Chapter Text
It was a strange accessory that they all had on them. Coming from a pack of six, each had a charm that they seemed to want to protect more than anything, their most precious item. It was almost silly when you considered that the Four Heavenly Kings would have a keychain associated with Sailor Moon.
There was a black rose for Yeo Ryeong, dangling from her phone, always with her. Sometimes they would catch her touching it when she was spacing out. Once the charm had fallen off and Yeo Ryeong was crying as she went on a search for it. The four boys didn’t even ask questions as they helped her look for the charm all night. When they found it under the couch, she clenched it and cried. Whispering apologies and begging for her to come back.
On Eun Hyung’s bag, there was a green keychain with the symbol of Jupiter. Always the symbol of strength in his group, protective and strong. He wished that it was true when it came to her. When those who didn’t know what the keychain was asked he just looked at it with a bittersweet smile before saying it was a piece of a broken promise.
It was the only thing that was attached to Ji Ho’s car keys. The red symbol of Mars, it was a flimsy thing made out of plastic. It should be light, and yet it brought a heavy feeling in his chest as he looked at it before setting it aside and turning his car on. He wondered if he would have ever had a chance to go on a drive with her again.
Like Yeo Ryeong, the blue charm of Mercury dangled from Joo-In’s phone. He stared at it when he felt like the world was overwhelming him. As he tried to remember the memories that he feared would slip from him. A foolish thought. But still, he was afraid. He was afraid that one day, the memories that surrounded that special name would vanish just like she did.
For Chun Young, the little charm of the yellow Venus symbol was in his wallet. Hidden behind his ID, it was always there. Sometimes when he felt incredibly lonely even when he was surrounded by people, he would take it out and stare at it. He wondered if he was faster, if he was more blunt with his feelings if he wasn’t so quiet if she would have been able to stay.
When someone who knew the set and series saw the set, they couldn't help but wonder who had the one that represented the protagonist, the moon princess. Where was that keychain and who did it belong to? And with that single question, all five would be quiet. Their eyes were full of melancholy and pain that no one could understand.
The story of how they got it will always be one they look upon with fondness and with dread. March Second was never the same after that year.
It was the longest week of their lives. It was the first time Ham Dan-I would not be around during the holidays. The first time, where the rest of them would be together, but she wouldn’t be home. There was a big family gathering in Busan where Dan-i’s father was from and they couldn’t exactly just all take a random trip to Busan to casually bump into Dan-I.
At least that’s what Dan-I told them when she saw that Ji Ho and Joo-In where already plotting the idea and logistics of the plan. Joo-In’s eyes went wide before Ji Ho mumbled how sharp-eyed Dan-I was in the most inconvenient situations.
It was the worst week of their lives. There was no one to calm Yeo Ryeong down when she was feeling anxious or a bit on edge. She constantly was staring at her phone, awaiting a text message from her best friend. As they sat at Joo-In’s living room playing yet another board game, they wondered how many days were left until she would come home. They were doing everything possible to pass the time faster. They had watched countless movies, finished way too many games, they even finished all the homework that was assigned to them in the first few days. Thinking that maybe, just maybe…It would mean time was on their side.
“Mom…hasn’t texted in a few hours….” Joo-In whined before he grabbed a pillow to smash his face into. Life without Dan-I seemed so empty. Like there will always be an empty space in their lives without her. He shuttered when he recalled the day when she vanished from their memories, how scared she looked when she found him. The sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw an unknown number and yet couldn’t bring himself to delete it.
“Do you think she’s eating dinner? Do you think that’s why she hasn’t called us yet?” Chun Young asked with a small frown as he played with his game piece.
“Whose idea was it to play this instead of video games?!” Ji-Ho asked a bit frustrated and ran a hand down his face. “When is the pizza getting here?”
“Should be any minute now.” Eun Hyung said as he checked his phone before hearing the knock. “Speak of the devil.” Getting up from his spot on the couch, he walked towards the door. “How much?” He asked when he opened the door, opening up his wallet
“What?”
That voice, eyes snapping up to see the brunette that had been occupying their thoughts for the last few days. Her head tilted to the side before an amused smile appeared on her lips. “I’m not the delivery man, Eun Hyung.”
“Is that Dan-I’s voice!?” They heard from behind him and quickly Eun Hyung was shoved aside by Yeo Ryeong who quickly wrapped her arms around her friend’s neck. “How are you here! I thought you weren’t supposed to be back for 2 days 14 hours and 42 minutes.”
“Please tell…me she didn’t actually keep track of the time…” Ji Ho said a bit disturbed at how quickly Yeo Ryeong’s mind worked sometimes when it came to Ham Dan-I.
Laughing, Dan-I smiled and hugged her friend tightly and shaking her head. “I asked my mom if I could come home early since there weren’t a lot of cousins my age that came and told her I had a pile of homework to finish.”
“We can help you with our homework, Mom!”
“Ahh! If it’s not my precious son!” She said before reaching out and patting his head gently. “And then when I got back, Yeo Dan Oppa told me that you would be here.”
“You know..you can let go of Dan-I. I mean we still haven’t gotten to say hi properly.” Ji Ho sneered with a playful smile. That earned him a glare from Yeo Ryeong.
“At least let me take off my backpack!”
DINGDONG.
“That must be the pizza guy.” Chun Young said as he moved past the others before looking back and giving Dan-I a small smile. “Welcome home.”
It felt right when Dan-I was with them. It felt like their hearts can calm down as the piece that was missing finally returned. They were laughing and talking about what they did over the few days apart, what it was like to meet some of her family members after such a long time.
“Ahh.. You guys already finished your homework…”
“It’d be good for us to review. There were some concepts I need to look over.” Yeo Ryeong said quickly before she put her head on Dan-I’s shoulder and let out a sigh. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“It’s good to be home.” She said with a soft smile before Dan-I clapped her hands and reached behind her where her backpack was. “I got you all something!” Pulling out a little plastic bag with keychains, she dumped them out from the plastic bag.
“Ham Dan-I…are those Sailor Moon keychains?” Ji Ho said with a raised brow before he picked up one.
“Ahh..yeah…I saw them being sold at the marketplace near my grandparents' home and I thought they were kinda cute… I mean…If you guys don’t want it, I totally understand. The girls in my class will probably like them. I got some snacks just in case.”
“We want them.” All five of them seriously before Eunhyung pushed them to Dan-I.
“You should choose who gets which one.”
“Well Yeo Ryeong should get the one for Sailor Moon.” Dan-I said seriously before she picked up the one with the white and gold crescent moon with the pink gem in the middle of it. “I mean she’s the princess and the main character so it suits Yeo Ryeong the most.”
“Absolutely not!” The dark haired girl said with a frown and then took the charm and placed it in Dan-I’s hand. “You are the princess.”
“Eh? Are you sure? I think it suits you more.”
“Nope! Okay, next charm….The most important charm.” The black rose that all the boys seemed to be eyeing. It was for Sailor Moon’s love interest. Her prince charming, the one that she ended up with. “I think I should have the Tuxedo Mask’s charm. I mean Dan-ah, you aren’t actually thinking of giving it to one of these guys...Right?!”
“Hey Yeo Ryeong, I thought you said Dan-I should choose for us!” Ji Ho said before stabbing his finger against the table. “It feels like you’re just giving everyone their charms.”
“Well…I’m marrying Dan-I, so it doesn’t matter. Can I have the rose, Dan-ah?”
The determined gaze in her friend’s eyes was enough to make Dan-I laugh and hand Yeo Ryeong the Rose charm. Smiling from ear to ear, she hugged Dan-I a bit tighter. Even if she had to share all the other charms, the Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask charms were a couple. Which meant that she had a couple item with Dan-I.
“Which one do I get, Mom?”
“I think you should get Mercury. I mean you’re so smart and clever.” Dan-I said before picking up the blue one and handing it to the blonde who was smiling and looking at the trinket like it was the most special thing in the world. “Eun Hyung…should get Jupiter...He’s always been the one we can always lean on. Our strong president.”
“I think Chun Young should get Venus. Because you know, beauty and our Model Chun Young suits that. Also, I think Venus in the shows is really obsessed with video games and if that’s not Chun Young.” Joo-In said with a smile as he bounced up and down his seat.
“Thought Venus represented Love and Beauty…”The blue haired man said quietly as he touched the ends of the charms gently.
“Yeah, that makes sense.” Handing the blue-haired man the yellow charm before picking up the last one. The red one had the symbol of Mars and held it out to Ji Ho. “Actually this one suits you quite well.”
“Are you sure it’s not cause it’s the last one?”
“I mean…Mars is the God of War…and when you play video games…the words. She also tends to bully Sailor Moon the most…..”Playfully shuttering she shook her head before smiling softly at the silver-haired teenager. “Kidding! And red always suited you.”
Eyes wide at the comment, he coughed once into his hand before taking the charm and shaking his head. “Ahh so let’s watch a movie or something. To celebrate Ham Dan-I’s return home.”
With that they did celebrate. They watched movies together as they ate dinner together. Laughter filling the room, they never knew that this would be the last time they’d get to spend together. The smiles, the tears, the memories that were made that day, would be the last.
The next day, on March 2nd, Ham Dan-I vanished and the world forgot about her as if she was never there. But this time, their memories stayed. Gone from their yearbooks, their photos, even their phones. She was no longer Yeo Ryeong’s next-door neighbor. She was no longer a classmate of theirs. Even the other students didn’t know who they were talking about. Asking if there was even a girl with that name and description.
All that they had was a keychain that reminded them that she was real. That Dan-I was not some person from a dream. That she was really a person that belonged in their lives but was no longer there.
They wondered if she knew. If Dan-I knew and that was why she came home early to see them. To make one last memory. To make sure to see them before she was pulled away from their world by some unknown force. Maybe she knew and left behind the keychains in case they forgot about her. Maybe she knew and wanted to say goodbye. They tried to rack their brains if there was anything unusual about the way Dan-I acted but nothing came to mind. They were all so happy. They were all laughing. They thought that the next day they would all go to her place to help her with her homework.
They thought maybe after a day that she would come back. Like how they came back to her. But a day went by. A week went by. A month. Then finally a year. They searched for a girl with short brown hair with a smile that can warm anyone’s heart but was unable to find her. They grew more fearful that they would forget her. Forget her smile, her laughter, her voice, her. They grew more fearful as time went on and soon they were graduating and entering university, that one day, they would just forget about the girl that had the princess keychain. But they knew that while their minds may have wanted to forget her their hearts couldn’t.
“How the hell did we all end up at the same university?” Ji Ho asked with a laugh before running a hand through his hair. Thanking Chun Young who handed him his coffee order, he stood with the rest of his friends at the courtyard of their university. "I guess we are all truly stuck with each other for life."
“But we only have one class together.” Chun Young said before he checked his phone and saw the text from his agent before sliding it into his coat pockets.
Just like in middle school, just like in high school, the five of them were the center of everyone’s attention. Yeo Ryeong’s dark eyes glanced up and saw the eyes that surrounded them. Eyes full of envy. Eyes full of desire. Eyes full of contempt. They had gotten used to the glares, the glances, being in the spotlight. It wasn’t anything new. It wasn’t anything they weren’t used to. Maybe they were grateful that they all ended up at the same university together. That they wouldn’t be alone.
“Are you drinking Hot Chocolate, Yeo Ryeong?” Joo-In asked as he drank his latte.
“Yeah…I had a dream….Or a memory…I don’t know…” Yeo Ryeong said quietly before taking a small sip, the overwhelming sweetness was not something she was fond of but it always reminded her of her best friend. “The day when I first met Dan-I…when she first moved in next door…”
A silence. The weight of the charms that they all had on them heavy as they recalled the girl who gave it to them. Eun Hyung’s fingers reached out to touch the charm that dangled from his bag and rubbed the green charm with the pads of his fingers. “It must have been a good dream.”
“Yeah…It was…It felt so real…Seeing her again…even if it’s just in my dreams.” Sniffling, Yeo Ryeong looked up at the sky and blinked away the tears that began to pool in the corners of her eyes.
Another silence before Ji Ho groaned and opened up his phone. “What shall we do? Shall we check out some clubs? I heard there’s a great gamin—“
“Ham Dan-I!” A female voice yelled out which snapped their attention to the girl that yelled out the name. The name brought a chill down their spines. How long had it been since they heard someone else saying that name? Waving to someone that was behind them, they saw a girl rush past them. Her brown hair tied up into a ponytail, a box of chocolate milk in her hands.
Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was destiny. But the serendipitous moment of when the brunette’s phone dropped out of her jacket pocket and at their feet felt unreal. Their eyes quickly fell to the ground to see the white and gold crescent moon charm that dangled from the phone.
Eyes widening as they saw it, they lifted their head to see the brunette quickly turn around and a familiar face greeting them. It was her. It was their lost princess. It was the missing piece to their group. It was the girl that vanished like magic. “Oh, my phone!” She said before Yeo Ryeong who was closest quickly grabbed it handed it to her. Her eyes were wide with shock and fear that she was hallucinating all of this.
“Dan-ah?” She choked as she saw the face of her best friend after years of been missing. “Dan-ah…is that you?”
Dan-I’s brown eyes blinked slowly as she took her phone from the dark-haired girl. A curious expression on her face, as if she was trying to remember something. Before the sudden cold reality washed over all of them, destroying the little flame of hope that they had. “Do you know me?” She asked with her head angled to the side.
It felt cruel as they looked at her and saw no recognition in her eyes. She did not know who they were. No. It was even worse than that. The same look that she had, where she would look past them, of where she would blankly gaze at them as if they weren’t real, it was still there. Eyebrow raising, she shoved the phone into her pocket before looking over her shoulder and seeing her friend who was waving her down. “Thanks for picking it up.” She said distantly before turning around and linking arms with the boy and girl that were waiting for her.
It was their worst nightmare. She did not remember them. She did not care. She was Dan-I but she wasn’t. They all stared at the back of the brunette that had quickly left their side. The charm dangling from her phone almost mocking them as it peaked out from her jacket pocket.
“That was…That was mom, wasn’t it?”
“How did…What…..”
“She just…She doesn’t remember us….”
“What the hell…”
“Dan-ah…” The broken voice of the dark-haired girl who had just touched her best friend’s hand for the first time in so long, but rather than warmth, she felt nothing. It wasn’t cold, it wasn’t warm. It just was a fading feeling against her fingertips.
“Why were you so late? Did you sleep in again?” The boy teased before ruffling her hair.
“I just had a weird dream…Couldn’t wake up for the life..Ahh don’t mess my hair up!” She said swatting at his hand.
“What was all that about?” The girl asked Dan-I before stealing her chocolate milk and taking a sip. “Do you know them? I heard they were the most popular group in their high school….They all look like celebrities.”
Dan-I looked over over her shoulder. The group that she had just encountered was still looking at her. Like she was a ghost, it brought a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach before she shook her head. “I don’t think so…I mean…I don’t know….They seem familiar?”
“Maybe you knew them in your other life or something.”
“Maybe I did.” Dan-I said absentmindedly before she stopped in her tracks and lifted her hand to touch her cheek. Tears? Why was she crying? Why did she feel so sad? Why did she feel like she should turn around and give the girl that called out her name a hug? Why did she feel so many things and yet have no memory of the people that looked at her like she was a miracle? She turned back after she saw that the group had turned around and began walking a different direction. “Who are they?"