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      Though the atmosphere around KyungSoo had been rather heavy, no one could tell that he felt hopeless inside. He laughed, joked, and played along well with the beagle-line and he even greeted his Sunbaes with a smile. Just a dream, he repeated, Just a dream. Even if it were just a dream, the voice of his brother still lingered in those small, sensitive ears. The sound of the wind and snow, the feeling of his father's hand on his shoulder—All of it was still there. Every time he bathed in hot water, KyungSoo was reminded of his brother's words, just before he awoke;

      "Thank you... for telling me that I will become a great King—"

      It had been about a week since the strange dream happened but KyungSoo refused to ask the taller man about it. Every now and then, ChanYeol would give him a side glance but that didn't give any answer as to if he experienced the same thing KyungSoo had. He was curious enough to ask but afraid enough to restrain from questioning. What would I do if it were real? What would I do if it wasn't? The thoughts killed him from the inside out and made him go mad—To the point where he had to run to the restroom during their schedules and throw up. It's your fault, KyungSoo, It's your fault.

      Down the hall from the bathroom, loud voices could be heard and their laughter made KyungSoo realize that there were still people around who could hear him. He wiped his mouth of the bile that dripped from his plump lips and rushed out to wash his hands. After the voices disappeared and he no longer heard any footsteps, KyungSoo slowly walked out and trudged along the white walls of the SM Entertainment Building. His vocal chords burned from the acid and caused him to cough loudly with every step. He wished that the dream would just disappear for it was just... a dream.

      "Oppa?"

      From the sweet, yet low voice, KyungSoo's eyes widened in shock as he turned to see one worried Wendy. She had always been his favorite Hoobae and he wanted to show her his good sides, but to see such a pathetic image embarrassed him. He looked away from her large eyes and tried to swallow the urge to cough, "What's up?"

      He watched as the girl enclosed his hands into her small ones and then rubbed them affectionately with worry. KyungSoo expected her to pry the information out of him and ask why he had been so sick but he was taken aback by her actions. Wendy only kept his hands in hers and she gave him her best smile, "I'll take care of you, Oppa. I'll listen to anything you have to say."

      "Wendy-"

      "Just like the time I needed someone the most and you were there, I will also comfort you and advise you."

      Somewhere inside of his heart, KyungSoo felt her kind words pounding at the gates of his locked emotions and forced his mask to fall. From his raw eyes, tears fell and crashed onto the back of Wendy's warm hands. After she saw how stressed he had been, Wendy wrapped her little arms around his neck and his hair silently. Though she didn't know why, Wendy knew he had carried a heavy load on his shoulders and she wanted him to share that burden with her. Wendy wanted him to learn how to be honest.

      The two locked themselves into a dark, unused dance studio and the sat where no one could see them. There, KyungSoo stretched his legs out towards the center of the waxed floors and sighed while he rested his head onto the mirrors behind him. He breathed slowly but his heart beat faster with every second that passed. Perhaps it was the girl who was curled up next to him, about a foot away, or perhaps it was from all the crying. KyungSoo glanced at Wendy from the corner of his eyes and saw that she was patiently waiting for him to speak first but he didn't know if he could.

      "Will you believe me?"

      "Of course I will," Wendy scooted closer to his side and looked straight into his eyes, "Even if you tell me that you fly, I will believe you."

      Finally, a smile crossed his stern face and he turned to look at the night sky from where they sat. One by one, KyungSoo let the details of the dream spill to the girl who trusted him the most. Every now and then, he glanced over to see if she listened to his every word and he could see that she was extremely interested. By the time he reached the ending of this fable story of his, KyungSoo muttered those words he hated the most, Just a dream, and then nodded slowly.

      It took her a moment, but when she finally understood, Wendy's tears fell like waterfalls and she silently inched closer to the man who didn't know what to do. When she was close enough, she placed her hands onto his broad shoulders and said, "I want to experience this as well. I want to help you, just like ChanYeol."

      KyungSoo raised the corner of his lips in sighed heavily, "Wendy, it was just a dream.."

      "You don't know that," she brought herself to her knees, "Let's confirm."

      "Wendy,"

      "Just say the word!"

      "E-Erra-"

      "Wait!"

      KyungSoo and Wendy turned to the loud voice that came from behind the locked door. Curious as to who it was, KyungSoo opened the door, only to see one angry ChanYeol. The tall man stepped into the room and locked it once more behind himself. After he ran his fingers through his soft hair, ChanYeol handed him an old, old letter. It was so old that the letters were almost unreadable to KyungSoo but with a few squints here and there, he was finally able to see the words clearly, "King Do KyungSoo of the Country of EXO will be hung... in front of his own palace."

      "What do you think that means?" ChanYeol asked breathlessly, "I found it in my bag just now."

      "Th-This isn't right," he lifted his forearms, "I don't have the markings you do!"

      "Whatever we did, it messed up the past-"

      "Wait, this means that this whole thing was real," KyungSoo pushed the taller man, "Why didn't you talk to me about it? Why didn't you-"

      "I thought the whole thing was a dream!" ChanYeol shouted, "I had hoped that it was a blissful dream because we woke up in our dorm with the same people of our time. We no longer had our traditional clothing on and we certainly didn't speak in old-Korean. That's why I didn't say anything. I thought it was just a dream."

      KyungSoo shook his head, "But now we know that it wasn't just a dream. We messed something up and that old lady stashed this into your bag. We have to finish what we started."

      "What about me?"

      KyungSoo walked over to Wendy and placed a hand on her head, "This is something we have to do by ourselves."

      "Oppa, smile for me," Wendy looked into his eyes, "Smile and say that everything will be fine. Say that you-"

      "Wendy, I'll be back."

      KyungSoo turned to face ChanYeol and the two of them shouted, "Erratum!" Right before Wendy's eyes, the two disappeared, which left her to cry in that dark room by herself. No one was there to tell her that they would make it back without a scratch on their face and no one was there to comfort her. Only the words that KyungSoo said to her lingered as she bit down on her lips, "What if I don't get to tell you how I feel?"

      KyungSoo was no longer stuck in a black sea and unable to breathe. The transportation had been very smooth this time and when he opened his eyes, KyungSoo saw a huge crowd before him. The villager and the councilmen below, his parents to the left and his brother to the right. There were people everywhere and they all clapped. As he wondered why, KyungSoo looked to his brother and saw that he had just been crowned King. It was all sudden but seeing it like this was good enough for him. He could see SeungWoo's smile and he knew how happy he was. His brother finally became a King and it was more than what he wished for. The villagers began throwing rice from behind the gate and the councilmen touched their foreheads with the concrete of the palace. KyungSoo walked over to his brother and wrapped his arms around him;

      "I'm proud of you."

      SeungWoo laughed loudly in that historical sort of way and lightly tapped his brother's head with his gentle hands, "Thank you, KyungSoo. You and I are both Kings now."

      The whole family feasted in the dining hall, away from the villagers and councilmen, and they reminisced about the old days. KyungSoo didn't know about the old days, so he laughed along with them and sipped on the bitter taste of the herbal tea from his white ceramic cup. He took a moment to look at their faces and realized how stupid he had been. They were real and they were always going to be as he imagined them to be. There was no need to cry or feel stressed when the returned to the present time because whenever he felt like it, KyungSoo could always go back.

      "King Do SeungWoo, what will you do now that you are a King?" their father asked joyously.

      "I will do what a good King shall do for his people," he nodded, "I will help the people of our country."

      "What about marriage?" KyungSoo asked slyly, "When will you bring me a Sister-in-Law?"

      "Th-that-"

      KyungSoo could see the shyness in his brother and he laughed uncontrollably, "I'm just kidding."

      "What about you?" SeungWoo shot back at him, "When will you bring me a Sister-in-Law?"

      "About that," KyungSoo frowned, "I don't think I will ever have one."

      "What? Then who will take inherit the Country of EXO?" SeungWoo shot a look at their father and raised his brows to warn KyungSoo, "No, no, no. This won't do. I have the perfect person in mind."

      "F-Father, I-"

      Before KyungSoo could protest any longer, his father had already left the table to retrieve a drawing of the girl from his own room. When he finally threw it into the younger man's lap, he replaced his bottom on his golden chair and smiled proudly, "Do you remember her?"

      KyungSoo unraveled the drawing from its scroll position and just after seeing the eyes, he knew who it was, "Wendy.."

      "Wen... what?" his father squinted in confusion, "What kind of name is that? This is your childhood friend, Son SeungWan, don't your remember?"

      "R-Right, SeungWan." KyungSoo swallowed the rock in his throat, "Does it have to be her?"

      "Why? Is there something wrong with her?"

      "No, I-"

      "Then it's settled. Travel back to your country tomorrow morning and by the time you get there, your future wife will be waiting at your door."

      KyungSoo wanted to protest some more but after he saw how persistent his father was, he sighed to himself while staring down at the drawing. It was definitely Wendy but he didn't know why she would appear in his past life like this. As he finally realized that this was his past life, KyungSoo looked around for ChanYeol but he was nowhere to be seen. SeungWoo noticed how frantic KyungSoo looked and he placed a hand onto KyungSoo's own while smiling;

      "I know you probably don't want to have an arranged marriage but I want you to listen to Father, at least once in your life. This is my plea.. and plus, SeungWan isn't all that bad. I think she matches you."

      KyungSoo smiled that fake sort of smile and excused himself, "I have to prepare for the long journey tomorrow."

      "Alright, sleep well."

      "Congratulations again," KyungSoo bowed to his brother, "You will make a great King."

      KyungSoo walked through the dimly-lit corridors of the palace and searched for ChanYeol while thinking about his arranged marriage with Wendy. His first priority was to find ChanYeol but the more he thought about Wendy, the more he forgot about ChanYeol. It wasn't that she any flaws that he didn't like, it was just that KyungSoo didn't like her in that sort of way. She had always been his favorite Hoobae who he would give advice to, nothing more. But to think that I would actually be marrying her, KyungSoo sighed as she reached the cold lily pond, I'm sorry Wendy.

      "K-KyungSoo.."

      The voice was raspy but loud enough for him to realize that it was ChanYeol. He looked into the dark shadows but saw no one and only heard heavy breathing, "Yah, where are you?"

      "Under the bridge..."

      KyungSoo tore off his silk clothing and jumped into the pond to meet his friend. When he finally met eye to eye with ChanYeol, he saw blood flowing down from ChanYeol's skull to his neck. Fear crawled through his skin as he didn't know how his friend could get this injured. In one quick motion, KyungSoo placed ChanYeol onto his back and ran through the palace while screamed for help. After one call, servants gathered together and pealed the taller man off and onto a wooden stretcher. KyungSoo followed closely behind as they made their way to the infirmary building.

      "What happened?" the doctor asked, "He's bleeding so much."

      "I don't know, I found him life this." KyungSoo had anger rushing through him, "Please fix him. I will find out who did this to him-"

      Before he could turn on his own heel, ChanYeol reached for his hand and held tightly, "Don't, your H-Highness... it's too dangerous."

      "I need to kill the one who did this to you!"

      ChanYeol shook his head, "Y-You can't do that.."

      "Why not-?"

      "You can't because the one who did this is LuHan!" ChanYeol cried angrily as he pounded his legs on the ground, "It was LuHan... why... LuHan..."

      I am sorry that it took me this long to update! As I said in my other fanfic update, I became busy out of nowhere.. but I still made time to write this! I hope that I didn't disappoint too much! Thank you for staying with me and thank you for the subbies! There is more to come so please anticipate!

      감사 ♥