Junwoo waited, staring out of the window. Thin blades of virtual grass swayed in the calm breeze, rippling like waves in a lush, green ocean. Legs crossed, tail slowly waving from side to side. He nearly laughed at himself when the horrifying thought popped into his mind: he really did feel like a dog waiting for his owner to return.
Kaelsu had left earlier in the day for work. Apparently, he hadn't slept the night before so Junwoo wasn't sure if he'd see him later.
He slept, paced, attacked training dummies, even tried to socialise with other pets owned by him. Really, anything to pass the time and cure his boredom. There were objects around the area that he'd seen Kaelsu interact with, but was sorely disappointed when the game rejected his actions.
So there Junwoo sat, questions remained unanswered. Staring at the pixelated grass with the cold winter sun staring at him in the face. Eyes unfocused. Kaelsu promised they'd talk when they returned home, but was cut off when unexpectedly called into work for an emergency. At least he'll come back soon, Junwoo told himself.
There wasn't an easy way of telling the time in game, since the sun would rise and fall depending on events and locations. The passing of time wasn't accurately reflected by the sun and the moon, like in the real world. The only constant was the monthly maintenance that would kick all players off the server at the same time every month.
Ears twitched, wiggling a little. A faint ringing echoed from outside, fading after a few seconds. His heart leapt. He knew what that meant.
He's back.
The door burst open, and before the thought even finished, Junwoo shot out of the house. A smoky trail strewn behind him.
He tried to keep a neutral expression, but couldn't hide the small curls at the edges of his lips. "You came back," Junwoo whispered.
Kaelsu opened his mouth, searching for the correct words. Shaking away the hesitation, he made the declaration, "Of course, I did."
"No, I mean… I didn't think you were going to come back this quick. I thought you were going to sleep after work?"
Kaelsu took slow, deliberate steps towards his fox pet.
"Later. Besides, we have unfinished business. How are you holding up?"
"It's hard. I still feel the pain," his hands moved up to his neck. "From when he–" Junwoo's tongue couldn't grasp the words he wanted to say next.
His hands were placed on Junwoo's slender shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," his voice cracked.
Junwoo pushed him back and kept him at arm's length. He stood, golden eyes met crimson. "Don't cry, you idiot. I don't even care about that. It's not your fault. I'll be fine, I just need time to get over it."
The summoner was confused. "Then what—"
"Why did you call me Junwoo before?"
That question had burned in his mind for too long, leaving a warm ache where it sat.
Kaelsu's teeth caught his lips.
"Right. That was… a guess," he answered. "Before you appeared, there was a top ranking player who used to make guides and tutorials on the forums."
Junwoo sat and listened intently, nodding his head after each pause.
"Then he suddenly vanished. Eventually, he dropped off the leaderboard. I can't even search his name now."
"So, you think that's me? Please tell me there's more to it."
"Sort of," Kaelsu dragged a hand down his face and sighed. "So, I checked into this character that fell out of the leaderboard. The same name that you've muttered in your sleep a few times."
"What name? Was it Junwoo?"
"No," his response was unexpectedly quiet. "It was Foxseo."
'Foxseo… I know that name.' Junwoo's body stiffened. A dull ache thudded at the back of his skull, then sharpened into pain.
A flood of fragmented memories rushed through him.
A young looking figure, arms thin, pale and covered in blankets sat at a computer in a dark and empty room. Empty bottles were strewn around a trash can on the floor while the cutscene of a game played on his luminous monitors. The blare of striking lights from flashes projected brightly against his screen, illuminating tired eyes.
Junwoo could barely recognise the figure in his memories. The colour of his hair? Facial features? All a blur. But the room around the shadow slowly morphed: different colours, different objects, and different lighting. It was as if he was watching the same scene with time passing rapidly. Weeks and months going by at lightning speeds.
His entire body trembled. "Junwoo?" Kaelsu's voice sounded far away. "Are you okay?"
The flashes stopped. He gasped, pupils wide, heart hammering. What felt like hours of visions had lasted only seconds.
"I think that really was me," Junwoo concluded. His hand fiddled with his collar. "It's true, I really am a human." Warm tears formed in the corners of his eyes and a cold breath escaped his lungs.
Kaelsu's lips pressed into a small frown. "That's… good, isn't it?"
"Only if I can get out of this game."
"Then… Do you think we could meet, once you do?" Kaelsu offered.
"I don't even know where I am, or where my body is if it even still exists," Junwoo shrugged.
Kaelsu tapped a finger to his lips, thinking. "Maybe I can find out. You don't remember anything before you came here?"
The fox shook his head, ears flattened and tail still. He looked completely deflated.
A dark thought flashed across Kaelsu's vision. What if he really were dead? He mentally noted to check reports of accidents or deaths that happened across the past year. While he looked at that before, it can take weeks for reports to be published. Sometimes even months. Now with this new information, he might just finally get somewhere.
For now, he wasn't going to tell Junwoo that.
Kaelsu dropped to his knees and lifted Junwoo's soft chin to meet his gaze. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out. Once we get you out of here, I'll treat you to some beef." Kaelsu's frown was lifted, convinced by his own words.
His smile returned, soft and sincere.
A clawed hand batted Kaelsu's away, Junwoo turned his head to hide the scarlet plague spread across his cheeks. Kaelsu resumed normal position and habitually checked the status of his team. His fingers slid across a menu, dragging and dropping monsters; equipping and moving items.
"Anyway, while we're still here. I suppose you're bored?"
"You need to go to sleep." His words said one thing, while his actions meant another. On a wooden board next to the house, Junwoo had already started looking for the next quest to tackle. "It's all escort quests, today."
He raised a hand to touch the stained and partially torn papers, but abruptly stopped himself and backed away from the board.
Kaelsu was suddenly behind him. A hand landed on Junwoo's head, fingers curling gently into the golden fluff of his hair.
In a heartbeat, Junwoo leapt back, clutching his head and patting at the phantom touch.
Kaelsu only smiled, the glimmer of something unspoken flickering in his crimson eyes. He saw the blush that crept on Junwoo's face.
"Actually, I had another idea." Junwoo was unaware of the scheme Kaelsu had. "There's this puzzle I've been struggling with."
"A puzzle?" Junwoo tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like those."
"Correct, but!" Kaelsu exclaimed, finger pointing at his pet with a wide grin invading his face. "You're supposed to be some pro. You're coming with me."
Shudder. "Oh, okay." He placed a hand over his shaky fist.
"Besides, I'm sick of seeing those sad eyes. I'm sure spending more time with me will cheer you up."
"What sort of puzzle is it?"
Items appeared in the summoner's hand, a large map that was filled in with drawings of cave systems, waterfalls, swamps and various other biomes that Kaelsu must've explored.
He beckoned over the golden fox and started sliding his fingers across the map as he spoke, "I've filled in this map. That was part one of the puzzle."
"And part two?" Junwoo was hesitant in his movement. Habitually, he stopped a few metres away from the summoner and expected a stone cold glare when he daringly moved closer.
But that didn't happen. He was welcomed with a hand that carefully encased his wrist and pulled him closer.
White eyebrows were furrowed and Kaelsu's jaw was clenched. A vein visible on the side of his head and ready to burst.
"There's supposed to be something on here, a mark of sorts. That leads me to the treasure, but," he started to angrily tap on the map. "There's. No. Mark."
Hands shaking, Junwoo gently took the map from Kaelsu, afraid he'll scorch it from the pure rage that welled in his fingertips. He pondered in silence for a few moments until something caught his eye.
"Right, I get it. Follow me, uh," Junwoo stuttered. "Please, I'll show you where it is."