Avidity

Mingyu, the God of Protection disappeared for over a century. Not only mortals sought for Mingyu's protection, even the other God's too. When Mingyu disappeared, chaos between the other Gods ensued. Now that he returns, he must help fix the balance of what used to be the realm of the Gods. First, he must start with the gods who have deduced to living like mortals. Easier said than done.

Chapter 1: Homeless God

Chapter Text

Seungcheol woke up with the sun in his eyes. He grunted as he quickly turned to the other side away from the sunshine peeking through the blinds. His alarm hasn't rung yet so he should have a couple few more minutes to drift back to sleep. He sighs, what a wonderful feeling to actually wake up and find that you can go back to sleep.

Just as Seungcheol drifts back to sleep, the frightening high-pitched voice was heard outside of his room. Seungcheol's drowsiness quickly left his very being as he sat up. Being the oldest in the dorm sure takes a lot of his patience and determination to manage the younger ones –that also means, he has to be the first in line to protect them.

He rushed outside his room in a swift movement, struggling through the heavy strands of his curly medium length hair covering his eyes. He shook his head and what he saw was the youngest in the dorm, Vernon, covering his bottom half of his body with a towel. It looks like the youngest had the early shower and just came out. But why the shriek though.

Following the frightened gaze of the younger one, he looked back, and he himself almost made an unmanly shriek when he found a person in heavy old-fashioned attire, long braided hair, and pale white skin. "My God..." Seungcheol choked.

The person giggled, skipping away merrily, moving towards Seungcheol, gave the man an overly comfortable hug and said, "I feared you will not recognize me."

"Ah..." Seungcheol was still lost for words. He, for sure, did not – not recognize the person. He is well-familiar with this face for the whole duration of his early childhood, but he has not seen this person in a long while. Yet, unmistakably, he sure recognized him and the clothing is a major giveaway.

He is his childhood imaginary friend. Seungcheol even named him Jeonghan, if he could remember clearly. That was a long time ago, and imaginary friends are meant to vanish as one matures.

But why is Jeonghan here now?

"Hyung... your girlfriend?" Vernon was able to pull himself together, securing his towel.

Wait, Vernon could see him?

"He is not my girlfriend." Despite that, Seungcheol answered, "And he is a boy."

Vernon sighed, no longer conscious of the current state he is in. "Well then, he has such a funny way of dressing himself up. I almost mistook him as a priestess there or something." He bowed belatedly to the newcomer, "Hi, my name is Vernon or Hansol if you wish. I'm a freshman Architecture student, nice to meet you."

Jeonghan or what he was called as, jerked his head curiously watching the young male. "Well, Vernon, you have a funny way of dressing yourself up too." He stared down the boy who quickly grabbed his towel and embarrassingly marched towards his room with a grunt.

Seungcheol laughed at this, but his laughter died the moment he truly analyzed what just happened. Did his imaginary friend just exchange a conversation with Vernon? Is he still dreaming? Well, then, wake up Seungcheol! He managed to slap himself, but it was to no avail.

Jeonghan is as real as he can get looking at him confusedly.

He didn't age at all. His usual silky long hair is braided in flowery beads at the moment, but Seungcheol could easily tell, they're as silky as he remembered them. The charismatic, huge double-lidded eyes still full of life and so was his heavenly smile. It was the face that would put a smile on Seungcheol's face back when he was younger.

"You're a lot bigger now." Jeonghan chirped.

"Y...yeah." Seungcheol mumbled back. This doesn't look and sound like a dream anymore. He stepped back, "Jeonghan... are you real?"

Jeonghan's brows arched, confusion lingered on his eyes as he answered, "Ah, I see." He sighs as he carefully pulls his braids back, "You think I was your imaginary friend like most of the little boys have?" Jeonghan carefully laid out, "I'm afraid not. I am a God, Seungcheol ah...and you made a promise to me. I'm here to collect it."

Thirteen Years Ago

"Here, Seungcheol-son, you have to wear this." An over-sized yellow protective cap was placed on top of Seungcheol's head, "You have to keep clear too."

Seungcheol looked up, holding the cap, so it won't slide off as he smiled at his father, "Why do you destroy the building, papa?"

"So we can build, son."

"I like building things," Seungcheol said enthusiastically. "I want to be like father!"

His father laughed at this, "I'm sure you will be, son. In your own time, you will be."

"Don't go too far, son!"

"Okay," Seungcheol replied while he walked towards the garden, admiring the beautiful landscape despite the overgrowth. It has its natural beauty that it doesn't need regular care to make it look charming. The flowers here seemed to be always in bloom.

Not long while he circled the garden, he froze to his track as he spotted a person, in a rather strange heavy traditional clothing sitting on top of a huge white rock by the stream. In Seungcheol's young age, he is still pretty certain that there should be no one allowed on the premises during demolition. Curiously, he ran towards the person, "Excuse me, miss..."

Yet, the person didn't give him any notice, the stranger's gaze looked rather distant and lonely. The person's beautiful black hair sways with the soft caresses of the wind.

"Excuse me..."

Instead of a reply, the person looked down, a whimper could be heard, and it truly broke Seungcheol's, innocent young heart.

"What's wrong, miss?" He walked closer now, his small body could only let him caress the silks of the person's clothing, "Are you sad?"

With this, the person finally took notice of him as he looked down. "Human child."

Seungcheol thought the person is the most beautiful thing he has ever laid eyes on, although that would be quite careless to say as he is only ten years old. "Are you sad? Why are you crying?"

The person looked at Seungcheol for several seconds before looking away, "They're destroying my home, child."

"Your home?" Seungcheol confusedly asked as he looked up. He could no longer see the demolition site, but he could pretty much hear all the cracking and breaking of boulders. "The Shrine?"

Another whimper was heard from the person, "What a God without a shrine."

"God?"

"A pitiful God."

Seungcheol was left quiet for a second as he analyzes things with his innocent young mind, but before he could understand anything, he ran towards the pound and start collecting little rocks, stacking them up one after another.

"What are you doing, child?"

"I'm building you a Shrine."

The God paused for a moment, seemingly perplexed of what's going on but doesn't have both the heart and energy to talk to a human child out of his imaginative mind. Sighing, the God sat there, eyes no longer focus on the demolition of his centuries-old Shrine but towards the young human child busily stacking piles of rocks needlessly.

A course of three long months this has been an everyday thing between Seungcheol, the human child, and the God. Spending most of the afternoon building little replicas of the real Shrine that was once the God's.

The God did not see any use of this act, but day by day, he grew fond of the little boy's struggles in building with his little hands. Little did they realized, the whole garden becomes a little village of mini-shrines made of little rocks. The God admittedly thinks they were beautiful.

One day, the boy announced he has finished his creation, "There ya go, this will be your new Shrine."

Innocence. The God thought. Yet, he smiled and once again looked around and breathlessly took in the finished beauty of the hard work of the young child. "Thank you."

"Does this make you happy?"

"Yeah, it looks a little humble for my beauty, but it will do."

"When I grow up, I will make you a bigger shrine. I promise."

"Sure you will." The God replied.

"What's your name?"

"I lost my Shrine. Therefore I lost my name. You made me a Shrine. Therefore you give me a name." The God smiled.

The next day, the boy returned to the garden with little cardboard that says, the Jeonghan Shrine, written on it.

Present.

Mingyu and Wonwoo arrived back in the Dorm after getting a few things from the convenience store for their breakfast. The dorm is quiet except the noise of the hairdryer coming from Vernon's tiny room. "Wonwoo hyung, see if Seungcheol-hyung has woken up and ask what he wants for breakfast."

"But—"

"Why, do you want to do the cooking instead?" Mingyu knew Wonwoo would not take it easy being told what to do, but he knew him very well too that no way in hell Wonwoo will cook.

Grumbling to himself, Wonwoo silently went towards the eldest room, knocking once before opening the door. As he opened the door, it was enough to see a naked woman inside in front of the oblivious eldest. He missed his breathing as he went pale, lost his balance, and fell on his ass, his phone smashing into the floor.

"Hyung...what the hell is wrong with—"

Wonwoo yanked Mingyu down, covered his mouth as he frantically pointed to the door, "Scoups hyung—Seungcheol hyung seemed like he brought a girl home with him...they're naked as we speak."

"What?" Mingyu's eyes widened, whispering back.

"What are you two doing?"

The duo froze from looking at each other before looking back towards Seungcheol's room to only see the latter standing by the door with his arms across his chest. "H...hyung."

"What are you two whispering about there on the floor?"

"N...nothing, hyung." Mingyu answered, standing up and helping Wonwoo in the process. "I'm going to start cooking now. Should I cook for five people?"

"Five?" Seungcheol asked.

Wonwoo glared at Mingyu, mouthing how stupid the younger one is to be so obvious that they had a little peek.

"Five...what I mean is that...Wonwoo seemed to be extra hungry this morning. He'll be eating for two." Mingyu said, "Ya know, pregnancy and all— OOUCH HYUNG!"

"You and your stupid jokes!" Wonwoo pulled Mingyu towards the kitchen by the ear, "You know what, you should have been Majoring in Literature with that ridiculously imaginative mind of yours, not Culinary Arts!"

"Wow, this place is so lively." Jeonghan came out of the room, clad in Seungcheol's yellow shirt and loose trousers, his long hair now tied in a loose ponytail. He looked a little more like a typical mortal of Seungcheol's age –still he looked so surreal with the way his skin shone under any form of light, his beauty is beyond ordinary too.

Seungcheol remembered this person is beautiful but his definition of beauty thirteen years ago is far different than this day and age. It's almost sinful to dive into these thoughts right now.

"Ow, you look a lot different now," Vernon said as soon as he found Jeonghan in his new clothes. He came out of his room now too, fully clad in his normal clothes for his class.

"And so are you, it's better to hide the baby stomach under the human clothes, don't you think?" Jeonghan replied, smiling as he pats the speechless young one.

Before Vernon could say anything, Jeonghan already skipped towards the kitchen where he found two other individuals.

On his track, he stopped as he looked at the two with his wide eyes open and said, "Oh fancy meeting another God here..."

Wonwoo and Mingyu looked at each other, one bears the look of confusion, and the other bears the look of surprise. Who must be the other God?

_____________________

A/N:

I'm posting 2 chapters in one go because this story has been sitting on my docs for a year now. It needs to be released out in the wild.

Enjoy the second one.

-D

Chapter 2: Prisoner God

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

I don't want this anymore. Heck, just take me on an adventure... anywhere...please. Or better yet, just kill me.

As a god of Protection, Mingyu (or Jin Minkui, Mindu, Mijodiu, Mizjwabyu –he's been called many names) strongly opposed to wishes of self-sacrifice or death.

Aren't you asking the wrong God, brat? Mingyu muses as his eyes opened, letting his silk robes brush the floor when he jumped down from his throne. With an intent glare, he crossed the thick walls of the Shrine and stepped out of the opened. The front yard is packed with tourists as if there was a festival going. All of them in a cheerful mood, laughing as if life has been all nice to them, all the while still clinging on the wish tags aiming for their limitless wishes to be fulfilled by the God that lived this Shrine. Only that, Hoshi, is no longer the God here. But then, humans would not know that. Besides, what do humans know anyway?

Now, who among you, brats, wished to die? The guts of the human to talk about death in front of the God of Protection has clearly taken his attention. Mingyu looked around, scanning the hundreds of humans but the way these humans seemingly having a good time, it's unbelievable to know any of them wanted to end their life now.

Where are you?

It was already nearly evening time and Mingyu, for his misfortune and maybe lack of practice, had not seen the hopeless human who dare wished to die. It's maddening him. Sighing, annoyed, he turned back to the hallway. Being outside the Shrine and meeting the massive crowd all of the sudden are finally taking a toll on him. When was the last time he walked with the crowd, anyway?

Wait, wait, wait. Crowd? Outside the shrine? I've stepped outside the Shrine? Shocked at this realization, he stepped back to only fall on his knees forward, an impact not that strong but with the state, he is in now, a soft wind could easily knock him down.

"Ow, Mister, sorry. Are you hurt?"

Mingyu blinked, speechless and frozen as he watched the human kneeling down before him. The human is maybe about on his first phase of maturity, in the modern tongue, in his early twenties. His height is above average and is on a leaner side. His face is somehow beautiful –for a human.

"Mister, your face looks so swollen. Are you dizzy? Can you breathe?" The human inquired then groaned to himself, "Crap. I don't talk Japanese...so you probably can't understand me."

Mingyu couldn't say anything. A human can see me?

"Mister... why are you even dressed in such thick silk in such hot weather? Are you shrine personnel, perhaps? Oh yeah, shit... Japanese... ah, forget it. I think you're having a heat stroke or something..." The human said, "You have to get rid of these layers." The human pulled on the heavy outer silk and slid it off Mingyu.

This human can touch me.

"Mister, your necklace is so tight. This is why you can't breathe." The human snarled and pulled on the silver necklace that winded up tight along Mingyu's neck. "Who even wears a necklace this tight?" The human rhetorically asked as he unlocked the necklace and sighed, "It's eating into your flesh... don't tell me you have been wearing this since you were a little kid. The human body grows you know—"

A quick snarl and Mingyu picked up the human and smashed him into the wall as the sensation of his whole being freed in an immense force. His chest shuddering at the feel of the familiar strength of a God coming to him, breathing easily after a century. He thought he will never be free.

Mingyu looked before him, a human who had fallen unconscious with the sudden impact of the situation, much less the impact of his human body crashing into the wall. Mingyu can fix him in a flick of his finger but who is this human who managed to unshackle him from this Shrine after a century-long.

I don't want this anymore. Heck, just take me on an adventure... anywhere...please. Or better yet, just kill me. – Wonwoo.

Mingyu smirked, recognizing the voice that spoke that ridiculous prayer now. Alright, brat, in turn of you freeing me. I'll take you on an adventure. But why do you want to die?

"Wonwooo???"

Mingyu instantly turned to where the voice came from and a second later, a human rushed in his long-legged strides towards them and before the God could react, the human dropped to his knee and pulled the human named, Wonwoo, up. With so much ease, he turned Wonwoo's body until he could carry him with his two arms holding his back. Wonwoo's head is falling limp against the other human's chest.

Mingyu for some reason couldn't react, it was even more embarrassing to realize that he stood frozen there when the other human whipped his head and swear to all deities that the human locked eyes with him for a full second (that felt like an hour), before marching away with Wonwoo's on his arms.

When the two humans disappeared at the end of the hallway, only then Mingyu managed to breathe easily. Seriously, being locked up in this Shrine had gained him nothing but weakness! How a mere human can render him frozen. Also, didn't that boy look familiar... Mingyu just couldn't point a finger at who and how?

For sure, that human struck him odd.

And so did the other human, Wonwoo. How was he able to unshackle him so easily? Mingyu had tried for many, many years to no avail.

Well, it doesn't matter, he's free now. But a debt must be paid – in turn of that human freeing him, he must at least repay him with granting his wish. Only then Mingyu can happily come back to Jin Shrine, hoping sincerely that it remained glorious as he left it.

Jin Shrine is located on an island neither part of the Korean Peninsula nor Japan. It sits perfectly in the middle of the ocean that it takes at least five hours for the bigger ships to travel. But this doesn't seem to matter for his faithful followers for they would risk through the peril of the sea so long as they get to whisper their prayers for the God that resides there for boundless protection.

But first, he is bound to the human, Wonwoo, until his wishes are fulfilled. God is no God without honor.

"Are you sure you're okay now?"

"I told you, I'm fine." Wonwoo rolled his eyes, looking annoyed now as his best friend keeps asking him the same question. It was only by chance that he fainted yesterday (by the way, very unusual thing to happen) during their trip in Hoshi Shrine back in Japan. He clearly assured his friends that he fainted merely because it was too crowded and warm in the Shrine. He's not sick or anything. Obviously, the stupid of a friend didn't believe him. "Go home. Hurry, Seungcheol and Hansol are waiting."

"Okay, if you're sure." The friend nodded, "Then I'll see you next week in the dorm for school." He reminded and slowly walked to the taxi and off they go.

Wonwoo sighs, grabbing his luggage off the ground and went for the gate, pressed for the bell, and waited for the gate to buzz open. He slid through the gate before it opened any wider. All he wanted now is to hit the bed. It's apparent, he's not built for adventures. His body just cannot keep up with the traveling and excitement altogether.

Well, unknown to him, the God that followed him is also in the same state.

Actually, the God, Mingyu is dying. He had been fighting the urge to throw up since they landed on the ground riding this big airship the humans have called airplanes. He cannot believe how humans had transcended from riding horses into riding flying metals; or stone houses into sky-high buildings. The villages are covered with them; cities are what villages are called nowadays.

The difference of a century can do with the civilization is beyond extraordinary. Minghao, the God of Wisdom, must be doing so well to guide the humans with this advancement. Really, that God never rests.

It is a pity that Mingyu wasn't there to see the evolution through time. But knowing himself, he probably would just get annoyed that what comes with these great inventions is pride. And with pride, humans tend to act like Gods. And there's nothing else that could tick Mingyu off than this. Humans sometimes just don't know their place in this world.

Meow.

"Soonyounggie~" The human Wonwoo rushed inside, almost throwing his luggage and bag to the wall as he picked up a small cat, a toyger, off the ground. He smothered him with kisses to which the cat responded with heavy purring. "Have you been well?"

The cat responded with, well, a meow.

The human Wonwoo chuckled, looked around as he murmured, "Well, looks like Auntie and Uncle are not back yet from work, huh?" He got a soft reply again from his cat. This time, the human didn't say a word back as he walked up the stairs, turn left at the landing, and into the door – heading to his room.

It turned midnight that Mingyu stepped inside the human's bedroom. The window was left wide open for the cold breeze to cover the room, whether that was intentional or carelessness on the human's part. It did make it easier for Mingyu though because using his powers to sneak in someone else's room uninvited really goes against his codes as God of Protection. It's not as if, this time he was invited either, the window was left open. It's the human's fault being thoughtless. All deities know he fought so hard not to come in but not only was he desperate, he had these mad feelings about the human's cat.

Right, the human's cat.

Mingyu quickly scanned the room and found the human asleep under the thick covers in his bed. Sitting regally on the foot of his bed is his cat with its golden eyes igniting looking straight at Mingyu's eyes.

Mingyu chocked. Cats have always been the eyes of the believers; cats just have that magnificent sense of the netherworlds. But the more that Mingyu looks at those animal eyes, the more he's become certain. He sighs, turned around and mumbled, "Follow me outside." He walked to the window and jumped back outside.

Mingyu waited, standing there while he fixed his eyes up the windows of Wonwoo's bedroom. Quickly, he could see the cat on the ledge limping out but before he could reach the ground where Mingyu stood, the tiny paws of the animal turned ten times the size as well as the rest of its body.

Now, this is the beast he knows so well. Humans would probably be more familiar with the more humble kind as tigers. Only the one in front of him belongs to the heavens.

The very entity he wished to see in such a long, long time there is millions of questions he wanted to ask. Oh, how he wanted to summon his sword and slice the heavenly beast by the head – oh he had thought of so many ways. So many that he felt ashamed of himself because no matter what, this beast had been his friend.

"L-let me explain!" The beast mewled.

Mingyu's brow raised, snorting at the audacity of the other, "Explain? How do you explain me having been locked up in YOUR shrine for a century while you are busy playing pretend as these humans' house cat?"

The beast stepped back, looking away as it hesitated to respond. With Mingyu's unwavering glare, it curses under its breath before it transformed back to its original form. Hoshi, the God of Time, stood displeased at having to resort to transforming to his God form as he is more comfortable being in his heavenly beast form. "Just for the record, I didn't have any choice but to give up my Shrine."

"Give up? What kind of a God are you to give up the Shrine that represents your whole existence?"

"There are....things I must do." Hoshi trailed on his words.

"Right? And that includes me locked up in your Shrine while you go about doing shameless things with humans? Have you really stooped that low? You readily betrayed another God."

"I did not," Hoshi breathes out, growling as he fixes his eyes on the God of Protection, "All I did was to do my best to undo what shouldn't have happened!" Hoshi's eyes have shone in glaring gold again, this time, tears have welled up in the verge of falling.

Mingyu bit on his lower lip as he shook his head, already starting to realize where the conversation is heading. "You countered the time for your own gain..." He mumbled. As the God of Time, Hoshi should know better not to mess with it. Having to alter time here and there is not completely uncalled for the careless God, but altering time for some serious cases especially for his own gain can do so much damage that even the God of Time himself cannot reverse it; more, suffer dearly for it.

"Yes," Hoshi admitted, "And I'll do it all over again if I had to."

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Mingyu's voice boomed in the calmness of the night that triggered the night creatures to scram away from there, even the dogs in the neighborhood started barking one after another. It's no longer as calm as it was. It reflected so clearly the emotions between the two Gods that have met for the first time after a hundred years.

"I must have been," Hoshi said softly, "What would you have done if you find the person you cared so much about bleeds to death..."

Mingyu watches the ground disappeared under them only to be replaced with a cold marbled white floor. Mingyu immediately recognized the place, there is only one place in he had been that have this dull looking floor. The Zhi Xun Shrine where the God of Misfortune, Jihoon, resides. Mingyu was about to look up to ask Hoshi why in the world they have to come here but his gaze fixed on the marbled floor as thick red blood slowly covers the whiteness of it.

Mingyu's eyes followed where the blood dripped from only to have his chest tighten as the familiar form of the God of Misfortune laid cold lifeless, his blood a pool of despair. "J-Jihoon-hyung..." Mingyu's hand found his mouth, surprised beyond anything right now.

As quick as Mingyu arrived in Zhi Xun Shrine is as quick as he disappeared from there to only return outside the human Wonwoo's backyard. Mingyu is still shocked at what he had seen, even for the God of Misfortune who may or may not have planned accidents for mortals on his spare times, that display is gruesome to look at.

"Did that happened?" Mingyu asked Hoshi who stood quietly in front of him, his face void of any emotions right now and it's completely strange. Hoshi that he once knew has always been so transparent with his emotions that sometimes he looks like an idiot for a God.

"It did," Hoshi mumbled, "In the timeline that I altered."

Mingyu, this time, after seeing that for himself somehow could see why Hoshi had to go all the lengths to try and change what has already happened. Hoshi is always so affectionate towards the God of Misfortune, among the Gods, this fact is known. "And how about this timeline now?"

"He lived," Hoshi replied passively.

"That's good to hear." Mingyu sighs but seeing the distant look on the other God's face, he could already guess why. "And what came as a price?"

Hoshi sighs, saddened as he admitted, "The fall of two Gods."

"T-wo... who?"

"Sunchiyoru." Or the Koreans would call him, Seungcheol, the God of Wealth or Prosperity.

"Seungcheol-hyung? Why?"

"... because he's the one who killed Jihoon—"

"No," Mingyu backed away, "Seungcheol as you may have known yourself cherishes Jihoon as much as you do. They might have served as each other's opposite but they have always been so close – matter is, Seungcheol hyung will never hurt Jihoon-hyung."

"Gods have... Mingyu, things have changed. There's no more balance."

Mingyu looked up the starry sky, before shutting his eyes tight, "Ugh, what do you expect to happen when the God of Protection disappears?" It was more of a rhetorical question.

It's obvious. It really what it looks like. Not only have the mortals sought for Mingyu's protection, even the Gods too. It is for this reason. When Mingyu disappears, things like this between the Gods can easily ensue.

"You have to tell me everything you know..." Mingyu mumbled, "And I'll see what I can do."

Mingyu landed softly on the cold wooden floor of the human Wonwoo's bedroom. At this time of the night, the moon outside shone through the open window, enough for Mingyu to see the human's face.

He's beautiful. Mingyu thought.

Mingyu didn't know that a chance like this can show up in his entire life. To finally have a face he could put together to a God he had longed to meet. Yuanyou, (come to think of it, in this Korean Peninsula, the God is more known for his Korean name, Wonwoo) the God of Life, the God that Mingyu had closely worked with as the God of Protection as they play their roles among the Gods. They might be partners because of their roles, but they have never met even once.

In fact, no one has met the God of Life, even the Gods themselves. Among the Gods, it is known that Yuanyou is a powerful being but he has never stepped out of his Shrine nor affiliate himself to any events between the Gods.

The only interactions Mingyu has ever had with Yuanyou is leaving heavenly messages meant for each other on the mortals that sought for their Godly guidance. For example, a pregnant woman would pray night and day for Yuanyou to secure safe birth for her child to which the God would grace with blessings; that same woman would visit Jin Shrine, to ask for the God of Protection, Mingyu, for his endless protection over the unborn child. This occurrence has happened so often that Yuanyou had found ways to leave short messages to Mingyu something like, 'Hey, God of Protection, make sure you do your part.'

Mingyu would do the same for any mortals that sought his protection and the same time asked for Yuanyou's longer life ahead after visiting Jin Shrine. Mingyu would leave a note to the God of Life, 'hey, this grandpa had been working in the mine all his life for his grandchild, make sure you give him better life on his next'.

Despite that, Mingyu had never met the God even once.

"So, this is how you look like?" Mingyu softly said, eyes still fixed on the human that the God of Life reincarnated as. Hoshi's detailed story of what happened played back in his mind that made him grumbled, annoyed at everything.

The human stirred for a little but made no hint of waking up. So, Mingyu stayed there spoiling himself watching the face he had, all his life, been dying to meet. His imagination didn't do any justice to the reality of the God of Life's beauty. Only that, now this God is no longer a God. But a mere mortal.

"It's my fault for being away for so long," Mingyu sighs, "Things would have played out differently if you still had me."

The human breathes in heavily on his sleep before his breathing evens out once again.

Several minutes later, Hoshi, on his cat form jumped on top of Wonwoo's bed and cuddled with the human.

Mingyu quickly hated that display that he wanted to peel the cat off Wonwoo but the latter cuddled closer to the cat that is the dumbass God of Time. The root of all these unfortunate events!

"So, what's your decision?" Hoshi asked.

Mingyu glared at the cat before he looked away, not proud of what he was about to ask, "Bring me back to when Wonwoo was only a child." After finding out everything, there is no way he would allow Wonwoo to live in this petty world of mortals all on his own. If he wasn't able to protect Wonwoo back then, he makes sure he does now.

"Good," Hoshi wriggled out of Wonwoo's grip before he jumped out of bed and into the window, "Come, there is somebody I want you to meet."

Outside in the dark, Mingyu stood there undecided whether he wanted to meet anyone at this moment where he is about to do something drastic. But before he could completely back off, a human stepped out of the shadows and Mingyu's head jerked to the side confusedly.

It's that human friend of Wonwoo!

The human advanced slowly to him and Mingyu stepped back uncertain of what to do. He knows he shouldn't even be threatened by a mere human but he just couldn't explain how this human seemed to hold such a reign over him. "W-wha—"

"Mingyu, don't be alarmed. I'm you." The human spoke.

Mingyu froze.

Hoshi sighs loudly beside them, "This human Mingyu is the future you who had traveled back in time to act as Wonwoo's childhood friend. Do you remember when you asked me to bring you back to when Wonwoo is only a child?"

Mingyu nodded unsurely.

"So you did. And this is when the current you and the future you that traveled to the past meet. So, this is when you two merge together to become one Mingyu. Back where you started." Hoshi explained but Hoshi was never one to explain the concept of time clearly for others. It seemed like only Hoshi can understand the time and its intricateness.

"So, that was me all along?"

"Wonwooo???"

"Are you sure you're okay now?"

"I told you, I'm fine." Wonwoo rolled his eyes, looking annoyed now as his best friend keeps asking him the same question. It was only by chance that he fainted yesterday (by the way, very unusual thing to happen) during their trip to Hoshi Shrine back in Japan. He clearly assured his friends that he fainted merely because it was too crowded and warm in the Shrine. He's not sick or anything. Obviously, the stupid of a friend didn't believe him. "Go home. Hurry, Seungcheol and Hansol are waiting."

"Okay, if you're sure." The friend nodded, "Then I'll see you next week in the dorm for school." He reminded and slowly walked to the taxi and off they go.

"Shall we?" The human Mingyu stretched his hands out towards the God that is himself, "There are so many things we need to do..."

Mingyu reached for those hands. And now, everything made so much sense.

A week later.