(We had the right love, at the wrong time)

Andy stared out the window with listless, tired eyes; absentmindedly sipping his drink as he idly watched people pass by, a bored look on his youthful face.

(Guess I always knew inside, I wouldn’t have you for a long time)

He had been kept up by the same dream for too many nights now. Dreams he had been having since he was a child, but he had never paid attention to because he never understood what they all meant. And now… now, he wouldn’t say it was any different. He still didn’t understand them.

(But somewhere down the road, our roads are gonna cross again)

And most of all, he still didn’t remember them.

(It doesn’t really matter when)

There was just a painful, tugging feeling that always lingered long after he had woken up and performed his daily rituals. A feeling of loneliness, an unexplainable emptiness that seemed to eat at the very depths of his heart. But he didn’t know why he felt that way. He never remembered anything beyond the dark silhouette of a person he must have once known, and that one person uttering mumbled words he could never make out.

(But somewhere down the road, I know that heart of yours will come to see)

And most of all, he could not explain the lingering feeling of a pull, almost as if an invisible rope was tugging at his heart, his mind, his body, his soul, pulling him to something, someone.

(That you belong, with me)

But to where, to what, to who, he still doesn’t know.

Finally mustering the will to actually go about with his day, Andy slowly stood up from the chair to go back to work. Despite being barely 18 years old, he moved with the speed of an old man with a bad back. His movements were robotic, mechanical, forced, ritualistic; he only did things when he had to, and he never went above and beyond whatever needs to be done.

To him, life has no meaning beyond fulfilling expectations and following orders.

“Finally had your fill of coffee, young master?” A slightly older man who had been sitting across him in silence finally spoke up. Andy rolled his eyes.

“You don’t have to be so respectful, hyung. We’re alone right now.”

“Not quite. We’re in a café full of people.” The man replied cheekily. Andy couldn’t help but force out a small smile.

“You know what I meant, hyung.”

The man then looked at his cellphone. “Well, you’re just on time. Your father just texted me, he wants to see you in his office right now.”

"Probably more errands for me to fulfill." Andy declared bitterly as he slowly put his suit back on and straightened his tie. "After all, I'm nothing but his little runner boy."

"Oh, don't say that. He's doing this for your own good. He's just grooming you to be the next CEO." The man replied with a mischievous smile. Andy couldn't help but roll his eyes again as he finished up and went out.

"Really, Eric-hyung, sometimes you sound like my father."

Walking back home where he (and his father) conducted work was never something Andy looked forward to, especially when he has to go meet his father, the CEO of one of the most prestigious entertainment companies in Korea. He hated being at home, because he didn't have a good relationship with him anyway; in fact, he didn’t really have a good relationship with his family, or anyone else for that matter, except for a select few. But he still fulfilled his duties like a “good son” should, since he didn’t really know what else to do with his life.

But really, he didn’t mind. It was easier to live this way, to just go about with the flow, to go about what has been predetermined for him; to just let things be.

He didn’t have the will or determination to do much else.

When they both stood before the looming office door, Eric ruffled Andy's hair a bit as he gave him a thumbs up and a smile. "It will be fine. I'm sure it's nothing too hard or serious, like always." Eric knows how Andy really felt about these meetings and 'errands'. Andy couldn't help but shake his head in amusement as he knocked on the door softly. An almost inaudible 'come in' echoed from the inside. Eric opened the doors for him as he stepped into the regal office, where his father was sitting behind his desk.

"Andy. I want you to conduct an observation at the agency today." His father declared in a business, no-nonsense voice as he looked straight at Andy, without even acknowledging him. Andy looked equally as serious, as he bowed simply.

"Consider it done, father." The man he calls father simply waved him away, then went back to poring over his papers. Andy bowed respectfully once more even though he knew it was lost on the other, then his back and walked out the door.

"Where to, then?" Eric asked him once he reached his side.

"The agency. I have to observe trainees." Andy replied in a bored voice.

_____________________

Quite frankly, Andy hated checking up on the trainees.

Too many of them tried to up to him, to get on his good side, to do whatever they can to please him. He hated them. He hated how fake they are. He knows what they're after; no one really wants to be his friend. They just want to debut, and they thought that getting on his good side will encourage him to put in a good word with his father, but it was quite the contrary.

And sure enough, the minute he entered the building, there were some of the hungry wolves waiting for their prey, as a group of five girls crowded around Andy, effectively blocking his way. They were all smiles and polite greetings, but he knew that underneath that façade was a very clear ulterior motive.

"Hi, oppa!" One of the girls (she must be the leader, Andy thought) decided to risk it and get comfortable. Way too comfortable. Andy cringed inwardly. "How are you today? You must be really tired, the office is a long way from your home. Why don't you come with us to the café and rest for a bit?"

Before he could even reply, the rest of the girls dragged him like hungry hyenas dragging their prey to their lair. He shot a 'save me' look towards Eric, who quickly stepped in and intercepted them.

"While this is nice and all, the young master has responsibilities to attend to." Eric loudly declared, his authoritative voice cutting cleanly through the din the girls were creating. The girls quickly switched their attention to the handsome bodyguard, swooning over him as if he was some kind of Greek god incarnate.

Andy couldn't help but sigh as he said what he thought bluntly, voice cold and bitter. "Look, here. It's not up to me, or my father, if you're going to debut. So stop trying to get close to me, and leave us alone. If we're done here, you all may go and practice so you can debut for your talents, not your connections.” Without even waiting for their reply, he gestured for Eric to follow him as he turned his back on them, leaving the girls looking after him disgustedly as they, too, their heels to go terrorize someone else.

Eric then looked at his phone. "Now that that's over... I'm going to have a few other things to take care of here, myself. Will you be okay walking around on your own for a while? I'll catch up with you as soon as possible."

Andy waved a hand dismissively. "No, it's fine. Go do your thing." They then promptly separated ways, with Andy walking through the hallways alone.

The rest of the visit proved to be uneventful. He peeked inside practice rooms where both boys and girls were hard at work. All of them acknowledged his presence, and even though they think he won't notice it, he can see that some of them were trying way too hard to impress him. He stared at everything and everyone with an expressionless face, even if there was someone who caught his eye (though not very many of them). He didn't like picking favorites, after all.

He continued walking down the long hallway, inwardly hoping that this was going to be the last one. Despite having been here countless times, he never did bother to memorize where the rooms he was supposed to inspect are.

All of a sudden, his heart suddenly started beating rapidly for no reason, the life-giving organ thudding loudly against his chest. He could hear every individual beat clearly, as he felt as though his head was spinning and he was losing control of the surroundings. He managed to back against the wall to prevent him from fainting, his left hand clutching at his chest in an effort to will it to stop.

The feeling was back. The tugging, pulling feeling; the same feeling that always seemed to linger every time he wakes up from that one dream he could never remember. Except… that feeling was now multiplied immensely.

And like always, he didn’t understand why.

Suddenly, a boy zipped past him as his loud footsteps rang down the hallway. Andy was so shocked that he almost fell backwards, but was quickly caught by Eric, who had quickly spotted him. The boy blurted out a hurried ‘sorry!’ in such a clear voice that Andy could have sworn he had heard before (though he couldn't remember where), as he was gone just as suddenly as he had appeared.

And just like that, his heart and his head returned to normal as well.

“Are you okay, Andy?” Eric’s voice slowly became clearer to his ears again, as he slowly fixed himself up. Andy could only nod in reply, as he held on to Eric’s arm in order to get his balance.

“That… just… who was that boy?” He asked in a hushed voice close to a whisper. Eric blinked in confusion.

“I don’t know, I didn't really see. One of the trainees, maybe? Why do you ask?”

“It’s… it’s nothing.” He then made his way to the bathroom to douse his face with cold water, with Eric only looking worriedly after him.

What the hell is happening to me?

A/N: And this is the brand new Across Lifetimes, ladies and gentlemen! :D To be honest, I like this one SIGNIFICANTLY better, because I know exactly what I'm going to do with this, and there won't be any danger of me losing inspiration from now on muahahah. Anyways, I think this was a better start and will flow better than the original. What do you guys think? :D Hopefully you'll all like this new version! And yes, I AM taking some scenes from the old writing so some things will seem familiar, but it will only be a few. Updates, though, will be sort of sporadic since I did tell y'all that I'm planning on focusing on this one fic that I've been planning with Tezukai that I really want to work on. Anyways, hopefully this will hold you until then! :D

By the way, the words in green are from Barry Manilow's Somewhere Down the Road. It's an old song, and really beautiful. When I remembered it I thought it was the perfect song to set the mood of this fic, and so I wanted to incorporate it. xD