SPOILERS AHEAD, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!
If you haven't played Mystic Messenger completely, you might read something that will reveal to you the complete story of the game. So please pay attention!
MC (short for main character; can be also referred as Protagonist or Heroine) is the main female protagonist of Mystic Messenger. After accidentally getting involved with the RFA, she takes on the job of former member and founder Rika to organize a party and invite guests.
During the process, she will be able to romance with one of the seven main characters of the game throughout the eleven days of planning and conversing with the characters, depending on which route you're on. The ending is determined on how the MC treats each of the members and her behavior during the route she is doing.
Appearance
Although there are five different standard avatars available for use in the game, the standard appearance of the MC is a slender fair-skinned woman with waist-length brown hair that has long bangs as shown in several visuals of the game and her eyes are not usually shown, but her eyes are shown to be amber in the default in-game avatar.
The player is also given the option to choose a picture from their files and make that their icon where the other options for the avatar include:
- A pale-skinned woman with bob-length blonde hair that has bangs hanging on the left side and blue eyes
- A woman with long, curly red hair and green eyes.
- A brown-skinned woman with short dark-brown hair that has bangs hanging mostly on the right side and golden eyes.
- A parodied version of the MC as a blue unicorn with pink hair.
It is speculated that her eyes are never shown in the visuals so the player can imagine themselves actually being the MC, but some conversation shows that she is a "grown woman".
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Personality
The MC's personality can differ slightly depending on which route is chosen. Overall, she shows compassion and kindness towards the RFA members. However, some of the options given can present the MC as selfish, usually leading to a bad ending.
Notably, she comes off as rather naive or too trusting, concerning how she seems to choose to trust Unknown/Ray's word at the beginning of every route despite how shady the situation is.
Background
The MC's background can be whatever the player chooses it to be. The game usually assumes the MC is either a student, office worker, or someone who doesn't work and stays at home. At times the game will break the fourth wall and mention how limited the background options are.
The MC is a complete stranger to all of the characters at the start of the game. She downloads a suspicious app and is led to Rika's apartment by Unknown. When she enters the apartment, she automatically connects to the RFA's chatroom on her phone. From that point on, she develops relationships with all of the other characters.
Involvement
Yoosung's Route
As Yoosung and MC become closer, Yoosung compares her to Rika to the point that it becomes an irritating tendency. The MC can either encourage Yoosung's unhealthy obsession and become possessive and controlling, which will turn Yoosung into a "yandere", becoming equally possessive and controlling. In one of his bad endings, he manages to steal the address to Rika's apartment and goes to the MC despite the threat of the bomb. Once there, Yoosung is shocked to see that the MC looks nothing like Rika, but remains anyway. It then revealed that, because Yoosung entered the apartment, the bomb detonated, killing them both instantly.
During Yoosung's route, the MC can continue to encourage Yoosung to study and find a life outside of LOLOL and Rika, giving him the strength he sorely lacked after the loss of the one person he cared about most in the world. After it is revealed that a bomb is residing in Rika's apartment, Yoosung becomes worried and angry with the RFA, with V in particular. After V comes to his apartment and apologizes for all that happened and takes the blame Yoosung pushed on him, Yoosung begins to move on past Rika and see the MC for who she really is. Yoosung then visits Jumin and begs him to send more bodyguards to Rika's apartment after the bomb has been deactivated so that the MC is safe from the hacker and in return, Yoosung takes care of the kitten Jumin found.
Yoosung confesses his love for the MC and tells her he loves her for her, not because she reminds him of Rika and the two share a kiss to reaffirm their love.
In order to protect the girl he loves, Yoosung travels to Mint Eye with 707 in order to gain data about the organisation. Yoosung manages to save 707 from being ensnared by Unknown's words but at the cost of losing his eye. Not wanting to worry the RFA and the MC in particular, he lies about being okay and is brought to the hospital in secret, where he admits to V that he loves the MC so deeply that he doesn't care about losing an eye, as long as she is safe.
At the party, Yoosung finally gets to see the MC in person, having been released from hospital with his left eye completely bandaged, and admit the depth of his feelings to her in front of the other members and the other party guests, saying that it's okay now because she isn't Rika and the two share a kiss in front of the other members of the RFA and the other party guests.
In his After Ending, it is revealed that Yoosung has become a vet and can see with the help of glasses but is scheduled to have surgery on his left eye so that he can see. Both he and the MC are married and still very deeply in love with one another, with Yoosung commenting that he wishes for them to have a child.
Zen's Route
Zen and the MC begin flirtatious banter early on in the Common Route and it deepens when the MC obtains his route. Zen admits early on that he is attracted to the MC, much to Jaehee's dismay. With the MC supportive of Zen, he continues to work hard for his big on screen role, but it is quickly dashed away when Zen injures himself from working too hard. Zen quickly enters into a state of depression but, with the help of the MC, he slowly begins to accept that he might not be able to do the role but, when he decides to tell the truth, Echo Girl appears in front of him and tells him that she is his fan and that he had been given the role because she wanted it to go to him.
The MC can be either supportive or unsupportive of Zen's acting career, the latter resulting in a Bad Ending. If the MC continues to support Zen, Jumin will suggest that the MC visit Zen in order to cheer him up after breaking his leg, with Jaehee strongly objecting to it.
The MC eventually visits Zen and he is immediately smitten with her; the two grow closer and Zen opens up to the MC about his past, how his parents were emotionally abusive towards him and that he had relied on his brother before he, too, began to abuse him. This resulted in Zen running away from home as he wanted to become an actor instead of following in his family's academic steps.
Zen reveals the truth of what really happened with Echo Girl, proving himself innocent, and confesses that he is in love with the MC at the party.
The two almost become intimate before Zen decides it's best she go home. After the MC leaves, Echo Girl visits Zen and attempts to seduce him, but he rebuffs her advances and she angrily leaves, swearing revenge.
It is then revealed Echo Girl lied that Zen had sexually assaulted her and Zen becomes a pariah, ostracised and ridiculed on the internet and by Echo Girl's fans. Depending on the MC's choices, Zen can overcome this difficult time and become friends with Jumin, who helps Zen reveal the truth about Echo Girl.
At the party, Zen reveals what really happened with Echo Girl, proving that she was a long term fan of Zen and that she attempted to seduce him but he rebuffed her advances, thus proving himself to be innocent and saving his reputation; against Jumin's advice, Zen tells the public that he is in love with another woman, the MC, and he does not want to lie to his fans about his relationship status. The two kiss in front of all the reporters and reaffirm their love for one another.
In Zen's after story, it is revealed his popularity is soaring and that Echo Girl never really recovered from her accusations some time prior. Zen has begun to star in more TV dramas and the MC is his manager, though the two are still very much in love, with Zen reciting lines from a previous script to the MC to show the depth of his love.
MC and Jaehee become business partners and strengthen their friendship as they opened their own coffee shop
Jaehee's Route
Jaehee becomes incredibly stressed due to the amount of work Jumin gives her. She develops an interest in starting a cafe due to her love towards coffee, but Jumin pushes her to keep doing the work he sets. There, both MC and Zen help Jaehee overcome her trauma of not being able to stand on her own if she's no longer with C&R International.
At the Party, Jaehee quits her job and proposes a business venture with MC to open a coffee shop together.
Jumin's Route
Jumin is initially wary of the MC at first but eventually the two become friends. The MC is the only one who understands Jumin's sense of humor and dotes on Elizabeth as much as Jumin does, much to his delight. The two grow closer and many members comment that Jumin is much nicer and less sharp when talking to the MC.
However, things take a turn for the worse when Chairman Han attempts to make Jumin and Sarah engaged, much to his dismay. He turns to the MC for comfort and begins to vent his frustrations but has difficulties dealing with the onslaught of emotions as he had spent much of his life repressing his emotions, causing them to become "tangled." He continues to confide in the MC and his anxiety and paranoia worsens when Zen dreams of Elizabeth the 3rd escaping from the penthouse; despite Jumin not believing in premonitions, he does worry that Glam and Sarah might try to kidnap Elizabeth to force him into marriage. As a result, he decides to lock Elizabeth in a cage, coming to the realisation that their relationship was not real, that he had been projecting his crippling loneliness onto the cat to cope.
Worried about Jumin's mental health, 707 and Jaehee decide to send the MC over to Jumin's penthouse, where he is shocked to see her but is instantly besotted with her; the MC can either provoke Jumin's dark thoughts about locking her up or try to help him through his emotions during her stay in the penthouse. Jumin instantly becomes possessive and obsessively protective of the MC, refusing to send Zen a picture of the MC because he wants to be the only person to see her. Jumin still tries to remain a gentleman and cooks breakfast for the MC but the situation deteriorates when Elizabeth escapes the penthouse when Jumin was showing the MC how to feed her. Jumin's possessiveness and controlling behavior becomes worse as a result and he tells the MC to never leave the penthouse.
The other members continue to worry about the MC and the MC can either calm them down or talk about how she feels like a prisoner. If the MC attempts to remain understanding of Jumin, he will apologize endlessly for his behavior, saying that he hates acting the way he is and that he will get better after a while when the anxiety subsides. However, after losing his cat, Jumin begins to project his tangled emotions onto the MC to cope and the MC can choose to support him, saying that it's best if she stays to help him through this difficult time or continue to ask is she can leave.
Eventually, all Jumin focuses on is the MC, who is locked away in his penthouse and even turns away Jaehee when she attempts to talk to him about letting the MC go so that she may return home. The MC can either prioritize the return of Elizabeth or tell Jumin that he doesn't need to care about the cat anymore since she is here. Sarah attempts to gain Jumin's favor and tells him that she has found Elizabeth, but it turns out to be a farce and she falls for Jumin's trap of him giving her money to leave him and his father alone. In order to invoke further anger in Sarah, Jumin kisses the MC and later admits it was something he's been wanting to do since he first saw her. The MC can further worry about Elizabeth and say that they should prioritize the cat's return, or the MC can tell Jumin to discard Elizabeth and focus only on her.
If the MC remains understanding, after Jumin becomes even more possessive of her, she attempts to get some fresh air before Jumin blocks her way, asking her why she is leaving when all he wants is to love her and protect her. After the MC decides to remain to help Jumin, he apologizes and says it was wrong of him to block her way out and that he just needs time to sort through his thoughts.
Jumin confesses his love to the MC and proposes to her in front of the other members and the world watching.
During a trip to Mint Eye, Yoosung finds Elizabeth but is forced to take care of her as Jumin does not want her back because he only wants to give his love to the MC, which she can support or try to have Jumin take care of Elizabeth again. Eventually, V appears to bring Elizabeth back after hearing about his friend's behavior from 707 and, with the support of the MC, he convinces Jumin to take back Elizabeth and to let the MC return to the apartment to prepare for the party, but not before he apologizes profusely for his behavior and tells the MC and the other members that he wants an equal love and relationship with the MC.
During the party, Jumin reveals Glam and Sarah's fraud and their schemes to the public and confesses his love for the MC once more. He meets the MC halfway and tells her he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her, getting down on one knee to propose.
In Jumin's After Ending, it is revealed he and the MC married quickly as he didn't want to spend a single day without her. The two return home from their honeymoon and are ambushed by reporters and fans as the RFA attempt to greet them. Jumin tells his wife that she must place herself first and to love herself first before anyone else.
707's Route
During the Common Route, both 707 and the MC quickly become friends and are the only ones who understand the other's sense of humor. The MC often plays along with 707's pranks and jokes, much to his delight and the two grow closer. After the MC obtains 707's route, the other members begin to comment on their relationship and that they believe 707 has feelings for MC, but he neither confirms nor denies. However, as the MC goes further into 707's route, he starts to become distant and loses the sense of humor he used as a front in order to hide his true self beneath, becoming emotionally vulnerable to the MC.
Despite 707 wanting to put distance between him and the MC, he remains constantly worried about her safety, spending hours at a time watching the security cameras around the apartment to ensure her safety. This results in him abandoning his hacker work much to the dismay of Vanderwood, but 707 only focuses on the MC. Throughout his route, 707 becomes increasingly colder to the MC, pushing her away and no longer being the happy, funny 707 he pretended to be for the sake of the other members. After Unknown breaks into her apartment, 707 rushes in to save the MC, protecting her from being kidnapped. Despite the rescue, 707 continues to keep his distance and becomes rude and cutoff towards the MC, keeping away in a small corner to work. His coldness, however, is revealed to protect the MC as he doesn't believe himself to be worthy of being loved and is afraid of entering into a relationship mainly due to the fact if the hacker agency he was a part of found out about his personal relationship, they would most likely hurt the MC.
Saeyoung and the MC share a kiss before they start their journey to find Saeyoung's brother, Saeran.
If the MC remains supportive and understanding of 707, she eventually learns about his brother, Saeran, and how abusive his mother was to her children and that he joined the agency to secure a better life for him and his brother, leaving his twin in the care of Rika and V. With the love and reassurance of the MC, 707 overcomes his fear of being unloved and admits his feelings to the MC, apologizing for his previous behavior. Eventually, the two go to try and find 707's brother, leaving behind the RFA, the agency and 707 telling the MC to call him Saeyoung from now on, as it was his true name.
During the Secret Endings, the MC and Saeyoung work together to find more about Saeran and uncover Mint Eye and learn that it was Rika who started the cult, much to their surprise. Saeyoung is hateful towards V for not protecting his brother and for letting him become a victim of Rika's abuse until V is killed by Saeran, trying to protect Rika.
It is revealed some time later that Saeran is slowly recovering from the trauma of being in Mint eye and being abused by Rika and that Saeyoung and the MC are engaged.
V's Route
The MC is brought to Mint Eye under the lie that she is testing a game made by Ray and that the point of the game is to host a party at the end. When entering into the chatroom for the first time, V is particularly flustered at her presence and, unbeknownst to the MC and to the others, accepts her entry into the organisation for her own safety after the MC states that she was sent by Rika.
During the Common Route, V is strongly concerned about the safety of the MC and quickly works out how to save her from Mint Eye's clutches. His worry for the MC is so deep, that many of the other characters comment on their relationship, with V stating numerous times that he was curious of what type of person the MC is and that he wants to know her better. If the MC remains doubtful of Ray and trusts V, V will save the MC from drinking the elixir and attempts to save her from the Savior and Ray. However, before he can, he is chased from Mint Eye and injured during the escape but, despite his identity being revealed, he is adamant that he must save the MC. He asks the MC to not tell anyone about what happened and to trust him, and is deeply touched when the MC is unwavering in her trust and loyalty to him and the RFA. V's concern for the MC is so strong that it rivals his love for Rika, which has begun to break down if the MC is gentle and helping towards V.
If the MC remains supportive of V and distrustful of the Savior, he will interrupt them during a night's walk and begs Rika to let him take the MC's place. However, his proposal is no longer an act of devotion towards Rika but rather to protect the MC. Rika rejects V cruelly and he begs her not to hurt the MC or any more innocent people but is dragged off to be tortured. The MC can either decide to grow closer to Rika or remain faithful towards V; eventually, Rika brings the MC down to the dungeons where V is. It is revealed that he has been given the elixir and is suffering as a result and starts to become delirious; Rika insults V and mocks him but is stunned when all V can talk about is the MC and he then confesses what they had was not love, but a toxic obsession. His confession rattles Rika to the core and she becomes hysterical, asking V not to lie and that what they had was love, but all V can think about is the MC. Rika becomes so unstable at the realisation that V never loved her that she doesn't even notice 707 rescue V and the MC from Mint Eye.
V and the MC grow closer as Vanderwood helps to detoxify him, though V continues to suffer from severe side effects. The MC remains a pillar of strength in V's recovery and so close is their relationship, that even Vanderwood asks the MC if she and V are romantically involved. With the MC's support, V admits to being wrong in pouring his love onto Rika and that it was an obsession they had, not real love. Despite Rika's hatred of V, she begs him to return to her, to keep loving her, yet remains hateful towards him for attempting to kill her darkness with his love. Despite V realising that they had a toxic relationship, he still wants to return to Rika - but now, it's to keep the MC and the RFA safe, rather than to show his love and loyalty to his former lover. The MC can help V to realise that Rika will not stop even if he dies and that he needs to place himself first, that he deserves to be happy too. This, in turn, makes V decide that the only way to stop Rika is to stop Mint Eye, rather than sacrificing himself.
There are multiple times during V's route where he admits to having feelings for the MC but stops before he can actually say it; such an occasion is when he talks about his past with Rika and his relationship with his mother, before the MC embraces him. After she does so, V admits that the last person who ever held him was his mother and that he wants to heal and learn to love himself and become what he's always wanted to be: an artist.
V returns after two years of traveling, now going by his real name Jihyun Kim and confesses his love to the MC
After the MC goes inside, V and Rika have one last meeting where she comments how he has changed for the better thanks to the MC and she begs V to return to her, that he promised to always love her even if she tortured him but V rejects Rika, telling her that they need to move on past each other. In a moment of fury of being rejected, Rika fatally stabs V but he tells her to run so that she would not be caught. V is eventually rushed to the hospital by 707 and the MC remains at his side at all times as he heals, with Jumin even growing concerned for her health at how little she's slept and eaten due to her worry for V. After the destruction of Mint Eye and the death of Ray, Rika attempts to reconcile with the RFA but is rebuffed by all, with Jumin angrily and bitterly rejecting her most of all. V says good bye one last time to his past lover, telling her he will always hope for her to be happy but he wants to move on and doesn't love her. Rika pleads with the MC to not take away her sun but to no avail.
After Rika is taken in, V tells the MC that he wants to first learn to love himself and heal after his traumatic and abusive relationship with Rika, telling her that he wants to become an artist as he always wanted. Two years later, the RFA holds the first party after the disaster of the last one and V has rarely kept in contact, last being heard from Alaska three months prior and they doubt he will show up. With the MC alone, she hears a voice behind her and V reveals himself to her, looking healthier and happier than he had last been. He tells that he now goes by his real name, Jihyun Kim, and that he wishes for her to be by his side as an equal so that they can paint a canvas with their love, telling her that he loves her and will continue to love her.
Ray's Route
The MC is brought to Mint Eye by Ray under Rika's orders. She is then instructed by him to persuade one of the six "Als" he created in the messenger, which he also claims to have made himself. He is soon obsessed over her, and checks on her after every single chatroom she completes.
In Day 9, his personality completely changes from a sweet and innocent Ray to a brash and rough Saeran (which he insists the MC to call him) and he threatens and tortures her for her adoration for Ray, and says that he is gone.
In Ray's Good Ending, he seems more calm and collected, and claims that he will continue to love her forever.
Relationships
The MC's relations to the Casual Story, Deep Story, or Another Story characters vary by whose route you select.
Unknown
Unknown sees her as a bait to make her enter Rika's apartment. He wants her to join the Mint Eye, but does not hesitate to kill her if she refused. In V's route, as Ray, he tends to be more gentle and softened towards her.
707
707 is the first person in RFA to see her face. After MC lives at Rika's apartment, he becomes the one who 'guards' her by monitoring the CCTVs placed around the building and in the hallways. At first, both of them love to share their jokes, to the point that they flirt with each other, although there are some options where you can be mean to him. When they develop romantic feelings for each other, 707 refuses to admit his feelings as true due to his job and dark past. However eventually he opens up to her, allowing himself to be 'selfish' by wanting MC, even claiming that he isn't afraid to die for her.
Jumin
Jumin will be respectful and friendly towards the player. Offering up to send her bodyguards when she's in trouble. Jumin and MC share a special kind of humor, one that the other characters don't understand, which Jumin is happy about. They're also very understanding of each other. Jumin isn't afraid of being seemingly obsessive over MC, to the point of even joking around about her going into his cage. In addition, Jumin wants MC to become more selfish and put herself first, before him. In the end, we can see just how much he cares for her, even when being surrounded by reporters and paparazzi.
Zen
Zen constantly flirts with MC shamelessly. Although he does, Zen is also possibly the most visibly showing person who generally cares for MC, to the point of putting himself in danger. In his eyes, MC is someone who understands him and sees his talent, rather than his looks, although MC isn't afraid to flatter his looks. From day 5 to 7 on his route, there are options where she can be mean to him but his feelings for her doesn't seem to waver and somehow acts like a masochist. He also treasures MC so much that he doesn't want to let his "beast" come out until he can be "responsible" for her. Due to his very romantic personality, he's not afraid to say how he feels about MC, although at certain times not allowing her to say how she feels about him.
Yoosung
Yoosung, at first, sees MC as Rika's replacement due to him unable to move on from her death and that MC has the same job as Rika. However, he eventually realizes that the MC and Rika are very different from each other and he loves the MC as her own self, even growing into someone she can rely on.
Jaehee Kang
As the only living female member of the group and someone who is stoic, Jaehee craves for a female friend. Even though at first she doesn't trust MC due to her sudden appearance and kept warning her about having romantic feelings towards Zen, they often fangirl together about Zen after they become closer. MC's support always gives her courage and the motivation she needs. Jaehee states that MC is someone she treasures so much, as a "good friend". In the end, they become partners and open a coffee shop together.
V
Due to V never being online for the majority of the time, he and the MC don't really have a lot of moments together but he truly cares for her as well as the whole RFA, as mentioned by Seven. V seems to have a sense of respect for the MC and hopes that they can become closer. In Zen's route day 10, he believes she is the chosen one so he asks her to take good care of the RFA members. Depending on the MC's choices around V, she also shares the mutual respect and trust for V or she is very suspicious of him.
Rika
MC is depicted as someone who was 'chosen' by Rika to take over her job. She's also initially compared a lot to Rika by Yoosung. Rika doesn't seem to mind that MC is used as bait to enter her apartment. In Secret Endings, Rika doesn't seem to show strong emotions towards MC at all, as she doesn't seem to be jealous or hate her, but doesn't show signs of caring or liking her either. However, in Another Story this changes, Rika is seen to have a very strong fascination with MC and grows to have love/hate feelings towards her.
Trivia
- The first default avatar in the game features the design used in the game's CG.
There are some cases where when you choose a custom avatar, the picture will show up blank, as if there's limitation on file or resolution size.(Fixed as of update 1.16.9)
- She has no default name, and you cannot proceed to the game if you leave them blank. There's no max number of characters to put in either, but the game will crash if her name is too long.
- Like other games with nameable heroines, other characters, if voiced, will refer to her as "you" in various forms of Korean.
- Several choices in the game allow MC to break the 4th wall.
- When Seven says "A visual novel gives you at least two options, but being a slave in money gives u one option," you may then respond with "This game isn't a visual novel, but it gives you more than two options."
- In a phone call, MC can ask Seven if he's going to "signing in to the mysterious messenger". He will respond with "are you mocking me that the messenger is hacked? T_T" which she will explain that it's the name of a game. Seven later tells her to pursue the red haired character if there's one.
- In Zen's route, when Yoosung states that he is avoiding smoking cigarettes, MC can say she's thankful for Yoosung for keeping up with his character settings, which he responds in confusion.
- In a Day 1 chat, MC can choose to say "I still have no idea how to play this game T_T". After Jaehee becomes confused you may continue on to say "I just said it because it looked fun", which then upsets her.
- In a chat room on Day 2, there's the three options of "haha", "thx thx", or "What the hell's wrong with the options?". Choosing "What the hell's wrong with the options?" allows Seven to break the 4th wall by saying, "Perhaps they've been working late? The ppl who made this haha".
- During the Christmas event on (???) You can choose "You can't help but suspect something. After all this game's title is..."
- During the April Fools event during Banned Plaster Bust you can choose "Unknown, why didn't you reply to my text after the prologue?"
- During the April Fools event during Banned Plaster Bust you can choose "This answer includes major spoilers." when Zen asks Unknown about himself.