VISUAL // Yoongi

HP +6

<> Y/N <>

"Where's the headset?"

"What?"

Tossing my bag on one of the tables, I ignore the sweat beading on my neck from the hot weather. Yoona accidentally bangs her hip into a table in her hurry to approach me.

She hobbles up to me. "I thought you weren't going to play until tomorrow? It's still Monday."

"I had a change of heart."

"A change of heart?" Shifting her weight, Yoona scans my dejected face. I clear my throat and rub my nose. "You got fired, didn't you?"

"Ha! No, nothing like..." Catching Yoona's tense posture, an awkward moment of silence hangs over my lips. I hang my head. "Yeah."

Bringing me in for a hug, Yoona pats my back. "No big deal. You want to try the game again?"

"Just one more time. If something doesn't feel right, I'll put it away for good."

"For good?" Yoona pouts. "But..."

"I know you want to help me move on," I mutter, "but I need to do what's right for me."

Pulling away from our hug, Yoona finds the energy to put on a bright smile. "Alright. Okay. One more time, without the blabbermouth nearby."

I can't help but laugh. "I didn't think you would be the one to tease Hyunjin."

"He feels really terrible about the other day, you know. You should visit him today after you've tried Ambition."

I nod. "Sure. Where's the headset again?"

"Should be hanging from one of the hooks over there," Yoona points. She works her way back to her position behind the counter.

"Will anyone be needing it?"

"I closed the shop for this morning because I'm short on people, so no. I'll give you a heads up before opening time."

Walking up to the VR corner, I find the headset and tenderly adjust the straps. It doesn't take much longer for me to step onto the omnidirectional floor and tighten the haptic gloves. "Alright. How do I get the game started, again?"

"I'll turn on the TV. Just hang tight."

Moments later, color bleeds into the headset. My eyes take a second to adjust, but once they do, I have a fairly reasonable view of the game's HOME room.

"Hold on a second. We got headphones to go with the equipment. You're in for a treat, baby, we didn't have this last week."

"Will headphones make that much of a difference?"

"They do in front of a computer, but having them on for a VR game is entirely different." Yoona taps my shoulder. I turn expecting to see her, only to remember I'm still looking directly into the HOME room. A settings button is hovering where Yoona should be.

"I'm putting them on now, okay? Adjust them if you need to. They should grab pretty well."

A soft pressure lands on my ears. As the headphones settle on my head, the noise from the outside world trickles away. If Yoona starts speaking, I won't be able to hear her.

Interesting.

Getting used to the feeling of having the equipment on my skin and my head, I tap my feet on the floor and stretch. A prompt pops up in front of my eyes.

Omnidirectional floor activated. To deactivate, cross arms to make an X.

As the first prompt burns away, sending ashes into the void, a second prompt replaces it.

Haptic gloves detected. Headset detected. Headphones detected. Optimal immersion settings are being set for your system. Please wait.

A soothing chime ticks away the seconds. I look around the HOME room, trying to find the source, but before I can identify the location, the chiming stops.

Looking back at the prompt location, a third prompt bleeds into existence.

Settings completed. Launch?

Pulling away one side of my headphones, I call to Yoona. "Alright, this is a little cool."

"Have you launched the game yet?" Her voice comes in faintly.

"Not yet."

"Well stop talking to me, girl! Launch it! And keep those headphones on. I'll send a prompt to you when it's time to get off."

"If you say so." Sliding my headphones back into place, I roll my neck and stretch a bit more.

Am I really ready for this?

I wring my hands together. It's been four years since I properly played a video game, and two years since I abandoned them completely. I'm not quite sure if I've overcome my misgivings, but my longing to return to a sense of normalcy is far stronger than my fears.

Just don't think about him while you play. Easy, right?

Nodding my head to myself, I unintentionally trigger the LAUNCH sequence. As my surroundings dissipate, I brace myself for my first experience with Ambition.