chapter 1) YOU'RE SELECTED

Tuesday, 10:00 PM – Tokyo

Ryo was sitting at his desk, his eyes locked on the glowing screen. His fingers moved quickly over the keys, immersed in a heated round of Valorant. The familiar sounds of the game filled the room: the clicks of the mouse, the distant gunfire, the adrenaline pumping in his veins.

Suddenly, a sharp knock knock knock at the door broke his focus.

"Hey, Ryo! Come down, it’s time for dinner! Auntie and Uncle are waiting for you—hurry up!" Akira’s voice called from the hallway.

Ryo sighed, pausing his game. "Akira, just wait five minutes. I’ll come after shutting down the PC."

Akira groaned, but Ryo could hear his footsteps retreating down the hall. Ryo stretched, rubbing his eyes, and clicked the power button to shut down his computer. The screen flickered once, then turned black, but just as it did, something appeared—a message.

"Game starts tomorrow at 10 AM, Area: Hyukogawa High School, Tokyo."

Ryo blinked. What? He stared at the screen, but the message quickly disappeared. He rubbed his eyes again. It had to be a glitch, right? But something didn’t sit right with him. Hyukogawa High School… that’s where Akira and I go to school…

Before he could think about it any longer, he heard Akira’s voice downstairs. Ryo shrugged it off, getting up to head toward the door. But a cold shiver lingered in his spine.

WHILE,

Akira walked down the hallway, earbuds firmly in his ears. His mind was on the music—until suddenly, a voice, faint and clear, echoed in his headphones.

"Game starts tomorrow at 10 AM, Area: Hyukogawa High School, Tokyo."

Akira froze mid-step, his heart thudding. He pulled the earbuds from his ears, glancing around, but the hallway was empty.

What the hell was that? he thought. His eyes narrowed, trying to make sense of it. It sounded too real, too… alive.

"Probably just the music messing with me," Akira muttered under his breath, shaking his head. But the unease lingered.

He walked away, still hearing the faint whispers in his mind, but the sensation was gone as quickly as it had come.

Tuesday, 9:00 PM – Busan

In Busan, Daichi stood in front of a vending machine, eyeing the selection of drinks. The evening had been long, and he was craving something cold. Sejeong, standing beside him, tapped her foot impatiently.

"Daichi, buy one for me too!" she called out.

Daichi glanced over his shoulder. "What do you want?"

"A cold coffee," Sejeong replied, smiling.

As Daichi paid for the drinks, something caught his attention—above the vending machine, a digital board lit up with bright, pixelated text.

"Game starts tomorrow at 9 AM, Area: Horizon Apartment."

Daichi blinked, staring at the flashing message. What? It disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"That was weird…" he muttered. But just as he was about to turn away, Sejeong pulled out her phone.

"I just got a message," Sejeong said, her voice laced with confusion.

Daichi turned to her. On her phone screen, the same message was displayed: "Game starts tomorrow at 9 AM, Area: Horizon Apartment."

She looked up at him, her face pale. "It’s where I live."

"That’s… odd," Daichi said, trying to mask his discomfort. "It’s probably just some weird prank, right?"

Sejeong didn’t answer, her eyes still fixed on her phone. She wasn’t so sure.AND SUDDENLY THE MESSAGE ALSO DISAPPERS

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NEXT DAY

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The next morning, Akira and Ryo were once again running late. The clock was ticking, and they knew they would miss the bell if they didn’t hurry up.

“Ryo, seriously!” Akira shouted, his voice rising with frustration. “Can’t you handle your sleep for once? We’re going to be late AGAIN! This is the 37th day of the year, and we’re already behind!” Akira yanked at his collar, attempting to straighten his tie, which was crooked.

Ryo rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep. “I can’t help it, man,” he mumbled. “Maybe it’s because I played too many FPS games last night.” He yawned, clearly not awake yet.

Akira frowned. “Focus, bro! You know Mr. Kim’s gonna punish us if we’re late again! And I’m not in the mood for extra work today.”

Ryo just grinned sleepily. “Don’t worry, Akira. I’ll treat you today. Just let me finish getting ready.”

With a rush of final preparations, the two finally made it out the door.

“Bye, Mom! See you tonight!” Ryo called out, hurrying past.

“Bye, Auntie! Have a good day!” Akira said, following him.

Ryo’s mother, standing at the door, smiled affectionately. “Those two always get late… but at least they have each other.”

As Akira and Ryo rushed down the street, the tension of the morning seemed to dissipate, but there was still a nagging feeling in the back of their minds.

“So, about yesterday... that message,” Akira started, trying to break the silence. “Did you think it was weird too? I mean, we got home after dinner, and it was just... there.”

Ryo scratched his head, still feeling off. “Yeah, it was... strange. It’s like it appeared out of nowhere. How could it pop up on my PC even after I shut it down? And the fact that it was about our school? That’s just messed up.”

“I’m not the superstitious type,” Akira continued, glancing around, “but yesterday... that voice, the one I heard in my head? It was too real. Something’s going on. And we haven’t even figured out what yet.”

Ryo didn’t respond immediately. They were both deep in thought, the strange message still fresh in their minds, but neither of them knew how to process it.

As they neared the school, Akira’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out quickly, his heart skipping a beat, but it was just a regular text from Takumi.

“Let’s hurry up, or we’ll be late again. See you in class,” it read.

“Guess we’re not the only ones running behind,” Akira said with a half-hearted chuckle. He shoved his phone back in his pocket.

They arrived at the school gates, and Mr. Pyeon, the gatekeeper, unlocked the gates with a practiced hand, allowing them to slip in unnoticed.

“Thanks, Mr. Pyeon,” they muttered in unison as they passed through.

Class 2-E - Hyukogawa High School

Inside the classroom, the usual chatter filled the air. Professor Seon stood at the front, arms crossed, an amused expression on her face.

“Late again, huh? What happened this time, Akira? Did a black cat cross your path? Or did Ryo reach his ‘sleeping limit’?”

The class erupted in laughter, and Akira shot Ryo an exaggerated glare. “It’s your fault, you know.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ryo replied with a grin, taking his seat next to Akira.

Professor Seon continued, her voice light. “Alright, alright. No need to make excuses. Get to your seats.”

As Akira and Ryo walked to their desks, Akira greeted Takumi. “Morning, Takumi.”

Yumi, who was sitting next to Ryo, smiled and whispered, “Good morning.”

Ryo returned the smile, but his thoughts were elsewhere. The unease from yesterday still hung over him, and the classroom didn’t feel quite as welcoming as usual.

Just then, Sora’s voice rang out, cutting through the noise. “Don’t forget, idiot. You promised to help with the classroom maintenance today. How am I supposed to do all this by myself?”

AKIRA sighed. “I know, I know. I’ll get to it after class.”

But as he sat down, his mind was racing. The strange messages, Akira’s voice in his head, and now this... something felt off,

TOO BE COUNTINUE