Archive of Our Own

The afternoon light cascades through the forest. Birds keep chirping, flying back to their nests. The gentle hum of the evening is slowly taking over nature. And there, under a giant tree in the forest, rest a couple. The man was lying his head on the lady’s lap. The lady was running her fingers through the man’s hair. Gentle and lovingly. While the man closed his eyes, enjoying the treatment, a soft smile played on his lips. Their features were blurry in the glowing darkness. Still familiar.

“Do you think we will be able to meet tomorrow like this, too?” The lady asked, “Hiding from them? How long can we even do this?”

At the question, the man simply took the lady’s hand in his and placed it securely on his heart. “Why? Are you getting afraid?” He chuckled, “Don’t be. For now, just enjoy the calm. Think about you and me. Just us.”

Even the sweetness in his voice was not able to help the restlessness the lady felt in her heart. “But what do you think they’ll do if we get caught one day?” She expressed her concern again. “Will my brother get angry at both of us? Will he cut his friendship with you? Will he never allow us to be together anymore?”

And that prompted the man to sit up. The hand was still clutched in his.

“Meredith? Look at me.” The man urged her, “Believe me when I tell you this. No one can tear us apart. And when I say no one, I mean it with all sincerity. Even if my best friend asked me to. I will always belong to you. Do you understand?”

He kissed her hand to assure her of the words.

The lady, Meredith, her name, nodded her head to the words, “I believe in you, Daniel.” She placed her head on the man’s shoulder. “I believe you with all my heart. Always. I love you.”

The man caressed her head and then cupped her cheeks in his hand to make her look at his eyes. “And I love you too. Always.”

With that, they closed their eyes and leaned towards each other. Their lips are inches apart from one another. Ready to seal together as a promise of their love…

BUzzzzzzzz BUzzzzzzz BUzzzzzzz BUzzzzzzz

The alarm went off.

And that’s how Donghyuck had to wake up from yet another incomplete dream for the umpteenth time. This has been going on for so long that now, it doesn’t even feel weird to him. Just the disappointment of not finishing the story properly always bothers him. And so do the main characters of his dreams.

He doesn’t know them. Never even heard about them. At first, he thought they were just some fragments of his innovative mind. But with time, so many different characters started coming through that he let go of the theory. The only constants were the feeling, the ache, and the love of the pair. Each time. The familiarity of the couple always left him speechless. They always somehow felt similar to him. And with another person he knows very well.

It took him four dreams to realize it. 

That they were just not simple dreams. But fragments of his previous lives. With the other person. For the first four times, he woke up disoriented with feelings. Sometimes he cried his heart out at the pain of the couple, Suzuki and Miyasaki, who had to separate due to society. Sometimes with a happy heart, because Robert was able to confess their love to Ruth, and they lived happily. And once with a broken heart, bearing the pain of the unrequited love of Mia for Rose. They were mostly happy endings, but tragedy did strike once or twice.

But today the dream ended abruptly. He had no clue what had happened to Daniel and Meredith. The curiosity was eating him up. He took out his diary to write about the dream. Being honest, Diaries are not exactly Donghyuck’s thing. But at first, he tended to forget the dreams the next day. So, he started writing them as soon as he woke up. The diary was his only safe space for those dreams. He had yet to tell any of his friends about them. Even that friend who keeps appearing in all of the dreams. Or at least Donghyuck is sure of that one.

It’s none other than Renjun. The guy with the cute height from his Psychology class. Whom his roommate Jaemin had introduced to him as his best friend at the start of the university.

Renjun is a very calm and collected guy at first glance. Or that’s what Donghyuck had thought. When he first met him, the guy was nose deep in a thick book titled “Thinking About Thinking”. He didn’t even glance at Donghyuck for once. Just hummed when introduced. But Jaemin is also bothersome. He disturbed the guy till he looked up towards them to acknowledge them. He sighed, took off his thick, transparent-rimmed glasses, and introduced himself again. Donghyuck was accompanying his best friend and Jaemin’s now boyfriend, Jeno, to the library when they saw the two guys.

Jeno is not that judgmental. He knows that for sure. But that day after the meeting, Jeno just frowned and said, “That guy is tough.” Donghyuck had just chuckled and said, “Maybe we caught him at the wrong time?” To that, Jeno just shrugged, “I don’t know Hyuck. Maybe we did.” They just decided to end that topic there.

That night, when Jaemin came back to his room, he said sorry for his friend’s behavior. Renjun was actually stressed about an assignment submission. So he behaved like that. And now he felt bad for it. So, he wanted to treat them to lunch next time. Jaemin asked hopefully if he’d be okay with that, as Jeno was already cool with it. So Donghyuck also joined them.

This time, Renjun was there with an apologetic smile on his face. “First of all, I’m so sorry for that day. I was just stressed with the submission and behaved rudely with you guys. I didn’t mean to.” He said as soon as they had arrived. That day, Renjun looked fresh. His soft yellow hair contrasted with his milky white skin. And his voice had a calming effect on them. Somehow, that made Donghyuck feel welcome. So he just smiled at him, “It’s okay. We all have those days. Don’t worry.” Jeno also shared his acknowledgment of that statement. And that made Renjun smile brightly for the first time. A full, wide smile. That even contradicts the sunlight. “Thank you so much, guys.” He continued, “You guys are Jaemin’s friends. Which automatically makes me responsible for meeting you guys properly. Jaemin talks about you all a lot. Basically never shuts up. Especially about Jeno.”

While Jaemin elbowed Renjun, the guys smirked. Jeno was blushing, and Donhyuck was just amazed at the situation. That’s how they properly started. The conversations started to flow, and they never stopped. Topics after topics fell into the convo, and they just went on. Until it was too late, and soon, they were creating a group chat. That’s how the bond started. 

Today, they are just inseparable. Obviously, Jeno and Jaemin have started dating. That did change the group dynamics a little. But Donghyuck and Renjun also keep bantering the whole time they are together. Donghyuck had no clue that the calm guy he had met at that time could be that irritating one day. He loved getting on Renjun’s nerves, and the other guy was also quick with his quirky replies all the time. And that’s how everything was going. All smoothly. Until one day. When Donghyuck started having those dreams.

“Hyuck? Hyuck? Lee Donghyuck?” Jaemin had to shove his roommate out of his dreamland. 

“Huh?” Donghyuck replied, surprisedly. He was in a trance, thinking about Daniel and Meredith.

“Are you even listening to us?” Jaemin asked him, concerned this time.

“Uhmm… Sorry. I missed it.” Donghyuck replied, rubbing his neck. “I didn't get a good sleep last night. So right now, I'm just phasing in and out of it.”

“You're so weird sometimes.” Jeno, who was watching the exchange, replied this time.

“Yeah, no wonder Renjun likes him.” Jaemin laughed with his boyfriend.

Renjun… Again Renjun. Donghyuck has been puzzled enough about everything involving that boy. Even his dreams. And now here too.

Wait what? Renjun what? He processed Jaemin's words again.

“Renjun likes me?” Donghyuck asked them, trying to keep his calm. “What do you mean by that?”

“Whoa, whoa woah!! Calm down!” Jaemin put his chopsticks down to gesture for him to stop. “By like you, I meant as in a subject. You know, Psychologists and their weird subjects? You definitely look like one of them.”

Donghyuck looked pretty offended by that. Jeno, on the other hand, tried to suppress his laughter. Donghyuck was about to attack Jaemin to take revenge when they heard another voice.

“Hey guys!” Renjun reached their table with their lunch tray. “You already started without me. Sorry, my professor just dragged the class a lot.” Then he looked around to see their faces. “What is happening?”

“Jaemin says I'm your experiment.”

“Donghyuck was trying to kill me.”

Jaemin and Donghyuck said at the same time. Renjun looked at both and said, “One at a time, please. I'll listen to you guys.”

“Donghyuck didn't sleep last night!” It was Jeno this time. The accused just glared at him.

“You didn't sleep last night?” Renjun looked at him disapprovingly. “Hyuck, how many times have I told you that it's not good for your health?”

“It's not like I didn't sleep! I just didn't sleep well.” Donghyuck replied sulkily like a scolded child. He couldn't tell anyone that the dreams kept him up all night. When he woke up from the slumber, he kept thinking about Daniel and Meredith again and again. Till the point he was satisfied with the scenario in his mind.

“What is it that keeps you up all night?’ Jaemin asked this time.

Donghyuck looked at his friends. Their faces were a mixture of curiosity and concern. He just sighed and said, “It's nothing. I just think about the future a lot.” He lied. Semi lies, though. As the thought is obviously for his future satisfaction

“Hyuck, you shouldn't stress yourself like that!” Renjun placed a hand on his shoulder. “It'll just make you perform less. You're an artist, remember that. Always.”

Donghyuck looked at his friend's supportive face. But all he could remember was Meredith from last night's dream. Same eyes, same lips. Was it just his delusion? What is happening? He just gave a fake smile and let it go. Soon they were talking about something else.

Later that night, when he and Jaemin were chilling in their room, he decided to test the water. Jaemin was on his phone, mostly texting Jeno and watching cat videos. He observed Jaemin for 2 minutes, and before the staring got weird, he started, “Jaemin, can I ask you about something?”

A simple “Hmmm” came as a reply.

“I think I'm going insane.” He said.

“Not new news.” Jaemin just replied nonchalantly while looking at his phone.

“No, like delusional insane.” Donghyuck tried to reason again.

“Again. Not something new.” Jaemin ignored him this time, too.

“Jaemin… Will you please listen to me? Or else I'll tell Jeno why you avoided him last semester.” Donghyuck said sternly this time.

Jaemin looked up from his phone, raising his eyebrows at the other. “Threatening now, are we? Well, in that case, I have a lot of confidential information on you, too.” But Donghyuck looked unimpressed with that. So Jaemin just sighed. “Okay! Fine! What is it?”

Donghyuck prepared himself to start explaining things to Jaemin. “ The thing is, I'm too confused.”

Jaemin just frowned at him, “About what?”

“Do you know anyone who can help me with my dreams?” Donghyuck asked him.

“Dreams? Donghyuck, you're already studying at the top university. What other dreams do you have?” Jaemin asked confusedly.

“Not those dreams, dude. I'm talking about the dreams we see while asleep.” Donghyuck said, frustrated. He was losing patience.

“Hyuck, I'm not getting you. Not at all.” Jaemin just shrugged at his friend.

“Jaemin, I'm having weird dreams almost every day. And …” Donghyuck stared again.

“Weird? As in hot and horny ones?” Jaemin gestured something with his hands, which Donghyuck doesn't even want to explain. “I mean, I'm not surprised. You are not getting anything right now. Oh, wait … Is this something like those fantasy stories? What do they call it? Yeah … Incubus!?”

“Will you let me talk?” Donghyuck at last lost his patience. Jaemin just made a sorry gesture and asked him to continue. “I'm having recurring dreams. They are somehow interconnected. Also very weird. Like those things have never happened to me. Never have I read anything about those anywhere. I tried to ignore them, thinking they were pointless. But nowadays I'm losing my sleep because of them. I don't know what to do, Jaemin.” He finished and huffed in a breath.

Jaemin, who heard everything, just looked at his friend. “What dreams are you having?”

“They are random. Like random situations. But I get Deja Vu with them. Like those have happened to me.” Donghyuck explained, frustrated.

“Why don't you tell Renjun about it?” Jaemin asked with genuine curiosity.

“I can't. I won't be able to describe everything to you. But believe me when I say, Renjun is somehow involved in those dreams. I don't know how. But I can't tell him until I'm sure.” Donghyuck looked at Jaemin desperately. “That’s why I really need your help!”

Jaemin didn't know what to say. Now even he was confused. Whatever Donghyuck just said was too much for him. What did he mean by dreams about Renjun? Or at least that's what Jaemin got from all those lines. But Donghyuck looks so desperate asking him for help. He must have tried everything; that's why he came to Jaemin now. Cause it's very rare to see Donghyuck beg for help. So he thought again about anyone he knew who could help his friend. And then he remembered.

“There is someone who can help you,” Jaemin told his friend, who looked at him with full hope in his eyes. “I mean, we can ask him. I don't know for sure if he will be a big help or not. But I think he is good with what he does.”

“Who?” Donghyuck asked curiously.

“Yangyang.” Jaemin replied.

“Liu Yangyang?” Donghyuck couldn't understand if his friend was joking or not. “As in Renjun's closest friend? Are you out of your mind?”

“But he's your only option.” Jaemin shrugged. “If I tell him your situation, he might help you. And won't even tell Renjun about it. You know “patient information confidentiality”?”

“Jaemin, you do realise, you guys are not professional. Yet. And that's why there's no oath of confidentiality?” Donghyuck reminded him.

“Well, not on paper. But in our heart there is!” Jaemin said, keeping a hand over his heart.

“You're an education student,” Donghyuck replied, unimpressed by the act.

“Yeah, so what? I have 'Student-teacher confidentiality'!” Jaemin answered, offended again.

“Okay, drama queen. Once you're done with your imaginary oath ceremony, please help me with this.” Donghyuck just sighed. “I'm relying on you. Oh, and yeah, don't tell Jeno. Please.” With that, he left the room, as he needed some time alone to think.

Jaemin came back to him exactly a day later.

“Hyuck!! Here, take the number.” He came in a hurry to the room after classes were over. “He told me you can contact him tonight. And he will help you.”

And that's how Donghyuck ended up calling Yangyang. As awkward as he thought the call was gonna be, it turned out it was not to be. Yangyang was always a chill guy. He has known this guy from the start of University. Even before he knew Renjun. They shared an elective. Even after he became friends with Renjun, he still had no clue about their friendship. But once he saw them together and the next day when he teased Renjun about it, he got to know that Yangyang was his oldest friend in the University. They had known each other since high school.

Donghyuck was never close to Yangyang. But still, he could call him an acquaintance. When he called him as per Jaemin's instructions, it seemed like the other guy already had his number. They decided to meet in a cafe near campus the next day, to have some privacy during their talk. When he asked Yangyang in a controlled voice if this was okay with him, the guy just laughed. And then enthusiastically told him that dreams are his expertise. Which somehow calmed Donghyuck to an extent. Now he just waits.

“So, you're telling me you're having dreams about Renjun? And not all those fantasy ones about your future together. But more like you guys with different personalities and identities!” Yangyang repeated while Donghyuck just nodded. “Hmm… Interesting!”

“So what do you think?” Donghyuck asked. “What is happening to me? Am I going insane at last?”

“Hey, don't panic. Calm down!” Yangyang passed him a glass of water. “I don't think it's anything serious. I mean, yeah, I don't have any clinical explanation for this. But being honest, not everything can be described with logic!

“I think you're either having subconscious dreams of your thoughts. Like you know, how you imagine Renjun as your partner in all scenarios. Or, you're experiencing something called Residual Identity Recall. Not a typical medical condition. It's more like an unusual Deja Vu you encounter in your dreams.” Yangyang told him. “I once read about it in some journals. From a professor in Philadelphia. Maybe your situation can be described like that? But I'm not sure.”

“So? What can we do now? Is there a way we can be sure?” Donghyuck asked, still holding onto the rope of his hope in his mind.

“I mean, there is. But I'm not authorised to pull that off!” Yangyang replied with a sad tone.

“What Is It?” Donghyuck sounded so desperate.

“Hypnotherapy!” Yangyang said the name, like it's a miracle cure. “But I can't perform it.”

“Oh god, my life! At last, I get a little hope to learn more about the dreams and find a sane explanation for them, but you always like to make me suffer!” Donghyuck was now almost yelling, gathering attention from the close tables. “Is this because of the time I drove Dad's car without permission? Is it?”

“Donghyuck, don't be silly. God won't be punishing you for that little thing.” Yangyang laughed at his antics.

“Well, I also broke the side mirror,” Donghyuck confessed quietly, making Yangyang gasp. “And then I super-glued it back!”

“Did your dad not find out about it? It was all good?” Yangyang asked curiously.

“No, obviously not. The glue came off after a bad rain. But luckily, a scooter accidentally bumped into it. And that's how it fell off.” Donghyuck shrugged. “Thankfully, it was my dad driving.” And then made a face at the ceiling to complain again. “And that's why that guy makes me suffer all the time.”

Yangyang leaned forward at the table and held Donghyuck’s hand. “Hey, don't worry. I will try to ask people I know, who are licensed, if they can work with you.” He tried to console him. “I'm sure they'll help you out. At least your case is special and interesting.” Donghyuck nodded, not convinced.

In the University cafeteria, Renjun looked for his friends and found just Jeno and Jaemin sitting at a four-person shared table.

“Hey, guys. Wassup?” He asked as he approached them. “Why only two of you? Where's Hyuck?”

Jaemin looked at Renjun once and said, “I don't know. He's not here yet.”

“Maybe he got stuck talking to his professor,” Jeno said as a matter of fact. “You know how he can lose himself there.”

“But skipping meals for that? Not fair.” Renjun huffed and pulled his phone out to text someone, and then sighed.

“What is it?” Jeno asked him.

“Nothing!” Renjun sighed again. “It's just Yangyang. I have been texting him since the 2nd period. But he's still not replying. And I can't even see him on campus.”

“Yangyang? What Yangyang?” Jaemin straightened up as soon as he heard the name. “I mean, why do you need Yangyang?”

Renjun looked at him weirdly. “I need to give him back some books I borrowed from him. Did you see him?”

“No. Nope. Not at all.” Jaemin shook his head. “How can I see Yangyang? I have been with Jeno since the 2nd period.” He fake-laughed and then became serious again. “I haven't seen him.”

Renjun was about to ask him if he was okay, but then his phone chimed with a notification tone.

“From Chenle”

I think someone's out together on a … 🤭

And below that, a picture of Yangyang and Donghyuck at the cafe. Holding hands together.

Renjun gasped loudly, looking at the picture. He couldn't believe his eyes. What the hell?!

He looked at Jaemin with suspicious eyes, who had no clue what was happening. Renjun showed the picture to them, “Can you believe this?”

Jeno squinted to look at the photo. “Is that…”

He didn't even get to complete it when Renjun exclaimed with wide eyes, “Yangyang and Donghyuck!! On A Date!!!!’

Jaemin just gulped, “Oh My God!”

“Oh, btw, I forgot to ask. Did you tell Renjun about any of this?” Yangyang asked this time.

Donghyuck almost jumped and held his hand. “No. No. No. We can't tell this to Renjun. None of this.” He pleaded with his eyes, “Please!”

“Okay. Okay. I get it.” Yangyang assured him by patting his hand.

Donghyuck and Yangyang parted after the latter promised him that he wouldn’t tell Renjun anything about the incident, and he would look for someone who could actually help him. He walked back to the dorm, as his classes had already ended. He checked his phone and saw a bunch of texts from Jaemin. Still chose to ignore them as he was approaching the room. He pulled out his keys to open the door, but even before he could, the door was opened. By none other than Renjun. Who looked somewhat mad with a frown on his delicate face. And behind him was Jaemin. He looked extra guilty, eyes extra wide open, mouthing “Sorry” to him. Weird.

But that's the least of his concerns right now. Renjun was standing in front of him, looking all ready to burst. He didn't even know what happened. So he just tried to play it cool.

“Hi, Renjun? What are you doing here?” He started very casually. “Wassup?”

“Wassup? Yeah!” Renjun almost barked. “I think that should be me asking you, 'Wassup?'”

Donghyuck looked at Jaemin once for any clue. But the other just avoided his eyes like anything.

“Renjun? What happened?” Donghyuck asked again very calmly. But inside, he was freaking out. “Why are you talking like that?”

“Hyuck, since when do we hide things from each other?” Renjun charged. “That's also such a big thing.”

“Huh?” Donghyuck was already losing it. He looked at Jaemin once again, demanding answers, but his roommate found the wall clock more important at that time.

Donghyuck knew his secret was out. Renjun had already found out everything, and now he hated him. He thought Donghyuck was a creep who was having his dreams every day. And now Renjun wouldn’t talk to him ever again. He might even slap him, just like he always does when he is mad. But this time on his cheek. He was mentally preparing himself.

“Renjun, I was gonna tell you.” He tried to calm himself and Renjun both. “Eventually.”

“When?” But Renjun was not having it. “While introducing him as your boyfriend?”

“No! Renjun, I was…” Donghyuck shook his head, trying to reason, but then it struck him. “Wait, what? Boyfriend? What are you talking about?”

“You went out on a date.” Renjun accused him. “But didn’t even tell us about it? Thank goodness Chenle sent us the photo.”

“I went on a date?” Donghyuck was now too confused.

“Yeah, you went out with Yangyang.” This time, Jaemin came in for damage control. “On a date. Don’t you remember?” He signaled Donghyuck with his eyes to go on with the lie.

“Oh yeah. Yeah. I did.” Donghyuck admitted to looking at Renjun.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” The other guy asked.

“I… Umm… I didn’t know how to tell you.” Donghyuck tried to make the excuse believable. “I mean, he is one of your closest friends, too. I didn’t know how you’d react. And sometimes, you do react aggressively.”

Donghyuck’s words made Renjun stop his constant questions. His face looked confronted, confused, and hurt… all at the same time. It felt like he didn’t even know how to react to the news.

“Do you like him?” And then he asked, quietly.

“Huh?” Donghyuck replied confusedly again.

“Do you like Yangyang?” Renjun asked again.

“What? No!” Donghyuck held his hand out defensively.

“Then why did you go on a date with him?” Renjun was sounding frustrated now.

Donghyuck also had no answer to that. He desperately looked at Jaemin again, and this time, the guy sighed and came forward. He gestured that he’ll handle it.

“Hey, buddy. Calm down first.” He tried to control the situation. “Maybe they went out on a friendly date? Did you, Donghyuck?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Obviously.” Donghyuck tried to take a clue. “I just happened to see Yangyang before the 2nd period. I had an off. We were talking and then just decided to go for coffee and some lunch. That’s it.”

Renjun listened to him and kept quiet for a moment. “Then why were you holding his hand?” He showed the picture again.

“Oh, that?” Donghyuck quickly tried to think of something. “Oh, I was just sharing my recent sleeping concerns with him and how it’s affecting me. You know? Yeah. He was just trying to be supportive. Psychologists, you know? Haha! I mean, obviously you know.”

That made Renjun’s face go soft. “Hyuck, how many times have I told you to have a healthier routine? You never listen.” He sulked as he said.

“Okay, okay! From now on, I will for sure.” He smiled at Renjun and held Renjun’s hand. “Promise.”

“You better.” Renjun just narrowed his eyes to mimic a scary face. But that just made Donghyuck laugh.

“Oh God, so cute!” He squished Renjun’s face in his hands. “But now I really need to use the washroom.” And dashed towards the room.

Renjun huffed irritably at the aggressive adoration. Jaemin, who was just standing there till now, looking at the whole exchange, opened his mouth again.

“Renjun, can I ask you something?” The other guy just hummed, scrolling through his phone, probably texting Yangyang. “Can you tell me why you were mad? Was it because Donghyuck went out with Yangyang, your friend? Or was it just because he went on a date?”

Renjun stopped typing as he asked the question and looked at him. He just stared at Jaemin for a whole minute. “I don’t know. And I don’t wanna talk about that.”

“I think you know very well.” Jaemin shrugged. “But you just don’t wanna admit it.”

Renjun was preparing his answer when Donghyuck entered the room again.

“I ordered Pizza.” He announced. “And I also called Jeno over. So it’s movie night!”

Renjun just smiled at Donghyuck and decided to drop the topic now. Well, it’s a headache for ‘future-Renjun’ now.

Meredith knocked on a door while looking at the surroundings. She had her face hidden underneath a scarf, as if hiding from someone. Soon, the door opened, and Daniel pulled her inside. Then he closed the door behind her, but not before checking outside.

“Meredith, what are you doing here?” Daniel asked her.

But Meredith just hugged him close. Putting her head on his chest. Inhaling his scent. She closed her eyes tightly to feel the moment.

“I just had to come and see you,” she said.

“But what if someone saw you?” Daniel hugged her tightly, too. Securing her in his arms. He felt like someone could take her away from him. He placed a small kiss on her hair crown.

“I don’t care.” She hid her face in his chest. “I came here as soon as I heard the news. My father and my brother were both discussing. Do you really have to do this?”

“Meredith, my love, it’s for us only.” He made his lover look at him. “I need to prove myself to them. I need to prove my worth. And what’s the best way to do that? I have to show them that I can protect you all my life.”

“For that, you need to get soldiers’ training?” Meredith questions. “What if something happens to you?”

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me.” He kissed her forehead. “I will come back soon. Fit and alive. It’s just a matter of time. You will be so proud of me!”

“You'd better do that! Cause if I see you harmed even just a little, I will harm you more myself.” Meredith hugged him again and murmured on his chest. “I can’t wait to show off my captain partner to everyone.”

Daniel just lagged softly at her words. His heart felt so warmed up just by this small exchange. He said the next words as a promise to Meredith and even to himself. “Once I’m back, I can’t wait to ask for your hand from your family. You’ll be all mine. My Meredith.”

Donghyuck woke up with an ache in his hand. He opened his eyes to find himself on the couch under the blanket. The ache was from Renjun sleeping and clutching his arm tightly in his sleep. They must have fallen asleep while watching the movies. Jeno and Jaemin were nowhere in sight. He looked at Renjun again. Looking at his soft features while he slept. Were they similar to Meredith? The lips, maybe? Or the eyes? The nose? He wanted to caress his pink cheeks, which were slightly puffy from sleep. But that thought alone suddenly made him feel like a creep. What the hell was he thinking about his best friend? What is happening? They are Renjun and Donghyuck. Not Daniel and Meredith. His brain felt heavy with all the thoughts. So he just closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep again.

“Good news, Hyuck! My senior wants to meet you. He might be able to help you.”

Donghyuck received the message from Yangyang the next afternoon. They decided to meet with the senior, the very next day only. His name was Qian Kun. A researcher at the university and senior to Yangyang. And now Donghyuck was on his way to meet with them.

“Hey Donghyuck, nice to meet you.” Kun greeted him as soon as he saw them. The guy had an attractive, calming way of talking. Like a true psychologist. It instantly made Hyuck rely on him. They greeted each other and sat down.

“Yangie told me about your situation.” Kun started. “And I also think you’re having Residual Identity Recall symptoms. It can happen for various reasons. But to know the actual cause behind your situation, I will need to dig deep.” He said with a very serious expression.

“What will you need to do?” Donghyuck asked. “I can tell you about them. I even try to maintain a diary. I can show you that.”

“Oh, that’ll be a great help to study your case.” Kun smiled at him. “Feel free to give it to me anytime.”

“Okay. Sure.” Donghyuck smiled back, hopeful this time. “And thank you so much, Kun, for doing this. It really means a lot.”

“As I already said, it’ll be my pleasure to help you with this. Might help me with my research, too.” Kun patted his back after they finished talking.

They decided on a date for the next meet, and then Donghyuck left with Yangyang.

“Oh, by the way, I didn’t tell Kun about your dream’s connections to Renjun. He sometimes gets protective over us.” Yangyang told him once they left the building. “So I hope you don’t mention it too. For at least unbiased conclusions.”

“Oh? Renjun is close to Kun?” Donghyuck had no idea.

“Yeah!” Yangyang said it like a matter of fact. “Every Chinese kid on the campus is. Kun loves to coddle everyone. He feeds us regularly. Especially Renjun, Chenle, and me.”

Donghyuck nodded in understanding. “Thanks for letting me know.”

They hugged each other (friendly) before going their separate ways. Not before Donghyuck thanking him again and again. But they had no clue someone saw them. Just as Donghyuck turned to leave, that someone, called him.

“Hyuck?” Donghyuck turned around to see that it was Renjun walking over to him. “What are you doing here? And was that Yangyang?”

Donghyuck tried to think of something quick. “Oh, hi, Renjun! Yeah, that was him. You just barely missed him.” He tried to smile at him. But Renjun was not in the mood to buy it.

“I surely did.” Renjun was still looking in the direction Yangyang went. A little frown sits on his face. “Did you guys go out again?"

Donghyuck tried to think hard about how to secure a lie and not offend his best friend at the same time. “Oh, we just met on our way back from class. Yeah." 

“And what occurred for you guys to hug?” Renjun asked again. "Since when are you guys that close?”

"Whoa! Why are you interrogating like that?” Donghyuck asked, surprisingly. He knew Renjun was possessive of his friendship, but he didn't understand why he was behaving like that now. "Can't Yangyang be my friend too? Can he be only your friend?”

And then Renjun realised his words. Was he affected? But why? Because Hyuck was getting close to Yangyang? Who is his friend? Or because it was Hyuck? Why? Then he was reminded of Jaemin's question from that day. Why does it irritate him every time he sees Hyuck and Yangyang together? Is it because….

"Earth to Renjun?" Donghyuck clicked his fingers in front of him. And that got Renjun out of his trance.

“It's nothing like that. Obviously, he can be your friend. It's just he doesn't tell me anything anymore." Renjun tried to reason. “So I was surprised."

Donghyuck realised the tone was not Renjun's usual one. So he decided to tease. Maybe then Renjun will leave the topic. “Are you by any chance, jealous? Huh huh?" 

“What? Jealous?" Renjun scoffed. “Me? For what? You guys can befriend anyone you want. Why will I be jealous?" He almost laughed at the accusation.

Donghyuck just laughed at his best friend's flustered blabber. "Okay, okay. Let's go eat something for now. I'm hungry.” He just wanted to divert Renjun's attention so he wouldn't ask questions anymore.

Renjun agreed immediately. He was hungry. Also, he didn't want to talk about Hyuck and Yangyang anymore. It makes his thoughts confused. “Yeah, let's go." 

Meredith was in the market looking through ornaments. It had already been eight months since Daniel went for his training. Eight months of waiting. Eight months since she had last seen her lover. Eight months since she had touched him. Eight months since she last heard, “I Love You" in Daniel’s own voice. Meredith just missed him so much.

But now he was coming home. In the last letter Meredith received from Daniel, he mentioned that he was coming home in a week. So she just had to wait for another week. Then she can again feel the warmth of her lover's embrace.

Back at home, her father is talking about her marriage. He and her brother are actively looking for wealthy families and well-established men for her hand. She has not said anything yet about Daniel. Because Daniel wanted to ask himself when he returns next week. So Meredith was just waiting patiently. Daniel was already promoted to Major within eight months due to the urgency of the period and his immense skills. She was so proud of him. She knew her family would never say no to Daniel this time when he came back.

Meredith kept thinking about all these things when she heard someone calling her name.

"Meri… Meri…” Katherine, Daniel's sister and Meredith's friend, called for her from the crowd. When she looked back at her friend, she noticed her stressed expression.

"Kathie, what happened? Why are you looking like that?” Meredith asked her friend.

"You have to come with me now.” Katherine grabbed Meredith's hand, dragging her.

"Wait, wait, wait …. Did something happen? Is everything okay? Why are you dragging me? And where?” Meredith kept questioning her friend.

“Home. It's about brother Daniel," Katherine replied in short sentences.

"What? Daniel? Is he back? Is he looking for me? But he said he'll be coming back in a week.” Meredith was confused.

"Just please come. We need to hurry.” Katherine didn't say anything further.

Soon they reached Daniel's house. Meredith was somehow expecting Daniel to be there. She kept looking for him, but couldn't see him. Instead, she saw Daniel's parents and her own brother, Rodger, standing there. They had their heads down, and were they crying?

"Father, I got Meri,” Katherine announced and then went to support her mother, who was trying to calm herself. Meredith was confused at first. But now the fear, which was already present at the corner of her heart since Daniel announced his decision, was crawling into her heart and reaching her throat. Something was wrong. She could sense it. But why was her brother here? Did something happen to…. NO! Never! Not Possible.

But before her thoughts could escalate further, she felt her brother hold her hand.

"Since when were you guys that close? You and Daniel? Were you lovers? Why did you never tell me? Why do I have to know about it like this, Meri? Why now?” Rodger asked his sister.

Meredith looked at her brother in fear. How did he know? Did Daniel tell them? 

"How did you… get to know? Where is Daniel? What happened?” Meredith asked again, looking for him. She needed his support the most now. “He was going to tell you once he returns next week. He promised. He said he was going to ask for my hand to you and father, after he had established himself as someone who could protect me for life. Please understand, brother. Please don't be angry." Meredith pleaded with her brother. “He is your best friend. And he takes care of me so much. You have seen it right? We just love each other a lot. We didn't mean to hide from you. Please don't be angry, brother.”

Meredith had expected her brother to lash out at her at the sudden news. That's how she had always imagined the scenario since she and Daniel started hiding. She was ready to hear all the things her brother had to say. She just wished that Daniel were here to protect her and reason with his best friend. But nothing like that happened; instead, Rodger hugged her tightly. Was he not angry? Did he accept their love? Meredith was about to get happy, until she heard her brother speak.

“Meri, Dani is not coming back," Rodger said with a broken voice. “He is not coming back to us. Never."

Meredith got out of her brother's embrace with a jolt. She looked at him in shock and saw that he was crying.

“What do you mean by that? What do you mean by he’s not coming back?” She asked frantically, looking at her brother. The fear was now crawling through her throat. She felt like screaming. When she looked at her friend, she saw Katherine and her mother shedding tears silently. Beside them, Daniel’s father was standing with his head down. So she went to him.

“Uncle, what is my brother saying? What happened to Daniel? He is coming back in a week. Why is he saying that now? He told me he is coming back in a week.” She asked Daniel’s father, who was still standing silently. But this time, he looked up at Meredith’s face.

Daniel’s family has known everything about Meredith for a long time now. Daniel had told his family about their relationship from the start. They always loved Rodger and Meredith as their own family, so obviously, they were joyous. But when Daniel announced that he would go for soldier’s training before he asked for Meredith’s hand, his mother was not happy. Though his father believed that a man should always be economically established and strong enough before he planned to settle down. So he supported his son. They knew during this war period that soldiers’ training was not safe. It’s like inviting death upon oneself. But Daniel was determined. And knowing their son’s nature, the family agreed half-heartedly. They waited eight months to meet their son again. They were happy that their son was promoted to Major already. They were happy that he was coming home and was going to ask for Meredith’s hand soon. Everything was going well until they heard the news today.

“There was a sudden attack at the base camp where Daniel was stationed. In the middle of the night. They were not prepared for the attack. A lot of casualties happened. The fire was very bad, and they couldn’t save everyone. Daniel was helping everyone get out, but then a big blast happened, and he was there. They couldn’t get him out in time.” Daniel’s father said in a broken, painful voice. 

Meredith felt like the ground beneath her was gone. Her knees felt weak, and she fell onto the ground. Rodger was holding his sister, supporting her.

“Meri!” Rodger hugged her. “They are still searching for his body. For now, they only found this pocket watch and came back to inform us.” He held up the watch in front of Meredith.

The pocket watch was Meredith’s gift to Daniel. He always kept that with him. She gifted him that before he went for the training. A gift to remind him of her all the time. He promised her that the watch would be with him all the time. Looking at the time, he will always remember himself that he had someone waiting for him at home. Till the time the watch was working perfectly, nothing would happen to him. And now the watch was in front of her. The token of their promise, back in her hands. But not given by Daniel.

Meredith clutched the watch to her heart and screamed in agony. Looking at the burnt watch, she herself felt the pain of the flames that might have hurt her lover. The fear of missing him was engulfing her fully like a flame. She was suffering from the burn of that feeling and wanted to get away. But Daniel was not there to save her. She didn’t know where Daniel was. Or if he was even there at all. She felt her heart breaking at the thought of losing him. She screamed again before the darkness took over her.

The pocket watch was still clutched in her hand. It was still ticking with the beat of time. Still going on.

Donghyuck woke up crying this time. He felt like his heart was breaking for something he didn’t even know. He got up to drink some water and calm his mind. But that didn’t help at all. 

There was a hollow feeling in his heart that was not going away. He kept crying, feeling the agony of Meredith. That night, he couldn’t sleep at all. Nightmares kept him awake all night.

Jaemin found him in the middle of the night on the couch and kept him company for the rest of the night, consoling his crying friend. 

The next day, the first thing he made sure of was to contact Kun and give him the diary. Looking at his condition, the elder promised him that he would study it and get back to him as soon as possible.

Renjun has been restless these days. He can list a lot of things as reasons. His assignments, projects, exams, classes, experiments… they are obviously there. But at the same time, there’s also something else that has been bothering him a lot.

LEE DONGHYUCK.

He doesn’t want to admit it at all, but in the back of his mind, he kept thinking about him and Yangyang. He even asked his Chinese friend about it. Obviously, he was subtle about it. He didn’t charge his friend with questions, just casually asked his thoughts about Donghyuck. But the reply he got made him more anxious. Yangyang talked about Donghyuck like he was smitten with him. It’s Donghyuck. He can get people under his charm easily. So Renjun couldn’t even blame Yangyang for falling into that. But that didn’t mean Renjun was happy about it. Though Yangyang definitely mentioned nothing was going on between them, and Renjun need not worry. Still, Renjun was not satisfied with the answer. Also, why will Renjun worry? It’s not like he is in love with Donghyuck or something. Pfft! Right? Obviously LOL. But then why was he feeling uneasy?

Even Donghyuck was behaving weirdly these days. He looked down, kept avoiding long conversations, and had bags under his eyes. He didn’t even look at Renjun properly these days. Just sticking with Jaemin and whispering between them. When Renjun asked, they told him Hyuck was feeling under the weather.

“You know how he behaves like a baby when sick," Jaemin said.

Yes, he knows. But sick Donghyuck is irritating, not silent and morose. So something was definitely up. And only Renjun was kept aloof. 

He kept thinking about all these while reaching Kun’s office. Only talking to Kun can now ease his mind. The question Jaemin asked him that day has been bugging him ever since. Does he actually know why all these are affecting him? Is there something he's not noticing?

"Kun ge!!!!” Renjun entered Kun’s office, shouting his name.

Kun was immersed in something in his hand. The sudden shouting startled him.

“Renjun? What are you doing here?" Kun asked.

“Why? I can't come to see my favourite brother?" Renjun pouted at him.

Kun closed the book he had in his hand and asked Renjun to sit.

"It's nothing like that. Just that you usually tell me when you come here. So I was surprised.” Kun told him.

“No, I had free time and nothing to do. So I came here." Renjun just smiled. "What were you reading?”

There was a notebook in Kun's hand. More like a journal. A customised cover in the front. Which somehow looked familiar. He has seen it somewhere.

"Oh, this? A case study.” Kun said, looking at the journal. “I am helping a student. The poor guy is suffering a lot. So I was studying his notes to see how to approach it." 

“Ohhh!" Renjun nodded his head. “What happened to him?" 

"If I'm not wrong, he's going through something called Residual Identity Recall," Kun said with a serious face. “He's been getting dreams about fragments of lives he has never experienced before. At first, he thought it was just his imagination. But then, somehow, the fragments started connecting. Each situation is somewhat similar to another. He felt like he was witnessing his own life but in someone else's body. As if the person was him from another life. Past lives, you know!”

"Whoa! Things like that can happen?” Renjun asked, astonished.

"Not frequently. It's rare. I have read about this in a journal from Philadelphia before. Maybe he's also going through the same?” Kun explained.

"Maybe,” Renjun said with a thoughtful face.

"The most interesting part is, in those dream fragments, he keeps seeing his significant other from those life memories. And he feels he knows that person. Like that person is also present in his life now.” Kun said with an amazed tone. 

"That same person? From all his lifetimes? Woah! So like a soulmate?" Renjun asked, totally fascinated by the story.

"Renjun, soulmate is not something clinically proven. So I don't know if we can call it that. But maybe? It would be interesting, right? Falling for the same person again and again?" Kun smiled at the thought.

"Damn!” Renjun exclaimed. "So how are you going to help this guy?”

“I think we have to try something new. I was thinking of hypnotherapy.” Kun replied.

"What? Oh my God! Really?” Renjun asked Surprised, to which Kun just nodded. "That's so cool. You can do that?”

“Obviously! I have a licence in Clinical Hypnotherapy, Renjun!” Kun just laughed at the boy's question.

"Oh! Then can I be here too? When you do the session with him? Please, please, please!!!" Renjun pleaded.

“I don't know Renjun. I will have to ask him. It's his privacy." Kun said with a sympathetic face. "But Yangyang will be there too. He knows the guy.”

“Yangie? How?" Renjun asked, surprised.

"I don't know. He brought him here.” Kun said. "And before you ask me his name, I can't tell you.”

Renjun made a disappointed face. “Whatever. Just let me know when you do the hypno session with the guy. I wanna be here." 

“Okay. We will see." Kun assured him. “Now tell me why you are here." 

Renjun looked at Kun after the question. He did come here to talk about his thoughts with his Kun ge. But the older one seems busy. Should he bother him with his issues? They are so minor.

“Nothing important. I just wanted to come here and see you. And also in the hope of having lunch together. That's it." Renjun smiled at him.

“Haha. Sure." Kun laughed at his brother's demand. “Just give me five minutes, and I'll be done." 

During lunch, Kun asked him directly. “Renjun, what is bothering you? If there's something, you can always tell me. You know that, right?”

Renjun didn't know how the other guy realised. But at the same time, Kun is really good at his job. So obviously, he understood something was wrong with Renjun.

"It's nothing much, ge. Just some thoughts irritating my brain.” Renjun replied while playing with his drink straw.

“What is it? Tell your ge!" Kun asked.

“I just think one of my friends is hiding something from me.” Renjun sighed.

"Hiding? As in?” Kun was confused.

"I think something is going on between him and my other friend. And they both are not telling me.” Renjun was visibly sulking. "Whenever I ask, he avoids it and denies. But I don't know why it keeps bothering me.”

"Like they are dating? And if so, why is it bothering you?” Kun asked, looking at him. “Do you like any of them?”

"What? No.” Renjun denied strongly. "I mean, I don't know, okay?"

“Renjun, calm down. It was just a simple question.” Kun tried to calm him down.

"No. Why does everyone think that I like him? Even Jaemin said the same.” Renjun said, frustrated. "Okay, I accept that I was jealous. But I can be jealous of the friendship, too, right? Maybe because I think their friendship will be stronger than mine?”

"Tell me one thing. Why is it bothering you?” Kun asked calmly. "Do you feel like you're losing one of them?" 

“I don't know. It's so confusing. I just feel restless whenever I think of it.” Renjun sighed again. "Maybe?”

"What bothers you more? Losing a friendship? Or the thought of not having your friend only for you?" Kun asked him seriously.

“Huh?  What does that mean?" Renjun scoffed. “Obviously it's…” But when he tried to answer, he didn't know which one to choose. He thought for a while and then looked at Kun confusedly.

“I think you know the answer, Renjun." Kun smiled at him. “You just can't imagine him being with your other friend. And that's bothering you. Isn't it? You thought he was always gonna be your friend. Kinda took him for granted. But now you feel like you're losing him."

“Kun ge. You really think I…” Renjun couldn't finish his words again.

“Take your time, Renjun. It's not always easy to come to terms with your feelings. Especially the ones you were deliberately avoiding." Kun consoled him. “By the way, who's the guy?" 

Renjun thought for a moment. Should he tell Kun the name? If Chenle or Yangyang gets to know about this, they'll tease him to death. But it's not like Kun will tell anyone. So in the end, he just sighed to himself, deciding to tell him.

"It's just Dong…” 

But before he could even finish his words, someone interrupted them, shouting in the cafeteria. “Kun ge!"

“Chenle? What are you doing here?” Kun asked, surprised, to the younger guy who was approaching them. The other people in the cafeteria were already looking at them due to the disturbance.

"You're here with Renjun? I went to your office. You were not there. So I checked your location, and it said the cafeteria. So I came here.” Chenle said with a big smile.

"Uff, this Chenle! Why do you even have my location on your phone? Do you even know the word ‘privacy’? You didn't touch anything in my office, right?” Kun shook his head at the guy’s words. "And why were you looking for me?”

"Oh, God. No, I didn't. What do you think of me? And, I worry about you, okay? What if one day you get lost? And couldn't come back? Then who'll treat me to delicious meals? Whom will I bother on a daily basis? No no. That can't happen. So I need to keep a check on you all the time.” Chenle declared. "Also, I was not looking for you. Sicheng ge asked me to find you. He needs you for some research discussions.”

"Oh shit. I was supposed to meet him at two pm.” Kun looked at his phone. "Sorry, Renjun, I'll have to go now. Just think about what I told you. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Renjun nodded at the older guy. He definitely needed to think about it. Does he really have feelings for Donghyuck? Feelings? Oh God. He needed to see the guy.

But before he could get up, Chenle sat in front of him. Looking at him, with a face that Renjun was somewhat scared. It's that sinister grin he always had on his face when he was cooking some nonsense in his brain.

"Renjun! You didn't tell me!” Chenle started.

"Tell you what?" Renjun asked, confused.

“That Yangyang is Donghyuck's dream man?" Chenle said it like it was the biggest secret ever.

"What?” Something twisted in Renjun's stomach. "What are you talking about?”

“I heard with my own ears. I went to Kun's office, right?” Chenle was about to tell him what he saw in the office. But he knew Renjun would scold him for touching anything in Kun's office and would obviously tell Kun about it. So he couldn't tell him about reading Donghyuck's journal.

"What happened in the office?” Renjun asked in a hurry.

"Nothing happened in the office. It's what I heard on my way here. I saw Jamein and Hyuck talking. I was about to approach them, but then I heard the discussion.

"I can't stop thinking about him, Jaemin. It's like… It's always on my mind.” Donghyuck said while holding his head in his hands.

Jaemin sat beside him, rubbing his hand on his friend's back. "Did you tell Yangyang about this?”

"No. Not yet. I will tell him later.” Donghyuck shook his head.

"You should. It's not right to keep it inside you. You need to tell him.” Jaemin told his friend.

"Yeah. And also, we can't let Renjun know about this. You won't tell him, right?” Donghyuck asked his friend.

"No. I won't. Trust me. Not until everything is settled.” Jaemin promised his friend.

Chenle finished narrating the scene and said, "Sorry, dude. I always thought you and Hyuck had something going on, you know? The way you guys behaved around each other. The way you looked at him and all. But turns out…" He made a ‘tsk’ sound in disappointment.

Renjun was not listening anymore. His brain stopped working. A pain was forming in his chest. What was it? Fear of losing? Betrayal? Or feeling cheated? A sensation was engulfing his whole heart that he couldn't define. Not yet.

"You didn't know anything about it? Neither Yangyang nor Donghyuck said anything? I mean, they did go on a date holding hands …." Chenle continued his rant.

But Renjun suddenly got up from his seat and left the cafeteria without looking back.

"Renjun! Renjun!” Chenle called for him, but he didn't respond.

Renjun kept running through the corridor. The elevator in front was already there, as if it were just waiting for him. He got inside, closed the door, and then collapsed leaning on the wall. His breathing was uneven due to the run. He pressed the floor and just watched the panel showing the arrows and the numbers going above till he reached his destination.

Renjun didn't know when he started running. And Why. The last thing he remembered was Chenle telling him what he heard, and now he was walking towards the door. He didn't know why he came here. What was on his mind when he decided to run here? What was he even going to say? And again, without thinking, he knocked on the door. A shuffle sound was heard on the other side, and then an affirmation.

“Coming…”

Renjun waited till the door opened after some seconds. He looked at the person in front of him, confusedly. His brain is not functioning at all.

"Renjun?” Stood there, Donghyuck, in a t-shirt and shorts. His hair still wet from the shower he must have taken just now. "What are you doing here?”

Renjun just kept looking at him. He felt like seeing a totally new person. The Donghyuck he knew never looked so alluring in Renjun's eyes. The moles on his face were so clear that it was taking all of Renjun's attention. The curly, unset hair, which was still not dried, and water droplets kept dropping on the white tshirt making Renjun dizzy. The lips, fuller and red, moved as he said something, but Renjun couldn't hear anything. The eyes, the depth in them, never made Renjun feel that lost before. He was losing himself again.

“Renjun?" This time, Donghyuck shook his friend. “Are you okay?" 

And that got Renjun back to the surface of the earth.

“Huh?” He asked half in a trance.

"Huh?” Donghyuck was confused. "What is wrong with you?”

"Nothing. Um… can I come in?" Renjun at last was able to form a sentence.

Donghyuck looked at his friend worriedly. He was so weirded out by his strange behaviour. Since when has Renjun asked for permission before coming in? He always just waltzed in as if he owned the place.

“Since when do you ask?" Donghyuck moved aside for the other to come in. He looked at the clock, which showed 2.30 pm. “Don't you have class right now?" 

“Yeah. I didn't go. Was not feeling it." Renjun replied, getting inside. 

“Renjun, what's wrong? You never skip classes. Is everything okay?" Donghyuck asked worriedly.

“Hmmm…" Renjun just nodded. “I can ask you the same thing. Why are you not in class?"

“I… uh…” Donghyuck averted his eyes. “I was having a bad headache, so I came back to take a shower." 

Renjun couldn't press for it anymore, so he just nodded. “Where's Jaemin?" 

“In class," Donghyuck replied. “No. Seriously Renjun. What are you doing here?”

The question made Renjun look at Donghyuck. The same question he had been asking himself since he got inside the elevator. What was he doing here? Was he gonna ask Donghyuck about what Chenle said? Or was he gonna ask why Donghyuck avoided him these days? Or about something else? Like what he think about their friendship? Was Renjun just his friend? What was he gonna ask?

“I just wanted to talk to you." Renjun ended up saying.

Donghyuck felt the serious yet nervous tone in his friend's words and asked, “About what?" 

“Why are you avoiding me these days?" Renjun ended up accusing.

"When did I avoid you?” Donghyuck averted his eyes again.

"Since last week,” Renjun said, looking at his friend. " Just like you're doing right now.”

Donghyuck still didn't look at him. “There's nothing like that." 

"Are you hiding something from me?” Renjun charged again.

"What? No. Why will I hide something? What will I even hide?" Donghyuck said while looking at somewhere that was not Renjun.

“Then why are you not looking at me?" Renjun asked this time.

And Donghyuck couldn't reply anymore. He didn't even look at Renjun.

Renjun couldn't take it anymore. He went and stood in front of Donghyuck. Slowly, he touched his face and made him look at him. Making Donghyuck's eyes go wide.

"Now tell me. What are you hiding from me?” Renjun asked, looking at his eyes.

Donghyuck looked at Renjun unblinking for some seconds and then again averted his eyes. As if the eyes could see inside him if he kept looking at them.

"I can't tell you.” He closed his eyes. “Sorry." 

“Why?" Renjun asked calmly. “Why can't you tell me?"

“I just can't, okay?" Donghyuck shook his head. “It's not something I can tell you…" 

Renjun took a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"Not yet,” Donghyuck said this time, looking at him. That made Renjun look at him again.

“So you can tell others. Everyone can know but not me?" Renjun looked hurt. “Jaemin knows. You even told Yangyang. But not me?" 

“How did you know about Yangyang knowing it?" Donghyuck asked, surprised.

“So he actually does. Oh, My God.” Renjun couldn't believe it. Though he already knew it, hearing it from Donghyuck made him feel more hurt. "He knows but not me. How?”

"Renjun, it's not what you think.” Donghyuck tried to reason. "I had to tell him, okay. For some reason. I'll tell you once I can.”

"What reasons?" Renjun asked again. “Is Yangyang more important in your life than me now?" 

Renjun was holding it in for a long time. He didn't want to word it like that. It just came out wrong. Before he could even control himself. The hurt in Donghyuck's eyes was evident. But Renjun was hurt too. He was hurt because he couldn't express what he felt in time, and now, when he finally understood, the other person was getting away from him.

“Renjun, you know it's not like that." Donghyuck tried to stop his friend from saying anything more. "It can never." 

“But I feel like it is now." Renjun shook his head. “He has more importance than you can share things with him, but not me. And here I thought, you and I… we … We were each other's safe space. We shared everything. Whenever the other needed anything, we were there. Looking after each other. But suddenly that's gone? Not only are you hiding something from me while sharing secrets with others, but you also can't even look me in the eye and talk. Was I wrong, Hyuck?”

Donghyuck held Renjun's hand desperately. "No. No, Renjun, you're not wrong. You are my safe space. My best friend. But, believe me, I can't tell you this right now. I just need to figure out something. And once I'm done, I'll come running to you and tell you the first thing.”

But it was as if Renjun was not hearing anything. It all felt like empty promises to him. Was he confessing that he liked Yangyang so hard for Donghyuck? Even if that was gonna break Renjun's heart, he just wanted the truth to be out.

"You think I don't know? That I don't understand what you're hiding?” Renjun asked him again. "You think I don't know why you're going to Yangyang and not me?”

Renjun knew he might have sounded like a psycho possessive lover who was trying to claim his power. But that didn't stop him. Donghyuck looked all confused now.

“Why can't you just say that you liked Yangyang? Are you afraid I'll be hurt?” Renjun at last said it. "No! Why will I be hurt? You can go and like anyone in the world." 

“Renjun, what are you saying?" Donghyuck was confused.

“Oh, please, Hyuck. I already know about you two. Okay? You're not hiding anything from me." Renjun said while his eyes kept burning from the unshed tears. “You think I didn't see you guys together? The way you smile when you're with him. You hold his hands. You hug him goodbye. Congratulations, Hyuck, in advance." 

“Renjun! Are you even listening to yourself? What are you saying? It's not like that." Donghyuck tried to say, but Renjun was not in the mood to listen.

“Please stop hiding it from me, Hyuck. Why are you keeping me in the dark? Do you think I will get hurt? It's not like I think we are more than just friends. Right?” Renjun said before his brain could stop his mouth. "It's not like I just understood that I might have feelings for my best friend. Or that I might like him more than I should. Right? It's not like I love you or something!"

As soon as it left Renjun's mouth, his eyes went wide. He understood what he just said. Donghyuck stood frozen in front of him. Still processing the words just said. Renjun didn't know what to say anymore. He talked too much already.

He saw Donghyuck open his mouth once and then shut it again. As if taking in the info and analyzing it. And when Donghyuck looked at him again with eyes that finally processed the input and ready to open his mouth to reply, Renjun did exactly what his brain could process in that second. Something that he was gonna regret in seconds.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Donghyuck. Something that has been going on in his mind since he entered the dorm room. The red lips Donghyuck had been biting since he entered the room. But he couldn't do it before. But now, how did this happen?

Donghyuck was shocked for some seconds by the sudden attack on his lips. It took him time to process everything. From what Renjun said to what Renjun is doing right now. And when Renjun didn't feel any movement from the other, he was moving back, clutching to the minimal sense of shame he had left in him. But before he could move back properly, he felt the pressure from the other's lips. Donghyuck was kissing him back.

Soon, Donghyuck was sucking on his lips simultaneously. Renjun participated in the battle of lips willingly, too. Something he started, but Donghyuck was taking the lead. He felt him licking his lips slowly as if asking for permission. Which he gave away with a gasp. Donghyuck's hands ended up on his waist, and Renjun's on his hair. The hair was still wet. He tangled his hands in the curly hair. Their tongues intertwined with each other. Donghyuck licked in his mouth all feverishly, and he returned the gesture with a soft moan. He lost himself in the feeling of having Donghyuck this close to him.

The kiss went on for how long he didn't know. But now Donghyuck was giving soft pecks on his lips, while holding his face in his hands. Renjun opened his eyes to see Donghyuck already looking at him. His eyes filled with so many emotions. And that's when Renjun understood what he actually did. He kissed Donghyuck. The same Donghyuck who likes Yangyang. Not him, but his friend. What did he do?

Renjun untangled himself from Donghyuck with a push. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. We shouldn't do this.” He shook his head again and again. “I should go.”

And with that, he left Donghyuck in the middle of the room. Who was still calling after him, but he couldn't look back. Not after he knew how it felt to be held by Donghyuck that lovingly. Not when he knew that Donghyuck was not his. He was never going to be. Tears streamed down his face as he ran again for the elevator. And this time, once he entered, he collapsed on the floor, crying his heart out.

On the other side, Donghyuck was left all alone in the room with his thoughts. He felt like his heart was breaking again. The thought of losing Renjun to misunderstandings made him feel the hurt of Meredith again. The same pain of losing her beloved Daniel. No. Donghyuck had to do something. He can't let this go on. He needed to find his answers soon. He couldn't just lose Renjun. Not this time.

Hey Donghyuck. Kun this side. I went through your diary and studied your case. The good news is, I think I know the way to help you. If you are free tomorrow, we can schedule a session. Let's see how this goes. I hope to see you out of your agony soon.

Oh, also, is it okay if one of my juniors watches the session? I think it will be a good opportunity for him to learn.

Donghyuck woke up the next day with these messages. He immediately informed Kun that he is up for everything. They set a time to meet the next day and Donghyuck couldn't wait. He could still feel Renjun on his lips and mouth. He wanted that feeling to last all his lifetime. He was desperate.

Renjun was informed by Kun that the student will be coming for his hypnotherapy today. So Renjun came all excited. Even though his life was a mess at this point, he tried to concentrate on different things that kept his mind off those thoughts. That's why he was now here in Kun's office waiting for the student to arrive.

“You know I read the whole diary he wrote. The way he described the scenes, the details of the feelings in them, made me think a lot. The most he talked about was the love he felt. And the pain he left when the love was not there. I felt like I was reading a novel, you know?” Kun told Renjun. "I hope we can go through them again for him to find the link he is looking for. Please take notes for me.”

Renjun nodded in confirmation. He somehow felt sympathetic for the student. He must have gone through the same feeling he is going through right now. The feeling of agony. The pain of not getting the love of his life. In his case, it was something else, maybe. But for Renjun, it's his foolishness and cowardice that he lost the most precious thing in his life.

The last two days, he had numerous missed calls and messages from Jaemin, Jeno, and Donghyuck. Even Yangyang tried to contact him. But he had locked himself in his room. He was not ready to face them at all. He needed time to think. To adjust. To accept the fact that Donghyuck was never gonna be his. Which was more difficult after the kiss? Which actually made it worse. But now here he is. Trying to get his attention diverted.

Just when he was thinking all that, three figures entered the office.

“You guys are here. We were just waiting for you." Kun got up from his seat. “Let me introduce. This is Renjun, my assistant for today." 

In front of Renjun stood Donghyuck, Jaemin, and Yangyang. He should have remembered Kun's saying about Yangyang bringing the student to him. But he never thought it was Donghyuck. Suddenly, the mess in his head was getting more tangled.

“And Renjun, this is the student I was telling you about. Lee Donghyuck. Yangyang brought him over to me, asking for help.” Kun continued the introduction. 

Donghyuck, Yangyang, and Jaemin stood frozen in their place. They didn't expect Renjun to be there at all. Donghyuck was on the verge of panicking. Did Renjun know everything already? Did he know about the dreams? About the theories I made? Does he hate me already? Does he think I'm a weirdo? Are my chances with him really over?

"Renjun? He's your assistant for today?” Donghyuck managed to complete the sentence. "So he'll listen to the whole session?”

"Yeah, that's the plan. You said you were okay with it. So I asked him to help me.” Kun said.

Donghyuck and Renjun looked at each other for a moment. Both were thinking the same thing, but the whole context was different.

Renjun thought back to Kun's explanation of the student. The dreams, the thoughts, and the stories. Especially the love stories. Was the student Donghyuck? His best friend was going through something like that, and he didn't even have a clue? Was this the thing he was hiding from him? But why? Even if he told Renjun about it, he would have suggested coming to Kun for it. But no, he told Yangyang about it. He trusted Yangyang more than Renjun. Also, what about the soulmate thing? Was that Yangyang? Is that why he went to him? The feeling of betrayal and hurt again crawled into Renjun's heart.

“Sorry Kun ge. I don't think I can be part of this anymore. I have to go." Renjun suddenly announced.

Donghyuck couldn't even say anything to stop him. He didn't know if he wanted Renjun there or not.

“No. You're not going anywhere, Renjun. Please stay. You need to be here." This time, it was Jaemin who spoke. “You have to be here for Donghyuck." 

Yangyang, who was debating what to say till now, at last spoke. “Yes Renjun. You need to be here. You need to see this. For Donghyuck and for you, too." 

“You guys all know each other?" Kun asked this time.

“Yeah, Renjun is our best friend." Said Jaemin. “Oh, by the way, I'm Jaemin. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself before."

“He is my roommate. I told you about him being here." Donghyuck said to Kun.

“Yes, I remember. Obviously, he can be here." Kun replied, and then he looked at Renjun. “You're also not going anywhere. I need your help. And you're gonna be here."

Renjun tried to protest, but Kun didn't listen. Jaemin came and then held his hand. “Please, Renjun, stay."

Renjun looked at Donghyuck once. He was still looking at him. “Do you want me to be here?” He asked his best friend.

Donghyuck thought for a moment. And then replied, “Yes. Please." 

Renjun felt his eyes pleading with him to stay there. The silent request made him think again, and he decided to stay. " Okay.”

The session started after some time. Kun took Donghyuck with him and made him lie down on the couch. The other three were made to sit at a distance. So that they could still hear without disturbing the process. Kun instructed Donghyuck to close his eyes and rest his head on the pillow. Then he focused on the breathing first. To exhale and inhale evenly. With each exhalation, Donghyuck released stored-up tension and anxiety. With each inhalation, he relaxed even more. After several minutes of the process, Kun told him to visualize and think about his muscles progressively relaxing. Beginning with his facial muscles and jaw, then his neck and shoulders, his arms, back and stomach muscles, and finally his legs. Soon, Donghyuck felt his entire body sinking deeper and deeper into the couch. 

Then Kun instructed him to visualize a bright white light at the top of his head, inside his body. Later on, Kun told him to think of the light spreading slowly down his body, and it slowly completely relaxed every muscle, every nerve, every organ, all of Donghyuck's body, bringing him into an increasingly deeper state of relaxation and peace. 

Donghyuck felt progressively sleepier, more peaceful, and calm. Eventually, with Kun’s instruction, the light filled his body and surrounded him as well. Kun counted backward slowly from ten to one. With each number, Donghyuck entered a deeper level of relaxation. His trance state deepened. Now he was able to concentrate on Kun's voice and still

exclude all the other background noises. By the count of one, he was already in a moderately deep state of hypnosis. The entire process had taken about twenty minutes.

In a distance, Jaemin, Yangyang, and Renjun sat and saw the whole process. It was still fascinating to them. Though they were anxious about their friend’s mental health, they still had faith in Kun. Renjun got ready to take notes as the main session was about to start.

After a while, Kun began to regress Donghyuck, asking him to recall memories of the dreams. He was able to talk and to answer all of Kun's questions while maintaining a deep level 

of hypnosis. He started to remember all the scenarios from his previous dreams. Starting from Suzuki-Miyasaki’s tragic love story to Robert-Ruth’s happy life. Then to Mia-Rose’s unrequited love, and lastly about Meredith-Daniel.

Renjun was taking notes of everything. All the emotions, small details, and changes of expression. He was feeling a lot of emotions as he heard them one by one. With Donghyuck's description of the characters, Renjun felt their pain as his own. Without him knowing, he started shedding tears. Jaemin, beside him, noticed it and rubbed his back. Soon they were approaching the end of the current story. Renjun hoped he could lessen Meredith's pains. The cry of her agony was breaking his heart. Somehow, he felt her pain as his own. The fear of losing her love. He listened as Donghyuck continued.

Meredith had lost the hope and will to live after the news. It had been two months since her dreams crashed. Though they didn't find Daniel or his remains anywhere, they were sure of the fate. The military returned all of his belongings to his family. Everyone was mourning his absence. Everyone but Meredith. She clutched the pocket watch in her hands and still believed that the watch was running, so her Daniel was also alright. He had promised her. Rodger had tried to console her a lot. But she didn't listen to him. She decided to wait for him. Both Daniel's and her own parents felt bad looking at her. So they just let her be for some time. Two months have gone by since then.

Meredith was sitting in her room knitting a scarf when Rodger suddenly came there.

“Meri! Come outside right now." He didn't even wait for his sister and started to drag her out.

Meredith didn't understand what was happening. She just followed her brother outside. And as soon as she reached there, she stood frozen at the door. Outside stood Daniel. All bandaged up, leaning on his sister Katherine, but still smiling at her. Meredith felt her knees go weaker at the scene. She suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded, thinking this was a hallucination. She clutched the doorframe to get balance again and heard her brother saying, "Your prayers were answered, Meri. Daniel came back. You were right.” Katherine smiled and cried together at his words.

This was not a dream? Was Daniel standing in front of her? She took tentative steps towards the man. As if he'll disappear if she can't keep her patience, just like her dreams. And when she reached him, she just extended her hand to touch him. Under her hand, she felt the solid presence of the body, the heat radiating from it. She caressed her way up to his cheek, which was messed with cuts and gushes. The forehead was bandaged. She then touched the nose, felt the breath on her fingers. She at last touched his heart. It was beating loudly, just the way Meredith remembered. And that broke Meredith's trance. She crashed into Daniel's arms, crying her heart out. Immediately, she was enveloped by the warm body of her lover, whom she had missed the most for the past ten months. The warmth she once thought she had lost forever. The part of her life that was gone came back to her. At last, she felt like she could breathe again. Her life was full again. She felt two other bodies wrapping their hands around them. Rodger and Katherine were joining in the hug with them. She heard Daniel chuckle at that.

“My love," Daniel called her softly. “I promised you I'll be back. And I had to keep the promise. Right?" He hugged her more tightly. “Now nothing can keep us apart anymore."

Meredith believed him with all her heart. She always did. And this time was not an exception.

Later, when Daniel was again settled in his home, after the doctor had checked him and given the green signal, they all settled around him, with Meredith sitting beside him. Daniel came home with his two other colleagues. He started telling them what had actually happened. When the camp was attacked, he was trying his best to fight the opponent and at the same time rescue his fellow soldiers. But then there was the blast. This got him disconnected from the others, and everyone thought he was dead. Actually, in the blast's impact, he was thrown far away from the camp. His head hit hard on a rock, and he lost consciousness. When he woke up next, he found himself captivated by the enemy. Which happened a month ago. They kept torturing him to tell the secrets, but he didn't budge at all. For a whole month, he kept thinking of how to get away from that place and inform others about it. It took a whole month for him to find the way. He got the opportunity and did his best. He set the enemy camp on fire, just as they had done to them, and then released the grenades to cause a huge explosion. When everyone got busy saving their lives, he took the moment to run away from there. He kept running until two patrolling soldiers from his old troop found him. They got him back safely to the camp for treatment. And now he was here in front of his family.

They all heard the story, shedding tears. Daniel's father and Rodger were so proud of him, while Meredith hugged him, thanking the lord for listening to her prayers. The soldiers who came with Daniel informed them that the higher-ups were really happy with Daniel's work, and soon he would be awarded a medal and a promotion. Which immediately made everyone proud of Daniel.

When everyone else was talking about something else, Daniel looked at Meredith. “Are you ready to marry me and be mine for the rest of your life?” He asked her.

Meredith just smiled softly, "I was always yours, my love.” And hugged him tighter.

As Donghyuck finished telling the story, Renjun felt himself cry harder. He was glad that Meredith was able to find her love again. The faith she had on her love was enough to bring back Daniel from the grasp of death. He kept sniffling when Yangyang offered him tissues. He looked at his friend to see that he also had red eyes. He took the tissues from him and again was reminded that Donghyuck felt all these for his friend, not him. He wiped his eyes and started taking his notes again.

Kun was softly asking Donghyuck questions. "How do you feel thinking about Daniel and Meredith? Do you think they got their happy ending?" 

Donghyuck was also answering all his questions. “Daniel felt like he got his life back after he came back to Meredith. He was surely not dead in the blast, but the enemies told him that everyone thought he was dead. Which meant Meredith also heard the same news. Which broke Daniel from the inside. He couldn't even imagine how she felt. His promise to her was not fulfilled. He had promised her to come back and ask for her hand in marriage. Which he had to keep. And that made him go on for their two months. He didn't let himself succumb to the torture and the pain.

“And Meredith waited patiently for him to return. Even when everyone else called her hopeless for even thinking like that, she didn't lose her hope. The pocket watch was her strength to believe. And in the end, she was rewarded for that. They both suffered. But their love was enough for them to return to each other. And they deserved the happy ending.”

Kun nodded at the answer. "Do you think you feel connected to any of them?”

Kun asked the same question after every story Donghyuck told. And every time Donghyuck picked one of them as his conscientiousness. This time, he also replied with Daniel's name. Renjun was noting everything for Kun to check later.

"If you are Miyasaki, Ruth, Rose, and Daniel, then who is the person?” Kun at last asked the question they all waited for. Renjun felt himself clutching the notebook harder. "Do you know that person? Do you know who they are now?”

"Yes. I know. I have felt him near me all the time. He is always there with me. I can rely on him with anything. Just like they all were connected deeply, we are too.” Donghyuck replied.

"Who is it? Can you say the name?” Kun asked softly again.

Renjun held his breath waiting for the answer. He still felt that Yangyang was the person. But in his heart, something told him he might be wrong. And the tug of war in his brain made him more anxious to know the reason. The two guys beside him, though, somehow looked way relaxed. He could even see a smirk in Jaemin's face, which he chose to ignore. Yangyang, on the other hand, tried to suppress a smile. What was happening?

"It's Renjun,” Donghyuck answered.

What? The pen in Renjun's hand slipped. His mouth opened ajar at the confession. He felt Yangyang elbow him from the side, but he didn't care at all. His mind was still processing Donghyuck's reply. What did he mean by it's him? All the stories he just heard, felt, and connected to were all about him? Suzuki, Robert, Mia, and Meredith were all his? How can Donghyuck be so sure about it? It's just a theory, right? It's not like they are soulmates or anything…

"At first, I was not sure. But slowly, as the dreams developed, I felt the connection between them and Renjun. They all started appearing after I met Renjun. Before that, I never had such dreams. It's like a locked vault inside my brain was suddenly opened. In the first dream, I didn't understand anything. Didn't feel any connection at all. But by the fourth one, Suzuki and Miyasaki suddenly felt familiar. The way they talked, walked, behaved, and everything. Soon I realised that Miyasaki is like me. But I didn't know Suzuki yet. His features were etched in my brain already. I was thinking so much about him, maybe that's why. The next day, when I saw Renjun, I suddenly felt it. The same features, the same voice, as if Suzuki was standing in front of me. And that made me realise. At first, I felt it was just a coincidence or my brain playing with me. But it was more than that. It was Renjun all along. From the start.” Donghyuck finished saying.

"And how do you feel about that?” Kun asked this time.

Renjun waited for the answer. He didn't know why he was still so anxious. His Donghyuck was dreaming about him all along.

"Initially, I was confused about how to feel. But with time, as I got to know Renjun more and more, I felt relieved that it was him. Renjun is my best friend. We share all our thoughts with each other. He is my safe space. My own counselor. And it always bugged me that I was hiding this from Renjun. But I was scared. I felt he'll think I'm weird and I'll lose him. With time out bond grew, and so did the fear of losing him. So I made up my mind not to tell him about this whole situation. Nobody knew. I was just writing about it in my diary. Until I realised my feelings for Renjun.” Donghyuck kept saying.

Feelings? Feelings for him? Donghyuck had feelings for him? Renjun was going through so many different emotions at the same time that he couldn't even express them. And the most concerning part being Donghyuck was hypnotized. He couldn't just go and confront him about all this right now. Renjun had to wait.

Donghyuck continued, “That's when I realised I couldn't hide it for the rest of my life. And I told Jaemin about it. And then Jaemin suggested I talk to Yangyang about this. As he was also a psychology major. And that led me to Kun. But in the process, Renjun misunderstood me. He knows me so well. He knew I was hiding something from him. But when he asked, I couldn't answer. My fear of losing him was eating me up so much that I think I might actually be losing him. In my other lives, I didn't always get a happy ending with him. But I hope I don't lose him this time, too.”

Renjun couldn't take it anymore. He could feel the pain in Donghyuck's voice. He was going through the same feeling of fear that Renjun was having daily. And none of them had any clue. They both were idiots. In love with each other but still hurting from the distance. At least Meredith and Daniel were vocal about what they wanted. He felt like, among all the lives, Donghyuck and Renjun were the stupidest. Who understood their feelings this late? But they still had time. And Renjun was now hopeful. He looked at both sides to see Jaemin and Yangyang looking at him. Okay, he also needed to apologise big time to his friends. But first Donghyuck. He needed to talk to him.

Kun was now waking Donghyuck up slowly. Counting from one to five and telling him to feel more aware with each count. He instructed him to feel good, refreshed, and awake upon coming back to his senses. Slowly telling him to come back to the room and awaken his consciousness. Kun then asked Donghyuck to move his fingers one by one, then his toes, and lastly to take a deep breath. Again with the exhale-inhale method, Kun told him to open his eyes slowly and to be awake.

Donghyuck was out of his trance. He sat back up slowly, with Kun encouraging and praising him continuously. Donghyuck somehow looked really tired. Kun offered him a glass of water first and asked him to drink it. Donghyuck obeyed him and then looked at his friends. Something inside him was holding back from looking at Renjun. Jaemin and Yangyang approached him, telling him he did well. Kun was already praising him from the start. And Renjun… He just kept looking at him.

They finished in Kun's office after that. Renjun submitted the notes he had taken. Donghyuck got his next appointment from Kun and was instructed to call him if he felt any uneasiness. Then they were free to go. Jaemin and Yangyang announced they were hungry and headed towards the cafeteria. Renjun was following them, and Donghyuck didn't say anything till now. Halfway there, Renjun suddenly took hold of Donghyuck's hand and stopped him. His friends also stopped seeing them. But Renjun just shook his head towards them. “You guys go ahead. I just need to talk to Donghyuck for a moment." 

Yangyang and Jaemin just smirked at them, giving teasing smiles, but left them alone.

Donghyuck stood in front of him silently. He didn't know what he said under hypnosis. Renjun was there taking notes. Though Kun assured him that he didn't say anything that they already knew. But Donghyuck still felt weird. Renjun knew that his dreams involved him. How did Renjun take it? Was he hurt? Disgusted by the information? But Renjun that day said he was …

"Donghyuck, I… I am sorry.” Renjun opened his mouth.

"Why are you saying sorry? It should be me. I hid the whole thing from you since the start. I'm sorry the fear of losing you gripped my heart so bad that I couldn't think of anything else. But in the end, you had to learn it like this.” Donghyuck sighed. "Renjun, I don't know what I said in Kun's office. But I really hope you don't misunderstand me. I am not asking you to feel bothered by the dreams. Please don't think anything of them…." 

Before he could even finish his words, Renjun was engulfing him in a strong hug. Donghyuck couldn't help but reciprocate the same.

“Shhh.. Shut up. Stop talking." Renjun said, nuzzling his head more into his neck. The warmth of Donghyuck's body makes his heart soar. “I am not mad. Neither did I think you were weird. I felt more connected with the stories than I can explain. I somehow felt the pain of the characters through your description. I felt like I was living their life, Hyuck. I felt their pain, their happiness, even their love. I felt everything. Just like I do now." 

Donghyuck made Renjun look at him. “Are you sure? That day, you left me in the middle of my room. I know we were not communicating properly that day, but when you left, I suddenly felt so empty, Renjun. I can't even explain that. So this time I hope we both are in a clear mind, before we make any decisions.”

Renjun held Donghyuck's face in his hands. "Don't worry. I am not going anywhere this time. I don't want us to be the stupidest pair among all of them. I want us to grow together. To know what we want. To communicate properly. So that we don't behave like idiots ever again. Okay?”

Donghyuck chuckled heartily at his words and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Yes, for sure.” Then he suddenly gave a lingering kiss on Renjun's lips, surprising the latter. "I have longed for you and loved you in our every life. We have been each other's in all our lifetimes. Maybe in this life, at last, we will have our happy ending?”

Renjun smiled at his words. Nodding at him to continue.

"So, Huang Renjun, my best friend, my partner in crime, my safe space, my love, will you accompany me on this journey of a happy ending in this lifetime? Forever?" Donghyuck asked him very seriously. 

Renjun didn't reply to anything, but leaned in to kiss him fully. Which Donghyuck reciprocated. A sweet kiss that felt more like a promise to each other. Just like they did before, as Daniel and Meredith or Robert and Ruth. This time, it was Huang Renjun and Lee Donghyuck. Writing their own story in their own style. This time, they will make sure it's a Happy Ending.

“Forever," Renjun replied to him over his lips. Smiling in between kisses. Donghyuck just wrapped his hand around the boy and pulled him in for another passionate kiss. They'll be late for lunch. But who cares? This was more fulfilling for them. Their friends can wait.