Jonghyun would never admit it to Jinki, but he actually liked the towns. Well, SM Town anyway. Woolimville and J. Tune camp weren’t too bad either, but YG.... he was glad he and Jinki had only stayed there for a week.

He wasn’t sure what it was, but he figured it had something to do with each communities real life influences. SM Town and Woolimville, the two closest in distance, both reminded Jonghyun of South Korea, his home. Though where SM Town was very modern and seemed to have Japanese influences as well, Woolimville was much more traditional, like China.

J.Tune Camp was odd, and Jonghyun couldn’t place it to any region. He had a feeling that was the last community created and was never finished. YG Family had a very American vibe, one Jonghyun had always been slightly put-off by. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t pleasant either.

Whatever the reason, Jonghyun liked the town, and he was more than glad to be by himself this trip. Normally, he hated being alone, and that’s why he never went without Jinki, save for the time Jinki was attacked by a giant spider and Jonghyun had to run to town by himself in search of a treatment. But this time... this time it was necessary.

As Jonghyun continued down the street he took in the bright atmosphere of the town. The street vendors resembled ones he used to see in Seoul, people cluttered around them and clogging up the streets. He let the noisy chatter drown out his thoughts, focusing only on their voices and not on the dark cloud looming over him.

People watching was something Jonghyun used to do on Earth, and the habit hadn’t faded in his time living in Aerok.

His eyes followed a group of girls, giggling as they hid behind their hands and pointed at the cute blonde haired vendor making hotteok. After passing them, his eyes moved on and he found himself smiling at a couple of kids playing hop-scotch on the side of the road. Later, he watched as a woman kissed her husband goodbye, the man loaded down with bags for a long trip. Jonghyun wondered if he planned to visit another community. It was strange, but not unheard of, at least in SM Town.

Over time, Jonghyun had come to the conclusion that SM Town had probably the most realistic and human AI’s in all of Aerok; some had even gone so far as to have relations with other communities. To his knowledge, SM Town AI’s were the only ones who had ever travelled to other communities, a fact that both intrigued and terrified him. There was something too real about Aerok, and it threw Jonghyun off, made him start to forget reality. And that was something he couldn’t let happen, not ever.

At the corner of one street he found a food tent, and quickly ducked inside, glad to hear that the thick fabric kept out the noise from outside. Or maybe it was simply part of the programming, Jonghyun honestly didn’t know anymore.

He ordered a bowl of dukboki and sat down, letting his body relax. The spicy rice noodles burned his tongue and throat, and he hummed at the delicious taste. It wasn’t often he got to taste korean food, his and Jinki’s diets consisting mostly of things they’d either caught or long lasting foods they’d bought in town. Street food was a rare and precious delicacy.

With his belly full and a slight adjustment to the bag strap slung over his shoulder, he was off again, this time in pursuit of supplies. He was thankful once more that things were cheap, and most people were willing to trade. Otherwise, he and Jinki really would be on their own.

After picking up the basic supplies- dried fruits, some vegetables, medicine, as well as basic survival gear such as a pocket knife and canteen for Tae- Jonghyun ventured further into town, towards the large palace sprawled across the land.

Jonghyun had been in this part of the town only a dozen times before, always with Jinki, always with the goal of obtaining information for Kibum. It was his first time visiting since the crash, his first time going alone.

The further along he walked, the nicer the world around him became. The streets were cleaner, less cluttered with both trash and people. Walls on either side of the street mostly hid the hanoks from view, so that just the roofs peeked above. It was quiet and serene, something Jonghyun usually appreciated, but today he already found himself missing the city’s loud atmosphere.

With nothing else to distract him anymore, Jonghyun found himself recalling the scene from two days before, the scene that had driven him here.

He’d heard a scream and ran, not even taking time to grab his weapon, to worried to think straight. When he finally arrived at the clearing where Jinki and Tae were practicing, he’d nearly passed out in shock, jaw dropping as he watched his best friend lock lips with a boy they’d known for less than a month.

Fists clenched and heart racing, Jonghyun had raced back to camp, mind already formulating a plan. He had to get out of there, find some answers, before it was too late.

Jinki may trust Tae, but Jonghyun didn’t. There was too much uncertainty and mystery surrounding the boy, with no answers in sight.

At least, not until now.

Jonghyun stopped, eyes scanning up the large wooden gate surrounding the palace, and turned to the guard on his left. He wasn’t familiar, but then, Jonghyun hadn’t expected him to be. From what he knew of the palace, the guards shifted positions every two weeks. It had been months since his last visit.

“I’m here to see Soo Man.”

The guard quirked an eyebrow and looked down on Jonghyun with contempt.

“What business do you have with Soo Man?”

“Please, just tell him Kim Jonghyun is here.” The other guard turned to Jonghyun.

“Did you say Kim Jonghyun?”

“Yes?” Recognition flashed across the second guard’s face and he nodded at the first.

“One moment then.” The second guard disappeared on the other side of the gate, leaving Jonghyun alone with the other.

As they waited, Jonghyun rocked back and forth on his heels, trying to look anywhere but at the guard. He’d never been good with this type of thing; he’d always let Jinki handle the guards.

Also, the guard was at least half a foot taller than him and looked like he wanted to step on Jonghyun. Not that he was afraid, but still.

The gate creaked open again, and the second guard walked out, a familiar face following after him.

“Changmin!” Jonghyun cried out in relief. Changmin looked slightly startled to see him, but then maybe that was because he was alone.

“Where is Jinki?”

Jonghyun rubbed the back of his neck and coughed. “He’s not feeling well, so I left him back at camp.”

Changmin nodded. “Alright. Let’s go then.”

Jonghyun trailed behind Changmin as they walked through the enormous courtyard, taking the time to look around. Nothing had changed since his last visit, he realized. He wondered why. Was that a conscious decision of the AI’s, or was it programmed that way? Jonghyun could never be sure.

At the door to the central room, Yunho was leaning against the side, a relaxed smile on his face. Jonghyun gave a small smile and waved in greeting. Of all the palace workers, Yunho and Changmin were the only two Jonghyun had seen every time. Acting as Soo Man’s closest advisors, they were always the ones to greet him right before he entered.

“Is he available?” Changmin asked Yunho.

Yunho shook his head in confirmation. “He’s waiting for him inside.”

“Alright then. You can go on in.” Jonghyun thanked the two and gave a slight bow before pushing open the door and sliding inside.

“Soo Man.” Jonghyun greeted, bowing deeply. The old man sat neatly on a pillow, legs crossed and hands folded in his lap. His face remained expressionless as he motioned for Jonghyun to take a seat as well.

“To what do I owe your visit?” The man asked, once Jonghyun was comfortably seated across from him.

“I have a question for you.”

“Don’t you always?” The old man cracked a small smile and chuckled. “What is it? It’s been awhile since you last came, I thought you grew tired of this old man.”

“Of-of course not Soo Man, Jinki and I just became busy with other things.”

“Of course, of course. So, what is your question?”

Jonghyun chewed on his bottom lip, unsure how to go on. How did he explain this? Hesitantly, he spoke.

“I need to know... is it possible to survive from the virtual sea?”

Soo Man gave Jonghyun a look of tense surprise, all the laughter gone from him. “Jonghyun, you know the answer to that question. It’s impossible. If you enter the sea, there is no return. It’s common knowledge.”

“I know sir, but... say someone did survive. Say they walked out of the ocean in one piece, completely fine physically, the only issue being memory gaps.” Jonghyun knew he was playing a dangerous game by revealing so much,, an idea that was only strengthened by Soo Man’s hard look. But he couldn't help it. He had to know.

“Did something happen?”

“No, no.” Jonghyun lied. “It’s just... theoretically, what would that be?”

Soo Man leaned back, rubbing his chin with one hand. “Well. For that to happen, something had to have malfunctioned. What came out of the sea wouldn’t be normal. It wouldn’t be like you are I. No, there’s only one thing it could be.”

“What’s that?” Jonghyun asked, curious but wary. He leaned forward, listening intently, his heart fluttering in his chest.

“A glitch.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To both Professor Lee and Kibum’s surprise, Kibum was back less than a week later, determined to get more answers. The nurses didn’t dare leave his side this time though, and it had taken Kibum twenty minutes before he convinced them to move far enough away that the two could talk without being heard. (Professor Lee was, however, handcuffed to the table, as a precaution.)

“It was a glitch.” The professor told Kibum, calmer now than he had been before. “There was a glitch in the computer, and it tore the program apart, causing an internal error. I’m surprised you were able to get it working again, let alone transfer your friends in and out of it multiple times.”

“A glitch.” Kibum repeated, mostly to himself. He let the idea roll around his head, grasping onto the idea that maybe, just maybe this wasn’t completely his fault. That they’d been lucky before, and it was only a matter of time before the program glitched once more.

He ran a hand through his hair, pulling at the already knotted locks, and sighed. “So, how do we fix it?”

Professor Lee shook his head. “We can’t do anything. From the way you described it, the computer is absolutely useless on our side now.”

“Then how?” Kibum pressed, nails biting into the palms of his hands.

“The glitch has to be destroyed in order for your friends to return, for my son to return. And the only way it can be destroyed...”

“Is if someone inside destroys it.” Kibum finished, realization dawning on him.

Professor leaned back in his chair in defeat. “Exactly. And that is why.... it is hopeless.”

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Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, my computer is still broken, so I've taken to writing this fic on paper and then typing it all up when I have the chance. Luckily it's almost spring break for me so hopefully I can borrow a laptop for a week and crank out the rest of this fic! We'll see...

I love you all and your comments never fail to make my day brighter. I hope everyone is well and that you are still enjoying this fic! ^-^