Taemin spent the entire hour he had with Kibum trying to explain to him his purpose in the game. There were times when Kibum nodded in full understanding and others where he shook his head in complete confusion and disbelief. It was a lot for him to take in but Taemin pressed on. He needed to let Kibum know these things.

"So you're telling me you're from another dimension, and that the Taemin I'm talking to isn't really you?"

"Sort of, yes. It is me, but it's like this body is just a representation of me. I'm a computer player you're talking to right now; the real me is sitting at home controlling this body."

"So why can't I meet the real you?"

"Because I'm from a different dimension, Kibum, I'm not from this universe. I bought this game system, right? You know how you have your Xbox? I bought a system like that and this was the only game that came with it. I started playing the game as an avatar - this body you're seeing - and I needed to level up so I started leveling up and then I met you. And here we are."

"I'm really trying my best to understand you here, but I'm still kind of confused. Because I can feel you and touch you and hear you but this...isn't you?"

"Yeah...because I can hear you but I can't feel you or touch you. My character is doing that. I've never actually been here with you, Kibum, it's been my character this whole time." Kibum looked visibly upset and he shuffled to bring his knees up under his chin and curl himself up while staring at Taemin.

"Am I ever going to be able to meet the real you, then?"

"Yeah, that's why I need to keep levelling up in the game. Once I reach the Tenth level Worlds...well, I get to unlock the virtual reality feature. I have no idea how it's going to work, but...but maybe we'll be able to meet then."

"So...what do we do now? Jonghyun's gonna be back in less than twenty minutes."

"I have to leave, then. Are you going to tell him you saw me again?"

"Should I?"

"Is it safe to do that? Last time we were face to face he was pretty upset with me."

"He does miss you, though. He just doesn't know if he can trust you or not." Suddenly, Taemin had an idea.

"Hey, you guys know Sandy right?" Kibum nodded. "Well she's the person who's going to help me explain everything to you. And you should bring Jonghyun, too. He trusts her more than he trusts me right now and she can prove to him that I'm not dangerous."

"What the hell does Sandy know about outsiders?"

"Trust me, she knows a lot."

"How?"

"She is one."

***

Taemin left the apartment shortly after that to find Sandy again. He had to warn her; after telling Kibum about Sandy's real job as Tech Support, he was more confused than angry but Taemin knew Jonghyun would be more upset and he needed to warn Sandy before Jonghyun talked to her about it. He walked over to the park outside the complex and found her watering the city flowers planted under the shade of the trees. She smiled up at him when she saw him approaching.

"Taemin! How are you?"

"Uh, questionable. I told Kibum about your job."

"Ah, I see...and he's going to tell Jonghyun, am I right?"

"Most probably. But I'm ready to sit them both down and talk to them about it. I haven't levelled up in so long because I hit a standstill but I think if I tell them about my mission and stop keeping secrets from them I might start upgrading again."

"It could work. Have you found yourself a new living quarters yet?" Taemin sighed, shaking his head. Since he'd gotten kicked out of the apartment he hadn't had a place to go. He'd hid himself under The Deck again the last time he'd logged out so that his character wouldn't be found in his long absence, but now that he was playing again he didn't have anywhere to leave his character when he was ready to log off.

"I've just been...logging off at random places."

"Taemin, that's dangerous," she chided, "If a resident of Tinker Town finds your character there, they'll realize who you are and take you away." Taemin's eyes widened.

"Wait, that's real? I thought you said Jonghyun makes up stories about stuff he doesn't know!"

"That's true, but Jonghyun does know about this. Maybe not all the details, but he's had a few friends who've been troublemakers taken away for a few years. Obviously in your time zone that's only a short while but here citizens are sentenced to at least one or two years serving in Tinker Town before they're resurfaced in their respective World." Taemin's brain churned at the new information. That was real. If he didn't get his character a place to rest soon...

"So what happens if they find me? Am I going to log in to find myself in Tinker Town?"

"No," Sandy shook her head. "Worse. You're an outside player, they'll know that. They'll know you aren't a citizen so it isn't unlawful to...exterminate your character."

"They'll...kill me?"

"Precisely. They'll terminate your character's life in the game and if you log back in, the game will automatically be reset. I'm a permanent figure of this game so I will still be here and I'll be able to get you back on your feet, but for all you know...it could be an entirely new era in which you log in to."

"Wait, what? My character won't regenerate immediately?"

"No, and you won't know when exactly your character will re-spawn. It may look as though you're signing back in immediately but you may very well end up in a totally different time than the one you're playing in now. This is a modern platform but you could end up in a futuristic period of the game or a prehistoric period...and as for the residents..."

"They won't be the same." Taemin finished for her. She nodded her head with a sad smile. "Kibum and Jonghyun will be gone and I'll never find them again." She nodded again.

"You have to find a place for your character, Taemin. It's not safe for you to be hiding your character in nooks and crannies in the game. The second a sweeper picks you up and takes you away you're a goner."

Taemin nodded at her advice and after making plans with her to talk to Jonghyun and Kibum about the Tenth level Worlds he left Paradise Planet. Taemin wandered through the rest of the Fourth level Worlds wondering how the hell he was supposed to level up now. He'd been sitting on The Deck kicking his feet at the water below him when suddenly the entire game paused and a screen flashed before him. Taemin was startled at first but focused on the screen in front of him.

'Congratulations!' It read, 'You have successfully reached your anniversary in the game! You will now level up by 1 level as an achievement!' The screen flashed a few more times before Taemin suddenly leveled up to the Fifth Worlds. He was starstruck for a moment before Sandy appeared.

"Taemin? You levelled up!"

"Do you just materialize whenever I unlock an achievement?" He wondered aloud, breathlessly.

"That seems about right," she chuckled, "What'd you do?"

"It said I reached my anniversary in the game, what the hell does that mean?" Sandy chuckled at him.

"It means you've been playing the game for one year as of today in your real life timezone. Every year on this day, you'll level up by one level; it's sort of a reward for continuously playing the game." Taemin thought back to when he'd bought the game and started playing. He realized she was right; he'd started playing several weeks before his fifteenth birthday, and now that his sixteenth birthday was almost here he realized he'd been playing for about a year.

"Great, so I only have to play the game for another five years until I reach the Tenth Worlds." He grumbled sullenly.

"That's not true," Sandy piped up, "Now that you've unlocked many other Fifth level Worlds you'll be able to complete tasks on those levels; that'll cause you to level up again." Taemin's eyes widened at the realization. She was right; he had opened another playing field to gain experience on which would cause him to level up. "Since you've reached higher levels," she continued, "You may be able to activate more features or complete more challenging tasks than before; these will cause you to level up faster than you did in the earlier Worlds."

"So what do I do now?" She laughed at him.

"Go explore some Fifth level Worlds, of course!" Then she disappeared and Taemin was left with his feet still dangling over The Deck, swishing in the warm water below him.

***

It took him a while to get used to the new Worlds. It'd been so long since he leveled up that Taemin forgot all the new features that came with higher level Worlds. There was a gorgeous futuristic world that Taemin loved and several Worlds that resembled very well put together cafes and coffee shops. There was a theme park called The Ride Express and a cozy library that had thousands of book on shelves running along almost every wall and comfy looking couches scattering the floor. Taemin had a lot to explore and he found himself running through all the Worlds and looking at all the different elements of each World before tiring himself out.

He sat his character down on a street bench before realizing he still hadn't found a place to keep his character and it was getting increasingly dangerous to leave his avatar in random places. He rubbed at his eyes from the gameroom and glanced over at the clock on the table next to him. 'Almost eleven already?' he wondered. He still had to find a place to leave his character.

Suddenly, he had an idea. It might take him another hour or so of gameplay, but he didn't have any other option for the night. He began immediately travelling through Worlds and playing games and solving problems other citizens asked for his help with. The game was designed for him to complete tasks to earn EXP and level up, but he could also spend some of his points on upgrades in the game; it was a chance that he could acquire enough upgrades to improve his character's wellbeing. It was technically another way to level up, but if he spent enough money and bought his character a small apartment in the game the way Jonghyun and Kibum had, he would have a place to leave his character every time he logged off, and it would double as a way to help him level up.

Taemin struggled to fight off sleep as he continued playing the game. He kept thinking about Kibum's sullen cheeks as he flung open the apartment door and his bleached, frizzy hair. He kept thinking about how his warm brown eyes had widened upon seeing him and how he'd ushered him in quickly, how he'd missed him. Taemin's cheeks flushed lightly at the memory of how Kibum had embraced his character so passionately and it only served as motivation to keep playing. Once Taemin hit the Tenth level it was only a matter of time until he could truly feel Kibum in his arms.

It was a thousand points to buy an apartment in the Fifth level Worlds and he was nearing eight hundred. Only two hundred more points would guarantee him a level up. He considered buying a cheaper seven hundred point apartment in the Fourth level Worlds but decided he should try to keep his distance from Jonghyun for the time being. Besides, the more expensive upgrades he bought, the higher his chance of levelling up.

Taemin played until half past midnight when he finally achieved his thousand-point goal. He spent another few minutes combing through the Fifth World maps trying to find a decent apartment for sale and settled on one in the Aquarium Village; a World meant to look like it was entirely underwater (previously nicknamed The City of Atlantis) but was perfect in terms of living conditions. He settled on one closer to the edge of the World so it wouldn't take him long to switch between maps and he paid for the apartment in full. He settled his character in bed and quickly logged off, nearly dozing off himself on the floor of the gameroom.

'I really shouldn't sleep there anymore, it's getting bad for my back', Taemin thought groggily to himself as he rubbed at his lower back, trudging out of the gameroom. But he didn't make it past the doorway; bumping into a solid figure when he opened the door.

Taemin stared up at the obstacle to find it was his mother, angrily staring down at him in her robe and slippers. Taemin gulped inaudibly.

"M-mom?"

"Lee Taemin, we are going to have a talk."

He was so ed.

***

Taemin was technically suspended from gameplay for the next while. His mother was at her rope's end with him and she'd taken it upon herself to lock the door to the gameroom using a key which she kept on her person at all times. Taemin couldn't believe how unfair she was being; he was a perfect child in every other aspect. He'd started studying harder for private lessons like she'd wanted, he'd taken on longer shifts at work much to his discontentment but to her pleasure, and he'd even started accompanying her and his father to those stupid luncheons they were always getting invited to as a couple in their place of power would.

All in all, Taemin was constantly agitated because she still hadn't supplied him with the key to the room and he was becoming impatient. He thanked any higher power that he'd actually gotten his character an apartment, but if he didn't go back to the game soon Sandy was going to have to explain his predicament to Jonghyun and Kibum on her own, and that wasn't fair. Taemin couldn't just throw her under the bus like that, not after everything she'd done for him and helped him through, but there was no way for him to contact her besides playing the game and since he couldn't do that he was quite literally a sitting duck.

The answer to his woes came to him as he was working, struggling under the usual fast paced evening shifts. He'd just gone on his break, sighing and peeling off his apron hanging it on a hook in the breakroom before opening the back door and heading outside for some fresh air. The summer sun was high in the air and he'd been squinting at it when he was suddenly hit with an idea.

If Taemin could pick the lock to the gameroom without his mother noticing; he could unplug the system and take it to work with him. The employees were allowed to screw around in the breakroom during their breaks and time off as long as they weren't too rowdy. Plugged into the game, Taemin was virtually silent, so they'd have no reason to kick him out. All he had to do was get into the room once and get the system out of there. He'd have to be quick about it but he knew he could do it. He could just spend extra time at work in the breakroom when he wasn't actually working and play all he needed to. His mother would never know, all he had to tell her was that he'd gotten more shifts. She'd think he'd have even less time to play the game and she wouldn't suspect a thing; she'd probably encourage it.

Taemin scoffed to himself over her materialism. Maybe money truly was all she cared about. She couldn't even let her sixteen year old son play a video game to keep himself entertained. Instead, she chucked him off to work a ty part-time job when he didn't even need to and didn't even let him keep any of his earnings because she was afraid he'd blow it on game upgrades. She shelled out money for private lessons to have him whipped into top shape and sculpted into the perfect heir to the company. Taemin knew he'd had his parents wrapped around his finger at a young age, and maybe this was finally her retaliation for getting played all the time by an elementary school kid. 'That's her fault for ty parenting', Taemin thought, but regardless of whatever thoughts made him feel better, she was still in power. And she still currently had control over his game hours.

But Taemin would change that.

***

That same night, Taemin waited until his parents had gone to bed. At around midnight he figured they had both finally turned in for the night. So he waited another hour until he was perfectly sure he was safe. At exactly one in the morning, he slipped out from under his bedsheets, fully clothed, putting soft-padded slippers on so his feet wouldn't slap against the stained hardwood flooring. He grabbed a backpack he'd armed with several supplied and opened his door slowly, peering out into the dark corridor to ensure no maids were scuttling about finishing last minute jobs. When he figured the coast was clear he crept out slowly, padding softly across the floor to the east wing. He took his time on the stairs because they were old and liable to creak under his weight, but he heaved a sigh of relief when he got past them with no incident.

When he reached the gameroom he chanced the doorknob. It didn't budge. He sighed, 'so she really locked it, huh?' before fishing into his pants pocket to produce a few bobby pins he'd stolen from his mother's bathroom. He bent one slightly open and ripped the little ball on the end of it off, sticking it back in his pocket. With the raw end of the bobby pin he smoothly entered it into the keyhole and jiggled it about. He hadn't the faintest idea how to do this but he'd looked it up on the internet during his last few minutes on break at work. He wasn't sure he remembered all the techniques of picking locks but he had to keep trying; this had to work before someone figured out he was out of bed. And this was only the first half of his mission.

Taemin tried a few more times unsuccessfully bending the bobby pin past any more use so he frustratedly shoved it back into his pocket before reaching for another pin. He bent that one too and slid it into the keyhole as well, trying his best to be quiet and stay patient as he jiggled the lock again. Several attempts later and on his last bobby pin, Taemin was about to give up when he suddenly heard a click and the lock gave way. He nearly screamed in victory and gently pushed the door open. The room was dark inside but Taemin was prepared. He reached inside his backpack and produced a mini flashlight he kept fully charged for emergencies and well, this was an emergency. The light flashed brilliantly through the dark, the beam of light guiding him over to the game system. He quickly unplugged it, placing it carefully in his bag along with the controller and headset. He zipped the bag back up, groaning slightly under the weight of it all but heaved it back onto his shoulder and made his way slowly back out of the room, careful not to hit anything.

He closed the door softly on his way out, using his last bobby pin again to relock the door from the outside, and then he was on his way. He glided through the hallways and back to his room. He figured if he used the front door it may trigger the safety alarm his parents always set on the front and back doors. But there were no safety alarms on the windows above the first floor; conveniently where Taemin's room was located. He'd opened his window a crack in advance so the lock wouldn't pop and make a noise and he smoothly slid the window up, easing through the opening. Taemin was lucky there was such a large tree outside his room. As a child he'd constantly complained about the lack of view, begging his parents to cut the tree down. Now he was glad they never did. He set his foot down on the thick branches of the tree, nimbly climbing through them down the trunk until he hopped the last foot down, landing on his feet in the grass. He'd made it.

He'd left his bicycle at the bottom of the tree on his way in from work that night so he jumped on it, cycling his way through the empty streets to the froyo shop. He knew the front door would be locked but every employee had a copy of the key to the back entrance because most employees came in that way for work. He squeezed himself through the door with the backpack on his back, quickly opening his locker and shoving the game system inside. He would set it up tomorrow but for now he just needed to drop it off and make it back to his house as quickly as possible.

For a moment, he stopped to think. Why was he doing this? Why would he go to such lengths? If his mother, for some odd reason, happened to check the gameroom and find the system missing he'd probably be in the worst trouble of his life. If somehow he didn't make it back in time and he climbed into his window to find his mother waiting for him, his life would be over. If something happened to him between now and his way back home he'd never be able to play the game again. Why was this so important to him? Why was he risking so much?

He shut the locker firmly, the clanging of metal resonating loudly in the employee break room and he shuffled back out of the room, adjusting his lighter backpack and relocking the back door. He hoisted himself over his bike again and began pedalling back home. He already knew his only reason for risking everything.

Kibum.

Hey guys, LifeisSHINee here! This chapter took a while for me to post, half of it was just sitting in my drafts but I always feel like the chapters I post are so short? So I try to save them until I lengthen them...yet my updates continue to be super short. I guess I'm not one to sit down and bang out 5k words on the spot, haha. Anyways so yes Taemin is now realizing how important Kibum is to him and how much he really likes him that he's willing to risk everything in his real life just to spend his virtual life with him. This is sort of the changing fork in Taemin's character because he isn't putting his mom's approval first anymore; he's putting Kibum first and his desire to be with him. So hopefully next chapter there'll be some more physical Taekey action instead of just talk. A few more chapters to go! I also wanted to say that Jongkey's apartment is 324B21 which is a code from Orphan Black if any of you guys know that show, I love to talk about it so I wouldn't mind getting geeky over the sci fi show. As always, until next time, take care!