Chapter Text
There is a rumor.
No one can tell where it originated from. There are no first-hand accounts. However, people keep repeating and believing it since a long time ago, even those who never experienced it themselves.
The rumor states that some people – not everyone – can once in their lifetime meet their future self. It will be a short meeting, always occurring when the person is alone. Their future self won't be able to interact with the world, as if they were a ghost. They will not be able to tell any information about the future, either. The only thing this future version of themselves will be able to do, is leave their past counterpart a piece of advice.
Nothing specific. Just, general advice. Stay strong. Be patient. Don't worry. Stuff like that.
This event is said to occur right before a big change occurs in a person's life – for the better or worse.
Kim Rok Soo never particularly paid attention to that rumor. Perhaps it is true, perhaps not. In a world infested by monsters, who can say what is possible and what isn't? But even if it is a real phenomenon, it seems pretty useless, from his perspective. What is the point of time travel when no actual information can be relayed to your past self? Seems like a waste of time.
In result, Rok Soo doesn't care. So it's only natural he doesn't connect the dots when a foreign-looking, red-haired man suddenly appears in his office out of nowhere.
"What the- oh you got to be kidding me."
The man speaks and Kim Rok Soo gets a strange sense of familiarity, for some reason.
"Who are you?" Rok Soo slowly blinks at the stranger, who may or may not be the result of not getting more than four hours of sleep in the past three days. The jury is still out on that one.
The man opens his mouth, then closes it after a moment.
"Huh. It seems I cannot say."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah." The redhead taps his chin with a finger with a calm expression on his face. "If that's how this works, I suppose there's no harm letting this play out like it's supposed to."
Rok Soo frowns in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
How did this man even get in here? He didn't even hear the door open. Rok Soo needs another coffee.
"Never-mind. Make sure to remind everybody to eat a lot, alright? Don't forget to eat yourself, either. You have to set a good example for the young ones."
"Hm." Obviously. "Is that all?"
He probably should be concerned that there is a stranger in his office, but he is just too damn tired to care.
'If he attacks me knocks me out,' Rok Soo thinks a bit nonsensically 'Then at least I'd get some rest.'
"That's all." The redhead nods, then smiles faintly. "It's going to be alright. You'll be fine."
Of course he will be. Isn't he always fine?
Then, within a blink, the man is gone.
Kim Rok Soo sits in the empty office, staring into the blank space which he could swear was occupied by someone just a moment ago.
He really needs a break.
Good thing he is finally getting a day off next week.
"Cale-nim! What happened?"
"Where did you go, Human?!"
Cale blinks, and realizes that he's back in the Super Rock Villa.
"Hm." He knows he cannot explain it in detail. People who travel back to meet their younger self never can. "Just, giving a bit of advice to someone, I guess." That's vague yet specific enough for them to realize what happened to make him disappear before their eyes for a short moment.
Judging from Choi Han's expression, he gets it.
"Oh. How… how was it?"
"It was alright. Just like I remembered."
Cale still remembers that time as Team Leader Kim Rok Soo, when a random red-haired man suddenly showed up in his office, made an off-hand comment about reminding other people to eat, and then disappeared without a trace. He thought it was a hallucination at the time.
Then he woke up in Cale Henituse's body one day, and everything made sense.
Cale smiles softly, thinking about how much has changed for him since that time.
He has changed, as well.
"It's time for dinner. Let's go eat."
But it is a good change.
Yes. It is definitely a good change.
Choi Han and Raon don't bother Cale with any more questions and follow him to the dining room, smiling back behind him.