Submersion Prologue
Title: Submersion
Pairing: KyuChul (Kyuhyun x Heechul), others possible later
Genre: SciFi, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: PG - 13
Summary: Cho Kyuhyun, like every other college kid on the face of the planet, is completely broke and needs money for school and to feed his addiction to games and cold pizza, so he signs up to do a product test for a new game system. It’s the pinnacle of modern technology - full immersion into the game world, with real sights, sounds, smells - and pain.
---
Prologue
---
“You’re sure this is the right place?”
“Is the building number 5508?”
Cho Kyuhyun looked up to the building number above the door, one of the caste-iron fives lopsided and looking like a stray wind might send it clattering to the ground. When he imagined what the laboratories for the Park Entertainment Company would look like, he thought there would be a skyscraper - clean white marble and blue window glass, a modern construction with hundreds of people rushing around going about their business on a large city block.
The reality, as usual, fell far short of his imagining. He just hoped the job was what what it seemed - a somewhat sketchy if reasonably compensated bit of testing for a game company. Al he had to do was whore out his gaming skills for a couple of hours, right? Nothing serious.
“And you’re sure this is reputable place?”
The man on the other side of the phone huffed, and Kyuhyun could imagine him cocking his hip to the side and glaring, as if the phone could convey the intent of those actions, if not the actions themselves. “Have I ever sent you wrong before?”
“Yes. When you decided to throw me a graduation party, you said that was punch.”
“It was punch! It just had a little something-something extra in it to give it a - you know what, we’re not talking about that.” There was a sigh on the other side of the line, his friend gathering his thoughts. When Kim Heechul shifted emotional gears, he expected everyone else to follow suit. If a situation was over, it was over, and the emotions involved with it were out like a candle, buried deeply beneath a sultry surface. “Park Jungsu is a genius when it comes to modern gaming technology. A little eccentric, a little sentimental, and the boy doesn’t know the first thing about stress management, but hey. It could be worse.”
“I guess he could be some mentally unstable hermit that lives in his mom’s basement.”
“I was going to say he could be me, but that’s unfortunately closer to reality than anything.” He cut Kyuhyun off before he could object. “But no matter his shortcomings, he’s a good guy. And he’s better with electronics than anyone I know. If he has a job for you, take it! Especially if the pay is that good.”
Oh, the pay was good. Kyuhyun knew that - he had ogled at the figures and the neat marching line of zeros that was the promised pay for only the first session. For a moment Kyuhyun had thought Heechul might have been whoring him out to the socially repressed technology buff that apparently lived in his mom’s basement. Then he remembered the bills piling up on the table of his apartment - rent, tuition, phonebill, various game subscriptions - and he realized he didn’t care.
“And you’re sure there’s nothing else I need to know?”
“Nope. Just do what you do best, GameKyu. Oh, and you should probably know-” There was a beep, and then, “Your call has been disconnected.”
Kyuhyun cursed and snapped his phone shut. Of course he would have to lose all bars on the creepy back street in front of the creepy looking office building. At least it looked like a semi-legitimate business. There were no mafias or drug dealers running around that he saw. In fact, he didn’t see anyone on the street.
Because they’ve already been sacrificed to whatever bloodthirsty god they serve here, his mind supplied. He mentally kicked himself, and walked through the nondescript front doors. They were glass, of course, so the receptionist and anyone in the lobby must have been watching him panicking like an idiot since he first spotted the building.
He was mostly safe . . . just a receptionist at his desk, looking up and smiling cheerfully at him. He only looked a little older, maybe out of college. Kyuhyun would have liked to have sunglasses for when he looked at him - neon-colored and bleeding sunshine. Or maybe it was just the gold nametag affixed to his bright pink shirt. Lee Sungmin. Ok. He could remember that. His mind was still running faster than the rest of him, though, so it would probably be all he remembered . . .
“Are you the new tester?” Sungmin asked, standing up. The movement wasn’t threatening, but Kyuhyun still stepped back.
The other man looked at him expectantly. Oh, right, say something, stupid. “Cho Kyuhyun,” he said, trying to sound a little less completely freaked out than he knew he looked.
“Alrighty, then. Jungsu hyung said to bring you as soon as you came in. We need to tell you about the game and the proceedures before the testing begins. Have you served in the army yet?” Kyuhyun shook his head mutely as Sungmin guided him through the halls. “Well, that’s too bad. We usually like the observation skills soldiers have, but I’m sure you’ll do. Just try to remember everything you see so you can report it back to us!” he chirpped, pushing Kyuhyun into an office.
There was a man sitting at a desk, doing paperwork and looking nothing like the image that Kyuhyun’s mind had conjured up. This was supposed to be some middleaged overweight nerd. As it was, he had honey-blond hair and a slight, somewhat artistic build. He looked up at Kyuhyun and smiled, adjusting his glasses as he stood, and his every movement screamed of sincerity. How did Heechul know this guy? He looked like he would be a total killjoy at a party. At least, the kind of party that Heechul liked. Videogame parties, he had no doubt, this man would be the guest of honor.
It took all of four seconds for Kyuhyun to realize that he was in heaven. The office was clean, but decorated with so much videogame memorabilia that it took all his mental discipline not to gawk. But he couldn’t help himself. “That’s not a . . . a Vulture Hoverbike, is it?” he asked, pointing to one of the glass cases.
The man - Park Jungsu? - laughed a little awkwardly. “I’m sure I don’t know. I got it at a convention when I was promoting the company. It was a gift from the Blizzard executive that was there. Starcraft wasn’t the kind of game I was interested in.”
Kyuhyun tried to contain his disappointment. And failed miserably. If they weren’t interested in games like Starcraft, what could the possibly be interested in? Princess Pony Land? Vet Hospital? But apparently Jungsu never noticed never noticed. “I’m glad you could come. The testing process is pretty rigorous. Not many people can devote as much time to it as we need.”
“It’s no problem,” Kyuhyun replied as evenly as possible. “I’m on spring break, so. . . .”
Jungsu smiled and nodded. “Whatever the reason you could come, we’re glad. Should I tell you about the game now?”
Kyuhyun nodded.
“It took several years to develop, though I think our writers really outdid themselves. And our programers! To bring such a complex political intrigue to life takes so much effort and they really stepped up to the challenge.” He seemed to lose himself in some fond memories for a moment, before clearing his throat. “So. The game. It is designed to for single player or multiplayer groups, teams or melee depending on preferece. The setting is fantasy for the most part, with influences from anywhere we could find, really. The old king is dying and he has yet to name an heir from his brood - several legitimate and illegitimate children as well as a few advisors are all after the position. In single player mode, you play one of the illigitimate children, squirreled away in a backwater province for most of your life. Your mother and most of the village has been killed by bandits, and you only just escaped. A few retainers of the king find you like this, and it’s where the game begins properly. The goal is, of course, to receive the crown from the dying king and rule the kingdom happily ever after, using essentially any means necessary. Do you have any questions so far?”
Yes. Many. But it was a strategy game, it seemed, and that was familiar. He assumed the tasks would be explained in the game, and if they weren’t, well, that was one of glitches he would be helping them find and hash out. “So how is the game played?”
Jungsu grinned like a kid at Christmas. “I think it’s best if you see for yourself.”
---
“Submersion gaming.”
Kyuhyun stared at the set up - what looked like a dentist chair surrounded by various monitors, both medical and computer related (as far as he could tell). A towering black box in a corner with wires spewing from its various opened panels. A computer tech that looked like a bouncer staring at one of the monitors, chewing off his fingernails. A shorter man in a flannel shirt, bow tie, and glasses looking over his shoulder (or trying to) while holding these . . . things that looked like earbuds attached to suction cups.
He said you could discontinue your participation at any time in the study, his mind shouted. Now would be a good time to take him up on that, don’t you think?
But as Jungsu introduced the two game technicians - Kim Youngwoon and Kim Ryeowook - all he could to was shake hands and sort of mumble greetings. Maybe he had been drugged. That could be the only reason he wasn’t running out of the building. He tried to think back to a point where they might have slipped him something.
“Take a seat,” the nerdy man said, patting the dentist’s chair. Kyuhyun nodded slightly and sat down. It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, and oen of them must have pressed a foot pedal or something because the chair started to recline and he jumped.
“Take a deep breath and relax a bit,” Youngwoon said, crossing his arms as Ryeowook began affixing the suction things to his forehead with some sort of freezing cold gel. “This is a game, your supposed to have fun. And the submersion won’t work if you’re that freaked out. You need to get your bloodpreassure down.”
The beeping of the monitors picked up as Ryeowook affixed a few more monitors - there was one for his heard sticking off of a finger, and the machinery made it look like he had just finished running up a flight of stairs. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
“We only do three hours at a time for testing reasons. The game can go longer and still be safe, but there is a time lapse between the game and reality - the game time goes about one day for every half-hour. There are ways to check what time it is on the outside, just order the menu screen outloud and it will imediately pause the game and show you the buttons. It’s like touch screen technology - buttons will come up with options, you can save, quit, check stats for various characters and yourself, as well as the status of missions that you are aware of. There is also a button that will give you hints about what you should do next.”
“And I won’t need to know how to use a sword or anything?”
Jungsu laughed. “That’s what the guards are for. If you want to learn, you can always ask one of them. But your character goes in knowing nothing of court. It would be odd if you knew everything right away.” He leaned back in his chair beside one of the monitors. "At the oddest times people keep reporting that they smell pinapples. We can’t pinpoint the exact source, so if you ever experience it, try to remember where it is so we can test it again."
Kyuhyun nodded. The beeping of the monitor was not as rushed. He closed his eyes and said, “I’m ready.”
He was vaguely aware of Ryeowook doing some sort of countdown, of switches being flipped and buttons clicked. “And submersion is a go!”
And then there was nothing.
---
A/N: This turned out to be more complicated than I thought it would be. But making Ryeowook a nerd is so much fun! ^^
Notice I put both prompts into this. Leeteuk and pinapples will come up much more, though, I can assure you.
Pairing: KyuChul (Kyuhyun x Heechul), others possible later
Genre: SciFi, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: PG - 13
Summary: Cho Kyuhyun, like every other college kid on the face of the planet, is completely broke and needs money for school and to feed his addiction to games and cold pizza, so he signs up to do a product test for a new game system. It’s the pinnacle of modern technology - full immersion into the game world, with real sights, sounds, smells - and pain.
---
Prologue
---
“You’re sure this is the right place?”
“Is the building number 5508?”
Cho Kyuhyun looked up to the building number above the door, one of the caste-iron fives lopsided and looking like a stray wind might send it clattering to the ground. When he imagined what the laboratories for the Park Entertainment Company would look like, he thought there would be a skyscraper - clean white marble and blue window glass, a modern construction with hundreds of people rushing around going about their business on a large city block.
The reality, as usual, fell far short of his imagining. He just hoped the job was what what it seemed - a somewhat sketchy if reasonably compensated bit of testing for a game company. Al he had to do was whore out his gaming skills for a couple of hours, right? Nothing serious.
“And you’re sure this is reputable place?”
The man on the other side of the phone huffed, and Kyuhyun could imagine him cocking his hip to the side and glaring, as if the phone could convey the intent of those actions, if not the actions themselves. “Have I ever sent you wrong before?”
“Yes. When you decided to throw me a graduation party, you said that was punch.”
“It was punch! It just had a little something-something extra in it to give it a - you know what, we’re not talking about that.” There was a sigh on the other side of the line, his friend gathering his thoughts. When Kim Heechul shifted emotional gears, he expected everyone else to follow suit. If a situation was over, it was over, and the emotions involved with it were out like a candle, buried deeply beneath a sultry surface. “Park Jungsu is a genius when it comes to modern gaming technology. A little eccentric, a little sentimental, and the boy doesn’t know the first thing about stress management, but hey. It could be worse.”
“I guess he could be some mentally unstable hermit that lives in his mom’s basement.”
“I was going to say he could be me, but that’s unfortunately closer to reality than anything.” He cut Kyuhyun off before he could object. “But no matter his shortcomings, he’s a good guy. And he’s better with electronics than anyone I know. If he has a job for you, take it! Especially if the pay is that good.”
Oh, the pay was good. Kyuhyun knew that - he had ogled at the figures and the neat marching line of zeros that was the promised pay for only the first session. For a moment Kyuhyun had thought Heechul might have been whoring him out to the socially repressed technology buff that apparently lived in his mom’s basement. Then he remembered the bills piling up on the table of his apartment - rent, tuition, phonebill, various game subscriptions - and he realized he didn’t care.
“And you’re sure there’s nothing else I need to know?”
“Nope. Just do what you do best, GameKyu. Oh, and you should probably know-” There was a beep, and then, “Your call has been disconnected.”
Kyuhyun cursed and snapped his phone shut. Of course he would have to lose all bars on the creepy back street in front of the creepy looking office building. At least it looked like a semi-legitimate business. There were no mafias or drug dealers running around that he saw. In fact, he didn’t see anyone on the street.
Because they’ve already been sacrificed to whatever bloodthirsty god they serve here, his mind supplied. He mentally kicked himself, and walked through the nondescript front doors. They were glass, of course, so the receptionist and anyone in the lobby must have been watching him panicking like an idiot since he first spotted the building.
He was mostly safe . . . just a receptionist at his desk, looking up and smiling cheerfully at him. He only looked a little older, maybe out of college. Kyuhyun would have liked to have sunglasses for when he looked at him - neon-colored and bleeding sunshine. Or maybe it was just the gold nametag affixed to his bright pink shirt. Lee Sungmin. Ok. He could remember that. His mind was still running faster than the rest of him, though, so it would probably be all he remembered . . .
“Are you the new tester?” Sungmin asked, standing up. The movement wasn’t threatening, but Kyuhyun still stepped back.
The other man looked at him expectantly. Oh, right, say something, stupid. “Cho Kyuhyun,” he said, trying to sound a little less completely freaked out than he knew he looked.
“Alrighty, then. Jungsu hyung said to bring you as soon as you came in. We need to tell you about the game and the proceedures before the testing begins. Have you served in the army yet?” Kyuhyun shook his head mutely as Sungmin guided him through the halls. “Well, that’s too bad. We usually like the observation skills soldiers have, but I’m sure you’ll do. Just try to remember everything you see so you can report it back to us!” he chirpped, pushing Kyuhyun into an office.
There was a man sitting at a desk, doing paperwork and looking nothing like the image that Kyuhyun’s mind had conjured up. This was supposed to be some middleaged overweight nerd. As it was, he had honey-blond hair and a slight, somewhat artistic build. He looked up at Kyuhyun and smiled, adjusting his glasses as he stood, and his every movement screamed of sincerity. How did Heechul know this guy? He looked like he would be a total killjoy at a party. At least, the kind of party that Heechul liked. Videogame parties, he had no doubt, this man would be the guest of honor.
It took all of four seconds for Kyuhyun to realize that he was in heaven. The office was clean, but decorated with so much videogame memorabilia that it took all his mental discipline not to gawk. But he couldn’t help himself. “That’s not a . . . a Vulture Hoverbike, is it?” he asked, pointing to one of the glass cases.
The man - Park Jungsu? - laughed a little awkwardly. “I’m sure I don’t know. I got it at a convention when I was promoting the company. It was a gift from the Blizzard executive that was there. Starcraft wasn’t the kind of game I was interested in.”
Kyuhyun tried to contain his disappointment. And failed miserably. If they weren’t interested in games like Starcraft, what could the possibly be interested in? Princess Pony Land? Vet Hospital? But apparently Jungsu never noticed never noticed. “I’m glad you could come. The testing process is pretty rigorous. Not many people can devote as much time to it as we need.”
“It’s no problem,” Kyuhyun replied as evenly as possible. “I’m on spring break, so. . . .”
Jungsu smiled and nodded. “Whatever the reason you could come, we’re glad. Should I tell you about the game now?”
Kyuhyun nodded.
“It took several years to develop, though I think our writers really outdid themselves. And our programers! To bring such a complex political intrigue to life takes so much effort and they really stepped up to the challenge.” He seemed to lose himself in some fond memories for a moment, before clearing his throat. “So. The game. It is designed to for single player or multiplayer groups, teams or melee depending on preferece. The setting is fantasy for the most part, with influences from anywhere we could find, really. The old king is dying and he has yet to name an heir from his brood - several legitimate and illegitimate children as well as a few advisors are all after the position. In single player mode, you play one of the illigitimate children, squirreled away in a backwater province for most of your life. Your mother and most of the village has been killed by bandits, and you only just escaped. A few retainers of the king find you like this, and it’s where the game begins properly. The goal is, of course, to receive the crown from the dying king and rule the kingdom happily ever after, using essentially any means necessary. Do you have any questions so far?”
Yes. Many. But it was a strategy game, it seemed, and that was familiar. He assumed the tasks would be explained in the game, and if they weren’t, well, that was one of glitches he would be helping them find and hash out. “So how is the game played?”
Jungsu grinned like a kid at Christmas. “I think it’s best if you see for yourself.”
---
“Submersion gaming.”
Kyuhyun stared at the set up - what looked like a dentist chair surrounded by various monitors, both medical and computer related (as far as he could tell). A towering black box in a corner with wires spewing from its various opened panels. A computer tech that looked like a bouncer staring at one of the monitors, chewing off his fingernails. A shorter man in a flannel shirt, bow tie, and glasses looking over his shoulder (or trying to) while holding these . . . things that looked like earbuds attached to suction cups.
He said you could discontinue your participation at any time in the study, his mind shouted. Now would be a good time to take him up on that, don’t you think?
But as Jungsu introduced the two game technicians - Kim Youngwoon and Kim Ryeowook - all he could to was shake hands and sort of mumble greetings. Maybe he had been drugged. That could be the only reason he wasn’t running out of the building. He tried to think back to a point where they might have slipped him something.
“Take a seat,” the nerdy man said, patting the dentist’s chair. Kyuhyun nodded slightly and sat down. It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, and oen of them must have pressed a foot pedal or something because the chair started to recline and he jumped.
“Take a deep breath and relax a bit,” Youngwoon said, crossing his arms as Ryeowook began affixing the suction things to his forehead with some sort of freezing cold gel. “This is a game, your supposed to have fun. And the submersion won’t work if you’re that freaked out. You need to get your bloodpreassure down.”
The beeping of the monitors picked up as Ryeowook affixed a few more monitors - there was one for his heard sticking off of a finger, and the machinery made it look like he had just finished running up a flight of stairs. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
“We only do three hours at a time for testing reasons. The game can go longer and still be safe, but there is a time lapse between the game and reality - the game time goes about one day for every half-hour. There are ways to check what time it is on the outside, just order the menu screen outloud and it will imediately pause the game and show you the buttons. It’s like touch screen technology - buttons will come up with options, you can save, quit, check stats for various characters and yourself, as well as the status of missions that you are aware of. There is also a button that will give you hints about what you should do next.”
“And I won’t need to know how to use a sword or anything?”
Jungsu laughed. “That’s what the guards are for. If you want to learn, you can always ask one of them. But your character goes in knowing nothing of court. It would be odd if you knew everything right away.” He leaned back in his chair beside one of the monitors. "At the oddest times people keep reporting that they smell pinapples. We can’t pinpoint the exact source, so if you ever experience it, try to remember where it is so we can test it again."
Kyuhyun nodded. The beeping of the monitor was not as rushed. He closed his eyes and said, “I’m ready.”
He was vaguely aware of Ryeowook doing some sort of countdown, of switches being flipped and buttons clicked. “And submersion is a go!”
And then there was nothing.
---
A/N: This turned out to be more complicated than I thought it would be. But making Ryeowook a nerd is so much fun! ^^
Notice I put both prompts into this. Leeteuk and pinapples will come up much more, though, I can assure you.