The 100 Year Letter Exchange - Featuring: The Space Lion 

Ch.2

By: Kwuintessence and Eiryia

"I’m telling you we need to go get it." 

Seunghoon huffed at the other two occupants of the moderately sized dining table, both unhurriedly tackling their breakfast - cereal with milk, because apparently Kang Seungyoon couldn’t cook to save his life and he won’t let the other two (him and Jinwoo) anywhere near his stove. Which Seunghoon found ridiculous because he is skilled in kitchen wizardry. Just wait until you taste my cooking, you plump lipped 2015 person! He thought to himself and huffed some more.

Jinwoo looked like he was still half-asleep, eating away his cereal in a half-daze while rubbing his eyes which Seunghoon found endearing. Seungyoon on the other hand, seemed very occupied with looking through his mail. It was their first weekend together and Seungyoon finally got time off from work to spend with them, his two new housemates.

He thought it had gone quite well so far. A few accidents here and there, a couple of misunderstandings and a lot of embarrassing moments - not really on his part. Yesterday he begun talking about his spaceship slash intergalactic post car. However, it was still out in the woods and it would rust in the rain if left out there for too long. He couldn’t bear the thought of his precious baby wasting away, all alone and lonely out there. They spent quite some time together and had so many beautiful memories mutually, like that one time he raced with the Discovery shuttle around 1997 while they were on a mission to service the Hubble telescope. It was an OV-103 space shuttle that Seunghoon quickly outdistanced. He could still remember it like it was yesterday. It was so wrong yet it felt oh-so-right. Also, it was his integral link to his world AND may just come in handy later on, not just for him but for Jinwoo as well and maybe even Seungyoon.

"There is more than enough space down in the warehouse! We can hide it under some of those old tents that are stacked up by the elevator!" 

Seunghoon continued, pointing at them with his spoon while doing his best to keep his cereal from flying out of his mouth.

Seungyoon stared for a bit at the spoon being waved in front of him. He didn’t like the idea of it, but he understood that Seunghoon was worried, maybe even lonely. It was his only link back to his world after all. He casted a sideway glance at Jinwoo - the boy was slowly chewing with his eyes closed, fingers curled around his spoon while his cheek rested on his propped arm. The highly attractive nobleman who had lost every connection to his own time didn’t seem particularly bothered by it. What stark contrast. Seungyoon thought with a slight shake of his head. He was really impressed by how well Jinwoo had taken to everything. The way his doe eyes would widen in curiosity and surprise was really quite a sight to see.

After spending another minute thinking about how great it was that Jinwoo was now a part of his life, he shifted his attention to Seunghoon and said,

"How about we go have a look at it? We can see what condition it’s in and then make a plan from there?"

A part of him was curious and that might be the bigger part of it, another was because he wanted to judge for himself if it actually would be possible to hide such a thing in the warehouse. When he thought of spaceships he couldn’t help but imagine huge flying objects with turbo rockets, not tiny post cars like the ones that putted around in his neighborhood.

"It’s all settled then!" 

Seunghoon said enthusiastically, stars practically shooting out his eyes before getting up to clean a little around the kitchen, doing a slight shake and wave every now and then while he waited for them. Seungyoon went back to watching Jinwoo slowly eat his breakfast. He had this dreamy look on his face now and Seungyoon couldn’t help but wonder just what was going on in that pretty head of his today.

From the books that Seungyoon had read, borrowed from the library, some still lying around somewhere -  Jinwoo seemed like someone who had all things well put together, very composed, and sublime. Now that they’re living together and seeing each other every single day, Seungyoon realized that he was somewhat of an airhead. The nobleman kept spacing out and dreaming of things. That along with how he always asked these ‘out of place’ questions was one of the reasons why there was never a dull moment in Seungyoon’s life anymore.   

Jinwoo wasn’t the only one making his life interesting these days though. Seunghoon was a constant source of energy and his humor and lightheartedness made even the simplest tasks feel very exciting. He always had stories to tell about so many different things, having had the chance to travel between different times and dimensions. From the strange mail he had delivered over the past few years as a postman, his home on another planet, and technological advances he missed that didn’t exist yet in this current timeframe on earth. The whole ‘intergalactic’ thing was enough to make Seungyoon’s brain hurt, but still he loved hearing about it.

It was exciting, yet worrying. Seungyoon had to admit that a lot was weighing his mind now that he suddenly was housing two more people. They would have to get jobs eventually to make ends meet, but just the thought of letting Jinwoo out there on his own made him anxious beyond words - and not just because he was besotted.

After finishing their breakfast they all headed out. It was a nice Saturday morning and they were all in good spirits. Jinwoo had claimed this as his opportunity to prove that he indeed could easily find his way back to places he had been before and headed up front to lead the way.

"You know, we could go for a ride."

Seunghoon said in a low voice while watching Jinwoo striding away from them all eager.

"Don’t you have to lay low for a while?"

Seungyoon said increasing his pace, worried about losing Jinwoo out of his line of sight.   

"Well yeah, but a quick stop at my place won’t hurt. I would really like to pick up a few of my things." 

This was the second idea of the intergalactic postman today that Seungyoon didn’t approve of. Looking up ahead he saw that Jinwoo was waiting for them all smiles. They had been walking through the woods for a good ten minutes now and he had been wondering how much further until they reached the clearing. 

Walking up to Jinwoo, Seungyoon peeked around the last turn to reveal... Nothing? He turned to face the pretty boy, giving him a questioning look and Jinwoo only smiled a perplexing smile. Seunghoon then walked up ahead of them laughing a little as he went. 

"Watch this!" 

Seunghoon proudly said while resting his hand on what appeared to be nothing but air. Seconds after, a dark blue color began spreading from his hand. It spread out from just a small square first then into thin lines, spreading out until what could only be his post vehicle was revealed.

"It reacts to the owner’s touch, a lot cooler than your keys don’t you agree?"

Seunghoon said with a smug grin. Seungyoon wondered what the big issue was with hiding it when it was invisible. Wasn’t it made to handle outer space? Surely it could take some earthly rain. 

"So, how about we take a ride?" 

Jinwoo and Seungyoon looked at each other. Take a ride? Would he really be okay? It sounded ridiculous. Leaving the galaxy even? Seungyoon internally huffed. 

"We won’t be gone for long, right?" 

Seungyoon said just to make it clear that he did not wish for some long stay away from earth. Seunghoon arched a brow and after pushing a button on the side of the vehicle, it hummed and lit up, the doors opening and hovering on the sides of the vehicle like wings.

"I’ll have you both back in time for dinner. I even promise to cook you dinner."

Seunghoon said with a wink, giving Jinwoo a hand to help him climb into the vehicle. Seungyoon frowned, knowing fully well that it was simply an excuse for him to touch the comely young man that they were both romantically interested in. He climbed in himself after them and started to look around. It wasn’t as big as he had originally envisioned in his ‘sci-fi Hollywood movie’ deluded mind. It was a moderate size with plenty of room for the three of them to comfortably move around. Seunghoon touched a screen on the control board and the whole panel lit up in bright blues and greens.

Jinwoo wordlessly took the seat next to the driver’s seat and Seungyoon wondered where he would be sitting as there were only two seats.

"What about me?"

He asked moving closer to the control board to have a better look.

Jinwoo already looked a little pale and he was starting to regret agreeing to come along. He should have just let Seunghoon go on his own. He could have had some precious time alone with Jinwoo then.

Seunghoon wordlessly pointed behind him to a bench with a couple of buckles on the wall.

"That doesn’t look safe at all!"

Seungyoon said in protest giving Seunghoon an incredulous look. Jinwoo turned to take a look at what Seunghoon was suggesting, shaking his head the moment he laid his eyes on it.

"Isn’t there another option?"

Seunghoon just shrugged and began pushing buttons.

"Well, he could always sit on your lap."

Seunghoon suggested, obviously joking. Seungyoon quite liked that suggestion however and immediately jokingly sat down on Jinwoo’s lap to try it out. Jinwoo quickly wrapped his arms tightly around him as if he was taking it seriously. 

"Don’t worry, I won’t drop you." 

He said while tightening his grip on him even more, something that Seungyoon immensely enjoyed. Watching them pressed together like that must have irked Seunghoon more than he (the other boy) would like to admit. He smiled the stiffest smile Seungyoon had ever seen on his face before saying,

"There is another option, AND it might just work seeing as you are you."

Seunghoon smirked, eyes glinting with mischief as he got up from his chair and pushed a partially hidden button on the side of Jinwoo’s seat. The armrest then flattened out into another seat. He then pulled something up from below it, making a backrest.

"The previous owner of this vehicle had a kid and a wife, let’s see if this fits you."

He said it with an amused grin, pulling out the buckles from under the seat while tugging on Seungyoon shirt so he fell out of Jinwoo’s lap and onto it.

It was a snug fit, but it fit him even so. Both Seunghoon and Jinwoo tried their best to hold back their laughter as Seungyoon clicked the last buckle in place. It was decorated neatly in pink and glittering butterfly stickers. Feeling more than a little embarrassed, a slight blush covering his cheeks, he glanced over at Jinwoo. The pretty boy gave him a shy (recently learned) thumbs up and mumbled something that sounded a whole lot like,

"You look cute."

Was he mocking him? If anyone else had said it, there would be no doubt in his mind, but Jinwoo had this sincere and innocent air around him that made no room for his doubt.

"I’m cute."

He said to himself, a smile tugging up the corners of his lips before adjusting his buckle so that it didn’t press as hard on his stomach and crotch area. The ship or whatever it was called lifted off the ground, Seunghoon looked over at the two of them to check if they were ready and after glancing at his pink buckled self once more, he said,

"I think there’s still is a pink helmet in the back to go with it."

Before Seungyoon could retort back, the ship began to rock before moving so fast that he was practically flattened back on his seat, and all he could do was attempt to keep his breathing steady.  

After what must have been an hour later they landed on an empty unlit skyrise rooftop in what just may be the biggest city Seungyoon had ever seen. They had lowered themselves swiftly down from the sky and it must be nighttime on this planet because everything was pitch black except for the many neon lights glaring up at them far down on the city streets.

He had to admit he felt quite sick, the speed along with the tight buckle had done things to him. Hunching over as soon as he got out of the ship he pulled in as much air as his lungs would allow him, only to feel it burn so bad instantaneously. 

Looking over at Seunghoon for an explanation, he got handed a striking black long coat that looked similar to what the other boy was now wearing, along with a black mask that had a little fan on both sides about an inch in diameter. Seunghoon helped Jinwoo put his on, as he started to talk to them about the danger of breathing in the heavily polluted air in this new environment for a prolonged period of time.

 (p.via x)

Walking over to the edge, Seungyoon watched the grey and black futuristic cityscape feeling a mix of dread and curiosity. How could someone as bright and cheerful as Seunghoon come from a place like this? 

"You coming?" 

Seunghoon called out to him while backing towards a metal door at the middle of the roof. Jinwoo was walking towards Seunghoon and he gingerly followed behind him after taking one last glance at the city below. 

They took off their masks when they finally got inside. Taking the stairs as Seunghoon lived on the third floor from the top and because no one ever took the stairs. Seunghoon explained in a low voice as they went that this complex was owned by the company he used to work for, until recently - The Intergalactic Post Service. He worried that his apartment would be emptied out now that his days working there was over. Seungyoon wondered why he had not used that argument when they had first began talking about this whole thing. 

Slowing down before the last flight of stairs, they could hear a low voice talking. It was a woman by the sound of it and she was most definitely talking to someone on a phone or a similar device of some sort, Seungyoon guessed, as there was no replies to be heard. He then noticed Seunghoon staring at Jinwoo for a while before pushing the startled nobleman in front of him. 

"Just smile at her and stop for a moment so we can pass you, then excuse yourself and follow after us." 

Seungyoon heard him say, still holding a hand on a wide-eyed Jinwoo’s shoulder. That sneak! Using Jinwoo as a distraction like that! Seungyoon wondered if it would even work. Rounding the corner, he tried not to look at the woman as they got closer. Jinwoo did as he was told and lingered behind for a moment and even hunched down waving cutely at the woman. Seungyoon didn’t see her reaction, but he heard her stop talking and saw her approach Jinwoo from the corner of his eyes.

Seunghoon walked down the poorly lit hallway leading the way. They didn’t run into anyone else and they soon reached a door marked 175-32. Seunghoon took out a key-card from his pocket and swiped it before holding the door handle, his thumb pressing on what appeared to be a thumbprint reader.

Not sure what to expect he followed closely behind Seunghoon into the apartment. It was dark, only lit by eery blue screens spread throughout. Seunghoon went around looking for something before returning to them by the door.

"Someone has been here."

Seunghoon said, wrinkling his nose and looking around yet again. They gingerly went in and sat down in the small kitchen while Seunghoon went around stuffing things into a duffle bag.

Jinwoo looked at a letter on the table and handed it over to Seungyoon. It was in a language he couldn’t understand, but he recognized the emblem on it because the same one was on Seunghoon’s spaceship. He saw the date at the top 06/2315 and pointed at it to get Jinwoo’s attention. This made him feel a lot closer to Jinwoo for some reason. Only a hundred years separated them and they were from the same planet.

Smiling to himself he leaned forward to rest his head on his palm still feeling his lungs burn from the polluted air as he was not used to it. Jinwoo seemed to be feeling the same way, leaning back on his seat, a hand on top of his chest. As his elbow pressed down on the table it suddenly lit up showing what looked like an aquarium beneath with a strange assortment of fish that he had never seen before - except the fish aren’t really alive, they were 3D holographic. Seungyoon straightened up, his heart rate increasing and looked around wondering if he had activated something he shouldn’t have.

Seunghoon looked over at them and smiled.

"So, you found my precious fishies! I’ve always wanted to go scuba diving!"

He said before walking around the corner into what must be the bedroom. Jinwoo suddenly leaned forward and looked at Seungyoon with sad eyes.

"I think I prefer real fish. This place, even breathing hurts. No wonder he wants to leave."

The place struck Seungyoon as somewhat un-personal and not at all what he had expected from someone sprightly like Seunghoon. It was so neat that it was close to sterile and the apathetic blue lights just added to the effect.

"What makes you think someone was here?"

He asked when Seunghoon finally emerged from the bedroom with a heap of clothes in his arms.

"It’s been tidied up. I usually have some of stuff lying around in organized piles. They better not have removed the bookmark in that book I was reading! It was a good one."

Seunghoon replied with a grin before dumping the pile of clothes on his ‘aquarium’ table. Seungyoon inspected the assortment of clothes in front of him before letting his eyes follow the dark outlines of the room.

"There is something on the floor by the door."

He noted while watching Seunghoon stuff the clothes into another bag. Jinwoo left his seat and went over to pick it up.

"I can’t read this one either."

Seunghoon shrugged and stuffed the note in his pocket without reading it. Seungyoon figured it might be an eviction notice or something along those lines and didn’t think much of it. Besides, Seunghoon didn’t look like he was planning on returning anytime soon.

They all grabbed a bag each and followed Seunghoon out the door heading back up to where they came from. They didn’t run into anyone on their way up. Wearing their masks again, they loaded the spaceship with Seunghoon’s things without any interference. 

"Let’s have one last look, shall we?" 

 (p.by x)

Asked Seunghoon when they had put everything in the storage compartment of his spaceship. They walked out towards the edge, taking in the sight before them. The view down was sickening and only Jinwoo appeared to be enjoying it. It was as dark as ever and they could only see night skies and city lights wherever they turned. 

"The sun doesn’t rise above the horizon here most of the year." 

Seunghoon explained in a flat voice while looking up at the sky. 

"I’m not really from around here though, my home planet is a lot more like your earth. Another reason why I chose to stay with you." 

He said it like it was no big deal. Seungyoon and Jinwoo glanced at each other behind Seunghoon’s back. If this wasn’t Seunghoon’s home planet, then where exactly was he from? 

"Why did you come here?" 

Seungyoon asked, out of curiosity. Why did someone like Seunghoon come to such a dark and grimy place when he could have stayed somewhere else? The other boy turned towards him and smiled. 

"Work, but now that I’m not working for these guys anymore I don’t have a reason to stay either." 

Just then, Seungyoon noticed something coming towards them at an incredible speed. Seunghoon looked up and after seeing whatever it was, hurriedly motioned for them to get into the ship. When they all got inside Seunghoon turned off the few lights that were on and motioned for them to crouch down and stay still. Seungyoon saw the small red lights of a group of tiny spaceships pass the outer side of the deck before disappearing. 

"Who were they?" 

Jinwoo asked getting into his seat. 

"Peacekeepers. They do a lot of things for this city and one of their tasks is ensuring that everyone here follows the curfew." 

Seunghoon explained while starting up the ship. They couldn’t tell from his expression, but he seemed to be in a hurry by how he navigated the spaceship. Seungyoon had not been seated for more than 30 seconds before they shot up into the air with no warning. 

When they stumbled out of the ship about an hour later, Seungyoon sighed in relief. 

"Not even 3 o’clock!" 

Seunghoon declared proudly. Jinwoo brightly beamed at Seunghoon and followed up with, 

"We’re home and well before dinner!" 

They had managed to land the spaceship in the back alley and were planning on moving it into the warehouse come nightfall. Seunghoon was in a great mood after their successful trip to his world and had decided to make them a few traditional Korean dishes for dinner. Something that greatly puzzled Seungyoon but he let it slip.

They took a detour by a small food market on their way home to get everything they needed for dinner that evening. It was Jinwoo’s turn to pick their dessert this time and he seemed to be taking his decision rather seriously as they went around picking out items for tonight’s meal. 

"I think I want one of those cold sweet things." 

Jinwoo suddenly said, a finger under his chin as Seunghoon walked ahead of them to get garlic and green onions. 

"Ice cream?" 

Seungyoon suggested. He had shared his plain vanilla ice cream cup with them the day after they had moved in with him and it had been really popular. Seunghoon had wondered if they were made with liquid nitrogen and had been terribly disappointed when Seungyoon had shown him the freezer. Seunghoon had one of those in his home as well and it was a lot less exciting for him after that. Jinwoo on the other hand had liked the idea of the freezer. He had envisioned it as some sort of ‘endless winter in a box’ and settled to calling it a ‘winter box’. 

When Seunghoon finally returned with his green onions, they headed over to the freezer section. Jinwoo had picked out a strawberry flavored one for himself in a cup and waited expectantly for the other two to choose theirs. Seungyoon figured it might be fun to let Jinwoo choose for him and Seunghoon not wanting to be upped, zealously went along with it.

In the end, Seunghoon and he were both mystified by Jinwoo’s ice cream choices for them. For Seunghoon, Jinwoo picked out a multicolored kid’s popsicle with bubblegum and candy pieces on it and for Seungyoon’s he had picked out an ice cream bar with at least four layers of chocolate mixed with coffee.

The two of them sent the pretty boy a questioning look and Jinwoo only cutely blinked back at them while holding his ice cream cup and explained his choices by saying that they reminded him of them. Seungyoon surmised by the look on Seunghoon’s face that he was (over) analyzing his ice cream just as much as he was with his.

Upon arriving home, Seunghoon promptly began cooking since they were all pretty hungry after their little trip to his world. Admittedly, Seungyoon was plenty nervous - sneaking glances at the tall young man flitting around in his kitchen. On the way home they crafted a plan on how they would retrieve Seunghoon’s stuff from his spaceship. It would have to be after they were finished hiding it some time later that evening.

Seungyoon got ready to set the table with Jinwoo trailing behind him wanting to help. While Jinwoo was washing his hands, Seungyoon went ahead and started taking some plates out. Suddenly he heard a little 'eep!' followed by Jinwoo frantically scrubbing his hand, water splashing everywhere. Seunghoon quickly went over to him, a towel in one hand and Seungyoon followed suit.

"Ah!" He heard Seunghoon exclaim, holding Jinwoo's other hand. "That woman!"

Seungyoon saw something move and quiver from the skin under Jinwoo's palm.

                “What the hell was that just now?”

He asked, voice raised, pressing closer to Jinwoo and growing very worried. Seunghoon ran a hand through his hair before turning to face him.

                “It’s live ink.” He said. “Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous. Just troublesome.”

Seunghoon's answer didn’t satisfy him though. He grabbed Jinwoo’s hand and placed it over the faucet, trying to see if he can wash it off himself but upon contact with water it started moving under his skin again. Jinwoo looked to be slightly terrified of it too and quickly pulled his hand back.

                “We use it to write things we don’t want to forget. It seeps a bit into your bloodstream and interacts with the cells there. A specially formulated remover can quickly get rid of it by breaking down the infected cells.”

Seungyoon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His Jinwoo was ‘infected’ by this ‘live ink’ and Seunghoon didn’t seem keen on doing anything about it at all.

                “It doesn’t hurt. It will go away on its own, in a few days.”

Seunghoon said, taking Jinwoo’s hand out of Seungyoon’s tight grasp and wiping it with a towel.

                “But that woman. Seriously.”

Seungyoon stared at him, his forehead creased lightly.

                “Why? What did she write?”

Seunghoon glanced at Jinwoo who was staring at him expectantly, Seungyoon immediately noted how red the back of his ears are.

“Err...” Seunghoon stalled, growing even redder. “It’s just her number.”

Seungyoon wasn’t buying it. There was definitely a lot more. The numbers he was able to read off Jinwoo’s palm but there was something more written down and Seunghoon was holding it back. He put an arm around Seunghoon’s shoulder and pulled him up, leading him to the other side of the room, away from Jinwoo who was now standing and looking at both of them curiously. He didn’t follow them and chose to stay put, to Seungyoon’s relief.

                “I don’t know how to translate it...”

He sent the other boy another questioning gaze, tightening his grip a bit more.

                “Fine! I’ll tell you. Loosen up, will you?”

Seungyoon smiled a bit and did just that, he still kept his arm around him though.

                “It’s an invitation. If he ever wanted to have a good time...”

“You mean like dinner and a movie?”

“Hmm, I guess and...” Seunghoon paused again, “...the promise of a great evening in bed and maybe a great morning after.”

Seungyoon’s jaw went slack in understanding. He and Seunghoon both slowly turned their head towards where they left Jinwoo standing. The nobleman stared back at them, confusion evident on his face.

                “Pretty boys, they never go out of style, huh.”

                “Never.” Seunghoon sighed.

Seunghoon eventually went back to cooking. Seungyoon and Jinwoo offered to help out, but were rejected because Seunghoon wanted it to be a ‘thank you for coming along to outer space’ meal from him to them. 

"What do you think would have happened if we had been found out, out there? Those peacekeepers?" 

Jinwoo asked as soon as the two of them had settled down around the table. Seungyoon didn’t really know, but he was certain that it would have been nothing good. They sat for a while discussing about what they had seen on their short trip to Seunghoon’s world while the smell of food spread throughout. It was after they had discussed Seunghoon’s 3D holographic fish that Jinwoo had asked Seungyoon about his home decor. 

His walls were covered in books, art pieces, and some musical instruments. He worked part time at a music shop that sold both old records and newly released cd’s, along with various musical instruments and their parts. Seungyoon had yet to show Jinwoo his musical skills, but he did write about it to him in several of their letters. 

"Would you mind playing one of those for us? They work right?" 

Jinwoo asked pointing towards a guitar he’s got hanging on the wall. Seungyoon got up from his chair and went over to get it. He sat down next to Jinwoo this time, in case he wanted a closer look of the guitar or had questions. He wasn’t all that sure about what to play so he picked the one that first came to mind and started strumming. The melody was easy and light, just a few chords with a simple strum pattern. Seungyoon watched Jinwoo’s lips quirk into a small smile from the corner of his eyes.

Before he even realized it, he was smiling as well. Jinwoo slowly swayed to the melody whilst seated and eventually started humming along to it to Seungyoon’s surprise.

"That was great! You sing as well, don’t you?"

Jinwoo asked, he clapped at the end enthusiastically and gave him a supportive pat on the back. Seungyoon did a tiny thank you nod in every direction, jokingly as if accepting applause.

"Yeah I sing, it’s been a while though."

That was when Seunghoon came over and placed a mug with water and some bottles of different kinds of drinks on the table.

"Can the cook request something?"

He asked while taking a closer look at the guitar. He stretched out a hand towards it and plucked one of the strings making it emit a loud resounding ploink.

"Sure, you can request something, BUT chances are I won’t know them. They might not have been made in my time yet." 

Seungyoon said while sitting up a little to prepare to sing. Seunghoon nodded and looked to be thinking hard. He was leaning on Jinwoo’s chair while rubbing his chin and stared up into the ceiling. 

"How about The Beatles then? I’ve heard them several times in my time in the post service." 

Just about everyone knew The Beatles. With a relieved grin, Seungyoon decided to go with the first one that came to mind, Norwegian Wood. It was a short piece and he remembered the lyrics pretty well.

I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me.

She showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere.

So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.

I sat on the rug, biding my time, drinking her wine

We talked until two and then she said, "It's time for bed."

She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.

I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath.

And when I awoke I was alone, this bird had flown.

So I lit a fire, isn't it good, Norwegian wood?

When he was done, Seunghoon and Jinwoo started to clap.

"At least none of us sleep in the bathroom."

Both he and Seunghoon hummed a little at that while exchanging glances. Both remembering the discussion they had from the first night.

"Norwegian wood, right?"

Seunghoon asked and Seungyoon was a pleasantly surprised that he knew.

"I’ve been to Norway a couple of times. They have this observatory far north in a city named Tromsø. They research the geomagnetic field around earth among things and in about 50 years from now they uncover some pretty neat stuff concerning auroras." 

Seungyoon looked curiously at Seunghoon now. As more of this random information Seunghoon let slip or whatever he should call it, the more he wanted to know. He was from the future after all.

"What is Norway like?" 

Jinwoo asked. It was then that Seungyoon realized that Jinwoo most likely have never heard of such a country before. It would be the same with the English language. Korea was under Japanese rule during Jinwoo’s time (1915) and had not had much contact with those from the West yet.

"Cold and icy, did I mention cold?" 

Seunghoon replied, gently ruffling Jinwoo’s hair before returning to the kitchen. They watched him start moving side-dishes into small bowls. Starting with the mat-kimchi his mother had sent him, which Seunghoon carefully cut into pieces before placing into one of the bowls. Pan-fried anchovies (myeolchi bokkeum) came next, followed by sliced seasoned cucumbers (oi muchim), and last were the soybean sprouts (kong namul).

Jinwoo and Seungyoon helped him carry things over from the kitchen to the dining table. Dinner tonight was supposedly bulgogi which both Seungyoon and Jinwoo knew well, but what Seunghoon had made wasn’t at all like they had expected. Just by taking a glance, they both knew that the sprightly intergalactic postman must have added his own twist to it. 

"What did you add to this?" 

Jinwoo asked, picking up some meat and examining it closely while it hung from the tip of his chopsticks.

"Oh, you know - soy sauce, garlic, green onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds...stuff."

Seunghoon grinned while helping himself to some of the side dishes laid out. Seungyoon thought that it was still pretty good even if it was nothing like any other bulgogi he had ever eaten before in his life. To begin with, the meat had a slight sheen to it. As for the actual taste, it wasn’t bad at all, it was actually surprisingly better than he had expected. But there was something about its taste that was different that Seungyoon couldn't quite pinpoint. Not that it really mattered all that much to him at that point.

After they finished their meal, it time for the ice creams they bought earlier. But by then, they were all too stuffed to eat them right away. Since it was now dark out, Seunghoon suggested that they go move his spaceship into the warehouse before eating dessert.

Jinwoo had gotten to his feet right away and looked as cheery as ever. The attractive nobleman's attitude to things never ceased to amaze him. Seungyoon recalled the sights he had seen earlier that day that had left a huge impression on him. Just the fact that they could leave after breakfast, visit another galaxy and be home for dinner was almost too much for his own brain to comprehend.

Jinwoo on the other hand seemed to take it all in stride. It didn’t mean that he had no worries. Seungyoon knew he did and assumes that there might be more behind his breathtaking smile and pretty doe eyes, but the unexpected and unexplained didn’t faze Jinwoo in the same way that they did to him.

The alley where they had hidden the spaceship at was only a few blocks away. Seunghoon and Jinwoo headed there without him while he went to open the huge backdoor of the warehouse. The spaceship wasn’t as big as he had originally thought and he was confident that it would fit through the doors just fine.

A good fifteen minutes passed without any signs of the spaceship or the other two. Apprehension started to creep on Seungyoon. He now wonders if Seunghoon was up to something again unbeknownst to him OR if they had run into some sort of trouble. The more time passed, the more restless he became. Eventually, he decided to go after them. He was only a few feet away from the warehouse when he heard the familiar low hum of Seunghoon’s ship. It was followed by the sight of it hovering and moving slowly towards him.

It had a slight dent on the side that he was certain had not been there earlier in the day, Seungyoon frowned. When Seunghoon finally jumped out, he shouted an apology for being late while explaining how he had almost roasted a cat and how Jinwoo had rushed out of the spaceship to see if it had survived and was now following behind on foot. 

"And the dent?"

Seungyoon inquired while peeking behind the ship to look for Jinwoo. 

"Almost hit him when he was running for the cat, had to make a sharp turn in the last minute." 

They looked at each other and smiled. Their Jinwoo sure was something else. Moments later the said pretty boy arrived carrying something that smelled more singed than the noodles Seungyoon had forgotten on the stove on his very first night at this very place he now calls home. 

He went over to Jinwoo to have a look at the burnt smelling ball of fur in his arms. It hissed when he got closer making Jinwoo yelp and bite his lip as its sharp claws dug into his skin, tearing it. It was alive, alright.

There weren’t any questions about whether they were keeping the obviously irate feline or not. Jinwoo wordlessly carried it upstairs with him while he and Seunghoon struggled with Seunghoon’s things. At closer inspection, the cat wasn’t as badly burned as he first thought. It lost about half an inch maybe of its black fluffy fur along with the top fur on one of its ears. The cat was probably more annoyed than hurt, if anything.

Jinwoo then proceeded to give it a bath even if it had fought vigorously against it the entire time. When the cat was finally clean and dry, all three of them were covered in scratches. Despite that, Jinwoo looked happier than ever, radiant even. There’s a certain spark in his eyes that he and Seunghoon had never seen before. Seunghoon went to find something to feed the cat while Seungyoon helped Jinwoo patch up a particularly bad scratch on his right arm. 

"The poor thing almost got burned alive." 

Jinwoo sighed as Seungyoon cleaned the scratch with an antiseptic. Jinwoo’s shirt (well, his shirt) was covered in cat hairs and drenched in bathwater, and yet he had this heartwarming look in his eyes that pulled all of Seungyoon’s attention to his concerned face. This passionately caring side of Jinwoo was new to him, and he liked it quite a lot. 

After patching up Jinwoo’s scratch, Seungyoon cleaned up the bathroom while Jinwoo went to see if the cat had any appetite. When Seungyoon walked into the living room a few minutes later, Jinwoo was sitting on the sofa hugging the cat while Seunghoon sat hunched over something on the living room floor. 

"He brought his modern TV." 

Jinwoo explained as Seungyoon took a seat next to him on the sofa. He peeked around Seunghoon to try and see what it looked like and was surprised to see a small half of an orb gleaming in every color of the rainbow.

"I think I should be able to make it work. The signal is horrible but with this amplifier we should at least be able to watch a few channel!" 

Seunghoon explained in an excited voice. 15 minutes passed and he could still not get any signal. Jinwoo then declared that it was ‘ice cream time’ and headed over to the fridge. They ate their ice cream in silence both he and Jinwoo sharing tiny bits with the cat. Seungyoon had figured it was best to get on the good side of that cat.

With Seunghoon giving up on the holographic tv for tonight, Seungyoon ended up playing his guitar for them again. Seunghoon requested a couple more songs and Jinwoo had hummed along even if he didn’t know any of them.

"There is this song I really like."

Jinwoo said after they had spent a good hour like that. He sat up in his seat and hummed the melody once then added the words on the second round. Seungyoon nodded excitedly. It wasn’t what one would call a folk song, but it was slow and the lyrics spoke of a long lost love which seemed more like a ballad.

On the fourth try, Seungyoon finally mastered the melody and Jinwoo had managed to teach them both some of the lyrics. They played that song over a few times more until Seungyoon was sure he had memorized it. He was hoping to play it again for Jinwoo some other time.

While he sang the last round, he noticed that Seunghoon was already fast asleep, his head resting on Jinwoo’s shoulder. Jinwoo was somewhat nodding off beside him as well. Leaning back in his seat he stared at the tiny globe on his living room floor. Other than the kitchen lights, it was the only source of light in the huge room they were in. 

The light from the globe made an intricate flowing pattern in the ceiling and Seungyoon ended up slowly drifting into sleep while watching it, one hand grasping Jinwoo’s. 

Authors note: Thanks a lot for reading! Now we know Seunghoon a little better. We use a lot of pictures when we write to make sure we are thinking of the same things and that goes for music as well. The pictures doesn't fit perfectly what we are describing, but they give you and idea of the wastness, mood and the feel of the cityscapes. We already started writing on the next one so we hope to see you back here soon! As always is you subscribing, your comments and upvotes very welcome! Thanks again! 

Eiryia & Kwuintessence ❤