(A/N: Finally, you'll get some answers about what exactly an anchor is. Oh, and a bit of fanservice ;D)

three • dat
anchor

-Seoul, Modern-day :: Jung Yonghwa-

We don't take her to the hospital. Jieun says that there's no hope if we do. I don't know what she means, but there's a knowing look in her eye, so I decide to listen to her. Trust the drama addict to have some experience when dealing with time-travelers.

We extract Seohyun and take her—and the clothes, Jieun insists on the clothes—to our car, right as sirens are approaching. She instructs me to drive to the CNBLUE HQ. I do. But numb all the while.

One person—maybe two—died right before my eyes. One moment they were living, breathing people, with families, with stories, with feelings...

"Yonghwa!"

I swerve, realizing that I was almost driving in between lanes. Jieun's eyes are on fire.

"Pay attention to the road," she says coolly. "And could you drive faster? We need Seohyun at the HQ, stat."

I drive borderlining the speed limit. Jieun stops complaining.

When we reach the HQ, Jieun orders me to carry Seohyun and lay her down on the nearest sofa. Seohyun feels frail in my arms, like a glass vase. I feel for her heartbeat. It's slow, dangerously slow.

Jieun covers her with blankets. "We need to keep her body warm," she says firmly. She elevates Seohyun's feet. "We only have a few minutes before her brain starts suffering damage," she murmurs. "So, tell me exactly what she said to you."

My brain screeches to a halt with the pressure. Remember. Remember. Seohyun's life depends on it!

"I—I don't remember..."

Jieun is eerily calm. "You can. Think back, Yonghwa. You raced to the burning car. You put your hand on Seohyun's shoulder..."

"Anchor." The word slips from my lips. "She... she said I would be her anchor."

Jieun's brow furrows. "Was anything else happening? Did you feel something strange?"

"Yeah." Jieun's serenity is soothing my panic. "There was something trickling in my hand. It was... uh... sparky? Lightning-y. Liquid fireworks?"

"But you didn't see anything?"

"No. It was just a feeling..."

Jieun sits next to Seohyun, taking her hand and examining it. "Do you remember the fairytales, Yonghwa?"

The change of topic almost gives me whiplash. "What?"

"When the princesses are sleeping, what do the princes do to wake them up?"

I look for a spark of mischief in Jieun's eye, but there is none. She's serious. Deadly serious. "No way."

"Yes way. I mean it."

What on earth would drive her to that conclusion?! "You want me to kiss her?!"

"Don't give me that," Jieun says quietly. "You've been calling her Seohyun. You care about her."

"Well—yes, as a human being. But kissing—"

Her flat look turns into disappointment. I squeeze my eyes shut and rub my forehead, giving a sigh.

"Fine. Whatever. But I doubt this'll do anything."

She doesn't reply, but moves aside. I kneel by the couch, examining Seohyun. She has really good teeth, at least. I thought people in the Joseon era had half their teeth missing. No toothpaste or mouthrinse or...

"Yonghwa."

"I'm trying."

She actually is beautiful. In that innocent, cute sort of way. She probably could be a model, or a pop star. Not the worst I could be kissing.

"Yonghwa."

"Fine."

I lean in. Her lips are soft, but inanimate. Then I start feeling that trickle again. It tingles as it jumps from my lips to her. Maybe she gave me energy or something, and I'm giving it back to her.

Okay, Jieun was right. It actually is doing something.

The tingling flow stops. I pull back, somehow feeling like I'd just run a mile. Tired, a little drained.

"Her heartbeat's back to normal," Jieun chirps, removing some of the blankets. She grins at me as I slump against the couch, trying to process what I'd just felt.

After that display, there was no doubting that Seohyun's a time traveler. Or a magician. Or both. The whole thing with the tingly flow—that was definitely magic.

"You knew that would happen," I accuse her. "Any skin contact should've been fine. I could've just held her hands."

Jieun stares at me with her lips set in a serious line. "Don't tell me you regret it?"

I freeze. There's still a phantom tingle on my lips. I remember how soft her skin was. How she smelled nice. 

I don't regret it.

And that kinda scares me.

::-::

We don't expect Jang Wooyoung to drop by. Well, if 'dropping by' is what you can call it. More like he flies through the door, almost blasting it off its hinges, and practically tackles Jieun to the ground.

"JIEUN!" he cries. "I heard you were in a car accident! Are you okay? You aren't hurt, are you? Did you call 119?"

Jieun stiffens in his arms for a moment before awkwardly extracting herself from his grasp. "I-it wasn't me in the car accident," she mumbles. "J-just some strangers..."

Wooyoung gives a long sigh. "That's good." Then he stiffens awkwardly. "I mean, of course, car accidents are terrible. No one should get into car accidents. Well, people that are drunk kinda take it on themselves... But it wouldn't be good if they got into one!"

Jieun giggles and ruffles his hair affectionately. His face darkens rather suddenly and he snatches her wrist. She stiffens immediately. Something like guilt flits across Wooyoung's expression, and he quickly releases her arm, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at the floor. The resulting silence pounds at my ears, but I hesitate to open my mouth. I don't want to make things worse, and usually, when it comes to Jieun and Wooyoung, I do.

"My apologies. Am I interrupting something?"

Jieun wheels around to the source of the timid voice—Seohyun, who glances back and forth between Jieun and Wooyoung with pensive uncertainty on her face.

"Unni!" Jieun says brightly, rushing to Seohyun. "This is Jang Wooyoung. He's a famous singer! And, uh, we've been best friends since elementary school." She gently brings Seohyun forward and punches Wooyoung in the arm. "He's gotten a little weird, especially lately, but he's a good friend."

Wooyoung and I wince together. I know that friend isn't exactly how Wooyoung would like to be described...

Seohyun steps forward, fixing Wooyoung with a very clinical stare, almost as if she's examining an extraterrestrial specimen. Wooyoung stares right back, confusion flickering across his brow. After a moment, one corner of Seohyun's mouth pulls up in a triumphant smile, and she turns back to Jieun.

"A... friend?" she repeated.

When Jieun only stares uncomprehendingly at her, Seohyun turns and gently bows to Wooyoung. I can't deny in that moment how... noble she looks.

"You have my condolences for enduring such pain thus far," she says softly, and then turns to me. "Mr. Jung, might I speak to you?"

She takes my elbow and gestures me away from the room, leaving a very confused Jieun behind.

"Wait! Unni, what do you mean? Pain? Hey, Jang Wooyoung, have you been hiding something from me? You don't have a terminal illness or anything, do you?!"

::-::

The moment we're in the adjacent room, away from Wooyoung and Jieun, I open my mouth to speak... only to realize that I have no clue what to say. 'Good job for being perceptive?' 'Jieun really is clueless?' 'Poor Wooyoung?'

In the end, all I say is, "I'm glad you're okay."

Seohyun twists her hands in her dress. "It is thanks to you, is it not?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"If I am yet alive, you must have successfully transfered my life energies back." Her eyes lowered to the ground. "For that, I am very grateful to you."

Well, when she puts it that way, it all sounds so clinical. She probably doesn't know that I... kissed her.

"Now, I believe you have many questions for me," Seohyun continues, either not noticing or choosing to ignore my hesitation. "I presume you believe now that I am a true Joseonite and am able to use magic."

"That's one way to put it," I say. Nothing could make me forget that tingling sensation.

"Very well, then." Seohyun sits demurely on the nearest couch, spine as straight as a ruler. "There are rules to traveling through time, as you might expect. Without such rules, the universe would be in chaos."

"I... can imagine that."

"One of the rules is that in order for a Traveler to stay rooted in a certain time, they must link themselves to an Anchor."

"I'm guessing you don't mean the metal ones they use for ships?"

"You would be correct. An Anchor is any object or organic being that is embedded with a Traveler's life energies." Seohyun folds her hands in her lap. "The more Anchors a Traveler links to themselves, the safer they are. However, Anchors require constant energy to maintain."

"So you can't have too many or you'll die?"

"Your life energies will drain until you find yourself immobile and die of starvation or dehydration," Seohyun agrees placidly. I wince at the strong image. "Now, I was attempting to save the man's life in the car accident by feeding him my life energies."

"That would make him an Anchor."

"Yes."

"But he died."

"Yes. As I would have, since my life energies had linked with his by that time." A slight smile lifts when she sees my obvious confusion. "The reason I did not perish is because you aided me."

I blink. "You gave me some of your life energies, didn't you? Wouldn't that make you even more tired?"

"Not really. Because I started a dual flow, you would have just enough of my energy to bring me back to life." Seohyun closes her eyes. "I apologize for my selfishness."

"Selfishness?" I repeat. 

"You are now my Anchor," Seohyun says, as if that explains everything. 

"What, is that a bad thing?" I ask hesitantly. 

"Because you are embedded with my life energies, you will find yourself feeling... different."

"Different, how?"

"You have excess life energies, so you should feel stronger and healthier than before."

This woman is confusing me more and more with each word she says. "Well, doesn't sound like I get the bad end of the deal," I say with a smile, trying to cheer her up.

Seohyun doesn't smile back. Her reluctance makes me feel on edge.

"Is there a catch or something?" I ask.

Seohyun bites her lip. "Not particularly," she says. "I simply..." She pauses, searching for words. "You have become my Anchor without your consent."

"I would've done it anytime," I say, knowing that it's true.

She smiles, but her eyes are grim. "You are a very good man, Mr. Jung. Thank you for your kindness."

I want to press her for more information, but I can tell that she'd only clam up more. Either she doesn't trust me, or there really is something terrible associated with being an Anchor. I don't care, either way. If it meant saving a life—Seohyun's life—I'd do it over and over again.

(A/N: D'awwwwwww. You're falling, Yonghwa, and you don't even realize it >:D)