Chanyeol felt a shiver up his spine when he turned the knob, his shoulders was down and his facial expression was like he was going to a slaughterhouse. It had been some time ago.

“And so, you came.”

“Minseok called me yesterday, he asked me to come to talk with you, and apparently he needs your approval to let me comeback.”

 “He called me too, and he asked me not to go easy with you.”

“I see.” Chanyeol laughed without humor, and even without an invitation he sat down in the white leather armchair.

“So let's start it, tell me everything since the beginning.”

*

*

The first thing Chanyeol had learned about time travel was that, under any circumstances, he could modify the past, because all the future complications could be devastating. Trips to the future, in turn, were inconceivable; no one was authorized to find out what the future held for.

Time travel was strictly controlled by the state, and only few agencies accredited to the work, suffered with all the huge bureaucracy. The method of regression (as has been popularly spread throughout the media) with all the paradoxical danger involved, was used only as the last alternative, a way to help solve famous and unsolved cases.

And, Park Chanyeol was, the first name in the time travel subject, he was, without any shadow of doubt, the most experienced traveler.

The tall man walked through the white corridors, ignoring the slight discomfort in his chest. He carried a paper bag in his left hand and a black briefcase in his right hand. There, was containing all the details of his last case: A very young boy, who had disappeared, and years later, has been found that he was brutally murdered.

There was not much evidence, few ones pointed to a very tall man, dressed in all black. Other than that was nothing.

The newly discovered skeleton, which was under the excavations of an old building that just had been demolished, had created a national uproar across the country by the media. The remains belonged to (at that time) a ten-year old boy, Li Jiaheng, a Chinese immigrant, who was announced missing exactly eighteen years earlier.

All the years of studying didn't anticipate him any of that. It wasn't like he didn't like his work, far from it; time traveling was his unique and immense passion. The only thing left to him.

Since beginning, science had been present in his life. His mother was a physics major and he was glorified by all her investigations in the forensic field. Even though most people attributed his high position to his mother, Chanyeol was pretty proud to say that he reached to the top by his own feet.

He walked until the last door of the corridor, there was a gleaming stainless steel nameplate that said “Sr.Kim”. He hit the door, signaling his presence. Kim Minseok was the man who was legally responsible for the travel, but he also was a very important friend of his college years, even though he wasn’t well known in the agency for his sanity, he undoubtedly make an excellent job there. Chanyeol sighed, turning the cold doorknob. The sooner the details were worked out, the sooner he would be free.

Not that he didn't like his job, but his father, a high ranking military, had taught him early on to rewarding honor of each well done job, but over time, he was beginning to feel the physical stress as a result from all those travels.

“Hey hyung, have you had lunch yet?” He saw the shorter, at the bass sound of his voice, jumped at the chair he was in, a clear sign of his total concentration in one of the many reports he had to do.

“Holy Chanyeol!” The older muttered angrily, “I've already told you how I don't like it when you arrive like that.” Chanyeol laughed at the exaggerated expression of his boss, who putted his little hands to his chest with a clearly accelerated breathing.

“So hyung, what's up with the big and unsolvable case this time?” Chanyeol occupied the empty chair in front of the other. He pulled a sandwich filled with a whitish cream from the paper bag, pushing another one to the older. “No evidence?”

“Didn’t you read the report?” Minseok lowered his head slightly annoyed, gladly accepting the fresh food in front of him. He seemed to think for a minute before completing with a wry smile “Entirely.”

“There are too many words.” Chanyeol shrugged, snapping up the last piece of his food, he hadn't even finished chewing when he decided to continue. “I just need to know what to look for, hyung.” there was a slight sarcastic tone in his following words “Besides, I'm pretty sure you’ve already read it, entirely, and, that’s why I’m here.”

“You used to be more responsible, Yeol.” Minseok seemed slightly disappointed. “The only two witnesses reported seeing him around three, talking to a really tall foreign man with a big scar on his left hand” he made a theatrical gesture of quotes with both hands to emphasize his point before continuing, “Which was dressed in all black.”

“There seems to help a loooot” Chanyeol yawned sarcastically, pulling the almost untouched sandwich from the older to himself, while Minseok was sufficiently distracted perusing a giant report in front of him.

“And this is where we enter the story, Yeol, you have no idea of the impact that this story is having out there.”

“I imagine it is large enough for them to call us. So, I've been checking the boy, and he was not anything special.”

“You know things are not going pretty out there. You have no idea what the death of an innocent child can do with some people, they want to take justice into their own hands.”

“So, that's why we, the good guys, are here, right?” Chanyeol laughed, looking at his pulse which was still burning since his last travel two days ago. “So hyung, I’m going, cause I still have to pass to the lab, I think I left my pills there.”

“Are you still dosing the pills?”

“You know I still feel the pain.”

“That isn’t good, Yeol.”

“I’ll be fine, so don’t worry hyung.”

“Sleep well, Yeol. You will need all the energy and attention as much as possible for tomorrow.” Minseok had finally realized the lack of his food, muttering something intelligible, but the giant was already far enough on the way out the door.

“I've already said not to worry so much, hyung. Afterall, I'm still your ace of hearts, am I not?”

*

*

As perfect as the technique could be, Chanyeol failed to prevent the discomfort of the trip, the uncomfortable fluid was climbing in his throat and he could already feel the unmistakable bittersweet-acid taste of the bile defiling his palate. But, he wasn't allowed to throw up there.

He still was a little dazed when he lowered his head, swallowing at once, the greatest amount of air as much as possible. He let his body to slip against the barely plastered wall, feeling his legs were still shaking. It wasn't his first regression trip, because he would always be proud of his over thousand hours of practice, however, the discomfort which was caused by the trip still as painful as it was on his first time.

The almost imperceptible electric shock against his right wrist was enough to regain consciousness of his mission. The nano device injected under his skin was his warning about the return, while the electric shock in his veins would gain intensity and frequency until the unbearable level, in other words, the shock would alert him the exact time of his return.

He rose up in a blink, the time was too far from being his ally in that mission, the rough fabric of the costume he was wearing was turning it even more uncomfortable, but, he still needed to wear them to be invisible.

Chanyeol stifled a startled yelp when he felt something bump hard against his ribs. In response there was nothing but a basketball bouncing away from his left foot, it didn’t take long to find his attacker: a young tall boy, who from afar, looked just like a cornered animal.

"I'm sorry, ahjussi." Chanyeol saw the little boy run up to the ball, and collect it with a single impulse, before completing with a slightly choked voice "It (really) was an accident."

Chanyeol lost the air when he (finally) found the acute face that framed the boy’s stoic gaze, the same one on the old photograph which his superior had shown him, the boy surely was Jiaheng. The boy who had been brutally murdered.

And to see him there, wearing a very large for his torso, t-shirt of (which Chanyeol believed to be) a popular team, while turning a basketball ball in his hands, Chanyeol felt sorry. He was just a kid. And for the first time, he felt the urge to intervene in the future of someone.

The traveler, on the contrary to every rule that had been imposed to him previously, took a step toward the boy, with a big friendly smile plastered on his face.

"Do you like basketball?" He felt a second shock, this time harder against the pulse, and only then he noticed the hoarseness at his voice after the words left his mouth. "And don't worry too much, you didn't hurt me."

"Do you also like basketball, ahjussi?" The boy began to dribble the ball around the traveler, all smiling, and Chanyeol couldn't avoid the warm feeling that filled his chest.

"Not really." The traveler replied sheepishly, scratching his head with his left hand. "So, where are your parents? Isn’t it getting a little late?"

"Mom is working, and dad..." the boy looked slightly crestfallen for a moment, but the next moment he looked up at him with a pair of deeply inquiring eyes. ”You're so tall, ahjussi. You should play basketball."

Chanyeol allowed himself to laugh for a moment; it had been a long time since he felt his shoulders so light, but the laughter was quickly cut by a hiss of pain. The third wave flowed through his veins, served to him as a warning of his deviation.

"Ahjussi, are you okay? Is that why you don't play basketball? Are you sick?" The boy had dropped the ball, crossing the short distance to the traveler with a worried expression plastered on his face and a flood of words out of his mouth. "Ahjussi, you want me to call someone?"

"No need to worry, Jiaheng." the words had failed when they left his mouth, in sharp contrast to the tone of his assertion, and Chanyeol only realized his big mistake when the boy's eyes seemed to double the size.

"Ahjussi-" the child began weakly, moving two steps away from the traveler "I-I n-never told you that my name was Jiaheng."

"Hey, I don't-" But Chanyeol didn't even had a chance to finish, the boy had turned his back, running away as far as possible from him. And, in a tiny fraction of second, everything happened; the boy had been hit by a motorcycle. The traveler felt his entire body trembling, he approached the crowd that surrounded the boy, blood was seeping out from the kid’s stomach while the biker was still paralyzed, with one of his legs bent at a strange angle. Lifting up his face, Chanyeol saw a tall man, also dressed in all black, but unlike the other passers, he didn't watch the accident scene. He had his eyes fixed on the traveler.

‘The few ones pointed to a very tall man, dressed in all black. Other than that was nothing.’

It could be him, the killer.

The traveler went around the circle, never looking away from the other. Chanyeol felt a new shock reach his wrist, he was running out of time. Ignoring the pain that has started to rage on his lower limbs, he quickened his steps toward the man who was walking to the dark side of the street.

"Who the hell are you?" Chanyeol murmured breathlessly, he still had the effect of the last wave fresh under his skin. "Are you also...?"

"All in good time, honey" The man finally stopped, still back facing him. And up close, he was much taller and had a hoarse voice almost too deep as the traveler himself. "Don't try to rush things."

Chanyeol used all the strength he had to turn and press the other against the wall, and the man didn't try to fight back. On the contrary, he moved his huge left hand to the traveler’s face, intimately caressing the soft skin.

"Who are you?" Chanyeol repeated the question, completely immersed in the depth of the eyes of the man. In response, the other touched his right wrist which was still tingling, gently massaging the aching area.

"When the time comes, you'll know." he cut the minimum distance that was separating their faces with an innocent brush of their lips, and in the next instant the last wave hit the traveler unbearably painful, making them break contact.

Chanyeol grabbed his wrist tightly, feeling a series of deep stabs in his chest. He needed to go back, but he still had many questions bubbling in his head. "No, not yet." He held his wrist while whimpering, and as fast as the pain hit him, he felt his eyes give way, a signal that he was coming back, but with the memory of the beautiful sharp face still ingrained in his mind.

Chanyeol opened his eyes, feeling his body convulsing forward, his head was spinning madly. The blurred redheaded figure in his front firmly grabbed and shook his shoulders in attempt to bring him back.

“Chanyeol! Hey dude!” The man shook his shoulders with a bit more strength once more, pulling away quickly when the traveler began to pour out his stomach.

“I interfered, Minseok.” Chanyeol murmured after what seemed an eternity, the newly acid-bitter taste of the bile served him as a punishment, “I've changed the past, hyung.”

*

Chanyeol learned very early that time travel was strictly forbidden, his mother suffered a lot from the repression. The state always controlled them with an iron hand, because it was not advantageous for them.

But, when the regression finally came up, like in a fiction movie, the media immediately loved it.

And it helped a lot, especially with the financial side.

The humanity throughout eternity has always needed a hero to have support, and this time, Chanyeol was pretty grateful to take this role.

But, it wasn't a fairy tale, and even with all the prestige, they lived amid a mountain of inspections.

Not that he disagreed; really not, but it was just uncomfortable to always have someone else controlling them, even their small and insignificant tests. Not to mention, there were a lot of cons with all the documented bureaucracy.

Since early on he learned to not believe in the fate, and all the red string thing, because after all, time and space cease to be invariant just to change the reference system. Past and future were easier to control than it seems.

Chanyeol was practical, and he really enjoyed his work, the possibilities of traveling across the time always help to feed his (also giant) ego. He almost felt like a god, finding the things that no one else could see, but Chanyeol was also smart enough to learn not to play with the time, the consequences were, at best, unpredictable.

A week after the incident and Minseok (still) remained skeptical to the case, he had never heard of Li Jiaheng, and Chanyeol cursed himself mentally for not having read the whole report. When Chanyeol confronted Minseok to why he was on a trip, he was told that it was (only) another random test. Like any other which they had previously done.

But Chanyeol knew better, he (still) could remember the fear expression on the child's face, that image was coming daily to haunt his dreams.

And he needed to fix his mistake.

*

“Hey mom! So, from now on you are officially allowing me to help you, right?”

“You're still a kid, Yeol-ah.” Was the low voice of his father who responded, laughing. They were driving to the ceremony place, it was snowing outside, but their smiles were keeping them warm inside their red car.

“I'm already graduated, just saying.” Chanyeol scoffed in response.

“Don’t be rude, Yeol-ah” this time it was the melodic voice belonged to his mother. Chanyeol could see her concentrated in some scientific journals by the rearview mirror.

“Who do you think you are? You haven’t even accepted in college, kid.” His father hissed playfully. “You’re going to enroll first, remember?”

“We already talked about that, dad. You know that I'm not interested.” Chanyeol resisted the urge to mess his hair which his mother had lost enough time straightening it before leaving their house.

“Two years, you turn up into a man and you can study any of this bull that you want.” His dad retorted, turning the rearview so that he had a better view of Chanyeol, who was mumbling silently in the back seat.

“Just stop! Shut up both of you!” his mother closed the journal, noticeably irritated with the direction of the conversation. “Today was supposed to be a special day, and you’re spoiling it.”

“But-” even before Chanyeol could start his always same speech, a giant blur appeared and disappeared in front of the car. Which had been enough to make his father lost the control of the steering wheel.

And, at the next moment, the only thing he could see was a sea of red painting the white immensity.

 

“Mom!” he woke up agonized with a shout. The image of his mother vacant look was impregnated in his mind. It had been a while since he had stopped dreaming about the accident.

The clock struck 3am, and it still was too early for anything.

The trip to the fridge was silent except the voice of his heart thumping loudly against his chest. Chanyeol was sure a little more and his heart would find a way to go out through his mouth.

The beer taste bitter against his mouth, and Chanyeol unconsciously raised his left hand toward his face, there, lay a big and ugly scar, his small and particular reminder about what happened in that day.

The day when he lost his parents.

*

Chanyeol breathed hard as he inserted a long needle under a thin layer of his skin.

He had to be quick, because Minseok didn't look willing to work with his plan. But it all obscurely made ​​sense in his head, he needed to go back in time and prevent him to stop that murder.

And before he even knew, the dark liquid was beginning to take effect in his blood stream, he already could feel the usual warm tingling on his wrists that gradually began to spread to his whole body.

He buckled in the best way possible the belts on his torso, and made a hard effort to try to stand up straight. The heat started to become unbearable, causing his mouth to dry. Without the help of the remaining belts, the task became almost impossible.

An excruciating pain struck him like a thunderbolt, and he tried as best he can to imprison the howl of pain that was threatening to come out from his mouth. He couldn't afford himself to draw attention, not yet.

And as fast as it came, the pain was gone, leaving only emptiness, like an immaculate white screen, the white he always hated. He couldn't resist the weight that ensued over his eyelids and allowed to be carried away by the nothing which was around him.

When he finally felt awake one more time, he immediately recognized the place. There were the same poorly plastered walls and the same putrid stench of fish that came from the dumpster on his right side.

He had succeeded, he was back, again.

And now he just needed to make sure to correct his mistake.

He gathered all his strength, senses, gradually all part of his body began to respond his commands; the analgesic effect from the travel was still clouding his senses. The wall has assisted him in standing on his feet, his right wrist still tingles like always, and he could feel the reflux stuck on his throat.

But before he could even draw any reaction, he felt a heavy thud against the back of his neck, throwing his body brutally against the same wall that had helped him set his feet. With a blurred vision he was faced with the black silhouette of what appeared to be a man. A very tall man. Soon he felt large hands gently rounded the side of his face, with an intimate caress that was forcing him to make eye contact.

“In the end you'll forgive me for this, honey.” The serious tone seemed slightly familiar to him, and Chanyeol found himself squinting to try to identify the blurred man in front of him.

“Who are you?” The voice didn't come out more than a broken whisper. The man hadn't cut off their eye contact, and Chanyeol hadn't missed any of the smooth moves on his cheeks, “How did you know?”

“Everything will be made clear in due time, honey.” The soft tone along with the caress contact pulled increasingly the traveler to a world of dreams “Everything will be made clear in due time.”

 

*

“ Chanyeol, you're bleeding!” Chanyeol opened his eyes in a greeting to recognize the unique and exasperation tone of the voice of his boss. “What the hell do you think you were doing forcing yourself to travel alone? You could be dead now!”

“There was someone.” He whispered. “There was someone there, someone willing to stop me.” Chanyeol could feel the metallic taste of blood on his tongue that somehow was preventing him from speaking.

“What did you do, Yeol?”Minseok has removed his lab coat in attempt to stop the blood that till flowing from the wound on the traveler's neck. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you?”

“You don't believe me, I need to fix it, I have to stop myself.” Chanyeol did not feel sorry at all, he just didn't expect Minseok to be there “But there was someone.”

“You're going crazy!”

“Why can't you believe in me?”

“You shouldn't do something like that, Chanyeol”

“But you would never allow me.”

“You are insane.”

*

Chanyeol woke up startled. Recognizing his own room into the darkness around him, his head was madly throbbing and his heart was beating so much faster than usual, even though he was trying to force himself to remember, the images in his dream were just dark and messy blurs.

He opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of beer. It did not take long to notice the window was opened, it was drizzling outside, causing a damp breeze entered the room.

The traveler cursed himself mentally when he noticed the wet floor near the window, probably it rained heavily earlier. When he closed the window, he saw all his reports thoroughly soaked, and he needed to deliver it to Minseok the next day.

Perhaps luck wasn’t on his side, after all.

He made his way to his bed again, the bottle, which now was almost empty, wrapped around his long fingers. A tsunami of thoughts devastated anything inside his mind. Minseok started to look at him differently after he had disobeyed him.

And he never liked it when people look at him in a different way.

A flash lit the room in a lapse of time and made Chanyeol shrunk instantaneously. Another two flashes followed and Chanyeol could have sworn that there was a small figure judging him at the corner next to the window, immediately and against all his pride, the traveler flinched under his covers, but there, was much more repetitions of the same pair of eyes judging him. The deafening sound of thunder that followed made his heart slow down a little; after all, it was only the thunder.

*

“You can talk to Luhan.” Minseok shrugged, the order was subtly implied in the tone of the words, there was not much more that he could do for him, and after thinking for a moment he decided to affirm it. “No, you should talk to Luhan. See? I'm really starting to get worried about you, Chanyeol.”

“So, you really think I'm going crazy?” Chanyeol replied weakly, he was getting more offended by the pious stare that the older was giving him than the words.

“No, I don't. But you don't give me any option.” Minseok rolled his eyes because Chanyeol knew how to be childish, and he completed before that the taller could retort. “I think you're tired.”

“You wouldn't be sending me to Luhan if you think I'm only tired.” The taller replied in a tone that sounded more like a temper tantrum than an answer. But, Chanyeol knew how well Luhan's reputation was.

“Luhan before anything is my friend, and he's pretty good in listening.” Minseok muttered between his teeth, already beginning to show some clear signs of impatience. “And also as a good friend, I’m recommending him to you.”

“I don't want to.”Chanyeol grumbled with an octave below.

“You know very well that I'm not going to let you go for another travel until you talk to Luhan, don't you?” The oldest raised an eyebrow in challenge before turning his attention to the report on his hands. “So just stop acting like a kid, you're getting too old for this.”

“You must be kidding me.” Chanyeol had risen up, in a second closing the distance between them, he had an exasperated tone in his words. With an exaggerated gesture he pulled the report from Minseok's hands, claiming a full attention from the older.

“I'm done with you.” Minseok sharply rose in defense, facing the younger with an icy stare, even though he barely reached his shoulders there was no sign of tremor in his voice before continuing in a dangerous tone. “You're dismissed, Mr. Park.”

“You're nothing without me, hyung. Don't forget that.”

*

Chanyeol groaned when he felt a shiver go through his ​​spine. The minimalist office of Luhan, as expected, was completely spotless white. From the wall to the synthetic carpet which was right in the middle of the room. The only exception was his (possible) collection of preserved butterflies in a gilt frame.

A loud sound of someone clearing his throat caught his attention, Luhan, different from his office attires, was wearing a t-shirt layered with his flower pattern sweatshirt from (which Chanyeol believed to be) a defunct football team and a pair of (pajama) striped pants. And, as if the visual aberration that he wore weren't bad enough, the psychoanalyst had his hair (dyed a shade of bubblegum pink) in a nest that was rising into all directions.

“I'm sorry, but I think I entered a wrong room.” Reasoned Chanyeol. He already had his hand on the doorknob as he muttered a low apology.

“Hey dude, aren't you Chanyeol?” The man had a melodious voice that made Chanyeol cringe even more against the door. “Minnie told me you would be coming.”

“Look dude, this is all a mistake.” He breathed, “A huge and monstrous mistake, by the way.”

“That's what most of them always says.” The psychoanalyst muttered with a certain bore tone, and then he let out a grim smile. “Look dude, I really don't care about you. But Minseok asked me a favor to talk to you, and I'm not going to disappoint him by letting you escape. So bring your non existence and sit here, our session is starting by now.”

“Dude, you're weird.” Chanyeol still had his hand on the doorknob when the pink headed decided to drag him by the arm to the white classic leather armchair. “What the hell do you think you are doing??”

“I'm trying to help you, so here we go. Tell me everything since the beginning, I'm all ears.”

*

“Luhan said you need a rest.” Minseok casually commented without removing his eyes from the report. “He suggested me to give you a break.”

Chanyeol only lowered his head as he began to recite a dark mantra and curses against the psychoanalyst.

“But you're not planning to do it, right?”

“I do not see why I should oppose to that, Yeol.” He sighed heavily. “If you keep behaving like this, I’m afraid I have to force you to take a break. You will get mad at me for that.”

“I'm already mad at you.” He began with an accusatory tone, “You, more than anyone, knows how important this is all to me! How much I owe this to them!”

“Yeah. And I, more than anyone know how hard you have been working for it.” Minseok finally lifted his head, facing the giant before his eyes. “Chanyeol, you have disrespected my order.” He muttered bitterly before looking down with a sigh, “I unfortunately don't have any other option for you.”

“So now, after all these years, you're discarding me, hyung?” The traveler walked to the door, disappointed by the answer he received from his boss.

“I'm just trying to do what’s best for you, Chanyeol.” he said calmly with a brotherly tone, almost paternal, as he busied himself signing a pile of papers. Not giving the giant a single glance even when he heard the door slam in a loud bang.

*

Chanyeol swore when he stumbled over a half-empty bottle of Soju that was placed next to his bed, he vaguely remembered to have left it there. The traveler had arrived in a small room he used to call home without any desire to turn on the lights on, and now had to deal with the strong smell of alcohol impregnated on his soaked carpet.

Patience. He would survive.

He decided to turn on the lamp with a dim bluish light which was placed on his bedside table. The traveler, with a quick motion, pulled off the black shirt he was wearing, pausing a moment to watch the distorted reflection of his figure on a mirror. Thanks to the dim light, his image became almost ghostly, and he realized that his ribs seemed more prominent since the last time he had a chance to check it.

Maybe it was the main reason why Minseok keep nagging him.

He had never been someone who took notice of his own appearance. He had learned early that there were other things that had much greater value. He could still remember his mother when she was alive; she kept on pushing him into a relationship. She had cried for a grandchild, an ancestor that Chanyeol could never give.

In a moment of nostalgia he found himself (again) living the day of an accident that claimed the lives of his parents. Happened when he was 18, when supposed to be a festive day had finally become a big nightmare.

Minseok, at that time was a master graduate in scientific initiation and also personal assistant for Mrs. Park. After hearing the accident, he decided to take a great care of Chanyeol who was an orphan, in the hope to continue their work. Chanyeol had inherited a genius brain from his mother, in addition to years of strict discipline imposed by his father.

He was without any shadow of doubt the perfect candidate.

And to prove it, four years later they successfully finished the project that her mother had worked for her entire life.

And now it was over.

Chanyeol had decided.

He needed to fix his mistake, he shouldn't have interfered someone's past. Now he just needed to fix his future that he had changed in the past back to how it should be.

With or without Minseok’s help.

Li Jiaheng had to die sooner or later.

And since the stranger insisted to disrupt his life in that fateful day, he needed to find the man again, some years later maybe. He smiled, because he already had a slight idea of ​​how to do it.

*

Chanyeol watched the disinterested gaze of a guy who was checking a pile of files with an extraordinary speed. Sehun was one of the few scholars who Minseok could keep with the monthly support given by the state for their 'public utility'.

Sehun was a young and genius boy. Just like how he used to be.

The boy was a final year student of quantum physics, also shown a good performance in the art of invasion of any complex systems. Chanyeol only had to promise him the warranty of his scholarship until the end of his study, not to mention that Minseok was already planning to do so.

“Li Jiaheng, right?” The boy who had his hair dyed in the most varied colors of rainbow handed him a manila folder with the logo of the project.

“You found him?”Chanyeol managed to mask all the anxiety in his voice.

“Well, to be honest-” the boy sighed, eyes still as emotionless as they were on the first encounter. “It's kind of complicated, he changed his name quite some times until now, I have asked for help from some people out there, but well, here it is, Mr. Park, make a good use of this.”

“Thank you, Sehun.” Chanyeol smiled slightly, giving him a fatherly pat. He always seen him as a younger brother that his parents never wanted to give him.

“And-” the younger started with a small voice that was turning slightly squeaky “... take care. Minseok hyung didn't seem happy lately.”

“You don’t need to worry, don't listen to the bull that people have been talking about me.”

Chanyeol studied the document angrily. Li Jiaheng, Kevin Li and the latest was Wu Yifan, the boy had many names for his own good and it almost sounded like he was running from something.

Until the last name change, at fifteen, the boy had lived at the same suburban house in Seoul, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to find after all.

Chanyeol sighed, he had to be very precise and careful, after all, he only got one chance to fix everything. What he about to do would probably earned himself a little more than a verbal warning and a week of rest at home.

*

Chanyeol turned the key in the lock and slipped into the darkness that filled his apartment. He liked it, the dark always had a calming effect on him.

It didn’t take long for his eyes to get used in the dark. Everything remained in its right place. The only thing he didn't expect was to find a giant silhouette as black as the night right beside his window.

“What are you doing here? How did you get in here?”Chanyeol asked irritatedly. As if his day wasn’t bad enough, now the man decided to show up. Perfect.

“You will give me an extra key, honey.” The man answered in a playful tone.

“Who the hell are you?!” But Chanyeol was tired of all the games and riddles, damn, he just wanted to sleep. “Why do you keep showing up in my life?”

“I'm worried about you.” The sudden outburst in the voice of the stranger made him shivered.

“Get out of here.” He whispered shakily, he was beginning to feel all of his confidence draining away from him with each word he was saying. “Now.”

“But I still have time.” And even in the dark, Chanyeol did not miss the beautiful smile of the man.

“Get out.” The traveler growled in response, his head started to throb.

However, the stranger refused to back away, he continued to smile at him and Chanyeol really wanted to punch him in the face. “But it was you who asked me to come here.” After a moment of total silence the stranger seemed to get serious, “If I were to ask you, would you give up this crazy idea you have in your mind?”

“What the you’re saying?”Chanyeol felt a twinge in his head.

“I take that as a no.” The stranger laughed, and Chanyeol found himself lost in the glorious sound, “Come here honey, let hyung kiss all your concern away.”

“You are crazy.” The traveler clutched his head, panic evident in his voice. “I’m going to call the police.”

“No, you don’t.” The man kept calm, sitting at the windowsill. “And we both know it.”

“Why do you keep showing up and messing up my life?” Chanyeol took two steps forward, pointing his index finger accusingly to the stranger.

“Because I love you.” He didn’t expect that kind of answer, but it was enough to make his heart race. “And when everything is falling apart I want you to remember that.”

“I don’t even know you.” Chanyeol whimpered. “How the hell could you say something like that as if it wasn't a big deal?”

“But I know you, and I’m not lying.” The stranger cut the distance between them with quick steps. Hesitating for the first time when he saw the fear inside the eyes of the traveler. “And that’s what matter for now.”

“Can you stay for the night?” Chanyeol asked in a whisper, feeling his face heat up.

“You know that I can't.” The stranger put his large hands on his cheek, caressing the skin slowly and gently in circular motion. Chanyeol had never enjoyed a contact like that before, and instantly found himself yearning for more.

“I’m scared.” The traveler found himself pouring all his worries to the stranger. At that moment, it seemed the only right thing to do.

“Shhh I know, but everything will be just fine.” The stranger had a soft tone, and Chanyeol never found so much truth in a single glance. “See? Everything will be fine. Because I love you, and I really do. Don’t forget that.”

The man closed the distance between them, joining their lips fondly. There was no malice or lust, but there was a pure and innocent feeling. And to his own surprise it was him who deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around the stranger’s strong shoulder, slipping his tongue down the other’s throat.

*

Chanyeol bathed longer than usual, due to him weighing all the pros and cons of his actions that were about to come.

But he had decided that he would finish what he had started with the boy.

He needed to make the flow running smoothly again, and to get rid of the guilt that was eroding inside of him.

Stepping out from the tub, Chanyeol wrapped a towel around his waist before wiping the mirror from the thin layer of steam. Only then, he briefly admired the semi-blurred figure that was reflected.

He only dealt with his problem for a few days, but even so Chanyeol could see the deterioration of his image already. His black-purplish eye circles were even more evident, but somehow proving the determination he had. Because just like what his father had taught him, he was going to, once and for all, finish what he had started. His serious face soon replaced by a faint blush on his cheeks when the giant noticed the purplish marks on his neck, reminding him of yesterday’s night event. Strangely enough, he felt more relaxed than the last few months.

He dressed up in hurry as the time had already begun to run against him. Even the sky had turned gray and cloudy, as if a bad sign, but Chanyeol couldn’t care less.

The trip to the lab was quiet, the street always remained calm during morning hours, but he still could hear the buzz of the city getting started for a new day.

He needed to be quick, Minseok had a meeting schedule, and that would probably keep him occupy for the entire morning.

With his famous bright smile, he murmured a greeting to the doorman. He hurried his step until the glass door, whipping out his ID card from his back pocket. The white corridor was still empty at that hour, and certainly by the frightened expression the porter had given him, Minseok wouldn't take long to arrive.

It was now or never.

Chanyeol started turning the machines on quickly, and shamelessly started to change the casual clothes he was wearing to the black uniform he always wore on trips.

With a dexterity he had after his last try, he got all the procedures right quickly, finishing it by clasping all the belts around him in the best possible way. And before he could even finish counting to thirty, he felt the usual sensation of having his body being by an unknown force.

And so, everything turned white.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a street amid the snow, a red car coming to his direction. And in a flash of an eye, he found his body being pulled back to the empty white.

Everything had become radiant. His head was spinning.

And, when he finally opened his eyes again he was on a quiet street.

Realization slowly absorbed his mind. Something had gone wrong. Maybe in his haste he had forgot some details. He still could feel an overwhelming gnawing pain throughout his body. He could not recognize where he was, and the heat didn't seem to help anything, since he was lying in asphalt.

And without even knowing why, he started to cry.

“Hey ahjussi, are you okay?” the soft voice successfully brought Chanyeol back to reality. There was a boy, no more than five year old, looking curiously at him. “Have you had your lunch? Cuz, when my mom begins to make her crazy regimen, she always ends falling around.”

“Don't worry, I'm fine.” The traveler replied weakly as he tried to stand on his feet. “Can I ask you a question?”

"But didn't you just do it?" he asked in a playful tone, giggling in between before offering him a big smile. “Of course you can, ahjussi.”

“Do you know Kevin Li?” he asked hopefully.

“The giant Chinese boy? He lives there.” the boy stopped to think for a moment, then he pointed to a blue house down the block. “But his mother never let him out from the house to play with us.”

“Oh I see.” The traveler muttered, slightly embarrassed. “Thank you, kid.”

He walked wobbly through the paved street; He could still feel the boy's stare burning holes on his back. The blue house as the boy was referring was the last house on the block, protected by high walls as a fence.

With a trembling hand he pressed the bell. Once, twice, thrice in total but there was still no answer. When he already felt giving up on everything, a boy with a familiar pair of strong brows showed up.

Li Jiaheng, Kevin Li, or whatever name he was using at the time.

“Can I help you with something, ahjussi?”

"I'm looking for... your mother, may I come in?" He was lying, but the young boy seemed to already know it.

"You're the same ahjussi from the alley." The boy murmured thoughtfully. "I can still remember you."

“Will you let me in?” Chanyeol’s voice was raspy; his right wrist was burning to warn him about his time.

“You're not a vampire, are you?” the boy raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

“I’m a time traveler.” And even though Chanyeol was telling the truth to him, the boy would never believe.

“I see.” He nodded once and opened the gate to let him in, hurriedly locking it again once Chanyeol was in. “You can sit while I make a call.”

Chanyeol saw the boy ran away and he immediately searched for something to help him accomplish his objective. There, at the corner of the room, he found an old baseball bat. It could serve.

The boy was in the back area with a cordless phone in hand, and the traveler managed to overhear the conversation. The boy was calling the police.

He’s calling the police. Something in his mind screamed.

Chanyeol gathered all his strength and with one swift motion he a straight blow to the boy's back. The blow was strong enough to bend the bat, but still wasn't enough to kill the young boy. So he set over the boy who had fallen on the floor, and even though the boy had brought both hands to his head to protect himself, Chanyeol managed to hit a second blow on his head.

There was a lot of blood oozing from the boy's left arm. Chanyeol felt his view turning white for a moment, and the picture of a red car coming toward him came to his mind again.

A red car into the white snow.

The traveler ignored the throbbing pain that still remained in his right hand, the second blow had been strong enough to make the boy unconscious, there was a trickle of blood running down from the eyebrow, blemishing his young face.

But the boy was still clearly breathing. However, the only thing going through his head was that he needed to finish that. The new wave of pain went up his arm as a warning that his time was running out and he needed to do it fast.

He took a step forward, still firmly holding the baseball bat between his shaking hands, ready for the final blow, but he found himself stopped by a pair of big and strong hands holding him firmly on the shoulder.

And there he was again. The same beautiful man with blond hair who was even taller than him, the man who acted like a shadow and always seemed to be willing to stop him at the right time.

“I can’t let you do that.” The man muttered with a soft voice.

“I know.” Chanyeol let his body slid down the wall. He did not even realize that he had started to cry again. A new electric shock flowed through his vein causing him to lose the remaining strength and dropped the baseball bat.

“He'll be fine.” The man with its unusual voice tone, murmured softly against Chanyeol’s ear. He had wrapped his long arms around the traveler’s body, trying to stop the hysterical sob with a couple of sweet words.

Chanyeol then reminded of the murder case, where the only suspect was an unknown very tall man dressed in all black. The history just kept repeating itself, but the difference was this time he was the killer, maybe, he thought bitterly, it was him who had been the murderer since the beginning.

“I'm a monster.” Chanyeol whimpered against the stranger’s broad chest. “Damn! I tried to kill a kid, an innocent kid!”

“But you don't.” The stranger lifted the traveler's face gently, wiping the trail of tears that had formed on his cheeks with his cold fingers. The hiss of pain that came through the traveler's parched lips caused him to close the distance between their faces, placing a chaste kiss on the other’s lips. “He'll be fine, trust me.”

“Who are you? How the hell can you say that? He's ing bleeding!” Chanyeol groaned when the pain began to intensify, spreading to every inch of his body. “Are you my guardian angel or anything like that?”

“You're truly unique.” The man murmured with a slight humorous tone, pausing to make an intimate caress against his hipbone. “And that's what I like about you.”

“I'm afraid to close my eyes and don't find you anymore.” He murmured, clinging miserably on the stranger's synthetic collar blouse, inhaling the pleasant scent that emanated from it. “I'm glad you're here.”

“You know that I'm not going anywhere.” He smiled slightly, bringing the traveler’s face to his level, facing each other. “Don’t you realize that it's always you who keep on leaving?”

“That's not fair, it's you who keep popping up and messing up with me!” Chanyeol sniffled and sobbed heavily, he didn’t want to be left alone again.

“When the time comes, we'll meet again. So don't be upset by something that is yet to come, honey.”

“And if you don’t recognize me?”

“I could never forget you. Honey, just stop getting worried over this.”

“I don't even know your name.” Chanyeol mumbled, bringing the stranger’s body closer against his, his time was running out and he wouldn't let him go.

“For now, you can just call me Kris.” He tugged his lips upward into a smile, placing a gentle kiss on the traveler's forehead. “Everything has its own time, honey.” He the traveler's face, catching a tear of pain that ran down from his reddened eyes. “So please, stop doing this. After all, some things can't be fixed.”

“I will stop, I promise you.” And with one last painful sob, Chanyeol felt his body being pulled back to the place where he should never have left.

*

When Chanyeol opened his eyes he felt the fear slowly infiltrating, he was lying at an all-white room. There was a series of tubes stuck to his veins, and he realized he could breathe thanks to the device by his side. Only the artificial sound of his heartbeat flooding over the room, and he felt his mouth as dry as a desert.

By his left side he found Minseok's familiar red hair. Judging from his steady breathing he seemed to be sleeping, but there was a frown of concern plastered on his handsome face.

Chanyeol felt guilty.

And, if it were not because all the dryness his body experienced, he probably would have started to cry. Blinded by his vision, he did things he was ashamed for. What the hell was wrong with him?

“Chanyeol? Are you awake?” The soft call from his boss momentarily distracted him from remorse.

“I'm thirsty.” He muttered dejectedly, didn’t dare to face the older out of guilt.

“I think so, you've been out for the last two days.” The elder handed him a bottle of water, which he gladly accepted. “You really had me worried, Yeol.”

“I'm so so sorry, hyung.” The traveler was pressing the bottle even more between his hands. “I really wish I could go back in time and correct all the I did.”

“Hey dude, calm down.” Minseok cut him hastily, worry painted all over his face. “No more time travel for you, at least for now.”

“What?” Chanyeol rose up from the bed on impulse, staring at Minseok in disbelief. “WHAT THE HYUNG?”

“Calm down Yeol, or I'll call the doctor.” The older rubbed his forehead before continuing, obviously tired. “I’m giving you 30 days off.”

“Get out.” The younger lowered his head with a dangerous tone in his voice. “I don’t wanna talk to you right now, hyung.”

“I'm doing it for your good.”

“I know, and that's why I don't want to fight with you now.”

“I'll wait for you, Yeol.” The older smiled, trying to pass some confidence for him. “Call me when you feel ready.”

Chanyeol waited for the man to leave then allowed himself to sink one more time onto the soft fabric of the mattress, his eyes burned and his head wailed frantically in agony, succumbing to all the anger that had been dormant within him.

Minseok wouldn't understand. He would never understand.

But regardless of all the circumstances, Minseok hadn't got the right to remove him from the project. It was also his dream and he had lived his past years dedicated to it.

He felt a spasm against his right hand, his body begun to tremble, and, in the next moment he had lost all control over his right hand. Chanyeol let out a loud sob, the sound echoing in the room. There was only despair when he tried, without success, curled into a ball, but it just made him felt the pain piercing his eyes.

But the physical pain was just the result of the other pain, a pain that couldn't be treated.

His soul was broken. And he had no one to help him through it all.

His head was still howling over its injustice, and they were all reverberating in his ears, punishing him in somewhat cruel way. Unconsciously, he took both his hands over his ears, he didn't want to hear anymore, he just wanted to disappear. And then, maybe his problems (many of them) could begin to solve by themselves.

But when the storm finally began to dissolve in his head, the deep voice came to whisper pedagogically again into his mind:

‘After all, some things can't be fixed.’

*

*

Luhan smiled pleasantly, a strand of his bubblegum pink hair insistently falling over his pretty face. He moved the pen gracefully on a white paper and made some sporadic annotations, but his eyes hardly diverted from the tall man in front him.

This time the psychoanalyst was wearing a full printed colorful leopard set. But his office was still as white as the first time Chanyeol had entered there.

“I don't see any problem with you, Chanyeol.” The man smiled at him kindly, “Feel free to come back again.”

“Thank you, dude.” Chanyeol let out a bright smile, the one that gone missing during his hard time. “You can't imagine how this makes me happy.”

“I'm just doing my job, dude.” He extended his right hand for a shake, but Chanyeol was faster and dragged him into a bear hug. “Minseok will also be happy, he always considers you as his little brother.”

“Maybe it’s time for him now to go on vacation?” he asked in amusement. “Last time we talked on phone he seemed very tired.”

“And let everything in your hands? You're such an ambitious kid. I think I need to change my final decision.” Before he could even get any reaction, he saw the giant, with a smile, raced to the door. Luhan could only smile from afar, mumbling softly. “Welcome back, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol walked through the corridor with a good feeling. It has been a long time since he had a chance to experience it. He missed every single thing more than he could ever imagine.

With a small smile he greeted Sehun and a new scholar that he (still) didn't know the name.

He needed to find Minseok and tell him the good news.

After a while he rolled his eyes when he recognized the red hair belonged to his boss at the corner of the laboratory. But Minseok wasn't alone; he was accompanied by a giant man who seemed strangely familiar to him. Chanyeol felt his feet bound to the floor when a flash of recognition invaded his mind.

It couldn't be.

Minseok had told him something about a parallel project based on pain control, a way to make the experience of the travel to be less traumatic. And there was a young neurosurgeon that has achieved considerable success in this area and seemed very excited to help them.

But Chanyeol was not interested. At least, he wasn’t until now.

Minseok smiled at the sight of him, giving him a slight nod indicating his presence to the stranger. Even when he started waving his short arms, it wasn’t able to make Chanyeol take his eyes away from the stranger.

‘All in good time, honey.’

Chanyeol found himself being pulled by a kind of gravitational force to both males, closely Minseok had his characteristic crooked smile on his face, but the man beside him, on the contrary, seemed to have just seen a ghost.

Minseok cleared his throat loudly, successfully breaking the eye contacts between Chanyeol and the stranger. Even when the stranger lowered his head, there was a (shy) half grin on his plump lips.

“This is Wu Yifan. He’s the doctor I've told you before, Chanyeol.” Minseok began casually, without noticing the strange atmosphere that had just form between the two giants “You will be delighted with his project, Yeol. It's amazing how it fits exactly with what we are looking for.”

Wu Yifan, the person whose name still recorded in his mind. It couldn't be just a coincidence, right? And for the first time he noticed the whitish scar on the man’s left arm that used to hold him so many times to kept him sane.

“May I ask you where your idea came from?” Chanyeol asked without even trying to disguise his curiosity.

“When I was young, I met a man-” He began with the same deep voice that was recorded in his head. And Chanyeol, without the distraction from the adrenaline, could slowly see the resemblance between the man in front of him and the boy who had ruined his sanity.

“He had weird spasm on the right wrist. When I met him again years later, the pain seemed to persist.” He sighed heavily, “After all, I just wanted to help him.” He continued casually, without taking his eyes away from the traveler.

 “Wu Yifan.” The man held out his giant right hand warmly. Chanyeol didn't miss the newly formed scar on his right wrist, it was almost invisible to any untrained eyes, but not to him, he earned the same scar from being a time traveler. When their gazes met again, he had a sincere smile, “I hope we can get along.”

“Park Chanyeol.” He let out an equally sincere smile, holding Yifan's hand into his own. There was a spark when their skins made contact with each other, and the traveler made ​​no effort to hide the relieved tone in his voice as he continued.

 “Finally we officially meet, Kris.”
 

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