“Hello, Woohyun.”

Woohyun groaned inwardly and turned his head to see the shadowy figure smiling at him, if it can be considered as a smile.

            “What do you want?”

            “Is that how you treat your friend? I’m sure you’d be grateful to hear that I have no intention of taking your friends’ lives at this moment,” the figure said.

‘But you’re trying to take mine,’ Woohyun thought, rolling his eyes inwardly.

            “What's the news?" Woohyun asked, rather casually. He started to get used with the fact that the Ruler or Death has the tendency to show up at the most unexpected time.

            "I'm here to warn you about your reckless actions."

Woohyun blinked. What did he do that managed to bother the shadowy figure? The figure dragged himself around the room while Woohyun's eyes never left him.

            "You should be careful, Woohyun. Do I have to remind you that you don't actually belong in this period of time?"

A deep sigh escaped Woohyun's lips, "What did I do wrong?"

The shadowy figure clicked his tongue disapprovingly, "I see. You didn't realize it."

Frustration started to build up inside him. Woohyun crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the figure, motioning for the other to continue. But much to his dismay, the shadowy figure merely shook his head as he moved around.

            "Woohyun. Your friends here are not your friends there. This Sunggyu is not your Sunggyu," the figure said. "You have to be careful, because this period of time will determine their future. Your future."

Woohyun inhaled deeply and nodded. He knew that fact the best. The way Sunggyu glared at him the first time they met. The way Myungsoo tossed him off the roof as if he was nothing. The way Hoya brushed him off when they first met. The fact that Hoya and Dongwoo were never friends.

And oh, Dongwoo's fake smile.

Woohyun hated it, really. He hated the fact that he knows them really well, their personalities and their habits, and yet he couldn't reach out to them.

As if there were barriers in between them.

He even could sense a tint of fake in Sungjong's smile. And the crybaby Sungyeol, Woohyun bit his lips at the thought of the possibility that Sungyeol was actually as broken as the others.

            "Is it too hard for you?"

Woohyun looked at him, raising an eyebrow. The figure approached his bed slowly, observing the silent boy who had been so lost in his thoughts.

            "Not being able to approach them the same way as before. Learning the dark sides of your friends with you as the main spectator... Oh, tell me, how does it feel to watch the whole tragedy with your own eyes instead of hearing it from them?" The figure smirked. Woohyun's expression darkened slightly.

            "How does it feel to be sitting in the vip seat? Well, I hope you enjoyed the show so far. And don't worry, the will be even better than this."

Woohyun froze. The past few days he experienced include his friends dying. What's next?

Will someone actually die this time?

His eyes widened in fear when he realized that Sunggyu is still all right. Untouched and unreachable. Woohyun was afraid. What would happened when he finds out about Sunggyu's dark side? Will the Ruler of Death do something funny?

Does Sunggyu even have that side of him?

In his eyes Sunggyu was perfect. He is perfect. So flawless. So kind and loving, and Woohyun loves him for who he is.

But apparently there's still another side of him that Woohyun didn't know.

            "Don't worry, Woohyun. I have no intention on killing your friends right now. But I want to take you to a place that you might have to know," the figure said.

            "And why are you so sure that I'm going with you?" Woohyun raised an eyebrow.

            "Because this time, it's you who have to be saved."

Woohyun felt as if his heart stopped beating for a moment. Releasing a shuddery breath, Woohyun fisted his bed sheet and uncovered himself with his other hand. Reluctantly, he stepped out of his bed.

The shadowy figure observed him before a smirk made its way to his lips, "I knew it."

Woohyun narrowed his eyes at the other. He had enough of the Ruler of Death messing up with him. The figure merely chuckled before he reached out to Woohyun's wrist.

            "You're not ready yet, Woohyun. You're not ready to die yet."

.

.

Woohyun gasped as he felt himself being pulled with such a force. When he could feel his legs, he pressed a palm against the wall to support himself. The world was spinning to him. Woohyun let out a small groan before he could steady himself. He looked around and he immediately recognized the place. Heck, he could even notice the place from just the smell of it.

The hospital.

He sighed and dragged his feet lazily, looking around for the reason to why the figure brought him here. He looked at the plate on his side to see a familiar name.

Kim Myungsoo.

'I wonder how he's doing now...' Woohyun smiled sadly as he remembered the last encounter he had with the younger. It wasn't really pleasant.

He shook his head and looked around to see a nurse running down the hallway frantically.

            "Uh, excuse me..." Woohyun called out, but the nurse kept running until she disappeared into one of the rooms.

'Must be an emergency,' Woohyun thought when he heard a small commotion from the room direction.

He turned to see another nurse, but just like the first one, the nurse ignored him again. Woohyun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion

            "Geez, I was only going to ask whether I'm allowed to enter his room or not--oh. Excuse me--"

This time it's a doctor running down the hallway. But not only he ignored the boy, the doctor ran through him. Woohyun gasped and clutched to his chest. He took a wobbly step and rested his palm against the wall for support again. His head was spinning.

What's going on?

He glanced to the window and just like he suspected, his reflection wasn't there.

            "W-what's happening..?" Woohyun clutched tighter to his shirt, eyes wide in horror. He snapped his head quickly when he heard a familiar chuckle.

            "Aren't you curious about the commotion? Why don't you try to check that room?"

Woohyun looked down the hall to see a room, the only room in which the door was wide opened. Woohyun swallowed thickly and walked down the hall shakily, constantly touching the wall for support.

The closer he got to the room, the more he felt suffocated by a certain pressure. He looked inside to see the doctor and a few nurses working on something-someone quickly, and he saw the panic in the doctor's face as the nurses pushed the bed out of the room quickly.

It was only a glimpse, but Woohyun recognized the face of the unconscious person on the bed.

Woohyun's eyes went wide. Losing his strength and balance, he sank to the floor. His body trembled with fear as he lifted his head to see the plate next to the room.

            "Why..? H-how..?" Woohyun asked shakily.

The shadowy figure stopped in front of Woohyun and smiled at him.

            "As I said before, you don't actually belong here. But worry not, I'm a man of my word. I won't kill your friends... At this moment."

Woohyun clenched his fists tight, letting out a shaky breath as he read the name written on the plate.

Nam Woohyun.

            "I can't afford to have two Woohyun at the same time, can I? I'm just trying to make it fair for the both of us," the figure said smiling.

'No,' Woohyun thought, 'There's much more than that...'

Realization hit him hard. He doesn't belong in this period of time. The other Woohyun does. And if something happened now, it will affect the future.

And now that there are chances of the other Woohyun to die...

            "In the end I'll disappear too, right..?" Woohyun asked himself quietly.

            "Now, Woohyun, don't be so negative. I'll pray for you, good luck," the figure disappeared with a smile, leaving Woohyun on the floor.

.

.

He didn't even realized that time flew so quickly. Woohyun looked up to see the sky had turned orange through the window. He sighed and buried his face in his palms, but then he felt a pressure against his left arm.

            "So you're finally awake."

Woohyun jumped in his spot when he saw Myungsoo sitting on the floor next to him. He looked around to see a few nurses on each end of the hall watching them cautiously. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and turned to Myungsoo.

            "Relax. They just thought that you're a patient who managed to escape from the asylum. I told them that you're my friend," Myungsoo said with a yawn.

            "They thought I'm mental?" Woohyun's voice raised by an octave. Myungsoo just chuckled.

            "I'm not surprised. You blanked out on the floor and you didn't respond to any of their words. They thought you were on drugs too."

            "How rude. And I thought nurses are angels—wait. Your friend..?" Woohyun blinked when he noticed something.

Myungsoo cleared his throat and looked away. On the other hand, Woohyun couldn't fight the grin that started to form on his face. Myungsoo turned to him with an amused look.

            "You look like an idiot," Myungsoo said.

            "And yet you called me kitty. Who's the idiot now?"

            "You."

            "What do you mean it's me?!" Woohyun tried his best not to yell at the other. Myungsoo sighed and rubbed his temple.

            "I... I don't know, okay? You came and interferred with my activities, you stood up against me and I... I did that to you..." Myungsoo trailed off. Woohyun immediately recalled the rooftop incident and shuddered involuntarily.

            "But then you told me you know me… And you messed up the whole plan,” Myungsoo sighed and shook his head. Woohyun bit his lips.

            “I don’t want to—“

            “But I’m thankful for that,” Myungsoo cut him off.

Woohyun felt a sudden surge of relief washed over him. He looked to his side to see Myungsoo staring at him, and Woohyun had to admit that he felt kind of intimidated by it. But he didn’t want to break the contact.

He didn’t want to lose this Myungsoo.

Still different, but finally Woohyun’s one step closer to what he tried to achieve.

            “Myungsoo—“

            “I’m seriously bothered with you calling me by my real name though,” Myungsoo frowned. Woohyun narrowed his eyes.

            “Why would it bother you? It’s still your name.”

            “It’s a bit personal. Just because you’re my friend now doesn’t mean I’ll spill everything,” Myungsoo huffed.

Woohyun stared at the younger and chuckled. He reached out to Myungsoo’s head and ruffled his hair.

            “All right. Let’s take things slowly, okay?” Woohyun smiled.

Myungsoo looked at the other and nodded. Woohyun retracted his hand and looked at the wall across him, the smile remained on his face.

            “That Kim Myungsoo, he’s inhuman really.”

            “Did you hear? Kim dragged another guy to the rooftop and I heard he broke the poor guy’s arm.”

            “The hell? Just because he’s famous doesn’t mean he can do whatever he likes.”

            “Kim Myungsoo beat up another guy on the rooftop this morning, I heard.”

            “I wonder if he knows that he’s actually unwanted in this school.”

            “Pfft. That’s why only Howon sticks up to him.”

            “Howon befriends everyone.”

            “Exactly.”

            “I hate you, Kim Myungsoo. I really hate you.”

Myungsoo bit his lips and buried his face to his knees. The voices still rang through his ears, and it burned to the core of his mind.

            “For after all, you’re still a person, right?”

And there was it. Another voice that he couldn’t get rid since the moment it’s been said.

A person? He thought of him as a human?

Myungsoo wanted to scoff at him, but another part of him secretly wanted it to be said again.

            “Hey, kitty.”

            “Yes, Myungsoo?”

            “Don’t call me like that,” Myungsoo hissed.

            “And stop calling me kitty,” Woohyun rolled his eyes.

Myungsoo sighed, “Fine. There are lots of things I wanted to ask you…”

            “Go on,” Woohyun hummed.

            “Well… First of all… You know about my reputation, and yet you still approached me…”

            “And you’re wondering why,” Woohyun finished off for Myungsoo. Myungsoo nodded.

            “Let’s just say I have the purest intention to befriend you, and I kind of don’t believe that you’re the one who did all those things,” Woohyun said nodding slightly.

Myungsoo blinked, “You don’t?”

            “Well, is it really your doing?”

            “N-no. It’s my friends… Whenever I’m not around,” Myungsoo muttered.

Woohyun smiled and reached out his hand, gently petting Myungsoo’s hair. Myungsoo looked at Woohyun, blinking in confusion.

            “See? You’re a good guy. You’re just a victim in this case,” Woohyun smiled.

Myungsoo bit his lips to fight off the grin starting to form on his face. He nodded bashfully, making Woohyun chuckled at how cute the so-called Kim Myungsoo was.

            “And the next one?” Woohyun raised an eyebrow at him. Myungsoo blinked before he let out a small ‘oh’.

            “Right. I was wondering about that…” Myungsoo pointed at a direction. Woohyun paled almost instantly.

            “Why is your name there? And why did they say that you died..?” Myungsoo furrowed his eyebrows.

Woohyun’s eyes went wide. The plate. His name was still on the plate, but there were blood splotches on it. His blood froze when he felt a cold hand touching his nape, lightly pressing on it as if they’re trying to choke him.

           “Tick tock, Woohyun. You’d better hurry, or else you’ll be the first one leaving,” the voice whispered against his ear.