MISSION 1: INFILTRATION

Baekhyun is super skilled in the gaming society or rather the gaming art as he calls it. He has clocked every ‘worthwhile’ online game and is hungry for more from his favourite new gaming company that just got established, PGS, that is super popular among gamers which Baekhyun likes to take 30% credit for seeing that his suggestions to the online gaming society really pulls some weight. A new game is said to launch on November 27^th and there’s no way a pro gamer like Byun Baekhyun can wait 5 months for a game as good as the last. Therefore, he decides to become an intern at the PGS. Baekhyun is nervous as he has never applied for a job before let alone know about what to expect for an interview, this may even be scarier than him pulling an all-nighter (37 hours to be exact) to be the first to finish “Final Fick: the Chronicles of Kaeb” which he did, and it earned him that number one title so was well worth skipping his computer programming class that Friday.

Baek applies for the job with his résumé that his best friend Jongdae helps him out with, he gets a call back the next day! ‘Hello, Mr Byun?’ it’s a mature voice of an elderly lady over the phone. ‘Yes, that’s me’ Baekhyun answers back wondering who could it be. ‘This is the PGS, we would like you to come in tomorrow at 2pm for an interview, I know it’s short notice but we do have a lot of applicants and we do not want our interns to prepare too much in advance for what’s to come’ Baekhyun gulps, why would he need to prepare? He knew they would probably test his programming skills or something but why does it sound unnerving, he’s used to getting unlimited lives in games if he fails, which he rarely does, he could try again but this is not the case especially when there’s tons of others that need the job. ‘Yes, tomorrow will be fine’ ‘okay thank you goodbye’ and the elderly lady hangs up.

Baekhyun is left slightly flustered ‘will I be okay?’

‘Of course you will be okay man!’ Jongdae cheerfully says while biting down on some chips the next day at campus ‘you are the best in our year and the unofficial best gamer in general!, you will be fine and if not 5 months isn’t that long’ Jongdae has that devilish smirk creeping onto his face, him and Baekhyun both know that there’s no way a pro gamer can wait that long for a game he is always day dreaming about playing since the teaser trailer was released.

Baekhyun finds himself walking into PGS the next morning clad in a little too tight black shirt and blue tie, totally not matching but Jongdae insists blue will make him seem more trustworthy, so here he is waiting to be called in with the other 26 applicants and apparently these are only the ones who could make it today. Baekhyun begins to bounce his leg up and down and fidgeting with his hands not knowing what to do with them when he isn’t on the keypad or holding a controller, wow he really does spend too much time gaming. ‘You okay there?’ a soft voice asks coming from his left. ‘I’m Suho, I’m also so nervous I hope the test isn’t too hard I wonder if I’ll get a second chance, you think we will all be doing the same test?’ he was rambling on, more to himself than to Baekhyun to be honest. ‘I’m Baekhyun, one way to find out I guess’ Baekhyun starts to somehow relax after seeing the strange man with a sleek side path and black rimmed glasses ask all the questions he was just asking himself. ‘I guess everyone’s tense’ it is a big company after all, well not physically, it was barely 3 stories high.

‘You may all come in now’ the same voice over the phone has announced with a signboard in her hand and a pen in the other pointing to a wooden door at the end of the hall where they  were all sitting. Baekhyun tugged on his too tight tie as he gets up and walks into the room which is surprisingly bigger than he expected with small desks lined up with the latest gaming laptops on them, Baekhyun cooed and sat at one of the desks in the middle, as soon as he lightly touched the laptop he immediately started to relax, it was beautiful, his safe haven, he always felt calm behind the screen. ‘Please, switch your computers on and click on the file reading ‘secure’ on the desktop. There’s a practical and theoretical test in the folder, you have one hour to complete it’ the stern lady commanded before taking a seat at a larger desk at the front. ‘This feels like a high school examination’ Baekhyun whispered to Suho who was sitting right next to him.

The theory section was going well, too well if you could see the visible grin on Baekhyuns face, he was smart, and basically knew every answer on that sheet. He is a senior after all, and has had a passion for gaming and programming since middle school but Baekhyun is eager, too eager to get to the practical section and it was worth the 10 minute wait it took for him to fly through the theory section.

Baekhyun’s grin disappeared when he pressed the start button to one of astonishment ‘this is amazing’ he whispered to himself as his eyes glistened at the screen before him, he could tell it was just a demo version but it was beautiful completely different from all other games, yet so similar to the new style PGS has. It was an original that he had never played before. ‘How does someone create something so good’ the smile is back on Baekhyuns face as he works through the game, and finishes it in 20 minutes, at the end another question appears in bold “List at least 3 things that can be improved in this game’’ Baekhyun lists 5 and submits his electronic paper in and gets up to let the lady know he’s done. She looks quite surprised ‘oh someone has finished so soon, you can leave we will call you back if there is any news’ ‘thank you’ Baekhyun says politely and leaves the office. That game was amazing but it was intentionally made with 5 flaws, completely noticeable to Baekhyun.

‘I have to get this intern, I have to work there Jongdae it’s like a dream, what more demos could I try’ Baekhyun is lying in bed after a hot shower and on the phone with Jongdae. ‘If anyone is going to get it it’s you Baek, be positive don’t worry’ Baekyun sighs on the phone ‘if I don’t you going to buy me new controllers’ hanging up  before Jongdae can start complaining.

…

One week later and it is Baekhyun’s first day at his new internship! Yes he got it, just like Jongdae had suspected, Baek is the best of the best there’s no way he wouldnt.

‘Byun, you will be working in this office from now on and helping all the programmers with their projects, just assisting for now nothing too stressful’ Baekhyun’s manager Kyungsoo, he seemed cute and soft on the outside, with his plumpy cheeks and short stature (not like Baekhyun was that much taller than him) but man, was he strict and Baekhyun swears he takes pleasure from overworking him and making him fetch coffee for him three times a day, this has to be some sort of violation right? For three weeks Baekhyun works hard, but it’s totally worth it, the countless demos he has already played and worked on even though every one of it was not complete it was still beyond what he had imagined.

This company is magical he thought to himself while he was packing away his things to clock out of the office. ‘Byun, I hope you aren’t thinking of leaving yet, there’s still 4 minutes left!’ Of course it was Kyungsoo, it’s always Kyungsoo. ‘I finished my work for today Mr Manager’ Baekhyun said with a playful smile, Kyungsoo almost seemed to blush when the title left his lips ‘already?’ Kyungsoo cleared his throat ‘I’m impressed, good work you can leave then’ what?? A compliment from Do Kyungsoo? That’s rare, and an opportunity cannot be missed so Baekhyun asks the question he has been dying to know since he started working at the company a little over a month ago.

‘Kyungsoo…can I ask you about Monster Trial?’

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen, ‘no you may not’ as he begins to walk away Baekhyun grabs his wrist ‘Wait, please I’m just curious and I work here now’ ‘you are just an intern’ ‘yes, but I’m good at what I do, as a fellow gamer please just tell me something, anything?’ Baekhyun pleads using his puppy dog eyes and a slight pout to his advantage, it’s never failed him getting what he wants. Kyungsoo’s eyebrows crease, and he sighs ‘fine, I guess since it’s coming out in 4 months I could tell you a little’ Baekhyun’s eyes light up and all his teeth are showing, if he had a tail it would be wagging uncontrollably, but of course let’s not forget how sadistic Kyungsoo can be, his nickname is SatanSoo around the office for a reason. ‘The boss’ he says calmly ‘huh?’ Baekhyun is so confused but then lights up again ‘the game?? Has an unbeatable boss?’ ‘No’ Kyungsoo says sharply then whispers into Baekhyuns ear if telling him the most kept secret in the world, Baekhyun thinking it’s world class classified information. ‘The Boss, Mr Park, he is the only one working on it, he lets other senior programmers help here and there but not enough for them to know the actual story or scope of the game’ Kyungsoo continues ‘he worked on Lucky One too, that took him 3 months to complete.’ ‘WOAH! Only 3 months?’ Baekhyuns mouth drops open, Lucky One was one of the best games he has ever played it’s impossible for one person to spend only 3 months on something like that, he doesn’t believe it. ‘Yeah and he has spent 9 months developing this one, so you can imagine how good it will be’ Baekhyun almost drools at the thought. ‘How do I intern for him?’ Baekhyun enthusiastically asks only to be shut down by Kyungsoo laughing in his face ‘hahahaha, you don’t, but maybe you can bring him coffee someday’.

…

‘I HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT MR PARK IS WORKING ON’ Baekhyun screams into the phone while talking to Jongdae, their routine daily check-ups, that’s what best friends do I guess. ‘Chill dude, I’m not deaf, I heard you the first 1000 times, so you can’t intern for this genius programmer that’s working on the game that you got the job to find out about in the first place’ ‘yeah’ ‘Baek, you’re the best gamer out there if anyone is going to be able to try the first demo it’s you, just prove to this Park dude that you are the best’ ‘Dae, I can’t do that I’ve worked there for a month and I’ve never even seen the guy what if he’s this scary old man with a bad attitude and fires me for even looking his way!’ ‘You clocked Undercover in less than 24 hours if anyone is good at infiltration it’s you’ Baekhyun chuckles at his friends support ‘haha that’s just a game, but you may be right I think I have a plan, okay bye!’ ‘wait! How’s Kyungsoo? Still a pain in the ?’ ‘He’s warming up to me’ ‘bye’

‘Coffee?’ Kyungsoo questions ‘Yes, for Mr Park’ Baekhyun smiles ‘I was just kidding Baekhyun, he already has interns running errands for him, besides you have work to do here’ ‘done it already, who’s his errand boy?’ Baekhyun keeping up his smile. Kyungsoo sighs, knowing Baekhyun won’t give up ‘Yixing, he’s on the 2^nd floor’ Baekhyun squeezes Kyungsoo in a tight hug before getting pushed off and runs off to the second floor to find the guy who is going to help lead him to his dream game!