Chapter Text
Yeonjun always wanted to be a designer. She would proudly show off her little wedding dress that she made with her tiny hands in kindergarten. The stitches would look more put together for an average kindergarten child and the skirt would flow effortlessly when she twirled around the house. Her mother would say, "That's so pretty, sweetheart. But have you finished your homework?" Most of the time the answer was no but Yeonjun would just just nod and when she was actually doing her homework, her mom would think she was studying extra. Yeonjun learned to make sure his mother is content at all times at a very early age.
If you want to be happy, mom has to be happy too.
That's how she lived her life, not for herself but mostly for her mother. Yeonjun couldn't possibly upset the only person in her life that loved her unconditionally.
She always struggled with being loved. People around her usually tended to simply overlook her presence and she came to terms with the fact that she wasn't the best at making friends. So she made sure to get all the love she could get from her mother. Even if it meant smoothing out the parts of herself that she didn't like.
By the time it was time for Yeonjun to choose a future, she chose her mother.
Her job was a quiet financing position at a small indie game team. It wasn't much but it was enough to assure her mother. Yeonjun liked to think that she was happy when her head hit the pillows at night. Her coworkers were kind. She wasn't the closest with them but at least she could greet them without getting too nervous or her hands trembling. Except Choi Soobin. Choi Soobin always made her nervous. Interacting with the head graphic designer felt like her heart would burst through her mouth. Thanks to her bright blonde hair and tall limbs, Yeonjun's eyes never failed to find her when Choi Soobin walked around the floor with her teddy bear mug on her hand.
She was just too intimidating for Yeonjun. She would talk loudly in meetings and people would actually listen to her. She wouldn't shy away from what's on her mind. Yeonjun always felt the stark difference between their personalities. She was exactly the person her mother would dislike. Choi Soobin wasn't the person to introduce to your mother— not that she could bring her home.
On Fridays, Yeonjun would wait for her mother's call while looking through the budget spreadsheet. Her mother usually called after her break ended. One time, Yeonjun told her that it would be better to call her on the break because personal calls during work hours were a problem. The only response she got was how she could not make time for her mother when her mother used her only free time to call her. After that, Yeonjun picked up her calls and her mother continued to call.
However that day, picking up that call was the last thing Yeonjun wanted to do. She felt exhausted and it was obvious that she did not have the energy to speak to her. All she wanted was to sleep. All her work was done for the day since she didn't have much to do in the beginning. There wasn't much time late for the game they were working on so most of the work was done. What was the harm in napping a little bit? Even the numbers on the spreadsheet were starting to look blurry as she was struggling to keep her eyes open.
The ticking of the office clock was ringing in her ears. It wasn’t helping her sleepy state at all. In a few minutes, her phone would vibrate and the screen would be illuminated with her mother’s name on it. She looked over the office. It wasn’t a big room but there was enough space. Her eyes stopped at stray blonde strands tucked behind an ear. Choi Soobin was leaning back on her chair, talking to one of their designers Choi Beomgyu. It was a known fact that they were super close friends. Yeonjun couldn’t help but envy. She always wanted a friendship like that too. But it was hard opening up to someone when she wasn’t even sure what was inside.
Yeonjun felt heavy. Just five minutes, she thought. I can just rest my eyes till she calls me. She folded her arms on the desk, putting her forehead against the soft cotton of her sweater. The clicking of the keyboards, low hum of the room and the little laugh sounds coming from Soobin slowly turned into a far away melody.
The soft dream she’s been succumbed into was disrupted by a series of knocks on the door. They had their own characteristic rhythm to them. Yeonjun got up from the bed she was laying down. Leaving the warm touch of the blanket was hard— she couldn’t even open her eyes properly. But she felt that unexplainable urge to open the door.
The wood floor felt hot under her bare food as she walked towards the door. She must’ve had a bad sleep because even her bones felt out of place. Opening the door brought the gentle morning breeze and the distant hair spray smell with it.
Choi Beomgyu. She was one of the lovely, if not the loveliest person she'd ever seen. She would always greet Yeonjun in the morning and hold the door for her. If Yeonjun was better at talking to people she worked with, maybe she could show her appreciation more instead of just nodding with a shy smile. Choi Beomgyu was one of the people she was scared to interact with. She would come to the office with all kinds of dresses. She would always have colored eye makeup which she decorated with stones. Yeonjun once thought of complimenting her makeup and asking her to teach her how to do it. But she fainted in her mind three times before even gathering the courage to go talk to her. So that idea had to be locked into a closet. Choi Beomgyu was too lively and pretty for her to be able to talk to her properly.
So why was Choi Beomgyu standing in front of the door before her with the brightest smile on her lips and dazzling red hair?
“Hello! Good morning. I know that you just came last night so I wanted to greet you and bring you some cookies my friend and I made.” That’s when Yeonjun realized the little paper bag she was holding in her hands. “Oh! Where is my manners? I’m Choi Beomgyu. I’m your neighbor and I own the beauty salon in the corner. If you ever need me I can give you a discount. Welcome to our village.”
She must’ve looked so bewildered that Beomgyu continued to talk. “I’m sorry, you must be tired. But I was so excited to see you so I couldn’t help but visit immediately. It’s not every day we have a new face in the village.” Her bright tone turned sulky. “And I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“My what..?” Yeonjun thought she actually went insane and this was all her imagination.
Beomgyu pouted without losing any of her energy. “Your grandfather?”
“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” Yeonjun didn’t understand a word.
Beomgyu was starting to look a bit uncomfortable but it didn’t stop her from giving Yeonjun her brightest smile again. “Can I take you on a village tour as an apology for disturbing you this early in the morning?” She pointed at her hair. “We even have matching hair. I feel like we have a connection here.”
“I’m not sure I have the time.” She just wanted to escape whatever was going on.
Beomgyu was starting to look a bit uncomfortable but it didn’t stop her from giving Yeonjun her brightest smile again. “Can I take you on a village tour as an apology for disturbing you this early in the morning?” She pointed at her hair. “We even have matching hair. I feel like we have a connection here.”
Yeonjun burrowed her brows. Apparently, her brain hasn’t really woken up yet. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can join you.”
Beomgyu was starting to look a bit uncomfortable but it didn’t stop her from giving Yeonjun her brightest smile again. “Can I take you on a village tour as an apology for disturbing you this early in the morning?” She pointed at her hair. “We even have matching hair. I feel like we have a connection here.”
What..? Yeonjun felt creep climbing up her spine. Beomgyu was standing there smiling, not even breaking her posture.
“I’d love to join you. But can I have a moment to get ready?” Maybe this approach would make this situation better.
“Of course! I’ll be waiting for you here. Take your time. I’m so excited to be friends!” Beomgyu handed her the paper bag.
Yeonjun closed the door with the sincerest smile she could show. Her mind was screaming big red alarms and running around circles trying to understand the situation she was in. She remembered taking a nap at work but now she was in a little house with a red haired Choi Beomgyu waiting for her to join her to walk around some village. Was all of this a dream? Her eyes caught the reflection of herself from the mirror that was hanging on the wall. She was wearing a basic daily outfit and her hair was red just like Choi Beomgyu’s. She hadn’t really registered what she was saying at first but that’s when she understood what Beomgyu meant by ‘matching hair.’
Beomgyu didn’t let her refuse her invitation and kept saying the same things without blinking. She was in a village and apparently had a dead grandfather. All of the things sounded strikingly familiar but it wasn’t her life at all. Has she died and come to the afterlife? But it didn’t make sense that Choi Beomgyu was here. Then all of a sudden everything clicked. Was she in the game they were working on? She clutched the paper bag in her hand firmly. The texture felt real.
She touched her fiery red hair. Choi Yeonjun wouldn’t even imagine bleaching her hair. The soft feeling of the red strands surprisingly felt comforting on her fingers. She looked up and down to her body. She found herself touching her breasts. They felt just as usual. This was all real. She still couldn’t wrap her head around what was exactly going on but she thought it would be better to just follow the flow and learn more things to assess the situation.
If she was really in the game, Beomgyu was supposed to take her to meet some villagers as a tutorial while teaching the game mechanics and the tutorial would end when the player met the mayor. She wasn’t really in the know about the lore of the game since she mostly worked with financial stuff. But she at least had some idea about what was going on in the game.
What scared her the most was that if the random villager in front of the door was Beomgyu— someone she knew in real life, there was a possibility that other characters could be other people she knew. She didn’t think she wanted to know who.
She took a deep breath and peeked through the window. Beomgyu was still waiting there and Yeonjun didn’t remember a time when she was this creeped out before. It was better to get over this before she got too anxious to move.
The moment her shoes hit the porch, Yeonjun could see the garden almost too clearly. Everything had the potential to be stark, lively green. But they needed some work and meddling. All the trees and stones looked like they were craving the human touch. On the other hand, the sun saturated the world golden in a way that made her eyes ache. It felt warm and tangible on her skin, the heaviness of the humid weather burning through her nose.
“Finally! I thought you'd fallen back asleep.” Beomgyu was leaning on the fence, her red glowing under the sunlight.
Yeonjun took shy steps towards her. She wondered if there was actually a way to escape this awkward situation. “Wow! Now that I see you in daylight, red really suits you.” Beomgyu’s smile was wide.
Yeonjun tried to find her voice. If the real Beomgyu talked to her like this, she would combust on the spot. “It feels different.”
“Everything is different on the first day.” Beomgyu started walking, her eyes peeking behind her shoulder. “Let’s go, the village is waiting. Oh and don’t forget the cookies. You’ll need the stamina.”