* * * * *

Not a single thing had changed about those woods since Hyuk had last passed through them. Moreover, every tree and bush and rock was exactly the same as the next. Hyuk couldn’t help but count them, trying to find a pattern.

“Three trees on the left. A bush. A tree on the right. A clearing with flowers...” he muttered into his chin.

“’Tis is how we do this,” said Ravi. He had naturally become the leader of the four. “We make for Hakyeon’s castle. ‘Haps I find a way inside this time. Da kid can level up along the way. Questions?”

Of course Hyuk would have one. “How exactly do I level up? Training with Jongup helped me a lot, but it didn’t increase my level.”

“You’ll see.” said Zelo. For a moment, a strange foreboding washed over Hyuk.

But for once, Hyuk was thankful for Zelo’s presence. Ever since the incident with the hooded man, Zelo was so obsessively guarding Jongup, there was barely a moment when Jongup and Hyuk were left alone. Hyuk was extremely glad about that. He really wasn’t in the mood for explaining anything. Moreover, he had no idea what he could possibly say that Jongup could understand. The less they know, the better, thought Hyuk.

Apparently, Jongup realized that Hyuk wasn’t going to tell him anything. That, however, didn’t stop Jongup from staring relentlessly at Hyuk with wide eyes and a wonderstruck smile on his lips. He was completely oblivious to how Zelo’s expression would darken whenever he did so.

The four walked the woods in silence, save for the eerie music. By silent agreement, Jongup and Zelo went in front, Ravi trailing a little behind, so that Hyuk was sandwiched in the middle. He knew he should be thankful for the extra protection, but it only made Hyuk hate himself more for being a such a weakling.

Sulky, he continued counting. “Two bushes on the right. A tree. Two trees on the left... RED BEANS!!!”

Hyuk’s sudden shout made the others jump out of their skin. Even Zelo looked startled.

“What the hell was that??” asked Ravi, bewildered.

“Red beans... maybe?” grinned Hyuk, crouching beside a small plant. Each leaf was a green pixel, the stem just a line. But under those leaves were dark red blurs, just where the pods with beans should be. Hyuk reached out to touch one...

“Inventory: Items: Potion x 10, Foreign Coins x 500, World Map, Red Beans x 2. Key Items: Chopper Doll.”

“YES!” yelled Hyuk.

“... Weirdo.” muttered Ravi, eyebrow raised. “Whatdoya need that for? “Tis just a stupid plant.”

Hyuk ignored the question, whistling to himself in glee. He was tempted to summon Hongbin right there and then, but that would have to wait until Hyuk was in real trouble. It would be stupid to waste Hongbin’s help just on an idle chat.

“Ravi, I see one.” said Zelo, nodding towards their right.

Frankly, Hyuk saw nothing unusual. “Huh?“

“All right,” said Ravi, “Hyuk, ya wait here with Jongup, kay?”

“Wha- NO.” said Hyuk, a little too loudly.

“Huh? Why?“ asked Ravi, completely confused.

“I- I just, eh...” started Hyuk, groping for an excuse.

“You stay with him then, and Jongup comes with me.“ suggested Zelo eagerly.

“Ya had a fight with Jongup or something?” asked Ravi again, refusing to let it go. “Come to think of it, ya’re avoiding him ever since we left the village. What’s goin’ on?”

“Nothing, I just,” Hyuk suddenly had an idea, “I just... I wanna stay with you.”

An awkward silence issued, and Hyuk started doubting his idea was all that great. What exactly am I doing?

“Oh.” said Ravi. The silence grew even more awkward.

“It’ll get away if we wait. Let’s go.” Zelo practically dragged Jongup away, rushing through the trees at an inhuman speed.

Ravi just stood there quietly. The curious metal sound Zelo’s legs made when he walked slowly died away.

“I, uh, I’m really sorry, kid. Yer a good guy an’ all, but, I mean, I did tell ya about Hakyeon and I -”

“Wha- I’m not going to confess to you, !!!” yelled Hyuk, shocked.

Ravi looked as though slapped across the face. “Whatcha say, kid?”

“I don’t have a crush on you,” explained Hyuk. He caught himself wondering if that was really true- but he could consider that later. “I’m just trying to avoid Jongup...”

“It’s him you like, then?” asked Ravi. His eyes got a little strange, as if he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“What? No!” defended Hyuk. “He just...” Dammit, how do I get out of this??

Thankfully, Ravi reached his own conclusion. “He does stare at you a lot.” His mouth stretched into a grin, but it lacked happiness. “I did wonder what the two of ya were doin’ all alone, that night he got attacked. Did he try to confess to ya then?”

Hyuk was saved from answering that by Jongup and Zelo’s return.

“Did you two make out yet?” asked Zelo casually. ”I wish you’d get on with it already. I’ve knocked the thing out ages ago.”

“Knocked what out?” asked Hyuk, desperate to change the subject.

“This.” said Jongup in reply. He was holding something – no, someone –by the hair, before tossing them towards Hyuk.

The person stumbled forwards and collapsed to the ground, limbs sprawled out haphazardly.

Ravi, Jongup and Zelo all eyed Hyuk in expectation.

“... Huh?” asked Hyuk. “What am I supposed to do?”

Ravi took a huge sigh. “Did ya moma drop ya on the head a lot? Is that why ya lost all your memories?”

Fell and lost my memory! I should’ve thought of that before! thought Hyuk. “Uh, yeah, I probably did fall back then. Before you found me, while I wandered the woods on my own.” he lied. “I just don’t remember.”

“Kill it.” said Zelo. One of his arms was still a sword, and he used it to point to the person on the ground. The unknown boy shuddered.

Hyuk looked at his companions’ faces one by one, waiting for someone to laugh and say they were joking.

None of them did.

“Wait, what?!”

“Why do you think I attacked ya, back when we first met?” asked Ravi, raising an eyebrow.

“Whoever deals the finishing blow gets experience points.” explained Jongup. “It doesn’t matter if Zelo and I fought this dude. If you strike the last blow, the points are yours.” Jongup squinted at the boy sprawled before him. “You’ll be able to level up twice with this one, I think.”

“Maybe more.” said Zelo. “He was a b*tch to beat.”

The boy glanced up at Zelo through his long dark bangs. His eyes were wide and pleading.

“No way.” said Hyuk. The grip on his knife-sword loosened. “I’m not doing this.”

“Why do you care about a stranger?” asked Zelo. For once, he sounded genuinely curious.

“Why did you not kill me, then?” retorted Hyuk at Ravi. “Why don’t you kill me now, huh? Advance your levels?”

“You idiot,” said Zelo, “Ravi wouldn’t advance sh*t. You’re too weak to be any good.”

 “Is that why you didn’t kill me?!”

Ravi looked away.

“Yah, will ya get on with it?!” asked Ravi after a moment of tense silence. He motioned with his gun-arm towards the trembling boy, still avoiding Hyuk’s accusing eyes. “Not the nicest thing in the world, but if ya wanna die instead of this guy, feel free.”

“And you will die if your levels don’t improve.” promised Zelo. “I don’t intend to babysit you forever.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” said Hyuk, stubbornly focused on Ravi. “Okay, maybe I get why you didn’t kill me. But you didn’t explain why you went out of your way to get me to the village.”

Ravi’s face froze. “I... I don’t really know.”

Hyuk had expected anything, except that.

“How can you not know?” asked Hyuk, baffled.

Ravi looked more confused than ever. It felt as though every word he said required a tremendous amount of effort. “I... It kinda felt like... I was supposed to do that. I didn’t think about it so much. It was like... something was telling me to take ya somewhere safe.”

Hyuk couldn’t help but gasp. Something icy hit his chest, spreading through it like a plague.

Was Ravi programmed to help him?

“But, ya know,” continued Ravi, oblivious, “you’re my friend now, ya know. So don’t even ask crap like that anymore. ‘Kay?”

Was Ravi programmed to be Hyuk’s friend?

“Hey, you okay?” asked Jongup.

“He’s pale as s*it,” noted Zelo.

Were the all just programmed to be his friends?

“Hyuk, what’s going on? You’re acting real weird.” Ravi chuckled, “Well, weirder than usual.”

“Will you kill that thing already?” complained Zelo. “I’m getting bored and I need to charge my battery.”

Hyuk took a long look at the nameless boy before him. Zelo and Jongup had beat him up pretty bad – every surface of skin had a cut or a bruise on it, and blood was gushing through the fabric of his shirt and all over his abdomen and thighs. Hyuk could only guess how low his health bar must be. One of his arms had been sliced right off, probably by Zelo’s arm-sword. Only an ugly, bloody stump was left in its place.

“He’s got just 1 HP, Hyuk.” encouraged Jongup. He seemed to had mistaken Hyuk’s silence for fear. “Just take him out.”

“Go for the neck. That’s the fastest way.” suggested Zelo.

This is a game, told Hyuk himself, just like many times before. But now, something had changed in him. Ravi’s words had stirred a cold new feeling within him. It felt as though waking up from a long dream into an ice-cruel reality – if it could even be called a reality. None of this is real. This guy, Zelo, Ravi, Jongup, or any of them. Everything is programmed. It’s all just an illusion. It’s all just lines of code. Just letters and numbers.

The boy on the ground lifted his head. Hyuk could see his eyes clearly, a beautiful green, wide with fear.

Just letters and numbers.

“Please...” muttered the boy in an barely audible voice. He stared at Hyuk as one would stare at god himself. “Please...”

Letters and numbers.

The scream echoed through the dark woods, once, then twice. The background music continued as though nothing had happened.

Hyuk’s sword was red and wet. A bright blue box popped up in front of his eyes, accompanied by a small triumphant “TA-DAH!”.

“Level Up +2! New Level: 2.”

“Congratulations... idiot.” said Zelo, smirking.

* * * * *