"We reached our point of no return, heading towards our seperation." — B.A.P - It's All Lies (Jeonbu Geojitmal)

And so, Jaejin grew to become a better guitarist then he was. Seunghyun fell backwards, so much back that by the end of one week, he was the one being ostracized by all of the trainees.

Because they knew, there was no point staying with a guy that was probably going to get kicked out.

Jaejin started to shine in ways that made him suddenly desirable — the coaches found out that he could sing, which was one good asset already, and that with a little bit of makeup, he could actually look quite good.

And in just one week, the company’s interest changed from Seunghyun to Jaejin.

The poor, lovesick boy became more distant from the human world... Although sometimes, he would catch Jaejin shooting worried glances at him...

But Seunghyun sometimes wondered if it was his own twisted mind that might have transformed a look of disdain, of scorn, into a look of worry, something that occasionally lights up a small flame of hope in the boy’s mind that maybe... maybe...

Maybe Jaejin still cared.

—

The bright flash of lightning lit up the dark room before rain started pouring down mercilessly.

Seunghyun crouched at a corner of the room, eyes empty of any emotion, but the tears keep falling, keep falling...

Another flash of lightning.

It was on nights like these, when Seunghyun stopped hating himself, stopped hating himself for not noticing how distant the boy was, stopped hating himself for not trying to save the relationship...

Pathetic, he couldn’t even think about the boy’s name without sending fresh bouts of tears to his red and swollen eyes.

So sometimes, he thought... that it wasn’t his fault at all.

It was that boy’s fault.

He was blinded by fame, blinded by greed... blinded by money...

But at the end of everything, Seunghyun found that he still could not blame that boy.

Because what gave him the right to blame it all on him, when he himself was once blinded by those same things?

-

Months passed. Then it was almost a few years since the day they first met...

Maybe it was because that Seunghyun lost him, that these distant memories suddenly became so clear to him that he saw every moment as though he was reliving everything.

Reliving everything...

Relive...

To turn back time...

—

“Hey, I’m Seunghyun. Song Seunghyun.”

Jaejin’s eyes trailed up from the hand that was offered to him into the face of a boy that was smiling down at him. A genuine smile, something he hadn’t seen in years.

It was at a tender age when Jaejin had learnt that he couldn’t trust smiles.

But somehow, something in that smile radiated a warm wave that told the little boy that he could trust this taller boy standing in front of him.

That he could trust him, and he wouldn’t regret.

-

“Do you believe in time machines, Seunghyun?”

Jaejin said this in a very soft voice, thinking that the younger boy wouldn’t hear, but Seunghyun caught every word and continued to listen attentively as he fiddled with the various wires in front of him.

“Do you think...” Jaejin continued in a soft, and scared voice, “if we could turn back time? Be given second chances?”

Seunghyun didn’t know what to say, he was so mesmerised by the older boy’s speech.

“It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?” Jaejin laughs bitterly, waving a hand as if to dismiss the idea, “but you know something Seunghyun? If I could build a time machine, I would. I’d most definitely use it. There are so many things in my life that I want to change... I don’t want to regret anything when I die.”

Jaejin’s voice was filled with bitter resentment and regret, that Seunghyun could only wonder what made the boy think this way.

They were only twelve then.

“I believe in you, hyung.”