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Language:
English
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Published:
2025-12-17
Updated:
2026-05-15
Words:
115,453
Chapters:
49/?
Comments:
33
Kudos:
75
Bookmarks:
6
Hits:
4,718

New Chaos Theory

Summary:

Somewhere between “we’re building a company” and “why are we hate-fucking on the conference table,” twenty-five people try to outsmart a contract designed to eat them alive.

Six months. Rotating POVs. Bad decisions with excellent production value.

OR: Sex as a coping mechanism and 100 other unhealthy ways to avoid going to therapy.

 
(this is going to be a *long* one, updates weekly)

Notes:

hiii

this fic has renamed characters and a full ensemble cast, and I’ve already drafted 100+ chapters (yes, I know) (depression's a bitch).

which means: I’m committed, you are warned, and we are all making choices today.

(also, be gentle, english is not my first language, and it's my first time posting on ao3)

Chapter 1: Chapter 0 — how to read this without losing your mind

Notes:

because this is a long, chaotic ensemble situation, here’s chapter 0 so you understand what you're up against :')

Chapter Text

Quick links (for your sanity):

  • cast index (who’s who): on this page (below)

  • chapter recaps (for skipping catching up): *link*

 

(I’ll also put these links in the beginning of each chapter so you don’t have to hunt for them.)

 

A few things up front:

  • The titles are the "theory" to the "chaos" of the characters, please enjoy my nerdy metaphors.

  • ACT 1 (first 33 chapters) is mainly assembly + introductions. It’s slower plot-wise because I’m putting all the pieces on the table before I start throwing them at each other. It does ramp.

  • There are chapters from every member’s POV (some more than others), and everyone has their own relationships/subplots.

  • There are a lot of povs (25…), so use the recaps/links however you want (linked above). I do recommend reading each chapter if you can, though — the plots don’t always move forward where you’d expect.

  • About the names: they began as placeholders but somehow became canon. Sorry if they’re a bit strange — all of them have hidden meanings/references tied to the member, so feel free to guess where each one came from (please tell me your guesses).

 

Acts / checkpoints:

  • I split this fic into six “acts” (phases of the story) for clarity. They’re not equal length — the later ones get BIG.

  • Between acts I’ll post a chapter titled ACT X as a checkpoint (recap vibes + “who’s who atm”). No new plot happens there, so feel free to skip.

  • Act map (current plan, might shift a little):

    • ACT 1: Ch 1–33 ✅

    • ACT 2: Ch 34–67

    • ACT 3: Ch 68+ (TBD)

 

Posting: I’m editing as I post, so nothing is “ready-ready”. I’ll update at least once a week, usually more when I can. A lot of updates will be small batches (more than one chapter at a time).

 

 

OPTIONAL CAST INDEX (skip if you want to guess)

STOP HERE if you want to play “guess who’s who.”

 

 

ANDREW: Jisung
BO: Sion
BRADE: Sakuya
DAVID: Johnny
ERIC: Hendery
HYUM: Riku
ISAAC: Chenle
JOE: Jungwoo
JULIAN: Xiaojun
K.D.: Jaehee
LOUIS: Ten
LUKE: Jaemin
MALLORY: Renjun
OCTAVIUS: Yuta
OWEN: Yangyang
PARKER: Mark
RINI: Doyoung
RORY: Ryo
ROSIEN: Taeyong
SABAS: Kun
SAMMY: Jeno
SOL: Haechan
VALENTINE: Jaehyun (duh)
VICTOR: Winwin
YUTO: Yushi