{Baekhyun}

Neither of us wanted to pull away so the kiss only ends when Jihae’s phone rings.

“Hello?” She says when she picks up the phone.

“Yea yea okay I won’t be back that late.” I know immediately Luhan is the one calling her.

“Kay stop nagging will ya? Bye.” She puts away the phone and smiles at me.

My heart aches when I see her like this. Because I know in a while, I would have to let her go.

“Have you ever wondered what my second ability was?” I ask.

“OH right you’re in EXO-K. I almost forgot you have two powers! So what is it?” She asks as she munches on her second cookie.

“Time control.” I say indiferrently. Jihae begins coughing and I pour her a cup of fruit juice instinctively.

“T-time control? Like you can control the time? Like control it?” She asks in deep shock.

I nod.

“My boyfriend is so cool!” She squeals. “You can turn back time?” The excitement in her eyes glistening lik diamonds.

A shudder runs through me and I shake my head. “I mean I have not tried it before but I doubt it’s possible. I have not peaked my abilities yet.” I lie.

“So what exactly can you do?” She asks as a glint of thrill flashes in her eyes.

“I can freeze time.”

 “You can? Do it now!”

And so I do. I inhale deeply and close my eyes. Emptying my mind, I feel a wave of calmness hit me as I picture a clock in my head. The clock is ticking, it’s second hand moving.

But I focus, and command it to stop mentally. And it does. And when I reopen my eyes, I see the world paused in stop motion.

Jihae is beside me seating. A smile on her face. I take my time to take in in great detail of her face. How her left eye is slightly bigger than the other. How she has a pair of thin lips that curve up cutely when she smiles. How even though her hair is in a mess but she still looks beautiful altogether.

How I wish I can just pause time forever. Pause it and be with Jihae like this. I can if I wanted to. But I know that was wrong and I can never find happiness like that.

The world has to continue spinning. Time has to continue passing. And so I stand up un-paused time.

“H-how did you suddenly shoot up there?” Jihae asks in confusion.

“I paused time.”

She stares in awe as she says, “That’s so cool oh my gosh!”

This ability of controlling time was how I managed to escape that close shave with the SUJU pack six years ago. It was also how I managed to save Jihae in time when she almost drowned.

And it will also be how I make sure Jihae does not die.

“Because she won’t even know I’ve left.” I told them and they all looked at me in confusion.

“What?” Suho responded first, the confusion written on his face.

“I’m going to make sure none of this will ever happen. I’d never get close to her and the Head will never find her and she’d never get killed.” I said.

“How?” Chanyeol asked.

“I’ll turn back time.”

“You can do that?” D.O asked.

“I don’t know. But I feel like I can ever since I’ve met Jihae.”

“But Baekhyun, that’s dangerous. Who knows what might happen? You’ve only paused time before. This huge leap is too risky.” Suho said.

“I know hyung but I have to do it. It’s the only way left. The prediction is still going to come true and there’s nothing else I can do.”

“Okay then.” Suho said. “We’ll always be there if you need us Baekhyun.”

“You won’t even remember saying that Suho.”

“You mean all of this will never happen? And none of us will recall of it?” Kai asked.

“Only I will.” I explained. “But I’ll update you guys if I have to.”

“Baekhyun?” Chanyeol called my name.

“Yea?”

“Good luck.”

“How about you testing out your power?” I ask her, wanting to make sure that my powers will be fully enhanced for me to be able to carry out the phenomenon.

“Done.” She shrugs.

“So fast?” I ask in amazement.

“I was always using my power. I never deactivated it. The six of you were always protected.” She replies.

“And enhanced?” I ask for safety measures.

“Yea, that too.” She smiles, telling me she doesn’t suspect a thing.

“I’ve got something to give you Jihae.”

“What?” She looks up at me eagerly. I take out a black velvet box and hands it to her.

“Wait you’re not proposing are you? I’m not ready for this Baekhyun!” She screeches and pushes away the box.

“No no it’s not that,” I can’t help but laugh at the fact that she thought it was a ring inside. “It’s something else.”

She raises an eyebrow and takes the box. Her slender fingers gently lifting the lid open. She gawks at the gift.

“I-I can’t…” She says as she takes out the pocket watch, the same one that she had taken fancy on back when she came to my house.

“It’s for you.” I tell her. “I want you to keep it. I want you to remember the moment. Forever and ever.” I smile even though I know it’s not even possible that she’d remember. Perhaps I was just telling myself just for the sake of it.

Jihae smiles at me and puts the gift aside. “Baekhyun, I’ve never told you this before, but meeting you is the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.” She says and it makes me reconsider what I’m about to do once again.

“You’ve never regretted meeting me?” I feel comforted and loved.

“Not once.” She smiles.

“I’ve also never regretted meeting you Jihae. I love you.” Those are the last words I say before closing my eyes, saving this happy image of Jihae and me seating in the park in my memory. This is something I want to remember forever. Even if she can’t.

I feel the wind circulating around me as the mental image of a clock once again appears in my mind. This time the hands of the clocks are not paused. But instead, they are moving anticlockwise. They are moving backwards.

Even the thought of doing it is tearing me apart, but I know I have to do it. Because if I do not, Jihae will die. One entire year of hesitation is enough. I cannot risk it any longer. Jihae is going to die sooner or later, and if she does, even turning back time would not have any use. Her fate would have been sealed.

The only way to change the future, is to change the past.

It is the only way. If only I had not met Jihae, or at least I did not try to get closer to her, if only she had not fell in love with me.

Partial darkness engulfs me as the wind keep spinning. It feels as though memories of Jihae and everything that had happened this past year are being out of me. They are still there, but they now remain no more than a distant image of the past that never happened. So this was how traveling back in time felt like.

I do not even know how or when the wind will eventually stop spinning. I just have a very specific date and time pictured in my mind. I just keep thinking about that very day, that very moment where everything happened. The beginning of the end.

And then everything comes to an abrupt stop. My mind is spinning with thoughts and memories. I shut my eyes tight and givemy temple a light massage. And when I reopen them, I know my plan has succeeded.

I am in the hallway of the school. The pile of worksheets are by my side. A quick check on my phone confirms everything.

It is the day I first met Jihae.