Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When you think of a 25-year-old man's life, how would you imagine it?

Some may think of it as the male leads and memorable supporting characters in K-dramas. 

For example;

1. Rich and handsome but also selfish at first who learns to be compassionate
2. Low-leveled but extremely kindhearted
3. Might seem cold on the outside but is a big softy on the inside

And even more archetypes that might make this list too long...

Kim Jiwoong is not like most in their mid-20s.

He does have some attributes of the examples shown above; He does put on a cold expression for the most part but smiles and brightens up the mood around him when the time calls for it.

The reason for his cold image? Well, it's primarily due to the fact that he lost his parents in a hit-and-run during middle school. He and his older brother tried making the best out of this outcome but tragedy hit Jiwoong again when his brother was found death at his workplace from murder. Luckily, both assailants of both incidents were caught and were brought to justice. But that didn't help Jiwoong to recover from all his losses and he couldn't fully recover mentally.

Since then, he puts up a cold front to keep others from getting too close to him. He already suffered so much by himself and he doesn't want others to suffer the same fate as his deceased loved ones. And although he struggled socially and was often made fun of during high school, he got used to it and made the best out of every situation.

But adulthood wasn't easy for him either. He was passionate about art and applied for a graphic design job as soon as he graduated university. But he still put up his barriers for the first few months but things were noticeably different than during his student years. 

"He's so cool!"

"I wish I could be his girlfriend."

"We all do. But we can't."

"Yeah. But maybe it's because he already has someone he likes."

"I wonder who it could be."

And while all of the women in his company say that he's the most handsome man they have ever seen, Jiwoong doubts that and just thinks that his looks are just average.

He also thinks that the girls are just exaggerating...

"Look at him, getting all the girls' attention."

"Does he even think about it?"

"Highly unlikely. I mean, look at him."

"He's right. That guy is the most cold-looking man I've ever seen."

And the guys are jealous of him for pretty much nothing...

I mean, he's not even trying one bit...

'Can't they just mind their own business?'

But despite all that, Jiwoong is already used to all the gossips and rumors about him and that didn't faze him one bit. The only thing that does faze him is...

"KIM JIWOONG!"

"Oh boy, here we go again..."

This has been going on for years since he joined this company as a graphic designer. His boss expects him to do all the work while he and the rest of the team can just do the basic planning. And all because Jiwoong is deemed to be the most talented in drawing and designing by the company's CEO...

And even though the CEO himself said that Jiwoong doesn't need to do all the work, he still does it anyways, as he doesn't want to let the CEO down.

"Are those design plans for the community center ready?" His boss asks, hastily.

"Almost, sir." He answers patiently while keeping in his frustration, "But it might take me a few more hours to make sure―"

"Whatever." The boss rolls his eyes. "It's not even a big building anyways."

"Big or small, everyone's been looking forward to this community center for years." Jiwoong argues. "And at this size in a district like this, I think it's big enough for what we have now."

But the boss doesn't listen and takes the blueprints before Jiwoong could finish them.

And he knows the drill; Everyone goes with the unfinished plans, the project collapses and Jiwoong has to take the blame.

Lunchbreak comes around and Jiwoong dreaded the worst. Luckily, the CEO puts the community center project on temporary hold once he found out that the drafts were incomplete and immediately returned them to Jiwoong for him to finish. He also heard that his boss and the rest of the team were given stern warnings about their unacceptable behavior.

"Is the CEO the only sane superior in this company?"

While Jiwoong's boss and other higher-ups are always tormenting him, the CEO sees his fullest potential and is very patient with him and his work. And it's not even a stretch to say that the CEO and a few of his colleagues from other departments are the only friends he has in this company.

"Why won't that jerk of a boss give me a break?!"

"I wonder too." One of Jiwoong's colleagues come up to him with a coffee. "Sorry you got stuck with that guy."

"Nah, I'm used to it." Jiwoong tries laughing it off. "And the same goes to you. Someone like that shouldn't be head of marketing."

"Yeah and it's our third replacement this month."

And Jiwoong thought that the graphic design department had it bad...

"Haven't you thought about getting a paid leave?" The colleague asks him.

But Jiwoong replies with. "With what reason? I'm not the kind of person to fake an illness, you know?"

"I know. It's just a silly thought."

"Well, keep those thoughts in that head of yours, will ya?"

The two playfully banter while another colleague from the HR department joins in the conversation.

"Do you think the HR department isn't doing their job all that great?"

For the graphic design and marketing departments to get such inhumane leaders, the HR departments leaders aren't really doing a good job with finding the right people...

"Maybe...?" Jiwoong answers honestly despite wanting to know himself. "Sorry you got stuck with them too."

"Well, at least they're fixing those problems now." She laments over the HR departments lack of direct action against the recent mismanagement problems.

The majority of the graphic design department, sans Jiwoong, are on the verge of getting demoted. Or at the very worst, fired and blacklisted. And the graphic design team is the most important in this project and the CEO can't let Jiwoong take on this large-scale task alone.

But making friends isn't one of Jiwoong's strong suits.

"By the way, have you guys heard of this crazy rumor?" Jiwoong's marketing colleague asked.

"What rumor?" His HR colleague was getting intrigued by this.

"About this game. Rumor has it that it's a social simulation game with a fantasy twist. The developers claimed that it's designed to help those with social anxiety and relationship problems but anyone who plays it always end up either socially paranoid or even found dead in the last place they played it."

"Death from a video game?" Jiwoong thinks that's just straight up ridiculous. "For that to happen, those people must be severe video game addicts."

After another excruciating day at work, Jiwoong felt like he was going to die before he reached his apartment. But before he left for the night, the CEO told him ―and only him― that there will be a new project and wants him to take the role of department leader.

But Jiwoong has never gotten any leadership role before. So he decides to go to the bookstore to buy some books about corporate leadership.

<Tips to a happy workplace>

<Boss 101: To make the perfect team>

"Or maybe I'm thinking too hard about this..."

He asks the store worker for commendations and was guided to the social ethics section. He bought 3 more books that seemed easy enough to understand with his current level of social skills.

<Keeping a positive mind during hard times>

<Overcome Negativity, Moral Connections>

But his mind and vision was so messed up that he couldn't read the title of the last one. So he just bought it and decided to read it as soon as he was well enough to even see properly.

Jiwoong then woke up on a Saturday morning, still feeling extremely groggy from last night. And against his better judgement, he stayed up all night reading his books to catch up on everything he missed on socially.

"Company gatherings, occasional party invites, advice for junior workers..."

Although he knew better than to stay up all night and inflict more mental harm into himself, he couldn't help it and was prepared to face the worst on Monday.

Thankfully, he managed to regain his vision by then and can read the title of the book he could see last night. However, it wasn't a book at all...

<Our Season In Bloom>

And he must have been feeling really unwell to not notice that this was not a book at all but rather, a video game.

"But why would a bookstore have a video game within their shelves?"

He reads the description on the back.

Our Season In Bloom

Life isn't always easy.

But by meeting true friends and discovering true love, everlasting bonds can be formed.

Main Characters (Playable Character & Friends)

You (Name Insert) : A 22-year-old artistic college student who befriends those who society deem as "outcasts"

Zhang Hao : A 21-year old anti-social music prodigy and violinist from China

Sung Hanbin : A 20-year-old  architect student who has a secret passion for dancing

Seok Matthew : A 19-year-old outspoken music student from Canada but is struggling with making friends

Kim Taerae : A 19-year-old top student and musician who doesn't want any relationship (?)

Ricky Shen : An 18-year-old sports student from LA who comes from a wealthy background

Kim Gyuvin : An 18-year-old music student who is at wits' end with a "certain sports student"

Park Gunwook : A 17-year-old top student and athlete who skipped a few grades but wants to explore new fields

Han Yujin : A 15-year-old architect student who skipped a few grades and also loves dancing

"An all-male cast? These game developers are getting really creative these days..."

Of course, Jiwoong doesn't have anything against queer people but just found the game description very interesting. But then he remembered something his marketing colleague told him.

"A social simulation game with a fantasy twist. The developers claimed that it's designed to help those with social anxiety and relationship problems..."

He thought it might be one of those games but then he also remembered...

"but anyone who plays it always end up either socially paranoid or even found dead in the last place they played it."

"There's no way... Right?"

Despite still wondering about why a video game disk was in a bookstore, Jiwoong decided to give the game a try. He turned on his computer, put the disk into the driver and loaded the game.

<Our Season In Bloom>

~New Game~

~Instructions~

Jiwoong already got the gist of the game based on the description on the disk case, so he just clicked to start the game. But since this is his first attempt, he started with the beginning story.

From what he was skeptical about the rumors, things have been going pretty well. No glitches, no errors, just normal simulation stuff.

"Maybe people just wanted shortcuts or made glitches into the system?"

That could be possible seeing as some were rumored to have ended up socially paranoid.

But being dead from playing a game? Jiwoong still doesn't want to know that...

~Congratulations! You made it throughout the year.~

"Well... that was easy."

It only took him half an hour to complete.

"Maybe this does work when done right."

"It sure does."

"Huh? Who said that?!"

But there's no one else in this messy room but him. Then, his computer monitor started flashing, ranging from static to blinding. Then the screen stopped glitching and showed a black silhouette in front of a background of white light.

"You have been chosen. Save these boys who are destined to love."

"Save who? Destined to love? What does that even mean?"

But before he could question any further, he suddenly felt dizzy and slowly began losing strength throughout his entire body.

'Wha― But I was just fine before...'

And it only took a few more seconds for him to lose his vision and black out completely.

<Our Season In Bloom>

True Game Loading...

Chapter Text

After feeling a brief surge of pain throughout his entire body, Jiwoong woke up as he slowly regained his vision. The fatigue from work the previous day must've really taken a toll on him. And he remembers collapsing onto the floor and losing his vision before blacking out.

But somehow, he's in bed. And not the bed he's familiar with!

"What the..."

In fact, this isn't his room either!

"What the heck?!"

Different furniture, different room decor... Nothing about this room is what Jiwoong is used to with his life.

"What is this place? Where am I?!"

He keeps bumping into the displaced furniture ―Is it even his furniture?!― and just judging by how much it hurt, this is clearly not a dream. And just as he was about to spiral into further panic...

<Welcome, Kim Jiwoong.>

"Wh-what..."

<Apologies for the confusion.>

<But you have been chosen for a very critical mission.>

"Mission? For what?"

<To save the lives of 8 chosen boys.>

"8 chosen boys..."

The he remembered the description on the game he played. Excluding the main character, there are 8 characters who are crucial to the game's storyline. But why would they need saving? And more importantly, why is Jiwoong in this game?

"But what do you need me for? I barely started this game."

<All the previous player never made it to the end.>

<They were all selfish and degenerate.>

<Some would cheat, some went as far as to break the system and make it their own.>

<Which is completely against the rules.>

"Rules?"

<Those who break the rules will face a punishment.>

<The punishment the game depends on the player's true personality.>

<From becoming mentally deranged>

<to even that of death in the real world.>

"Mentally deranged? Death in the real world?"

Then he remembered the rumor surrounding this game. Anyone who played it ended up getting socially paranoid and some were even found death in the last place they played the game.

"Oh great... Don't tell that it's going to happen to me!"

But to his surprise...

<Don't be worried.>

<No punishment has been chosen for you.>

<In fact, you may be the first player ever to actually move on to the next levels.>

"First player to do what?"

<Those before you failed early on due to their selfishness and greed.>

<The most anyone has gone to is LEVEL 5.>

<That's only half of this entire game.>

<But they always failed the tasked that were given to them.>

"Okay..." Should he be afraid of this? "And who or what may you be?"

<To put it simply, I am the game's core system.>

<I will be giving you instructions from time to time as the game progresses.>

<However, it is your choices that are the most crucial in this game.>

"My choices? For what?"

<I know it is difficult for you to process this right away.>

<So, I will give you the basic instructions and a familiar to go along with you.>

"Instructions... That's going to be helpful," But then he realized something. "Wait... Familiar?!"

<As in a companion.>

"Well, this is a fantasy type of world..."

Although this is mainly a social simulation game, the other main factor of this world is its magical elements.

<And since you are the first and only sincere player of this game,>

<the system has decided to give you 2 familiars.>

"What... 2 at once?!"

Once the system's text disappeared, 2 orbs of light appeared in its place. One was very light blue, nearly white, almost like that of an actual star in space. The other was a darker and very beautiful shade of blue, almost reminiscent of an actual blue moon.

Jiwoong gently touched both of the light orbs and from them emerged a different familiar. From the lighter blue one emerged a butterfly and from the darker blue one emerged a little cat.

"These are... my familiars?"

<Yes. And they share a very special bond with you.>

<You and the other main characters each have one.>

<Or in your case, two.>

<They can also change into more humanoid forms.>

"What..."

Before he could question more, the 2 familiar started to glow and changed forms. They now looked more like anime-style human avatars.

<Please give them their own names.>

"Names? All of a sudden? Let me think..."

The butterfly familiar has a light color scheme. Its costume was mostly white and had very pale blue accents. It has fair skin, light blonde hair and light blue eyes. On its back was a pair of beautiful light blue butterfly wings that shimmer in the light.

"Butterfly... Blue butterfly..."

Butterflies are symbolic of transformation and change but also rebirth. It can also meaning 'new beginnings'. And, as a sign of light and time...

"Dawn. Your name is Dawn."

<Registering Butterfly Familiar : Dawn>

"And for you..."

The cat familiar has more of a darker color scheme. Its costume is mainly dark blue with light blue and silver accents. It also has dark blue hair with silver highlights and pale skin, though not a pale as the Dawn's. And its bright blue eyes make it look even more like a cat. Almost like a mini-version of Jiwoong.

Cats can be symbolic of anything depending on who you're asking. They can either have good meanings ―grace, patience, independence― or more negative meanings ―darkness, illusions, deception―.

And Jiwoong also wants to tie it with Dawn's name.

"Dark colors... Moon... Nightfall... Dusk?"

<Registering Cat Familiar : Dusk>

Those are literally just two different meanings for the same word; In this case, 'Twilight'. Dawn for sunrise and Dusk for sunset. But seeing as how quickly everything seems to be proceeding, Jiwoong just decides to go with what he got.

"Okay then... So, if this is the start of the game, shouldn't there be a mission shown by now?"

And as if on cue...

<1st Story - Hidden Talents>

You (Kim Jiwoong) are attending a prestigious college and is the top student in arts.

But you have even more talents that you don't want to anyone to see.

"Okay... Is this game reading my mind?"

One day, while practicing your hidden talents...

"While practicing my hidden talents what? What am I supposed to do?!"

<Mission starts at 9am on Monday>

"Monday?!"

It took Jiwoong an entire day to realize that time in this world works pretty much the same way as his own. Saturday had just passed and it's now Sunday. And he only has one more day until school starts.

Or for him, going back to school...

"The playable character was already described as being 21 years old, so I can't argue with that..."

21 years old, 22 in December, means that the game has set Jiwoong in his final year of college. And he quickly figured out where his character attends to go on with the laws of this game. 

There's just one problem though...

"I don't know anything about this place..."

From what he knows from playing the beginning story, his character attends a prestigious college and struggles socializing with his peers despite being in his final year.

Other than that, he's pretty much a complete newcomer to this entire world.

<If you want to get a better idea of your surroundings, how about going for a walk around town?>

"A walk, huh? Maybe that's just what I need."

But then he remembered that he has two familiars with him. And from what the main system instructed him, a character's familiar is like a pet in their animal form and family in their humanoid form. They also have to train/raise their familiars and teach them about how people live.

"Is this what human call stories? These book are really interesting."

"Really? I think they're just exaggerating with the expressions."

While going through the game's instructions last night, Jiwoong learned that the familiars in this game are very much like developing human children and have to learn things from mostly their caregivers. And the development period ranges between 1 to 9 years on average, depending on the relationship between caregiver and familiar.

Jiwoong's familiars though...

"It's only been a day and they've already gained fully developed forms..."

The fully developed forms appear to be that of normal humans, ranging from being older teenagers to young adults. Dawn and Dusk now look about the same age as Jiwoong. In fact, they even look exactly like him!

"Does this usually happen?"

<Technically not...>

<But I guess you can think of them as brothers.>

"Brothers..."

That word made his tear up a bit. And his two familiar noticed it too.

"Jiwoong?" Dawn finished his book and went up to his holder. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah..." He just brushed it off. "I'll just get ready and we'll go out for a walk."

He went upstairs to get ready. But his familiars got more worried.

"Do you think he's going to be okay by himself?" Dusk wondered.

But Dawn replies with, "That's why we're with him. Of course, we have to keep it a secret that we're already fully developed."

"Who keeps a closet with no other clothes?"

After showering, Jiwoong went to his closet to find something to wear. But to his surprise and dismay, there was nothing in here. He only has the ones he wore when he woke up.

Just then...

<You can make your own outfit.>

"My own outfit?"

<This closet gives you any type of clothing you want.>

<Just think about what style you want and it will make that outfit you wish to wear.>

"Just think about it? What kind of a game is this, exactly?"

The description on the game's disk cover said that it was fantasy-based, but this is much more than just magic and choosing options for conversations. The latter of which Jiwoong still hasn't tried yet... 

But enough about that for now. Jiwoong thinks up of an outfit he wants to wear.

"Maybe something... cool but simple. A white T-shirt with a navy shirt, jeans and white shoes..."

He was just thinking about it out loud and all of a sudden, the outfit he just describe appeared in his closet! It even came with a small butterfly hair accessory, though he didn't imagined it in his head.

<Since you are still inexperenced in magic, this will help you keep you magic levels in check.>

"I guess it thought of it for me..." He thought out loud. 

The accessory was made of a blue crystal with two silver chains with blue and white crystal hanging at the end.

Jiwoong took the hair accessory and clothes out of the closet and was about to wear them when the clothes turned into light and just put onto him themselves. His hair was even styled and the hair accessory landed on the right side of his head.

"Are all closets in this world like this?"

<This function is only given to the player character.>

<All in-game characters already have their own given clothes.>

"Well, that answers that question..."

But then he noticed that the hair accessory had changed to that of a basic silver hair clip.

<No one can find out about your identity.>

<So the hair accessory automatically goes into camouflage mode.>

<It will return to its default form when you unleash your true potential.>

"My true potential? Of what? And what am I good for?"

He looks out his window and thinks about his past.

"My parents were killed in a hit-and-run. My older brother was murdered at his workplace by a jealous senior director. No one appreciates my artworks and other passions. Most people at work always took advantage of me. Nothing I do works out for me."

<Believe in yourself.>

<You may be surprised as to what might come your way.>

"What might come my way? I doubt it..."

And that's not all...

"I'll just end up driving everyone away. If I can't show my true self to most people in the real world, how can I do that here?"

<You can.>

<If you meet the right people.>

"The right people..."

But who are the right people for him?

And if he couldn't form proper bonds with people back in the real world, what makes the game think that he might be able to here?

Chapter Text

After about an hour of getting ready, Jiwoong and his familiars went out to take a walk and see what this world is like.

And frankly, not much is different than in the real world...

"Maybe I've been thinking about this a bit too hard..."

Other than the fact that this world has magic, everything else seems to be the same with what he's familiar with. People going to school or work, building structures, stores...

"What was my character's description again?"

<The main part of your character is supposed to be that of an introverted art student.>

<But you can modify some aspects to fit you.>

<Just make sure to follow the game's pre-written story as much as you can.>

"Okay... That answers that question."

<Some of the previous players have failed even before starting the first mission.>

<Players 29, 41, 102 and 417 had it the worst.>

"417?!" Jiwoong couldn't believe it when the system showed him the numbers. "Just how many players were there before me?"

<You probably don't wanna know that...>

"Then I won't ask that again..."

And since this game is set in a modern fantasy world, no one seems weirded out by someone talking to themselves. And some even had both magical familiars and regular pets.

"I wonder why these creatures aren't doing anything." Dawn says as he observes the animals on the street. "Even house sparrows tend to get feisty when they see familiars in their mini-humanoid forms."

"Yeah." Dusk agrees as he stares at a nearby kitten. "And they usually tend to chase famili―"

"HELP!"

That was from two familiars who were being chased by stray puppies. Luckily, their caregivers saved them and the puppies just ran off. So this implies that ordinary animals can also sense magic in some ways but can't wield it themselves.

"That's how it usually plays out..."

And it's not limited to still developing familiars, as fully developed familiar also occasionally have troubles when surrounded by ordinary animals.

The city streets seem pretty normal to Jiwoong and he was surprised that he recognized most of the shops. Turns out the world's scenery also changes depending on the player.

"Then if a player's personality is arrogant or insensitive..."

<You probably don't wanna know that either...>

"I'm glad Jiwoong's not like that." Dusk said that with full pride.

"Still, everyone has their vices." Despite how Dawn is saying that, he does agree with his familiar friend.

That's when Jiwoong realized... "Wait, you guys can see the system screen too?"

"Duh, we're connected to you."

The way Dusk just said that sounded so wrong...

"That is both the most simple and ineffective explanation." Thankfully, Dawn is here to clarify. "To be more specific, familiars and their caregivers have shared psychic links with each other. That's how we can sense if one of us is in danger, even at a long distance range."

"Oh... Okay then."

It seems that both of Jiwoong's familiar has inherited certain traits of his own personality. Dusk has inherited Jiwoong's bold and carefree side while Dawn has inherited more of his calm and calculated side.

They also decided to think of each other as 'friends', as 'caregiver and familiars' sounded a bit off to them. Also, Dawn and Dusk are already fully developed...

"I'm telling you, this is NOT going to work!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?! You're the one who forgot your own sheet music!"

"Seriously, guys? This again?"

They stopped to see what the fuss was about. It seemed like a band was arguing while setting up their equipment.

"Yeesh..."

"Dusk, that's not the way to react to this kind of situation." Dawn scolds his familiar partner.

"Yeah but..."

"Don't worry, you two." Jiwoong doesn't seem all that fazed. "Arguments are perfectly normal for any music groups."

And usually, that would followed up by someone else asking "How would you know?" but Jiwoong's familiars just calmly understood.

"You can use my sheet music. I already memorized my parts."

"How are you so calm about this?"

"Because arguing and being frustrated doesn't help, does it?!"

"Aren't I supposed to meet some music students at some point during this?"

<First meeting with the band>

Player No. 32 : Mission 2 (Mid-May)

Player 40 : Mission 3 (July)

Player No. 57 : Mission 2 (Late November)

"Stuck at Mission 2 in November?!"

It's currently early March for Jiwoong...

<Don't ask why...>

...

Player No. 88 : Mission 4 (June)

Player 122 : Mission 5 (Between September and October)

"Seriously?"

And now he knows that the missions in the game are also dependent on how much progress one can make in a certain period of time.

"Should I wait until the game actually starts?"

<The actual game doesn't start until later.>

<And the rules say that you can interact with anyone as if they're from the real world.>

<You just need to follow the instructed courses when given.>

"Okay then..."

"Well, I guess I worried too much about nothing..."

Like the game said, the scenery of this world changes depending on the player. And it's currently changed to fit Jiwoong. A bustling but calm city with people living out their lives.

However, Jiwoong himself lives in a mansion at the edge of the city and is surrounded by large fields of flowers. And as someone who loves art inspired by nature, Jiwoong doesn't have any complaints about this.

And perhaps the best part, his unfinished paintings and other artworks from the real world have somehow followed him to the game world.

He always loved art since at a very young age and has even won a few competitions with some of his works. He even studied graphic design in order to get a stable job. But with that one, he might've had some regrets during his first few months at the company and hasn't been able to finish most of his newest works in recent years. He also would've quit sooner if it wasn't for his few close colleagues backing him up and the CEO making sure he doesn't overwork himself.

"But I still wonder why I'm even chosen for this... I mean, I didn't even know I bought that game disk, let alone finding it at the most least expected place to find one."

He did find it at a bookstore and in the social science section...

<No one does.>

<But someone has to make it to the end.>

Hasn't anyone made it to the end?

"Just how far did some of these last players made it through before they failed and either died or became social pariahs in the real world?"

<I believe it was No. 270 at the beginning of Mission 7.>

"And how many total missions are in this game?"

<There are 9 of the main missions.>

<But if you count the side quests as well...>

"So technically, Mission 7 isn't that much either, huh?"

<Again, it depends on the player...>

"Do I have a good chance at this...?"

"Of course you do!" Dusk shouts in excitement.

"Just be yourself. By just doing that, you can do anything." Dawn follows up with a more calm manner.

With his two companions, Jiwoong couldn't help but feel like it reminded him of something but he couldn't think of what it could be. As he and his familiars were having dinner, he saw the moon shining brightly outside the dining room window.

"So beautiful..."

And many it's because of this fantastical world that makes it more beautiful than in the real word.

"Hey, you two." He calls to his familiars. "How about we go out to the fields later?"

Since it's still early March, the flowers haven't bloomed yet. But even without the flowers, the blue moonlight makes the fields look very beautiful.

"This is just like one of my paintings..."

During high school, Jiwoong imagined this kind of nighttime scenery and immediately made it into a painting. He even entered it in the national art contest that year but the judges considered that it was not good enough. Still, Jiwoong was proud of it and is hung in his apartment in the real world.

"This world is currently reflecting your inner worldview." Dawn tells his caregiver. "And it can also reflected by your own vast imagination."

"To the point where you imagined yourself living in a scene like this." Dusk remarked as Dawn playfully smacked his head.

But he was right. For Jiwoong to paint such a scene, he must've thought about himself living in such a beautiful place. And the game system has granted his wish. Of course, only until he finishes the game until the end.

Then Dusk continues, "But drawing isn't your only passion, right?"

Of course, he knew. Both of them knew their human friend's past and passions other than just art.

And Jiwoong couldn't help but take a deep breath and...

(Night Flower)

일렁이는 파도 소리에 어느새 다가온 여름밤

(A summer night with the sound of the waves)

술렁이는 마음 소리에 어찌할 줄 모르던 밤

(A night without knowing what to do with the pounding sound of my heart)

Jiwoong doesn't have a music player with him, so the melody must be coming from thin air by his magic.

The moon also started to get brighter as he sang, followed by a gentle breeze. 

불어오는 바람에 걱정을 실어

(Carry your worries on the blowing wind)

저기 멀리 휘휘 데려가 주련

(Take me far away from here)

거세진 물결에 불안을 실어

(Putting anxiety on the strong waves)

아주 멀리 우 우 데려가 주련

(Take me very far away)

The more he conveyed his emotions into his singing, a light blue aura starts to form around him.

저 들판을 넘어 제 손을 건넨다

(I give you my hand across the field)

여름에 노란 꽃이 밤에만 핀다

(In summer, yellow flowers bloom only at night)

옅어진 달빛에 눈을 감고

(Close your eyes in the moonlight)

번지는 향기에 취해만 가는데

(I'm just getting drunk on the smell)

Small yellow flowers did start to bloom in the moonlight. Not only that but butterflies, fireflies and small animals like birds, rabbits and kittens started to come as well. It was like they were attracted to Jiwoong's voice and his silhouette under the moonlight.

"It looks like his magic is more than what we imagined." Dawn said as he saw Jiwoong singing.

"And it's going to be better than any miracle." Dawn follows up as he puts his hand on Dawn's shoulder.

일곱 별을 이어보아도 까아만 밤은 끝이 없고

(When you look at the seven stars, the night never ends)

소란스런 마음 소리에 어찌할 줄 모르던 밤

(A night without knowing what to do with a loud heart)

As the blue moonlight becomes brighter, the aura around Jiwoong started to wrap around him and his plain silver hair clip changed to its original blue crystal butterfly form.

불어오는 바람에 걱정을 실어

(Carry your worries on the blowing wind)

저기 멀리 휘휘 데려가 주련

(Take me far away from here)

거세진 물결에 불안을 실어

(Putting anxiety on the strong waves)

아주 멀리 우 우 데려가 주련

(Take me very far away)

And before he knew it, he was levitating off the ground and his two familiars have transformed into their full humanoid forms.

저 들판을 넘어 제 손을 건넨다

(I give you my hand across the field)

여름에 노란 꽃이 밤에만 핀다

(In summer, yellow flowers bloom only at night)

옅어진 달빛에 눈을 감고

(Close your eyes in the moonlight)

번지는 향기에 취해만 가는데

(I'm just getting drunk on the smell)

"He's truly in his element..."

내 님을 기다리다 밤이 다 가고

(The night is over as I wait for my lover)

비춰오는 햇살에 나 사라지네

(I'll disappear in the sunshine)

아스라이 찾아온 짙은 어둠에

(In the dark that gentle breeze came)

달맞이 홀로 남아 길을 밝히네

(I'll be alone in the moon to show the way)

As soon as he hit the high note, the blue aura around him flowed to his back and formed wings, making him look like a blue phoenix. And the light-colored butterflies and fireflies made this scene even more majestic.

저 들판을 넘어 제 손을 건넨다

(I give you my hand across the field)

여름에 노란 꽃이 밤에만 핀다

(In summer, yellow flowers bloom only at night)

옅어진 달빛에 눈을 감고

(Close your eyes in the moonlight)

번지는 향기에 취해만 가는데

(I'm just getting drunk on the smell)

A small orb of light forms in his hands and it burst into little sparkles that spread beyond the moonlit fields and into the main city.

"Woah, am I seeing this correctly?"

"It's beautiful."

"But where is it coming from?

"Were there recent signs of a meteor shower?"

"If so, I don't think even professionals thought about this."

People saw the beautiful lights in the sky and thought it was a meteor shower. But little did they know, it was actually by a young man whose magic had just fully manifested.

번지는 향기에 취해만 가는데

(I'm just getting drunk on the smell)

As he descends to the ground, his familiars and the animals gather around him. It was like a real phoenix had just appeared and made these already magical looking fields more majestic. Small yellow flowers, the bright blue light of the moon, gentle animals... It was like straight out of a fairytale.

"From a fantasy disregarded by others to a beautiful reality..."

Jiwoong murmured as a little robin flew onto his hand. He then smiled as he pet the little bird.

"This world sees you as a truly divine person." Dawn says as he kneels down to pet a little rabbit.

"And we're not just talking about your magic." Dusk remarks as he starts playing with some of the kittens.

And for the first time since he can remember, Jiwoong truly believes it and hopes to overcome any obstacle that comes his way. Both here and in the real world.

"Magic or not, I think I'll fit in anywhere I go..."

Just then...

<Mission 1 - The True Light in one's Heart>

"Huh?" Did Jiwoong see that right?

Your heart in the indicator of your true desires.

But for there to be light...

You must connect yourself with others first.

"Wait... I thought the main mission doesn't start until tomorrow."

"It's supposed to..." Dawn and Dusk couldn't understand what happened too.

<There has been a sudden change in the story.>

"Sudden change? Of what?"

"Did that just really happen?"

"Who is that guy?"

"Whoever it is, I think he's more than what we can ever imagine..."

Chapter Text

Monday has arrived and Jiwoong is getting ready for school. Of course, not real school, as this is set in a game world.

"Well, at least the setting is not a high school..."

Even if Jiwoong looks a bit younger than his peers, it's still wouldn't be enough for him to pass as a high school student, let alone a third year.

"And everyone has magic?"

<Most of the time. But not always.>

<In this world, a person's magic can manifest at an early age or later in life.>

<For you, it's been established that your magic has manifested 4 years prior.>

"4 years prior, at age 17... So, still considered a late bloomer?"

"Depends." Dusk answers in a very vague tone.

Luckily, Dawn is there to specify. "Some as early as in their pre-teen years, and some as late as when reaching their late 20s to early 30s."

"And... Do people make fun of that?"

"Not necessarily." The butterfly familiar answers in a very natural tone. "But there have been a few cases of that in that past..."

From that point on, Jiwoong decides not to bring it up. They also agreed to have Dawn and Dusk come out one at a time, as a single person having 2 familiars at the same time is completely unheard of in this society. But both of them can come out when it's just the three of them by themselves.

<Time to continue with Mission 1.>

That got Jiwoong wondering.

"Mission 1 was supposed to start today..."

But the system said it somehow started last night. What does that even mean?

The college where the main player character attends is located in the middle of the city where the game's story takes place in. The college itself looks about the same size as some of the largest campuses in South Korea in the real world.

And for Jiwoong, it's about 10 minutes on foot. It might sound strange as the mansion he's living in is at the edge of the city and in the middle of the woods and flower fields. But the game system showed him a shortcut that would lead him to the school quickly despite the distance.

"Again, is this normal for a world like this?"

"From what we can understand, this is very uncommon. Even for a world full of magic."

And that's not helpful at all, especially when it's Dawn saying that...

Like the game said, he arrived at the college after just 10 minutes of walking through the designated portal.

"Well, that was quick."

And how he ended up in the middle of the campus? He decides not to ask any further on that...

"Now... Where do I go first?"

Through the game's directions, he came across a room with fabrics, threads, sewing machines, various art supplies, and both finished and unfinished paintings. Some of which Jiwoong immediately recognized.

"These are all the projects I was forced to abandon. Why are these here?"

~Searching for explanation...~

"Really...?"

Usually, the system knows why things look familiar to Jiwoong, like how this city is based on the city he lived in while in the real world.

"And why is this only for me? Shouldn't I be attending classes like everyone else?"

<That was the plan.>

<But somehow, the system has gained another sudden change.>

<I'm still looking into it.>

"So, it's out of whack because of me?"

"Not quite." Dusk says as he comes out of Jiwoong's bag. "But it is quite funny if you think about it."

"Can you really call this funny, though?" Dawn retorts as he also comes out of Jiwoong's bag and smacks Dusk on the head.

While his two familiars are bickering, Jiwoong takes a good look at the unfinished clothes and paintings he was forced to abandon years ago. Ever since he could remember, he always had a passion for various art forms.

Painting, tailoring, music, you name it!

But after several downfalls ―the deaths of his parents and brother, all the suffering at his company job, etc.― over the past few years, he started to lose faith in himself and slowly began to abandon project one after another. And every time he thought about taking them up again, there is always something that gets in his way and prevents him from finding enjoyment in his life.

"What is it that―"

"Kim Jiwoong!"

Jiwoong got startled and Dawn and Dusk hid in his jacket. He turned around to see an older man, presumably in his late 30s to early 40s, at the door.

"I see you're making great progress. I guess I was right to put you in your own space."

Judging by the way he's talking, Jiwoong thinks that this must be one of his professors.

<Hwang Jinwoo (Age 41) : Top professor of the art department>

<And your most trusted professor at that.>

'My most trusted professor? Huh... who knew.'

"This one is looking fantastic." Jinwoo got excited once he saw one of Jiwoong's unfinished paintings. "Have you ever thought about entering this in a contest?"

Jiwoong already has some experience with art contests. And what he learned from those experiences? Nearly no one takes his art seriously.

"I'm... not so sure about it, professor." He tells his professor honestly. "I tried it a few times during high school, but they never end up well received. As with my old music career..."

"Your what?"

That's when Jiwoong realized he unknowingly blurted out that last part and Jinwoo heard it.

<Be honest with Professor Hwang?>

A : YES

B : NO

And he knows it never works if he tries to avoid it so he decides to be honest again and choose option A.

"I never told anyone about this, but I used to be in an idol group. But we never made it big in the industry, despite our fans' support."

"But why not?" The professor asks.

"Unbeknownst to the public, our company had been treating us horribly." Jiwoong continues, his voice now more shaky. "They withdrew everything from us, we barely ate and slept, never had any staff support. We always had to scrape through our own finances, even during times when we didn't have enough. It ended with us filing a lawsuit. We did eventually won but I didn't feel victorious in any way."

This felt very unnatural to him. This is the first time in years that he told someone about a part of his past that he tried so hard to see the good sides of. What makes this feel more unnatural to him is that the professor is listening to him with great patience. Even more so, as this is in a game world and not the real world.

"I see." Jinwoo says as he processed everything Jiwoong told him.

But then he continued, "After that, I tried again a few more times but those didn't work out either. My second attempt especially, as our South Korean debut was canceled after we sued our CEO for abuse."

Once he said that, Jiwoong was expecting some kind of mockery. But instead...

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that. So young but always hurt by those who were supposed to help you."

That's new to him! "Professor..."

"But you now have me, your colleagues, and everyone else who will love your art."

And Jiwoong isn't used to getting so many compliments all at once but tries to act calm as he takes in everything he was just told about himself.

"Thank you, Professor Hwang. I'm just glad that at least someone likes what I make."

"But on the topic of music," Jinwoo suddenly changes the subject. "the band seems to be a little out of it today."

"The band?"

<Trio Stars, a band of 3 friends that started out earlier this year.>

<Well actually, two brothers and the older brother's best friend...>

'Wait a sec...'

Jiwoong suddenly remembered the band he saw yesterday. Two of the members were arguing while the last member was trying to reason with them.

'A band consisting of 3 members, they're students at this school...'

Then he remembers the game description.

Seok Matthew : A 19-year-old outspoken music student from Canada but is struggling with making friends

Kim Taerae : A 19-year-old top student and musician who doesn't want any relationship (?)

Kim Gyuvin : An 18-year-old music student who is at wits' end with a "certain sports student"

'And based on their surnames, I'm guessing that Taerae and Gyuvin are the brothers here...'

Well, to be fair, Jiwoong had only played through the beginning story in the real world. And the main characters were only described in words on the package the game disk came in.

After that talk with Jinwoo, Jiwoong went around the school to see what this place has to offer. So far, everything seems to be the same from his first college experience. Students from different departments, hanging out together at the cafeteria or school grounds...

"I wish it was like this when I first went to college..."

Jiwoong is very open about the fact that he wasn't really social during when he first went to college. After failing as an idol, he ventured out into other jobs until he ultimately settling on graphic designing. He started out doing freelance work during his last year of school and was accepted into a well paying company the following year.

A well paying company whose majority of the employees are total jerks...

"Again, at least the CEO was a nice person..."

"And you're also lucky to have colleagues who believed in you." Dawn added, reassuring his human friend.

"And if we existed in the real world, I would've kicked their butts for you!" Again, Dusk had to be aggressive about it...

"Really, Dusk? Getting physical is never the answer..."

"Says you. And just how much in 10 tries does it take to really work?"

"If it's out of 10, then 7."

'For 2 familiars who just emerged 2 days ago, they sure are well adapted to basic human life...'

While the two familiars arguing in his jacket, Jiwoong couldn't help but feel like something about this felt familiar...

'Usually calm and thoughtful but will take matters into his own hands when necessary. Sounds a bit too familiar to just be―'

(Loud thud)

"Ow..."

Jiwoong was so lost in his thoughts that he wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into someone. Dawn and Dusk stopped arguing and stayed quiet in his jacket.

"I'm sorry." He apologized to the other person as he dusted himself off. "Are you okay?"

He then saw the face of the person he just bumped into. A young man with glasses and a guitar case on his back. His fashion sense is a bit questionable but Jiwoong isn't the type to question someone's personal fashion all that much. And in Jiwoong's mind, this person kind of resembles a bird, maybe a duck. And maybe more so as he has a duckling-type familiar on his shoulder...

'Kim Taerae...'

"Y-you..."

"Y-yes?"

Where is this going?

"I-it's you..."

"Me as in?"

"The Blue Phoenix!"

'Blue Phoenix? What is he―'

<This might be the reason for the sudden change in the story...>

'Wha―'

Then he remembered. He sang in the flower fields last night. As he sang, the animals gathered around, the flowers bloomed and glistened under the moonlight... But the most important detail; Jiwoong's magic fully manifested and it made him look like an actual blue phoenix!

'He was there when that happened?!'

"Was this part of the plan?!" Dusk whispers, trying to make sure that Taerae doesn't hear them.

"Absolutely not!" Dawn, unusually for him, is also panicking. "And why was he out in the flower fields in the middle of the night?!"

While he hears his two familiars panicking in his jacket, Jiwoong tries so hard to show any signs of panic himself as Taerae continues to stares at him.

"So you do attend this school!" He shouts excitingly as he took Jiwoong's hands. "I've never seen someone who looks so majestic!"

"Umm... Thank you?"

Jiwoong still doesn't know how to react to this, but then he remembers...

'Wait... Doesn't Taerae's description say that he doesn't want any relationship?'

<Maybe it means that he doesn't want any romantic relationships...>

'Seriously? The game system itself doesn't even know its characters?'

<That's because this never happened in the past with the previous players!>

<You might be the key to unlocking new possibilities.>

'Again, why me though?'

"Umm... May I ask you your name?"

<Reveal your name?>

A : YES

B : NO

And again, Jiwoong doesn't want to come off as rude, so he picks option A.

"Kim Jiwoong, senior student in the art department."

"Hey, I've heard of you!" Now Taerae's really close to his face...

"Y-you have?"

"Sure, everyone knows you! The top student in the art department who was given a private studio room last year!"

'Really? Me? A top student at that?'

<More system changes loading...>

'What is up with this game...?!'

<Ask him his name>

A : You know me. What's your name?

B : And I know you. You're Kim Taerae from the music department, right?

C : You have time later? Also, you're pretty cute.

D : And you're from that band who played at the main district.

And while all of these might not end up with great results, option A seemed to be the most tame out of the 4 options given.

"You know me. What's your name?"

Even though he already knows by now...

"Oh... My name is Kim Taerae, sophomore student from the music department."

"Rae-ah..." The duckling familiar whispers to Taerae as he tries to hide in his hair.

"Come on, Ahiru. He already saw you."

"Ahiru?" 'Doesn't that mean 'duck' in Japanese?'

Luckily, Jiwoong is also fluent in Japanese due to his second and third idol groups were mostly based in Japan.

"He won't hurt you. Just introduce yourself."

With his caregiver's gentle words, Ahiru finally comes out.

[Familiar Description]

Ahiru (Duckling Type)

• Light blonde hair with light orange highlights
• Light blue eyes
• White sailor suit and hat with light blue accents
• Black boots
• Yellow feathers from shoulders to end of sleeves

He looked like a young child wearing a sailor suit and Jiwoong openly admits that he's very cute. And the line of yellow feathers on the familiar's shoulders and sleeves make it look like he has wings, adding more to the duckling imagery.

"Jiwoong hyung, this is my familiar Ahiru."

"Hi." Jiwoong greets Taerae's familiar with a soft smile.

"H-hello..."

After introducing himself, Ahiru immediately flew right into Taerae's bag.

"Sorry about that." Taerae apologizes. "He's pretty shy around new people."

"No, it's fine." It is as Jiwoong is genuinely used to that reaction.

"So, where's your familiar?"

"I..."

<He asked you about your familiar. You have 2!>

A : Show only one of them

B : Tell him that you don't have any

C : Tell the truth

Seeing nowhere out of this, he has no choice but to go with option C.

But first...

"Could we talk? Someplace more... You know, private?"

"Sure." Taerae started out calmly until... "Can I come over to your studio?"

"S-sure..." Does he really mean that? "It's a bit messy, though..."

"I'm sure it's fine." Now Taerae's starting to sound like a total diva. "How bad can it be?"

'So many things, actually...'

<Side Mission Unlocked>

Getting to know them : Trio Stars

'And they're about to get worse! Unless, of course, I make the right decisions in my choice of words. Or in this case, options...'

Chapter Text

Despite his confusion of the system's sudden changes, Jiwoong reluctantly agrees with what's been given to him and leads Taerae to his studio space.

Which is still something that he's trying to get used to.

"So... Welcome to my on campus studio."

It feels so weird for him to say that...

"Cool!" But Taerae is very impressed. "As expected from the art department's top student."

Again, still not getting used to that...

"So, about your familiar?"

"Y-yeah, about that..." Jiwoong pauses for a bit. "Actually... Familiars?"

"Huh?"

"I have... 2 familiars?"

Did Taerae hear that right? "Say what now?"

To confirm what he just revealed, Jiwoong tells his two familiars to come out of his jacket and introduce themselves to Taerae.

"So... This is Dawn..."

"Hello." The light-colored butterfly familiar bows politely.

"And this is Dusk..."

"Hiya." As per usual, the dark-colored cat familiar does it at his own pace.

Once Taerae saw the two familiars of his new friend, there was a brief pause. Jiwoong thought he might be speechless due to absolute horror, but to his surprise...

"That's so cool!"

"What...?"

"I mean, you have 2 familiars! Every person I ever met had only 1! You must be something else."

"I'm not..."

"Seriously, stop downplaying yourself. To appear like a phoenix, a blue one at that, and having more than 1 familiar. That's incredible just by itself."

Again, not something Jiwoong is used to hearing this about himself from others...

"Did Jiwoong used to have these kinds of people around him?" Dusk wonders.

"Not really." Dawn confirms, seemingly knowing more than they should. "I mean, half of the people in the real world are pretty much mindless idiots."

"What are idiots?"

They didn't expect Ahiru to approach them and hear that last part. But at least he didn't hear everything...

While Dawn and Dusk explain to Ahiru about certain people and Jiwoong is still processing Taerae's compliments, he takes a good look around the room. Sewing machines, fabrics in all different colors and patters, makeup supplies, sketchbooks, pencils, brushes, different kinds of paints... Basically, everything an art student would need.

"You make clothes as well?"

"Y-yeah..." 

And about these mannequins with unfinished outfits that an idol might wear...

'I still don't know why these are here too. I mean, I haven't taken them out of my storage closet for years!'

During his first time as an idol, since the company didn't support the group with anything, Jiwoong had to make the costumes with everything that was available to him. Luckily, his mother taught him how to sew since at a very young age. So by age 17, he's been making full suits that you can't believe are made by a beginner.

But after having one too many failures as a singer, these slowly became no use to him by the time during his third year of college. So he put them in one of his bigger closets and practically forgot about them until a few months ago.

'And it's not like they'll be of any use now anyway...'

"Hey, could we borrow these when you finished them?" Taerae broke the brief silence. 

And that caught Jiwoong off guard. "You wanna do what with what?"

"Our band is playing in the school show for the spring season. We need actually good costume by now, and these might be the ones we've been looking for."

"S-sure, if you want them..." Then he remembers something. "Wait, I thought your band was just formed this year?"

"Everyone thinks that because my little brother Gyuvin just started attending college this month." Taerae clarifies as he takes a good look at some of Jiwoong's other works. "We actually started out last year with my best friend Matthew."

"And what was with those two arguing back at the main district?"

"They... don't really get along." Taerae answers honestly. "They're only together because of me. Gyuvin and I are brothers and I met Matthew last year during our first day of college. We got along pretty quickly while bonding over our shared love of music."

<You were in a band once.>

'Used to, remember? I practically gave up after my fourth attempt.'

"And we all love music. So I guess that's the only other reason those two are tolerating each other."

Once Taerae said that, the game system appeared to Jiwoong again.

<Reveal a bit of your past to him>

'What?! Are you kidding me?!'

That's the last thing Jiwoong wants to do in this whole game!

<You don't have to reveal everything.>

<And like it or not, you have to do it...>

'Oh, come on...'

<Options Loaded>

A : I actually love music too. In fact, I was an idol once.

B : You know, I can help you guys. I used to be in a few music groups myself.

C : Can I see you guys play? I would like to see how things have changed since I was active as a singer.

D : Believe it or not, those kinds of relationships are very common. I know because I had to tolerated with my old bands too.

E : You know, as a former idol, I would like to talk some sense into those two.

'Seriously?! Those are just too on the nose...'

But, again, seeing nowhere out of this, he chose the least tame option, which to him is option A.

"I actually love music too."

"Really?" Taerae was glad to hear that.

But he didn't expect Jiwoong to say this...

"Yeah. In fact, I was an idol once."

"Say what?!"

Now Taerae's shocked to the core. While Dusk and Ahiru are playfully cuddling each other, Dawn comes up to Jiwoong and whispers in his ear.

"Another forced decision?"

"Yeah..."

Jiwoong expected that Taerae would be shocked, judging by the longer silence period. But suddenly, Taerae came closer to him and held up his hands in admiration.

"Wha―"

"Can you get any cooler than this?!"

"Cool?" That's not something Jiwoong hears about himself. "You think I'm cool?"

"Of course! Do I need to remind you? You have 2 familiars, you're talented in your art, your voice and magic are on another level, and you were an idol! Magic or not, that's not an easy thing to accomplish!"

And Jiwoong couldn't take in all of Taerae's compliments all at once because, again, he's not used to getting these types of compliments, let alone so many from one person all at once. Also because he feels like he doesn't deserve all of those compliments.

"Taerae, you might not know this..." The current tone of his voice was almost that of fear. "Just because things look perfect on the outside doesn't mean they do in reality."

Once Dusk heard Jiwoong saying that, he stopped with his playful antics with Ahiru and came up to him with Dawn.

"What do you mean by that?" Taerae asks, still unaware of the tonal shift.

Jiwoong then continues with his explanation. "You have to be careful of who to trust. I once let my guard down when a talent scout saw me performing on the streets and offered me to join their company, only for me and my friends to suffer in their hands years later."

While everything he's talking about it 100% true, Jiwoong still had to twist some parts of it to make sure it sounds like it actually happened in this world.

"After less than a year of being active, we couldn't take it anymore, left our company and disbanded. I don't know about the others but I tried again at another company with a new group, only for us to meet a similar fate with my last one. After that fell flat, I tried again by going solo but again, to no avail. Then I decided to take a break to rebuild myself."

While going on about his past as much as he could, Jiwoong couldn't see Taerae in the eye. He was worried that Taerae wasn't actually listening to his past downfalls that led him to his current self. But to his surprise, Taerae was shedding tears as he stood in place, stunned as he processed what Jiwoong had gone through.

"Wow..." He said as he wiped his tears. "I can't believe it. You suffered all that. For nothing! How cruel were those people to treat you and your friends like that?!"

Now Jiwoong was even more confused, as no one went as far as to be furious on his behalf, let alone for them to do so after hearing his story.

"I guess... so cruel that they were able to cover it up from the public eye before it was too late."

"You good for nothing losers!"

"Why did we even let you debut in the first place?!"

"You boys what you were made for in this industry."

"You're nothing but to make money for us."

"Who cares about what those so-called "fans" think?"

"What matters is how far we can take this."

"I haven't heard from my friends and former groupmates for years..."

<Sorry to interrupt.>

<But the system is experiencing some more unexpected changes.>

'What...?'

<You'll have to go on without the given tasks for the meanwhile.>

'Then what is the point of the simulation game when the given tasks aren't available?!'

"Umm... Jiwoong hyung?"

That snapped him out of it. "Oh... Sorry, Taerae. My old memories got the better of me again..."

"Then, maybe I shouldn't have asked you..."

But Jiwoong was quick to retort. "No! I mean... It's fine. I'm just surprised and a little confused, you know? No one was willing to hear me out about my past for such a long period of time. At least, until today."

He takes a good look at the unfinished costumes on the mannequins and realized there may be actual potential with this. And with his sudden newfound confidence.

"I think we can make an arrangement with the outfits. But also, one more thing."

"What's that?" Taerae asks, as Ahiru came to cuddle his caregiver.

"As a somewhat veteran," As Jiwoong puts it. "I would like to join you guys and help you with things regarding the music industry. Of course, everything within my knowledge of it. And not just with some instruments but also... dancing? I mean, if you're up for it."

And in less than a second, Taerae came closer to him and grabbed his hands.

"Of course! You're more than welcome. And I'd love to learn how to dance."

'That fast?' "B-but... what about the other two?"

"I'll just go and tell them right now!" Now Taerae was more than excited. "Oh, right! Can we exchange numbers?"

"Sure, as we're going to be working together now."

Despite saying that, Jiwoong still isn't too sure about this...

"Okay then. See you later!" Taerae grabs his guitar case and heads for the door. "Come on, Ahiru!"

Hearing Taerae calling him, Ahiru gives one more cuddle to Dawn and Dusk before he follows Taerae out of Jiwoong's classroom studio.

"Did that really just happen?" Dusk still couldn't process everything that just happened.

Either could Dawn, for that matter. "Are you sure about this, Jiwoong?"

"Maybe? I don't know!" He groans in frustration for a bit before taking a deep breath and realizing... "But maybe this can work. Even after everything that happened to me over the years."

"Don't you dare take that onto me!"

"Just because you're his brother doesn't mean you can get away with everything!"

Once again, Mattew and Gyuvin are arguing in the band's rehearsal room. And without Taerae here, things aren't going so good. Even their familiars can't seem to break up the fight.

And what were they arguing about this time? Well...

"Taerae already told me about what happened with his exes! All of them took advantage of him and thought he would just forget about it overtime, which he never did."

"Exactly my point! And as his brother, I'm making sure that never happens again!"

"You're not his mom!"

"I'm still his family!"

"Man, there's no end to this!"

Kyubi, Gyuvin's white puppy familiar, groans in frustration. He's been with Gyuvin since middle school and he's never seen his caregiver like that until last year.

"Where's Taerae? We need him!"

Rey, Matthew's fox familiar, is getting more worried by the second. Until last year, he's never seen Matthew this angry before.

[Familiar Description]

Rey (Fox Type)

• Orange Hair
• Dark amber eyes
• Black ears
• Orange tail with white tip
• Light orange jacket
• White pants
• Brown boots
• White scarf with gold rose pattern

Kyubi (Puppy Type)

• White hair with light blue streaks
• Dark blue eyes
• White ears and tail
• Light blue shirt
• White vest and pants
• White sneakers with silver accents

And without Taerae with them, every place they go turns into a warzone between Matthew and Gyuvin.

Just then...

"Sorry, guys. I had to make a qu―" He almost quacked when he saw the latest fight between his best friend and younger brother. "Not again..."

"It's his fault!" The two said it at the same time.

Taerae took a deep breath and said to the two, "Listen, you two! I get it, you both can't stand each other. But it seems like your recent petty arguments are about me and my relationships with other people. So how about you guys take that into further consideration before you break out into another pointless war?"

That seem to have toned down the current atmosphere.

And since Taerae knew that things wouldn't be quiet when he arrives at their rehearsal space, he gave Ahiru mini headphones to block out all of Matthew and Gyuvin's arguments. That may have the occasional curse word mixed in there...

"Also, I take both of your opinions into consideration and try to be as neutral as I can be. And knowing you two, there is no middle point in these arguments. So I'm neither taking sides or making full-fledged decisions."

Now the room just feels cold. And that's not the cooling breeze from the gap of the door.

"Thanks, Taerae." Rey felt like he could finally breathe again.

"So... About the reason you were late without notice?" Kyubi asks while helping Ahiru to calm down after seeing another fight between his familiar friends' caregivers.

"Oh right, that!" That made Taerae remember why he was rushing. "You guys won't believe it."

"What?" Matthew asks as he got closer, only for Gyuvin to pull him away from his older brother.

But luckily, before the two were about to argue again, Taerae shot it down immediately and made them both sit down next to him on either side.

"Remember the guy who we saw last night?"

"You mean the Blue Phoenix?" Gyuvin asked, rolling his eyes. "What about him?"

After seeing that person turning into a blue phoenix, Taerae wouldn't stop talking about it. And by that time, Gyuvin got pretty sick of hearing it over and over again since this morning.

"I just met him..."

"What?" 

His two friends didn't catch that and their familiars are bracing for what's to come.

"I just met him!" Taerae repeats. This time, with full excitement. "He attends this college! He's a senior student in the art department! And he's the top student at that!"

"Wait, what?" Matthew couldn't believe it. "A senior in the art department? Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I told you, I just talked to him." Taerae confirms and went on. "And get this. He used to be an idol!"

"An idol?" Now Gyuvin couldn't believe it either. "As in a singer?"

"YES!" By now, Taerae couldn't hide it excitement. "And best of all, he said that he'll help us with our music! And provide costumes. He even said that he'll teach us how to dance!"

"But doesn't this school already have a dance circle?" asked Kyubi, only for Rey to smack him in the head to shoot the idea down.

The dance circle is well known, even to those who don't attend this college. Winning multiple competitions over the years and show no signs of stopping. But they've gotten quite the reputation as a result and made it impossible for other circles to ask them favors, even the most minor ones.

"Anyways, get ready for big changes, you two." Taerae said as he glances out the window. "I don't even need magic to tell me that we're in for something far beyond our maximum capabilities."

<Side Mission - Getting to know them : Trio Stars>

<Complete>

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.

.

<New Side Mission Unlocked>

Spread our Music

Chapter Text

Jiwoong returned home with mixed emotions. Not in a bad way but what he experienced today was still something he's not used to after enduring several many years of negatives.

"Did that really just happen in one day?"

Usually, these types of scenarios take at least a week to get sorted out. But somehow, Jiwoong managed to figure it out in just an hour...

<Incredible stuff.>

<Most of the previous players usually just give up during these situations.>

"And just how bad were those previous players?"

Then again, he might not wanna know...

"Still, something about this is pretty unsettling." Dawn thinks as he sits onto Jiwoong's shoulder. "What do you think, Dusk?"

But Dusk is already on his bedside sleeping place, taking his well deserved catnap. Like what a normal cat does...

"Again, he's too free-spirited..."

And while Dawn can tolerate most of this, there are times when he gets annoyed by his co-familiar's sudden feline instincts.

"Let him be, Dawn. After all, he was playing with a literal child."

Although not a literal child, Jiwoong figured that Taeare's familiar Ahiru is still pretty young compared to most familiars he's seen so far.

"And what's with this sudden new side mission? I didn't even do much during the first one."

All he did was talk with Taerae. He hasn't even met the rest of the band and yet, the game said that he completed the mission.

The next morning, Jiwoong was rummaging through his closet. Rummaging as in thinking of what to wear today. Since his closet lets him choose his own outfits he wants to wear that day, he has to think about it carefully. The only thing that stays the same with any of these outfit choices is his hair clip.

"Still plain silver..."

It did turn back into its original form during that night he sang in the flower fields but other than that, it kept being in its camouflage mode.

<The hair clip helps with your magic.>

<The default form can't be seen.>

"But didn't the band already seen it? I mean, Taerae..."

<Perhaps they were too far away to see the hair clip's default form.>

<Therefore, you were able to get away with it.>

"This is making less sense than the last one..."

"Jiwoong, hurry up!" Dusk urges as he tugs Jiwoong's shirt. "I'm bored!"

"I don't go to normal classes, remember?" Jiwoong reminds his cat familiar. "I don't even need to get up so early in the morning. Just enough to work on some of my projects and occasional assignments. And besides, I'm meeting up with the band later in the afternoon."

"Still, Dawn's no fun!"

"I heard that... But he's not wrong."

A bold but impatient cat and a calm but also stoic butterfly...

'Really, why does this feel so familiar?'

Morning classes went by in a blink of an eye. Matthew and Taerae's class just finished up their group assignments and were about to head to the gym to practice.

"I hope Jiwoong hyung isn't waiting too much. We have to get going."

Taerae is clearly excited for this. Matthew... Not so much.

"But doesn't the sports department usually take over the gym during this time in the year?"

Matthew remembers the last time that happened when the band tried to practice in the gym, only to see different sports teams in there every time.

"Rumor has it that all the sports teams had to move their equipment to another gym." Rey told his caregiver.

"Another gym?" Ahiru only knows the one gym that every student assembly is held in.

"I guess he's talking about the newly built one just for the sports department." Taerae remembers that as he finishes packing his stuff and grabs his guitar case. "Well, now that they have their own bigger gym, it gives students from other departments more space to work if needed."

Seeing Taerae all happy and excited like this, Matthew couldn't remember the last time he's seen his best friend smile this much.

Gyuvin also just finished his classes and was heading to the gym.

"Matthew should know his boundaries. I'm not letting him any closer to Taerae hyung than that!"

But on his way there, he couldn't help but notice the loud noise coming from a supposedly empty classroom.

"Funny... I don't remember this room being used."

At first, he thought about just passing by but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea, Gyuvin..."

"Kyubi, you know I have to."

"Unfortunately..."

Usually, Kyubi is mostly supportive of Gyuvin's antics but not all the time. And this was one of them...

Despite his familiar's worries, Gyuvin knocks on the door and the noise suddenly stopped. And then the door opened to show...

"Hey, welcome to my studio."

"Uh..."

The room turned out to be Jiwoong's studio and that noise was one of his sewing machines.

"Sorry for the noise. I've been busy."

"N-no, not at all. I was just passing by."

And usually, Gyuvin shows more confidence to others, even strangers. But this time, his voice was all shaky.

"I... I am..."

"I know." Jiwoong replied with a smile. "You're Taerae's little brother, right?"

"Y-yes? Wait, how'd you know that?"

Then he remembered what his older brother told him yesterday. 

"You're the Blue Phoenix?!"

"Didn't Taerae tell you my name?"

"I guess he was too excited to remember that..."

"Figures..."

But just as Jiwoong went back inside to pack his stuff, a dark-colored cat familiar came out and started staring at Gyuvin.

"Wh-what..."

"You smell like a dog."

Again, feline sense...

And he is right, in a way. Reason? Well...

"That would be me." Kyubi comes out to introduce himself to Dusk. "I'm Kyubi, Gyuvin's familiar."

"I'm Dusk." He introduces himself as well and adds, "One of Jiwoong's 2 familiars."

There was a slight pause there until Gyuvin snapped out of it. "One of what now?"

"You heard right." A light-colored butterfly familiar also came out of the room. "Unlike most people, Jiwoong has 2 familiars. Him (Dusk) and me. My name is Dawn. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"L-likewise...?"

While Gyuvin was in awe of what he just witnessed, Jiwoong came out with a box and turned off the light of his studio room.

"Come on, guys. We can't keep the others waiting."

"Huh?"

"You're heading to the gym to meet up with your band, right? I'm heading there too."

"O-oh..."

Without anymore questions, they just head to the gym where Taerae and Matthew are waiting for them.

The way to the gym was eerily quiet and Gyuvin was not processing this all too well. He was expecting to meet Jiwoong after Taerae told him about their encounter just yesterday but he didn't expect to see him like that...

And every time he tried to start a conversation...

"So, you're making our costumes?"

"It's a part of the deal."

"And you're a former idol?"

"Somewhat, I guess. My groups didn't gain any traction."

Then he felt sorry for asking that...

"Nervous?" Kyubi whispered into his caretaker's ear.

Only for Gyuvin to retort with... "I'm not."

"Sure looks like it." Dusk called him out. "And don't think it went unnoticed."

"Why you― Come here, you cat!"

A dog and cat fight IRL... But Kyubi might've made the wrong move.

"One more insult and I'll―"

"Yeah, right." Dusk grabs him from the back. "And your magic is still in development."

But what everyone didn't expect was Dusk to be in his full form. Same costume but more detailed.

And to describe it in the best way possible...

Jiwoong with cat ears? Maybe?

"Wha― You're..."

And usually, this is where Dawn would smack Dusk's head and criticize him for his impulsiveness. But this time, he just sighed and helped Kyubi from Dusk's grip.

"Really, Dusk? We agreed to only do this at home." 

"But he asked for it."

"Still, there were better options..."

And Gyuvin is just standing in place, trying to process what just happened.

<Lots of unexpected turnabouts...>

'You don't have to tell me...'

Luckily, Jiwoong had expected this to happen sooner or later.

"Let it slide, Dawn."

"But―"

"You know Dusk can't be easily reasoned when in full feline-mode."

"...Fine."

With that, Dusk let Kyubi go and turned back into his avatar fairy form. But not before he gave a warning glare at the white puppy familiar.

"One wrong word or action and you'll be sent to the abyss."

"N-noted..."

And it's not everyday Gyuvin gets to see Kyubi all shaken up like that. Usually, Kyubi can be considered as the more confident version of Gyuvin, acting almost like that of an actual guard dog. But this time, something about this whole ordeal seemed...

Not alien per say, but more like that this was very unexpected...

Speaking of very unexpected...

<New Character Detected>

'New character? But I haven't even finished this first level.'

But while thinking of what this might mean, Jiwoong and Gyuvin see Taerae and Matthew in front of the entrance to the gym.

"Hey, Gyuvin." Taerae greets his younger brother. "I see you already met Jiwoong hyung."

"Y-yeah..."

Jiwoong puts down his box and introduces himself to Matthew. "Nice to meet you."

"L-likewise..."

"Same reaction, huh?"

Jiwoong gave Gyuvin a smug smile as he remembers when the younger saw his 2 familiars and couldn't process what he just saw. And that made Gyuvin turn his head and not face his new co-worker.

"But what are you guys doing out here?"

"Yeah, about that..." Matthew gently opens the door to show them why he and Taerae were outside.

Apparently, someone has been throwing some hoops here. But when thinking about the fact that the sports department now have their own gym, this should not be a thing. And what made this even more strange; Gyuvin was visibly and audibly irritated.

Why? Because of the basketball guy in the gym.

"That guy again?! I thought I'd never see him again after high school! But yet I did, twice in just a week!"

It was then that Jiwoong remembered a very important detail.

Ricky Shen : An 18-year-old sports student from LA who comes from a wealthy background

Kim Gyuvin : An 18-year-old music student who is at wits' end with a "certain sports student"

'A certain sports student... Went to high school with Gyuvin... I should've known.'

"Gyuvin, he may not be that bad." Taerae tries to convince his brother but...

"You don't understand! He just suddenly appears during the middle of the school year and always tries to flirt with me every time he has the chance! I had to endure 2 years of that!"

<Offer to talk to Ricky>

A : Maybe we should look for another place to work?

B : Maybe if you guys just have a brief conversation?

C : I'll go and talk to him. Who knows?

'Who knows what?'

But seeing no way out of this, Jiwoong goes with option C.

"I'll go and talk to him."

"What?" Gyuvin couldn't believe what he just heard.

"It's only to ask him if we can use the gym. Who knows, maybe he's actually a decent guy?"

But Gyuvin just stood there and murmured, "Whatever..."

With that, he gives Matthew and Taerae an assuring glance and tells them...

"I'll be right back."

Dawn and Dusk follow right behind him. And Taerae hopes that this would end well.

Despite a new gym being built, Ricky loves hanging out in the original one better. Not just because of the smaller space but also due to the fact that he occasionally gets to see someone here.

"I wonder if he's coming today."

"Wonder who's coming today?"

He got startled by the sudden voice and turned around to see a guy with...

"2 familiars?!"

"I get that a lot..."

"Hiya!" - Dusk

"Salutations." - Dawn

"Uh-huh..." Like everyone else, Ricky couldn't fully process what he's currently seeing.

And while he's doing that, another cat familiar appears behind him.

"I thought I sensed another cat."

It was indeed a cat familiar, a white one. But with the way he's talking, this one's personality might be a bit more... Posh, perhaps?

Well, he does look like something akin to a Chinese emperor.

[Familiar Description]

Rory (Cat Type)

• Light silver hair (Almost close to white)
• Sapphire blue eyes
• White ears and tail with light silver highlights
• White and light blue Hanfu-type outfit
• Blue neck ribbon with silver bell

"Though I didn't think he'd be paired with such a beautiful human."

"Rory..." Ricky started to blush when his familiar said that.

"What? I'm not wrong. And you should admit it as well, Ricky."

As Ricky hid his face in his basketball, Dawn couldn't help but smirk a bit. "I think I'll get along a lot better with this guy."

"Hey!" Dusk was clearly offended by that.

But Dawn was quick to justify his actions. "Just kidding. Besides, I'm a lot more thought out with my jokes. And also..."

And it's the sudden silence that reminded Dusk why it's the two of them instead of one for Jiwoong.

While the three familiars hang out, Jiwoong finally gets to talk with Ricky one on one.

"So..." Jiwoong starts off. "Why are you here? I heard the sports department got a new and bigger gym."

"Yeah but I like this one better. More homey, I guess?"

<Ask him about his relationship with Gyuvin>

A : YES

B : NO

'Isn't this a bit too early for that?'

He goes 'NO' for now...

Now to the main objective. "Anyways, I offered to help the band with the school show at the end of the month. So, we need the gym for rehearsal..."

"Are you talking about Trio Stars? Kim Gyuvin is here?!"

"Y-yeah..." 'Where is this heading to?'

<Double Side Mission Loading...>

'Double― What?!'

"I guess I should be leaving then."

"Huh? Wait, what about―"

But before Jiwoong could ask anything, Ricky just left the gym from the back door with Rory following behind him.

"What was that about?"

<New Side Mission Unlocked>

True Colors

Chapter Text

After that whole... Ordeal? But can you really call that an ordeal? After all, it was just a light conversation that ended up extremely awkward...

Anyways! The band finally started brainstorming and rehearsing. And they may have to come up with a new name, as they are now 4 and not 3.

But that's what Jiwoong is most worried about.

"But are you guys sure about this? I mean, you guys are mostly an instrument focused group."

"I think we'll manage." Taerae assures him, with full confidence.

"I used to go to a dance school back in Canada." Matthew follows up on that. "So, I might be fastest learner out of the 3 of us."

"We'll see about that..." Gyuvin murmurs, hoping that no one heard him.

Breaking the tension to prevent another argument from the two of them, Jiwoong changes the topic and asks the group what they would want for their costumes. As he's the complete considerate type, he wants to incorporate what each of the 3 members wants.

"Something elegant." - Taerae

"High-class!" - Gyuvin

"I was hoping for something more simple..." - Matthew

Just with those 3, that's a tall order. But Jiwoong thinks he can manage as he starts sketching basic ideas. He also watches the band with their instruments and they sound great, which made Jiwoong wonder why they even need his help.

"Sounds great."

"It would be even better if Matthew and Gyuvin just got along." Rey couldn't hide his frustrations.

"Don't even think about it!" - Gyuvin

"Dude, I didn't even do anything!" - Matthew

"Then why were you getting closer to him?! Know your boundaries! You're not in Canada!" - Gyuvin

'Canada, really?' Jiwoong couldn't believe what he just heard. 'I don't think that's even a Canadian thing...'

<It's not.>

<And this was certainly NOT their characteristics during the past attempts.>

'Can there be at least one thing that makes sense?'

But while Jiwoong tries to ignore the absurdity of this ongoing argument, the others can't seem to do that.

"Ugh, they're at it again!" Kyubi groans as he and Rey go to break the fight.

"Noisy..." Ahiru is clearly disturbed by all that noise. "Rae-ah!"

"Shh, come here..." Taerae lets Ahiru into his coat as he calms his familiar down. "It's okay, just stay here. But really, I wish they'd just resolve their differences. I mean, it's mostly about me these days."

"Maybe they mutually decided to act like that?" Jiwoong just thought about it out loud but it got him thinking as he stopped sketching.

Key word; Mutually. 

Although Jiwoong hasn't been in these kinds of situations himself, he has heard from one of his company colleagues that while some of her friends kept acting as if they hated each other, they were actually putting up a front to protect their other friend who was severely betrayed by her then boyfriend.

'It couldn't be. Right?'

<It's possible...>

'Again, will this make any sense...?'

After their first group meeting, and maybe also a very tiring half hour of trying to reason with Gyuvin and Matthew, Jiwoong returned to his classroom studio with an excruciating headache. 

"When was the last time I had to deal with these kinds of situations...?"

"Probably during 10th grade?" Dawn tries to remember.

"10th grade, right..." Jiwoong sighed as he went to sit in a chair to think. "When life goes downhill in an instant and everything that comes soon after becomes a rollercoaster..."

And although it might sound like he's completely exaggerating, he's really not...

Once Jiwoong finished his initial sketches for the band's costumes, he goes around the campus to get some further inspiration.

"Flying books, elemental manipulation, actual magic pets..."

And in case anyone asks; He means real animals and not familiars.

"But seriously, he couldn't handle that?" Dusk complained as he was removing feathers from Ahiru from his clothes.

Apparently, Ahiru was so scared from all the noise from Gyuvin and Matthew's fight that he started to cling onto the others as well. And everyone got covered in yellow feathers.

"Well, Ahiru is a younger familiar. So what did you expect?" Dawn told his partner as he helped him clean up. "Although, I still think it's weird that Gyuvin got his familiar first years ago and Taerae only got his just last year."

"What about us, then?" Dusk added as he took off the last few feathers. "We only emerged just last week and we're already fully developed."

And that only got him another smack on the head from Dawn. "And we agreed to NOT say anything about that when Jiwoong is around!"

The 2 familiars were about to quarrel again when...

"Guys!"

Jiwoong stops them just in time.

"We're going home."

"Right..."

The two follow Jiwoong out the room and they were heading to...

"Uh, Jiwoong? Where are we going?"

It's like they've been going around in circles by the cafeteria for hours... Actually, it's only been 10 minutes but it really feels like it.

"I don't know." Jiwoong says as he groans in frustration. "The game system isn't really helping either..."

<New Character Detected>

"Speaking of which..."

Some of the main characters weren't supposed to show up until later. And from what Jiwoong could get after going through the game's records, there were so many changes to the game since he got sent here.

For example, Ricky wasn't supposed to officially appear until Mission 5 and would only be mentioned by Taerae and Gyuvin just once at the beginning of Mission 3.

He hasn't even finished Mission 1 and he already got 7 side missions in total; 3 of which got mysteriously completed when he barely did anything. Or maybe he did do something to complete the mission but was fully aware of it.

<Mission 1 - The True Light in one's Heart>

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.

.

<Side Mission Completion Status>

Getting to know them : Trio Stars (✔️)

Spread our Music (❌)

True Colors (❌)

Artistic Ventures (✔️)

Open Heart (❌)

Beyond my knowledge (✔️)

Key to the Deepest (❌)

And all he did for the first one was just meeting the band for the first time, he can't think of anything that could've complete the other 2 side missions.

"Aren't social interaction games supposed to be more grounded?"

As Jiwoong wondered about the logistics of this game world, he began to hear a violin tune. The melody was so beautiful to the point that Jiwoong was almost at the verge of falling asleep. And he almost did, if it wasn't for his Dawn and Dusk catching him at the right time.

And the impact of their intervention made him regain his senses.

"Huh?"

He then sees where the violin music was coming from. A young man playing the instrument by the fountain. The water display from the fountain made this already beautiful scene even more beautiful.

Zhang Hao : A 21-year old anti-social music prodigy and violinist from China

'Zhang Hao... There's something about him that I kept me wondering since this all started.'

Unlike the others, Zhang Hao's game description doesn't mention him as a student at this college. Just the facts that he's a music prodigy and had only lived in China for his entire life until recently.

'But if he's here, then he should be a student here, right? Or maybe at least an exchange student.'

<Not necessarily.>

<But the exchange student option is vaild.>

'Seriously? You're just going to be that vague?'

<I will say this.>

<He is the main character of the 'Open Heart' side mission.>

'And you said he's not supposed to show up until Mission 7!'

While Jiwoong is keeping a straight face on the outside, he's getting more and more frustrated with the game system on the inside. Luckily, he's good at keeping a straight face when needed, so no one could tell that he's arguing with a game that is invisible to them.

And to make things more difficult...

<Go talk to him>

A : YES

B : NO

'Seriously?!'

"Jiwoong, you have to make a choice." Dawn whispers in his ear. "There's no way out of this one."

'Fine!'

Wanting to get things over with, he goes with 'YES' and approaches Zhang Hao as if nothing has happened in his head. As he got closer, Zhang Hao noticed him and stopped playing. 

"Uh..." He doesn't know how to respond.

But luckily, Jiwoong makes the first move. "Hi, I'm Jiwoong, a senior student. I love your music."

"Um... Thank you. I'm Zhang Hao."

"Pleased to meet you. I haven't seen you around here before."

Not a complete lie but not the full truth either...

"Actually, I'm not an official student here."

"Oh..." 'So that explain his game description.' "What are you doing here then?"

"The school gave me permission to stay here until I can get back onto my feet. And for another reason..."

<Want to know more about him>

A : Ask him bit by bit now

B : Wait until he's ready to clarify

C : Just bombard him with questions

'Really? And I thought this would give me better options...'

And as much as Jiwoong wants to know more, he heightens his patience levels chooses option B.

"You don't have to tell me now. I'll wait until you feel ready."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

That question threw Jiwoong for a loop. He was just giving Zhang Hao some space to ready himself for future interactions but then, he comes in with a sudden curve ball at him. And for Zhang Hao to ask him that; does no other student treat him nicely like Jiwoong is doing?

"I can see that you're having a hard time." Again, half each truth and fabrication. "But that doesn't mean you have to isolate yourself. And besides, if the professors gave you a chance here despite not being an official student, then they must've seen something in you."

For Zhang Hao, Jiwoong is the first person to approach him willingly and actually cared about his existence. And while it did feel a bit foreign to him, he decided to trust Jiwoong and even befriend him.

And while the two were talking, Dawn and Dusk were talking to Zhang Hao's familiar Mei Xian.

[Familiar Description]

Mei Xian/美絃 (Raccoon Type)

• Light pink hair
• Crimson eyes
• Dark pink ears
• Light pink and dark pink striped tail
• White suit and shoes
• Red ribbon on right wrist

"You play violin too?" Dawn asks, fascinated by the instrument.

"Hao taught me." Mei Xian said as he glanced at his caretaker. "I want him to achieve his dream."

"Of music?" Dusk wondered, as the way Mei Xian just said that sounded very vague.

"So, you're helping the band?" Zhang Hao asks Jiwoong as he packs his bag.

"Yeah..." Either helping or just re-living his old music career? "Hey, you wanna join?"

"Wait, what?"

"We could use some variety. And can you dance?"

"A bit..." Zhang Hao answers nervously. "I used to take dance classes back in China."

As the two continue talking, their familiars came up to them to go home.

"You know, you don't have to accept my offer if you don't want to." Jiwoong tells the younger with a smile. "You should make your own choices."

<What about you?>

'Not a good time!'

Again, Jiwoong has to keep a straight face when dealing with the system screen in his head that no one else but his own familiars can see. And all Zhang Hao sees is a warm and assuring smile on Jiwoong's face.

"Friends?" - Jiwoong

"Friends." - Zhang Hao

Once the two part ways, Mei Xian could see a genuine smile on Zhang Hao's face since who knows how long.

"Hao...?"

"Mei Xian, remember why we came to Korea?"

"To find your old friend?"

"Yes, my old friend. And possibly, he was my only friend until now."

"Until now?" Mei Xian can't tell where this was going.

Then Zhang Hao stopped in his tracks and gave his familiar a look that he's never shown to anyone; A look of determination.

"I think we can look forward to what comes next."

.

.

.

<New Side Mission Unlocked>

Open Heart

Chapter Text

So much has happened in just a single day.

He already met 2 more of his friend characters, both of whom he wasn't supposed to meet until later. And thinking about the fact that he's re-living his idol trainee days is just...

"Well, I hope this goes better than what I had to suffer from back then..."

[Artist + Violinist]

- Zhang Hao

Hey, hyung (19:17)

About that offer (19:17)

I'd like to join you guys (19:18)

If that's okay... (19:18)

"He actually accepted my offer?"

Again, this was a total surprise for Jiwoong because at his company in the real world, his ideas usually get rejected by most of the higher-up started before even considering about potential future projects.

A person who he just met, and from a different world at that, accepted his offer with full pleasure. So, as soon as he snapped out of it, he immediately sent a reply.

[Artist + Violinist]

- Kim Jiwoong

Of course you can (19:20)

I'll tell the others (19:20)

Meet you tomorrow? (19:20)

14:00 at my studio (19:21)

- Zhang Hao

Sure (19:21)

See you tomorrow (19:21)

"Wow..." Jiwoong still couldn't believe it. "This almost never happens back home..."

<The game seems to be giving you a positive change in your life.>

"Well, I hope I can make it to the end." But then he remembers, "And what's with the new sudden side mission? I haven't even finished half of the current list."

<Again, the system is experiencing some major changes.>

<But rest assured, there are no errors or glitches.>

"That just makes this more unsettling..."

"Seriously." Dusk remarks as he plays with one of Jiwoong's reserved yarn balls. "And I thought the beginning of this was hard enough."

While Dusk continues playing and Dawn helping to untangle his familiar partner, Jiwoong goes to his other chat room to tell the band about their newest member.

[Band Project]

- Blue Phoenix

Hey guys (19:22)

I met this cool guy at school (19:22)

And he said he'd love to join the band (19:22)

He's great at the violin (19:23)

and he also took dance lessons (19:23)

- Duckling Vocals

Really? (19:23)

What's his name? (19:23)

- Blue Phoenix

His name's Zhang Hao (19:23)

And he's a year younger than me (19:23)

- Puppy Gyu

You mean that silent guy who plays violin by the fountain? (19:24)

- Blue Phoenix

Yeah (19:24)

Wait... (19:24)

How'd you know that? (19:24)

- Puppy Gyu

Baseless campus rumors (19:24)

- Machu Fox

Seriously...? (19:24)

Just by that? (19:25)

- Puppy Gyu

Well at least I'm smarter than you! (19:25)

- Machu Fox

I'm older! (19:25)

- Puppy Gyu

Yeah (19:25)

by just a year! (19:25)

- Duckling Vocals

That's enough you two! (19:25)

The text arguments seemed to stopped once Taerae stepped in and Jiwoong was finally able to further explain.

- Blue Phoenix

Anyways... (19:26)

Tomorrow at my studio at 14:00 (19:26)

- Duckling Vocals

Got it! (19:26)

- Puppy Gyu

I have extra classes... (19:26)

- Machu Fox

We can manage (19:26)

Gyuvin's not texting back, which probably means that Taerae and Kyubi are watching him...

- Blue Phoenix

We should make Hao feel at home (19:27)

And NO sudden surprises (19:27)

"Are you sure about this, Jiwoong?" Dawn came to him after he untangled Dusk from the yarn.

"Trust me, I'm not so sure about this myself." He sighed as he laid on his bed. "But maybe, I should trust my instincts for once..."

The next day...

"But hyung, is the mask really necessary?"

"Yujin, you know me. And besides, I don't want to relive that whole mess again..."

Sung Hanbin and Han Yujin. Two students from the architect department. While Hanbin enrolled along his peers, Yujin skipped a few grades and just started out this year at just 15 years old.

They also have a shared passion for dancing. But unlike Yujin, Hanbin keeps his dance background a secret from most people in his life and when he does perform, he always wears a mask.

"Seriously though, those kids just had to be so immature."

"Kiran!"

"What? That's the truth, isn't it?"

"That was back in middle school..."

"Middle school?"

"It's when we go to learn after elementary school for the next 3 years." Yujin explains to his familiar. "And also, what most would consider as a life adjustment period."

And it's clear that Kiran has been existing for quite some time while Yuri is more recent.

[Familiar Description]

Kiran (Hamster Type)

• Golden-brown hair
• Dark brown eyes
• Golden-brown ears with black tips
• Black suit & accessories with silver accents
• Moonstone hairpiece

Yuri (Rabbit Type)

• White hair and ears with light lilac highlights
• Pale blue eyes
• White tail
• Pink shirt
• White pants and shoes

"So, are you going to dance with us at the showcase?" Yujin asks his older friend.

"Why not?" Hanbin sighed. "Architecture isn't all that fun anyway."

"Then why did you apply?"

"I don't know? Family obligations, maybe?"

Hanbin's family is well known in this city and are expected to be the top of the top ranks. Actually, they are considered to be royalty in the modern age. So since at an early age, Hanbin had been pressured to follow in his family's footsteps and is expected to be his father's successor.

It's primarily because of the pressures from around him that Hanbin hides his true passions for performance arts and wears a mask when doing it. And the only person who knows this is Yujin after he found out by sheer coincidence.

"Still, you don't have to what your family expects you to be." Kiran tells his caregiver.

But Hanbin... "And that's why I can't show you to them, remember?"

Kiran was born during Hanbin's last year in middle school. But even when putting him in a different costume, he still looked like something Hanbin's family wouldn't approve of. And since he was a minor at the time, he couldn't bare the idea of getting kick out despite his own distain for his home life.

And why hasn't Hanbin showed Kiran's true form yet?

Familiars come in 2 main archetypes; Either as a reflection of your true desires or a part of you that you want to explore more.

For Hanbin, Kiran is symbolic of his true desires of breaking free and further pursue his passion for dancing. But his parents are strictly against it and have firmly said that those modern dances on TV are anything but proper within the family standards. So he decided that until he graduates and is able to leave the house on his own terms, he wouldn't show any signs of "improper" behavior when at home and work endlessly until he's made enough to sustain by himself.

"And Yuri is what you want to explore more about yourself?"

"From what I've been getting from―"

"Thanks, hyung."

"No problem. And it's no big deal."

Zhang Hao got lost and texted Jiwoong to show him the way to his studio. On the way, they learned more about each other.

"So, you actually have a teaching license?"

"Yeah... I'm qualified to teach in high school."

"And Hao was also on the top of his classes while also majoring in the music department." Mei Xian added. "That's why he graduated a bit earlier than his peers."

"That's impressive." Dawn complimented.

"Th-thank you..." Zhang Hao couldn't help but blush.

They finally reached Jiwoong's studio and were about to go in.

"Taerae and Matthew aren't coming until a little later. So we can talk a bit more while we wait."

"Sounds good."

While everyone else went inside, Dusk stopped as he thought he sensed something nearby.

"This magic..."

"Dusk?" Dawn came up to his partner. "What is it this time?"

"I thought I sensed some kind of rodent."

Mei Xian = Raccoon (Mammal)

Dusk = Cat (Mammal)

Dawn = Butterfly (Insect)

And 2 humans, but no rodent-type creatures anywhere.

"Probably just a dead mouse or squirrel outside." Dawn thinks out loud.

But cat sense usually don't lie and Dusk knows something is up.

"Maybe, but still..."

And since he doesn't have further evidence, he just brushes it off for now and follows everyone else inside.

But actually, he was right. Just not in the way that anyone would expect...

"Did you see that?" Yujin murmurs, trying to process what he just saw.

"Yeah..." Hanbin confirmed, trying to process as well. "That guy had 2 familiars..."

"Doesn't that happen?" Yuri asks, genuinely curious.

"It doesn't." Kiran tells the younger familiar. "It's always just 1 per person."

And as much as they were all surprised by the 2 familiars situation, there was another thing that caught Hanbin's attention.

"The top student from the art department and the violin guy at the fountain..."

It seems like almost everyone is aware of the "violin guy at the fountain". But that's not what caught Hanbin off guard.

"Why does he look so familiar? I should know that I've seen him from somewhere..."

"So, your parents accepted you?"

"Yes, and they said they were proud of me."

While talking, they both came out to each other about their sexualities. Not that it was forced, but that it just flowed naturally into the conversation.

"That's.. really impressive." Jiwoong was starting to get a bit jealous. "I wish I could with my family."

"Your family didn't accept you?" Zhang Hao asks cautiously as to not discomfort Jiwoong.

"Not really..." He started out calmly but then... "They all passed away before I could even tell them."

Zhang Hao and Mei Xian couldn't hide their shock form the revelation. Jiwoong then explains that his parents were killed in a hit-and-run when he was in middle school and his older brother was killed at his workplace by a senior during his last year of high school. And since he used to live in a mostly conservative neighborhood, he hasn't really been open about himself until he left for college.

And for some reason, Dawn and Dusk remained silent when Jiwoong started talking about his brother.

"Should we?" Dusk whispers into his partner's ear.

"Maybe later." Dawn whispers back, knowing that it's still too early in the game.

Zhang Hao also opened up about the other reason he came to Korea; to find an old friend he met during his childhood.

"I met him backstage at a TV show recording." He tells Jiwoong about his past. "I was so nervous that I almost cried in another room. But then, a boy in a mask saw me and sat next to. He then started to sing a song. I couldn't fully understand the lyrics but I knew some parts. He then told me to stay true to myself and just go for it."

"And that led you to what you are today..." Jiwoong now knows the full picture.

But there's one detail that he still doesn't get.

Zhang Hao : A 21-year old anti-social music prodigy and violinist from China

'Is the anti-social thing more tied to his current situation?'

From what Zhang Hao just told him, he seemed to have lived a great life prior to coming to Korea. But maybe it's because he's still getting used to his new surroundings.

"I'm not sure if that boy is even a student here. But I thought that this would be a good start to look for him. And also..."

He takes out a small necklace from his pocket and shows it to Jiwoong and his familiars. It was a ruby pendant with a simple but elegant gold frame.

"He gave this to me for good luck. I was going to return it to him after my turn on the show but he insisted that I keep it. As a symbol of our connection."

"And that he might recognize the pendant to this day..." Dawn says as he examines the necklace.

"That's what I'm hoping..."

While the familiars rally around Zhang Hao to hear more, Jiwoong could now understand the meaning of his new mission.

<Open Heart>

Old bonds will never die.

Even those from long ago.

But will they last once they reunite?

That last part sounded very unsettling. But Jiwoong vowed to make sure that everything goes well.

"If I can't do that for myself, at least I can do it for others who truly care. Like my family..."

Chapter Text

After meeting Zhang Hao and formally inviting him into the group, Taerae began to see a bright future for them.

"I can't wait! This year's school spring showcase will be a hit!"

"Sure, buddy." Matthew smiles at his best friend's happiness. "But I still wonder why Zhang Hao isn't an official student here."

"Maybe he already graduated?" Ahiru wonders.

"Could be." Rey thinks. "After all, several students in this school have also skipped a few grades."

"That's true." Taerae agrees and then... "How old was the youngest student again?"

"I believe he's a student in the architect department..." Matthew tries to remember. "Just 15, if I remember correctly."

"15?!" Rey thought he misheard. "He's that young?"

"Things change." Matthew tells his familiar. "Some students are just that capable in school."

"So much so that they can even go beyond their peers." Taerae adds onto that.

Matthew can see that Taerae is very excited. Not just for the showcase but also because of them meeting new people and sharing their love of arts and music with each other.

But that's not the only reason why Matthew is glad to see Taerae smiling, as the former is also fully aware of latter's past. Something which Gyuvin has the tendency to rub it in his face on certain occasions...

'That girl took advantage of Taerae and broke his heart. I understand why Gyuvin tends to act like that. And I'm going to prove to him that I can protect Taerae!'

Speaking of Gyuvin, his classes went on longer than he expected and it's already 6pm.

"Seriously though, how did we get stuck with that professor?"

As he finishes packing up and complaining about his incompetent professor from that lesson...

"Taerae hyung should be home by now. And it's my turn to make―"

"Hey there, cutie."

That's the last voice Gyuvin ever wants to hear. And the last person he wants to call him cute.

"Not again..." He murmurs as he wished that this wouldn't be the case.

But unfortunately, he'd be proven wrong, as he turned around to see Ricky by the back door.

"What are you doing here?" He grumbled as he glared at the white haired boy and his white cat familiar.

"Nothing much." There was a slight tone of slyness from the way Ricky said that.  "I was just passing by and saw you packing. Going home?"

Once Gyuvin zipped his bag, he approaches Ricky and glares at him straight in the eyes.

"And that's none of your business."

With that, Gyuvin just shoves Ricky out of the way and leaves the classroom.

"Gyuvin, wait up!"

Kyubi immediately followed him after he apologized to Ricky and Rory for the sudden rudeness. But surprisingly, Ricky had been expecting this.

"As usual..." Now there was sadness in Ricky's voice. "But it works."

Hanbin and Yujin had just finished helping the librarian re-shelving the entire library and were just about to go home.

"What a day." Yujin couldn't believe what happened in the past few hours. "We saw a guy with 2 familiars, him hanging out with the fountain guy with the violin, and they joined forces with Trio Stars."

But Hanbin, unusually for him, was silent the entire time since leaving the library. 

"Hanbin?" Kiran calls to his caregiver, trying to snap him out of it.

When that didn't work...

"Step aside." Yuri hopped up into the air and...

(Loud thud)

He landed straight onto Hanbin's head!

"Ow!"

"Yuri!" Yujin couldn't believe what his familiar just did.

"Ugh... What gives?!" Hanbin shouts at Yujin's familiar as he recuperates from the sudden attack.

But Yuri passes it up and countered with...

"I think that question should apply to you, Mr. 'modern day prince who wants to break free and dance but hides his identity'."

"Again, Yuri..."

Despite still being a teenager, Yujin is old enough to know what's appropriate depending on the current situation. And even though he doesn't really care about Hanbin's royalty background, he still wouldn't go as far as to smack his elder friend on the head...

"That's enough! All opinions are valid." Kiran exclaims and tries to stay neutral about this. "Still, smacking him on the head was a bit too much..."

"Then you should do these kinds of things!"

Yuri tries to tell Kiran off but was met with another counter-argument.

"We're companions to our caregivers, not morality instructors. Also, we're still in development, both in ourselves and our bonds with our caregivers. You and Yujin especially."

Yuri was born just last year, when Yujin was just 14. So both of them have a lot to learn about magic and themselves. Kiran was also born when Hanbin was around the same age as Yujin is now. But even after 6 years, they still have so much to learn as Kiran continues to develop.

And who knows when the familiars will reach their fully developed stages?

Then again...

"I hope to leave the house before that happens..."

"Hanbin..."

Kiran knows that Hanbin meant well when he said that. But he can't help but feel like things might go south if they're not careful.

Meanwhile, in the assembly gym...

"You're being too calm about this, Ricky." Rory tells his caregiver. "The more you keep doing this, the more Gyuvin's going to hate you."

Ricky's been throwing hoops to get his mind off from earlier. But he doesn't show any signs of disappointment or discomfort, as if he already knew that this would be the absolute outcome.

"Then let him hate Ricky Shen. After all, Shen Quanrui is long dead."

Originally, Shen Quanrui was his official name and Ricky was just a nickname. But after his family moved to America, people called him by his nickname more than his real name to the point where most people thought that Ricky was his real name.

And he did use his then official name when he transferred to the South Korean high school were he met Gyuvin. But halfway through that year, he legally changed his name and had been referred to as Ricky since.

"Both of them are you." Rory reminds him.

"Shen Quanrui was the unattractive and introverted nerd. Ricky Shen is the loud and proud artist."

And while he expresses his past self in a shameful tone, he doesn't really think that and fully embraces that part of him.

"Then why did you apply for the sports department?"

"You know why..."

Ricky is that good in painting and other forms of art to the point where his art can even surpass most of the art students in his year. He also loves music but he didn't apply for the music department, as he knew this would never work out he was in the same department as Gyuvin.

"If it works, then let it be. After all, he won't listen to me as Ricky."

As he said that, he threw his ball towards the hoop but missed. He went after his ball but was met with his friend and classmate Gunwook at the door.

"Hey, Ricky."

"Gunwook? I thought you already left."

"I was helping Professor Kim with the sound system." He explains as he gave Ricky his ball back. "The spring showcase is in 2 weeks."

"I know..." Ricky smiled softly and even started to blush.

"Someone seems happy." Gunwook's familiar, Arata remarks.

[Familiar Description]

Arata (Puppy Type)

• Black hair with light gold streaks
• Light gold eyes
• Dark silver ears and tail
• Light beige shirt and pants
• Brown gloves and boots
• Black hat with silver spikes

"Talked to your crush again?" Gunwook asked his friend and teammate.

And Ricky answers honestly. "Yeah..." 

Gunwook and Ricky during the freshmen orientation and became quick friends. After the first day of school, they started to open up to each other about their respective lives. It was during one of those conversations that Gunwook learned of Ricky's past and his complicated love life.

"But he clearly despises you." Gunwook says while trying not to discomfort Ricky. "Just for being yourself."

"Well, I wasn't always this way."

"Oh, how could I forget?" Rory sighs as he sits on Ricky's shoulder. "At least that experience was a little better than how it was back in America..."

Ricky was only 11 years old when Rory was born. At the time, he and his family lived in China, hence Rory's outfit resembling that of a Chinese emperor. Even more so when considering the Shen family's wealth and legacy. But despite his family's influence and his parents and younger sister's support, he still felt like he didn't belong anywhere.

It also didn't help when the family moved to America to expand their ongoing businesses and creating new ones. And of course, Ricky had a hard time during his first few months after moving. Despite his family being well known around the world, he wasn't liked at school and he became scared for his life. If it wasn't for Rory calling those bullies out, then Ricky might've not even survived.

But then, one day during high school, his parents suggested that he should start finding his own motivations and sent him to live in South Korea while they sent him living money from time to time. And while Ricky knew his parents mean well, he also knew that would not have a great time like he did when he first came to America. And he was right, as he was bullied since Day 1 of transferring. He barely spoke Korean and they made fun of his looks almost every day.

This went on for months until he was saved by a certain boy in his grade who was the complete opposite of him. And that became his inspiration to change and improve himself to what he is today. He studied Korean harder throughout summer break and had a complete makeover. He went from being a nerd with messy hair, thick glasses and untidy fashion to a handsome young man with beautifully styled white hair, clear eyes and a fashion sense that even most professional models would envy.

"But I didn't expect myself to fall in love with him..."

"And he doesn't recognize you." Gunwook adds onto that. "I mean, you just switched to contact lenses, dyed and styled your hair, and only slightly changed your fashion. Is he just a total idiot or what?"

"Don't you think 'idiot' is a bit too harsh?" Arata tries to see the good side to this but...

"You'd think..." Rory shuts it down, knowing that this is more than just a misunderstanding on Gyuvin's part.

But even with all of this, Ricky doesn't mind one single bit. And he knows that his love would never be reciprocated and is fine with that.

"I'm not going to force him to love me back. But I just want to thank him for helping me change myself and for him to at least acknowledge me."

<True Colors >

Good or bad, changes are natural.

But when a certain change went downhill...

Will the misunderstanding get resolved?

"Seriously?"

Jiwoong was making dinner when the game showed him another side mission had begun. He hasn't even finished the main mission and he already has so much on his shoulders. And he already knows who's story this is.

<The main characters in this side mission are Ricky and Gyuvin.>

<Although, this wasn't supposed to show up until Mission 5.>

"And this is still only Mission 1..."

Dawn sees that Jiwoong is getting frustrated with the sudden system changes and he and Dusk go up to comfort their partner in the best ways they can.

"Don't fret, Jiwoong." Dusk tells Jiwoong as he does a little dance. "We'll always be with you."

"And no matter what, we will finish this game." Dawn assures him with his calming voice. "We promise."

Once again, Jiwoong could help but feel something familiar about his two familiars. He's the only one with 2 familiars but they both seem to have similar traits despite being polar opposites.

Dawn : Calm, mature, orderly, analytical

Dusk : Energetic, impulsive, laid back, blunt

Both of their attributes reminded him of something. Or someone? But whatever it is, he knows he has his familiar partners with him throughout this game that was forced upon him.

"Thanks, guys..."