Code: 02

Location: Factory

Time: N/A

Steam rose from the metal grate underneath Chanyeol's feet, circling him in a cloud of warm mist. On either side of him, an intricate network of steel pipes weaved across the walls, resembling that of a nest of snakes. Heat emanated from within the metalwork, accompanied by the sound of rushing water that echoed in the narrow corridor enclosed by two doors, both of which were shut tight.

As Chanyeol cautiously walked over to one of the doors, he caught sight of his reflection in the sheen of the polished steel. He hadn't realised how out of place his appearance was, with his scuffed jeans and wrinkled white t-shirt, it felt almost jarring to see the contrast with his rigid surroundings.

"From what I can tell, you're in a factory." Kyungsoo informed him. Chanyeol contemplated whether or not he should tell the man about his most recent memory, but quickly decided against it, seeing as it seemed harmless enough.

"Okay... so what now?" Chanyeol asked, knocking on the steel door with his knuckles. Surprisingly, it swung open, followed by a gust of icy wind that left Chanyeol partially dazed. The cold ran over his bare arms, causing the skin to roughen from the emerging goosebumps.

"Exploring the area would be your best bet, unless you want to stay here and freeze." Kyungsoo responded. Having no other choice, Chanyeol chose to explore.

As he stepped out of the corridor, Chanyeol was met with a cavernous room filled with rows of machinery, all of which looked like poorly constructed replicas of mechas from a Japanese anime. The heads of their humanoid bodies were lopsided and crudely painted; the one closest to Chanyeol had horrifically uneven arms, with one grazing against the floor and the other looking more like an extension of its collarbone than a limb.

"I won't lie, these look like crappy drawings of Evangelions come to life" Chanyeol remarked, placing a hand on the metal leg of a nearby machine.

"Hmm, I'd say they look more like the Kataphrakts from Aldnoah.Zero." Kyungsoo chimed in, surprising Chanyeol with his uncharacteristic display of interest.

Grinning, Chanyeol inwardly laughed at the thought of the man in his head watching anime, "Heh, nerd."

"Oh you can talk." Kyungsoo bit back, peeved at Chanyeol's mocking expression, "Don't call me a nerd when you're a One Piece fanboy."

"Wh- How did you know that?!" Chanyeol exclaimed in surprise, suddenly afraid that Kyungsoo could read his thoughts as well.

Bursting out into laughter, which Chanyeol couldn't help but think was rather pleasant-sounding, Kyungsoo spoke in an amused tone, "The logo's on the back of your shirt, idiot."

After hearing the unexpected revelation , Chanyeol immediately spun around to observe his image in the mecha's leg. In clear black and white, the logo with its Japanese writing and skull and crossbones was reflected back at him.

For a good minute, Chanyeol stood there smiling in admiration, praising his good sense of fashion.

Kyungsoo's laughter continued to ring in his head, although Chanyeol couldn't quite tell whether he was laughing with him or at him.

"Do you like One Piece too?" Chanyeol threw the question with uninhibited enthusiasm, practically giddy at the thought of having a common interest with the stranger in his skull.

"Nah, I'm a fan of more recent anime, y'know, those popular intergalactic sport ones that are being released nowadays." Kyungsoo's tone became much more relaxed than what Chanyeol had grown accustomed to, but he wasn't going to complain about it. "I used to like Prince of Tennis, that really old show."

"And you call me a nerd." Chanyeol snorted, searching his memory for the series Kyungsoo had spoken about. "I bet that you're the type to cry at the sad scenes as well."

"Am not." Kyungsoo huffed, his denial coming off too strongly and not as nonchalant as he had intended.

Raising an eyebrow, Chanyeol decided against being the better person and further teased Kyungsoo in delight, "Pfft, you're a pretty bad liar."
 

"Fine, I admit that I cried once." Kyungsoo confessed in a vexed tone, which Chanyeol found more than entertaining.  "But that final match between Yukimura and Echizen was intense, okay?"

"Whatever you say~" Chanyeol said dismissively, guffawing as Kyungsoo started, but failed, to vehemently defend himself with excuses.

The two continued to discuss anime, which somehow moved on to music then to favourite foods, as well as an assortment of other topics, leading Chanyeol to forget about the cold nipping at his skin.

He decided to sit down by the foot of the mecha, resting his back against the cool metal as he conversed with Kyungsoo. From an outsider's point of view, Chanyeol would've looked insane talking to himself, but luckily, there was no one around to judge him.

Except for one.

The sound of footsteps cut through the still air, the echo of the metal resounding around Chanyeol and halting his conversation with Kyungsoo.

"Who's there?" A voice called out and though it didn't sound hostile, Chanyeol's muscles instantly tensed from the unease.

The man curled into a ball, squeezing his legs uncomfortably close to his torso while he held his breath, waiting for the stranger to pass.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Hairs on the back of his neck stiffened and he could feel the blood pounding in his ears.

"Chanyeol, I don't think-" Kyungsoo began to speak, but was immediately cut short by a loud bang, as if a heavy object had just fallen to the floor.

In the corner of Chanyeol's eye, he could see a torch rolling towards him, the spinning of its light splitting the frigid darkness. It eventually stopped a metre away from Chanyeol, creating an elongated shadow of himself on the adjacent wall.

Whilst Chanyeol simply stared at his silhouette with a look of pure terror on his face, a hand suddenly touched his shoulder, causing him to jolt backwards and hit his head on the metal body of the machine.

"Oh! Sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you." The stranger, surprisingly enough, was not the serial killer Chanyeol had imagined him to be. As the man offered his hand, Chanyeol's worries melted into the cold air as he gladly accepted the stranger's help.

"I'm Yixing, an engineer here. Are you perhaps the new recruit?" He introduced himself with a slight accent, a dimple forming on his cheek as he smiled at Chanyeol. "You can probably tell by my name that I'm not from around here."

"Yep, I'm the new recruit." Chanyeol answered, satisfied that he was finally getting with the flow of things, which Kyungsoo praised with a curt "Good". "My name's Chanyeol, and…oww."

The pain had finally caught up to him, and from what Chanyeol could feel with his fingers, a sizeable bump was forming on his head. Luckily, resulting brain damage would have been practically impossible, but Chanyeol found little comfort in that knowledge.

"Let me see…" Yixing placed a hand on both sides of Chanyeol's head, pulling it down towards him to inspect the damage. It didn't help that their heights were polar opposites.

As the engineer prodded around, parting tufts of hair gently, Chanyeol wondered what was the point when Yixing wasn't even a medic.

"I think that's enough-" Chanyeol pulled away, hearing Kyungsoo's faint snickering in his ear. "I appreciate your concern, but it isn't that bad."

"Really?" Yixing uttered blankly, oblivious to Chanyeol's discomfort. "Your hair's super fluffy by the way. Reminds me of a wet poodle. Or a chicken. Chicken's are fluffy, right?"

Unsure of whether or not that was a serious compliment, Chanyeol simply nodded slowly in response, the confusion poorly hidden on his face, "…Yes?"

"Cool, it's not just me then." Yixing gave him a thumbs up, then proceeded to embark on a tour which Chanyeol neither mentioned nor asked for. Silently following Yixing out of the gigantic room, Chanyeol's attention shifted from machine to machine, scrunching his nose at their amateurish designs while his guide droned on about various topics.

"Chanyeol are you even paying attention?" Kyungsoo asked the man, breaking him out of his trance. "Yixing could be saying something important."

"Kyungsoo I just heard him talk about what he had for dinner last night, I don't think what he's saying is that important." Chanyeol whispered, glancing at Yixing, who had somehow moved on to discussing psychology. "Seriously, why does everyone speak like this?"
 

"Blame Sehun, he coded this entire thing." Kyungsoo muttered, a certain edge to his voice. "He's always been a recluse, I'm sure human interactions aren't his strong point."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Chanyeol frowned at the man's words. There wasn't anything he could say - or remember - to refute Kyungsoo, but it was simply gut instinct that made Chanyeol doubt his supposed saviour.

It was conflicting, to say the least. Chanyeol had admittedly grown rather fond of Kyungsoo, even though he would've much preferred to have his skull unoccupied by him. What reason was there to not believe the man who was only trying to save his life?

As Chanyeol continued to trail behind Yixing, he noticed grey pixels floating above the engineer's head, turning into static that stretched across the walls and ceilings.

Eventually, everything around him was consumed by the monochrome buzz.

Chanyeol could tell Kyungsoo was trying to talk to him, but all he could hear were short clips of his voice, cut short by the white noise.

In a sudden blip, the world turned to black, as if it had been abruptly switched off.

Filename: Test_Run_#5_20230816

Tag: [Chanyeol][Work][Changsha_China]

Tubes ran from Chanyeol's arm, a thick red liquid rushing inside the plastic casing to some unknown reservoir. A strong metallic smell lingered in the air, almost palpable with its overwhelming presence that even slipped through Chanyeol's lips. The taste was horrible.

"He's awake, Mr. Oh." A man's voice, smooth and slightly accented, resounded beside Chanyeol.

"Good work, Yixing." Sehun's father praised the man in question, shaking his hand firmly. "You can rest now, I'll see you tomorrow."

After bowing deeply, Yixing left the small room, the door shutting softly beside him. Tilting his head to better observe his surroundings, Chanyeol noticed several steel boxes stacked around him with numerous wires weaving in and out; some had screens displaying graphs, while others simply had an array of buttons with indecipherable labels.

As he stretched his stiff fingers, Chanyeol could feel a viscous substance pooled around him. Upon inspection, he found that it was the same colour as the substance entering - or exiting - his body. Frightened, Chanyeol opened his mouth to cry out for help, but was hushed by Mr. Oh.

The man placed a hand on Chanyeol's forehead, a comforting smile on his lips, "Don't worry, Chanyeol. You're safe." When Chanyeol continued to look at him with wide eyes, Sehun's father frowned, "You remember me, right?"

"S…Se…hun?" Chanyeol croaked in response, his mind as blurred as his vision. Squinting, the image of the man became clearer to him. "…fath…er?"

Mr. Oh's eyes softened, b with a warmth that consoled Chanyeol in his dazed state, "Yes, I suppose I am."

Relieved by his words, Chanyeol relaxed, ignoring the soreness in his limbs and the aching in his head. Despite the cold metal underneath his back, a feeling of joy overcame him, embracing his heart ever so gently. It felt as if it was beating for the first time.

While Chanyeol continued to rest, Mr. Oh went about attending the various contraptions, occasionally scrawling on a clipboard in haste. After a few minutes, he fished his mobile phone out of his pocket and began to call someone.

"Hello? Sehun?" Mr. Oh spoke, the faint murmur of his son's response piquing Chanyeol's interest. "Yeah, I'm returning to Korea after two days…I have a surprise for you."

Absentmindedly flicking through his notes, the father kept his back to Chanyeol, who watched him intently, "How's school? Have you been taking your medicine? Remember what Dr. Byun said about your condition-"

The conversation carried on, lulling Chanyeol into a light nap.

"-I promise I'll be back in time for your operation, just hang on until then, okay?" Mr. Oh concluded the exchange with a promise of bubble tea and new clothes. As he turned around, he suddenly froze at the sight of Chanyeol's motionless body.

"Chanyeol? Chanyeol!" Mr. Oh hurriedly tried to shake him awake, but immediately stopped when Chanyeol started mumbling incoherently in response.

With his eyes fluttering open, Chanyeol patted the panicked man's hand, "Ah, I fell asleep. Sorry about that." His voice was clear, deep and resonating, and the very sound of it melted the father's worries away. "Can't wait to see Sehun again."

"He said the same thing about you." Mr. Oh laughed, tears forming in his eyes. Chanyeol couldn't tell whether those were tears of sadness or joy, yet he refrained from asking, feeling that it was too sensitive a topic to touch upon.

However, Chanyeol couldn't help but wonder if those tears were for Sehun or for him.

Code: 02

Location: Factory

Time: N/A

The factory reformed around Chanyeol, starting moments after where the scenario had left off. In a matter of seconds, Yixing was in front of him again, the one-sided conversation having moved on to the importance of pasta pots in tennis.

They were walking on a narrow platform, which was surrounded by a vast cave twelve times the size of the gargantuan room that Chanyeol had just left.

Their footsteps echoed around them, fading into a low ring that bounced off the stony walls; rows of fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, shining on the expanse of water beneath the pair. Despite the relatively bright lighting, the colour of the liquid remained a murky black, unnerving Chanyeol with its sheer sense of foreboding.

"Don't hate me for this." Kyungsoo's voice cropped up out of nowhere, almost giving Chanyeol a heart attack. "But there's…actually, you know what? I'll let you see for yourself."

On cue, the surface of the water raised into a mound, which instantly broke as whatever lurked in the liquid slowly emerged. After its head came into view, Chanyeol rolled his eyes and sighed deeply, finally having lost the will to live.

"You have got to be kidding me." Chanyeol groaned, fixed on the spot as Yixing wandered off without him. Cherry-cheeked and abound with merry thoughts, a giant Santa gnome greeted him, the perpetual ear-to-ear smile on its face having become a common sight to Chanyeol. However, instead of the rounded edges of its usual terracotta body, the gnome was, in fact, a mecha; complete with a titanium red suit and a metallic gleam, the garden ornament was now a fully fledged robot.

"Kyungsoo, I don't want to do this. I really really don't want to this." Chanyeol whined, backing away from the monstrosity before him.

Without missing a beat, Kyungsoo replied, "Get in the ing robot, Chanyeol."

"I knew you'd say that, you nerd." Chanyeol said, shaking his head at the man's attempt at making more references.

"Jesus Christ, stop saying that I'm a nerd." Kyungsoo snapped, though his amusement was difficult to conceal despite his irritation. "It's like the pot calling the kettle black."

Having no decent rebuttal, Chanyeol shut his mouth and focused on the frighteningly large machine that grinned menacingly down at him. Though he thought it was menacing, there was nothing particularly malicious about the gnome's expression, but Chanyeol just wanted to feel that his fear was validated.

Eventually throwing his hands up in resignation, Chanyeol gave in and accepted the situation, "Before I do what I ultimately have to do, the world out for a minute there, care to explain?"

"Oh…I think Sehun must've interfered with the simulation, or something like that. Don't worry about it, it's probably a minor issue." Kyungsoo answered after a brief moment of deliberation, which didn't go unnoticed by Chanyeol.

"…Right. Minor issue." Chanyeol repeated with scepticism. "Well I don't know any better, so let's do this."
 

From the water rose a metal platform, under which a framework of beams and struts acted as its supports. It eventually positioned itself perpendicular to the catwalk on which Chanyeol stood, forming a connection between the man and the machine.

Taking a deep breath, Chanyeol made his way to the mecha, bracing himself for the entrance into the unknown. Funnily enough, Chanyeol had often daydreamed about being thrown into such situations and emerging as the victorious hero, but at that moment, all he wanted to do was run away. Not because he was a coward, or so he liked to tell himself, but purely because of the prospect that a garden ornament was the key to his survival. Chanyeol had a little more pride than that.

As the gnome's head split open - a macabre sight which Chanyeol would never have imagined witnessing - a single, solitary seat was revealed before him, waiting for the man in silence.

"I'm guessing that if I sit hhere, then bam. Next level reached." Chanyeol said as he sat on the slightly reclined chair, which was jet black in colour and admittedly very comfortable.

"Not quite." Kyungsoo answered bluntly. Whilst the face of the robot closed again, Chanyeol shifted in his seat, surveying the array of controls that surrounded him as he waited for the rest of the man's response. "Sorry about this."

Before Chanyeol could comprehend Kyungsoo's words, several wires s out of the crevices in the control panel and from underneath the chair. An immense pain shot through Chanyeol's body as each wire pierced his skin, sending bursts of electricity into his flesh.

With his hands clenched tightly on the arm rests, Chanyeol's limbs jerked as he tried to withstand the rhythmic sequence of shocks; though he didn't know what the voltage was, it felt as if the pain was disproportionately stronger than the power.

After several seconds of Chanyeol writhing in his seat, the buzz of the electricity died down, leaving the man collapsed on the chair in an unconscious state.

"Then again, I don't expect you to forgive me." Kyungsoo muttered, his voice dying in the static that consumed the simulation once more.

Filename: Sehun_#5677_20230820

Tag: [Sehun][Chanyeol][Memory]

From above the television set, a monitor blinked with the temperature and a symbol of a fan. With a wave of his hand, Sehun activated the air-conditioning, leaving the monitor to promptly switch off as a low hum started to reverberate around the room.

Lazily lounged on the couch, Sehun on a lollipop while scrolling through his phone. Opposite the white sectional sofa on which the boy lay, a panoramic metal-framed window opened up the view of Seoul to the inside of the flat. Light streamed in to the living room, tinting the pristine white walls with a peachy hue.

"Sehun?" Chanyeol said hesitantly, slowly opening the door to his bedroom. Upon hearing Chanyeol's voice, Sehun sat up immediately, taking the lollipop out of his mouth with a pop. "What are you doing?"

Sehun's shoulders tensed at the sight of Chanyeol, the frown on his face sending a clear signal to the boy. Shifting uncomfortably on the spot, Chanyeol eventually withdrew back into the room without another word.

As he began to shut the door, Sehun caught sight of the dejected expression amidst the shadows of Chanyeol's face. Once the click of the handle ended their brief exchange, a long, heavy silence followed, only alleviated by the hum of the AC.

Still sat up and faced in the direction of Chanyeol's bedroom, Sehun stayed motionless in thought, eyebrows furrowed while he reconsidered his actions. For a minute or so, he chose to do nothing, letting the notifications of his friends' messages remain as vibrations of a phone firmly gripped in his hand.

The image of the down-hearted look on Chanyeol's face began to eat away at him, only for the guilt to be finally expressed as a deep sigh. Setting down his phone, Sehun walked over to the door and rapped on the polished wood.

"Oi come out, let's do something together. I'm bored." Sehun called out, doing his best to sound enthusiastic about spending time together with Chanyeol. When there was no response, Sehun tutted and tapped his foot impatiently, making sure it was loud enough for the boy to hear. "If you don't come out, I'll just go by mys-"

Chanyeol burst through the door, an elated smile on his lips as he met Sehun's eyes. "Really? You want to play with me?"

"Pfft, 'play'? What am I, five?" Sehun sneered, moving back into the centre of the living room to flop on the sofa, the stretch of the leather squeaking underneath him.

"No, you're fourteen, which I suppose is pretty close." Chanyeol responded matter-of-factly as he joined Sehun's side.

Sehun narrowed his eyes, offended by the unintentional - or intentional, he wasn't sure - insult. "Oh wow! You do know how to make jokes!" The boy sneered, elbowing Chanyeol in the ribs. Unfazed, Chanyeol simply grinned, oblivious to Sehun's sarcasm.

Rolling his eyes, Sehun leant over to pick up his phone. After a few taps on the screen, he shoved it into Chanyeol's hands without another word and reclined back into the seat, tilting his head to better observe the bewildered boy.

Soon enough, Chanyeol was scrolling through the contents using his thumb, brows knitted and tongue poking out in concentration. When a minute went by with no response, Sehun shook his head and snatched the device back.

"Geez, all you had to do was pick a game." Sehun muttered, tapping on a random icon. It was a small image of a robot with Japanese text behind it.

Pointing the phone towards the television, the game started up on the wide screen, accompanied by a blare of music which took Chanyeol by surprise, causing him to jump in his seat. Sehun breathed out a laugh, but stopped immediately when Chanyeol's grin returned.

"It's based on that super old anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. We can watch that after this, if you want." Sehun suggested, which Chanyeol replied with an eager nod. "The controllers are beside you, pass me one."

Doing as he was told, Chanyeol picked up the two small black disks on the end table. After Chanyeol gave him a controller, Sehun pressed on the disk with the pad of his thumb - an action which the other boy mimicked - leading it to elongate sideways into a long oval with virtual analog sticks on both ends.

It didn't take long for Chanyeol to adjust to the controls. Fifteen minutes in and he had already obliterated Sehun's mecha three times in a row, leaving his opponent trembling in rage. As Sehun threw the controller down in anger, Chanyeol fell into hysterics, which Sehun found less than amusing. Chanyeol soon devolved into a mess of wheezes and teary-eyed remarks on Sehun's gaming skills, while the boy in question tried to kick him into silence.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Arrgh I'm putting on NGE." Sehun grumbled, giving up when he realised his legs were far too weak to do any damage.

Pouncing on the opportunity to piss Sehun off even more, Chanyeol commented with a smug grin. "So we can compare how bad you are to the actual thing?"

" you." Sehun uttered, throwing Chanyeol a glare before picking his phone up again. "We're watching One Piece instead."

"One Piece? Sounds like crap to be honest." Chanyeol said in disdain, scrunching his nose at the name.

As it turned out, Chanyeol was very much wrong. After watching the first episode, the boy fell in love. Hard.

Hours whizzed by as the pair binge-watched a handful of seasons. When the grey haze of the evening replaced the light orange daubed on the walls of the living room, Sehun had already moved in closer to Chanyeol for warmth, a blanket draped over their legs. Turning off the AC was apparently too much of a hassle.

With his head almost - but not quite - leaning on Sehun's, eyes transfixed on the Korean subtitles on the screen, Chanyeol smiled as a feeling of happiness washed over him.

Tapping on his companion's shoulder, Chanyeol moved in closer to meet Sehun's ear. "Hey Sehun."

"What?" The boy fidgeted with his ear as Chanyeol's breath tickled his skin.

"Buy me some One Piece merch."