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CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

❝MEMORIESOFTHEPAST❞

A young man with short blond hair sat down at the table with a tray full of food. He gave a deep, tired sigh, still recovering from the mission he had just returned from last night. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, picking up the fork on his tray. He pushed the contents on the plate back and forth, not really finding the meal appetizing. The food the military served was never very appealing.

The young man pushed his tray to the side and folded his arms in front of him on the table, laying his head on them. He attempted to get a couple more minutes of shut eye before the big morning crowd of soldiers shuffled into the cafeteria for breakfast. Despite the quietness and with how exhausted he felt, constant thoughts were running through his head. There was no way he would be able to catch a few minutes of sleep.

The blond sighed again, adjusting in his position a bit so that he could peek between his arms.  He watched as people began to pile into the cafeteria. Most still had their eyes closed, stumbling and bumping into one another as they gather into a line to get their plates.

He saw Lee Taemin, a fellow soldier from his barracks that he lives in, push his way towards the front of the line, and then there was Kim Taehyung, like the idiot he was, rolling into the cafeteria, like he was on the battlefield or something.

Tsk, like that would ever happen. The blond couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Half of these guys didn’t know the true horrors of being out there, being out there on the field. Most of them didn’t know what it was like pulling the trigger on your friends, your comrades, people you knew and trusted.

Watching his fellow soldiers get their food, the young man couldn’t help but wonder how the military worked in that world, that time. That place was so different than this. The people, the environment, the government, it was nothing like how it was in his time. What happened in history to change the world so drastically?

Was everything that boy told him true? Like in the history books, their land, their world was once at peace. The word peace was such a foreign concept to him. What was it like living in a world where the possibility of waking up to someone pressing a knife to your throat didn’t exist? A world where you were infiltrating enemy territory to learn of their weakness and bring them down successfully? A world where he did not fear of the events of tomorrow?

A world where he didn’t have to pray every single night, hoping to see the light of another day?

“Well, well, well,” a voice drawled. “I wasn’t expecting you to return back home for a couple of more days.” The young man felt the table shift as a familiar someone placed their tray on the table. Their chair screeched against the floor as they situated themselves next to the blond.

“Surprise, surprise,” the blond yawned, sitting up. He stretched his arms up, hearing the familiar sounds of his joints cracking. He turned to his companion, a young man, appearing to be around his age, with short black hair that was parted in the middle. The blond placed his left arm on the table, propping it up and leaning his face against it. He gave the other man a small and weary smile.

“How come you didn’t drop by? I’ve been worried since you left,” the raven haired man’s concerns were a bit muffled as he stuffed a forkful of food into his mouth.

“I got back late last night, and I didn’t finish the report and check-up that Dr. Wu did on me till a few hours ago. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Oh, please,” the blond could see and hear the other roll his eyes. “Excuses…”

“I missed you too, Yongguk,” the blond leaned over and gave a quick peck to the cheek after making sure no one was looking. He squeezed the other’s bicep affectionately. Before Yongguk could reciprocate any sort of affection, another voice called out to the blond.

“Himchan, you’re back!” A young man with short, slightly tousled red hair sat in front of the two, beaming brightly at the blond. “You’re back so soon!” Himchan sent a smile back. He couldn’t help wonder when was the last time he saw the red head that happy.

“How was the mission? What was it like, that world? Did you bring me any souvenirs? Is it like what they all say–I mean, like what they say in the books? Did–”

“Woah, slow down,” Himchan chuckled, trying to keep up with the questions. “Sometimes I forget you’re the oldest out of the three of us when you act like that.”

The red head pouted, glaring slightly at the blond. “I just wanna know what it’s like over there, in that time.” He leaned forward, expectantly.

“I just got back, and I’m already getting interrogated by the both of you. I don’t even get a hello and a how are you, Himchan,” the blond dramatically sighed, closing his eyes and placing the back of his hand against his forehead. “Some friends you are!”

“Well, good thing I’m more than just a friend,” Yongguk snickered, stuffing more food into his mouth.

“Some friend and boyfriend you are,” Himchan dramatically sighed again. Both men laughed at Himchan’s antics, their concerns and worries over the blond’s absence for the past couple of weeks edging away. “Come back to me with all those questions after I get a couple of hours of sleep.” Himchan yawned again.

“You do look pretty exhausted,” the red head noted.

Himchan nodded, “I didn’t get much sleep while I was over there.”

“Was it not like what the scientist predict? What the history books said it was once like?”

“It was…” Himchan trailed, staring at the table. “…It was just like they all said. That world, that time, it was beautiful. The past was just as beautiful and peaceful as we all predicted.” Himchan glanced at the red head as he listened to what the blond said. Just like himself, it was obvious, based off of the expression on the red head's face, that there being a time period in their history where war didn’t lay waste to the land and tearing apart families and homes was a foreign thought.

“So are you gonna eat that?” Yongguk gestured to Himchan’s untouched breakfast. Himchan slid his tray over to Yongguk, not muttering a word. “The mystery meat they’re serving this morning is actually pretty good. It doesn’t taste like the usual mixture of reptiles. Perhaps jellyfish?” The blond was thankful for the change in the subject. His mind was still reeling from his mission.

Well, could one really call it a mission? It was more of an experiment. Himchan was chosen, by Dr. Wu himself, to test their new project. It was called Project KOT. Himchan wasn’t exactly sure what the KOT stood for, but basically, through some sort of machine that the BEQP scientists created, Himchan was the first person to physically travel through time for more than a few minutes. According to the records, Himchan traveled far in the past.

He traveled well over five thousand years into the past. And he was the first one to successfully to come back to their current time period alive.

He didn’t come back alone, though.

“Hey, did you see that guy in Dr. Wu’s lab, the brunet?” the red head asked, crossing his arms. Yongguk shook his head; a frowned etched on Himchan’s face. “I wonder if he is new. I’ve never seen him around here before. All the doctors were crowding him, talking to him. I couldn’t hear what any of them were saying, though. The poor guy was shaking so badly and looked like he was about to pee on himself,” the red head mused.

“Well, let’s hope for his sake that he’s just some new recruit and they’re doing the usual military check-ups on him,” Yongguk mumbled, scarfing down the remainder of Himchan’s food. He turned to said man, noticing how quiet the man grew. “Himchan?”

The blond startled, feeling Yongguk’s hand on his shoulder. He turned to his boyfriend but did not say anything. He stared at him with little emotion on his face.

“Is everything alright?” The red head asked, eyeing the blond. His eyes narrowed, watching the blond’s reactions.

“You know,” Himchan said, ignoring the question. “Yongguk, you would look good with red hair,” he reached up, tugging at the raven’s hair a bit. “Not too bright and not too dark, but a…nice red, like his,” he gestured to the other young man at the table.

Yongguk frowned, choosing to not say anything. He wasn’t sure where this was all coming from. Himchan was known to be a little out there at times and voiced his random thoughts and opinions, but this was just a bit concerning.

“And you,” he turned to their other companion. “Maybe a nice, light brown? Like a honey caramel? That would look nice on you. And then maybe you could finally get yourself a girlfriend. Or boyfriend, which ever floats your boat.” Himchan gave the older boy a tiny a small. He then proceeded to ask the two what they’ve been up to since he left for his mission.

The three of them sat in the cafeteria for the next hour or so, catching up, but while Himchan talked, the other two couldn’t help but give each other a worried glance, for they were both perturbed by his capricious behavior.

“Well,” Himchan yawned, stretching his arms once more. “I think I will go to my bunk and try to get some sleep. I won’t be joining you two in practice today; I was given the clear for at least a week off from training and missions.” He stood up from the table, gathering his and Yongguk’s trays. “I’ll see you two later.” The blond pecked Yongguk’s cheek and patted the red head on the head.

The other two said thei