Where Futures Begin (Saeran x Reader x Saeyoung) COMPLETED

XII: Neutral Route (Rika)

The world had grown cruel.

That was the one truth Rika knew to be absolute. Decades ago, it was a different place. The sky was bluer, the grass greener, the people happier.

But the twenty-first century was an era of purpose. Life was dedicated to work and advancement, where people couldn't be troubled with matters trifling as joy.

The Mint Eye was a safe haven from the cruelty of the outside world.

Closed off in the depths of a forest, where the sky couldn't be seen, and the only sign of natural life was the flower garden inside, the people of the Mint Eye could revisit a simpler time—one free from the chains of responsibility that shackled those outside. They lived in peace, wholly content with leading a life devoted to harmony and happiness.

A life devoted to magenta.

Rika had chosen the color carefully; she was acutely aware of its rarity in nature, and that was what made it such an admirable choice. The Mint Eye was everything the world was not. A shelter from time itself, it was too perfect to be natural.

It was mint.

It was magenta.

And yet, (Y/N) has chosen to leave my protection, Rika thought bitterly. How ungrateful.

A part of Rika had known that the other girl, MC, would be gone as fast as she had arrived. That was why she had opted not to waste time throwing the brunette into primary and secondary commitment. (Y/N)'s escape was entirely unexpected, though.

Was she that devastated when Saeran chose MC over her? Rika considered the notion with care. The blonde knew that she had played a critical role in separating the two. Then again, Rika didn't truly consider (Y/N) worthy of Saeran's affections. A woman like MC, someone who came from a respectable background rather than an orphanage and then the streets, was much more fitting for the delicate boy.

It had taken significant work to separate the two, but Saeran had finally given in to what Rika had tried so hard to make obvious. He chose MC. MC over (Y/N).

Rika sighed as she looked at the clock.

Saeran should be there any moment now for their meeting.

Though, with the absence of (Y/N), the boy was growing increasingly unpredictable. Rika had found herself with no other choice but to swap out his usual pills for those soaked in the Elixir. It wasn't enough of a dosage to cause any pain, but it should have been sufficient in keeping Saeran in line when (Y/N) wouldn't do it for him.

Rika glanced down at her nails. Perfectly trimmed and painted, as usual. If V were here, he would have me pose.

Rika frowned at the memory of the man. V had left the Mint Eye without a word, abandoning the young woman and breaking her heart in turn. Yet still, she found herself remembering him and his habits, remembering what he would say at certain things, his old actions seeping into her subconscious to produce thoughts she never authorized.

A knock on the door pulled Rika from her mind.

She straightened her dress, making sure she looked as prophetic as the Savior of the Mint Eye should. After a moment, she called out, "Come in, Ray."

The white-haired boy entered and closed the door behind him, seating himself on the Victorian-style couch he always took. Usually, in Rika's sessions with him, he would immediately begin talking. Something (Y/N) this, (Y/N) that. In truth, if it weren't for Saeran, Rika wouldn't have paid the girl any extra attention. For the past month and a half, though, Saeran had grown quiet.