recover some of the phone’s history

[ME] 15:08

Cool!

[UNKNOWN] 15:08

Would you be willing to drop it off at their place?

They are unable to leave, but they can collect it if you bring it to them

That’s...a very weird request. And it feels like a trap. I’d rather not be Scooby-Doo-ed and be involved in this. No thank you. I’ll just say I can leave it at the-

Oh they just sent me the location of their friend. They’re...how far from me?!

[ME] 15:10

I’m sorry

I can’t do that

They are too far away from me right now

I have no good way of getting to them either

[UNKNOWN] 15:11

Oh no

Give me a moment to talk to them again

[UNKNOWN] 15:15

Is there no way you can get to them

[ME] 15:16

I was just fired today

I can’t afford to take any transportation across the city

I could leave it at the police station for them

But that’s as much as I can do

[UNKNOWN] 15:17

I’m so sorry to hear that

You seem like a good person

Trying to find the owner of a random phone

Even trying to find any contacts

Going to a police station

And then responding to my messages to help figure out what was going on

You’ve must’ve have been doing this for at least an hour

And then trying to help me get it back

Most people would leave it or steal the phone

[ME] 15: 20

It’s really nothing

Just trying to be a good citizen

Hoping someone would do the same for me in the future

[UNKNOWN] 15: 21

I see

Give me a few more minutes to talk with my friend again

[UNKNOWN] 15:26

So I talked with them

If you can find a way to get to my friend

We’ll pay you 300,000 won

And send you back home in a taxi

For all the troubles you’ve gone through

[ME] 15:23

That seems like too much?!

You don’t need to do that

[UNKNOWN] 15:24

It's the least I can do from out of the country

You've been such a big help

It’s an inconvenience, but I’m hoping the compensation will help

I’d really appreciate it

I bit my lip. With money added to the mix, the errand sounds a bit more tempting. There are still some red flags about this whole situation – it would be very easy for anyone to kidnap or harm me if I went to go to this undisclosed location on my own; especially if no one knows where I’m going...or even knows I exist. On the other hand...that’s a good amount of pay for such an easy task. And if I don’t take transportation, I can save even more of it until I find another job. What am I to do?....

[ME] 15:31

I'll do it

Just give me time to figure out to get over there

[UNKNOWN] 15:32

Oh thank you very much!

I’ll let my friend know you’re on your way

They said take your time

[ME] 15:33

Is it just them at the location?

What do I have to do once I’m over there?

[UNKNOWN] 15:33

It’ll just be them

I’ll give you the instructions once you get over there

[ME] 15:34

...ok

Sighing, I pull up directions before heading towards the location. If I can find the fastest route there without public transportation and just use it on the way back, I can probably get in and out of there before it gets dark (given I’m not fucking kidnapped beforehand). My feet follow the digital map in front of me and I follow the phone into the unknown.

~*~

I reached the end of my map just before 7:00 pm, luckily nothing too hectic happened on my travels. There were a few things to note: the address was in a residential area, for better or for worse. While it was still active at this time, the neighborhood seemed fairly quiet and private (which doesn’t quell my anxieties on whether someone would call if I screamed when kidnapped). Next, the building itself was nestled between two small apartment complexes while this particular place was a two-story townhouse, very unassuming to anyone off the street. Last thing, the windows were tinted...is it too late to turn around now?

I open up the strange phone again, thinking that maybe if I can just give it to them without going in, I won’t get kidnapped.

[ME] 18:56

I’ve reached your friend’s house

[UNKNOWN] 18:58

Awesome!

[ME] 18:58

So what do you want me to do now?

Knock?

[UNKNOWN] 18:59

Try it

I’m not sure if they’ll hear so just let me know if they don’t

Glaring at the address across the street, I finally cross and reach the front door. It seems like a regular door except for the very modern, electronic keypad by the handle, which still doesn’t settle my nerves. Hesitantly, I began knocking softly and giving 20 seconds before knocking again. Once that attempt didn't work, I began putting more power into my knocks, the pounding getting louder each time before I’m physically assaulting the door. Even still, no one comes to the entrance.

Looking back at the phone, I know they said their friend might not hear my knocking, but they would have to be completely deaf to not hear me; I’m pretty sure their neighbors three houses down could hear me...

[ME] 19:03

No one has come to the door yet

Are you sure this is the right address?

[UNKNOWN] 19:04

It is

They’re probably busy with work

[ME] 19:05

Are you able to message them that I’m here?

[UNKNOWN] 19:05

They haven’t responded to me either

This is problematic

I can give you the code to get in and drop the phone

Excuse me?! First off, that seems like an invasion of their friend’s privacy to just enter their home (?) without them knowing. Second off, this still screams “We’re going to kidnap you!” and makes me vulnerable to whoever is in that building. Thirdly...what about my payment?!

[ME] 19:06

Is that even ok?!

I don’t want to go in if they don’t know I’m in there

That’s how I get attacked

Or the cops called on me

Plus, what about the payment?

I was banking on using some of that to travel back home

[UNKNOWN] 19:07

They said they would leave the payment by the door

It should be ok

[ME] 19:08

This is too much like breaking and entering

I don’t know if I could do it

[UNKNOWN] 19:09

It’ll be ok

I promise

[ME] 19:10

I can’t

[UNKNOWN] 19:10

You can

It’s ok

You just got to open the door

[ME] 19:11

I literally can’t though

The door is locked like Area 51

[UNKNOWN] 19:11

1509*

I’m getting frustrated by this point - this isn’t safe for me to do. I shouldn’t even do it if I want to freakin’ live! I don’t know this person, or their friend, and this neighborhood feels so strange. Literally, no one even came out and looked my way as I almost knocked the door off its hinges; how am I to believe they will hear me if I scream? The payment shouldn’t matter at this point if my life is on the line.

As if they were watching me and could see my hesitation, I got another text. Breathing out, I let myself look at the phone one more time:

[UNKNOWN] 19:14

I believe in you

You’ve done such a wonderful job so far

I know you wouldn’t have gotten this far if you didn’t have such a big heart

I promise you that no harm will come to you if you go in

You’re almost done

Please

For some reason...that makes me more inclined to see this through. Sighing at my own damn naivety, I proceed to enter the code on the keypad. I can hear the handle’s mechanism unlock and the gap between the door becomes slightly ajar enough for me to enter. My chest begins beating faster as the unknown seems to open its arms to me, waiting for me to enter the apartment blindly. Even with one last chance to back out, I persist with the phone in hand and enter the home.

“Hello?”

My greeting seems to echo passingly through the empty house, as if no one had inhabited this well-furnished house for months. Sight finally begins to adjust to the light change as I take a few more steps into what seems to be the living room.

Just from my spot alone, I can tell this place was decorated and lived in – a full decent couch set surrounded a coffee table in the large area with a lot of the walls covered with stocked bookshelves and a few paintings. A couple of colorful, plush rugs were splayed out on the wooden floors, almost meticulously planted like a pathway (maybe the owner was on the OCD side? Maybe they are an interior decorator?). My eyes followed the long one in front of me as it led to the staircase bordering the living room; I could spot a small kitchen on the other side of the stairs, concluding that it separated the townhouse into two sections. I finally looked to my right and noticed the desk area that ran parallel to the rug and stairs; a sturdy, glossy oak desk with a fairly modern computer on top of it and two filing cabinets to its left side.

Despite how well the home was decorated, there was still a ghostly feel to the space. Everything was perfectly placed in their proper places, not a hair out of line. Too clean for a regular person to be living there – it was like a snapshot in a home magazine or something.

The only thing to really catch my attention was an envelope that was placed on the corner of the desk closest to me, its blaring white skin standing out amongst the rest of the room. I reached for it, figuring that it was the only detail that could tell me what was going on. I open it easily (the lip of the envelope only tucked in – not stuck on) and see there is just money inside. Counting out, it’s the exact 300,000 won I was promised by the phone’s owner. At least they weren’t lying about the pay I guess...

As great as the payment is, I’m still put off by the fact that there isn’t anyone else I can sense in the house.

“Hello? Owner of this home?” I ask out awkwardly, unsure what else to do. “I’m the person with your friend’s phone. The one they texted you about? I’m here to drop it off.” As I am only greeted with silence, I continue to ramble on, hoping they can hear anything I’m saying and don’t call the cops on me. “I have no idea where you are. You have a nice home. Um...is it ok to leave the phone here? Since I don’t know where you are. I see the payment here – thank you for that!” More silence. “Well...ok. I’m going to just leave the phone here and head out with the payment. Don’t worry about the taxi home – I can do that on my own. Than-thanks again, uh, I guess.” Silence. “Um...bye?”

After rambling off into oblivion, I open the phone one more time to send to the owner, “I got the phone to them. Thank you for the reward. I’m glad we were able to get your phone back to you!” before dropping it on the desk. Gathering the envelope, I make my way to the door and go to open the-

The door won’t open.

The door locked behind me.

The door won’t let me leave.

Panic began to rise as I began to erratically shake the door handle to get it to even open a hair. Despite pulling with all of my might, the lock isn’t giving, and the door gives no glimpse of moving. I scream out, “Hello!? I’m locked in here!” I become more rabid as I start pacing the hallway, my brain running through a billion ideas on how to escape but not grabbing onto one.

I’m locked in.

I’m where exactly someone wants me.

I’m absolutely fucked.

With my only lifeline to the outside world, I grabbed the mysterious black phone again and pulled up the messages I had with the owner.

[ME] 19:18

I got the phone to them. Thank you for the reward.

I’m glad we were able to get your phone back to you!

[ME] 19:25

Hey, do you know why I’m locked in?!

How do I get out?

Your friend isn’t even answering

I have no idea where they are

Can you help me?!

PLEASE!!

[UNKNOWN] 19:26

Everything is alright

You’ll be fine

[ME] 19:26

?!?!?

[UNKNOWN] 19:26

As weird as this is

It'll be better in the long run

You’ve been such a wonderful help

I'm grateful it was you that found the phone

Have fun

And please...

Take care of them for me

[ME] 19:27

I DON’T UNDERSTAND?!

Before I could answer back, the phone glitches out and shuts off completely. My breath gets shaky and I’m near the brink of tears, a panic attack rising. Today has been the absolute worst – I got fired from my job, went on a wild goose chase, and now I’m trapped in an apartment with who knows what wants to keep me here with no one knowing where I’m at.

I was fucked.

Wait, I am fucked.

I’m. FUCKED.

Notes:

What a way to start, right? Don't worry, we'll be introduced to some of the SKZ members in the next chapter and the premise of this story will start picking up, as will the world building.
Since this is just the start, I won't exactly ask too many questions of what you think so far, but I hope you feel excited to see what's coming up.
I guess the main question I have will be for those that have played Mystic Messenger or know of the story: can you guess which characters from Mystic Messenger will the SKZ members be based off of? I'm curious to see what you guys will think who will be who in the fic. ;)
Anyway, plan on posting the next chapter tomorrow!

Chapter 2: STRANGE INTRODUCTIONS

Summary:

MC tries to figure out how to get out of the apartment. Instead, she gets introduced into a weird chatroom

Notes:

Let's get introduced to some of the boys, shall we?

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Night decided to cloak the windows by the time I had regained my sanity again. It had probably been a few hours since the final text was sent and my hopes of getting out of here dashed (excuse the dramatics – I'm an unemployed female trapped in an apartment, what did you expect to happen?). Once the tears had dried and my heart reached a speed normal for human beings, my brain decided to work and finally access my situation fully.

I went on to explore the rest of the house to get a semblance of the living condition I was put into. Finally reaching the second floor, I found a pretty large bedroom with a queen-sized bed and an attached full bathroom with a walk-in closet in between the two rooms; color me surprised when I noticed the closet was actually stocked with clothes - men’s clothes at that. The top floor was just as orderly and pristine as the main floor. Going back down, I see a small laundry area underneath the staircase with its entrance right next to the kitchen.

With the house tour, I also tried to open all points of entry that I could find – windows, a weird doggy door I didn’t notice the front door had when I entered, even trying the handle to the door again – with very little success. The windows seemed to be sealed shut, with only the window in the bathroom giving at least a few inches for air circulation. The doggy door was too small for me to crawl out of, maybe made for the size of a shih tzu dog. And the door handle...not even the police could break this down. I didn’t notice it before, but the door was absolutely heavy and the latch for the lock extended to the entire height of the door. Yeah...I’m stuck here.

I reach for my personal phone (which I apparently forgot about in the mix of collecting a stranger’s phone and was following a map to my kidnapping) and tried dialing 119.

...well damn, that didn’t work.

I don’t know if my location was jamming its frequency or if I just didn’t have any bars in the area - I couldn’t make any calls off my phone, let alone the emergency number.

Sighing, I noticed how low of a battery my phone had and began searching for a phone cord. You’d think, for such a well furnished home, they’d at least have a charger somewhere. After some snooping, I found a cord that was sticking out behind the keyboard on the desk that looked promising. But right as I began reaching for my personal phone, I halted at the sight of the mysterious black phone that was sitting right by it.

The phone couldn’t turn back on the last time I checked, but I do wonder...would it boot back up if I plugged it in? What could it hurt if I did?

Debating, I look at the battery on my phone, a plain silver one, and the dead one before ultimately grabbing the strange phone and plugging it in. The cord doesn’t extend too far so I end up sitting in the desk chair to just watch it slowly charge, waiting to see if it’ll awake on its own or not.

After a few minutes of nothing popping up, I end up booting up the computer to see how much info I can gleam from its hard drive. Oh shit...what if it's password protected? Nervously, I watch the computer load up and see the name of the previous user – Hyunjin . Nothing rings a bell for me in that front, but as I click on the icon, sweating bullets to see if a password is needed, the whole desktop loads up and I am somehow in Hyunjin’s computer. Just like the background of the phone, the insignia with HFA pulls up on the screen as the desktop background. So at least that connects the phone and the computer together then. I wonder-OH THE PHONE DECIDED TO LOAD UP!

The smaller device finally alights with charge as I pick up the still-plugged-in phone. It boots up much quicker than the computer, and I can access the phone again. Let’s see...if I got back to the messages, mayb-OH MY GOD, WHO IS TEXTING ME?

I’m stunned as the phone starts vibrating to what seems like a string of messages, but as I look back at the message app, nothing appears but my conversation with the owner and the last text being mine. Where are these messages coming from?

I backtrack to the home screen and notice the one other app that’s on there – there's apparently an app with the name of HFA on the phone and that seems to be where all the notifications are coming from. Curious, I open the app and see a whole chatroom in the app. My curiosity getting the better of me, I began reading the recent chain of messages that had been sent. There’s apparently five people talking in the chat currently, not including myself.

[FELIX] 21:31

I don’t know

I’m struggling with this

A lot

[CHANGBIN] 21:31

Have you tried taking a walk?

Exercising?

Anything to get your blood pumping?

[SEUNGMIN] 21:32

Have you tried not gaming? 🤨

[CHANGBIN] 21:32

Loooooool that too

[FELIX] 21:33

First off

Second off

But I can’t!!

I’m in the middle of a league

With my team

I need to prepare!!

[MINHO] 21:34

What’s more important though

Your league that you do all the time?

Your college paper that ACTUALLY affects your grade?

It’s a pretty easy answer, in my opinion

[HAN] 21:34

Yep!

LEAGUE ALL THE WAY!!

[MINHO] 21:34

SUNGIE!

[HAN] 21:34

What? 😐

[SEUNGMIN] 21:35

I swear to god...

[HAN] 21:35

It’s not good to swear, Seungmin

I also don’t take you as the religious type

[SEUNGMIN] 21:37

😑

[CHANGBIN] 21:38

Hannie, I can’t imagine you being the religious type either

Like be for real

[HAN] 21:38

Well imagine it, my dear Seo Changbin

Deeply religious

Catholic too!

[CHANGBIN] 21:39

...you can’t be serious?

[MINHO] 21:40

He is, in fact, serious

[CHANGBIN] 21:40

WHAT?!

SINCE WHEN?!

AND HOW DO YOU KNOW, MINHO?

[HAN] 21:41

Since always 😀

[MINHO] 21:42

I know from Chan

[HAN] 21:42

WHAT?!

I thought you knew because you care about me 😭

[SEUNGMIN] 21:43

Oh my god...

[HAN] 21:43

Does my beloved not truly know me?

Does he not...*gasp* not love me?!

[SEUNGMIN] 21:44

I’m going to vomit

[FELIX] 21:45

Sorry

I was away

For a quick match

What did I miss?

[CHANGBIN] 21:45

Apparently, we’re in a cheesy drama now

[SEUNGMIN] 21:45

Me about to lose my dinner

[MINHO] 21:46

So basically

Not much

[FELIX] 21:46

Eww.....

[SEUNGMIN] 21:47

“Eww” is right, Felix

….What in God’s testosterone-filled, locker-room is this group chat?

[FELIX] 21:48

But seriously!!!

It’s not the motivation

Per say

That's affecting my paper

I’m struggling

To find a topic

That I can write about

Everything’s too boring

Help me, please

😢

[MINHO] 21:50

I don’t know how much help we can truly be

We don’t even know what your major is

Or what class this is for

How are you going to improve if we do the work for you?

[CHANGBIN] 21:51

Isn’t that what Seungmin does for you? 🤨

[MINHO] 21:51

That is different

Seungmin is my assistant

I pay for him to do my work for me

[CHANGBIN] 21:51

Same thing?!

[MINHO] 21:52

Not really

Our responsibilities are separate, but all lead to the same goal

He helps deal with the tasks I least want to do

And I take on the rest, as the face of C&R

That's how we keep this company going

[CHANGBIN] 21:53

...I’m sorry I asked...

[SEUNGMIN] 21:54

Speaking of which, we probably need to head to bed soon, Mr. Lee

Our meeting with the investors for the pudding suppliers is early tomorrow

[MINHO] 21:54

Ah, that’s right

[CHANGBIN] 21:55

Pudding?

[SEUNGMIN] 21:55

Don’t ask

[CHANGBIN] 21:55

Ok...

I’m probably going to go to the gym in the meantime

[FELIX] 21:56

But I still need help?!

[MINHO] 21:57

Do what we’ve been telling you, Yongbok-ah

[FELIX] 21:57

…

Pay someone

to do my work?

[MINHO] 21:28

NO-

Is that all that you got from that conversation?!

[FELIX] 21:28

I mean...

Yeah?

[SEUNGMIN] 21:29

Why does this not surprise me?

[CHANGBIN] 21:29

Omg, lol

[FELIX] 21:30

Stop being mean

🙁

[MINHO] 21:31

YAH!

Neither of you two have been helpful

You don’t get to comment on Yongbok’s struggles if you won’t help

[CHANGBIN] 21:31

I literally breathed?!

[MINHO] 21:32

If it’s so much of a struggle, Yongbok

Reach out to Sungie

[CHANGBIN] 21: 33

Wait

Why Hannie?!

[SEUNGMIN] 21:34

Yeah, I don’t see that logic either

What good will two dumbasses do to help each other?

[FELIX] 21:35

Excuse me?

[SEUNGMIN] 21:35

No offense

[FELIX] 21:35

None taken

🙁

[MINHO] 21:36

You’re not a dumbass, Yongbok

That’s designated to Binnie

No offense

[CHANGBIN] 21:36

YES OFFENSE!?

[MINHO] 21:37

Sungie actually graduated early from college

Earlier than Mr. Kim

He’s probably your best bet out of all of us

[CHANGBIN] 21:38

Wait?! What?!

How?!

[SEUNGMIN] 21:38

That is quite surprising

I never knew Han had it in him

[FELIX] 21:39

Whoa!

Cool!

Thanks for the advice

Hey Hannie~

Would you help me

Please

Han?

[CHANGBIN] 21:40

Where did that boy go?

[SEUNGMIN] 21:41

Probably off doing who knows what

He’ll turn up eventually

[FELIX] 21:41

I hope so

I really

[HAN] 21:41

EVERYONE STOP MESSAGING NOW!

I felt my heart halted at the abrupt message that was sent by Han. Somehow, I had gotten comfortable in the computer chair as I watched their chats fly by, feeling almost at ease with their casual conversation. They were a strange bunch, for sure, but something about their messages seemed so homey – it felt very much like watching family talk with one another; I had forgotten all about my woes and situation and just watched from the shadows. From the sound of it, though, it looks like I might’ve been caught spying.

[MINHO] 21:42

Han, what’s wrong?

What happened?

[HAN] 21:43

Something strange happened

My computer got a notification that someone had logged into Jinnie’s home computer

[SEUNGMIN] 21:43

Wait, what

[FELIX] 21:43

Hyunjin?!

Is it true?

[CHANGBIN] 21:43

Felix...

[MINHO] 21:44

I don’t think it’s what you think, Yongbok

[FELIX] 21: 44

[MINHO] 21:45

Han, what did you find out?

[HAN] 21:46

Someone had logged into his computer about 15 mins ago

They haven’t actually done anything but just log into the computer

But after I did an overall scan

I had found an unknown user has logged into this chat as well at the same time

They are currently IN the chat as we speak

My heart dropped again. I wasn’t prepared to deal with these mysterious strangers, but they might have more info about my situation than I can figure out on my own. I didn’t realize they had someone keeping an eye – I don’t know what I’ll expect for a reaction.

[CHANGBIN] 21:47

Are you serious?!

[SEUNGMIN] 21:47

I highly doubt Han would actually joke about something this serious

[CHANGBIN] 21:48

Damn

[MINHO] 21:48

Whoever you are, I demand you announce yourself immediately

Mr. Kim, make sure to have 119 ready on hand

As well as our lawyers

[SEUNGMIN] 21: 49

Already pulled up, Mr. Lee

[MINHO] 21:49

I suggest whoever this person is, you do what we ask immediately

The punishment might be lighter if you just confess who you are right now

[SEUNGMIN] 21: 49

I highly doubt anyone would respond to that

[FELIX] 21:50

Please

Whoever you are

Please respond

My heart broke into a few pieces once I saw those last messages. Taking one deep breath...

[UNKNOWN] 21:51

Umm

Hi?

After a few moments of no response from anyone in the group chat, my heart was racing terribly fast. Why weren’t they responding?

[UNKNOWN] 21:52

So....

Anyone going to respond?

[CHANGBIN] 21:52

Huh

[UNKNOWN] 21:52

What?

[SEUNGMIN] 21:53

We’re just confused

I don’t think we’d expect a hacker to speak like this

[UNKNOWN] 21:54

What do you expect a hacker to speak like?

[CHANGBIN] 21: 54

Probably along the lines of being forceful

Threatening to do harm or something to that effect

[UNKNOWN] 21:55

Well, I’m not a hacker. That's why

[MINHO] 21:55

That doesn’t make sense

If you’re not a hacker, then what are you?

[UNKNOWN] 21:56

Umm

Would you believe someone who was at the wrong place at the wrong time?

[MINHO] 21:56

[UNKNOWN] 21:57

…

Well

That is a fair assumption

But that is sadly the case for me

[SEUNGMIN] 21:57

That doesn’t make any sense

[UNKNOWN] 21:58

Now you know what I’m struggling with

[FELIX] 21:59

I'm so

Confused?

What’s going on?

[UNKNOWN] 21:59

I have no idea either

[MINHO] 22:00

Let’s start from the beginning

Who are you?

I was just about ready to put my name down, but I stopped. Despite the fact these people seem like nice people, my identity has been the only thing I can hold onto this entire time, and I don’t think I can give it away. The strange owner of this phone never got my name luckily, but I don’t know what they’ll do if they do get ahold of my name. They obviously have a hacker on their team and there’s someone else that has been keeping track of me – I need to be careful who I trust with my name from now on.

[UNKNOWN] 22:00

I don’t think I can do that

[MINHO] 22:01

What do you mean?

It’s just a name

[UNKNOWN] 22:01

Sure, for now

But I've been burned already without giving my name

And I don’t trust you guys just yet to give it

[CHANGBIN] 22:02

How are we not trustable though?

Wait

Why am I even questioning this?!

You’re the unknown hacker in this situation

We shouldn’t trust you

[UNKNOWN] 22:02

I understand that

I wouldn’t trust me either if I was in your shoes

But I was thrust into a situation where I have no idea who put me here

And the fact I know you guys have a tech guy on hand

That could probably destroy me with just a few clicks on the keyboard

I need to think of my safety first

Shuttering a breath, I can feel tears prickling my eyes. My exhaustion comes ahead again, and I can feel all of my emotions getting the better of me. A lot, a lot , has happened to me and I’m nowhere near an answer to anything. I lay the phone down before curling up in the seat for a moment to just hold myself. A few more messages come in before I decidedly go back to the group chat.

[SEUNGMIN] 22:04

I mean

I guess that does make sense

We just need more information

[CHANGBIN] 22:06

Umm

Hello?

Are you still there?

Did they just ghost us?!

[UNKNOWN] 22:09

I’m sorry

I needed a moment

Today has been a lot

[FELIX] 22:10

It’s ok

I’m sure

You weren’t expecting

Anything of this

Take your time

[MINHO] 22:10

Yongbok-ah

As sweet as it is for you to say that

We can’t trust who this person is

They haven’t given us any information on why they’re here

They won’t give us a name

[FELIX] 22:11

But Hyung

They've given us no signs

That they want to hurt us

If anything

They sound like

They need more answers

Than we do

I was just so thrown by the words that Felix had portrayed in that last conversation. Honestly, Minho’s reaction to my appearance makes sense and I don’t blame him for reacting that way; he seems really protective of Felix in general. Despite their conversation earlier about him struggling with schoolwork, the emotional intelligence he showed and how he was able to conclude my sorrow really says a lot about the person he really is. To be given such space and understanding at a time like this...oh god, here come the waterworks again.

[UNKNOWN] 22:12

Thank you

I don’t deserve your understanding

But I really appreciate it

[FELIX] 22:12

No problem

😊

Take your time

[SEUNGMIN] 22:13

Well

Whenever you do feel up to it

We would like more information

If at all possible

[UNKNOWN] 22:13

Tell me what you want to know

I probably won’t know too much info, but I can try to answer what I can

[MINHO] 22:14

Well, let’s start off with what happened

And how you got to that place you are in

I sent out a long explanation of my day; how I had found the phone, how I got in contact with the owner, how I was bribed to take it to this house and how I got locked in. I tried to give as many details as I could, and none of them interrupted the story at all.

[UNKNOWN] 22:25

I plugged in the phone to see if it would turn on again

I went to log into the computer while it was charging to see if I can get any more info about the owner of the phone/place

I almost thought it would have been password protected but it let me in with no difficulty

Once the phone turned on, your messages came through and that’s how I got here

[MINHO] 22:27

Interesting

So you’re really stupid, aren’t you?

Ouch....No need to state the obvious, Minho...

[FELIX] 22:28

Hyung!

That was mean

🙁

[SEUNGMIN] 22:28

Pretty sure he’s just stating the obvious, Felix

[UNKNOWN] 22:29

Hey! I thought I was telling you how I got here

I don’t remember agreeing to be a punching bag?!

[MINHO] 22:29

Do you disagree though?

[UNKNOWN] 22:30

…...

That’s beside the point...

[CHANGBIN] 22:30

Loooool

Unknown, you’re kinda funny

[UNKNOWN] 22:31

Thank you, I guess?

I don’t try to be

[MINHO] 22:31

Anyway

Sung, were you able to corroborate Unknown’s story?

[FELIX] 22:32

Oh!

Is that why

Hannie has been quiet?

[CHANGBIN] 22:32

That’s what I figured

[SEUNGMIN] 22:33

I thought it was unusually quieter than normal...

Ah, I was wondering where the tech guy went too. He seems to disappear between conversations; my guess he was making sure I hadn’t touched anything important.

[MINHO] 22:35

Sungie?

[HAN] 22:36

Sorry, Hyung

I was still checking security cameras

Unknown is telling the truth

[CHANGBIN] 22:36

REALLY?!

[SEUNGMIN] 22:37

How do you know for sure?

[HAN] 22:37

Do you doubt my abilities?!

I thought you knew me better than that, Seungmin 😭

[SEUNGMIN] 22:38

Jesus Christ...

[FELIX] 22:38

I thought

You weren’t religious

Seungmin

[SEUNGMIN] 22:39

Aish...

What can you tell us, Han?

[HAN] 22:39

Well, from what I can gather from the phone she’s on

Whoever is behind this lured her to Hyunjin’s home

Even giving her the code to enter the home

[MINHO] 22:40

That can’t be

Only a few people know the password to Hyunjin’s home

[CHANGBIN] 22:40

Wait

Did you say “her”?!

[HAN] 22:41

Yep

Actually

I should probably ask about that directly

Which pronouns do you prefer, Unknown?

[UNKNOWN] 22:41

I go by she/her

I don’t mind really what you call me

[MINHO] 22: 42

Glad we got formalities out of the way

But let’s go back to the real question at hand

[CHANGBIN] 22: 42

Is she cute?!

[MINHO] 22:43

I-

…..

Ignore him

[CHANGBIN] 22:43

HEY!

[MINHO] 22:43

You were able to figure all of this out from the phone she’s on?

[HAN] 22:44

From the phone and the security cameras

[UNKNOWN] 22:44

Wait

What security cameras?!

[HAN] 22:45

The ones in the house

[UNKNOWN] 22:45

THEY’RE IN THE HOUSE?!

Frantically, I started searching for the cameras in my peripheral; I couldn’t see any in the corners of the rooms and there were no glaring indications of cameras being anywhere in the home.

[HAN] 22:46

Lol, you can stop searching

You won’t find the cameras anywhere

[UNKNOWN] 22:46

Stop spying on me?!?!

[FELIX] 22:47

Wow

That feels almost

A little

Pervy?

[SEUNGMIN] 22:48

I was thinking the same thing, Lix

[HAN] 22:48

NO!

I REJECT ALL ACCUSATIONS OF PERVISH MOTIVES!

I AM JUST A LOWLY WORKER, CHECKING THE CAMERAS

PERIODICALLY

...WHEN YOU’RE NOT AWARE

[UNKNOWN] 22:49

…..

You’re a guy

So definitely a perv

[HAN] 22:49

HEY!

[MINHO] 22:50

ENOUGH!

We need to get back to the topic at hand

[CHANGBIN] 22:50

YEAH!

WHAT DOES UNKNOWN LOOK LIKE?

[MINHO] 22:51

I swear to God, Changbin....

[CHANGBIN] 22:51

You’re not religious, Hyung

[MINHO] 22:52

STOP!

[FELIX] 22:52

Wait

Are all guys pervy?

[MINHO] 22:53

…..

Not you, Yongbok – you're the exception

[SEUNGMIN] 22:53

Sir

You have to stop babying Lixie at some point

[MINHO] 22:53

SHUSH YOU!

You’re the better of everyone here, Yongbok-ah

[CHANGBIN] 22:54

HEY!

[FELIX] 22:54

Really?

😮

[UNKNOWN] 22:54

Umm

If I can put my two cents in, as a stranger to the group

From what I can tell

I agree with Minho on that, Felix

[FELIX] 22:55

Aww

You’re two sweet

Too*

[SEUNGMIN] 22:56

Don’t you baby him, too...

[CHANGBIN] 22:56

I already like Unknown already 😊

[MINHO] 22:57

ANYWAY

So somebody led Unknown to Hyunjin’s apartment

Knowing the password

And just leaving her there?

[CHANGBIN] 22:58

What I’m confused about is why she’s still there?

[UNKNOWN] 22:58

Because I’m trapped here

[SEUNGMIN] 22:58

Wait

[CHANGBIN] 22:58

WHAT DO YOU MEAN TRAPPED?!

[UNKNOWN] 22:59

I mean I can’t get out – there's only one way out

And it’s locked to me

[SEUNGMIN] 22:59

That doesn’t make sense

[MINHO] 22:59

Actually

It does

[FELIX] 22:59

😱

[HAN] 23:00

Hyunjin’s apartment has a lot of info

About the organization

There were a lot of safety precautions put in

The make sure that info was safe

[FELIX] 23:01

Well

Who decided on that

Chan?

[MINHO] 23:01

Actually

Hyunjin wanted it

[FELIX] 23:01

[MINHO] 23:02

I know it’s been a while

And I don’t know how much he showed it in front of you

But your cousin was a bit neurotic

And paranoid

This organization meant everything to him

So he made sure he kept everything safe so no harm comes to it

And the members

Yongbok?

[FELIX] 23:03

I’m ok

I’m remembering some of his habits

This makes sense

[MINHO] 23:03

[UNKNOWN] 23:04

I guess that explains

Why I kept getting an OCD feel when I looked through the house

[SEUNGMIN] 23:04

Is there actually furniture there?

Wouldn’t it be cleared out?

[UNKNOWN] 23:05

I don’t know how much I can say

But it is well furnished – books and clothes included

[CHANGBIN] 23:05

Was it not cleared out years ago?

[HAN] 23:05

Like we said – there's a lot of info stored in that place

And we had put a LOT of work into that home

Plus...Chan couldn’t move Hyunjin’s things

[FELIX] 23:06

Hmm...

[MINHO] 23:06

Yongbok...

[FELIX] 23:06

I know...

[UNKNOWN] 23:07

If I could direct us back on track

[SEUNGMIN] 23:07

Please do

[UNKNOWN] 23:07

Han

Were you able to see who came in before me?

[HAN] 23:07

Wait

What do you mean?

[UNKNOWN] 23:08

I mean someone had to come in here before I did

[HAN] 23:08

Not necessarily

They were able to remotely direct you there

[UNKNOWN] 23:08

But someone had to come in before me

Do you remember what they promised?

[HAN] 23:09

Yeah?

Wait

DID YOU ACTUALLY FIND THE MONEY?

WHERE WAS IT?

[UNKNOWN] 23:09

Yes

The exact amount they had promised

And it was in an envelope on the desk

[HAN] 23:10

Interesting

HAN WILL BE BACK~

[UNKNOWN] 23:10

….

He definitely has a flair for dramatics, doesn’t he?

[SEUNGMIN] 23:11

You have no idea....

[UNKNOWN] 23:11

So....

What are we to do in the meantime?

What am I to do?

[MINHO] 23:12

Well

I’m guessing we’ll have to put a pin on it for tonight

Since it is late

[SEUNGMIN] 23:13

Wow

I didn’t realize it was this close to midnight

[FELIX] 23:13

MIDNIGHT?!

I still haven’t started

My paper

😭

And I missed

The rest of my Tournament

[CHANGBIN] 23:14

Would you like to come over?

I won’t be much help

But it can at least remove some distractions

[FELIX] 23:15

You don’t mind?

🥺

[CHANGBIN] 23:15

Not at all

Just let me know when you’re on your way

[FELIX] 23:15

😊

[MINHO] 23:16

Mr. Kim

Is there any chance we can move up our meeting tomorrow?

Or cancel it?

I get the feeling I won’t be resting any time soon

[SEUNGMIN] 23:17

On it, Mr. Lee

[UNKNOWN] 23:17

What....am I to do?

[MINHO] 23:18

Oh yeah

You’re kind of stuck there

[UNKNOWN] 23:18

Yup...

[MINHO] 23:19

Well

I guess just rot there

[UNKNOWN] 23:19

?!?!??

[FELIX] 23:19

Hyung!

That’s not funny

Or nice

[MINHO] 23:20

I thought it was 😃

[CHANGBIN] 23:20

You have such a strange sense of humor, Hyung...

[MINHO] 23:20

🤷‍♂️

[SEUNGMIN] 23:21

In actuality

We should probably contact Chan about this

[HAN] 23:21

Already working on it!

Chan’s been traveling for work

We don’t know where he is

If he’s mid transportation

Or if where he is has good reception

But me and Minho are working on getting ahold of him

[SEUNGMIN] 23:22

That makes sense

[HAN] 23:22

While we are waiting

Unknown

You’ll probably stay in the apartment until we get further notice

Sorry, there isn’t much we can do on that front

[UNKNOWN] 23:23

There’s no way of getting me out of here?

[HAN] 23:23

Not right now, sadly

Since that apartment is technically still Chan’s

And there’s a lot more in it that could be at stake

We can’t do anything about it without his permission

[UNKNOWN] 23:24

I get it

What am I going to do about food and clothes though?

[HAN] 23:24

I’ll get ahold of you privately about that

In the meantime

Let me know what you can find in the apartment

If there is any food in the fridge

Any soaps, deodorant, tooth care,

Medications available

I know you said there was still some clothes there

You could probably use those for the time being

[UNKNOWN] 23:25

Bras and underwear?

[HAN] 23:26

Uhhhhh

[MINHO] 23:26

We’ll order you some for the time being, I guess

[CHANGBIN] 23:27

If she can’t get out, how do you think she’ll be able to get those items?!

[UNKNOWN] 23:27

The doggy door?

[HAN] 23:27

Probably

Make sure you leave it open, lol

[MINHO] 23:28

Any other fires we need to put out before we disperse?

[FELIX] 23:28

I have

A question

[CHANGBIN] 23:28

I told you, you could come over

[FELIX] 23:29

Not that, Hyung

Although

I will be leaving

In 5 mins

To your apartment

[CHANGBIN] 23:30

Kk, lol

[FELIX] 23:30

What name

Do we call her?

[CHANGBIN] 23:31

Who?

Unknown?

[FELIX] 23:31

Yeah

It seems

Kinda rude

To just continue

Calling her Unknown

Especially

Since she’ll be with us

A bit longer

[SEUNGMIN] 23:33

Well, until we get ahold of Chan, anyway

[FELIX] 23:33

Who knows

When that’ll be...

[CHANGBIN] 23:33

Lix....

[FELIX] 23:33

Sorry

But I do think we need

A different name for her

[SEUNGMIN] 23:33

But she won’t give us a name

[CHANGBIN] 23:34

To be fair

She does bring a good point

After all she’s gone through

We don’t know how much danger she’ll be in if she reveals her name

[FELIX] 23:34

Danger?!

[SEUNGMIN] 23:35

That seems a little excessive

[CHANGBIN] 23:35

We have no idea who brought her there

We don’t know what their plans are

Anonymity is her best safety

[UNKNOWN] 23:36

Thank you for understanding

[CHANGBIN] 23:36

No problem 😉

[FELIX] 23:36

So what

Nickname

Should we call

You then?

[UNKNOWN] 23:37

Umm

Idk

Any ideas?

[HAN] 23:37

I got this!!

<HAN changed UNKNOWN to MC>

[MC] 23:37

Huh

[CHANGBIN] 23:38

MC?

[SEUNGMIN] 23:38

What does that even mean?

[FELIX] 23:38

Main Character?

[HAN] 23:39

EXACTLY!

I knew you’d understand, Lixie 😊

[MC] 23:39

Why that, though?

[HAN] 23:40

Idk

Seems fitting, no?

[MC] 23:40

I mean

I guess?

[HAN] 23:41

THEN IT’S SETTLED!

[MINHO] 23:41

Ok, since that is all squared away

I suggest we retire for the evening

I have a headache already...

[FELIX] 23:42

Oh no!

[MINHO] 23:42

I’ll be ok, Yongbok

I’ll just take some aspirin

[FELIX] 23:43

Ok, Hyung

Then

Goodnight everyone!

Goodnight MC

😊

[CHANGBIN] 23:44

Goodnight

I’ll see you in a few, Lix

[FELIX] 23:44

👍

[SEUNGMIN] 23:45

Night

[MINHO] 23:45

Good night

[MC] 23:45

Good night

My bones creaked as I began to unravel myself from the chair. Checking out the time stamps, I had been curled up on the chair for over two hours while chatting with the boys.

Guys? I’m not too sure of their ages but going off of Felix (who seems the youngest - he’s in college with the talk of homework and majors), they’re at least adults. Minho seems the oldest out of all of them, if the “Hyung”s have anything to say about it, with Changbin being right behind him. Seungmin and Han are still enigmas though – Seungmin seems more mature out of the bunch while Han can be more dramatic and childish, but their demeanors might not indicate their accurate ages. There wasn’t much I could really grasp within a two-hour chat.

Since everyone said goodnight in the chat, I decided that maybe I should follow their lead and do the same. At least that’s what I was intending to do when I got a message on my personal phone. Who-

[HAN] 23:47

Hey

Remember to send me what all is stocked in the apartment

And what necessities you’ll need us to send over

Before I could react, a loud yawn escaped me.

[HAN] 23:48

Lol, you could probably wait until tomorrow morning to send me the list

You seem a bit tired

[ME] 23:49

....

You better not watch me sleep....

[HAN] 23:49

WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ASSUME-

I’m not going to watch you, alright?

There’s only cameras on the first floor of the apartment

None on the second

Sighing in relief, I responded back.

[ME] 23:50

That’s comforting

Not just about you watching

But that whoever brought me here can’t either

As I stand up, prepared to retire to the second floor, a thought occurs.

[ME] 23:50

Btw

Why the messaging on my personal phone?

I don’t know if I want to know how you got my number....

[HAN] 23:51

Hahahahaha

A magician never reveals their secrets 😉

[ME] 23:52

😒

[HAN] 23:52

Anyway

Since I’m unsure if the hackers still have access to the other phone

It’s probably safer to talk to you one-on-one here

For the more private discussions the RFA doesn’t need to be a part of

[ME] 23:54

That sounds a bit ominous

And secretive

[HAN] 23:54

Sadly

This could end up being something dangerous

There are some things the members don’t need to be a part of

For their safety

I frowned at the thought. Even after one chat, I already felt a slight protectiveness towards the rest of the members of the group chat and couldn’t imagine putting them into danger myself. Worry began to wash over me – I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if I was the cause for any of them getting hurt.

[ME] 23:55

I completely understand

Private chat over here

Got it! 👍

[HAN] 23:56

Thanks

Trying not to dwell on the anxiety that decided to take hold on my body again, I made the executive decision to end all texting conversations for the night and (try) to get some sleep. I had the computer go into sleep mode (ready to investigate more the next day) and began shutting down the lights. Before I headed up the steps, I thought it best to at least say goodnight to – my guard? Chaperone? Protector? I don’t know what to call him.

[ME] 23:59

Have a good night!

Sleep well, Han

I thought of leaving it there, but the dude decided to respond back quickly.

[HAN] 23:59

Goodnight

*******

My blood ran cold at the text. As innocent as the message might seem, might even count it as something harmless in most cases, the context is what lights my nerves on fire – he knows my identity. If him figuring out my personal number wasn’t a test of his capabilities, figuring out who I was did. A simple message felt more like a warning – step out of line and all we need is a simple click to destroy your life.

Notes:

Han knows all...lol
Did some people guess correctly for some of the characters? Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and the boys introduction! We still have yet to meet Chan, so maybe we'll see him tomorrow? You'll see ;)
I'll be posting one more chapter tomorrow so look forward to it!

Chapter 3: CLEANING UP THE AFTERMATH

Summary:

MC begins their search to learn more about the HFA and its members.
An unexpected surprise will end the night for the HFA group.

Notes:

So a LOT happens in this chapter - I think the length of this chapter says it all (this chapter is almost double the amount of the past two chapters COMBINED so apologies).
There's a lot of world building and background info that was missing from the last chapter, including that we will learn a bit about these new characters. And it's these events that'll lead to the path this fic will lead, so be prepared. ;)
TW: indication of a suicide

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Despite how soft and cozy the bed was when I first hit the mattress (I could almost melt into the sheets), I got maybe five hours of sleep before I was wide awake without the chance of even falling back asleep. My brain lit up like a fire and began replaying the previous day at the forefront of my mind: I kept thinking about how there were so many times I could have backed out of the task with the phone owner (and how many times I kept thinking how dangerous it seemed and I stupidly didn’t listen). Opening up the HFA chat and my own personal chat, I reread the messages over and over, trying to mentally confirm that everything did happen and that I did, INFACT, get kidnapped and I ended up in a chat with five unknown men. I keep hoping yesterday was just a crazed dream, and that today will go back to normal, but the evidence says otherwise.

The hardest thing to grasp is how useless I felt that I can’t do anything to get myself out of this situation.

Even in some of my darkest moments, I at least had some grip and choice on what my next move was going to be. Bombed a test at school? Fine – I can at least study my ass off for the next one and combat the terrible grade. Significant other cheating on me and I didn’t find out from them? Easy – make sure the other partner is aware so they can make their own decision on how to deal with that fucker and cut the parasite out of my own life. Hell, getting fired yesterday from my job? As much as it stung, it wasn’t a hard decision – I needed to get my butt into gear and start applying everywhere I can to get hired (and go on an unplanned diet of tap water and the cheapest ramyeon I can buy at the market). There was always something I could do for these situations, but for this...I’m a sitting duck with my fate being dictated by multiple strangers. Who wouldn’t be upset about that?

After a couple of hours just scrolling through both phones and catastrophizing my whole life, my bladder made the decision for me to get up and greet the day. I walked down the stairs wearing a men's white tee and a pair of black basketball shorts, both way too baggy for me but they made nice sleepwear. As I automatically walked to the fridge for breakfast, I realized I still needed to make an inventory of what was supplied in the apartment. Strangely, the fridge and pantry were stocked with enough food for me to live off for at least a week. I was reminded of Seungmin’s comment about how they assumed the apartment should have been cleared out years ago, so the fact that there’s fresh food stocked in both the pantry and refrigerator is strange (I may have even checked dates on some of the food and all the expiration dates haven’t happened yet).

Thinking back to the convo last night – I had way more questions about the situation I’m in now compared to yesterday.

The biggest one being: who is Hyunjin? I’m apparently in his apartment, with access to his computer and yet it seems he’s been gone for a while. Minho mentioned he seemed neurotic and paranoid, which might explain the OCD cleanliness and the heavy-duty protection on the door, but why could I get into his computer easily? I don’t know...the way the group chat talked about him, it seems like he might’ve... already passed? Possibly a few years ago? Everything was mentioned in past tense and there seemed to be a sorrow from the group – mainly from Felix’s side, who is apparently his cousin and close with him. He has a connection to this “Chan”, who is another unknown in this situation. Chan’s at least alive that Han and Minho are trying to get ahold of him as of last night. He also has more of a say in what happens with the apartment, so I wonder if he knows more about what’s going on.

Other questions rushed through my head: someone had to have gone in yesterday to stock the food and leave the money on the desk...so why was Han having a hard time finding them on the camera? Why am I the one they brought in? What is their game plan? Who...who is even behind all of this? I could probably come up with a billion more questions, but my stomach growling is reminding me that I should probably make breakfast.

Settling on just making a simple omelet, I grabbed a few ingredients and searched for a pan to start cooking. As I waited for the pan to heat up, I could hear the black phone start vibrating with messages. My heart spiked at the sound, unsure whether it was the kidnapper or the group chat going off. Curiously, I opened the phone and looked towards the text messages, but luckily there wasn’t anything new, so that meant that the HFA chat was being active. Pouring a little oil to coat the pan, I open up the new chat to look at who's up as I crack a few eggs.

[CHANGBIN] 07:35

Anyone up?

Seungmin or Minho – I know you guys are usually up before this

A smile graces my face as I add some ham and shredded cheese to the egg mixture. Out of all the guys, at least it’s a friendly face that I can interact with.

[MC] 07:39

I don’t know about those two

But I’m awake

[CHANGBIN] 07:43

MC!

Sorry!

I usually would have answered back quickly

But I was so confused when I saw your name pop up

My brain had to catch up on last night before I could respond 😅

[MC] 07:45

It’s alright!

It gave me time to finish my omelet before I burn it 😂

[CHANGBIN] 07:45

Lol

Yeah

I needed a moment to wake up

[MC] 07:46

I’m with you there

That was my brain about

Two hours ago?

[CHANGBIN] 07:46

Dang, that’s early

Are you usually a morning person?

[MC] 07:47

Not usually

[CHANGBIN] 07:47

Didn’t get much sleep?

[MC] 07:48

I slept soundly for a good portion

But I think everything hit at one point

My brain went into overdrive

And it was impossible to go back to sleep

[CHANGBIN] 07:49

Ah, I see

Makes sense with everything you’ve gone through

My brain does the same thing

[MINHO] 07:50

Now that’d be something I’d like to see

Changbin’s brain actually working for once

[CHANGBIN] 07:51

EXCUSE YOU?!

My brain works just fine, thank you! 😠

[MINHO] 07:51

Now let’s not lie to ourselves, Piggie

Most of your brain has a hard time as it is

Just trying to move like a normal human being, for example

[CHANGBIN] 07:52

🤬

[MC] 07:53

Big oof

I guess it hasn’t been the best morning for you then, Minho?

[SEUNGMIN] 07:53

I wouldn’t put it that far

This is how they usually are

[MC] 07:54

I see

Well, I guess good morning, everyone 😅

[SEUNGMIN] 07:54

Morning

[CHANGBIN] 07:54

Good morning, MC!

[MINHO] 07:55

I still wouldn’t call it a good morning

[CHANGBIN] 07:55

Yah!

Can’t you just respond back like a normal person?!

[MINHO] 07:56

Bite

[CHANGBIN] 07:56

I’d rather do something else to you 😤

[HAN] 07:57

Oooooo kinky

[CHANGBIN] 07:57

DON’T THINK LIKE THAT!!

WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!

[MC] 07:58

*adding another point to Han being a perv*

[HAN] 07:58

YOU

STOP THAT!!

[CHANGBIN] 07:59

HA!

Good one, MC!

[SEUNGMIN] 08:00

Hmm

[HAN] 08:00

What does that HMM mean, Minnie?!

[SEUNGMIN] 08:00

Just making some observations

[HAN] 08:01

Hey!

Respect your elders!

Didn’t your mother teach you that?!

[SEUNGMIN] 08:01

What elder?

[HAN] 08:01

ME OF COURSE!!

[SEUNGMIN] 08:02

You’re literally 8 days older than me...

[HAN] 08:02

That's still 8 more days of me living more than you!

I’ve experienced so much more wisdom in those 8 days

[SEUNGMIN] 08:03

You can pull that shit with Felix

But that won’t work on me

[HAN] 08:04

...but why not? 🥺

[SEUNGMIN] 08:05

You're being ridiculous

[MC] 08:06

Hang on

I’m confused

How old are you guys?!

I thought Felix was the youngest?!

[HAN] 08:06

Ha!

Not exactly

Me, Minnie and Lix are all 23

But my birthday is Sept 14

Then Felix is the 15th

Then Seungmin’s 22 nd

So Seungmin is technically the baby of the group

[SEUNGMIN] 08:07

Never call me that again

[MC] 08:08

I can’t believe that

[HAN] 08:08

That Felix isn’t the youngest

I know!

[MC] 08:09

That Seungmin is younger than you

I figured he was older

You fit closer to Felix’s age than he is

I thought he was closer to Changbin’s age

[HAN] 08:10

HEY!

[SEUNGMIN] 08:10

Thanks for that, MC

[MC] 08:11

I-

No problem?

[HAN] 08:11

Ok, OFFTOPICNOTBECAUSEIWANTOUTOFTHIS CONVOBUT

MC!!!

[MC] 08:12

Yeah?!

[HAN] 08:12

WHY HAVEN’T YOU SENT YOUR LIST TO ME?

YOU SAID YOU’D DO IT TODAY!

[MC] 08:13

I will?!

I was finishing my breakfast first before I started

[HAN] 08:14

You literally finished your omelet 20 mins ago

HEY, THAT WAS RUDE!

I snickered out loud. After he made a comment that indicated he was watching the cameras, I proceeded to dual wield my middle fingers to two separate corners of the room (since I still have no idea where the camera is placed). I’d say I made the right call on that.

[MC] 08:15

I have no idea what you mean

[HAN] 08:15

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!

[MC] 08:16

Did what?

I’m just here, vibing

Unless...were you watching me? 😱

[HAN] 08:17

I-

STOP THAT!

[CHANGBIN] 08:17

Awfhkljweklfjwlkajf

This is hilarious

Nice job, MC!

[SEUNGMIN] 08:18

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone

Fluster Han so much

I agree with Changbin

This has been entertaining to witness

[CHANGBIN] 08:19

I like how feisty MC is 😆

[MC] 08:19

Lol, thanks

And to actually answer your question

I will send the list once I clean up

What I can say is that the fridge and pantry are stocked with food

Fresh food

As in none of the expiration days have passed or are close to passing

[HAN] 08:21

Huh

That is interesting

[MC] 08:21

I’ll check toiletries next

So you don’t have to keep watch to make sure I do it

[HAN] 8:22

I DIDN’T SAY I WAS WATCHING

UUUUUUUUUUUUUGH

[CHANGBIN] 08:23

Lol

But in all seriousness

It’s not even 8:30, Hannie

You could probably just give her some time to do it

[HAN] 08:24

😶

[CHANGBIN] 08:26

OMG DON’T SULK HANNIE 😂

[HAN] 08:26

....I’m not sulking....

[CHANGBIN] 08:26

Loooooool

[SEUNGMIN] 08:27

Speaking of strange occurrences in the apartment

Did you get in touch with Chan at all?

Or find anything else on the cameras?

[HAN] 08:27

Back to business

[SEUNGMIN] 08:28

I mean

Yeah?

[HAN] 08:28

Nothing showed up on the cameras

I’m guessing they hacked into the camera feed

Looped the image for however long they needed to prepare for MC

And kept the clock going so it didn’t alert me that something was off

Especially since I don’t constantly check the apartment

[CHANGBIN] 08:30

You don’t?

[HAN] 08:30

I mean

I do check it

Probably more often than not

But not as much if that makes sense?

Only because nothing has been going on in that apartment

For the last couple of years...

[SEUNGMIN] 08:32

As far as you know

[HAN] 08:32

I-

You’re right

I’m already combing through the security feed as far as I can

Just to see if they had done this once before

[CHANGBIN] 08:33

That’s not promising...

[HAN] 08:33

I’m working on it

In the meantime

I did get ahold of Chan

Kinda

[CHANGBIN] 08:34

Kinda?

[HAN] 08:34

He got mine and Minho’s messages

Sent a quick text that he can’t talk right away

But he’ll be in touch by tonight at the latest

And then went silent again

[SEUNGMIN] 08:35

I see

[CHANGBIN] 08:35

Well...I guess we'll wait.

[SEUNGMIN] 08:35

I guess we do

[MINHO] 08:36

Changbin

Is Felix still with you?

He hasn’t answered my texts

[CHANGBIN] 08:37

Uh, yeah?

Boy worked almost all night on his paper

I left him to nap

He deserved some sleep at least

[MINHO] 08:38

WELL THAT PAPER WON’T MATTER

IF HE DOESN’T MAKE IT TO CLASS

YOU BETTER WAKE HIM UP

IT’S IN 20 MINS

[CHANGBIN] 08:39

Oh shit!!!!

I’m getting him

I’ll drive him to class

[MINHO] 08:40

YOU BETTER

Anyway

Are you ready for the meeting, Mr. Kim?

The investors are waiting for us

[SEUNGMIN] 08:42

On my way, Mr. Lee

I brought the contracts

[MINHO] 08:42

Good

[HAN] 08:43

I best be off

I have bunch of video feed to go through

😭

[MC] 08:44

Well good luck, Han

Try not to work hard

[HAN] 08:45

That’s the plan!!

Bye!!

🙏

~*~

After everyone left the chat, I proceeded to clean my dishes and then began looking through all the drawers and cabinets. Just as weird as the stocked food, there were a lot of brand-new toiletries stationed in the bathroom: fragrance free deodorant and soaps, some brand new bottles of shampoo and conditioner from a spendy brand, a few body mists and perfumes, some decent face wash and a variety of face masks. There was a package of toilet paper underneath the sink, but that seemed more for back up since the toilet was equipped with a bidet (I might have to try that...when I’m not scared shitless because I’ve never used a bidet before...).

I decided to find some different clothes to lounge in other than the sleep clothes I had chosen – some black sweatpants I can easily tighten and another tee that I used a hair tie to fit on me better. After opening a new toothpaste and toothbrush to clean my teeth, I put my hair up with a hair clip that was there and began searching downstairs. New laundry detergent and fabric softener in the laundry room, some cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink, and I found the cabinet that held the medication, with some normal painkillers and vitamins. You'd honestly think someone had lived here prior to me arriving.

Sending a text out to Han, I mentioned all the supplies that were already here. It felt weird to go into details, but I told him that the only thing I really needed sent over was my size of underwear, bras and feminine hygiene products – everything else was already supplied in the house. Getting no answer back, I figured out he was busy with his own tasks and just left it at that.

In the meantime, I decided to do my own digging.

Planting myself in front of the computer and plugging in the black phone to charge, I logged in and began opening up some programs. Despite what I first thought, I didn’t have complete access to the computer – some of the files I tried pulling up were restricted and required a password (I don’t know if it was originally password protected by Hyunjin or if Han took it upon himself to protect those documents). Deciding not to push further, I opened up what I was allowed to see – some corresponding letters from quite a few non-profit organizations, and a couple of news articles about an event HFA had put on a few years back. I felt my image of what HFA is starting to form but I decided to do some side research on that.

Using the Wi-Fi on my personal phone, I did a Naver search about HFA and clicked on a few web articles. So HFA stood for:

H – Hyunjin's

F – Fundraising

A – Association

Despite it being under Hyunjin’s name, it says there’s multiple people under the organization that help raise money at their yearly event to help the association donate to other nonprofits and causes. From the sounds of it, it’s an exclusive event that a lot of well-known figures want to be tied to and do attend if they are invited. On top of the regular event, there’s an auction of a few major items that helps raise a lot of money as well.

They list a few major characters in the organization and that’s where I see some familiar names. One of the major backers for the association is Lee Minho – the apparent CEO of C&M and whose father is a chairman of said company (“Ah, so he’s a chaebol,” I concur out loud). Going off his bluntness and talking professionally with Seungmin at times, I made the connection that it was Minho in the chat and Seungmin is probably his assistant at the company. I see no mention of Felix or Han (Felix probably because he’s in college and Han....well he’s a hacker) but I did recognize Changbin on the list of names – Seo Changbin, a fairly well-known theatre actor/comedian with a good online following on social media according to the article. I’m not familiar with theatre actors and hardly on social media, but I might have to check out his page myself.

Then I spotted the two names of people I kept hearing about – the founders of HFA, Hwang Hyunjin and Bang Chan. On top of Hyunjin being the name and face of the association, he apparently was a well-known artist (his favorite medium being acrylic paintings) and would often sell some of his works during the event to raise money. He had a good drive on wanting to help others and I couldn’t help but admire his dedication to charity. His boyfriend, Chan (oh that was an interesting revelation – I wasn’t sure the relationship between the two founders, but I am wondering about Felix’s dislike for this man), is a highly sought out music producer that travels all over the world to work with some big named artists. Both come from affluent families and have been with each other for a while until-

Oh.

Oh no.

That explains everyone’s sadness.

There’s no information on Hyunjin’s...exit from this world, but it seems like when it happened, the HFA events had stopped. They’re no longer active in the public eye, but it seems, from the HFA chat, that the organization still communicates with each other – just as a personal group chat for the members.

Well at least this research helped me understand the HFA and its members a little better now. There’s still quite a few questions I have, but I might get those answers over time. As much as I was curious about this group, I didn’t want to overstep myself and possibly have them relive something traumatizing for them. Besides – I still need to figure out about my situation here before I can go further.

Buzzing on the desk indicated someone in the chat was active. I unplugged the black phone and opened the chat, glad that I see another friendly icon start the chat.

[FELIX] 12:49

I’m so

Tired

Why did that

Paper have to

Take so long

😭

[MC] 12:50

I’m sorry Felix

Did you at least make it to your class on time?

[FELIX] 12:50

Hi~

Yes

I did

Binnie drove me

He was fast

Maybe a little

Too fast?

But I got in!

[MC] 12:52

That’s good.

Are you finished with classes for the day?

[FELIX] 12:53

Yes!

Now

I can play LOLOL

As much as I want!

It’s a Friday!

[MC] 12:54

Wouldn’t you prefer to sleep first?

[FELIX] 12:54

Nah

Gaming

Will wake me up

I'll be ok!

[MC] 12:55

If you say so, lol

[FELIX] 12:56

Well

Since I am

Waiting for

My teammates

How are you doing today?

[MC] 12:58

I’m ok, I guess

I don’t have much to do around here

I got Han’s list done

Got familiar with the place

Just trying not to go crazy, I guess 😅

[FELIX] 12:59

I’m sorry

You're probably

Bored by yourself

[MC] 13:00

It’s alright

Yeah, there’s not much for me to do

But I can’t help that

I just got to keep myself entertained somehow

Maybe I’ll read a book that’s in here?

[FELIX] 13:01

Still

I hope

Han finds out more

And we can get you out

Of there eventually

[MC] 13:02

Han mentioned Chan was going to contact us

At some point tonight

Maybe we’ll know more then

[FELIX] 13:03

[MC] 13:04

Hey

Is everything alright?

You seem to not lik-

I stop the text mid sentence, rethinking my next message. While I am curious about Chan’s background and seemingly being a mysterious figure in my situation, I still shouldn’t be overstepping here. Felix gets triggered whenever Chan gets mentioned, so digging deeper isn’t going to do either of us any good. Instead, I backtrack on my words and resend the new one.

[MC] 13:04

Hey

Is everything alright?

School didn’t bum you out too much, did it?

[FELIX] 13:05

What?

Lol

It’s not about that

Although

It would be better

If I didn’t have school

😭

[MC] 13:07

Lol

I felt the same way in college too

Too much work

[FELIX] 13:07

Lol

Same

😂

But it wasn’t

About school

It was

[MC] 13:10

Hey

You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to

Or need to explain yourself

We can talk about other things

[FELIX] 13:11

[MC] 13:11

We’re still pretty new to each other

Well, I’m new to everyone

And I know personal stuff can be hard to talk about with a stranger

Don’t stress about it, ok?

We can talk about other things

[FELIX] 13:13

Thank you

For giving me that option

But

[MINHO] 13:14

Yongbok!

Did you make it to classes alright?

[FELIX] 13:14

Hyung!

Yes

Changbin drove

Fast

I made it on time

[MINHO] 13:15

....

He didn’t go too fast, did he?

[FELIX] 13:15

It was ok

Hyung

[MINHO] 13:16

Good

I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to introduce him to a friend of mine

[FELIX] 13:16

Hyung....

[MC] 13:16

Your friend?

[MINHO] 13:17

Oh yeah

My air fryer

🥓

[FELIX] 13:18

HYUNG!!

[MINHO] 13:18

I’m just joking, Bbokie

[MC] 13:19

Why do I not believe that….

[MINHO] 13:19

Shush you

😼🔪

[MC] 13:20

……

🤐

[FELIX] 13:20

Hyung…

[MINHO] 13:21

We’re joking around, Yongbok

No need to worry

[FELIX] 13:22

…..

Whatever you say

Hyung

[MINHO] 13:22

Good

[MC] 13:23

Well

How’s your day been, Minho?

[FELIX] 13:23

Yeah

Hyung

How about you

[MINHO] 13:24

Well

Since Yongbok asked

It’s been too slow

It should be 19:00 already

[FELIX] 13:25

Agree

[MC] 13:25

Agree ^2

[FELIX] 13:26

Did you still have your meeting this morning?

[MINHO] 13:27

Sadly, yes

Both me and Mr. Kim barely got much sleep

But you can’t mess around when it comes to the OHAYO company

[FELIX] 13:29

Wait

The company

That does pudding?

[MINHO] 13:30

That’s them

They actually are hard to get a meeting with

We couldn’t reschedule

[FELIX] 13:32

Makes sense

You had to take

Pudding seriously

Instead of

Sleeping

[MINHO] 13:35

Exactly

[MC] 13:36

That’s unfortunate

Sorry you couldn’t sleep in more

But like you said

You can’t joke when it comes to pudding

[FELIX] 13:38

Loooooool

Too true

[MINHO] 13:39

😒

Anyway

I have a few more meetings this afternoon

Then I can go home

And enjoy the night with my pussys

[MC] 13:41

Excuse me

WHAT?!

[FELIX] 13:42

HYUNG

STOP THAT

[MINHO] 13:42

Aww, Yongbokie

Don’t ruin my fun

😿

[FELIX] 13:43

Well

You don’t

Have to be

So crude about it

[MINHO] 13:46

😶

[FELIX] 13:46

He has 3 cats

At his apartment

[MC] 13:47

OOOOOOOOOOH

That makes sense

You know

I probably should have figured that with all of his cat emojis

Context clues, you know?

[MINHO] 13:48

😼

[FELIX] 13:48

LOOOOOOOOOL

[MINHO] 13:48

We did go over this last night

[MC] 13:49

That you have cats?

[MINHO] 13:50

That you barely have a brain

[FELIX] 13:51

Hyung!

[MC] 13:51

Ouch

Tell me how you really feel…😐

[MINHO] 13:52

I can send you a Word document

[MC] 13:52

That didn’t need to be answered

[MINHO] 13:53

Really?

I took that as an invitation

[MC] 13:54

Oh boy…

[FELIX] 13:55

Hyung

Be nice!

Just because

You didn’t get

Much sleep

Doesn’t excuse you being mean

😢

[MINHO] 13:56

It’s all for fun, Yongboks

We’re playing 😀

[MC] 13:57

Sure

Like you’re the cat and I’m the ball of yarn

[MINHO] 13:57

Exactly!

Glad you understand

[MC] 13:58

……

[MINHO] 13:58

Anyway!

It seems like Mr. Kim is waving me over for another meeting

I’ll have to leave for now

[FELIX] 13:59

Hyung

Have a good day

🙂

[MINHO] 14:00

You too, Yongboks!

[MC] 14:00

Have a good day, Minho!

Aaaaaaaand he’s gone

[FELIX] 14:03

Lol

He does that

A lot

Don’t worry

[MC] 14:04

I know he doesn’t like me

I get it

I’m a potential threat

To your group

Family, even?

It’s understandable

[FELIX] 14:05

Huh

I guess

You’re right

We are

Like a family

But

You’re still

So nice

Hyung

Doesn’t need to

Be mean to you

[MC] 14:07

That’s really sweet, Felix

You’ve been really sweet

But I can’t fault Minho for acting this way

I’m a stranger

He doesn’t know who I am

And despite him being emotionally distant

He cares about all of you

So he’s trying to distance me from the group

As a way to keep you safe

Especially since you and Changbin have already been so

Welcoming

[FELIX] 14:10

I see

[MC] 14:10

He might warm up more later on

Or at least put me on Changbin’s level, lol

Maybe once Chan has more to say about the situation?

[FELIX] 14:12

…..oh

[MC] 14:12

After tonight

We’ll probably have a better grasp on everything

We just have to wait

[FELIX] 14:13

I see

[MC] 14:14

Just waiting

Han didn’t get back to me once I sent my list

He’s probably working

[FELIX] 14:15

Hopefully

He’s sleeping well too

He could

Stay up

For days

Doing work

[MC] 14:16

I hope he’s sleeping then…

[FELIX] 14:16

Yea….

I must

[MC] 14:17

Everything alright?

[FELIX] 14:17

Yeah!

My guild members

Are in

Game chat

Logging

Into game

As we speak

[MC] 14:18

loooooool

Have fun!

Win!

[FELIX] 14:19

Thanks!

Bye~

[MC] 14:20

Bye~

~*~

For the rest of the afternoon, I was going in and out of the HFA chat while trying to keep myself busy in my isolation: making myself lunch and dinner, taking a fresh notebook and organizing my info about HFA and all its players, debating on a book I could read in the future (where, unfortunately, the vast amount of books didn’t help me narrow down to just one book and then I abandoned that task completely). There were a few more instances where I got to talk to some of the members as they joined the chat - Seungmin dropped in while he had time between meetings to eat lunch and talk, Changbin checked in after a workout and right before his rehearsal, Felix and Seungmin talked a little bit about Felix’s addiction to games (apparently, Seungmin found time to play with Felix once and realized how much he rages during his games). The chats were very entertaining as I got to know the members more, but nothing has changed on my status.

Minho and Han hadn’t been heard from since their last chats, so that knowledge has kept me on edge for the whole afternoon. Maybe it’s also the fact that we’re expecting Chan to drop in at some point, but I felt my future was in the hands of those three individuals and there’s nothing I can do to gain my life back. The secrets and the unknown just shadow over my mind constantly while I’m trying to distract myself, but I’m back into that helpless state that I was in the day before. At least the chats with the other members helped keep my mind busy.

It wasn’t until about 7:30 at night in a seemingly harmless chat did my (and the rest of HFA’s) life take a dramatic turn.

I was in the middle of my dinner of grilled beef (honestly, a luxury to even have with my income) and roasted vegetables when the black phone vibrated on the table. Setting down my fork, still chewing, I reach for the device and open it up; it looks like Changbin had entered the chat again. I continued to finish my food as I began typing.

[CHANGBIN] 19:07

Whew

I’m beyond tired!!

EUGGHHHHH!!!

[MC] 19:07

You ok there, Changbin?

[CHANGBIN] 19:07

What?

Oh, hi MC!

I was just screaming my tiredness away

EUGGHHHH!!!!

I always do that to stay energized

Today was a pretty draining day at rehearsal

[MC] 19:09

I’m sorry about that

Was it more physically draining or mentally?

[CHANGBIN] 19:09

Mentally

My acting troupe is doing a new stage production

So today we were doing a reading of the script

Our director wanted us to do some research on our roles

So we were basically analyzing the WHOLE script

And we’re still not finished :’(

[MC] 19:11

Wow

That sounds intense

I never knew that was a thing for acting

[CHANGBIN] 19:11

It depends on the director how to go about the script

Most of the time, us actors do what is told

But this one is wanting us to really understand the script

Which I can appreciate

He wants us to do a good job

[MC] 19:12

That’s cool

How long will you rehearse before the play is in front of an audience?

[SEUNGMIN] 19:12

According to their usual theatre’s schedule

Their new play should be debuting in about 3 months time

[CHANGBIN] 19:13

Yup!

[MC] 19:13

Whoa

Firstly - Hi

Secondly - How did you know that, Seungmin?

[SEUNGMIN] 19:13

His fan club keeps up with Changbin’s activities

So I kept up with his acting career through them

[MC] 19:14

…..ok

You keep up with Changbin’s fan club?

Wait

He has a fan club?!

[CHANGBIN] 19:14

Looooool

You’re funny MC

[MC] 19:15

……

[CHANGBIN] 19:15

You didn’t know?

Uh, sorry

I have a…bit of a following online

Some fans have been following me since debut

Then I got viral from one of my clips being posted online

Since then, the fan club was started

And they keep up with my schedules

To send support when they can

[MC] 19:17

That sounds….sweet, I guess?

But why does Seungmin know that?

[SEUNGMIN] 19:17

Well

[CHANGBIN] 19:17

He’s a fan 😄

[SEUNGMIN] 19:17

SFJAIJFKALJWEKLFIJAFIJ

NOT COMPLETELY

I just enjoy Changbin’s work!

And I want to keep up with it

[MC] 19:18

Soooo what’s different between the club or just asking Changbin?

[SEUNGMIN] 19:18

….they have fan cafes sometimes…

[MC] 19:19

AIJADSKFJADKSLFJSDF

[SEUNGMIN] 19:19

STOP

[CHANGBIN] 19:19

Honestly

The fan cafes are great!

I love visiting and seeing their hard work

The decorations and the special menu items

It’s great!

[MC] 19:20

Aww

That’s actually sweet

[FELIX] 19:20

Also

Changbin’s fans

Are amazing cooks!

I enjoy

Going with Seungmin

For the food 😋

[MC] 19:21

Hello, Felix!

Now I understand

I might have to follow now lol

[CHANGBIN] 19:22

AIFJIDAJFIJAIWEJFIAOJWIOJ

[MINHO] 19:22

Did you drop your phone?

[CHANGBIN] 19:22

It’s a keyboard smash

[MINHO] 19:24

What’s that?

[CHANGBIN] 19:24

…….

I don’t have the mental capacity for this….

[FELIX] 19:25

Lol

I’ll tell you later

Hyung

How was

your day?

[MINHO] 19:25

Headache

[FELIX] 19:26

[MINHO] 19:26

A tiring headache

Lack of sleep and meetings

I’m just glad I am back with my children

[MC] 19:27

……..

He means his cats, doesn’t he?

[SEUNGMIN] 19:27

You got it

And

I’m with Mr. Lee

I also have a strong headache

I took an aspirin when I got home

[FELIX] 19:28

Awww

I hope

It goes away

🥺

[MINHO] 19:28

I appreciate it, Yongbok

I can’t speak for Mr. Kim

[SEUNGMIN] 19:28

😑

I also appreciate the sentiment

[FELIX] 19:28

🥰

[CHANGBIN] 19:29

Huh

[MC] 19:29

What’s up?

[CHANGBIN] 19:29

We almost have everyone here

Where’s Hannie?

[HAN] 19:30

VOILA!!

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE!!!

[CHANGBIN] 19:30

AHHHHH

Don’t scare us like that!!

[FELIX] 19:30

Loooooool

[SEUNGMIN] 19:30

Where have you been, Han?

[HAN] 19:30

EVERYWHERE

ALL AT ONCE

[MC] 19:30

……uh….

[HAN] 19:31

Well

There was a reasoning for that

For example

[CHAN] 19:31

Hello, everyone

My heart stopped so suddenly, I nearly dropped my dirty dishes in the sink as I had begun washing them. Did I just read that right?! I left the task of dishes to soak in the sink as I planted myself at the desk, my notebook opened wide and the black phone held tightly in my hand.

[CHANGBIN] 19:31

Chan!

[MINHO] 19:32

Hello, my friend

It’s been awhile

[SEUNGMIN] 19:32

Good evening, sir

Or whatever time it is where you are

[CHAN] 19:32

I’m sorry it’s been awhile

I’ve tried to reach out when I can

Usually through communication between Minho and Han

But I hope everyone is doing alright

[SEUNGMIN] 19:33

Everything is good on my end

[CHANGBIN] 19:33

Same old, same old

[MINHO] 19:33

I’ve literally called with you a few days ago

[HAN] 19:33

SAME!

[CHAN] 19:35

……..

Hmm?

[MINHO] 19:35

What’s up, Hyung?

[CHAN] 19:36

I’ve heard from mainly everyone

But there’s two people who haven’t spoken at all yet

If I’m being honest, I’ve just been stunned that Chan was even there that I hadn’t even moved to respond in the chat. I mean…what am I to say? This fabled man has finally made his arrival but…my brain has become blank on what to do further. I’ve done my research on this man, kept hearing from the other members, anything to get more of an image of this mysterious individual, but now that he’s finally here…I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact that whatever this man says will affect my future that I’m spiraling? Is it that I’m just nervous and want to make a good impression? No idea. What if-wait, two people haven’t spoken? Who is the other person?

[CHANGBIN] 19:37

Wait

Which two?

[SEUNGMIN] 19:37

MC and Felix

[CHAN] 19:38

Are they ok?

[HAN] 19:38

I can check on MC

Uhhhh

Why do I feel like my camera feed has frozen?

I look up at the corners of the home for the cameras, hoping they can catch my movement.

[HAN] 19:39

Oh!

FALSE ALARM!!

She’s alright

Maybe a little…stunned may be the word?

[SEUNGMIN] 19:39

What does that even mean?

[HAN] 19:40

I don’t know

I don’t know if I even want to describe it

[CHANGBIN] 19:40

IS SHE ALRIGHT THOUGH?!

[MINHO] 19:41

He said she was

But

Where is Yongbok?

I keep messaging him but I’ve gotten nothing back

[CHAN] 19:41

Is he alright?

[HAN] 19:42

WHERE IS MY TWIN?!?!

[SEUNGMIN] 19:42

Aren’t you the hacker?

[HAN] 19:43

Oh yeah

It looks like he’s reading the chat

[MINHO] 19:43

In that case

YONGBOK-AH!

YOU BETTER ANSWER BACK

IF I DON’T SEE A RESPONSE WITHIN 1 MIN

I AM COUNTING TO 5

[SEUNGMIN] 19: 44

Oh no

[CHANGBIN] 19:44

This is bad…

[HAN] 19:44

EVERYONE

RUN!!!!

I was confused a bit by Minho’s words and everyone else’s reactions but I can already feel a chill run through my body.

[MINHO] 19:45

IT’S BEEN A MINUTE

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS YONGBOK

[CHANGBIN] 19:45

What’s with the counting?!!?

[MINHO] 19:45

[SEUNGMIN] 19:45

Felix better get back quickly

[MINHO] 19:45

[CHANGBIN] 19:45

I know we baby Felix a tad bit

But this is ridiculous!!!

[MINHO] 19:46

[HAN] 19:46

FELIX - GET BACK HERE!!!

[MINHO] 19:46

1…..

[MC] 19: 47

I’m here

I’m sorry for making you guys wait

I was still a little stupefied by Chan’s entrance, but once I saw Minho counting Felix down, I instantly became protective of the missing boy and his reasoning to not speak. Even without me knowing fully his reasoning.

[MC] 19:48

It’s nice to finally meet you, Chan

Or, eh

Message with you?

[CHAN] 19:48

The feeling is mutual!

I’ve heard a bit about you so far

[MC] 19:49

Hopefully not too much from Han’s log of watching me for 24 hours

[HAN] 19:49

HEY!

I DIDN’T ASK TO BE PART OF THIS CONVERSATION

[MC] 19:50

Where else would Chan have gotten his information from?…

[HAN] 19:50

……..

I PLEAD THE FIFTH!

[MC] 19:51

WE DON’T EVEN LIVE IN THE US?!

[HAN] 19:51

WELL…

YOUR MOTHER!

[MC] 19:51

…..

Anyway

As you were saying, Chan…

[CHAN] 19: 53

Right

Sorry

I was just entertained for a minute there

I’ve never seen Sungie get so frazzled by someone

[HAN] 19:53

I’VE HAD OTHER PEOPLE FRAZZLE ME BEFORE

[SEUNGMIN] 19:53

That seems like an understatement…

[CHAN] 19:54

Anyway

It seems we’re in a predicament with you

Aren’t we, MC?

[MC] 19:54

You could say that again

[MINHO] 19:55

Well

[MC] 19:55

That was rhetorical, Minho

[MINHO] 19:55

😑

[MC] 19:56

I’m kind of stuck in this apartment

And despite the fact I know it was a unknown party that led me here

And that we don’t know their intentions

I know the apartment is under your name

[CHAN] 19:57

Right

That’s basically jist of it, right Han?

[HAN] 19:57

Sir, yes, sir!! 🫡

[CHAN] 19:57

Good

I was debating on what options we have

With all the factors that Han has told me about

[MC] 19: 59

And…

[CHAN] 19:59

And

I’d like to hire you

My brain and body froze at the message, my fingers halted in midair as I tried to digest the man’s words. Did he just ask….?

[HAN] 20:00

WHAT?!?!

[MINHO] 20:00

What

[SEUNGMIN] 20:00

What?

[FELIX] 20:00

What

?!?!?

[CHANGBIN] 20:00

Run that by again?!

[MC] 20:00

I don’t think I understand

[CHAN] 20:01

I’m sorry

I know it’s weird thing to ask

But first

Hello

Lix

It’s nice to hear from you

[FELIX] 20:02

…

Hello

Chris

[CHAN] 20:03

To answer everyone’s question

I’d like to hire you to

I guess

Revitalize the HFA

Starting with our annual party that we used to do

[MC] 20:03

I don’t know what to say

[MINHO] 20:03

Chan

My dear friend

Don’t take this the wrong way

But are you sure this isn’t a fucking stupid idea?

We hardly know her

We’ve been using MC for her name!

This event…

[CHAN] 20:04

I’m sure

Part of it is because I have a good feeling MC could do a good job

But also

To help cover my current shortcomings

I….don’t know how I feel about this. And I’m getting even more confused the more Chan messages the chat.

[CHANGBIN] 20:04

Your…shortcomings?

[HAN] 20:04

I understand now

[SEUNGMIN] 20:05

You might need to elaborate

[MINHO] 20:05

Oh he’s definitely going to elaborate

If he doesn’t…

[CHAN] 20:06

No worries my friend

I’ll explain

But it’s going to take a little bit for me to

I ignore the wet dishes that were abandoned earlier and then make myself comfortable in my chair. This is going to be a long story, isn’t it?

[MC] 20:07

Go ahead

[CHAN] 20:07

First off

I am unable to leave the job I’ve taken for the time being

It would be hard for me fly back to Korea

And get the apartment sorted

[FELIX] 20:08

Of course

It is…

[CHAN] 20:08

….

Secondly

The fact that we’ve had someone

Intercept all of the safeties we’ve put on that apartment

And has trapped another person there

That means that the apartment is in danger

As is MC

[CHANGBIN] 20:09

?!?!?

[FELIX] 20:09

No…

Not MC….

Well…I can’t really say that this didn’t cross my mind over the last 24 hours. It definitely doesn’t hit as hard as it did within the first 3 hours I was trapped in the apartment, but the fact we’re going over this again…

[CHAN] 20:10

In reality

While we’re still investigating this other party

It makes sense to keep MC in the apartment

So we can protect her in case the other party might target her

[SEUNGMIN] 20:11

That’s-

[CHANGBIN] 20:11

Kind of insane

[MC] 20:11

But I get it

[FELIX] 20:12

MC…

[MC] 20:12

Chan’s right though

If I do leave this apartment

There’s a chance they might get to me again

And we would never know what they have in store for me

If they do

[CHAN] 20:13

Right

And we can’t give a timeline on when that will end

Safety wise, it would make sense for MC to stay at the apartment

[MC] 20:13

[CHAN] 20:14

But

That would be no better than keeping you hostage

You would have to stay in the apartment

Not being able to leave for an extended period of time

You might go insane in that state

[MC] 20:15

You’re not wrong

[CHAN] 20:15

And from Han’s observation

You seem to be antsy already

[HAN] 20:15

Chan

Channie

My dear Hyung

Please don’t expose me like that 😢

[SEUNGMIN] 20:16

We don’t need Chan to do that, Han

[HAN] 20:16

😑

[MINHO] 20:16

Please get back on track….

[CHAN] 20:17

Right

So our main issue is

Trying to find something for you to do

And keep you entertained for a long period of time

From Han’s logs

[HAN] 20:18

HEY!

[CHAN] 20:18

You seem to be very organized

Saying you seem to have sorted out quite a bit of info

On your own time

You’re inquisitive

You’ve adapted quite easily within your first 24 hours there

You’ve even seem to have gotten to know the members

Fairly quickly as well

Since you are staying in

Hyunjin’s apartment

For the time being

Surrounded by his work for our previous events

It makes sense that, maybe

If you agree

We could hire you to help organize one of our parties

And revive the HFA to its glory

The way we should have continued it years ago

But haven’t been able to due to personal circumstances

I was just stunned, for the second time that night. It…it makes sense. Safety wise, opportunity wise, it makes sense to take the job. Thinking back to my research, HFA’s parties were huge successes and raised a ton of money for all sorts of charities; the organization was known for all its connections and was well revered to the public. Of course after Hyunjin’s demise, the activities would stop completely. It would be nice to restart the events, but…will I do a good job?

[CHAN] 20:22

I know that’s a lot to ask

Especially out of the blue

And you’ve only known about us for an entire day

It’s a lot to think about

So I will give you some time to think about it

I don’t know if you know how much time you’ll need

But the sooner we can agree to this, the sooner it can be planned

Usually I’d ask for a few days to think, but when you’re trapped in an apartment with nothing else to do BUT think…

[MC] 20:24

Give me a couple of hours

[CHAN] 20:24

Really?

So soon?

Are you sure you don’t want more time?

It’s a lot to think about

[MC] 20:25

I’m sure

I should have an answer, at the latest, by midnight

[CHAN] 20:25

If you say so

[FELIX] 20:26

You don’t have to

If you don’t want to

Just because

Chan asked you

You can

Say no

[SEUNGMIN] 20:27

I’m surprised you are saying that, Felix

I thought you liked MC?

[FELIX] 20:27

I do like MC

I’d like to

Stay friends if she says no

But

She might feel

Inclined

To say yes

Just because

Of the circumstance

[MINHO] 20:29

What do you mean, Yongbok?

You’re usually more on board with things

Especially if it’s for the HFA parties

Is this because

[FELIX] 20:30

It’s just

Might feel like

She needs

To work

Just because

We are taking

Care of her

She doesn’t need

To feel forced

[SEUNGMIN] 20:31

That’s really sweet you feel this way

Taking MC’s feelings into consideration

But

If she isn’t working for us

Is there a need for her to even stay in the apartment then?

I don’t know what to say. I hadn’t thought about those possibilities yet, but I can see why they both would think that way.

[FELIX] 20:32

She isn’t there

Because she wanted to

She was forced

By other people

And can’t even leave

She’s in danger

It wouldn’t

Be right

To force her out

Who knows

If they could go after her

[CHAN] 20:33

It’s sweet

That you are thinking of MC’s feelings

Felix

I wouldn’t want to put her in any situation

That could put her in danger

It’s just an opportunity

I feel that we could utilize

This opportunity for both of sides

But that is all up to MC

[MINHO] 20:34

I don’t know how to feel

We don’t know too much about MC

How can we fully trust her?

What if this is a ruse?

[CHAN] 20:35

Although I didn’t need to even ask

Han has already done a background check on MC

She’s completely cleared

And we’ve taken all precautions

We are sure MC would do a wonderful job

[CHANGBIN] 20:36

How much time do we have to plan this party though?

[CHAN] 20:36

With my calculations

5 weeks

[CHANGBIN] 20:36

!!!!!!

[SEUNGMIN] 20:37

That’s not a lot of time

[CHAN] 20:37

It’s not

Compared to the multiple months we used to plan

But I’m not expecting to have a large party within that time frame

It might be less stressful for MC this way

And I’m sure the members would help her

With anything she needs

[CHANGBIN] 20:38

Of course we will!!!

[HAN] 20:38

Well duh

[FELIX] 20:38

Anything

She needs

[MINHO] 20:38

…..

I don’t know

[CHANGBIN] 20:39

Well

I trust Chan’s decision

And I agree

I’m sure MC would do a good job with the party

IF she decides to that

[HAN] 20:39

I’m with Chan too

[FELIX] 20:40

I’m with MC

Whichever

She chooses

I’ll support her

[SEUNGMIN] 20:40

I’ve never been disappointed by Chan’s decisions

I trust his judgment on MC

[MINHO] 20:41

😮‍💨

I trust Chan

I’m still unsure about this whole situation

But I will support his intuition fully

[HAN] 20:42

So now it’s MC’s turn

How do they say

She has a court ball?

[SEUNGMIN] 20:42

The ball is in her court*

[CHANGBIN] 20:43

You’ve played sports?

I can’t even see that, if I’m being honest

[SEUNGMIN] 20:43

That’s the phrase!

[HAN] 20:44

Oh yeah….

I was never in sports lol

[SEUNGMIN] 20:44

😒

[FELIX] 20:45

Whenever MC

[MC] 20:45

I’ve decided

[FELIX] 20:45

!!!!

[HAN] 20:46

!!!!

[CHANGBIN] 20:46

Already?

That was quick

[CHAN] 20:46

Are you sure you don’t want more time?

You still have a few more hours

I’m thankful for their thoughtfulness to have me think, but this was honestly an easy answer.

[MC] 20:47

I’ll do it

Seungmin was right - they’re going out of their way to house me, to look over my safety, to care for me. The least I can do in the meantime is help plan some party, right? I mean…it’s not like this party used to be one of the biggest parties of the year…that had a lot of celebrities and influential figures attending…maybe I should have thought this through…

[MC] 20:48

I’m not going to lie - I am SUPER nervous about doing this

I just want to do a good job for you guys

Thank you for all you’ve done and are going to do

As long as I get some help here and there

I’m sure we can at least put on a decent party

………

right?

[CHANGBIN] 20:49

HELL YEAH!

WE’LL DEFINITELY PUT ON A KICK ASS PARTY FOR SURE!

[MINHO] 20:50

You don’t have to scream in all caps

I already have a headache 😠

[CHANGBIN] 20:50

You’re just annoyed MC gets to stay, lol

[MINHO] 20:50

😒

[FELIX] 20:51

I’ll definitely help

MC!

We can do it!

[SEUNGMIN] 20:51

Looks like we’re all in this together

[HAN] 20:52

ONCE WE KNOW, THAT WE ARE

WE’RE ALL STARS

AND WE SEE THAT!

[SEUNGMIN] 20:53

….

What?

[MC] 20:53

Did you just quote High School Musical?!

[SEUNGMIN] 20:54

Is that where that’s from?

[HAN] 20:54

*GAAAAAAAASP*

You’ve never watched HSM before?!

[SEUNGMIN] 20:54

[HAN] 20:55

*GAAAAAAASP*

You never had much of a childhood 😭

[SEUNGMIN] 20:55

I don’t think watching a subpar teen movie

A subpar musical at that

Sayings anything about my childhood

[HAN] 20:56

EXCUSE YOU?

[FELIX] 20:56

Sharpay

Was my favorite

[MC] 20:57

Oh really, Felix?

I would have thought you were more of a Gabriella fan

[FELIX] 20:57

I really really like

Sharpay’s style more

[MC] 20:58

Huh

You know what, I could see that

Sharpay’s style was iconic

[FELIX] 20:58

🥰

[CHAN] 20:59

Thank you, MC!

I appreciate you for even trying

I’m sure you will do a wonderful job

And I’m sure with the members

It’ll be a great party!

[CHANGBIN] 21:00

It’ll be amazing!!

[SEUNGMIN] 21:00

Looks like we’re doing this then

[HAN] 21:00

HELL YEAH!

HFA

UNITE!

[MINHO] 21:01

Sungie

I know you’re excited

But I might have to kill you if you keep writing in all caps…

[HAN] 21:01

I’m sorry 😢

[FELIX] 21:02

I’m excited

To work

With everyone again

🥰

[SEUNGMIN] 21:02

You really didn’t help last time

You just moved from Australia after you graduated high school

And was about to start college in Korea

You were kind of just there for support

[FELIX] 21:03

Well

I’ll be able

To do more now

[SEUNGMIN] 21:03

What about school?

[FELIX] 21:04

Yeah…

Well I could

[MINHO] 21:04

You’re not skipping classes, Yongbok

[FELIX] 21:05

🙁

[MINHO] 21:05

Don’t even try be sneaky either

I know when you have class

[FELIX] 21:05

But what if

A teacher cancels

A class last minute

[MINHO] 21:06

There’s ways of finding out, Yongbok

[FELIX] 21:07

😔

[MC] 21:07

It’s ok, Felix!

I’m sure there will be plenty of ways for you to help

In between all of your classes

Any help is appreciated and welcomed!

[FELIX] 21:08

😊

[CHANGBIN] 21:08

We’ll definitely do a kick ass job!

[HAN] 21:08

🤩📣

[SEUNGMIN] 21:09

Why just the emojis?

[HAN] 21:09

I don’t want to give Minho a headache when I cheer 🙁

[MINHO] 21:09

It’s appreciated

Since it’s getting later

I suggest we separate and rest for the night

[CHANGBIN] 21:10

It’s only a little after 9…

[MINHO] 21:10

Well some of us had to be up very late last night

And up very early today

And actually do a full day of work

So bye

[CHANGBIN] 21:11

Why does that sound pointed?

I mean you weren’t the only one?

Felix was up late with his paper

Han was probably up all night

I had work as well too

Hell, Seungmin basically had the same hours as you did

…..

He’s already gone from the chat, isn’t he?

[SEUNGMIN] 21:14

It’s probably safe to say that Mr. Lee has left for the night

Any confirmation, Han?

[HAN] 21:15

Yes

Minho as yeeted himself from the app

[SEUNGMIN] 21:15

The hell is this slang all of a sudden…

[CHANGBIN] 21:16

Can’t even finish an argument he started

The damn bastard…

[MC] 21:16

Well

No use in arguing with the ghost of a Minho

[CHANGBIN] 21:17

You’re right

[SEUNGMIN] 21:17

I have to confess

I might follow Mr. Lee’s example and leave

It really has been a long day

[CHANGBIN] 21:18

Understandable

[HAN] 21:18

I should probably leave as well

No more procrastinating my responsibilities 🙃

Will you still be on long enough for follow up, Channie?

[CHAN] 21:19

Of course, Han

[HAN] 21:19

Sweet!

I’m dm in a sec

ADIOS EVERYONE!!

[MC] 21:20

Have a good night, Han and Seungmin!

[SEUNGMIN] 21:20

Good night

[FELIX] 21:20

Goodnight Minnie and Hannie!

[CHANGBIN] 21:21

Night Seungmin

I should probably get off too

Get my night routine done before I sleep

[FELIX] 21:21

I’m off

To play LOLOL!

[CHAN] 21:22

Thanks everyone for being here

I’ll try to touch base as often as I can

Take care

[CHANGBIN] 21:22

Take care, Chan

Goodnight Felix and MC

[FELIX] 21:22

Have a goodnight

Changbin and MC!

🥰

[MC] 21:22

Goodnight all

~*~

Groaning, I finally stretched out of the chair. Right after the group chat finished for the night, I proceeded to update my information about the HFA organization in my notebook. A lot of info was dumped within those few hours…but also more questions made their way to my head. I then created two sections within the notebook - one half about the HFA members and the other half for the party I was hired to put on. There wasn’t too much I can put in that last section for right now; I was literally hired half an hour ago - I don’t even have a starting point on what I need for this party. Since it was late anyway, I could start that job tomorrow when it’s not as dark and I can sleep off this headache that began to form.

I remembered the poor dishes that had been soaking for the last few hours so I headed towards the sink when I heard the black phone vibrating…consistently? Was I getting a phone call on the HFA phone?!

Rushing back to the desk, I pick up the phone and see the name ‘ CHAN ’ light up the screen. I answer straight away, cautiously speaking, “....hello?”

“Is this MC?”

Hmm. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when I heard the fabled man’s voice, but I can say it wasn’t what I was expecting: his voice was very pleasant, a warm, tenor tone emitting from the phone. He spoke informally, which I wasn’t expecting for a first time conversation, and…was there a bit of an accent? I couldn’t place it, even if I tried.

“…Uh, yeah, that’s me,” I confirmed awkwardly as I made my way to the couch. “This is Chan, correct?”

“Yep!” I can hear the man smiling as he talked. “It’s nice to finally touch base with you. Sorry it took too long. I’m not sure how long I can continue speaking.”

“It’s ok. I-” I paused, unsure where I wanted to go with this conversation. So I spoke the first thing that came to mind: “I wasn’t even aware I could get calls on this phone.”

There was a pause, almost making me panic, when I could hear the man l a ugh on the other end. It was so contagious and warm, I almost followed suit in his merry; I instead gave a small chuckle and kept a small smile on my face. The tension from the phone call seemed to melt at our conversation.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Chan repeated, trying to calm down his laughter. “I’m not laughing at you, I swear. It didn’t cross my mind that you weren’t aware of that feature in the app.”

“In the app?” What?

Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, Chan answered, “Yeah. I’m not sure if you even have a mobile service on the phone, but Han created the capability to message and call in the HFA chat. It’s a more secure, safer way to communicate within the organization.”

Huh. I guess that makes sense in a way.

“I see.”

“Han may have also taken that feature away from you until we confirmed your background and character.”

The smile I had during the call died with that statement - the reality of my situation flashed in my head and I had to sober up to continue our talk. Sighing, I question softly, “I’m guessing he also told you my identity then? My real identity?”

I could almost imagine the man giving an apologetic look as he replied back, “Yes. To really give my approval, Han had to send over all of your information and have me make the decision from that.”

All the moisture in my mouth seemed to have dried out, everything feeling like cotton. My heart beat seemed to spike drastically as my anxiety seemed to ramp up. “So you are aware of…”

Chan hummed in confirmation, knowing exactly what I was going to ask. “That you were let go as of yesterday at your previous job.” A sad sigh emerged from my lips as my emotions from yesterday returned. “That your living situation heavily depends on your paycheck. That-”

“That I was stupid enough to get imprisoned by strangers and put in this situation on my own?” I asked in a self-deprecating voice, a half cry/laugh escaping. As I tried to stay strong on my end, the cracks of my demeanor were showing as tears started pricking the corners of my eyes. Sinking into the couch fully, my energy seemed to drain completely that I had to curl up on my side and lay my head down.

A male voice spoke into the other end of the phone, his voice firm. “That you couldn’t help but be coerced into a scheme like this, no matter how strong your willpower is,” Chan corrected. My response was a short, dry laugh. “I saw your messages to Unknown.” The air seemed to still for me. “I could pinpoint multiple points in the messages that you wanted to back out, that your instincts were telling you to run. But Unknown knew how to exploit your situation to convince you otherwise. Anyone in your situation would have done the same thing. Some probably would have gone more willingly too.”

Not confirming or denying anything, I just stayed silent as I let his words sink in. Was there really nothing I could have done to stop this? Could I really blame my current financial situation as the reason I was in this mess? Was there really no other choice? I…don’t think I could even answer that right now.

Taking my silence as disbelief, Chan continued, “They preyed upon you at your weakest point…and they used your own kindness against you. You shouldn’t blame yourself for trying to help out someone.”

“How are you so sure I’m a kind person?” I inquired suddenly. Chan had kept saying that in the group chat and he keeps saying that here…but how does he truly know? I’m a random stranger that stumbled upon his organization by a weird circumstance and he was willing to hire me to revitalize his organization’s more important event? It doesn’t make sense to me.

“Are you saying that you aren’t?”

Adrenaline rushed through my body when I realized what I had just done - I had questioned Chan, who I guess I could consider my boss now, on why he should trust me. Am I trying to shoot myself in the foot when I had just been hired by the guy?!? Stumbling my words, I replied, “No! I-it’s…I mean, I really appreciate you saying that about me, but I guess I’m wondering why you think that? Wait, let me correct that: how you got to that conclusion.”

Imaging the smirk in his voice, he responds, “Because I can tell.”

“In what context? I’ve only been here for 24 hours - is that really enough time to tell?”

“Sure is.”

Why do I get the feeling that this man is trying to tease me?

Humming, the male commented, “It seems like I have a few more minutes to talk. Let’s just say after reading the messages in the group chat and what info Han sent me-”

“I’m guessing camera logs are included in that,” I remarked thoughtlessly, my mouth running before I could stop it. Why was I being so cringe right now?!

Before I could correct myself, Chan cackled loudly. “God, I don’t know what dynamic you and Sung have created, but I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time,” Chan confessed, hearing what sounded like him wiping laughing tears off his face. I snorted in reply; I’m at least glad I was somehow able to lift this man’s spirits up. However, the male threw a curve ball at me when he said, “And this is why.”

“What is?” My confusion kept growing with each of his words.

“This. That you’ve somehow…I don’t want to say wormed your way, but you snug yourself into the group so effortlessly and by being genuinely yourself. You might think that it doesn’t mean much, but with these people I know and love, it means a lot. This is why I believe you will do an amazing job with the party.”

I was so gobsmacked, trying to mouth some sort of reply but no sound would come out. How do you respond to that?

“Oof. Looks like I gotta go. If you have any questions, reach out to Han and he’ll help with what he can or can relay messages to me while I’m overseas. I know the HFA members will help as well, although you might need to reign them in - they love to overdo things. And…yeah. Like I said in the chat, I’ll try to drop in when I can. Uh…was there anything else?”

Despite all the different questions I wanted to ask, I hold everything back and just say, “That seems like enough. Thanks again, Chan. I’ll do my best. Take care.”

A smile could be heard from the other end of the call. “Thank you, you too. Have a goodnight, MC. Take care of them for me.” The phone disconnected after that and I ended up laying on the couch with my racing thoughts.

Usually, Chan’s words would be comforting in any other context, but his last statement was throwing me through a loop: “ Take care of them for me ”. It makes sense; he seems to really care, even adore the HFA members and they (for the most part - Felix’s coldness is still a mystery) feel the same about him. I’m the stranger that’ll be working closely with them - of course he would like someone to watch over them while he is away, especially during such a strange time. But something felt…off.

I turned my attention back to the black phone in my hand and began searching for what was bugging me. It didn’t take too long to find what I needed, but that proceeded to send me into a mental spiral that I wasn’t sure I could handle for the night. Because what was off about the statement was that I had heard it before: “ Take care of them for me ” - those were the last words Unknown had messaged me before they ghosted and abandoned me in the locked apartment.

Notes:

Damn - sorry about that cliffhanger
Here's the members and their Mystic Messenger character equivalent in the fic, for those that don't know or need a reminder:
Chan - V
Minho/Lee Know - Jumin Han
Changbin - Zen
Hyunjin - Rika
Han - 707
Felix - Yoosung
Seungmin - Jaehee Kang
We sadly won't see Jeongin/I.N for awhile, but his character will come later on and he will be just as important. I wouldn't ignore our baby bread on purpose :'(
As of right now, I don't have a timeline of when the next chapters will be posted. I have a plan: I will start posting each day for every chapter in a "route". For those that aren't familiar, Mystic Messenger is a dating sim game, so they have "routes" for each character where you try to schmooze them and then learn about their backgrounds. It'll be similar here - less romance, but each character will get their route for us to learn about them. And as of right now, I am close to the halfway point of our first route. So be prepared when I start posting again.
Let me know what you guys think of this so far! And predict who you think our first route will be about ;)

Chapter 4: CHANGBIN’S ROUTE PT 1: A NEW OPPORTUNITY

Summary:

While MC is beginning her role as a party planner, Changbin might have an opportunity to expand his career.
Seungmin also gives us some background on the HFA members

Notes:

Sorry for taking awhile to post.
I've had this route done for a bit (well, not counting the amount of times I've edited and reedited it), but between multiple trips and a bunch of family issues coming up, it was hard to find time to post all the chapters. So instead of my original plan on posting a chapter a day for the route...I'm just going to post them all as quick as I can 😂
With that said, there's a few things about this chapter I should clarify/warn about:
- TW: dieting, body image
- This chapter will be dealing with Changbin's background as an entertainer in this world so there will be a few touchy subjects about idol culture that get brought up
- While there are descriptions of a "previous company", the issues I bring up encapsulate majority of Kpop companies, not just JYP. All the issues that get brought up were inspired by many companies and many groups this has happened to
Anyway, let's start Changbin's route 😊

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

[SEUNGMIN] 11:23

So about 3 years ago, he moved to Seoul

It took awhile for him to move

He originally wanted to start after high school but his Korean wasn’t ready

His family wanted him to work on his Korean

So he studied it in university in Sydney for a few years before he was cleared to leave

He had minor degree in it, but since there wasn’t an exchange program

He had to start completely over once he got here

[MC] 11:25

Damn

Poor thing

To start college all over again

I wouldn’t be happy with it either

[SEUNGMIN] 11:26

I’d agree

But Felix seemed excited to start over

It seems like he started a brand new major too

No one knows what it is

But in his first year he flourished in school

It wasn’t until the next year that he began to struggle

[MC] 11:28

Oh no

Did things just get harder?

[SEUNGMIN] 11:28

In a way, I guess

The morning after I was hired by the HFA, it started me on the path of information overload. After a quick breakfast, I dove head first into previous documents that I could find in the filing cabinets and on the computer. I probably should have expected that Hyunjin would be so detail oriented and organized - every drawer on the cabinet represented every year that the HFA hosted a party; each one filled up with research on multiple venues, info on the many candidates as guests, and a lot of accounting documents going over the donations and the funds they gave to each charity. His computer was the same way - after Han texted me the password for most of the locked documents (he says he didn’t know the other password for the rest of them), I was able to see folders for every year as well, with the similar documents but there were more folders listed. There was so much to look into, I could feel my brain on the verge of bursting.

I began cross referencing the research with current listings and articles - so many of the venues have gone up in price (thanks, inflation…) and there were quite a few guests who…let’s say their reputation was a bit tarnished in recent years.

At one point, Changbin had dropped into the group chat to say a quick good morning but mentioned that he had to leave quickly for an appointment.

It wasn’t until about 11:00 that Seungmin entered the chat and I decided to take a break from the papers. The alleged youngest in the chat (I still can’t believe that - he doesn’t act like the youngest at all) had mentioned that Minho had gone to lunch with his father and that gave the man a chance to have a quiet meal to himself. We had exchanged a few words on how our days were going (him with his work and me with the party), when I had mentioned that I had more info on the party but I didn’t have much info on the HFA. I’m guessing after I got Chan’s approval last night, Seungmin decided to humor me by giving me the backgrounds for the members. So began my information overload on the members.

He started off talking about Minho, since he was the one he was the most familiar with (for better or for worse, according to him). He started off with what I knew: Lee Minho is the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the country, C&R, and took over for his father, who is still a chairman for the company. He also currently has three cats that he is obsessed with (and Seungmin emphasizes OBSESSED). Then he expands on the man: he’s around the same age as Chan, who he apparently went to school with once Chan transferred over when he was 13 (that was something that clicked in my head about his accent - Chan was originally from Australia) and they’ve been friends ever since. He has lived the rich lifestyle as the son of a chaebol, but Seungmin tells me that he worked to be CEO of his father’s company; he worked hard through college then went straight to working at the company and moving up the ladder. He’s a complete workaholic - the amount of projects he starts for the sake of the company and his vast amount of connections to random businesses makes up the entirety of his schedule. He adores and looks up to his father in the working sense, but he also questions his father’s constant romantic relationships; as far as Seungmin knows, Minho has never been in a romantic relationship (I wonder if that has anything to do with his father).

The next member he discusses was Han - going from the member he knows the most to the one he knows the least about. Despite them being the same age, Han is almost the complete opposite of Seungmin; while the assistant works with a much bigger network of people at the company and is a fairly introverted person, Han seems to work on his own as a hacker and is very hyperactive who likes to joke around. Even with him being the loudest in the group, he also seems to be the one who is more secretive, which just might be due to his occupation.

Once he made the comparison between him and Han, I had asked Seungmin about his own background. He didn’t talk too much about himself: just that he graduated early from high school and college, he went straight into interning for the company and then he was hired as Mr. Lee’s assistant three years ago. He was fairly brand new to HFA and barely knew much about Hyunjin before he was gone, but he said that Hyunjin was very pleasant to talk with. But he did get closer with the rest of the members in their own way, probably the one he considers he’s friendliest with is Felix, as they’ve both spent time gaming with each other.

That’s how we got here: going over Felix’s entrance into the HFA. Despite him being the last one to enter the association (well, before I was added), Felix actually has ties with half of the members; his biggest connection being Hyunjin, who is his cousin. Felix grew up in Australia for most of his life, but Hyunjin seemed to visit him a lot growing up for family events so Felix got to know him and ended up looking up to his cousin. Apparently, he was also familiar with Chan too, but Seungmin wasn’t sure to what extent because by the time he met Felix, there was already an icy front coming from the boy towards the man. Minho was also familiar with Felix, but again, Seungmin was out of the loop on that info. Felix, overall, is a college student from Australia who is the biggest cinnamon roll/biggest raging gamer out of the group.

This…was a ton of information at once; how Seungmin was able to send all of that within a 20 minute period is kinda impressive. But this definitely gives me more info to put into my notebook on the HFA.

[SEUNGMIN] 11:31

That’s probably all I can think of at the moment

Hopefully that’s a good start into the HFA

[MC] 11:31

Are you kidding?

This was a ton of information - I basically have a guide now!

And, more impressively, you got it sent within 25ish minutes

That’s a talent

[SEUNGMIN] 11:32

Thanks

When you work in a company job and with Mr. Lee as your boss

You learn to type information quickly

On any device

[MC] 11:32

Lol

Makes sense

I struggle texting just because autocorrect messes with me 😭

[SEUNGMIN] 11:33

How does that happen?

[MC] 11:33

Idk

Texting too fast?

Sometimes autocorrect changes my words

Even though I wrote the correct word, it’ll change it

[SEUNGMIN] 11:34

…dang

You're what Felix calls

“A struggle bus”, aren’t you?

[ME] 11:35

…

I can tell you’ve worked with Minho for a while…

[SEUNGMIN] 11:35

😂

[FELIX] 11:35

That’s so funny!

I never realized that Seungmin

Kinda does

React like Minho

Who knew

[SEUNGMIN] 11:36

I would reject the notion

But

Me and Mr. Lee have similar

Demeanors, in a sense

That just might be due to us working in this industry

But I will say

I’m not as cruel as Mr. Lee

Well, cruel might be too far. Maybe more…

Diabolical?

Outlandish for sure

[MC] 11:38

Well, while you are savage in your own way, Seungmin

Minho definitely is…

Quite a character on his own

Also, hello Felix! How has your day been?

[SEUNGMIN] 11:39

Hello, Lix

[FELIX] 11:39

That’s our hyung!

Also

Hello

Seungmin and MC

I’ve been good

[SEUNGMIN] 11:40

Did you get any of your homework done?

Or have you just been gaming this morning?

[FELIX] 11:40

I just woke up

[SEUNGMIN] 11:40

And what do you plan on doing now?

[FELIX] 11:40

…

You’re being mean

😠

[MC] 11:41

Awww

Leave Felix alone

It’s a weekend

He’s good to decompress for a little after the school week

[SEUNGMIN] 11:41

Don’t you baby him too…

[FELIX] 11:42

You’re just mad

That MC is on my side

[SEUNGMIN] 11:42

I could care less about how she feels about your weekend plans

[FELIX] 11:42

Well

😜

[SEUNGMIN] 11:43

😒

I’m just looking out for you, Lix

You decompress too much at times

That’s how you ended up with your last minute paper

From a few nights ago

[FELIX] 11:44

I’ll work on my stuff!

I just

Want to game a little

Although

My guild members

Haven’t said anything back

They might still be asleep

[SEUNGMIN] 11:45

…it’s almost noon?

[MC] 11:45

That doesn’t mean anything

Are they around the same age as you, Felix?

[FELIX] 11:46

Yeah

Some even

A little younger

[SEUNGMIN] 11:46

[MC] 11:46

There you go

Makes more sense now, huh?

[SEUNGMIN] 11:47

😶

[FELIX] 11:47

Lol

Anyway

I didn’t realize

Seungmin

You know a lot

About the members

[SEUNGMIN] 11:48

That’s not even a lot

What I’ve sent to MC

It’s mainly just background things

I could have sent more

I’ve known everyone (besides MC) for a few years now

[FELIX] 11:49

I know

But

You have a lot of

Details about everyone

How do you remember

All of that?

[SEUNGMIN] 11:50

I just pay attention?

[FELIX] 11:50

😒

[MC] 11:50

Lol

Although

There is one thing we didn’t go over yet, Seungmin

We haven’t talked about Changbin yet

[FELIX] 11:51

That’s because

If you have him

Talk about Changbin

He could

Gush forever about him

[MC] 11:51

[SEUNGMIN] 11:51

Why do you make it sound like I’m in love with him?!

[FELIX] 11:52

I didn’t try to

Make it that way

It’s more like

You’re a super fan

Of Changbin!

[SEUNGMIN] 11:52

…I can’t tell if that makes it worse or not

[FELIX] 11:53

It’s not!

You just appreciate

Changbin and his projects

You keep up with them

You go to the fan cafes

You take me with you

That’s all

[MC] 11:54

So….

Seungmin is Changbin’s fanboy?

[SEUNGMIN] 11:54

STOP!

[MC] 11:54

Lol, I’m just joking

But out of everyone in HFA

You seem to know more about Changbin’s background more than anyone

[SEUNGMIN] 11:55

I wouldn’t put it that far

I’m sure Chan and Hyunjin know more

Since they brought him into HFA

And helped him outside of the organization

[MC] 11:55

Wait

How did they help him outside of HFA?

[FELIX] 11:56

I don’t think

I know

Of this story

[SEUNGMIN] 11:56

Yeah

I forgot it was so long ago, Felix hadn’t joined us quite yet

Changbin doesn’t talk about it, really

[FELIX] 11:57

[MC] 11:57

Interesting

Why is that?

[SEUNGMIN] 11:57

It’s a part of his life he wants to forget

Although it is posted on his fandompedia’s bio

[MC] 11:58

….are you sure you aren’t his fanboy?

[SEUNGMIN] 11:58

SHUT

Anyway

Before he was a well liked stage actor

He was originally a trainee for one of the Big 3

[FELIX] 11:59

Trainee?

Big 3?

The Big 3 entertainment companies?

[MC] 11:59

Changbin was an idol?!

[SEUNGMIN] 12:00

A trainee to BE an idol

He had been with the company for years

He was actually the best rapper among the trainees

[MC] 12:00

Changbin was a rapper?!

[FELIX] 12:00

I could see that

His energy

The way he talks

How FAST he talks

He definitely

Could fit the image

Of an idol rapper

[SEUNGMIN] 12:01

He also ranked high on singing

While he wasn’t the best dancer among the trainees

He still kept up with everyone

He also worked on producing as well

[FELIX] 12:02

Whoa

[MC] 12:02

Changbin is so talented!

I mean

I figured he was already so talented with the career and fans he has

But this has opened more of my perspective on him

[SEUNGMIN] 12:02

I’m glad you feel that way

Because at that company, they didn’t put much effort into debuting him

[FELIX] 12:03

?!?!

[MC] 12:03

?!?!

Excuse me?!

[SEUNGMIN] 12:03

RIGHT!

They had debuted a few groups while he was training

It always seemed like he would join at least one of them

But the company would back out every time and keep him in the dungeon

[MC] 12:04

Why the hell would they do that?!

[SEUNGMIN] 12:04

I don’t know if anyone truly knows

I’m not sure if Changbin was told outright either

But there’s been a couple of theories the fans have come up with

[MC] 12:04

Oooooo conspiracies!

[FELIX] 12:04

👽

[SEUNGMIN] 12:05

Here’s the theories:

Theory #1

Changbin doesn’t fit Korean Beauty Standards

[FELIX] 12:05

What?!

[MC] 12:05

What does that even mean?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:05

The Kpop industry is so obsessed with visuals

The company might not find him good looking enough to debut

[MC] 12:06

That’s insane though?!

From what I’ve seen of his pictures online

He is a handsome dude

Also buff as hell?!

I can see why he always seems to go to the gym all the time

[SEUNGMIN] 12:06

It’s a mystery to all of us

Err

His fans

[FELIX] 12:06

Can’t take that back

[SEUNGMIN] 12:06

😒

Anyway

This company is known to offer* plastic surgery

*More like endorse*

To the point there’s a theory that they make their idols

Into clones of each other, since a lot of them look alike

[FELIX] 12:07

That definitely sounds

Like a conspiracy

[MC] 12:07

Oh god

I just looked up the clone theory

Fans might be onto something 😱

[SEUNGMIN] 12:07

Don’t get too sucked up into it

But now you can see how different those idols are

Compared to Changbin

[MC] 12:08

I could see it

I’m guessing they offered him surgery as well?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:08

He never confirmed it

But he for sure hasn’t changed too much from his baby pics

Besides losing the baby weight

The only change is that he bulked up during his trainee days

[MC] 12:09

Was it a drastic change?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:09

It is a little daunting

Don’t get me wrong

He looked fine as a trainee

Just another lean, young idol

But when you compare the two

You might have thought he was heavily dieting early on

And not just filling into his adult body as he grew

[MC] 12:09

Oh no

[FELIX] 12:09

I don’t like

Thinking of Changbin

Doing that

It makes me sad

[SEUNGMIN] 12:10

Don’t worry, Lix

Changbin has stated since his trainee days

That he loves food and refuses to diet

He even encourages his fans to eat and not skip a meal

And says he’ll scream at anyone that says otherwise

Mainly to him or his fans

[FELIX] 12:10

That’s sweet

[MC] 12:11

That’s a good message

I’m glad he’s become a good role model

For the fans

[SEUNGMIN] 12:11

Agreed

[MC] 12:11

Let’s divert from this topic now

To another theory

[FELIX] 12:11

Good idea

[SEUNGMIN] 12:12

Sounds good

Theory #2

They wanted to keep him as a producer

[FELIX] 12:12

Huh

[MC] 12:12

Interesting

What’s the background to that theory?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:12

Well

I had mentioned Changbin did some producing

As a trainee

[MC] 12:13

Right

[SEUNGMIN] 12:13

What I didn’t mention

Was that he had produced some songs

FOR the company’s groups

Multiple of them

Even producing one of the biggest comebacks of their groups

[FELIX] 12:13

WOW!!!

[SEUNGMIN] 12:13

So he a valuable asset in that way

But

The theory goes

That the company didn’t want to lose their hitmaker

Because if he debuted with a group

He’ll focus mainly producing for that group

So they kept dangling debut in front of him just to snatch it away

Hoping one day he’ll quit as a trainee

And just be a hired producer for the company

According to the theory, I should say

[FELIX] 12:14

Whoa

[MC] 12:14

That is all kinds of messed up

[FELIX] 12:14

Could they really

Be that evil?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:15

There’s a ton of horror stories of Kpop companies

Just not of the Big 3

Some even worse than this

[MC] 12:15

Damn

[SEUNGMIN] 12:15

It might’ve been a blessing in disguise

The groups he was slated to debut in

One was put on an unexpected hiatus with no reasoning

Losing fans in the process

And the other was pushed into so many comebacks

Both in Korea and Japan

With no vacations

To the point a few members cried on a live about wanting a break

[MC] 12:16

That’s heartbreaking

[SEUNGMIN] 12:16

It is

Another factor

For the fan side

Is that the division/management of those groups

Are considered greedy

Releasing cheap albums and giving the bare minimum of inclusions

Just so they could make profit from the fans

Who want to collect for their favorite members

[FELIX] 12:17

That’s definitely upsetting

On all fronts

[MC] 12:17

Agreed

Was it just those two theories?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:17

There is one more

One that I could definitely believe

[MC] 12:17

Oh?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:18

Theory #3

Changbin despises the CEO of the company

[MC] 12:18

Huh

This one you could believe?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:18

There is a lot

A LOT

Of photos and videos of Changbin’s reaction to his boss

Whether in front of Mr. Park or when talking about him

He glares, looks disgusted, or tries to put space

Between the two of them

[FELIX] 12:19

That’s insane

I wonder why

[SEUNGMIN] 12:19

I could understand it

I did go through a rabbit hole one night to understand

Mr. Park tries to portray himself as an understanding CEO

Easy Going

Trying to be hip with current groups, as an older idol

But he has said some questionable things, even recently

Some about mental health

A lot of his idols have shaded him in some way

And not in a teasing way…

So who knows what happens behind the scenes as well

[MC] 12:20

Wow

I can kinda see Changbin’s reactions

[FELIX] 12:20

Because he doesn’t like

Mr. Park

[MC] 12:20

Mr. Park refused to debut Changbin

[SEUNGMIN] 12:20

That’s the theory

[FELIX] 12:21

Whoa

[SEUNGMIN] 12:21

I wouldn’t say it was just this theory on its own

I think there is some mix of the three

But it still stands

That Binnie couldn’t debut

[FELIX] 12:22

That’s insane

[MC] 12:22

Poor Bin

So how do Chan and Hyunjin help then?

Since he’s now an actor and not with that company anymore

[SEUNGMIN] 12:22

Right

I forgot that was the main reason we got onto this

[FELIX] 12:22

😂

[SEUNGMIN] 12:23

Well

Apparently, Hyunjin was a fan of Binnie’s

Since the trainees have showcases here and there

Hyunjin attended a few and became a fan

He eventually brought Chan to one

All 3 of them met and Chan was able to appreciate Bin’s production

From there, I guess Chan convinced Park to transfer him

To one of the acting subsidiaries

Where the main company funds them

But Changbin could be under their management

And since it’s under acting

He doesn’t have to socialize with Park anymore

[MC] 12:25

Wow

What a way to get out of that hell

But I do have a question

Why acting?

Where did that come from if he was training as a Kpop trainee?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:25

I think idols have to get some sort of acting, I’m guessing?

But the fans did look back

Some of the trainees of the company had been on some rookie variety shows

And some were included in some of the web dramas the groups would have

And Changbin’s charisma and presence in the ones he was in

He ended up outshining some of the group members

[MC] 12:26

Wow!

Talented!

[FELIX] 12:26

Impressive!

👏👏👏

[SEUNGMIN] 12:26

Agreed

So I guess Chan advocated for Bin to move to acting

And has been doing stage productions since

[MC] 12:27

You definitely know your Binnie lore

[SEUNGMIN] 12:27

I can’t take credit

The fans have good documentation on his background

[FELIX] 12:27

That sounds a little

Invasive?

[MC] 12:27

Agreed

To have random people know your backstory, in and out

You’d think you feel very exposed to the public like that

[SEUNGMIN] 12:28

I could see that

I could never do it

But Changbin has been open with fans for the most part

And the fansites don’t publish information

Changbin is not ok with being out there

[MC] 12:29

His relationship with fans is a bit of a strange one

Even on idol standards

But it sounds like it works for everyone

So I wouldn't think too much on it

[SEUNGMIN] 12:29

That’s fair

[FELIX] 12:30

What’s up

Seungmin?

[SEUNGMIN] 12:30

I just got a text from Mr. Lee

He says he’s on his way back to the office

My break had extended a little too long

[MC] 12:30

I’m sorry, Seungmin

I didn’t mean to take so much of your time

[FELIX] 12:31

I guess

That’s what happens

When you fanboy

About Changbin for too long

[SEUNGMIN] 12:31

…

You’re an evil little gremlin, Lix

[FELIX] 12:32

😎

[SEUNGMIN] 12:32

And I can’t respond further

I’ll be on my way out then

[MC] 12:33

Thanks again for the info, Seungmin

I appreciate it!

[SEUNGMIN] 12:33

👋

[FELIX] 12:33

It looks like

Some of my guild is up

I shall game

Before I get to homework

[MC] 12:34

Lol, ok

I’ll talk with you later, you two

[FELIX] 12:34

Bye Minnie

Bye MC!

***

I ended up updating the HFA notes while I made a light lunch after my discussion with Seungmin and Felix. The overall picture of each member began to become clearer as each piece of information was added to their metaphorical puzzle; with each piece that gets added, though, there are more holes that seem to pop up. I don’t know if it’s just their personalities, but it seems to me that Minho and Seungmin are the most honest and “complete” out of the members: just two workaholics that have a few interests outside of business is a lot easier to understand overall. Changbin and Felix seem like open books on the surface, but there seems to be so much in their pasts that never gets discussed outside of their sunny demeanors. Han…he’s basically an enigma; he’s a spitfire of uncertainty, wrapped in an awkward, yet hyper individual. I can never make heads or tails on how he’s truly feeling when I interact with him (his section is very much smaller compared to his counterparts).

Finishing up the updating, I began to wonder: why am I doing this? Keeping track of information on the members?

As I bit into my egg salad sandwich, pondering, I had to admit that I wasn’t completely sure. Am I doing this to keep up with everyone in the association? That’s a possibility I could see, as everyone has years with each other while I’ve been in the group chat for less than a week (I’m playing catch up). Or…am I doing this as a safety precaution? In case anything happens to me and someone ends up finding the notebook, they could find the documentation I’ve taken to see who might know what happened to me…or who might be behind this (I’ve become a bit paranoid after being trapped into an apartment - forgive me). Is it just me trying to get my thoughts out in a format that no one can read, since I have constant surveillance from the cameras and on all of my devices? I’m not sure which option it truly could be, but I’ve been updating it once new information comes up.

After the HFA section was updated, I proceeded to narrow down the information from the previous parties. It was taking quite a bit of time to organize what options we have for the party once I eliminated some of the venues and a lot of the previous guests. Then I did more background searching for everything to check the press around them, even delving a little bit into netizens' opinions. By the end of that research…I have few options left for each list.

I outwardly groan as I fall back in my chair. How am I supposed to create a party that levels up to previous HFA parties with just these? And in 5 weeks?!

Before I can linger anymore on that issue, the HFA phone begins to vibrate, indicating someone was active in the chat.

Grabbing the black device, I open up the app and chat to see who's on and smile.

[CHANGBIN] 15:58

I’M SO TIRED!

It’s been too long of a day

[MC] 15:59

I’m sure

It’s been awhile since you’ve checked in

Seems like long day for you

[CHANGBIN] 15:59

MC!

HELLO!

It’s nice to hear from you today 🥰

It was busy for a Saturday

[MC] 16:00

Did you have rehearsal today?

[CHANGBIN] 16:00

Not today - our rehearsals are during the weekdays

But I had a long

Well

I said appointment earlier, but it was more an

…interview?

[MC] 16:01

Oooooooooo

Interesting

What kind of interview?

Like a job interview?

[CHANGBIN] 16:01

Kinda

😉

[MINHO] 16:01

Is Changbinnie finally getting a job?

A REAL job?

[CHANGBIN] 16:02

I DO HAVE A REAL JOB?!

WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?

😡

[MINHO] 16:02

Sorry 🤷‍♂️

That’s what the text sounded like

[CHANGBIN] 16:02

Don’t twist my words 😒

[MINHO] 16:02

MC asked if it was like a job interview

You said kinda

What am I misunderstanding here?

[CHANGBIN] 16:03

Because it’s not a normal interview

It wasn’t like going to an office

It was over lunch

A looong lunch

And it wasn’t for a normal job

[MINHO] 16:03

I don’t understand

[CHANGBIN] 16:03

Doesn’t surprise me

[MINHO] 16:03

😒

[MC] 16:04

What was it an interview for?

[CHANGBIN] 16:04

Since MC asked

[MINHO] 16:04

🙄

[CHANGBIN] 16:04

I was having lunch with a bunch of producers

Interviewing for that new variety show that came out last year

You might have heard of it

Home Court?

[MINHO] 16:05

Never heard of it

[CHANGBIN] 16:05

I don’t expect YOU to

[MINHO] 16:05

😑

[MC] 16:05

I think I’ve heard of that one

That’s the variety show where a lot of celebrities

Comedians and idols, I believe

Where they do challenges that pertain to their hometown

Usually split into teams and stuff

Is that the one?

[CHANGBIN] 16:06

Exactly that one!

I knew I could trust MC to know 🙂

[MINHO] 16:06

Anyway

How does that pertain to you?

[CHANGBIN] 16:07

Well

The producers of the show invited me to lunch

To discuss ideas for the new season

And they figured I would be a good candidate

For the upcoming main cast

[MC] 16:07

Wait

That’s really amazing!?!

I’m so excited for you!!

[CHANGBIN] 16:08

Thank you MC 🥰

[MINHO] 16:08

How did they end up picking you out?

I thought they hired idols and comedians?

[CHANGBIN] 16:08

I’m not sure if I want to know how you meant that

[MINHO] 16:08

🙄

[CHANGBIN] 16:08

But they want to try adding a few more

Actors into the main cast as well as guests

And I guess one of the producers saw one of my shows

Became a fan

Suggested me as an option

[MC] 16:09

That’s so cool!

[CHANGBIN] 16:09

I KNOW RIGHT?!

I didn’t think I’d ever be invited

Especially on this type of show?!

There were quite a few clips from this show

That went viral online last season

[MC] 16:10

It would be such a good opportunity for you!

Especially since it was quite popular last season

[CHANGBIN] 16:10

Exactly!

I enjoy my job now

I could never get tired of it

But it’s nice

To be invited to these same things

As other professional actors

[MC] 16:11

It must feel validating

And definitely a way to expand your career!

[MINHO] 16:11

If he wanted to expand his career

He could have gone about it in different ways

[CHANGBIN] 16:11

And pray tell

You rich bastard

What else I could do 🙄

[MINHO] 16:12

You could always book commercials

Partner with brands

[CHANGBIN] 16:12

I mean

I guess so?

But those never come up for me

[MINHO] 16:12

Well

I do have a new brand of cat food

That could use a new spokesperson

[CHANGBIN] 16:12

[MINHO] 16:12

You didn’t let me

[CHANGBIN] 16:13

I said NO

You know better

[MC] 16:13

I’m a little lost

What’s going on?

And what’s wrong with Minho’s offer?

[CHANGBIN] 16:13

I almost forgot you haven’t been here long

First off

I don’t take charity

I want to earn my achievements

Instead of riding on the coattails of someone else

Especially a smug bastard like this asshole here

[MINHO] 16:14

😒

[CHANGBIN] 16:14

Second off

I’m allergic to cats

Like REALLY allergic

And this asshole knows it?!

[MINHO] 16:14

But it’s not just any cats

It’s Soonie, Doongie, and Dori

[CHANGBIN] 16:15

…

Who are still cats?!

[MINHO] 16:15

And yet they stand above so many

😻

[CHANGBIN] 16:15

…

You have so many issues

[MC] 16:16

OOOOOOOK

That is a lot to unpack

But I get it now

So even if Minho offered a different commercial

Theoretically

You still wouldn’t take it

[CHANGBIN] 16:16

Exactly

[MINHO] 16:16

It’s quite a moronic decision, honestly

You said you want to expand your career

But you won’t take the opportunity when it is offered?

[CHANGBIN] 16:17

Because I don’t need your help

I don’t want to owe anyone, anything

[MINHO] 16:17

We’re literally paying you

I don’t know why that seems so complicated for you

[CHANGBIN] 16:17

It’s not complicated

I don’t want to use my association with you or the organization

To fund my career

It’s not genuine

I want to get those jobs organically

[MINHO] 16:18

This discussion is so exhausting

I’m going to take a nap

[CHANGBIN] 16:18

YOU’RE EXHAUSTING!!

I’ve literally told you this so many times

DON’T

NEED

YOUR

HELP

I don’t know why you push this

And for a cat food commercial?!

Are you insane?!

I would die!!

I wish you would take my health seriously!

…..

Did this bastard leave already?

[MC] 16:22

I think so

[CHANGBIN] 16:23

Coward

Can’t even finish a fight he started

[MC] 16:23

Yeah

[CHANGBIN] 16:23

I’m sorry you had to see us like that

I’m sure it was a lot

It wasn’t very gentlemanly

[MC] 16:24

It’s alright

[CHANGBIN] 16:26

I gotta know though

Do you think I’m overreacting to this?

Everyone here knows our backgrounds

They’re used to our fights

But as someone new

What does it look like to you?

I wasn’t sure what to say at first. This is probably a first time someone’s asked me to assess a fight (I’d say mostly a fit of bickering, really - something similar to brothers getting on each other’s nerves) and I don’t want to alienate one side of the argument. Even with my brand new information on both of these gentlemen’s backgrounds, I still feel like I’m missing some key pieces about this dynamic. If Changbin has a severe cat allergy, it does seem almost cruel of Minho to even offer the opportunity to him. Yet…I get the feeling Minho knows that whatever opportunity he could offer Changbin (cats included or not), Changbin will vehemently deny it. Does he just outright hate Minho, or is there something else that could be contributing to his reaction? I’m still so unsure.

[MC] 16:28

From my impression

Minho is just trying to agitate you

Likes to antagonize you for a reaction

But you’re well aware of his intentions there

[CHANGBIN] 16:28

Unfortunately

Yes

[MC] 16:28

In his own strange way

I can see his suggestion as being valid

Commercials would be a good way to expand your career

Especially as those are a lot easier to book

So it’s nice of him to offer it

[CHANGBIN] 16:29

From the kindness of his heart, right? 🙄

[MC] 16:29

But

I do agree the way he went about it was wrong with you

Obviously, he’s not considering your allergies

He’s ignoring them, really

And if he already knows your stance on the offers

He should respect your boundaries and stop pushing them

[CHANGBIN] 16:30

Thank you, MC

I appreciate your honesty

While I would have preferred you be on my side completely

I could see you were trying to be fair

To both me and the bastard

[MC] 16:30

No problem

I know I don’t know too much about anyone right now

So I hope I wasn’t overstepping

[CHANGBIN] 16:31

Don’t worry about it

I literally asked for your input

To see what we look like from your point of view

[MC] 16:31

Like bickering brothers

Has it always been this way for you two?

[CHANGBIN] 16:31

Me not taking help and him being a spoiled brat?

Pretty much

When I first met him

He just had this smug face and privileged tone

It instantly set me off

It hasn’t gotten better, if I’m being honest

[MC] 16:32

That’s sad

I understand some people won’t be able to get along

Not all personalities mesh very well

[CHANGBIN] 16:32

Exactly

[MC] 16:32

It’s just unfortunate neither of you could find

Some common ground in all that time

[CHANGBIN] 16:33

I don’t expect it to change

We’re both stubborn as hell

Neither of us want to change our ways

Don’t worry about it too much, MC

Although

I do enjoy the fact

Of you being worried about me 🥰

[MC] 16:33

Lol

You’re such a flirt

I’ll try not to worry about it too much

[CHANGBIN] 16:34

😉

I almost forgot

I looked back on the chat

I didn’t realize Seungmin knew so much about us?

About me?

[MC] 16:34

He just seems very observant?

Takes a lot of mental notes and notices details

That most people might overlook

Sounds like a loyal friend!

[CHANGBIN] 16:35

He really is

I’m still surprised how much

He is familiar with my career

[MC] 16:35

Which is super supportive!

The fact him and Felix visit the fan cafes

That he’s willing to keep up with your schedule

Not many can say the same about some of their friends nowadays

Oh, Kim Seungmin ...you owe me big time for covering for you right now…

[CHANGBIN] 16:36

You’re right!

I really appreciate him and Felix

Keeping up and supporting me and the fans

I know I could trust them!

[MC] 16:36

I’m glad you have such a good support system 🙂

[CHANGBIN] 16:36

You know

I know we’ve barely met each other this week

But I could also see you becoming another person in that system

For any of us

And hopefully

Maybe one day

We can be that for you too?

I was kind of held speechless at the text - his words triggering something inside of me. When was the last time I had a good support system in my life? Not in recent years, I could confidently say. So the possibility of gaining that support, their support…could I really hope for that? Trying to keep my eyes dry, I blink a bunch before responding.

[MC] 16:37

Thank you

I would like that too, hopefully

[CHANGBIN] 16:38

😀

I’m glad

I realized we only talked about me

To this point

I keep forgetting to ask

How was your day, MC?

🥰

[MC] 16:38

Right

I forgot that’s how we started this convo 😅

It’s been…

A long day too, lol

[CHANGBIN] 16:39

I know you just started the preparing for the party

Have you gotten far with it?

Actually

Were you even able to get started with it?!

[MC] 16:39

I got started

The apartment has records from the previous events

I’ve been sorting through them all day

[CHANGBIN] 16:40

How’d that go?

[MC] 16:40

☠️

[CHANGBIN] 16:40

Loooooool

That good?

[MC] 16:40

It’s a lot

And I mean A LOT

Both physical and digital records

Just a lot of sorting

[CHANGBIN] 16:41

Damn

Do you have more to go?

[MC] 16:41

I finished like an hour ago

[CHANGBIN] 16:41

Nice!

Got good results then?

[MC] 16:41

Honestly

[CHANGBIN] 16:41

What happened?

[MC] 16:42

Well

It’s been a few years since the last one

Prices have changed

Guests' reputations has changed

Times have changed

So I have little to show for it

[CHANGBIN] 16:42

[MC] 16:42

Also

I realized I have no idea what budget we have

So I’m kind of at a brick wall

[CHANGBIN] 16:42

Sadly

I think rich bastard would be the better one to ask

Money is his forte

Seungmin might help too

[MC] 16:43

Makes sense

Then all I have to worry about now is figuring the right venue

Within budget

And pretty much a brand new guest list

[CHANGBIN] 16:43

Well

I’m sure our local CEO

Could take over the venue hunt

Dude has enough businesses and buildings

He would probably have many available we could use

[MC] 16:44

Do you think he’ll mind?

[CHANGBIN] 16:44

He likes to flaunt his money

He’ll do it I’m sure 🙄

[MC] 16:44

Big oof

[CHANGBIN] 16:44

The guest list

I think we could all contribute to that to help

I can give you Chaeryeong’s contact

[MC] 16:45

Chaeryeong?

Wait

Like Lee Chaeryeong from Itzy, Chaeryeong?!

[CHANGBIN] 16:45

Yeah

I could probably give you her sister info too

[MC] 16:45

Her sister…

Lee Chaeryeon

The soloist?!

[CHANGBIN] 16:46

Lol

That’s the one

[MC] 16:46

How do you even have their info?!

[CHANGBIN] 16:46

I keep forgetting that you’re new, lol

You won’t know this info

They were both trainees with me at the company

They’re like my own little sisters

They were both able to debut after I moved to acting

Them and the other Itzy members I also trained with

But we’ve all stayed in touch all these years

I’m so proud of their accomplishments since they’ve all debuted!

…that’s the biggest green flag I’ve heard from a guy that literally just named drop a kpop group and a soloist. Most of the time, anyone that does that is looking for clout and will push their association in your face. Changbin - he literally talked about them like an older brother would and seemed genuine with his praise. No wonder Seungmin is a fan.

[CHANGBIN] 16:47

Also

She’ll be joining me on Home Court as well!

[MC] 16:47

That’s so awesome!

Do you think they’ll be up for the party then?

[CHANGBIN] 16:47

For sure!!!

Chaeryeong literally contacted me a few years ago

About coming to one of the parties

I know Park would have wanted it for publicity

But she was wanting to show support for me and the organization

Since she was able to debut by then

But that was around the time we stopped

She’ll be excited to finally come!

I’ll let her and Chaeryeon know you’ll be reaching out

If that’s ok with you

[MC] 16:49

Are you serious?

I’m totally ok with it!

The fact that they’re friends of yours makes it better

I’d love to invite them!!

[CHANGBIN] 16:50

Yay!

Not sure what it was, but the fact that I was getting some sort of help from Changbin really started lifting my mood. I was so lost in all of the papers, swimming in names of guests and venues, that I didn’t realize just reaching out for help took so much of a load off. Maybe it was the fact I could vent about my struggles. Maybe it was the fact that, for the first time in a while, I actually feel like I have support from a group. Although…I don’t know if I want to ride on that hope for too long; there’s still a distance between me and the members. Changbin though - he really helped bridge that distance a little bit today. It’s that help that really gave me the motivation to continue on…with everything.

Notes:

We're off on our first route! For those unfamiliar, each "route" is a focus on a particular character (in dating sim terms, it's who you are romancing) and get particular events when you follow their story. Since we're starting off with Binnie, we'll be getting familiar with his background in entertainment and look more into his bonds with the other HFA members. Since we've set up the start of this with Changbin getting a new opportunity, we'll be seeing how this new show will affect his story in the long run. So hope you're ready to see how this goes :)

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