Start your future today! Join thousands of other students at Seoul National University.

 

A shaky hand hovered over a mouse, cursor unsteady on the reply button beneath the email. Finally clicking on the button, the girl began typing her response to the university's acceptance email.

 

I regret to inform you that I have to decline your offer.

 

She sighed, biting her lip, before continuing to type. The truth is that I'm too much of a coward to tell my mom I want to move across the country for school.

 

Running a hand down her face, she finally shook her head and deleted the drafted email. Before she could do anything else, a notification popped up on her screen.

 

Uchinaga Aeri has tagged you in a photo. Heart racing frantically, the girl quickly clicked on the notification that popped up, which pulled up another tab for Facebook. There she could see the photo she had taken of the girl's soccer captain, Aeri, who had tagged her in the post.

 

Thanks for the dope flick, Jimin, it read. Smiling widely, Jimin fought down the blush creeping onto her cheeks and moved her mouse once again. The cursor hovered over the like button, but before she could press it, an incoming video call interrupted her.

 

Scrambling to answer, she quickly sat up straighter. "Hey Somi, what's up?"

 

"What are you up to? Besides stalking Aeri,"

 

"I was not-"

 

"Yeah whatever, anyways, did you tell your mom you got into SNU yet?"

 

Jimin chuckled, shaking her head nervously. "About that... not yet, but I will soon. I just haven't had the chance yet."

 

Somi rolled her eyes but then widened them in response to an incoming notification. "Oh hold on, Kwangya is starting!"

 

Jimin quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, what is Kwangya?"

 

Somi sent a link to a video and told Jimin to watch the explanation. As soon as she clicked the link, a robotic voice came through her speakers to narrate alongside a tacky presentation video with funky techno music playing in the background.

 

"Welcome to Kwangya -  Busan. Kwangya is a 24-hour game, like truth or dare, minus the truth," it spouted off. "Watchers pay to watch, æ play to win cash and glory. Are you a watcher, or an æ?" The video abruptly ended after repeating the last phrase several times.

 

"Somi, what the hell is this? Is this even legitimate?"

 

"Who knows? Just sign up and watch me, I need viewers," she quipped, frowning at her through the camera. Jimin laughed but waved her friend goodbye. "I will! I'll sign up after I eat, I gotta go. I'll see you at school later!"

 

*

 

"Did you send in your acceptance to Busan Women's University yet?" her mother asked, stirring the stew over the stovetop. Jimin bit the inside of her cheek, debating on whether she could bring up her acceptance to SNU.

 

"I know we can't afford for you to stay in the dorms, but I'm sure you'll still be just fine commuting from home."

 

"Actually mom, I was thinking... maybe we could pack up dad's old stuff from the spare room, maybe list it as a rental. That way you can have some freedom away from me and we could find you a roommate and-"

 

"I never said I wanted to do any of those things, Jimin. I'm sorry I can't afford to pay for your housing at school, but you have a full scholarship for tuition and I think you should be grateful for this opportunity. Please don't let this go to waste," her mother tersely responded.

 

Jimin looked down at the bowl of stew that was placed in front of her sullenly. "Yeah, okay, sorry mom."

 

After a rather awkwardly quiet breakfast, Jimin grabbed her backpack and camera and rode her bike to school. After getting through most of the day without any major challenges, she found herself in the girl's locker room before the big soccer game started.

 

She was taking photos of the team's pep talk, but found that her camera lens kept landing on Aeri's face. When Aeri noticed, she smiled at the camera, but Jimin hurriedly took the picture and began to walk away, bumping into her friend Yizhuo.

 

"You know people are going to notice if all our yearbook pictures only consist of Uchinaga Aeri, right?"

 

"What do you want me to do? She's the captain of our best sports team!" Jimin huffed, grabbing the other lens Yizhuo was holding for her. Jimin continued taking pictures of the team as they ran from the locker room onto the field, where the cheerleading squad was waiting to perform. Somi was standing front and center.

 

The cheerleader ran towards the bleachers to hand one of her other friends her phone, which the girl held up to record. "Hey watchers, it's your favorite æ, Somi! Stay tuned," she goaded with a wink and ran off back to her spot in the center of the squad.

 

The squad was about halfway through the routine when Somi suddenly turned around and yanked up her skirt, revealing that she had no underwear on. The crowd went berserk after being mooned and Jimn and Yizhuo looked on with wide eyes, amused at their friend's antics that they had managed to capture on camera.

 

*

 

"Hell yeah, I won ₩650,000! I have so many watchers viewing my profile now," Somi exclaimed, high-fiving everyone sitting at the table with her. Jimin and Yizhuo strolled into the diner to join their friends, with Jimin sitting across from Somi.

 

"What the- how does the game know I'm afraid of heights?" Somi muttered, staring at her phone screen.

 

Chaewon, another friend seated at the table piped in, "Of course they know, they take all your information off all your online profiles, your bank accounts, everything."

 

"Somi, shouldn't you be stopping this Kwangya stuff?" Jimin retorted, giving her friend a stern look. "You literally just got suspended for that stunt you pulled earlier."

 

"No way, I could have millions of followers soon, I might be rich," she quipped, raising her chin in a challenge. "Just because you don't like to take risks doesn't mean you have to stop me from doing this."

 

Jimin scoffed, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. "I take risks," she bit back.

 

"Really? Okay, let's say you were hypothetically playing Kwangya right now. What's a dare that might come in?" Somi challenged.

 

Chaewon's eyes glinted mischievously as she looked around the diner, before her eyes landed on a figure sitting at a table not too far away. "Make out with Aeri!"

 

The group of friends started cheering while Jimin lowered her head in embarrassment. Yizhuo grimaced but didn't say anything.

 

"Okay let's take it down a notch," Somi said. "Just talk to Aeri. Do you accept your dare, Jimin?"

 

Jimin began fumbling with her words, eyes darting between all her friends' gazes. "Why would I do that? We're all about to graduate and-"

 

"See what I mean, Jimin? You're a watcher. So watch me do it for you," Somi countered.

 

The group watched with wide eyes as Somi got up to walk towards the direction of the girls' soccer team. "Somi, stop-" Jimin tried to say too late.

 

Somi reached the table where the team ogled her, hooting and hollering. "Yooo Somi, do we get another free show?" one of the team members joked, before Somi gave her a look that oozed disgust.

 

Ignoring the other team members, Somi placed her focus on Aeri who was smiling up at her awkwardly. "Hey Aeri, do you happen to be dating anyone at the moment?" she asked with a sultry lilt to her voice. Jimin could only watch from a distance with her face hidden behind her hands.

 

Aeri started stuttering out a response before Somi continued, "I'm not asking for myself, I'm asking for a friend."

 

At that, Aeri eyed her curiously. "Oh, well which friend?" Somi pointed her finger behind Aeri's head at Jimin, which made the soccer player turn to look at her. Jimin could only swallow down her embarrassment and wave at her awkwardly.

 

Aeri smiled at her sheepishly, before turning back to Somi. "I'm really sorry... she's not really my type," she began, but Somi rolled her eyes at her. "Whatever, you're not even that hot," she replied, before storming off back towards her own table.

 

Jimin, scowling, packed up her things and ran off towards the exit. "Jimin, wait!" Somi called out, but it was no use.

 

"That wasn't cool, Somi," Yizhuo complained.

 

*

 

Jimin stared at her computer screen, which had the Kwangya sign-up page staring back at her.

 

Swallowing down her nerves, she shakily selected to sign up as an æ, Immediately, a video started playing on the screen.

 

"Welcome to Kwangya. You have chosen to be an æ. Kwangya is a direct democracy. Watchers decide your dares. The two æs with the most watchers by the end of the trial will advance to the final round, where the winner takes all."

 

Jimin audibly gulped and continued to watch the rules play out.

 

"Watchers can watch from anywhere, but they are encouraged to film live. There are 3 rules:

 

1. All dares must be filmed from the æ's phone

2. There are only two ways to be eliminated - bail or fail

3. Snitches get stitches

 

Thank you for keeping Kwangya a secret. Good luck, æ."

 

A pop-up appeared on the screen, asking Jimin if she was ready to accept her first dare. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the accept button and got up, deciding she would meet Yizhuo for moral support. As she walked away from her laptop, she failed to notice that the Kwangya site began to draw in information from all of her applications and accounts.

 

Yizhou was outside in her car within minutes. "Why did you make me drive over here so fast?"

 

"We have to go to the diner, I have less than twenty minutes to do this dare."

 

"Jimin, please don't tell me you signed up for Kwangya-"

 

"Just drive!"

 

Yizhuo grumbled the whole drive over about how Kwangya wasn't a safe game and Jimin could only roll her eyes in response. "Someone died playing this game, you know!"

 

"Yeah right, wouldn't that have been all over the news? They definitely would've shut the game down then."

 

"Uh no, there's no way to shut it down, Jimin. There are no servers. Every person who signs up becomes an entirely new server."

 

"I don't even know what that means, honestly. But why do you know so much about this, hacker-girl?"

 

Yizhuo shot her a glare. "You're not taking full advantage of the internet."

 

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Jimin huffed.

 

When the two pull up to the diner and step inside, Jimin nervously looked down at the dare splayed across her phone screen.

 

  Kiss a stranger for five seconds.

  ₩130,000
  Accept          Reject

 

"I could just pay you ₩130,000 if you're that desperate for cash," Yizhuo grumbled. Jimin elbowed her in the ribs before looking around.

 

The duo scanned the diner's occupants, looking for someone less vile than the men sitting closest to them. When Jimin finally spotted someone mildly attractive, she noticed he was sitting across from his date.

 

"Ugh, what do I do?" she complained. Yizhuo took another look around, before nodding her head at someone sitting nearby. "It just says kiss a stranger, it's not like you have to marry them. What about that guy?"

 

An older gruff looking man stared back at them, and Jimin could only barely hold back the look of disgust on her face. Before she could commit to walking towards the man, he stood up abruptly, revealing a girl who seemed to be their age sitting at the booth behind him.

 

The girl was holding up a book, almost covering her face completely. When Jimin noticed the book, her eyes widened. She stepped over to greet the girl, while Yizhuo sat in the nearest empty booth and set up Jimin's phone to record the encounter.

 

"I'm The Drama? That's my favorite book!"

 

The girl lowered the book to look up at the intruder. "Really? Tell me, does the girl ever get to avenge her brother?"

 

"Well-"

 

"Actually, don't tell me... wait, yeah actually I do wanna know. Please tell me."

 

"She does, but that's not the point of the book actually. It's more about her journey with her feelings after she discovers what happens to him and her mental state after she gets her revenge, but- sorry, I'm just rambling because I love the book so much," Jimin babbles, cheeks turning pink in embarrassment.

 

The girl stared up at her and laughed, and it made something funny bubble up in Jimin's chest.

 

"It's okay, I totally get it-" the girl was cut off by Jimin sliding into the booth and planting a kiss on her lips.

 

In the other booth, Yizhuo was counting out loud to five seconds. "Done... done. Jimin, you're done," she quipped, rolling her eyes when the kiss ended up lasting quite a few seconds longer.

 

Jimin ended the kiss and got up abruptly, rushing over to the booth to hide across from Yizhuo. "Did you get it?!"

 

"Uh yeah, you could probably make a whole ten episode series out of how long you were-"

 

A noise sounded on the phone indicating the dare was completed and the money had gone to Jimin's bank account.

 

"Oh my god, should I check my account?"

 

Suddenly, music started blasting from the jukebox in the diner. Jimin gasped and turned to look behind her, and noticed the girl was no longer sitting at the booth. Yizhuo rolled her eyes when she noticed the girl jumping across tables and singing along to the song playing from the jukebox.

 

"You make me feel so good.

 

Funny how I feel for you. It's going to be by your side."

 

"Oh no... is she singing to me?" Jimin asked, hiding her face in embarrassment. Yizhuo looked around, noticing a woman standing with a phone pointed at the girl to record her. "It's definitely a dare," she answered.

 

"And also my dreamy future.

 

You gotta be mine, now and forever."

 

The girl made her way through the diner, after she finished singing along to the song, before the woman walked up to hand her back her phone. "Great job," the woman said, before walking away.

 

The girl smiled at Jimin bashfully before sitting across from her, next to Yizhuo.

 

"Sorry, I didn't know what was gonna happen. I just got dared to sit at that booth and someone came by to hand me that book," she explained.

 

"I'm The Drama, yeah, my favorite," Jimin sighed, before Yizhuo gave her a pointed look.

 

"Yeah, because it's on your Facebook account. Once you sign up the game knows everything about you, Jimin," she lectured.

 

"Jimin, huh?"

 

Jimin looked up in shock. "Uh, yeah, my name is Jimin."

 

"Nice, I'm Winter," the girl replied with a cheeky smile. "Anyways, I should probably get back to my dares. It was nice meeting you both," she said, getting up to leave the booth, only to be interrupted by the sound of her phone chiming.

 

She checked the notification and looked back at Jimin, whose phone had also pinged her. The two read their respective notifications and Jimin grimaced.

 

  Go to the city with her.
  ₩260,000
  Accept          Reject

 

"Looks like the watchers want to see us play together," Winter mused.

 

"She can't even go with you, right Jimin?" Yizhuo queried, eyeing her hesitantly.

 

Jimin shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I was just gonna do the one dare."

 

Winter looked disappointed but nodded her head. "Well, I'll be outside if you change your mind, I guess."

 

After she walked away, Jimin stared off into the space behind Yizhuo's head. "I could really use the money, honestly."

 

"Jimin, no. You said you were just gonna do the one dare. Let's go back now."

 

Jimin bit her lip and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry Yizhuo..."

 

Yizhuo could only shake her head in annoyance as she watched her friend follow after the stranger.

 

*

 

Winter was starting up her motorbike, about to put her helmet on, when she heard someone walking towards her. She looked up and smiled when she saw who was approaching.

 

"Knew you'd change your mind."

 

Jimin chuckled and shook her head. "I'm not really much of a risk-taker honestly. You'd be better off if you paired up with my friend, Somi. She's super good at this Kwangya stuff," she admitted.

 

Winter had a contemplative smile on her face, pulling out a spare helmet from the back compartment of her bike. "But the watchers would rather I pair up with you."

 

Taking in a deep breath, Jimin nodded. She grabbed the helmet and put it on, sitting behind Winter. "If I change my mind later, I'm leaving," she mumbled into the girl's collar.

 

"Of course, I totally get that," Winter replied. She put on her own helmet and placed Jimin's arms around her waist securely before kicking the stand out of the way to start driving.

 

The two quickly made their way to Yangsan, with Jimin holding on tightly. Once they parked outside of an upscale looking boutique, they both removed their helmets and got off.

 

"Alright, well, I'll probably head home now," Jimin said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. Winter nodded, pointing in the direction of the boutique. "Sure, yeah. I'm just gonna... go to my next dare then."

 

She hurried off in the direction of the boutique, while Jimin turned around to start her journey home. An incoming call came in, and Jimin answered when she saw it was Yizhuo.

 

"Jimin, you seriously need to stop this now. This Winter girl seems super suspicious."

 

"What do you mean? She hasn't even done anything weird," Jimin complained.

 

"I tried looking her up online and she doesn't exist, Jimin. Don't you think that's weird?"

 

Jimin sighed, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, Yizhuo, we split up anyways."

 

She hung up and started walking away again, but was once again interrupted. Her phone chimed, alerting her of another Kwangya notification.

 

  Go try on this dress.
  ₩650,000
  Accept          Reject

 

There was a picture attached with an expensive looking dress. Biting her lip, Jimin made up her mind and clicked on the accept button before running towards the store.

 

Once inside, she felt the nerves kick in again as she noticed how everything in the store was way beyond her price range. She found an employee and showed him the picture of the dress, asking where she could find it.

 

"Miss, that is a very expensive dress," he began, but faltered when he noticed that Jimin wasn't backing down. "Fourth floor," he answered begrudgingly.

 

Jimin made her way to the fourth floor and searched through several racks of clothes before finding the lone dress on a mannequin. She took a look at the price tag and her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when she read ₩5,200,000.

 

She quickly removed the dress from the mannequin and ran into the changing room, recording herself getting undressed in order to put the dress on in the 30 seconds she had remaining before her time for the dare was up. She was able to pull the zipper up just when the clock hit 00:00.

 

Picking up the phone, she made her way back out into the main lobby, looking around confused. The phone wasn't telling her whether she completed the dare or not. At the same time she stepped out, Winter had stepped out from a changing booth on the opposite side of the lobby, in an expensive dress of her own.

 

She was holding up her phone to record, when she noticed Jimin. "Hey, you look great," she stated, eyeing Jimin up and down.

 

Jimin blushed, muttering out her thanks and returning the compliment as best she could without stuttering too much.

 

"Looks like the watchers want me to find you a pair of shoes to go with that beautiful dress," Winter said, holding out her hand to lead Jimin to another area of the store.

 

Unbeknownst to them, another æ came by to grab their clothes and other items out of the changing rooms.

 

While the two frolicked around the store, Winter finally found a fitting pair of pricey heels to go with Jimin's exquisite dress. She kneeled down to help Jimin put them on, and Jimin couldn't help but blush at the action.

 

When she stood up, Winter twirled her around. "You really do look so good like this," the girl murmured. Jimin gave her a light push on the shoulder, but the two continued to hold hands as they made their way back to the lobby.

 

"I'll meet you downstairs after we change?" Winter asked, and Jimin smiled widely at her before agreeing.

 

The two went into their respective changing rooms to change back into their own clothing, before Jimin realized something was amiss. Her stuff was gone, and she searched high and low inside the dressing room to find it. She even ran into the adjacent rooms in a panic to see if she had stepped into the wrong one, but her things were nowhere to be found.

 

Winter stepped out of her dressing room as well, albeit looking less panicked than Jimin. Jimin quickly pulled the girl into her dressing room and pulled the curtain behind them.

 

"Winter, did you take my things? Everything is gone... my wallet, my clothes-"

 

"No Jimin, my stuff is gone too," she said with a sigh. At the same time once again, their phones alerted them of a notification.

 

  Leave the store.
  ₩3,250,000
  Accept          Reject

 

The timer only gave them two minutes. Jimin started panicking, pacing back and forth.

 

"Winter, I am not shoplifting... I can't do this!"

 

"Hey, come on, we have to make a run for it," Winter begged, watching the timer tick down.

 

Jimin took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Okay, technically, it just says we have to leave the store, right?"

 

Winter eyed her curiously, before understanding what she meant.

 

Clad in just their underwear, the two snuck as stealthily as they could through the boutique. Just as they were about to reach the hallway that lead to the elevators, one of the employees noticed them. "Excuse me!" the employee called out, but Winter grabbed Jimin's hand and bolted towards the elevator.

 

They frantically pushed on the buttons and entered the elevator before the employee could chase them down, and once they r