A/N: I don't know if this is any good or if it makes any sense, but here it is. Comments are welcome as they'll probably help me figure out how to continue this. Enjoy~ ^_^

Sunggyu likes his job. It's easy and it involves something he loves: music. What he doesn't like are the slow days when he's lucky if even one person comes in. He ends up stuck behind the register bored out of his mind. It's not so bad when there's another cashier around to make the time move faster. But when it's just him, he swears those days must be the longest of his life.

It's on one of those tortuously slow days that Sunggyu's boredom is interrupted by the door bursting open, the chimes above it ringing furiously in its wake. Just as he picks his head up from where it had been resting on his hand, a body comes tumbling over the counter and lands with a grunt. As the person rights themselves and huddles in a corner Sunggyu realizes it's actually a guy around his age. He takes in the stranger's windswept black hair, leather jacket, and ripped jeans. He looks like someone Sunggyu would pass on the street and not give a second glance. When the guy looks up and their eyes meet, it's like a jolt of electricity goes through him. Not the romantically cliché metaphor, but like an actual current runs down from his head to his toes. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He can't tell if the other felt the same thing, fear seems to be the only clear emotion in the guy's eyes.

Sunggyu opens his mouth to say... something. He's not completely sure what, but he feels like there's something he's supposed to say. The door opening for a second time stops him short. The stranger's eyes become even wider than they'd already been. He holds a finger to his mouth while shaking his head. Sunggyu doesn't have to be a genius to figure out that the guy must be running from someone. He doesn't know what he's found himself in the middle of, but he really hopes whoever's after this guy isn't dangerous. Or that the guy, himself, isn't the dangerous one.

When he looks to the store's entrance he sees two men in black suits surveying the room. There's not much to see considering the record store is only a small room filled with racks of old 45's and cassette tapes and CDs and an even smaller storage room above it. They look like the typical cronies that are valuable for their brawn rather than their brains.

"Can I help you?"

Sunggyu swears he didn't mean to say that. He had been planning on just standing there in the hopes that they'd think he was too stupid to know anything and leave. But now their attention is on him because he had to go and open his mouth. He gulps when they step closer, resisting the urge to cower under their intimidating stares.

"Has anyone come in here recently?" One of them asks, his voice a low rumble.

Sunggyu's mouth feels too dry for him to get any more words out. His palms are sweaty and his heart is beating too loudly in his ears. He doesn't usually have trouble lying convincingly, but those situations normally don't involve possible gangsters who could do grievous bodily harm without even using the guns they're most likely carrying.

"Not that I've seen," he answers with a shake of his head. There's only the slightest hint of a tremor in his voice. The two men eye him suspiciously and he tries his best to look unshaken as he holds their stares. "Is there someone I'm supposed to be looking out for?"

Wow, he really needs to stop doing that. He's sure they'll leave faster if he doesn't say too much, but it seems his mouth has separated itself from his brain. And it doesn't help that his tone comes out more on the surly side of rude.

Sunggyu had thought only his mother could instill the fear of God in him, but it looks like he was wrong. After another minute of intense staring, the men seem to decide Sunggyu isn't worth the trouble. "It's nothing for you to worry about," The deep-voiced one snarls. His eyes are narrowed, still put-off by Sunggyu's ill-timed rudeness. Without another word they turn around and head for the front door. Sunggyu has to bite down on the inside of his cheek to stop any insolent word vomit that might come out. He values his life too much.

It's not until they're out of sight that he stops holding his breath. With a heavy sigh he drops the upper half of his body onto the countertop, resting his cheek on the cool surface and letting his arms hang over the edge. He's not made for that kind of thing.

A shuffling sound behind him reminds him that another person is in the room. He raises his head and whips around so fast he has to steady himself against the counter. It's hard to tell if the dizziness he's feeling is from the sudden movement or looking into the stranger's eyes again. It's also incredibly weird. There's an itchy feeling somewhere on his skin, but he can't find the exact spot. And again that hair-raising electricity passes through him.

The fear is mostly gone from the guy's eyes, leaving room for relief and something else Sunggyu isn't skilled enough to decipher. It's soft and a little sad and he doesn't actually know how to read people, so he could be wrong.

"Is there a back door to this place?"

Of all of the things Sunggyu had expected the guy to say, that wasn't one of them. A thank you or maybe an apology for the inconvenience would make more sense. He stares dumbly at him for a moment before finding his voice.

"I-it's over there." He points weakly to the back corner of the store. The door is only used to take the garbage out to the dumpster (and for the boss's not-so-secret smoke breaks) and is usually kept locked. Sunggyu can only watch as the guy jumps back over the counter, not noticing the part of the counter that lifts up to allow easier passage between the cash register and the rest of the store, and walks to the backdoor. He wishes he could do or say something in response to the hesitant "thanks" the guy throws over his shoulder before the door slams shut behind him. But his feet are stuck to the floor, his whole body frozen with his hands still gripping the edge of the counter, and his brain is unable to supply words to his mouth.

Woohyun finds him in that same position two hours later when he comes in for his shift. He panics almost immediately and rushes to the older man's side. He considers closing the store for an hour or two so he can make sure Sunggyu gets home without passing out in the middle of the street or walking into traffic.

Sunggyu tries to assure him that he can get himself home just fine, but it comes out in a stutter that confuses Sunggyu until he realizes that he's freezing cold and shivering down to his bones. Needless to say, Woohyun doesn't believe him and gets as far as locking the front door and switching the sign on it from "open" to "closed" before Sunggyu haltingly scolds him for doing unnecessary things. Woohyun doesn't bother paying attention to the nagging. Instead choosing his concern for his friend over losing an hour of business.

He escorts Sunggyu out the backdoor and to his car parked on the street in front of the record store. In his preoccupied state he doesn't even notice that the backdoor had already been unlocked. Inside the car, he blasts the heat as high as it'll go despite how warm the weather already is. Sunggyu sits back in his seat with his arms wrapped around himself and closes his eyes in the hopes of getting his head to stop spinning.

By the time they reach his apartment Sunggyu's teeth have stopped chattering and the goosebumps on his skin have gone down. The dizziness hasn't passed yet, though, so he has to wait for Woohyun to come around to the passenger side and help him out of the car. He carries more than half of Sunggyu's weight up three flights of stairs and all the way to his bed. He tucks his friend in with two heavy blankets up to his neck and fetches two painkillers from the medicine cabinet and a glass of water. Normally Sunggyu would balk in embarrassment at being coddled, but he's way too out of it to protest when Woohyun helps him take the pills.

Woohyun sits with him, waiting for the medication to take effect. Even with a joking tone he can't hide the genuine worry in his voice as he tries to figure out what's wrong.

Sunggyu's head feels like it's full of cotton. Everything seems hazy and sluggish. He tries to recall what he was doing before Woohyun came into the store, but his brain is unable to conjure up anything before then. He still can't seem to find any words and has to settle for shrugging or shaking or nodding his head in response to Woohyun's concerned questions.

Woohyun finally leaves when the pills kick in and Sunggyu's breathing evens out. He leaves a note for Sunggyu telling him to take the next day off even if he feels better and go to the hospital to get checked out. He's pretty sure Sunggyu will ignore the advice and show up to work anyway, but he thinks he should give it a try.

Sunggyu sleeps through the whole night. A first in a very long time. His dreams range from vague and incomplete to so vivid that they might have actually happened. Most involve him as a child and another young kid whose eyes seem familiar even if the name Sunggyu calls him doesn't.

---

Sunggyu awakens the next day feeling the most well-rested he's felt in such a long time. The minor back ache he tends to wake up with that he likes to blame on his mattress is surprisingly nonexistent. He feels boneless, like he could melt into the bed at any moment. The morning sunlight that would usually cause him to close his eyes with a wince doesn't seem nearly as harsh. He's lying in his bed enjoying the new feeling when his cellphone starts to ring. He doesn't even have to look at the caller ID to know who it is. Stretching an arm out, he picks the phone up from the nightstand and slides a thumb over the screen to answer the call.

"What do you want," he asks after bringing the phone up to his ear.

"I guess that means I didn't wake you," Woohyun's voice greets him on the other end. His tone is dry, but Sunggyu can tell he's just trying to hide his relief. "And that you're feeling more like yourself."

Sunggyu sits up, kicking the blankets down to the foot of the bed, and leans back against the headboard. Woohyun's words spur his brain into action, reminding him of the events of the day before. He had definitely not been himself. He would think the sudden fever or whatever it had been was just that if not for the memories that had come with it. He had spent the night dredging up moments from his childhood and adolescence. His dreams went from him as a curious five-year-old meeting the new family next door with the excitable four-year-old to him as a high school senior preparing for the next chapter in his life. The very last dream (memory, rather) he'd had was of himself and someone else. The other had been his best friend, actually—well, before Woohyun. The details are still a bit hazy, but he remembers they had been talking and then it was just him, standing in front of his soon-to-be workplace. In the blink of an eye his life had seemed to restart itself. It was like his life had switched to a completely different track. And he hadn't even realized it.

"Sunggyu... You still there?" There's a worried note to Woohyun's voice that he doesn't even try to hide. Sunggyu wants to tell him to stop worrying so much about him, but he knows it's pointless. It would be as useful as when Woohyun tries to get Sunggyu to take better care of himself. They're both too stubborn to listen to the other.

"Yeah, I'm still here," Sunggyu assures him. There's an almost inaudible sigh on the other end before Woohyun's light and teasing voice comes through.

"What, were you thinking about how to thank me without actually using the words 'thank you'?"

"I don't have a problem saying thank you," Sunggyu scoffs as he gets up from the bed. He finds it easy to brush off the jab at his pride with the good mood still over him. At the crinkling of paper underfoot he looks down to see he's stepped on a slip of paper. He guesses it must be a note from Woohyun as he bends down to retrieve it. And he's right. "Are you done checking up on me," he asks while reading over the note. It says exactly what he thought it would.

"That depends," Woohyun answers him, "Did you see the note I left you?"

Sunggyu sits back down on the bed. After such a long, deep sleep his legs aren't quite ready to support the rest of his body. "I'm looking right at it."

"And?"

Sunggyu hums into the phone as if he's trying to make up his mind. "And I really like your handwriting." Woohyun groans on the other end and Sunggyu just knows he's pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He knows that's not the answer his friend was looking for, but he also knows Woohyun won't like his actual answer either. "Look," he starts. "I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I promise. So I'm just going to come in today. There's no reason for me to take the day off or go get a check-up. I'll be okay."

Woohyun is silent for a beat. "So does that mean you know what happened to you yesterday? Or why it happened?"

Sunggyu bites his lower lip, briefly contemplating telling the other the truth. He decides against it when he concludes that Woohyun wouldn't understand or believe it. He doesn't even know if he believes it himself. His life would be so much easier if he chose to believe his lost memories were just fever-induced hallucinations. But he can't. They're as real as the life he's living now. A life he never imagined for himself. "It's a long, complicated story," he says with a quiet sigh. "I'll tell you some other time." Although Woohyun is probably burning with curiosity, Sunggyu can tell he's trying his best to hide it. To not demand to know everything right this damn second. And he's grateful for it. Because how can he explain to his friend that the Kim Sunggyu he knows, that he trusts and worries over, isn't real? Or, rather, isn't the whole truth. "Can I get ready for work now, Mom?" Sunggyu rises again from his unmade bed, laying Woohyun's note on the nightstand.

Woohyun sighs in defeat. (Although, it's not like he wins very often to begin with. They might both be stubborn, but Sunggyu usually manages to get his way.) "I should know better by now, huh?" It comes out as a mumble, but Sunggyu still hears it. He chooses to ignore it. "Don't worry about opening the store," Woohyun says at a normal volume. "I'll do it, so you can just take your time coming in."

"Yeah, okay, I'll see you in thirty minutes," Sunggyu tells him before hanging up.

---

When Sunggyu finally arrives at the store (twenty-five minutes later, to be exact), he finds Woohyun doing inventory in the storage room. His friend immediately drops what he's doing when he notices Sunggyu. The concern Sunggyu had felt coming from him over the phone is now replaced by anger he can feel from across the room. That mixed with the determination written all over Woohyun's face as he stomps towards him is almost enough to intimidate Sunggyu. But not quite. Sunggyu doesn't cower easily.

"I think it's been long enough," Woohyun says when he reaches Sunggyu standing in the doorway. "So now you're going to tell me what the hell's going on with you." He crosses his arms, clearly leaving no room for argument.

Sunggyu stares back at Wooyhun, trying to find the right words. He hasn't stopped wondering if he should be honest with the other. It's not that he doesn't trust Woohyun. He does, completely. But this whole thing, the events from the day before as well as the ones from his past that have just come back to him, it's all so crazy. He's reluctant to involve Woohyun in the madness that had been his life up until a couple years ago. But at the same time, he feels it's unfair of him to lie about or withhold any of it from Woohyun. Especially when his friend is so concerned about him and would try to help him any way he could.

Sunggyu opens his mouth to try to explain the bind he's in, but a voice in his head stops the flow of words from his brain to his mouth. It's definitely not his own, but it sounds as clear as if it is. It's also a familiar voice.

"Did you hear that?" Sunggyu looks around for the owner of the voice, but it's only Woohyun and him. He doesn't think he imagined it. At least, he hopes he didn't.

Woohyun looks at him in confusion. "Hear what?" The store is as silent as it usually is with only the sound of traffic from outside, muffled by glass, filling up the quiet.

This is a bad idea. What if he's not even here? I should leave—

"That," Sunggyu practically shouts, effectively silencing the strange voice in his head. He has a finger pointed in the air and his eyes are wide with panic. His expression must be bordering on deranged if the uneasy look Woohyun is giving him is anything to go by. "Tell me you heard that."

Woohyun takes a step towards his friend and reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. "I think you should take a seat and just breathe for a minute, okay," he says carefully. He moves his hand from Sunggyu's shoulder to his back and tries to lead him to one of the many stacks of boxes filling the room.

Sunggyu steps away from him. "I don't need to sit. I'm fine." He says it more to convince himself than Woohyun. He doesn't know how to explain the foreign voice in his head. But he does know that he's heard it before. He can feel it in his gut.

Woohyun isn't any more assured than he had been before. "You don't look fine," he says as he takes a small step towards Sunggyu. Sunggyu can only see concern in his friend's eyes. "Why don't you just tell me what's going on? Does this have something to do with what happened to you yesterday?"

There's a hesitant pause before Sunggyu answers quietly. "Yes." He takes a deep breath, readying himself to tell Woohyun everything, but the sound of the store's front door opening makes him pause. Woohyun lets out a frustrated groan, stepping around Sunggyu to leave the storage room. Sunggyu follows closely behind him. He's actually relieved that he doesn't have to try to explain anything just yet. That is, until he reaches the bottom of the stairs and gets a good look at their first customer of the day.

It's the guy from the day before. He's dressed in the same dark and worn clothes, but his hair is much more tamed. His eyes pass right over Woohyun to Sunggyu.

"Can I help—" Woohyun starts, but Sunggyu cuts him off.

"Dongwoo." It comes out somewhere between a statement and a question. A wave of relief washes over him; like the feeling of finding something that had been lost. He walks past Woohyun and stands in front of his old friend.

Dongwoo's eyes are wide, but also happy. A small smile makes its way onto his face as he says, "Hi, Sunggyu." A beat of silence passes as they hold each other's gazes. It's broken when Sunggyu smacks the other's shoulder.

"You disappear for two years and that's all you have to say? And why didn't you say anything yesterday?" Despite his anger, he's actually very happy to see Dongwoo. They've been through so much together. He might not have been able to miss his friend, but the memories he has are enough to remind him of how much he meant to him.

Dongwoo's doesn't flinch from Sunggyu's hit. His smile only grows wider as he wraps his arms around the other and squeezes. Sunggyu keeps up his angry act for another second before returning the hug and letting himself smile.

"I'm still mad at you," he tells the short man in his arms. He had always liked his friend's height. He isn't that much shorter than him, but he just looks so small and it makes Sunggyu want to protect him.

"I know." Dongwoo's answer comes out muffled by the other's shirt. His face is pressed into the fabric and Sunggyu suspects he's hiding tears. "I'm sorry." There's a slight tremor in his voice that proves it's true. His arms tighten around Sunggyu almost enough to disrupt the other's breathing.

Sunggyu rubs his friend's back comfortingly. Any residual anger he might have felt dissipates at the sight of Dongwoo apologetic and clinging to him as if he might disappear. He had never been able to stay mad at Dongwoo.

The sound of Woohyun clearing his throat reminds Sunggyu that he and Dongwoo aren't the only ones in the room. He loosens his hold on Dongwoo and the other reluctantly follows his lead. When they turn to face Woohyun, Sunggyu isn't surprised to see his other friend is trying (and mostly failing) to hide his obvious irritation.

"I hate to break up this reunion, but can someone explain to me what the hell's going on?" And who the hell this guy is?

Sunggyu takes a moment to answer. He's sure he heard Woohyun say that last part, but he hadn't seen his mouth move. He decides he must not have been looking properly. That's probably what it is.

"This is Dongwoo," he starts, wrapping an arm around the shorter man. "We grew up together." There's a lot more to their relationship than that, but Sunggyu figures he should start with the basics first.

Woohyun gives Dongwoo a slow once over. He doesn't look especially impressed. Dongwoo shrinks a little under the other's gaze. "You said he was here yesterday?" Indifference quickly turns to suspicion.

Sunggyu's arm tightens around his friend. Woohyun wouldn't be entirely wrong to conclude that Dongwoo had something to do with the strange illness that Sunggyu had come down with, but he would be misunderstanding. "Yes, but it's not what you think." He considers trying to explain what happened to him the day before or why Dongwoo was even there. But the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that for Woohyun to truly understand (or at least begin to) he'll have to start at the very beginning. "Dongwoo and I have known each other since we were kids. We were—are best friends." He looks at his friend apologetically. He knows the other has always assumed that he held that title. And up until a few hours ago Sunggyu had thought so too. He still does actually.

Woohyun doesn't seem too put out and Sunggyu hopes it's because he really isn't and not because he's only pretending. The other's ego is really such a fragile thing.

"When we were maybe thirteen or so," he continues. "Dongwoo realized that there was something, uh, different, I guess, about him." Sunggyu looks to his old friend to explain exactly what it is that sets him apart from everyone else.

Dongwoo clears his throat, his hand seeking out the comfort of the taller man's waist. Nervous actions aside, he speaks confidently as if he's had practice explaining this sort of thing. "I can alter people's memories. Like, make them remember something that never happened or erase something that did."

Woohyun looks between the two men in front of him. “You didn’t have to go to this much trouble to avoid telling me the truth. I know I can be pushy, but if you really didn’t want me to know you could’ve just said so. I know when to mind my business.”

Sunggyu sputters for a moment, at a loss for words, and then, “We’re not—that is the truth.”

“What makes you think I would believe that?”

“You don’t have to.” This comes from Dongwoo, who lets go of Sunggyu’s waist and takes a step towards Woohyun. “But at least let me show you what I can do before you make up your mind.”

“He won’t hurt you,” Sunggyu jumps in to vouch for his friend. He can tell by the look on Woohyun’s face that the younger man isn’t entirely convinced. “All you do is think of a memory and he can pull it out of your head.”

“How the hell is that not supposed to hurt?”

“You won’t feel anything,” Dongwoo promises, taking another step forward. “And it crumbles easily when you’re done.”

Woohyun takes an automatic step backward. He opens his mouth as if he might say something, but closes it shortly after. His eyes go from Dongwoo to Sunggyu and stay locked with his friend’s. Whatever internal conflict he has resolves itself quicker than Sunggyu had thought it would take. Woohyun huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. “Alright, fine,” he says. “Prove it.” The things I do for you.

It’s hard to deny what he sees (or doesn’t see, in this case), but Sunggyu is stubborn even in denial. There’s no excusing the fact that Woohyun’s lips definitely did not move. And Sunggyu is positive he had heard that last part and that it was directed at him. Yet he doesn’t want to believe that that’s possible. How is it even possible?

He doesn’t have time to dwell on it, though, because Dongwoo is trying his best to reassure Woohyun and further explain how his power works. Sunggyu can only file the strange incident away to pick at later and instead focus on the scene in front of him. Dongwoo has his hands on Woohyun’s temples, his eyes closed in concentration, while the latter has his eyes wide open. He’s obviously still wary of trusting this complete stranger.

“Okay,” Dongwoo says quietly and Sunggyu knows that means he found the memory. The older man watches as his old friend moves one of his hands to Woohyun’s forehead. A moment later he pulls it away to reveal what looks like a flattened black marble nestled in his palm. He holds it out to the other man who picks it up slowly.

“That’s it,” Woohyun asks. Sunggyu doesn’t think he could look any more underwhelmed. “That might as well have been a magic trick.”

Dongwoo takes a hold of Woohyun’s wrist to bring the small object level with his eyes. “Look closer.” A wide smile breaks out on his face once the other man does just that.

Sunggyu recognizes Woohyun’s wide-eyed astonishment as the same kind he’d had when his friend had first demonstrated his powers. It had actually taken the younger man twice as long, the process still new to him. Sunggyu feels just as proud as Dongwoo to see how much he’s improved.

Woohyun hasn’t taken his eyes off of the item in his hand. “How’s this even possible?”

“I don’t really know,” Dongwoo answers honestly. “But you believe us now, right?”

“Kinda hard not to.”

Sunggyu takes a step closer to Woohyun, his curiosity getting the better of him. “Which memory did you pick anyway,” he asks as he reaches out to his friend.

Woohyun makes a fist around the stone-like memory and brings it protectively to his chest. “It’s nothing.” That’s not convincing to Sunggyu in the least. And it shows on his face. Woohyun turns to Dongwoo instead. “You guys haven’t seen each other in a long time, right? There’s probably a lot you want to talk about. I don’t need to be here for that; I’ll just give you two some privacy.”

Dongwoo glances between the other two men with a small frown. “But aren’t you—” The words seem to dry up in his mouth with just one look from Woohyun and he clamps his mouth shut instantly.

“Am I missing something,” Sunggyu asks. He shifts his eyes from Woohyun to Dongwoo, suspicious and confused. And even more curious about the memory. Dongwoo remains silent while Woohyun waves away the question.

"Of course not." His smile is as obviously fake as his light tone. "But you guys should really talk. About each other. And catch up." Without waiting for an answer, Woohyun gives Dongwoo a small push toward Sunggyu and scurries away to the storage room with the excuse of work thrown over his shoulder.

---

Sunggyu invites Dongwoo to his apartment after his shift so they can talk more (and without Woohyun poking his nose into it; Sunggyu mentally promises himself to fill his co-worker in at some point) and Dongwoo shows up at Sunggyu's doorstep with chicken and a six-pack. He apologizes again for taking Sunggyu’s memories with the explanation that he’d started to feel like he was burdening Sunggyu. He’s like a magnet to trouble and his powers only seem to make it worse. Sunggyu had always come running to bail him out no matter what, but Dongwoo feels like that hadn’t been fair to Sunggyu. So he’d thought the best thing to do would be to get out of Sunggyu’s life and erase any trace that he’d been in it. Although in the end Dongwoo hadn’t been able to let go completely (to let him forget) and instead of taking Sunggyu’s memories, he’d only buried them in Sunggyu’s mind.

“Why didn’t you tell me first,” Sunggyu asks. “Or at least ask me how I felt about it?”

Dongwoo fiddles with the tab on his beer can, moving it back and forth until it comes off with a quiet snap. “Well, I figured you’d probably say it was fine. That you didn’t mind helping me.” Sunggyu nods. He’s sure that’s how he would have felt. That’s how he feels now too. He knows Dongwoo never means to cause trouble. He only ever wants to help, but his enthusiasm and unwavering optimism gets in the way sometimes. “I thought you could be doing better things with your life than cleaning up my mess all the time,” Dongwoo says with a sad smile.

“Do I look like I have anything better going on?”

“You know what I mean.”

Sunggyu reaches out to pat Dongwoo’s knee. “Yeah, I do. But next time you could let me know before you give me a lobotomy.” When the joke doesn’t seem to lighten Dongwoo’s mood, Sunggyu decides to change the subject. By now there are only bones and empty cans left and the sound of the TV as background noise. Sunggyu has moved on to water as he finally gets around to asking Dongwoo about the day before.

Dongwoo sits with his legs tucked under him on one end of Sunggyu's couch. "There's this guy." Dongwoo snorts at the way Sunggyu's eyebrows nearly disappear under his bangs. "Not like that," he laughs. If Dongwoo was gay, he's sure he would know by now.

Sunggyu pretends to pout into his glass. "Damn, I thought I finally had a chance." Dongwoo's laugh is loud and happy and it doesn't take long for Sunggyu to start laughing too. It's just a joke; Sunggyu has never even thought of Dongwoo in that way. They'd had a few misunderstandings while growing up, though, because of how close they are. One of Dongwoo's ex-girlfriends had said they seemed more like an old married couple than friends. Neither Sunggyu nor Dongwoo had seen the issue with that. They were (are?) comfortable with each other in the most platonic way possible.

"His name is Howon," Dongwoo continues once the laughter quiets down. "I think he's like me. Well, I'm pretty sure. But he doesn't believe me."

"What can he do?" Sunggyu's never met anyone else with strange powers. He can only imagine how Dongwoo must have felt; how excited he must have been to learn there's someone else like him.

One of Dongwoo's shoulders lifts in a half-shrug. He picks at a loose thread in his jeans. "It seems like telekinesis, but I didn't really get a good look. I think he thinks he's being haunted."

"He can believe in ghosts, but not superpowers?" Dongwoo gives him another half-shrug in response. "So how did those two lugs end up chasing you into the store?"

For the first time that night, Dongwoo looks bashful. He rubs the back of his neck as he looks away from Sunggyu. "Ah, yeah, that," he mumbles. "Well, you see, Howon’s father is kind of a big deal—he runs some big business or something—and I guess he must have quite a few enemies since those guys are supposed to be Howon’s bodyguards. And I must have come on a bit too strong when I first saw his power."

"So he sicced his henchmen on you? Are you sure this is the kind of person you want to mess with?" Even as Sunggyu asks the question he already knows the answer. Dongwoo's been alone in dealing with his ability for so long. He wouldn't just give up after finally finding someone he can relate to, even if that someone wants nothing to do with him.

"I have to help him," Dongwoo says, determination shining brightly in his eyes. "He doesn't understand what's happening or that he's the one making things happen. He can't control it yet, but I want to teach him how to before anyone gets hurt."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Dongwoo's first approach hadn't gone over very well and Sunggyu can't imagine this guy being happy to see Dongwoo again. But Sunggyu knows he'll help his friend any way he can.

Dongwoo shrugs a third time. "I'm not sure yet," he sighs. The light in his eyes is unwavering even as his shoulders slump. "I think if I get him alone he might listen to what I have to say. But his bodyguards are always right next to him. I don't know how to get rid of them. Or, I guess, how to get him to get rid of them."

Sunggyu nods slowly, thinking it over. "Why don't we sleep on it," he suggests. He still has a few questions about this mystery guy, but it's gotten pretty late and it's been a long day. He's only just gotten his memory back (without knowing it had been taken in the first place); he needs time to sleep and process everything.

"Speaking of sleep..."

Dongwoo's turned sheepish again. Sunggyu stares at him for a moment before he realizes what Dongwoo's silently trying to ask him. It hadn't even occurred to Sunggyu that Dongwoo might not have anywhere else to go. He'd just assumed that Dongwoo had that taken care of already. "If you don't mind the couch," he answers. He almost regrets it when Dongwoo pounces on him from the other side of the couch.

"I owe you one," Dongwoo smiles up at him. His arms are tight around Sunggyu's ribs as he rests halfway on top of his old friend. "Actually, I owe you a lot. You're not keeping a tab, are you?"

Sunggyu laughs, bringing his arms around Dongwoo to return the hug. "I think I would've lost count by now if I was." He's in an awkward position wedged into a corner of the couch with Dongwoo's weight holding him in place. Normally, he would've complained about it already, but he's feeling oddly sentimental at the moment. There's a familiar comfort to Dongwoo that not even Woohyun could duplicate. Maybe it's because they've known each other for so long; he feels more relaxed than he's felt in probably the whole time they'd been apart. Sunggyu's not the sappy type, so he would never say it out loud, but he really does treasure his friendship with Dongwoo.

"If you'd rather sleep here, I'll take your bed instead."

"Don't get too comfortable; it's only for the night."