A/N This chapter is divided into two parts, Senior High & 2025. Might be a bit too boring and long if you aren't into gaming but I researched a lot on this so a lot is skippable. Not much romance, just a filler of how they met. Mentions of Stray Kids because they are pertinent to Sicheng's future plan. Anyway, have fun! 

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“I came into this world to be a dream-giver. And maybe, even if it’s just a little bit, even if it’s not realistic—I get to help people in my own twisted way. Give them the things that I can’t achieve.”

-Mercy

'Cause I came to this world as the child of the dreamgiver
Trying to work it all out on the way to the moon
And time wants me around, give my word to the gravediggers
I'm just passing through

-Middle of Nowhere, Vancouver Sleep Clinic

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Sicheng's senior year of Highschool

WayV Street has always been packed with people Sicheng had always called family. A student of Vision High, captain of the E-Gaming team and a looker—Sicheng had nothing to worry about. Except that the fact that the e-gaming competition against EXO High was coming up. It was the in-season for E-Gaming and he had taken post after one of his seniors stepped down.

They had a fairly good rep and Sicheng knew very well that he was talented when it came to gaming. He even had been considering becoming a pro-gamer. The finals that would take place soon would be an upgrade for his resume and his passion for games and anything technology had made him adamant that he’d want to work in the industry in the future.

So when he came home to his room in Chenle’s home where he lived with Xiaojun, he was happy to hear that his friend was playing in his room. He was familiar with the clickity clack of the keyboards and the mouse, Sicheng pushing the door open and dropping his bag down on the floor.

Xiaojun gave him a look when he saw the bag, Sicheng raising an eyebrow before grabbing it.

“Shanghai-jie isn’t here,” he told Xiaojun, his best friend nodding. He had a long day and Xiaojun grabbed the mug in front of him to take a swig of water.

“Where did you go?” he asked Sicheng.

“I went to see Haechan. Something about him trying to “keep his friends close but his enemies closer”. He knows that the competition is soon,” Sicheng sat on Xiaojun’s bed. “He took me out to dinner and did the talking. Are you practicing for the game?”

“Oh, I can’t go,” Xiaojun answered and Sicheng’s eyes widened. “I have fossil camp. Why don’t you ask Lucas?”

“Are you serious? Lucas is too busy being in his own world after Johnny graduated. You know he hasn’t been around. He has to take care of his mother.”

Xiaojun did not stop clicking, his fingers pressing down on the buttons of the keyboard as he continued the conversation.

“Kun?”

“Kun is a gamer mom and Kun graduated. Besides, he’s the one sewing all our uniforms,” Sicheng pointed out, rubbing his forehead. “Xiaojun, if you don’t play, our team will be losing a tank! We can’t go to a competition without a tank!”

“All a tank does is protect its teammates. You can just gear up and avoid them all you can.”

Sicheng groaned, feeling a sense of irritation settle.

“If you can’t make it, it’s your responsibility. I did not just go for dinner with Lee Haechan of EXO High just to have him trash-talk me and make faces at me across the table while telling me I can’t play assassin for .”

“You know how Lee Haechan is, he’s a kid.”

“I know, I don’t care.” Sicheng paused. “Well, actually… Now, I do. Yangyang can’t play tank for . You know he only plays long range.”

“You never asked Yangyang to play tank,” Xiaojun stated as-a-matter-of-factly, his eyes strained on the screen. “Dude, you know this game means nothing compared to what I’m supposed to go for. Fossil camp is way more important! Not like I’ll be a pro-gamer like you.”

“We’re playing against Johnny Suh’s legacy in EXO High.”

“Johnny graduated.”

“Yeah, he’s taking a gap year. Taking a few law courses in SMU. Jeno stepped up as captain of E-Gaming this year but Johnny still trains them, okay?”

“Chenle?” Xiaojun was obviously distracted, not even bothering to look at his stressed-out friend.

“Chenle is playing for us. He’s not very compatible with us but we work with what we have… What are you doing?” Sicheng demanded, Xiaojun giving out momentary hums to show that he was listening.

“I logged into another server and I’m playing,” Xiaojun squinted onto the screen. “One-on-one. This dude’s build is so strong, it’s stellar.”

“What? Tank versus Tank?” Sicheng frowned, leaning forward to eye the screen. “Why are you losing?”

“Like I said, his build is so strong. It’s like he has nothing to do but play all day. Look at that! Look at him! Apparently, it’s good to train this way and people in this server are ruthless…. RUTHLESS!”

“What server is this?’

“South Korea. We always play in the Chinese one, don’t we? Wanted a breath of fresh air.”

The words “LOST” came up on screen and Xiaojun sighed, leaning back as he massaged his shoulders.

“Wrecked,” he concluded before sneaking a look at Sicheng. He knew the game meant a lot of Sicheng and he would have to find a replacement, the male patting Sicheng on the shoulder. The least he could do was to distract him. “You want to try? It’s a good test of your skills.”

Sicheng wasn’t going to pass up on an opportunity to not play. He undid the first two buttons of his high school uniform, Xiaojun standing up to give way to his captain. He sat down, Sicheng glancing at the username.

“What kind of name is nomercy?” he asked, Xiaojun scoffing and telling him that “letswinwin97” was no different. “Hey, at least Winwin is my name. I can’t imagine a dude named Mercy. He’s just cocky.”

“Tell me about it. I sent him a chat to ask him if he could show me his general build. He read it and didn’t reply. Reminded me of you.”

Sicheng rolled his eyes, starting the game. The moment the game started, Xiaojun could see his best friend’s forehead furrow. Sicheng always had that face when he was concentrating on something, Xiaojun knew it well.

“F—” Sicheng hissed, Xiaojun blinking twice before looking at the screen. Mr. NoMercy was playing tank and Sicheng was playing assassin. He was just reflecting his damage every one to two minutes. He had impeccable timing and didn’t even wait for Sicheng’s character to selfheal.

The words LOST appeared on screen. A beat before he pressed on the button to request another game. Xiaojun chortled.

“I told you it’s addicting to play with someone better than you.”

“He’s not better than me.”

“Sure. But just so you know, because you’re using my account, you’re putting thebat to shame, man.”

“Shut up, I bet you lost against him countless times.”

“Five.” Xiaojun was quick to admit, Sicheng restarting the game. It was time to choose their characters, Sicheng’s draft pick coming up first. He decided to see if this person could play anything other character, sending a quick message through the chat. “Did you just ask him not to play tank?”

“Yeah, chances are this person has been playing tank his whole life and has no other back up character,” Sicheng answered. Damn, was he wrong. Mr. NoMercy read the message and did not reply. “See? Cocky—”

He couldn’t finish his sentence when the draft pick for his opponent began and his opponent chose the exact same character as he did.

“Met your match, Winwin.” Xiaojun said, tilting his head at the screen.

“He didn’t need to choose the exact same character I was playing,” Sicheng mumbled. The game was mentally exhausting to Sicheng. Never before did he play with anyone who knew the map better than Mr. NoMercy did. One moment, he’d pop up on the map and another moment, he’d be behind him—catching him by surprise and killing him.

Another round of “LOST” on the screen and Sicheng slammed his palm down on the table, Xiaojun grabbing the mug so it wouldn’t topple off.

nomercy: GG gtg

Sicheng slumped back. He guessed he had to be a good sport. He was the first in the Chinese server but of course, there would be people better than him. He turned to Xiaojun.

“Imagine him on our team.”

“As a tank? The other team wouldn’t stand a chance. Lee Haechan will have to giddy up.”

Sicheng shrugged, his phone vibrating. He answered it, Kun asking him if he had eaten. After a quick conversation, he stood up.

“Kun’s calling me over, said he wants me to try his bokchoy. You—” He pointed at Xiaojun. “I need someone to take over your place for the competition. I don’t know, find a replacement. Ask JYP or something.”

“After what happened? Changbin, Felix and Jisung won’t even look at us! We obliterated them last game. We kicked them off the previous round…. No mercy! Literally!”

“Figure something out,” Sicheng concluded, grabbing his bag. As he left, Xiaojun was already staring at the screen. He leaned forward to click onto “nomercy” and the person’s profile came up.

“First in Seoul, Korea,” Xiaojun said to himself, running his eyes over the history of wins and occasionally a red loss that made him feel that nomercy was still human. “A main tank player as the first in a server? Interesting.”

He clicked onto the person’s list of friends when he saw a familiar name: bangbangchan. The thing about the game was that he was able to see that nomercy played with this person every three days. Their relationship points were high. Did he know nomercy personally?

High possibility that he did, Xiaojun thought. He grabbed his phone to call him.

All he had to do was try.

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MAZE INTERNET CAFÉ, Pledis Street

It would be a long night. I had my headphones on and a check list in front of me as I looked around to make sure all the computers were powered up and ready to go. I had a love-hate relationship for this place. It made me feel safe but it also made me feel as if I was stuck there—nowhere to go and nothing else to do.

Maze Internet Café was built up with my father’s sweat and blood. He had moved to Seoul many years back. He had lived the life I’ve always wanted for myself—as a pro gamer. He won a few competitions, got a few years of fame and got enough money to put this internet café up.

But like every other trend, the fame of the game died down. They always think that happily ever after comes after the success but that’s not true. If you can fly high, you can fall back down and that is what my father faced. He wasn’t an educated man and so wasn’t my mother—The internet café being the only thing that was helping us earn money.

But I had a love for computers, love for programming and love for the things that the screens and the things this whirring box of data could do. I decided to go on for a small game. It started off with a random match with someone with the username thebat and slowly, as an hour passed, he kept requesting to play for games after that.

I humored him, my fingers moving the mouse back and forth when Mario, my younger brother, decided to pop up from the side of the table.

“Mario,” I warned, my brother gazing at me with his big eyes through his big glasses. They were loose on him and I made a mental note to change them before he would start school. “Go check on the computers.”

“No one is here yet, Noona,” he told me and I nodded, continuing to play. The game ended with another win and my phone got a text message. I knew what it was about, glancing at the text message before reading it softly.

I never went to school. My father didn’t know the importance of education and so didn’t my mother. Since they came from a small town, they were traditional. They believed that labor was important and if we worked hard, we’d make it.

“What is the point of spending money for ten years for a piece of paper?” my father used to say and however I tried to explain, it was to no avail. But with money set aside from the café, I saved enough for the education of my brother.

The text was from his public school, telling me that I needed to get things ready. Books, uniforms, a backpack. He was eight and Mario was a smart kid, but he had never been to school before. It worried me.

I’d figure it out.

Maybe find a way to stick flyers so the internet café would get more customers. I also learned how to program and found ways to script-write for a few people on craigslist. I’m not anywhere near good, but I wasn’t bad. I’d make do.

Another game but this time, thebat sent me a message: Can you not use a tank?

I chuckled to myself, seeing what character he played. He played an assassin that I haven’t played before, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. I chose the character, reading the skills out loud as the game started. All I could do was make sure he didn’t see me so I could catch him by surprise.

The game quickly ended, and I looked up, quickly typing a “gg gtg” to thebat. I exited the program to see someone stand in front of me. He was a usual customer, the male with a knowing smile on his face.

“Long shift today?” he asked, giving me his customer card as I scanned it. I nodded, Chris Bang chuckling to himself. “Good, I’m thinking of staying the night to play on the Australian server.”

“Knock yourself out. Ramen in an hour?” I asked Chris. He was Australian and I have made friends with him online. One day, he saw me playing through my account and put two and two together, realizing that I was actually the player behind nomercy.

“You know it,” Chris said, moving to his usual seat. I could hear his phone buzz in his pocket and he grabbed it. He frowned when he saw the screen, the expression of someone who had no idea why a certain person was calling. He answered it, taking a seat. I began to focus on my priorities.

I checked my bank account, giving out a satisfied nod. I didn’t want Mario to end up like me, void of opportunities. My parents told me that they didn’t care as long as I found a way to pay for it.

“Your list came, Mario,” I told my younger brother who hopped forward. “We’ll have to go shopping in a week, how does that sound?”

“Good,” he chimed. “The school told me I can’t enter the school gates if I don’t have my uniform.”

“I’ll handle it, you just have to study,” I murmured, grabbing my mask and putting it on. I felt safer that way, protected.

“Study for what?’

“Mario, if I see you fail, you’re going to man the cafe for the rest of your life.”

Mario made a face and I put up my hoodie and began to work on the balance sheet for the whole month. I got a message notification and I saw it was from thebat: hey… it’s weird but you free? I saw it but didn’t reply. Priorities, priorities, I kept telling myself.

The café was filled with Chris’ fingers clicking on the mouse and after a good forty minutes, the door of the café opened up and a man walked in. I had never seen him before. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and had high cheekbones. But for someone who looked so intense, he had broken into a smile when he saw me staring at him.

“Uh… don’t mind me, just scouting,” he said and I squinted my eyes at him.

“You got to pay if you’re going to sit down.”

“Then I won’t sit down,” he concluded, looking over to Chris. “Bangchan!”

“You actually came,” Chris said, lowering his headphones. “Got to pay the lady in the mask, Xiaojun. Café rules.”

“Ugh, sure. Fine,” the guy named Xiaojun grumbled before grabbing a crumpled piece of paper and walked over to me. He put it on the counter and I checked it in. He didn’t even wait for the change, walking back to Chris. “Look, took me some time to find this internet café. Nice name, by the way. Maze Internet Café.”

He took a seat beside Chris and I glanced at the clock to see that enough time had passed. It was time for me to heat up water so I could make some ramen for Chris.

“Look, I know I beat your team into pulp last time but…”

His voice droned on in the background and I went to plug the water heater. It’d take some time. The water heater was as old as Mario.

“You got to play with us. At least let Changbin tank for us! Winwin’s being a .”

“Dude, I can’t do that. Changbin hates you guys and he plays fighter more than he does tank. I mean, tank is his sub-character. But if he plays fighter, what would Hendery play?”

“He plays mage-tank, right?”

I looked back at the two men conversing, watching as Chris turned around in his wheely chair as he crossed his legs, his game forgotten.

“You’re playing with EXO High, right? The final round? You know a mage tank is not enough against Jeno’s build. You need a full-blown tank. Don’t get me started on how that team, has a “healing for everyone!” by the name of Mark Lee.”

“Bangchan, that’s the only thing Mark Lee uses his mana for. God….” Xiaojun groaned. “and you can see his sparkles from the bush. Aw man, I just need someone who can replace me. You can play tank, right? We’ll pay you.”

“Do I look like I need money? Besides, it’s all about pride. What do you think people will say if they see me sitting in for you? For a team that wrecked us?”

“Fine,” Xiaojun gave up easily and I could tell he had another offer. That’s what they say when they negotiate. Start off high, then go low. “Then tell me this—I was playing with some dude today and I saw that you were friends with him when I went to his profile.”

Chris raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t know who you are talking about unless you tell me, bro. Honestly, I play with everyone. We get extra coins when we reach a new level of friendship. Why do you think I’m rich?” Chris blinked before correcting himself. “Game rich. What’s the username?”

“It’s nomercy.”

I coughed at the mention of my username, whipping my face back. I could feel Chris’ eyes on the back of my head when he sighed.

“Did you text her—him?” Chris cleared his throat, Xiaojun nodding and saying that he did and the person did not reply. Xiaojun sounded frustrated and I put hot water into Chris’ ramen before closing it and turning to place it on the table. Xiaojun looked around and I almost forgot I had my mask on, shying away from his gaze when he spotted my brother.

“Hey, kid! Do you play?”

“Xiaojun, he’s like eight. It’s ing illegal. Just play with four people. How bad can it be?” Chris asked, rolling his eyes. I retreated back to the counter, keeping a close eye on them.

“With EXO High’s aggression? Haechan plays Wukong, Chris. He splits into three. I can hardly handle one Haechan, let alone three! Do you think we can win against someone like Johnny Suh as their coach?”

“Didn’t he retire?”

“It’s his legacy. He’s ing scary, man. He used to be in the Fight Club!”

“And your coach is Kun?”

“Winwin,” Xiaojun corrected. I had no idea who these people were. “Just because Kun parades around with water and brings a sewing kit to make sure our uniforms are intact does not make him the coach.”

“Well, you’ll figure it out. Winwin’s not bad. He’s strategical.”

“Winwin thinks in his mind. He doesn’t say anything. Last I checked, it is a team game. How are we supposed to communicate? Like… telepathy?”

“You’re -talking your own coach.”

“I can. He’s my best friend.”

I dropped my head down to continue with the invoices when Xiaojun spoke.

“Look, if you can bring nomercy to me, I’ll pay this dude. We don’t need the money, just the glory.”

I froze, my pen hovering over the paper, another hand over the calculator. The numbers on the calculator suddenly seemed too little and I chewed on my bottom lip.

“He’s on the top of the South Korean server,” Xiaojun began, Chris nodding as he flickered his eyes towards me with amusement.

“No .”

“I think he’ll make a good addition to the team. I need to find him.”

“Really? South Korean server? What if he’s in Busan or something?”

“His location said Seoul, so you can’t use that,” Xiaojun said, wagging a finger at Chris. “What to do?”

“I don’t know, just shoot him a message or something,” Chris shrugged. “Shoot him a message again. You know what they say, persistence is key.”

“Maybe I need to bribe him, don’t I? Make sure he knows I’m giving him money because damn, his tank skills were good.”

“Tell me about it,” Chris murmured and I breathed. Xiaojun was just rambling. How much money should he bribe the person with? It was a capitalist world and men are weak with money? But what if nomercy—I, was gaming professionally? He was ready to pay, he announced. He was!

After a good twenty minutes of small talk and riling down a riled up Xiaojun, Chris was able to send him off so he could call it a night. The moment Xiaojun left, Chris had walked up to me, a smile on his features.

“I heard,” I said and Chris nodded. “Why didn’t you tell him it was me?”

“I know you like your privacy,” Chris replied, leaning against the counter. A message came up on my computer and I saw that thebat (aka Xiaojun, as I do know now) had sent another message. It was a long message, the male telling me that he would pay and whatnot.

nomercy: yes
thebat: sorry?
nomercy: what sorry
thebat: eriujoipwdfe

Keyboard smashing.

nomercy: time place price?
thebat: next week six to ten in the evening
thebat: but we train 8-10 pm every evening
thebat: Vision High!
thebat: it’s by the border of
nomercy: i know, c u
thebat: you know? You from seoul???
thebat: too many questions? Sorry just excited!!!

I chuckled, shaking my head before looking up to see Chris Bang staring at me.

“I take it, you said yes?” Chris asked and I nodded. “It’s the money, isn’t it?”

“It’s definitely the money,” I answered. “Don’t think I have the choice. Mario’s school has requirements. Did you finish your ramen?”

“I did,” he said and I moved over to where his ramen was, grabbing it to throw it in the trashcan. “It is quite a lot of money.”

“How good are they?” I asked, turning to lean against the table, Chris with his thinking face on. He pressed his lips together.

“Let me tell you something about Vision High and EXO High. Sure, JYP High and Vision go head-to-head sometimes but the competition between these two schools is surreal. You’ve got the tanks,” he paused. “That’s Xiaojun as thebat, yes, and the other one with the username by theshouldergangster. We call them the two Jun’s. Xiaojun and Renjun.”

“Shoulder gangster?” I asked, amused.

“Yeah, he’s definitely a gangster. He is tiny! No idea why he chose to study at EXO High but he’s rather quiet. Lethal. Now, thebat—Xiaojun, he always follows Winwin around.”

“Winwin?”

“Vision High’s captain, assassin and star player. Username letswinwin97. Username slaps, I know.”

“Sure, bangbangchan,” I teased and he stared at me so I wiped the smile off my face.

“We all call him Winwin. I have no idea what his real name is.”

“Who’s the captain of EXO High?”

“Lee Jeno, overtook Johnny’s place. Same as Winwin, assassin. But instead of a tank, a mage follows Lee Jeno. His name is Mark Lee. His character goes “Healing for everyone!” and tadah! Everyone is healed.”

“He uses Rafaela?” I asked incredulously. “In a sports game setting?”

“Wherever Lee Jeno is, you should know Mark Lee is somewhere there.” Chris paused. “The last time we played with EXO High, Jeno was dying. Someone tried to come and kill Jeno but Mark sacrificed himself, took the damage until Jeno got his healing back.”

“What happened after?”

“Mark Lee used his first skill and killed the player. And that, my friend, is the story of how Mark Lee was able to score his first kill.”

“LOL,” I mused.

“Haechan plays Wukong, we just call him Fullsun. We all know a Lee when we see one. Lee Jeno, Mark Lee, Lee Haechan. The trio.”

“You’re fuming.” I observed.

“He called Jisung the loser Jisung. Have you seen Park Jisung?”

“You guys lost, didn’t you? To Vision High?”

“Felix wasn’t feeling well,” Chris snapped. He looked hurt. “Felix and Han Jisung were going through some weird relationship problems. They weren’t talking.”

“Right,” I smirked, rolling my eyes. “I’ll come to you for intel if I need it.”

“Seems like you’re focused on winning this.”

“I need the money, Chris,” I patted his arm. “And since I am already all in—no mercy, am I right?”

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I was in front of Vision High waiting for thebat. Xiaojun seemed like a cool dude and I stared at my phone when I received a message.

“Do you need taxi money?” he asked and I frowned at his text.

nomercy: I’m poor but not that poor
thebat: what kind of guy am I looking for?

There it was again with them thinking I was a guy. I pulled my mask back up and texting him back.

nomercy: long hair
thebat: NICE! A trendsetter!
nomercy: sure

thebat: actually, can you come over to the room stationed at the right?
thebat: you’ll know when you reach there

I decided to just follow his instructions, walking past the empty school guard post. The classrooms were dark and I squinted as I walked further and further away from the street lights. The moment I reached the designated room, I understood why he said I would know if I reached it.

The screaming.

“I told you don’t touch my arcana!”

“Yangyang, why are you using mage arcana when you are a marksman?”

“It’s time to mix it up!”

“You’re not going to mix it up for our competition!”

I pushed the door open and was greeted by men turning to look at me, confusion in their eyes. How many of them were they? I noticed another guy sitting at the side with a biology book. He wasn’t wearing a uniform and had his legs crossed. Right beside him was a sewing machine.

They were all wearing masks and I subconsciously gripped the edge of my hoodie when one of them spoke.

“Yes, sorry?” one of them said, tilting his head at me before whispering to the man beside him. “Why do we need to wear masks again?”

“You know how it works, keep our identity hidden—”

“This is hardly an M16 mission. We look like sasaengs,” was the reply before he stepped forward, the male he was talking to narrowing his eyes at him.

“Yangyang, that is what you’re going to be when you grow up.”

“Don’t give him any ideas,” another man said. It was the person reading the biology book. He closed the book with a snap, everyone jumping at the sound. “You know how it goes, two hours of training. No more, no less.”

I reached up, tugging on the elastic of the mask to remove it, everyone gasping.

“Are you the manager?” a voice asked. “Manager of the dude who is supposed to be here?”

I was used to this. The stereotype that women couldn’t play games as good as men. I shook my head, telling them that I was the player and I was greeted by deadly silence. It was like the gears in their heads were turning.

“You’re a… girl?” one of them said when the male named Yangyang hopped up to me. He brought his nose closer and sniffed. “Do you smell any male perfume? She could be the girlfriend or something—”

“I’m the player. I’m nomercy,” I finally clarified and they blinked. There seemed to be one person who wasn’t fazed by it. He was tall and stood away from the rest, his computer right in front of him as he clapped his hands once. Positions, he said. His voice was soft but authoritative, everyone giving me one last look and scrambling towards their designated computers when a guy introduced himself to be.

“I’m thebat,” he said to him, smiling. He got over the fact that I was a girl faster than the rest. He didn’t seem to recognize my eyes from back in the café. He motioned to a computer, and I took a seat. “This guy is Winwin, that guy is Yangyang, and… you’ll learn the rest when the time comes. For now, just go along with it. Now, where is Donkey?”

I was okay with that, my hands lifting up the mouse to inspect it before shaking my head. I pulled up my own mouse from my hoodie pocket and connected it. The shape felt familiar to my hand and I saw Winwin flicker his eyes at me, the rest of his face hidden by the black mask.

“And I’m late!” The door burst open and another team member ran in, his hair disheveled. “Oh, hi! I’m Hendery!” His mask was nowhere to be seen and I could hear another grumble from Winwin. “This is Chenle!”

“So much for anonymity,” Yangyang grumbled, throwing his mask away so I could see his face. “Let’s start. Xiaojun’s new recruit is here and she’s a girl.”

I was sure he didn’t mean to say it in that tone but maybe that was what I wanted to believe. The game started normally, Xiaojun walking back and forth behind me since I was taking his post. I ran through the possibilities of choosing his character but decided against it and chose Johnson instead—a game character that was a tank but c