Playlist for the au: Swinging to the past Playlist

 Or Loving in a one way street Playlist

2 years + abit more earlier [narrator pov]

" Ning, we should get ice-cream after school!" The future hero wrapped her arms around Ning Yizhuo, future [ Girl in the chair ] and tech genius.

"Ahh, I don't wanna~ I'd rather play pubg with Chenle~ and I said I didn't like backhugs didn't I?" The short haired girl rolls her eyes before letting go of her bestfriend and plopping down on the seat right infront of her instead, displaying a pout and crossing her arms.

" I'm your best friend :< You can't abandon me like this! >:[  I'll complain to Auntie Sooyoung!" The gaming addict simply groaned before picking up her backpack, slinging it over both shoulders and walking to the classroom door. Thinking for abit the younger scoffed before turning around to face the pouter before sighing, pointing a finger at the older girl.

" You have to play with me tonight, okay?!" The older of the two grins and picks up her bag, running to link arms with the younger girl. Laughing while smugly wiggling her eyebrows, chiding. ' You can't say no to my charm can you? it's okay~ we understand Ning Ningiee~' To which the younger only rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue at the older. 'You can only wish.'

As the pair walk down the streets of Harlem, they were alerted by the sound of fighting coming from the alleyway. Peeking from behind the wall, the scene finally revealed itself to the middle schoolers. Five men surrounded an older gentlemen who was on the damp ground, whimpering and crying as the five kicked him all around his body, not a single care for the damage they were doing.
 

", Minjeong we should help the guy!" Ning Yizhuo whispers to the girl next to her, pulling her arm. The blonde only hesitated, seemingly contemplating something.

" That's 5 adult men, Ning. Even if we help we won't be able to do anything, we'd just get hurt! Let's call the cops, they'll handle this." The older of the two takes out her phone, dialing the police. After the report was made, the pair was adviced to leave the scene to avoid getting caught up in the situation, and so they did. Holding hands in silence, comforting each other as they walked along to the ice cream shop. 
 

" I can't help but think we should've helped him, Min... I mean- Your families motto is Injustice Unforgiven right? Your dads words... But you're right, we're just a pair of 15 year olds. We couldn't have helped much." As Yizhuo says that, the sound of an ambulance siren blares through the streets of New York. Both girls had one thought in their minds.

That's our guy.

The rest of the day goes well, the pair bought milkshakes and started playing PubG. Even going as far as screaming in the shop, earning them a volume warning. They laugh it off but do tone down the screaming, preferring to kick each other under the table. Minjeong receiving a cut on her shin stops the fight, with Yizhuo apologising by gving her a mouthful of her milkshake to which the older only rolled her eyes.

"I literally have the same exact milkshake." The younger giggles with a bright smile, winking at the older who scoffed, laughing and shaking her head. 

As they walk home, a shop catches their eyes. Looking at it a little closer reveals it to be a voodoo shop, with a bright pink neon sign that read. [ Los Umysłu ] Wonder what that means...

" That looks hella haunted, let's go in." Yizhuo pulls the other into the shop, shaking the bell hung on the door.

" Y'know, when people see things that look haunted they usually don't go in. That's like the beginning of a horror movie, and the first rule of what not to do in one." The future hero simply gives up however, taking a step into the shop albeit hesitant. Alas, The hero has arrived to its maker.

" What might the two of you be looking for, in this humble shop of mine? " A voice comes from behind them when they walk abit further into the store. Was she behind us this whole time!?

" We're just taking a look around ma'am! The vibe of this place is SO cool, the decorations and aesthetic- I love it. " Yizhuo beams at the older woman, who smiles in return of the compliment.

" Ah~ Yizhuo and Minjeong. Would you be interested in a reading perhaps? Free, I earn enough to not take money from children. " Minjeong hesitates, worried if it might be a scam. Her bestfriend on the other hand, nods excitedly and immediately follows the woman.

So the older gives up, finding herself on the seat right besides Yizhuo. A bowl of water, a ritual knife and a crystal ball infront of them. This is seriously creeping me out.

" Now, do me a favour and place both your hands on the crystal." Don't they usually touch it themselves!? Ignoring the thought, both girls place their hands above each others atop the ball, slightly flinching from the coldness. Does she keep it in a fridge or something?

" Now, close your eyes. You'll feel something warm on top of your hand and the ball will slowly heat up okay? After that, a word will come to your mind. Just tell me what that word is and I'll explain to you both what it means after." Is this how it goes?

Closing her eyes, Minjeong tries to close out any thoughts of words she should use. She'd rather it be a true reading of it were to be real, and real it was. A warm liquid trickles onto the back of her hand, leaking below to Ning's. With the tips of her fingers on the ball, she feels it becoming warmer and warmer. How is it...

As it borderlines beginning to be too hot to the touch, a word comes to Minjeong's mind. Sacrifice... What the hell does that mean?!

" Now, you can open your eyes girls. Wash your hands over there, and take those napkins to dry them." Opening her eyes reveals to Minjeong a horrific scene, the liquid on their hands was blood. And the older woman's cut was already healing rapidly. How the hell.

After washing their hands, both girls return to the table. Expectant of their readings.

" You first dear, what had come to your mind?" The older woman sits back down with slight grace and crosses her fingers on the table

"Companionship!" Wha- what does mine mean then...

" I see, that's a good word to receive. In the future, in times of confusion or loss remember to reach out to your friends. As long as you stay true to the friendship yourself, they will do so for you too. What about you little miss?" The hero looks down, contemplating if she should lie and say something else.

"Injustic-"

" There's no need to lie, no need to be afraid of the future. What's to come will be, what's to fear of the future? There's no way to avoid it." Minjeong bites her lip, having half a mind to run away.

" ...S- Sacrifice." The older woman nods as if in understanding to why the younger had wanted to lie at first.

" I see... It'll be okay, my dear. As the word suggests there will be a sacrifice in your future, your choice will be important then. To sacrifice one thing or the other, I await your choice with delight." A sacrifice I have to choose? What the hell-

" Do me a favour, put both your hands on mine." As the girls put their hands on the woman's, her eyes snap shut before she's seemingly shaking.

After a few moments, she opens her eyes and looks towards both of them with a warm smile.

" How about taking a detour home today? If you return home immediately, you might run into things you're better off not seeing. Things that will alter the personality you would benefit most from in the future, what about it, girls?" Both of you nod as you thank the woman, standing up from the table and slightly dusting off your skirts.

"Thanks Miss! That was a really interesting experience!" Both the girls bow to her, with Minjeong seeing a spider land on the old woman's shoulder. Leading her to raise her right hand up to swat it off for the woman. Unexpectedly, the spider jumps on her hand, biting Minjeong.

" Ah, I see your fate has already come to meet you. Do not worry dear, it's not too poisonous. You can just sleep it off for a few days. Now, go home!" The woman ushers the both of them out the store, the pair thanking her once again before walking off.

" Minjeong, your mom is calling me." Yizhuo throws her phone to the older who picks up in a hurry, immediately apologising.

"Hey, mom. We're on the way right now, yeah no worries I'll go right home. No no yeah I'm safe, I'm with Ning right now. We got ice cream and milkshake! No they're not both the same thing! Alright, I'll go home straight away...see you later okay? Yes yes I love you too." Hanging up Minjeong gives the phone back to Yizhuo as she runs a few steps forward.

" I need to go home Ning! Get home safe!" The older of the two begins running and the younger can only shout.

"HEY! WHAT ABOUT THE DETOUR!" To which the older doesn't hear and Yizhuo gives up, deciding to go to the game shop before going home.

Kim Minjeong runs up the steps of her apartment building. Stupid apartment elevators. She fishes out her key from her school bag and pushes it in the keyhole of her apartment, it clinks but the door doesn't open. She tries again, taking out the key and reinserting it a few times.

Finally the lock turns and she breathes a sigh of relief before taking the key out, turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. Getting ready to eat the dinner her mom had probably gotten ready. She was expecting her mother to be waiting for her in the dining room, setting up the table like she had said she'd been doing during the phone call

Except that was far from reality. Taeyeon was in the living room, watching the tv that was displaying the news... News of a murder that had happened in Harlem this afternoon, a man, aged 47, killed after being assaulted by 5 men in East Harlem. He had died on the way to the hospital as the police had gotten there too late, due to a traffic accident that happened near the substation. Bringing up the conversation of emergency vehicle lanes, and the importance of having more sub stations around to cover the distance between stations and having better communication within the force such that a disgraceful incident like this one would not be possibly repeated.

" Oh, Minjeong. You're home?" Her mom shuts off the Tv, walking towards the shell shocked girl. Taeyeon's eyes widen as she watches her daughter fall to the floor, legs giving out.

"Minjeong! Are you okay? Why, are you sick or something? Mom is sorry, I guess the news must've scared you...Don't worry Minjeong, mom will always be around to protect you." The mother hugs her daughter in her arms, misunderstanding the reason her daughter had collapsed to the floor. The younger can only cry into her mothers arms.

" Tha-That man... I saw him, I called the police for him. But I didn't help, and now- he's dead mom! He's dead because of me! I should've helped him, I could've helped him." Taeyeon flinches from the new information, but only hugs her daughter tighter.

" No baby, you're just a kid. You couldn't have helped, you saw the news right? There was five men, even if you and Ning had helped nothing would've changed. I might've even had to rush to the hospital for you and Ning, hm? So don't think of it as your fault, don't put that burden on yourself. How were you supposed to know what would've happened? " With a steady rhythm, Taeyeon softly pats her daughters shoulder. Once she feels Minjeong stop shaking in her arms, she pulls away to look at her face.

" T-thanks mom... I think I'll skip dinner for today." The older woman can only nod in understanding, watching as her daughter walks to her room dragging her feet. She slams the door but the mother could only cry to herself, drained of even the energy to bring up the door.

" Why? Why do that to my daughter, god?" 

The change might have been subtle to others, but jarring to those who truly knew Minjeong personally. Of course as an introvert, she had always been quiet, but never to her friends. She had a bad habit of zoning out during classes, but not for the whole day. Minjeong had always been against violence, but never took part in it herself, even if it was to stop it. 

The call from the school came faster than Taeyeon had expected, being an attentive mother had meant she noticed the changes with her daughter the past few days. She had anticipated it, but never had she thought it would be possible for Minjeong to lose control this quicky. She knew her daughter would still be guilty over the death of that man. Afterall, it was exactly how her father had been before he had died on duty.