Work Text:
Dread fills his senses as the mumbled buzz continues, filling up space in his room, restraining his breaths. He, for once, never thought an ancient object that he grew out love for has continued to live in his hundreds. A device hidden beneath the items he acquired from mini instances, wrapped in his first bloody outfit; A Memoriam to his mission when life threw him with a thin piece of rope and an empty feeling of losing someone important.
Unfortunately, he isn't dead hence the current situation he is in;
Soonyoung never liked to hear his phone ring. It reminded him of the silent ocean, a breeze filled with someone's laughter as a flow of waves pulled him under the darkness until he can no longer breathe. He always wonders why he still didn't throw the said object, but he feels a confusing sliver of hope about something, someone, so it stayed rotting in his cloth. It has always been like that, not until a familiar tune off bells chiming and humming voice spread in his quiet home.
His phone rang.
Even if its battery died a hundred years ago.
Scrambling towards the box, he lifts the things above it before he could see the bluish-green peeking out. Soonyoung grabs it and slowly unwraps the fabric, the sound-amplifying every time he removes a layer. Finally, he could see the gadget, his wallpaper of sun dusk mocking his eyes as it hisses for him to answer the call.
Sighing, he slides it right to the left, ending the call. Soonyoung huffs as he detaches the battery, throwing it at the trash can as he puts the phone back to the box; items still scattered on his floor.
Soonyoung is tired; he just returned from a barrier game with difficulty needing weeks to finish, having no brain cells left to solve the mystery presented to him.
Glancing at it one more time, he heads to his bed as he plops with his stomach, closing his eyes as the sleepiness engulfs him.
' Haven't I done this before?'
He thought as he ran towards his left, avoiding the blow of the large umbrella that produces a large thump when it crashes into the dirt. Soonyoung hides behind the metal rocks as the girl holding the umbrella screeches loudly as she chases after him.
" You wolf, how dare you take my grandma's cookies!"
Soony oung winces as the head of the umbrella scratches into the metal chain; before she opens it and jumps, the air pressure below her umbrella makes her float above him. Soonyoung made a slight movement with his hand. The thread entrapped around him dances and glistens under the sun. As he almost blows into his hand, A deva Ju suddenly hits him.
' I remembered someone is nearby that extinguishes my fire!'
Soonyoung swiped to his right, his thread following as it pierces through a tree nearby; His thread detaining a peculiar translucent person, quickly going to him as he pulls his arm upwards. He clenched his fist, making the thread tighten its hold with the individual who squirms and cries in pain.
" Get away from my grandma!"
The girl closes her umbrella, making her fall accelerated towards Soonyoung, who lifts his other arm, speedily making a spider web to protect him from the upcoming attack. Her umbrella was reflected by the web, making her bounce back from the damage.
Soonyoung whispers a sorry before his thread entraps the girl with the other, restraining their actions. He opened the watch on his wrist, clicking the finish button when the translucent person giggled uncontrollably as the girl watched in horror when her face suddenly oozes smoke.
"…Grandma…?"
" Oh, granddaughter, thank you for loving grandma." She said before she pierces the girl in her stomach and more smoke appears. Soonyoung winces when the girl vomits green blood as the 'grandma' slowly faces him, grinning widely.
" Young man, stardust can turn into useless sand." Soonyoung heard her before he completely glitches out, facing in front of the mirror in his bathroom where a congratulatory message popped out; Something that he remembered he saw yesterday too.
He sighed and got out of the bathroom, only to stop when he saw his room completely clean. Soonyoung felt his head throb, as no object has been touched, nothing is moved; Everything is too serene. Everything is too weird; Soonyoung swears he has experienced it already, the barrier game - Alice in Wonderland - except that it has been easier since he already knew what will happen.
Soonyou ng remembered him rummaging in his things, scattering everything on his floor and the phone call--
A twinkle, faint as fairy bells, rang out as if on a clue, and a soft voice follows. The phone's hum quickly fills Soonyoung's room. Steadily, he approaches the box and unravels every item before he is faced with a sun dusk wallpaper glaring at him. Soonyoung took a deep breath before answering the call.
The firs t few seconds have been met with silence as he stares at it, not sure if the nonexistent signal can make their call go through. He cleared his throat but was startled when a similar sound echoes back at him.
" Who are you?" He asked, but his question was hit with a burst of laughter.
" Kwon Soonyoung, let's…play?" the sound crackles through. Soonyoung felt his heart dropped when the light quickly dims in his room. Looking out at his room when the morning sky transitions tonight, the stars and the moon woke up, hanging menacingly in the dark blanket.
" H-how? This is the reality; you have no right to mess it," Soonyoung questions as the person on his phone let out a small chuckle.
" Bef ore you accuse me of such unusual happenings, I do not exist in your world, babe." Soonyoung scoffs at the end, but the person ignored him. "Just because it is the copy does not mean it is the truth."
" I'm still in the barrier game…?"
" Bingo!" The sound happily replied, followed by what sounds like a clap. Soonyoung went near to his window, watching the night sky glitter peacefully.
" Unless you are the reason that I am still in the game, why the fuck you are here?" Soonyoung questions the man roughly; the throbs in his head are now starting to hurt.
" I am a player in this game too."
" What?"
" I said I play in this shit too; hate the game, not the player. Well, they instructed me that I could use other methods to contact you, but I love hearing your voice," it said nonchalantly, making Soonyoung blush by its blatant flirting.
"...Have they told you the objectives?"
" Are you this stupid when you were young, Nyong?" Soonyoung felt a calming feeling surge in his system when he heard the nickname, confusing him further.
" What are yo u implying?"
" Well, as you may know, barrier games are a life or death play. You will get thrown out in a game with a new identity, new background. Act until you succeeded; In this case, you are Kwon Soonyoung, and I am just a mere sound coming out from your dead phone, your majesty!" Its sentence ends with a dramatic phone making Soonyoung sniffle a laugh.
" Can you tell me your name? I don't like how I am just calling you as you have said, 'a mere sound coming out of my supposedly dead phone'." Soonyoung told the other. It stopped answering, and Soonyoung for a second thought it was gone when it answered."
"….Just call me Ji."
" Nice to meet you, Ji. I'm Soonyoung."
" I know-" Soonyoung scratches his head. "- let us work hard so you will not be in your death bed, babe."
" Since we are done with formalities, should I go and observe the outside," Soonyoung said before nearing his door, stopping when he saw a note floating near it. He grabs it; a soft faint light shines on the surface before writings made by hand appeared.
" Dear Wolfie, what happens if your stardust in your hourglass turns into useless sand? Rot here as you can never go out when it is the night!" He reads to Ji, who only hummed in response. Soonyoung groans in annoyance when he realizes it is the grandma who trapped him.
" Huh, so you don't argue with people if they don't call you tiger?" Ji asked.
" What kind of stupid nickname is that?"
" Wow…this..is great. Amazing even, so you don't really call yourself tiger when you are younger." Soonyoung pulled his eyebrows together when he heard that.
" I have been wondering since earlier, but what the fuck do you mean by younger?"
" You will know soon, Nyong. Hopefully." There is a shaky breath in the other line, but a giggle soon follows it. "Go, let's explore the outside."
" Fuck, the clocks are going crazy, yet not an ounce of light appeared on the sky." Soonyoung moaned out loud as he rummages the drawer in the living room to find clues. He has been looking for anything that can help him answer their unanswered question on how to solve this, yet none have appeared to be helpful. All they currently have are many clocks in each room going in circles at the speed of light, yet no light appeared on the windows.
" Ji, have you thought of anything?" Soonyoung has been hearing wrinkling papers for the past hour and mumbling voice that made Soonyoung thinks he too is looking for answers.
" Nothing fuck, this is why I hate barrier games; these games are fucking stupid!" There is a crash in the other line making Soonyoung perk up in worry, hurrying to where he left his phone. Soonyoung heard a groan and an excited gasp, making Soonyoung tilt his head in confusion.
" We are stupid, God! We have been looking at useless things, not knowing that the answer may be in the object itself!."
" What are you talking about, Ji?"
" The clocks! We could try removing the batteries! That way, time will stop!" There is eagerness in his voice, making Soonyoung smile and thought of how cute the other person is-- 'This is not the time for it, Soonyoung.' He scolded himself.
" Let us try it," Soonyoung said before going to a nearby clock which is by the television. He tinkered with it for a while, removing the battery as well as making it into the morning. Before putting it back down and grins in satisfaction, he does that when they saw a hint of light appearing outside.
The following nearby clock is in the kitchen, so Soonyoung got his phone before walking towards it when the light dims again, and he heard a sound from the living room.
Tick Tock
Glancing back, he saw that the clock was running again in circles, the battery is still beside it.
" Ji…It does not work. The clock is on again."
" Okay, fuck! How about destroying it? Basic cliche storylines, destroying time." Ji reasoned out. Soonyoung doubts it, but he still went back to the television. He lifted it before throwing it at a nearby wall, making it utterly destroyed and into pieces.
" Now, walk back to the kitchen," Ji instructed Soonyoung, who follows it silently.
Tick Tock
Soonyoung quickly turned around to see a perfectly fine clock, Its hand staggering before turning into circles again as if it wasn't damaged at all.
" How was it, Nyong?"
" It bec ame excellently fine."
" Fuck this; how about turning it into my time?"
" Okay." He went to get the wall clock in the kitchen since he is nowhere and flips it back to see its mechanics.
" Time?"
" 10:43-44. 10:44 am!"
" Gotchu." Soonyoung turns the little knob, occasionally glancing at the front to see if he got the correct time. He rotated the knob to the right a bit before he nods in satisfaction and face it towards him, showing 10:44 am, the same time as Ji.
He hangs it at the wall clock, watching it go to 10:45 am before it crazily turned again. Frowning, he turns into his phone, where it lets out a whine.
" Judging from your reaction, it still did not work?"
" Yes, I'm sorry, Ji."
" Fuck, it's okay, Nyong. We can get you out of there, I promise." Soonyoung heard resolution in his voice. It made Soonyoung felt reassured and motivated to get this done quickly, which has never happened before since Soonyoung likes to solve things steadily. He wanted to get out too, but he wanted more to meet the person who encourages him like this.
" You really have a nice voice." Soonyoung suddenly said, even shocking himself when he heard himself say that. He listened to a struggled noise from the other before a soft chuckle that makes Soonyoung's heart flutter which he didn't understand.
" Aww, thank you, babe! Glad to show my service to you." Ji teased the other, who rolled his eyes in fake annoyance as Soonyoung walks back to the living room. Glancing outside, the twinkle of the stars makes him think that they are mocking him. Flopping down at his couch, he hears a hum in his phone, sending a wave of calmness despite the hopeless situation he is in right now. He finds the humming familiar until he remembered the ringtone of his phone.
" Ji…just who are you?"
"As I said, I am the mere sound of your dead-"
" Then why is my ringtone your voice?" There is dead silence, other than the clocks ticking and his breaths.
"…..Nyong, I do not exist in your world." Soonyoung swiped his palm in his face when a throb appeared in his head again.
" Ji, tell me the truth! You have told me that you were a player besides me and you are playing this game too. You have said it before; a copy cannot make it a reality; therefore, you exist because a game can not touch what it shouldn't touch--"
" Nyong, that's it!" Ji said abruptly, stopping Soonyoung's sudden outburst.
" What?"
" A co py cannot make it a reality, Soonyoung…a game cannot copy time itself; therefore, time does not exist. Morning or night do not exist here. Time is nonexistent!" He shouted. Soonyoung widens his eyes in realization, standing up as he quickly grabs the note put on the coffee table earlier. He reads it one more time and laughs in their stupidity.
" Fuck, night literally does not exist here. We are just played by fucking grandmother, oh my god." Soonyoung moans out, but he feels giddy inside when he hears a peal of happy laughter from the other. He suddenly feels sad when he remembered that he would probably never meet Ji again, making himself lets out a sigh.
" Kwon Soonyoung, get out of the door now so we could finish the game!" Ji told Soonyoung with enthusiasm, but Soonyoung sadly smiles. Even if their meeting was short, he now adores the other, from his laughter and humming voice, that he still could not figure out.
" It was nice meeting you, Ji, and even if we interacted shortly, it was fun." He sincerely said, but he was met with genuine laughter.
" Go d, Soonyoung, you are so formal when you are young! Don't worry; this won't be the last, so faster! Go into the door, and please leave the phone on the table." Soonyoung opened the door with a smile when he heard that as he left at the shoe table near it. He had step outside, and a light engulfs him when he suddenly turned back in surprise from what he heard.
" You are such a dork when you are a cub, goodbye future husband!"
" What the fuck, Ji?"
"Oh, I changed your ringtone to my voice, so listened to it hihi."