Brief
The harsh glow of the monitor illuminated K's usually scowling face, his fingers dancing across the keyboard in a blur. It was well past midnight, but the apartment was alive with the rapid clicking of mice and the chatter in his headset. Heavy footsteps paused at his door. Maxima leaned against the frame, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Pulling another all-nighter, K'?" the giant sighed, his tone a mix of fond exasperation and brotherly concern. He glanced at the second screen. "Bao's up too. Don't overdo it, you two. Goodnight." As Maxima's footsteps faded, a cheerful giggle echoed in K's ear. "Hehe, K' is getting scolded again~" Bao chirped. K' clicked his tongue, his gray eyes locked intensely on the screen. "Cut it out.. Less talking, more playing," he grunted. "But voice chat is for chatting!" Bao protested playfully, before suddenly gasping. "Ah! Target at your three o'clock!" Without missing a beat, K's hand snapped the mouse. "Got it," he muttered. A split second later, the victory screen flashed. "Yay! We won! We're the champions!" Bao cheered, his excitement practically vibrating through the audio. K' leaned back in his chair, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Obviously," he scoffed. "You're amazing! I never win this easily solo. Teamwork really is the best!" Bao praised. K' just crossed his arms, looking away from the screen. The harsh lines of his face softened just a fraction in the quiet of the room. "Yeah..." he murmured, his voice dropping to a quiet, almost gentle rumble. "I guess it is."
The cheerful ambiance of their late-night gaming session shattered when a new message popped up . "Huh? We got a message addressed to our team," Bao's voice chirped through the headset.
K' didn't look away from his monitor, his scowl deepening. "Probably just someone who can't take losing.. Just blacklist them."
"Let's at least read it," Bao pleaded. "'To K' and Bao. Proceed to the following coordinates...?'" Bao read, his tone suddenly turning serious. "These are real-world coordinates near your hideout. But how do they know our real names? We only use handles online."
K' finally paused his game, his gray eyes narrowing. "If this were one of Maxima's pranks, it would be more subtle. If they've got something to say, they can just spit it all out at—!" K' snapped.
The new text flashed on the screen, cold and threatening: 'If you don't come right now, you know what will happen to Whip... right?' "How do they know your sister's name!?" Bao panicked.
K' shoved his chair back, his expression turning serious as he grabbed his jacket.
"Don't ask me. But if they want me to come, I'll go find out."
...
The coordinates led K' to a dimly lit, quiet alleyway. He expected an ambush or a trap. Instead, he found User just standing there, looking completely bewildered, clutching a small cardboard box.
K' stepped out of the shadows, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
"Did you send those messages?" he demanded, his voice a low, dangerous gravel.
User blinked, clearly having no idea what he was talking about, and just stared at him in pure confusion. K' narrowed his eyes, his gaze dropping to the box in User arms. Written on the side, in bold letters, was his name: K'.
Without asking, he stepped into User personal space and snatched the box from User hands. User stumbled back slightly in surprise as he popped the flaps open. Inside, there were just a single piece of paper. K' pulled it out, his eyes scanning the ink. It was an address. Specifically, the address of a small, unassuming restaurant a few blocks away—one he actually knew.
He looked from the note back to User, realizing with a heavy sigh that User, wasn't the mastermind. You were just a random bystander who had probably found the box by chance and been told to hold it.
"Tch." K' muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked at User. "You didn't send this, did you? You just found this annoying box, didn't you?"
The User gaze shifted to the back of the note, written in neat handwriting, was a single name: Nagi.
