here always

chapter eleven

Hyunjin made sure to thoroughly look through the paper to make sure he wasn't tripping. His first instinct was to recall if he or Jisung ever printed this as it seemed like a joke that they'd enjoy.

But the more Hyunjin contemplated, he couldn't remember doing anything like this.

The withering paper was torn out at the edges. Apart from the huge and bold headlines, it had an attached image of the very library Hyunjin was in, it was just the restored version with all its splendor.

The article read:

Kim Seungmin, aged 8, is reportedly missing this February 26th. Seungmin, who attends elementary classes at the highly respected JYP School of Arts, is the sole heir to the Kim Corporations. "The boy was seen entering the library adjacent to the school around evening, quarter past five." Says the school security. However, young Mr. Kim seemed to have vanished into thin air, as he neither exited the library nor was found in it.

The staff in charge of the newly opened library,states, "A nice and polite boy, he was. Always greeted me before waddling over to his seat to pick any book, either to look at the pictures or to actually read it." She insisted that Seungmin was not in the library at closing hours, although she did not notice him leaving.

There is no comment or news from Mr and Mrs Kim as of now. The police department has been informed and the search for the missing boy ensues. Howeve-

Hyunjin tore his eyes from reading the rest. Even in a distant timeline, Seungmin was missing. It felt all too similar. It was like a déjà vu. What was this? Some cursed time loop that made Seungmin live in multiple timelines, all in which he went missing?

He didn't read the rest but scanned over the paper again.

No, he felt his inner monologue scream at him. This was not true. The Kim Seungmin that Hyunjin knew and loved was born in the year 2000. Hyunjin was right there when Seungmin was 8 years old.

This was some sort of mistake. The surname 'Kim' and the name 'Seungmin' were not all that rare. He, Hyunjin, has met at least one person with the name 'Seungmin' and million bearing 'Kim' as their surname.

The Kim Corporations is one of the largest chain of companies both locally and internationally.

It seemed so ludicrous that Seungmin was the only inheritor to such a multinational company. Hyunjin knows that Seungmin had lived with his aunt, who was once a librarian. He squeezes his memory to recollect Seungmin saying that his aunt retired and was comfortable at her hometown. Seungmin didn't frequently visit her, opting to spend the holidays with Hyunjin, but he had a special bond with her.

So the newspaper made no sense whatsoever. There wasn't even a picture of this 'Seungmin' in the article. Case closed. Hyunjin was ready to forget it all and leave, when the photos that were also with the newspaper caught his eye.

Hyunjin managed to stifle a loud sound of disbelief that escaped him as he took a look at the pictures. The one he held was a polaroid. Judging by its quality it was definitely taken with a rather old camera like those hand held one's back in the 90's

Paying no attention to his violently thumping heart, Hyunjin peered over to see it was a picture of Seungmin. But very unlike the ones that Hyunjin had seen.

If someone gave him this picture with no context, then Hyunjin would have claimed that this was Seungmin's ID photo.

Although the boy in the picture looked just like Seungmin, there was no way that this stern and slightly scowling boy could be him. The features were the same, the tall nose bridge, doe eyes and heart shaped lips were all there.

But something about the expression. Hyunjin knew that expression too well.

He used to always have the same look on his face, when he was eight, before he met Seungmin.

With creased frown lines running through the small boy's face, Seungmin bore a depressing look.

The other photo was of Seungmin as well, but this time with a towering man beside him. Both clad in a business formal suit as they seemed to glare at Hyunjin through the blurred frame. Even if this was some pre-incarnation of Seungmin or something, Hyunjin could read his friend well. He seemed troubled, scared even.

Hyunjin did not like this. Seungmin reminds Hyunjin of himself when the older one thought he was not good enough. The baby photos he had of Seungmin were filled with the little boy laughing with his uneven eye-smile or pouting adorably. He couldn't bring himself up to believe that Seungmin could ever be this sad.

The puppy-like boy who always painted Hyunjin's life with the most vibrant shades, wouldn't live his own in black and white now would he?

Hyunjin's mind was still a mess. He had no clue what that article or these pictures meant. If there was a Kim Seungmin born in 1987, then who was the Seungmin that Hyunjin befriended 12 years ago?

There was no way it was the same boy. He must be 13 years older than Hyunjin!

Hyunjin thought over Chan claiming that he was over straining himself too much. Hyunjin was sure he was troubling himself to the point he started having the most vivid, lucid dreams.

He hoped that his alarm would ring out loudly somewhere and he'd wake up to realize he fell asleep at Seungmin's desk back at home.

But when Hyunjin was putting away the papers, he noticed the ruled page with a torn side.

The lost page of Seungmin's diary! But for the nth time that evening, Hyunjin took a double take at the date scrawled on top.

26/02/1995