Mystic Messenger - The Real Story

Chapter 4: Meeting Seven

- Yes, Mr Han – she nodded and took a seat at a desk in the corner of the room.

They both remained quiet as the rhythmic tapping of keyboards filled the air. In the midst of their work, a notification chimed on Jaehee's phone. Glancing at the screen, she raised an eyebrow.

- Mr Han, we have an appointment with a potential business partner this afternoon. I'll make the necessary arrangements and prepare a comprehensive briefing – in response, she only got a nod of agreement. Her fingers started running across the keyboard as she was efficiently coordinating the details.

ZEN'S APPARTMENT

In the coziness of his flat, Zen lied down on his favourite armchair, gazing keenly at the screen of his phone with the RFA messenger app before his eyes. The new member had raised a palpable excitement within him.

- Ah, a new member. A lady, no less – he said to himself with a satisfied smile. The thoughts of meeting Cassidy and charming her with his undeniable charisma fuelled his anticipation.

Feeling a sudden thirst for refreshment, Zen rose from his seat and strolled into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, and grabbed a can of beer. He popped it open, savouring the hiss that followed. With beer in hand, he went back to the living room, where a full-length mirror awaited him. Positioning himself before it, he couldn't help but admire his own aesthetics, looking carefully at each part of his body.

With the next sip of the liquid, he began to recite lines from his current role, fully immersing himself in the character. Every gesture and expression filled with his passion for the stage. It couldn't last long, however, as his thoughts kept on swirling around the new member.

In a moment of spontaneous excitement, Zen grabbed his phone and opened the RFA app until he found Cassidy's profile. A burst of anticipation coursed through him as he selected her and initiated the call. As the call connected, he couldn't help but wonder about the voice that he would soon hear. Soon he heard the answer.

***

- Hello? – he heard the voice through his phone.

- Hey there! – he responded with his smooth voice. – It's Zen, the musical actor. I'm so thrilled to have a lovely lady like you join our group.

RIKA'S APARTMENT

Cassidy, left alone in the surroundings of the apartment, didn't know what to do with herself. Unsure of where to start, she began her exploration, hoping to unfold some of its secrets. The room seemed to freeze in time, with snapshots of someone else's life held in every piece of furniture and décor. Cassidy traced her fingers along the edges of a coffee table, studying every corner of the room with her eyes.

As she was moving through the apartment, her gaze focused on the framed memories on the walls. Photographs, capturing laughter, friendship, and moments of shared joy among the members of the RFA. She couldn't help but wonder about the lives of these people and how their relationship looked like. With each step, she felt the weight of the unknown pressing on her, the unanswered questions in her mind. She glanced at her phone, expecting a message from the Unknown, but nothing appeared.

The more she was looking at the furniture and thinking about the situation, the more conflicting emotions gripped her. Scared, yet intrigued, Cassidy hesitated before a mirror, looking at herself. She started contemplating about the choices she had made. The line between excitement and worry stated blurring. Her decision to join the RFA was just as spontaneous as the one of following the Unknow's orders, the doubts filled her mind the more she thought about it. The people she had met in the RFA app seemed genuine, yet a seed of mistrust was sown. After her encounter with a stranger who led her to the apartment, she knew she shouldn't trust anyone, yet there she was, waiting for one of strangers to arrive there and meet her.