Found You | K. Hongjoong (Oneshot) ✔

In Another Lifetime

Some disclaimers before you start reading, that this story
(1) is slow-paced,
(2) is almost 10,000 words long (so sit back and take your time!),
(3) is purely fictional, and therefore
(4) is not meant to represent ATEEZ members in any way.

If you're comfortable with those 'disclaimers,' then let's start the journey!

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"Say, how long has it been?"

It was one summer morning when three men were enjoying the view of the sun setting up and rows of mountains offered in front of them. No one else was anywhere in sight for now, and they'd stayed for two hours—which felt like two minutes for Hongjoong, who had thrown the first question after moments of silence. He was sitting upright with legs crossed while the other two were lying down on the grass. Time flew so fast these days, whether it was purely just his mind playing tricks or something was bound to happen soon. He was occupied with so many things to the point that even the sight of white cotton balls being blown by the wind up in the sky didn't interest him like it usually did.

The tallest guy among the three, who wore a blue-and-green chequered flannel shirt, used his right leg to kick the air in an attempt to shift himself into a sitting position. He brought his gaze far beyond the hills as if a way of mulling his memories over. "I believe it will be the eight years' mark in like... two weeks?" He turned to the man in the middle who was almost drifting off to another dimension, poking his cheek to get his attention. "Right, Wooyoung?"

"Huh? Yeah, I think so, Yunho," the one with blonde streaks on his black hair replied absentmindedly. Then, without warning, he received a light smack from the other person. He grumbled, "Ow, what was that for!?" and massaged his right temple where he had just been hit.

While his hands were rolling the long sleeves of his navy blue shirt, Hongjoong kept his eyes directed down, glued to the younger one on his left who was slowly pushing his back up from the ground with both arms as the support. If a stare could kill, Wooyoung definitely would've breathed his last. "Do you even know what we're talking about? The sun's already up and you—" Stopping abruptly as he realised that it wasn't even his place to be pissed off, he looked up, puffing out his cheeks then let a lungful of breath out of his mouth. "So it's been nearly eight years since he was... gone. Eight years might sound like it's quite a long time, but still, I'm going to find him. I know I will, sooner or later," he said, full of determination.

The rest could only keep their lips pressed into thin lines, staying mum. Although there was no doubt that they were also affected by the disappearance (more precisely, the death) of their friend, they knew the tragedy had had the highest impact on Hongjoong. The so-called rare ability he was gifted—though he wasn't keen on considering it a 'gift'—by the moment he was born didn't seem like helping now, either. In fact, it had only gotten worse in the past year; he didn't know if it was because he was slowly going crazy from searching for his best friend, or there were other reasons he couldn't think of.

Wooyoung suddenly stood up, bringing all the attention to him. He dusted the back of his olive cargo trousers and exclaimed, "I'm off to the village. You two coming?"

"It's only seven-thirty, though," Yunho offered after stealing a glance at his wristwatch.

"I know." Stretching his hands out and yawning, Wooyoung stepped back so his feet were touching the solid ground. "But staying here any longer will only make me fall asleep for real, and I bet you"—his eyes darted to Yunho—"will leave me alone until God-knows-when. I want to look around; maybe buy snacks or something."