Wishful Chance || SeChen { 2/5 }

[thechenesis]

The night had been rough. After their talk, Sehun has more or less accepted Jongdae’s theory as the likely truth, but that did not mean he trusted him at all. As a result, it had been quite hard to figure out an arrangement when they got back to Jongdae’s apartment. The shorter insisted for Sehun to take the bed; the blond, however, felt unsafe to sleep in a room whose door Jongdae could lock from the outside. On the other hand, the couch was too small for Sehun. He had slept directly on the floor when he first popped up in Jongdae’s bedroom a few hours earlier, but now he was adamant about needing a softer, cushioned surface to sleep on.

They had ended up deciding that Sehun would take the bed, but every key in the house would also be in his possession as well as Jongdae’s cell phone (bye to his wanting to call Minseok to ask for help after Sehun went to sleep).

Jongdae had woken up to a sore neck and heavy eyes, but at least the night had been peaceful. For a moment, while staring at the spotless white ceiling, he had wondered if he had simply slept in front of the television and all the memories he had about what had happened were nothing but a delirious dream (or nightmare). A noise in the kitchen distracted him though, and when he looked over the couch, his eyes fell on a tall boy’s back, the guy apparently busy with the frying pan from the night before.

He sighed. Apparently his luck still hadn’t changed for the better.

While Sehun was making breakfast (after complaining about the lack of ingredients in his fridge once he noticed Jongdae had woken up), the dark-haired boy made a quick call to his office to get the address of the manhwa’s artist. His passion for manhwas throughout his life had led him to develop a special interest for editing (since his drawing skills were non-existent), and his current occupation happened to be at the same publishing company his most beloved author was also under ― a most lucky coincidence, especially in the circumstances they were in at that moment.

After they had a quick discussion about Sehun making breakfast only for himself (using his ingredients! That ungrateful rascal!), Jongdae hurried themselves to leave. Ditching classes every once in a while was acceptable, but he couldn’t simply not show up to his job.

Fortunately for Jongdae, the author’s studio was not far from his apartment and they could actually go on foot. The night before had had some consequences beyond Sehun appearing out of nowhere, namely his dinner with Chanyeol making him basically be almost in the red for the remaining days of the month, and therefore any opportunity to spend less was much appreciated (and needed).

Thinking about it now, he never expected this would be how he would finally meet his favorite author, the person responsible for changing his life and putting him on the path he was now. That signed first volume was the closest Jongdae had ever dared to get to them, and part of the reason was that he didn’t want his mental representation about someone he admired so much to be shattered. Manhwa authors turned out to be freakish at about 50% of the cases, but within the specific segment of boys love manhwas that rate was a lot higher.

He knew for a fact that whoever had written Mr. Catman simply could not be a bad person deep down, but what about on the surface? He was honestly scared to find out.

The building was relatively new and modern, and they had no issues getting to the right floor after the doorman had ringed the apartment to inform they had visitors. Most likely people at the office called to tell them someone from the company was coming here, Jongdae figured, remembering quite embarrassedly how he had given a very shitty excuse for needing that author’s address. Luckily the people from HR weren’t that smart.

“So… What exactly are we going to say to them,” Sehun half whispered, observing the hall’s decor without much interest.

Jongdae’s answer was simple. “Everything we know.” There wasn’t much else they could do, really. “Maybe they can think of a different explanation or find any clues that we didn’t. Manhwa authors are more likely much better than us normal folks when it comes to thinking out of the box.”

Sehun licked his lips before making his characteristic pout, silently acquiescing to his words (or at least that’s how Jongdae interpreted it). Jongdae knocked on the door twice to let them know they were there.

The response was immediate.

“Heechul, can you get the door?” a boyish voice screamed inside.

“I can’t, I’m adding screentones right now!”

“Then ask Taeyeon to do it!”

“Like I have any idea where she is!”

Since the two voices he had heard so far were definitely from males, Jongdae wondered if that Taeyeon person was the author. For some reason, he always expected yaoi manhwa artists to be females.

“This apartment is not that big at all ― how come you don’t know where she is?!”

“Can’t you stop screaming from the kitchen and just look for her? Or better, open the door while you’re at it?” the Heechul guy answered. “I’m fucking busy right now, I need to concentrate. Or would you rather add the screentones?”

“Oh god, anything but that.” The youngish voice was closer now, and he wasn’t screaming anymore. They both were so freaking loud though. Not like Jongdae was in any position to criticize them (he was also loud most of the time, especially when he was with his friends), but still. “She must be on the balcony adding filters on snapchat or something. Whatever. Coming!” He yelled again, this time towards the door.

Jongdae inhaled deeply, trying to prepare himself for what was coming.

“Hello~!” The boy greeted cheekily. “Are you the guy from the company that was coming by?”

“Ah, yes,” Jongdae answered, a bit awkward. That was a lie he wouldn’t be able to keep going for much longer, “I came to talk to... Park Jihye? The author of Mr. Catman?” he quickly added once he saw the confused look on the other’s face. “Is she here?”

The boy giggled.

“So they didn’t tell you? You’re speaking to her ― or him, more precisely.”

Jongdae’s jaw dropped.

“How’s that possible?!” Looking him from head to toes, there was simply no way that boy was any older than he was. He had droopy eyes, a round nose tip and a mouth shape that clearly resembled a puppy’s, so youthful looking that Jongdae was doubtful he wasn’t even younger. But Mr. Catman had been released when he was back in high school! “How old are you?!”

“Now, now, that’s not the kind of question you go around asking people you’ve just met,” he saucily added, shaking a finger in front of Jongdae’s face. “I don’t mind being visited but we’re really on a tight schedule right now since I was supposed to have handed in the next chapter of Gaia yesterday.” He didn’t seem very worried in Jongdae’s opinion. “The people at the office weren’t able to inform me what you were coming to do here, so could you pleas―” At the moment, he finally noticed Sehun, partially hidden from his view because of how he was angling himself against the door. “Oh!” He stared at Sehun for a moment, apparently mesmerized. “Oh, Heechul, come here, quick!” He sounded super excited.

Jongdae bit his bottom lip, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets when he felt they were starting to sweat. After that reaction, he was growing increasingly anxious. Is there a chance he actually has a clue about who Sehun is?

“So what’s all this fuss about?” the other guy started saying as he was making his way to the door. He was taller, with longer and darker hair, and something in his way of presenting himself made him a bit intimidating, although his features were quite soft. “I still got lots of screentones to add before the deadline, so it better be go― Oh!” Jongdae felt a strong feeling of dejá-vù. What was that reaction about?! “Is it… Cosplay?”

The author agreed eagerly before both of them drew closer to Sehun, visibly excited.

“It’s been some time since we’ve last seen someone cosplaying as Sehun from Mr. Catman, but besides that… This one is pretty awesome!” The petite author pointed out, gaping at Sehun with no discretion.

“Congratulations man ― amazing job, it really is,” Heechul agreed, nodding his head.

“I must admit, this might be the best cosplay I’ve ever seen for any of my characters,” the author continued, in awe. “I see you chose the outfit for the first volumes… It’s just as the clothes I used as reference. Did you happen to find the same catalogue? It’s been so long though, I’d never imagine any of those clothes would still be for sale.” He stopped eyeing Sehun all over and fixed his gaze on his face. “What’s most striking though is your face… I didn’t imagine a real face for my drawing but somehow I get the feeling you’re exactly how Sehun would look like if he ever came to life.”

Jongdae cleaned his throat, embarrassed.

“Well, that’s exactly what we came here to talk about.” There came the hard part. “Could you try to listen to it with an open mind?”

The author (who afterwards properly introduced himself as Byun Baekhyun) was excited and curious enough to let them in without further questions, leading them to a corner of the room filled with cushions that tentatively served as a couch. Jongdae told the whole story with as much details as he could (Sehun interrupting him every so often whenever he thought Jongdae was painting him in a negative light), at the same time observing Baekhyun’s and Heechul’s expressions change from extreme excitement to a mix of interest and suspicion.

He had finished the story and all four of them had been staring at each other in the heavy silence of deep thoughts when the Taeyeon girl (Baekhyun’s second assistant) appeared from the bedroom, her cellphone in hand. She looked confused for a second, before widening her eyes at Sehun.

“What an amazing cosplay!”

✎

They had kept talking until lunch time, when Baekhyun offered to buy them some take-out. After they had filled Taeyeon in the story, she had been the one most prone to believing them. Baekhyun wasn’t as wary as Heechul (who absolutely refused to believe that “tale”), but he had insisted on making a series of questions to Sehun after lunch ― on private ―that he claimed only the true Sehun (whatever that conception of “true” was) could answer.

They had spent about half an hour locked in the bedroom (time during which Heechul had kept a watchful eye on the other outsider over his cutting and adding of screentones) and Jongdae had already started wondering just what kind of inquiring Baekhyun was doing when the two of them finally left the room. Sehun seemed fed up with everyone and everything, whereas Baekhyun looked like a child that had been taken to a candy shop.

Baekhyun was completely convinced (and excited about the fact) that, without even a shred of doubt, the blond boy was in fact Sehun. Heechul, who had started developing his very own ideas about a homophobic conspiracy against boys love manhwa authors forged to threaten Baekhyun’s well-being, had skeptically asked how he could be so sure, to which the author had explained what he and Sehun had been talking about that whole time.

“You see, since Mr. Catman was my first published work, I really delved deep into character development. I don’t do that anymore, but at that time I was worried about contradicting myself during the development of the manhwa if I didn’t think through every single detail and had them all written down,” he revealed, taking a sip of his iced tea. “Of course in the end I only used very little of all that material in the actual manhwa, but the point is I had a full picture of all my characters while I was drawing them. So, I thought… If this guy here,” he pointed to the unimpressed boy standing next to him, “was really my Sehun, he should be exactly as I imagined him to be, right?”

“What’s your point?” Heechul asked, impatient.

Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders smugly, as if he had just made the world’s biggest discovery. “I figured I just had to ask him about specific details of his life in order to assert if he’s the real deal or not.”

“But couldn’t any fan who have read the manhwa have memorized all the details?”

“Honestly, Heechul, have you been listening to me?” Heechul rolled his eyes, but Baekhyun didn’t care. Most likely that was a common exchange in their relationship. “As I said, there’s a ton of things I didn’t get to write about, but I remember them all and asked them to our dearest Sehunnie here.”

“‘Sehunnie’, uh ― he’s totally sold!” Taeyeon observed, more entertained than judgmental about that fact.

“What kind of things, exactly?” Jongdae inquired, slightly curious. Even though Sehun was (apparently) a real person now, the ‘Oh Sehun’ from Mr. Catman was still his all-time favorite character and he was always willing to know more about him. He actually never thought he would get a new opportunity after the series was over.

“Ah, you know, the basic, irrelevant stuff,” a smiling Baekhyun started, “his favorite fruit, his favorite sleeping position, if he prefers dress shoes or sneakers,” well, that seems pretty standard, “what books he read as a child, his conflicting feelings about his mother during his puberty, the name of the pets his grandparents kept in their farm when he was a child,” no kidding! ― he had thought over all of that?! “who his best friend was before Donghae, if he prefer to write in cursive or print, his kinks in bed...” Jongdae almost spat his drink. Baekhyun laughed. “Just joking… Or not,” he added, mischievous.

Sehun rolled his eyes. Jongdae couldn’t remember if that character used to do that or if he had quickly learned it from Heechul.

“So you’re saying that he is,” Jongdae resumed, “without a doubt” he stressed, “the character from your manhwa?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s the case…” Now was the moment he had been expecting the most. “How did this happen?”

Baekhyun looked at Heechul, and then Taeyeon, and then glanced at Sehun before looking at Jongdae again.

“I’m sorry, but I really have no idea.” Jongdae deflated as fast as a punctured balloon, although Baekhyun didn’t seem to notice. “This is so exciting though!” He exclaimed. “Real life magic ― never thought I’d get to experience that!”

Jongdae sighed. Perhaps he should be more positive about that incident too, try to see it through an optimistic lens. He was finally getting to meet his literal definition of his ideal type, a guy that as far as he remembered was caring, sweet, tolerant, patient and a great friend (not to mention super hot ― but Jongdae's better keep his expectations low in that aspect). It could turn out to be a lot better than how he had been picturing it till that moment, if he’d just give it a chance…

He peeked at Sehun, trying to look at him from this new perspective. He had a detached expression on his face as always, but there was… There was something else…

“Shouldn’t we get back to work, boss?” Taeyeon said suddenly, leaning over Baekhyun’s shoulder. “We won’t make it on time if we don’t start now, we wasted the whole morning~ It’s already 2 o’clock!”

The dark-haired visitor jumped from his cushion in an almost automatic reflex, his eyes almost jumping out of their sockets. “2PM?!” He repeated in disbelief. Taeyeon confirmed. “Fuck, I’m late ― hey Baekhyun, you think you could keep an eye on Sehun till I get back? I can’t take him with me to work.”

“S’fine,” the boy replied. “Taeyeon was originally a fan too, I’m sure she’ll love to have him around. What time do you get back?”

“In principle, I should be back around 8… It’s just a part-time job after all. But you never know. I’ll give you a call if anything changes.”

Baekhyun gave him a thumbs up, and Jongdae turned to leave.

His last glimpse of Sehun’s expression, however, was engraved in his mind for the whole afternoon.

✎

It was only when he was sitting in front of his computer that Jongdae finally had time to take a look at his phone.

“(10) missed calls | 47 new messages”

Shit.

He looked around at the large room he shared with a handful of other employees. Everybody was working, but his boss was still not back from lunch break.

He hid his phone under the table, pretending he was reading a thick sales report while he skimmed through the messages.

23:20 Minseok: Dinner was awesome, just dropped her home. Next time she might invite me in ;) How did your date go?
23:40 Minseok: Are you not answering me because you’re getting laid already?? Or because you’re depressed it didn’t work out? Either way, call me and tell me everything.
23:42 Minseok: On second thoughts, not everything. I don’t wanna picture my best friend having sex. But do tell me everything else apart from that.
23:50 Minseok: You alive??
00:20 Minseok: Perhaps you really ARE getting laid. No shade but I didn’t really expect that
00:22 Minseok: I hope you haven’t been abducted or something. Hope you’re getting that ass ― or that dick, idk what you prefer (don’t tell me)
00:26 Minseok: If you don’t show up to class tomorrow I might call the police tho. Good night!

Oh god.

07:40 Junmyeon: I’m at the Humanities Building, are you here yet? Can’t wait to hear how the date went!
07:50 Junmyeon: Where are you? I need to go to my classes but I’m really curious about last night.
07:52 Junmyeon: It all came along well… Right?
07:55 Junmyeon: Oh, did I fuck it all up again?!
07:58 Junmyeon: Sorry Jongdae. I need to rush to the Law Building now. Please call me if you need anything!
08:10 Junmyeon: I’m sorry :(

Jongdae felt slightly sorry for him.

Or maybe not.

08:13 Minseok: Junmyeon just sent me a message saying you apparently didn’t come to class. Should I call the police?
08:20 Junmyeon: Are you okay?
08:30 Minseok: Junmyeon thinks we should try going to your place after class before coming to conclusions.
08:31 Minseok: I’m kinda worried, but he’s got a point…
08:33 Minseok: If you haven’t been kidnapped or something and happen to see this, we’ll drop by around lunch time. Hope you’re ok bro!
08:35 Junmyeon: Minseok agreed to go to your house after lunch. I hope everything’s alright!
08:50 Junmyeon: On second thoughts… Are we going overboard? Perhaps we are. Please answer!!
08:52 Junmyeon: It’s just… Since you live by yourself, I get kind of worried :(

That’s why Jongdae could never be angry at Junmyeon for long periods of time.

10:05 Sunyoung: Jongdae, aren’t you coming? We were supposed to present the final layout for our project today, don’t you remember?

Oh no, he had completely forgotten about that!

10:12 Sunyoung: I talked to Minseok and he said you might have had some problem last night. I spoke to the professor and he said we can send him the final proposal by e-mail!
10:15 Sunyoung: Hope you’re okay sweetie. You know you can call me if you need anything, right?

He’d need to make it up to Sunyoung later.

11:08 Junmyeon: Minseok just texted me saying he saw Chanyeol at the Music Building. Apparently he’s been crying, his eyes are swollen. What the hell happened?
11:24 Minseok: I spoke to Chanyeol and he said you went home early by yourself yesterday, although he ran away from me before I could ask him what’d happened. Why aren’t you answering?
11:26 Minseok: Damn I’m actually legit worried right now.

After that message, there was a long string of messages from Junmyeon ― he had been basically texting him every five minutes trying to get a reply, content varying between “Jongdae?” and “Are you OK?” (plus some minor variations). The messages had stopped around noon, most likely when the both of them met to go to his apartment.

Jongdae honestly never expected that ditching class just once would have such a huge repercussion.

12:21 Minseok: We’re at your building. You really aren’t here?

Since his colleagues at work didn’t mention anything when he arrived, his friends had most likely figured something out when they went to his place… Jongdae wondered what is was.

The next message had been sent quite some time afterwards.

12:46 Minseok: So we were lucky enough to run into one of your neighbors while we were standing in front of your building and we asked him about you.
12:47 Minseok: He said he saw you running after a tall blond boy in the middle of the night. What’s that about?
12:50 Minseok: But he said he’s pretty sure you came back home with the boy again later. He heard the door opening and closing and this morning he heard voices.
12:52 Minseok: Junmyeon says he’s not sure if he’s relieved or angry. I think it’s a mix of both
12:52 Minseok: At least that’s how I feel tbh
12:53 Minseok: I thought you were totally into that Chanyeol guy but whatever makes you happy!
12:54 Minseok: You could’ve warned us tho.
12:56 Minseok: Junmyeon told me to tell you he’s pissed but at the same time he’s happy he didn’t ruin his life… or something like that.
12:57 Minseok: Anyway, do call me later to tell me what’s going on!

Jongdae leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples.

That was going to be a hell of a difficult explanation to give.

He opted not to offer too lengthy clarifications at that point, sending a short “Don’t worry, I’m okay” message instead just to pacify their thoughts. He was quite sure none of them would believe him if he was to send a text telling them a character from one of his manhwas had materialized inside his room, and he couldn’t afford spending any more time away from his tasks at this job in case they called him.

They definitely could wait, and Jongdae really needed to finish all his work load as fast as he could so that he wouldn’t have to do overtime. He felt apologetic about making Baekhyun ‘babysit’ Sehun for the whole afternoon ― even though the situation could be said to be partially his fault since the character wouldn’t exist in the first place had he not created it.

Anyhow, it was useless to ramble about such matters at that moment. For the rest of the afternoon, Jongdae focused on his work, which allowed him ― for at least a couple of hours ― to take his mind off the chaos his life had been since the night before.

✎

“Thank you for taking care of him.”

Baekhyun’s eyes creased into a smile.

“Why do you sound like you’re his dad?” He laughed. “Anyway, it was no big deal. He behaved himself pretty decently. Actually...” he sneaked a glance in Sehun’s direction; he was still sitting on the provisional floor couch (that was certainly a fancy way to call it), flipping quite uninterestedly through the pages of some manhwa Jongdae did not recognize, “he doesn’t seem that well. Perhaps all of this has been too much for him to handle.”

“Yeah.” Jongdae felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. “I cannot even imagine what he’s going through.”

“Taeyeon was with him the whole afternoon,” Baekhyun continued, “explaining a little to him about current society and whatever else has changed ever since the manhwa was published. All while she was drawing the backgrounds for my next chapter, of course,” he added, humorously.

“How has he taken it?”

“He was interested in it for some time, but after an hour or so I suppose he got tired of the amount of new information he was being given.” He tapped a finger lightly on his own chin, still smiling. “Such great technological developments as constantly available high speed internet, for example, are too much for his mind to grasp yet.”

Jongdae grinned at the amusing example. “With time he’ll get used to it.” He didn’t know whether he truly believed that or if it was just wishful thinking.

“Yeah, with time…” Baekhyun’s mind was wandering, and he got lost in his own reflections for a couple of seconds before he realized he was still standing at the doorway. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

“I’ll just go with the flow for now,” Jongdae admitted. “Honestly, you were the only person I could think of that could perhaps shed some light on this situation. If even you don’t know anything about it, I can’t think of anyone who might.”

“And you can’t really go to the police either since they’ll think you’re mocking them, as it has already happened...” he sighed, folding his arms. “It’s a troublesome predicament for sure. If you or Sehun need anything though, be sure to ask me. I want to help.”

Jongdae could feel his offer was sincere, but he didn’t want anyone to be more involved in that situation than it was necessary ― at least not until they figured out what was really going on.

“Ah, one more thing!” Baekhyun exclaimed, holding Jongdae by his shoulder and drawing closer, his voice lowered and quieter. “I assume you didn’t show him the manhwa he came from, am I right?” Jongdae couldn’t help blushing. “Don’t worry, we haven’t showed it to him either. He’s been surprisingly uninterested in it. But perhaps I should tell you,” Baekhyun’s mouth turned into a devilish grin, “cute petite boys are definitely his type. As you know, you can trust me on this.”

“Why are you telling me this?!” An embarrassed Jongdae whined. “You know it’s not like that!”

“Just saying, just saying~” He seemed far too amused. Jongdae was starting to understand everyone’s need to roll their eyes at him.

“Anyway, I really need to get going,” Jongdae said, looking at the time.

“Okay~ Ah! Forgot something, just wait a minute. Hey, Heechul!”

“What?” The taller guy screamed from some room further inside the apartment.

“Where’s that bag I asked you to sort out for me?”

After Heechul answered, Baekhyun quickly went inside the apartment again to get whatever it was that he was looking for. Sehun glanced towards the door, and Jongdae motioned for him to get up.

“Here,” Baekhyun said when he returned, handing him a sizable bag filled to the brim ― with what, he couldn’t tell. “These are some of the clothing we used as reference for Sehun’s character. The pieces that are not too outdated, at least,” he explained. “At that time, the manhwa was so successful the brands we had taken inspiration from sent us many of the outfits we had drawn… I got many girl clothes too because most of them thought I was a girl, as expected” he chuckled, “But of course the ones that happened to send male clothes didn’t send any my size. Since Sehun’s pretty model-like though, they should fit him.”

“That will certainly come in handy!” Jongdae wasn’t about to reveal he had considered taking a loan to afford getting Sehun some basic outfits, but he was deeply thankful nonetheless. “Are you sure you want to give us these?”

“If you think about it, they’re rightfully Sehun’s anyway,” Baekhyun wittily pointed out. Jongdae supposed he was right.

“Okay then. Thank you again, Baekhyun. See you some other time!” He bowed slightly to Baekhyun before throwing the bag over his shoulder. “Sehun, let’s go.”

The blond boy had been standing close by for some time; he nodded almost imperceptibly in Baekhyun’s direction on his way out, and the left. All the way, he followed Jongdae’s footsteps without a word.

Even though he had stopped complaining, Jongdae found the silence even more unsettling.

✎

The following morning, Sehun didn’t get up.

Jongdae was unsure if leaving him home alone was a good idea. Besides the issue of the boy being alone in itself, there was also the fact Sehun didn’t quite know anyone nor had a way to contact to anybody to ask for help in case something happened. Baekhyun and his assistants would most surely be willing to lend him a hand, but Jongdae only had one cell phone and leaving it with Sehun would be six of one, half a dozen of the other ― they would still be unable to communicate. On the other hand, even though Sehun had been in their world for only a short while, the ‘parallel universe’ he had come from was not that different from this one, and he was a grown up man; the chance of something so terribly wrong happening in the span of only one morning was, despite possible, very unlikely, and in the improbable case of a fire or something of the sort, one of Jongdae’s neighbors would be bound to come for his aid.

Leaning against the doorframe, Jongdae quietly observed the lean shape of Sehun’s body covered by his thin blanket, his back facing the door and only his blond locks visible over the pillow. Everything had happened so fast in the last 32 hours: finding Sehun, realizing who he was, convincing him of his theory ― and then looking for Mr. Catman’s author, spending the morning with Baekhyun, going to work, returning exhausted at the end of the day and having to take care of Sehun, making him dinner, washing the clothes Baekhyun had given them, going out to buy a bedroll at the closest market because his neck muscles would not survive another night in the couch. Jongdae had been so used to living by himself ever since he had started college three years before that having another person to take care of threw him completely off balance.

He seemed so peaceful now, his body barely moving as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, rhythmically ― so soothingly. It was a completely different scene from Sehun’s constant expressionless face in the past days that still seemed somewhat annoyed and bothered. Jongdae didn’t really blame him for that ― or rather, he was trying his best not to. As he had spoken to Baekhyun, his heart went out to the boy and the absolute hell he was going through. That night, Jongdae had dreamed (most certainly under the influence of everything that was happening) about finding himself in a world so similar and yet so different from his own that even his very own sense of being himself had been called into question; he had woken up with a throbbing heart and feeling so profoundly out of place it had taken him a full hour to be able to fall asleep again.

He had been subject to that experience only for a short while ― a dream. Having to welcome that hell as your new reality and living it constantly without rest was certainly more than most people could take…

He approached the bed with soft steps, contemplating Sehun’s sleeping face as it came into his sight, his eyes closed, his brows not furrowed as they usually were. He looked so much younger like that ― so vulnerable. Despite his cold façade, if the manhwa character was anything to go by, Sehun was actually a soft, tender, sensible boy. Jongdae ought to remember that.

Whispering a gentle “goodbye”, Jongdae left the room, inwardly hoping everything would somehow settle into place.

✎

“I’m going to tell you everything, but you have to promise me you won’t be judgmental.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow.

“That only made me even more likely to be judgmental towards what you’re going to tell me,” he remarked. “You know I’m pretty chill though. I’m not one to judge one night stands either. So unless you’ve moved in with this new boyfriend of yours all the sudden, it will be hard for you to shock me.”

Well…

“Believe me, it is pretty shocking. You have to listen to me with an open mind. Promise?”

“I’m so curious, I’ll accept anything you ask of me at this point. Just say it,” Minseok pleaded, taking a bite of his meal at the same time.

“Okay… Here it goes.” Jongdae inhaled sharply. “Don’t mind my date with Chanyeol, it was a disaster. The point is, when I got home, there was a boy sleeping in my bedroom. That same blond boy my neighbor saw,” he pointed out.

“Wait, so he invaded your apartment?!”

“That’s… That’s not it, exactly,” Jongdae looked down to his own plate. It was so embarrassing to tell it to other people, especially Minseok since he was usually so skeptical about most things. Baekhyun had been an exception because he had his fair share of weird ideas. “Do you remember that manhwa I was really into back in high school? Well, he’s the main character.”

Minseok kept staring at him, barely blinking.

“So what? No punch line?” He eventually asked when Jongdae didn’t continue. “I’m all for jokes but you have to, you know, tell them properly.”

“Minseok, I swear to god it’s not a joke,” Jongdae stated as serious as he could. “I managed to find the author afterwards and he talked to Sehun and everything and he said he’s absolutely positive it’s him.”

“So,” Minseok put down his fork, “you’re telling me that you’re sure this guy is a cartoon character that came to life because a pervy manhwa author ‘confirmed’ it?”

“Yes.”

“As in an actual cartoon character? The exact same character from the manhwa you used to read?”

“Yes.”

Minseok licked his lips slowly, his eyes never leaving Jongdae for even a second.

“Okay. Jongdae, I need you to be honest with me. Since I’m a Music major, I know a lot of people are into, let’s say it simply, illegal substances. Did Chanyeol happen to give you something?”

That was not going in the direction Jongdae hoped it would. “No―”

“Did he take you to a party and there’s where you met this blond guy?”

“No, that’s really not―”

“Did you keep your eyes on your drinks the whole evening? Are you sure he didn’t put anything in your drink?”

“Minseok, you promised you would listen to it with an open mind.”

“I know, but―” he sighed. “Jongdae, how do you expect me to believe that?”

“I know it’s hard, but I swear on all that’s dear to me that I’m positive this is the actual explanation,” their food was long forgotten in their plates now, Jongdae hurrying to convince his best friend before their lunchtime was over. He really needed Minseok’s support. “I understand you, I had a hard time coming to terms with it too… But I swear it’s the only answer that accounts for all the facts.”

It took a couple of minutes for Jongdae to get a reply. Minseok scratched his head, looked down at his plate, took another bite, looked around the university dining hall, and then spent quite some time gazing at the ceiling lamps. Jongdae didn’t actually realistically expect it to be any easier: Minseok was one of the most incredulous people he had ever met, and that was a difficult story to believe in. He had decided to tell him the truth despite knowing how hard it was going to be precisely because he was quite sure he’d need Minseok’s support and help given his circumstances. He always did. Junmyeon was a good friend, and Jongdae knew him for almost as long as he did Minseok; but Junmyeon was simply too sweet. It was difficult for him to be harsh or brutally honest even when the situation demanded him to ― and above all, he always expected the best of people.

Jongdae had been told he was a bit like that too, so he needed a friend to ground him, to help him keep it real. Perhaps that was why he and Minseok always got along so well.

“If you are so certain...” Minseok uttered suddenly, taking Jongdae by surprise. “Then ok, I can accept that.” Jongdae couldn’t help but smile; Minseok noticed and smiled too, although still visibly worried. “I hope you’re not making a mistake though.”

“I’m quite sure I’m not,” he appeased, slightly reassured now that he knew he could vent to Minseok about that situation if he ever needed to, “but I appreciate the worry, man. I really do.”

“Stop that, we’re way past those cheesy lines~” Jongdae laughed. He knew Minseok got embarrassed by such things ― honestly, that was one of the reasons he said them whenever he had an opportunity to. “So when do I get to meet this prince charming of yours?”

“It’s not like that,” he clarified flatly. Why was everybody insisting on that point? “I don’t know, I might bring him to campus tomorrow or some other day. I thought I’d better let him sleep in today since he hadn’t really had a break ever since he… Well, you know… Came to life. Or something like that.”

“Okay.” Minseok recovered his fork and started devouring the last bits of food on his plate quickly; he had classes to attend, Jongdae had to go to work and both of them had already spent enough time on that discussion. “Don’t take too long to introduce us though. If it’s a hoax, we’d better find out about it soon.”

Jongdae breathed out, mindlessly agreeing. Making Minseok believe in that story was going to be harder than he had thought.

✎

Jongdae ended up needing to vent to Minseok way earlier than he expected.

After talking to him that day, Jongdae had spent the afternoon pondering that perhaps having Sehun as his new roommate wouldn’t be so bad. There were quite a few reasons why ‘Oh Sehun’ had been his favorite character in manhwas for years, most related to how he portrayed almost all features Jongdae considered ideal in a potential partner. Towards the main character ― his lover ― ‘Oh Sehun’ was patient, kind, sensible, perceptive of all the smallest details and changes in his mood or behavior. He was generous, too, at both a shallow and at a deep level ― be it sharing his favorite food despite not wanting to or letting go of some of his life plans so that they could be together. Sehun would spoil his lover too, bringing him breakfast in bed, carrying out most of the other’s household chores whenever he spent the weekend at his place, surprising him by cooking his favorite food for lunch, buying him sweets for dessert that he knew the boy loved.

Combining that perfect behavior with the facts ‘Oh Sehun’ was also very smart, from a good family and a Law student, there were simply no faults to be found.

For a couple of years, that had been one of the reasons Jongdae had had so much trouble dating. He would always set the bar too high, his unrealistic expectations not allowing him to really give himself a chance to get to know the boys he went out with better. It was not to the point he would actually deem them as undesirable, but somehow finding out their flaws would always kill that spark within him and he’d just helplessly lose interest. Maturity had taught him to get over those feelings to some degree, although sometimes he would still daydream about his ideal type and how his life would change for the better would he ever meet his perfect person.

It was not the case that he expected Sehun to fill that role. Of course Sehun was very physically attractive ― Jongdae would be lying if he said his eyes hadn’t wandered across those broad shoulders, that slender body line and that perfectly proportioned face more than they should have. Jongdae was not the type to delude himself, however: he would never allow himself to desire things he knew he couldn’t reach. If he had had any hopes with Chanyeol, it had been only because Chanyeol had also showed interest, but this had been a most unforeseen outcome. It was usually more of a subconscious instinct than an actual rational decision, which is why Jongdae wouldn’t be lying if he said he really had not thought of Sehun that way not even once ever since they had met.

What he did think was that being roommates with someone as ‘Oh Sehun’ was bound to have its advantages. Maybe he wouldn’t be as considerate and accommodating to a friend (or a roommate) as he was to his lover in the series, but any gap (if there even was one) couldn’t be that substantial, could it?

The following days proved him wrong.

When he came home that first day to find Sehun splayed out on the couch watching TV and eating his last pint of ice cream, he had been quite happy the boy appeared to be recovering. When Sehun didn’t want to leave the house again the next morning, Jongdae thought it was OK to give him some more time to think, to decide what he wanted to do.

Walking in to Sehun eating whatever there was in his fridge after spending the whole day home became a routine throughout the subsequent weeks though. Jongdae would leave him sleeping and return to him apparently having spent the whole day in front of the TV, not-so-slowly finishing Jongdae’s monthly provisions in a matter of days. Jongdae tried taking him out of home on the first weekend, but Sehun turned down even his suggestion of paying Baekhyun a visit.

He had spent the first days without ever changing the pajamas Jongdae had lent him; when they started to smell, he got other clothes that fit him from Jongdae’s drawers; and when those also ended (since most of Jongdae’s shorts and pants were too small for him), he began wearing the most basic outfits from the clothes Baekhyun had given them. When Jongdae eventually took a look at the dirty laundry basket, he almost fainted because of the huge heap that had been placed over the lid, some pieces falling on the sides and onto the ground due to the messy arrangement. He had indeed noticed that Sehun had been wearing his clothes, but he had not realized it had been that much.

Jongdae actually had a washing machine home (small, but efficient), and he was pretty sure washing machines were already a thing back in the year Sehun’s manhwa was being published. Why had Sehun not taken at least a moment throughout the week to help him out?

Technology could not be used as an excuse for not washing the dishes either. These would also be piling up on the sink every night when Jongdae got home ― pans from Sehun’s cooking, yoghurt pots, lots of silverware and glasses ― and sometimes Sehun would even be shameless enough to drop dirty dishes into the sink at the very moment Jongdae was washing them. If he’d at least cook for the both of them, Jongdae could consider washing the dishes as his fair share of the chores; but even at night when he was home Sehun would cook only for himself, slurping loudly while eating as if to mock him further.

“You’re too nice,” Minseok would say every time Jongdae called him to complain. At that night, some three weeks after everything had started, too ― that was his first reaction. “I wouldn’t be stressing over someone like him… Would’ve kicked him out a long time ago if I were you. He’s not your responsibility.”

“I know he isn’t,” Jongdae admitted, “but what am I supposed to do?”

“Take him to a hospital, tells them he lost his memory. Or even let him tell the ‘truth’, I bet the effect will be same.” He snickered. Jongdae couldn’t really disagree. “You know I’m still not convinced by this whole story. Perhaps he’s a real psychopath, or perhaps he’s just plain crazy.”

“I’m telling you, he’s straight out-the-book my favorite character of all times.” Maybe not that favorite now anymore, but still. “There’s no way he could do this on his own. The manhwa author and his assistants also agreed to this theory, remember?”

“For all we know they could be plotting together against you. This could be a new type of reality show… Or they’re all maniacs and you’re their target for some reason.”

Jongdae sighed. “I think I’d rather believe him for now. If it’s all a sham, then I may be playing a fool or perhaps even be in danger ― who knows. But if it’s true, then wouldn’t Sehun be going through a really difficult moment right now?”

“He doesn’t seem to be taking your feelings into consideration that much.”

“I know… I know.” Jongdae rubbed his face with his free hand, tired. “But I’d feel like an ass if I kicked him out now. Maybe he’s still getting used to everything.”

“You shouldn’t let him walk all over you like he’s been doing though.” Minseok was right, of course. However, it was so hard to talk to Sehun ― he wouldn’t give him a chance to even as much as having a proper conversation. “You know I’m just worried, right? I want you to take care of yourself.”

“I know, Minseok.” His advices, as always, rang deep within Jongdae. He needed to take action. “Thank you, bro.”

✎

“Okay, this is it. Sehun, we need to talk.”

Jongdae was standing in front of the fridge, the door open and his hand still holding feebly to the handle. Half a dozen eggs, two chicken breasts, a whole loaf of bread, some ham and cheese ― where had it all gone?!

“...” was the boy’s response from over the couch (as always). Jongdae turned his head to look at Sehun’s nape, his blond hair silky and shiny. That’s right, I’m running out of shampoo and conditioner too.

“Where’re all the things I bought this morning?” Jongdae asked simply, trying to keep his cool. Perhaps there was a good explanation. No need to overreact yet.

“...” It was hard to tell if Sehun had heard him or not by only looking at his back. “I wanted to try making poached eggs like they were showing on TV but... Didn’t work.” So he had heard. “Got distracted while cooking the chicken and it burned. Had to eat sandwiches.”

“Did you eat the whole loaf of bread?” Jongdae asked, ignoring the half-telegraphic answers.

“Kinda, yeah.”

“Did it cross your mind at any moment that I’d also need to eat when I got home?”

“...There’s still rice.”

Jongdae had to summon all his self-control not to throw a (dirty) plate at Sehun or jump on his neck. Sehun had some nerve. Yes, there was only rice… As there had been in four out of seven nights the past week. Unlike Sehun, Jongdae actually did leave the apartment and was a functioning adult ― he needed to fucking eat properly.

“If you’re not going to work or do anything useful, the least you could do is not eat all my food!” he bursted. “I’m trying to be sympathetic, but with you emptying the fridge all the time and ― did you see the energy and the water bills?! You’re making me broke as fuck!”

Sehun moved his head in his direction, staring at him with scorn in his eyes. Nice. At least he had drawn a reaction.

“Well, I’m so sorry if my lack of family, friends, job, past and another place to crash bothers you.” Sarcasm was dripping from his voice, although his tone itself was still quite moderate. “I’ll be sure to ask whoever, or whatever, was responsible for this to give me at least a fucking job next time, so that I can pay you the fucking rent.”

“That’s not the point!” Jongdae exclaimed in exasperation. “It’s just… I’m broke and at this rate all this spending won’t slow down any time soon! I don’t know if my money will last until you―”

Jongdae stopped on his tracks when he realized what he was about to say. However, the message didn’t escape Sehun either.

“Until I what?”

“I mean―” he stuttered a bit while he thought carefully about what he was going to say. Shit. “I mean I don’t know for how much longer I’ll be able to carry on like th―”

“You think I’ll just disappear, don’t you?” Sehun said, disdainful. “You’re just waiting for that moment to come, you’re actually fucking looking forward to it, aren’t you?!”

“Sehun, that was not my point―”

“Fuck your point. Fuck it all. Know what?” He got up from the couch, walking towards the entrance door. “Don’t worry, I’ll make your life easier.” He put on his only sneakers before he turned the key on the lock, popping the door open. He gave Jongdae one last loathing look. his mouth slightly twitching at the corners. “Good fucking bye.”

“Wait, Sehun!” Jongdae dashed to the hall, putting his shoes again quickly before running after the boy. He was already going down the first flight of stairs at the end of the corridor when Jongdae locked the door. “Sehun!” He cried on top of the stairs; he could see Sehun’s blond hair making a turn one floor below. “Where’re you going?!”

His voice echoed down the stairs, but Sehun didn’t answer back. Jongdae started jumping down the steps two by two, worried that Sehun might get to the street too far before him ― Sehun hadn’t ventured out of the apartment a lot, but most likely it was already enough for him to lose Jongdae in the dark streets of Seoul if he wanted to.

Fortunately, when he reached the building’s entrance and looked around, Sehun’s figure was still visible at the corner of their block, his pace fast and steady but at least he wasn’t running. Jongdae was slightly breathless by the time he got to him in the middle of the next block, holding his arm firmly to force him to stop in front of a dark alley. It wasn’t so late yet, so all that action did draw some attention from the people on the street, especially considering there was convenience store just next to where they were; most of them just gave them looks as they passed by, but a few stopped in front of some shops that were still open, eyeing them curiously.

“Where... are you… going?” Jongdae asked through huffs of air, his fingers digging into Sehun’s arm just enough to prevent him from getting away (although that didn’t seem to be Sehun’s plan).

“Anywhere.” He was surprisingly calm. “It doesn’t matter, really. Anywhere where I won’t bother you anymore. Isn’t that good enough?”

“Not, it isn’t. Don’t you see that I’m just trying to help you?!”

“Telling me that you’re anxious for me to leave isn’t quite my definition of help. I’m just trying to speed up the process for you.”

If he was testing Jongdae’s patience, he was getting dangerously close to the limit. “God, are all materialized comics characters stubborn as you?!”

“I’m not stubborn.” Oh, did that hit a nerve? “Why do you even care so much about me?!”

“I…” There wasn’t any deep reason. Jongdae simply couldn’t help feeling that ‘Oh Sehun’ being his favorite character for years and Sehun appearing out of the blue inside his bedroom wasn’t just a coincidence. “I just feel responsible, ok?”

“Why?” Sehun’s voice was trembling a bit now, the first traces of his anger showing. “Were you the one who asked a falling star to materialize me so that you could fulfill one of your fantasies or something? Because you couldn’t get laid, you thought having your personal fuckboy would be easier?”

That did it. “You’re a fucking douchebag, you know that? I’m here trying to fucking help you and all you can do is think about yourself?! Well, guess what ― my life was much easier without you around. Perhaps it really would be for the better if you’d just fucking vanish!”

Sehun was taken aback, and for a few instants the two of them just stared at each other, the hot fury inside Jongdae’s chest quickly subsuming as his rationality returned and he realized what he had said. His grip on Sehun’s arm loosened as Jongdae raised his eyes to meet the other’s, but Sehun kept looking to the ground, his bottom lip trapped under his teeth.

“Sehun, I’m― I’m sorry―”

“I knew these were your feelings, but…” the blond boy interrupted him, paying no attention to what Jongdae was saying, “it’s... different, actually hearing these words.”

Jongdae could see the hurt in his eyes even without looking at them directly. His slightly slumped posture, his fallen arms on his sides, how hard he was avoiding his gaze ― everything pointed out to how vulnerable Sehun was at that moment. He regretted the words he had uttered, but at the same time, perhaps that harshness was what it took to finally make the blond boy open up ― their chance to finally set things straight.

He looked around, realizing there was quite a large group of people peeking at them from inside the convenience store. On one hand, he didn’t care that much; on the other hand, they were quite close to his apartment and he didn’t want to incur the risk of any of his neighbors hearing and misunderstanding them. Inhaling deeply, he grabbed Sehun’s hand, whispering a low “follow me” under his breath before he started pulling him through the street, going back to his place.

It was only when the both of them were sitting next to each other on the couch that Jongdae spoke again.

“Oh Sehun, can you please listen to me?” He could not let Sehun harbor those self-destructive thoughts from before. Even if he did wonder whether Sehun was a permanent or a passing addition to his world, that had nothing to do with their problems at hand. “Listen, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I don’t think like that, I swear. It was just the heat of the moment. You teased me and I fell for it. Ok?”

“Behind every lie there’s a grain of truth,” Sehun remarked, still not meeting his eyes.

“The grain of truth here is that my life was indeed easier without you around. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you around. Get it?” After Sehun nodded, Jongdae continued. “Listen. I know you didn’t ask for any of this. That your previous existence was something else entirely. That I can’t really get your feelings because I haven’t been transported into a different world where I don’t have friends, family, nor a past. I understand that. But Sehun, I didn’t ask for any of it either. I didn’t ask for you to appear inside my bedroom and mess up my schedules and my budget. I’m not blaming you,” he emphasized when he realized the look on Sehun’s eyes, “I’m just trying to say this situation is challenging for me too. Bottom line being, we are in this together. Can you agree to that?”

“... I suppose.” His voice wasn’t angry anymore, and despite his generally flat intonation, Jongdae had the feeling he could sense a certain degree of content in Sehun’s voice. Had he gotten used enough to Sehun’s way of speaking that he could notice even its small variations or was he just imagining it?

“That’s a good start.” Jongdae smiled. “Now, I’m not blaming you, but I was serious when I said my budget cannot afford this lifestyle for much longer. That doesn’t mean I want you out though. We just have to figure something out. To do that, we need to talk. Do you understand? I really need you to talk to me.”

“...” That time, he could see that Sehun’s silence was not out of rudeness but rather that he was thinking, and so he waited. “About what?” He mumbled eventually, his fingers playing with some loose threads from the couch.

“Everything. What you’re feeling, how your day was, what you need. Where the hell you’ve been stuffing all that food, since it’s not going to your belly.” There was slight twitch of a smile at the corner of Sehun’s lips; Jongdae felt quite satisfied with himself. “Nothing will change if you just keep to yourself all the time, watching TV the whole day. I’m not saying I have a solution, because I don’t... But I want you to seriously think about what you want your life to be like from now on. For better or worse, this is also your world now.” He stretched his arm forward, offering his hand. “Deal?”

Sehun finally raised his eyes to him; Jongdae felt that was the first time he was actually looking at him as an equal: no suspicions, no prejudices, only the mutual desire for a brand new beginning.

The blond enveloped Jongdae’s hand in his, and at that very moment, the shorter boy hoped his proposal of finding an answer to their problems together wouldn’t come to a dead end in the future.