So I’m from the future. I can’t tell you which year because it’s against the rules for obvious reasons, but it’s true. And we have adapted a technology that allowed us to see and walk with others in the past. Sort of like a virtual reality room. The thing is we can’t touch anything in whatever time we visit. Only watch. And the people in whatever year we’re observing can’t see us. It’s a very delicate situation to be in, which is why these kinds of trips are only used for research purposes. But my intentions were different.

“Kyuhyun, are you busy?” I stood in the entryway of my comrade’s dark room. There was barely anything in his room, not unlike mine. Our rooms were usually bare and dark. We didn’t need material things to satisfy our needs.

“Yes,” Kyuhyun answered in monotone. His head was buried in his handheld contact device. He seemed to be researching something about potions. I was a little surprised those were still made.

“Okay, well I want to ask you something.”

“What?”

“You seem to know a lot about classic witchcraft—“

“I prefer to call it dark magic.”

“Okay, dark magic.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well,” I shifted from foot to foot nervously. “I want you to take me to the year 2015.”

Kyuhyun glanced at me with a very confused look on his face. “What? Why?”

“There’s someone I want to talk to.”

“Who do you know in 2015!? And why do you expect me to be able to take you there!”

I looked down at the floor and didn’t respond.

“Oh no,” Kyuhyun shook his head and chuckled lightly. “Ryeowook, don’t tell me what I think you’re about to tell me.”

I sighed a little. “I just want to talk to her.”

“Her?” Kyuhyun set down his handheld device and the transparent screen disappeared. “So there’s a ‘her’ you’ve been watching?”

“I—“

“Are you crazy? Do you know how much trouble you’d be in if our government found out about this? You could get serious punishment for using the time transporter for reasons other than research!”

“I know,” I nodded, “so that’s why I came to you. You can get me there a different way. Then the government won’t be able to find me.”

“And what if I get caught helping you?” Kyuhyun crossed his arms. “Did you intend to use me and then dump me the moment we get caught?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what, Ryeowook? How do you intend to see this person without getting in trouble?”

“You know black magic. Don’t try to hide it. I know you know. And that’s just as forbidden as using the transporter for travel.”

Kyuhyun didn’t respond.

“Please Kyuhyun,” I took a step forward. “There’s nothing else I’d ever ask for. All I want to do is talk to her. Be in her world. Even if it’s just for one day.”

Kyuhyun sighed. “Damn. You really like her, don’t you?”

I could feel myself blush. “I didn’t say that..”

“Stop lying.” Kyuhyun scratched the back of his head for a moment, deep in thought. “Okay,” he said finally, “I’ll help you. But you’re gonna have to pay.”

“Fine.?”

“Give me your tongue.”

I blinked and stared at him. “Um, what?”

“I need something valuable from you in order to send you back to 2015 using my potion.”

“You can’t just take a piece of my hair or something?”

“No, it has to be your tongue.”

“But I can’t talk without my tongue! The point of me going to her year is to talk to her!”

“Who says you need your tongue to talk to someone?” Kyuhyun shrugged and started pulling out small vials of glowing liquid from his desk drawers.

“You can’t be serious right now,” I stared at him in complete disbelief.

“Do you want to see your love or not?”

I blushed again. “I didn’t say she was my love.”

“Whatever,” Kyuhyun started mixing the small vials into a larger container. Smoke started emulating from the mixture and the colors added turned the mixture from red to blue, to bright purple, then finally to a vibrant green.

“How could I even give it to you? It’s attached to my body!” I took several steps backward, growing more and more uneasy.

Kyuhyun looked at me. “Are you getting cold feet? I thought going to 2015 was the only think you’d ever ask for.”

“It is, but…”

“If you want to go so badly, you have to pay the price,” Kyuhyun poured the glowing green mixture into a smaller glass container. “So, give me your tongue.” He dipped his fingers into the mixture and let it trickle down to his palm.

“I told you, it’s attached to my body!”

Kyuhyun sighed. “Come here.”

I stood in place for a second, then slowly walked over to him. He stood up in front of me and told me to open my mouth. I did and he stuck his hand into my mouth. Before I could react, he grabbed my tongue. A strange feeling rushed over my mouth that was almost like numbing medication.

“This might hurt a little.”

Kyuhyun yanked his hand out of my mouth, taking my tongue clean out of my mouth. I stumbled back, grasping my mouth in shock. The back of my mouth stung.

“Very good. You’re a good patient,” Kyuhyun chuckled to himself as he examined my tongue in his hands.

I only stared at him in shock. How could he do that so easily!? My hands remained over my mouth. I was too afraid to remove them and the stinging didn’t go away.

“And here’s the last ingredient,” Kyuhyun dropped my tongue into the glowing green liquid. The mixture turned bright green and smoke started flowing from the surface.

“Congratulations,” he held out the vial to me. “You now have your one-way ticket to 2015. I need to give you some warnings though.”

I obviously couldn’t respond, so I just watched him waiting for him to say more.

“When you arrive in 2015, your body will feel a strong jetlag because of the distance you travel through time. Therefore you will be in a lot of pain for a period of time.”

I nodded.

“This pain will probably make you crazy. You might not be able to move for a day or two.”

I nodded again.

Kyuhyun’s eyes narrowed. “I’m serious. Don’t move for the first day. Unless you want to drown away in unbearable physical pain.”

I nodded a third time, giving him a look for him to continue.

Kyuhyun sighed a little. “Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The next thing you need to know is just because you will be in her life doesn’t mean she will want to be a part of your life. How do you know she doesn’t have a boyfriend or a life that doesn’t involve men? Maybe she’s a lesbian, do you even know? My point is you don’t, and this trip is very risky because the potion I’m giving you is a one-way ticket. Do you still want to go through with this?”

Well you already took my tongue. I don’t really have another choice.

“Even so, you need to know that this trip is forbidden and dangerous,” Kyuhyun pressed.

My eyes widened. You can hear my thoughts?

“Yes.”

How??

“You don’t need to know that right now. I’ll ask you again: do you still want to go through with this?”

Our eyes meet for several seconds. Finally I nodded again. Yes. I’m sure.

Kyuhyun sighed. “You’re an idiot.” He shook the mixture in the glass container and held it out to me. “Inhale this, then try to hold onto your soul.”

I took a deep breath and took the container out of his hands.

“Good luck out there. You’re gonna need it. And don’t come crying to me if you fail.”

What do you mean if I fail?

“There’s a time limit.”

What?!

“You have three days.”

Th-that’s not enough! The container in my hands started smoking even more. It traveled into my nostrils and made me feel a little dizzy. That’s too short! I stumbled back a little until my back hit the wall. The mixture was evaporating into a smoky screen that was enveloping my entire body.

“Sorry I didn’t mention that earlier, oh well,” Kyuhyun shrugged. “Anyway, enjoy 2015. I heard that was a good year.”

But why would you say I’d fail? My mind was clouding along with my eyes and the image of Kyuhyun and his room started to blur away.

“Oh, yeah. Because if she doesn’t return your feelings in three days, you’ll be sent back to our time and you’ll never get your tongue back.” Kyuhyun’s voice faded away at the very last minute as my vision completely clouded up and became dark.