Author's note:

Hi, guys! I'm baaack. Thanks so much for waiting. You guys are the best! :D

I guess you can consider this my super late Christmas present to you all.

Also, you can look forward to much faster updates!! ^_^

Kang Daniel – 44 years old

How could you do such a thing?

How...?

Jaehwan held his breath, waiting for Seongwoo to continue.

He didn’t continue.

With a final look at the gravestone, Ong Seongwoo turned around and began making his way to the cemetery gates. Not once did he look back.

None of the doctors said anything. They kept their eyes on Seongwoo until he passed the gates, turned a corner, and disappeared from sight.

It shouldn’t have been cold, but Jaehwan was shivering. He breathed out shakily.

Finally Minhyun’s voice cut through the air.

“What...?"

Jaehwan thought the same. Because how else would he describe his utter confusion, except with the word ‘what’? One word seemed to represent his churning thoughts that were roaring in his mind.

Minhyun turned to him and asked, “How was the relationship between Seongwoo and Daniel’s father?”

The younger doctor tried to remember all the research that he did last night. He also recalled the various news and rumors that he had heard before — on websites and the media. He shook his head. There wasn’t even the slightest gossip about Seongwoo disliking Daniel’s father. “They were fine,” Jaehwan answered. “Or at least they appeared fine.”

“Were there any problems between Daniel and his father?”

Jaehwan took a few seconds in an attempt to recall anything— anything that might have hinted at discord between Daniel and the man that raised him. Nothing came up. He shook his head again. “They appeared fine too, hyung.”

Minhyun nodded. “I don’t remember reading anything bad about their relationship either— both between Seongwoo and Daniel’s father, and Daniel with his father.” He paused, brow furrowed. “Something might have happened and the media just doesn’t know about it.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Now we’ve got even more questions. Why was Seongwoo so angry? What did Daniel’s father do?”

“Another mystery to solve,” Minhyun said, his eyes now on the sky. The snow continued to fall. “We won’t figure anything out here. Let’s look for the next memento.”

It was dark and Jaehwan knew how hard it would be to find a small flickering image in such darkness. He wondered if he should run after Seongwoo— maybe the memento was somewhere in his and Daniel’s car.

He decided to check the gravestone first. Striding toward it, Jaehwan tried to ignore the silence that lay like a heavy blanket on his surroundings.

Minhyun followed him, long legs letting him catch up easily. Side by side, the two doctors stared at the stone and the words etched across. The name of Daniel's father seemed to stare back at them.

Then their gaze shifted to the flowers scattered below. White carnations again.

The memento should have been difficult to see. Not only were the flowers white, but the snow that continued to fall should have caused the small flickering object to blend in easily with its surroundings.

But after nearly a dozen jobs as Sigmund Corp employees, both Jaehwan and Minhyun felt that their eyes adapted quickly to spotting little movements in the objects around them.

They both saw the memento at the same time. It was a seashell— very similar to the one Daniel had presented to Jisung, but this time it wasn’t a shocking pink color. It was a smooth, solid white. A white amongst white.

Minhyun bent down to pick it up. With the small object in the palm of his hand, he held it out to Jaehwan.

“Do you think we’ll go to the sea again, hyung?” the younger doctor asked.

“Most probably.”

It wasn’t a surprise. It felt like a natural thing— to return to the place Daniel’s house would be built.

Jaehwan wrapped his fingers around Minhyun’s hand, enveloping the seashell in their tight grip.

They would solve the mysteries. One by one.

---

Kang Daniel – 42 years old

It was night again.

Jaehwan remembered Kang Daniel telling Yoon Jisung of the sight that he had seen that night. The pretty stars and the full moon.

And the young doctor had to agree— the stars really were pretty.

Far away from the city and its pollution, the sky was decorated with bright lights spread across the black. It stretched out in all directions. Jaehwan felt like craning his head and just staring at the sight above him.

And there it was. The moon. Round and glowing, it reflected on the vast sea below, causing the waters to shine in ripples.

Jaehwan kicked the sand underneath his feet, glancing at the spot where Daniel would eventually build his small two-story house. It was just a large patch of grass.

“Kang Daniel’s not here yet,” Minhyun said beside him.

“But he’ll be here, right?” Jaehwan asked. “It’s clear that he holds this place close to his heart.”

“I’m sure he will.”

“Hey, hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go play in the sea.”

There was a solid ten seconds of silence. Then Minhyun simply said, with a puzzled expression: “What?”

“I wanna try to imagine how Daniel felt while he was here. To understand him a bit more. Plus...” Jaehwan turned to his friend, a small grin on his face. “When else can we play in the sea without your allergies reacting, hyung? This might be our only chance!”

Minhyun opened his mouth as if ready to argue, but then closed it. “Well,” he said slowly. “If it helps us understand our client, then I don’t see why not.”

Jaehwan was already kicking off his shoes and tearing off his socks, unceremoniously flinging them onto the ground. After rolling up the bottom of his pants to his knees, he ran towards the water without another word.

Sighing, the older doctor did the same. But he carefully set his footwear on the sandy ground before walking after his friend.

The water was cold. It was weird really, how real everything felt in the memories. They were able to touch objects, to taste food and drinks, to feel the wind blowing at their hair. But none of it would affect their bodies in the ‘real world’. The sensations were simply generated by the Sigmund Corp machine for them to feel— strictly just in the memory itself. Minhyun could spend hours being soaked in the sea, yet he would still be safe from any allergic reactions. Minhyun’s “body” in the memory wouldn’t even be affected at all. The machine didn’t consider personal things such as specific allergies of a doctor.

Yet everything felt real. If Jaehwan allowed himself to lose focus, or to perhaps forget that he was on a job, he would have truly believed that he was experiencing this in real life. But he kept a grip on what was real and what was not. He made sure of that every time he entered a client’s timeline.

Without even a second of hesitation, Jaehwan continued running until the water reached his knees. He could have gone farther if he hadn’t turn around to see how Minhyun was doing.

Minhyun took careful and slow steps into the sea, as if testing himself. Then with each confident stride, he continued on until he reached the other doctor.

Jaehwan poked his friend’s shoulder. “So. How do you feel?”

“Oddly liberating.” Minhyun was looking down at the water touching his knees.  

Grinning, Jaehwan fixed his gaze on the horizon. “Kang Daniel was right. It really is pretty here.”

He wished that he could take a picture. Surrounded by countless stars, the moon was bright and appeared to cast a beam of light on the sea with its reflection. The scene had a sort of soothing effect on the shorter doctor, as if he could forget his worries and just feel the moment.

“Yeah,” Minhyun replied. “Pretty.”

Jaehwan turned to look at his friend, curious of what expression was on the other person’s face.

To his surprise, Minhyun wasn’t looking at the horizon. Their eyes had connected, and Minhyun suddenly became very flustered.

Without a word, the older doctor quickly broke their eye contact and began glaring at the sea stretched in front of him.

Five seconds passed.

“...Hyung, were you staring at me?”

“Wh-What? No.”

“You were. Oh geez, is there something on my face?”

Jaehwan was the type of person that got spooked fairly easily. A bug flying near his proximity would have caused him to jump like a madman in his seat.

Panicking and wondering if a starfish had somehow latched itself onto his face, Jaehwan slapped his hands over his own cheeks. There was nothing there. “What is it, hyung, what is it?”

“Nothing, Jaehwan. Calm down.”

“Is it in my hair or something?”

Minhyun was looking at anywhere but him. “There’s nothing, really—”

Jaehwan was already running his fingers through his hair, freaking out at the thought that something was crawling in there. Minhyun had been staring at him so seriously, there had to be something—

But after half a minute of searching for the non-existent creature, Jaehwan gave up. His heart still beating fast, he gathered water into the palms of his hands and flung it at Minhyun.

“Hey!”

“You scared me, hyung!”

“You scared yourself!” Minhyun wiped his face where the water had hit. He turned to glare at the younger doctor.

Jaehwan threw more water.

The small and rather weak barrage ended in less than ten seconds. Jaehwan let his tired arms drop. Not only had he calmed down, but his playful side had begun to emerge in between the panic. The frantic splashes of water had turned into mischievous ones, and he really felt like they were at the sea, just playing.

But that didn’t stop the fact that Minhyun was glaring at him underneath his now soaked bangs. The tall doctor took a slow, deep breath before saying, “My turn.”

Jaehwan only had time to register the fact that he was ed when Minhyun began closing the distance between them easily with his long legs.

The younger doctor whirled around and began to run. He managed to take three courageous steps before arms wrapped tightly around his body, impeding his escape.

“So,” Minhyun said calmly. “Dongho taught me how to do the chokehold. Would you like to see?”

Jaehwan paled. Never had it crossed his mind that Kang Dongho, Minhyun’s muscular friend from school, would pass down such knowledge and techniques to Minhyun himself.

This was the worst time to find out. He’d rather find out when Minhyun wasn’t behind him like this, at a position that was quite practical for a chokehold.

“Um.  I’d rather not see. Or be the subject of it. Thanks for the offer though, hyung.”

“You know what? I have a better idea.”

“Wha—”

His words were cut off as Minhyun’s fingers made their way to his sides.

And then the tickling began.

Don’t expect Kim Jaehwan to stay still and silent during a tickle attack. Expect him to thrash around and to giggle and laugh very very loudly.

And that was exactly what he did. He thrashed as much as he could, trying to escape, but Minhyun held him close and continued attacking his sides. Jaehwan tried not to laugh but it was impossible. The giggles turned into shrieks of laughter. Soon his stomach began to hurt from all the laughing.

“Admit defeat,” Minhyun demanded in his most composed voice, as his friend hopelessly kicked at the water.

“Ne-Never!”

“So be it.”

Another thirty seconds passed before Jaehwan finally gave in. Exhausted and out of breath, he wheezed, “Okay, okay, you win.”

The tickling stopped. Jaehwan would have slumped over and landed face-first in the water if Minhyun hadn’t kept ahold of him. So Jaehwan just sort of hung there, limp as a fish.

Silence fell as the sound of waves filled their ears. Their clothes were slightly soaked from all the splashing, and it did feel a little chilly with the wind and all. Jaehwan slowly began gaining his breath and strength.

Then something happened. The arms around him tightened. Not too tight, but tight enough to give the impression of an... urgency? Or something? Jaehwan could only wonder.

If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought it was a back hug. But that would be weird, because Hwang Minhyun didn’t give him back hugs. He just simply didn’t.

It didn’t last long, though. Jaehwan might have even imagined it. Five seconds passed when Minhyun slowly let go. Slow enough for the younger doctor to regain the strength back in his legs and to stand on his own two feet (and surely not fall face-first into the sea).

“We should get going,” Minhyun quietly said from behind him.

Jaehwan turned around to face his friend, only to see Minhyun already making his way to the shore. So Jaehwan followed, already shifting his thoughts to the unanswered questions that had appeared regarding Kang Daniel.

By the time Jaehwan began collecting his scattered-about socks and shoes, Minhyun had already worn his footwear. The older man now stood at a close distance from the waters, an unreadable expression on his face (Minhyun had always been a hard person to read). Jaehwan quickly slipped on his shoes and jogged up to stand beside his tall friend.

They waited another five minutes before beams of lights started to appear from beyond the hill. Then finally, a small white car drove up to the side of the road, slowing down until eventually coming to a stop. The headlights then dimmed, darkness engulfing once again.

The door of the passenger’s flung open almost immediately. A lone figure— a man — emerged from the vehicle, running in the direction of the sea.

Without missing a beat, the driver’s door opened just as quickly. Another figure appeared from it, hurriedly closing the doors before rushing off after the other man.

Jaehwan and Minhyun had fixed their eyes on the newcomers until they could make out their identities.

Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwoo.

The younger of the two was running with a big smile on his face, arms wide open as if to keep his balance from all the times he stumbled on the uneven ground. Behind him, frantically trying to catch up, was Seongwoo.

Daniel quickly reached the shore. His eyes looked back and forth at the sand, as if taking in the sight. Then he suddenly scooped up a small, white seashell from the ground. "Souvenir," he laughed to himself, stuffing the shell into his pocket.

Seongwoo called after him, still from a distance.

"Daniel! Kang Daniel!"

Kicking off his shoes, Daniel swiftly tore off the gloves that had kept his fingers warm. He hopped into the sea, water splashing, and chuckled brightly. He kept going until the water touched his thighs. Then he whirled around, waving a hand to his husband. “Seongwoo, hurry hurry!”

Seconds later and Seongwoo reached the sand, panting heavily. Bending over and catching his breath at the same time, he removed his shoes and strode forwards till he stood next to Daniel.

Daniel grinned even wider and took Seongwoo’s hand, holding tightly onto it before turning to look at the horizon.

Minutes passed by in silence like that. The two men under the full moon and stars, with the sea lapping at their knees and thighs. It was peaceful. It looked peaceful. It felt peaceful.

But then Jaehwan noticed something. From the moment that Daniel whirled around to call for Seongwoo, the latter’s gaze never left Daniel’s face. Not even once.

And now, as Daniel stared in awe at the horizon, Seongwoo’s eyes were still on him. It was an intense stare— as if Seongwoo was searching for something but failing to find it.

More minutes passed before the searching eyes began to shine slightly in the moonlight. Tears had started forming, and one slowly slipped down Seongwoo’s cheek.

As if feeling the intense gaze that was on him, Daniel turned to look at his husband.

Seongwoo, surprised, quickly wiped his eyes and looked away.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked, panic lacing his voice, the smile melting off his face. “Are—Are you crying?”

Shaking his head, Seongwoo answered, “What? No. Something got in my eye.”

But Daniel knew better. He gently wrapped his fingers around Seongwoo’s wrist, to keep the older man from hiding his face. “Don’t lie. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“I’m fine, Daniel. Stop worrying so much. A damn bug flew in my eye or something.”

“Seongwoo—”

“Really, I’m fine.”

The two men stared at each other for a while. Daniel, obviously worried. And Seongwoo, unwavering.

Then the older of the two pulled on a smile and laughed. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Daniel. Let’s just enjoy the view, okay? Please?”

Obviously not looking convinced, Daniel sighed and slowly nodded. Then without a word, he took a step forward, wrapping his husband in a gentle hug.

Seongwoo bit his own lip, as if trying to keep himself from crying again. It didn’t stop his eyes from glazing over, though.

“You know that you can tell me anything, right?” Daniel said, tone unbearably soft. “I’m always here for you. You know that, right?”

“I know.” Seongwoo answered with a voice that slightly quavered, despite his best efforts to keep it steady. He buried his face in Daniel’s broad shoulder and hugged him back. “I know.”

They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, Seongwoo slowly pulled away before flashing another smile. He held tightly onto Daniel’s hand as he turned to gaze at the view in front of them. Reluctantly, Daniel did the same.

Jaehwan turned to look at Minhyun, who still had his eyes on the two men in the water. Then Jaehwan looked down, staring the sand.  A flicker had caught his attention.

There it was. On the sand.

“Hyung,” he said, stepping forwards.

Daniel had worn a pair of gloves but tore them off before running into the sea. Now there they lay, on the ground. Jaehwan bent down and picked one up, shaking off the sand and holding it out for Minhyun to see.

Minhyun nodded. “You found it.” 

It was a blue cotton glove. Jaehwan compared its size to his own hand, and he noted how soft the object was as it flickered in his open palm.

As Jaehwan pressed a couple buttons on his wristwatch, Minhyun walked up to him. The older of the two glanced, one last time, at Daniel and Seongwoo’s figures in the distance.

Then Jaehwan felt Minhyun’s hand wrap around his, the glove in between.

“You ready, hyung?”

Minhyun gave him a small smile, as if lending strength for whatever they were about to see next.

“Ready when you are, Jaehwannie.”

“Here we go then. Activate memento.”

---

Kang Daniel – 38 years old

A small, peaceful village surrounded by hills. Covering the roofs of little cottages, cozy pubs, a lone post office, and other equally tiny buildings were thick layers of white snow. Although it was nighttime, the area was illuminated by the warm lights of the buildings, along with the many streetlamps scattered around the village.

Not only streetlamps, but small pine trees were also placed at various locations, decorated with colorful Christmas lights. The snow falling from the sky adorned the green of the trees as well.

Most of the village’s occupants preferred to stay indoors during the late hours of the night, leaving the streets empty and calm. Jaehwan and Minhyun walked these empty streets, accompanied by the muffled chattering of people inside the buildings.

Jaehwan personally thought that it was a really beautiful place. He wished that he could grab a camera and take a couple of pictures. Maybe hang up those pictures on the wall of his and Minhyun’s shared room, so he could look at them whenever he felt stressed out. The village simply felt therapeutic.

The two doctors came across a pub, where they could hear faint music emanating from inside. Jaehwan’s ears perked up. It was a sort of folk song— a cheerful one with cheerful strings and cheerful clapping.

“I see them,” Minhyun said, looking into one of the pub’s various square windows. “Daniel and Seongwoo are inside, at the table in the back.”

Jaehwan tried looking himself, but the window was a bit too foggy to clearly see their client’s face. “Let’s go in,” he said.

They waited for somebody to open the door. (A door opening on its own would be plain creepy for the people inside. The wind could have been to blame, but the doctors preferred not to take any chances.)

A lone, middle-aged woman finally arrived. Breathing into her hands, she hurriedly entered the pub. Jaehwan and Minhyun quickly slipped in before the door could shut again.

The inside was just as cozy as the village itself. It had a warm fire blazing in a large fireplace in the back. A stage stood tall and proud in the front, where a band of a dozen people were playing the folk music that Jaehwan had heard outside. He saw an assortment of instruments— amongst those were the violin, pipes, flute, and even an accordion. Jaehwan could also see a vacant drum set and guitar at the side of the stage, ready to be played.

There were at least a dozen tables, in which an assortment of people clad in winter-wear were seated. It was quite a joyous atmosphere as the music grew louder, the audience clapped along to the rhythm, and the bartender smiled as he served more drinks.

Jaehwan could see Daniel and Seongwoo seated at one of the tables, in a corner at the back. Both wearing thick warm sweaters, they leaned heavily against each other, faces huddled close as they talked with grins on their faces.

The song hit its and ended with a bang. The room exploded in cheers, some people even standing to show their appreciation.

Daniel and Seongwoo were amongst those people. The two men stood up, clapping and cheering loudly. Jaehwan could even distinguish their voices amid the dozens of occupants in the room.

It took a while, but the noise eventually died down. One by one, the performers left the stage, leaving it empty after encouraging the audience to bravely step up and perform. The pub then slowly lulled into a quiet atmosphere.

Daniel was saying something animatedly to Seongwoo. The younger man’s face was bright as he gestured toward the stage, his eyes fixed on his husband. He then clasped his hands together, as if playfully pleading for something.

Seongwoo laughed and patted Daniel’s shoulder. He took a quick drink from his cup and stood up.

Daniel let out a whoop as Seongwoo began making his way forwards. The room became louder, people murmuring to each other as they watched the tall, handsome man climb confidently onto the stage.

The murmurs turned to cheers as Seongwoo took a seat behind the drums, a dashing smile on his face.

Then he began to play.

It started as a slow, delicate beat. Then he launched into the song, faster and more intense, and the audience cheered louder.

Daniel had the proudest look on his face, jumping up and down and punching the air in excitement. It only caused Seongwoo to laugh and play with even more enthusiasm.

As if the place wasn’t loud enough, it became even louder when Daniel suddenly ran to the front of the room. Smile as wide as ever, he jumped onto the stage and began to dance.

He danced to the beat of the drums, matching himself to the rhythm. Seongwoo seemed a little surprised and halted for one single second, but then easily continued playing.

Jaehwan didn’t know much about dancing, but he knew that what unfolded on stage was amazing. It was obviously not a planned performance, as Seongwoo would suddenly change the rhythm and Daniel would glance at him as if saying “Challenge Accepted”. In return, Daniel would adjust his on-the-spot choreography to the new beat. Seongwoo would smile even wider, even chuckling sometimes.

Some people had recognized Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwoo, and shouted their names excitedly.

The performance ended with fast, intense drumming and finally the smash of cymbals. Daniel suddenly dropped to the floor as if he was a dancing robot that had its plug pulled out.

Jaehwan clapped so hard that his hands hurt; the audience’s cheers deafening. He glanced to look at Minhyun, who was smiling as well and also clapping his hands.

Seongwoo stood up and placed the drum sticks back in its place. Grinning, he walked up to Daniel, who was still sprawled all over the stage.

Daniel then took Seongwoo’s outstretched hand, climbing to his feet. The cheering grew louder, a collective “awww” spreading across the pub, as Daniel held up Seongwoo’s hand and kissed it.

Minhyun chuckled. Jaehwan whooped, palms growing sore from his aggressive clapping.

After taking a gracious bow with their hands intertwined, Daniel and Seongwoo hopped off the stage and ran out the door just like that.

An epic exit.

Jaehwan and Minhyun scrambled after them before the door could close. They barely made it.

The door slammed behind them, yet the loud cheers of the audience still followed, albeit a bit muffled. Jaehwan watched as Daniel and Seongwoo stopped running and began to walk out into the snowy grounds.

The snow continued to fall as Seongwoo tugged a beanie over his head. Daniel dug into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a pair of blue cotton gloves. He quickly slipped them on, letting out a satisfied sigh. He then reached over and took Seongwoo’s hand again.

“Wow,” Seongwoo said.

“Wow indeed,” Daniel replied.

“That was really truly totally absolutely amazing.”

They both laughed, swinging their hands together.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you play drums.” Daniel turned to look at his husband. “I missed that.”

Seongwoo hummed, as if lost in thought. He then nodded. “It has been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Yep.”

“I wasn’t rusty at all though, right?”

“Not at all. You were spectacular.”

Smiling, Seongwoo leaned over and pressed a kiss to Daniel’s cheek. “Thank you very much, mister dancing machine. You were spectacular too.”

The grin on Daniel’s face grew as he said, “It’s a good thing we paid for the drinks before sitting down. Or we would have to go back in and pay.” He covered his mouth, holding back his giggles. “That would have been such an anticlimax.”

Seongwoo laughed. “Or the bartender might chase after us and be like—” He cleared his throat before launching into a dramatic, deep voice, “‘—the performance was in’ amazing but pay for your goddamn drinks, you tourists!’”

Daniel burst out laughing. He bent over, clutching his stomach.

Seongwoo kept going. He waved his free arm, balling his fingers into a fist. He pulled on an exaggerated furious expression as he bellowed, “‘Also teach me how to dance while you’re at it!’”

The (completely inaccurate) impersonation of the bartender sent Daniel into another laughing fit. He was literally wheezing for breath.

It took a while for both Daniel and Seongwoo to calm down. By then, silence fell again. The cheering from the pub had faded into quiet chattering, and the grounds were as empty as ever except for the two men.

(And Jaehwan and Minhyun, of course, but they were invisible and grateful not to have their presence noticed.)

Daniel had regained his breath. He then dug into his pockets again. “Hey. Guess what I brought with me.”

Anticipation all over his face, Seongwoo asked, “What what what?”

But the anticipation disappeared the second that Daniel pulled out the object from his pocket.

It was a stick. A wooden stick a few inches long. Daniel waved it around like a wand.

Seongwoo raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

“No.” Daniel waved the stick again. “I’m Harry Potter.”

“You mean, ‘Harry Pote'."

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Damnit, that is so old, Seongwoo!”

“It’s still funny, though!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Hey, where are you going? Daniel!”

Huffing, Daniel had let go of his husband’s hand and sprinted a couple meters away. He whirled around, pointing the wooden stick right in the direction of Seongwoo’s surprised face.

Amused, the older man just shook his head, as if saying ‘oh this child’.

Then Daniel shouted, “Accio Seongwoo!”

“Wh-Whoa!” Seongwoo let out a dramatic yell and began running towards Daniel. He even added some spins and skidding, as if trying to resist the pull of a powerful magic force. The closer he got, the faster he ran.

He then crashed into Daniel, who could have supported their weight but decided not to.  The “wand” flew out of the younger man’s hand, landing at a safe distance a couple meters away.

With a thud, they both fell onto the snowy ground, laughing in each other’s arms.

It was time to head to the next memory. Jaehwan knew that. But he felt hesitant to leave this one— of Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwoo laughing in the snow— as if staying would somehow freeze everything in this blissful happiness.

He wanted them to be happy. He really did.

It was obvious that unpleasant things would happen in the next memories. Jaehwan could feel it. Not only was it doctor’s intuition, but it was also the clues that he and Minhyun had gathered from the start of their journey up to this current moment.

There was a mystery. A mystery to be solved. But Jaehwan felt that the more they unraveled the mystery, the more agonizing things would get.

He wasn’t looking forward to it. At all.

It seemed that Minhyun felt the same. The older doctor was smiling sadly as he watched Daniel and Seongwoo begin to make snow angels on the ground.

“We really have to go, don’t we, hyung?” Jaehwan said with a tired voice.

Minhyun nodded slowly. “Yeah. We do.” He reached over and gently took Jaehwan’s hand in his. “Let’s go.”

The younger doctor let himself be guided as Minhyun walked towards the direction of their client. They stopped a couple meters away, looking at the ground.

They had both seen it the moment that Daniel brandished it. The flickering across the wooden stick.

Minyhyun crouched down, placing his free hand on the memento.

Jaehwan did the same, allowing himself to listen to a bit more of Daniel and Seongwoo’s laughter and chatter. He didn’t know how long the happiness would last.

“My angel is bigger than yours!”

“No fair, Daniel. You’re bigger than me.”

Ignoring the heaviness in his heart, Jaehwan closed his eyes as everything went familiarly black.

Author's end notes:

The calm before the storm.

___

also, random fact completely unrelated to the story:
(at the Jakarta fanmeet) Jaehwan, Minhyun, and Woojin were playing around with their swivel chairs during the talk session and it was the cutest and dorkiest thing every T___T it started with Jaehwan suddenly spinning in his chair and then he and Minhyun began spinning Woojin's chair and I thought Woojin was gonna freaking FALL OFF or something lol