Careless Move

Waiting Over Time

Tao closes his eyes and starts to move the time recklessly. The wind blows his spirit out of his body as he travels through the tick tocking of clocks.

 

And there, someone who is smiling with a guitar on his hands flashes before his eyes. He doesn’t know who that is but he seems happy and Tao has no problem with that. But when the music fills him up and he dances with it and snaps as the wind sways with him, he suddenly sees someone who is sitting on the ground in front of the bookstore he is now working at. And he is crying so hard, ruffling his hair and mumbles I’m sorry repeatedly that Tao’s heart falls down, he is so broken. And he reads the writing on the board, Chanyeol I will wait for you forever. He suddenly blinks to wake himself up at what he just saw, Whose past or whose future is that? Tao falls silent as he scans around his surroundings thinking if he’ll find that guy around but no, he doesn’t. He thinks that the guy who was smiling who flashed just now is the one who’s crying in front of the bookstore.

 

Tao looks around again while walking so he accidentally bumps into someone who seems pale and drowsy, “Oh, sorry for that.” he tells lazily. Tao looks at the guy carefully examining if this is the guy who flashed right before in his eyes earlier and he is right. The guy steps backward as Tao examines him and he suddenly hits Tao on the stomach.

 

“OW!” and Tao flinches. “Yah, why did you do that?!” Tao is a little raged because he has not hurt the guy yet the guy punched him in his stomach.

 

“Because you’re looking at me like a maniac! Back off! I don’t know you!” the guy shouts and is raged now too. “Yah! Do you need something? But sorry, I don’t have my money with me!” the guy says continuously.

 

Tao then apologizes because he thinks that what he did is really scary. “Can I ask you something?” Tao asks.

 

Then the guy shows his dimples but he says, “How about a no?” and walks pass Tao. But Tao is really desperate who the guy is but he doesn’t know why, maybe because he needs to help this man, “Yah! Why?!!!” the guy is annoyed, making a fist with his fingers.

 

“Did you cry last time? Or is there something wrong? Or are you feeling okay?” Tao asks continuously and worriedly.

 

Then the man shoves Tao’s hand from his arm and asks Tao instead, “How about you? Why are your eyebags puffed out like that? Is there something wrong with you? Or are you insane?” the guy rolls his eyes and turns around to continue with his walking.

 

Tao frowns thinking that this man is stubborn opposing the way he looks, “Wait!!” Tao calls but the man just continues walking. Thinking that this would make the man stop, he asks, “Do you know the reason why you are living? Do you know what is the reason you will be dying?”

 

Then the guy stops and turns around to face him again, “Kiss my !” he shouts and everyone who has heard them laughs. Tao facepalms but the guy continues, “NO! I still don’t know what I am living for! And I don’t know what I am dying for! That’s why my life is sooo boring! That’s why I have a face like this!” and the guy walks towards Tao and smiles a dimpled one, “I am Zhang YiXing.”

 

Tao stands and gets his hopes up and introduces himself, “I’m Huang Zi Tao.” And he laughs. “That was really, I don’t know, you’re mad, man!” Tao hits YiXing on his arm.

 

“I’m just bull and you realize it.” YiXing winks, and Tao laughs. “Yah, why did you ask that kind of question? I never expected that someone would ask me. It’s really out of the blue! Seriously, what’s wrong with you and you’re asking those kinds of things, about living and dying. Why? Are you dying?” YiXing says continuously. “I didn’t expect that so I’m not sure of my answer but thinking about it now, my answer is just right.” YiXing sighs and looks up the sky.

 

Tao is about to say something but YiXing speaks again, “I really don’t know what to do in this life. Do you have a boyfriend? Wanna go out with me?” YiXing asks without thinking twice.

 

Tao is surprised at what YiXing asked. He falls silent for a while and hasn’t found the right words to reject the person. YiXing tilts his head and waits for an answer. And when Tao is blushing deeply, YiXing laughs his off. “Oh my gosh! You’re blushing like a lady! Hahaha!” he throws his head back laughing like crazy. Tao pouts and bows his head down because of embarrassment. “I’m just surprised!” Tao reasons.

 

Then YiXing looks at him, earning his self up. And Tao looks at him too, still feeling down. The wind blows hard and Tao senses a serious atmosphere, finally, he thinks. YiXing looks up the sky and admits, “Really, I just don’t know what to do in my life.” He sighs, “But I don’t want to end my life yet. I want to do the things I want, but I don’t know them…” YiXing pauses and looks at Tao, examining if Tao understands what he is saying. And when he sees the answer in Tao’s cat eyes, he continues, “The things I want to do, I don’t know them yet. To find a job, but I don’t know where I am good at. To look for someone special, but I think I won’t be able to be sincere with him or her. To do something worthwhile, but I don’t know what is worthwhile doing than to live in this world.” YiXing is in deep thought.

 

Tao can feel what YiXing feels but the only difference is YiXing doesn’t want to try, “Then do everything. Look for someone special, it’s okay if he or she will break up with you, everyone is experiencing break ups, but trust me, even if you will have 20 or more girlfriends or boyfriends, you’ll still find the right one for you and that’s good because you’ll learn a lot before you meet him. Look for something worthwhile…” Tao raises an eyebrow to YiXing, “So you’re saying that dancing isn’t worthwhile doing and dancing isn’t your talent which you can use for a job?”

 

Then YiXing looks at Tao, surprised and he gulps, “Uhm… I don’t dance, what are you saying!” YiXing defends but inside him, he is asking himself, how did this kid know that?! OMO!

 

Tao sighs, smirks, and shakes his head because of YiXing’s lie, “Aish, don’t deny it. I saw you dancing in your school’s program when Jongin collapsed.” Tao says and YiXing’s eyes circle in horror.

 

“H-how did you know that?!” YiXing asks. Then Tao answers in a matter-of-factly tone, “Of course I was watching you dance! That Friday night.” Tao smiles innocently and YiXing gives up. Tao looks at YiXing and he senses that something is wrong, “What’s wrong YiXing? Did I just say something wrong?”

 

“Yeah, you.” YiXing glares at Tao and Tao is eaten by his conscience, “Oh no, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what happened.” Tao bows his head. He looks at YiXing eyes and the clock ticks backwards.

 

The music in YiXing’s car is deafening Tao’s ears. Tao is sitting beside YiXing who is singing loudly with the music. Tao glares at YiXing as he thinks, what the hell is wrong with this guy?  And then he sneezes when he smells alcohol in the car and his eyes circle in horror, Oh my gosh, they’re drunk!! He thinks that he have to stop YiXing and his friends in acting that way, but he’s also afraid that if he does that, YiXing’s present is going to change, and he doesn’t want to ruin it because he is not sure if it will get worse or better. He doesn’t want to ruin anyone’s life. He just bows his head waiting for what is going to happen, his heart pounds quickly as he looks on the road.

 

SCREEEECHHH!!!

 

Everything gets in slow motion as Tao and the people inside scream as the cars turn upside down many times causing the passengers in both cars to die and injure badly. But he finds himself looking at YiXing whose legs are squeezed by the damaged car.

 

The people who see the accident immediately run to the victims and help them to get out of the car and they call an ambulance which brings the victims in the hospital to be treated. And Tao sees that YiXing is one of the victims who are injured badly.

 

And the time goes a little bit forward and Tao hears YiXing shouting curses.

 

“Where the is my leg?!!! Where is it?!!” YiXing cries loudly.

 

Hearing that, Tao peeks through the open door and sees that YiXing left leg is gone. Tao gasps at what he sees and he feels that conscience eats him because he is there in the accident yet he didn’t do anything. He bows his head down and stops himself from crying because he also realizes that he cannot change the past; he shouldn’t change it. He cannot do anything.

 

And the time flashes in front of his eyes. “Yah, where does your thought go?! Yow! Tao! I’m talking to you!” YiXing wakes him up by slapping him on his cheek. Tao looks at YiXing apologetically and YiXing is taken aback, confused at the look in Tao’s eyes. “What’s you problem, weirdo?” YiXing says instead.

 

“S-s-sorry. I didn’t know.” Tao bows his head and YiXing is confused. “I didn’t know… your left leg.” Tao closes his eyes.

 

YiXing’s heart pounds fast wondering how Tao knows about his leg. His voice stutters, “H-H-how d-did you k-know about it?!! Are you a stalker?!!” YiXing is scared even though Tao shakes his head.

 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tell you that, about dancing yes. Sorry.” Tao then bids goodbye leaving a confused and scared YiXing in the middle of nowhere.

 

Tao sighs as he looks up the sky, aish, I should be careful about the things I am saying. I know it hurt him. He lives for dancing… but how can he dance now? How can he live now? Until he bumps into a smaller man. “Oh sorry.” he apologizes but the man doesn’t reply back. Tao is frustrated, feeling what the hell is wrong with him now. So he runs his hand through his hair. But he’s a little confused why YiXing flashes in his mind, YiXing is lonely, but the YiXing he saw was smiling.

 

He then looks around and sees nothing but the usual surroundings so he decides he should go to the bookstore now even though it’s still a little bit early for him to work.

 

Days pass by and he gets closer to this Luhan guy who is always visiting the store for Oh Sehun’s books. Tao looks at his watch and knows that Luhan will arrive soon in the store so he gets ready for Luhan said that he will treat him for snack since Luhan discovered that Tao is also a Chinese like him.

 

Tao arrives in the store and reads the writing on the board, “What if the reason you are living is dying? What are you going to do? Would you die with him? Or just the world with your dead presence?” He looks at the writing for a long time and his heart beats fast as the memories from the past runs in his mind.

 

He remembers how he sat next to Kim JongDae, his hyung’s husband. He can see how JongDae gulped the forming lumps in his throat yet the lumps would run back right away to his throat once he swallowed it. And now, he can feel the same way JongDae felt.

 

JongDae threw his head down and closed his eyes earning the courage to ask Tao about a thing. He breathed deeply and started the conversation.

 

“Tao… I don’t know what to do when he’ll leave me…” Tao’s heart sunk when JongDae wasn’t able to finish to what he was saying because he just cried at that moment.

 

And everytime JongDae would open that conversation up, their discussion won’t end because of JongDae’s cries and breakdowns. Tao didn’t know what to do at that time because he really didn’t know. He cannot live without his hyung because he was the only one who loved him. And if MinSeok die, no one loves him anymore.

 

Tao hated the world because of that, taking away the ones whom you love and those who love you. The world was so stingy, Tao thought, because they took away MinSeok from his life. And now, no one loves him.

 

And when the reality comes back, he gets the chalk from the board and composes a message for the one who wrote the writing. “I will live my life still living for him. I will do the things I always do when we are still together. I will live my life loving him. It doesn’t mean when the reason why I am living is dying, I will die too. That’s so uncool… thank you.”  he reads his reply once again and smiles.

 

He is about to enter the bookstore when he hears he is being called out by someone. He turns around and sees a mushroom-haired boy with sunglasses and a jacket. He looks up the sky checking if it’s a sunny day, and it is not. The wind is not blowing hard which will give you shiver either so what’s wrong with this guy?! He just stares at the boy when the boy comes nearer towards him, he greets and circles his eyes, “Y-y-you…” and the boy senses that Tao knows him so he immediately covers Tao’s mouth with his hands. Tao fights back which makes him jolt in surprise. “Y-yah! Why did you do that?” Tao shouts and when the boy is gesturing to him to keep quiet or they’ll get caught, he shuts his mouth up, considering that the boy is a little too famous to cause a mess on the street.

 

The boy walks in the bookstore and Tao follows, thinking that the boy wants to talk to him. The boy sits on a chair and Tao sits opposite to him. When Tao is seated properly, Tao whispers, “You are Oh Sehun right?!!”

 

The boy nods and almost complains, “Aish, I forgot that you just wrote on that board in this bookstore. You, the bookstore and your message… there’s no way you are not a reader.” Sehun laughs at himself. Tao doesn’t see this as a joke but he laughs anyway because, heller, the boy in front of him is the Oh Sehun which Luhan is dying to meet and the Oh Sehun in the books and blogs he reads.

 

Tao is silent for seconds but when he realizes that he should introduce himself to this author, he immediately hands out his right hand to him, “Oho! I’m sorry. I was caught. I’m Huang Zi Tao by the way.” He introduces, and Sehun nods and shakes his hand with Tao. Then Tao asks afterwards why he is calling him just now.

 

And Sehun answers him, “Well, your reply just caught my attention, it’s just romantic.” Sehun laughs heartedly, and Tao senses something. He thinks that Sehun must remembered someone when he read what I wrote. He may remember someone who writes the same as me.

 

They talk for about 2 hours and when Luhan comes into Tao’s mind, he immediately tells Sehun about him, “Hey you know, I knew someone who is really a fan of yours. As in, it’s like, he have all of your books. But he’s just weird because he doesn’t want it to be signed by you yet he always looks at you from afar whenever you have a conference or something like that. He’s ridiculous.” Tao confesses.

 

Sehun then says, “Well that’s really unusual. And because of what you said, I would gladly to meet him. I like to meet him. I want to know why.” Sehun nods and smiles.

 

“Maybe he’s shy.” Tao concludes. “Oho, I’m really going to tell him that I met you here. Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite.” Tao laughs. “He’s LuHan by the way.”

 

And Sehun’s eyes twitch, “L-Luhan?” and his eyes wrinkle. Tao then sees through those eyes the past.

 

 

“I’m sorry Sehun, I don’t want this anymore. This won’t work. I have to break up with you.” Luhan cries and Sehun breaks down.

 

Sehun hugs Luhan’s legs, pleading, “No hyung. Why? Tell me why you want to break up. Because now I’m author too? Do you want me to stop writing? I will! I will stop hyung! Just don’t leave me!!”

 

But Luhan scolds him, “No! Oh Sehun, you won’t do that! You just can’t give up your writing because of me. No!” and Luhan shoves Sehun to the ground.

 

They are both surprised at what Luhan did, but Luhan now walks away from Sehun. Tao looks at Luhan who is wiping the tears out of his face with his back facing them, and at Sehun who is sobbing heavily on the street.

 

Tao wants to help Sehun to stand but he can’t, he’s afraid he might change the present so he waits for the time to take him again with curls and spirals everywhere.

 

Then Tao looks at Sehun apologetically. “Luhan? Do you know Luhan?” Sehun asks again. Tao hesitates if he will tell to Sehun that he knows Luhan. If he doesn’t…

 

 

And the time aborbs him again, more tick tocking are heard. And bwa! In the street, somebody sits, it is Luhan in the front of the bookstore where Tao is working.

 

He waits for the store to open and when it does, he weakly walks in it and asks one of the workers if they have a new book of Oh Sehun. The lady says they still haven’t ordered some books yet so Luhan sadly goes outside the bookstore.

 

And he waits forever.

 

 

And the time moves backward, tock ticking of the clock are heard and more spirals and confusion in Tao’s head.

 

He decides, “Yes, Luhan. He reads all of your books and he’ll wait forever for you.” Tao tells Sehun confidently. Even if I won’t know what will happen when I do this, it’s done. I have to tell Sehun about Luhan. They have to talk. This is the only thing I can do for them. “And like what you said, you want to meet him…”  Tao looks at his watch and tells Luhan in his head Luhan… please come here. You need this… he prays.

 

Sehun shakes his head, “No.” and he stands up. Tao asks him where he is going. Sehun answers him, “I don’t want to meet him anymore.” Sehun shoves Tao’s hand which is stopping him from leaving the store.

 

“Oh no of course you want to meet him. You’re just scared because he is still hurting you until now.” Tao says like he knows everything so Sehun throws at him, “You don’t know anything so back off! Who are you anyway? Why do you know Luhan? Did he tell you everything? That’s why you’re doing this?!”

 

Tao breathes, “No, he didn’t tell me anything about you and him. But I met him visiting your conference a long time ago… I’m doing this for him.” Tao looks at his watch again and curses Luhan who is now an hour late.

 

“Why do you like him? Are you his new b--“

 

“No, of course not! How can he love someone else if he still loves you Oh Sehun?! You need to talk because look at you!! Look at you Oh Sehun, are you happy??” Tao deadpans Sehun. Sehun’s brows soften and he blinks at Tao. He suddenly feels something thump in his chest. Something that is longing to know everything. Everything. The reason why Luhan left him.

 

The bell on the door rings and Tao sighs hopefully. He turns to the man who just came and smiles tiredly. “Finally.” Tao breathes.

 

Luhan comes in the store and eventually stops when he sees who is with Tao now. His eyes glisten with tears, and his throat and chest sting. He bites his lips to stop himself from crying.

 

Sehun looks at Luhan deadly. They stand there for half a minute to feel each other’s presence. Sehun is asking Luhan inside… All he wants now is Luhan’s reason.

 

Tao stands up and goes to Luhan. Luhan looks at Tao like a baby and Tao shakes his head because he knows that Luhan eyes are pleading Tao not to do this. Tao takes Luhan’s hand and leads him to Sehun. And now, Luhan is standing in front of Sehun and the tension becomes bigger.

 

Tao bids goodbye after he whispers to Luhan, “Just treat me after this.” he tells and walks out the store. Tao breathes and hopes that everything will be alright. He dares not to look at Sehun and Luhan’s future because he wants to wait for the reality.

 

= = =

 

The leaves are falling and Tao knows that winter is soon. He looks up and a feather falls on the tip of his nose. He sneezes and someone giggles in front of him. He looks at the little boy and crouches down to greet to child. He smiles as the boy smiles at him too. The boy is bald and is suffering from a disease which kills the boy. His eyes soften as the boy walks to the feather which just fell and picks it up. The boy smiles and gives it to Tao.

 

Tao pats the little boy’s head and offers him a walk. He also learns that the boy is deaf so he can’t speak. He can see it looking at the boy’s past. They play on the playground for some time because Tao is afraid that he might tire the little boy.

 

He invites the little boy to sit down but the little boy lays his head on Tao’s lap. Tao smiles as the little boy closes his eyes to take a nap. Tao rubs the boy’s arm to make him sleep.

 

Tao looks at the boy sweetly and he realizes how innocent this little boy is. He sighs as he thinks that he is so lucky that he is not born to have a disease or something that will make him weak.

 

He smiles as he realizes that even though he doesn’t know who this little boy is, he knows that he’s helped the boy in a simple way. Probably, the little boy is not allowed to go out of their house so much so he thinks that the boy is happy because Tao played with him. He helped the little boy do something worthwhile and experience joy while he is still alive.

 

This boy is dying. And Tao doesn’t know where his parents or guardians are. Tao looks around to look for someone who seems to be looking for the boy but he finds no one. Tao is worried for the little boy because he knows that he cannot help the little boy so much because this is the first time he has encountered one like this.

 

Tao closes his eyes and looks back where he found the little boy. But when he saw the little boy earlier, no one is with him. So Tao dares to shorten his life again and looks back to the past of the sick little boy. The time ticks so fast but Tao thinks that it sure is long, and he feels that time is pulling a life from him. Tao breathes as he lands on the bridge where the little boy and, probably, his father are.

 

He watches how the father takes care of the little boy and how the little boy makes his father happy just by smiling innocently at him. The father and son walk to the tree where Tao found him. They play with each other for some time but not until the boy looks pale and is closing his eyes slowly. Tao can see that the boy wants to scream in pain but no sound is coming out from the boy lips.

 

The father panics and shakes the little boy’s body forcefully. Tao breathes and doesn’t know what to do either. He hesitates because he thinks, I’m in the little boy’s past! Dang!!  The father calls the little boy’s name, “Kris!!! Kris!! No… not yet. Wake up…” the father pats Kris’ cheek repeatedly thinking that it’ll wake Kris up. The father shouts for help.

 

Tao shakes his head and decides, Even though I change this little boy’s present. I have to do this for him to survive. He walks to the father and carries Kris on his arms. “Let’s go!!” he shouts at the father who runs ahead of him to get a taxi.

 

Tao rubs Kris’ arm like what he did earlier to make him alive. Tao doesn’t care what will be the consequence to his action because the only thing that concerns him now is Kris’ life and his father. He looks at the father who is holding Kris’ pale hands and is praying for his son’s life.

 

Tao looks at Kris’ father and suddenly remembers JongDae and his self when his brother was dying. Tao can’t help but to sniff and that makes Kris’ father look at him.

 

Kris’ father looks at him and smiles. Tao is about to smile too because of the father’s strength when Kris’ father shakes his head and breathes heavily and painfully, but he hasn’t shed a single tear since then. The hand he was holding earlier slowly falls down from his grip, lifeless. Tao shouts at the driver, “Please be quick!!!” Tao panics as he shakes Kris’ lifeless body.

 

Tao is looking down the ground while he is sitting on the bench in the hospital, depressed. He hasn’t done anything for Kris. He rubs his eyes and swallows the lump forming in his throat. He feels a hand touches his shoulder, he looks up and finds Kris’ father. Tao looks to the ground again as Kris’ father sits with him. “Thank you.” the father mumbles.

 

Tao looks at him and thinks aloud, “Why are you not crying since we’re in the park?” It’s like I’m his father, I’m the one who’s sad here.

 

“I cried enough. I’ve fallen enough. I’ve broken down enough. I’ve failed enough. There’s no need to cry, there will be no tears anyway.” He says and Tao looks at him. He thinks that the father is wrong. Tao pouts.

 

“That’s impossible. There will be tears no matter what because you’re hurt. You can be weak at some times, especially in times like this.” Tao scolds Kris’ father. Tao looks up and wipes the tears forming in his eyes. Kris’ father rubs his shoulder.

 

“Thank you for helping my son. But…” Kris’ father smiles a little and then continues, “I’ve been weak since I discovered that he has an illness. I’ve never been there with him all the time because whenever he breaks down, I always cry in the corner away from him. I always face the wall so he won’t see me crying. He thinks I am a strong father but I am not, he is the strong one I must say. And I know you saw everything earlier, looks like I’ve been here with him, right?”

 

Kris’ father stops, closes his eyes, and recalls what he has read a long time ago. He declares, “I once found this store with a board where you can write everything. I found this interesting because I hope that someone can help me like the other people do. I wrote ‘What if the reason you are living is dying? What are you going to do? Would you die with him? Or just the world with your dead presence?’” and Tao remembers this and Tao blinks as the father continues, “’I will live my life still living for him. I will do the things I always do when we are still together. I will live my life loving him. It doesn’t mean when the reason why I am living is dying, I will die too. That’s so uncool… thank you.’”

 

Kris’ father laughs and that catches Tao’s attention, “That person even said Thank you, even though I should be the one thanking him… He made me realize that I should live my life even though the reason I’m living died. My son died… he’s what I’m living for, but I realize too, I will die for myself.” Kris’ father declares and Tao is taken aback. He somehow is relieved because he knows that this person will do everything worthwhile from now on. Kris will do everything worthwhile from now on. A/N: Kris is the name of Kris’ father too. haha, I cannot change it anymore, sorry. So the Kris (the father) is the one who is in the story Dream of Me. Thanks!! - -

 

Tao walks out of the hospital a little depressed. He doesn’t know why he got so attached to the little Kris that fast. Well, maybe because he is different. His smile caught me. He nods and realizes that he’s easily caught when someone smiles even though they have problems.

 

He is walking to the store to tell Luhan about that like he does always when he bumps into someone. He stops for he feels weak, but he doesn’t know why. The person stops this time, and bows his head to Tao. “Sorry.” the person huffs and Tao recognizes the voice. The person’s eyes get bigger as he greets Tao. “Tao. Woah, sorry. I got to go, I’m going to the hospital.” Kyungsoo seems in a rush.

 

Tao nods and tells, “I just went out of that hospital.” Kyungsoo nods and asks Tao why Tao has been there. Tao pouts as he thinks of Kris. “Kris is dead.” He tells Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo is taken aback.

 

Tao looks at Kyungsoo whose eyes are glistening with tears, Kyungsoo’s voice is shaking. “K-kris? I-is he really dead?” Kyungsoo places his hand on his mouth in disbelief.

 

Tao and Kyungsoo go to the hospital and Tao learns that Kyungsoo has been helping Kris in doing chemotherapy. And that explains why Kyungsoo knows Kris (the son). Tao explains to Kyungsoo how he met Kris and Kyungsoo is moved.

 

“Kris is really a strong child. Even though he is deaf and has cancer, he’s still cheerful…” Kyungsoo smiles as he recalls how he and Kris played with each other and how the child stayed strong for his life. “Just like JongIn.” Kyungsoo softens more as he thinks of how JongIn smiles for him before.

 

“Uhm, where is Kris’ mother? I haven’t seen her since Kris…” Tao cuts his sentence because he doesn’t want to say it and because he knows that Kyungsoo understands what he’s trying to say. So Kyungsoo answers him, “Ahh, she left them after she gave birth to Kris.” Tao is shocked at what Kyungsoo said. He wrinkles his eyes because of what he heard. How can a mother abandon her chi--- he suddenly stops to what he’s thinking. He realizes that his mother left them too. He breathes and removes the thought in his mind.

 

Tao and Kyungsoo are walking to the store when Tao asks Kyungsoo, “Kyungsoo, did Luhan come in the store earlier?” Kyungsoo looks at Tao, befuddled. He doesn’t know what’s gone in Tao’s mind because Tao’s been the first one to know what happened to Luhan.

 

“Yah yah. What are you talking about Tao? You do know that Luhan is so busy that he cannot go to the store right?” Kyungsoo declares and Tao blinks at him repeatedly, as if recalling what happened. Tao’s eyebrows are about to meet when Kyungsoo finally tells him, “He’s an author now right?” Kyungsoo smiles and assures Tao.

 

Tao blinks at what he’s hearing now. He gives a look at Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo explains further, “It has been a month since that happened!! What is going on with you Tao!!” Kyungsoo shakes Tao to wake him up. And Tao wakes up… and now, he’s in the future. It all sinks in him.

 

“What date is today?” Tao asks Kyungsoo, gulping and feeling nervous at the truth. Kyungsoo thinks of what Tao is thinking but he answers anyway, “It’s 16th of July.” And it really strikes him… he is staying in the future which now becomes his present because he’s spend an hour after he travels through time.

 

Tao shakes his head and ruffles his hair, What have I done… how can this… he is close to crying when Kyungsoo asks him what is happening to him. He thinks first before answering Kyungsoo. He thinks that if it is the right time to tell someone that he can travel through time. But he says “It’s nothing. I’m okay. B-but can you tell me what happened this month?” Tao pleads.

 

Kyungsoo sees that Tao is not kidding so he tells everything he knows to Tao. And Tao now learns that Luhan and Sehun have been good since he made them talk. And JunMyeon is as usual as always. Nothing happened too much to Tao’s luck, he hasn’t missed many happenings around him.

 

As Tao walks to his apartment, he thinks of how it happened when he chose to travel to the past and not to the future for Kris, but eventually, without his knowledge, he travels to the future and not to the past like he wanted. He recalls if he’s done the wrong thing but he doesn’t know because he hasn’t been wrong in travelling back and forth in the past and future before. This is the first time he has made a mistake and he intends not to do this again because he’s scared; he shouldn’t miss the happenings in his own life.

 

Tao is in deep thinking that he bumps into someone he is familiar with. The boy looks at him and Tao sees that he has been crying today like the usual. And because of those puffed eyes, he wants to know what happened to this guy. The guy runs away and Tao circles his eyes in horror.

 

SCCRREEECCCCHHHHH

 

And he moves the time back accidentally for a minute or two. Tao bumps with the same guy again. The guy still has puffed eyes and Tao doesn’t know what to do. Then the guy is about to run away when Tao grabs his arm and pulls him away before a car hits the guy.

 

The guy’s eyes circle in horror and looks at the car which just passes through him. The guy looks at Tao and a tear comes out from his eye. “C-chanyeol.” Tao is taken aback by his sad and depressed eyes.

 

Tao looks at the guy pityingly and the guy sees this. He bows his head for an apology and gratification. The guy runs away quickly. And that bothers him because of what happened earlier so he moves the time and watches the man.

 

The man is still running until he stops and gets to the ground to cry on his knees. As he is crying, he keeps on mumbling the name ‘Chanyeol’ under his sobs and tears.

 

Then he walks towards the man and hands him a handkerchief, “Here, take this.” The man looks up and takes the handkerchief, and he finds it good when the man is strong enough to mumble, “Thanks.” as he sniffs.

 

He sits besides the man and starts to introduce himself, “I’m Huang Zi Tao, by the way.” Then the man looks at him awkwardly but he smiles. Tao is taken aback because he thinks that this man can still smile despite the sadness he feels. He is very strong. Tao waits for a minute or two for the man to introduce himself but it is not given to him. So to remove the awkwardness in the air, he says, “I’m Huang Zi Tao and not Chanyeol.” He lets a small laugh but the man doesn’t move. Thinking that he said a sensitive thing, he apologizes. “Sorry.”

 

Then the man smiles a little to him and stands up. “Thank you.” his voice is hoarse and he returns the handkerchief back to Tao. And he walks away after earning his self up. Tao stares at the man’s back and notices that the man is really heartbroken.

- - - - -

This is the second chapter. Waah, finally, I get to post this, because really, our internet doesn’t work well so I cannot update that fast. And sorry for that. Well, there's only 1 subscriber for this though, hahaha!! very well, still, thank you!!!

 

Thank you for reading this chapter! Sorry for the errors in this chapter.

 

Comments and feedbacks are highly appreciated!

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