Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jinyoung wakes up with a loud gasp. He breathes heavily as his head swivels back and forth. He slowly takes in his surroundings, not recognizing the room he's in. It's not his room. He's lays in a bed that's not his, blankets pulled close to him. Jinyoung throws the covers off of himself immediately and shoots to his feet. His heart is beating at a non-stop speed and his head spins. Jinyoung looks around frantically, trying to understand how he got here. What is going on? Jinyoung remembers going to bed in his own bed last night. How in the world did he end up here? Wherever here is. Jinyoung takes a deep breath, trying to calm down and think this all through. Once he relaxes a little, he tries to remember what exactly happened the night before. But, for some reason he can't. His memory is foggy. Something's not right. Where he is now doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel like he's actually here. It's like he's just walking around in a world that isn't his. It's like he's in a dream. Is he? Jinyoung braces himself and brings his fingers up to his arm. He quickly pinches himself and purses his lips in pain. Definitely not a dream. Then why did everything feel so off? He didn't have anything to drink last night. He's sure of that. It doesn't feel like he has a hangover. But, his head is a bit fuzzy. A bit off. Jinyoung blinks when he hears noises coming from outside. He frowns and slowly inches towards the door. He opens it just a crack and peeks outside. He sees a female in the kitchen and Jinyoung tenses. Who the hell is that? A million different scenarios flood Jinyoung's mind. He takes a step back and when he does his foot hits a side table he didn't notice before. He winces in pain and grasps at his foot in pain. "Ahn? Are you awake?" The female asks, hearing the noise. Jinyoung grits his teeth before slowly letting his foot fall to the floor. "Ahn? Did you hear me?" The female asks louder. Jinyoung tenses, realizing that the female has heard him. But, she thinks he's someone named Ahn. Jinyoung's brow furrows, why is that name so familiar? "Ahn! You better come out. I know you're awake. We need to get to the station early today. You were so excited last night," The female calls out, "Ahn! Are you ignoring me?!" Jinyoung shakes his head, not believing that he's in this situation. Why does this have to happen to him? Suddenly, the door to the room Jinyoung is hiding in, flies open. The female who opened the door stands in the doorway with her arms crossed. Jinyoung's eyes meet hers and he blinks a couple of times, appearing like a deer caught in the headlights. The female huffs and shakes her head. "Are you deaf, Ahn?" The female exclaims, "I've been calling you for a while now..."

"Y-yeeun?" Jinyoung stutters.

Yeeun shakes her head, "What is wrong with you? You've been sleeping too long. You're not in dreamland, Ahn. Who is Yeeun anyway?"

"Y-you..." Jinyoung says in disbelief.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard come from you," Yeeun says, "It's Jaein. My name is Jaein." Jinyoung's eyes widen and it hits him like a lightning bolt. Jaein and Ahn. There's a reason those names seemed so familiar. It's the name of the characters in Jinyoung's drama. In He is Psychometric. But, why would Yeeun be calling him Ahn and why would she refer to herself as Jaein. Unless. Jinyoung rushes towards the door and pushes past 'Jaein'. He spins in a circle and surveys the room he's in. It's just like when they were shooting it. This is the apartment that Ahn and Jaein are supposed to move into. Difference is that the entire space is filled with personal items. It looks like they've been living here for a while. Jinyoung shakes his head, he really must be dreaming. This can't be possible. He can't be here. He rubs his eyes and tries to wake himself up. But no matter what he does, it won't work. "Ahn? You're worrying me. Are you alright?" Y-Jaein asks. Jinyoung lets out a nervous laugh. How is he going to explain this one? He can't exactly say that she isn't real and that his name is Jinyoung. She'll think he's nuts. Not that she doesn't already think he is. Jinyoung takes a deep breath, just act Jinyoung. You can do that. You can be Ahn. At least, until you've figured out what's going on. "Ah...I'm fine. My head's just feeling a little cloudy," Jinyoung explains. Jaein nods her head and walks over to him. She takes reaches up and gently places her hand on his forehead. Jinyoung tenses for a second before forcing himself to relax. In this world, Ahn and Jaein are a thing. He has to pretend. He has to. "You don't have a fever. Maybe, you've been overworking yourself. Have you been using your powers too much? I thought you were over this, but maybe not," Jaein says, "Maybe, I pushed you too hard yesterday. Maybe, you should take it easy for today. Rest a little."

Jinyoung nods urgently, "Yes! Yes, that's exactly it. I've been up overexerting myself. I just need to sleep it off. I'll be okay."

Jaein nods and looks at him in a concerned manner, "Do you want me to call the station? I could just take off and take care of you."

"No! No, I'm fine. You shouldn't miss work. What if they need you?!" Jinyoung says a bit too enthusiastically, "Go, go. Don't worry about me." Jaein looks at him skeptically, but slowly nods her head. "If you're sure..." Jaein says, reaching for her coat that lies on the countertop.

"Yes, I'm positive. Now have a great day, Jaein-ah!" Jinyoung says with a forced smile. Jaein gives him another suspicious look before grabbing her bag and making her way to the door. "If you need anything, just call me," Jaein says, "Don't do anything crazy, alright?"

"When have I ever done anything crazy? Now, go. You're going to be late," Jinyoung says. Jaein nods, waving to Jinyoung before leaving the apartment. Jinyoung lets out a sigh of relief as the door closes. He falls to his knees and runs his hand through his hair. He looks around again, still in shock that he's in his drama. He slowly massages his temple and tries to think back to last night. Cause he sure as hell wasn't here last night. It just seems like he was thrown here sometime during the night. But how? And why? It doesn't make sense to him. Jinyoung frowns and stares at the window. He turns away and lets his eyes fall shut. He digs deep into his memories, trying to see if he can remember anything from the night before. Jinyoung huffs when he can't make sense of everything. His mind is like puzzle pieces strewn everywhere, it would take hours to put it all together. Something major happened last night. For him to be here, it has to be big. Jinyoung opens his eyes as slowly gets to his feet. Maybe, if he gets out of this apartment, it'll make more sense to him. He makes his way to the door and places his hand on the doorknob. As he does, he hears a voice, "Jirongie...before you go in...we should talk..." Jinyoung turns around, expecting for someone to be behind him. Of course, there's no one there. Jinyoung shakes his head, he truly is losing his mind. That voice. It sounded so real. It...it's recognizable. He's heard that voice before. He's heard those words said to him before. Jinyoung stares at his hand which still rests on the doorknob. Something's missing here. He still can't seem to figure it out. Jinyoung shakes his head before turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. "Nyoungie...I love you...you know that right," The voice says again. Jinyoung stops again as he hears the voice. His heart feels like it's banging against his chest like a drum. "I...I love you too," Jinyoung mutters under his breath, "Im Jaebum..." With that, Jinyoung rushes out of the apartment and towards the streets. He takes off in a light jog, looking left and right for the man in his head. Jaebum. He's here. Jinyoung can feel it. Everyone always joked about how the two were practically soulmates. In times like these, that fact is true. Jinyoung doesn't know for sure if Jaebum is here, but he feels like he is. Jaebum is a part of this too. Jinyoung's head spins as he comes to a stop as a car passes by. He looks around at the bustling people, but doesn't spot the one he's looking for. Jinyoung looks around him and shivers, it's just like the Seoul he knows, but not. It's not the same. He's still living in his drama. There's something fake about this Seoul. Something unnerving about it. Jinyoung shakes his head, his world starting to spin a little. People brush by him, but Jinyoung can't bring himself to move. He's frozen in place, staring at the scene in front of him. This is wrong. It's all wrong. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because, I have to. Not cause I want to! You know I love you!"

"If you loved me, you would fight!"

"That's all I've been doing, all we've been doing, but you know it's a losing battle....we've already lost, Jinyoung..."

Jinyoung squeezes his eyes shot as the voices get louder. He knows who the voices belong to. He recognizes the words. From last night. From where this all started. "We can't just lose! I can't lose you..."

"You'll never lose me...I'm still here...things are just going to be different."

"I don't want them to be different." Jinyoung grips the sides of his head and starts to walk again, trying to push past the haunting voices. "Jaebum..." Jinyoung whispers, "Where are you? Jaebum...I need you....I need you..." The young man continues on his frantic search, but no matter how hard he looks, his actions are futile. He starts to get more and more out of breath. Sweat starts to line Jinyoung's brow. Jinyoung shakes his head, knowing this is all useless. What are the chances he finds Jaebum? One in a ten million? Jinyoung sighs and walks over to a bench that sits on the sidewalk. He sits down on it and rubs the sweat from his face. He leans back and stares up at the sky. Even the sky is wrong. It looks artificial. None of this is real. Jinyoung still has no idea why he's here. He thinks it has something to do with last night. Late last night. The conversation he had with Jaebum. Something serious. Suddenly, the sound of a bell ringing goes off and the door to a store opens. Jinyoung eyes the door as a figure steps out. The figure racks his hand through his hair and looks right at Jinyoung. The young man tenses and returns the look, recognizing those eyes. The same ones that look at him all the time with love, care, and trust. This time those eyes are filled with worry. "I wish we would get a happy ending."

"We're not in a drama, Nyoungie. We don't live those types of lives...no matter how much we wish we could..."