[01]

| march 2, 2018 |

"Minjae! I need help at the base!" I yell into my mic, my hands drifting on the keyboard when a player came rushing towards me.

'esa.huevona has been slain by lelrekt'

"Ugh... bro I suck!" I groan as I reach for my water on the desk. The player lelrekt has been targeting me the whole game, purposely killing me each time as if it was his life's mission. I was beyond fed up.

"Yes, you do suck," Minjae chuckles,  "We can play something easier if you want." Minjae was always sweet and would play anything I wanted if I had asked him to.

"No, it's ok. I like this one." I watch him play as my character re-spawns.

A dinging noise emanates from the game, Minjae's kill effect ringing through multiple times. The chat moves quickly as it adds his points. "Geez MJ, it's been like five seconds and you've killed all of them. A little too try-hard, don't ya think?" I laugh.

"Hey! Someone's gotta carry us! Lord knows you can't." He joked.

"Ha, very funny," the smile on my face counteracts my eyes rolling. "Kick some ass for me I guess." I finally re-spawn and choose to stay at our base. "I'll just stay here while you carry."

I was so preoccupied with the game in front of my eyes that I flinch a little when I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

"Yes?" I call out. "I'll be right back MJ," I tell him as I hurriedly pull off my headset and open my door. "Mm?"

"I was wondering who you were talking to," She says as she pokes her head in the doorway, eyes scanning the room. I look at her with furrowed brows and a confused expression, until she continues, "You were speaking partially in Korean," She explains. "And I know none of your friends from school speak, save for Olivia. I'm just curious, that's all." She finished with a smile.

I smile at her nosiness, "I'm playing online with Minjae. You remember him don't you?"

"Mmm, yes I do. He's that boy you told me about right?" Her face lights up a little. I can tell she's imagining everything wrong.

"Mama, don't get the wrong idea." I smile and shake my head slightly. "We're just friends. He lives in Korea."

"Okay Leah, whatever you say~," She sings, walking downstairs and giggling to herself.

I shake my head and return to my desk, laugh escaping my lips as I place the headset over my ears. "Okay! What'd I miss?"

He chuckles, "Not much, we won though. But," He drags out.  "You talk to your mom about me?" His words were filled with an underlying meaning, suggesting things that were most definitely untrue.

"She asked me about you once," I roll my eyes, even though he can't see.

"Mhm, sure," He teases and I can imagine the smirk on his face. "Another round? Or are you heading to bed?"

"One more round," I replied excitedly. He chuckled as we entered another lobby. Though, instead of just playing one round, the night was filled with frustrated yells and laughter as we stayed behind the screens.

| march 3, 2018 | 7:00 am est |

I groan as my alarm rings in my ears. I force myself from the bed and sluggishly making my way to my bathroom across the hall. Today was a Saturday, which meant the beginning of another mundanely filled weekend. I groan again, this time louder than the last, and turn on the shower.

"Leah?" My mother calls me from the kitchen.

"Yeah," I call out, "Do you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure you were up." She says, yelling over the obnoxiously loud coffee grinder. I cringe at the sound and quickly jump in the shower, instantly relax as the hot water meets my skin. Standing there with my eyes closed, I wait a few minutes until I begin to wash.

As I step out of the shower, the cool air from the vents blowing towards me, I quickly finish getting ready for work. I was fortunate that the restaurant I work for does not have a mandatory uniform for hostesses. The only requirements were for the outfit to be black or white or both, and showing minimal skin.

I skim my closet in search of the new outfits I bought yesterday, landing on a fitted, all-black jumpsuit with lace sleeves. Which would go great with a white belt, and those comfy flats I got last week.

I continue getting ready for work, mentally preparing myself for the ten-hour shift. Groaning, I stomp down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I'm leaving for work now. Love you," I kiss her cheek and walk towards the front door.

"Love you too! Be safe!" She hollers just before I reached the door.

"I will!"

| 7:48 pm est |

After putting my car in park, I relaxed in my seat, enjoying the current song playing on my playlist. I sang along with the lyrics:

"You really know how to make me cry

Falling into your Ocean eyes

Those Ocean eyes"

It was a beautiful song. Billie Eilish has one for those angelic voices, that automatically made me feel peaceful. The song soon came to an end, so I turned off the ignition and made my way inside.

"Mom?" I call out as I walk through the door.  "Are you home?" I place my keys on the counter and see a note on the fridge.

'Out to dinner with Ina, be back soon! Love you!'

I smile. They're so cute.

to: MommaBear 💜

iMessage (translated)

7:53 pm

Me:

have fun ;) tell her i said hi! 💜

sent 7:53 pm

With that, I made my way upstairs and took a quick shower, washing off the day.

A notification went off from my phone. And I lunged for it, knowing exactly who it was from.

<.>

Discord messages (translated)

to: MJ

8:19 pm

MJ:

Up for a few rounds of sky wars?

8:19 pm

itsleah:

yeah sure

let me get dressed first then i'll be on :)

8:20 pm

It may seem like I like Minjae more than a friend, but I just get excited when we talk. He's someone I can confide in without having to worry about judgments. It was easier to connect with him compared to the people I casually come across at school. I can be myself with him.

I quickly get dressed as the game loads, automatically placing my character into an idle lobby. I join his voice call, and am greeted with, "AHH LEAH~!!! I missed you today!!"

"Minjae... Are you drunk?" I laugh at his sudden hyper-ness. "Isn't it morning for you? And since when do you miss me?" I added.

"Hehe, I always miss you silly~," He says with a little hiccup. "I'm only slightly buzzed. I got good news this morning and wanted to celebrate!"

"Really? What's the news?" I asked, slightly intrigued by what had him so excited.

"I can't tell you yet." He wines quietly, the hint of sadness evident in his voice. "It's supposed to be a secret. I'm sorry!"

"It's ok Minjae. Congratulations on whatever it is!"

"I'm hungry!" He shouts suddenly. "I'm gonna go get snacks!"

I giggle at his proclamation. "Ok MJ, I'll wait for you to get back before we start."

"Oh! By the way, I invited one of my friends—!" His voice was getting quieter, while he walked away from his mic. I only got parts of what he was saying, but I brush it off.

I bring a music bot into our voice call and search up my playlist on YouTube for us to listen to.

Now playing "Chill Vibes Playlist" by Liora in 'Mj and Leah'

And the intro of Get You by Daniel Caesar began to play quietly through the call.

"~Through drought and famine~

Natural disasters..."

I sang quietly with the song, getting louder as it got closer to the chorus.

"~Ooo who could've thought I'd get you

Ooo who would've--"

The monotone voice of the bot notifications sounded through the channel and halted my singing. "A user has joined your channel."