Chapter Text
So here Jaehyuk is, standing in front of an art exhibition entrance door cluelessly. Meanwhile beside him, an excited Mashiho can’t wait to enter the exhibition. With his sparkling eyes and all time Junkyu’s favorite smile, he enters the exhibition hall.
Jaehyuk never knew that he would attend an art exhibition until yesterday Mashiho asked him to come with him. He was supposed to come with Junkyu but that man suddenly canceled the plan due to feeling unwell. So here he is, following Mashiho anywhere he goes, hearing him talking about the art which Jaehyuk clearly has no idea of.
“You know why I like his work?” asks Mashiho who is now looking at the first art displayed.
“Why?”
“Cause it feels so real.”
“What makes it feel so real?”
“It makes me feel like I'm inside the painting. I love how the artist painted these paintings as if he was really there witnessing everything.”
Jaehyuk is confused. He clearly didn’t feel anything right now because for him, the painting was just an abstract and simple painting like his friends’ did in the art class, this one with more budget and technique of course. “How tho?”
“Here, look at the painting once again. Believe in your own imagination, I bet they’re going wild right there.” Mashiho points at Jaehyuk's head.
Mashiho pulls Jaehyuk closer to the painting. It’s just a simple painting of rain with grey and white hue but suddenly there’s a light in the middle. No idea what that means. Jaehyuk looks at the huge canvas in front of him. He closed his eyes and let the visual of the painting take over his mind.
Winds blow harder, Jaehyuk feels the cold breeze passing through his body, but moreover, he can feel the rain pouring on his head. Slow but sure, the rain drops harder until his clothes feel very wet. His imagination is taking it too seriously this time.
So he opened his eyes, everything was so foreign. The broken-white exhibition wall is gone, so as the crowd of people there. The painting in front of him was also gone. Strangely, this scenery is somehow familiar like he has seen it before.
Jaehyuk remembers the painting he saw before, the painting that Mashiho told him to imagine himself being in. The first painting in that exhibition. But if this is only his imagination, why does it feel so real?
Jaehyuk wraps his body with his own hand. The rain keeps pouring so he makes a conclusion that this is not artificial, not also a part of the exhibition interactive section. He ran to a shop which was an art supplies shop with a small roof for him to shelter. Small splash of rain still hit him but still, this is better than being on the road. Then he stands there, not sure what he’s waiting for.
He’s alone. No Mashiho, no signal, he’s phone died a while ago. The wildest thought and maybe the closest to the reality Jaehyuk has right now was that he is literally in the painting. Like all the movies he watched before. That might be true. Or maybe he is in Narnia?
No, no, no. Movies are movies, this time he needs to think straight.
But if you notice it in every fantasy movie, all the characters didn’t believe it at first. So…?
“Hey, uh, the rain stops already, don’t you wanna go home? We’re closing the shop.” A young man around his age tapped his shoulder.
“Okay.”
Jaehyuk stands and walks five steps forward, standing on the road in front of the shop so that the young man can close the shop. He honestly didn’t know where to go. He doesn't even have any idea where he is now.
Then the young man from just now walked past him. “Excuse me,” Jaehyuk called the man.
“Yes?”
“Where am I right now?”
The young man looked at him confusedly, examining Jaehyuk from head to toe because he could be a scammer or else. “We’re in front of an art shop.”
“No. I mean, the place. City maybe?”
“Uh… Seoul?”
“We’re in Seoul?” That one with some sparks of disbelief because Jaehyuk never knew there’s this kind of place in Seoul even though he’s been living in Seoul for five years.
The man nodded.
“Where in Seoul?”
“Insa-dong.”
Insa-dong? Jaehyuk has been there a lot but why doesn't this feel familiar? Or maybe this art shop is located deep down in the alley which regular visitors will not notice. There are not many people walking here either.
“You lost?”
Jaehyuk nods.
“Where are you from then?”
“Uh… Seoul…”
“Where in Seoul?”
“Gangnam…”
“Okay then i’ll take you to the subway station, then you go home by yourself okay?”
Jaehyuk nods again. The young man walks in front of him, leading him to the nearest subway station.
The main road are crazy crowded. People walk here and there with various shops on their left and right. Every shop’s name plate has lights on it, they are very beautiful and it also kinda makes this road feel more alive at night.
They walked for around five minutes then arrived at a regular subway station in town. Surprisingly, that young man even got in the station, following him until the card gate.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
But when Jaehyuk taps his card, the card doesn't work. Weird. Jaehyuk rode subways to the exhibition too this afternoon and he’s pretty sure he still got lots of balance in the card.
“Let me accompany you to your home then.”
The young man taps his card for Jaehyuk and him. They got on a train together, stands next to each other in a crowded train. Jaehyuk swears the people inside the train are more packed than a bag of candy his mom sells online. Kinda hard to breathe here, but he also kinda used to it since he commutes by train everyday during this hour.
Finally after a short ride, they arrived at Gangnam station. This time Jaehyuk leads the way. He walks confidently to the apartment he lived in. It took them around fifteen minutes to walk until he arrived at the apartment. And uhm… the apartment is in total difference. No light, no sign, no people. No life.
“Are you sure you live here? Seems like they haven't opened this apartment though.” The young man stands beside him. He’s examining the apartment, just like what Jaehyuk does right now.
Jaehyuk is definitely ten thousand times more confused than this young man beside him. He’s in Seoul, he believes that. The scenery, the vibes, everything is totally Seoul. But in what world does this Seoul exist? He’s theory now is that he got transferred to Seoul in the other universe. Parallel universe theory, kind of, yeah.
“I’m sorry,” Jaehyuk mutters.
“It’s okay. You really got lost, huh?”
“Yeah… I guess so.”
“It’s okay. I’ll help you, okay?”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s eat dinner first. I bet you haven’t had one.”
Jaehyuk nods and smiles at him. He never knew that kind hearted stranger still existed. And also if this man is only judging him from how he looks and how he’s acting so clueless everytime, isn't he supposed to be suspicious? Jaehyuk himself probably never wants to have dinner with strangers though, considering not all strangers are nice, they could scam you any time. Or maybe this person is the one who will scam?
That was too far, he overthinks too much.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Jaehyuk.”
“My name is Asahi. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
“My mom actually owns a restaurant near here. We will eat dinner there. I guarantee the food is delicious.”
“It’s more delicious when it’s free.”
“Ah! Right! Actually I was going to say that.”
They laugh together for the first time. At that moment, Jaehyuk realises that they might have similar humour. They might be good friends in a short time too.
After a very short walk, they arrived at a crowded Korean BBQ restaurant. There are approximately seventy-ish people downstairs, meanwhile Asahi guides them to the second floor which is filled with five VIP rooms. Asahi said some things to the waiter then he led Jaehyuk again to the third floor.
No one was there. Busy atmosphere on the first and second floor is suddenly gone. Asahi and Jaehyuk get into a small dining room which is likely a private family room for them. They even have a karaoke device installed. Jaehyuk and Asahi sit there face to face until the waiter brings their food to the table. A set of delicious Korean BBQ.
“Eat as much as you like. Don’t worry about the price.” Asahi chuckles.
“Thank you.”
Dinner was amazing. The meat was very delicious. The sauce too. Everything was perfect, just as expected when Jaehyuk saw the crowd on the first floor just now. Jaehyuk and Asahi are having a chit-chat too. They talk about their life and stuff, what they're doing for life, and many more. But Jaehyuk never talks to him about how he got here. He was thinking if he talked about it, Asahi might change his attitude. Especially when Asahi lets him stay in his house for a few days. He needs a place to stay and if he told Asahi about his back story, what if he didn’t believe it and he didn’t let Jaehyuk stay in his house because he thought Jaehyuk was just a random weird guy who had his brain reset?
You know what I mean right?
Well, nobody would believe that the parallel universe theory is real though. It only exists in the movie.
So this time… Sorry, Asahi… We have to lie to you.
Okay, next.
Asahi really brought Jaehyuk to his home. It’s an apartment with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room, bigger than his own apartment of course. As far as his eyes can see in the living room, Jaehyuk only sees painting, painting, and painting. A dusty TV with no sofa.
“You’ll sleep in my room, don’t worry.”
Asahi knows the worries in Jaehyuk’s eyes when he sees no sofa in the living rooms. Also after Asahi said that, Jaehyuk's eyes went wider, but he proceeded to follow Asahi into his bedroom.
“You can use this tatami if you’re uncomfortable. My mom brought it from Japan.”
So Jaehyuk did sleep on the tatami. It’s not as comfortable as his bed at home but still better than sleeping on the street.
The next morning Jaehyuk wakes up earlier than Asahi. He went straight to the kitchen to make some breakfast for him and Asahi. Jaehyuk doesn’t really know why but it feels like he’s somehow responsible for the breakfast menu. So today Jaehyuk's first mission is making them sandwiches for breakfast.
Actually this guy got a lot of ingredients stored in the cabinet. He even got canned tuna, fruits, sausages, beef, ham, and many more but why does he look like someone who doesn't eat much? Anyways, he woke up already.
“What are you doing?”
Hahaha. Drowsy face, eyes half open, ruffled hair. Asahi is so messy and cute at the same time.
“Making breakfast?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t usually eat breakfast.”
Jaehyuk sighed, a little bit annoyed. Okay then, if he didn’t eat breakfast, two sandwiches for breakfast also seems good.
“I like breakfast tho, don’t get me wrong.”
Jaehyuk smiles at him. “Wash your face first, then we’ll eat breakfast together.”
When Asahi comes back, Jaehyuk is already sitting on the small dining table. Two plates with two sandwiches for him and Asahi. Also a glass of milk for both him and Asahi.
“Thank you for making the breakfast.”
“You’re welcome.”
Asahi takes his first bite. “Eumm… Best breakfast ever.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Thank you, Jaehyuk.”
And for the first time Jaehyuk finally could see Asahi smiling wide. His dimples were showing, so cute. Then Asahi eats his breakfast joyously, so does Jaehyuk.
“What can I do for you today?” Jaehyuk opens up a new topic.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I cannot just stay here without doing anything for you. I owe you a lot, okay?”
Because Jaehyuk thinks that he should do something for Asahi. Asahi did give him a place to sleep, so he needs to do something for him too. Considering that Asahi might love living alone, since he moved out from his house while his house is only an hour away from his apartment. Anyway he felt he had to do something to return the favor.
“Nah, you don’t owe me anything.”
“I insist,” Jaehyuk firmly said. Seems like Asahi is surprised with it.
“Alright, alright. You’re fine with anything?”
"Anything.”
“How about… laundry?” Asahi hesitated for a while.
“Yeah, sure I can do it.”
“And… cleaning?” He hesitated again.
“Okay. Anything else?”
“No. Alright I'm gonna work in my room, hopefully it’ll be finished early so we can hang out later. Okay?”
Jaehyuk nods. Hang out, hang out. Woahh. Because of that, he did the task happily while sometimes humming a happy tone too. He can’t wait to hang out with Asahi later. He has the chance to know him better, at least as his roommates for a few next days.
It’s four pm when Asahi and Jaehyuk finish all of their work. Around fifteen minutes later, they are ready to go. Asahi suggested the Han river as their hang out place. He said he always went there alone to relax. But now that he has Jaehyuk with him, he wants Jaehyuk to go with him. Together or alone together, that doesn’t matter.
So here they are, sitting on the wide grassfield, wind caressing their faces and ruffling their hair. Asahi and Jaehyuk stretch out their legs, and be as relaxed as possible.
“Hey, uhm… you good?” Asahi suddenly asked. Well, not so sudden because he observed Jaehyuk’s facial expression multiple times. Is it only him or Jaehyuk is a bit gloomy now?
“I don’t know.” He’s right, Jaehyuk is a bit off for some reason.
Asahi straightens up his seat, trying to listen carefully.
“I’m lost, Asahi.”
Jaehyuk is totally lost. He is lost from the start, he knows. But this time, he feels even more lost. Something’s a bit off. The Han river that he knows is totally different than what he knows. Some benches still look old and they’re under construction on some parts. Even they don’t have the big ‘I Seoul U’ sign. It’s a new sign, yes but…
Wait.
Wait.
If this is Seoul in another universe, why does it look the same? The building locations, some of the signs, the rules, and they even named Han river Han river. They could name this river with other names and this city Seoul with other names than Seoul too. Also the subway lines, everything is the same. If he’s in the other universe, the lines and station names could be different, right? Even his apartment is the same, it’s just that it hasn’t been open yet.
Or…?
“Asahi, what year is it now?”
“2014. Why are you asking this, anyway?”
Boom!
And that’s when everything makes sense.
“Look, Asahi, I'm not sure you’ll believe me or not, I don't believe myself either, but this is what I'm going through and I'm just being super honest with what i’m going to say next.”
“What is it?”
“I-Uh... I come from the future.” After blurting out some words, Jaehyuk looks down to the ground. He’s not ready for the laugh and teases Asahi will give him after this.
“So time travel is real?”
Wait, wait, wait. This is not the reaction that Jaehyuk expected?
“You believe me?”
“Why not?”
“Normally people will not believe this kind of thing?”
“Let's do a lot of things before you disappear!” Asahi said, ignoring Jaehyuk’s question. Asahi then stops for a while after saying those words happily, realizing that maybe he shouldn’t say it happily. Meanwhile Jaehyuk is still there, confused. “You know, you might disappear anytime soon right?
Jaehyuk looks at Asahi with a face full of question marks. Well, yes, he hopes so. He wants to come back and stop bothering Asahi.
“Let’s go Jaehyuk! This is the best time to eat ramyeon!” Asahi stands up and stretches out his hands for Jaehyuk to hold.
Why is Asahi so easy to believe in everything?
Asahi doesn’t know either… or maybe… he’s just in love?
They went to an instant ramyeon booth in Han river. Asahi buys two instant ramyeon for both of them. He lets Jaehyuk choose what ramyeon he wants to eat. Turns out that they’re buying the same thing.
Jaehyuk sees Asahi is totally confused with the hot water machine. He looks at the person beside him, then clicks on the button, then looks at the person beside him again and follows their steps until he finishes everything, slowly and hesitantly. “Is this your first time here?”
“Yeah. Is it too obvious?”
“Kind of.”
“I do know that they’re selling instant ramyeon.”
Now they’re sitting on a wooden eating table in front of the river. It looks like it’s there for the people who eats ramyeon. The closer you are to the river, the more the wind blows. Nice, they both like it.
“If you really come from the future, what year do you come from?”
“2021.”
“Woah. You really come from the future.”
“I still don’t believe it either.”
Jaehyuk slurps his noodles. The spiciness in the broth is just right. Not too hot but still spicy, perfect for this chilly day. Jaehyuk and Asahi enjoyed their eating so much that they barely talk to each other. When they’re finished, there’s a question popping out from Jaehyuk’s head.
“Why did you let me live in your house?” Jaehyuk asks curiously.
“Hmm… I’ve been alone for so long, I think I need a friend. And I know how sincere you are when we ate dinner yesterday. Dinner yesterday is to make sure you are really a kind guy who got lost or a bad guy who tried to scam me. Turns out that you’re just as sincere as grandma next door.”
Jaehyuk blushed. His cheeks turn as red as the ramen broth they eat. Hot and red.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Next, Asahi asks Jaehyuk to accompany him to a big aquarium, which is coincidentally always on Jaehyuk’s bucket list as places to visit in Seoul. Unfortunately, he hasn't gone there due to the amount of work he has to finish. A week full of sleepless nights makes him have no energy to go out. Lying down in his bed while doing nothing is the best so far. So when Asahi asks him to go to the aquarium, his heart jumps out of his chest. He’s so happy, very, very happy.
Jaehyuk and Asahi walk around the aquarium with nonstop smiles on their faces. Talking here and there, joking around. You know, just being friendly with each other.
Finally they stop in front of the big aquarium, the main attraction here. The blue reflection from the aquarium filled the room. Dozens of fishes that Jaehyuk doesn’t even know their names are swimming around in front of them. Jaehyuk placed his palm on the glass, cold but somehow calming. He puts a smile on his face, never would he not be amazed with this view.
“Funny how they’re swimming freely like they’re home.”
Jaehyuk subconsciously takes Asahi’s hand. Both cold hands intertwined, making it warm exclusively only for themselves. “That’s because they made the aquarium their home.” He smiles at Asahi.
“How fast do you think people could fall in love?” Asahi asks again.
“A week? I don’t know.”
“The last time I fell in love, it’s twenty hours from the first meeting,” Asahi answers calmly.
Jaehyuk nods as he responds. Then they went silent for the next few minutes.Thoughts mesmerized by the view in front of them, by big small fish swimming around happily, not knowing they’re not technically home. Just them, enjoying their life, being grateful for every breath they take.
“Can I hug you, Jaehyuk?” Just as the giant stingray stretched itself in front of them, Asahi too, spread out both of his arms.
“Y-yes.”
Jaehyuk takes a few steps closer to Asahi. He pulls Asahi straight to his embrace. And when he can feel Asahi's hands rubbing his back, he feels very warm. It’s more like your deepest feelings being transferred to each other. This time, Jaehyuk feels the emotion deep down in Asahi’s heart. There’s some sort of loss, fear, loneliness, and what he feels the most is that Asahi needs someone who loves him. Someone whose embrace is not just filled with warmth, but an extraordinary unexplained feeling that only both can understand.
So Jaehyuk takes the boldest step he ever did and kisses Asahi on his lips. No rush, just a calm, light soft kiss filled with every little spark of love inside him.
Asahi received it well. He kissed Jaehyuk back, hands grabbing Jaehyuk’s cheeks, deepening their kiss. First most ‘full of love’ kiss he ever had.
“It’s warmer to sleep on my bed,” he said when they parted.
Jaehyuk smiles at him. Thoughts running wild, still out of breath.
Jaehyuk and Asahi ended the day beautifully in bed. Making each other feel the love inside. Body’s full of the mark of love, eyes blurry from the tears of joy. Asahi never felt more loved than this, nor Jaehyuk.
They made each other beautifully messy.
“Do you want to clean up yourself?” Jaehyuk asks Asahi, half whispering. He’s tired enough today and very lazy to clean up the mess they made, but no, he can’t just sleep on this mess right? Cleaning up is still his duty while living in Asahi's apartment.
“I don’t think I can walk, Jaehyuk-ah, I'm sorry…” his voice sounded feeble.
“I’ll carry you to the bathroom.”
“Sorry… Jaehyuk…”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry that it hurts”
“It’s okay. I… kinda like it, honestly.” He shyly admits. Asahi giggles at the end which let Jaehyuk giggled too.
Jaehyuk went to the bathroom, filled the bathtub with warm water. Then he went back to the bedroom, carrying Asahi on his arm like a baby. They can’t stop smiling at each other.
“I’ll clean up the bed first,” he said, after he put Asahi gently in the bathtub.
Asahi sits still, relaxing, closing his eyes as the warm water touches his naked body gently. Mind empty, relaxed.
“Can I come in?” Asahi was almost asleep when he heard the soft voice of Jaehyuk in his ears. He then nods to Jaehyuk, signaling him to come into the bathtub with him.
They sit face to face. Jaehyuk’s hand on Asahi’s cheeks, rubbing it gently, eyes admiring Asahi’s beauty from up close. “You’re so beautiful, Asahi.”
“You too, Jaehyuk.”
This time, it’s Asahi’s turn to admire Jaehyuk’s body. He rubs his cheeks, down to his neck, his bare chest, then he comes closer. “You’re an art, Jaehyuk. My favorite art of all.”
Jaehyuk puts his head down. Not sure how to handle the biggest compliment he ever got. His whole face turns red as cherry. There’s no way Asahi wouldn't see him blushing. But what makes him surprised the most is that now, Asahi takes control of him. He came closer and closer, sitting on Jaehyuk’s lap, thigh circling around Jaehyuk's waist, not letting any distance between them exist.
Jaehyuk takes a good lead on them in bed a while ago. So this time, he let’s Asahi take the lead. He lets him take over his lip. Making it swell more, leaving marks on his neck, taking him to heaven.
Again, Asahi kisses Jaehyuk. Soft and passionate just like the other kisses, expressing how grateful he is to have Jaehyuk who treats him like a queen in every chance he has, including in bed. When tears roll down from his eyes, it’s completely not because of how painful it is. It’s all his unspoken feelings of how much he loves Jaehyuk and all the effort he makes to treat him so carefully and tenderly.
“I love you…” Asahi whispered into Jaehyuk's ear when they parted. Both panting due to the long kiss.
Jaehyuk smiles shyly.
“I wish I could spend more time with you,” he continues.
There they go, tears running down their face uncontrollably. Sobs fill the bathroom in.
Asahi buried his head on Jaehyuk’s shoulder, muffled his tears there. Same goes to Jaehyuk, he rests his head on Asahi’s shoulder, hands enveloping him, caressing his back.
“Let’s use the time we had wisely.”
They stay silent in the same position for more than five minutes. Head empty, just lovers enjoying each other’s bodies.
Jaehyuk carried Asahi to bed, then went to dry his body with a clean towel he took from the wardrobe in this room.
“I’ll take your clothes first.”
“No.” Asahi grabs Jaehyuk's hand, stopping him from leaving. “I still want to be with you… like this.”
Jaehyuk stopped for a while. “Let’s use the time we had wisely, should we, Jaehyuk-ah?”
Asahi’s words are like a spell, hypnotizing him till he subconsciously takes another step to fulfill his request. Jaehyuk got into bed, pulled a blanket to cover their bodies, then lay his body so close to Asahi until they could feel each other’s breath. Jaehyuk takes a deep breath, preparing an answer. “Let’s sleep like this. Touch me as much as you want…”
“...I love you. Always.”
Tears, again, rolled down Jaehyuk’s cheek. How come ‘I love you’ is this painful?
Asahi swiftly wipes Jaehyuk’s tears. Right hand stayed on his cheeks, rubbing it softly. “The rain and the lights send you here.”
“Lights?”
Asahi nods. “I always ask for a friend to be with me through the days, but they send me someone from the future.” He lets out a giggle.
Asahi got up from his position, and opened the drawer next to it, groping for something inside. He reached the long kept treasure, a handmade resin pendant necklace with dried baby breath flower in it.
“I hand made this,” he said as he put the necklace around Jaehyuk’s neck.
Jaehyuk holds the round-shape pendant in his hands, paying close attention to how beautifully made it is. The flower looks so fresh and neat. Then Jaehyuk takes Asahi’s hand, kissing it again for the nth time. “You really have the golden hands, huh?”
They both chuckled a bit.
“It looks good in you.” Asahi traces his finger on Jaehyuk’s neck, adoring how his necklace looks so beautiful on Jaehyuk. Then down to his perfectly wide shoulder, the best, best art ever.
Asahi scooted closer to Jaehyuk’s chest, buried his head there, then whispered some words underneath it. “Let’s find each other in the future. Let’s find each other and cuddle like this again.”
“Let’s just hope I’ll never be gone. Stuck here with you is better, I guess.”
“No, you have to go back. You’re not belong here in the past. Let’s meet each other again in the future, okay?”
Jaehyuk nods faintly. He plants a kiss on Asahi’s crown, hands caresses Asahi’s bare back. They spend the rest of the night cuddling naked, transferring each other’s love, while secretly praying that the time would freeze.