Chapter Text
The messenger game will restart. – This was shown in MC’s phone after waking up to a place she has never been to before. She didn’t mind it at first as all she can think about upon opening her eyes is Saeran… or Ray.
“Saeran? Ray? Where are you?” She shouted hoping she will see the white-haired man who rescued her from the Mint Eye believers—from Rika—the man whom she has learned to love—whoever he is and whatever kind of person he is. “Saeran… answer me, please… Where are you?”
Tears are starting to form in the corners of her eyes as she remembered the words Saeran/Ray said when he rescued her in the religious cult’s basement, “I’m sorry I couldn’t make you happy. I hope you stay happy outside. I’ll miss you so much, MC… Goodbye.”
“Saeran…” She whispered to herself. All her thoughts are about Saeran/Ray. She knows that he is still confused. He doesn’t know what he should do. He doesn’t know who he really is. Is he the innocent and hopeful Ray or the aggressive and distrustful Saeran? MC also doesn’t have an idea as to which persona the white-haired man is. All she knows is that she will do her best to help him discover himself in any way possible. She will always be there by his side. She will accept him for who he is. Only if she knows where he is… and where she is.
The place looks like an apartment but it didn’t feel like someone lived there. It looks like an office where someone may have worked. MC began to roam around the room, searching for someone or something which will serve as a clue on why she’s there. But then, she remembered the notification she saw in her phone a while ago. She quickly grabbed her phone and found a strange code-like thing flashing into her phone’s screen.
“What is this? Is the messenger hacked again?”, she thought to herself.
“I think it showed that the messenger game will restart a while ago… but the messenger was not a game, right? Every one of the RFA are real people. I know it, I saw V. He’s real. So, what’s this game?”, she uttered.
The screen stopped flashing codes and it lead to a conversation with the RFA members, much like the prologue conversation she had with them when she started playing the game given by Ray on the first day she went to Mint Eye headquarters.
“Huh?”
MC started remembering that just a while ago, she picked up a phone in the street and she had a conversation with an ID “Unknown”. She was asked by this anonymous person to go to the owner of the phone’s apartment in order to return it. But then, why did she forget about this? What was that memory with a guy named Saeran/Ray? Is that just a dream?
“Was it a dream? Just a dream? But… I felt it as if it was real. As if it all happened. My memories are all jumbled. Now I need to repeat the same conversation? It felt like I just did this 10 days ago…”
MC checked the messenger and the content of the messages and what they were talking about are not the same as she remembered, though their reactions to your intrusion is the same.
-Chatroom Log Start-
MC has entered the chatroom.
Yoosung★: Failed my midterms fml T_T *crying emoji*
707: Cuz u played LOLOL all night lol.
Jumin Han: If you want to work for our company, you should take care of your GPA.
Yoosung★: I’m still on the list?! +_+ *star eyes emoji*
Jumin Han: Yes.
707: Nice~ Can’t believe u get to work straight after college lol in this day and age!
ZEN: Lame. It’s nepotism.
Jumin Han: It’s called recruitment actually.
ZEN: It’s giving a free pass instead of actually training the worker.
Jumin Han: Whatever. I couldn’t care less what you say.
-Chatroom Log Cut-
“They’re still like cats and dogs.” MC said as she reads the chat log. “Huh? How did I know that? Are they the ones in my dream… did I have a prophetic dream?”
Her memories are starting to feel blurry and distant. Just like a dream, the memories she thought were real are starting to fade away.
“I should write the things that I can remember from my dream. It might be just a dream, but I feel like it’s important. It’s as if the memory will just disappear if I don’t hold on to it.” She thought to herself while searching for a pen and something to write on.
Meanwhile, the chat continues when suddenly the one with username 707 noticed something.
-Chatroom Log Continuation-
707: Wait!
Yoosung★: Why?
ZEN: ??
707: Thing someone entered the chatroom;;
Jumin Han: MC…?
ZEN: Wtf. How did it get in here?
707: Hacker!
Yoosung★: Hacker!? Therae’s a hacker in ouer room!!! Sevnee do something!!
ZEN: Hey, typos. -_-;;
707: Wait a sec. I’m searching.
Jumin Han: Who are you? Reveal yourself. Hey, Assistant Kang.
Jaehee Kang: Yes, I am here.
-Chatroom Log Cut-
MC found a pile of sticky notes and a pencil so she started enumerating random things from her dream. She wrote:
* SAE… (I can’t remember the whole name… but I feel that he’s important)
* RAY (Connected to Sae)
* Messenger game
* A man with mint eyes
*Castle-like building
* “I will miss you, MC” (someone’s words that echoes in my mind)
* A garden full of beautiful flowers
*Basement with prison cell
* I cried upon waking up from this dream, calling someone called Sae… or Ray
* It all felt so real
She almost forgot the chat room when she saw the emoji of a yellow-haired guy with ID Yoosung★. It’s cute since his head was shaking side to side with a question mark. This caught her attention so she started reading what she missed. Since it is clear that they are confused as to why there is another account that could access their messenger, you decided to say something.
“Uhh. Hi? I found this cellphone in the street. I’m here to return it to the owner. Do you happen to know him… or her?” she sent into the chat log.
The one with ID 707 said that what MC stated is impossible, since the only people who are authorized to access and have ways to access the messenger are the people present in the chatroom at that time excluding MC. There is another one who can, which is the head of their organization.
707 also discovered her location, that she is at Rika’s apartment. They told her that Rika is RFA’s founder. MC is starting to freak out, since she is somewhere she isn’t supposed to be and at the same time, she is included in a chatroom where she didn’t join. All started just because of her naivety—going with the flow with a stranger, very much so someone with a username of “Unknown”.
Everything is beginning to make her scared and helpless when suddenly a guy called “V” talked to the other members of the chatroom and told her about RFA and that the messenger is strictly for RFA members only. The members explained to her who Rika is and why it is odd that someone is at her apartment when even her boyfriend, V, doesn’t know her room’s passcode. V isn’t threatening her or making her feel uncomfortable. He is asking her as nice and friendly as he could regarding how she is able to access the messenger, contrary to the one called Jumin Han.
-Chatroom Log Continuation-
V: Don’t be afraid. We want you to join since I believe that you can help us with organizing our parties again. I can also feel that you are a good person, someone trusted by Rika to continue her legacy.
MC: But…
707: If u don’t join, we won’t have any clue who that hacker is! The “Unknown” guy! If u choose to go, we might think u really are the hacker as Jaehee theorized lol
Jumin Han: I don’t agree with you, V as I believe that this is rather rash. But I will follow your decision as the head of RFA. Assistant Kang, convince her to join.
Jaehee Kang: Well then, Ms. MC.
-Chatroom Log Cut-
Jaehee Kang has stated some benefits MC would have if she joins and Jumin Han said that she will not regret her decision. Jumin also clearly stated that he will not hesitate to find her and sue her if she doesn’t cooperate, although he didn’t say it harshly. Other members also tried to convince her that joining will be fun and worthwhile since it is about helping others.
MC thought about it for a while and realized that she has no choice but to join. She’s not afraid of taking risks. She is quite the outgoing type. What she was terrified of is to be accused.
-Chatroom Log Continuation-
MC: Okay, I will join.
707: Yay! *celebrating emoji* I will register ur name! Oh, and no need for ur signature
ZEN: Welcome, young lady.
Yoosung★: Looking forward to knowing you, MC! *celebrating emoji*
MC: I’m looking forward to working with you all.
-Chatroom Log End-