Chapter Text
Seven jolted awake, he was sweating, his black tank top was drenched that it’s sticking onto his skin. Same morning that he must saw every 11 days. He abruptly reached for his phone, checking his cellphone and digital clock on the nightstand. He saw the day and the date had gone back to 11 days ago. Again and again, the time was repeating itself. Reset. Mission failed, he failed to save MC. He lost the love of his life to someone else, again.
“....No..” He shook his head in disbelief, his voice was hoarse. “... God.. Please lend me some strength... I don’t know how many times I have to repeat this again and again...” He teared up as he clutched to his rosario pendant.
If it’s not for RFA, his brother, and MC, then he probably might end his life. Then... God would not be happy to see His mankind killing themselves, and nothing would be solved.
It took some times for Seven, to actually realize that the time around him had been repeating again and again every 11 days, and it’s only him who noticed and remembered everything. He didn’t dare to tell everyone in RFA what was going on, because it was just too horrible for him. It killed him slowly seeing MC walking down in church aisle, looking all happy and beautiful in white dress, married to either to Zen or Jumin or Yoosung in each cycle he existed. Though the worst past was… in last cycle, MC was dead, because of the bomb planted in the apartment. She was not the only victim. There were other people who live in that apartment building. Seven tried to commit suicide, he had expected that was the last cycle and he would wake up in the hell. But in the end he ended up waking up in his messy bedroom, back to 11 days ago, again.
Maybe God was planning something to him, that he was the only one whom know about this repeating cycle. He had tried and researched everything he could, whether there was something he missed which made him failed over and over. Getting up from his bed, Seven lazily walked to the bathroom. Vanderwood would come any minutes, and he didn’t need to hear the same nagging over and over.
***
“... Why on the earth I came here anyway..” Soft muttering was heard from someone. The female looked around the apartment. It was She was led here by some stranger named Unknown in the messenger app, said that he needed to return the lost phone. She was already inside, and no one was there. It’s a spacious studio apartment with minimalist style. Despite it had so many shelves, it’s quite spacious and it looked more like someone’s office rather than a home.
MC jolted when her phone beeped repeatedly. She tilted her head in confusion, she didn’t remember whether she ever downloaded this messenger app, all she knew that she downloaded something that looked like an interesting game. She saw several people chatted there. 707, Yoosung★, Zen, Jumin Han, Jaehee. Who are these people? It took sometimes until a person named 707 shouted out that someone just barged into their private group messenger. MC didn’t look happy at all when she was accused as intruder, hacker or something like that. She even had no idea what this application was actually about., and without thinking she wrote ‘Hello’ in the messenger, only to cause more uproar. She swore if that text could speak then there would be so many voices piercing her ears, these people wrote really fast, she couldn’t keep up with their chatting.
MC giggled as she was reading the whole chat, it was too funny that they eventually introduced themselves to her, it seemed they are not bad people. MC rose an eyebrow, when 707 said that he was doing background checking on her. “What does he mean…” she mumbled. He didn’t mean that he hacked into her phone right? She quickly looked through her folders, hoping that she didn’t save any weird or embarrassing things in her phone. She wasn’t aware that she was being monitored by CCTV in the apartment.
***
Looking at the CCTV monitor, Seven couldn’t evade his sight at all. She was there, again. Typing ‘she’scutelol’ which sent Yoosung, who had been single since he’s born, got too excited, Seven smiled a bit. In his eyes, she looked so cute, looking clueless and confused at her surroundings. He had been through this phase over and over. Though it never bored him at all, as long as he could see her face again, that she was alive. Last cycle he went through was too horrible. He didn’t want to see her broken-dead body again.
His attention was caught as his phone beeped again. This time MC had typed something. It kinda surprised him was when MC answered ‘But I’m not a girl.’ Seven almost fell from his chair, his face was only a few inches from the monitor, as he zoomed from each CCTV in that apartment, checking out each part of her body. Well, she has boobs. Seven instantly felt like a pervert checking out her body “What the hell am I thinking…. Of course MC is a girl….” Seven chuckled darkly to himself as he plopped back on his chair, typing ‘thenwhydouplaythisgame’. It was quite different from what he had been seeing before, but in the end it wouldn’t be so much different, she would never fall in love with him anyway, Seven thought.
***
In MC’s opinion, these people are really interesting and funny. She giggled continuously, scrolling down the chat, seeing the hilarious chat between Jumin, Zen, and 707 which involved a cat.
***
Meanwhile Seven was zooming in the CCTV, focusing on her smiling face. He loved seeing her smile, how much he wished he could hear that adorable giggle escaped from her lips. He was talking in the phone, but his sight was fixated on her. Only her.
***
V have entered the chatroom.
Everyone but MC knew V. She didn’t quite understand what they were talking about. It seemed that everyone really looked up to him, except one person, that blond guy named Yoosung. Everyone was typing so fast, that she didn’t get any chance to ask them what was going on. Eventually she found out that no one knew this apartment except for V and Luciel.
“Luciel?” asked MC out of curiosity, typing in the messenger.
***
Seven felt his heart raced a bit as he saw her wrote his name. Even though it was not voiced. It felt as if he heard her saying his name. One could dream.
***
So apparently 707’s name is Luciel. MC nodded nonchalantly, and looked around, he felt like as if someone was watching her, but she shrugged it off.
MC was not typing anything but reading their chats. Now they are assuming that she was brought here by someone who was trusted by Rika, to pass down her past job to her. Hell, she didn’t know anyone with named Rika. None of her friends had that name. Besides, she was new in this city.
“I just came here to find the owner of the phone… What is going on… “ MC quickly typed, trying to catch their attention. She was the one who got confused here, talking with bunch of people she didn’t know, let alone in someone’s apartment.
707 : Owner of the phone?
707 : You were phished lol
707 : According to V’s guess, Rika… the person who used to live there
707 : had the person ‘Unknown’ convince u to go to apartment.
What? Her jaw dropped as she read that. MC didn’t know what to say, but let them explain about messenger app and apartment. Rika was V’s old girlfriend who already passed away. She organized RFA, short for Rika's Fundraising Association, an organization to raise money by fundraising through the hosting of parties, for charity. This apartment was under V’s name, and it had so many classified information about their guests.
Apparently they, more likely V, assumed that MC was sent there in purpose, to take over Rika’s job. V told her to not touch Rika’s old possession, and Seven explained about emails from party guests and how to use the messenger. It was not like she had any other choice. They were practically blackmailing her, if she didn’t agree, then they would call the authority for breaking into someone’s apartment without permission.
707 : Good, I’ve registered her as a member! Oh. We don’t really need ur signature.
Yoosung★: You’re going to collect all the info so she can’t run away, right?
Crap. MC put her phone on the table and put her face on the palms. Grumbling aloud, it was already too often that her family and friends said that she was a clumsy klutz for being too clueless and careless. It was only her first day in Seoul, to go to job interview and find a place to stay. At least she got free-of-charge apartment, though she was rather ‘forced’ to live in it.
***
This time Seven actually relieved that the time repeated again, she was alive, and it meaned that his brother was alive too. He would check up on her more often, making sure that the security system at the apartment safe. Though it was still mystery for him, why his brother appeared in the apartment and why the bomb went off without any security warning before. He needed to find out and protect the ones he loved. He couldn’t afford to fail again.
Each cycle was different, but this time Seven noticed some major changes happened, from previous cycle. He hoped this change would lead to something better, maybe there’s a hope that she would fall in love with him this time, and when that happened, the time wouldn’t repeat itself again.
***
Everyone was nice. They sent heart-warming welcome messages, and they even phone called her too, at least she felt her worry faded a bit. But there was one person who didn’t make phone call to her, Seven. MC noticed it, but she just thought that he was probably too busy to drop welcome greeting, but it was not big deal for her. But just a few minutes later, she received a funny message from Seven. Giggling, she replied to his message.
Getting up from the sofa, MC looked around the apartment. One queen size bed, computer, refrigerator, television, small kitchen, and shelves. V already told her to not touch the classified information, so she didn’t touch the shelves and computer. She only checked the toilet, bathroom, refrigerator, stove, and veranda windows. So far everything was still good, but it had so many dust and of course there was no food, so she decided to do some grocery shopping.
***
Seven was doing his secret agent work when he noticed that MC walked out from the apartment in hurry from the corner of his eyes. He abruptly stood up from his chair and quickly grabbed a key of his so many sport cars, Honey Buddha Chips crumbs fell on the floor as he ran to his garage. He totally ignored Vanderwood whom shouted at him, for ditching his work and dirtying the floor that he just cleaned.
Where could have she possibly gone? This never happened in previous cycles. She never left the apartment on the first day, at least not until 12 hours later so it gave Seven enough time to sneak in and put GPS tracker on her. But now, it’s only 30 minutes and she already left. That’s why Seven was panicking. He drove his car fast to her apartment then he could start searching from there.
Before the intersection to the apartment building, Seven saw MC walked across the street. Once he saw her entered a department store, he abruptly parked his car into parking lot skillfully from in the middle of street, causing people honked the cars’ horns angrily at him. “Sorry~~ Seven-Zero-Seven need to park his baby first~”. Seven jogged toward MC as she was walking toward the glass door “MC! Where are y--!!!” Covering his own mouth, he quickly hid himself behind Sohoorang mascot next to the entrance.
Mentally slapping himself, Seven tried to make himself as small as possible behind the mascot. She didn’t know him yet, and it would be weird in so many level if he appeared in front of her right now.
***
Hearing her name being called out, MC turned around and tried to look for someone who probably had called her name. But it seemed she misheard it. As she joined the crowd into the department store, she snorted as she saw Sohoorang mascot, the person who is inside it, was scolding a young man.
To be continued...