Chapter Text
The soft, orchestral instrumental swells to a crescendo as Loey, the rough around the edges yet gentle-hearted, blue haired rival of the main character, asks to see Junmyeon in private after a mission that was cutting it too close for comfort. Junmyeon's put in about a week's worth of effort into romancing this character, going from tense rivalry to a begrudging mission partnership to hopeful friendship, and it's finally coming to fruition as he puts his phone on silent and quickly opens a screen recording application on his PC so he can save this moment forever (and maybe gush about it on SNS).
「 Junmyeon, I know that we didn't get off to a great start. That was all me, and I'm really, really, sorry about it. 」 Oh god, this is it. The animated sprite blushes, Loey's red eyes looking down and away from the screen as Junmyeon furiously clicks his mouse.
「 But...AGH! 」 The sprite shakes, showcasing Loey's frustration. 「 Sorry it's just...you do things to me? Make me feel...confusing things. I look at you and I can't tell if I'm in awe of you, want to be you, want to protect you or... 」
Loey finally looks up as the music in the background softens, and Junmyeon probably looks terrifying with how hard he's grinning, bottom lip between his teeth as he brings his knees up to his chest. This is it. 「 I just... I like you, Junmyeon. More than I should, more than I can understand. Can I... 」
Yes.
「 Is it alright if I... 」
Yes, yes, yes.
“Say it you beautiful bastard.”
「 ...kiss you? 」
Junmyeon stands up, flops wordlessly onto his bed. He tries so hard not to squeal into his pillow because he's a grown man who just filed his tax reports, and grown men with taxes and a condo Do Not squeal into pillows. So instead he kicks his legs while hiding his face, and he might have let out a small, barely audible squeal. It takes a minute before Junmyeon is able to collect his thoughts while remembering his yoga breathing techniques. "This is it, Junmyeon," he tells himself, "this is what forty hours of gameplay were for."
He hugs his pillow tight as he returns to his desk, adrenaline thrumming under his fingers as he clicks the screen and the options appear.
▶ ”I... I don't know if we should...”
Junmyeon scoffs out loud at that.
▶ ”Yes...please...”
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"Hello Kim Junmyeon,
As one of our most valuable players, we would like to personally invite you to beta-test our new innovative project, at no cost to you! A personalized prototype model and kit based off your gameplay history and interests has been sent out to the address we have on record, along with instructions and proper supplies. This exciting opportunity is a once in a lifetime chance to test out a new field of gaming that we believe will revolutionize the industry! All we ask in return is for your feedback once per week—yup, that's it!
Thank you for your loyal patronage, valued customer and player, and have a splendid day!
—Sweet Dreams Unlimited"
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Sweet Dreams Unlimited™ specialized in dating sims for consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. They had humble roots as a small startup, working mainly in mobile apps before building up an impressive repertoire and branching out. Junmyeon knows all this because he's been there since the company's beginning, mindlessly looking up and downloading their dating sims in the app store because he says he's bored and is a proud supporter of struggling start ups. It sounds a lot better than “I work a lot and don't have the time to date right now and also my last two relationships ended horrifically and hurt beyond repair but I'm still really lonely and sometimes cry myself to sleep because of it.” Small details, honestly.
Junmyeon's played them all, from High School Sunshine⭐Love Dream 1, 2, and 3 to Vampire Darkness Melody. He's played the blushing childhood friend, the suave detective, the knight who conquers the dragon, saves the prince, fucks the dragon (not all in that order). But his absolute favorite game, the crème de la crème in Junmyeon's humble opinion, is Power Up!: Return of the Red Force, the second installment of the Power Up! series. It's the PC follow-up to its mobile predecessor, Power Up!: Academia Love Madness, and Junmyeon's replayed it at least five times in the past month alone.
The premise of the Power Up! series is that you're playing as a character who only just discovered his supernatural powers and must be sent to academy in order to learn the origins of your power and how to harness your abilities to their full potential. After graduation, only the lucky few are selected to join the crew of EXO, an organization that works to protect the galaxy from the evil-doings of the menacing Red Force. Or something. Junmyeon's never been quite clear on the details of the game, even after all this time and to be frank, he doesn't exactly play for its riveting plot.
No, the crown jewel of the series is its large, diverse cast of characters, all of whom are romanceable, and all the loves of Junmyeon's life. There's Xiumin, the dependable and handsome captain of EXO who exudes grace and charm as he teaches the main character the ins and outs of space travel, their powers, and, if you play your cards right and unlock all the special scenes, the ways of love. Xiumin was Junmyeon's initial favorite in the mobile game and he's not afraid to admit he's lost sleep over playing that particular route well into the night. There's Kai and Shixun, the main character's childhood friends who have an all out fight over the main character towards the end of the game, prompting many fans on twitter to create #TeamKai and #TeamShixun hashtags (Junmyeon was more #TeamKaixMCxShixun). Then there's Lay, the smart and kind doctor who started out as a student nurse in the academy, always more than willing to heal the clumsy main character's many wounds with a gentle touch. His calming voice and sweet personality makes him a fan favorite among the game's loyal players, and Junmyeon himself has had a Lay phase, even going so far as to make a CGI cutscene of the dimpled doctor his lockscreen and purchasing several keychains with his likeness on them.
And then there's Loey. He's a newer character who only had brief interactions with the main character in the mobile game but was finally added as a romanceable route in the PC sequel once fans started growing interest in him and he managed to generate a sizeable fanbase, despite his short appearances. Loey appears in the first game as the main character's classmate during academy who, upon finding out that the main character specializes in water-based powers, declares himself the main character's rival and demonstrates his impressive fire-based power set. During the academy arc, there are several mini-games dedicated to beating out Loey during test missions and exams that also affect the main character's relationships with romanceable characters (a good exam score could lead to words of praise and admiration from Xiumin, a test mission gone wrong could lead to nurse Lay fretting and showering you with attention and TLC). Whether or not Loey was selected to join EXO along with the main character by the end of the first game remained a mystery for a couple years until the PC game was announced, with Loey proudly standing alongside the other characters on the official art.
Junmyeon didn't care for Loey's fiery, reckless character when he was first introduced. He much preferred the calmer, mature personalities of Xiumin and Lay to Loey's stubborn demeanor, and he was actually the last character Junmyeon decided to romance. Loey still considered himself the main character's rival, often attempting to one-up the other during missions to gain favor with the superiors, and Junmyeon might have been interested in that kind of personality if he were the game's target teenage girl demographic. But Junmyeon's pushing thirty and while he didn't consider himself too old for these kind of games, he did think he was too old and tired to deal with Loey's impulsive disposition.
It was only by chance that Junmyeon managed to unlock one of Loey's special scenes through mindless clicking and boy, did it change Junmyeon's entire life.
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There is a large package on Kim Junmyeon's doorstep. He had received an email last night about the Sweet Dreams Unlimited™ wanting him to test a new product, and he only just read it while checking his phone that morning. He'd expected something in 3-5 business days at the earliest, but this was a bit overkill. If that didn't make him feel wary enough, the sheer size of the parcel definitely did: it was absolutely huge, laying flat on the ground at least eight or nine feet wide in both directions, almost completely wrapped up in tape marked “FRAGILE,” and level with his knees. Did they send him a fucking flat screen TV?
When they said "personalized prototype model and kit" that was "based off his gameplay history," he'd assumed (hoped) they would be sending him a Loey sidegame, or a figurine, or maybe even a VR set (he'd seen company staff toying with VR tech on their official twitter page). Forget trying to get it through the front door—Junmyeon's unsure if he can even lift a package like this.
"Junmyeon-hyung, you're home!" A deep voice rumbles, and of course it belongs to Junmyeon's stupidly hot neighbor that is now leaning over their shared fence, bright smile (that Junmyeon sometimes dreams about at work) on full display. And of course, he catches Junmyeon looking like an idiot with his backpack of case files on the ground, face red as he lifts the package with his bad back and shaky arms.
"Ch-Chanyeol! You don't have work today?" Junmyeon tries to keep his voice steady, tries not to wheeze as he eases the package back onto the ground and oh god, there's a damp patch of sweat already forming on the back of his work shirt.
"Nah, I hit writer's block and decided to take some time off. That's kind of the best thing about being your own boss." Chanyeol folds his arms over the white fence, chin resting on top, and Junmyeon wishes he weren't tired and embarrassed and sweaty so he can have the proper conversation with his neighbor he's always dreamed about since moving in years ago.
"Well, I wish I could relate, but I uh- I actually have some work to catch up on so I'll be seeing you, Chanyeol." Junmyeon gives Chanyeol a tight smile that he really hopes doesn't come across as annoyed, because Junmyeon can control all his facial expressions to a T when he's around board members and faculty, but every sense of composure slips away when pretty, tall neighbors with big eyes and deep voices catch him off guard at 5:30PM on a workday.
Chanyeol seems to get the wrong message as his back suddenly straightens and his eyes widen. "Oh! Sorry hyung, I didn't mean to bother you," Junmyeon's heart stutters and whips his head up to reply that Chanyeol could never be a bother before he's cut off (for the better).
"It's just..." Chanyeol purses his lips as the damp patch on Junmyeon's back makes Junmyeon itch. "Some of your mail got mixed up with mine today, so I went over to leave yours in your mailbox, right, so then this delivery guy walks up and asks if I lived at your house--which I mean, I could never I mean I make a decent living but we're in two completely different leagues--and so I told him that but he didn't really care and just told me to sign for that package right there," Chanyeol takes his first breath since he started talking as he points at the package that is currently the bane of Junmyeon's existence, "and then he left before I could say anything else and so I was just. Um."
Chanyeol looks down at his hands and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and Junmyeon is painfully endeared and wants to melt into the ground, case files and obnoxiously heavy mystery parcels be damned. "Yes, Chanyeol?" Is what he says instead.
"Well. I was thinking that since I signed for it...I could help you bring it in, maybe?"
It was such a simple request. Just a nice neighbor being nice and helping another neighbor. Junmyeon feels like he's gonna throw up his heart.
"That wasn't so bad." Chanyeol says, even though he's sitting on the floor, legs spread open. His hair is damp, his breathing hard, and there's a clear patch of sweat on the shirt material near his collarbone (that Junmyeon wants to lick). Junmyeon wants to melt into the ground again.
"Yeah, we only stopped three times for a break." Junmyeon's own condition isn't any better and he definitely needs to hop in a cold shower, maybe burn his work shirt that'll probably stink up the place if he left it.
Chanyeol laughs, although it comes out in little puffs of soundless air. "It's weird," Chanyeol says after a while, "we've lived next door for three years now and this is only the second time I've been in your house." Chanyeol takes in Junmyeon's living room with curious eyes, the white walls and clean carpeting that's meant to trick visitors into thinking Junmyeon has his life together. Junmyeon feels a tinge of regret—he's been so wrapped up in himself and his own misery for so long and it's only now sinking in that this is the longest encounter he's ever had with the guy he's been kinda liking for actual years.
"Well, I'll leave you to your work again." Chanyeol stands up and the childish, hopeless side of Junmyeon that still plays dating sims and eats cereal for dinner in his Star Wars™ boxers wants to whine and tell Chanyeol to stay, maybe make up for lost time? But the almost-thirty year old side of Junmyeon that wears pressed dress pants and slicks his hair up for a long day of Financial Advising™ wins over (like it always does), and he sees Chanyeol out the door, wistfully watches as his crush walks down the driveway.
Junmyeon startles and flushes red when Chanyeol turns around suddenly and waves at Junmyeon with his long arms high in the air. "We should do this again the next time you get a heavy package on your doorstep!" he yells up the driveway at Junmyeon.
Junmyeon can't help it. He smiles, eyes turning to crescents, as he waves back with both arms. "Of course! Or maybe, even when there's no mystery mail involved!"
Before Junmyeon can regret his momentary act of boldness, Chanyeol's nodding furiously, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. "I'd like that! Goodnight, hyung!"
Junmyeon feels considerably less gross after having showered and dressed in his favorite fluffy sweater and pajama pants. He pads around the house in his Chewbacca slippers lighter than air as he looks for his boxcutter. Once located, he settles down next to the box that's been plaguing him since he came home. "Alright, Sweet Dreams Unlimited," he says to himself, eyes squinted in concentration, "what do you have for me today..."
He carefully cuts open the top flaps, imagination running with ideas. Maybe it is a console and TV? Could they have made a console installment for Power Up! and they wanted Junmyeon to test it out? No, they wouldn't go that far, not even for one of their most valued (and, regrettably, highest-paying) customers. Junmyeon lifts open the flaps and brushes aside the packing peanuts on top, revealing the top of a bright, blue cardboard box that Junmyeon promptly pulls out.
It's a mini Loey figurine! Junmyeon doesn't shriek because again, almost-thirty, but he does coo at the chibi Loey figurine underneath the plastic. Junmyeon's already the proud owner of several Loey figurines, but this one is so well made, looking every bit like its likeness as it stands in Loey's signature pose, a cardboard speech bubble with the words "We got the power!" next to it. It's official: this is the best day of Junmyeon's entire life. He carefully sets it on his coffee table, still in the box, as he takes pictures on his phone. He'll edit these later to post on his SNS but for now, he sends one to his group chat of friends who don't understand his life choices but fully support him because they have to. Baekhyun and Jongdae leave him on read. Kyungsoo sends him a thumbs-up emoji, and that's enough for Junmyeon.
He returns to the large box, mood at an all time high as he reaches into the seemingly never-ending packing peanuts. He hopes its more figurines, he thinks as he grabs a hold of something...soft? Soft...and kinda squishy. Huh.
He pulls it out.
It's a hand. Attached to a wrist. Attached to a forearm. Probably attached to a body, Junmyeon doesn't know, he doesn't have it in him to check. And this time he does shriek.