wave i

A/N: AU shizz. Gonna use the name Park Joohyun for MC even though this is 2nd POV.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mystic Messenger or any of its characters.

It was your first day at Yonsei University. Your parents were so proud of you getting into one of the SKY universities that they never stopped bragging about it to your neighbors. You even had to cover your face with a face mask just so the neighbors wouldn't see you. You thought that it was just lucky that face masks are a thing in the country.

The night before term starts, you were restless, rolling from one side of the bed to the other and then back again. You'd sit up, grab your new MCM bag (the one your mother got you when you told her you got into Yonsei), and check to see if you've missed anything. Then you'd grab the innocent phone lying on the bedside table and check to see if you turned on the alarm before hitting the volume up even though it's already on max. Feeling satisfied, you'd place the phone where you first got it and plop back to bed. But the process repeats again.

You wake up the next day with bags under your eyes that you try to conceal with an eye cream you thankfully bought from the nearest Etude branch just the other day. You check yourself out in the mirror, decked out in comfortable black leggings, a cute long-sleeved baby blue mini dress, a beanie, and black sneakers. Satisfied with your look, you grab the studded bag on the floor and sling it on your shoulder. Your parents asked if you wanted to hitch a ride but you declined, telling them you'd just catch the train. You leave with a wave and your parents respond with two thumbs up and you're off.

You barely caught the train, having to push yourself in between the doors just to get in. You breathe a sigh of relief and leaned against the door, watching as the Hangang River comes into sight. You plug your earphones and put your playlist on shuffle, EXO's Love Me Right suddenly filling your ears. You drum your fingers on the steel railing you were grabbing on to while you silently sing along to the music.

You were so into the music you barely heard the intercom, announcing your stop, and you had to squeeze yourself between people getting inside to get out. You jogged all the way to the university, checking your wristwatch all the time. You didn't even realize somebody was in front of you, so dangerously close to you, until your head made contact with his back.

"Oomph," you heard yourself say, as your left leg takes a step backward to regain your balance. The person whose back you bumped into turned around and you can see blond hair over purple eyes. You think that the blond hair can't be natural and decided that it must be dyed, which just makes you realize just how different college is compared to high school. Your old high school wouldn't have allowed that bright color. Maybe you should dye your hair pink. Or blue. You see the boy with the dyed blond hair still staring at you and you realize that you haven't apologized yet. Your cheeks slightly color as you give a bow and a slightly muttered apology.

You look up to see a smile plastered on his sweet, angelic face and you couldn't help but smile as well. He offered you a hand that you hesitantly shook before proclaiming his name to be Kim Yoosung. Your smile grows, and you respond by telling him your name. He repeats your name, tasting it on his mouth, his smile never once disappearing, and he tells you that you have a beautiful name before asking you where you're headed.

You told him that you're headed to Wonju Campus, and you watch his lips stretch out wider as he informs you that he's headed to the same building and that you can go together if you want to. You agree, nodding your head enthusiastically, and the two of you head off to the said campus, with you listening as he started gushing on about how lucky he was to be attending this prestigious university and how his parents shouted on top of Namsan that their son passed his entrance exam. You laugh at all the right moments, secretly thanking your lucky stars for giving you a friend this quick. You were never good at making friends ever since you first entered middle school (having been homeschooled during elementary school) and has always been that kind of person who stays inside the classroom during lunch to eat alone while reading a paperback.

When you graduated from high school you promised yourself that you'd change and make your years in college worth looking back to once you're old, and it looks like you're off to a promising start. The two of you stop in front of the campus. He asked which class you were going to take first and you informed him that you have anatomy for first period. He began comparing schedules with you, his smile slightly vanishing, as you both realize that you have no similar class for the whole day, but the smile was back as soon as it was gone and he told you that he'd be waiting for you at the end of the day, since both of you get off at seven.

You both entered the campus and, just before the two of you take separate paths, Yoosung asked for your mobile number. He jogged off after, giving you a thumbs up and a good luck, and telling you that he'd just send you a text where you can both meet up after class. You smile at him and thank him and watched him jog off to the right, before you turn around and walk in the other direction, headed to your first class.

Your first class went by like a blur. You admit that when you pushed the classroom door open, your heart was hammering inside your chest, but ten minutes into the class convinced you that college isn't all the horror your teachers made you believe in high school. Your anatomy professor doesn't seem to be the type your high school teachers warned you about. Indeed, he proved to be a fun and refreshing guy, cracking somewhat crude jokes from time to time to ease everyone inside the classroom up a bit. You can literally feel the tension inside the room dissipate as every freshman inside casts off every negative feeling they have.

All your next classes weren't worth mentioning, you think that nothing can be more interesting than studying the human body with a cool professor, so you end up sitting on a bench, playing with your phone after all your other classes end. The day went by like a burst of wind, and the sun has already set when you leave the campus. You were waiting for that text from Yoosung to come but it's already been half an hour since class has ended and he still hasn't contacted you. Puffing out your cheeks, you begin to wonder if Yoosung really meant what he said when he told you that you were both going to hang out after class ends. And then you wonder if he's forgotten about you. Your phone started beeping just when you were about to entertain more negative thoughts and you checked to see who's called you.

You saw that it was an unknown number. Figuring that it was probably the blond, you answered it and placed the device beside your ear. "Hello?" you asked, a little unsure.

"Joohyun!" You heard your name being shouted on the other side, and you smiled when you recognized that it was from the boy you met hours earlier. He apologized for not contacting you sooner and told you to meet him at the gates. You stood up, grabbed your bag, slung it on your shoulder, and half-walked, half-ran to the university's gates, your hand clutching the rectangular device.

You called his name as soon as you saw his brightly colored hair and he turned in your direction and waved at you. You stopped in front of him and grabbed at the little stitch in your chest that formed when you ran to your meeting place. He sported an apologetic look but you quickly waved it off and asked him where the two of you were heading and half-jokingly told him that it better be a place where you can buy food because waiting for him made you hungry. He put on that apologetic face again and told you that he'd buy you any food you want because it was his fault that you were hungry. You laughed at him, surprising yourself at how easy and natural the reactions you were doing, and told him that he'd better keep his word.

Yoosung puffed out his chest and pounded it with the side of his fist, informing you that he never backs down on his word because he is a man and the scene made you double up in laughter again, grabbing his shoulders and turning him around before pushing him on his back.

You went home with a smile on your face that night, your stomach full of ddeokbbeoki Yoosung bought for you. You felt your phone vibrate inside your back and fished it out. The screen illuminated your face as you read the message Yoosung sent you, asking you if you got home safe. Your smile never leaving your face, you type out a quick reply before throwing the phone on your bed, landing with a soft thud. You went to the bathroom and got ready for bed after.

It's been a few months since your first day and you were getting used to the college life. Yoosung has been a constant element. Not a day goes by without the two of you calling or sending texts to each other. He's even taught you how to play League of Legends, though you figured out after twelve consecutive loses that the game isn't really your thing. Yoosung tried to cheer you up but you told him that MMORPG has never been one of your strengths.

You befriend a couple of other people from your classes too, all of them as nice and friendly as Yoosung. You feel proud of yourself because your social bubble does not just include yourself, your dog, and paperback novels anymore. You're proud to see that you've achieved what you've always wanted ever since middle school: friends.

You were thankful for your friends, especially for Yoosung. Sometimes you imagine what kind of life you'd be leading right now if you didn't accidentally bump into him on that first day. You think that what happened back then was a life-changing event, and it was, only in ways that you'd never expect.

You were on your way to class and stopped by a vending machine to grab a can of coke because you were thirsty. Just as you were about to press the button below the coke, you see a slender finger pressing the button underneath the Dr. Pepper. You frowned at this intruder as he bent down to pick up the Dr. Pepper inside the slot. You see bright red hair and, when he finally straightened up, butterscotch eyes hiding behind spectacles. Your frown deepened when he held the can up and gave you a thanks before walking away. You were about to insert another coin when the bells rang in the intercom, signaling the start of class. You run towards the direction of the classroom, mentally cursing the person you've dubbed "the coke thief" for stealing your only time to grab a refreshment.

You enter the classroom with a frown, slamming the bag on the desk and surprising your friend out of her seat. She looks at you with a surprised expression because you rarely ever show such negative expressions, and waits for you to sit down before asking you what was wrong with you. You told her about the coke thief with the red hair and striped glasses and she couldn't help the short burst of laughter that escaped her mouth.

Your frown deepens, and you ask her what was so funny, and she shook her head, still laughing, and told you that she never would have thought that you, the girl who rarely gets mad in front of other people, would get so irritated by a guy who stole your coke. You would have retorted, telling her that it was a matter of life-and-death because you have to quench your thirst, but you never got the chance because just as you opened your mouth, the door creaks in and the professor comes inside. You sit up straight and looked ahead, preparing yourself for the class.

You told Yoosung about the coke thieving incident when you met up with him for some milk tea after class and he had the exact reaction as your friend earlier.

"Mian," he told you, wiping tears from his eyes. "I just never thought that a pacifist like you would get so worked up over a coke."

You told him that no, you are not a pacifist, and that anybody would get mad when someone stole your chance to drink a nice, cold coke when your throat was as dry as the Sahara desert. Yoosung chuckled, messed with your hair, and told you that the milk tea's on him. Your frown instantly turns into a smile because there's nothing better than free food in this world.

On the way to the train station Yoosung tells you about his day and how much of a slave driver his professors are. You laugh, told him that you were lucky because none of your professors were like that and that they were all cool. His mouth juts to a little pout and he expresses his envy.

"No wonder your skin's always so beautiful," he told you. "You get enough sleep. And you have enough time to put on those creams girls love to put on their faces. That's totally unfair!"

"My skin's naturally beautiful." You inform him. "And I don't put those 'creams girls love to use on their faces' as you put it." You tell him that you found a nice, cheap restaurant the other day and that you'd want to eat with him there tonight.

He puts on an apologetic smile and told you that he wouldn't be able to join you for dinner tonight because he's made an appointment with his friends. You stop in your track because, isn't it your tradition to eat out together every Friday night?

"I'm really sorry," he tells you. "it's just that I already promised my friends I'd join them tonight. You're not mad, are you? I mean, I know Friday nights are our nights out together but I can't just bail on my friends."

You shook your head, gave him a smile, and told him that it's alright, you understand, and that he should hurry up to meet his friends. He gave you another apologetic smile and wrapped you in a one-arm hug before he hurries off down the stairs leading to the underground station. You watch his back as it disappears in the heavy throng of people getting down and sighed before making your way to the train that will send you home.

You wake up the next day to your phone ringing. Groaning, you turned around and grabbed your phone on the desk beside your bed and answered it without checking the caller ID. Yoosung's voice suddenly fills your ears and you ask him why he called so early in the morning. He told you that he was still feeling bad about yesterday and wanted to make it up to you so you agree to meet up with him at noon. As soon as the call ended, you placed the device back on the table and went back to get some more sleep.

You waited for Yoosung at the restaurant you mentioned last night, wearing skinny jeans and a baggy white shirt. Yoosung was running pretty late, you know because you've been checking your watch the last fifteen minutes. Finally, you get a glimpse of blond hair and you know that it's him. You stood up and raised an arm to wave at him when you realize that your friend was not alone. He was with another man. This man has amazing silver locks tied in a ponytail at the base of his skull and strikingly red eyes. He could've been mistaken for a model, with his astonishingly good looks and an outfit straight out of New York Fashion Week.

Yoosung bowed in apology as soon as he reached you, the man staying behind him with crossed arms. The blond was saying something else but you weren't able to catch it, so focused were you at the man standing right behind your friend. Finally sensing that you weren't listening, Yoosung stopped short and looked behind him at the man he's with.

"Guess I didn't introduce you guys." He said with a little laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Joohyun, this is Zen. Zen, Joohyun."

Yoosung stepped back to allow Zen space. He offered his hand and you shook it, taking in the softness of his palm. "It's nice to meet you Joohyun," he said with a baritone that contrasts that of Yoosung's childish voice, his hand still gently gripping yours.

You offered him a small smile and told him that it was nice to meet him as well. Yoosung watched the short exchange with his signature grin, and explained the reason why he was late. Zen releases his hold on your hand and you give him your full attention.

"My cousin's friend suddenly called me and told me to buy some candy for him. I had to pick Zen hyung up from the university because I don't know where the hell you're supposed to buy the candy my cousin's friend was looking for." Your eyebrows shoot up to hide in your bangs.

"Candies are available at convenience stores," you point out, and Yoosung bit his tongue, as if he let something slip.

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered in reply, his mind obviously thinking up of some excuse. "But these candies…they're really special." You narrow your eyes in suspicion but didn't push the subject further. You look at Zen and asked him if he also goes to Yonsei. You can hear Yoosung breathing a sigh of relief at the sudden change of topic.

Zen scratched the back of his head and gave you a sheepish smile. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm studying to become a lawyer, but I also do acting at the theatre." You open your mouth to reply but Yoosung cut in, suggesting that they all sit down and order lunch. The three of you did so and ordered samgyeopsal before you resume talking to Zen.

You find that you like talking to Zen, despite the fact that he may seem a little narcissistic. You think that it's fine because he has the right to brag about his looks. Before long the food arrived and then you were all too busy eating to talk because you were starving.

You leave the restaurant with the two men, and went to a Baskin Robbins joint to grab ice creams before you part ways with them. Zen told you that you can go see his next play next time and you tell him that you're excited to see him act onstage.

On Sunday you got bored and decided to make a surprise visit to Yoosung. The door to his apartment is open so you let yourself in. His apartment is messy, dirty clothes and used cups of ramyeon littering the floor, a typical boy's apartment, you think. You don't see him anywhere inside his cluttered living room so you check the second door to the left that leads to his bedroom. You see him crouching on his chair, something like white powder spread out in a vertical line on his desk, his head dangerously close to it. You watch him as he takes a thin tube to his right nostril and sniff the white powder off the desk.

"What are you doing?" you ask him, surprising him. Yoosung lets out a cough and whips his head to look at you. You see the purple eyes widen in surprise. He stutters out your name, asks you what you were doing inside his apartment uninvited and you tell him that you were bored and wanted to surprise him. He tells you that he was plenty surprised and your eyes stray from him to the substance lying innocently on his desk, until you finally have an inkling as to what it may be. You stare at Yoosung again and apologize to him, telling him that you're going to leave and that he can go back to his business. You've already shut the door behind you before he could even begin to explain.

You try to avoid him the next day because you still don't know what to feel, seeing him like that, but it's no use. He goes out of his way to wait outside your classrooms after each class and follow you everywhere. You finally let him explain things to you after he bribed you with a macha frappe from Starbucks that's just too hard to resist.

He tells you everything that he can – that he joined an organization his older cousin made when he was a junior in high school and how he thought it was about helping the homeless. He told you how he found out that the organization was just a front, a mask to hide the drug dealing behind the scenes and how he stumbled upon the truth one night when he was in one of the member's mansion and overheard them talking. He told you that he didn't know what to do at first, but decided to keep quiet about it out of loyalty to his cousin and asks, no begs, you to do the same, out of loyalty to him. You don't know what to do at first, conscience clouding all other thoughts, because the situation isn't simple enough to be forgotten the next day, but the look in his eyes compels you to stay quiet, and, with a heavy sigh, you agree to his wishes. He gives you that grateful smile of his and pulls you into a bone-crushing hug and you pat his back and jokingly tell him to release you before you change your mind. He releases you quickly and gives you a sheepish smile.

Days of spending time with the other side of Yoosung you recently discovered brought you to a whole new world. You find out that Zen, the handsome, stage actor slash future lawyer Zen, is also a part of Yoosung's "club". It surprised you, Zen doesn't seem like the type who'd take those "candies" as they call it, but you guess that you really should not judge a book by its cover.

You hang out with the two in Zen's apartment sometimes, and watch as they line up those powdery white substances on Zen's coffee table and sniff them out with those white straw-like things stuck inside one nostril. You usually just watch them get submerged into a world of temporary ecstasy, sitting on Zen's couch and drawing your lips into a tight line as a subtle sign of disapproval, because you know that nothing you say will get through to them.

Zen has invited you to come join them numerous times but you refuse, and Yoosung would reprimand him every time and tell him that it's bad enough that you see them in a state of dissoluteness and that they shouldn't drag her into the world of depravity. You think it's funny how they still care about that when you feel like you've already stepped one foot in the grave.

You sit on Yoosung's bed one Sunday noon, the boy himself preoccupied with the cocaine laid out before him on his desk. Zen wasn't with you both because he had practice to do, he informed you and Yoosung that they were doing a re-enactment of Wuthering Heights, with him playing the role of Heathcliff. "It would've been better if you had played the role of Catherine." he told you with a wink. You laughed at his attempt at flirting.

You ask Yoosung what it feels like to be under the influence of drugs and he turns his attention towards you, a slight haze in his eyes. His brows furrow as he contemplates your question. Finally he tells you that he couldn't put the feelings into words, that the only way to understand why people get addicted to the substance is to try it. "Then I will never understand the feeling," you tell the blond with a shrug. "because I will never try it." Yoosung gives you a nod before returning to the cocaine.

Zen invites you to one of their parties again and this time you agree. Yoosung whips his head so suddenly you thought that he'd break his neck and asks you if you're serious. You give him a shrug and a small smile, and tells him that it wouldn't hurt to go to one. He shakes his head, tries to dissuade you into coming, but there's nothing stopping you because deep inside you know that you're curious about the life Zen and Yoosung are leading, and that sneak peek into that drug-induced lifestyle Zen and Yoosung gave you only makes you more curious. You tell yourself that it wouldn't be bad, that all you'll do is do a little watching, and that you're confident that you will never be dragged down into the same world as them.

You find yourself standing in front of a mansion, with gates larger than anything you've seen before. You wear a simple black sundress that barely touches your knees and black Converse high tops. Zen raised an eyebrow upon seeing your choice of footwear and you tell him that you have never been comfortable in heels. He gives you a little chuckle while Yoosung rings the doorbell. A voice in the intercom asked who the visitor is and Yoosung gave out his name, along with Zen's and "a friend of mine."

The gates open automatically with a little creak and the three of you step inside. You follow a little behind the other two through the driveway leading to the mansion, your eyes taking in the extravagance of your surroundings. You find yourself getting a little nervous and wondered what on earth you've gotten yourself into but you know that it's already too late to back out. You nibble on your lower lip as you near the door. A few more minutes has passed and the three of you stop in front of the door. Yoosung grabs the gold handle and twists it open, pushing the door.

The inside of the mansion is much grander than you've imagined. A red carpet was laid out and it looks like everything inside is gleaming. Two expensive-looking vases adorn the base of the grand staircase in the middle of the room. Zen puts a hand at the small of your back and gently guides you inside. The people inside are dressed just as glamorously, and when they see Zen and Yoosung, they offer the two of them smiles.

"Oh! Rika noona!" The blond suddenly exclaimed, and waved an arm to a beautiful woman with hair just as blonde as Yoosung's. The woman smiled and made her way towards you, together with a tall man with light blue hair. They stop in front of you and the woman gave Yoosung a hug. The four of them talked for a while before the woman realizes you were there.

"Who's this Yoosung-ah?" She asked, her green orbs focusing on you for the first time. Yoosung told her that you are a friend of his from college. The woman gives you a warm smile and offers you a hand that you take. Yoosung asks you if he can bring you with them and the woman, Rika, gives you another look, sizing you up, before she agrees with a nod and a smile.

The woman walks away with the man to talk to the other guests. Yoosung and Zen lead you down a hallway. You walked close to Zen and ask him in a whisper. "Are all these people…?" You didn't have to finish the question because the white-haired man understood. He leans in closer to you and replies in a voice just as soft as yours. "Yeah. Everyone here enjoys the candy Rika gives them."

You nodded and remained quiet throughout the rest of the journey. Zen and Yoosung led you from one hallway to another, up a flight of stairs and another hallway, and you begin to wonder where the end of the maze is. The three of you finally stop in front of a door and Yoosung pushes it open.

You see another flight of stairs leading down a dimly-lit room with rock music blaring. The beating in your heart sped up. Yoosung turns back to look at you with a deadly seriousness you've never seen him wear before.

"Are you sure about this? You can't back out from this you know." You meet his purple orbs and answer him with a nod, the curiosity still burning inside you. You remind yourself that you are not here to try out the "candies" but to know more about Zen and Yoosung's social circle. A little glimpse wouldn't hurt you.

Yoosung lets out another sigh and he turns back to the flight of stairs. Zen was the first one to descend the stairs, followed by you, with Yoosung bringing up the rear. You can hear the soft pad of your Converse against the granite steps, the rock music getting louder every step you take. At last you reach the landing and see the dimly-lit room. You scan your surroundings. The place is obviously for private personnel only, judging by the very limited number of people inside. A rounded couch sits at a corner of the room with a rounded table, with a guy with white hair currently lounging, a cigarette stick snuggled between two fingers. Several other chairs and tables were scattered all over the room, as well as a bar completely decked out with all the fancy gins and vodkas you can never name.

You notice boxes upon boxes shoved neatly on one side of the room and you figure that it must be where they hide the drugs. The people inside seem to be lost in their own worlds. Zen has walked from your side to talk to the other white-haired guy and pretty soon, they were covered in a cloud of smoke. Yoosung still hasn't left your side and you turn to look at him. He seems to have felt that you were uncomfortable and gives you a small smile.

"Why don't you go to the bar and get something to drink? I'll be right back." You nod and he leaves you to talk to a woman with short hair and glasses. You make your way towards the bar, feeling more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Maybe it really was a bad idea, you think, to come here. After all, this isn't really your world. You sigh and chose to sit at the stool nearest the wall and rest your chin on the palm of your hand with your elbow propped up on the bar. You quickly do a scan of the bar and realize that there was no bartender. Not that you'd need one. You were never one to drink anyway.

Your eyes land on the different sized bottles standing on display in front of you and read their names one by one. Soon you were spacing out and didn't even notice someone standing behind the counter in front of you until he gives out a little cough.

You snap out of your reverie and sit up straight, focusing on the person behind the counter. "I thought there weren't any bartenders here." You blurt out, and the person frowns a little. "I'm not a bartender."

You notice the red hair and golden eyes behind striped horn-rimmed glasses and frown a little because the person looks a bit familiar but before you can further delve into the thought, Yoosung has come to your side. He casually leans on the bar and doesn't notice the man behind it as he speaks to you, telling you that you've seen enough and that it's time for you to get going.

You nod and stand up but before you can move an inch away from the bar, you see the blonde woman and the bluenette come down the stairs. Someone turned the volume down until the rock music became a buzz in the background. You watch as the blonde, Rika, walks to the center of the room. She stops and looks everywhere until her eyes find you and she smiles before addressing everyone else.

"Everyone," she says with a voice sweet yet powerful enough to be heard inside the room. "I'm glad that we're all here. I would like to announce a very good news." She paused, sensing that she has gotten everyone's attention. Zen and the other white-haired stopped their smoking session to listen to what the blonde lady has to say. The blonde looked at you again, with that same smile plastered on her face, and you can't help the shudder that ran through your spine.

"My adorable cousin Yoosung, has brought a new member for us." Your eyebrows knit together as you try to comprehend her words, and you turn to Yoosung to ask him what's happening but he's gone, already making his way to Rika. You can see Zen doing the same, his handsome face pulled into a frown.

"Huh," you hear someone behind you say. You whip your head around to see the person with red hair staring at you. "You must be the new member. Welcome. Please understand that once you enter, you can't bail."