#bad ending Yoosung

[firedeva]

People who are like "omg Yoosung is so cute<333, so baby, the skrunkly, my little boy, the malewife, happy birthday to my little kitten, my bebito fiu fiu" have clearly not played bad ending 1.

That bitch isn't my babygirl anymore.

[quintessential-candles]

Hi I ranked mystic messenger characters based off of how likely they are to stab you

[gureshinlover]

I was looking at my old stories from when i replayed yoosung route last year and these still make me chuckle 😭

[killjoy-prince]

Actively trying to get Yoosung's Bad End 1 be like

[natasha-in-space]

I got a yoosung angst prompt cuz its fun to put the most sunshine guy through the worst traumas

How do you think his relationship will mc be post Bad Ending 3. Yeah its the ending where Unknown kidnaps and tortures him. Lets assume that he eventually got rescued and nearly died in the process (cuz Unknown badly hurt him in a fit of rage) but he survives....he lives

But whats gonna be after that how the whole ordeal is gonna affect his relationship with his S/O because it is going to be tough for both the parties. Ofc yoosung who was directly affected by the ordeal will need alot of therapy, and love and support. But it was quite tough for mc too.... if anything yoosung route does, it shows us the fact that losing a loved one is traumatic, nearly losing one too as well and MC also was traumatised and is guilt ridden (maybe i should have tried harder to stop him had i knew this would happen is a constant thought in her head) she also becomes somewhat protective of him because he has been through enough and deserves to get the best of the world.....but while mc is well intentioned in her actions....it somehow stings Yoosung, he is the one who should be protecting her, he should be the proactive one in the relationship....thats what he thinks. It makes him feel small....besides he can also see her running herself thin for him....and he just wants to not be a burden to her...

I rambled alot im sorry but i wanna see your take. As always i just wanna let you know I love your writing

Well, the unfortunate thing that I just can't help but bring up is that... Bad Ending 3 happens due to the player's (MC's) actions. That's not how it works in real life, of course, but with the structure of MM's storyline, that's how it plays out, and that's how it's meant to be interpreted by the player. In that ending, MC prioritizes themselves first, and encourages Yoosung self-sacrificial tendencies for their own benefit (or, well, safety, to be more exact). MC's actions are what led Yoosung to sacrifice himself in that ending in the first place. And that's also the reason behind his seeming resolve with what Unknown is putting him through in the aftermath.

'It's okay. I'm protecting them. They wanted me to keep them safe. So they wouldn't be scared. I need to stay strong for them. I'm doing this for them. Because I love them. Because I don't want to be in the dark and not do anything like it happened with Rika.'

So both sides of the argument are dealing with a messy tangle of emotions to deal with. And if you do want to imagine a better resolution to all of this, it'll probably involve a lot of conversations between the two.

Your dynamic between each other is unbalanced in that particular ending. And that's something that needs to be fixed. MC should take more care of Yoosung's well-being first before their own and believe in him, while Yoosung needs to work on his anxious attachment style.

It is difficult, though, because Yoosung's worst traits got the best of him as a direct result of MC's actions. The situation is pretty similar to those who want to imagine a better solution to Jumin's 2 Bad Ending. While it's possible, it needs to be acknowledged that MC is the one who needs to put most of the work in.

In my opinion, what would their relationship be like? Well, if we assume that MC does feel guilty for everything that happened, that's a lot of emotional baggage to deal with. Yoosung got hurt. Bad. Both physically and mentally. And he'll probably dismiss it too. It's important to remember that in this particular ending, he's devoted to you to an unhealthy extent. Not the same as in his 1 Bad Ending, but in a very self-sacrificial way. He'll probably just smile at you and say that he's happy you're safe. That that was the only thing he ever wanted. And that he held out for so long because he remembered what you told him, and how scared you were.

So... it's a pretty heavy situation for MC to be in. It's one thing to have your loved one disregard their well-being for you, but it's completely different when it's the direct consequence of your own actions.

Many apologies need to be made. Even if Yoosung doesn't understand why you're apologizing to him. Lots of talks to be had. And lots of very slow and steady progress to be made.

It's possible to come up with a better resolution to this mess. But it'll require a lot of work and patience from both MC and Yoosung. It does make a very interesting story to think about, though!

[fireofmyloins1113]

what year is it again? 2016?

[kirexa]

What if I fucked everything on my phone up by playing mysme and changing the time.....

[httyddragonfox]

Unknown's regard towards the MC

Unknown/Ray/Saeran is interesting in regards to how he feels about and he treats as well as his intentions towards the MC of Mystic Messenger. He's the antagonist, and a creepy one at that, but he's also a "bad but sad boy." I can't help help but dissect how he's written as the antagonist of a visual novel/otome game. Just as a note, this is a long one.

Let's start from the beginning and work our way through.

Our first possible interaction with him: the prologue bad end. You refuse to co-operate and lie saying their is no way to enter the apartment (As players you might have just been trying to escape the obvious sketchy situation, but there is a reason the rest of the cast wants to protect her, it's because she's so innocent.) If you back out at just the right moment, he laughs at your joke but then warns you if it went on longer he would have snapped. Of course if you don't, he reveals he can see you're lying, which blows his cover as to the fact he's been watching you. Why did Unknown choose you for plan? Who knows? He just needed some random innocent person, which would push V to hold a party and cause enough confusion to hack in. Was he specifically aiming for a girl? Maybe, seeing as most of the group is made of dudes, Rika was the same gender, probably a good replacement as coordinator. Anyways, he probably doesn't think much of you. Once you fail, he just opts to find someone else. He would get rid of you, except for the fact that you're cute. This shows he at least finds you attractive. He decides he'll let you live as his assistant, something he wants ever since he heard his brother had one. If you wish to leave, he'll tell you he can't allow that because you know about him, he can't let you be a loose cannon. If you do agree to go with him, he's ecstatic, thinking you're like him. He promises to treat you well and be very nice to you. It's still a bad ending because you don't have a choice but to go with him. Also the ending didn't mention this, but if you're going to Magenta you're going to be drugged!

So he finds you attractive enough that he wishes to keep you, and hopes you'll be just like him...Mr. Trauma-boy Crazy-pants. I get the sense from this he's lonely and wants a companion who will see his side of things.

Throughout the game, he tends to go after you first out of everybody. The exceptions here are the bad endings for Regular route and Deep Route where he goes after Yoosung after he loses touch with reality (He's easy prey), or he captures V when thinks he's spying around.

The message he leaves you after you're dropped off is: "Don't worry, things will be really fun from now on. I'll come and get you soon."

You've already helped him commence his plans, so you seem to be a useful ally/tool. You also innocently decided to help a complete stranger, which makes you more cute. He seems more attached to you, but not completely, as I'll explain further down.

In the first bad relationship endings for the regular routes, he doesn't display much in the terms of attraction. In Jaehee's he just says he's going to take everyone early because she's not doing anything, and in Zen's he decides to get someone else to do her role while she's taken to Magenta to be re-educated ("You'll learn that we're the only ones who love you.") To early to decide anything. She's attractive sure, and nice, but she's a slacker. What she needs is a good fine-tuning.

Things don't pick up until Yoosung's second bad ending. Instead of forgiving V and understanding him, we are suspicious of V, and drive a further wedge between him and Yoosung. So much so, Yoosung wants to run away with us, more specifically leave the group. Unknown can't have that, that party needs to be held, we certainly can't leave. So he tricks us into thinking we were right and V can't be trusted, and he's just an innocent guy wrapped up in the turmoil. He offers Yoosung something he can't refuse, information on Rika, to get us into his car. That's when we start to feel suspicion and he knocks out Yoosung to make him his hostage and talk to us alone. He tells us he's only unconscious and he's his precious hostage. Hostage for who? Hostage for us, that's who. I assume he was in the front seat or else how could he knock him out. So Yoosung is unconscious in the front seat and we're unable to get him out of there. If we were to try anything, well he's right next to the guy. So Unknown takes off his mask to talk to us, probably feeling more personable. He tells us it was fun pretending to be scared, but not as fun as pretending to be the student...queuing us in that he was the guy who led us to the apartment. He's almost nostalgic as he remembers how we did everything he said then, but now we've gone and ruined his plan. He reassures us that it's okay, all he has do is re-educate us, and we can even decide how we start. He'll turn us into a proper assistant yet. At the ending he throws what Yoosung and we have been saying before this ending, 'how about we just leave out the traitors and be together," of course, with him saying it it implies he's just going to steal us from Yoosung after re-educating us. After all, he did see us first, and we've been helping him up until recently, all we need is some fixing and we'll be perfect.

Yes, in that bad ending it seems he likes us. However, around the end of the route things take a drastic turn. In Yoosung's route, Seven had discovered the IP address of the hacker's hideout, and was heading out to shut down their operations. Everything is burning down around him, all thanks to his brother. His final act of revenge is to make Luciel realize his sins and then have them all burn together. He's also going to have you burn too, for the heck of it; earlier in the route he had you trapped in your room...for seemingly no reason but to cause chaos (He didn't even come to get you before it was fixed), so why wouldn't he put you in harm's way again. Yes, you were his tool, his agent so to speak, but since he's done, you're done too. He no longer needs you, so he's going to kill you, as an added kick it'll make his brother suffer knowing he failed to protect you. If you want to think of it in a romantic sense, he wants to commit suicide with you and his brother. Of course it all depends on which ending you're looking at. In the original ending, he mentions he's going to blow up both Magenta and our apartment, and says Seven can make amends by allowing them all to die together; it seems romantic in a twisted way. He offhandedly mentions Yoosung will die too, forgetting the kid was there. When they wrestle him for the detonator, Unknown tells Yoosung that if the button is pressed, we will die too, like that was supposed to motivate him to stop. Unknown had lost his mind at this point, thinking it was a good thing to die in that moment, (Don't be scared, kid, your girlfriend will be dying with us.) Then he briefly captures Yoosung and tortures him, egging him on to talk about us as he tortures him. Either this was brought on because he wants to know why we're so great that Yoosung would save us, or he genuinely wants to hear about us; he's crazy at this point, so it could be either or both.

Now in the Yoosung Bad Ending 3, Seven instead of freezing up panics when he sees the detonator, knowing it will blow us up, then Unknown laughs and says we're not the only one going boom, as they're going up in smoke too. This purpose seems more malevolent, killing us as we have no more purpose to him instead of romantically dying together. In this one, Yoosung sacrifices himself to get the detonator away from him and ends up being indefinitely captured by him. While captured, the threat to keep him in line is no only will Unknown possibly mess with the RFA, he might also bring us to where they are. Seeing as he's torturing Yoosung, it's safe to say he'll probably torture us too. At this point, Unknown is just not happy Yoosung foiled his plans for revenge on his brother. As for what he thinks of us, he probably just sees us as a tool, something to release his anger on should the time come. He may have been attracted to us, but his plans come first.

Now let's talk about Jaehee's route, at least Bad relationship ending 2, as he doesn't really show up in the route aside from those. In this ending, V has apparently settled things between Mint Eye and the RFA, sacrificing himself to end the fighting. Yet, Unknown has still decided to cause trouble seeing as Luciel didn't play by the rules, so neither will he. He decided to go after you first because you seemed distracted. When you ask who he is, he asks you to call him an angel because he's delivering you to Paradise. He wonders if you wanted to see him (leaning on the 4th wall there), so he promises to spend so much time with you during your re-education that you will start to get sick of him. He also mentions he has a fun program planned for you that will probably make you tremble more than you're doing already.

So, it seems he wants to give personal attention to your re-education. Is this this because he feels this sort of possessiveness and responsibility towards you. He's the one to put you in there, and he's the one to take you out. You're his little tool of chaos, you're his assistant, so he has responsibility for you.

Now let's look at Zen's route. Unknown doesn't make himself known (ha) until near the end of the route. We get a little insight into Mint Eye's plans for the MC and RFA being discussed by Unknown to someone else. He's surprised we were able to pull it off (-_- What?), but everything is going according to their plans. (Question: why did he recruit us for this if he didn't think we could do it?) Apparently, we don't have to be good at the job he gives us, we just have to be willing to do it. Anyways, moving on...he says the plan is to capture the MC, which will eventually bring the RFA to them. Apparently the plan here is to bring in an innocent person so V will be pushed to throw a party, cause enough confusion and chaos that Unknown can hack in and obtain the guest information, and then kidnap the MC to cause even more confusion and chaos so the RFA can be captured and brought to Mint Eye. He then talks about his plans for the RFA, saying they'll tortured to the point where once they are nice to the members again, they'll be grateful to them. Zen then has a vision of MC being kidnapped; it doesn't actually happen, but in the dream we're told if we behave he'll treat us like a princess. The MC is referred to as a princess several times in the game. It's a term of endearment, so it's used by Zen and Jumin (who can actually treat you like a princess), but it's also used by Unknown, Ray and Saeran, for different reasons. When Unknown uses it in the dream, it means he'll treat you really nicely. Other times he uses it he seems to be implying that the MC is someone whom everyone wants to protect, someone who's sheltered away, a damsel in distress. When he actually shows up to kidnap you, he goes on talking about how he's taking you to a great place, so you should just come with him willingly. Yes, Zen comes in to save you, and he takes this moment to mock him and criticize the group. He points out that they shouldn't make a woman live on her own with bomb, even though having her live there was a part of his plan (He's pointing out they should have more common sense). He threatens to blow up the apartment if Zen tries anything, killing all of them. He's willing to die for the cause, and he doesn't care if you do as well; he's attracted to you, holds responsibility over you, but isn't in love with you. He tells Zen to watch as he takes "his girl" away. That's when you either bite his hand or wait for Zen to save you. He threatens to blow up the place, but apparently he doesn't because you go back there for the Valentine's day DLC. Maybe he had a change of heart, or didn't see the point because we already escaped.

Let's look at his bad endings, this is where Unknown shows more attraction to us. First, there is the 2nd Bad relationship ending. Basically, Zen doesn't get to us in time. Besides where he talks about how you don't have a choice and how you just waited mostly, he talks about what's going to happen. He says if re-educates you just a little bit, you will let go of everything and depend on him. He promises to protect you and give you an exciting life. He's mostly just excited on the fact you get to be "his." Here is my theory: despite everything, he's looking for a companion. He remembers his brother and his brother took care of him, but his brother "betrayed" him. He's lonely, and he wants that again, but not with him; he wants it with someone where he can be the protector, as he's not weak anymore; he'll also do a much better job than his brother did. The MC is attractive enough, maybe she can fill that role.

Then there's the third Bad Ending, where Zen also doesn't get there in time, of course in this ending we seem to go with him willingly. We are not happy we were forced to live with a bomb so we don't trust the RFA anymore. Unknown tells a story about a Prince and a Princess (Zen is Princely, and we are the RFA's Princess). The princess was being kept in a tall tower by a group of liars. She hoped the prince would save her, but he was just another liar. Luckily, there was someone better for her. There was an angel (him) watching her from afar, who wanted to bring her to paradise. Wisely, she believed him; going with him to paradise and becoming happy forever. The prince ended up following her, but unlike the princess it took him a bit for the angel to tame him. Unknown drugged and hypnotized Zen into becoming just a role to play, and it's implied he tortured him too. Unknown is crafting him into a prince to romance the princess (us), but Zen is having trouble focusing due to the drugs. I'm not sure how long that game would go, if he would even let us be together. Maybe Zen would be just some toy for us to romance, maybe he'll never be done 'practicing.' Either way, Unknown heavily believes Zen to be a liar, and not good enough for us. I think he's a hypocrite, as Unknown has pretended to be different people before. Unknown is insane, and insane people tend to be hypocrites. He doesn't think anyone is good enough for us, this is mainly because he believes he's better than all of them; we don't count as we're an innocent brought into this.

That's it for the regular routes. Now on to the Deep Routes.

First let's start with Jumin's Route, Unknown hardly shows up here. They run into him near the end of the route. Seven recognizes him, and Unknown asks how we're doing, queuing Seven in that he was the one behind everything. In the third Bad Ending, Unknown is waiting for you at the apartment. He expresses frustration that Seven basically destroyed his group, and now he wants to make him pay. His savior told him that in order to do that he had to wait for us at our apartment and then press the button. It doesn't seem like he knows exactly what it does in this route, as he's surprised when he hears the countdown. He does want to hurt us though, as he knows Seven cares about us; at least it was his job to protect us. There's no sign of attraction from him in this route, as he barely showed up. When he did, he was so mad, that we're just a means of revenge for him. Yeah he's attracted to us, but when he's mad, revenge comes first.

Seven's route the attraction comes through more. When Unknown realizes he's been tracked by his brother, he decides to speed up his plans to hack into the security system and kidnap the MC. As soon as he starts making his plans, he starts talking to us as if we can hear him ("Just you wait MC, I'll bring you to Mint Eye first.") You usually apostrophe like this if you're excited or anxious to see someone, or if you really wish someone could hear what you had to say to them. It shows he really wants to induct us. There's a story mode where he's talking to his savior about why he's leaving so suddenly, explaining that he wants to induct the girl he mentioned to them. Then he actually arrives at the apartment, telling us to be careful of the glass as he comes in (kudos to him). He explains to us he's the hacker of the security system and the one who led us to the apartment, as well as the one who sent the invites to paradise. He says the RFA is filled with liars and false hope which will be explained when we get to the second location. When we refuse, he tells us we don't have a say because he put us here, so he gets to take us out. This is all so everyone can be happy, including us. If you question the promise of Happiness, he's ecstatic thinking you're like him and promises special treatment for you at Magenta. If you still refuse to go, calling out for Seven, he gets furious. He claims Seven will not save us, and even if he tries it's too late. He then says he will cleanse us of our false faith and show us true paradise. He probably was reminded of how he wanted Seven to save him back in the day and he never did, and if Seven did try to save us, that would make him more furious; so Luciel would save her but not his own brother, huh? He wouldn't want to give him that satisfaction. He doesn't want us to believe in the fantasy he once believed in, so I guess he feels he's 'saving' us this way. He warns us that we better come with him while he's still rational. Seven then shows up, and Unknown grumbles that he was hoping to make Seven suffer, probably by taking away the person he was trying to protect. The brothers talk for a bit about their relationship and the past until MC is brought up again. Seven begs Saeran to let us go, as we nothing to do with what's going on between them. Saeran counters that since he brought us there, we're his. He then quickly figures out that Seven has feelings for us, and realizes he could torture us to hurt Seven. He's attracted to us, but his revenge comes first. If we try to get away, he warns us not to fight back as he will hurt us. He starts getting ecstatic thinking of how to torture us, implying most people have to go through it to get into Mint Eye anyway. Luckily, we get away from him.

In the first Bad Ending of 707's route, we don't manage to get away from him. He takes us away, planning on playing with us to inflict pain on Seven. So he tortures us, takes pictures of us in pain, and sends them to Seven. He's talking to us, but we might as well not be there; we're not even responding. He decides to make it seem like we ultimately enjoy what he's doing to us, make it seem like we don't care if we're rescued by him or not. So, basically Stockholm syndrome. We are very compliant at this point, either we actually do have Stockholm syndrome, or we're tortured to the point we'll do anything he tells us to do (The difference here is we still want to leave, still are hoping we'll be rescued). We're so obedient here, to the point we give him exactly what he wants. He seems to like that about us. He decides then to have us after photo taking. In our state of mind...yeesh.

Later in the route, when we find him at Mint Eye, we try convincing him to hear us out. When we first run into him, he doesn't like the fact we're friendly with each other. Of course, he does say it's nice to see us again. He probably doesn't want Seven to be happy with us, not that he holds anything against us. If we wish to run, he comments how we're so naive. Once Seven begins to explain himself, Saeran warns us not to trust him, as he was abandoned we will be too. If we tell him it was a misunderstanding, he believes we're brainwashed. If we say we'll be the judge of what happens, he says we're brave but foolish to follow Seven.

In the 2nd bad relationship ending of the route, he mistakes us for his Mom in a dissociative fit. This is probably because his brother is nearby, and we're the only woman nearby, he was probably brought back to his time as a kid. That doesn't count.

In the Third Bad Ending of the route, he tricks us into thinking us trying to convince him worked. He secretly leads us to a cell where we'll be locked in a corner until we're 'tamed.' Seven begs for us to be released, which Saeran doesn't wish to do. We are useless in his plans to become a better hacker, he only needs his brother. However, he thinks he can use us to keep Seven in line. He promises a good life for us as long Seven listens to him, but we'll be tortured in front of him should he misbehave. He likes us enough to treat us nicely, but his revenge comes first. Seven then threatens him into letting us go. Saeran then says his savior told him he shouldn't desire too many things. He then decides to let us go. So that says he would've liked to have us around.

Then there's the Secret endings, of course the reaction to us in those is not strong there. The only real reaction we get is that he mentions us in his apostrophe to Seven. He says that us and Vanderwood will join Mint Eye, which was his original plan for us, so he might react similarly to all the bad endings.

So far, he would like us as a companion, especially if we're like him and have a dark broken side. He genuinely believes he's doing us a good turn, and wants to 'help' us. Of course, he'd like us to be useful to him. As well as we can't come in between him and his revenge.

Let us now look at the Christmas DLC: In this DLC, the plan just seems to be kidnapping us. Of course, that isn't abundantly clear, especially seeing as the MC is super naive. First, you get a text asking if you remember him (I'd be pretty disappointed if you don't), he says he's been wondering how you've been doing and asks if you want to see him. If you ask him about the other members, he types you this madness mantra of how much he wants to get revenge. Of course, if you say you want to know who he is, he says to be patient in getting to know him, as he has a lot of questions too (By the time we're familiar with each other, a lot of things will have changed.) In his second text, he goes on about he feels like in his attempts to see us he'll be blocked. (I want to play with you...) He continues by mentioning the event, but not knowing about it. He asks you to invite him to the event (You won't keep secrets from me, would you?). You can send him the address to the apartment or the event. With the apartment, he comments he already knows it, but it's still difficult. With the event's address, he realizes that it's a Christmas charity party being thrown. The last text says he still has trouble getting through, but if he knew a moment where the red-head wasn't paying attention he'd find a weak spot, like the end of the event. So he asks for end-time. We can tell him the event's over, or we can tell him the event ends at nine. If we tell him it's over, he knows we're lying and plans to attack the RFA. If we do tell him the end-time, we remind him he said he'd come to get me soon. He's happy we remembered, (I'm liking you more and more), promises us that we'll have more fun with him than the RFA. Later he gives us a call, in that call he hints he can see us trembling with fear after he freaks us out with his creepy singing. No matter what we tell him, that we want our gift or we don't, he tells us he'll just do what he wants. He's our Santa, watching over us, difference being that he despises nice children. Of course, he encourages us to be nice until he comes to see us, just to see what will happen. He gives us a text later based on the person we bonded with the most. He likes to make us feel guilty about bonding with them. For Zen, he claims he's an actor so he's probably just pretending his feelings for us. For Yoosung, he claims Yoosung's eyes are on someone else and we're living in someone else's shadow. For Jaehee, he claims that she works so hard and is constantly busy so she doesn't have time for you. For Jumin, he claims his trust in you will break once he finds out you've been texting Unknown, you've basically betrayed him. For Seven, he says he will get quite upset when he finds out despite everything he's done to protect you, you've basically betrayed that. Then the event happens, but you don't see him until you get back home.

Most people I see react to this ending are not surprised and actually wanted to see him, but at least one person I saw was surprised it happened. So story wise, the MC probably didn't know this was going to happen. She is rather naive, she probably thought he was going to show up at the party. Also probably thought she could avoid a kidnapping. He is not a great guy to be with, he's emotionally manipulative.

When you see him, he wonders if you honestly thought the place would be empty, and hopes you had the happiest day of your life. He comments on how strong the security was, but he got through thanks to you. He wants you to admit you like him, (players maybe, MC who knows?) why else would you help him? Were you just being nice? (Some people have that problem). He tells you if you admit you like him he'll make your Christmas unforgettable. Of course, MC is trembling, so he wonders if she's scared of him or what might happen? He then critiques us saying if we're scared of what might happen, we shouldn't have contacted him. We were quite bold. He's fully down to believing we like him, regardless of what the reality is, and that we want to spend Christmas with him. He goes to tell us his idea of Christmas, thinking we'll love it. He tells us about Santa, and how he supposedly gives presents to nice children, however he's just a made up figure adults use to control their children. People are naive and believe in him, and so the bad people like him should just feel guilty on days like Christmas. A better version of Christmas for him would not have a Santa, and instead he'd take revenge on the adults who made him feel guilty. "And bad children like you and me...will get our presents." MC can tell this guy is unhinged and tries to run, but he tells her it's too late. He promises to show us real happiness, promising a Christmas so sweet we'll never want to return to reality. His Christmas has no naughtiness, no guilt, just Christmas. It then cuts to black as he laughs evilly and hysterically. At the end of the chatroom where the RFA is freaking out over our disappearance, he comes in and says he'll be taking "good care of the princess" Every day will be Christmas for us. So it ends with us being taken captive, enjoying Christmas with Unknown...forever. The CG looks tame enough, it implies we're his gift. We have a lot of presents. Of course, we're not smiling, we seem pretty blank. I guess I wouldn't know what to think.

This DLC re-establishes some things: He thinks we're like him, he wants to play with us, likes us when we're obedient, and considers us a "Princess." Also wants to treat us well, but I think that's mainly for his sake.

[Part 2}

[xiaobees]

i creeped myself out by rereading the casual story bad end

[mishkakagehishka]

I'm gonna install mystic messenger again

[wonderwheremysanitywent]

playing yoosung route's bad story end and choosing the creepy dialogues deliberately makes me want to die of embarrassment. however jumin's reaction to the cringe gives me life lmao

I feel I'm at the center of a chaotic tornado.

[quintessential-candles]

Hi mysme tumblr you guys liked the last one so have one of the others

In terms of getting away with murder:

[rei-does-stuff]

“Yoosung is love with Rika!” I AM KILLING YOU!!! SHUT UPPPP

[killjoy-prince]

Some of my favorite spaceship thoughts I've encountered so far in my replay

[haruhar-u]

hoping I don’t get a bad ending

[kumeko]

A/N: For the @mysmecircuszine! I can’t really write Rika without V, I adore them too much, so this ended up being a Rika/V/MC piece. I wish I could have gone a bit bigger with the Rika/V parts but alas, restrictions.

…

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…

Rika had known before she’d started her job that it would take a lot of effort. She was the ringmaster for a circus, after all, a job on par with being a manager. There was always something to do, whether it was inspecting the equipment, checking the performances, or even just managing the finances. Even now, scant minutes before the big tent opened for the first performances of the day, she was running ragged in the prep tent, double checking that everyone was ready.

Fortunately, for the most part, her performers were on top of things. Preparing for the open act, the acrobatic Zen limbered up, stretching in his shiny leotard. Golden ribbons were woven into his braided hair, both keeping the long locks out of his way and enhancing his visual appeal. Next to him, Vanderwood gave a thumbs up as she passed, confirming he’d already checked the nets and ropes were all secure.

The secondary act of clowns were almost suited up. Her cousin Yoosung was barely recognizable underneath all of the bright, gaudy makeup. He honked a horn as she passed, his smile brighter than the sun, and something in Rika uncoiled at the sight. She waved as she continued to run down the checklist.

Jumin and his white lion, Elizabeth the Third, hadn’t arrived yet, but she had expected that. They were the third act after all, and Rika found that Elizabeth tended to get antsy if she waited in the tent. Saeran and Saeyoung were operating the light and sound effects from up in the booth. V—

A woman stepped into the tent, scattering Rika’s thoughts instantly. She was a new performer, Rika remembered dimly. They had met before. For the life of her, though, she couldn’t remember. She couldn’t even remember her name. And she couldn’t stop staring at the stranger as she led her horse in.

To be fair, there was a lot to take in. The platinum silver steed had flowers braided into its tail and mane, bright daffodils and lilies that contrasted brightly against its pale colouring. Its harness and saddle had a plant motif, the equipment looking like it had been formed with vines. Yet, even more stunning was the woman. Dressed in a smart pink suit with black dress pants, she looked like a handsome fairy sprung to life. Even her coattails looked like flower petals, and a red rose was pinned to her short brown hair.

The only thing out of place was how nervous she looked. Her light brown hands fidgeted with the harness, adjusting and readjusting as she waited her turn.

Rika should say something. She should do something.

Noticing her stare, the woman brightened and waved.

Finally remembering how to move, Rika waved back and forced herself back to work.

-x-

“You mean MC, the new horse rider?” Jihyun chuckled as he fiddled with his camera, playing with the settings as he looked through today’s pictures. “You’ve seen her practice before.”

Rika moved her chair closer to him. Her trailer was small, just barely big enough to fit both a bedroom and a business room. At this point, though, the management side of things had taken over most of the surfaces, with binders upon binders of research, budgets, and other minutia claiming any open area. It was easier to just meet Jihyun here after each day’s work as they discussed their future promotional material. Most of the information they needed was in the trailer after all.

And, at this point, enough of his things were mixed up with hers that they might as well be sharing both trailers anyways.

“I know. I must have approved her act too.” Their shoulders bumped as she leaned forward, examining the picture he’d stopped at. In it, Jumin rubbed Elizabeth’s head, the pampered lion leaning into his touch with a content expression. “That’s a good one for the new posters.”

“I thought so too.” Jihyun smiled, pleased. “It’s a good shot.”

“All your shots are good.” Rika squeezed his hand affectionately. If he hadn’t offered to take care of the advertising logistics, she was certain he’d be a world-class photographer. One day, he’d go back to his real position, though she wasn’t sure what she’d do when he did. She could barely manage as it was with him taking part of the workload. “I don’t think I saw her in costume before. Or maybe she wore something different? I don’t know, she just…she just looked very different when she arrived yesterday.”

“I think she updated the costume.” Jihyun glanced at her curiously now, his fingers stilling. “Did something happen?”

Rika flushed, pulling back. “No, nothing,” she blurted. How was she supposed to explain her instant, visceral reaction earlier? If she couldn’t explain it to herself, how could she even find the words to tell him? Smiling weakly, she added, “I just forgot who she was, for a moment.”

“You forgot?” The words had the opposite effect and Jihyun frowned. He set aside the camera, reaching forward to cradle her cheek. His thumb brushed her baggy eyes. “You haven’t been sleeping properly.”

Instinctively, she leaned into his warm touch. “There’s just a lot to do. Once I catch up with my work, I’ll get a good night’s rest.”

His frown grew deeper. “You don’t have to do all that work alone. I’ve finished most of the advertising work, I can take on other tasks.”

It was tempting. Scattered around the room were bills, forms, layouts and other tasks. It wouldn’t hurt to give him just a little bit. Yet, this was her circus, her job. If she couldn’t handle her ringmaster’s duties, then what was she doing here?

And if she wasn’t needed here, then where would she be needed?

“It’s fine,” Rika lied, pressing a kiss to his palm. “I have it under control.”

-x-

Once a week, Rika had to inspect the equipment, making sure everything was up to order. It was a serious task. She took it seriously. She was definitely not using it as an excuse to stand stock still next to the outdoor paddock, watching as MC ran through her acts.

Honestly, what was she doing here? The sun was high in the sky, as sure a sign as any that Rika had to go before she got even further behind in her duties.  Yet, she couldn’t tear her eyes away as MC stood on her horse’s saddle, looking as steady as though she were on land. Today, MC was dressed down, wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. She still looked utterly handsome.

Now that she had time to think about it, Rika had seen her before, only she had been so busy rushing through her duties that she hadn’t paid her any mind. Maybe it was a good thing she hadn’t noticed—it was hard not to stop and watch as MC shifted through her stances. It was like watching a bird in flight, free, graceful, and entirely in its element.

“Oh!” Noticing her, MC almost tipped over.

“Careful!” Rika stepped forward, grasping the fence.

MC righted herself right away. Sliding down onto the saddle, she gently slowed her horse before coming to a stop right in front of Rika. With a laugh, she rubbed her neck sheepishly. “That was a close one.”

“It scared me,” Rika admitted, her heart still pounding from fear.

“Sorry about that, Ms. Kim.” MC ducked her head apologetically before sliding off her horse. She landed on the dirt with a soft thud.

“Rika,” she corrected automatically.

“Oh.” MC’s eyes widened and she swallowed thickly. “Rika, then. You can call me MC.”

There was something about the way her name rolled off MC’s tongue. Rika tried not to think about it. “Your performance was so amazing, I didn’t think you could stumble.”

“Really?” MC smiled brightly, still a bright red. Rika wasn’t sure if it was from adrenaline or embarrassment. Or maybe even something else, entirely. “I actually fall a lot. I’ve never really performed in front of such a big group before. I was afraid I’d do it during the show, but I got lucky.”

“You didn’t look nervous at all,” Rika reassured, surprised by the confession. “I thought you were a natural.”

“I practiced.” MC grinned boyishly. Her short hair ruffled with a stray breeze. “I had a lot of scrapes before I auditioned here.” She rubbed her arm ruefully. “Well, I guess I still have some now. I’ve got a long way to go before I’m a pro.

“That’s the mark of a true performer.” Rika chuckled. Everyone here kept striving for a higher point, a greater success. Even Jumin and Zen, who didn’t have a humble bone in their bodies, still pushed themselves for better performance.

“I’m not good enough to be called that,” MC replied bashfully, looking pleased nonetheless. She delicately clasped Rika’s hand. “If you want, I can show you a new act I’ve been trying.”

A pleasant jolt ran up Rika’s arm and she almost said Yes.

Almost, but the sun was still high, her checklist unfinished, and she had wasted enough time was it was. Reluctantly, she shook her head and stepped back. Her hand dangled limply by her side. “I still have a few errands to complete.”

MC’s expression dimmed slightly before she rubbed her neck sheepishly. “Right, I’m sure you have a lot to do. Maybe next time.”

“Maybe,” Rika echoed, a sense of hollowness filling her.

-x-

Rika stood in the center of the arena, the bright lights falling on her. Above her, she knew Zen was already starting his descent from his high-wire act. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” she announced, drawing their audience’s eyes to her instead of the shadows as they moved equipment around the stage.

In her bright red tailcoat, she was impossible to miss. “You have seen our performers soar like bird, but have you seen anyone fly like a cannonball?”

A drumroll started, Saeran following her cues faithfully.

A second spotlight shone to her right as the cannon finally stood in place. Yoosung honked brightly as he stood next to it.

As the spotlight widened, encompassing the entire tent, Rika stealthily moved to the side as the clowns took over the floor. Above her, the crowd laughed at their antics, as Yoosung and his friends tried to figure out what the cannon was.

She wished she could share their joy. Instead, she was all too keenly aware of the empty seats above her, the delay in the music, the shift in the background as Vanderwood adjusted the nets for the cannon.

The show had to be better. Tonight would be another sleepless night.

-x-

Seated in the costume tent, Rika picked up a pair of blue sequin pants, admiring how the light hit the small mirrors sewn in. The clothes were in good order, they looked appropriately modern, and so she hung them back on the rack.

Maybe she could put off changing their base theme until next year. By that point, they’d need a wardrobe change anyways.

“Hey, Rika!”

It wasn’t like audiences didn’t like their current fantasy theme anyways.

“Rika!”

That jerked her out of her thoughts, and she snapped her head to her right to find Yoosung standing there, juggling three balls effortlessly. Wearing a pair of baggy overalls and a bright red nose, he looked like he needed a costume upgrade.

“Oh, Yoosung.” Embarrassed, she put back the dress she’d been inspecting. “Is something wrong?”

“Sorta.” There had been a time when he couldn’t even manage that with two balls and she felt proud at his progress. “Not for me, but…well, for you.”

“For me?” Perplexed, she raised a brow.

He stepped back, trying to keep the balls in the air. “It’s just…I was thinking…you could use a break.” A ball slipped out of his grasp, hitting his foot, and he jumped back as the rest fell down after. “Whoops.”

Rika giggled as he quickly picked up and pocketed the ball. Clasping her hands behind her, she teased, “Are you sure you don’t need a break?”

“Not you too. It’s bad enough Saeran can do, like, ten of these.” Yoosung pouted, glaring at her balefully. “He doesn’t even practice. I know he’s just doing this to show off.”

“I don’t think he is?” Rika scratched her cheek. To be honest, it was hard to tell with him sometimes.

“I know he is—wait, that’s not what I’m here for.” Yoosung grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Rika, seriously, you need a break.”

Part of her wondered if Jihyun had talked to him. His palm was warm and sweaty but she didn’t pull away. “Yoosung, I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” he argued, stomping a foot in frustration. “You’re doing too much work again. You always do this.”

“I’m not doing too much,” she protested. “Jihyun’s taking care of advertising—”

“And you’re doing everything else again.” Yoosung tightened his grip. “You’re always the first one up, the last one asleep. Every day you’re running from tent to tent. I don’t think anyone’s seen you rest for more than five minutes.”

“That’s…that’s not true,” she denied weakly.

“I can help you, you know? I can do more than clown around.” He looked down at her desperately and she realized with a start that at some point, he’d grown taller than her. “Jaehee said she could handle the daily checks. Everyone wants to help you.”

“I…” Rika bit her lip, staring at their clasped hands, at how his fingers dug into her skin.

“Please,” he pleaded again.

Even his hands had grown bigger and stronger than hers when she hadn’t noticed. Closing her eyes, she nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

-x-

Somehow, she found herself back at the paddock. Rika didn’t know when she’d started to come here when she was worried, but her feet always brought her here when she needed to think.

By this point, MC stopped stumbling when she’d arrived. Instead, she smoothly slipped into her saddle, looking like a horsewoman of old as she and her steed quickly cantered toward Rika. “Good afternoon!”

“Good afternoon,” Rika replied automatically. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“Not at all.” MC smiled sunnily. She patted her horse’s flank. “We love it when you come, right, buddy?”

“Me too,” she murmured absentmindedly. “I like coming here too.”

There was something calming about MC’s presence, though for once even she wasn’t enough to stop the thoughts swarming Rika’s mind. There was so much to do. Jihyun wanted to help. But she had to be able to do it herself, it was pointless otherwise. Yoosung and Jaehee had offered their aid. But if she couldn’t do it on her own, why was she even here?

Her mind ran in circles, jumping back and forth between thoughts. The others had their own jobs. This was all she had: her position as ringmaster, her tasks as the manager. If she lost them, what else would she have?

“I was actually just thinking—Zen mentioned that we could try a double act, and I might not be as flexible as him but—” MC cut herself off. Gripping the fence, she leaned closer, peering up at Rika. “Are you okay?”

Rika flushed and stepped back, startled. “I-I’m fine.”

MC frowned, not buying it for an instant. “You’re not.”

“I am,” she repeated, insistent. “Really, I am.”

Crossing her arms, MC regarded her doubtfully for a moment. An unreadable emotion flickered across her face and she nodded. “Fine.”

“That—”

Before Rika could say anything further, MC opened the paddock and grabbed Rika’s wrist, pulling her in. “Then you have time to go for a ride with me today.”

“What?” Rika balked, but MC was stronger than she looked. “I can’t, I really don’t—”

“Have the time?” MC finished, shaking her head. Her hand was warm on Rika’s skin, her face too close. “It’s only for a few minutes. Think of it as a break.”

Rika faltered. “That’s not…”

Sensing weakness, MC pressed, “Then think of it as helping me with my show.”

“I…I can’t ride,” she argued weakly, unable to pull away, unable to do anything but follow as MC guided her to her horse.

MC chuckled. “That’s fine, I can. You don’t have to do everything, right? That’s why we’re all here.”

Part of Rika wondered how much MC knew, if Jihyun and Yoosung had come to her. The rest of her didn’t care as MC’s hands were on her waist, guiding her up onto the saddle, or as MC slipped on behind her, her arms caging Rika in place.

MC leaned forward, her breath hot on Rika’s ear. “Don’t worry, it’ll just be a normal ride.”

And without further warning, the horse sprang forward and they were off. Rika gasped as they picked up speed, moving from a trot to a canter to an all out run. The wind whistled as they rode, her body bumping on the uneven ground.

“Easy does it,” MC murmured, and Rika wasn’t sure if she was talking to her or the horse.

It didn’t matter. They rounded the edge of the paddock, turning swiftly. Rika had ridden Zen’s motorcycle once and there was a similar feel of flying, of freedom. A thrill ran up her spine as they charged across the dirt.

The sensation refused to leave long after she slipped off the horse into MC’s waiting arms, their heads almost bumping into each other at the clumsy dismount. Rika laughed and MC grinned. “It’s fun, right?”

“Yeah.” Rika pulled back reluctantly, brushing her messy hair back behind her ears. “A lot of fun.”

“Good, I’m glad you liked it.” MC reached up, pushing a stray lock out of Rika’s face. “You look better now.”

If her face felt hot, Rika blamed it on the ride.

-x-

Rika stared at the paperwork in her room. There were bills to pay, forms to fill out, material to approve. She had to pick a new theme for their next season and the lineup to match. It was something she used to look forward to.

Now, it was just another chore. She had forgotten how fun working at the circus could be, how fun it was supposed to be.

She could still feel the wind in her ears, MC’s arm around her waist.

That didn’t mean this couldn’t be fun again.

-x-

Rika knocked on a familiar trailer. There was a time when she used to go to Jihyun nightly, when she all but lived in his trailer. It had been too long since she’d visited him. Since she’d made the time for something other than work.

A disheveled Jihyun opened the door, his expression confused as he took her in. “Rika,” he breathed, her name several questions in one.

Rika smiled softly. “Jihyun, could you help me?”

His expressions softened immediately, and he stepped back. “Of course.”