Authors Note: Hi everyone, I thought I should add an authors note to this chapter so that I could introduce myself and tell you a bit more about this story! My name is Stimpak, but most people call me Stim and this is my first ever fan-fiction! I've dabbled with writing my whole life but never did much with it outside of school, so here is my first attempt at sticking with an idea for a long story. I intend for this to span 707's entire route and secret ending, plus more after that! If you guys have any suggestions or ideas feel free to leave a review or message me and I'll get back to you ^^ Thanks for reading!

I struggled under the weight of a mountain of text books, my arms shaking with fatigue as I tried, in vain, to fish my phone out of the back pocket of my faded jeans. "Need some help with that?" A familiar voice giggled behind me, quirking my lips easily into a tired smile. I heard the click of her heels rapidly increase as she jogged up behind me. Thank god for Bo-Mi, the sweetest little cinnamon roll of a person, and my best friend.

"You're a life saver!" I beamed at her while in the process of shifting half of my chemistry books into her open arms. She stood a whole head taller than me, so it was an awkward shimmy that had me straining on the tips of my toes. Her long, black hair was pin straight and as always perfectly in place, a single clip holding her bangs back. Dark, intelligent eyes searched my face. For a split second they registered concern before her face smoothed over once again into a neutral expression.

"Areum, did you sleep at all last night?" There was a hint of irritation in her voice that I had grown used to these past few weeks. She could tell I was up all night studying again, even through the extra layers of concealer and brightening powder I had put on this morning. The girl was a damn bloodhound when it came to people, she could sniff out the tiniest details and secrets. But I didn't want to worry her. I flashed her a dazzling smile and nodded enthusiastically as the buzzing in my pocket started up with a vengeance.

"Of course! I slept like a little babe! I dreamt about an epic intergalactic romance! And yes cats were involved." It was half true, I often day dreamed about going into space, and cats were almost always involved. I mean who didn't like cats? With their cute little paws and whiskers! I brushed a stubborn lock of thick, chestnut hair behind my ear, praying Bo-Mi would accept my story and stop prying. To distract her I used my now free arm to extract my phone and check the screen, curious about the source of the buzzing. I didn't get many texts or calls, so this was odd. A notification from the app store flashed across my screen, notifying me about the completion of my most recent download.

Bo-Mi's lips pursed into a hard line as she studied me, opened her mouth to speak, thought better of it and promptly shut her mouth again. There was a moment of silence as I checked my phone, a hot flush creeping up my cheeks as the messenger app opened automatically on my phone and we both stared down at it. Me in embarrassment, Bo-Mi in curiosity. I could see her quirk an eyebrow up in surprise out of the corner of my eye as I hastily shoved the phone back into my pocket and began walking quickly towards my next class. I should of never downloaded that stupid dating app from the e-mail. Now I would have Bo-Mi on my case all afternoon, interrogating me about potential boyfriends and my forever alone status. The sharp click of her heels on the tile followed me down the hall and she shouted from behind me in a teasing voice that fought to bubble over into a laugh. "I have the rest of your books dummy!" I debated breaking into a sprint and abandoning the textbooks to their fate, but the imagine of me tripping and landing face first on the floor stopped me. The way this day was going, I couldn't rule out the possibility of this getting even worse. "C'mon stop Areum, I wasn't even going to say anything!"

I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the heat in my cheeks to dissipate and wishing desperately I could melt into the college activities board I was standing next to. I studied the cracks in the pristine white tiled floor, the janitor must have just mopped this hallway, I could almost see the outline of my reflection. Bo-Mi's black spiky heels came into view the next minute and my dark brown eyes took to glaring at the shiny gold buckle on her shoes instead. "So how do you think you did on the anatomy exam? I left a couple questions blank in the last half ugh..." I looked up and smiled at her attempt to put me at ease and change the topic, she knew I was like a skittish cat when it came to dealing with relationships and actually people in general. Her pretty features were pulled into an exaggerated grimace as she looked at me expectantly. "I think next time I should come study with you, that class will be death of me!" She moaned, and I couldn't help but laugh at her theatrics.

"You? Study?" I snorted and she narrowed her eyes at me before bursting into laughter with me. "You're too busy going on dates to find your future husband, to worry about your grade point average." We giggled together, Bo-Mi not even trying to dispute the fact that her grades had taken a back seat to the male population of SKY University. She was gorgeous and outgoing, and people were drawn to her magnetically. If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't ever leave the house. I was happy in my own little world, locked up in my studio painting or listening to music or even better working at the shelter surrounded by animals who needed my help. That was the only companionship I needed.

"Don't you want to find a tall, dark, stranger to sweep you off your feet and fall madly in love with?" I laughed and shook my head as she continued, her voice rising with passion. "And we would get married in a big beautiful church and take our honeymoon somewhere exotic like Bora Bora or.. Fiji!"

"And let me guess, you live in a magnificent mansion and have a butler named Jarvis?" I'd heard this spiel a million times and it never ceased to amuse me.

"Actually I would settle for a penthouse." Bo-Mi flashed me one of her signature, charming smiles and I laughed again, rolling my eyes for effect. A sudden loud vibration sounded once again from my back pocket, causing me to jump slightly in surprise. "Okay, I said I wouldn't say anything but... was that a.. dating app I saw on your phone?" A laboured sigh escaped my lips as I retrieved my phone once again. The jig was up, Bo-Mi was like a bulldog when she sunk her teeth into something, she wouldn't let this go. The notification for one new message blinked onto the screen of my cellphone and my eyebrows lifted in surprise. That was fast.

"I think?" I started to answer, my thumb hovering over the unopened message, unsure. "I got an email about this new app and I was bored so I downloaded it." My eyes met her interested gaze as she scratched her forehead, deep in thought.

"I've never heard of that one before." Her voice was slow and measured, as she tried to pull something from memory. She quickly snapped out of it and thumped me on the back enthusiastically so that I lost balance and almost tipped over under the lopsided weight of my textbooks. "Good for you girl! Look you have a message already! Open it, open it!"

I swayed to regain my balance and sent her a defeated look. "Don't you have class right now?"

"Don't change the subject!" Bo-Mi rummaged around in her purse for a second before pulling out her phone and checking the time. I watched her face pale as she quickly put the device away and dropped the textbooks she'd been carrying for me back onto the already unsteady stack in my arms. "Shit, shit, shit! You're right, I'm late for Kwon's class!" She sent me one last lingering look, as if she wasn't sure she should leave. "But you have to promise to tell me about that message later!" With that she turned on her heel and frantically ran down the hall, forcing apart a group of guys heading towards us and calling over her shoulder, "Promise Areum," before disappearing around the corner.

I wilted under the weight of my textbooks and sent her a sheepish smile before collapsing onto an empty bench. I forced myself to take a calming breath, avoiding the curious glances of the other students in the hallway after Bo-Mi's dramatic exit. My free hand felt hot and sweaty and I looked down to see that I was still clutching my cellphone tightly, the screen now black. I stared at it for a minute, chewing on my lip nervously. I'm sure Bo-Mi had tried to encourage me in her own way, but it had just made me feel insecure about this messenger app. Why was I overreacting so much? It was just a dumb app. I shoved my books unceremoniously into my bag, adjusting the shoulder strap as it dug into my skin from the added weight. Another deep breath as I stared at the black screen, willing my fingers to move on their own. I swiped left and entered the chatroom.

Unknown: ...Hello...?

Unknown, that was an odd name wasn't it? I mean, I didn't frequent messenger apps much so what would I know.. I typed back hesitantly.

Areum: ?

Unknown: Can you see this?

That was fast, this guy wasn't wasting any time.

Areum: Yes, I can.

Unknown: Finally connected. Thank god. It's not every day you get a text from a stranger. I'm a bit flustered myself. I found a smartphone at the subway station, but all it had was this messenger app. I want to find the owner, but I don't see any contact info or call records... I've been sending messages with this app but no reply... All I see is an address and some important looking numbers saved in the notes. I'd like to go their myself but I'm currently abroad...

Well he seemed nice enough. I winced at the thought of losing my phone and all the data stored on it, it would be like losing a limb! I quickly typed back, my anxiety lessened slightly due to the seriousness of the situation.

Areum: I'm sorry but, who are you lol

Unknown: Me? Oh sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm just... a student studying abroad. I'm Korean. I could tell you my name, but it doesn't really matter. You won't find me on search engines ^^;

Okay well, that was a little weird. He wouldn't tell me his name? Or her I guess.. I don't know anything about this person. And what's with the search engine thing? I nibbled on my lip and wriggled on the bench uncomfortably. I was about to reply but Unknown beat me to it.

Unknown: But, Anyways.. Can you help me find the owner of this phone? I know your surprised to have someone suddenly pop up and ask you a favour like this. But still.. I'd appreciate it if you could help.

I paused to think for a moment, my memories going back to when I was a child and my parents told me not to talk to strangers. But if I'm in a position to help, shouldn't I? I know I would be freaking out if I lost my phone. Whats the worst that could happen? This time I don't hesitate.

Areum: How can I help?

Unknown: Uhm... I'd like for you to go to the address saved here. I saw the street view through the internet, and I've been there before. It's an apartment in downtown. Very crowded. It's really a safe place. If you feel unsafe, you can turn around. I know the area. It's developed.

Alarm bells went off in my head like fireworks and I stared down at the messenger, a crease forming between my eyebrows as I debated. On one hand, a random stranger from the internet was telling me to go to a strange location, by myself, with very little information. On the other hand, I was in a position to help someone. If I didn't do this, who's to say this Unknown would be able to find someone else to inform the owner of this phone? The way he talked, it made me feel more at ease than maybe I should have been. I mean, he told me to leave if I felt unsafe at any time. If he was a shady type of person he wouldn't say that, would he? I steeled myself and typed back with as much confidence as I could muster.

Areum: Okay.. But I'm leaving right away if it feels sketchy.

There! That was a good compromise. Satisfied, I eagerly awaited his response, now feeling invested in this missing phone fiasco.

Unknown: You trust me... Thank you! Just a sec. I'll send you the address.

I waited with baited breath, strangely excited. Was this an adrenaline rush? Or was I just incredibly stupid and walking into a trap. I shook the thoughts from my head, laughing nervously to myself and standing up from the bench. I was done my only class for the day. It would be no problem to alter my original plans of spending the day at home playing LOLOL to quickly stop by this address and talk to these people about the phone. A smile stretched across my face as a strange feeling of empowerment rushed through me. I could do this! The phone buzzed in my hand again and I looked down eagerly.

Unknown: Found it.

The address was unfamiliar to me, but I knew the general downtown area and I had google maps at my disposal. I adjusted the strap of my heavy book bag distractedly as I turned around and started walking towards the front doors. Typing as I went.

Areum: On my way!