Chapter 1: No Pain, No Gain

Sitting contemplatively outside in the brisk November weather, Mei-Cho Chang decided that whoever designed the wheelchair ramps for Seoyoung-Ho Clinic was a sick, sadistic bastard. Like seriously, whose idea was it to make the ramps almost parallel with the stairs? It made it so hard to roll up that you were more likely to strain yourself further than to clear it unscathed. She already had to come in for therapy three times a week. Was the clinic so broke -so desperate- that they needed a guarantee for her to be a continuing, returning patron?

Strands of her choppy black hair that weren't in patches dripped wet with water and chlorine onto her turtleneck, her eyes burning with hatred up at the disproportionate ramp, knowing full-well that she would have to tackle this abomination in a few hours.

Clenching the top, outer rims of her wheelchair, she hotly debated between tackling the disproportionate ramp in practice for the real thing or risk a hop onto the sidewalk before hearing a sharp trill of the K-Pop musical stylings of Psy coming from her person. Mei-Cho could barely feel the vibrations in her pocket before she fished her iPhone out of her tan, cable-knit sweater and read the dismissed the alarm.

8:40 a.m.

Damn.

Grudgingly, she tucked the phone in between her chair and thigh and decided to live a little dangerously and get in a good curb hop in as practice, starting her Tuesday morning roll down towards the subway station.

Some days life felt like an uphill battle on an unsalted ramp in winter. Like today, for example. Her asshole of a dog, Jin, had woken her up thirty minutes before her alarm for walkies, the stubbornly independent Shiba Inu taking forever to choose which area he wanted to piss on their usual route through the park and then proceed to stop and piss on everything in sight, including other dogs, and then lie motionless for minutes at a time to display dominance. Then her swim practice today was complete garbage, her time in swimming two hundred meters being eight seconds slower than her original best, and now her dinosaur of an iPhone was to the point where she had to clean out her almost all of her apps and store the majority of her photos in the Cloud archives just so the system could update, because that was the better alternative than buying a new phone with more data, which she could not afford with her current financial situation. Which is why her alarm was delayed by ten minutes, having the fun new glitch of snoozing itself without telling her, throwing off her whole calendar schedule.

Still, as this was the same shit everyday (with a little variety sprinkled in), Mei-Cho tried not to let any of it get under her skin as she swiped her train pass and rolled onto the yellow striped platform. She always planned about twenty minutes in advanced for situations like this, should she need to find a bathroom or need time to find an elevator or a wheelchair accessible path to her destination to avoid missing her train or deal with any other unforeseen disaster that would seem to target her. Even when that failed, her wheelchair was a good fallback for a legitimate excuse at being late for work, the only plus side about being in a wheelchair. That and handicap parking.

With a tab of a touchscreen, the iPhone's internet icon flashed a joyous green four bars and connected to the metro's Public Access Wi-Fi and MC began the due process of cleaning out unnecessary applications like Cinder and Cat Physics and changing others to factory settings. Clicking the system update with a disgruntled satisfaction, Mei-Cho locked her device and set it gently in her lap while waiting for the subway, allowing it to shutdown and restart at leisure and silently praying to the evil schmucks at Pear Corp. that her model had been one of the products they had went out of their way to build properly enough that it wouldn't break within two years and that her poor little dino had enough space to function properly for at least another year.

Shortly after her daily prayer, she eyed a homeless man crouched away from the huddled masses that flooded to and from the Seoul Metro. He had lackluster white hair and was shielded by a raggedy black coat and a crusty old blanket only reserved for emergencies. She could tell by his sunken in eyes and the gaunt expression he wore like a veteran that he wasn't in the best condition of his life, and what put him there wasn't an insomniac love of watching subway cars. Learning from her parents never to give money to homeless strangers, Mei-Cho phished around in her wallet for a gift card so that the man could at least have a hot meal. She weighed her options of offering her Moonbucks or Burger Kill cards, contemplating which one had more money on it before settling on both. She needed to eat less fast food anyways.

"Don't spend it all on drugs," was all she said, holding out the two gift cards before tossing them into his Styrofoam cup. She didn't check to see his reaction. Her train had arrived and she didn't have time for sentiment.

She was moving towards a subway pole on the traincar when her phone decided to be a douche and slip off of her lap and clatter onto the floor. Droves of people walked mindlessly by, off in their own little worlds and customarily elbowing people within strike range if it got too crowded before briefly snapping out of it to step around her. If she was lucky, they ignored her, but most mustered enough energy to spare her a dirty looks or a glance of pity, as if she was the cause of everything wrong in the world and it was her fault they weren't arriving at their destination as soon as they liked. However, despite this, she still didn't have to move a muscle before two or three people noticed her plight and motioned to pick up her phone for her, which had been scuffed and kicked beyond her reach.

In the brief instant, they resembled a herd of stray dogs that were ready to tear each others' throat out over a scrap of meat, each person emphatically rushing to do their one good deed for the day by helping a cripple pick up her dropped phone. The guy in the middle won out in the end, winning some sort of unspoken game of chicken based on hesitation and reaction time, before picking it up. He held her phone for a few seconds, almost as if he was debating on giving it back or taunting her with it before extending his arm out.

"Here you go, miss." She stared at his fingers like they were foreign objects before retrieving it from the stranger.

"Thanks," she replied automatically, disinterested in his kind gesture. Would anyone have noticed her drop her phone if she wasn't in a wheelchair? Would've anyone cared if she did?

"Make sure not to lose that. Wouldn't want you to be unable to call for help."

Dick.

"Yeah, sure thing," Mei-Cho said, feeling like she was baring her fangs instead of smiling.

"Have a nice day."

Bite me.

And then he turned to get off the train just as the doors closed shut. After making a note that her screen did not crack from the fall, Mei-Cho swiped her finger across the touchscreen and punched in her pin number and read the notification bar at the top of the screen. Now that her phone was updated, her notifications came in one major rush that caused her phone to obnoxiously blow up, going from having little seizures to borderline schizophrenic until she managed to turn down the sound. Twenty one missed Fake Book notifications. Seven updated apps. Three unanswered texts. Eight missed phone calls- God, Heejae, a little excessive much? -and one missed appointment on her calendar for 2:30 pm, two weeks ago on the second.

Right as she was about to click on the Flabbie Birb icon, having broken her previous high score before rage-quitting, she noticed a tiny new app in the corner of her screen that read 'RFA.'

Curious but not willing to touch an unfamiliar app she didn't remember authorizing or downloading, she looked up the little widget on her app store. It had a handful of reviews and mostly four or five star ratings for the app, though it had a lot of cat icons; even for South Korea, it was a bit excessive. The summary read 'RFA, a fun messaging group application to connect to and chat with single, handsome strangers in your area.'

It couldn't have been more obvious spam than an email that said 'penis enlargement pills' in the subject line. Her first instinct was to delete the app, switch to her Noogle and try to get a tiny t-rex to jump over cacti for points while she waited for her stop, and move on her merry way.

However, the one percentage of her that did still believe in bullshit was curious if the app was genuine and part of some sort of partnership with her old Cinder app or something. If not, it wouldn't be any loss to her. Her phone was old and had few contacts, hardly a worthy find for juicy information and phone numbers to spam. Anything worthwhile was in the Cloud, and it was just a bunch of reference shots, selfies, and unusual pictures of unimportant things. Who knows? Maybe she could fuck with them a little, say she was their fiancée and ask what the hell was they doing using a dating app to meet hot, young singles. It would certainly keep them busy enough to keep them from bothering other people and scamming them out of hard-earned wages.

She clicked on the app, which had a small spinning red hourglass until the loading screen brought her to a login main menu. Using her initials, she tapped on the Join the RFA icon and typed the username 'MC' along with a numbered pass-code for the password before she was asked to upload a picture or icon to be used as her avatar to complete the registration. Going through her album with the few photos she had left, she swiped through an eclectic collection of folders ranging from pictures of dogs to her wearing different colored wigs and contacts. Up until a couple of years ago, she had regularly gone through a few bizarre, embarrassing fashion years based on all the latest fads and now had an excess of multicolored wigs she now found practical outside of recreational use. However, she found she was no longer satisfied with the different looks and was a bit hesitant in uploading an actual photo of herself, and just went with a default unicorn icon with a pink mane and blue hair pre-programed into the app and hoped for the best.

Her phone abruptly flashed to black and then showed long streams of green algorithms that moved too quickly to process- already, she was regretting her decision -and then, right as she was about to close the app and call it quits, a small text bubble appeared at the bottom of the screen:

…Hello?

Her phone pinged a little bell chime at the new message. Funny. She could have sworn she had turned her phone volume to vibrate.

Can you see this?

She tried looking at the user's profile, an identification to the unknown number that contacted her, but it just registered them as 'Unknown' in their profile settings.

No. I am a robot. Fear me, meat puppet, she typed back, unable to hold back her usual level of snark.

*[Unknown]: A robot, huh? It's not everyday you get a text from a robot.
*[Unknown]: I'm a bit flustered myself. I found a smartphone at the subway station, but all it had was this messenger app.
*[Unknown]: I want to find the owner, but I don't see any contact info or call records…
*[Unknown]: I've been sending messages with this app but no reply…
*[Unknown]: All I see is an address and some important-looking numbers saved in notes.
*[Unknown]: I'd like to go there myself but I'm currently abroad…

Mei-Cho bit her bottom lip trying to stave off a smirk, already generating some guerilla warfare mind games to be messing with this phishing, spam monkey and poke holes in his logic.

*[MC]: I thought this app was for chatting with pretty boys?
*[MC]: And how can you find a person's phone from this country in another country?

*[Unknown]: What? Oh. I guess you're seeing this message because of something you downloaded.
*[Unknown]: I'm not sure, but I think it's an app that's connected to the one I'm using?
*[Unknown]: Can you help me find the owner of this phone?

Ignoring her sound logic and thinking it was some sort of evil pervert with a goatee trying to scam her or sell her into slavery, Mei-Cho continued her clueless act and added fuel to the fire.

*[MC]: How can I help you? I am a robot. I have no free will and I'm plugged into a near-immovable space.

*[Unknown]: …
*[Unknown]: Then I'll just have to reprogram you.

For some reason, in the small amount of time that it took for them to send that chat, that last comment sent a small chill down her spine.

*[Unknown]: Haha, JK. See? I can make jokes too. ^^
*[Unknown]: But seriously, 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.

As if he sensed her unease, he continued with emphasizing that it was a safe, developed neighborhood and that she could quit any time she wanted. She then got a message with a picture of a boy with blue, lavender hair and toxic waste green eyes.

*[Unknown]: That is me in the photo. Maybe this will make you less suspicious…?

Whoever this guy was, he wasn't a very convincing liar. She could still see the faint Shutterflock watermark in the background. Then again, she was one to talk, using a unicorn icon instead of her actual face, and it could have been something they had edited to look better on their profile. Still, she persisted, wanting to spur her spammer on.

*[MC]: But am I just a robot. What if I short out on my way there or run out of batteries?

Almost instantly, he refuted with, 'they have charging stations on the way. Just please go there. Please. I'm worried about the owner and how much they're missing their phone.'

Wow. Two 'pleases' in a row. She was starting to break this guy.

*[MC]: But what if you're some sort of creepy hacker who wants to break my hardware and use my spare parts to build his own computer or sell on the internet or black market?

*[Unknown]: Creep ^^;; I'm not a creep. Haven't you ever heard of the saying 'you get a treat if you listen to older men'…?

*[MC]: No. Sorry. That isn't coming up in my data banks. Hit Ctrl + Alt + Delete to continue.

*[Unknown]: Sorry, I was just kidding. Bad joke ^^;;;
*[Unknown]: ...
*[Unknown]: ...?
*[Unknown]: ...Hello?
*[Unknown]: Are you still there?

*[MC]: Hit Ctrl + Alt + Delete to continue.

*[Unknown]: ...What? I'm typing from a phone. There is no Control, Alt, Delete buttons.

*[MC]: Hit Ctrl + Alt + Delete to continue.

*[Unknown]: Look, would you just-
*[Unknown]: ...
*[Unknown]: ...
*[Unknown]: Wait.
*[Unknown]: ...Ctrl + Alt + Delete.

*[MC]: Restored. How may I help you?

*[Unknown]: Look... All I want is for you to help me out.

*[MC]: If you're all that concerned about this phone, why don't you just turn it into the police? Or keep it? Reduce, reuse, recycle.
*[MC]: Tons of people lose their phones every day and they just go out and buy a new one. Everything is stored on the Cloud nowadays.

*[Unknown]: Well… normal people won't be able to understand… to be honest, I'm very religious.
*[Unknown]: My religion says that you must not miss any opportunity to do good, no matter how small. Even if I do keep it, I can't help but think about how stressed the owner might be…

Well… shit. She didn't know how to mock that.

*[Unknown]: I know I'm asking too much. You might think I'm odd.
*[Unknown: …I am a bit odd to be honest, but would you consider it? I'm talking to you right now, as a real person. Two complete strangers at two completely different places… It's a miracle we've connected.
*[Unknown]: No one responded to my messages. You're the first one.
*[Unknown]: I don't know how we got connected… but maybe this was meant to be?

Stepping away from her bullshit trolling for a second, she let the words in the chatroom set in. Why should she go out of her way to help a stranger help another stranger get their phone back? She didn't care. It wasn't her job to care.

Legitimacy and good-natured honesty were rare traits to come by in adults; for all she knew, Unknown was just playing on her sympathies. But on the off-chance that this was an actual cry for help, she would feel like a major jackass turning it down later. Other people probably thought the same, thinking he was some sort of scammer by trying to do good by seeking outside help.

*[Unknown]: I'm returning to Korea soon, so I'll definitely make it up to you. If you feel unsafe near the place, you can just delete the app. Please, I'm begging you.

Having been so invested in her phone conversation, she had failed to notice that she had completely missed her stop. She let out a rough sigh, her eyes skyward towards the heavens like they knew the answer. Then her thumbs moved over the touchscreen keyboard.

*[MC]: Alright… but if something seems strange, I'm getting the hell outta there.

*[Unknown]: Thank you! Then I'll send you the address. Now how do you do that…
*[Unknown]: Found it.

Oh well. It was better to answer a cry for help and have it be fake than turning it down and having it be real, and it's not like she was any hurry to go home...

After doing a check with her phone and sitting on the subway for an extra two stops doing a little research, it turns out that the mysterious stranger was right about the area being well developed. The apartment complex itself was very high end, having automatic doors, expensive furniture arranged in the lobby, and multiple elevators. However, hardly anyone seemed to be roaming the halls. In fact, she hadn't run into anybody since coming here.

Maybe they're all still out to lunch or at work… she tried to convince herself as she pushed the button for floor fourteen. She fiddled with her phone anxiously in her lap as the soft dings of the elevator made her grow more jittery with ever dulcet ping. Finally the doors opened, breaking her from her trance and started rolling down the hall marked '1421-1431 -.-', reminding herself that this was a bad idea and that she was stupid enough to do it anyway.

"You have arrived at your destination…" Siri announced in a way Mei-Cho programed to sound like a posh, disinterested Brit as she stood outside of Apt.# 1426 and consulted with her strange new acquaintance about their next move.

*[Unknown]: Is there a password lock on the door?

Mei-Cho pondered for a second, deciding to tease Unknown one last time before fully committing.

*[MC]: Hmm... Don't see one

*[Unknown]: ...That's strange.
*[Unknown]: There's really nothing to put in the password?

*[MC]: JK. It's here.

*[Unknown]: Haha, nice.
*[Unknown]: You're pretty funny.

After how much she had been screwing with Unknown up until this point, it was hard to tell if his text was genuine or sarcastic. Mei-Cho liked to think highly enough of herself that she had upgraded the conversation to sarcastic or at least mildly annoyed, but she knew better than to poke the bear any further. It's all fun and games now, but if this Unknown guy was more dangerous than he initially let on, she didn't want to antagonism him... well, more than she had intially. Fortunately, before she had taken off, she had been smart enough to send the address to a friend of hers to let her know where she was going and to call her back if Mei-Cho didn't respond back in about an hour or so.

For some reason, Unknown- as she now referred to him, since he had never given her his name -was aware of the pass-code lock and that she was already there. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up cautiously as she subtly peered around the hall using her phone's reflective screen to search for anyone suspicious as Unknown urged her to input the password he found on a Note in the cellphone.

"…Shouldn't I ring the doorbell first?" she asked to herself before typing it onto her phone, trying to stall for time. Though curious if the layout of the apartment was nearly as ornate as the complex itself, Mei-Cho derived no pleasure in committing a felony, even if it was for a good cause.

*[Unknown]: Hmm. You're right! Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight.

Eye level with the doorbell, she pressed the button and knocked on the door for extra emphasis. The slab that separated her from her destination was hard as steel. Sure that her resounding knock and doorbell was enough of a racket to alert the neighbors, she listened for shifting, a murmur, a dog bark, anything to give her reason to stay and not to immediately haul ass out of here. Nothing. Nobody was home, or rather, no one answered.

What if she was being set up for a murder, like on all those crime shows and Korean dramas she watched?

No problem! I'll just leave a note on the door or something and then get the hell outta dodge, was Mei-Cho's first thought. Of course, leave it to her for not bringing any paper or pens with her, despite having a ludicrous amount of crap in her purse. There was no choice then. Hesitantly, she punched in the code upon Unknown's request and heard the jarring click of an unlocked door and pushed it inward.

"Hellooo? If this is some sort of trap for an evil sex trade or porno, I'm going to tell you right now that you will be thoroughly disappointed," Mei-Cho called out, fueling in her anxiety into snark.

She was just one roll away from committing a B&E for someone she met on a phone app. Maybe she could convince the cops that her disability affected more than her motor skills and that was why she entered an apartment she didn't live in. Made more sense that saying 'the mysterious stranger on the phone app made me do it.'

*[MC]: Nope! No way. I'm not going to enter some stranger's house!

*[Unknown]: You've come so far. No turning back now. Just go in and leave a note.
*[Unknown]: I'll give even you my contact info. If something happens, you can just show my messages. That'll do.

*[MC]: I guess that makes sense ...Fuck it. Let's do it!

*[Unknown]: T̵̺̔͋̍͘h̵̺͔̩̏
̶̳̇̎̏ḁ̵̡̟̑̄͜n̸͈͚̈̈̊́k̶̡̔͗̚͝
ỷ̶̡̮o̴͎̔͂́ǘ̵̟̖̮͌

Unknown has left the chatroom

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