From Dating Sims to Digital Forensics: How I Fell Into Cybersecurity

What called me to cybersecurity exactly? Well, it was a mix of a lot of things. (Omitting the embarrassing part where I became obsessed with a digital dating simulator and fell in love with a red-haired, eccentric hacker named “707.” He was, unfortunately, a direct influence on my career choice.)

Saeyong Choi, also known as “707,” is a charismatic and enigmatic character from the popular otome game Mystic Messenger, beloved for his quirky personality and complex backstory.

I’ve always been a huge fan of puzzles. I grew up playing murder mystery games, logic puzzles, and brain teasers. There was this one game in particular called The Tim Tang Puzzle, and I became completely fixated on it. The game forced you to think outside the box to solve each level. I would stay up all night trying my best—or as best as eight-year-old me could—to make it through.

Somewhere in the middle of that sleepless obsession, I remember thinking, “Hm, I really like this. When I grow up, I want a job that lets me solve puzzles all the time.”

OH MAN. What I would give to go back and tell that kid that’s exactly what she’d end up doing.

— scriptkitty