Index:

(DW) - Dongwoo speaking
(YJ) - Young Jae speaking
(DH) - Daehyun speaking
(BY) - Yongguk speaking
(L) - Myungsoo speaking
(JU) - Jongup speaking
(Z) - Zelo speaking

Daehyun speaking

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The hustle and bustle of the people within the cafe was a pleasant change from the usual silence the cafeteria in the hospital normally held. Sitting at a table in the corner, Daehyun looked around a bit. The cafe walls were brown with skinny light pink stripes every three, maybe four, inches. The dark, wooden tables had a round top with three circles each creating a different section that almost seemed similar to a bullseye. The tables had three legs in the middle that slowly curled outwards both at the top and at the bottom. The chairs were wooden as well, painted a rich brown that matched the color of the table. It had a curved top, allowing for the tree-like design in the center to proudly stand out. The chairs each also had a cushiony bottom, allowing for a more comfortable experience.

There were a few sofas here and there that had been placed by the counter so that people that were simply waiting for their order could leave once they’ve received it. The counters themselves were a white top with a brown base and around the counter or on top of it, displays had been set up to showcase the different kinds of goods they had up for sale. The lighting wasn’t too extravagant, but it was enough to at least keep the cafe lit up. Then again, they didn’t really need it at the moment since the sunlight coming through the large windows at the front kept the majority of the cafe lit up.

Daehyun had even heard once that the cafe used to have a carpeted floor instead of a tiled one. Both floorings had been a light brown, but since the carpeting was a bit more difficult to clean up as opposed to tiles, they had changed it. Well, even with the different flooring, the cafe was still fairly nice to be in. The music may have repeated, but it was at least nice to listen to. It was mostly a soothing type of instrumental music that just seemed to fit the cafe scene.

It was rather relaxing and Daehyun wondered why he didn’t come to this cafe more often. Looking outside, Daehyun let out a soft sigh as he smiled a bit. Since it was May now, it was a little warm, but it was still cool enough to have to wear a sweater or a light jacket. Well, it was usually this way in the city anyway. The winds were fairly strong, but not to the point that it would blow a person off of their feet. It usually wouldn’t really get hot until June.

Until then, Daehyun could happily enjoy hot chocolate to his heart’s content. Looking down at his cup, Daehyun smiled a bit as he tilted it a bit to read the text on the side of the cup. It was just the name of the restaurant and its logo, but Daehyun normally took the time to look at it anyway. People took the time and effort to design the image, come up with a restaurant name, etc., so he might as well at least give it some appreciation.

After taking a nice long sip of his hot cocoa, Daehyun set his cup down as he held it around the bottom rim with both hands. He lifted his gaze, his eyes looking around to see so many people on their phones, tablets, etc. Daehyun didn’t necessarily own a phone like that. He much preferred simplicity, hence why he still had an old-fashioned flip phone. Sure, he could manage a smart phone just fine, but why bother if he wasn’t even going to use the majority of the applications that the phone had to offer?

Scratching the side of his arm, Daehyun looked back down at the remainder of his donut holes. Even though he had gotten them at a different store, donut holes were usually worth it. They may not feel as if they’re not giving as much as a normal donut, but donut holes just gave that feeling of sweet satisfaction for that brief moment. Plus, if he didn't finish it, it wasn’t so awkward to have a half eaten donut as opposed to a bunch of remaining donut holes.

Picking up the toothpick he had set off to the side in the container, he pierced the sweet delicate layer and stopped about half way before slowly lifting the donut hole. Daehyun examined the donut hole, a small and unintentional smirk playing across his lips as he raised a single brow. How could something so small be so addicting and delicious? Opening his mouth, he brought the donut hole close and slowly stuck his tongue out before using his tongue to slowly pull the donut hole off of the toothpick. Once the toothpick was no longer necessary for that moment, Daehyun placed the toothpick back into the container before he happily chewed.

As he chewed, Daehyun pulled his left sleeve up a bit before turning his wrist slightly. He adjusted his watch slightly before finally looking at the time. Daehyun kind of wished he had gotten something else to eat for his lunch, but this was the fastest in terms of obtainment. Plus, it was a bit more relaxing to eat as opposed to something like a burger or pasta. It definitely wasn’t filling nor was it the best thing to eat when nourishing oneself, but it was a little late to be regretting his decisions.

Just as he set his arms back down onto the table, Daehyun’s ears pricked up from the sound of the chairs moving in front of him. He looked up, his gaze landing on a couple with a child with them. A small smile slowly showed itself as he watched the small child sit in their seat and reach up for their food. The child barely made it over the table, only the top half of her nose and above could see above the table. Even when she lifted her chin, her chin barely made it over the table. Daehyun looked away, his smile ever growing as he looked down at his donut holes. He really wanted as many children as Young Jae would allow.

At least there was one good thing that his memory had just recalled. He was going to get not one, but two babies soon! Daehyun instantly hit his forehead with the palm of his head as he quietly chuckled to himself. How could he have forgotten about the babies that him and Young Jae were going to have? How long has it been already; two, maybe three months? That meant, at the very least, six more months until their babies would be here. Well, the babies would have to be watched at the hospital for a few more weeks once they were born, maybe even a month, but Daehyun only hoped that they would turn out healthy.

Picking up his toothpick, he held his smile as he began eating again. Young Jae had been stable this entire time and he hadn’t heard anything bad about their babies, so things seemed to be relatively positive at least. Daehyun just hoped that Young Jae would at least wake up before the babies arrived. He wanted to share their first meeting with Young Jae after all.

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Yongguk looked around, his right eyebrow twitching a bit as he tried hard to figure out where to find the items on Himchan’s list. Since he was done with work, he had time to do the grocery shopping before he had to go out again after dinner. Still, what kind of list had Himchan pulled together? Yongguk knew that if he didn’t get the items that had been requested, Himchan really wouldn’t let him in until late at night. Even when he was so determined to gather the requested items, this list literally had him going all over the city.

Just as he was about to pull his phone out, a familiar blond duo soon caught his attention. Raising a single brow, Yongguk pulled his phone out as he looked at the time. Yongguk was a bit surprised to see that he had completely forgotten that the two would get out of school before he finished his shift. Still, he did wonder what they were up to. They were pretty far from home and although they were old enough to handle themselves in New York City during the daytime, Yongguk’s own curiosity grew a bit. Folding the piece of paper back up, Yongguk placed his hands into his pockets as he quietly followed behind the two. He made sure not to follow too close to where he would be detected, but close enough so that he could keep a close eye on the two.

Completely unaware that they were being followed, the two looked around with diligence for the perfect birthday present. Even though Taeyeon had offered to bring them to Chinatown tomorrow, Zelo had gotten a bit impatient and dragged poor Jongup along. They had already gone through one of the stores on their list, but they just didn’t seem to have anything that held that special oomph to it. So, they had to move on to the next store where Zelo recalled seeing Domo plushies being sold there. Daehyun liked Domo plushies.. right?

There was just a bit of a problem though. There may be a possibility that they could be sort of... well, lost. They may have grown up in New York City, but even the city can be confusing at times, especially if one doesn’t frequent a certain area as often as others. “I think it was this way...” (Z)

“This doesn’t look familiar though. I think we went the wrong way.” (JU) Zelo scratched his head as he looked down at his phone. He had pulled up his GPS in an attempt to figure out their location and where they were supposed to go, but he didn’t necessarily know the address for their destination. So, sadly, they had to rely on their own knowledge of the city as well as the map that they currently had.

“Man... I’m hungry now. Let’s get something to eat!” (Z) Zelo looked around, though he wasn’t really certain where they should eat. Well, actually, he didn’t even know where the restaurants were. Sure, he saw grocery stores nearby, but they only either sold snacks or food that needed to be prepared. Considering the fact that they were lost, they couldn’t exactly prepare any food if they end up buying anything. “Gah.. Why is this place so confusing?!” (Z)

“Can you look up nearby restaurants then? Maybe there’ll be someplace good.” (JU) While Zelo was busy looking up restaurants, a hand soon landed on Jongup’s shoulder. Looking at the hand on his shoulder, Jongup blinked in slight confusion before his gaze trailed up the person’s arm. His eyes widened, but before he could say anything, the person quickly put a finger to their lips before pulling Jongup away. Zelo scratched his head once more before his eyes finally landed on the nearest restaurant.

“Hey! There’s a restaurant just right.. around.. the... Jongup?” (Z) Zelo looked around, but he couldn’t find Jongup anywhere. All he saw was the usual populace of New York City’s Chinatown, which didn’t really help him at all. Putting his phone away, Zelo took a few steps towards the location that they had just come from as he continued to look around. “Jongup? Where’d you go?” (Z)

While Zelo was busy looking for Jongup, Jongup stood in a nearby alleyway, watching Zelo. A small tap on his shoulder quickly drew his attention as he turned to look back at Yongguk. “You two shouldn’t be here on your own.” (BY)

“I know.. but Zelo really wanted to help me get the best present for dad.” (JU) Jongup was relatively relieved that Yongguk was here. With him around, then that meant that they weren’t lost anymore. Even with this sense of safety though, Jongup did wonder how Yongguk ended up finding them.

“Well, come on. Let’s get Zelo then and get something to eat. You two are hungry, right?” (BY) Jongup nodded before turning around and following Yongguk out of the alleyway. He did wonder what kind of food they would end up eating, but he also did wonder if Yongguk would go around with them in search for the best present to get Daehyun.

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New York City is known for its constant movement and noise, almost never having a quiet moment in time. It may be too much for some people to handle, but for some reason, it brought forth a bit of peace for Daehyun. He looked out at the city, the lights shimmering here and there as people continued to walk along the sidewalks while cars traveled to and from places. Even at nighttime, the city was always on the move. The only good thing when it came to the traffic at night was that there were less cars out.

Daehyun would have driven to the bar that he had planned to go to with Yongguk, but that seemed like a pretty bad idea. He didn’t really know how much he planned to drink, so he didn’t want to cause any harm to anyone. Plus, it was illegal to drive while under the influence. It would be pretty ironic for him to be pulled over and arrested for having alcohol in his system while driving. So, the only other option he had was to take a bus and then walk from there. It was only about twenty to twenty-five minutes away, so it wasn’t too much of a problem for him. Sadly, if he ended up drinking too much, then he might have to car pool with someone.

Being on a bus brought nostalgia to Daehyun. It may have only been a little over a year, but it felt like it’s been longer than that since he first met Young Jae. Daehyun smiled, resting his head against the cool glass as he continued to look out the window and daydream about the past. His left hand slowly moved, sliding off of his lap as it reached out for the person next to him. However.. there was no one there.

Lifting his head a bit, Daehyun looked down at the empty seat beside him. That was right... Young Jae wasn’t here with him. Slowly, he pulled his hand back onto his lap as he rested his head against the bus window once more. It was okay. There hadn’t been anything else that had happened to Young Jae and he believed that Young Jae would be alright. He can go just a bit longer without Young Jae. It’s not like he would be gone forever.. right?

He closed his eyes tightly as he grit his teeth and clenched his fists. Why was he feeling like this now of all times? Daehyun felt fine this morning and now.. he almost couldn’t bare the feeling of emptiness once more. No, he couldn’t be like this. Daehyun had to recollect himself and keep moving forward. Young Jae WILL come back. He just needed more time and Daehyun would give him all the time that he needed. Opening his eyes, Daehyun looked up as he felt the bus slowly come to a stop. He quickly got to his feet before making his way off of the bus.

The second the cool night air hit his face, Daehyun took in a deep breath and stretched a bit. Just a bit of fresh air made him feel better, being just what he needed to get over his sadness. He just hoped that it continued this way while he was drinking with Yongguk and the others. There was no point getting everyone else down with his own sadness.

Just as he started to sigh, something quickly hit his left cheek, causing him to flinch away a bit. Reaching up, he wiped his cheek off before looking at the small amount of water on his hand. Looking upwards, he finally realized that the clouds above had been creating an ominous look. Although he loved the rain, he hadn’t thought about bringing an umbrella or anything along those lines to help keep him safe from the rain. Well, it shouldn’t be too bad, right? Rain doesn’t usually last for too long, though he kind of hoped he could hitch a ride with someone that isn’t too drunk to drive after they were done here.

He picked up the pace a bit as the rain began falling a bit more now. As nice as it was to walk around in the rain, it wasn’t as nice to sit for a couple of hours in wet clothing. Luckily, the bar wasn’t all that far from the bus stop, maybe a block and a half, so he managed to make it there in time before the rain had decided to soak him to the bone.

Stepping inside of the bar, he let out a relieved sigh as he dusted himself off a bit. It wouldn’t really help him since the only thing on him were the rain drops that had managed to hit him, but it was more out of habit as opposed to actually trying to wipe anything off of him. Once he felt straightened out, Daehyun looked here and there a bit before his eyes landed on a familiar group of men whom seemed to have decided to wait for him. With the best smile that he could muster, Daehyun took in a deep breath before he made his way over to their usual table.

As he approached, one of the men looked up before a huge grin showed up on his face. He raised his hand, causing everyone else in the group to turn and see who he was waving to. Daehyun rubbed the back of his head with slight embarrassment with having everyone’s attention on him. Once he was at the table, he looked at everyone with a small smile on his face. “Hey guys. It’s been a while.” (DH)

“Man, too long! Where’ve ‘ya been?! Dude! You need to chillax with us more often!” (DW)

“Chillax..? What are you, some gangster teenager trying to act like a smart ? Have you been hanging out with your brother again?” (L) A few snickers escaped from Yongguk as well as from Daehyun. Myungsoo looked back up at Daehyun before moving over a bit. “Sit down already. It’s awkward if you’re just gonna stand there staring at us.” (L)

“Ah.. yeah. Thanks.” (DH) He slid into the empty spot, his smile holding as he looked around at everyone. How long has it been since he’s actually gone out drinking with everyone? Probably a couple of months, but it didn’t really matter too much for the time being. Placing his hands on the table, Daehyun would have looked at the menu, but it didn’t seem like there had been any dropped off at the table. “Where’s the menu?” (DH)

“Don’t worry ‘bout it! I ordered everything this time.” (DW) Dongwoo folded his arms as he nodded. Daehyun looked over at Yongguk, but he merely shrugged. It seemed like Dongwoo had gotten here ahead of time just so that he could get things ordered already. It was probably a good thing too, since the service here wasn’t really that great to begin with. Sure, the staff were all nice people, but they were relatively slow when serving their customers. Daehyun did wonder what Dongwoo had ordered though. He had hoped to get some sort of appetizer or something he could munch on while he drank. Sure, he’s already had dinner, but there was nothing wrong with having a small snack while drinking. “So Daehyun! Whatcha been up to?” (DW)

“Ah... Nothing much. Just working a lot to support everyone.” (DH) There hadn’t really been anything else he had been up to for these past few months. He did regret the way he had been acting, considering the fact that he hadn’t been spending enough time with everyone else, but at least he was planning to change that now. “What about you?” (DH)

“Nothing much.” (DW) Dongwoo simply shrugged as he slouched in his seat a bit. Myungsoo merely shook his head a bit as he looked up at the approaching waitress. Everyone seemed to sit up as the woman lowered the tray she currently held before setting everything onto the table. Once she was gone, Daehyun looked at the alcohol that Dongwoo had ordered. “Ah, finally! Let’s get some alcohol into us.” (DW)

“Did you order food?” (DH) Sadly, his question seemed to fall on deaf ears as Dongwoo happily began pouring out alcohol into the four cups that the waitress had brought them. He would have asked Yongguk or Myungsoo, but neither one of them seemed to know the answer to that question either. “Hey, Dongwoo. Are you listening?” (DH)

“Nope. Not one bit.” (DW) Dongwoo briefly glanced up at Daehyun and flashed a grin before looking back down at the cups. Daehyun let out a small sigh as he set his elbow onto the table before resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Eventually, Dongwoo finished equally pouring out the alcohol before passing a cup to everyone. “Come on now, drink up! I got us a lot of drinks, so you all better finish it!” (DW)

“Hey Yongguk. Are you driving home?” (DH) Yongguk grabbed hold of his drink before looking up at Daehyun. He thought on the question for a moment, though the answer was already clear on his mind.

“Yeah. Why?” (BY)

“Mind if I car pool with you?” (DH) Did that mean that Daehyun hadn’t driven here? Yongguk didn’t necessarily like the idea of Daehyun drinking too much, but it should be alright as long as they watched him. Well, at least this way, Daehyun would be able to loosen up and get his mind off of things while he was here.

“Nah.. I don’t mind at all.” (BY) Daehyun seemed to brighten up a bit as he took hold of his own drink. The four of them raised their glasses a bit, holding them at the center of the table as Dongwoo began talking.

“Well.. This should go to a long awaited reunion! Cheers!” (DW) With a clink of their glasses, the four of them brought their cups to their lips before they began drinking. It was only a matter of seconds before the sound of a glass being set on the table drew their attention. Daehyun let out a small sigh of satisfaction as he wiped his mouth with his hand. Once the others were done, Daehyun reached for the bottle before he began pouring himself another drink. “There ya go, Daehyun!” (DW)

Yongguk raised a single brow as he watched Daehyun begin to drink his second cup. He wasn’t really liking where this was going, so he really hoped that Dongwoo had ordered food as well. At least with food, it would have drawn Daehyun’s attention away from heavily drinking. Sadly, he didn’t necessarily know how many cups it would be before the alcohol began to kick in for Daehyun, so he would have to watch over Daehyun carefully. The second there was any change in Daehyun’s behavior, he had to take the alcohol away from him.

While everyone was just starting to get their second glass, Daehyun was already finishing up his third. Dongwoo may have been a bit too happy about the fact that Daehyun was letting loose, but both Yongguk and Myungsoo couldn’t help but worry a bit. Just as Daehyun reached for the bottle, Myungsoo quickly took hold of Daehyun’s wrist. Daehyun quickly looked at Myungsoo, confusion clear in his eyes as Myungsoo set Daehyun’s hand down onto the table. “I think.. you should pace yourself. Wouldn’t want to get drunk so quickly, right?” (L)

Daehyun thought for a moment before slowly nodding. Once Myungsoo released his wrist, Daehyun pulled his hand away a bit as his gaze slowly focused in on the nearest bottle. He had promised Young Jae that he wouldn’t let himself go with the drinking, but it was just too tempting. Still, he needed to learn self control. With a small sigh, Daehyun ran a hand through his hair before looking away. “So uh.. about that food..” (DH)

“Yeah, I ordered food. You know how slow the service is so it might be another ten minutes?” (DW) Daehyun nodded a bit as he set his forearms onto the edge of the table. His right leg was shaking a bit, but he was getting a little impatient while waiting for the food. He turned back to look at the bottle practically within arms reach of him, but the sound of someone clearing his throat quickly made him look away again. Daehyun wasn’t even certain that it had been someone at this very table, but it didn’t matter.

He just needed to keep himself under control using every little resource he could muster.

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Disbelief coursed through his entire being as Young Jae quickly slouched in his seat. Was this supposed Daehyun’s telling the truth? He was... in a coma? Slowly, Young Jae raised his hand as he stared at it for the time being. If he was in a coma, then.. how could everything feel so real? Considering how things normally went and felt between reality and a dream-like state, he could only assume that when a person is in a coma, they could feel the same thing as those in a dream state. Though, his assumptions most definitely seemed to be incorrect.

His hand practically dropped back down onto the couch as Young Jae’s gaze shifted to the floor in front of him. He wanted to be out of this place. He wanted to be back in his real body, to be back in the real world. No more being here in the world that only seemed to bring him frustrations. He wanted... to be with his family again.

Then.. how much time has passed since he’s been in a coma? A few minutes in a dream had turned into a few hours in reality. Here, it’s been a few hours, maybe even a day or so. So.. had days, maybe even weeks, passed in the real world? Though, judging by that image of Daehyun he had seen before, it seemed like months, maybe even years had passed already since his comatose state.

Despite his disbelief, another feeling began to course through his veins. His eyebrows slowly furrowed as his hands began to curl into fists. Looking up a bit, Young Jae got to his feet before he began looking around. “HEY! WHOEVER THE HELL YOU THINK YOU ARE, GET OUT HERE THIS INSTANT! Dammit.. Why did you wait until NOW to tell me ANYTHING?!” (YJ)

Young Jae walked up to the coffee table in front of him before kicking at it. He wanted to take his rage out on all of the items in this room, but he was certain that he wouldn’t feel an ounce of achievement from such a thing. Even if that was case, at least he would feel a bit more satisfied. “GET OUT HERE, NOW!” (YJ)

Young Jae.. You need to-

“DON’T! Just.. don’t. Step out here right now.” (YJ) Young Jae wasn’t going to take no for an answer anymore. All of these secrets were really pissing Young Jae off and he wasn’t going to stand for it anymore. Not being told where he was, he almost didn’t mind. Not being told what to do in these different worlds, he also didn’t mind. However, not being told that he was currently in a coma?! That was a HUGE piece of information that he needed to know. Sure, he couldn’t necessarily do anything with that piece of information, but he would prefer to know as opposed to being in the dark about it.

... Are you sure you want me to come out?

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be yelling so damn much!” (YJ) Young Jae had calmed down a bit to keep himself from kicking the poor coffee table yet again, but he still needed to take his frustration out on someone. Even if it was a fake version of Daehyun, it was at least something! He waited patiently, wondering if what he said would finally convince whoever the heck he has been talking to to come out. Since this wasn’t the real Daehyun, Young Jae wouldn’t care if he ended up beating the living daylights out of this figment of his imagination. Why did it matter? It’s not like it was going to penalize him in any way and besides, he needed some way to vent out his frustration. Sure, he could talk it out, but that wasn’t going to make Young Jae feel better for the time being.

The sound of a door opening quickly caught Young Jae’s attention. Turning around, he was about to start yelling, but all that anger of his seemed to deflate once his gaze landed on Daehyun. Was this some kind of joke? Was this supposed to keep him from beating the crap out of this Daehyun? Young Jae wasn’t amused and his anger only seemed to rise once more once Daehyun had closed the door. Daehyun weakly smiled, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away a bit. “I.. guess I’m out now.” (DH)

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you think you can gain my sympathy by looking ill?! If this is some kind of joke, I demand you cease this foolishness at once!” (YJ) Young Jae walked up to Daehyun and quickly took a hold of his collar. He lifted his collar a bit, pulling him roughly as he glared angrily into Daehyun’s eyes. “I don’t like being played with!” (YJ)

“I... It’s not a joke, Young Jae.. I.. am stuck with the real Daehyun’s form.” (DH) Young Jae hesitated as his grip loosened slightly. He stared at Daehyun, trying to see if he was telling some sort of lie just to get out from being in trouble. This had to be a lie, right? Sure, he looked just like the Daehyun in the weird vision he had, but this couldn’t be how Daehyun really was at the moment! Pushing Daehyun against the door, Young Jae was about to turn away, but he quickly paused. His eyes looked back at Daehyun, trying to examine every small feature that he held as tears began to well up. Was this really.. what Daehyun had been reduced to?

“.. How long...” (YJ) Young Jae took in a deep breath to calm himself. He didn’t need to end up doing something he may end up regretting. Whether this is a dream or not, Young Jae needed to be careful of his actions. Who knows what would happen if he really did end up killing this Daehyun? “How long.. have I been in a coma? Do you know..?” (YJ)

Daehyun thought on the question for a moment. He wasn’t really certain on how long Young Jae had been in a coma. Unlike Young Jae, Daehyun actually knew what was going on in the real world.. well, to an extent. Whatever Young Jae’s body saw or heard, that’s what he saw or heard, so for all he knew, Young Jae had been in a coma for over a year. Still.. from what he heard from Jongup when he had visited the other day, it seemed like they were relatively close to Daehyun’s birthday. “I’m not really sure, but.. I think you’ve been in a coma for two to three months now.. I remember Jongup mentioning it was getting close to Daehyun’s birthday.” (DH)

“Daehyun’s birthday..” (YJ) Young Jae turned around as he began walking towards the couch. Has it really been that long..? He’s already missed Jongup’s birthday and he was going to end up missing Daehyun’s birthday? So did that mean that each world he completed, that was equivalent to a month? Young Jae ruffled his hair in frustration as he kicked the back of the couch. Turning around, he would have probably continued yelling, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do. Even though this wasn’t the real Daehyun, this Daehyun still projected how the real one looked like. “I want to wake up.. Why can’t you just give me these so called books instead of making me go through all of these trials?” (YJ)

“You have to sort your own memories out.. In other words, this whole building basically represents you. The rooms you are fixing are.. uh.. specific memories of a time that had been.. undone, I guess. The only way to get these books are to fix the rooms. Does that make sense..?” (DH) Young Jae sighed as he scratched the back of his head. It made sense, but it was just complete nonsense to have to go through so much trouble just to fix his own mind. He would almost, ALMOST, prefer to have to go through surgery by quack doctors as opposed to having to go through all of this. Then again, when does it ever go his way?

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The three males each felt a bit awkward now that they’ve had Daehyun drink a bit too much alcohol. Daehyun had been going on a drunken rant for the past half hour, telling about how life wasn't fair and how he wanted to just give up on the world already. Yongguk was mentally kicking himself constantly for not watching Daehyun closer, but there was nothing they could do about it now. All they could do was make sure that he didn’t get another drin-

Too late.

Daehyun downed yet another cup before almost slamming his head down onto the table. He had a firm grip on his cup, which was probably the only reason why no one had taken his glass away. It was also a bit surprising that they hadn’t been able to take the bottles away whenever Daehyun reached for one. However, they hadn’t ordered anymore drinks and they refused to let the waitress bring anymore. Sadly, there was just one bottle left that Daehyun hadn’t gotten his hands onto yet. “Hey.. Daehyun. Do you want to go home now?” (BY)

“No... Naw ye’... I want.. 'nother drinkuh..” (DH)

“You’ve had enough, Daehyun.” (L) Daehyun remained silent as he raised his cup a bit before shaking it. He was attempting to ask for another drink this way, but no one was about to get him another one any time soon. While Yongguk was shaking his head, Myungsoo looked up at Dongwoo before glaring. “You know, it’s your fault that he’s drunk.” (L)

Dongwoo's eyes widened with surprise as he looked at Myungsoo with disbelief. “My fault?! I didn’t do anything! He’s the one who wanted to drink..” (DW)

“And you should’ve known better than to encourage it. You already know the state he’s in.” (L) Dongwoo sighed as he picked up another waffle fry. Myungsoo sighed as he looked down at Daehyun before slowly lowering Daehyun’s hand back down onto the table. “Daehyun.. You should eat something and get sober. Aren’t you staying at the hospital?” (L)

In that instant, Daehyun sat up and rocked back and forth before somehow managing to stabilize himself. He turned his head towards Myungsoo, narrowing his eyelids as he leaned in a little. Reaching up, Daehyun softly touched Myungsoo’s cheek before pinching it rather harshly. “Hospi’al? Hospi’al..” (DH)

Slowly, his grip loosened before his hand dropped back down onto the seat. Placing his elbow onto the table, he held his forehead in the palm of his hand as he closed his eyes. “Hospi’als... I ha’e.. hospi’als..” (DH)

As Myungsoo rubbed his poor cheek, Yongguk looked at Daehyun. Maybe it hadn’t been all that great of an idea to go to the bar. Looking down at the food, Yongguk was surprised to see that Daehyun hadn’t even finished the food that had been ordered. By now, they would have had to order more food for themselves, but now it seemed like they had too much. “Hey Daehyun.. Maybe you should eat something. Look at all of this food that’s left.” (BY)

“Yeah! I ordered so much food since you normally finish everything.” (DW) Daehyun lifted his head as he slightly opened his eyes. He looked from Dongwoo, to Yongguk, then back to Dongwoo, before looking down at the food. Letting go of his glass, Daehyun slowly reached for one of the hot dogs before hesitating. Instead, he quickly swiped the bottle that Dongwoo had carelessly set next to himself before drinking directly out of it. “Daehyun!” (DW)

Myungsoo quickly wrapped his arms around Daehyun while Yongguk got up from his seat and made his way around. Lowering the bottle while trying to make certain that it didn’t end up spilling all over Daehyun, Yongguk somehow managed to slip the bottle out of Daehyun’s grasp before taking a few steps back. Despite Daehyun’s drunken attempts to break free from Myungsoo’s grasp, Myungsoo held strong. “Leggo! Jus’ lemme drink..!” (DH)

“You’ve had enough, Daehyun.” (BY) Yongguk looked at the bottle, noticing that there wasn’t really much left inside of it. Since he had a high tolerance level, Yongguk let out a small sigh before quickly drinking the rest of the liquid. Once it was gone, Yongguk set the bottle down onto the table before picking up the hot dog that Daehyun had reached for and held it in front of his face. “Do you want to eat or do I have to bring you home? What would Young Jae say if he saw you like this?” (BY)

“Young Jae..” (DH) Daehyun quickly calmed down as he looked at the hot dog in front of him. Reaching up as much as possible, Daehyun slowly took a hold of the hot dog before staring at it a bit more. Looking up at Yongguk, Yongguk gave a small nod as he folded his arms.

“If you want to eat it, go ahead. Myungsoo, you can let him go now.” (BY) As Myungsoo released his hold on Daehyun, Daehyun looked down at the hot dog once more. He showed hesitance, but he finally gathered up the courage to take a bite out of the hot dog. Turning towards the table, Daehyun took another bite as tears began welling up within him. He felt guilty for breaking his promise to Young Jae and he felt shame that he had to have both Myungsoo and Yongguk prevent him from drinking. Though... the only reason the tears fell down his cheeks was mostly because he missed Young Jae.

He forced himself to finish chewing the two bites he had taken before Daehyun ended up squeezing the life out of the poor hot dog and throwing it back onto the table. He buried his face into the palm of his hands, letting the tears fall with little to no regard as to whom could possibly be watching him. He hated this. Even after deciding on taking better care of himself, it just felt like a lie to him. Without Young Jae, it just felt meaningless to even try to move forward. This place, as nice of a gesture as it was, Daehyun didn’t want to be here anymore. He just.. wanted to be by Young Jae’s side.

The other three didn’t necessarily know what to do. It had caught them completely off guard, so they exchanged glances before looking away. The only thing that Yongguk could come up with was to bring Daehyun home. Bending over a bit, Yongguk rubbed Daehyun’s back as he attempted to smile. “Hey.. I think it’s time I brought you home.” (BY)

“N-No.. I only wanna be wi’h Young Jae...” (DH) Yongguk didn’t know if bringing Daehyun to the hospital would be a good idea. It was one thing if they were trying to save Daehyun from alcohol poisoning, but it was another to bring a drunkard to the hospital just because he wanted to be there. Of course.. maybe the drive there would sober Daehyun up a bit. He slid his hand back up to Daehyun’s shoulder before giving it a light squeeze.

“Alright. Let’s get you to Young Jae then.” (BY) Daehyun slowly lifted his gaze as he looked up at Yongguk. With a small nod, Daehyun attempted to get to his feet with both Yongguk and Myungsoo’s help. Before they did anything else though, they did make sure to clean up Daehyun's hands and face with a nearby napkin. Once Daehyun’s arm was slung over Yongguk’s shoulders, Yongguk wrapped his arm around Daehyun’s waist before looking at the other two. “A’ight. We’re gonna head out now. You two gonna be okay heading home?” (BY)

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about us.” (L)

“We’ll be fine! We’ll just finish up the food, have another drink or two, then head home. Just take good care of Daehyun, alright?” (DW) Yongguk nodded before he began leading Daehyun towards the door. He paused though before turning back to look at the other two.

“How much is everything anyway?” (BY)

“Don’t worry about it! It’s my treat. Heh.. With how things turned out, I think I should pay for everything anyway.” (DW) Yongguk smirked and gave a small nod before he lead Daehyun outside. It was raining now and sadly, he hadn’t thought about bringing an umbrella. They were going to get a bit wet, but maybe the rain would help freshen Daehyun up a bit. Wouldn’t necessarily do to smell like alcohol and hot dogs once they got to the hospital.

“Okay.. hold on tight, Daehyun.” (BY) Daehyun nodded, but he wasn’t necessarily holding onto Yongguk. It was Yongguk who was holding onto him, which was understandable. If Daehyun attempted to walk on his own, he’d probably stumble a bit too much before eventually crashing into something or tripping over his own feet. With a deep breath, Yongguk began moving as fast as possible while making sure that Daehyun didn’t fall.

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A small sigh escaped his lips as he leaned against the hallway wall. He stared out the window, watching as the raindrops fell from above. The rain, the walk to and from the car, and the car ride itself had helped Daehyun clear up his mind a little. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyelids narrowing a bit as he pushed himself away from the wall. How could he face Young Jae after what he had done? Sure, it wasn’t anything too bad nor was it illegal, but.. he still felt guilty about his actions, even if he couldn't remember part of it.

Each step he took felt heavy, as if the ground below him was trying to pull him down. He almost regretted not letting Yongguk help him up to Young Jae’s room, but even if he had done so, Yongguk wouldn’t have been allowed in. Visiting hours were over after all. It was probably for the best anyway. In a way, he felt like he had to do this on his own.

Stopping just outside of Young Jae’s room, he looked at the door as tears began welling up within him again. Why was he feeling like this all over again? Was it the alcohol? Was it because his guilt was taking over or... had his true feelings about the situation finally resurfaced? Placing a hand on the handle, he took in a deep breath as he turned it. Pushing open the door, he stepped inside as his eyes slowly focused in on Young Jae.

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“So.. What course of action should I take with the flood? How the heck am I supposed to save Daehyun with a flood like that?” (YJ) Well, there really was no point in getting angry anymore. It would be better to just keep moving forward, getting things over with already. Sadly, he couldn’t really come up with an answer for saving this Daehyun. Even if the answer was blatantly obvious, he had yet to stumble across it.

“Do you remember the trees?” (DH) Trees..? Young Jae thought for a moment as he began recollecting his memories. During the time, he hadn’t been thinking about his surroundings. The only the thing he was focused on was trying to outrun a flood. It was evident that they weren’t going to be outrunning it any time soon, but.. now that he thought about it, the trees seemed to be completely unaffected by the rushing waters. Sure, he knew that depending on the strength of the glood and the trees themselves, there were plenty of trees that wouldn't be knocked over, but he didn't even recall seeing one tree fallen over. Furrowing his eyebrows, Young Jae folded his arms as he looked at Daehyun.

“That’s not even remotely possible that not one of the trees had been knocked over by the flood.” (YJ) Daehyun smiled a bit as he made his way over to the window. Clearing his throat, Daehyun placed a hand on the window before looking at Young Jae.

“You have to remember, this is all in your head. Since when does logic completely come into this?” (DH) Young Jae scratched the back of his head as he made his way over to the window. It did make sense.. in a complicated way. That means that anything could happen in this mind of his, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Still.. at least it was a step closer to fixing the problem.

“So I need to climb a tree with Daehyun to survive?” (YJ) Daehyun simply nodded as he looked back outside the window. Young Jae looked out as well and was about to say something, but an image began to show up in the water, just like it had done so back at the stream. Narrowing his eyelids a bit, Young Jae leaned in a little closer before his eyes widened. “Dae.. hyun..?” (YJ)

Young Jae moved a little closer to the window as he placed his hands on the cool glass. He could see the clear sadness on Daehyun’s face, tears practically streaming down his cheeks as he tried so hard to smile. Daehyun held Young Jae’s hand, his hands visibly shaking as he stared up at him. “H-Hey.. Young Jae.. I’m..” (DH)

His words were slurred, making it clear that he had been drinking, but maybe only to the point that he was tispy. Either that or he had sobered down a bit. Daehyun took in a deep breath as he wiped his face with his shirt. Even after that, he continued crying. This time though, his smile disappeared as Daehyun squeeze Young Jae’s hand a bit. “I’m.. I’m not strong... I can’t. I can’t..” (DH)

He lowered his head, using his arm to try and clear up his face. His voice was low and quivering, making it near impossible to hear what he said. Still, it seemed like Daehyun was trying his best to be heard as he looked back up at Young Jae. “I don’t know how long.. I can hold myself together.. I tried, I.. I really tried, but.. I.. I broke my promise.. not to drink too much..” (DH)

Daehyun smacked his forehead a few times before bending forward and burying his face into the bed sheets. His hand still held onto Young Jae’s hand as he used it to smack the back of his head. All the while, he muttered apologies over and over again as he continued crying into the bed sheets. This went on for maybe half an hour before finally, Daehyun fell asleep with Young Jae’s hand resting on top of his head.

Young Jae turned his back to the window, fighting the tears that he had been holding in the entire time. He clenched his fists, his gaze towards the ground as he began walking away from the window. “That idiot..” (YJ)

“Are you okay?” (DH) Young Jae paused as he turned to look at Daehyun. He furrowed his eyebrows and walked up to Daehyun before punching his shoulder as hard as possible. Daehyun flinched away as he held his shoulder, surprised eyes looking up at an angry Young Jae. “What was that for?!” (DH)

“For being an idiot! Freaking moronic imbecile! Can’t even hold a promise that simple?! I hate that you make me feel this way! Each and every time you do something stupid, it just makes me so damn angry and yet I can’t bring myself to punishing you!” (YJ) Young Jae stepped closer to Daehyun as he took hold of his collar and began shaking him. Tears were forming at the corner of his eyes as he stared angrily at Daehyun’s surprised face. “Idiot! Why the heck do I give a damn about what you do so much?! I hate that I love you, but I can’t help it! Dammit..!” (YJ)

Young Jae pushed Daehyun away as he turned away. Folding his arms, he crouched down as he closed his eyes. Was it really that hard for Daehyun? Was it really slowly tearing away at Daehyun’s very core to the point that he had even broken down like that? He tensed up as he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, but it somehow managed to calm him down a bit. Letting out a small sigh, Young Jae wiped his face and looked at Daehyun before giving a small smile. “Thanks..” (YJ)

“Are you okay? Do you want to rest?” (DH) Young Jae shook his head as he stood up. He took a step closer towards the door before looking at Daehyun. Young Jae wanted to punish this poor guy once more, but he didn’t feel like it anymore. With a small sigh, Young Jae walked over to Daehyun before pulling him into a tight hug.

“Don’t get used to it.. I just need to do this, okay?” (YJ) Daehyun nodded as he smiled a bit. Wrapping his arms around Young Jae’s waist, they stood there for a moment longer before pulling away. Young Jae reached up and pat Daehyun’s shoulder before he began walking towards the door.

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Slowly, the light around him dissipated as he found himself by the stream once more. He blinked a few times before his eyes landed on a worried looking Daehyun. It took him a moment, but he finally realized that Daehyun had been saying something the entire time. “Young Jae, do you hear me? Are you okay?” (DH)

“Yeah.. I am. What happened?” (YJ) Daehyun let out a relieved sigh as he smiled a little.

“You were staring at the water for a while now and I was getting a little worried.” (DH) Young Jae slowly nodded as he paused for a moment. The flood should be occurring relatively soon, so Young Jae took a hold of Daehyun’s wrist before he began pulling him along. Daehyun’s eyes widened as he nearly tripped, trying hard to keep up with Young Jae as they began walking towards the woods. “Where are we going?!” (DH)

“Into the forest. We don’t need the water whatsoever, right? So come on! Get up in this tree as high as possible!” (YJ) Young Jae let go of Daehyun before looking up at the lowest branch. Furrowing his eyebrows a bit, he bent his knees and held his arms up before trying to jump as high as possible. His hands just barely touched the branch, but it wasn’t enough to get a firm hold of it. With an irritated sigh, Young Jae looked at Daehyun, whom seemed relatively confused. “Well?! Start climbing!” (YJ)

“Why are we climbing? You might get hurt..” (DH)

“Cause.. I uh... wanted to survey the area from high up. It seems like a good idea, right? So help me up and then I’ll help you.” (YJ) Daehyun nodded, though he still wasn’t necessarily certain it was a good idea. Spreading his legs and bending his knees, he linked his hands together as he held them low. Young Jae placed a hand on Daehyun’s shoulder and put a single foot into Daehyun’s grasp before being hoisted up. Grabbing onto the branch with much more ease this time, Young Jae climbed up onto the branch before sitting comfortably with his legs on either side. With a small sigh of relief, he had just looked down at Daehyun when he heard the sound of rumbling once more. Looking up, his eyes widened as he saw the water rushing towards them once more. Why the heck was it here so quick already?! “Daehyun! Get up here already!” (YJ)

Young Jae looked down as he laid against the branch. Stretching his hand out towards Daehyun, Daehyun quickly took hold of Young Jae’s hand before jumping up, just barely having enough time to grab onto the branch with his free hand. With Young Jae’s help, Daehyun had managed to get onto the branch before finally sitting comfortably on the branch as well. With a small sigh of relief, the two looked at one another with a slight moment of victory before their attention turned back to the rushing water. They were definitely not high enough to be out of danger just yet, so they two quickly got to their feet before they continued their climb higher up into the trees.

The higher they went, the more they felt at ease, but the adrenaline wasn't receding any time soon. It had been only a matter of time before someone's foot soon slipped from the branch that had been supporting their weight. Young Jae's eyes widened as he instinctively reached out above him, trying to grab whatever he could to keep him from falling. At first, it seemed like his fall was inevitable. However, a hand soon grabbed hold of his wrist, keeping him suspended in the air just for a moment. Young Jae looked up at Daehyun, whom was struggling from the added weight, but he still held that worried look on his face. "Come on! I won't let you fall." (DH)

With a nod, Young Jae managed to regain his footing before the two began climbing up once more.

Reaching the top of the tree, the two sat on one of the strongest branches that they saw before letting out a relatively relieved sigh. As the waters below finally hit the tree, the tree shook, nearly causing them to fall off of the branch. Once they were stable, Young Jae let out a small sigh yet again before looking down at the waters below. Just as he was about to say something, light engulfed him once more, forcing him to shut his eyes as he tried to look away.

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Young Jae let out a small sigh as he sat down in one of the armchairs. Unlike the other rooms, this room didn’t look like a random sitting area. It looked more like a library with quite a number of books that he recognized. Of course, why wouldn’t he recognize these books? It was his own mind after all and more than likely, he’s read the majority of the books in here. Looking down at the book in his hands, he opened it up before quickly flipping through it. As much as he wanted to actually take the time to read it, he was actually a little impatient for the time being.

Even when he was in a hurry, Young Jae did pause every now and then as he couldn’t help but smile from time to time. How could he have forgotten about all of this? Even though he didn’t want to admit it, these memories were fairly important to him. After all, this was when he had first spent time with Daehyun, before he thought that Daehyun was a strange stalker who was trying to force himself onto him.

Once he was done flipping through the pages, Young Jae got to his feet as the book disappeared from his grasp. He quickly made his way out of the room and had begun going down the hallway once more before a voice soon broke through the silence.

Young Jae.. Be careful with the next one.

“Why? It shouldn’t be as hard as all the other rooms I’ve fixed.” (YJ) Young Jae did wonder why Daehyun wasn’t physically here once again. Was it really that important for him to be that weird voice in the background?

This one.. is just a bit more... weird. Just be careful, okay?

He let out a small sigh before nodding. Stopping in front of the next room, he opened the door before pausing for a moment. The room was a even dimmer than the rest of the rooms had been. The outlines for each of the furniture that the room held was barely even visible, making it near impossible to tell what kind of furniture this room held. What was it about this room that made it so special? Though, maybe it just became like this the farther he went. Was it possible that it depicted the difficulty for each world he visited?

Taking in a deep breath, Young Jae drew up his courage before stepping into the room.

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[[ My Own Thoughts:

Okay.. I apologize for being three weeks late with this update ;;..
Buuut.. I attempted to make up for it by making this chapter six pages longer >3<..
I’ve also started University, so I do apologize in advance for any and all slow updates ;;..

Comments are loved >3<..
I like to see what everyone thinks of the fanfic. x3
I also like to see if I am typing up these chapters well enough for everyone’s enjoyment >3< ]]