EP. 1 [YERIN]

Just be confident.

The words ring in Yerin's ears. That never-ending mantra her brother tends to use when he has meetings with his investors always seems to work out for him. For Yerin, it never feels quite enough.

She wasn't born with his endearing smile or charming personality. She couldn't simply be confident. If only it was that easy.

Baekhyun could code an app within a month, copyright it under NyctoCosmos, and sell it to the public with no trouble. When it came down to Yerin's anxiety in the most obscure situations, consisting of any and all social interaction, Baekhyun couldn't effortlessly handle how she was feeling unless she was talking to him in binary.

You see her dilemma? Yerin's brother couldn't save her from embarrassing herself.

All these company parties were becoming a rather huge inconvenience, especially for someone like Yerin who happens to be the sister to the CEO of one the largest video game businesses in the world.

Currently, she's trying to keep ahold of herself as she stands beside him. Somehow, she's controlled her breathing, but it's partly due to the constricting dress she had been persuaded into wearing. Or, surprisingly, maybe the mantra is working, slowly calming Yerin's nerves the more she says it.

But it doesn't stop her from feeling out of place.

Yerin's out of her comfort zone. Attending parties, even if they are hosted by her brother, isn't something she'd normally do, and it's mainly because of the conversation.

With all these prospects coming to greet Baekhyun, their parents, and Yerin, saying hello has become like second nature. The problem is when one of them lingers and tries to spark a heated discussion about programming in Java. It's a computer language, not remotely related to coffee, though Yerin could use an Espresso right about now.

All this talking about if-else statements and while loops has her yawning. Coding doesn't interest her nearly as much as Baekhyun. The idea of creating an application sounds exciting, but underneath the aesthetics is a million lines of code butchering the English language into something she'll never understand.

Yerin can hardly understand what her brother and one of his investors are saying. They use words in a way only programmers can. She's used to it, zoning them out while she smiles and nods, throwing in the occasional laugh when they do. All just to show Baekhyun her full support.

It's awkward. She's awkward. Or maybe it's all in her head.

Just be confident.

She says it one more time as the investor suddenly turns to her, outstretching a hand. She takes it, firmly shakes, and then he's gone. Just as quick as the rest of them.

In his place, comes another. The line of people wanting to meet Baekhyun is baffling but not surprising. He's the man behind all of their favorite games, the software they have trouble putting down. He's the reason for their addiction. A god with the power to ease their minds and distract them from their uneventful lives.

Yerin's thoughts are unfocused and buzzing with boredom as she continues to greet every incoming guest. They're starting to blend in with one another, all the same with their blistering excitement.

When the next person walks in, she almost mistakes him as another one of her brother's investors, but his lips are pulled into a thin line, eyes dark and narrow, hair a silvery sable.

Her anxiety flusters, and she's afraid he'll take his frustration out on Baehyun, blaming him for ruining society, particularly the younger generation. It wouldn't be the first time he received hate for his success and ideas. It happened more often than he liked to admit.

Instead, the man's stoic expression breaks into a smile, and he shakes Baekhyun's hand fervently. It isn't what Yerin had expected.

She also doesn't expect the selection of words that come out of his mouth. For a second, she thinks that she's losing it. Yerin's boredom must be playing tricks on her.

He proceeds to speak gibberish, but she picks up on a few words, one of them being her name as he motions in her and their parents direction. Baekhyun's introducing them, and she's so close to freaking out.

Yerin doesn't know how she's going to talk to this man without sounding like a complete fool. She doesn't know what to say, or if he'll even understand her. All she can do is shoot Baekhyun a panicked look to which he responds with a mouthing of:

"Just be confident."

She's really starting to hate the phrase. It's doing absolutely nothing.

"Hi," he says in a dialect Yerin can't pinpoint, but she can tell he isn't from Seoul.

Yerin takes a deep, shaky breath and responds in the same respectful tone. "Hello, it's nice to meet you!"

The man bows his head, doing the same to their parents, before he returns his focus on Baehyun and pulls him aside. They talk briefly in a much closer proximity.

She wonders what they're talking about, why they lower their voices to speak. She doesn't think much of it as more guests come in, and she has to welcome them. There's a few stutters, some mumbling, but luckily, Yerin is able to persevere even though her anxiety is through the roof.

Just be confident, Yerin.

The statement is actually kind of soothing now, but she still hates it. Something about it irks her. She thinks it's partially because Baekhyun constantly uses it as power phrase, turning to it for strength when he needs it. But it's his, not Yerin's, and she doesn't want to depend on him more than she already is.

She doesn't really want another reminder of him being more accomplished than her or what she has to live up to.

Yerin doesn't hate her brother or his company. She's happy he's living his dreams and supporting himself. She just wishes others, basically everyone she's ever come in contact with, would stop comparing her to him.

She just wants to be her own person, free to do what her heart desires, without any judgement. But it's going to have to wait for the night as it's all about Baekhyun and his latest development.

According to him, it'll be nothing like what anyone's seen before.

Within the next few minutes, Baekhyun's secretary comes over and tells him the event will start soon. He nods his head, briefly glancing at her. It's probably to make sure she's okay before he leaves her there with her parents. At least he's being considerate of the situation, though he has other concerns he needs to focus on.

Yerin smiles reassuringly at him in response. He looks away and turns over his shoulder, heading towards the stage on the other side of the venue. A mic is being supported by a thin stand. It looks like it'll break, almost like Yerin, who's barely controlling her racing heart. She just has to for a little longer.

Baekhyun taps the microphone gently. Everyone, all the investors and fans, hone in on him. Excitement sparks in the air.

He fastens a button on his ashy blazer, an action he does when he's a little nervous. Being in front of all these people, Yerin doesn't know how he does it. She would have ran off stage the moment she stepped foot on it.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, stands his ground and flashes a practiced smile.

"Good evening! I know you all are here to see what the future holds for the gaming industry, so I'll keep my introduction short. The video you're about to see will show it in much better detail than I. What I can tell you is the future is promising. To all my fellow gamers and, of course, to all those who have helped in the creation of this upcoming project, please look forward to the release of our new holographic video game, named after the company built on a little boy's dreams, Night Core."

The entire audience, including Yerin, applauds briefly until the lights in the venue dim, shrouding everyone in shadows. A thrill of goosebumps runs down her arms as the screen behind where Baekhyun had been brightens in color.

The atmosphere stills, and everyone watches the video with baited breaths.

The only sound coming from the surrounding speakers is a brassy timbre, intensifying the scene that unfolds. For a second, the screen is a haze, a blur of reds and purples and blues, until the music playing softens and goes up an octave. It becomes pitch black and fades into another setting of thick, forest trees. The sky is a pretty blue, like that on a hot summer's day, and below the branches is a group of people huddled in a circle, their backs facing each other. They all share a glance.

As the music comes to a stop, it makes way for a piercing cry. Every one of them suddenly looks up. Above them, with it's wings spread wide, gliding on a wind that can't be seen, is a Griffin. The people are very much real, but the eagle the size of a lion, and the body to match, isn't. It looks like it is. The graphics of the preview to this new video game are unbelievable.

Following the hybrid are other mythical creatures. There's several pegasus flying behind it, and on the ground, are centaurs and unicorns along with smaller beings, such as faeries of all kinds. It looks and feels magical.

The camera zooms in on one of the players. She wears an expression of absolute wonder and disbelief. Then the screen fades back into black. The company name, NyctoCosmos, is displayed in a silver, embossed font.

"This is just a taste of what's to come," Baekhyun speaks up as the lights come back on. "This all immersive game, in every sense, has several requirements that have yet to be filled, but soon, I promise, Night Core will be available to all. I hope you'll look forward to when it does. Thank you."

Another round of applause ensues.

The rest of the event goes by smoothly and quickly. Yerin keeps mostly to herself aside from when her brother comes to keep her company as the guests begin to leave.

"I'm proud of you, baby sister." Baekhyun clasps onto her shoulder from behind. The suddeness of his presence causes her to jerk forward, but she stops shortly after seeing who it is. No one else would call her baby sister if not her own brother.

Yerin let's out a breath of relief. "Don't do that. You scared me."

"Sorry," Baekhyun apologizes but he doesn't truly mean it. "I'm surprised you stayed out for so long. I thought you'd be in my office, rereading that same daft book."

"Excuse you, but these 'daft' books are what inspired your game. Give credit where it's due, big brother."

"That's fair." He loosens his grip and tucks his hands into his slacks. "But let's not forget that I am the one bringing those fantasies to life. It's not easy programming to make it all look realistic. Do you know how many nights I didn't get to sleep because a single feather would stray out of place every time the Griffin flew?"

"Yeah, okay, I get it. Guess even the God of Coding has his struggles."

Baekhyun chuckles. "Watch it. My inflated ego might burst."

Yerin's lips break into a tender smile. "That's the whole point."

An investor intercedes into their playful conversation to congratulate Baekhyun on Night Core. It takes up only a second of his time, but for someone like Yerin's brother, he doesn't have much of that to give.

Sometimes it's hard to talk to him like this. She misses him, the brother that he used to be before all the fame and fortune. It's not that he changed. It's just that he has less time to spend with her now. She wishes they could go back to being kids, playing video games till the early hours of the morning and eating their weight in twizzlers.

Yerin would cry when she would lose and Baekhyun would comfort her, saying that when she grew up to be his age, she'd beat him like it was nothing.

But now, he was making those games instead of playing them.

The investor said his farewells and leaves.

"I can't wait to go home." Baekhyun sounds tired. Getting a better glimpse of him, Yerin can see the faint bags under his eyes covered with correction makeup and concealer.

"Is Dal driving you?" Yerin tells herself she asks because she wants to make sure Baekhyun gets to his house safely, but deep down, she knows it's mostly due to her harboring crush on his head secretary.

"Of course," he responds to the obviously ridiculous question. "He's been nagging me to leave and get some rest, but that won't look good to the reporters."

Yerin sucks in a deep breath. After the last incident, he had with them, she's become apprehensive every time they're brought up. Baekhyun has also gotten more careful whenever they're around, not wanting to deal with another scandal and put his company in further scrutiny.

With this big project, it's the last thing he needs.

"Are they bothering you again?"

Baekhyun swiftly shakes his head. "No, but I don't want to give them a reason to. Besides, if you can stay, then so can I. How bad did your anxiety get throughout the event?"

"It was kind of intense at the start of it." Yerin chooses not to comment on his appearance and lack of sleep, instead obliging him with an answer to his question. "All those people who came to see you made my chest tighten. And when they tried to talk to me, I thought I was going to burst, but after that, I was okay. I enjoyed the snippet of your game. It looks like a lot of fun, but I'm confused."

"About?"

"Well, the players didn't look like they were programmed, they looked like actual people. The Griffin and other creatures, I guess could've been edited in, but you like to be truthful, so it had to be the actual game. I just don't know how you meshed reality and fantasy into one so flawlessly."

As Yerin talks, Baekhyun's features brightened. "I'm glad you're speculating on it. That was the targeted effect I hoped it would have. The preview feeds your curiosity while giving you more to hold onto. Now, as to how I did that, it's going to take an explanation we don't currently have the time for. How about," Baehyun drawls, clearly eager to spill all his secrets,"we meet up for lunch tomorrow and I'll tell you everything?"

Yerin nods her head with that same fervor. "Okay, and no backing out. I know where you sleep, Kim Baekhyun."

"I know where you sleep too, and I bet your bed isn't as soft as mine."

"Enjoy flaunting that you're rich while it lasts." Yerin jokingly narrows her eyes at her brother.

"I will." Baekhyun simpers at her.

Yerin plans to add onto her comment, but her parents call for her. She snaps her gaze to them, watching as they beckon her to them with their hands. She doesn't want to go, but they've stayed for much longer than they initially intended.

She glimpses at Baekhyun with a saddened frown. "I gotta go, but don't forget about tomorrow. And get some rest!"

Baekhyun responds with a roll of his eyes. "I'm way ahead of you on that one. Good night, baby sister. I'll see you tomorrow."