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Chapter Text

He never had anyone. And he was so sure that Hwal had his back, the man he loved to death. But he betrayed him, and for the very first time, Eul-tae realized this. His body ached as he felt himself dying for the very first time. The unbearable pain he had never felt before, his black hole was nothing compared to the pain he felt now. He promised himself he'd never become human again. But here he was, grasping onto the air for his dear life, hoping for just one more chance. Eul-tae's eyes were slowly fading from red to brown, tears running down his bloodied face. "Father, please help me" were his last words before he faded into darkness. Leaving nothing but dust in the air. Would he ever even reincarnate after all the things he'd done? He was sure it was justified. Maybe someone out there would understand his reasons.

-

And indeed, someone out there. A God perhaps understood him. For a price that is. His tired dark eyes scanned the screen in front of him. "Yeah I'm sure this is the problem" He sighed, pushing up his spectacles before re adding the garbage bin to the desktop screen. Eul-tae was reincarnated as a technician with bad eyesight. Eul-tae thought he was the unluckiest person in the world. Fixing things that should not need to be fixed. But if his memories ever came back, the so horrible life that he now lived would have been a living hell. The woman beside him squealed in excitement over the fact that he'd fix such a problem. How in the world did a person even delete their garbage bin on their computer in the first place? "Oh my goodness, thank you," The woman said. "I don't know why it keeps happening, I-, you're so smart" She smirked, giving his thigh a firm squeeze. Giving him her most seductive eyes she could pull off. His eyes shot wide open, was she actually stupid or was she into him? He didn't want to find out.

He got up quickly. "Well I think my job here is done, if you ever make the mistake again, a simple phone call will do. '' He said in a high pitched tone, walking off in an awkward way. Eul-tae was a 35 year old virgin. He wasn't saving himself for marriage, as some people would. He had just never felt the want for it, something in him held him back whenever there was a chance. Afraid of attachment. He didn't want to love, or be loved.

No man or woman had ever made him swoon. And he was okay with it. It's not that he couldn't see people were attractive, he just wasn't attracted to any of them. When Eul-tae finally left work that day, the streets were crowded. People ran back and forth between the different places. A woman was comforting her 3 crying children, a man in a black suit was dead asleep on a random bench with a bottle of soju in his hands. Eul-tae feared that's how he'd end up today too. High schoolers were heading over to the karaoke, sneaking alcohol in their backpacks with them. 

Beep, beep, beep, beep. Is the only thing you hear as he enters the passcode to his apartment. A rundown apartment building somewhere in Korea. He shut the door after himself, plopping down on the couch with a groan. His apartment was oddly cute, compared to what you'd imagine. There were plants everywhere. The room was in fact never dirty. Just like his mind, always clean.

How should he spend the rest of his day? Making himself a 5-star dinner sounded like the perfect option. If there was one interest Eul-tae developed in this world, it is the interest for cooking. He quickly got up from the couch, waddling his way over to his tiny kitchen. He lived in such a rundown apartment, he had to open the window as a ventilator. Spaghetti Bolognese was the thing he craved for today, the perfect Friday’s meal. But before he could even bend down to get a pot, he heard a heart wrenching scream coming from upstairs, a loud crash, and at last the sound of glass falling to the ground and shattering. Not even a second after, Eul-tae was out of his apartment, running up the stairs. Noticing a man running out of the apartment above, blood staining his hands. He dialed 911 quickly, while speeding up to him as quickly as he could. Grabbing him by his hoodie.

The hooded man screeched, trying to loosen himself from Eul-tae’s powerful grip. “You wanna die too?” He asked, trying to fetch his knife from his pocket. But the second the criminal met Eul-tae’s eyes, he froze, almost as if he’d seen him before. “You’re not going anywhere” Eul-tae snarled at the hooded man. 

Eul-tae quickly took this opportunity and untied his tie, tying the criminal’s hands behind his back. The man looked beyond terrified as he looked into Eul-tae’s eyes, not being able to do anything out of pure shock. Eul-tae on the other hand was not having it. He was absolutely not having anyone dying on his Spaghetti Bolognese evening. 

-

Being brought to the police station as a witness was something he hoped he didn’t have to do. But this wasn’t about him. The dark haired man sat there in his own bubble, waiting for something to happen. His eyes set on the pattern on the floor underneath him. Suddenly a woman walked up to him, her hand resting on his shoulder. He looked up, it was a brunette in a police uniform. "She would have died if it weren't for you, only a 10 minute delay would have killed her. Thank you so much for saving her life" 

Eul-tae was certain he'd seen her before. Those dramatic dark eyes had once gazed upon him, he was sure of it. "It's nothing really, I'm sure someone else would have called if I didn't" He gave her a soft smile. She huffed in response, her eyebrows narrowing. "As much as I want to agree, many people don't actually call in, because they think someone else already did it. Which is why you did the right thing" 

She smiled at him, her dimples showing through. She was extremely gorgeous, and not to mention her uniform fit her very well. "You might have to testify in court, I'll give you some information on the case myself" She brushed her long straight hair behind her ears. 

"Well first, I'll introduce myself, my name is Kim Si-ho and I work as a police officer" She brought forward some papers, sitting down beside Eul-tae. Why the hell was she assigned to a case when she was only a mere police officer? "Well, I got assigned to this case because no one was available at the time" Almost as if she read my mind. 

"And your name?" She asked. "Eul-tae, Im Eul-tae" The man gave her a gentle smile. "Before we start this, do you know the victim or the preparator, have you met any of them before?" 

He shrugged. "No, I don't think so. '' He swallowed hard as he saw her bringing up two pictures. A very familiar woman showed up in one of the pictures. She had dark hair, paler skin compared to his own. A bright smile covering her face. But seeing her somewhat made his blood boil. He was getting heated by the minute, not having a clue why he felt like that. She pointed to the picture of the woman. "Her name is Oh Sang-un"

Chapter Text

After a long day, Eul-tae went to bed. He looked up at the white ceiling, frowning at the strange things he'd felt at the station. Why did he feel like he'd seen them before? The picture of Sang-un was the one that got to him the most. His hands tensed up, forming into fists. Anger and a little pinch of guilt tying itself up in his stomach. What could it possibly be? Did she remind him of someone? Did he perhaps look like one of his childhood bullies? No, there was something else. Something he couldn't seem to figure out. 

"Dammit" He kicked his legs in the mattress, realizing he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep with these thoughts in his mind. So instead, he got up, fetched his jacket and went for a jog. He checked his clock, it was 1am, it didn't matter. He took the route he usually went for, a 20 minute jog around a couple of blocks. It was incredibly quiet out, only a couple of cars passing by once in a while. He sighed deeply, feeling the cold creeping in on his body as he jogged. 

The route was always empty, which is why he chose that specific route for workout. He jogged around the corner, speeding up a little bit for the sake of sweating. A couple of meters away he spotted a woman sitting outside a tiny convenience store. She had what seemed like a bottle of soju on the table in front of her, and a red rucksack leaning on the chair beside her. She looked familiar, although he wasn't sure as to why. He started jogging even faster, pretending he wasn't looking straight at her. When he got closer he quickly realized it was Si-ho, and that she was sobbing unbearably. He stopped, questioning himself if he should ask her what's wrong. And he figured that, it wouldn't be so bad to do so. 

She was about to raise the third bottle of soju to her glass, before Eul-tae quickly grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? Are you okay?" He asked her, taking a seat across from her. 

She looked up at him, her eyes widening in embarrassment. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, stopping herself from sobbing. "I- I don't know, I'm not feeling good, and I don't even know why" She tried to shake her wrist loose from the man across from her. “You really shouldn’t be drinking that much, especially alone at this hour” He warned, frowning at the sight of the very drunk woman. He could tell by her very red cheeks, and her tired eyes.

“Release my damn arm” She almost yelled, making him release his grip in shock. This wasn’t anything like how he’d seen her earlier. She stared him dead in the eye. “I’m getting sick, I feel like this is all too familiar. Have we met?” She asked, raising one of her eyebrows. “Before the police investigation I mean” She added in case he got confused. 

“Maybe in our past lives” He joked, watching her as she poured herself another glass. 

“You believe in that stuff? To me it’s all bullshit” She made a weird grimase, before offering him a drink. He declined respectfully.

"Well when I saw you bring that man in, I thought you were the preparator, I was ready to crush your skull" She said, crushing the air together with her hands. She paused for a long second, studying his face. 

"That being said, that wasn't at all true. I found that my first impression of you was wrong." She smiled gently, giggling a tiny bit. Eul-tae got a tiny bit offended, although he could admit he did look like a serial killer. A guy with glasses trying to comfort a drunk woman in the middle of the night after being the witness to attempted murder. Not creepy at all, no.

“No, because you do look like a serial killer, should I be worried?” She asked in a whisper, leaning forward, only a couple of centimeters keeping them away from touching foreheads. He quickly retreated, feeling claustrophobic. He cracked a sarcastic laugh, not sure how he felt over this drunk woman’s behavior. “This is… really, do you ever keep your mouth shut?” He asked, getting defensive. 

“Why are you telling me to shut up! You shut up!” She slammed her hands onto the table, her face even redder than before. He was getting heated by seconds, he was furious. If he was in a cartoon, steam would blow from his ears in pure anger. 

“Nuh uh, you’re very drunk, let me call a cab for you” He calmed himself down, getting up his phone. But before he could even call anything, Si-ho pulled the phone out of his hand. 

“Yah!” He screamed at her. “You give that back right now” He raged, stretching out his hand, waiting for her to give it back. She only pouted. “I don't wanna go home” She got up from the chair, holding distance between the two of them. He too got up, his hands resting on the chair in front of him. He noticed she was being serious, she didn't want to go back home. 

"Si-ho, give it back, I won't call anyone at all" He tried reassuring her, seeing her calm a little down. But she didn't move a step forward, but rather moved a step back. Her eyes started tearing up a little. "How am I supposed to believe you?" Her voice breaking as the words came out. 

"I don't know why you're upset, but I assure you if you don't want to go home, I won't force you to," Eul-tae said, sitting back down. 

"I'd rather sleep in the streets than ever go back to that hellhole!" She stomped on the ground before proceeding to lay down on the sidewalk. She didn't care about how dirty it was, Eul-tae was the opposite. He hated dirty things. He stood right back up again, losing his mind. 

"God freaking dammit, you son of a bitch Eul-tae…" He mumbled to himself. Not believing himself of what he was about to offer. 

"You can stay over at mines, if you're comfortable, I don't think I can do much more" He said, swallowing hard. Her head slowly raised from the ground, her eyes meeting his. Absolute sparkles dancing in her dark eyes. 

-

Eul-tae unlocked the door to the apartment, and not even a second later Si-ho pushed herself past him to look. He sighed to himself, taking off his jacket. She gasped loudly, her eyes searching the entire room. She happily took off her shoes before taking any step further. 

"You can have my room for the night, I changed the sheets this morning, you can lock the door if you want too” Eul-tae said walking over to the cabinet beside his tv. He brought out a blanket and a pillow and threw it on the couch. Si-ho looked at him in awe, thanking him before she went to sleep. Eul-tae still had trouble falling asleep, as much as he wanted to. He knew he had a long day ahead of himself, especially considering the drunk woman he’d brought over. 

Chapter Text

Torture, pure torture. Eul-tae’s morning alarm had gone off. The clock was precisely 7am. He sat up with a groan, rubbing his eyes before proceeding to search for his glasses on the table in front of him. His back was sore from sleeping on the couch. But it wasn’t just uncomfortable, it was as if someone had swung him in the back with a bat. This was the last time he’d ever bring someone over and not fight for the bed. He finally found his glasses, putting them on his face.

He got up from the couch, and opened the curtains, the sunlight directly hitting his eyes, making him flinch. Eul-tae then proceeded to open the door to his tiny balcony. His plants needed fresh air and so did he to say the least. He turned around and looked at the door to his bedroom, questioning whether or not she was still asleep. He figured he could at least make her breakfast. Bugeotguk it is. 

He put on his green apron, it wasn’t a secret Eul-tae liked green. Even in his past that’s the color he liked the most. He opened the refrigerator, staring blankly into the very empty space. “Fuck me” He groaned, realizing he should have done some grocery shopping. There were about three things in the fridge: a box of kimchi, 6 eggs, and an uncountable amount of water bottles. So it is in fact not Bugeotguk, now it’s ramen. He always had ramen at hand for late nights. 

“Please don’t get the wrong impression Si-ho” He mumbled to himself before making the ramen. When he was done, he went over and softly knocked on the door. “Si-ho?” He called out gently. He could hear her tossing and turning. Before he suddenly heard a loud thump, making him retreat two steps just in case. “Oh my God, not again” Si-ho cursed in full panic before unlocking the door to greet him. But she never looked up at him, she kept her gaze on the floor. Her hair was messy, and her makeup was smudged. “I’m very very very sorry” She apologized looking down at his feet. “It’s okay, I made you some breakfast, although I didn’t get to make somet-” He started, but she cut him off with a loud scream when she met his eyes. 

He raised his right eyebrow, confused as to why she was screaming. “Why?” He simply said. “Oh my God it’s you! I didn’t sleep with you, right?” She asked. His eyes widened at the very straightforward question, his face turning fifty shades of red. “Of course not! You were drunk and refused to go home, so I let you sleep over” 

“I’m so sorry, this is so unprofessional, and I had to meet you out of all people. You must think I’m a total nut” She sighed, pressing her palm on her forehead. He gave her a gentle smile indicating that it was completely okay, after that he explained the entire situation to her. She had no memories whatsoever about last night. They ate breakfast, and both seemed pleasantly satisfied. “Thank you Mr. Im, and I’m truly sorry, I’ll make sure I don’t drink that much again” She bowed in respect for the older male, grabbing her rucksack while heading for the door. But before she could leave, Eul-tae spoke up.

“Hey I know we’ve barely met, but I got worried about you back then, if there’s anything I can help with, you have my number with the case” He gave her a gentle smile before opening the door for her. Her eyes looked a little sad, but she only thanked him and left. And Eul-tae was left wondering why she was sad, he knew that she was going through something. And he also knew it had to do with her family, but he could only watch from a distance for now. He didn’t plan on getting more involved then he had too. 

Eul-tae began doing his morning activities. He didn’t have to work until late, so he had to pass time. The first thing Eul-tae did was clean the apartment, getting a fresh start of the day. By the end of that chore, he took a quick shower, getting himself clean before planning his grocery trip. He never wanted to attend the public if he was dirty, unless absolutely necessary. After getting dressed he checked the cabinets, and the fridge, and wherever food could possibly be. He was missing everything he could possibly think of. Before leaving his apartment, he put on cologne, as always. It was a part of the step to feeling clean for him. 

-

Eul-tae had finally made it to the grocery store alive. And he was so ready to get out of there immediately, he didn’t enjoy the public so much. Perhaps it was his anxiety, or maybe he was an introvert. Possibly the two combined. Suddenly his eyes caught the sight of someone familiar, it was the woman who constantly harassed him at work, trying to seduce him. He turned around quickly, avoiding her. But as he did his shopping cart collided into a man. The man stumbled a little but recollected himself and turned towards the man that had hit him with his shopping cart. Eul-tae gasped loudly, bowing quickly to apologize. “It’s okay,” The stranger replied, making Eul-tae look up at him. The second he looked up at him, he froze on the spot. He was so familiar, even more familiar than the others he had met so far. His dark hair was pushed back, he was taller, and he was clean shaven. He was incredibly handsome, and he had such a nice fashion sense. Eul-tae immediately felt embarrassed, and ashamed. 

“Have we… met before?” The stranger asked, raising his eyebrows. Eul-tae shaked his head quickly, although he wasn’t entirely sure. He had come face to face with very familiar faces lately, and it was so off putting to him. Suddenly the woman he so wanted to avoid put her hand on his shoulder, ever so slowly caressing him. “Hey, Mr. Im” 

He could only mouth out to the stranger a ‘save me’ and he quickly took the sign. “Honey, who is this?” The stranger asked him directly, putting on a pout as he made eye contact with the woman behind Eul-tae. Eul-tae felt relief wash over him as he actually played along. “Oh her, she’s just a client I’ve helped fix some technical issues” Eul-tae answered. The stranger pushed the cart to the side, stepping closer to Eul-tae. At this action the shorter man felt his cheeks going red. The stranger then fixed Eul-tae’s jacket in a romantic gesture. “Babe, you know that I don’t like you associating yourself with your clients” The stranger said. Eul-tae smirked in return, feeling like he was a second away from bursting into laughter. The woman separated them, her jaw dropping. 

“So that’s why you always avoided me huh?” She asked. “Of course, I’m in a relationship” 

“No I mean like, you’re gay” She said, shouting the last part so that everyone in the store was looking at them. She was downright offended, looking like she was about to rip the hair out of her skull. The stranger across from Eul-tae was getting heated by the minute. But Eul-tae wasn’t upset, he was just beyond disappointed and confused. He didn’t know what he felt, he did in fact not like men, or women. But even if he was gay, why should anyone have to go through this? The stranger noticed Eul-tae’s discomfort, and took his hand. «We should just leave» He whispered quietly into his ear.

The woman clicked her tongue. «See I should have known, not one man has rejected me, but you» Eul-tae couldn’t care less at her toxic words, walking away from her without saying anything. The stranger too joined, in case she tried something. 

-

When they got outside, Eul-tae took a deep breath, placing his bags on the ground for a second. He then turned to the handsome stranger. “Thank you, I don’t know what I would do without you,” He paused, letting out a sigh of relief. “How can I return the favor?” He proceeded to ask. The stranger was quiet for a long minute, before opening his mouth. 

“You said you work with technical issues? My company has had some issues with our copier, I’ll pay you double” The man said, handing over his business card before leaving, just like that. Eul-tae looked down on the business card, checking the name and address. This was a CEO’s business card. Holy shit. His name was the one that stuck to him though, an incredibly rare name he’d never heard on a man before. But he remembered it all too well without having a slightest clue why. He was the one and only Hwal.

Chapter Text

Eul-tae locked the door after entering his apartment, not getting too far with the groceries before his phone started ringing. He dropped the groceries on the floor, sighing to himself. It was a number he didn’t have saved. He decided to pick it up. 

“Hello, who is this?” He asked. 

“Hi, Mr. Im, it’s Si-ho, I needed to call you on something”

“Oh of course, what’s up?”

“So the victim Sang-un is getting sent home today, mind if I ask you for a favor?”

“Yeah, I guess so”

“I may have looked into what you do, and I was wondering if you could help with the security camera, like help her set it up. I’m a little inexperienced and no one is close by. She’s to be watched in case something happens again. Apparently this isn’t her first time being attacked”

“No problem at all, I can do that, when do you want me to do it?”

“Great! Everything is at her apartment, so you’ll just have to set it up when you have time, tell her I sent you, even call me to confirm it if you have to. I’ll pay you for this”

“No, it’s fine, it takes like two seconds to set it up, I don’t take payment for something like this, I’ll be up there in about 5 minutes”

He can hear her sigh over the phone, before she answers. “You’re really too kind for this world, thank you” 

He smiles a little too himself as they say their goodbyes, it was as if they had known each other for far longer. And even though the conversation wasn’t exactly making them bond, he somehow felt happy to hear her voice even though he’s already heard it this morning. He looked at his groceries for a second, pondering if he should put them away. He figured it could wait. 

He took the stairs to the apartment above, gathering his strength to meet Sang-un. He rang her doorbell, waiting patiently. Suddenly a tall woman unlocked the door. She quickly bowed, not meeting his eyes. “Hello, it’s nice to-” He started, but as her eyes met his, she screamed loudly, dropping her vase on the floor. He watched it crash into a thousand pieces, deeply cutting her hands while at it. “I- I’m sorry if I scared you, Si-ho sent me to help set your cameras up” He stuttered, bending down quickly to take a look at her bloodied hands. She was watching him cautiously, not really believing a word he said. “Please get away from me” She said as he met her eyes. Her stare indicated she remembered him, but he would probably never find out how. “I’m so sorry” He apologized and got up to leave. 

“Never show up again, I don’t know what your intentions are, but I know who you are, you’re nothing but trouble” She said teary eyed before slamming the door shut in his face. His heart sank to his feet, not entirely sure what had just gone down. He proceeded to text Si-ho about his failed mission. 

15:30

Eul-tae: 

Yeah that didn’t work out. 

Si-ho:

What do you mean??? What happened???

Eul-tae:

She kicked me out, saying all the things I couldn’t seem to understand. She was scared of me… No scratch that, TERRIFIED. 

Si-ho:

I’ll be coming over, I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding

Chapter Text

Si-ho’s P.O.V:

Si-ho took the easy way to get up to Sang-un's apartment. The elevator. When she got to her door, she knocked rapidly, impatient and worried. “Please, just leave me alone” She yelled from the other side of the door. “Unnie, it’s me, Si-ho” Si-ho replied, in case she thought it was the other man. Suddenly she heard quick footsteps, and the door was opened. “Who the hell was that other guy?” 

“He was the guy who saved you from bleeding out back then, I asked him to help you with the security cameras…” Si-ho groaned, pushing her way inside. Si-ho and Sang-un had known each other for quite some time, they were like siblings. Sang-un sighed deeply, gaining the shorter woman’s attention. 

“I know you don’t know who I truly am, and if this was a couple of weeks ago I wouldn’t have suspected a thing looking at him. But I’m warning you now that I know, stay away from him” Sang-un pointed her fingers down to where his apartment was. And that’s when Si-ho noticed her bloodied hands. 

“Did he do that to you?” The brunette asked, quickly holding her hands to check the bandaged hand.

“He didn’t, but it might as well have been him”

“What the hell are you talking about? Did he do anything to you?” Si-ho shouted as she felt her blood boil. Starting to question the man she had taken an interest in, terrified that he might not be like what she thought. Sang-un shakes her head in response, sitting down on the floor in defeat. 

“Si-ho, do you believe in past lives?” She looked up at Si-ho, her eyes watering up. Si-ho immediately raised her eyebrows in shock. 

“You know that I don’t” She replied, although she wasn’t entirely sure. 

“Well, I’ve been dreaming about it, and that man has been chasing me in it, and this is the first time I have ever physically seen him. He tried to hurt you too, and your brother. And there was another man too, and he was trying to protect us” She said, her body shaking as she spoke. 

“I don’t know what kind of sick joke this is, more importantly how DARE you bring Doyoon into this. You’re delusional, Sang-un, delusional” Si-ho practically shouted, feeling her eyes tear up a little. 

“I swear to God I’m not crazy, I saw that man draining someone’s body from blood- Wait, you haven’t been seeing him, have you?” Sang-un asked. 

“I have been seeing him, but it’s been purely coincidental, and even so what if I was seeing him?” Si-ho defended him with all she had. She didn’t believe one word of what the taller woman said. She’d come to know what kind of person he was, and it was nothing like the way Sang-un described him. She also knew that Sang-un hadn't been herself ever since the attack. Si-ho knew deep down how this was ending, and it was likely that they would have to part ways if she didn't recover, mentally. 

“Si-ho” Sang-un paused. “I understand how illogical it sounds, but it really hurts my feelings when you don’t even try to believe me, you know NOTHING about that man” Sang-un swallowed hard, her eyes reddening from the tears that threatened to come out. 

“Promise me, please, promise me you won’t see him again”

“I can’t promise that” Si-ho said before heading for the door. “I’ll be back when you feel better” She said before shutting the door despite Sang-un's desperate pleas. She quickly dialed a company to help Sang-un set up those cameras, knowing she couldn't be the one to do so. At the very moment she despised Sang-un for treating Eul-tae like that. The brunette couldn't bring herself to stay close to her. She spit words like a dragon spit fire, and she couldn’t stand it. She kept on wondering how she should apologize to Eul-tae. The Eul-tae that didn’t leave her mind.