Chapter Text
Sunlight gleams in the quietest of autumn. Nothing consequential is found on the deserted field, just whispers of the grass signalling winter's near. Trees line up with a specific gap from one another. Crisp leaves are faltering. The absence of wind and prolonged din leaves the scenery in tranquil, making the terrain free from defect. Flawless. Too flawless, just like a simulation.
Don't be too surprised, because it is.
The peace is interrupted by an intense, blaring noise. A sudden outburst of whirlwind wrecks the landscape into havoc, mercilessly striking the trees to the ground. The earth rumbles as if to follow the abrupt change of weather. The gust appears to be caused by a colossal portal slowly materializing beneath the squalling grounds. Approaching its final configuration, the portal chucks out a figure that seems to be a girl's; an animated one, leastways.
The texture of her long, purplish hair naturally goes all the way down her back, unaffected by the strong wind. Her neck choker illuminates the broad daylight, her lavender fit igniting vibrant glow. The first thing she does is to push herself to her knees, her tremulous legs still too frail to support herself. She blinks a few times, gears of her brain turning as she calculates the possibilities of her whereabouts at the moment. The wind howls feverishly, worsening her obscure vision, but she manages to recoil.
She takes a single breath, enlivening her precious rebirth. Fortunately, her programmed physique isn't prone to any glitches, unlike the pretty landscape that has long deliberated in turmoil. She feels the grass underneath her feet, her shadows blocking the natural saturation of land.
Karina glimmers.
I am now in the Flat.
+++
It has rather become common knowledge to avoid huge groups of adolescent boys in public restaurants and bars, for there are high chances of them being borderline vexatious and loud under the influence of alcohol, as an act to celebrate their coming-of-age day. Donghyuck's bunch – though still missing a few members because of the heavy traffic – is starting to look like one of those breeds of people, except they aren't drunk nor high as a kite. They're just... usually this chaotic and deafening whilst sober.
"Huang Renjun! Have you been ignoring my calls?" Donghyuck pesters him the moment he appears by the door, the scrunch on his nose hardening like crumpled paper. "You've been MIA since this afternoon."
"I had practical exams the whole evening, one of which I failed. Completely." He throws himself to an empty cushion, glueing his face against the cold table like a helpless individual. "I gave my dummy patient the wrong diagnosis. If it were the real deal, I would be in jail right now."
"Yikes, you dumb-dumb." Chenle's too occupied with the game on his phone, unable to give the older a legitimate reply.
Donghyuck, on the other hand, rolls his eyes, negligent over Renjun's shitty feelings. "Well, that doesn't mean I'm giving you a helping hand. Please do instil this week's results for me, I did not pay you to have you rant about your day."
"You don't even pay me." Renjun grits his teeth as he aggressively flips the pages of his journal, focusing on the conspicuous sentences written in red. "Your Friday segment is flopping. The episode featuring Jaemin, however, has become quite a fan-favourite."
A smirk seeps off Donghyuck's face. "So they like it when I look clever."
"No, they like watching Jaemin looking dumb as fuck."
"Same thing." The gamer slips his hand on Jaemin's shoulder, smiling callously. "What do you say, up for another episode?"
"Uh... sure." Jaemin nods thoughtlessly. "As long as you slip a nice comment or two for the café on your newest vlog, I'll do it."
Not only he's a skilled player, but Donghyuck also has the mind of a true showbiz entertainer, as he knows what appeals his subscribers' interest without having to look like he's desperate for views. Besides his bona fide charms and good looks, Jaemin beguiles like a breath of fresh air; addled yet comical, strong-willed yet naïve. With the audience eating up this new, entertaining collaboration, Donghyuck mainly considers this project as a job well-done.
"Hey, I want to feature on your video too!" Chenle exclaims, dropping his phone on the table as he did so. "You and your empty promises, you promised me."
"I promised to feature you only until you create your own channel, kiddo." Donghyuck reasons without glancing the younger. "A feature without your previous works won't mean anything, it'll only look like as if I built your career, and you don't want to be associated with me until the end of your YouTube journey, my friend."
"Fine, I already told you I'd make my own channel soon." He shifts his attention to his best friend sitting across the table. "Park Jisung!"
Jisung takes off his headphones with a muffled groan. "What?"
"Let's make a gaming channel. Us, together." His mouth forms a wide grin. "Then we can call it Chenji."
The latter pauses for a while to ponder. "No. Jichen."
"Chenji."
"Jichen."
"Yah, I'm older than you. Chenji!"
"They'll disband before they even start." Renjun rolls his eyes, closing his journal and moving on to another chapter to memorize.
They continue to receive more unnerving glances from the tables around them when Mark and Jeno finally arrive on the scene, goggling at the sight of their friends already in full formation. "You're all here already? wow. The only time you guys are ever punctual is when you know you're gonna get free food."
Donghyuck clicks his tongue. "I wouldn't argue."
"We've ordered too before you came." Jisung points out.
"Of course." Mark lands both his arms to both Jeno and Donghyuck's shoulders, snuggling in between them like a forced puzzle piece. "Didn't exactly expect much from you guys in the first place."
Chenle shrugs it off, finding himself entirely not guilty from this narrative. "Didn't Jeno-hyung say something about him allowing us to buy anything we want with his credit card?"
"Yes, but except tonight's not Jeno's treat," Mark recoils, his gaze shifts to every one of them. "It's mine."
Donghyuck coughs in disbelief. "No way. Mark Lee, you're the stingiest being in the whole universe! What do you mean you're paying?"
Throughout their six years of friendship, there has never been an occasion grand enough to get Mark Lee to treat them all a meal, but here they are now, feasting on a vast meat buffet in courtesy of the eldest' modest wallet, so today's must have been pretty damn special.
"What's the occasion?" Jaemin asks.
Mark nudges Jeno by the shoulder, gesturing him to break the news to them. Jeno clears his throat. "Mark-hyung... has been accepted as an intern in SM Entertainment."
"Intern?" Chenle gapes.
"SM Entertainment?" Donghyuck couldn't believe his ears.
"Money!" Jisung cheers. "Hyung, you just planted yourself a money tree!"
Mark shakes his head and laughs. "No, not exactly. I won't exactly get paid, I'll just receive frequent benefit money if I work well, but I'm sure I'll gain experience from it, especially in my last years of college."
Donghyuck sighs dreamily. "I can already sense a bright future."
Mark's eyebrow twitches. "For me?"
"No, for me." Donghyuck turns to him excitedly. "You're gonna be there a few years before I graduate, get a good position, spare me a few compliments as I march in with a law diploma and my swagger when it is my turn for a job interview and then bam!" he clasps his hands out of the blue, startling the whole room. "Nepotism~"
"Like hell, I'm gonna do that!" Mark pushes Donghyuck's face away with his hand before the minuscule gap between them disappears.
Renjun glares at Donghyuck. "Not only you're defying everyone's hard work, but you're also being utterly stupid."
"Excuse me?"
"If you've always wanted to count on nepotism, why don't you ask Jeno instead?" Renjun peers at the boy across him. "He's the closest connection to bobblehead Doyoung, not to mention his favourite person."
Jeno burrows into his hoodie at the mention of his name. "No can do. No one is brave enough to criticize my stepbrother, let alone asking for a favour. He stays true with his thoughts and his... measurements of quality."
"Also, he hates my guts." Donghyuck sticks a fork on the table, suppressing his anger. "Oh well. I suppose Johnny likes me enough to become my sponsor."
"Johnny? You mean your law professor?" Renjun asks.
"He's a good friend of Doyoung-hyung. They meet up every Sunday." Jeno points out, though with the same helpless tone he had earlier. "I wouldn't expect him to make any changes to his mind, though. Doyoung-hyung is still the same benumbed rock as he is to everyone."
Their conversation lulls momentarily as a waitress delivers their tower of fresh meat and beverages. Jisung, the youngest, volunteers himself to prepare the meat, though still by Jaemin and Chenle's supervision for they do not exactly trust him with the griller.
"Hyung, you sure you okay with paying for all of this?" Jaemin asks after he catches the sight of the expensive meat doubling mercilessly on the table. He slowly opens his wallet just to make sure. "I can ease the bill for you if you want-"
"Jaem, it's fine." Mark cuts off, declining his offer. "I'm feeling a tad generous today."
Jaemin and Jeno exchange worrisome glances. They're used to being the ones paying for group meals, no matter what the occasion, for they live comfortably under the auspices of their wealthy parents who regularly lends them generous amounts of 'pocket money'. Contrast to them, Renjun and Mark are usually the most sensitive regarding the topic. It's not like they have a stable income from a YouTube career like Donghyuck, an overprotective yet loving household like their youngest Jisung, or a benignant 'foundation' from overseas funding their studies and living costs like Chenle, they're just mostly on their own. Renjun leeches money from his single widowed mother, whereas Mark has no one else in his house, just him and all of the inheritance his late parents left to him. So it is rather probable for the well-to-do duo to be at least a bit concerned of their senior's incitement to cast such heavy transaction.
"Don't worry, I did not completely butcher Mark-hyung's money. Hehe. Eat up, eat up!" Jisung passes plates of decent unburnt meat like relay race batons, faces of his older brothers light up as he did so. "I ate all the scorched ones with Chenle, they're actually not that bad. Here, try some." He scoops a chunk of meat, hastily forcing it into Donghyuck's mouth.
Donghyuck almost spews it out of reflex, the grilled barbecue vacated from the fire right into his mouth successfully burns his tongue. He coughs painfully but manages to rebound, digesting the food just for the sake of Jisung. "It's not that bad, other than the fact you almost BURNT ME TO DEATH!"
Jisung lets out a guiltless chuckle as he continues to scarf down the dinner he has proudly contributed on making.
Normally dumbfounded by the presence of food, the boys don't bother to revive the dissipating conversation as they occupy themselves with their own plates, devouring the best meal they could probably have full-team. The other patrons can only sigh in relief knowing that there's actually something that can shut them up. The recurring silence is somehow interrupted by the sound of Jeno's ringtone chiming. Still grinding a bountiful amount of marinated beef and lettuce wrap with his teeth, he grabs his phone to see who's calling. "It's Doyoung-hyung."
Mark bounces off his seat. "Why is he calling?"
"No idea." Jeno quickly swallows what's left on his mouth before answering the phone, not wanting to leave his temperamental brother waiting. "Hm, yes, hyung?"
"He's probably congratulating you for getting accepted to his company," Chenle suggests with his mouth full, melded pap flying all over the place. Renjun stares at him in disgust and shoves him a tissue to wipe his lips.
"Perhaps he's asking for me," Donghyuck voices out his desperation shamelessly.
"Dream on, sunshine." Jaemin sputters.
"He's asking for Donghyuck," Jeno gets off the call abruptly and immediately jolts the phone to the latter.
"What?!" Mark sputters.
Donghyuck flashes a satisfied grin, deep down, stunned by the fact that one of his brazen bull turns out to be true. "What are the odds~ SM Entertainment is finally scouting me~" He turns the phone on speaker and clears his throat before speaking to the surly director. "Hello, Mr Jeno's-Stepbro-ssi, how can I help you?"
"Haechan-ah! I'm glad you answered. Let me just cut to the chase." Doyoung's smug voice pierces just the same in phone calls as it is in real life. "I need you to give a good review on our new VR game coming out the fourth quarter of this year."
The anticipation in Donghyuck's voice quickly dissipates. The other boys bite their lips to stop themselves from laughing, for they know damn sure Doyoung won't tolerate any forms of humour enacted. "And why should I do that?"
"You know you're the best choice that we have for this." His voice appears as if he did not expect the boy to rebound with an elucidative question, but he still elaborates.
"More like you have no other choice."
Mark eyes him anxiously, but no reprimands have yet to be made.
"I'm sorry?" Doyoung doesn't sound too happy with his response.
"I've heard about this new, million-dollar project of SM's, focusing on the use of 'too-realistic-to-be-true' VR." Donghyuck snarks. "The idea of what, 'avatars as companions'? I've seen the concept pictures of your AI girlies, seems like you didn't have enough money to give them decent clothes, huh?"
"Lee Donghyuck!" Mark exclaims.
Jeno nervously moves to takes his phone away from him. "Okay, I think that's enough..."
Donghyuck dodges his hand before Jeno gets closer. Doyoung breathes heavily through the phone, just seconds away from cussing. "So, what are you implying?"
"Don't bring me down with you." He answers feverishly. "I know you're desperate on getting revenue – me too, every day – but I won't stoop that low just to save that horrid project of yours. If you're looking for a stumbling block, then don't come for me. I'm not interested in your crap." He ends the phone call before the director could even get a chance to yell at him. "Thanks, Jen. It would probably be an appropriate time for you to block him now."
Jeno is unresponsive, he just stares at him in absolute disbelief. Mark, on the other hand, drops his head down low, sobbing tremendously. "I'm so gonna get fired on my first day."
Jaemin pats his back to calm him. "No, you're not."
"Uh... why did you think that's a good idea?" Renjun gawks at Donghyuck, fighting the urge to punch him in the face. "That was the marketing director of SM Entertainment, and you just hung up on him!"
"I wanted him to experience a taste of his own iniquity." Donghyuck shrugs it off without further arguments. "You know, what it feels like to be rejected. To be treated lightly. Don't worry, I'll prolly get back to him tomorrow."
Mark aches in sorrow. "My job is on the line here..."
"Your job's fine, your job's fine." Jeno quells the oldest with a tight smile, seemingly wondering how this day ended up slumping in a muddy path.
Jisung sweeps what's left on grill, internally amused by the fact that none of his hyungs realized he's been stealing all the meat as they were too pre-occupied by Donghyuck's conversation with the director.
+++
"Renjun-ah, I won't be taking a no as an answer." The tiny woman reaches for his son's hand but to no avail. The several pages of paper money flop diffidently as her arms dangle up in the air, creating an immediate distraction.
Renjun dodges every time, making use of his slender figure as he did so. "No mom, just keep it."
"But what about your lunch, and your pocket money-"
"I still got some of my own." He cuts her off. "Mark-hyung treated us dinner yesterday, so I got enough to last till' the end of the week, trust me."
"Mark treated you? Ah, that generous boy. Would you like to treat your friends a pleasant meal too, my dear? I can spare you my monthly expense if you're down-"
"No. Look, mom, your monthly expense is probably as much as Jaemin gets in a week. I don't think I'm obligated to feed them at all, even if they're my closest friends." Renjun quickly gets away from her clutches, smiling distinctively as he did so. "I'm gonna leave now, got some last-minute research to do on the library before morning lecture. Have fun at work, I love you, bye!"
"Huang Renjun!" Before she gets the chance to throw the money at him, Renjun has already disappeared from her sight, sprinting his way towards the five-story-length stairs. Once he leaves the apartment complex, he commutes an early trip to his campus not so far from where his apartment is located.
The more he sees his mother, the more he feels bad about being such a helpless nuisance. He has no time to get a part-time job as his med school schedules do not even spare time for him to breathe; also, his stamina is relatively weaker than average boys. His mom works as an accountant in an inchoate startup company, so she also couldn't offer much other than paying for his exorbitant tuition fees.
It's not like he always declines his mother's offers of money. In fact, he has grown attached by its capability, especially after hanging out with Jeno and Jaemin and experiencing half of the luxury they have. This time, it's not a matter of if he wants it or not, but rather whether he deserves it or not. Still related to the disasters of his practical exams he had yesterday, he just doesn't feel like it's right for him to quickly receive precious dough from his mother like that, especially when it's obvious he hasn't done entirely his best for his academic scores. The remorse is long engraved on his bustling heart, and the chances of him letting the guilt-trip subside still lay low.
I'm not gonna be a burden to my mom today. He says to himself as he waits in front of the bus stop, fiddling his fingers at the edge of his pockets. I shouldn't even get myself lunch today if it's necessary-
His phone buzzes. He takes a peek of the notification and then groans.
You have received 25,000 won from Mom.
+++
Everyone is bound to experience a miracle at least once in their lives. To Chenle, his miracle is to live precisely next door to the neighbourhood's celebrity household: the pretentious Kims. Notably, because Lee Jeno is a part of them.
Chenle has never understood their family politics – besides, the only people he's most likely to interact with is indeed, his considerate hyung Jeno, and his conceited stepbrother, Doyoung. Other than that, he relies on his landlord ahjumma, who knows the outs and abouts of the knitted community, especially because she lived there for almost half a century. He knows that Jeno's father is a part of Forbes Korea's top 50 wealthiest people in the country. He also knows that his first wife died in a car crash just a few months after they had Doyoung, only to be quickly replaced by another woman of which they had Jeno. He knows that although Doyoung isn't in good terms with both his father and his stepmother, he would still lay his life to protect Jeno, his one and only soft spot.
Chenle also knows that he has managed to make a good impression in front of this conflicted neighbour of his, so every time he asks to hitch a ride to school or order some fried chicken with Jeno, his wish would usually be granted.
This explains how he's able to comfortably perch on the backseat of a Mercedes-Benz, with SM Entertainment's marketing director on the wheel and his charming stepbrother taking shotgun. The plan is to get Jeno to his campus, but because they'd pass by Chenle's school on the way to go there, it's hard to miss the open opportunity. Chenle usually just stays silent because Doyoung orders him to do, as the brothers bond on their morning conversation (Doyoung usually does all the talking).
"I just can't stand your mother," Doyoung mutters bitterly, one hand on the wheel and the other on his forehead, caressing his headache away.
Jeno doesn't appear to be surprised by his tone. "What she's done now?"
"You do know father's will of inheritance is currently on the making, right?"
"I've heard from a couple of housemaids saying so. Is that why he hasn't left his room?"
Chenle knows that this is a rather sensitive topic, but as he couldn't resist his curiosity over such juicy drama, he scoots closer to get a good listen.
"Yeah. He's not forthcoming on any particular individual but well... you know... your mom." Doyoung grunts, "She's trying to encourage him not to leave anything for my mother's family. Not even for her sisters, can you believe that? Just because she's not here anymore doesn't mean she's doesn't deserve it. Those early years of building the company into what it is now and then what? Leave her down the ditch along with the memories they've made?" he scoffs. "I may not remember her, but I certainly do know dad's much happier when he was with mom."
Ouch. Chenle expects Jeno to defend the woman, but the latter instead nods his head in accordance.
"She does have ignoble intentions for the family. I must admit that." Jeno nibbles on the buttons of his jacket as he stays remotely reticent.
"You know what's worse? She's not even doing it for you." Doyoung grumbles, his foot ignoring the car brakes as he accelerated his speed. "I understand if she wants her catch to be a lot more than me, but she's planning on cutting off your inheritance too. You, her own son! She's shameless and she knows it!"
"The decision's still up to father, right?" Jeno murmurs, "I trust him on this. He knows what to do."
"Jeno-yah... he's gentle as a dove. He's just like you – no, you're just like him. You know yourself." Doyoung shakes his head. "Turning down a favour just makes you feel bad. Your mom's not only gonna ask him once, but she's also gonna terrorize him until his deathbed. Unfortunately, he's too kind to even go against her."
Jeno shrugs. "Then let her take my share, I don't mind."
"What?" This time, not only Doyoung raises his voice, but Chenle too. Jeno's imperative answer has caused Doyoung to abruptly hit the brakes, muddled in disbelief.
Chenle is fully aware that his incredulous reaction has caused him great trouble, especially in Doyoung's crib. Still, he's just going to make use of this situation anyway by voicing out his opinion. "There's a thin line between being nice and being stupid, and I feel like you're having trouble differentiating it!"
"He's not supposed to say that out loud but for once I agree with the little guy!" Doyoung exclaims.
"I know you couldn't care less about the luxury, that dream of yours is just you striving for a better world for animals but hyung, none of that's ever gonna happen without money, without a baseline, without anyone to fund a non-profit organization–"
"Okay, okay. I get it. Hyung, please stop by the café. Jaemin's in morning shift." Jeno cuts off Chenle's arguing session short before it even started and gestures at his brother to stop by his friend's shop.
Doyoung grunts, but he doesn't shoot back at him. It's not like he's able to do so to his too-good-to-be-true brother. He instead glares at Chenle from the rear mirror. "Raise your voice like that again, I won't hesitate to throw you off the toll road."
"Well-noted, Doyoung sir." Chenle cringes. He hastily takes off his seatbelt. "Jeno-hyung, let me come with you! I wanna meet Jaemin-hyung—"
Doyoung locks the doors of the backseat before Chenle could even leave. "Hey, what gives?"
"You're staying here. I won't be fooled again, remember that one time you went out of 'meet jaemin' but you ended up running away and skipping school?"
Chenle laughs nervously, disappointment diffusing from the pit of his stomach.
"Besides, Jeno knows your order anyway. Jeno-yah," Doyoung passes him his black card. "Buy one for Jaemin too, if you want."
Jeno nods lightly and takes the card. "I'll be right back." He makes his way to the small shop that appears to be packed with customers, despite it being a harsh, cold morning. He catches the sight of Jaemin in the barista bar, clearly unfazed by the surrounding patrons staring at him dreamily. "Jaemin-ah,"
"Ooooh, Lee Jeno." Jaemin uses his finger to signal him to come closer.
Jeno skims the area filled with hopeful glances, unfazed. "I see there's a distinct increase of customers while you're on shift. It's as if they're only here to see you."
"On the contrary, you also come only when I'm on shift."
Jeno sneers. "You know that's not the same."
"Isn't it though?" Jaemin drops the subject before it results to him embracing his egoistic ass too much. "Just the usual?"
"Yup. Can you please add another shot on mine, though?"
"Hm. Rough day?"
"I had an argument with Doyoung-hyung. It was not nice." Jeno sighs as he slides the card to the card reader himself. "Also, Doyoung wants to buy you an AA. Your usual 4 shots espresso would do."
"Yup, yup, as he should." Jaemin happily inputs his order to the bill. "How about Chenle? Are you sure it's a good idea for you to leave him with your stepbrother like that?"
Chenle is drawing sad faces on the car window. "Just so you know, as much as I like ditching school, I'm still the smartest in my year. Smarter than Jisung, too."
Doyoung stares at the stagnant road with a blank face. "Chenle-yah."
"Yes?"
"What kind of person is Donghyuck?" That shameless boy has barely left his mind ever since he snapped at him on the phone the other night, and to be fair, Doyoung has the whole incident on repeat even on his sleep to the point he's too exhausted to even be mad anymore. At this point, he just wants to get his job done as soon as he can.
Chenle was about to open his mouth before he curses in realization. "No, I'm a good friend. I'm not going to expose his precious career plans just like that, especially to you!"
"That's not what I meant—"
"Wait, did you just say Donghyuck?" Chenle blurts out. "You never call him that! You always call him by his business name, Haechan. You've never been interested in him as.. Donghyuck."
Doyoung believes that this conversation could've been cut short if only the boy let him explain himself before making any false assumptions. "Exactly. I'm asking him as Donghyuck. I only know him as Johnny's favourite student and a pain in the ass."
"It's no surprise that he's his favourite. That kid's a child prodigy. He's smart in literally everything." Chenle says like the absolute fanboy he is. "You think Mark-hyung's a great programmer? Wait until you see Lee Donghyuck in action. Everything Mark knows and does, Donghyuck knows more and does it better. It's not like I'm badmouthing Mark-hyung or anything, but that's the truth. He knows it, I know it, and Haechan sure as hell knows it too. I've been a fan of Donghyuck-hyung before I even got to Korea, for I knew his channel before he even reached 10k subscribers. He's something else, alright."
Wow, this kid's whipped. "Even if he's as good as you say he is, do you really think I can justify his juvenile behaviour?"
"I mean, he frequently brags about his income and his intelligence, but I think that's about it." Chenle shrugs. "He's arrogant, just like you. What makes him different is that he actually does have quality."
Doyoung scratches the car window, resulting a foul, screeching noise. "... what did you just say?"
Chenle quickly gets on his knees, pleading, "Please don't kill me, I haven't created my channel with Jisung yet."
Doyoung fights the urge to hit the child as he straightens his back on the driver's seat, sighing. "Do you know anything about him and Jeno?"
"Donghyuck?" Jaemin scribbles the latter's name on the cup as they go on with their small talk. "Oh, you mean the videos for his channel thing? Yeah, we've been recording together a lot."
"I hope you're alright. You know he can be a little bit... thin-skinned, especially for something he's really passionate about."
"Jeno, he's my friend, just as much as he's one to you." Jaemin bites his lip to stop himself from exposing anything. "Well except, maybe you're something more to him."
Jeno blinks too abruptly to look natural. "What do you mean?"
"I think you know what I mean." Doyoung glares at Chenle once again, the rear mirror about to break by the heat of the tension. "Is there anything.. between the two?"
Chenle sneers. "Please. Everyone knows they're head over heels for each other except for themselves."
"You gotta be joking."
"I wish I'm not. It's getting frustrating, seeing them like that, Jesus." Chenle wiggles to get rid of the cringe. "Donghyuck treats everyone like shit. Everyone, even Mark-hyung, his childhood friend. But to Jeno-hyung, he treats him differently. Never made fun of him like he does to everyone else. The favouritism, it's really showing."
"But doesn't Jeno has that effect on everybody? I don't think anyone dares to do him any harm."
"Yeah, but Donghyuck-hyung?" Chenle shakes his head. "The guy does no exceptions, not even to girls. Jeno-hyung really is his only exception."
Doyoung feels like his headache is only getting stronger just by listening to Chenle's elevations. He stalks by the window, meeting the sight of Jeno and Jaemin conversing with each other. "Why... why must it be Donghyuck? Why not Jaemin, he looks fairly decent for his age. He's gentle, poise, and clearly knows more manners than that other nitwit."
"Yah, Lee Jeno." Jaemin calls him in the middle of him brewing Doyoung's morning tea. "I don't know if you want to know this, but I took a big shit this morning and it felt amazing."
"Ugh, TMI much?" Jeno looks at him disgusted as he takes a sip of his own coffee. "Anyway, any plans to meet up with Hyuck today? You know, for the video."
Jaemin shrugs. "You know I'm almost free at all times, so I usually just wait for his call."
"Hm. Yeah, it does starting to feel like he's always busy." Jeno doesn't even try to hide his frown. "His career is one thing, but he also never has the time to leave the social science campus either. Hm. Kind of unfortunate, to say the least."
Jaemin examines him from afar before voicing out his blatant assumption. "Lee Jeno, are you jealous?"
"Jealous?" Doyoung scoffs at Chenle's question. "Definitely not. I just want the best for Jeno, that's all. I don't want him to ever get through the heartbreak of getting mistreated by the people he gave his heart to, for he obviously doesn't deserve that."
"Are you speaking from experience, Mr Kim?" Chenle asks curiously. "You sound very much distressed as if you've gone through it yourself."
Before Doyoung gets a chance to reply, Jeno has already left the building, holding their drinks side by side. "Look at how cosy you both have gotten, makes me realize that you look like actual brothers. Chenle-yah, want to switch places with me?"
"If that means I get to live in your mansion, I'm in."
Doyoung feverishly shakes his head as he opens the door for Jeno. "Just get in."
Not long after they leave the cafe, they reach their next stop which is Chenle's school. Chenle gets off the car, visibly getting most of his peers' attention, especially when he gets off the car alongside their legendary alumna, Lee Jeno.
His campus is only a few blocks away from the school. Though all of them go to the same university (except for Jaemin who chose to apply for a teaching accreditation instead) they all still study in different buildings and complexes, making it hard for them to meet up in between classes. Renjun's schedules are always packed with only fast breaks, whereas Donghyuck usually uses his time to sleep because he used his night to edit videos, leaving Jeno alone with Mark. It's not like it's a bad thing – he's cool with Mark-hyung and all – but it gets lonely when they usually go everywhere together as seven when they were still at highschool.
"You're going straight to work after this?" Jeno asks Doyoung as they get closer to the campus's entrance.
Doyoung hums. "Nah, I think I'm going to drop by for a bit."
"What?" Jeno bounces off his seat. "No, please don't. You're gonna embarrass me in campus and that's the last thing I want you to do."
"Relax, I'm just going to meet Johnny and have a little chat."
"If you're meeting Johnny that means you're gonna meet Hyuck too and that means, god—" Jeno squirms. "Oh my. You're gonna commit murder in broad daylight."
Before Jeno can even argue, the latter has already taken a u-turn, dropping him in front of the life sciences campus. "His building shouldn't be too far from here, right?"
The undergraduate shakes his head. "I won't tell you. You meeting Hyuck is the last thing I wish to happen but if you do," he returns his drink to the beverage holder of Doyoung's car, "Please, give this to him. His morning classes are usually a trainwreck."
"How thoughtful of you." Doyoung says to him half-heartedly, but he did not reject the boy's request. "Don't worry, I'll give this to him after I finish ripping his head off."
"Hyung, please be nice."
"No." Doyoung rolls back the car window, leaving Jeno with a tight-lipped smile.
+++
"Any last words from Team B?" Despite the spacious area, Johnny's voice resonates, lousily interferencing by the ends of the miniature courtroom.
Donghyuck was just thinking elsewhere when Soobin elbows him hard, signalling him to talk. He slumps on his seat, smittened by the fact that he has to carry the whole team on his back because everyone just naturally expects him to do so. "I'd like to say that we should hurry up so that I can hurry and get lunch. What about that?"
His morning classes usually consist of regular debate sessions, with different topics and teams every change of day. The courtroom reeks of baseless arguments, unprepared shit-talk, and lame clapbacks that don't even make any sense. All of that just to get extra credits and praising remarks by their mascot professor, Johnny Seo — a Harvard graduate, does lectures in TED, is a law consultant in many well-renowned companies — yeah, you get the catch. Donghyuck was just about to get up his seat when suddenly a female voice calls him from across the room. "Lee Donghyuck, you are mocking me."
"And in what way have I done you like so, Heejin-ssi?" Donghyuck asks faintly, clearly unbothered by her sudden confrontation. Jeon Heejin, 2nd brightest on his year just behind.. himself, of course. Her diligence does the work, unlike Hyuck, who usually relies on his top-notch brain and his neverending good luck. One-to-one competition aside, they consider each other as a reliable helping hand, especially to survive a horrid mid-semester.
"The debate earlier, you were holding back." She argues, "You couldn't be more obvious, huh? Was that a way for you to make me owe you a favour? By not contributing anything for your team and unmistakenly gave my team a smooth win?"
"In my defence, my team sucked."
"That never stopped you from acting like a complete, intelligent jackass on court. What made you stop talking?"
"Can't you at least be grateful that I finally have other thoughts distracting me from excelling school? It's too good of an opportunity and I'm here just giving you a free headstart."
A beat, and then she answers. "Well, if you say so. Not that I'm curious of what's bothering you anyway."
Donghyuck raises his eyebrow. "Not even a tiny bit?"
"If it's not about our classes— which I'm sure it isn't because you have sure have no problems academically, you can memorize a whole book by just skimming through it effortlessly which is way beyond the range of your local geniuses — then I simply do not care." Her timidity is quickly replaced with a playful tone. "Can I take a wild guess, though?"
Donghyuck shrugs. "Enlighten me."
"Is it about Shotaro?"
"Who's Shotaro?"
"The exchange student from Japan," Donghyuck follows her gaze that led him to a young blonde stranger who's sitting across the room, his shuffling footsteps kindle a sign of nervousness. "Osaki Shotaro. He has a gaming channel, just like you. Only a quarter of your subscribers, but he's still living comfortably with a steady gain every week."
"Ah yes. I know him." Donghyuck is quite updated by the rising stars of the gaming community, and Shotaro has managed to get his attention, even by just a few uploads. He recalls the latter private messaging him in awkward, translated English, and he unironically finds it cute. Endearing, even.
Thinking of him has undoubtedly become an effective magnet, because all of the sudden Shotaro has already headed towards him, grinning ear-to-ear. "Haechan-senpai, it's an honour to finally meet you in person," he greets in awkward-sounding Korean. "My name is Shotaro, I don't know if you remember me but—"
"Of course I remember you." Donghyuck warms the situation with a genuine smile. "Didn't expect our first meeting to be under these circumstances, but let's just say that it was faith that brought us together. Looking forward to seeing you more."
Shotaro bows down 90 degrees to the extent Donghyuck felt guilty for not stopping him from doing so. "Yes. I will learn a lot from you as well, Haechan-senpai."
"Please, call me Donghyuck. We're the same age, right?"
"Yes.. Donghyuck." The boy gleams in excitement. "See you later! And Heejin, it's nice to meet you as well!" They watch the boy disappear into the crowd, taking all the jovial atmosphere along with himself.
"Ah, he's like a breath of fresh air." Donghyuck sighs. "Doesn't look like someone who spends his time studying law."
"Don't you think that it's too much to be a coincidence?" Heejin crosses her arms. "Any possibilities of him turning out to be a stalker who went all the way down to Korea just to get to know you?"
"If that's the case, then I'm gonna appreciate his effort anyway," Donghyuck stares at the crowd of people lining up the exit, wishing to get a glimpse of Shotaro once again. "It's not everyday you can get yourself a super-fan."
"Ugh, you're weird." Heejin nudges him by the shoulder. "Anyway, if you're gonna get in trouble just for letting my team win on that debate, that's on you."
"Lee Donghyuck." The boy turns around to see Johnny on the miniature judges' panel, pointing his index finger right at him. "Come here, we need to talk."
"Bingo. That's my cue to leave." Heejin puts her hand on the latter's shoulder, patting him. "Thanks for the extra credits."
"If you keep pointing that out, I'm really gonna consider you owing me a favour." Donghyuck rolls his eyes, but he puts his hand over the girl's indirectly showing his appreciation for her words of kindness. He then makes his way towards Johnny, cutting him straight to the point. "Yeah, I know I was slacking on today's class."
"Uh well, no, that wasn't what I wanted to talk about. You did great, by the way." Johnny rests his back on his desk, eyes visibly gazing at Donghyuck. "Doyoung called me last night. He was furious."
Donghyuck grumbles. "Well, me too. No surprise there."
"He asked me to encourage you into doing what he wants, and I'm telling you this because I'm awfully diplomatic—"
"Tell him not to worry because I'm doing it."
".. what?" Johnny looks at him, stunned. "What changed your mind?"
"Didn't reject it on the first place, I just wanted to stall him for a moment. You know, to make him realize that I'm actually quite an important asset of his." Donghyuck answers lightly. "Maybe he can now acknowledge me as a part of the SM Entertainment's PR Team."
"You still want to work there? After all this time?" Johnny laughs. "I really don't understand you. I thought you despised Doyoung."
"That doesn't undermine the fact that SM's still an important name in the gaming industry." Donghyuck points out. "And you, in fact, have an important name in SM itself.."
"How ironic of you encouraging foul play in front of a law consultant."
"You're a lawyer too, by the way, best on both sides."
"Unfortunately, your wish is beyond my capabilities." Johnny sighs. "If you request on getting into SM through your law accreditations, then I would gladly sponsor you. But as a programmer? That's up to the directors' to decide." Johnny glances up. "Speaking of the directors..."
After half an hour asking for directions, Doyoung has finally made his way to the social science campus, his body freezing after spending enough time in the open air with unsuitable clothing. Once he's indoors, he unmistakably hits someone by the shoulder, a result of him sprinting ever-so-frantically. He curses. "Jesus Christ—"
He stops at the sight of the young man, glaring at him with eyes piercing like knives. He had blond hair, small stature, and he clearly looks like he's not from here. "SM Entertainment." He mutters.
"Uh, what?" Before Doyoung could even make up his mind whether to consider that as his fault or the latter's, the pissed man had already made his way out of the building, leaving him without acknowledging him again. Doyoung has his eyebrows raised, as he holds on to the courtroom door to support his withered knuckles.
"Kim Doyoung!" He turns around to see Johnny with, fortunately, or unfortunately, the infamous Haechan. "You look worn-out."
"Yeah, a scary blond guy glared at me judgmentally just now. What's his problem?"
"Blond?" Donghyuck tilts his head, thinking of every blond person in his class just now. "Sparkly eyes, nice smile, green shirt?"
"The first and second statement don't fit his criteria but yes, he had a green shirt." Doyoung takes off his spring coat, sighing relentlessly. Johnny gets up and gives him a spontaneous massage, calming him.
"Green shirt and faded blue jeans?" Johnny asks, Doyoung nods. "That must be Osaki Shotaro, the exchange student from Japan."
Donghyuck shakes his head. "Definitely not. Shotaro looks like the nicest person in the planet, there's no way that's him."
"He did look at me in the eye with a gaze that was definitely meant to kill me." Doyoung pats Johnny's hand on his shoulder, signalling him not to stop. "He also muttered 'SM Entertainment' with a dead look on his face."
Donghyuck clicks his tongue, comfortably conversing with the man whom he had mercilessly rejected on the phone just a few hours ago. "Well, he is known as a gamer who does not place his support on games from big companies, including SM. He only does walkthroughs of indie games, I guess there's a reason behind that too."
Before he forgets, Doyoung extends Jeno's cup to Donghyuck. "Here. Jeno asked me to give this to you."
Donghyuck blinks a few times before replying. "Jeno.. got me this?"
"No, this is his. Told me to give it to you once he knew I came to see you. Don't reject it, you're just gonna waste my money."
Donghyuck happily takes the beverage from him, especially when it's from Jeno. The familiar smell greets him. It's his and Jeno's favourite drink. "It's from Jeno. Got this from Jeno. Ah.. thank you." He has trouble hiding his blush as he sips the cup. "Tastes a bit stronger than usual. Did he add an extra shot? What happened? Is he feeling unwell?"
"Jesus, I did not come for this." Doyoung shoves Johnny's hands away, telling him to stop. "I'm here for the game review. Haechan-ssi, don't make me say this to you one more time—"
"I'm gonna do it."
"Wait, what?" Doyoung stops. "That easy?"
"I was about to do it anyway, I stalled so that I can piss you off a bit. Didn't expect you to come all the way just to meet me, though." He glances at Johnny who nods, confirming that this is his best time to strike. "Although I must say, it would be incredible if you.. at least, consider me in the programmer position."
"Wow, you're very dense." He chuckles. "Besides, you gotta get Seulgi's attention in order to do that. Or at least Yuta's."
"Uh, who are these people?"
"Seulgi's the creative director of SM, Yuta's the head programmer just below her." Johnny answers. "Any chances of him charming Taeyong along the way? Ain't that the strongest move?"
"Lee Taeyong, the executive director?" Donghyuck nods earnestly. "Ah, why didn't I think of that? Should've gone big or gone home."
"Well, consider this task I'm giving you as a way to get you to Taeyong." Doyoung scavages through his bag, searching for something.
"He's useless though, don't put too much trust on him," Johnny warns him, though with good nature.
"I'm not useless."
"Of course you are. You're his ex, you haven't talked with him for months—" Johnny stops himself from exposing anything else, but Donghyuck has certainly gotten the memo.
"Interesting." Donghyuck comments sinisterly with an obscure smirk.
"That's none of your business." Doyoung pulls out a small, circular device and gives it to him. "Here's our new game, packed with a pair of contacts and slim earbuds. They're used to enter the Flat: the world where the story takes place."
"Wow, it's so small." Donghyuck feels the item on his hand, knowing damn sure that this is worth a fortune. "When you said VR, I didn't expect an actual, travel kit that you can bring wherever you go."
"Congrats, you've finally grasped the idea of the concept." Doyoung points his finger on the sleek device. "I want you to use it carefully and report the results to me. Nothing major, just make sure you can confirm if it's playable or not."
Donghyuck fumbles the casing with his fingers. "And if I do this correctly?"
"If a nice comment about you to Taeyong is all you needed, then I'll give it to you," Doyoung says loud and clear. "I'm gonna take Johnny with me if it's necessary."
A new toy, and a win-win deal. Donghyuck uses his hand to lift Jeno's cup and the other to shake Doyoung's hand. "I'll do my best."
"Of course you will, Haechan-ssi." Doyoung laughs faintly. "Don't want Mark to lose his job on his first day, don't you?"
+++
"The filming might need to wait, Jaemin-ah. Doyoung just gave me a new task."
"Doyoung? That's weird." Jaemin says aridly through the phone. From the sounds of it, it's most likely that he's currently munching down his late lunch. "Just tell me when you're available, okay?"
Though the news came out capricious, Donghyuck already had clear plans as to what he has to do the moment he leaves campus, that is to clear his room and tuck his grandma for a short nap so that he can play with the new experimental piece Doyoung lent him earlier that day. The grandma part, though questionable, is indeed a crucial step; noxious things tend to happen when he's meddling with VR games, such as him knocking off furniture and stumbling upon anything that lingers near. For that particular reason, keeping her in bed is strongly considered as the safest alternative, for both her well-being and himself.
With Jeno's cup — already left empty for hours — still on his grip, he shortly ponders whether to throw it away or not. He decides to rinse its insides a bit and leave it on his desk until he can figure out what to do with it. He then takes out Doyoung's device and gives it a cursory glance. The casing is smooth and metallic, and just like what Doyoung previously mentioned, he opens the lid to find a pair of earbuds and contact lenses. Without considering any other safety precautions, he fingers the surface of the transparent lenses and bats them into his eye. He never experienced using prescription lenses himself, so now he can only hope that he's using it correctly without damaging his already tenuous pupils. He proceeds to put on the strange-looking earbuds before inclining into his couch, closing both of his eyes and let the machine does it work.
Uh.. what should I be doing, exactly?
He notices a faint light appearing by the edges of the eyes sealed shut darkness, which could be a sign that it's probably working. He gradually opens his eyes, trying to grasp his surroundings. He notices that he's not in his room anymore, and rather than his sofa, he's now amidst a bed of flowers — sunflowers, to be exact — perched across an outdoor field that appears to have no end. Appalled by the realistic graphics, he takes his time to appreciate the salubrious view. An artificial sun shines above him, relying upon the light rather than heat to make it more believable.
So this is what the million dollars budget was for, Donghyuck says in his heart. Kim Doyoung, I won't argue for now.
Seeing how advanced their technology has become, Donghyuck gains confidence, feeling a bit auspicious for the actual game itself. Not even massive companies from overseas could ever create a virtual world as detailed as this —he felt as if was he transported to somewhere within Korea's rural regions even he's still in the comforts of his own bedroom. He carefully straddles forward, making sure not to step on any of the artificial flowers. Of course, he didn't want to mess with anyone in this world, even if it's all just a simulation.
"Uh, where's the 'start game' option or anything?" He turns upwards to the sky, hoping to find something new to pry on after minutes of walking. He notices the sound of bustling wind coming from afar, and that's why he's been trying to track it down but to no avail. "Am I only supposed to check the server, or..."
"Welcome to the Flat, user Haechan66."
"Holy shit," Donghyuck almost fell into the bed of flowers, the female voice in his head startling him to pieces. "Oh god, finally, where have you been all this time, customer-service woman?"
"Call me, Navi. I'm sorry, we weren't expecting any players for today. The servers are currently on post-production until further notice."
"Well, no shit. I can't find anything here, just a bunch of grass." Donghyuck grunts in disappointment, "Can you give me something to play with? I'm feeling a bit sore here."
"Would you like to equip some items in our inventory?"
"Yes, please."
A hologram appears right in front of him, temporarily pausing everything in the game arena. The inventory features a bunch of weapons and goods provided, but for some reason, they were all unavailable. "Uh.. I can't choose anything, apparently?"
"That is because the server's still on maintenance, forgive me." The hologram quickly dissipates just moments after it appeared, leaving Donghyuck feeling a bit disgruntled yet again.
"For god's sake, at least give me someone to talk to."
"I'm here with you, Haechan66."
"No, I mean someone I can actually interact with? Not some random voice in my head." Donghyuck shakes his head, the scenery upon him doesn't look as appealing as it was anymore. "What about those girls Doyoung mentioned? Aespa, are those their names? I thought they were the main characters or something."
"Would you like me to summon Ae-Karina?"
"Yeah, whoever, whatever. As long as she's available, I'm in—" Donghyuck wasn't exactly sure as to what happened, because the second he blinked amidst his little gabfest, he is suddenly in an empty train, again surrounded by an abundance of flowers. The wind's whirring sound is a lot clearer here, and it appears to be coming from the circular portal right in front of him. He walks towards the strange sight, hoping to examine its components a little more. The portal appears to be some sort of a black hole — or, at least like something he depicts a black hole to look like. He glides even closer, his hands touching the rails for support.
Just as he was about to drift further, he hears a voice from his other side. "Get away from there! It's dangerous!" A girl appears from the shadows, gesturing him to stay put. "Duck!"
He immediately does what he's told to, as a couple of house furniture are chucked out from the portal, almost coming in contact with him if it wasn't for the girl's warning. He turns around, seeing the figure of the latter still gesturing him to go to her side. He motions forward, hoping not to get hit by a flying car in the process. He follows the girl out the train, feeling a bit dizzy by having to do such tremendous acts just moments after complaining about his boredom. He is now back in the sunflower field, the artificial sun still kissing his skin generally as if nothing grand just happened. "What the hell was that?"
The chaos has left Donghyuck out of focus to the point he only got the chance to properly get a good look of the person he's with the moment he steps out of the train, and boy he did not expect the girl to look so inhuman. Like a cartoon character brought to life, the girl's animated figure seems somewhat misplaced in such a realistic backdrop, as if she was purposely made to appear caricatured. With navy-violet hair, plump lips, and a visible mole on her face, Donghyuck recalls seeing her on one of the character posters. He backs out in reflex. "Wow, okay, hello."
"What were you thinking? The portal is never a good place to begin with unless you want to get sucked into Kwangya." The girl crosses her arms judgementally.
"Could it kill me? If I get hit by one of those things." Donghyuck asks out of curiosity, making sure he wasn't eyeing the character as pungent as he already is.
"Well, it's not like you're around here. It's not going to harm you physically, but is going to cause you lives." The girl passes by the sea of sunflowers, gritting her teeth. "And then you're gonna be kicked out from The Flat for a few hours. It's gonna take a while to recharge."
So the contact lenses are gonna turn off by itself if I supposedly lose lives? Like the amounts of chances you get in an actual game. If I fail defending myself, then I would have to wait. Donghyuck circles around the latter, the only source of information he's had the whole trip. "How do you know I'm not from here?"
"You didn't come out from the portal; hence you're not from Kwangya. I'm not quite sure where you're from, but if I may guess, I'm assuming you're from the same world as My Karina," she smiles while saying so, as if the thought of this person appeared in her thoughts in a jovial manner.
Donghyuck raises his eyebrow. "Your Karina?"
"No, My Karina." She extends her arm to him, looking amiable than she previously was seconds ago. "Nice to meet you, Haechan66. I hope you're aware that you're not supposed to be here yet."
"Please, call me Donghyuck." Donghyuck meets her hand, not feeling anything within the touch, but for some reason, he knows that she's there. "And yes, the lady in my head told me earlier. I'm just here to check on a couple things."
"Well, I'm glad to have you as my first guest. The Flat, however, is not as lively as you think it'll be yet, so please do forgive me." This Karina figure runs her fingers through her silky hair. "There's only me at the moment. The other girls aren't in synk yet, that's why you can't meet them in the meantime."
"These girls you're talking about, are they the other aespa members?" Donghyuck asks. "Are they still inside that portal thing? In Kwangya?"
Karina nods. "This place we're in now, this is The Flat. We can talk and interact here, it's the place that keeps us connected. Though you're not exactly in here and your moves are limited, I can assure you that through everything that you've gone through here, you haven't moved an inch from where you are now in your world, so don't worry if you think you might've walked your way out of your house whilst your visions are still directed here."
"How does it work, exactly?"
"The illusion, it makes sure you're as sedentary as possible. Cool, right?"
"Uh, yeah, whatever," Donghyuck replies brusquely, feeling weary by the constant narration. "Can I ask you a question, though? It might come out rude."
"Ask away."
"Are you a program? Or some sort of a robot thing?" Donghyuck pauses before laughing at his own question. "Wait, of course, you're a program. You're a part of this game that I'm playing right now."
She gives him a knowing glance. "I can tell there's a 'but' right around the end of your sentence right there."
"But.."
"Say it out loud, Donghyuck. Don't be shy."
"You answer like a human." He finishes his sentence. "What is this, a Turing test?"
"'Answering like a human' is not a term that I would choose. I think it's better to say that I interact with you realistically like a living creature. Initiative. Unlaborious." She corrects him. "Yes, I might not appear humane to you, but that doesn't mean I'm not living."
Donghyuck feels like he just got sucked in into some Black Mirror shit and for what? Interacting with this girl just made him more confused than he previously was.
But Karina is still as welcoming, not even questioning his turbid expressions. "I'm sure you still want to hang around here a bit, but sadly the maintenance still needs to go on, and you being here will only slow the process, so I kindly ask you to leave."
"Hm, already?" Donghyuck sighs. "Well, it's not like I can do much here other than talking to you. What do you do anyway? You're just wandering here like a lost person."
"I have the ability to summon the Kwangya."
He scoffs. "I don't think you're doing a very good job at it."
"Well, I'm still learning." She rolls her eyes. "I'll get used to it in no time, and by then I could invite my friends over here to the flat. I'm sure you're gonna like Winter, she has that snarky personality of yours."
You mean she's programmed to have that personality. Donghyuck still can't grasp the fact that he's probably talking to a smart computer. "I hope she's good at combat, too. I need more action in The Flat."
"Oh, she's a fighter, alright." Karina chuckles as she heads closer to him. "It's nice talking to you, Donghyuck-ssi. You won't be able to use that device of yours for a while until I allow you to, okay? Don't try to come over again until I tell you so."
"And how exactly am I supposed to leave this game? I don't see any exit button anywhere."
"Well, not only I can summon the Kwangya, but I can also summon your presence in The Flat, too. That power includes, of course, kicking you out of here." She puts her hands on his shoulders, and Donghyuck doesn't even feel any weight from her grasps at all.
"And how would I know that I'm being summoned again?"
"Trust me, you'd know." She grins, his hands pushing him down his knees. "See you later, Donghyuck-ssi."
"Wait—"
Before he can even finish his sentence, he's already back in his bedroom.