Private Never Meet Your Heroes

[Lune]

Dayeon Song

Just a simple afternoon walk in Boston. The idol is out, walking in her white shirt, pink jacket, black choker, and her hair in a ponytail.

She didn't feel like working in the confinement of her apartment, alone with that VR headset. Not after what happened with Kenji. She had to take a week off after that incident, not wanting to interact with anyone. And today she had to make a pretty big decision, too.

Suddenly, it trickled into the middle of the city. Not wanting to get her gadgets wet, she quickly scanned the street to see if she could take shelter from the rain. Her eyes caught glimpse of a cafe just across the street.

Hundred Degrees Cafe.

Well, she needed a new place anyway for a change. Maybe order something to bite too. Dayeon quickly ran and opened the door, just in time before the downpour flushed the entire outdoors. Her phone (the one Naomi almost destroyed) rang, prompting her to sit at a table first while answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Miss Song, what do you mean by this? Isn't the album ready?"

"Jake, I told you already, I'm not quite feeling it right now. Maybe we can postpone, switch out for another—"

"Not feeling it? This is a business, Dayeon. You can't just stop working because you don't feel like it."

"I understand, Jake. But—"

"Have you lost your mind? I know you were the top idol, but it doesn't mean you can do any kind of—"

"I said I don't want this either, didn't I?!" Her voice suddenly raised by another ten decibels, causing other patrons to look at her. The idol quickly turned to the cafe worker who came towards her, apologizing while lowering her head. "Uh, sorry for that."

@Zelrius

 

[Zelrius]

"Take your break in five, Markus." Was what came from the twenty something man, with his ruffled brown hair and tight green apron with a thermometer on the front. The one hwas addressing simply nodded and pursed his lips, attention shifting to the newest arrival at the cozier cafe. Some kind of phone argument, it seemed, always with her type. He didn't care much to butt into those sorts of conversations, with a mind that wandered elsewhere. Thinking of hills and valleys of a place that was distant from here. Or watching the cars zoom by the thin Boston lanes by themselves. Hoping someone else would emerge from them.

His approaching footsteps on the cream-colored wavy tile were halted immediately, shoulders raised and chest tensed by her sudden outburst. He had nearly jumped out of his skin, and dropped the little notepad and pen framed in his fingers. "That is okay, sorry to intrude." quick to apologize over her. There was something familiar about this girl. The color of her hair, the side profile when her chin tilted down. He had seen her before. TV, Maybe? No, she was more familiar than that.

His brows unfurrowed, the man signed, adjusting his collar and green apron. Clearing his throat "Welcome to Hundred-Degrees where it's always hot. - What can I get for you today?" He gave a half smile, one with no heart in it. Forced, the kind where his cheeks would widen, but his eyes remained still. One that lingered for only a second, fighting the natural, frowning state.

@Moonsong

 

[Lune]

Without missing a beat, Dayeon quickly replied to the waiter while ending the call. "Oh yeah, can I get a hot lat⁠—"

Wait, his voice sounds really familiar. She turned to face the man, slowly gazing from his green apron up to his face, which has a corporate smile painted on it.

"—A hot latte..."

She froze.

The man looked different now in the game, but she doesn't forget people, ever. She remembered this was how the man presented himself when they first met, the infamous table-breaker. Even the sad look behind his eyes was one hundred percent identical.

"...Zee?" She mouthed, almost whispering while looking into the blonde's eyes. There's no mistaking it. Dayeon even gestured with both her hands, forming horns on the side of her head with two fingers, to indicate the horn-looking crown she wore in-game.

@Zelrius

 

[Zelrius]

"Hot latte..." He trailed off, blue eyes looking back up to her, just as the silent word was made. Immediately, he could feel his face heating up from embarrassment, turning his gaze to look around the room. No one was paying any attention to them, thank god for that. This was already becoming a weirder and weirder interaction. "Uhh, miss. Hot latte, anything else?" Finally mustering the courage to look back at her. Wondering what the hell the two fingers on her head meant. But now, a more solid look at her. Her eyes, her hair covered by the 'horns'. Able to see past what was normally ashen skin, and a metallic jaw piece.

"Moonsong." He finally dropped the name out of his lips, able to make the connection. Yet, that still didn't answer the vague memories of darkened tv screens and bright, dancing youtube videos. Thinking on it, there was vague familiarity of this woman even before her Terrasphere persona.

"Ah, let me get that for you, and- maybe a Pipin'(TM) Bagel." Trying his damn hardest not to make this too awkward, scribbling something on his little notepad and then turning around quickly. Just like that, he was gone, behind the counter and it's attached half wall. Placing the notepad down on a sheet-metal table of sorts and taking a deep breath. It was fortunate that one of the two co-workers there that day came over and wordlessly opened it to prepare the drink specified, stopping Markus from having to remember every little detail on how to make a latte. All he needed to do was go to the toaster overn and split a bagle, cook it up, and bring it back.

A process that, combined with getting the drink took perhaps a minute or two, before he returned with a small ceramic plate, and a white, long cup that had steam rising out of the foam on top, and a green wrapping to make it comfortable to hold. Setting them down in front of her, and then reaching up to take off the semi-hat of this cafe's uniform.

"I hope that's good, we can bring you some cream cheese too, but I am about to go on break." He didn't know what else to say. People who came here usually did it to be alone, and it'd be rude as hell to begin asking the hundred questions that were racing through his head. So he was left to stand there, hat in hand, and wrists crossed until he was waved away to go sit in the back of the store and waste his break away.

 

[Lune]

She chuckled, covering her mouth as the man seemed to awkwardly look around and scribble on his notes. "Yeah, a bagel would be nice." He quickly disappeared behind the counter, prompting Dayeon to exhale with a smile, looking at the downpour raining down the streets of Boston. Who would've thought that the man worked in a place like this? Near her apartment, nonetheless.

After just one or two minutes, the blonde returned with her order and also the bagel. "I hope that's good, we can bring you some cream cheese too, but I am about to go on break." He took off his hat, waiting to be excused. Instead, Dayeon raised her eyebrows and motioned to the seat in front of her. "Well? Accompany me for a coffee drink then."

She would wait for the man in the green apron to sit, not releasing her gaze from his eyes until he did so. With her left hand, she grabbed the cup carefully and took a sip of a hot, foamy latte. "Ah." She exhaled, putting the cup back onto the table.

"We're not acquainted yet, right? Dayeon Song."

The woman suddenly introduced herself, offering a handshake to the man sitting across from her with a wide smile.

@Zelrius

 

[Zelrius]

#d4af37

Their eyes locked. Hers were unmoving - but there was something more going on underneath there. It only confirmed that she was who she said she was. Not that the identity was up for doubt or debate, but simply that she wasn't much different. Not in that respect. Of course not, he thought. Not like people go into the game and morph into entirely different people.

He finally submitted, turning his head away first and softly pulling back the chair across from her, sitting down and then squeaking it forward back under the table. He returned the shake blinking. [color=##d4af37]"...The singer chick?"[/color] It was like her name had literally just hit him directly in the face with the way it contorted in confusion. "Idol, I think is the right title?" immediately correcting the rather uneducated way he had first thought to connect the dots.

Something that only happened because of his vague connection with the name. A huge announcement video sometime ago - when his other half was still alive. It was one of the first things he remembered learning about her. A love for musicians, specifically K-Pop and its Americanized version.

He had tried to unravel in it his mind, only now realizing the circling awkward silence. He reached out to take her hand back and give a small, polite shake. "I am Markus. I work at the... hundred degrees." The man's voice trailed off. That was his usual goto whenever meeting someone new. But, like, obviously she would have already known that. His mood had already began to dampen - the intrusive thoughts were already creeping in. His eyes averted hers, and focused on scenes of a face he saw only in pictures and his memory for years now.

Even while zoned out on the table, his mind was able to at the very least, try and not be a completely rude loser. "What brings someone like you all the way to this little place?"

 

[Lune]

"...The singer chick?" She frowned, before the man quickly corrected himself. "Idol, I think is the right title?"

"That's me!" The idol grinned with the brightness of a thousand suns. Somehow, the man was way, way quieter in real life. Even when he was looking exactly like his real-life counterpart, the tablebreaker was quite a talker. "Can't believe you didn't recognize me."

"I am Markus. I work at the... hundred degrees."

"Duh." She jokingly rolled her eyes, before shrugging. "Nice to meet you, Markus." After the handshake, they returned back to the awkward silence. Somehow, it felt like the man wasn't paying any attention and wanted to escape. Somewhere, just out of this place. Dayeon looked at him, tapping her small fingers on the table until the man noticed the atmosphere. Thankfully, he was quick to break the silence.

"What brings someone like you all the way to this little place?"

Exhaling, she answered. "What do you mean someone like me and little place? I live around here, you know. It's a ten, maybe fifteen minutes walk." Even with his eyes somewhere else, she was able to spot pain and sadness inside of them. "What's on your mind?" She politely asked without being too intrusive, head on both hands leaning forward.

@Zelrius

 

[Zelrius]

"Haah..." Was all he managed in response to her eye roll and joke. This was not going well at all. There was just something about social interaction that escaped him here, face to face with someone, when he was truly Markus. He was so much better as Zelrius at this. Why was that? It wasn't like they were different people. Something about his in game body, and that world acted as a social lubricant. He felt more in his element.

"Oh, what?" He seemed to snap out of his trance for a moment, tilting his head and giving a small grin. He turned to point up the boulevard that the that flanked the entry into this little cafe. "I live just up the street here too. Same as you, maybe a ten minute walk." Intentionally neglecting to mention that it was his parents' place that he lived at. Still. At the age of thirty.

That moment was interrupted by the way she asked what he was thinking about. Another moment of silence - trying his best to read her mind through the look in her eyes. "Ah nothing, just. Someone else." Leaving it at that, and drumming his fingers. The attention was uncomfortable, it made his collar warm, imposing the feeling that he was losing oxygen. Markus needed it to turn away from him.

"What about you? That phone call didn't sound too nice."

@Lune

 

[Lune]

"I live just up the street here too. Same as you, maybe a ten minute walk."

"Really? We should hang out more!" It would be nice to have a friend that lived near her place. Spending a lot of time playing a death VR game just to hang out with friends was not that safe. She was really glad to meet him though, after months and months of not being able to catch up properly.

"What about you? That phone call didn't sound too nice."

"Yeah, it's job." She shrugged it off, her face seemed a little down but quickly turned to a dry smile. "But hey, there are always speed bumps in life. A minor inconvenience."

"How about you? You seemed so down." The idol took another sip of the hot latte, the warmth soothed her from the cold air. Placing it back on the table, she slowly leaned forwards to look him straight in the eyes, exhaling.

"Also, don't try to evade this one. We're not actual strangers, I know when your mind's not in it." Her serious stare was identical to the scary Moonsong's own no-nonsense expression in-game, indicating that she was not speaking as the strangers that just met, but as friends.

@Zelrius

 

[Zelrius]

"We should hang out more!"

Words that instantly made him flinch. It wasn't the first time he had heard that. It's just - "Haha, We see each other plenty ingame." Letting that sit there, not wanting to elaborate further. And cautious of mentioning what game specifically out in a public place like this. A place he worked, no less.

Speed Bumps. That was a quaint way of putting it. Though in Markus's case, it seemed like all of life was just one massive speed bump. One that was just a massive cliff dive at the end. So why not just, get off the ride early? He had considered it, getting out of the metaphorical vehicle and just jumping off the side. Fuck it, what was the point anyway if it was all just one big speed bump.

She had cornered him now. It wasn't like he wanted to lie to Dayeon. To his friend Moonsong. It was complicated, and he didn't want to lose a friend, constantly bringing up his own baggage, his own issues. He could just start with small truths. "Ah it's just. How I recognized you, yknow outside of being fucking Moonsong; my girlfriend - wife - whatever you wanna call her. My lover? She follows all kinds of up-and-comings and indie artists. With a specific love for K-Pop. Mostly the boy groups, but I think you might have been one of the ones on the playlist a few years back. Or maybe not. Your kind of situation and music, though. She'd love to meet you." A Complicated, beaten elaboration, that he didn't even know how much applied to her. For all he knew, she was popular, and had been doing this for years. And made punk rock or something. None of it mattered, even if none of that was exact, what mattered is that it made him think of her. Which is what his friend here was asking about.

He turned away sheepishly, tenatively watching for her reaction out of the corner of his eye. Prepared for the throat clearing and the likely soon to come 'well, anyway' that he always got. Maybe the occasional 'oh shit'. Still, he waited. Hoping for a different result from the tried and true.

 

[Lune]

"Haha, We see each other plenty ingame."

There was it again. The man simply felt too different to his daring in-game persona with his awkward deflections.

"We were too busy saving the world and we don't even have time to catch up," She protested, recalling the last time they met was either in a dungeon fighting a basilisk or during Camp Hope, where the songstress was... too preoccupied with Kenji. It would be an oversimplification of what happened though.

"Where is the Zelrius that promised me a lot of adventures together? Sitting here learning about you is an adventure in itself."

It looked like she convinced Markus to talk more because he finally began to open his quiet mouth. It was a surprise hearing that he has, or had, a spouse? His thrillseeker self was definitely not reflecting any of this, which really intrigued her.

"Mostly the boy groups, but I think you might have been one of the ones on the playlist a few years back."

A few years back.

"She'd love to meet you."

And there was it again.

Dayeon exhaled, not wanting to assume things. She tried to make eye contact with the blonde, but he looked away. "What... happened?" She slowly asked, her right hand uneasily fiddling with the coffee cup.

@Zelrius

 

[Zelrius]

He should have known better. Maybe he could just lie. Say that he made it up, or that she's just busy right now. But, that first one would probably cause him so much embarrassment, he died. The second was an impossible lie to keep up. They lived close, and probably some digging - if she cared to - the idol would be able to piece together what happened pretty quickly.

Markus surrendered with a sign. No tears in his eyes, only a flat defeated voice. "She's gone. An accident on one of these streets... five years ago now?" He said, turning to look out the massive windows. As if she'd just materialize out of thin air, and walk into the building. That moment never came, he knew better.

His eyes trailed back to hers, the blonde man wondered for a moment. Something inside him telling him to open up, to reach out to her. Maybe out of all the people around, this one might understand. "Have you... ever lost someone like that?" He asked. A simple enough question, just to see what common ground they stood on. And to perhaps move some of the weight of the topic away from himself. Easier to ignore that way.

 

[Lune]

"She's gone. An accident on one of these streets... five years ago now?" Upon hearing that, the idol gasped.

"I... didn't know..." She, out of all people, would understand the pain. "I'm so sorry," Her right hand instinctively reached for his, trying to offer comfort by touch.

"Have you... ever lost someone like that?" A topic she really wanted to avoid. After a month or so of trying to escape that thought, all of it just came back to her. Maybe it was her karma, after all.

Dayeon took a slow, long inhale before meeting his eyes again. Her first instinct was to just smile through and lie, as she had done countless times during her idol days. But Markus opened up to her, trusting the idol with his thoughts and problems. The least she could do is just to be truthful.

"Yes," The woman had to pause, her eyes constantly wandering from the blonde's eyes, the coffee, her phone, and the window, before settling back to Markus.

"My boyfriend. Killed during the Camp Hope defense." She could feel her tears slowly rising up around her eyes. Maybe it's still too soon...

@Zelrius

 

[Zelrius]

"Yes," Her voice and small pause made the man's attention snap to her. He just stopped and looked at her, both a tension and relief building in his chest. Markus didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't so straight honesty. Someone who did understand, someone to actually talk to.

"My boyfriend. Killed during the Camp Hope defense." It was his time to react. His jaw clenched, eyes widened. Only, until the words processed. Someone had mentioned something about someone kissing the machine and cutting its head off when he had eventually gotten back from Vintergard. But - "Ah... it must have been terrible to learned they died while you were playing a game."

He didn't offer the same physical comfort she had him. It wasn't something he thought he had the place to do, or even something that Dayeon would want. Completely missing the point, and thinking if he were in the same situation. He wanted to know more - to connect with her. The way she looked like she was about to cry, though. Markus knew it was better than to press on. He should have never brought it up or asked. Never taken this stupid break. His mother was right, moping only ever brought other people down.

 

[Lune]

"Ah... it must have been terrible to learned they died while you were playing a game."

A game?

She told everyone, many fucking times that the thing was not a game.

"He didn't die—I was the one who killed him. I chose the stupid camp over him," Her hands curled into a ball, containing all of her pent-up emotions. Teeth rattling, the idol looked like she was raging more than she was crying. "Cut his head off, UI-locking him in the process, killing him in the real world at that very moment."

"We had only just met after a long five years..." Both of her hands moved, now clutching the sides of her head as tears finally broke, and her voice cracked into low, whimpering noises. "... Painful, lonely five years."

Pausing, she then raised her head to look straight at the man, eyes red like blood. "Now you understand I kept berating you when you jump into dangers recklessly like you always do, right?" It was more like a soft growl rather than a question.

@Zelrius