Title: Ace of Hearts

Pairing: Hongbin x Giftee

Number of words: 4,011

Genre: SNS AU, Fluff, Rom-Com, Jealousy, Age-gap

Warnings: None

Note to my Giftee: Merry Christmas! First of all, thank you for sending in your request. I’m happy to have been the one who received it. To be honest, it was a bit of a challenge, because I’m never heard of or read ‘SNS AU’ before, but it’s a big thing (so thank you for introducing me). Since you’re a fan of Hongbin, I’m hoping that you understand the route that I chose to go with… I wanted to include elements of everything that you had asked for, even if it was brief. I’m used to writing with dark themes, so this was a healthy challenge. I sincerely hope that you like your present. Thank you!  

Ace of Hearts

Friday night was the only day of the week she had off. Usually one would think to lounge all day, catch up on sleep, or to see their loved ones. The only person she loved, currently, was the old man behind the counter. He smoothed out her crumbled bills and allowed her to step further inside the gaming café, where her favorite spot awaited her in the far back corner.

With the lights dimmed to a comfortable setting, incessant tap-click of computer mice and keyboards, she felt at home. Her job, school – all of those things seemed small, and insignificant. There, in that quiet, narrow space, it all disappeared.

Gaming was her way to unwind, especially since moving to a foreign country. No matter how long she’d studied about Korea for, she’d learned that there was no such thing as being fully prepared. But this was a big step, proving to herself that she could survive outside her comfort zone. Although, gaming was a pastime that hadn’t changed for her since then and now, it was probably the more profound reason as to why she enjoyed it so much.

Once Overwatch loaded, she signed into her account, and immediately clicked on Competitive Play. She had go-to heroes that she liked using, a handful of long ranged characters that she’d practiced with over time, until she’d been confident enough to enter matchmaking – confident that she wouldn’t be a liability to others. 

Widowmaker was the hero she mainly used at the present, only resorting to her prior favorites when she grew frustrated, and was in dire need of turning the tide of battle. It also depended on the team and what role she needed to fulfill in order to secure a win. If you’re proficient enough, you can find a way to make any hero work. 

Ding.

She pulled out her phone as the match loaded in, getting a notification from YouTube:
HongMemeK1ng’s broadcast has started.

Well, of course. Unfortunately, she couldn’t watch her favorite YouTuber’s channel at the moment, but at least she’d have something fun to watch later. Probably over a giant bowl of cheap ramen. That was another nice part of Friday’s, getting to watch Hongbin’s live broadcasts. Admittedly, he was the underlining cause for her Overwatch mania. He’d inspired her like some unwanted televangelist, encouraging her to believe, and see the light. Watching him play Hanzo was the equivalent of art itself, like Van Gogh or Picasso behind a gaming computer.

It didn’t hurt that he was attractive, having two flowerpots for dimples, and a smile as bright as the sun. Dear god – they sustained each other. Twin daisies were bound to sprout out at some point and that just wasn’t fair.

“Stupidly handsome,” she sighed, beginning the game with an odd sense of predictability. She knew Hanamura like the back of her hand. Most of the team had headsets, which she was thankful for, having borrowed one from the front desk.

“Yo, watch out for that Hanzo. He just took my head clean off,” came the voice of one of her teammates. A good, skilled Hanzo wasn’t easy to come by. It was probably a fluke – no more than a little boy trying to snipe heads with a bow and arrow. Probably a reformed CS:GO player, thinking that the two games were one of the same. In any case, it might be easy to shut him down.

On the off-chance that this Hanzo was legit, she had to tread carefully, clear with her callouts, and concise. Playing a handful of long ranged heroes had taught her to be steady and patient. Headshots were gold and body shots were silver, but even then, two-three hits and it would be over real quick. Her team was currently defending, making sure that the opposing side doesn’t gain control of the appointed area.

Just as she’d found a spot where she could perch, she’d jumped – the respawn page loading for her, counting down to when she could rejoin the game. When did she die? How? Hanzo’s icon was up on the right side of the screen next the name, ‘HNZO1HB’.

Another fluke moment?

. . .

She’d learned rather quickly that this was not just ‘another fluke moment’. The person playing Hanzo was skilled, able to jump-snipe-headshot with ease, even while in close quarters. She was startled by how swiftly her deaths had come – kept coming. She’d changed heroes, which forced her tactics to shift, proving to take Hanzo out with a few clever plays, but it wasn’t enough.

It would not keep him down.

Twenty-five minutes, which was a bit long for a match, was spent trailing just a few points behind the other team, desperately struggling in vain. It wasn’t as though the Hanzo user was being particularly kind about it either, as he spammed Hanzo’s voice lines both before and after her deaths.

‘You…are already dead.’ And within the matter of seconds, she would be respawning again, followed by Hanzo’s, ‘A gift, for you.’ Then he’d prance away, picking off the rest of her teammates, before continuing to either claim or defend the territory. The excessive use of his emotes was also annoying, as he used Hanzo’s ‘beckon’ and ‘chuckles’ to irritate and provoke.

The shared aggravation only served to cripple her team as a whole, the lot of them cursing by the end of the game, calling the opposing players a bunch of cheats, especially Hanzo.

That really wasn’t how she wanted to kick off her Friday. For the next match, she changed playlists entirely, getting rid of the threat of running into the same guy. Things seemed to even out then, some of the matches were easy, most of them were difficult, but they were all wins for her in the end. It made her feel contented, like she’d be able to sleep without regrets tonight.

That one loss was no longer even a thought.

She returned her headset and walked the short distance to a nearby Seven Eleven. Ramen from a convenience store was one of her favorite meals, since it was quick, and cheap. Tonight, she’d made her own version of army jjiggae, adding eggs, and sausage to the Styrofoam bowl.

It was late and no one else was around, except for herself, and the clerk. So, she decided to eat at the counter, and pulled out her phone. Hongbin’s stream was over last time she’d looked, video uploaded with over two hundred thousand hits on it already. He often recorded his live game play along with his reaction, a webcam overlay on the bottom right of the screen.

She pressed play on the video, ear buds in with the volume on high, and started to pull spicy noodles into . 

Hongbin’s hair looked brighter than usual, like he’d raised it from black to hazelnut. It was growing out fast, resting softly above the top of his brows. Out of all the pro league gamers, she found him to be the most likeable, probably since he was an awkward puzzle, an enigma. His model-like features and proportions conflicted with his terminally nerdy mind. “Hey, guys! Welcome to my live broadcast. Gonna load up Overwatch and get right to it, but today, I’ll be using one of my low level accounts…”

The map for Hanamura filled the screen for a game of Control in Competitive Play. Hongbin’s first choice of hero was, of course, Hanzo. That was his main and he was practically godlike with him – making her feel secondhand dread for the enemy team, whoever the poor bastards were. She’d missed the VS line up in favor of taking another bite of noodles.

“A Widowmaker…” Hongbin read the comments on the sidebar, laughing. “I’m not too worried. All I have to do is take away her hiding spots.” And he would, she knew he’d make it hell for the other team. It didn’t matter who he was up against, they were all pitifully marked for death.

She watched from his perspective, as he adapted to the way his team played, delegating himself as their leader without having to say it. True to what he’d initially stated, he’d sought after the female sniper, finding her just as she was scoping in, no doubt.

That’s what she’d be doing anyway. 

“Oh, now what do we have here? An oblivious Widowmaker…” An arrow flew and it was over, the name of the deceased popping up on screen. He read the tag with a quiet tone, “‘Malicissa’. It might actually be a girl playing. How cute.” However, the face he made proved that he found it to be anything but. “I guarantee she only plays Widowmaker or if she does change heroes, it’ll be another female character.”

She dropped her chopsticks into the bowl, heart coming to a stop. Hanamura, Control, Hanzo, Widowmaker, why the names, as well as the team heroes looked familiar…She was in a match with Hongbin earlier, that first match. He was the Hanzo that would not let her live and although facing him had always been a fantasy of hers, it turned out to be an actual living nightmare.

He read all of her moves, dissecting her every step with heavy criticism. “She’s good, but she doesn’t know what to do when I rush her. It’s a problem that most long ranged players seem to have…” He knew more about her through her game play, than he would in person it seemed like. He was seasoned, an expert, and she’d never stood any real chance. “Watch her movements when I get real close.” She was now made an example of on his channel, forever immortalized in video form.

“She changed to Pharah.” Hongbin shook his head and grinned up at the camera, as though peering into her soul. “Another female hero, huh? Hoping to kill me from above?” Which, yes. She was planning on doing that, but sadly, she already knew the outcome – fruitless efforts. But at some point, she would start getting her kills in, some of them him, most of them not. 

And every time she did gain a kill, he seemed to laugh short, like it was grating on his nerves. The match had been close she remembered, only a few point difference. But now she could see all of her silly mistakes, as well as that of her teammates.

“Now, now…” He chided when she’d managed to get a spree with the help of his last death. He stared up at the camera, waiting to respawn, expression dropping to one of complete seriousness, “She’s gonna have to pay for that.”

And she did. He’d made sure of it.

“This guy, this friggin’ guy!” She shouted, hand gesturing towards her phone as she looked at the clerk for some form of sympathy. Nothing. There were actual customers around then, too, awkwardly passing her to get to the refrigerated drinks. She shyly bowed her apologies and went back to watching her demise.

When the match finally ended, he read over the comments. “You don’t think it was a girl? Why? Because she played better than you?” He snorted, answering another question. “I think gamer girls often try to glamorize things. Play only as a female character, play MMORPG’s just for the character creation, and if they’re playing a MOBA, then they stick with one character, because they don’t wanna bother with learning any of the rest. They settle. Now, is that every girl? No.

If she trained under me…” He trailed off, pausing to look at the incoming responses from his fans. “You know what I meant. Not ‘under me’, under me. What the hell is wrong with you?” He continued his thought, “If she trained under me, it’s possible that she could go pro. I’ve been dying to coach recently. I think I’d be really good at it.”

A comment caught his attention, “Seems like AllDEEZLootz found our Malicissa on Instagram.” Hongbin clicked on the link in the chat box and she felt a piece of herself die. The profile picture she used was of a kitten next to a baby duckling. Oh, sweet merciful god.

Hongbin read her bio, “Melissa, which makes sense.” She even had her year of birth on there. “She’s a few years younger than me. Says she’s a foreigner stuck in Korea. Poor thing.” Then he started to scroll through her photos, clicking on a few of her Overwatch screenshots. She’d been proud on occasion, wanting to savor those moments, for as few as they were.

Sitting there at the local convenience store with soggy noodles, she felt vulnerable, and exposed. Over two hundred thousand people saw how she’d lost. And now, they could see the rest of her. They saw who she was after the game was over and done with. Now her perspective was changed, a page turned in her mind that could never be reversed.

Hongbin might be an – was an . 

Things could be worse. He could be maximizing her photos and laughing at each one individually – critiquing her physical appearance as he’d done her game play. She thought he might with how intently he was staring at her photos. He quietly murmured, “She really is cute.” And she’d just about combusted, both angry and flustered.  

“Look, she has a photo of me,” Hongbin said, the laugh she’d adored finally coming out (if only it had been under different circumstances), as he clicked on it. She’d completely forgotten about it, it was so long ago. It was taken during one of his streams. She didn’t even have Instagram on her new phone and was two months already. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember the password to her account, and it was too much of a hassle for her to send a code. “There’s a good chance that she’ll see this video, then? I’m going to leave a comment.”

She watched on in torment, as he wrote a simple ‘gg’, followed by, ‘if you’re interested in training or playing a couple matches, shoot me a message’. Was he being serious?

Oh, she’d shoot him a message, alright. Ha.

She cleaned up her mess and grabbed a milk tea, giving the useless clerk her money. Then she proceeded to download Instagram onto her phone. By the time she’d reached her small apartment, her password had been reset. She’d missed plenty of things, countless Likes and Follows from her friends and family, and now strangers thanks to Hongbin.

For awhile, she’d stared at his comment, before choosing to reply in a private message. She didn’t want the world viewing their conversation. Not the same way they’d seen him wipe the proverbial floor with her.

Hi.
First of all, I’d like to formally decline your invitation to ‘train’ me. No thanks. Second of all, the way you spoke about the female gaming community was pure bull. I also didn’t appreciate you looking at my Instagram, while broadcasting. Due to this, I’ve received an inbox full of unwanted messages. And lastly, I don’t think I’ll be following you much in the future. I hate this situation, because I respected you, and I wanted to like you, and now I don’t. You’re an .
Sat.1:24AM

She threw her phone on the bed and grabbed a pair of clean pajamas, showering her long day of stress away. On nights like these, she often stayed under the spray, long enough to allow the hot water to pound against the sore muscles of her neck and shoulders. Tomorrow she’d have to work all day, probably in a bad mood to top things off. 

Hold on, Melissa. If you were made uncomfortable by my broadcast, then I’m sorry. Just say the word and I’ll take it down. I’ve had requests to pull videos before and I’ve gladly done so. It was not my intention to make you feel or look bad. My opinion of the female gaming community is limited to only what I’ve seen personally, but I’m always up for being educated. If you’d like to share your views with me, please feel free to do so anytime. I agree that it was unwise of me to look over your profile. At that point, the link had already been shared. I wasn’t thinking. I guess I was just curious. As for the training, I was being genuine with my offer. When I see potential, I can’t just leave it be. My offer still stands.
Sat.1:44AM

The towel slipped from her fingers when she’d been in the middle of drying her hair, reading over Hongbin’s message with eyes the size of saucers. She hadn’t been expecting a sincere response, but no response – silence or something as equally aggressive as her own message.

This would require a bit of thinking. She would first need to discuss things over with at least three of her closest friends.

Apology accepted and no, you don’t have to remove the video. I’m happy to know that you would remove it though, not just for me, but for anyone who asked you to…If I were to accept your offer for those few matches or whatever, how would we meet for it?
Mon.4:39PM

Right now I’m practicing for the league championship. So, I’m playing with my team more often, but we like throwing in friends to play against in custom games. We use an app called Discord. The server address and password is: vixx.try.me / pw - rovixx6. Feel free to join anytime, to play or to chat.
Mon.5:01PM

Even though Friday was her only day off, she was eager to play with VIXX, a notorious, sponsored Overwatch team. After a long day at work, her feet carried her to the gaming café. She borrowed a headset from the front again.

The old man slid the accessory over to her, chuckling, “Don’t usually see you on a Monday.”

“Well, maybe you’ll start to see me around here more often.” She took her usual spot in the corner and downloaded the Discord app. The server information was saved on her phone. She typed it in, naming herself Malicissa, so that it would be obvious. One click and she’d be connected, but she was apprehensive.

Getting thrown into a voice app with a bunch of older, competitive guys was a daunting thought for her. The opportunity was so rare, that in the end she’d it up and joined anyway, loading up Overwatch as she did, and silently praying that no one would notice her.

No such luck.

A deep, nasally voice questioned, “Who are you?”

Another voice, this time a bit loud, and obnoxious answered. “She’s the girl from Hongbinnie’s stream! The cute one. Hi! I’m Ken.” Lee Jaehwan was known in Overwatch as ‘Ken’. He was the team’s main support player or expert, rather.

“Oh, really? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ravi.” Kim Wonshik, known as ‘Ravi’, played the best Soldier: 76 she’d ever seen. A real force to be reckoned with.

“I definitely know who all of you are,” she said, unable to will away the warmth in her cheeks. “I’m Melissa. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

The Discord rooms were separated by different game titles. Overwatch, CS:GO, Pubg, and various others. Down in the Overwatch section, she saw Hongbin’s name, Jung Taekwoon (Leo), Cha Hakyeon (N), and Han Sanghyuk (Hyuk).

“You should come to the Overwatch channel. We’ll play for a bit,” Wonshik said, as a noise went off to indicate that he’d left. His username joined the rest at the bottom, thus leaving her alone with Jaehwan.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You could just stay here with me.” The guy who’d just claimed that she was cute wanted her to stay behind? It wasn’t unlike Jaehwan to be flirty. His aegyo game was also rather strong. “I could serenade you with Adele.”

A small ‘beep’ had come in halfway through Jaehwan’s offer. It was Hongbin this time, voice low. “What are you doing, Jae?”

“Offering to sing to this fair maiden.”

“Nope. Get your in the Overwatch channel.” There was a long moment of silence, one that made her want to sink into her seat, to the floor, into the crevices of the earth to die. Another beep and the support player was gone. “And you.” She’d practically jumped in her chair when he’d addressed her. “Were you wanting to hear his song?”

If she were being completely honest, “Not really.”

“Good.” Hongbin’s response was practically automatic, short. “Anyways, I’m moving us down to where the others are…A few friends will be joining us soon to even out the teams.”

More friends, more guys, more fear. “Sounds great.”

“Melissa.”

She cleared , “Yeah?”

“I’m glad you’re here.”  

He moved them before she could answer him, if such a thing were possible – any response she could think of seemed lame in comparison to the weight of his words. The VIXX team was chatting amongst themselves, going over heroes, new plays, and strategy. It was dizzying, how easily she’d blended in with them.

They discussed their daily lives, as though they were lifelong friends. It was terrifying and yet, right somehow. Months rolled by and she was better for it. Yes, she was exhausted, but the only time she felt genuinely happy was when she was with them, as though she were a part of their family. And she’d gotten notably better at gaming, at socializing, and even with her Korean. Hongbin liked to tease that she would be replacing a member, exclusively Hakyeon – which, she would never dare. 

“You don’t own a computer? You go to a gaming café every time?” Hongbin asked late one evening. “That means that when we finish playing at three in the morning, that you’re walking home alone?”

It wasn’t a big deal, but he was using that tone with her, the one that said he was aggravated. “It’s not very far from my place and it’s in a good area. It’s called the PunchKey. Cute, right? Anyways, it’s not a problem.”

He sighed, “No. It is a problem.”

After working a ten hour shift the following day, she paid the man at the counter, and stepped into the gaming room. Her usual spot was taken, but she’d found a relatively nice place in a different corner. Just as she settled in, headset on, applications running, the chair next to her was being pulled out.

“You should just let me buy you one,” a familiar voice said from right next to her. She was almost afraid to confirm it, pupils dilated despite staring into a bright screen.

She breathed out, “What would that say about me, then?” 

“That you know how to accept a present.”

“Hongbin.” She looked up at him, shaking her head briefly. “Why?”

“I don’t think I can handle the thought of you walking home alone again. I couldn’t even sleep the other night.” He loaded up Overwatch and signed into Discord, returning the current look she was giving him. He was more intense in person. “I don’t like you putting me in that position. It’s not fair. So, after a few matches, we’ll grab some food, and I’ll take you home.”

Oh, no, not this typical male behavior. She rolled her eyes, “Listen, I don’t need to be taken care of.”

He nodded, “I know, but still, I’d really like to have dinner with you.”

Yeah, okay. “You’re not buying me a computer.”

“That’s fine, but I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t say no to dinner.” He grinned then, those two dimples nearly killing her right then and there. “So, it’s a date, then? I kinda said it was one earlier, when I told the guys.”

She blinked, “That it was a date?”

“Yeah, a date, a first step.”

She needed to hear it, “Towards?”

“Being with you.”

He turned back towards the screen, a soft pink color to his cheeks. She slowly did the same, unable to hide the smile on her face.

“Okay. Let’s start.”