•How long till you start falling apart?•
Min Sehyuk, a new transfer student from the U.S. joins Hanhwa university and entangles himself with the resident bully after defending a student. He becomes the new target, taking each punch with a smile, ask...
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He's floating.
It's dark all around him, yet it is serene, a calmness enveloping him. Is this how his former going to be?
An echo of hearty laughter stirs him from his floaty state, sitting up on air to glance at the door sheltering the soft laughter. The door opens and as the light peeks through it, the boy squints.
"When I'm older, I'll be the king of Seoul." A six-year-old kid pumps his fist in the air, standing in front of a sand castle he must've built with the boy sitting next to it.
"No, silly Hyunnie. Seoul doesn't have a king."
"Then?"
The boy with a bowl cut shrugs, tilting his head to the side. "We should ask the hyungs!" The boy runs without a second thought, leaving the other one to stay in his place itself. "Min hyung! Seong hyung!"
The boy turns to Kihyun, the scene around them distilling black, a void of nothing like it was a few moments ago. He takes a step towards him, the latter swallowing on his spit as eyes direct at him.
"I survived," the little boy smiles, displaying the space of a milk tooth that must have fallen. It's a face Kihyun barely remembers. The boy then raises his hand, another one placing their palm in his. Out of thin air, another boy, a teenager, smiling but there's a tightness to it.
"I survived too. So why can't you?"
"I want to survive, but only if you do." A voice speaks from behind, Kihyun cranes his neck to look. He finds a man, slightly taller and muscular, probably in his late mid-twenties. One peculiar aspect about him is how his figure is translucent unlike the other two. "You have to survive." He says as he closes in and three bodies wrap themselves in a group hug, with Kihyun in the middle.
"You're not alone." They assure, tightening their arms around him. Kihyun chokes a sob, melting into their embrace, legs feeling weak. He closes his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Please survive." The last words of his other selves plead, everything around him then dispersing.
The figures are his past and future selves, urging him to live on for their sakes. His older version is still not complete because that depends on his present self, whether he survives or not. It's in his hands. But Kihyun is perpetually exhausted.
The next time Kihyun opens his eyes, it is to a white ceiling and the beeping of a machine. He's still groggy, taking time to adjust to his surroundings.
"Kihyun!" The shrill voice of his mother intrudes his ears, a needling pain sewing its way into his head. "You're finally awake!" She sniffles as she cradles his face into her hands.
The boy hisses when Hyesuk accidentally caresses his bruised face. She abruptly moves away, giving a half smile. "Are you still in pain?"
'No shit, Sherlock.' Kihyun wants to cry out but he stays mum. So, he's alive. He sighs and glances at his mother who has worry written all over his face. "What happened?"
