i quickly proofread this and i dont have a beta so sorry for the drops in quality, pointing out errors is always welcome!

mood-setting music:

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Maybe it was the 12th cup of Monster Energy that was finally getting to him. Perhaps it was the subtle clicking and ticking of the minimalistic digital clock sitting upon his bedside that was driving him nuts. Regardless of the reason, Jihoon was becoming restless. Living a secluded go-outside-only-to-piss-and-get-food lifestyle has hard enough, but meshed with the overbearing online classes being piled up on top of one another like stone bricks on his head made it a shock in itself that Lee Jihoon hadn’t already just downed an entire bottle of Nyquil and called it game over yet. Everything went by in a tired and messy blur in the sore eyes of Lee Jihoon. Nowadays, this man lived a life lacking in most of the pleasures of life.

           The ambitious boy chose this lifestyle for himself. He did it for the best of his own interests; choosing convenience over human interaction, but as soon as he left the binds of public high-schooling, he discovered that his once-sanctuary had become his confinement. Days and nights filled with only computer tapping and checking for text messages of the once close were the only things that consisted of Jihoon’s routine. Nowadays, Lee Jihoon lived a life lacking communication.

           Jihoon wasn’t the boy that his high-school friends had forged fond memories of. Reclusive and snappy, but well-intentioned and hard-working. Reliable. Respectable, with a sense of humor. Presentable. Even what the kids would call, relatable. The new young man that had taken the role of Jihoon once high-school was over was absolutely different. The change was so drastic that even rumors of a murder-and-replacement between “New Jihoon” and “Old Jihoon” occurring started sprouting up amongst old friends. Even so, he couldn't be bothered to deny the accusations. If he really were dead to his previous companions, then so be it. Water underneath the bridge. Nowadays, Lee Jihoon focused on the wrong things.

           That didn't stop a particular eccentric individual from bugging him for hours-upon-hours every week; that individual being Kwon Soonyoung.  The little bugger took it upon himself as Jihoon's "only friend left" to barrage him with texts and status messages every minute of the day- only when he didn't want him to.

Studying for exams.

"lol jihoon watch dis video its rly funne respon in 7 mins or i kno u didnt watch it lawl"

Eating lunch.

"JIHOON LETS GO 4 LUNCH U PAY?"

Taking a dump.

"u kno jihoon it is @ times like these where i am very lonely so im gonna facetime u rn so pls pick up immediately"

           Soonyoung loved making Jihoon's life a living hell, but at the same time, was one of the only ones that could keep Jihoon's sanity stable. Perhaps it was from all the intense mental training Jihoon went through to even consider staying Soonyoung's friend.

           He had his moments, though; waiting in line for 5 hours in the rain to get one of the first copies of a game Jihoon wanted once, coming over to take care of him when the barely-younger was sick- the likes.

           The negatives of Soonyoung really outweighed the positives, though, as proven now. Surprisingly, Jihoon was finally done with all his work, despite the constant pestering from his hazelnut-do friend. Pushing all of his working materials to the side of his war-torn and aged desk, Jihoon finally popped open the messenger app of his outdated smartphone. Tapping a quick response to Soonyoung's word vomit, the lanky boy stretched his legs and rolled his joints around until they cracked. It only took a few seconds for his friend to answer his "I'm finally done, what r u going on about?"

Kwon1010: nvm im busy rn sry for bugging u lel :3c

Well. That wasn't the response he was expecting.

Hoon71: U? Busy? Wtf r u doing?

(Seen 3:18 am)

Jihoon's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. All this pestering, and now nothing?

Kwon1010: Ya well i was gonna ask u if u wanted 2 go out but then stuff happened and i got a date sry lil boi gtg

Hoon71: it's 3 am, you do not have a date at 3 am Soonyoung now tell me what the you are up to

(Sent 3:20 am)

No further response was elicited, much to the young man's dismay.

           Jihoon sighed into his swivel chair, palming his greasy locks. As much as Soonyoung could be a prick, he was the only one he could rely on to actually hang out with. Contemplating what to do, Jihoon settled with shouldering on his crusty-but-trusty old bomber jacket, still in the same sweatpants (that had this weird tomato sauce stain on the thigh) from a week or two ago. A perk of being a social recluse was that he didn't give two damns if strangers knew that he spilt spaghetti-o's on his pants any more than he did before; as apparent from the visual history of his trousers. The old video game rental store was only a few blocks away from Jihoon's apartment, and he was on his way over.

           Video Games weren't ever really his thing, but they were practically the only thing that could occupy him with his current living situation. Movies and novels were either too long or boring for his attention span. Jihoon craved productivity in any shape or form, so videogames and music writing were the only forms of recreation that were the next-best-thing to working his off. He wasn't particularly good at any of the games he enjoyed, usually opting for easy on anything he played, but the stimulation they provided really helped the young man to de-stress after an online class or paper.

           Passing the almost-barren streets, ignoring the slightly weary glances that were directed at him by couples and strangers that were out on walks this early in the morning, Jihoon's boots hit the padding of a shoddy green welcome mat. Hand caressing the chipped, bronze doorknob, the young man takes in the peeled beige paint of the store that contrasted against the cheap wooden door standing between its walls. Same old, same old.

           A little welcome bell rattled as he treaded into the cool, heater-less room. Some boxes and shelves rattled as a feminine figure popped up from underneath the counters.

           "Oppa! The usual is here!" A young girl with vivid, fiery red hair and small, pretty eyes yelled towards the back of the building as a catty grin spread across her face.

           "That's Jihoon-oppa to you, Suhyun." The shorter sighed as the puckish girl drew closer to him, defining the obvious height difference between the two. How embarrassing.

           A similar, yet still unique face sticks out from the back door. "Oh, Jihoon-yah!" A boy of around the same age and height, with a purplish-blue mess of hair and wire-rimmed glasses saunters up the the front of the store to join in the confrontation.

           "Does anyone is this store have manners?" Jihoon whines in his head, sighing.          

           "That's Jihoon-ssi to you, Chanhyuk." The siblings snicker to themselves as Jihoon rubs his temples in agitation. He only goes to this store out of convenience, if there were any other game store in neighborhood he lived in, he would've frequented there instead, in a heartbeat.

           Settling down, the sibling duo went to go do their respective jobs while continuing their talk with our protagonist.

           "So, what brings you here today, hyung?" Chanhyuk inquires as he messes around with the old metal shelves, re-positioning boxes of old imported classics. There was the selection, too, that drew Jihoon to this store.

           "That's still Jihoon-ssi to you. Also, I'm looking for a game I could rent." Jihoon says as he awkwardly stands in place by the entrance.

           "Come on in, you'll get a cold from that draft. You've come to the right place. We just so happen to provide games here. I know, crazy for a video game rental, right?" Suhyun grins her cat-like smile once again, leaning against the counter as her eyes squish closed to match her smirk.

           "I would tell you to shut the hell up if you weren't younger than me," Jihoon sulks as he shuffles into the barely-warmer interior of the shop.

           "I want a game I can just waste some time on whenever I'm bored or lonely. Little skill; just something to immerse myself in. I'm sorta desperate, I don't really care what. Anything to pass the time." He continued, but snapped to realization when the duo shared an all-too-knowing look.

           "And by anything, know I have limits. I won't take your kids' bullcrap. Not after the last time you little s kindly gifted me 'Where Do Babies Come From?' for the ds." The siblings looked at eachother and then back at Jihoon in disgust.

           "Look, we needed it off our hands, we have a kid-friendly image to uphold...." "We gave you a refund, remember?" Jihoon groaned at the commotion.

           "Help me out this one time, guys." Chanhyuk, the less devious of the two, nodded as he shuffled through the aisles, pulling out and putting back several titles. "You got it, hyung." "-ssi." "Y-you got, it, Jihoon-ssi." He smiled in earnest.

           Jihoon leaned against the counter, a friendly silence hanging between him and Suhyun. The sibling duo, albeit not as closely acquainted to him as Soonyoung, were a welcomed change of pace. It's just a surprise that these kids (okay, he should really stop calling them "kids", because they're practically the same age as him,) were awake at such a time. It was only 4 am, yet the shop seemed to have already been up and running for an hour or two, at least. Jihoon's eyes wandered as he took in his surroundings. The store itself was quite shabby, and he was pretty sure the only people who actually shopped here regularly were him and old people who felt bad for the Lee siblings. He didn't even remember when this shack of a store was spawned into being. Previously, it used to house a successful Middle-Eastern restaurant that blended traditional Korean cuisine with Middle-Eastern culture, but some time down the line, the place had just disappeared. In its place, the shabby videogame (and technically, movie) rental store was set up. The store did badly straight from the beginning, due to location, but after a lot of publicity stunts that involved swaying and scamming the elderly of their affection, the Lees managed to amass enough funds to not become homeless (again, they say, as if it weren't the first time), to which Jihoon granted some sympathy towards. The Lees themselves are shrouded in mystery. All Jihoon knows is that Chanhyuk was some sort of musical and technological genius for his age, even more than him, and Suhyun has one hell of a singing voice, according to the first. The two stick together like glue, and he hasn't seen them separated ever, save for the one time when Suhyun had to mope and suffer in the shop alone for a few hours while her older brother went out to go get his wisdom teeth done. Not a pretty sight.

           After a minimal amount of waiting, Chanhyuk came back with a multitude of discs. Quite honestly, Jihoon was quite miffed. "So, right here I've got--" He couldn't be bothered to sort through all those selections with a half-functioning brain, as the 12 Monster energies had started flaking on him, so he vocalised his distaste. "Just ring up whatever's your favorite. It's freezing in here; I wanna go home." Jihoon zipped up his jacket, perhaps missing the electric spark that was shared between the siblings as he stuffed his hands into his wrapper and receipt-filled pockets.

           "Can do." Jihoon was soon walking toward the exit with a plastic thank-you bag, waving a hand.

           "Thanks, see you later, Hansel and Gretel!" The short man grinned. Haha, a joke.

           "No problem, oppa/hyung!" The two said in sing-songy unison, sly smiles on their faces as they went back to their silent work.

           Jihoon may or may not have been pissed.

           Clumsily opening the door and thumping back towards his room unannounced, Jihoon's mother and father greet him from the living room as the reporter on TV drones on about some renaissance in creative technology or something. The tiny man does not acknowledge either of them, simply grunting as he slams the door, re-entering his secluded reality.

           All his parents can do is sigh as they look at each other wearily with their worn eyes.

           Jihoon didn't manage to hear their remarks on how worried they were about him.

           Unveiling the game that he had rented was sure the spectacle, if his reaction were to be posted on the internet, Jihoon would've been famous. But who wouldn't've been outraged to find out that they had spent 57,000 won (not including tax) on a minty-fresh copy of Kissy Dreamboat High School Paradise 3 Deluxe-Gold-Collector's-Back-To-School-Edition?

           Jihoon's parents almost thought they heard a scream emit from outside of the young recluse's bedroom, but they assumed it was just a sound effect from the drama they were watching.

           Jihoon fumed as he speed-dialed Akdong Game Rental, only to be hit with Chanhyuk's nasally voice.

           "This is AKMU Rental. Thank you for calling. Currently, the shop is either closed or unoccupied, so we are not receiving calls. Please don't rob us just because there's no one here. Please leave a message after the tone. If you're Lee Jihoon, on the other hand, don't. Sorry for the inconvenience. Once again, thank you for calling." The call hung as the voice-message tone beeped once. Jihoon inhaled, and after yelling a great big, "IHATEYOUIWANTMYCASHBACK", hung up.

           So much for playing video games. Jihoon spent a few minutes trying other ways to occupy himself. He could only read a few pages of an old novel before getting bored. He spun around in his chair for a few minutes, trying to get a new perspective for song lyrics. Really, he just made himself dizzy. Jihoon hadn't realized how short his attention span had gotten after being immersed in nothing but work and games. Now, nothing could compare.

           Letting out a sigh of defeat, Jihoon picked up his laptop from it's place on his desk and flopped onto his bed, attempting to not land on the game box. He may have heard a few cracks here or there, but he couldn't care less. It wasn't like it was his or anything, and the siblings sure deserved getting a broken box after the prank they pulled on him.

           Popping the disc out of the plastic box anything but carefully, he placed it into the dock of his computer and let it run the installation.

           Do you want to install Kissy Dreamboat High School Paradise 3 Deluxe-Gold-Collector's-Back-To-School-Edition to Lee Jihoon's C:// Drive?

           'I don't really know myself, honestly.' Jihoon mused to himself as he clicked 'Yes' and agreed to all the legal that was thrown at his face before installation.

           The game was ready quickly, and Jihoon wouldn't realize how royally screwed he was until it was too late. Running the .exe file, the start menu popped out and immediately, surprisingly decent title music started playing. Jihoon's mouse scrolled over to 'start game', and that would be the last time anyone, including his parents, would see the small boy come out of his room for a few days.

           Everything was smooth sailing at first. The 20-year-old lounged on his bed as he clicked through the customization options for his heroine, (as there was no option for a guy, much to his distaste) settling on a petite girl with a round face, bright brown anime eyes, and a short mane that was dyed a warm blonde; looking about the age of 15 or 16. 'Hello, real-life me but younger and with hips,' Jihoon snickered in his head as he named the girl 'Woozi' (in tribute to how the sibling-induced headache made him feel); the game beginning to go on its course.

           Right at the beginning the first game-day, he was introduced to a colorful cast of characters, starting off with a plump-faced boy with curly, mahogany hair and fluffy bangs. The mystery boy scolded and whined at Woozi for being late to school, smacking her on the back, causing her to almost choke on the piece of toast she was eating. 'This kid's kind of a ,' Jihoon contemplated, but soon the character was redeemed as he introduced himself and warmed up to the player. "Boo Seungkwan, huh. Noted."

           An array of characters were shoved down Jihoon's throat as soon as little Woozi arrived to school, and Jihoon was praying for the digital fledgling's sanity at this point. First day at school and she already met 10 hunks that all wanted a piece of her as-

           Er, heart. A piece of her heart. Yes.

           The cast of suitors was colorful. There was Mingyu, the cool and manly jock, Wonwoo, Minyu's wingman (really, Jihoon wondered why Mingyu was so thirsty for Woozi when Wonwoo would gladly do anything for his Resident Bro™) and an artsy-fartsy silent type, Minghao and Junhui who were the hot exchange students who knew sick moves and always stuck together, Dino and Vernon who were the class clowns and trouble makers that had soft and squishy sides, Joshua who was the well-groomed gentleman who secretly snorted anime goods and lived off of packaged ramen, Jeonghan, who was a very, very beautiful individual, Seungkwan who he met before who was just a snarky but good pal, and...

           Choi Seungcheol. Oh boy. Woozi wasn't usually into dorky characters, always hoping they'd be the first to die in tv series, but there was something about Seungcheol that made him want to hug him and buy him marshmallows and never let go as soon as the small girl bumped into him in the halls.

           "Oops, sorry! I didn't see you there. I was too busy being blinded by your beauty!" A silver-hair boy jested as he helped the petite girl get up. Woozi opted on the " off" option, not impressed.

           "Haha, gee, was it that bad?" The pixelated man scratched the scruff of his neck as he blushed, eyes closing into a smile.

           Woozi, and in turn Jihoon- was snatched.

           No matter how bitter Woozi was with Seungcheol, he always wore his heart on his sleeve and took the beating with a smile. He was a beam of positivity, as well as maturity and responsibility as seen later, when he displayed his skills as the leader of the football team.

           I didn't help that Jihoon sorta had a thing for guys who did sports.

           Jihoon didn't seem to realize how much of a thing he had for Seungcheol, though, until he was wallowing into his sheets, crying at 1 am, an entire real day later, at the Bad Ending screen that had been presented to him. His dear Seungcheol rejected him. His sweet, sweet Cheollie-oppa.

           Jihoon  scratched his red and irritated nose as hot tears ran down his plush cheeks, mind flashing back to the disaster that had just occurred. Apparently, although previously despite Seungcheol handling Woozi's rude words well, the lack of respect in the end really broke the game for him.

           Woozi stood by the courtyard of the beautiful, newly-painted school; fresh green leaves swirling in the wind as the gentle breeze caressed her delicate features. She turned to greet the broad figure that had walked up to her. "You showed up," Woozi whispered.

           "Jerk."

           Jihoon didn't notice a slight twinge in the eyes of his fictional crush.

           "Y-yeah, what's up?" Seungcheol, visibly uneasy but still strong and toppling over Woozi, inquired.

           And so, Woozi confessed, Jihoon not expecting the torrent of feelings that would come immediately after.

           Seungcheol denied him in the most... interesting way he's ever seen, to say the least.

           "I dunno. I don't really wanna go out with you. Sorry... W...Wendy? Wanda? What's your name? Whatever! Hahaha! The air is pretty nice out, today! I like football!"

           Jihoon couldn't even be mad at Seungcheol, wiping away stray tears. There wasn't enough time. I need to get Seungcheol to like me as quickly as possible, Jihoon thought to himself as he rolled the mouse over the New Game button. If I don't, I might just die or something.

           Apparently no one else on the planet knew of this game's existence, though, as gaming forums and wikipedia alike had no guides or tips on how to get the good character endings. Jihoon almost lost hope, until he heard his phone buzz. Oh, yeah. Soonyoung. That guy.

           Unlocking his phone, he sees a barrage of text messages from the day before and today, first about trivial things before evolving into more worried questions as time progressed. He almost felt a twinge of guilt, but he was desperate at the moment.

Kwon1010: u ok hoon?????

Kwon1010: where r u im sorry if i made u upset im worried what happened 2 u

Kwon1010: its been 2 whole days please answer

Hoon71: do yuyou knwo about , hthe kissy paradise whteber game

Kwon1010: OH THANK GOD UR OKAY

Hoon71: do u jkno

Kwon1010: no? what? r u ok? r u drunk it's only 7 am?

Hoon71: SOON I haev not slept 4 more than a day i am ecaxhausered goodbye

Kwon1010: ?????????

Kwon1010: jihoon

Kwon1010: jihoon

Kwon1010: JIHOON

           Jihoon would only let himself have one last chance before giving up. If he couldn't swoon Seungcheol after this, he'd uninstall the game and return it tomorrow after getting some sleep. He crossed his fingers in hopes the Gods will be good to him, just this once.

And apparently, there are people up there, Jihoon realizes, as he sits there dumbstruck. Tears flow from his lashed eyes again, but this time out of happiness.

           Seungcheol scratches the back of his head, much like how he did when Woozi first encountered him, ears and cheeks flushed. "I....I love you, Woozi. I'll never let you go, ever. Please accept my feelings."

Jihoon jumped and shouted, for a second forgetting that he was not a 16-year old highschool girl getting confessed to by the hunkiest hunk in existence, but in reality a 20-year-old crusty young man who hadn't showered for 5 days or so and was currently crying over pixels on a computer screen. "HELL TO THE Y E S !! I LOVE BEING ALIVE!!! TAKE ME OPPA!!!" The short man hollered as he bounced on his bed, the waterworks overflowing.

           Jihoon picked the "Okay" option as he hopped and cried. He's slightly angered that Woozi doesn't feel the current excitement that he is. Oh well. You do you, little girl, you do you.

           "R-really!? You're that eager? O-okay! Let's stick together! Gosh, I love you!" The screen faded from a happy Seungcheol to black, displaying a Good End splashscreen.

Jihoon plopped onto his bed, exhausted, with tearstained eyes. He didn't understand why Seungcheol would consider Woozi's simple "Okay." as eagerness, but Jihoon didn't have the mental power to care, currently. Seungcheol-oppa was his in the second dimension, and that was all that mattered. Jihoon saved the game, shut down his laptop and placed it to the empty side of his bed, and cuddled into his sheets. In no time, Jihoon was asleep.

           Tomorrow would be a good day.

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mostly boring stuff this chapter, once things get rolling i'll have more opportunities for funny stuff!

thanks for reading, feedback or anything like that is ALWAYS appreciated! :^) 

EDIT 7/13/16: fixed some errors and weird wording