✰⋆⁺ Steal Your Heart ⁺⋆✰
*ੈ Part One: The Fool ♡ The Beginning
♡ Steal Your Heart Masterlist
♡ Read this Introductory Post and the Masterlist for details!
˚☽˚。⋆ Steal Your Heart: An Interactive Fanfiction Game
... Collect Points to Determine Your Love Interest and Special Ending!!
⁺⋆✰ wc: 2.9k (it looks long because of all the media, but it's not i promise!)
⁺⋆✰ reader-insert pronouns: none used; n/a -- reader is the 10th member of AU ZB1, but the group is referred to only as an "idol" group. no mentions or descriptions of gender of reader.
⁺⋆✰ chapter warnings: crime (reader was wrongfully convicted of a crime), swearing, mild violence, mentions of drinking and dui, angst... and the start of a really fun adventure! all ages welcome; pg-13+ themes.
⁺⋆✰ summary: for series summary click here. one day, a glitch in the matrix causes (y/n) to enter a different dimension where they gain special powers that will help them and the rest of zb1 to defeat their evil company once and for all. AU. based on the jrpg persona 5.
⁺⋆✰ please download the scoresheet for the game here!
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
Welcome to the start of our game, Player. Make sure you have your score sheet ready! When there’s a mini-decision or chapter choice coming up, I’ll pop in to give you a brief tutorial.
But for now, let’s travel back to where our story begins, shall we?
“We’ll ask you one more time, (Y/N)-sshi,” a burly police officer says; elbows propped on the metal table as he glares at you distrustfully. Anything you say is the wrong answer. “Where were you the night of June 19th, 2022?”
“I was at an event,” you say slowly, watching as the corner of the officer’s lip begins to twitch. “It was an after-party for the premiere of our new tour documentary. The whole company was there! They all saw me there.”
The officer nods. “They did indeed. The problem, (Y/N)-sshi, is that not one of them remembers seeing you leave.”
A blurred memory of colored strobe lights, a black sportscar, and a man in a suit flash in your mind. The truth is that you don’t really remember leaving the party either.
“It was... It got kind of crazy,” you admit, pulling at the skin on your fingers. “I don’t--... I don’t know what happened.”
The officer nods, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms. “You and your group members have a bit of a reputation, don’t you?”
“It’s not like that,” you counter, furrowing your brow annoyedly. “It’s hard, okay? Being an idol is... We just--... We just want to have a bit of fun sometimes, but--.”
The officer’s interest is piqued by your confession. “A bit of ‘fun’? Can I assume by ‘fun’ you mean... partying? Drinking? S--.”
“And?” You spit. “Weren’t you young once? Or were you always a middle-aged assh*le that smells like hot dog water?”
A splash of water hits your face, running down your neck and soaking your shirt.
“You wanna be a smartass?” The officer asks, eyebrows raised. “I’ll book you right now, no questions asked. We already have you at the scene of the crime. We have your fingerprints on the steering wheel of the vehicle. Tell me: what more do I really need from you?”
“I didn’t do it,” you say softly, looking down at your lap sullenly. “I would never drive when I was like that. I wouldn’t.”
“Tell that to Park Junyoung-sshi,” the officer says, standing up from his folding chair and walking to the door of the investigation room. “You can find him in the morgue.”
“Wait! Please! I DIDN’T DO IT! I DIDN’T-- I DIDN’T... I,” you scream, your voice suddenly growing hoarse as it gets harder and harder to speak. “I... didn’t...”
You groan as the sound of your alarm wakes you from your dream. It could technically be called a nightmare, but you dream it so much that it’s become almost... soothing.
Forcing yourself up and out of bed, you walk to your closet and throw on a suitable outfit for work. Jeans, a black t-shirt, and athletic sneakers. You open your bedroom door and walk down the hall to the shared bathroom. Taerae is standing at the sink, lazily brushing his teeth.
You smile at him sleepily and he returns the gesture before spitting and exiting the bathroom. You take his place, brushing your teeth, washing your face and examining yourself in front of the mirror. You have to admit: for a convicted felon, you’re still pretty hot.
Not funny, you scold yourself as you walk out of the bathroom and down the hallway to the kitchen. You find Gyuvin at the table organizing a bunch of papers, photographs and flashdrives. Not this again...
“Oh, hey (Y/N)!” He greets with a grin as he scoops some noodles from a pot at the center of the table into an empty bowl for you. You sit down next to him and start to eat your breakfast. “Today’s the day. I think I finally have enough evidence for KBS to take the story!”
You sigh into your bowl of hot noodles. Gyuvin thinks every day is the day that someone will finally care about Total Control Music’s injustices. The reality is, you couldn’t even get your other group members to care.
And you couldn’t really blame them. They were tired. Distraught. In financial ruin. On an indefinite hiatus because of a crime that you were convicted of. If you were them, you wouldn’t believe you either.
“I think the video from the 2018 trainee showcase that I broke into President Kim’s assistant’s office to steal is really gonna sway their opinions once and--,” Gyuvin babbles excitedly as you begin to type something into your phone.
“Can you just stop!?” The AI voice on your phone interrupts. You know losing your patience won’t help the situation, but you continue to type anyway-- the AI screenreader vocalizing your words for you as you go. “I don’t need your help, Gyubin-ah! I never asked for it in the first place. Get a f*cking life and stop obsessing over mine.”
Gyuvin blinks back at you; hurt. It’s not an emotion you like to see on your best friend and it should be enough to make you instantly regret everything you just said. But you’re feeling stubborn this morning. And apologies always come out insincere when read by a robot anyway.
“No,” the taller boy says after looking down at his feet and then back up at you. “I won’t. You can lash out at me all you want. I’m still gonna help you.”
Your bottom lip tucks between your teeth as guilt starts to creep in.
“I’ll be home at 6,” he says coolly as he gathers his things and walks to the door; stepping outside and letting it slam shut behind him.
F*ck, you think.
You feel a hand on your waist as someone scoots by you. It’s Hanbin. He’s almost glowing as happiness and fulfillment radiate off of him. Jerk.
“I’m off to work,” Hanbin says, pausing in the hallway and looking back at you. “I’ll be back late, okay? Can you make dinner for whoever’s here?”
Hanbin’s attention is caught by some dirty dishes that are sitting on the floor outside of Gunwook’s room. He shakes his head sadly, walking over and picking them up before placing them in the sink.
“Please, (Y/N)?” Hanbin asks, smiling at you hopefully. You roll your eyes as you agree with a reluctant smile. “See, you’re a good egg when I need you to be.”
You put your hands together in the shape of a heart and he grins, walking back towards the front door.
“Stay hydrated today! See you tomorrow,” Hanbin calls over his shoulder as he heads out the door to his dance studio.
You look at your phone, checking the time. Sh*t, you think, as you find you only have twenty minutes left til you’re meant to report for duty. There’s two new messages in your inbox: one from Ricky and one from Matthew.
You only have time to answer one...
This is so exciting, Player! It’s time for your first mini-decision. These mini-decisions won’t affect the course of the story too much, but they will be an opportunity to earn points.
So, Player... Who would you like to respond to?
If you picked Ricky, read below...
You've received +1 Ricky Point for your choice of Ricky. Please add this point to your score sheet.
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
If you picked Matthew, read below...
You've received +1 Matthew Point for your choice of Matthew. Please add this point to your score sheet.
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
Continue Reading Here
You stuff your phone in your back pocket, throwing your bowl in the sink and grabbing your work gloves from your cubby in the hallway before heading out the door.
Crunch.
Your grabber stick closes around a water bottle. It’s covered in a horrifically foul-smelling substance and you’re practically gagging at the stench. You pick it up and throw it into the big trash bag you’ve been lugging around for an hour now. You’ve filled six so far during your “shift”.
The sun is unforgiving on this mid June afternoon. It illuminates the reflector tape on your neon orange vest as you collect trash on the side of the highway. A big sign a few hundred feet ahead of you indicates that you’re on National Route 3 this afternoon. You hadn’t worked on this highway yet.
How charming that your new “job” allowed you to keep partaking in one of your favorite things about being an idol... Travel.
Making your way back to the police tent once your trash bag is full, you join the back of the line to hand in the garbage you’ve collected. You chew your cheek, examining the dirt on your shoes when a soft snickering coming from behind you catches your attention.
“That’s that idol. Isn’t it, hyung?” A male voice asks excitedly. “The one who was convicted of vehicular homicide?”
“Community service? Really?” Another voice huffs. “All I did was rob a corner store. Should I really be serving the same sentence as a murderer?”
It doesn’t bother you much anymore. This happens everywhere you go.
“I hear the President of Total Control bribed the judge for a lighter sentence,” a woman chimes in. “Rumor has it, they’ve even started preparing for a comeback.”
“No way,” the first man refutes. “Everyone sees right through ZeroTalentOne now. All the other members are just lucky they didn’t meet the same fate.”
The woman suddenly sighs dreamily. “That Zhang Hao could still take all my money, though.”
“He’s very good,” the older man agrees. “I saw him on a variety show last week. Did you know he’s classically trained on the violin? I hope he can get away from that garbage group once and for all...”
Your community service shift ends at 5 P.M. as it always does. You got your license back a month ago after 9 months of good behavior. Trading in your BMW for a less conspicuous car, you’ve been trying to get used to driving again. Unfortunately being wrongfully convicted of vehicular manslaughter didn’t exactly put you in a calm state of mind behind the wheel.
Only 13 more months of your sentencing. You could make it til then. Couldn’t you?
You’ve been walking around aimlessly for fifteen minutes after the bus dropped you back at the police station, trying to find where you parked your car. You reluctantly glance across the street at a large, nauseating building looming over you— it’s your company. A sign that reads “Total Control Music” shines from above the entrance and a few young girls are outside holding protest signs.
You sigh. It’s about time you just accept that you’re lost before you get yourself into a mess. Pulling out your phone, you scroll to find your navigation app-- thankful that you put a pin on the map where your car is parked.
But something unfamiliar next to your navigation app catches your eye...
Huh? What the hell is that?
You press down on the app with your thumb, opting to move it to trash. Must be some weird virus...
But just as soon as the app is deleted, it reappears on your screen. MetaNav? Maybe it’s a new navigation app that your phone company is beta testing.
You shrug and tap the app to open it and figure out what it is.
“YOU ARE NOW EXITING THE REAL WORLD,” a robotic, feminine voice suddenly booms from your phone. “NAVIGATION SET FOR: THE METAVERSE. HAVE A SAFE TRIP.”
Oh sh*t, is all you have time to think before the world glitches around you. The air grows hazy and the buildings and vehicles in your line of sight begin to distort.
You look back up at Total Control Music, expecting to see the girls outside screaming and running around in confusion and fear. But the sight you see instead is far stranger.
Where your company headquarters once stood, there is now a giant, golden castle in its place.
You squint your eyes shut-- wondering if maybe that foul-smelling substance from earlier was toxic waste. That maybe your brain is turning to mush and projecting hallucinations before your inevitable death.
Or that, maybe, you’ve just finally lost it...
You stare at the palace in front of you for a few moments. If it really is the end, you think... I might as well see it through.
Cautiously, you make your way across the street and up the grand steps of the castle. Your brow furrows suspiciously when you realize that the giant embellished doors are wide open. Like someone left them open just for you.
Don’t be ridiculous, you think; shaking your head annoyedly. This isn’t real. Just go inside, (Y/N).
Your body tenses as you step through the doors and into the castle. It’s unbelievably lavish-- marble pillars and red carpet lining the hall. You gasp as you turn your attention to the decorated walls.
They’re lined with guilded portraits of young, beautiful people. People you recognize.
You walk up to one of the portraits to examine it more closely. It’s of a handsome young man-- a distinctive, broad grin on his face and cavernous dimples.
It’s Kim Taerae.
Dazed, you walk up to another portrait beside it; instantly recognizing the youthful glow of the young man to be your maknae— Han Yujin.
What is this place?
Just then, a loud grunt comes from the other side of the hallway. Your eyes land on what appears to be a huge castle guard bumbling down the corridor. He’s wearing the armor of a knight but, as he gets closer, you realize he doesn’t have a face. Instead, black mist swirls in its place. He seems to be some sort of... Shadow.
“WHO GOES THERE?” The shadow guard shouts. For someone without eyes, he sees quite well.
You blink at the guard; swallowing nervously as he bounds angrily towards you. It’s a good thing this is just a hallucination.
“I SAID, WHO DARES INVADE THE KING’S PALACE?” The shadow guard bellows as he grabs you by the arm. It hurts.
Five more shadow guards suddenly appear as the first one kicks the back of your knees, causing your legs to buckle. You fall to the ground as your free arm is now restrained behind your back as well.
“INVASION IS A CRIME PUNISHABLE BY DEATH,” one of the shadow guards announces. “YOU WILL NOW BE TRIED BY HIS MAJESTY, THE MAGNIFICENT KING KIM HYUNWOO!”
Your eyes widen at the name. Kim Hyunwoo?
President Kim Hyunwoo?
Adorned in a long, devastatingly garish red robe and golden crown, “King” Kim Hyunwoo enters the hall. The shadow guards bow to him furiously. As he approaches, your jaw drops.
It really is him. President of Total Control Music, Kim Hyunwoo.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve been inside this palace. And, if I’m not mistaken, it should’ve been longer. Your banishment is far from up,” he says, smiling at you cruelly. “But tell me, (Y/N)-sshi, how have you been?”
You stare at him, dumbfounded.
“Oh, that’s right! You lost your voice. Silly me,” President Kim says with a laugh. “It’s not like anyone really cares about that though. It was never as good as my voice anyway.”
Perplexed, you frown. President Kim had been an idol once. He made a couple hit songs in the early 2000s and, after being unable to match his success, founded Total Control Music in 2010. ZeroBaseOne became the company’s only successful idol group when you debuted in 2019. It was assumed that, after everything, you would also be the last.
President Kim was a bit incompetent... A little eccentric at times... Hit on every woman he met just to be turned down... But the look you saw in his eyes now was one you’d never really seen before. It was sinister.
“If it weren’t for my accident--,” he starts and then corrects himself with a smirk, “I mean, your accident, I would’ve finally made enough money off of you to fund my comeback. Now I have to pretend to put all my efforts into that Hao kid and sell your intimate details to the media for extra cash. I suppose I should thank you for taking the fall. Though I guess you didn’t really have a choice, did you?”
Your lip quivers as you stare at him in horror. You can’t be hearing him right. That can’t be true. Did President Kim really frame you that night?
“It was so easy, (Y/N)-sshi,” President Kim hisses with an evil glee. “You and your members had already built your slightly questionable reputations on your own. All I had to do was wrap your fingers around the steering wheel. You couldn’t even stumble away fast enough before someone saw your face at the crime scene.”
Rage like you’ve never known is broiling underneath your skin. All this time... You’d fallen so painfully from grace. You watched your friends follow-- all of your lives and careers, destroyed.
In the back of your head, you’d even started believing that maybe you’d really done it.
“And the loss of your voice was just a fun bonus,” President Kim says with a smirk. “I had planned to pay off some witnesses to negate your testimony in the courtroom, but how convenient it was when we found out you couldn’t even give one!”
Something in you snaps. A white hot flash blurs your vision as an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoes in your head; a sharp pain searing through you.
Well, well, well... It took you long enough to grow a backbone, my friend. The name’s Arsène.
You grip the sides of your head, trying to make the voice stop.
I can help you fix this, my friend. You can finally seek retribution from the people who have wronged you. Are you going to let him get away with this?
I... I--...
The pain is so unbearable that you’ve almost gone completely numb. It’s coursing through your whole body, burning you from the inside out and remaking you in its own vision: your true vision. Suddenly, something is forming around your face and fusing to your skin -- a mask?
Or are you finally going to stand up for yourself and take back what is yours? Come on, answer me! ANSWER ME!
꩜˖ ݁ 𖥔. “I AM!” .𖥔 ݁ ˖꩜
The frantic scream rips from your throat as you rip off the mask that has attached to your skin. You don’t even feel the pain.
The wound heals as soon as it's opened and a new mask sits delicately across your eyes. It’s suddenly clear to you: you are Arsène. Arsène is you. You are silent no more.
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
You smile at President Kim, noticing a glint of fear in his eyes.
“I’d like to make my testimony now.” ‧ ₊ ✫ ˚・
President Kim begins to back up before turning and sprinting out of the hall. The shadow guards lunge for you, but you reach out your hands to stop them. A heavy gust of wind flows from your fingertips; knocking the guards to the ground.
New Skill Unlocked: New Kid on the Block ˖꩜
You glance in the direction that President Kim took off, about to run after him when screeching sirens begin to sound. More shadow guards begin to appear and you’re afraid you’re outnumbered. You sprint to the doors instead, running through them and down the steps of the palace. You start to run to the other side of the street as two guards follow you down the steps.
“F*ck, get me out of here!”
“GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE,” a robotic feminine voice announces from your back pocket. “RETURNING TO THE REAL WORLD. PLEASE VISIT AGAIN SOON.”
You stand still as the world distorts again, the air growing hazier and the objects around you shaking before finally returning to normal. Out of breath and scared sh*tless, you look back at the castle behind you...
To find the regular, plain-old Total Control Music building in its place.
“Holy sh*t,” you breathe out.
“Holy sh*t,” a voice says behind you. You turn around to find Gyuvin gawking at you; his jaw in danger of touching the floor. “Did you just... speak?”
⁺⋆✰ Chapter Choice ✰⋆⁺
Well, Player, you've reached the end of the chapter and your first chapter choice. Chapter choices won't always come at the end of the chapter-- they might be somewhere in the middle instead. You can enter your choice in the poll below if you like, but you don't have to! It's just there because your Game Master is curious as to what you'll pick. ;)
Your choice will have consequences in the next chapter that may earn you points, so remember which option you picked so you can read the corresponding excerpt!
So, Player, will you choose to...
CHOICE 1: Lie to Gyuvin
OR
CHOICE 2: Tell Gyuvin the Truth
✰
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