![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrMasterlist of links
And now I am done!
That was fun? Mostly? Having to worry about everything in realtime really undercut my enjoyment of the story. But the story itself was fine.
EDIT: Now with Normal Ending and After Ending!
Content Note: discussion of a pre-canon suicide, iffy treatment of mental illness, implied eye injury
So, at the end of day 6, Yoosung was clearly Into MC but kept comparing her to his dead cousin Rika.
On further examination, all the day 7 Bad End chats are for the same bad end, "Bad story end 1", except for one for "Bad relationship ending 1", which says "Story Mode 707" and is labelled "The life of a cherryboy"?? (Cherry boy was an insulting nickname for the red headed character in Nameless)
Either way, the first Bad End chat is at 5pm, I'm gonna be a bit tense until then.
Seven, that anecdote is kinda racist towards "natives".
As much as it's satisfying when I happen to catch the late night/early morning chats, they seem to largely be either entirely secondary to the actual story (a la Seven's anecdote), or just reiterating the same dynamics as earlier chats so much that it's actually kind of annoying.
In general, since you only need to interact with 50% of the chats, if the game wants to, say, test whether MC is ok with Yoosung projecting Rika onto him, it has to ask her opinion like five times. I SAID SHE'S NOT OK WITH IT AND HOPES YOOSUNG WILL CHANGE, CAN WE MOVE ON.
Yoosung is being very oblivious as everyone tries to explain why a girl might not want to hear "you're just like my dead cousin", but I knew he was a dumbass when I started dating him.
Zen has talked so much about how fast he heals I've decided he's a vampire. He even has white hair and red eyes!
(That or he's about to injure himself by not letting his ankle heal long enough)
Seven accuses Zen of projecting his dislike of someone else onto Jumin.
...uh?
I'm wondering how much crossover there is with the plot of the chats between routes eg does Zen always hurt his ankle?
Oh, the game lets you know things are about to branch and prompts you to save! That's useful.
Hooray, passed the day 7 Bad End points safely, and Yoosung has realised he needs to stop comparing MC to Rika. Also Jumin got drunk and mentioned that Jaehee's parents died when she was young, so her advice not to project grief onto another may be coming from personal experience.
WTF
Seven says someone has hacked the apartment and if MC leaves or anyone else enters the BOMB he put in there for emergencies will go off???
Like part of me think he has to be joking but IT'S OTOME. WHO KNOWS
MC is understandably pissed, and Jaehee is there tipsy and righteously angry on MC's behalf, smacking Seven down any time he looks like he's not taking MC's safety seriously enough. I love you Jaehee. (He's all "Yes Ma'am :(" it is A+)
Seven messaged MC to ask if she was alright and I replied "I'm already dead", and he got all "That's not funny". NOW YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS, SEVEN.
None of the responses have seemed obviously bad, I wonder what the bad end behaviours are now.
Ahhh ok looks like the new Bad Behaviour is being too angry and possessive. Now I feel like getting pissy on principle. THERE IS A BOMB. She presumably has her own house she could have been working at! With no bomb in it!!
Yoosung is Trying To Be A Good Protective Man, which is a bit gendered for me, but this is aimed at straight women rather than bi non-binary people, and it's cute for what it is. I GUESS. But it feels like there's some, like...Let Him Be A Man subtext which ehhhhh. I guess I'll see how the bad ends play out before I get too annoyed.
Yoosung asked MC to be his pre-girlfriend, posting a picture of himself blushing and holding up some roses, and it was adorable.
End of Day 7!
Huh. The upcoming 3:30pm chat doesn't seem to be part of a bad end or anything, but has a little image in the summary saying "Story Mode: 707"??
Zen saw a flash outside his apartment and think he has a stalker, and Jumin keeps laughing and referring to it as his imaginary friend.
Oops, the translator left in a line about Yoosung being 22 (his age by Korean counting)
Haha what. Seven defeated the hacker but V insisted he not remove the bomb. So now MC can leave, but if there's an intruder, it will go off! And I should just trust that V knows what he's doing???
MC is a nice, obliging, otome heroine, but no, she does not trust this guy she met a week ago with her life based on...no justifications whatsoever. There was sadly no option to go SO MAYBE I'LL JUST HANG OUT SOMEWHERE ELSE THEN??
Ok, so there's space to be upset at V and acknowledge Yoosung's anger with him, the bad choices seem to lean towards encouraging Yoosung towards unthinking rage and not even talking to V, again with that whole "All that matters is that Yoosung cares the most about me" thing. Good choices think V and Yoosung need to honestly communicate.
Time for 707 story mode and it's....
Ohh. Story mode means seeing what they're up to offline! Seven is dodging V's worried calls asking for updates, and muttering to himself about how strange it is that the hacker has such a similar style to himself.
And there's two Yoosung Story Modes this evening!
Huuh.
So, I avoided mentioning it until now to avoid needing a trigger warning, but Rika killed herself. It turns out V was the only witness to her throwing herself into the ocean, and they never found the body. He was questioned by the police but Jumin made sure he was let go.
No wonder Yoosung is iffy about it all o.O I don't actually think V killed her, but...yeah.
So. I need 10 guests for a Good End and I have...13. Oops. That'll make getting the Normal End troublesome.
V shows up to talk to Yoosung in chat, saying he can't use his phone because it's BUGGED?? Yoosung gets angry at V constantly refusing to explain anything. So V tells him: the bomb was Rika's idea, to protect the guest's information. V now suspects that there is a large group trying to get access to the apartment, and that they're the ones behind "Unknown" sending MC.
He also says it's important MC stay in the apartment, and that the threat of bomb is the best way to keep everyone safe. I wonder: does he suspect MC of BEING a bad guy?
Also he talks about Rika "not being with them" in a way that makes me wonder if SHE'S with the bad guys (also I saw something in the merch that kinda implied this. Damn spoilery merch!)
Yoosung: You still haven't explained Rika's death. She wasn't mentally ill!
V: She was.
MC: She was mentally ill?
VC: I've said too much. I have to go *leaves*
Where is this going o.O
The first Yoosung Story Mode was just a few lines of him in his room being sad. But in the second, V come to his house! V tries to apologise, and then just hugs him.
Yoosung: Rika being gone, and MC being in danger...It's all your fault!
V: Yes. It's all my fault.
Yoosung: Wait, what's wrong with your eyes...
Me: DON'T END THE SCENE THERE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIS EYES??
Everyone is much more shocked about Rika having been mentally ill than I'd have expected considering that she committed suicide. But afaict there is a huge stigma around mental illness in Korea, and I suspect there's nuances I'm missing.
Ah! Jumin think the reason the bad guys sent MC to the apartment instead of going themselves was to avoid the risk of being caught/hurt/recognised etc.
Haaa I have been avoiding all these dialogue options where MC freaks out and is sure the bad guys are TRYING TO KIDNAP HER because they WANT TO SEPARATE HER AND YOOSUNG. Which Yoosung will absolutely buy into in his bad end, goddddd. Something to look forward to, I guess!
Jaehee has a moment of "Maybe MC is working with the bad guys?" but thinks it through and reassures herself it's not true, then apologises. That's ok, Jaehee, it's a reasonable question.
Jumin tells Jaehee she should come stay at his house, since it's more secure. I considered the "OMG is this a sex thing?" response but settled on saying it was nice he cared about her safety.
Jaehee: He's just worried about the compensation if I get hurt
Jumin: partly
Game. Game, why does the Banker guest's icon have...a hooked nose.... >:(
*feels much more comfortable avoiding giving them any money for this game*
End of Day 8
Ok, I'm going to bed! And I am at 94 hourglasses, woo. I'm likely to sleep through some of the Story Mode scenes coming up at like 1am, I hope I still get to see them.
Woo, I did!
Zen sees a middle aged man staring through his window, and freaks out and goes to Seven's house: a secure bunker with an entry code in Arabic. Seeing Zen telling Seven to get more sleep and clean up his house is cute.
Jaehee gets a weird email from a group called "Mint Eye" saying "Our paradise. The place where everyone is happy. The magenta of dreams and hopes..."
Jumin reveals that Rika damaged V's corneas so badly he had to quit being a photographer? And V refuses to get them fixed because it's his way of mourning?? V is being set up as this woobie who suffers in silence, keeping secrets for the greater good, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Yoosung goes to Jumin's house and begs him to try again to persuade V to get treatment.
Jumin: It's been a long time since you visited and all you do is ask for favours...first come in and say hello to the cats. Nothing is free in this world.
haha wow bad end MC is going to be such a jerk, she's all "Enough about V's pain, how is this going to affect the party I worked so hard on??"
A story mode with no character name attached. We see a room full of blue computer monitors covered in white text.
???: Why did you trust me to be better than him? Just abandon me here. It's the only way to save everyone and build your paradise.
I'm going to call "???" Ray from now on because that's that's clearly who it is.
haha and now a phonecall with Yoosung where he checks that MC likes pets. Jumin got you to take the kitten, didn't he...
There is a rather silly melodramatic sequence where it turns out Seven is about to do a lone infiltration of the bad guy's base on V's orders, and Yoosung demands to come along.
Seven: If we don't come back, donate all my Honey Buddha Chips to the Cathedral. Then press d on my computer and leave the house within 5 minutes and 20 seconds.
Zen: Wait what?? I THOUGHT THIS ORGANISATION WAS FOR HOSTING PARTIES
Haa, the choices are getting pretty blatant. "What's important is me" vs "What's important is you". HMMM LET ME THINK.
The dynamic between Jumin and Jaehee at his house is amusingly awkward, they're only communicating via text message and every now and then she makes passive aggressive remarks about all the work she's having to do since he decided to take an impromptu holiday.
"You can use whatever you need just don't come over to this side of the wall"
Ahaha latest guest is the film director "Christmas Nolan", and I won him over by saying he directed "Baleman" and "Outerstellar".
On the whole it feels like I'm being expected to be cooler with V's behaviour than I'd like, but at one point my options were "politely angry" and "impolitely angry" which is something. He talked about wanting everyone to remember Rika as a good person in way that makes me wonder how much of a bad person she actually was, and how this will play into the mental illness thing.
End of Day 9, at 102 hourglasses!
Buncha possible bad ends tomorrow...
Yoosung and Seven approach the hideout. And...HUH.
I have seen that "Mint Eye" logo before, it's on MC's profile! It's greyed out there, like you can unlock it, maybe when you unlock Ray's route.
Jaehee and Zen have a cute 2am conversation about their worries where it comes up that she is religious (Christian, I think?) and he is an atheist. I love how chill Koreans are about religion (...except these Mint Eye folk, clearly)
phew, the building is empty!
OR NOT
OOH AND SEVEN RECOGNISES HIM??
(at first he calls him an npc. I got bad news for you, Seven...)
NNNG LET'S SEE IF I GOT A BAD END
oooh Ray accuses Seven of changing his name to Lucien. From what??
Seven: Who brought you here? What is this place?
Ray: This is the beautiful paradise where everyone is happy, Magenta
Oooh, Ray sent "invitations" to everyone but only Jaehee's got through. Both clearly think the other has been brainwashed, Seven by V and Ray by someone yet unknown. Ray is...rather less convincing on the "No, YOU'RE brainwashed" front.
Ray: How could you leave me alone with that creepy woman?
Seven: Rika said she'd take care of everything. And she showed me photos of you smiling.
Wait did Ray kill the "crazy woman"? And now he's planning to kill himself and Seven??
Ray: You said "Don't worry, I'll make money and we can get out of here. Stay strong and we can live where noone will find us." But then you abandoned me. So just press this switch and we can all disappear: you, me, and MC too...
Me: OH GOD I KILLED EVERYONE
Yoosung: Not so fast!
And then he grabs Seven and they run away!
PHEW
But then just as the scene ends Ray shows up and does something to Yoosung?!!!
The next bad end is called "He will never come back", so, that's going to be a fun wait D:
Me: Oh good, looks like I avoided the ending where something bad happens to Yoosung.
The "good" scene opens. With...
Ray torturing Yoosung????
Ray: I know everything about you. Like how you dreamed of becoming a vet. Let's see if I can destroy that dream. Hmm, should I start with your fingers...
??????????? D: D:
THIS IS NOT HOW I WANTED TO FIND OUT YOOSUNG'S DREAM
Seven, outside: What have I done? Yoosung should never forgive me.
And then he calls V for help.
And now I have to wait FIVE HOURS for the next scene!!!
Aw, it's a cute chat where Yoosung tells MC he's fine and going to have a nap! He sends her this image to show he's ok:
Cut to offline:
Yoosung: Don't tell anyone I got hurt, MC put so much effort into the party I want it to go well.
Seven: WE CAN DISCUSS THAT AFTER I GET YOU TO HOSPITAL
Yoosunnnnnggg
Yoosung rings MC and is very affectionate but a bit weak, I think from context he's a little embarrassed to have nurses etc hear him talking about how he wants to kiss her.
I'm assuming at this point that we never see MC onscreen. I wonder how the party will be handled, will we actually get to see them all interact in person, with MC there but not shown? I hope so.
And so I'm guessing there's no sex scenes or even kissing or hugging? Overall this game has been much less dirty than the other Cheritz games, which even before the kissing/implied sex had innuendo and implication in a way this game hasn't. Which is fine, while I do prefer romances to have at least one Big Romantic Kiss, this means that a flirtatious character like Zen is less squickily sexual than, say, Yuri from Nameless.
That said, boyish love interests like Yoosung tend to get the least sexy route.
Aw. A phonecall from Seven where he doesn't SAY "I'm sorry I got Yoosung hurt and am keeping all these secrets", but that's clearly what he's thinking as he rambles about Yoosung being a better person than him and then hangs up.
Since I've gotten past all the bad ends on the schedule, I wonder if the choices I'm making now actually affect anything or are just for immersion. They've been variants on "I'm glad everyone's ok", "I'm glad Yoosung's ok" and "I'm glad the party's ok". *resists the tempatation to take the douchey option for the lols*
WAIT
HOW DID IT TAKE ME THIS LONG TO REMEMBER
THIS IS A KOREAN ROMANCE
MC's going to beabout to arrive at the party, and then she'll...fall into a coma or get sucked into a time vortex or get kidnapped by aliens or something and then we MAYBE see her get an IMPLIED reunion with Yoosung after 2 years have passed and he's about to graduate from vet school. IF WE'RE LUCKY.
We see a flashback to Yoosung asking Rika why she likes V.
Rika: We're on the same wavelength. And no matter how ugly I get, he loves me. I want to live in his world, he's like the sun to me. I want to be warm like him, someone who can truly save others.
Hmm
And now Yoosung is comforting Rika whose dog died...because it lost it's sight and ran into traffic.
Rika: I should have taken her for surgery. I didn't even know how sad it would be to not see anything...I don't deserve to be an owner.
Yoosung: Someday I'll become a very and save all of your pets!
HMM
Game I am not going to take a flirt option with Zen on the second last day of the Yoosung route.
V visits Yoosung as he's being prepped for surgery?? But he still wants to see MC tomorrow, and says some sweet things about how she's helped him become a better and more together person, and how he wants to be there for her if she ever needs help too.
END OF DAY TEN. ONE DAY/TWO SCENES LEFT.
This drawn out storytelling is a pain in the ass but does make everything feel more significant. Sadly the writing, while good, hasn't quite been strong enough to carry it off.
FINAL DAY
Everyone is excited for the party, but Seven is subdued. Zen offers to take people drinking afterward and NOW Jaehee worries MC might be too young. But she can date a 20 year old no questions asked??
Also, Jaehee, your icon is you looking into a wineglass, and you and Jumin both got sozzled in chat during a meeting with a winery. The ship has sailed.
Yoosung calls, and after some affectionate greetings, mentions as if it's no big deal that he might "look a little scary", but he's still the man who loves her. Yoosunnnng what did that mean evil twin do to you ;_; I hope they get to hug somehow, they both need all the hugs.
And now I have to wait four hours for the final sceeeeene. I think after this I'll take a break before starting Jaehee, maybe do Yoosung's bad ends and play some Ozmafia. Being able to play ALL THE SCENES WHENEVER I WANT will feel like LUXURY.
PARTY TIME!!
Awwww yessssss
Everyone looks very nice in their fancy clothes as they greet MC and congratulate her on the party. But Seven mopes around and eventually starts crying.
Yoosung got INJURED IN THE EYE??? AND MIGHT LOSE IT?? So when he was winking in that photo...it was to COVER THE WOUND???
Jaehee says she'll run things here so everyone else can go to the hospital to see Yoosung. But then...
V takes the stage! He talks about how the RFA was founded on the love between him and Rika, but relies on the hard work of everyone, then calls forth Yoosung, who's eye is all bandaged. But he's happy, talking about how Rika's love initially inspired him but he's realised his love for MC is something else entirely.
I shouldn't be into it but I am.
Then he rushes down off the stage to MC, and then goes off screen.
Zen: Hey. that's a bit close!
Me: Haha, ah, so hugs and stuff happen off screen. That's ok, a long as they get to hug.
But then....
THAT.
IS.
NOT.
MC.
MC IS CHUBBY AND BLACK
WITH PINK HAIR
HMMMMMMMMMPH
Ok, headcanon, this was a random woman standing next to MC and Yoosung has to awkwardly apologise for kissing her before her gets to kiss MC for real.
THE END
End credits play.
Oh! I get to decide where the RFA's donation goes, and these votes are added up and used to make actual real world charity donations by Cheritz! My choices are:
Safer World for Women
Happiness of all children
World healthy and free of all disease
Dreams and hopes for those in need
Since their motto is "Sweet Solutions for Female Gamers", let's go for "Safer World for Women".
I have unlocked Yoosung's "After Ending"!
I have to pay TWENTY HOURGLASSES TO SEE IT???
*mutters and listens to the interview with Yoosung's voice actor, Gyuyuk Shim, which is free*
"I had to put on an iron mask to say these cringeworthy lines" wow, ok then Gyuyuk, see if you get hired for their next game.
I can now see all the gallery pictures/calls/chats I've unlocked whenever I want, which is nice.
I can also click on any guest I had turn up and get a brief comment from a member of the RFA, which is kind of boring except for it getting me an hourglass each, nice.
Romance novel author comment from Jaehee "Most of her male protagonists seem to look like Zen. I was eager to hear about her next work". I'll bet you were ;)
I guess I should keep track of which guests I haven't invited and get them next time, assuming the same ones show up. *totally fails to do so*
I think they're calling MC "nim" which is an honorific, I think roughly equivalent to "san" in Japanese.
...Yoosung is in his party outfit but has no eye patch?? OHHH because he probably only injures his eye in his route, and I'm outside of that now.
...a new chatroom opened? But I'm...in the main menu?
HUH. I just saved and the save is labelled "Jaehee's expectation"??
Haaaaa I opened the common route to see what was up and got the option to start on day 5 with Yoosung, Zen or Jaehee for ONE HUNDRED hourglasses. I only have 125 total at this point, I think not.
Something I forgot to think about at ALL was making sure my saves are at convenient times of day to open, ah well.
ANYWAY. That's that! Next up is bad ends which I'll do in a different post.
Overall...that was fun? But the mechanics were such a pain, just let me play the damn game Cheritz, I'd happily pay like $30 to just...play it. But no, I'd have to pay...idk, hundreds of dollars? A lot. To unlock all the scenes without time shenanigans, and no.
And I am someone with nothing better to do than play video games and nap! My health has been kicking my ass this last week or so, so Mystic Messenger was a useful distraction, and even so I found myself thinking "Surely I have better things to do than wait for this next chat".
Mechanics aside, Yoosung was cute, and it was nice seeing him work through his issues, even if it was done in a gendered way he stayed sweet and nice. And I'm curious to see how everything else plays out and fits together. Also, there was no last minute vanishing and they did get a Big Romantic Kiss.
That said, on that note, since I CAN'T MAKE THEM BLACK OR FAT OR SHORT HAIRED I might make some of my MCs trans or wheelchair users. Maybe give one a big ol' facial scar, since they seem to be avoiding detailed facial features. Maybe I'll draw my own icons! DON'T IMPLY I CAN MAKE THEM LOOK HOW I WANT IN MY HEAD THEN WALK IT BACK, CHERITZ. YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.
*Prepares to carefully figure out the optimal way to get all the bad ends, because Cheritz is absolutely the boss of me*
I wrote this part much later, but there's no spoilers.
Normal Ending:
I watched this youtube video.
Aww once again everyone is sweet and understanding about the small number of guests MC organised.
Ahhh I forgot how sad Seven is at the end of the Yoosung route. I'm sure Yoosung will give him a hug and tell him not to feel guilty.
He tells everyone that Yoosung's eye got injured, and apologises, blaming himself. Having played the Seven route I have a better idea of EXACTLY how bad he feels right now.
Everyone goes to the hospital, leaving Jaehee to take care of the party. Yoosung is asleep, but V asks MC to stay so he can be cryptically encouraging. Yoosung wakes.
Yoosung, muzzily: MC? ...party?!"
V: It's too late to go to the party. Don't worry and just talk to MC.
Yoosung: MC...I'm sorry I couldn't go the party you worked so hard on. I wanted to look really good when we met but I must look so pathetic. But I'm happy I can still see you.
Awwwww
"You look really different to Rika. I like the way you are much more, I won't ever get you confused with anyone else. After she died I thought I'd never know happiness again...but your love is incomparable. I may still be a college student. but I can do anything for you, even if I get hurt. So don't look so worried. I was happy to sacrifice myself for you. I love you."
THE END
After Ending:
MC is visiting Yoosung at "the hospital". He is endearingly needy about how he hasn't seen her here in TWO DAYS: just seeing her at home doesn't count! He talks about "Lisa" missing MC, it becomes clear that he's a vet and Lisa is a cat. OH. IS SHE THE KITTEN??? He says "She's four now" like it's significant, so that would make sense!
MC's got him new glasses even though he's getting surgery to fix his eye later that week. "You like people in glasses huh ;) You'll be twice as pretty when I can see you with both eyes. What do you mean that's impossible? Trust me, I have a Phd. According to the medicine I studied, you can think whatever you want when you're in love."
I'd think she was being too negative but he's clearly into her scolding him.
He says some incredibly romantic things and I wibbled. Apparently MC told him to stop acting like a teenage boy and discuss the dinner menu and he says it's his turn to cook so why not go out for dinner? "You say I'm acting like a baby? That's no good. We should have one so I can prove I'm different."
THE END
Those were both really cute. Yoosung <3
And now I am done!
That was fun? Mostly? Having to worry about everything in realtime really undercut my enjoyment of the story. But the story itself was fine.
EDIT: Now with Normal Ending and After Ending!
Content Note: discussion of a pre-canon suicide, iffy treatment of mental illness, implied eye injury
So, at the end of day 6, Yoosung was clearly Into MC but kept comparing her to his dead cousin Rika.
On further examination, all the day 7 Bad End chats are for the same bad end, "Bad story end 1", except for one for "Bad relationship ending 1", which says "Story Mode 707" and is labelled "The life of a cherryboy"?? (Cherry boy was an insulting nickname for the red headed character in Nameless)
Either way, the first Bad End chat is at 5pm, I'm gonna be a bit tense until then.
Seven, that anecdote is kinda racist towards "natives".
As much as it's satisfying when I happen to catch the late night/early morning chats, they seem to largely be either entirely secondary to the actual story (a la Seven's anecdote), or just reiterating the same dynamics as earlier chats so much that it's actually kind of annoying.
In general, since you only need to interact with 50% of the chats, if the game wants to, say, test whether MC is ok with Yoosung projecting Rika onto him, it has to ask her opinion like five times. I SAID SHE'S NOT OK WITH IT AND HOPES YOOSUNG WILL CHANGE, CAN WE MOVE ON.
Yoosung is being very oblivious as everyone tries to explain why a girl might not want to hear "you're just like my dead cousin", but I knew he was a dumbass when I started dating him.
Zen has talked so much about how fast he heals I've decided he's a vampire. He even has white hair and red eyes!
(That or he's about to injure himself by not letting his ankle heal long enough)
Seven accuses Zen of projecting his dislike of someone else onto Jumin.
...uh?
I'm wondering how much crossover there is with the plot of the chats between routes eg does Zen always hurt his ankle?
Oh, the game lets you know things are about to branch and prompts you to save! That's useful.
Hooray, passed the day 7 Bad End points safely, and Yoosung has realised he needs to stop comparing MC to Rika. Also Jumin got drunk and mentioned that Jaehee's parents died when she was young, so her advice not to project grief onto another may be coming from personal experience.
WTF
Seven says someone has hacked the apartment and if MC leaves or anyone else enters the BOMB he put in there for emergencies will go off???
Like part of me think he has to be joking but IT'S OTOME. WHO KNOWS
MC is understandably pissed, and Jaehee is there tipsy and righteously angry on MC's behalf, smacking Seven down any time he looks like he's not taking MC's safety seriously enough. I love you Jaehee. (He's all "Yes Ma'am :(" it is A+)
Seven messaged MC to ask if she was alright and I replied "I'm already dead", and he got all "That's not funny". NOW YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS, SEVEN.
None of the responses have seemed obviously bad, I wonder what the bad end behaviours are now.
Ahhh ok looks like the new Bad Behaviour is being too angry and possessive. Now I feel like getting pissy on principle. THERE IS A BOMB. She presumably has her own house she could have been working at! With no bomb in it!!
Yoosung is Trying To Be A Good Protective Man, which is a bit gendered for me, but this is aimed at straight women rather than bi non-binary people, and it's cute for what it is. I GUESS. But it feels like there's some, like...Let Him Be A Man subtext which ehhhhh. I guess I'll see how the bad ends play out before I get too annoyed.
Yoosung asked MC to be his pre-girlfriend, posting a picture of himself blushing and holding up some roses, and it was adorable.
End of Day 7!
Huh. The upcoming 3:30pm chat doesn't seem to be part of a bad end or anything, but has a little image in the summary saying "Story Mode: 707"??
Zen saw a flash outside his apartment and think he has a stalker, and Jumin keeps laughing and referring to it as his imaginary friend.
Oops, the translator left in a line about Yoosung being 22 (his age by Korean counting)
Haha what. Seven defeated the hacker but V insisted he not remove the bomb. So now MC can leave, but if there's an intruder, it will go off! And I should just trust that V knows what he's doing???
MC is a nice, obliging, otome heroine, but no, she does not trust this guy she met a week ago with her life based on...no justifications whatsoever. There was sadly no option to go SO MAYBE I'LL JUST HANG OUT SOMEWHERE ELSE THEN??
Ok, so there's space to be upset at V and acknowledge Yoosung's anger with him, the bad choices seem to lean towards encouraging Yoosung towards unthinking rage and not even talking to V, again with that whole "All that matters is that Yoosung cares the most about me" thing. Good choices think V and Yoosung need to honestly communicate.
Time for 707 story mode and it's....
Ohh. Story mode means seeing what they're up to offline! Seven is dodging V's worried calls asking for updates, and muttering to himself about how strange it is that the hacker has such a similar style to himself.
And there's two Yoosung Story Modes this evening!
Huuh.
So, I avoided mentioning it until now to avoid needing a trigger warning, but Rika killed herself. It turns out V was the only witness to her throwing herself into the ocean, and they never found the body. He was questioned by the police but Jumin made sure he was let go.
No wonder Yoosung is iffy about it all o.O I don't actually think V killed her, but...yeah.
So. I need 10 guests for a Good End and I have...13. Oops. That'll make getting the Normal End troublesome.
V shows up to talk to Yoosung in chat, saying he can't use his phone because it's BUGGED?? Yoosung gets angry at V constantly refusing to explain anything. So V tells him: the bomb was Rika's idea, to protect the guest's information. V now suspects that there is a large group trying to get access to the apartment, and that they're the ones behind "Unknown" sending MC.
He also says it's important MC stay in the apartment, and that the threat of bomb is the best way to keep everyone safe. I wonder: does he suspect MC of BEING a bad guy?
Also he talks about Rika "not being with them" in a way that makes me wonder if SHE'S with the bad guys (also I saw something in the merch that kinda implied this. Damn spoilery merch!)
Yoosung: You still haven't explained Rika's death. She wasn't mentally ill!
V: She was.
MC: She was mentally ill?
VC: I've said too much. I have to go *leaves*
Where is this going o.O
The first Yoosung Story Mode was just a few lines of him in his room being sad. But in the second, V come to his house! V tries to apologise, and then just hugs him.
Yoosung: Rika being gone, and MC being in danger...It's all your fault!
V: Yes. It's all my fault.
Yoosung: Wait, what's wrong with your eyes...
Me: DON'T END THE SCENE THERE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIS EYES??
Everyone is much more shocked about Rika having been mentally ill than I'd have expected considering that she committed suicide. But afaict there is a huge stigma around mental illness in Korea, and I suspect there's nuances I'm missing.
Ah! Jumin think the reason the bad guys sent MC to the apartment instead of going themselves was to avoid the risk of being caught/hurt/recognised etc.
Haaa I have been avoiding all these dialogue options where MC freaks out and is sure the bad guys are TRYING TO KIDNAP HER because they WANT TO SEPARATE HER AND YOOSUNG. Which Yoosung will absolutely buy into in his bad end, goddddd. Something to look forward to, I guess!
Jaehee has a moment of "Maybe MC is working with the bad guys?" but thinks it through and reassures herself it's not true, then apologises. That's ok, Jaehee, it's a reasonable question.
Jumin tells Jaehee she should come stay at his house, since it's more secure. I considered the "OMG is this a sex thing?" response but settled on saying it was nice he cared about her safety.
Jaehee: He's just worried about the compensation if I get hurt
Jumin: partly
Game. Game, why does the Banker guest's icon have...a hooked nose.... >:(
*feels much more comfortable avoiding giving them any money for this game*
End of Day 8
Ok, I'm going to bed! And I am at 94 hourglasses, woo. I'm likely to sleep through some of the Story Mode scenes coming up at like 1am, I hope I still get to see them.
Woo, I did!
Zen sees a middle aged man staring through his window, and freaks out and goes to Seven's house: a secure bunker with an entry code in Arabic. Seeing Zen telling Seven to get more sleep and clean up his house is cute.
Jaehee gets a weird email from a group called "Mint Eye" saying "Our paradise. The place where everyone is happy. The magenta of dreams and hopes..."
Jumin reveals that Rika damaged V's corneas so badly he had to quit being a photographer? And V refuses to get them fixed because it's his way of mourning?? V is being set up as this woobie who suffers in silence, keeping secrets for the greater good, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Yoosung goes to Jumin's house and begs him to try again to persuade V to get treatment.
Jumin: It's been a long time since you visited and all you do is ask for favours...first come in and say hello to the cats. Nothing is free in this world.
haha wow bad end MC is going to be such a jerk, she's all "Enough about V's pain, how is this going to affect the party I worked so hard on??"
A story mode with no character name attached. We see a room full of blue computer monitors covered in white text.
???: Why did you trust me to be better than him? Just abandon me here. It's the only way to save everyone and build your paradise.
I'm going to call "???" Ray from now on because that's that's clearly who it is.
haha and now a phonecall with Yoosung where he checks that MC likes pets. Jumin got you to take the kitten, didn't he...
There is a rather silly melodramatic sequence where it turns out Seven is about to do a lone infiltration of the bad guy's base on V's orders, and Yoosung demands to come along.
Seven: If we don't come back, donate all my Honey Buddha Chips to the Cathedral. Then press d on my computer and leave the house within 5 minutes and 20 seconds.
Zen: Wait what?? I THOUGHT THIS ORGANISATION WAS FOR HOSTING PARTIES
Haa, the choices are getting pretty blatant. "What's important is me" vs "What's important is you". HMMM LET ME THINK.
The dynamic between Jumin and Jaehee at his house is amusingly awkward, they're only communicating via text message and every now and then she makes passive aggressive remarks about all the work she's having to do since he decided to take an impromptu holiday.
"You can use whatever you need just don't come over to this side of the wall"
Ahaha latest guest is the film director "Christmas Nolan", and I won him over by saying he directed "Baleman" and "Outerstellar".
On the whole it feels like I'm being expected to be cooler with V's behaviour than I'd like, but at one point my options were "politely angry" and "impolitely angry" which is something. He talked about wanting everyone to remember Rika as a good person in way that makes me wonder how much of a bad person she actually was, and how this will play into the mental illness thing.
End of Day 9, at 102 hourglasses!
Buncha possible bad ends tomorrow...
Yoosung and Seven approach the hideout. And...HUH.
I have seen that "Mint Eye" logo before, it's on MC's profile! It's greyed out there, like you can unlock it, maybe when you unlock Ray's route.
Jaehee and Zen have a cute 2am conversation about their worries where it comes up that she is religious (Christian, I think?) and he is an atheist. I love how chill Koreans are about religion (...except these Mint Eye folk, clearly)
phew, the building is empty!
OR NOT
OOH AND SEVEN RECOGNISES HIM??
(at first he calls him an npc. I got bad news for you, Seven...)
NNNG LET'S SEE IF I GOT A BAD END
oooh Ray accuses Seven of changing his name to Lucien. From what??
Seven: Who brought you here? What is this place?
Ray: This is the beautiful paradise where everyone is happy, Magenta
Oooh, Ray sent "invitations" to everyone but only Jaehee's got through. Both clearly think the other has been brainwashed, Seven by V and Ray by someone yet unknown. Ray is...rather less convincing on the "No, YOU'RE brainwashed" front.
Ray: How could you leave me alone with that creepy woman?
Seven: Rika said she'd take care of everything. And she showed me photos of you smiling.
Wait did Ray kill the "crazy woman"? And now he's planning to kill himself and Seven??
Ray: You said "Don't worry, I'll make money and we can get out of here. Stay strong and we can live where noone will find us." But then you abandoned me. So just press this switch and we can all disappear: you, me, and MC too...
Me: OH GOD I KILLED EVERYONE
Yoosung: Not so fast!
And then he grabs Seven and they run away!
PHEW
But then just as the scene ends Ray shows up and does something to Yoosung?!!!
The next bad end is called "He will never come back", so, that's going to be a fun wait D:
Me: Oh good, looks like I avoided the ending where something bad happens to Yoosung.
The "good" scene opens. With...
Ray torturing Yoosung????
Ray: I know everything about you. Like how you dreamed of becoming a vet. Let's see if I can destroy that dream. Hmm, should I start with your fingers...
??????????? D: D:
THIS IS NOT HOW I WANTED TO FIND OUT YOOSUNG'S DREAM
Seven, outside: What have I done? Yoosung should never forgive me.
And then he calls V for help.
And now I have to wait FIVE HOURS for the next scene!!!
Aw, it's a cute chat where Yoosung tells MC he's fine and going to have a nap! He sends her this image to show he's ok:
Cut to offline:
Yoosung: Don't tell anyone I got hurt, MC put so much effort into the party I want it to go well.
Seven: WE CAN DISCUSS THAT AFTER I GET YOU TO HOSPITAL
Yoosunnnnnggg
Yoosung rings MC and is very affectionate but a bit weak, I think from context he's a little embarrassed to have nurses etc hear him talking about how he wants to kiss her.
I'm assuming at this point that we never see MC onscreen. I wonder how the party will be handled, will we actually get to see them all interact in person, with MC there but not shown? I hope so.
And so I'm guessing there's no sex scenes or even kissing or hugging? Overall this game has been much less dirty than the other Cheritz games, which even before the kissing/implied sex had innuendo and implication in a way this game hasn't. Which is fine, while I do prefer romances to have at least one Big Romantic Kiss, this means that a flirtatious character like Zen is less squickily sexual than, say, Yuri from Nameless.
That said, boyish love interests like Yoosung tend to get the least sexy route.
Aw. A phonecall from Seven where he doesn't SAY "I'm sorry I got Yoosung hurt and am keeping all these secrets", but that's clearly what he's thinking as he rambles about Yoosung being a better person than him and then hangs up.
Since I've gotten past all the bad ends on the schedule, I wonder if the choices I'm making now actually affect anything or are just for immersion. They've been variants on "I'm glad everyone's ok", "I'm glad Yoosung's ok" and "I'm glad the party's ok". *resists the tempatation to take the douchey option for the lols*
WAIT
HOW DID IT TAKE ME THIS LONG TO REMEMBER
THIS IS A KOREAN ROMANCE
MC's going to be
We see a flashback to Yoosung asking Rika why she likes V.
Rika: We're on the same wavelength. And no matter how ugly I get, he loves me. I want to live in his world, he's like the sun to me. I want to be warm like him, someone who can truly save others.
Hmm
And now Yoosung is comforting Rika whose dog died...because it lost it's sight and ran into traffic.
Rika: I should have taken her for surgery. I didn't even know how sad it would be to not see anything...I don't deserve to be an owner.
Yoosung: Someday I'll become a very and save all of your pets!
HMM
Game I am not going to take a flirt option with Zen on the second last day of the Yoosung route.
V visits Yoosung as he's being prepped for surgery?? But he still wants to see MC tomorrow, and says some sweet things about how she's helped him become a better and more together person, and how he wants to be there for her if she ever needs help too.
END OF DAY TEN. ONE DAY/TWO SCENES LEFT.
This drawn out storytelling is a pain in the ass but does make everything feel more significant. Sadly the writing, while good, hasn't quite been strong enough to carry it off.
FINAL DAY
Everyone is excited for the party, but Seven is subdued. Zen offers to take people drinking afterward and NOW Jaehee worries MC might be too young. But she can date a 20 year old no questions asked??
Also, Jaehee, your icon is you looking into a wineglass, and you and Jumin both got sozzled in chat during a meeting with a winery. The ship has sailed.
Yoosung calls, and after some affectionate greetings, mentions as if it's no big deal that he might "look a little scary", but he's still the man who loves her. Yoosunnnng what did that mean evil twin do to you ;_; I hope they get to hug somehow, they both need all the hugs.
And now I have to wait four hours for the final sceeeeene. I think after this I'll take a break before starting Jaehee, maybe do Yoosung's bad ends and play some Ozmafia. Being able to play ALL THE SCENES WHENEVER I WANT will feel like LUXURY.
PARTY TIME!!
Awwww yessssss
Everyone looks very nice in their fancy clothes as they greet MC and congratulate her on the party. But Seven mopes around and eventually starts crying.
Yoosung got INJURED IN THE EYE??? AND MIGHT LOSE IT?? So when he was winking in that photo...it was to COVER THE WOUND???
Jaehee says she'll run things here so everyone else can go to the hospital to see Yoosung. But then...
V takes the stage! He talks about how the RFA was founded on the love between him and Rika, but relies on the hard work of everyone, then calls forth Yoosung, who's eye is all bandaged. But he's happy, talking about how Rika's love initially inspired him but he's realised his love for MC is something else entirely.
I shouldn't be into it but I am.
Then he rushes down off the stage to MC, and then goes off screen.
Zen: Hey. that's a bit close!
Me: Haha, ah, so hugs and stuff happen off screen. That's ok, a long as they get to hug.
But then....
THAT.
IS.
NOT.
MC.
MC IS CHUBBY AND BLACK
WITH PINK HAIR
HMMMMMMMMMPH
Ok, headcanon, this was a random woman standing next to MC and Yoosung has to awkwardly apologise for kissing her before her gets to kiss MC for real.
THE END
End credits play.
Oh! I get to decide where the RFA's donation goes, and these votes are added up and used to make actual real world charity donations by Cheritz! My choices are:
Safer World for Women
Happiness of all children
World healthy and free of all disease
Dreams and hopes for those in need
Since their motto is "Sweet Solutions for Female Gamers", let's go for "Safer World for Women".
I have unlocked Yoosung's "After Ending"!
I have to pay TWENTY HOURGLASSES TO SEE IT???
*mutters and listens to the interview with Yoosung's voice actor, Gyuyuk Shim, which is free*
"I had to put on an iron mask to say these cringeworthy lines" wow, ok then Gyuyuk, see if you get hired for their next game.
I can now see all the gallery pictures/calls/chats I've unlocked whenever I want, which is nice.
I can also click on any guest I had turn up and get a brief comment from a member of the RFA, which is kind of boring except for it getting me an hourglass each, nice.
Romance novel author comment from Jaehee "Most of her male protagonists seem to look like Zen. I was eager to hear about her next work". I'll bet you were ;)
I guess I should keep track of which guests I haven't invited and get them next time, assuming the same ones show up. *totally fails to do so*
I think they're calling MC "nim" which is an honorific, I think roughly equivalent to "san" in Japanese.
...Yoosung is in his party outfit but has no eye patch?? OHHH because he probably only injures his eye in his route, and I'm outside of that now.
...a new chatroom opened? But I'm...in the main menu?
HUH. I just saved and the save is labelled "Jaehee's expectation"??
Haaaaa I opened the common route to see what was up and got the option to start on day 5 with Yoosung, Zen or Jaehee for ONE HUNDRED hourglasses. I only have 125 total at this point, I think not.
Something I forgot to think about at ALL was making sure my saves are at convenient times of day to open, ah well.
ANYWAY. That's that! Next up is bad ends which I'll do in a different post.
Overall...that was fun? But the mechanics were such a pain, just let me play the damn game Cheritz, I'd happily pay like $30 to just...play it. But no, I'd have to pay...idk, hundreds of dollars? A lot. To unlock all the scenes without time shenanigans, and no.
And I am someone with nothing better to do than play video games and nap! My health has been kicking my ass this last week or so, so Mystic Messenger was a useful distraction, and even so I found myself thinking "Surely I have better things to do than wait for this next chat".
Mechanics aside, Yoosung was cute, and it was nice seeing him work through his issues, even if it was done in a gendered way he stayed sweet and nice. And I'm curious to see how everything else plays out and fits together. Also, there was no last minute vanishing and they did get a Big Romantic Kiss.
That said, on that note, since I CAN'T MAKE THEM BLACK OR FAT OR SHORT HAIRED I might make some of my MCs trans or wheelchair users. Maybe give one a big ol' facial scar, since they seem to be avoiding detailed facial features. Maybe I'll draw my own icons! DON'T IMPLY I CAN MAKE THEM LOOK HOW I WANT IN MY HEAD THEN WALK IT BACK, CHERITZ. YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME.
*Prepares to carefully figure out the optimal way to get all the bad ends, because Cheritz is absolutely the boss of me*
Normal and After Ending
I wrote this part much later, but there's no spoilers.
Normal Ending:
I watched this youtube video.
Aww once again everyone is sweet and understanding about the small number of guests MC organised.
Ahhh I forgot how sad Seven is at the end of the Yoosung route. I'm sure Yoosung will give him a hug and tell him not to feel guilty.
He tells everyone that Yoosung's eye got injured, and apologises, blaming himself. Having played the Seven route I have a better idea of EXACTLY how bad he feels right now.
Everyone goes to the hospital, leaving Jaehee to take care of the party. Yoosung is asleep, but V asks MC to stay so he can be cryptically encouraging. Yoosung wakes.
Yoosung, muzzily: MC? ...party?!"
V: It's too late to go to the party. Don't worry and just talk to MC.
Yoosung: MC...I'm sorry I couldn't go the party you worked so hard on. I wanted to look really good when we met but I must look so pathetic. But I'm happy I can still see you.
Awwwww
"You look really different to Rika. I like the way you are much more, I won't ever get you confused with anyone else. After she died I thought I'd never know happiness again...but your love is incomparable. I may still be a college student. but I can do anything for you, even if I get hurt. So don't look so worried. I was happy to sacrifice myself for you. I love you."
THE END
After Ending:
MC is visiting Yoosung at "the hospital". He is endearingly needy about how he hasn't seen her here in TWO DAYS: just seeing her at home doesn't count! He talks about "Lisa" missing MC, it becomes clear that he's a vet and Lisa is a cat. OH. IS SHE THE KITTEN??? He says "She's four now" like it's significant, so that would make sense!
MC's got him new glasses even though he's getting surgery to fix his eye later that week. "You like people in glasses huh ;) You'll be twice as pretty when I can see you with both eyes. What do you mean that's impossible? Trust me, I have a Phd. According to the medicine I studied, you can think whatever you want when you're in love."
I'd think she was being too negative but he's clearly into her scolding him.
He says some incredibly romantic things and I wibbled. Apparently MC told him to stop acting like a teenage boy and discuss the dinner menu and he says it's his turn to cook so why not go out for dinner? "You say I'm acting like a baby? That's no good. We should have one so I can prove I'm different."
THE END
Those were both really cute. Yoosung <3
