It took a couple of hours for Mi Young to find where she was and figure out a game plan. Luckily, Dongwan’s place wasn’t too far from her location and she headed there as quickly as she could. It took her longer than expected for her to get there—as a 23 year old, she wasn’t as young as before.

                She didn’t hesitate once she was there, knocking on the door and waiting for his answer. She heard footsteps coming from inside and looked up expectantly.

                “Dongw--!” Mi Young’s exclamation died on her lips. “…an-oppa…”

                The moment the door opened, she realized that she was in trouble. The person staring at her wasn’t the 35 year-old ahjussi with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and a terribly corny sense of humor. It wasn’t the man who had told her that one day, she would make a wonderful wife to a lucky guy.

                No, the person who opened the door had a boyish bowl cut that hung right above his eyes and a slim face that contrasted with his broad shoulders and muscular arms.

                It was Kim Dongwan, yes. But not the Kim Dongwan from 2014. The Dongwan in front of her was from 2004.

                ‘Of course.’ Why didn’t she think of it before? What made her believe that she would run into the same Shinhwa she had left? How could she be so naïve and stupid?

                “D-Dongwan-oppa…” She repeated, hoping that—beyond all hopes—that the younger Dongwan recognized her.

                The disgruntled look on his face told her otherwise. “Uh,” Dongwan looked half-irritated and half-apologetic. “Sorry, but can you please leave?”

                He was about to shut the door, but Mi Young stuck her foot out, preventing him from closing it. “Wait, please!” Mi Young tried to ignore the hurt that pierced her heart at his unfriendliness. She had more important things to worry about. “I-I need to talk to Hyesung-oppa.”

                Dongwan’s eyes narrowed. “We have a fan meeting in a couple of months. You can ask him anything then…” He gently nudged her foot out of the way.

                “No!” Mi Young put it back, adamant. “You don’t understand, Dongwan-oppa.”

                He grimaced at the use of the title, obviously uncomfortable. “Yah, do you normally speak so informally? You shouldn’t call someone you don’t know that well ‘oppa’ like that.”

                Mi Young swallowed hard, giving him a small apologetic bow. “But I do know you well…” She mumbled.

                “Eh?” Dongwan looked skeptical.

                “I know you better than you realize…” Mi Young near tears, she was so frustrated. To him, she probably just looked like a crazy, overzealous sasaeng girl.

                She needed something that would catch his attention, a subject he couldn’t ignore.

                There was only one thing she could do. She braced herself, forcing her expression to be calm and serious despite the anxiety attack threatening to overwhelm her.

                Dongwan sensed the change immediately.

                “What is something only Shinhwa would know?” Mi Young said, placing her hand on the doorframe as she leaned forward.

                He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

                She lowered her voice as a precaution. “What is something you can’t tell anyone, a thing that people wouldn’t believe even if you did?”

                Dongwan’s expression went from exasperated to suspicious. “I don’t want to do this to a fan, but I can call my security if you refuse to leave…”

                He made to close the door one last time and Mi Young clenched her hands into fists, throwing all of her willpower into her final attempt at convincing him. “What if I told you I could manipulate electricity or energy with my hands, or see into the future?”

                Dongwan’s eyes widened, but Mi Young wasn’t finished.

                “What if I said I could heal injuries with my body’s energy, or read people’s minds?!”

                Mi Young was worried he would slam the door in her face before she could finish, and the words tumbled out of in a rush. “Or what if I said that I could stop anyone who had those powers with an ability of my own?”

                The shock on his face was like a saving grace in Mi Young’s mind. Dongwan’s hand—which had been lingering on the door knob—slowly lowered.

                “Please…” Her voice cracked, breaking like the last of her resolve. “You’re the only ones who can help…”

                Dongwan’s demeanor suddenly changed and he glanced over his shoulder and down the hall. “Aish,” He ran his hands through his hair. “Have you completely lost your mind or something?”

                Mi Young felt her heart plummet. She took a step back, devastated. “N-no…”

                Dongwan’s face was unreadable. “I don’t know if you’re trying to be cute or something, but… I can’t help you here. I’m sorry.”

                Mi Young looked at the floor, about to leave, but then Dongwan did something strange. He grabbed her hand and held up one finger, silently signaling her to wait. Mi Young felt her breath catch in . Did that mean…?

                “I’m going to ask you one more time to please leave.” Dongwan’s gaze had an urgency in it as he shook his head once at her, telling her to disregard his words.

                He closed the door, leaving Mi Young outside, bewildered. However, after a few moments, something was shoved out of his mail slot.

                A piece of paper.

                The Shinhwa member’s handwriting was messy, but after years of experience deciphering it, Mi Young was still about to read the address he had scribbled down, along with the short message:

                ‘4PM. We’ll talk there.’

                She looked up at the door, her hopes rekindled. She her heels and left, clutching the note tightly in her hands.

                Beyond the closed door, Dongwan pulled out his cell phone, his fingers dialing a number that he knew almost subconsciously. He pinched the bridge of his nose, tense from the encounter with the strange woman.

                The voice on the other end was too loud. “Yah, what do you want, !?”

                Normally, Dongwan would’ve laughed and retorted back, but this time he got straight to the point. “Hello, Eric-hyung.”

                The leader’s voice was still light, pleasant. “Dongwannie-ah, what’s up?”

                Dongwan paused a moment before answering casually. “I want to get something to eat.” Another pause. “With everyone.”

                On the other line, Eric’s enthusiasm faded as he recognized the group’s code for ‘we need to talk.’ He laughed, trying to keep up the tone of the conversation. “Aish, right now? It’s the middle of the afternoon.”

                “Yeah, I guess you can call it a late lunch.” Dongwan replied. “I’m really hungry.”

                ‘So it’s serious then? .’ Eric thought . “All right, I’ll call everyone. The usual then?”

                “Sure. I’ll see you in an hour.”

                Mi Young arrived at the bar a few minutes early. It was a familiar location—Shinhwa had used it as their secret meeting place even in her time. After she had gotten her promotion and had learned about their abilities, it became the go-to place if they needed to discuss anything related to the topic. Only the senior staff and the members knew about it and they kept the location as hidden as the powers the six men concealed. Perhaps Shinhwa hadn’t changed as much as she thought.

                But still… She was nervous. If it had taken so much effort to convince Dongwan that she wasn’t insane, how would the other five react?

                ‘Only one way to find out…’ She told herself, willing herself to remain calm before opening the door.

                The bar was quiet—as it should have been at four in the afternoon—but wasn’t cold or uncomfortable. The place had a familiarity about it, something Mi Young hadn’t felt since she had woken up.

                She saw the six men sitting around a large, circular table. The moment she walked in, they had all looked up, watching her. Their expressions ranged from wary to curious and as she slowly headed towards them, Dongwan pulled over a chair for her to sit in.

                It was unnerving how the members she had gotten to know so well over the years had become so distant and strange overnight. They all looked different—Eric’s skin was darker than she remembered and his hair was long under his beanie. Minwoo’s face was a little rounder and his hair was disheveled, matching the style of the time. Hyesung still had chubby cheeks and was gazing into his water glass, shy as ever. Jun Jin’s hair was also long, and he had a cautious expression that she had never seen on him before. Andy’s hair partially covered his face—so Mi Young couldn’t see his eyes—but he was a lot thinner and paler than she was used to.

                Suddenly it was like she was meeting them again for the first time. In her mind, she remembered when she first heard Eric’s voice from behind his office door, calling her inside. She could feel the jolt her heart made when she had walked into the room and found all of Shinhwa staring at her. Then, their gazes had been friendly, pleasant.

                This time, their eyes were guarded and withdrawn. It was upsetting, as if she had suddenly become an alien life form—just as estranged as they were to her, she was to them.

                “I…” She hesitated, staring down at the floor, not sure what to do.

                “Have a seat,” Dongwan motioned towards the chair and after a moment, she complied, sitting tersely on the edge of it.

                She chanced another look up and found that while the others were exchanging glances with each other, Andy’s gaze was on her. She felt a strange sensation run through her, similar to chills. However, she recognized it as Andy using his ability to read her aura and figure out more about her.

                Andy’s eyes widened. He was obviously startled that she knew his power so well.

                “I never got to learn your name before,” Dongwan began, bringing both Andy and Mi Young back to their senses.

                “O-oh,” She stood quickly, giving a bow. “I’m Ji Mi Young.”

                “Mi Young-ssi…”

                It was awkward, being so formal. She remembered when Jun Jin and Minwoo had for being too strict and had told her to lighten up. Now everything was the exact opposite—she was back to square one.

                Andy shifted, catching her attention again. His expression was puzzled. No doubt he had seen the memory in Mi Young’s mind—a memory that wouldn’t transpire for another decade—and he frowned, struggling to comprehend it.

                Beside him, Jun Jin nudged his shoulder, troubled. The younger member shook his head, trying to focus again.

                “Mi Young-ssi,” Eric repeated. “Dongwan-ah told us what happened at his home. He said you knew things about us that people shouldn’t know about. He also said you needed our help.”

                Dongwan nodded, confirming his words.

                Eric folded his arms. “Can you tell us your side of the story?”

                Mi Young took a deep breath, knowing that even though the six in front of her probably had their fair share of “impossible” experiences, her explanation was still probably going to sound completely nonsensical. However, she had already come this far—there was no going back now.

                “Well, how do I start…?”

                After finishing her recollection of the eventful morning, she bowed her head, afraid to see their reactions. She heard Hyesung murmur something and Minwoo reply back, but she kept her head down.

                “Hyungs, she’s telling the truth.” Andy’s voice was loud enough for her to distinguish and she tilted her gaze up slightly.

                “Yah, Andy-ah, how can that be possible?” Jun Jin replied back, not convinced. “She knows about our abilities, so what if she’s purposefully tricking you?”

                Mi Young bit her lip, hurt.

                Was the Jun Jin in this time really so distrustful?

                “Coming from the future? No one has those kinds of powers, not even among us.” Hyesung added. He didn’t seem to be openly hostile like Jun Jin, but he wasn’t completely convinced, either.

                “No, I don’t think that’s it,” Andy argued. “Mi Young-ssi has memories of things that haven’t happened yet. There’s no way those can be fake…”

                “But what if she has powers, too? Wouldn’t it be easy to deceive you?” Jun Jin retorted back.

                “She doesn’t.” The younger member said firmly.

                “How can you be sure?” The older rapper pressed.

                “I’m not that naïve!” Suddenly, Andy’s voice was forceful. “Or do you just not trust me?”

                There was a ringing silence that hung in the air as Jun Jin and Andy glared at each other. That was when Mi Young remembered: The members fought more often in the past, didn’t they? She had heard them in multiple interviews, joking about arguments—which had been serious at the time—and how they forced themselves to resolve things to keep peace in the group.

                And in addition to that, Andy had been absent for an extended period of time…

                Was he so defensive because he knew Mi Young was telling the truth? Or was he really just trying to stick up for himself?

                “We trust you, Andy-ah.” Dongwan murmured, reaching across the table and patting Andy’s arm. The maknae accepted the gesture, albeit a little grudgingly.

                Maybe they all hadn’t gotten back to stable relationships since the youngest member’s return. It was obvious Andy felt alienated from the rest, especially Jun Jin. And wasn’t Jun Jin going through a rough patch, too? Mi Young couldn’t remember.

                “I-I know it sounds crazy. I’m still having trouble believing it myself.” She stammered, trying to defuse the palpable frustration in the room. “But… I don’t know who else to go to. I don’t have anyone that can help.”

                Minwoo frowned. “What about family? Even if you ended up in a different time, wouldn’t you be able to go to them?”

                “Yeah, that’s what I would’ve done, had something like this happened to me.” Eric agreed.

                Mi Young grimaced. “The only family I knew, my parents…”

                Andy—having felt the abrupt change in her emotions—groaned softly in sympathy.

                She finished the statement quietly. “They aren’t here anymore.”

                Minwoo was a little taken aback. “I’m sorry.”

                She shook her head. “That’s why I came to you… And since you all have special abilities, I thought you would be able to understand my situation more than normal people.”

                “But… If you really are from a different time… What can we do to help?” Hyesung spoke up. “You seem to know our powers pretty well, so you should know that none of our abilities can help with things like that.”

                Mi Young blinked at him. “I don’t know… Actually, Hyesung-op—“ She corrected herself quickly. “Hyesung-ssi, I was hoping that since you have precognitive powers, you of all people might have been able to help, or at least tell that I’m not from this time.”

                Hyesung tipped his head to one side, wringing his hands in his lap. “I… I don’t think my powers work like that. My abilities aren’t that reliable.”

                Mi Young nodded, trying not to look too crestfallen. Hyesung was never that confident in anything that he did. At least that much hadn’t changed.

                Jun Jin—a little more approachable than before, but still wary—leaned his arms on the table. “But how can we really tell if you’re not from this time? Is there anything that you can tell us that can prove otherwise?”

                Mi Young sat back in her chair, thoughtful. How could she ascertain that she was from the future?

                ‘What was Shinhwa doing in 2004…?’

                “Have you released your next album yet?” Mi Young asked.

                They all exchanged curious looks. “No, we’re still in the middle of recording it.” Minwoo was the one to reply.

                Mi Young pursed her lips, determined. “That’s the seventh one, right?”

                “Yes, that’s correct.”

                “I can sing anything from the album. Even the things you haven’t recorded yet.”

                “What?” Dongwan said in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

                Mi Young nodded, resolute. “What song are you working on right now?”

                “Uh…” Minwoo rested his head on his hand, propping his elbow up on the table and thinking. His expression was fascinated, interested in her bold assertion. “We did the vocals for Shooting Star yesterday…”

                “Ah, that reminds me.” Eric spoke up suddenly. “I finished writing the rap for that last night.”

                “Oh, that’s good.”

                “Perfect.” Mi Young clapped her hands together, interrupting Eric’s digression. “You wrote it just last night, Eric-ssi?”

                “Yeah, but it isn’t recorded yet.”

                “I can say what it is, word for word, right now.” Mi Young said confidently. “That way, there’s no doubt I’m from a different time, since no one has heard it yet except Eric-ssi.”

                There was a brief silence as the six men regarded her dubiously.

                “O-okay…” Eric looked incredulous, and he dug a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Minbong, can you sing the melody?”

                Minwoo nodded, clearing his throat. He closed his eyes—presumably trying to get the tune in his head. Hyesung beat him to it, singing in a low voice and starting from the chorus.

                “Can really be a shooting star, can’t stop the music… ddo uri ape yollyojin, mirel wihe go, go…”

                Minwoo joined in, not wanting to miss out on the fun. “Nege pilyohan kon energy wa, noeui bitnan nunbit…”

                Eric nodded to the beat, holding his paper up and mouthing some of the words to get into the rhythm. Mi Young—facing away from him—was tapping her foot along, having listened to the song hundreds of times before. As long as the Eric from this time hadn’t changed anything about the song, she would be fine.

                “We’re going higher, to keep this hot parade…”

                Eric and Mi Young began rapping in perfect sync, her voice an octave higher than his.

                “Yongijaimyo rapper, the rapping actor, like Will Smith… Wild, wild west.”

                Eric’s expression was one of pure shock, but he didn’t stop reading off the lyrics he had composed only the night before and she kept up with him perfectly, even when the rap switched to Spanish. “Shinhwa ranun gang, I’m a gangster, densugurupyonkyon, I’m against a…”

                It wasn’t until the last two lines of the rap, where the leader of Shinhwa was so stunned that he couldn’t go on that Mi Young was left to finish the rest on her own.

                “I’m a do what I gotta do, kasuwa talent…” She trailed off, turning around to face them.

                Minwoo, Dongwan, Hyesung, Jun Jin and Andy were all hovering over Eric’s shoulders, reading the words that no one else except Eric could possibly know. They were all looking at her with varying levels of awe, while Eric was covering his mouth, looking as if he had just seen a ghost.

                “How…?”

                Andy sat back in his seat, looking contented. “I told you she was telling the truth.”

                Hyesung nodded, scratching the back of his head. His eyes were wide. “I guess I should apologize then. Mi Young-ssi, Andy-ah, sorry for not believing you earlier.”

                That set the other four members off, and they began babbling, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

                “That’s incredible…”

                “She was telling the truth… There’s no other explanation.”

                “But… From the future? How in the hell did something like that happen?!”

                “I just wrote this last night…”

                Mi Young felt a rush of relief. The fact that she was able to finally erase their doubts and prove her story to them made her almost dizzy. ‘They believe me.’

                They were still talking frantically with one another, exchanging astounded glances.

                “So, you know what will happen to us in the future?!” Dongwan asked. “Like, are any of us married ten years from now?”

                “Aish, why are you so worried about that?” Hyesung looked a little annoyed.

                Mi Young held up her hands, not expecting the sudden inquiry. “Yah, I can’t answer any questions like that!”

                Jun Jin gave her a look. “Is there some kind of rule against you answering questions about the future?”

                Mi Young frowned. “I don’t know, but telling you about such important things like marriage and stuff… Isn’t that something you’d want to happen naturally, rather than me giving you spoilers about your lives?”

                There was a general murmur of agreement, but Dongwan still looked disappointed.

                “Plus things will probably be different now, since Mi Young-ssi’s presence already alters the time continuum…”  Eric mused thoughtfully.

                Minwoo laughed. “You’re talking as if you know about the time travel.”

                “Yah, I didn’t say I did. But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Eric folded his arms. “But Mi Young-ssi, there are probably things you can tell us that won’t effect anything in the future, right?”

                Mi Young huffed. “I’d have to think about it for a while, but if it was something trivial I don’t see why not. What were you going to ask about?”

                “…Well, if you really come from the future, you tell me.” Eric smirked at her good-naturedly.

                “Aiyah, pabo.” Hyesung and Dongwan shoved him gently, exasperated by the lame joke.

                “Can I ask a question?”

                Everyone turned. Andy—who had been quiet for a while—suddenly spoke up.

                Mi Young nodded. “You can ask, but like I said before, I might not be able to answer.”

                Andy bowed his head slowly. “I understand…” He seemed to debate a little before looking up. “In ten years, will we all still be together?”

                The atmosphere in the room changed. The astonishment and general light-heartedness had suddenly gotten heavier with the youngest member’s solemn inquiry. Mi Young felt tighten as Andy’s eyes locked with hers. The intensity in his stare was almost tangible in the room; Hyesung gently placed his hand on the maknae’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

                She knew that he hadn’t asked the question as a curiosity. Andy’s stiff posture and the thin line of his mouth were coupled with the emotions swirling in his dark eyes, emotions she knew all too well.

                Apprehension. Desperation.  Anxiety.

                But above all… Fear.

                Andy was clinging to her response like a lifeline. It wasn’t an option for her to dodge the question, she knew she had to give him an answer. She had read the blogs from this time—Andy was struggling, balancing on precarious emotions—and she realized that her reply could be either the last straw, or a new chance to continue on.

                Mi Young took a moment and met the gazes of the other Shinhwa members. They all had the same uneasy expressions on their faces and were just as serious as Andy.

                She took a deep breath before speaking, choosing her words carefully. “Minwoo-ssi, do you remember what you said on September 16^th, 2001?”

                “Isn’t that the day of the Guerilla concert?” Eric murmured quietly.

                Mi Young nodded.

                Minwoo swallowed nervously, chancing a glance at member who hadn’t been present at the event. “Yeah, I do…”

                “You said, ‘we’ll be together forever,’ that night.” Mi Young spoke softly.

                The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. She noticed that the six young men had all subconsciously grouped close together, holding onto each other for support. It was a mirror image of the concert that night, with the exception of the youngest member huddled in the center. Andy looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly and clenching his hands into fists.

                Mi Young kept her expression carefully neutral. “Ten years from now… you six…”

                They all tensed.

                “…You will have kept your promise. All six of you.” She gave them a smile.

                Andy exhaled slowly, letting out a breath he didn’t even realize he had been holding. He bowed his head, feeling a sting in his eyes. The other five members visibly relaxed.

                “You’re not just saying that?” Andy whispered, his voice hoarse.

                Mi Young shook her head. “It’s true, I promise.” She took a step towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The gesture was intimate, familiar, and Andy didn’t move away or reject it, comfortable around the young woman.

                “None of you will stray… Not then, not now...”

                Andy’s eyes softened, the unease subsiding for the first time since she had arrived back in their time.

                “Yah, you mean that we’ll still be making albums and putting out music even then?” Minwoo joked, trying to lighten the mood. “Or are we just ‘together’ and close like friends, but doing different things?”

                Mi Young’s smile grew and she winked as she quoted Eric. “Well… you tell me.”

                Eric, Dongwan, JunJin, and Minwoo laughed openly, while Andy and Hyesung just smiled.

                “Ne, we’ll be too old to be popular then.” Eric teasingly threw his arms around Andy’s neck. “All our fans will be grown up and married then.”

                “I still want to know if I’ll be married, too…” Dongwan repeated, somewhat wistfully. He had a small smile on his face, showing that he was a little irked.

                Mi Young laughed. “Dongwan-ssi, with all your worrying, you’ll get wrinkles faster.”

                Dongwan’s face paled. “Wrinkles?!” He immediately pulled at his cheeks, straightening out his expression and changing his annoyed smile into a frown.

                Jun Jin chuckled. “Hyung, I don’t think it works like that.”

                Dongwan’s face twitched as he tried to suppress a grin. “Yah, don’t make me laugh! I don’t want to get wrinkles.”

                That had Andy laughing, and the anxious lines in other members’ faces diminished at the sound of his voice pitching cheerfully in amusement.

                Mi Young sighed in relief.

                Shinhwa... Sure, they were ten years younger—around her age, strangely enough—but they were still the same six men who joked around and worried about each other. Even though they said there was nothing they could do to help, it was reassuring to know that there were some people in this strange alternate universe that knew of her predicament and at least sympathized with her.

                She joined the group’s conversation, feeling more comfortable with them as the minutes ticked on. She smiled, almost to herself.

                As long as Shinhwa was involved, maybe being in this time wouldn’t be so bad.

[Ahh, I'm excited to be at this point in my story! After all this development and exposition with Mi Young, I finally get to start working with Shinhwa and their character development...

I felt weird writing conflict within the group--I don't like it when Shinhwa argues with one another--but I remember in an episode of Shinhwa Broadcast they said that Jun Jin and Andy were awkward during this time and a little after (and not in a good way) so I felt that including this little argument was a good point to start at.

Hope you''ll all look forward to the upcoming chapters! Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. :D]