Author's note:

I deleted the hiatus notice, so the last story chapter got pushed to the 6th chapter. Saying this just in case some of you may have accidentally missed it :)

And yaaay, faster updates.

Kang Daniel – 35 years old

The first thing that Minhyun noticed was the wind blowing hard in his face.

Really really hard.

He squinted his eyes, blinking, trying to shake off the blurriness. Everything was still white.

“Whoa,” Jaehwan said beside him, letting go of his hand.

“What is it?” Minhyun asked.

“See for yourself.”

“Working on it.”

Seconds later and his vision returned. He saw clouds. Wisps of white clouds spread across the blue sky.

Then he looked down and nearly screamed.

They were on the flat roof of what must have been one of the tallest buildings in the city. The world stretched out in miniature size below him— a clutter of buildings, roads, vehicles, and people that looked like the size of ants. He could faintly hear the sound of traffic below, yet the wind did a great job of drowning it out.

He instantly took a couple steps back, feeling dizzy.

Keep cool, Hwang Minhyun, he told himself. Keep cool.

Jaehwan did the opposite. The younger doctor strode towards the roof’s railing— the only thing separating him from a very, very long fall. He looked at the view below.

“Maybe Kang Daniel’s inside the building,” Minhyun said, “This looks like an office building or something— Hey, be careful.” He tried not to freak out as Jaehwan stood on his tippy-toes and leaned forwards on the railing.

“Not inside the building,” Jaehwan answered. He pointed at a spot below. “I remember that park. It’s the park that Daniel and Seongwoo often visit. They hang out there a lot. They’re probably there right now.”

Minhyun walked up to his friend, his eyes following the direction of Jaehwan’s index finger. He recognized the park below. He even went there sometimes.  

It was across the street of the building they were currently on. So close yet so far.

“Let’s go in the building and find an elevator,” Minhyun said.

Jaehwan kept staring at the view below. “Hmm... No, that’d take too long. Daniel could be gone by the time we get down there.”

“We could just pause the memory till we get down.”

“We can’t waste time, hyung. That’d take a couple minutes.”

“Or we can reboot the memory and hope that we land somewhere closer.”

And not on the roof of a building, Minhyun finished in his head.

“Still a waste of minutes.” Jaehwan continued staring. There was a glint in his eyes. “Hmm...”

“Um...”

Minhyun took a couple steps back again. He knew Jaehwan well enough to know that an idea had popped up in the younger doctor’s mind. An idea that Minhyun would most definitely not like.

And then Jaehwan smiled and Minhyun knew that he should start running.

The shorter doctor quickly pressed a couple buttons on his wristwatch. He then grabbed the building’s railing.

Minhyun watched in horror as the railing flickered, turned a bright white, and disappeared.

Smile turning wider, Jaehwan whirled around to lock eyes with his friend. He held out his hand. “Let’s go, hyung.”

“No.”

“Oh, come on, hyung. You know we can’t get hurt in memories.”

Yes, Minhyun knew. It was one of the first things that Sigmund Corp candidates learned during their first days of training. It was impossible for doctors to be physically harmed in a client’s memory. There were at least a dozen safety measures protecting them from any real injuries.

But—

But it didn’t stop the fact that Jaehwan was casually holding out his hand as if saying “let’s go to the movies, hyung” and not “let’s go jump off this thousand feet building and to the streets below, hyung.”

And the fact that it was still a freaking thousand feet drop and it would be scary as hell.

“Hyuuung, come on. Don’t you trust me?”

Minhyun sighed. He didn’t see any way around this. And Jaehwan did have a point. It was probably the fastest way down. “I do. A little too much sometimes.”

Jaehwan giggled like a little kid. He ran towards Minhyun, who reluctantly took his hand. “Okay. So on the count of three, we run and jump.”

On any normal day, Minhyun would have been elated to be holding hands with Jaehwan. Especially since Jaehwan was the one that initiated it.

BUT NOT IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS, GODDAMNIT.

“One...” the younger doctor began.

Minhyun tried not to question his life.

“Two...”

Minhyun tried not to notice how hard his heart was banging against his chest.

“Three!”

And they ran.  

Minyun tried not to think about anything as they reached the edge and jumped, their feet meeting nothing but air.

They fell like rocks.

Jaehwan began laughing almost immediately. It was ear-shattering and loud and would have attracted a lot of attention if only he wasn’t muted to everyone but Minhyun.

Their bodies tipped forwards, as if they were skydiving.

Skydiving without parachutes.

The wind was roaring in Minhyun’s ears, the world becoming a huge colorful, blurry mess as buildings passed by his eyes in split seconds. He didn’t scream. Not a single sound came from Minhyun’s mouth as he simply held tighter onto Jaehwan’s fingers.

In all the chaos, he thought of the people below. The people that had no idea that two invisible men were dropping from the sky— one of them absolutely silent and the other laughing at the top of his lungs.

The ground was getting closer. They continued to fall, gaining momentum.

Soon Minhyun could see the people on the streets, the cars on the roads, the roofs of shorter buildings.

Jaehwan continued to laugh.

The asphalt of the street was right below them— no more than ten meters. Minhyun instinctively closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact.

But of course, the impact never came. They were at five meters when they began to slow down. It was as if somehow had pressed a slow-motion button, and they were floating gently and carefully onto the ground. They were even able to swing their legs forward to ensure that they land on their feet. Meanwhile, the memory around them continued to move at normal speed.

Finally, the two doctors touched the street. Minhyun had yet to regain the strength back in his body, and it seemed that Jaehwan felt the same. The moment they made contact with the ground, their knees buckled and they ended up sprawled all over the pavement.

Luckily, there weren’t that many people, so no one stepped on their faces.

And Jaehwan was still laughing. He was on his side, clutching his stomach with one hand, shoulders shaking.

Minhyun slowly breathed in and out. In and out. Nice, deep breaths. He rolled to his side, facing Jaehwan. His voice was hoarse when he finally said, “Next time, I’d rather take the stairs.”

Jaehwan had trouble answering between his giggles. “But, hyung! It... was... so... fun!”

“I think my life flashed before my eyes.”

“It was fun, admit it!”

“You sensation-seeking little brat.”

Jaehwan replied with another giggle.

Minhyun just watched him, waiting for the laughs to subside. The streets remained relatively empty except for a few people passing here and there— thankfully none got close to the two doctors who were still lying on the ground.

Finally Jaehwan calmed down and released Minhyun’s hand. They both climbed to their feet, dusting off their clothes and fixing their windswept hair. Then they focused on the park across the street.

It was in the middle of the city, surrounded by tall buildings and roads. The park wasn’t that big, but it was a nice place with plenty of benches for tired pedestrians, lots of green grass and trees, and even a small playground for kids.

Minhyun and Jaehwan carefully crossed the street, their eyes and ears open for any signs of their client.

They found him shortly after. Daniel was seated in one of the benches near the playground, watching a group of children playing on the swings and slide. It was summer, with the sun blaring above, so Daniel wore a simple t-shirt and jeans. He took a long sip from a red-colored thermos before setting it down next to him on the seat.

“The thermos is flickering,” Jaehwan observed.

Minhyun nodded. “Well, that’s our next memento.”

The younger doctor looked around. “Where’s Seongwoo?”

“Maybe he’s not in this memory?”

They waited. Daniel was silent the whole time, sometimes chuckling when one of the kids did something remotely cute. Five minutes passed and Jaehwan spotted Seongwoo jogging in their direction.

“There he is,” Jaehwan said. Minhyun nodded.

Holding onto a plastic bag, Seongwoo wore the same attire as Daniel. It was a hot day, after all. He plopped down next to Daniel on the bench, and the latter immediately engulfed him in a hug.

“Who wants ice cream?” Seongwoo said cheerfully when Daniel finally let go. He shook the plastic bag in his grasp, rattling the contents.

“You disappeared to look for ice cream?”

“And some snacks. You get hungry so easily, Niel.”

Daniel grinned brightly. “You’re the best.” He dug into the bag and pulled out an ice cream bar. Seongwoo did the same.

Taking in the view, they ate. It was a peaceful day at the park, with only a few parents and their children. The playground was filled with young boys and girls running around.

A little boy went down the slide, puffing out his chest with pride when he reached the bottom. He turned to look at a tall, bespectacled man that stood a couple meters from him. The man clapped and flashed a thumbs up, saying, “That was awesome, son.” The boy looked even prouder.

Daniel chuckled at the sight. “Cute.”

Seongwoo smiled.  

The ice cream had long disappeared into the depths of their stomachs. They threw away the sticks as Daniel continued to watch the playground and its visitors, a serious look on his face.

“What’s on your mind?” Seongwoo asked, nudging him.

“It’s just...” Daniel trailed off, as if wondering whether to continue or stay silent. “Do you think we’ll ever be like that?” His gaze still remained on the families in front of him— especially on the little boy and his father.

Seongwoo was silent as he rested his head on Daniel’s shoulder. Finally he said quietly, “You really want kids, don’t you?”

Daniel nodded eagerly.

“I do too,” Seongwoo said. “I really do.” He tilted his head to look at Daniel, who had a small, hopeful smile on his face.

But the smile disappeared as Daniel heaved a sigh. “It’d be hard, though. With our hectic schedules and all.”

“Maybe we can manage,” Seongwoo said. “Somehow. You know...” He paused. “There’s an orphanage near here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s really close. There’s boy and girls, some really young. Some a lot older. Maybe... Maybe one day we can adopt.”

Daniel listened carefully as his husband continued.

“This is sad, but... sometimes people would even abandon their babies in front of the orphanage’s door. The orphanage takes them all in. Takes care of them. Hoping for them to get adopted one day. Some of the babies don’t even have names at first. So if they’re adopted at their very young age, the foster parents can even decide on a name for them.”

“Are you thinking of baby names, already?” Daniel asked, his smile returning.

Seongwoo chuckled. “And what if I am?”

“Then I’d like to hear it.”

“Well, if we have a girl...”

“Oh, I know this one,” Daniel cut in. “Your cousin asked us to name our kid after her.”

“I was considering it,” Seongwoo admitted. “But we don’t actually have to listen to her.”

“Doyeon is a really pretty name, though. I like it.”

Seongwoo smiled. “Doyeon it is, then.”

“How about a boy name though? If we have a boy.”

There was a pause as Seongwoo seemed to think it over. Finally he said, “Woojin. Doesn’t Woojin sound like a good name?”

Daniel nodded immediately. “Woojin sounds great!” Smiling, he wrapped an arm around Seongwoo’s shoulders.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Doyeon and Woojin,” Daniel said with a happy sigh. Then his hand suddenly flew to his temple, rubbing it. “Ow.”

Seongwoo sat up straight, looking concerned as he examined Daniel’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little headache.” Daniel let out a laugh. “I guess I haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

“You’ve been coming home really late,” Seongwoo said, frowning. “For the past few weeks. I know that your schedule is packed, but you really need to rest more.”

“You too,” Daniel answered, still rubbing his head. “With your new film project and all.”

“We should go home. Get some sleep.” The older man smiled sadly. He took another long glance at the playground, hearing the children’s laughter, seeing their happy faces.

Daniel nodded. “Yeah... In a bit. Let’s stay here for a bit.” He then leaned bent forwards, picking something up from the ground. “Seongwoo, look.”

“It’s a stick. Probably from the tree over there.”

“The kids were playing with these. Waving them around like in Harry Potter. They were saying the spells. For example...” Daniel grinned and cleared his throat, launching into (what he hoped was) a British accent. “Accio! Wingardium Leviosa!”

Seongwoo laughed. “That’s adorable.”

Daniel waved the wooden stick, still in British mode. “Hello everyone, my name is Daniel Kang. Or should I say...” He took a dramatic pause. “...Harry Pote’.”

“I don’t think that’s how you pronounce it.”

“Pote’!” Daniel insisted.

With another laugh, Seongwoo rested his head on Daniel’s shoulder again. “Alright, alright.”

The two stayed like that in comfortable silence. The children continued to play, the sun still high up in the sky.

Jaehwan let out a small sigh. “It’s sad that they never ended up having kids.”

“They even picked out the names,” Minhyun said, and his words felt heavy. “Doyeon and Woojin.”

“I heard a lot about Seongwoo’s cousin, Doyeon. Very famous as well. The name for the boy, though...”

“Woojin...” Minhyun pondered. “It’s a very common name, but it really is nice.”

“Agreed. Just look at our Park Woojin.”

Minhyun chuckled, fondly remembering their friend back at Sigmund Corp: red-haired, snaggletoothed, and always caught in all sorts of mischief. “Really nice name.” He then eyed the thermos next to Daniel’s leg. “Should we go to the next memory now?”

Jaehwan was already crouching in front of the memento, his wristwatch letting out a couple beeps as he expertly pressed buttons. “Yeah. I think we should.”

While Minhyun waited, he glanced at the playground. A little girl, who looked no more than three years old, had tripped on her own feet and fell over. She let out a wail and her father rushed over, examining the small injury on her knee.

Jaehwan followed his gaze. “You want kids too, hyung?”

Minhyun felt his face heat up in less than a second. He turned to stare at his friend. “What—”

The younger doctor laughed as he focused back on the job. “I’m just joking. Minhyun-hyung...” He was cut off as his wristwatch let out a loud, confirmative beep. “Oh, the memento’s ready.”

“Let’s go, then,” Minhyun said quickly, hoping the tips of his ears weren’t noticeably red. He bent down, placing two careful fingers on the thermos. It felt cool to the touch. Maybe Daniel had cold coffee in there or something.

They two doctors were still invisible, but they knew they had to be careful. It was quite weird, really, to be in such close proximity with their client. Minhyun was afraid he’d fall over and bump into Daniel. Or maybe accidentally tip over the thermos. Would Kang Daniel think that his thermos was haunted?

“Next memory,” Jaehwan said, pulling Minhyun away from his thoughts. “Here we come.”

---

Kang Daniel – 34 years old

Ong Seongwoo was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets as sunlight filtered through the window’s blinds. It was a comfortable bedroom, with a table lined up with photographs and a large closet for two people. There were two doors— probably one that led to the bathroom and one that led to the rest of the apartment.

Minhyun knew it was an apartment because he had peeked out the window, seeing the city stretched out below. They were over ten floors up.

“That door’s slightly ajar,” Jaehwan said. “Let’s go look for Daniel. Plus...” He glanced at Seongwoo, who was still dozing off on the bed. “...I feel like a creep watching him sleep like this. I don’t think he’d notice the door opening either.”

“Daniel might, though,” Minhyun pointed out. “He might even be in the living room or something. Let’s just wait a bit.”

And they did wait, for just a short two minutes before the door was nudged open.

Kang Daniel entered, holding onto a plate of sandwiches and a red thermos. He placed them carefully on the bedside table and examined the man still fast asleep.

Then he threw himself on the bed.

Seongwoo let out a surprised yelp as Daniel pounced on him like a large puppy. He was wide awake now, pretending to pry Daniel off of him.

“Wake! Up! Ong! Seong! Woo!” The younger man chuckled and unwrapped his husband from the blankets. “It’s already 9 o’clock!”

Pouting, Seongwoo let out a long, loud whine. “Niel-ah, I’m still sleepyyyy.”

Daniel suddenly sat up, his arms at his side, and Minhyun could actually imagine puppy ears drooping in discouragement.

“Seongwoo... Did you actually forget what day is today?”

At Daniel’s sad tone, Seongwoo flashed a grin and grabbed Daniel’s arm, pulling the younger man on top of him. “Of course not,” he said. “Happy anniversary.”

The smile returned to Daniel’s face. His arms on both side of the other man’s body, Daniel cupped Seongwoo’s face with gentle hands. “Happy anniversary. Thanks for one year of happiness and craziness.”

Seongwoo chuckled as Daniel leaned in, closing the distance.

Minhyun slapped a hand over Jaehwan’s eyes.

“What the— Hyung!”

“You’re too young to see this, Jaehwan.”

“What the hell, hyung. You’re only a year older than me.”

“You’re still too young.”

“I’m twenty-four years old. And they’re fully clothed—”

“Still too young.”

“Uuugh.”

Daniel eventually pulled away from the kiss, grinning widely. “I made breakfast.”

Seongwoo laughed. “Wow, really?”

“On the table. Your favorite coffee too.”

“Wow.”

“Also, get dressed! We’re going out!”

Jaehwan succeeded in prying Minhyun’s hand off.

“Where are we going?” Seongwoo asked, the excitement evident in his voice.

“It’s a secret,” Daniel answered, his face bright. “You’ll see when we get there.”

“Alright. Wait, before that...” Seongwoo slowly sat up, and Daniel rolled off of him. “Let’s take a trip through memory lane.” He grabbed something from underneath the bed. It was a laptop. Humming cheerfully, he flipped it open and turned it on.

Daniel blinked. “You don’t mean—”

Seongwoo smiled. “Yup.” He quickly opened a file and leaned back against the bed with Daniel nuzzled at his side. They stared intently at the screen, Daniel’s voice playing through the small speakers.

Jaehwan nudged Minhyun’s arm. “They’re watching their music video.”

“Yes... I recognize the song.” Minhyun remembered the video as well. It was a story of two men who stuck with each other through thick and thin, always supporting each other, always there for each other. People had theorized whether the story depicted the close friendship between two friends— brothers perhaps, or maybe the relationship between lovers. It was open for interpretation.

But seeing the two men in front of him now, Minhyun was sure of how Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwoo themselves interpreted the story. Maybe they didn’t even need to act at all, if their feelings were genuine during the filming process.

“Hmm... I wonder who’s this good-looking fellow.” Seongwoo said, pointing at the screen.

“Ong Seongwoo!” Daniel answered, clapping his hands.

“And who’s this cute and handsome man?”

Daniel wasted no time in answering again. “Kang Daniel!”

With a light laugh, Seongwoo nodded.

“Can you believe this was four years ago?” Daniel said.

“It’s hard to believe, really.”

“Happiest four years of my life.”

Seongwoo was silent, his eyes still fixed on the video until the song faded out and the screen went black. He then turned to Daniel. “We’ll make the next years just as happy.”

Daniel gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Looking forward to it.” He then swung his legs off the bed, stretching his arms. “Let’s go get ready!”

"Right now?"

"I have a lot planned for today, so we gotta start soon!" And with that, Daniel disappeared out the door.

Seongwoo chuckled and grabbed one of the sandwiches from the table. He ate and turned back to the laptop, clicking on a random part of the video. Daniel appeared on screen again, grinning radiantly. A warm smile made its way on Seongwoo's face.

He then closed the laptop, his fingers tapping the hard surface for a short moment. He then reached over for the thermos, bringing it to his lips before taking a long sip. Looking a lot fresher after the coffee, Seongwoo finally rolled off the bed and made his way to the bathroom.

After hearing the sound of the shower running, Minhyun began looking around the room. Only ten seconds passed when he found what he was looking for.

The memento was two rings, placed carefully in their small cushioned boxes on the table near the mirror.

It was something that he had observed the second they entered the first memory. How Kang Daniel’s finger would always glisten with the ring around it. Ong Seongwoo as well— the ring was never absent from his hand.

Jaehwan walked up to him, also staring at the rings. Both doctors had a pretty good hunch at what the next memory was.

Minhyun’s mind was churning. “Hey,” he said, turning to Jaehwan.

“Yeah, hyung?”

“You know, this whole time we’ve just been observers... Just seeing things happen, listening to people talk. But...” Minhyun gestured at the memento. “The next memory... Kang Daniel’s friends will be there. People that have known him for years. They might know something that’ll help us figure out Daniel’s motive for his final wish.”

Jaehwan pondered it over. “We’ll need to interact with them. To ask some questions.”

Minhyun nodded. “Put on your best suit, Jaehwan.” He grinned. “We’re going to a wedding.”

Author's end notes:

Some things you can look forward to in the next chapters:
- more angst
- some fluff
- the appearance of more characters (including IOI girls)
- even more angst