Seunghyun hailed a cab, nervously biting his lip. “The city morgue, please.” he told the taxi driver once he got in. He had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure what he was doing or why. He hadn't even known the guy, so why was this bothering him so much? What was it about that guy that made him get under his skin so much? He didn't know what he was going to do once he got to the morgue, the guy was already dead so there wasn't much he could do. And it wasn't like he was family or anything remotely in that direction, so would they even allow him to see him?

While his head went round and round in an attempt to solve the mystery of that arrogant little prick and why he felt so connected to him, the taxi rushed through the gray streets. The closer they got, the more at ease he felt. It was strange. He would have expected his uneasiness to grow as they drew nearer, but it was like there was a string attached to his belly button that was being pulled, hard, giving him this strange feeling in his gut, and the closer they got, the strength of the pull eased up, making him feel more normal again.

He paid the taxi and entered the building with a hesitant mind. “Ehm.. I...” he started as he reached the security desk, but he realized he had no idea what to say. How could he explain himself. 'Hi. I imagined myself saving this guy, a total stranger and quite possibly the biggest I've ever met, that then just happened to die when I was busy doing other stuff. And now for no apparent or explicable reason I have this burning need to go see him. Would you be so kind as to give me a visitor's pass, please?'. Somehow he didn't think that would go over so well. He was going to have to come up with a different strategy.

“Hello. I'm Choi Seunghyun, a consultant for YG investments. I was informed that one of my clients passed away and was brought here. I was sent to investigate whether there was a need to bring legal council into the loop.” he made up as he went along, using a very confident and strong voice so the guard would be less likely to ask any further questions. He didn't like misusing his company name like that, but he knew he had a bigger chance of succeeding if he threw it in the mix. After all, it was one of the most influential companies in South Korea these days.

“Yes, sir. Could you show me your identification, please.” the guard replied politely. “Of course.” he matched his politeness, showing him his ID. “And the name of the deceased?” the guard typed something on his computer. “Lee Seungri.”.

He walked down a dim desolate corridor, his footsteps echoing off the walls. The sound of his brand new visitor's pass bouncing to and fro on his chest not able to compete, being drowned in the echo.

“How did you know him?” the morgue worker asked him, as he looked for the right slot, opening it and pulling the drawer out. The drawer that held Seungri's cold body, enveloped in a black body bag. Seunghyun got chills, he had never seen a dead person before. Except for that time when he had imagined holding the lifeless body of Seungri in his hands in front of the cafe. That had not been a pleasant experience, and he got the feeling this wouldn't be either.

“Oh, I didn't. I'm only acting in a legal capacity...” he started, flustered. He hadn't expected him to ask any personal questions. The guy grabbed the zipper of the bag, but hesitated. “You should prepare yourself, this is not going to be pretty.” he warned him, his expression grim. Seunghyun's stomach churned. He took a breath to steady himself before giving the guy the go-ahead with a nod.

As Seungri's pale face appeared, Seunghyun got a painful pang in his heart. What had happened to him? His face was barely recognizable, looking like it had been beaten to a pulp.

“Poor guy.” the morgue worker said in a whisper. “What... what happened to him?” Seunghyun asked mortified. “He was mugged.”. “Mugged? Where?” Seunghyun asked with urgency, he had to know, he had to make this right somehow. He didn't know why, but he felt like this was his fault. It was stupid and made no sense, yet that was what he was feeling. “In an alley in Hongdae. I think he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. How unlucky, huh!” the guy shook his head, closing the bag up again after Seunghyun had signaled that he didn't need to see any more. The truth was that he just couldn't stomach it. How could anyone do this to another person?

“Wait. Did you say Hongdae? Where in Hongdae?!” Seunghyun interrogated him, hoping his hunch was wrong. It couldn't be. He was just being paranoid, letting the events of the past few days influence his apparently very lively imagination. His heart was beating so fast that it was hard to breathe. It wanted out of there. He swallowed, impatiently waiting for an answer.

“Do you know Gusto tacos?” the guy asked as he closed Seungri's next to last resting place. Seunghyun's blood froze, cold water running down his spine. Gusto tacos. No way. This was insane. How could this be? What was happening to him? That craving he got for Gusto tacos yesterday, had it been a coincidence? The most random coincidence ever. Come to think of it, he had had a ridiculously strong craving for ANDhere coffee, specifically that coffee and no other, so strong in fact that it had been nearly insurmountable. And now tacos. It was insane, but still it made sense. It made sense to him. And he really needed it to, he was grasping at straws, trying to hold on to his sanity. It was connected, it had to be connected. They were connected. For whatever inexplicable reason, their fates had crossed paths and now there was no disentangling them.

Seunghyun swallowed, the knot in his stomach pointing out the obvious. He had failed. It was all his fault. Something or someone had chosen him to be Seungri's savior, to keep him alive, but he had failed terribly. A black tidal wave crashed on the beach of his brain, drowning his mind in dark thoughts. If he had just listened to his instincts, Seungri would still be alive. He probably would have sued his right after he saved him, but no matter how much of a jackass he was, he didn't deserve to die. Nobody did. He could feel as the tears lined up one by one, preparing for some reckless cheek-diving.

As he hurriedly got out of the building, he tried to send a message to whatever force was controlling the rewinding of time, silently begging it to do it one more time. Promising with his whole heart, that if it would rewind it just one more time, just this once, then he would never ignore another of these clues, these omens. “Please. Please, please, please.” he whispered, hoping that the wind would carry his words and bring them to whomever, whatever, he was trying to communicate with. He wiped the corner of his eye before a fugitive tear had the chance to break free.

He was standing on the steps of the mental hospital. His heart leapt. He looked in all directions, stomping his feet to see if it was real, pinching himself hard. He was really here. He didn't even consider whether this had been a psychotic episode, whether he had been on these steps all along and had imagined having gone inside, the meeting with Jaejoong, the morgue, everything. He didn't have time. He had to keep his promise. Even if it was a made up promise, even if who or what he had made the promise to didn't exist, it was a promise he was going to keep, no matter what.

He didn't waste any time, jumping down the stairs two at a time. He needed to get to Hongdae, and fast. Now Jaejoong would have no recollection of him visiting, since that happened in the other timeline. Maybe it was for the better, then he wouldn't have the breakdown either. He was better off without him. He knew it was true, he just hadn't been ready to admit it to himself. It was time to let go.

The alley behind Gusto tacos, that's what the morgue worker had said. He turned around the corner, completely out of breath. He had had the taxi stop on the main street to save time, it was faster to run. He feared his heart would simply explode it was beating so fast. He wasn't sure if it was from all the running or if it was the nerves, probably a little bit of both. A lot of both. Would he be here? He could see where the alley opened up, just a little bit further up ahead. Would Seungri be there? He wasn't sure what he was hoping for. He was okay with everything, except for Seungri ending up dead again. He couldn't handle being responsible for somebody else's death. He just couldn't.

Holding his breath, he peeked into the alley. There was nobody there. He exhaled, but the knot in his stomach didn't disappear. So he was completely cuckoo after all. He couldn't help be disappointed. He was glad that Seungri wasn't here being brutally murdered, but it was a double edged sword, slaying his sanity once and for all. He wondered if he should just check himself into a mental institution before things got worse. Before he started to make trouble for others, before he lost his hold on reality completely. Who knew, maybe he had lost it already. He sighed.

As he turned around, he noticed two guys entering the side street. The look in their eyes didn't sit right with him. They looked pretty normal, both wearing a simple shirt and worn out jeans. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something off about them. He glanced behind him, just to make sure there was nobody there. There wasn't. He bit his lip as he passed the two guys, kind of expecting something to happen. But it didn't. Oh, well.

He had reached the end of the street when he heard it. A muffled cry. He turned around at once, seeing one of the guys holding Seungri against his will, using his hand to try and shut him up and keep him still, while the other one ransacked all of his pockets. When Seungri struggled, the thieving one punched him in the gut. No!

“Let him go!” he screamed, charging forwards without a plan. He had been hoping they would run away at the sound of his voice, but no such luck. Instead, one held on to Seungri, while the other one came to greet him. .

The first punch hurt like hell. So did the next one. Seunghyun wasn't skilled at fighting, he had to find a way to get the upper hand but he had no idea how. He didn't have time to think of a strategy, so he just threw himself at him, using his own bodyweight to bring them both down, pinning the thief under him. He clenched his teeth. It was hard to hold him down as the bastard relentlessly punched him in the sides, trying to overpower him. Each punch hurting a little bit more, Seunghyun started to worry that he was doing some actual damage. But he held on. Just barely.

Suddenly he felt a blow to the back of his head. It only hurt for a second, then everything went numb. His vision was getting blurry, the street was spinning. He could feel something warm trickle down the back of his neck. He wanted to vomit, but he couldn't find the strength. He collapsed to the side, watching a tiny red stream flow past him down the sidewalk. He could hear sirens in the distance before everything went dark.