IMB/IBB 2014: Transcendent
Working Title: Transcendent
Pairing/Focus: Woohyun, Woohyun/Sunggyu
Length: 7,800 words
Rating: PG-13
Summary: For a few generations, the Nam Family has had a special purpose in life: to play host to worldly travelers. Woohyun unknowingly finds himself in the middle of what his father had warned him to stay away from.
Note: I unfortunately ran out of time with this one, so I shall give you the first part of what is yet to be finished. Hopefully it's enough to hook you!
Woohyun is only a child the very first time he feels his entire house shake with movement from the people inside. He’s not entirely sure what’s going on. He’s eight years old and his eyes are wide and surprised as he watches everyone move about hurriedly.
They’re coming.
They’re here.
Those words are the last he hears before he’s hastily put to bed in his room and left alone. He’s not sure what’s going on. His mom looked excited; his dad seemed worried; his older brother, seemed to be feeling a mix of both. He sneaks out once the commotion is out of his ear shot despite his mother’s warnings and quietly, very quietly, sneaks towards the living room. He’s stuck to the wall, peeking into the living room as soon as he gets there. He can hear hushed whispers but he can’t see anything. He’s about to sneak further in, but the sound of someone stepping into the living room and heading towards his direction scares Woohyun. He quickly runs back to his room, slides the door close as quietly as possible, and jumps into bed. Moments later he hears his door open and close and he lets out a little sigh.
He decides he’ll ask about it tomorrow.
He’s awestruck when he sees a tall, dark haired, strong looking man leave the house without so much as a glance the next morning. Within a course of a couple of weeks, the man comes and goes, leaving early in the morning, sometimes before he even wakes up to go to school, and returning late at night. He looks tired. He always looks tired.
He’s a grump, Woohyun concludes.
But just as suddenly as that man appeared, he disappeared. It’s only a couple of days after he’s gone that Woohyun notices and asks his parents about it.
“He’s traveling… to find something he’s lost,” his dad explains simply.
Woohyun can only nod and pretend to understand. A child of eight years of age wouldn’t need to know any more.
The second time it happens, Woohyun senses it.
They’re coming, he whispers at the dinner table one hot night in May. He’s fourteen this time. His mother and brother turn to him, both wearing expressions of surprise as his father stands abruptly, heading to the kitchen before calling him over.
He’s eager and he practically runs after his father towards the kitchen. The door is slid open and they step out into the open wooden floor. They walk out into the concrete path that leads to a smaller room that is separated from the main house. It looks like a mini version of their hanok from the outside, even down to the open wooden floor. They had always been warned to stay away from the house whenever their occasional guest decided to show up.
“You’ve sensed it?” his father asks once they are standing outside the door to the room.
Woohyun nods eagerly and puts his hand on his chest, as if the gesture will reassure his father of his sincerity. The older male only nods before opening the door and letting him in.
The teenager feels a twinge of disappointment when he sees the room. It’s nothing special. In fact, it looks like an ordinary room in their house. There’s a bed pushed to the far left side of the room and there’s a nightstand, a lamp and a digital clock rested on top of it. There’s a small round table with a single chair placed on the other side of it. To the right is a door, to which he can only presume leads to a bathroom. All of it is unremarkable and rather normal looking.
“Listen Woohyun, you’ll have to pay attention to what I say. If I tell you to leave, you leave,” his father states.
“Why?” he asks.
He doesn’t see why he would have to leave.
“Promise me.”
He seeks an answer in his father’s eyes, but all he sees is the hard stare that he has no choice but to relent to, “I promise.”
His father releases a sigh, satisfied with the answer, before standing and pushing his son a step behind him.
“You’re about to see something incredible. Whoever it is, treat this person with respect. We are only here to provide them housing and food. If they need medical treatment, we will supply it. Don’t interfere with what they are here to do.”
Woohyun doesn’t say a word, but he pays close attention. He watches intently as his father goes to the bottom drawer of the nightstand and takes out a small wooden box. It’s a beautiful dark cherry color and it’s adorned with intricate gold designs that wrap around the box. He sees his father mumble something and the box glows a faint white before it’s opened. There’s a long-haired calligraphy brush inside. It’s just as beautiful as the box that serves as its home. The wooden handle is an emerald color and it is long and sleek. Woohyun doesn’t have much time to inspect or admire the brush.
His father is on his knees before he sees him mutter something else. Without any other warning, he sees the man begin to draw a circle on the bare floor. Where he got the ink to do so was beyond him, but he watches as the circle begins to glow a green lighter than emerald as soon as it is closed. He continues to watch, completely fascinated as his father writes one large hanja inside the circle. It too begins to glow as soon as he finishes writing the character.
He vaguely understood why his father practiced his hanja calligraphy on a daily basis then. His father stands again and the brush is put up. He can only assume its use is complete. He watches in fascination as his father places his left hand in front of his body, almost as if he was going to pray but the hand is positioned just below his chest, at the center of his being. His right hand begins to draw something in thin air as his father begins to speak. The words that leave his mouth aren’t Korean, but Mandarin and he can’t understand what it is that he’s saying.
No sooner do the words leave his mouth that a distinct white light begins to swirl around in the middle of the circle on the floor. It builds up slowly, but then Woohyun is covering his eyes from the sudden flare of light. When he can see again, there’s a man standing in the exact spot where the circle on the floor was. He’s tall and broad. He looks powerful.
There’s a moment when his father is completely tense, as if he’s waiting for something to happen. After a few moments of nothing, however, he relaxes a bit before he begins to speak.
“Welcome, my name is Nam Kangdae and this is my son Woohyun. You’ll be staying with us for the duration of your stay here in this world. There-”
Woohyun doesn’t listen to his father’s words. Instead, he studies the man in front of him. He seems very tired and he looks slightly old. His clothes are a bit tattered and he is dirty. The fourteen year old doesn’t notice he has been staring dumbly until the man turns his gaze to him. Woohyun clenches his fists and instinctively moves closer to his father. He is intimidated by that heavy gaze.
“Please be at ease. This place will serve as your safe-house. Dinner will be sent shortly,” his father says before turning to leave, Woohyun right on his tail.
He doesn’t realize his excitement has died down until he is standing in the kitchen, his head suddenly full with questions he wants to ask his father. He can see Boohyun, his older brother, looking at him expectantly, waiting for Woohyun to spill everything he just saw. He hesitates for only a moment before he finally explodes from excitement.
“Hyung! It was amazing!”
The teen is nervous as he glances at his father one more time. His mother has finished serving a full dinner and has gotten it ready to be taken to their new guest. His father usually takes the dishes to and fro, keeping all contact the visitors have with his family at a minimum. He wonders what made him change that mindset so suddenly, but he knows he can’t refuse.
He swallows dryly one last time before taking the tray in his hands and slowly making his way down to the mini-hanok. He’s careful not to spill anything as he makes his long journey outside. He silently thanks his mom for not filling the plates or glass to the brim. When he reaches the door, he panics for a moment. How am I supposed to open the door…? He clears his throat before speaking.
“Um… E-excuse me. I have dinner for you.”
There is a moment of silence before he hears a very tired and deep voice answer him, “Come in.”
Uh, right, he thinks. He moves the tray to be completely supported by his left hand while his right slides the door open. He takes hold of the tray with both hands again before he walks in. The man is laying on the bed, seemingly lifeless. He carefully makes his way to his final destination and places the tray carefully.
“Uh, please eat while it’s still warm. My mother made it. Her food is really good, so I’m sure you’ll-you’ll like it,” he says, nervously.
He wasn’t sure why he was telling him all this but he knows he wants to talk to him. He wants to know so many things, but he is too afraid to ask. He doesn’t know this man. He doesn’t look Korean, or Asian for that matter. He had a European air to him. Maybe he is English…? He had brown hair and his face was long, his skin was pale and his eyes an icy blue. He sighs at the lack of response and turns to leave. The man is probably too tired and doesn’t want to bother with entertaining kids.
“Woohyun is your name, correct?” the guy asks.
His voice matches his build. It’s rough and deep and Woohyun nearly jumps out of his skin as he hears it.
“Y-yes, it is,” he turns to face him, a hand on his chest.
The guy chuckles at his reaction, “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to thank you for your hospitality. I’m glad I have someone to help me out in this world.”
In this world…? He heard his father say something similar earlier… is this man really not from this world?
“This is what we’re here for,” he finds himself saying before he can stop himself.
“Then I thank you for being here. I want to apologize for not responding earlier. Traveling between worlds really disorients me and I need a bit of time to adjust. If you could thank him for me, I would be grateful.”
“Sure,” Woohyun agrees before asking his next question, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Basel Eris. I’m a candidate for the next ruler of my world.”
“Ruler? Like a king? Or a president?”
“A president? I don’t know what that is,” but the brown haired man shakes his head, “More like a dictator.”
Woohyun’s expression shows his confusion. Weren’t dictators usually… evil?
“It’s probably exactly what you’re thinking. My world… something went wrong with it… and I’m trying to change that. And in order for me to do that… I have to win.”
Win what he’s about to ask, but he hears his mother call for him and the question dies in his throat. He’s incredibly intrigued and he wants to ignore his mother’s calls but he can hear the footsteps of someone coming down the stone path. He quickly bows, “Enjoy your meal.”
He’s out and sliding the door closed when his father reaches him. His father gives him a once over, checking to see if he’s alright, before beckoning his son to follow him. They make their way back to the living room that also serves as their dining room, before they all take a seat again. Both of them had abandoned their food the moment they stood, but despite all the time they were busy, the food was still steaming hot. He wonders if his mother had warmed up the food for them while he was delivering Cynric’s food.
“Did he say something to you?” Kangdae asks.
“Yes, he asked me to thank you and to forgive him for his lack of response.”
His father nods, pleased, “There’s a lot to talk about. Eat your dinner for now. We’ll talk about this later.”
Woohyun nods eagerly and the rest of dinner is filled with Woohyun recounting the ordeal to Boohyun with as much detail as he can remember, down to the amazing entrance the newcomer made.
It is much later in the night that Woohyun finds himself sitting on the floor on one side of the long table in their living room. His father is directly across from him. They have couches but those are pushed up against the walls. They don’t use them unless they have important guests over. It was just the way his father was brought up and had stuck since. Woohyun isn’t sure why his father had waited so late to call him out but he quickly forgets as his father lets out a deep sigh before he begins to speak.
“This is not something that has been going on for long. It’s been perhaps one hundred and fifty years, give or take. It started with your great-grandfather. He always had an affinity for strange things… but he left us this task, which is more like a burden, that we have no choice but to obey… Well, I guess that’s not entirely true either. Our family name has always had strange things attached to it…
“Well, what I’m trying to say is that these people aren’t from our world. They come from another place that no one but them has seen. We are special. We can sense things that disrupt our immediate surroundings. It’s said that some spirit came to your great-grandfather and warned him that something was about to happen. That we, as a family that bore shamanic roots since the beginning of time, would be entrusted to guide and house important figures that came from other worlds, since shamans were shunned and looked down upon for a long time, we’d be able to relate to these worldly wayfarers.
“But that was such a long time ago… I don’t see how we can relate to them at all now.”
Woohyun resists the urge to roll his eyes at his father. He would much rather hear the story than his father’s thoughts on it. It is obvious his father doesn’t like the task that has been handed down to him but Woohyun is turning out to be his complete opposite. He is eager to learn more and he listens to everything with enthusiasm. Woohyun knew there was something special about them, ever since that first time six years ago when everyone had refused to let him know what was happening. He is more than ecstatic now to be in the very center of it all.
“I don’t know if this will continue on for eternity but for now, one child from the family is chosen to take on this task. At first I had been sure it was Boohyun but he… Well, that isn’t important now. What is important is that you will be the successor for this task.
“Now, first things first,” Woohyun perks up, waiting in excitement to hear what he will have to do first after the quick lecture, “Go to sleep. It’s a school night and I don’t want you to be late tomorrow.”
The fourteen year old visibly deflates before leaning forward, against the table, “But Dad! You can’t seriously think I’m gonna go to sleep after this!”
“I do. If you don’t, I’ll delay telling you everything for a month.”
The teen groans as he lets his head fall forward dramatically, “That’s not fair…,” he says with a pout as he stands.
“You’ll be fine. Just wait until tomorrow.”
The end of the school day couldn’t come any slower in Woohyun’s opinion. He successfully distracts himself when the lecture is going, taking notes diligently. He likes learning and while he isn’t one of the brightest students, he falls just below that threshold. It’s probably because he doesn’t dedicate more time to studying than he needs to. But he makes good grades and that’s perfectly fine with him and his parents. He doesn’t give them anything to worry about.
He practically runs home the second his last period teacher lets them leave the classroom. His thoughts throw out the promise he made the day before about playing soccer with some of his friends but he dismisses it quickly. They wouldn’t mind if he missed it, and even if they did, he’d apologize for it later.
He makes it home completely winded but he only takes a second to catch his breath as he steps into the hanok and kicks off his shoes at the entrance.
“Mom, I’m home!” he yells as he makes his way to his room to drop off his backpack.
He hardly hears his mother’s response as his phone goes off, announcing a text message. He groans, it’s probably the guys.
What the hell man! You ditched us!
Woohyun rolls his eyes as he begins to type in an answer.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat now or until your father gets home?” his mother yells from down the hall.
“I’ll wait mom!” he answers her before hitting send and throwing his phone on the bed. He has some homework he needs to get to that’s due the next day. He contemplates putting it off until the night but quickly figures he should do it that instant. He will probably be out of it later and too excited to even concentrate on using his brain properly.
He doesn’t realize how long he’s been busy with doing homework and getting distracted by text messages until he hears a knock at his door. He looks up and smiles at his brother who’s standing at the threshold.
“Are you done?” Boohyun asks as he looks down at all the things scattered about on the low table.
There’s low music playing on the open laptop that’s sitting on one side while the rest of his books, notebook, and notes are scattered about, taking up the rest of the table. The younger brother nods before he begins to gather everything. There is a silence that befalls the room. The only sound being that of the trance music that is playing and the rustling of papers. Woohyun’s in the midst of moving his body to the music when he hears his brother inhale. He looks up at him, expecting him to say something but it seems like he simply imagined it. He’s about to stand up when he finally hears him speak.
“Did you… did you really understand him?”
“Hm?” Woohyun asks, his gaze is questioning.
“The nomad…did you really understand him?”
“Oh, you mean Eris-ssi?”
That’s all Boohyun needs to hear to understand that yes, unlike him, Woohyun had been able to hold a conversation with the newly arrived guest. He offered his younger brother a smile, “Mom said to tell you dinner was ready.”
“Are we taking him dinner again today?” the fourteen year old asks as he steps into the kitchen.
“You are,” his mother confirms as she sets the already prepared tray on the counter, next to the sink, “Be sure to bring back the ones I took for breakfast,” she says as she finally dries her hands and heads to the living room.
“Don’t take long,” she half yells over her shoulder as he steps out into the open wooden floor area, tray in hand.
“’Kay.”
The teen is excited. His steps are quick as he heads to the little hanok in the back. He hopes to continue the conversation from the evening before. There are lots of things he wants to ask him and he feels like he can talk to him normally now. But he is dismayed when he finds that he isn’t there. He looks around the little hanok and tries to call out for him. Maybe he’s in the restroom? Luck, however, is not on his side. He doesn’t get a response and he sighs. He places the tray, with the still steaming food, on the table and takes the other one that has been cleaned from any food. He makes his way back to their L-shaped hanok a little disappointed. But he quickly cheers himself up. His father was going to fill him in today and he was excited about that. He re-enters the living room and everyone is waiting for him so they can begin.
“Did he say anything to you?” his father asks.
“He’s not in.”
His father nods approvingly, “He’s started. Let’s hope he finds what he’s looking for so he can leave quickly.”
Woohyun decides to ignore the comment and they all begin to eat relatively quietly. The teen wonders why his father is so against it, against their calling. He thinks it’s a great thing to be able to live for something, especially something so incredible, like they were. Why couldn’t his father see that? There were thousands, millions, billions of people who lived their life like each other. Going to school to gain the knowledge of a working world in order to be released into it and continue living their life in such a manner so that they could begin teaching their kids about it at home and continue the cycle.
But they were given this special task. He was doing something different, something special. He could feel it.
Woohyun is more than ready to go by the time seven rolls around. His father had asked him to wait a while after their meal but he’s been incredibly jittery since he no longer has anything to distract him. He’s been sitting outside at the back of the house on the wooden floor, staring up into the minimally clouded sky. He didn’t even have clouds to entertain him. The silence is occasionally broken by his phone but soon those cease to come as well. He stares off into the direction of the setting sun to his right. His mind is wandering and he soon starts humming unknowingly. The backyard is in shadows and the orange rays barely touch him anymore.
“Woohyun!” he faintly hears his father calling.
It only takes him a split second to get on his feet and sprint inside. He almost falls butt first when his socks slide a little too well on the wooden floor. His father can’t help but chuckle.
6 Years Later
Woohyun is about ready to throw his book at the laptop. He’s been feeling uneasy for a week or two now and he can’t quite place what it is. He has a paper due soon and he needs to study for the upcoming exams. Despite knowing that, all he’s been able to do is stare at an open blank document on the screen, glaring at the blinking cursor that seemed to be mocking him. He’s checked and re-checked all of his course calendars and there’s nothing that he’s forgotten. He’s asked his friends too but they all answer him with what he already knows.
He’s never felt so anxious and worried and queasy all at the same time… well maybe once, as he was opening the acceptance letter of the university of his choosing… but that was over two years ago. He’s sitting on the same floor in the same room he’s had since he was little so it wasn’t a change of scenery that had him anxious. He glances over at his phone, contemplating calling his parents and Boohyun again. He has been calling once every day (at least) since he started feeling odd, and he hasn’t made his daily phone call for the day. He second guesses a second more before reaching for the phone and dialing his father’s familiar number.
“Woohyun-ah, not this again. How many times have I told you, this phone is only for emergencies! My rates are gonna go through the roof!”
“I’m glad to hear you’re doing fine Dad. Is Mom okay?”
His father sighs through the line, “She’s fine.”
“Is she there with you?”
“Yes.”
“Can I speak to her?”
“No!”
There’s a moment of odd noises going through the speaker of the phone before he hears his mother say something, probably reprimanding his father.
“Hyunnie?” she finally asks.
“Hi, Mom! How’s the trip going?”
“Simply wonderful. But dear, please let us relax for a bit. If anything happens you’ll be the first one to know, okay?” her voice is gentle and she’s speaking calmly, almost as if trying to soothe a crying baby.
“… Yeah, okay…”
“Have you been feeling better?”
“Not really…,” he answers a bit dejectedly.
“Hmm…,” there’s a short silence and it seems like she’s thinking about what to say to him before she sighs, “Well I’ve been thinking… It’s about that time again… and you seem to have a really good affinity for the job you have taken from your father… don’t you think it could be that?”
Woohyun thinks for a second. He’d be lying if he said it hadn’t crossed his mind but the last time he felt that sudden pang of urgency and knowledge had been just before their guest had arrived, not weeks before.
“Do you think so…?” he asks, unsure.
His father only had a couple of hours as notice before the event happened. It was one of the reasons why he was never able to leave the city for the entire time he was in charge. It was the reason why he saw the position as the family’s shaman so burdensome. It was also the reason why his mother and father were on an extended vacation. With not having to spend money for rent (the house was a family heirloom precisely for their Shamanic duty) they had saved up a lot of money over the years. Once his father had deemed Woohyun worthy enough to handle the situation on his own (after countless and countless drills on the routine of course, Woohyun could do the entire drill with his eyes blindfolded), he decided to embark on a travel excursion with his wife.
“Well I talked to your father about it yesterday and his great-grandfather seemed to have the same problem when he was in charge. So just stay on your toes. Make sure to call us whenever our wayfarer visits, okay?”
“Okay… thanks a lot Mom. You’re the best,” Woohyun smiles.
“Of course I am,” she laughs, “but really Woohyun, don’t call anymore. Or your father will make you pay the bill.”
“…OkayIloveyoubye!” he quickly hangs up and chuckles.
He is glad he helped push them to go on their trip. Boohyun completely backed him up on it. Boohyun had moved out of the house straight after college. After taking out a few loans and partnering up with a classmate of his, he managed to open his own restaurant. Because their eldest son was already responsible enough for his own business, they decided that leaving Woohyun alone with Boohyun occasionally checking in on him would be no problem at all.
His finger hovers over the three for a second before he decides not to call his brother. He’s probably busy with his business. If anything happened, he knew he’d be one of the first to know as well. He settles for sending him a text message instead. That way he can answer whenever he’s not occupied.
He turns his attention to the laptop once he’s settled the phone on the table. He groans in frustration when he figures he won’t be able to do anything at all before closing the lid of the laptop a little forcefully. He stands up and decides he’s going to have dinner before stomping away towards the kitchen, every loud foot fall helping him release his stress, if only by a little bit.
Woohyun is sitting outside. The orange rays of the sun streak across the yard and he stares absentmindedly at nothing in particular. He’s eating slowly but his mind is going a mile a minute. He is thinking of the last time they had someone stay in the small hanok in the back. He’s also thinking of all the time he trained with his father under the shades of the trees. He had found it ridiculous at first. Why in the world would he need to learn to defend himself? He was only going to be receiving these people. Why would he need to fight?
“These people… we don’t know how they will show up… They may have been to other worlds where they haven’t had anyone help them...where they’ve had to fight to survive as soon as they set foot on such lands…
“We’ve encountered one like that before… My father told me about it. Do you remember seeing a big scar on the inside of his left arm?”
Woohyun nods. He remembers seeing the scar clearly, and it indeed was big. It was slightly smaller than the size of his arm, from wrist to elbow. The skin was also raised and even paler than the rest of the skin surrounding it.
“He was attacked by one of them. He tried to block with his arms, but his skin was cut seamlessly to the bone.”
Woohyun grimaces at the picture he’s painting and he can’t help the shudder than runs through his body at the thought.
“You can’t ever let your guard down in those first few seconds. It could mean the difference between life and death.”
Woohyun eats the last pieces of meat that he had cooked along with the rice before setting his plate aside. He leans back, using his hands to brace himself as he stares up at nothing. His gut instinct was completely out of control and it seemed to be getting worse. He needed to do something before he went crazy because of it.
He changes his thoughts to school and he finds himself smiling a little. Even with all the uncertainty and anxiousness eating him up inside, there is one person that helps him forget. They had met and started talking under very slightly less than normal circumstances. He remembers the incident that happened a few weeks ago that still makes him smile.
There’s a senior he shares a class with. They didn’t sit together or talk to each other for that matter, only catching glimpses of each other. The older male usually gets there just before class starts. It was odd that particular time because Woohyun was sure someone had taken the seat next to him already so he was surprised to see the senior approach to sit there.
It wasn’t so much what happened during class because it wasn’t. It was at the end when they were gathering everything to leave that he heard the senior speak to a friend of his.
“He’s really handsome.”
There was no way they could have been talking about anyone else because when Woohyun turned to them they were looking directly at him. He smiled at them, giving them a small thanks before pulling his backpack over his shoulder. He gave them another glance and he nearly laughed out loud when he saw how red the senior had turned as he fumbled about with his stuff.
Woohyun had always thought the senior was frail looking. It probably had everything to do with his round features, slightly loose attire, and the glasses he wore, but it wasn’t until that moment that he thought the male was actually kind of cute.
It didn’t take Woohyun long to realize that it was that friend that was taking the seat next to him and leaving it at the last minute so the senior had nowhere else to go. He didn’t ask questions though. He just let them have their fun. What they did or stopped doing was none of his concern.
They did, however, begin to speak to each other and Woohyun found the male was rather expressive. Not necessarily with his words but how he acted and how he spoke. His hands would become animated when they talked about something he liked or he would draw them close and hold his chin or tap it when he thought deeply about things. He couldn’t help but associate the word cute to every gesture he made thoughtlessly. He had found himself quite taken with the senior.
He wonders why that is. He only dwells on the thought for a few moments before his phone rings. It’s his brother returning his message. His heart immediately lifts when he reads the message. Boohyun assures him that everything’s fine and that he doesn’t need to worry about him. The weight on his heart is lifted considerably and he feels that he can breathe easier, but his gut feeling hasn’t left him at all.
He lies on his back and groans audibly before standing up, deciding on a whim that he’ll go out. He isn’t going to get any work done anyway and staying at home only makes him more anxious.
It’s not until about thirty minutes later, when he’s walking down the streets of Hongdae that he realizes he should have messaged someone to meet him there. Maybe then his plan to distract himself would have worked a lot better. That’s not to say that sending small smiles to the female workers and watching them fawn amongst themselves didn’t entertain him.
He passes another sweets shop and he’s wondering whether he should stop and order a patbingsoo soon when he catches sight of a familiar face. He hesitates for a moment, wondering if he should approach him or ignore him completely. He figures it wouldn’t hurt to say hi, it’s not like he is in a hurry.
He approaches the male who’s standing next to a light post, very much into his phone. He doesn’t even glance up when Woohyun stands next to him. It’s a few moments before Woohyun gives up waiting to be noticed and snatches the phone from his hand.
Sunggyu gasps and reacts quickly, but not fast enough to take it back. His surprised expression changes almost instantly when he sees the culprit’s face.
“Woohyun,” he breathes out in surprise, and said male pretends not to notice the older man’s smile.
“You need to pay more attention around you, what if it wasn’t me?”
Sunggyu pouts lightly, perhaps even unconsciously, “I’m getting lectured by a kid.”
“I’m only two years younger, hyung.”
“Still younger,” the brunet points out.
Woohyun only smiles but gives up, “What are you doing here anyway?”
The older male accepts the phone that is handed to him and quickly checks the top bar, noticing there still isn’t a single message.
“I’m waiting for Sungyeol. He was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago.”
“Have you been stood up?”
“I’ll kill him.”
Woohyun chuckles at the threat the other whispered under his breath.
“What about you? What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t answer for a few moments before he shrugs, “I needed a distraction.”
He’s thankful Sunggyu understands to not pry any further. A few moments of silence falls between them and just as he’s about to excuse himself, the phone in the pale man’s hand rings and vibrates. He watches quietly as Sunggyu checks the phone. He notices his jaw tighten.
“Is it him?”
“Yes,” he replies as he taps away what he figures is a response, “And he’s not coming…”
Another moment of silence engulfs them before the older male sighs, “I guess I’ll be going then. I’ll see you at school.”
Woohyun notices that he doesn’t even turn to look at him but he speaks up before he’s out of hearing range, “Since you’re here already…let’s go get some patbingsoo. My treat.”
He’s rather happy to see the other smile gratefully and agree before they head out to look for a desserts shop. Once they’ve got the dessert in hand they walk around the area, they can hear music coming from all directions, some from people performing on the streets, other’s from café’s they’re passing by. It’s dark but the streets are well lit and there are plenty of people their age walking around and chatting, not sparing a second glance at the time.
“Shouldn’t we be heading home soon,” Sunggyu asks when he stops to listen to the strumming of the guitar and the melodic voice that accompanies it.
The guy is probably around their age and his voice is a nice baritone. He’s singing an acoustic version of a pop song Woohyun can’t really remember the name of, but it sounds nice.
They’re close to their stops, one of them taking the metro and the other the bus.
“Was I a good enough distraction?” Sunggyu asks as Woohyun accompanies him to his bus stop. The metro is a little further down in the same direction.
Woohyun only smiles, not really answering as they moved along.
“We should do it again soon, especially if you’re going to buy me more food.”
This causes Woohyun to laugh. He isn’t a very generous person to begin with, but he had the urge to buy the older male the things he asked for. If he is to put it simply, it was on a whim.
“You like to eat, huh?” the younger male asks as they finally reach the stop. Its crowded with more students and foreigners waiting for their bus.
“Don’t you?” the brunet asks, confused.
Woohyun chuckles, “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow. Let’s meet at the same place,” he begins to walk away, still facing the male, wanting to see his reaction.
Sunggyu is definitely surprised at hearing that, “Wha-”
“Same time!” he says, pointing at him to get his point across before turning around and jogging down to his station.
Whether the older male believes him or not, he was definitely a good distraction, at least he didn’t feel like punching a wall anymore.
Within a few days it becomes routine, seeing each other outside of school in the busy streets of Hongdae, eating treats, or actually having dinner. Whatever it was, it was usually spent together. It was to the point that even Sungyeol was starting to feel neglected.
Doesn’t that jerk have other friends?? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
HAVE I BEEN REPLACED?
Sunggyu and Woohyun laugh at the texts his friend sends him. Sunggyu would usually show him or let him see them over his shoulder over the course of their time spent together. There is one message Woohyun sees that Sunggyu doesn’t mean to show him.
Okay I get it, I’M NOT YOUR HANDSOME PRI-
Sunggyu shuts off the screen before Woohyun could finish reading the text over his shoulder. They sit in silence for a few moments, the room growing slightly heavy with the loud sound of the movie playing.
They are both at Woohyun’s house watching a movie in the living room. Woohyun has pulled up the sofa that was only used for their guests, but even though they had enough room for both of them to sit far enough apart, they are sitting shoulder to shoulder.
The younger male pretends to not see it. Sungyeol was always saying stuff like that anyway.
It all happens Saturday. He wakes up a little late only to notice the forewarning feeling that is constantly present in the back of his mind has grown stronger. Incredibly so. He tries to go about his day, doing everything in a rush. He feels like he has no time for anything. His shower is taken quickly, his breakfast prepared in record time.
“It’s today. It’s today,” he mumbles to himself as he quickly shoves the food down his throat.
What takes over him next is instinct. He puts the food down and stands, heading out towards the back, exiting the house through the kitchen and forgetting to wear his shoes, hurrying towards the miniature hanok.
It’s definitely instinct and maybe even a physical retention that makes Woohyun slide the door open and the first thing he does is head straight for the bottom drawer of the bedside stand. He pulls out that pretty gold decorated box he saw his father use so many years ago. He closes his eyes and repeats the small chant that he had ingrained in his mind. He opens the beautiful box and is caught off guard by the color that greets him. It’s the same long haired calligraphy brush, but it’s a dark purple. He can see an amethyst stone embedded in the brush, just above the ferrule in the brush handle. It’s truly beautiful but he only has so long to admire it before he’s stepping back towards the door. He’s on his knees and he utters the second chant. He’s completely amazed at how the dark ink paints smoothly over the wooden floor. That second chant brings the ink that is needed to draw the symbols needed for the ritual.
He leans back to study the glowing circle before standing a little shakily. He’s praying he doesn’t mess the next part up. It’s the most crucial to ensure that the transition between worlds is seamless and safe. His left hand is open and set in a praying position in front of him while his other hand sets the cardinal directions, his middle and pointer fingers drawing the mandarin characters for said directions. Finally he draws a circle, connecting all the directions before pushing forward with his palm and the transfer begins. He watches as the light rises from the floor, swirling around slowly before a flare of light blinds him momentarily.
All he can do is grunt as he’s kicked back thru the open hanji door. He lands hard on his back, just barely missing the concrete path that led from the main house to the disconnected hanok. He’s disoriented, unsure of what just happened. He coughs a bit, the pain from the powerful kick leaving him slightly breathless but he gets up on his feet as quickly as he can. His eyes search and he can see a figure standing by the door. The stance is stable, ready to move at a moment’s notice if need be.
“I’m here to help!” he yells at the person.
Woohyun winces slightly and tries to soothe the pain away with his right hand. This causes the other to move forward, going in for another attack. Woohyun steps back before standing his ground.
“Stop!” he tries again but is forced to dodge a strong punch.
He doesn’t want to hurt the newcomer but he finds himself with no choice as he takes a jab to the stomach. He returns a kick to the wayfarer’s side, effectively sending him to the ground a few feet away. Woohyun grunts, his hand holding his stomach before shaking it off and quickly climbing onto the body. He takes both hands and holds them behind his back, placing all his weight on them.
“Ugh! Get off!” he hears him complain.
“Not until you listen!”
The struggling doesn’t stop.
“I’m not going to hurt you! Just relax!”
“You’re hurting me now!”
“After that kick and punch, I think this is pretty tame!”
The male under him finally stops struggling, “…Fine...”
Woohyun reduces the weight he places on him before quickly jumping back, not wanting to be unpleasantly surprised by another painful kick. He watches as the wayfarer stands and turns to him. He can’t see his face. He’s got something over his head that has been covering him since he got there. His clothes are tattered, much like he remembers seeing the other man six years ago. When he’s sure the other won’t make any more sudden movements he sighs.
“My name is Nam Woohyun and I am here to help you. I can guess you haven’t had the luck to land in a world where someone was there to lend you a hand. This world is different. There is no war, there is no open hostility. Whatever you need to do, you can do it quietly. There-”
“How can you speak my language?”
Woohyun hesitates for a moment before continuing, “There will be no one who can understand you but me. Our languages aren’t the same.”
“Then how do you-”
“I told you, I’m here to help you,” he tried to look as sincere as possible before turning towards the hanok, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll stay.”
The dark haired male takes it upon himself to lead the man towards the hanok. He breathes easy when he hears the other follow along calmly. He walks in before speaking again, “This house is yours. Use it as you see fit, just don’t destroy it.”
“I’m not a barbarian.”
“…could have fooled me,” he mumbles under his breath as he points out the bathroom.
Woohyun explains that he’ll provide breakfast and dinner without fail so he expected the visitor to be present to both meals. He knew his father hadn’t told him that, but he wanted to talk to this man. There were still so many questions he had for the wayfarers and he figured that would be the best way. The traveler would be gone all day, he was sure, so those were his windows to get information. The dark haired male watches as the male steps inside. He can see him taking in the surroundings.
“It’s rather small.”
“It’s temporary.”
“Yeah…hopefully.”
Woohyun straightens up when he sees the man pull down the cloak that had been obscuring his face. He has slightly overgrown, light brown hair. He’s noticed that the male is also a bit taller than himself.
“By the way, what’s your name?” Woohyun asks, realizing he doesn’t have a name to identify this man by.
The brunet turns, and Woohyun’s eyes widen in shock, “My name is Cynric Erle.”
The facial features of the man standing in front of him are unmistakably familiar. His nose, his lips, and even his small eyes, albeit this person’s eyes are far more piercing and intimidating, were the same.
The person standing in front of him looked exactly like Kim Sunggyu.
Pairing/Focus: Woohyun, Woohyun/Sunggyu
Length: 7,800 words
Rating: PG-13
Summary: For a few generations, the Nam Family has had a special purpose in life: to play host to worldly travelers. Woohyun unknowingly finds himself in the middle of what his father had warned him to stay away from.
Note: I unfortunately ran out of time with this one, so I shall give you the first part of what is yet to be finished. Hopefully it's enough to hook you!
Woohyun is only a child the very first time he feels his entire house shake with movement from the people inside. He’s not entirely sure what’s going on. He’s eight years old and his eyes are wide and surprised as he watches everyone move about hurriedly.
They’re coming.
They’re here.
Those words are the last he hears before he’s hastily put to bed in his room and left alone. He’s not sure what’s going on. His mom looked excited; his dad seemed worried; his older brother, seemed to be feeling a mix of both. He sneaks out once the commotion is out of his ear shot despite his mother’s warnings and quietly, very quietly, sneaks towards the living room. He’s stuck to the wall, peeking into the living room as soon as he gets there. He can hear hushed whispers but he can’t see anything. He’s about to sneak further in, but the sound of someone stepping into the living room and heading towards his direction scares Woohyun. He quickly runs back to his room, slides the door close as quietly as possible, and jumps into bed. Moments later he hears his door open and close and he lets out a little sigh.
He decides he’ll ask about it tomorrow.
He’s awestruck when he sees a tall, dark haired, strong looking man leave the house without so much as a glance the next morning. Within a course of a couple of weeks, the man comes and goes, leaving early in the morning, sometimes before he even wakes up to go to school, and returning late at night. He looks tired. He always looks tired.
He’s a grump, Woohyun concludes.
But just as suddenly as that man appeared, he disappeared. It’s only a couple of days after he’s gone that Woohyun notices and asks his parents about it.
“He’s traveling… to find something he’s lost,” his dad explains simply.
Woohyun can only nod and pretend to understand. A child of eight years of age wouldn’t need to know any more.
The second time it happens, Woohyun senses it.
They’re coming, he whispers at the dinner table one hot night in May. He’s fourteen this time. His mother and brother turn to him, both wearing expressions of surprise as his father stands abruptly, heading to the kitchen before calling him over.
He’s eager and he practically runs after his father towards the kitchen. The door is slid open and they step out into the open wooden floor. They walk out into the concrete path that leads to a smaller room that is separated from the main house. It looks like a mini version of their hanok from the outside, even down to the open wooden floor. They had always been warned to stay away from the house whenever their occasional guest decided to show up.
“You’ve sensed it?” his father asks once they are standing outside the door to the room.
Woohyun nods eagerly and puts his hand on his chest, as if the gesture will reassure his father of his sincerity. The older male only nods before opening the door and letting him in.
The teenager feels a twinge of disappointment when he sees the room. It’s nothing special. In fact, it looks like an ordinary room in their house. There’s a bed pushed to the far left side of the room and there’s a nightstand, a lamp and a digital clock rested on top of it. There’s a small round table with a single chair placed on the other side of it. To the right is a door, to which he can only presume leads to a bathroom. All of it is unremarkable and rather normal looking.
“Listen Woohyun, you’ll have to pay attention to what I say. If I tell you to leave, you leave,” his father states.
“Why?” he asks.
He doesn’t see why he would have to leave.
“Promise me.”
He seeks an answer in his father’s eyes, but all he sees is the hard stare that he has no choice but to relent to, “I promise.”
His father releases a sigh, satisfied with the answer, before standing and pushing his son a step behind him.
“You’re about to see something incredible. Whoever it is, treat this person with respect. We are only here to provide them housing and food. If they need medical treatment, we will supply it. Don’t interfere with what they are here to do.”
Woohyun doesn’t say a word, but he pays close attention. He watches intently as his father goes to the bottom drawer of the nightstand and takes out a small wooden box. It’s a beautiful dark cherry color and it’s adorned with intricate gold designs that wrap around the box. He sees his father mumble something and the box glows a faint white before it’s opened. There’s a long-haired calligraphy brush inside. It’s just as beautiful as the box that serves as its home. The wooden handle is an emerald color and it is long and sleek. Woohyun doesn’t have much time to inspect or admire the brush.
His father is on his knees before he sees him mutter something else. Without any other warning, he sees the man begin to draw a circle on the bare floor. Where he got the ink to do so was beyond him, but he watches as the circle begins to glow a green lighter than emerald as soon as it is closed. He continues to watch, completely fascinated as his father writes one large hanja inside the circle. It too begins to glow as soon as he finishes writing the character.
He vaguely understood why his father practiced his hanja calligraphy on a daily basis then. His father stands again and the brush is put up. He can only assume its use is complete. He watches in fascination as his father places his left hand in front of his body, almost as if he was going to pray but the hand is positioned just below his chest, at the center of his being. His right hand begins to draw something in thin air as his father begins to speak. The words that leave his mouth aren’t Korean, but Mandarin and he can’t understand what it is that he’s saying.
No sooner do the words leave his mouth that a distinct white light begins to swirl around in the middle of the circle on the floor. It builds up slowly, but then Woohyun is covering his eyes from the sudden flare of light. When he can see again, there’s a man standing in the exact spot where the circle on the floor was. He’s tall and broad. He looks powerful.
There’s a moment when his father is completely tense, as if he’s waiting for something to happen. After a few moments of nothing, however, he relaxes a bit before he begins to speak.
“Welcome, my name is Nam Kangdae and this is my son Woohyun. You’ll be staying with us for the duration of your stay here in this world. There-”
Woohyun doesn’t listen to his father’s words. Instead, he studies the man in front of him. He seems very tired and he looks slightly old. His clothes are a bit tattered and he is dirty. The fourteen year old doesn’t notice he has been staring dumbly until the man turns his gaze to him. Woohyun clenches his fists and instinctively moves closer to his father. He is intimidated by that heavy gaze.
“Please be at ease. This place will serve as your safe-house. Dinner will be sent shortly,” his father says before turning to leave, Woohyun right on his tail.
He doesn’t realize his excitement has died down until he is standing in the kitchen, his head suddenly full with questions he wants to ask his father. He can see Boohyun, his older brother, looking at him expectantly, waiting for Woohyun to spill everything he just saw. He hesitates for only a moment before he finally explodes from excitement.
“Hyung! It was amazing!”
The teen is nervous as he glances at his father one more time. His mother has finished serving a full dinner and has gotten it ready to be taken to their new guest. His father usually takes the dishes to and fro, keeping all contact the visitors have with his family at a minimum. He wonders what made him change that mindset so suddenly, but he knows he can’t refuse.
He swallows dryly one last time before taking the tray in his hands and slowly making his way down to the mini-hanok. He’s careful not to spill anything as he makes his long journey outside. He silently thanks his mom for not filling the plates or glass to the brim. When he reaches the door, he panics for a moment. How am I supposed to open the door…? He clears his throat before speaking.
“Um… E-excuse me. I have dinner for you.”
There is a moment of silence before he hears a very tired and deep voice answer him, “Come in.”
Uh, right, he thinks. He moves the tray to be completely supported by his left hand while his right slides the door open. He takes hold of the tray with both hands again before he walks in. The man is laying on the bed, seemingly lifeless. He carefully makes his way to his final destination and places the tray carefully.
“Uh, please eat while it’s still warm. My mother made it. Her food is really good, so I’m sure you’ll-you’ll like it,” he says, nervously.
He wasn’t sure why he was telling him all this but he knows he wants to talk to him. He wants to know so many things, but he is too afraid to ask. He doesn’t know this man. He doesn’t look Korean, or Asian for that matter. He had a European air to him. Maybe he is English…? He had brown hair and his face was long, his skin was pale and his eyes an icy blue. He sighs at the lack of response and turns to leave. The man is probably too tired and doesn’t want to bother with entertaining kids.
“Woohyun is your name, correct?” the guy asks.
His voice matches his build. It’s rough and deep and Woohyun nearly jumps out of his skin as he hears it.
“Y-yes, it is,” he turns to face him, a hand on his chest.
The guy chuckles at his reaction, “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to thank you for your hospitality. I’m glad I have someone to help me out in this world.”
In this world…? He heard his father say something similar earlier… is this man really not from this world?
“This is what we’re here for,” he finds himself saying before he can stop himself.
“Then I thank you for being here. I want to apologize for not responding earlier. Traveling between worlds really disorients me and I need a bit of time to adjust. If you could thank him for me, I would be grateful.”
“Sure,” Woohyun agrees before asking his next question, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Basel Eris. I’m a candidate for the next ruler of my world.”
“Ruler? Like a king? Or a president?”
“A president? I don’t know what that is,” but the brown haired man shakes his head, “More like a dictator.”
Woohyun’s expression shows his confusion. Weren’t dictators usually… evil?
“It’s probably exactly what you’re thinking. My world… something went wrong with it… and I’m trying to change that. And in order for me to do that… I have to win.”
Win what he’s about to ask, but he hears his mother call for him and the question dies in his throat. He’s incredibly intrigued and he wants to ignore his mother’s calls but he can hear the footsteps of someone coming down the stone path. He quickly bows, “Enjoy your meal.”
He’s out and sliding the door closed when his father reaches him. His father gives him a once over, checking to see if he’s alright, before beckoning his son to follow him. They make their way back to the living room that also serves as their dining room, before they all take a seat again. Both of them had abandoned their food the moment they stood, but despite all the time they were busy, the food was still steaming hot. He wonders if his mother had warmed up the food for them while he was delivering Cynric’s food.
“Did he say something to you?” Kangdae asks.
“Yes, he asked me to thank you and to forgive him for his lack of response.”
His father nods, pleased, “There’s a lot to talk about. Eat your dinner for now. We’ll talk about this later.”
Woohyun nods eagerly and the rest of dinner is filled with Woohyun recounting the ordeal to Boohyun with as much detail as he can remember, down to the amazing entrance the newcomer made.
It is much later in the night that Woohyun finds himself sitting on the floor on one side of the long table in their living room. His father is directly across from him. They have couches but those are pushed up against the walls. They don’t use them unless they have important guests over. It was just the way his father was brought up and had stuck since. Woohyun isn’t sure why his father had waited so late to call him out but he quickly forgets as his father lets out a deep sigh before he begins to speak.
“This is not something that has been going on for long. It’s been perhaps one hundred and fifty years, give or take. It started with your great-grandfather. He always had an affinity for strange things… but he left us this task, which is more like a burden, that we have no choice but to obey… Well, I guess that’s not entirely true either. Our family name has always had strange things attached to it…
“Well, what I’m trying to say is that these people aren’t from our world. They come from another place that no one but them has seen. We are special. We can sense things that disrupt our immediate surroundings. It’s said that some spirit came to your great-grandfather and warned him that something was about to happen. That we, as a family that bore shamanic roots since the beginning of time, would be entrusted to guide and house important figures that came from other worlds, since shamans were shunned and looked down upon for a long time, we’d be able to relate to these worldly wayfarers.
“But that was such a long time ago… I don’t see how we can relate to them at all now.”
Woohyun resists the urge to roll his eyes at his father. He would much rather hear the story than his father’s thoughts on it. It is obvious his father doesn’t like the task that has been handed down to him but Woohyun is turning out to be his complete opposite. He is eager to learn more and he listens to everything with enthusiasm. Woohyun knew there was something special about them, ever since that first time six years ago when everyone had refused to let him know what was happening. He is more than ecstatic now to be in the very center of it all.
“I don’t know if this will continue on for eternity but for now, one child from the family is chosen to take on this task. At first I had been sure it was Boohyun but he… Well, that isn’t important now. What is important is that you will be the successor for this task.
“Now, first things first,” Woohyun perks up, waiting in excitement to hear what he will have to do first after the quick lecture, “Go to sleep. It’s a school night and I don’t want you to be late tomorrow.”
The fourteen year old visibly deflates before leaning forward, against the table, “But Dad! You can’t seriously think I’m gonna go to sleep after this!”
“I do. If you don’t, I’ll delay telling you everything for a month.”
The teen groans as he lets his head fall forward dramatically, “That’s not fair…,” he says with a pout as he stands.
“You’ll be fine. Just wait until tomorrow.”
The end of the school day couldn’t come any slower in Woohyun’s opinion. He successfully distracts himself when the lecture is going, taking notes diligently. He likes learning and while he isn’t one of the brightest students, he falls just below that threshold. It’s probably because he doesn’t dedicate more time to studying than he needs to. But he makes good grades and that’s perfectly fine with him and his parents. He doesn’t give them anything to worry about.
He practically runs home the second his last period teacher lets them leave the classroom. His thoughts throw out the promise he made the day before about playing soccer with some of his friends but he dismisses it quickly. They wouldn’t mind if he missed it, and even if they did, he’d apologize for it later.
He makes it home completely winded but he only takes a second to catch his breath as he steps into the hanok and kicks off his shoes at the entrance.
“Mom, I’m home!” he yells as he makes his way to his room to drop off his backpack.
He hardly hears his mother’s response as his phone goes off, announcing a text message. He groans, it’s probably the guys.
What the hell man! You ditched us!
Woohyun rolls his eyes as he begins to type in an answer.
“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat now or until your father gets home?” his mother yells from down the hall.
“I’ll wait mom!” he answers her before hitting send and throwing his phone on the bed. He has some homework he needs to get to that’s due the next day. He contemplates putting it off until the night but quickly figures he should do it that instant. He will probably be out of it later and too excited to even concentrate on using his brain properly.
He doesn’t realize how long he’s been busy with doing homework and getting distracted by text messages until he hears a knock at his door. He looks up and smiles at his brother who’s standing at the threshold.
“Are you done?” Boohyun asks as he looks down at all the things scattered about on the low table.
There’s low music playing on the open laptop that’s sitting on one side while the rest of his books, notebook, and notes are scattered about, taking up the rest of the table. The younger brother nods before he begins to gather everything. There is a silence that befalls the room. The only sound being that of the trance music that is playing and the rustling of papers. Woohyun’s in the midst of moving his body to the music when he hears his brother inhale. He looks up at him, expecting him to say something but it seems like he simply imagined it. He’s about to stand up when he finally hears him speak.
“Did you… did you really understand him?”
“Hm?” Woohyun asks, his gaze is questioning.
“The nomad…did you really understand him?”
“Oh, you mean Eris-ssi?”
That’s all Boohyun needs to hear to understand that yes, unlike him, Woohyun had been able to hold a conversation with the newly arrived guest. He offered his younger brother a smile, “Mom said to tell you dinner was ready.”
“Are we taking him dinner again today?” the fourteen year old asks as he steps into the kitchen.
“You are,” his mother confirms as she sets the already prepared tray on the counter, next to the sink, “Be sure to bring back the ones I took for breakfast,” she says as she finally dries her hands and heads to the living room.
“Don’t take long,” she half yells over her shoulder as he steps out into the open wooden floor area, tray in hand.
“’Kay.”
The teen is excited. His steps are quick as he heads to the little hanok in the back. He hopes to continue the conversation from the evening before. There are lots of things he wants to ask him and he feels like he can talk to him normally now. But he is dismayed when he finds that he isn’t there. He looks around the little hanok and tries to call out for him. Maybe he’s in the restroom? Luck, however, is not on his side. He doesn’t get a response and he sighs. He places the tray, with the still steaming food, on the table and takes the other one that has been cleaned from any food. He makes his way back to their L-shaped hanok a little disappointed. But he quickly cheers himself up. His father was going to fill him in today and he was excited about that. He re-enters the living room and everyone is waiting for him so they can begin.
“Did he say anything to you?” his father asks.
“He’s not in.”
His father nods approvingly, “He’s started. Let’s hope he finds what he’s looking for so he can leave quickly.”
Woohyun decides to ignore the comment and they all begin to eat relatively quietly. The teen wonders why his father is so against it, against their calling. He thinks it’s a great thing to be able to live for something, especially something so incredible, like they were. Why couldn’t his father see that? There were thousands, millions, billions of people who lived their life like each other. Going to school to gain the knowledge of a working world in order to be released into it and continue living their life in such a manner so that they could begin teaching their kids about it at home and continue the cycle.
But they were given this special task. He was doing something different, something special. He could feel it.
Woohyun is more than ready to go by the time seven rolls around. His father had asked him to wait a while after their meal but he’s been incredibly jittery since he no longer has anything to distract him. He’s been sitting outside at the back of the house on the wooden floor, staring up into the minimally clouded sky. He didn’t even have clouds to entertain him. The silence is occasionally broken by his phone but soon those cease to come as well. He stares off into the direction of the setting sun to his right. His mind is wandering and he soon starts humming unknowingly. The backyard is in shadows and the orange rays barely touch him anymore.
“Woohyun!” he faintly hears his father calling.
It only takes him a split second to get on his feet and sprint inside. He almost falls butt first when his socks slide a little too well on the wooden floor. His father can’t help but chuckle.
6 Years Later
Woohyun is about ready to throw his book at the laptop. He’s been feeling uneasy for a week or two now and he can’t quite place what it is. He has a paper due soon and he needs to study for the upcoming exams. Despite knowing that, all he’s been able to do is stare at an open blank document on the screen, glaring at the blinking cursor that seemed to be mocking him. He’s checked and re-checked all of his course calendars and there’s nothing that he’s forgotten. He’s asked his friends too but they all answer him with what he already knows.
He’s never felt so anxious and worried and queasy all at the same time… well maybe once, as he was opening the acceptance letter of the university of his choosing… but that was over two years ago. He’s sitting on the same floor in the same room he’s had since he was little so it wasn’t a change of scenery that had him anxious. He glances over at his phone, contemplating calling his parents and Boohyun again. He has been calling once every day (at least) since he started feeling odd, and he hasn’t made his daily phone call for the day. He second guesses a second more before reaching for the phone and dialing his father’s familiar number.
“Woohyun-ah, not this again. How many times have I told you, this phone is only for emergencies! My rates are gonna go through the roof!”
“I’m glad to hear you’re doing fine Dad. Is Mom okay?”
His father sighs through the line, “She’s fine.”
“Is she there with you?”
“Yes.”
“Can I speak to her?”
“No!”
There’s a moment of odd noises going through the speaker of the phone before he hears his mother say something, probably reprimanding his father.
“Hyunnie?” she finally asks.
“Hi, Mom! How’s the trip going?”
“Simply wonderful. But dear, please let us relax for a bit. If anything happens you’ll be the first one to know, okay?” her voice is gentle and she’s speaking calmly, almost as if trying to soothe a crying baby.
“… Yeah, okay…”
“Have you been feeling better?”
“Not really…,” he answers a bit dejectedly.
“Hmm…,” there’s a short silence and it seems like she’s thinking about what to say to him before she sighs, “Well I’ve been thinking… It’s about that time again… and you seem to have a really good affinity for the job you have taken from your father… don’t you think it could be that?”
Woohyun thinks for a second. He’d be lying if he said it hadn’t crossed his mind but the last time he felt that sudden pang of urgency and knowledge had been just before their guest had arrived, not weeks before.
“Do you think so…?” he asks, unsure.
His father only had a couple of hours as notice before the event happened. It was one of the reasons why he was never able to leave the city for the entire time he was in charge. It was the reason why he saw the position as the family’s shaman so burdensome. It was also the reason why his mother and father were on an extended vacation. With not having to spend money for rent (the house was a family heirloom precisely for their Shamanic duty) they had saved up a lot of money over the years. Once his father had deemed Woohyun worthy enough to handle the situation on his own (after countless and countless drills on the routine of course, Woohyun could do the entire drill with his eyes blindfolded), he decided to embark on a travel excursion with his wife.
“Well I talked to your father about it yesterday and his great-grandfather seemed to have the same problem when he was in charge. So just stay on your toes. Make sure to call us whenever our wayfarer visits, okay?”
“Okay… thanks a lot Mom. You’re the best,” Woohyun smiles.
“Of course I am,” she laughs, “but really Woohyun, don’t call anymore. Or your father will make you pay the bill.”
“…OkayIloveyoubye!” he quickly hangs up and chuckles.
He is glad he helped push them to go on their trip. Boohyun completely backed him up on it. Boohyun had moved out of the house straight after college. After taking out a few loans and partnering up with a classmate of his, he managed to open his own restaurant. Because their eldest son was already responsible enough for his own business, they decided that leaving Woohyun alone with Boohyun occasionally checking in on him would be no problem at all.
His finger hovers over the three for a second before he decides not to call his brother. He’s probably busy with his business. If anything happened, he knew he’d be one of the first to know as well. He settles for sending him a text message instead. That way he can answer whenever he’s not occupied.
He turns his attention to the laptop once he’s settled the phone on the table. He groans in frustration when he figures he won’t be able to do anything at all before closing the lid of the laptop a little forcefully. He stands up and decides he’s going to have dinner before stomping away towards the kitchen, every loud foot fall helping him release his stress, if only by a little bit.
Woohyun is sitting outside. The orange rays of the sun streak across the yard and he stares absentmindedly at nothing in particular. He’s eating slowly but his mind is going a mile a minute. He is thinking of the last time they had someone stay in the small hanok in the back. He’s also thinking of all the time he trained with his father under the shades of the trees. He had found it ridiculous at first. Why in the world would he need to learn to defend himself? He was only going to be receiving these people. Why would he need to fight?
“These people… we don’t know how they will show up… They may have been to other worlds where they haven’t had anyone help them...where they’ve had to fight to survive as soon as they set foot on such lands…
“We’ve encountered one like that before… My father told me about it. Do you remember seeing a big scar on the inside of his left arm?”
Woohyun nods. He remembers seeing the scar clearly, and it indeed was big. It was slightly smaller than the size of his arm, from wrist to elbow. The skin was also raised and even paler than the rest of the skin surrounding it.
“He was attacked by one of them. He tried to block with his arms, but his skin was cut seamlessly to the bone.”
Woohyun grimaces at the picture he’s painting and he can’t help the shudder than runs through his body at the thought.
“You can’t ever let your guard down in those first few seconds. It could mean the difference between life and death.”
Woohyun eats the last pieces of meat that he had cooked along with the rice before setting his plate aside. He leans back, using his hands to brace himself as he stares up at nothing. His gut instinct was completely out of control and it seemed to be getting worse. He needed to do something before he went crazy because of it.
He changes his thoughts to school and he finds himself smiling a little. Even with all the uncertainty and anxiousness eating him up inside, there is one person that helps him forget. They had met and started talking under very slightly less than normal circumstances. He remembers the incident that happened a few weeks ago that still makes him smile.
There’s a senior he shares a class with. They didn’t sit together or talk to each other for that matter, only catching glimpses of each other. The older male usually gets there just before class starts. It was odd that particular time because Woohyun was sure someone had taken the seat next to him already so he was surprised to see the senior approach to sit there.
It wasn’t so much what happened during class because it wasn’t. It was at the end when they were gathering everything to leave that he heard the senior speak to a friend of his.
“He’s really handsome.”
There was no way they could have been talking about anyone else because when Woohyun turned to them they were looking directly at him. He smiled at them, giving them a small thanks before pulling his backpack over his shoulder. He gave them another glance and he nearly laughed out loud when he saw how red the senior had turned as he fumbled about with his stuff.
Woohyun had always thought the senior was frail looking. It probably had everything to do with his round features, slightly loose attire, and the glasses he wore, but it wasn’t until that moment that he thought the male was actually kind of cute.
It didn’t take Woohyun long to realize that it was that friend that was taking the seat next to him and leaving it at the last minute so the senior had nowhere else to go. He didn’t ask questions though. He just let them have their fun. What they did or stopped doing was none of his concern.
They did, however, begin to speak to each other and Woohyun found the male was rather expressive. Not necessarily with his words but how he acted and how he spoke. His hands would become animated when they talked about something he liked or he would draw them close and hold his chin or tap it when he thought deeply about things. He couldn’t help but associate the word cute to every gesture he made thoughtlessly. He had found himself quite taken with the senior.
He wonders why that is. He only dwells on the thought for a few moments before his phone rings. It’s his brother returning his message. His heart immediately lifts when he reads the message. Boohyun assures him that everything’s fine and that he doesn’t need to worry about him. The weight on his heart is lifted considerably and he feels that he can breathe easier, but his gut feeling hasn’t left him at all.
He lies on his back and groans audibly before standing up, deciding on a whim that he’ll go out. He isn’t going to get any work done anyway and staying at home only makes him more anxious.
It’s not until about thirty minutes later, when he’s walking down the streets of Hongdae that he realizes he should have messaged someone to meet him there. Maybe then his plan to distract himself would have worked a lot better. That’s not to say that sending small smiles to the female workers and watching them fawn amongst themselves didn’t entertain him.
He passes another sweets shop and he’s wondering whether he should stop and order a patbingsoo soon when he catches sight of a familiar face. He hesitates for a moment, wondering if he should approach him or ignore him completely. He figures it wouldn’t hurt to say hi, it’s not like he is in a hurry.
He approaches the male who’s standing next to a light post, very much into his phone. He doesn’t even glance up when Woohyun stands next to him. It’s a few moments before Woohyun gives up waiting to be noticed and snatches the phone from his hand.
Sunggyu gasps and reacts quickly, but not fast enough to take it back. His surprised expression changes almost instantly when he sees the culprit’s face.
“Woohyun,” he breathes out in surprise, and said male pretends not to notice the older man’s smile.
“You need to pay more attention around you, what if it wasn’t me?”
Sunggyu pouts lightly, perhaps even unconsciously, “I’m getting lectured by a kid.”
“I’m only two years younger, hyung.”
“Still younger,” the brunet points out.
Woohyun only smiles but gives up, “What are you doing here anyway?”
The older male accepts the phone that is handed to him and quickly checks the top bar, noticing there still isn’t a single message.
“I’m waiting for Sungyeol. He was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago.”
“Have you been stood up?”
“I’ll kill him.”
Woohyun chuckles at the threat the other whispered under his breath.
“What about you? What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t answer for a few moments before he shrugs, “I needed a distraction.”
He’s thankful Sunggyu understands to not pry any further. A few moments of silence falls between them and just as he’s about to excuse himself, the phone in the pale man’s hand rings and vibrates. He watches quietly as Sunggyu checks the phone. He notices his jaw tighten.
“Is it him?”
“Yes,” he replies as he taps away what he figures is a response, “And he’s not coming…”
Another moment of silence engulfs them before the older male sighs, “I guess I’ll be going then. I’ll see you at school.”
Woohyun notices that he doesn’t even turn to look at him but he speaks up before he’s out of hearing range, “Since you’re here already…let’s go get some patbingsoo. My treat.”
He’s rather happy to see the other smile gratefully and agree before they head out to look for a desserts shop. Once they’ve got the dessert in hand they walk around the area, they can hear music coming from all directions, some from people performing on the streets, other’s from café’s they’re passing by. It’s dark but the streets are well lit and there are plenty of people their age walking around and chatting, not sparing a second glance at the time.
“Shouldn’t we be heading home soon,” Sunggyu asks when he stops to listen to the strumming of the guitar and the melodic voice that accompanies it.
The guy is probably around their age and his voice is a nice baritone. He’s singing an acoustic version of a pop song Woohyun can’t really remember the name of, but it sounds nice.
They’re close to their stops, one of them taking the metro and the other the bus.
“Was I a good enough distraction?” Sunggyu asks as Woohyun accompanies him to his bus stop. The metro is a little further down in the same direction.
Woohyun only smiles, not really answering as they moved along.
“We should do it again soon, especially if you’re going to buy me more food.”
This causes Woohyun to laugh. He isn’t a very generous person to begin with, but he had the urge to buy the older male the things he asked for. If he is to put it simply, it was on a whim.
“You like to eat, huh?” the younger male asks as they finally reach the stop. Its crowded with more students and foreigners waiting for their bus.
“Don’t you?” the brunet asks, confused.
Woohyun chuckles, “Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow. Let’s meet at the same place,” he begins to walk away, still facing the male, wanting to see his reaction.
Sunggyu is definitely surprised at hearing that, “Wha-”
“Same time!” he says, pointing at him to get his point across before turning around and jogging down to his station.
Whether the older male believes him or not, he was definitely a good distraction, at least he didn’t feel like punching a wall anymore.
Within a few days it becomes routine, seeing each other outside of school in the busy streets of Hongdae, eating treats, or actually having dinner. Whatever it was, it was usually spent together. It was to the point that even Sungyeol was starting to feel neglected.
Doesn’t that jerk have other friends?? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
HAVE I BEEN REPLACED?
Sunggyu and Woohyun laugh at the texts his friend sends him. Sunggyu would usually show him or let him see them over his shoulder over the course of their time spent together. There is one message Woohyun sees that Sunggyu doesn’t mean to show him.
Okay I get it, I’M NOT YOUR HANDSOME PRI-
Sunggyu shuts off the screen before Woohyun could finish reading the text over his shoulder. They sit in silence for a few moments, the room growing slightly heavy with the loud sound of the movie playing.
They are both at Woohyun’s house watching a movie in the living room. Woohyun has pulled up the sofa that was only used for their guests, but even though they had enough room for both of them to sit far enough apart, they are sitting shoulder to shoulder.
The younger male pretends to not see it. Sungyeol was always saying stuff like that anyway.
It all happens Saturday. He wakes up a little late only to notice the forewarning feeling that is constantly present in the back of his mind has grown stronger. Incredibly so. He tries to go about his day, doing everything in a rush. He feels like he has no time for anything. His shower is taken quickly, his breakfast prepared in record time.
“It’s today. It’s today,” he mumbles to himself as he quickly shoves the food down his throat.
What takes over him next is instinct. He puts the food down and stands, heading out towards the back, exiting the house through the kitchen and forgetting to wear his shoes, hurrying towards the miniature hanok.
It’s definitely instinct and maybe even a physical retention that makes Woohyun slide the door open and the first thing he does is head straight for the bottom drawer of the bedside stand. He pulls out that pretty gold decorated box he saw his father use so many years ago. He closes his eyes and repeats the small chant that he had ingrained in his mind. He opens the beautiful box and is caught off guard by the color that greets him. It’s the same long haired calligraphy brush, but it’s a dark purple. He can see an amethyst stone embedded in the brush, just above the ferrule in the brush handle. It’s truly beautiful but he only has so long to admire it before he’s stepping back towards the door. He’s on his knees and he utters the second chant. He’s completely amazed at how the dark ink paints smoothly over the wooden floor. That second chant brings the ink that is needed to draw the symbols needed for the ritual.
He leans back to study the glowing circle before standing a little shakily. He’s praying he doesn’t mess the next part up. It’s the most crucial to ensure that the transition between worlds is seamless and safe. His left hand is open and set in a praying position in front of him while his other hand sets the cardinal directions, his middle and pointer fingers drawing the mandarin characters for said directions. Finally he draws a circle, connecting all the directions before pushing forward with his palm and the transfer begins. He watches as the light rises from the floor, swirling around slowly before a flare of light blinds him momentarily.
All he can do is grunt as he’s kicked back thru the open hanji door. He lands hard on his back, just barely missing the concrete path that led from the main house to the disconnected hanok. He’s disoriented, unsure of what just happened. He coughs a bit, the pain from the powerful kick leaving him slightly breathless but he gets up on his feet as quickly as he can. His eyes search and he can see a figure standing by the door. The stance is stable, ready to move at a moment’s notice if need be.
“I’m here to help!” he yells at the person.
Woohyun winces slightly and tries to soothe the pain away with his right hand. This causes the other to move forward, going in for another attack. Woohyun steps back before standing his ground.
“Stop!” he tries again but is forced to dodge a strong punch.
He doesn’t want to hurt the newcomer but he finds himself with no choice as he takes a jab to the stomach. He returns a kick to the wayfarer’s side, effectively sending him to the ground a few feet away. Woohyun grunts, his hand holding his stomach before shaking it off and quickly climbing onto the body. He takes both hands and holds them behind his back, placing all his weight on them.
“Ugh! Get off!” he hears him complain.
“Not until you listen!”
The struggling doesn’t stop.
“I’m not going to hurt you! Just relax!”
“You’re hurting me now!”
“After that kick and punch, I think this is pretty tame!”
The male under him finally stops struggling, “…Fine...”
Woohyun reduces the weight he places on him before quickly jumping back, not wanting to be unpleasantly surprised by another painful kick. He watches as the wayfarer stands and turns to him. He can’t see his face. He’s got something over his head that has been covering him since he got there. His clothes are tattered, much like he remembers seeing the other man six years ago. When he’s sure the other won’t make any more sudden movements he sighs.
“My name is Nam Woohyun and I am here to help you. I can guess you haven’t had the luck to land in a world where someone was there to lend you a hand. This world is different. There is no war, there is no open hostility. Whatever you need to do, you can do it quietly. There-”
“How can you speak my language?”
Woohyun hesitates for a moment before continuing, “There will be no one who can understand you but me. Our languages aren’t the same.”
“Then how do you-”
“I told you, I’m here to help you,” he tried to look as sincere as possible before turning towards the hanok, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll stay.”
The dark haired male takes it upon himself to lead the man towards the hanok. He breathes easy when he hears the other follow along calmly. He walks in before speaking again, “This house is yours. Use it as you see fit, just don’t destroy it.”
“I’m not a barbarian.”
“…could have fooled me,” he mumbles under his breath as he points out the bathroom.
Woohyun explains that he’ll provide breakfast and dinner without fail so he expected the visitor to be present to both meals. He knew his father hadn’t told him that, but he wanted to talk to this man. There were still so many questions he had for the wayfarers and he figured that would be the best way. The traveler would be gone all day, he was sure, so those were his windows to get information. The dark haired male watches as the male steps inside. He can see him taking in the surroundings.
“It’s rather small.”
“It’s temporary.”
“Yeah…hopefully.”
Woohyun straightens up when he sees the man pull down the cloak that had been obscuring his face. He has slightly overgrown, light brown hair. He’s noticed that the male is also a bit taller than himself.
“By the way, what’s your name?” Woohyun asks, realizing he doesn’t have a name to identify this man by.
The brunet turns, and Woohyun’s eyes widen in shock, “My name is Cynric Erle.”
The facial features of the man standing in front of him are unmistakably familiar. His nose, his lips, and even his small eyes, albeit this person’s eyes are far more piercing and intimidating, were the same.
The person standing in front of him looked exactly like Kim Sunggyu.