‘Kwon… Soo-ah?’

Taekwoon looked at the newly assigned doctor for Hakyeon. The members felt something weird the moment they met her.

‘Yes, that’s my name.’ She smiled at the members. She did not mean harm.

‘What do you mean by Dark… me?’ Taekwoon asked.

‘We are all created from a balance of light and darkness but sometimes, our evil deeds and negative thoughts makes us lose our path to who we truly are. When the balance between light and darkness is lost and the evil consumes a person, we lose ourselves to the shadows. Do you all believe in rebirth?’ She asked them.

‘Huh? Like being born again after you die type of thing?’ Hongbin questioned back. ‘Kind of?’

‘Yes. We have all been reborn time after time and life after life. Of course, you all would not remember any of those memories but I do. And the six of you have met throughout different lifespans since the beginning of time.

‘Um… you’re a doctor right?’ Hyuk asked her.

‘Yes I am in this life. I have been many things in my previous life and this time, I’m a doctor.’

Obviously the boys were skeptical of such non-scientific claims from a doctor and a stranger as well. But something about her didn’t feel like she was going to hurt them or threaten them either. So, they listened to her story.

‘Reincarnations and fate is a rather strange thing in which even the Gods themselves cannot explain. Sometimes you meet the same people throughout your life and sometimes you do. You could be reborn with the same physical appearances or someone completely different. It’s unpredictable as many other things in this world. My very first memory existed many millenniums ago, when I first met the six of you.’

In a distant place far from the city they live in now, was once a small little village in which both Soo-ah and Hakyeon lived. Hakyeon’s mother at the time had fallen sick and the cause was unknown. Soo-ah’s father who was the mayor of the village at the time, proposed that he would use his wealth and status in order to find the best doctors around the country in order to find a cure for Hakyeon’s mother. However, in exchange, Hakyeon was to be married to Soo-ah.

Both of them was merely schoolmates and did not really communicate with one another until the marriage was announced. Soo-ah who found out about Hakyeon’s situation would often go help his family and take care of his mother as she didn’t have any memories of her mother who passed away long ago. But despite the times that she and Hakyeon have tried to get to know one another, neither fell in love. Soo-ah agreed to the marriage initially in order for it to be an excuse so that her father could help Hakyeon’s mother but eventually, her heart took a turn.

That was when she first met a young man named Jung Taekwoon. She was attracted to his mysterious appearance and grew curious about who he was. Eventually, she found out that Taekwoon was Hakyeon’s childhood friend who came from a far away place in order to meet Hakyeon. She knew in her mind that being attracted to Taekwoon was not a good thing especially since it was rather obvious that the young man didn’t seem to like her. But despite knowing that, she fell in love for the first time.

She was young and never imagined a life that would rebel against her father’s wishes. But the further she fell in love, the greedier she became. Her mind was shrouded by darkness and evil thoughts. She became selfish and almost terrifying in what she was willing to do in order to cure her love sickness.

When Taekwoon had an argument with Hakyeon, Soo-ah could see how broken the man must have been and tried to comfort him. To her surprise however, Taekwoon proposed that she should run away with him back to where he originally came from. Foolish and naïve as she was at the time, she agreed and followed him. But never did she imagine that the place he called home was so frightening and dark.

The Underworld.

Soon, she found out that Taekwoon was the new Ruler of the Underworld and became frightened by the shadows and the dead from below. Every day, screams and cries could be heard and Soo-ah wanted to go home immediately. But it was impossible.

She realized that the only reason why Taekwoon took her with him in the first place was so that he could have his revenge on Hakyeon by watching Soo-ah suffer and die from the darkness. She found out that Taekwoon and Hakyeon was going out at the time but Hakyeon had broken up with him for unknown reasons. Soo-ah became angered that she was caught in between the two’s quarrel but had no where to run to. She was powerless in the Underworld.

She was homesick and cried every night. Hoping that someone could hear her prayers and save her from hell. The one that eventually did save her robbed her life and took over her body. Soo-ah did not care at first. She thought she was going to die eventually after being trapped in the tower by Taekwoon’s hands and only looked towards the day when she could seek her revenge on him.

Through her body being possessed however, she began to regret as she saw how many people her Dark-self had killed. She wanted to stop her Dark side but was too weak to do anything.

But Hakyeon came back for her, despite the fact that she had already been lost in the darkness. She heard the boy’s voice. He didn’t abandon her and claimed to do anything it takes to bring her back to life. Though Soo-ah have never fallen in love with Hakyeon, he was the only one who truly cared for her despite her greed and evil deeds.

When Taekwoon killed Soo-ah in her Dark form, the first to rush to her side and cry for her was Hakyeon. That was also the final moment she was conscious of who she was and regretted everything she did. She didn’t appreciate all the love she originally had in the beginning and became greedier for more.

If I was given another chance, I want to correct my mistakes and repay Hakyeon as well as all of those whom cared for me.

After centuries had passed, Soo-ah’s soul drifted in Limbo, waiting for someone to decide her fate. She lingered in regrets and guilt, hoping for another chance and in the end she did. The Heavens brought her up and assigned her a mission.

To correct what was wrong and banish the darkness from the worlds. Especially the Dark forms of Hakyeon and Taekwoon, who she had passed by her during her lingers in Limbo. The two of them were sealed away by the six members from above forever.

‘The six of you were not always humans when your life had began.’ She continued her story.

‘What do you mean?’ Wonshik asked.

‘You were descendants of the most mightiest Gods that ever existed in the universe. Descendants from Heaven to Hell. Both Hakyeon and you, Taekwoon were incomplete Gods that were connected with the Underworld. Taekwoon, your mother was from the Heavens and father was the Ruler of the Underworld. Hakyeon on the other hand, was born from the love of a human and Goddess of the Underworld. Because of that, the two of you have a strange balance of light and darkness that exists within your bodies. Hence, your true form and the dark form that watches you from within the shadows.’

‘So are you saying that the Hakyeon-hyung we see now is the Dark one?’ Hongbin asked.

Soo-ah nodded.

‘But how do you know that the one this Hakyeon is communicating with is my Dark side? Shouldn’t he be within me instead of Hakyeon?’ Taekwoon worries.

‘The Dark Taekwoon once ruled the Underworld and learned a lot about the powers and secrets of the universe. He is knowledgeable but also one of rage and filled with vengeance. He hungers for power and destruction and knew very well that knowledge was the key to his success. When he was banished into Limbo, he found a way to send his body into another dimension we call it was the ‘Dreamscape.’ It is a place that even the Gods could not reach and filled with strange happenings. This Dreamscape connects with all beings that simple dreams in their slumbers. It is a world where even strangers from two ends of the world could meet.’

‘So he found a way to connect into Hakyeon’s dream and talk with his Dark side?’

‘Yes.’

The members thought about it and recalled the first time Hakyeon was hospitalized. He was unconscious for several months and when he did wake up, their leader would doze off into slumber from time to time. Could that be when he was already losing his self into a dream-like world? A place where his own fantasies could be fulfilled?

‘Hakyeon-hyung… we should have looked out for him more.’ Hyuk regrets his lack of care for his leader.

‘No one expected this crazy turn of events though… who would think Gods and whatnot actually exist and not just some sort of belief?’ Hongbin commented and patted Hyuk on the back.

‘But Hakyeon-hyung did seem fine after a long time. After the Chained Up incident when the Dark Hakyeon first appeared, hyung was normal again and we all thought that it was over with.’ Wonshik told her.

‘I have kept a close eye on Hakyeon’s case as well since it was first submitted to me. I thought that I wouldn’t need to come out either and warn you all because even I thought the problem was already taken care of. But something must have triggered Hakyeon to become either emotion or weak again for the Dark Hakyeon to take over once more.’  

~

The boys accompanied Soo-ah to meet the Dark Hakyeon in his locked room. After listening to her story in which most people would think of it as outrageous, the boys felt convinced and decided to watch closely from what is to happen. They didn’t find her story to be lies and it was all possibilities. The world was already filled with many unexplained incidents and myths, this one simply adds to it.

‘Do you still like Taekwoon-hyung, Doctor Kwon?’ Hyuk nudged Soo-ah and whispered as they made their way through the hallways.

She smiled but shook her head.

‘Then do you hate him?’

‘No. Not anymore. It was too long ago and as I drifted in Limbo for many centuries, I came to understand that I was possibly attracted to him in the first place because he felt similar to who I was. We were both blinded by love at one point and let our Dark sides consume us. I watched the six of you throughout my times and I just want to continue my mission making sure the evil is banished. Especially Hakyeon, he doesn’t deserve this…’ she sympathized with Hakyeon’s situation a lot.

Though the present Hakyeon and her has no connections with one another, she was still watching over the group through television and from afar. She knew that Hakyeon has never changed even after so much time. He was still a kind and gentle person, the same one that Soo-ah could remember. Seeing the light in Hakyeon vanish and having his Dark side take over, broke her heart and she wanted to bring him back along with the rest of the members.

‘Um, how was I like in my previous life?’ Hyuk asked.

His question caught her off guard and she chuckled a bit remembering.

‘You were in many different forms as long as I can remember. Sometimes a child, sometimes a grown up, sometimes even an animal but the most memorable one  I can remember was when you were the guardian who fought along side Taekwoon.’

‘With hyung?’

‘Mhmm. You were his right-hand man when he was the Ruler of the Underworld. You spent your childhood with him, training with him, accompanying him and even went to the mortal world with him to find Hakyeon.’

Hyuk’s eyes lightened up a bit.

‘That means I’m really powerful right?’ He asked.

‘Mhmm. One of the most powerful hellhounds of the Underworld.’ She chuckled again.

‘Hellho- wait what? A dog? That’s….’ Hyuk sighed.

‘But a really powerful one.’ She tried to cheer him up. ‘You helped to bring Hakyeon and Taekwoon together many times and grew up with the two of them. You’ve been their guardian for a very long time because you love and cherish them. You love them both don’t you?’

Hyuk blushed and nodded.

‘If it wasn’t for them and the other members, I would probably have quit being an idol along time ago… I love them a lot.’

Despite how much he teased the two oldest members, he truly cared for them. Hyuk has always been spoiled by the two oldest members and because he left home to be an idol at an early age, the two oldest members was like his own parents. The other members were like his brothers. The members weren’t just partners for their job as an idol group but they have grown to be closer than family.

Sure he was scared at first when he was being charged with a sharp object by Hakyeon who wasn’t really himself that day… but no matter who Hakyeon was, Hyuk felt that it didn’t matter. He was traumatized but it didn’t stop him from loving his leader. To see that his beloved leader had fallen in such a situation, Hyuk wanted to help bring Hakyeon back and assist Soo-ah, who claims to know how to cure Hakyeon.

As the members continued onwards to the Dark Hakyeon’s room, they could hear the clashing and yelling appearing louder. They looked through the observations window by the door and once again, it broke their hearts. To realize that the Hakyeon inside isn’t the real one but rather, his Dark side.

‘To think… that’s darkness itself.’ Wonshik said.’ Now It explains why none of the doctors could give her proper diagnosis. It wasn’t DID or any other alter ego to begin with, but darkness. He’s so … crazy.’

The members felt a chill down their spines just watching this Hakyeon throw tantrums at the doctors who tried to give him his medications.

‘He’s already scary enough… I wonder how crazy the other Taekwoon-hyung is going to be.’ Jaehwan asked.

The members nodded.

‘You said he’s really smart and scheming right?’

‘Yes. As you can all see, this Hakyeon is rather impulsive, childish, violent and possessive. He rejects everything in his path unless it is something he favors. He acts before he thinks because he’s powerful enough to do so.’ She said.

‘So… this means that this Dark Hakyeon only likes Taekwoon for some reason.’ Wonshik commented.

‘It seems so.’

‘But why? They shouldn’t have met before right?’ Wonshik looked at Taekwoon.

Taekwoon shook his head. He definitely doesn’t remember seeing this side of Hakyeon before either.

‘This is a mystery to me as well. It is something I myself cannot explain yet. Only the Dark one knows.  But another strange thing I don’t get is why this Hakyeon would work with the other Taekwoon either.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The two of them fought one another before in the Underworld. They both fought for the throne of being the new Ruler of the Underworld as well. They should despise one another, rather than working alongside. As well, the other Taekwoon hates his original form but this Hakyeon loves the real Taekwoon instead.’

‘It sounds like some sort of contradiction…’ Hongbin commented.

‘You mentioned that they were banished into Limbo, the place where you wandered aimlessly for centuries right?’ Wonshik asked.

‘Yes. They were still in Limbo even after I left to the Heavens and was given the mission to watch over the ones that lurk within the shadows.’ She replied.

‘Then how did they get banished in the first place?’

‘The two of them lost to their original forms when Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s light took over. Alongside with the rest of you, the two Dark ones had no where to go. Both Hakyeon and Taekwoon also possessed a heirloom of the Underworld known as the Moon. The Moon was divided into two separate pieces and both Hakyeon and Taekwoon had one half of the item. Eventually, they found that by combining the two halves together, their evil ones would be sealed away and banished from existence.’

‘A seal? That’s supposed to keep them away right? But why now of all times?’ Hongbin questions.

‘The Moon itself have kept the two Dark ones in Limbo for many centuries even after you all have lost your powers and became reincarnated as humans after time. But its powers are weakening and cannot hold on by itself.’

The Gods’ powers are the core to both the Moon and the Sun’s existence. Both heirlooms were watched over and maintained by the almighty Heavens and Hell itself. But the Gods’ powers were also diminishing as time went on. The existence of Gods became a belief and the mortal realm grew bigger and more powerful.

Human intelligence, technology and science, free will and the power of control.

These were all factors that made the humankind much stronger. Though they do not possess the same type of power as the Gods do, human powers were just as frightening on their own.

Eventually, the Gods had to hide their existence completely as humankind took over.

‘So do we have to reseal the Dark Hakyeon and Taekwoon then?’ Hongbin asked.

‘Not quite. We do not have the powers to actually seal them away anymore nor can you control the Moon’s powers as you all did in the past.’

‘Then how? How do we help Hakyeon-hyung come back?’

She looked at the boys.

‘Through the unknown world of Dreamscape.’

* * * * * * A/N * * * * * *

This chapter had a lot of 'refreshing' memories for those that have read its prequel The World of Us. For those that haven't read it, it is also just a quick summary of the events that kind of happened. Of course, the best if you read the original (despite being 45 chapters... *sweat*)

As always, I hope you guys enjoy reading this! <3