───────･༓ ❦ ༓･───────
◈ Game over mode
She killed me.
Wow. Okay. I didn't expect to die this early in the game.
At least the pain is gone, wait where even am I right now?
Anyway.
The automatic saving function came out very handy just now. Without it, I would need to restart everything.
I'll leave that function on as a back-up if I forget to save game files myself.
*Selects load game*
◈ Game mode
Beomgyu finds himself in the same location he was previously at. His eyes were set on Asuka's face but he immediately looked away from her to avoid getting killed like last time.
'It's like I went back in time, so they won't remember that whole thing happening.'
'But damn Asuka, what a weird reason to kill me, I can't control where my eyes go.'
He noticed newspaper-guy reading his thing. Beomgyu put his hands in his pockets, a huge habit that he has, and approached him.
"Is your shitty newspaper so great that you couldn't bother acknowledging what's been going on around you?"
With a sigh, the guy lowered his newspaper, finally exposing his face. "I knew exactly what was going on. Also it's not crappy, it involves you and I so look." He pointed at the article he had been reading.
...
Safe to say that Beomgyu doesn't give a flying fuck about that article. He didn't even glance at it. Instead, he's busy asking himself how this character's hazel eyes are so captivating.
'Who the hell is this..?'
Answer..
"You do know the article isn't on my face right?"
"Yeah I do."
'Hell I had no fucking clue this character existed.'
He's a tall guy but a bit shorter than our gamer, his uniform which seems to be the male version of Asuka's fits him to a tea.
He has reddish dark-brown hair, a high nose, flawless skin, a sharp attractive jaw, and pink kissable lips which just made Beomgyu gulp faintly.
'Control yourself.'
"Um.." The guy leaned back as he stored his newspaper in hammerspace, feeling very apprehensive towards the taller but at the same time quite flustered by his general appearance. He didn't expect him to.. look like this.
"What's your name?"
"Kang Taehyun...."
"Choi Beomgyu." Peculiar how he introduced himself to him first while he had many chances to do it to Asuka but didn't.
His eyes have not been leaving Taehyun, Beomgyu is sort of frowning actually. He muttered the following as if he couldn't think straight, literally speaking. "..Fuck..why..?"
"Why you're weird?? I don't know." The guy went right by Asuka's side. Beomgyu's glaring eyes followed him there, checking the maroon-haired out from his chest to his face.
Taehyun nudged the one beside him. "Asuka... are you really sure this is the player?"
The girl nodded. "Yup."
"Wait y'all are actually aware we're in a game??"
She nodded.
Here's a bit of deeper context.
The current version of the game is a prototype and is still in a state of development so there might be errors. For this first special playthrough, characters aren't under a specific code (program instructions, being forced to act in a way that's been established in advance, soulless programmed robots.) instead they're like A.I in this prototype and have free will.
They have all been given a script of how the finished product of the game is supposed to be like. It's their choice to follow it or not. And everything that ends up happening during Beomgyu's playthrough (script changed or not) the future players of the finished product will experience the same things.
Basically the quality of the published game depends on Beomgyu's and everyone's actions.
After all this was explained to Beomgyu, he still kept his stoic attitude on. "Cool. Let's not follow the script like we're some helpless puppies."
"If we want the finished game to be fun we have to follow it." Asuka asserted.
"Who knows if the plot is even any good? Let's do things my way."
"Just shut up and join our team.." She sighed feeling exasperated at how drawn out this discussion had become.
"I appreciate the warm invitation.
Am I supposed to know what team you're talking about?" Beomgyu looked done.
Taehyun and Asuka simultaneously turned to each other before looking back at the handsome tallest.
"Yes. So like she said: shut up and join it. You'll be a decent teammate if you just avoid staring at me like you were doing. It was quite unsettling."
"Why were you even doing that?" Asuka wanted to ask.
"No idea. It's the weirdest thing ever when someone likes looking at a pretty person." Only Beomgyu can pull off sarcasm while looking and talking like he's dead inside.
"N-No but- why were you glaring at me I meant!" Taehyun stammered, his face became pinker at the weirdly delivered compliment.
"Because I just felt like I was not going to like you. And I was right, I'm not liking you a lot right now."
"EH?! How??"
Beomgyu raised a confused brow as he leaned in a bit. "You want me to? Sorry but that'll be too tiring."
"I mean- How could you tell by just looking at me??"
The girl who's been spectating all of this decided to utter this out blankly. "I don't think Beomgyu is heterosexual."
"What's up with this nonsense random conclusion?!" Taehyun really went from being a calm person reading a newspaper to this flustered mess.
"She isn't necessarily wrong. I think-
To be honest I'm not sure."
Taehyun's eyes briefly widened "Well that's a problem!"
Beomgyu looked confused. "How?" Interacting with these two is starting to deplete his already low energy.
Taehyun just stayed quiet while still feeling rather ill at ease. So Asuka is the one who said something. "The script says that the playable character who will always be a male is exclusively attracted to girls. Seems like you aren't a good fit to play this prototype then."
"Oh?"
'I finally have an excuse to leave this world and sleep!'
Ok in all seriousness. 'This rule is messed up actually...'
This is slightly angering Beomgyu and he has much to say but that means using a lot of energy so he kept things short. "Well fuck your script and your close-minded developers, I'll still play but I hope this game flops."
"What luck do we have Tae-kun.. to be stuck with this gay who obviously doesn't want to be here?"
"None.."
"Calm down homophobes, I'm not gay. I'm just bi-curious but who gives a fuck about people's actual sexualities right? I'm playing as a straight dude anyway!" He scoffed in annoyance yet also amusement.
"But moving on, what did you mean when you asked to join your team? What is the purpose of this game?"
"Did you really not read anything about the video game before coming here??" Taehyun asked sort of shocked.
"Pipe down male deuteragonist."
"HEY!!" Taehyun is the kind to not let any insult or false info about him or disrespect pass. "I'm part of the main cast!"
"Nah."
Taehyun looked confused. Does this guy think he can just say 'nah' then it'll be magically written in the script that he's not a main one..? "But-"
"Nah." He scratched his head a little.
"We can tamper with the script right.. I'm the player of the game so I'm the main character and I'm deciding that you're not. So just hush up and play your little secondary role." For once his voice wasn't emotionless, Taehyun can actually sense his hostility.
The shorter clenched his fists feeling offended. "YAH—"
Asuka got in between then, facing Beomgyu. "We're on your team which automatically makes us main characters. Leave him alone and be quiet or I'll kill you."
"The three of us now form a trinity." She said.
"Where's the part where I agreed to that?" Beomgyu asked with his signature deadpan look.
"Non-existent. But there was a part where I said that I'll kill you if you don't be quiet."
She continued. "A tower not too far away is waiting for us. We have been assigned to participate in the project that happens inside it." Asuka informed the newcomer, hands on her hips.
"There's a tower?" Beomgyu asked.
Asuka sighed.
"Why do you think there's the word tower in the title of the game you're freaking playing?!!" Taehyun shouted.
"But hell, participating in something seems like such a pain in the ass.." He groaned looking up at the artificial sky.
"I?? WHY are you playing this game?!!"
Taehyun is not being listened to at all.
"Can't we send that loud guy to that place while we form a duo and go somewhere else.." Beomgyu proposed to the girl with a hint of seduction.
"They only accept trios." She seems to be playing it off like her heart didn't skip a beat just now.
"Ah." He then looked down at Taehyun and said with boredom. "I was struggling to find an answer but now I get why you exist:
You're a filler character, there just to fill up space, giving me and Asuka access to the tower..
The developers probably made you pretty so your presence is more tolerable..."
"Just what the hell?! It's not that!!!"
"I don't see what else....."
⧏═══⨨═══⧐
◈ Saved progress.
(Automatic)
Walking through the forest is the shortest way to go there so the three soon got on their way to this intriguing tower, while doing so they got more familiar with each other.
The female lead and the gamer were walking together while Taehyun was trailing behind, hands formed into fists. He knows damn well that Beomgyu is purposely trying to seclude him out, thankfully Asuka is often turning behind her to check on him.
Beomgyu stepped over a big branch. "So Asuka, we're apparently the same age."
The girl hummed. "You're 20 too?"
"Yeah." He briefly turned around to ask Taehyun. "And you?"
"19–"
Hearing that age, Beomgyu immediately gave a snort of derision.
"What's so funny?"
Instead of replying to him, Beomgyu informed something to the girl. "In Korean age, that guy is still a minor. Now I can't help but see him as your clingy little brother-"
"Yah!" Taehyun started stomp-walking behind unbothered-Beomgyu. "We're in Japan so we go by international age here!"
Beomgyu turned around and made a provocative smirk. "Oh right~ I'm guessing the agi wants an apology.."
Taehyun suddenly stopped in his tracks which made the older ones stop too. He was just standing there, processing what Beomgyu said while wondering if he even heard it correctly. "AGI?!!" (=infant) His face went red in anger and embarrassment. This rapid change of skin tone is quite an unrealistic phenomenon but we're in a video game where improbable things happen countlessly.
"What?" His expression gave nothing else other than malice. "It suits you."
Some people might take this well but not Taehyun, he feels belittled. He was about to fight back but then he felt a soft hand grip his own which caught him off guard. Asuka said. "Hey yarô, (jerk*) could you stop bothering him, it's getting old."
At the moment, Beomgyu's emotionless eyes are solely taken by the fact that they're holding hands.
And something he can't help but find disturbing is the way Taehyun is staring at her with apparent admiration.
"Tsk." Beomgyu shot them a glare before turning around to continue their walk. "Whatever."
'This isn't "bothering" he's just too sensitive. As expected, cute people are a nuisance.'
・Minutes later
"We're here." Beomgyu remarked, seeming awfully uninterested.
➴⧩---『🎮』---◭➶
Omg, me, you better speed up things a little or they'll loose interest!! Taegyu, kiss now! Wait no too fast.
7 other characters, appear now!