Chapter Text
A bright being in the twinkling dark sky shines brightly against the many other stars. Most stars show a bit of their light to shyly introduce itself within the empty canvas that is the sky, but this one does not fret to ask in the slightest.
It fell from the night sky like a droplet in a man's sweating face, the glistening colours of its trail captivating to the average person, though not to this man.
A strange figure laughs behind his wooden mask, muffling any sounds he made. "It's him again..." He cryptically stated, his eyes entranced by the skies that rarely sparkled and showed its true beauty in confidence, but had also frequently shown itself.
Though, nothing seems to have occurred from the fall, he ought to witness something once more.
Ryeowook stirs himself awake, the soft cushion of his comfortable, and familiar abode replaced by a grainy, wet, and unfamiliar surface drenched in the salt waters that gently surged towards the surface that his instincts did not immediately take notice of.
He was more or less half awake, the hoods of his eyes nearing shut, and the sun's gentleness didn't appear to have reminded him of a "Good Morning".
He groaned as he tossed and turned on the sand, expecting himself to reach the edge of what once was his bed, or fall to the place which was once the tiles of his bedroom, and yet— he did not. He felt even more sand and rock, which had immediately made his body jump up, immediately feeling the cold waters and air blow through him gently, his spine then immediately shuddering in shock.
"Where the hell am I?!" He exclaimed in fear, his eyes widened as his feet pushed him away from the cold, teal-ish water until his eyes had coincidentally landed on a distant figure sat atop a large boulder formed out of limestone.
The man appeared to be taller than Ryeowook, and had somewhat similar, curtain-like hair just like Ryeowook (if he fixed his hair up, that is.), his eyes sharp, and similarly colored to the tint of almond.
The man also had a dark blue cloak stitched in multiple fabrics dyed pink, gray, or green splashes— like an abstract painting.
"Now who the hell is that guy...?!" He whispered to himself in shock. Though thankfully he wasn't really alone, he was still creeped out by... Basically everything around him.
But either way, he slowly picked up his own feet, and began walking to the man who was looking upon the blue ocean's horizons with a rather distant stare, watching as the man's cloak and raven hair flowed softly against the cold winds, as he hoped to find some answers to who or where he exactly was.
Hearing the soft foot steps and the crackling of rock against Ryeowook's feet, the man turns around to see what was to be a very familiar boy, and once Ryeowook was getting closer to the taller man, there he saw the elegant, gentle features of each and every single one of that man's face. It was familiar to him as well, but also not.
Oncr the man turned to where Ryeowook was standing like a petit little boy, he hopped off of the boulder, standing equally in front of each other.
"Who are you?" Ryeowook blurts out loudly against the quiet surges of the waves.
The man feigned a frown. "Do you not remember?" His gaze instantly somber, sighing. "Do I have to tell you again?"
He was used to this.
"Did you send me here?" Ryeowook shook his head, dismissing the confusing question, "And, where am I?"
"Slow down, slow down!" Yesung chuckled with a playful smile, quite enjoying the shorter's utter confusion.
"Just call me Yesung. I haven't sent you here or anything like that, just so you know. I literally have no idea why you're here."
Ryeowook rolled his eyes in frustration, his glaring narrowing. "Aren't you helpful?" He sarcastically whispered to himself— his brows furrowing as his fingers reached his temples and began massaging it.
Yesung shook his head. "Nope, not even close."
"...Then have I met you?'
"You could tell by the way I talk."
"Just bring me back home, I have my finals this week, you know?" Ryeowook demanded, unable to take what seemed to him was utter bullshit.
Yesung sighed, his shoulders raised into a shrug. " I've tried, don't worry. That's why we're here again."
Out of literally nowhere, Yesung produced a wooden mask within his cloak, the mask adorned with blue paint, and cute ears that resembled one of an adorable giraffe, which was coincidentally— Ryeowook's favourite animal. "As per usual, please take this from me. It's gonna be hard when the winds grow stronger, so I think this is best for you to wear sometimes. Adding to that, I carved it into your favourite animal." He smiled happily.
Though Ryeowook was seemingly impressed by the man who had THAT much artistic talent to do something impressive, he couldn't help but say, "You're weird."
"Not the first I've heard of it, even from other people. I got a few loose screws, you could say." He plainly said, as if he was boasting about it.
"At least you aren't stupid, and you're aware of that."
"I've seen that one coming."
"Come on, I'm not that predictable."
"Fifth time you've said that." He teased with a smug face that definitely deserved a slap on the face.
"So what? Is this a time loop? Is that why you know me?" Ryeowook sternly asked.
"Well, basically yeah." Yesung nodded simply. "And in short, I'm just helping you around to get out of here." He added until his voice grew quite once he whispered, "Well, I try to."
"Knowing you could tell what I'll say," Ryeowook commented
"You/I haven't found out yet?" They simultaneously spoke.
"Jinx on you." The younger immediately blurted out, immediately finding some surge of triumphancy and happiness despite his odd situation. "You're really slow." He flexed with a boastful smile.
"Well, I may be slow, but I can still tell you what you're thinking." Yesung reassured himself whilst a light bulb suddenly flickered within his head. "Actually, I know a ton about you."
Ryeowook spoke, his eyes rolling off in arrogance until they simultaneously spoke, "Well, isn't that obvious! We're stuck in a time loop I can't even get out of!" Which immediately irritated Ryeowook.
"Stop copying me now, alright? I get it!" He snapped, his flare darkened, his eyes fueled with fire. "Just cut it off, and help me because that's apparently the end goal here." He commanded, his voice cold, and authoritative, which was something Yesung kinda saw coming, but went through with the teasing for fun.
Yesung sighed, raising his two hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry, okay? I promise I'll try, but it doesn't mean it'll actually work out." He warned the man, finally trying to speak in some sense of seriousness before he gestured Ryeowook to follow him, which slightly bewildered the other After all, how was he going to trust that weird dickhead could save him from this bullshit that's basically this entire world? If he had failed so many times, was Ryeowook so sure that this time, the two of them would break what seemed to be an unbreakable cycle?
"What if you failed again?" Ryeowook spoke, his voice filled with worry.
The older answered vaguely, "Then at least we'll fail together... Again."
It was a quiet, yet simple answer, but it hit somewhat hard for the victim in this case. Ryeowook didn't know how much Yesung had gone through to try and save him countless of times, and he was somewhat surprised that the man in front of him had that much hope and persistence to continue until Ryeowook himself began to feel predictable.
But either way, Ryeowook peered his feet shyly towards the older and began to follow him a few feet behind across the rock beach until a small cavern crept up from his sight, the waters glistening like the starry skies last night that made a boundary with the salty ocean, and the freshwater stream that treaded deeper within the crevices of the cave.
Little did he know, something within him began to hurt a little every step unbeknownst to Ryeowook and Yesung.
"Your hair and clothes are sandy, so I figured let's probably clean you up here." Yesung casually advised as Ryeowook's foot submerged within the cold liquid, his spine shivering once more from the sudden drop in temperature. Yesung did nothing but chuckle at the younger's reaction. "Cold, isn't it?" He laughed. "I'm used to that type of cold, since I wash myself when I get a little stinky."
"So you stank up the whole freaking pond?" Ryeowook teased.
"You're funny, huh?" Yesung sarcastically replied, "It's really uncomfortable having sand all over your body, so just do that one thing for yourself."
Ryeowook sighed, knowing Yesung kinda had a point about how irritating it was for his skin to be stuck with sand and rocks(potentially ants and other bullshit too), and he couldn't really fight back like he did earlier.
Hence slowly, his feet peered deeper into the cold waters until half of his body was ought to be submerged into the waters.
"You know, when I woke up, I didn't expect to be taking a bath in the middle of a cavern."
"Neither did I, but you'll get used to it."
"Look, I really, REALLY wanna go home, so make it quick. That's all I'll really ask for." Ryeowook continued as his sleepwear was tainted in a dark tint due to the water that he submerged them into.
"I can't reassure that you could in a day or so, because they'll take weeks. I don't know, can't really count."
Ryeowook groaned as he splashed more water to calm his panicking senses down. It wouldn't really be pleasant if he just crashed out half the time, and couldn't help Yesung whilst the situation's severity began to sink deeper and deeper within him.
"Wow great, what the hell did I even do?" He sighed, wallowing miserably in the rather despairing situation.
Yesung remained silent as he simply shrugged, knowing he had no way of comforting the man properly.
"And then what? It'll start over again just because you or I fucked up something... Did I do something THAT horrible that I've probably stayed here for so long? How long has it even been?!" He snapped, a kettle in his head ringing loudly as he had reached a sort of breaking point.
"...143 times... Including now." He instinctively answered the rhetorical question.
Ryeowook scoffed. "Let me guess, I've asked that before, so that's why you answered, huh?" He sarcastically answered, and Yesung did nothing else but nod as Ryeowook broke down in anger, which Yesung couldn't do or say much, as he understood the younger's frustrations.
"Tell me, I've asked this before, haven't I?!" Ryeowook exclaimed further, his eyes glaring angrily as he stood up from the cold waters with his soaked pajamas and body, ignoring the shivering cold of the wind as he clenched his hands into balls, trying to stop himself from doing anything irrational, and holding onto a thread of calmness.
Yesung nodded hesitantly. "...You have." He plainly replied, his expression unreadable as his heart grew heavier from the gradual breakdown of the other as his bright eyes he was used to feeling slowly broke down its dams and welcomed its tears to let go gradually.
"... I'm sorry." He murmured. He saw it coming, but either way it didn't dull the guilt he had.
He wanted to reach out and embrace the man, but he knew Ryeowook had pride and would push him away no matter what he did, and wouldn't let him come any closer.
"If it helps, I don't think time flows normally— or parallel to the real world, and if you come back to the real world, you'd probably still have a few hours left of the same day you left before midnight." He murmured quietly.
"H-huh?" Ryeowook fumbled for words as he heard the others reassurance, raising his eyebrows once a fire of hope flickered within him, and his eyes puffy and red from the violent tears.
"I've seen... Glimpses of the real world. I didn't see it change at all from when I last remembered it." Yesung clarified calmly as he slowly sat down to the surface of the stone cave once he saw Ryeowook calm down slightly from his words. "You're a third year, right? Me too, so I don't think it's even been a year." He explained.
"...What batch?" Ryeowook hummed as he rubbed the nook of his neck, his eyes drifting away from Yesung's gaze.
"2019-2020."
"...2022-2023."
"... It's been 2 years?"
Ryeowook nodded. "What else? Shouldn't you be in college, then?" The question slowly distracts his earlier frustration.
"I don't feel like I've matured enough to be twenty, okay?" Yesung sighed with defeat.
"Even so, I still wanna get out of here." He repeated as he sat down alongside Yesung.
"So, are you done bathing?"
"Obviously."
He silently produces a pair of clothes once he hears Ryeowook's sassy reply. A pair of loose, thin trousers and a t-shirt, but also a ragged cloak patched with multiple other fabrics. "Use these. I kinda made these myself... Including the mask."
"You've really grown accustomed to all this bullshit, huh?" Ryeowook scoffed as he hesitantly took the clothing, the fabrics soaking upon contact with his wet hands before Yesung turned his head away from the younger body.
"Go dress. I won't look." He ordered as he blankly stared at the horizon— this time with a fond look, as if he immediately thought of Ryeowook wearing his clothes(not that he had a choice, though.), and looking rather stunning in them.
The younger complies as began to dress himself up and fall into the loose clothing that did little to assist his struggles against the cold air despite the morning sun before patting the man from behind. "I'm done. What else do you want me to do, hm?"
Yesung turned around before he treated himself from the view of Ryeowook, who looked as fine— no, beautiful as ever! Not because he was wearing what Yesung had tried to sew, but just... How nice he looked in white.
"...You look nice." He managed to fumble for words despite his calm demeanor that contrasted anything he fucking said like at all.
Ryeowook blushed from the compliment, his eyes gazing away from the older's gentle gaze. "You just wanted me to wear your clothing, didn't you?"
He nodded, laughing as he beamed a bright, charming smile. "Hahahaha... Maybe. I mean.. Either way you look pretty." He continued, knowing the other would feel even more agitated from his comments.
"Let's just go to what's important, I don't care if I look nice— just keep quiet!" Ryeowook quickly shuts off anything he would do before he could do anything as he began walking out to the exit, as each and every single bump of the rocks somehow caused the earlier pain to ache even further as he whimpered and moaned in each and every single sensation. He didn't know why, or how in fact— but all he knew was that it hurts like shit, man. But, it didn't go past Yesung's ears, who appeared to be rather concerned.
"What's wrong?" He exclaimed across the cavern.
"My feet hurt like heck, I barely even walked." Ryeowook complained, as he slowly raised his foot's sole to inspect what appeared to be a scar on one of them, dirtied by the grains of sand.
"AHH!!! WHAT THE FUCK?!" He roared, distraught as his other foot jumped in panic, quickly dipping the injured sole onto the water. "When the fuck did I get that?!?!" Ryeowook wailed, his eyes widened in fear as his foot shook against the water, producing small ripples in the midst of his panic.
"Ryeowook?" The older person called out his name before he ran towards him in a matter of seconds, showcasing his utter athleticism(or perhaps also his ability to have adapted within these lands in a matter of 2 years.)
"Are you okay?" He wondered as he quickly ran towards the injured younger, raising the guy's foot up away from the water as his chocolatey eyes bore witness to the rather disturbing scar that pierced his skin, perhaps due to the sharp rocks. "I should've remembered to bring sandals, I'm sorry." He profusely said, his voice small, and filled with consuming regret.