More Than Eleven

Prologue Part 1

The hour was late, as usual for the season. It seemed like the pile of work never ended. She grabbed her purse and coat, and she headed out into the chilly night.

Paperwork, reports, and more confidentialities than MC ever wanted to handle; it was taking its fair toll on her. She swore; she was ready to quit. Honestly, though, where would she work if not at NIS? She knew NIS wasn't about to just let one of their best agents loose. She sighed. Work would not end for her any time soon. Especially while that unsanctioned organization was out there. She wasn't exactly sure what it was called, only that her department was hacked two days ago, and, as the most skilled tech analyst and programmer, she was tasked with finding out who was behind it.

Luckily, though, her long shift for today was over. She needed a break. She was headed to the little ice cream shop she loved so dearly. She had to take the subway to get home anyway, so why not stop by and grab a coffee and perhaps a pastry? It wasn't anywhere near her apartment, but she didn't care. NIS was paying for all of her transportation anyway. That was another thing. She hated her apartment. She lived in a cramped studio apartment in Yeongdungpo-gu. It was a bargain, a little under 450,000 won, but the distinct lack of space boasted what little she paid for it. It was only what she needed to get by, nothing more.

MC got off at Dongdaemun and took a brisk walk to Remicone. The place wasn't as bustling as usual, but there were a few interesting people there. Three young girls giggling about something, boys perhaps. A couple sitting at the end of the long table in the middle. Near the back, she saw a quiet young man in a black hoodie with white hair. She gasped softly as he locked eyes with her. He had the prettiest mint green eyes she had ever seen. They almost matched his ice cream. She turned back to the counter and ordered. She settled on a hot latte and two madeleines. Although the ice cream looked delicious as always, she figured she didn't need that much sugar this late at night. She checked her watch. 23:01. Wow, that may be a new record, she thought. She sat down with her food and started sorting out her files. Classified, redacted, private, public, classified, private, classified, redacted, redacted, redacted, public. She took a sip of her latte and sighed. She needed more relaxation than what she was getting. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. What about a video game? She hadn't played in a month or two. It might distract her from her work, but isn't that what she wanted? She scrolled through the app store on her phone. She smiled. This was precisely what she needed. Queen's Choice: Sweet Fantasy. A simple, mindless game to take her away from the daily stressors of her life. A dating simulation, how utterly ironic. She never had the time to date before, always preoccupied with her work. She laughed to herself as she pressed download. She looked around while she waited for it to load. She opened the game. The title screen came up for a second, and then glitched out and disappeared as her screen faded to black. She gasped as strange green text quickly scrolled through her phone. This didn't look like the pictures she saw on the app store. All of a sudden, a single line of white text revealed an unsettling fact.

[Unknown has entered the chatroom.]

A simple message popped up on her screen.

[Unknown]

...Hello...?

MC shook her head. Was she dreaming? She sent a simple reply.

[MC]

?

[Unknown]

Can you see this?

[MC]

Who are you?