I won’t let you go alone.

 

Jong kook stood up and dusted his pants, it was time to go. He drove to the park and scanned the area, glad to see no one. He opened his trunk and took out a package. He went to a restroom and changed into his suit, the suit that he had wore on his wedding day. He fixed himself in the mirror, like a groom meeting his bride. He smiled a bit thinking of her despite the ache he felt for his omma and hyung. He knows he shouldn’t be like that, but living had lost its purpose already.

 

He walked in straight strides, each step bringing him closer to her. He trudged the unkempt path to the forest carefully so his clothes wouldn’t get dirty. At last, he reached the place, the lake, which took her away from him. His tears fell again as he remembered that day. He felt so tired… it was tiring to live with the hurt, to wake up each day yearning for that empty spot in his bed. His friends all did their best to comfort him, he thought of his family, but the cold lake seemed the better option.  

I’m sorry omma, hyung. I’m a bad son and dongsaeng, but I really can’t live anymore. For now, I want to be with my family, with my child and my wife. I’m sorry for disappointing all of you, I’m sorry but I can’t pretend to want to live anymore…

He closed his eyes and inhaled the air. It smelled of damp earth, making him think of how scary it must have been for her. She died there all alone, without even saying goodbye. Did she call his name? Did she think of him as she breathed her last? He’ll never know, but maybe she did, like what he was doing now. The world had been good to him, he still had his family left, but now there was no chance or even a sliver of hope in him. He has prepared himself.

 

He opened his eyes and took in the surroundings. A bent tree in the corner still bears the traces of the car accident that happened days ago. It was isolated and he wondered if they‘d find him there soon. The dark waters didn’t look inviting at all. It wasn’t cold but he shivered.

 

 “Hey… you wouldn’t want to do that.”

He turned around to the source of voice and was surprised to see a boy smiling at him. He ignored him and faced his fate. He was about to jump in the lake when something hard hit him in the head. “Aigoo you stupid human… you shouldn’t be doing that.” The boy sure has guts to hit a muscled man twice his size, and it angered Jong kook. “Hey you boy, do you want to die?” the kid laughed at him, grabbed his wrist and dragged him away. Jong kook looked curiously at the boy, amazed by the strength he possessed despite his small size. At that point, he was almost sure that the kid was not normal. Yes at 30, he really believed it.

 

________________________

 

They arrived at the park. It was empty, even the roads had no passersby. He feared the eerie silence. It was as if time had stopped.

“Who are you?”

“Me? I am sent to be your guide.”

“Guide? What guide?”

“This mission is confidential and class A. I am merely here to give instructions and to make sure you don’t cause major glitches. I am Jade Emp… I mean I am Jade.”

“What are you talking about kid? What Jade Emp… wait you mean the Jade emperor? I really have no time to play with you.”

“Kid? Hah, you are the kid here actually don’t be fooled by my appearance. And I told you it is Jade, I am not the emperor. The Emp has more important business than you. Anyway, you earned the chance so use it well.”

“What are you talking about? Yah!” a loud smack echoed in the eerie silence as the kid placed another hit on Jong kook’s head. “Pabo, I told you to respect your elders. You want her to return right?” Jong kook stared at him with his mouth open. “Eun hye… you wished for her to be back, right Jong kook-ssi?”

“Neh… I will do anything to be with her. That is why I was there… I want to be with her. I want to…” Jong kook knows it was impossible, but he ached for it to be true.

“Close your mouth and remember, you have to complete the secret mission well. Good luck commander.” Commander? Who is that? The kid waved in the air and an hourglass materialized. Jong kook noticed that the sand was flowing fast, but it seemed that the amount of sand in each side stayed the same. Jade tapped it and then kicked Jong kook on his chest. “W-what?” he felt dizzy. He expected the fall to come sooner. He closed his eyes waiting for the impact to come.

 

________________________

 

“Wake up… Kookie-yah.” A hand cupped his face, he felt someone gently shaking him, calling him. “Oppa, is everything alright?” Eun hye? But this voice… this isn’t her voice.

Jong kook opened his eyes. He is in a bed, in a room he doesn’t recognize… but what freaked him out was a woman snuggling beside him, and to add to his terror, he did not have any clothes on. “What! Where? What who…”

“Oppa, did you have a bad dream?” Jong kook pulled the blanket closer to his chest. He squinted at the dark, straining to get a clearer image of the equally person beside him. He scrambled on his feet tripping on the blanket. He didn’t care but he ran around, saw a door and he almost said thank you aloud when he discovered it was a bathroom. He went in and locked himself. He fumbled with the switch and when there was light, he discovered a figure sitting up in the toilet grinning at him.

 

“Yah! You!” Jade grinned at Jong kook’s flushed face. He eyed the commander’s well-built body, grinning when his eyes perused that part. “Not bad… but as I said I’ll give you a chance, you are now in the future.”

“What are you talking about? And who is that woman? Why am I…?”

“Oppa! Open the door!” Jong kook ignored the woman calling him he tried to find something to cover himself up. Jade was just sitting there uselessly as if he was watching an amusing show. Jong kook saw some bathrobes and he noticed the logo, XHotels. Hotel? Don’t tell me I am…

 

“Jong kook-ah we have just traveled eight years to the future. Killing yourself won’t do you well and would just bring you to the starting point so don’t even attempt it, that bathrobe won’t really kill you... And the questions, well you have to find the answer for yourself.”

“Future? I thought you said Eun hye, then why here. If we really time traveled why not in the past so that I could prevent her from dying. Or wait…” Jong kook studied the kid in front of him. He tried to see if it was an actor or someone playing with him. For all he knows it could be the trick of his friends who wanted to cheer him up. “Are you sent here by someone? Is this hidden cam.”

“Yah, how can you be so talkative. I told you the answers are in you, but of course, there is a right time for everything. And if this is hidden cam, then you wouldn’t be right now.” Jong kook thought that made sense. “Here, this will tell you if you are doing the mission right.” Jade tossed a mini version of the hourglass to Jong kook.

 

Jong kook looked at the hourglass, the sand is flowing but like the other one, the sand’s amount is the same for both ends. It had a chain so he wore it around his neck.  He donned the bathrobe and noticed the year in the tag, 2014… the kid was not lying at all. He turned around to ask Jade again but he is gone. He sighed and opened the door. He could start by knowing who the woman is, or what he is doing there in that state.

 

As soon as he opened the door, the woman placed her arms around him. Rubbing herself on him, she tried to pry open his robe. She hungrily claimed his mouth. While her hands fondled his muscles. Jong kook needed no effort to push her away. He felt disgusted and annoyed with her forwardness. “Stop it, I don’t want you to touch me... it’s disgusting.  And turn on the lights.”

“What’s wrong with you oppa? You were the one who called me in here… did you change your mind?” the woman tried to touch him again and without meaning to he pushed her strongly, and she fell on the floor. She opened a lamp and Jong kook finally saw her, she was young. Maybe around her teens. She was beautiful, a seductive girl that a man won’t be able to say no to.

 

 “Yah oppa! You’re being too much you know… you told me that you’ll make me debut if I sleep with you. Okay, you are hot and I liked you, I was a flirt, but I really can’t stand this anymore. you!” she grabbed her clothes, which were scattered on the floor. She put them on speedily then she went out of the room, closing the door hard, making Jong kook cringe at the loud sound.

 

 It is 2014. Eight years ago, I was to take my life but now I am here in the hotel with a woman. I told her I’d make her debut. If we really went to the future for exactly eight years, then this would be Eun hye’s eight-year death anniversary, but I am playing around? What had I become, is this really my future?

 

Confusion flooded him. He feared his thoughts. He feared the obvious evidences before him. He grabbed his clothes and searched the pockets for something, for a clue. He found a phone but it was not like the one he used to have. It was thin, but has a wide screen and it doesn’t have buttons. He tried to make it work and he cursed himself for his everlasting failure at handling technology. He accidentally pressed something and the phone came to life. He realized that he could select what he wanted on the screen itself by touching.

 

 In no time, he could already use it, even if it was uncomfortable. He finally managed to open the inbox. There were many messages but it made him sick reading them. The texts are from different girls who sounded much younger than he was. He closed it, nauseated of what he found. He can’t believe he had become like that. He had become a player, something he really despised. It reminded him so much of his dad and the thought made him wish he was dead.

 

The phone suddenly rang. It was from someone called Bong dal, he wanted to answer it, but he was scared. Scared to find another horrifying thing about him. However, he doesn’t have a choice… if he was someone who could promise a debut and have tons of girls wanting to jump in his bed, and then he must still be famous. He needed to be careful. A picture with answer is shown on screen, but no matter what he did, he can’t answer the call. He grew frustrated and poked the phone, slid his fingers and like a miracle it worked, and he finally learned to answer calls.

“Hello?”

“Sir, I am in the lobby now… umm, you told me to fetch you at 11pm sharp.”

“Who is this?” Jong kook pretended to sound drunk so he would have the excuse to know the Bong dal guy. “Oh, I’m really sorry for disturbing you sir. I am your driver… should I fetch you another time?” driver? It made Jong kook relieved, at least he thought it could be someone who can help him. “Ah no stay there, I’m going down.”

“Yes sir.” He quickly grabbed his clothes and donned them, a metal ring fell from his pocket, but Jong kook didn’t notice it. He left the room to find Bong dal.

 

Jade stepped out, appearing from nowhere; he picked up the ring and sighed, shaking his head.

 

Jong kook arrived at the lobby, the staff greeting him warmly. He smiled at them awkwardly, but the truth was he wanted to hide. As he stepped out of the lobby, he was amazed at the view he saw.

 

The city looked so different. There were lights and buildings everywhere, the skyscrapers raced to outdo each other’s heights. Billboards moved, like televisions, but it was as thin as paper. Then he realized his clothes aren’t the loose kind he used to wear, they were fit, accentuating the lines of his body. He touched his head, no wonder he felt weird, for his hair is styled differently. The scenery made his heart pound, there were several proofs already that he really skipped time and the scenery in front of him only further confirmed the reality of his time travel. Jade wasn’t lying, it was not a trick, or maybe it was a dream.

 

Beep! Beep! A sleek black car stopped in front of him and he looked around, could it be Bong dal? He didn’t get in immediately, wondering if the car is really his. A man went out from the car and hurried to open the door for him. While he tried to act as if nothing is wrong, he nonchalantly slid in the car. It was much more amazing inside than outside. He heard of cars and limos before, but the actual thing was different in a good way. The multiple buttons and a screen on his right caught his interest and like a child, he actually wanted to play with them. At that moment, he actually forgot, even for a while, Eun hye.

 

The driver was eying him, as if he was a mentally sick patient. He tried to stay away from the controls and acted as normal as possible. The car started to move and it was so smooth, Jong kook can’t even feel that they were moving.

 

“Sir where should we go?” Jong kook froze, but he answered the most logical thing he can think of at the moment. “Home? I mean I want to go home.”

“Home? Are you sure… err I mean of course.” Jong kook closed his eyes wondering about everything. There were many things going on in his mind. Eight years is such a long time, everything was new, the place, the people… There were a lot of little things that made Jong kook hate himself, and from the dubious look of Bong dal, he knows there is something, maybe he was a bad boss?  But he was too tired to think.

 

There was no traffic and soon they stopped in a big house. Jong kook hesitated. The house looked really grand but empty. It was a private village and famous for being the home of the richest in Korea. It was also, where he and Eun hye dreamed to live. Her name brought back the pain. It flooded his heart making him want to run away. His future seemed to be successful, the car and the house is proof to that. But what is he? He feels like he had become trash. With a future like that, why would he still want to live? Bong dal was looking at him wondering why he wasn’t going down.

 

“Do you want me to drive you somewhere else?” he shook his head and went out. He can’t go back until the mission Jade was talking about was finished.

 

He walked to the gate, it opened as soon as he reached it. The view inside the house was beautiful but he was not interested. The door opened and someone came running to him.

“Appa!”

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

The music has stopped since I last saw you

The poet’s heart emptied of lyrics

There was only longing and confusion

More pain beneath the hurt

It is an endless trail of loneliness

There is nothing now…

There is no one now…

 

 

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Okay it is a time travel fic… and I hope it was not that confusing to you. 

Anyone familiar with Jade Emp in Arang?