It is said that one must travel time responsibly. We must not touch anything, for the consequences may be severe in ways we may or may not ever understand. If even a butterfly changes its course due to our actions while we are away from our own time, the course of time can be irreparably altered, for better or worse.

Nam Woohyun read that in a book once. And you know what? He ing hates math, so he thinks it's stupid. Who says that butterfly was destined for anything? Maybe it was just gonna die soon. Maybe he was destined to step on it, and so by going back in time and killing it was what was supposed to happen. Not that he actually understands what the hell the point is, of course. The whole thing about its wings causing a tornado far away... yeah, he can't really wrap his brain around that one.

He likes the idea of irresponsible time travel, like studying all night and going back to the afternoon before to take a long nap before the exam. He likes to use it to fix conversations where he said the stupidest of things (only when it matters, of course. He's not afraid to look like a fool.) He likes to use it to get an edge over his friends when they try to prank him.

He's never met a double of himself, or he hasn't figured out how to do so in the past couple of months that he's had the ability, so at least he doesn't have to worry about people running into two of him. He's speculated on what that means - that damn skull guy made him read too many books and got all this theory in his head, so what did you expect? - and the only answer he's come up with is pretty stupid.

It also means he's probably totally ed in thousands of universes - if, that is, it's true that his past self from before the point he traveled back to splintered off into a different universe and no longer exists in his own. Because he's made... a lot of mistakes, just for the sake of seeing what would happen, and then regretting it tremendously and moving back in time so he can, well, not do that. So if there's a universe where he kept that decision and a universe where he didn't... well, he ed over that alternate universe him. That kind of freaks him out.

The main downside to this time travel thing is all the limitations. See, it's not unlimited back and forth travel. That's for the "masters," or so that creepy skull says. He can't change how he looks, so he'll still look exactly the same no matter what day he returns to, and he can only go forward enough to get back to the moment when he went back in time. If he wanted to go back and change something in 2005, for example, he could, but if it's 2015, he can't go to 2025.

That weird guy with the skulls - well, one skull. He doesn't have a head. It's just a skull, floating above his shoulders without a neck. Whatever. - explained it all to him when he signed the contract to become his "apprentice" or whatever, and he actually remembered some of it. He's the one who made him read that book about chaos theory and whatever else. ("You need to understand the theories so one day you can hope to understand the truth" blah blah.) Now that had been a dull read.

Woohyun now asks him, "Why did you give the power to me, anyway?" In his enthusiasm to obtain the power, he didn't really think it through that well.

What's-his-name scoffs and sighs and crosses his arms and uncrosses them before responding, "You were the first potential apprentice I found."

"Man, your standards are low."

"I've been combing time  for who knows how long, and I'm not moving on until you shape the up," he snaps. He adjusts his perfect black suit jacket.

"I think you'll be waiting a while longer," Woohyun laughs. "Have you ever tried adding blue to your wardrobe? I think it would bring out your eyes." He doesn't even ing have eyes, ahaha.

"What?" the skull tilts downward to look at himself. "I don't want to. I'd have to dye my cats blue to hide the fur."

"You can dye your cats blue but you can't put your clothes in the washer?" Woohyun shakes his head. "You need so much help."

"Dude, I don't even have a washer. Or a house." He shrugs helplessly, like "what can ya do."

"Where are your cats then?" Woohyun asks suspiciously.

A quiet mew comes from his pocket.

"Well, it's just the one right now."

"Okay, that's the last straw. I'm gonna help you out of the kindness of my heart and because this time travel thing is pretty sweet, honestly, and you just look so dumb and helpless." Woohyun begins to mutter to himself. "Doesn't even know what a laundromat is... I swear..."

"I know what that is!" Skull guy protests. "I just have a lot in my pockets. They're enchanted, you know." He looks pretty proud of that one, or as proud as a floating skull head can look.

"Just... tell me that cat is okay."

The black cat pops its head out of his pocket. "I'm quite alright, thank you."

"Oh! You can speak."

"Yes, I know this language very well, I think."

"You're pretty good." Woohyun gives the cat two thumbs up. "Hey, skullguy, whatever your name is" - he cuts off the man before he can get corrected - "I have an idea."

"Why do I feel like I'm about to hear something incredibly stupid?"

"Dangers of the job," Woohyun shrugs. "Your fault for talking to me. Anyway, move in with me."

"Why would I do that?" the skull tilts, and if this was a human he'd probably be able to see an inquisitive look on his face. "I don't want to use your washing machine."

"Because everyone thinks I'm having one-sided conversations with myself all the time, obviously." Woohyun sighs. "It's just kind of annoying when you talk to me in public and expect me to respond. You could at least pretend to be a human instead of hiding or being invisible or whatever."

"I'm not hiding, it's..."

"Another danger of the job?" Woohyun smirks.

"Yes, exactly." The skull sounds indignant and he crosses his arms again.

"I don't care. When's the last time you interacted with a human being other than me?"

"Um..." the sentient, timeless, floating skull above a black Armani suit twists and turns. Woohyun can literally see the gears in his head turning as he thinks of a way to get out of this.

"You're not very good at this whole I am a god, fear me thing."

"I'm not a god." He sticks his tongue out at him. Oh, wait, he has a tongue now.

"Hey, you grew a face!"

"I stole it from some guy who died somewhere in the 1700s, if I remember right. He gave me a muffin." He starts touching "his" own face, pulling his cheeks and then patting them. "If you want to use modern words, that is."

"It's a good change." Woohyun looks him over and nods to himself. "However, if you steal my friends away then I will disfigure you."

"You're a piece of ," he says.