Chapter 15
A Boy Who Never
I looked and saw a sea
roofed over with rainbows,
In the midst of each
two lovers met and departed;
Then the sky was full of faces
with gold glories behind them.
Ezra Pound, 1885-1972 (The Sea of Glass)
In a cold breeze night, the staff from the cafe wiping the tables and fixing the tables and chairs as they finished their shift. Jungwoo already changed his clothes. Jungwoo says his goodbyes to his co-workers as they exchanged smiles and bows. When Jungwoo went out of the cafe shop, he saw a familiar face, the mysterious man who he met before. The man smiles at him as he waved his hand. Jungwoo went to him and asked
Jungwoo: "So what do you want?"
The man looked at him with a bright expression and said
Man: "I just happen to see you here and I thought why not give a visit and talk."
Jungwoo: "To be honest, I don't usually talk to people who I haven't know the name, though you know mine, thanks to my employee tag name."
Man: "Oh...yeah I forgot to introduced myself before since you seem already tipsy that night when we talked."
The man introduced himself as Lee Taemin, he is also a time traveler like Jungwoo.
Taemin: "Since you already know my name, I guess we can talk now comfortably?"
Jungwoo has this serious expression, he's looking at his wristwatch and he's thinking about Lucas. Jungwoo is expecting a message from Lucas today since Lucas agreed that they will communicate with each other every once in a week.
Jungwoo and Taemin are walking, they decided to walk into the park since the noon castle is just about near that place.
Taemin: "So how are you?"
Jungwoo: "I'm fine... I guess..."
Taemin: "I know it's strange that you talk to me like this since you just met me a few times but since we both have that same gift, I think it's nice to talk comfortably with each other."
Taemin looked at Jungwoo and he noticed his bothered expression.
Taemin: "Are you still thinking about the thing that you talked about before? On how to fix the things you already did?"
Jungwoo nods his head in approval and said
Jungwoo: "It's hard...I don't know what to do...I've been searching for possible methods and answers but I don't know if it'll help but for now I am trying to avoid the person that I like, I thought that it could minimize the damage that we did."
Taemin: "I guess you know already that news before about that one guy who also broke the rules of time traveling. He broke the rules because he also fell in love with someone to the point he broke it too. He didn't receive the consequence but the person he loves received it. Did you know what happened?"
Jungwoo: "No..."
Taemin: "The person he loves got drowned during a cruise trip, that person saved people but that person ends up not being saved."
Jungwoo got silent in a while and looked at Taemin, Taemin got quiet too and his eyes seem got emotional to the point its teary.
Jungwoo: "So what happened to that time traveler?..."
Taemin took a deep breath and smiles as he looked at Jungwoo
Taemin: "That time traveler still traveling through different time dimensions, he's still living his best but still remembering the sorrowful past as he always reflects and blames himself but he never falls in love again because he thought he could never find a love like the one he had before"
Jungwoo felt sad knowing what happened to the first time traveler who broke the rules.
Jungwoo: "I just hope he doesn't stop accepting love."
Taemin smiles at Jungwoo and ruffles his hair and Jungwoo got annoyed and asked him on why he needs to mess his hair. Jungwoo and Taemin decided to exchange contact numbers just in case they have questions for each other.
Taemin: "Hey! it's nice to meet someone like you here, it's nice to have a dongsaeng (*younger sibling) in a short time"
Taemin smiled and chuckles,
Taemin: "I really appreciate talking to you though, I hope you find strength. I hope you find answers and you might never know it can be fixed."
Jungwoo let out a soft smile
Jungwoo: "Yeah, thank you too. I appreciate that you talk to me, it's nice to have a hyung (*older sibling) here."
Taemin: "You can contact me anytime, okay? Bye! see you soon and fighting!"
Jungwoo: "Bye! see you soon too!"
Jungwoo and Taemin separated as Taemin is about to go now and Jungwoo to noon castle.
Jungwoo feels a little nervous and excited at the same time as he is about to receive a message from Lucas. When Lucas leave him messages, usually it's long. Lucas writes things about his school, home and the things that make him happy that makes Jungwoo feel at ease; Jungwoo appreciates that Lucas write jokes in his message too even though some of them are not funny it still makes Jungwoo smile.
When Jungwoo finally went back home, the noon castle that is much cleaner and builds. Jungwoo open the lights of the house and he looked at the table, he left the same book that he gave to Lucas and put a blank paper on the last page of the book as the book located above the table while a candle with a bottle on it's side. Jungwoo put down his backpack and put out a lighter from the table cabinet. Jungwoo lights up the candle. Jungwoo will receive the letter when the candle already went off that's why Jungwoo decided to change his clothes and clean first.
After an hour, Jungwoo already cleaned and changed himself. Jungwoo makes a coffee for himself and went to the table where he left the candle melting. When the light of the candle already went off and melted. Jungwoo opens the book and takes the paper from the last page.
Jungwoo smiles as he received Lucas' message to him
To: Jungwoo
How are you? I hope you're doing well as I am doing fine with my school requirements and my soccer team. I haven't used to this, writing letters to you instead of communicating and hearing your voice, but I don't want us to fight over things so instead, I respect your decision. We just had our farewell on our soccer team, I am going to miss my teammates, our seniors who graduated before also went there to celebrate with us. In terms of university, my parents asked me if I'll stay with the dorms or stay the same, going to university then going home through the location of the university is far from my home, I'm still thinking though...I still have a lot to consider.
Back when you help me, reaching your hand to me. Do I keep on thinking whether when I already have seen you before? then I realize as I talked to that old classmate that I have before, I did remember you. You're walking pass through me, you even bumped me but you don't even look at me...I want to ask...is it you? or my memory just get mixed up? I do want to believe that it's you because, at that moment, we already have a connection back then it's just that we're not aware of it. I am also curious
I can't believe I am going to graduate in a
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