Chapter Text
Hyun Woo’s eyes snap open and he inhales sharply, body jolting like he’s been electrocuted.
He feel’s a firm hand squeeze his shoulder, and though his knee jerk response would normally be flailing around and taking stock of his surroundings, he instead relaxes. He knows that hand. That’s Noona’s hand.
”Hyun Woo? What’s the matter? You nervous?”
Hyun Woo doesn’t know what he’s feeling, but he does know that every second he’s not hugging his Noona is a second wasted. His eyes land on her face and he immediately bursts into tears, throwing himself into her arms. Hyuna Noona’s face seems younger than he remembers, but it is doubtlessly her. His sister’s familiar arms engulf him, and he gradually calms down, taking deep breaths.
”I know this place is a bit scary, but we’ll be okay. We’re together, and if anyone bothers you, I’ll punch them.”
Hmm? Those words sound a bit familiar. All of his muscles go taut with tension. He pulls away from Hyuna, really looks at her face this time. Okay, yeah, her face definitely looks younger. Several years younger.
Hyun Woo looks around Anakt Garden, sees several familiar faces, except none of them look as mature as they should.
His eyes land on a soft head of blond hair and Hyun Woo’s breath hitches.
It hurts it hurts it hurts why is Luka smiling I’m hurt please I need help I need
Hyun Woo’s eyes squeeze shut and he winces, feeling a phantom throb of pain against the back of his skull.
”Hyun Woo?” Hyuna’s voice is laced with concern.
The sound of his name pulls him back. He smiles at her, genuine but tinged with pain. “Sorry, Noona. I’m okay. I’m just happy you’re here with me.”
Hyuna ruffles his hair. “Crying like a baby one minute, and then getting all happy the next.” She sighs. “What am I going to do with you?”
Hyun Woo grins up at her. He missed her. In his last moments, he wished for her more than anything.
His smile drops as it hits him. He died. He’s certain that he died. Luka killed him. One minute they were arguing about Luka’s attempt to kiss Hyuna, the next Luka was picking up a rock, and… Well, now he’s here.
Hyun Woo tugs on his sister’s sleeve. ”Noona! He’s crazy! Luka is-“
“Slow down. Who’s Luka?”
Hyun Woo’s hand drops to his side. He takes a deep breath, looks around Anakt Garden again.
He has no idea what’s going on, but he knows that something isn’t right. Everyone is younger, Noona is acting like she doesn’t know who Luka is, and-!
Did he… go back in time?
That’s absurd, right? But he can’t think of any other explanation.
A pained screech makes Hyun Woo jump, and his hand snaps towards the sound. A kid lays screaming on the ground, having clearly just fallen from a tree. His arm is at an awkward angle, it looks painful.
Hyun Woo and Hyuna both recoil, and then Hyuna is rushing over, trying to help him. An alien arrives not long after Hyuna does, and escorts the kid away.
That’s exactly what happened at Hyun Woo’s first day at Anakt Garden.
He wants to laugh. He wants to cry.
He goes to comfort Noona. She looks just as upset and disturbed as she did the first time this happened.
Hyuna is strong and kind. It’s in her nature to help those in need. That’s why Hyuna is upset that she couldn’t help the boy who fell from the tree, and it’s also why Hyuna will reach out to Luka in a few months. She’ll notice how alone he is, how different he is from the other kids, how sorely he craves affection.
Hyun Woo can’t stop his eyes from drifting towards Luka. He sits under a tree, knees bent and arms folded on top of them, his cheek lying on his forearm. He looks utterly disinterested in the commotion around him. His eyes are blank, void of light. Bored.
A few months from now, those eyes will be focused on Noona. Once he sees her, it’s like she’s all he can see.
Hyun Woo remembers the distress on Noona’s face, vividly remembers the pain in her voice as she told her younger twin brother that Luka tried to forcefully kiss her. He remembers being so angry that he hunted Luka down to give him a beating that cost Hyun Woo his life.
Never again. Hyun Woo will never let Luka put her through that again. And if he can avoid getting murdered in the process, that would be a plus.
Murdered… it’s so weird to think about. He thought he and Luka were friends. Sure, they didn’t get along super well, and they were always competing for Hyuna’s attention, but they spent a lot of time together. The three of them went everywhere together. And yeah, maybe Hyuna was always walking in between them, but still, it meant something. It should’ve… It should’ve meant something.
Maybe it’s Hyun Woo’s fault for not reading the room. Luka’s eyes were always, always, always glued to Hyuna. Luka only ever looked at him like he was a nuisance. God! It pisses him off just thinking about it. Hyun Woo will never let Luka have Noona! He’s not worthy! Noona is kind-hearted, and Luka is probably a psychopath.
If Hyun Woo is truly getting a chance to start over, he’s going to use it to keep Luka from ever even making eye contact with Hyuna!
…
Okay, so his plan could use some revision. Maybe no eye contact is unrealistic, Hyun Woo amends the following day.
He watches Luka from across the field while Hyuna takes a nap on the grass, arms crossed behind her head. Luka is a sad sight. He’s sitting in the same spot as yesterday, blue fingertips clutching at his elbows.
Hyun Woo will be the first to admit that he’s not a very observant person. In the past, he didn’t notice Luka until Hyuna introduced them. But now, it’s hard to draw his gaze away. He has so little presence, he looks like a ghost. Hyun Woo feels like his hand would pass right through Luka if he tried to touch him. Ugh, he can see why Hyuna will start to feel bad for him in the future.
No amount of pity will make Hyun Woo forgive him though! He’s a little psycho! Hyun Woo sees through him now!
But the fact remains, Hyuna will take notice of him. Hyun Woo can’t think of any way to prevent it. Hyun Woo won’t be able to convince Hyuna not to approach him, either. His stubborn sister will do what she wants, regardless of his opinion. Besides, what could he tell her? ‘I know I sound crazy, but I’m actually from the future. See that angelic kid over there? He’s going to obsess over you and then murder me.’
Yeah, that would go well.
He can’t just say he has a bad feeling about Luka, or Hyuna will just think Hyun Woo is excluding him. Hyun Woo might have a few mental years on his sister now, but he’s still afraid of disappointing her.
So, what’s he supposed to do?
Hyun Woo watches as Luka zones out so hard that he starts to drool on his sleeve. The lights are on, but nobody’s home. Damn it, Luka! Stop looking pitiful! It’s that sad, empty expression of his that drew Noona’s attention!
Hyun Woo understands why Luka liked Hyuna’s attention so much. He seems like his life is empty. Of course he’d cling on to someone as wonderful as Noona. He gets it. Noona is great. Noona is the greatest. Noona is always there when you need her. Noona-
Noona my head hurts where are you Noona my vision is going black Noona I need you please Noona Noona Noona
Noona is really cool.
Can’t Luka please just find friends that aren’t Hyuna? But who would be friends with sickly, off putting Luka?
A horrible, sickening idea pops into Hyun Woo’s head. He hears Hyuna’s voice in his brain, “It’s okay to ask for help, but you shouldn’t ask someone to do something that you yourself aren’t willing to do.”
Is he really thinking of befriending his ex-murderer before Hyuna can?
Yes. Yes he is.
Everything about the idea screams unwise, but he can’t think of another solution. Hyuna won’t settle for Luka being all sad and alone and mopey. But in the past (future?), Hyuna thought Luka could do no wrong. Hyun Woo knows that Luka can very much do wrong, and evil thoughts are probably the only thing he thinks in that seemingly empty head of his.
Maybe Hyun Woo can teach him not to act like a psychopath? Fuck, the idea sounds stupid even to him, but he can’t think of anything else. At the very least, he can try to get Luka to like him enough not to murder him. Maybe he can try to introduce Luka to friends other than he and his sister, so that he doesn’t fixate on Noona so much. And if all else fails, when the time comes for Hyun Woo to beat the shit out of Luka, he will first clear the area of any rocks.
Whatever, it’s worth a shot. He can abandon this strategy whenever he feels like it anyway.
Hyun Woo gets to his feet and starts walking towards Luka, each step practically against his will. About a foot away from Luka, Hyun Woo steels himself and crouches in front of him. “Hey.”
Luka barely acknowledges him with those glassy eyes of his. An awkward silence fills the air. How did Hyuna manage this in the past? Hyun Woo’s pretty sure that she took him by the hand and dragged him into the sun, all but forcing him to play with them. But Hyun Woo isn’t Noona, and the thought of touching the hand that killed him makes him sick.
Maybe if things were different between them, Hyun Woo would’ve been able to smile at him and offer his hand, but things aren’t different.
Hyun Woo frowns, feels like he’s fighting a losing battle, and drops next to Luka in defeat. They don’t say anything. Hyun Woo watches Hyuna from a distance, just to make sure that no one bothers her while she naps. He doesn’t really want to look at Luka anyway.
Minutes pass, Hyun Woo starts to zone out. They must be quite the picture, two boys sitting next to each other with stupid expressions. The barely audible chatter of teeth pulls Hyun Woo out of his stupor, and he turns to Luka. He didn’t notice until now, but Luka is shivering.
Hyun Woo wishes Luka would stop being so pitiful. He’s already dealing with too many conflicting emotions, thank you very much.
Luka gets cold so easily. Hyun Woo is pretty sure there’s something wrong with his health but he doesn’t know the details. His eyes land on Luka’s stiff, blue fingertips. He bets they’re so cold they hurt.
Hyun Woo finds himself reaching out to Luka’s nearest hand before his brain can catch up. He covers his hand with his own, squeezing his fingers in an effort to warm them up. They’re like little icicles in his palm.
Huh. Maybe touching Luka’s hand isn’t as repulsive as he thought.
Hyun Woo’s past fondness and resentment for Luka are at war with each other, and as a result, his conflicting behavior confuses even himself. It’s so easy to fall into old habits of treating Luka as a friend, just as easy as it is to hate him. Hyun Woo’s emotions are tied in knots.
Luka stares at their joint hands, his face giving away nothing. He could be angry or disgusted, and Hyun Woo would never know.
Luka’s fingers are still cold, but they’re not as icey as they were, so Hyun Woo switches to his other hand. Luka puts up no resistance, merely watching like he’s a spectator in his own body.
Another moment of silence passes. “What’s your name?” Luka finally asks. And god, Hyun Woo never realized how much his voice had changed in just a few years. He sounds so young.
”Hyun Woo,” he replies, and tries to hide his reluctance to speak. Weird. Everything about this interaction is weird.
Luka’s eyes bore into Hyun Woo’s. They’re as inexpressive as always, but there’s a certain intensity to them that make Hyun Woo shiver. “Aren’t you going to ask for my name?”
Why would he when he already knows it? Hyun Woo doesn’t reply, unable to focus on anything other than Luka’s unnerving gaze.
”It’s Luka.”
Hyun Woo nods silently, trying not to grimace at the introduction he didn’t need.
Luka’s mouth curves into a gentle smile. He looks innocent, absolutely angelic. It’s the kind of smile that makes Hyun Woo want to crush Luka in a hug and shield him from the world, and maybe strangle him while he’s at it, because he’s no longer sure if Luka’s smiles are genuine.
Before he closes his eyes for the last time he catches a glimpse of Luka’s face and he’s smiling and he looks euphoric and why why why
Hyun Woo’s only certain of the genuineness of one of Luka’s smiles, and he never wants to see that look on his face ever again.
”Won’t you please say my name, Hyun Woo? You’ll remember it better if you say it aloud.”
”Luka,” comes out of Hyun Woo’s mouth like it was punched out of his gut. There’s an emotion in his voice that even he himself cannot identify.
Luka’s smile is filled with praise, like Hyun Woo just completed some noteworthy task.
Hyun Woo drops his hand, and Luka stares down at his fingers, a paler shade of blue than they were before.
”My face is cold,” Luka says.
And what would you like me to do about it? Hyun Woo would like to snap. Except, he knows exactly what he could do. And didn’t he already commit to trying to befriend Luka, for real this time? Luka’s not asking much.
Hyun Woo sighs, rubs his hands together to rid them of the cold from Luka’s fingers, and places them on Luka’s cheeks. They’re soft and not as cold as Luka’s hands, but still colder than they should be in this nice weather.
Luka relaxes into the touch until Hyun Woo is practically holding his head up for him. Hyun Woo watches Luka’s eyes go half-lidded. Hyun Woo’s pretty sure that’s the expression that Luka makes when he’s pleased, but it’s never been directed at him before, only Hyuna.
”Made a friend?”
Hyun Woo jumps, pulling his hands back like he’s been burned. Speak of the devil. Think of Noona, and she shall appear.
Hyun Woo glances at Luka, wondering if he fell for Hyuna at first sight. Luka’s face betrays nothing as he looks back and forth between Hyuna and Hyun Woo.
He still needs to answer Noona. She wants to know if he and Luka are friends? Absolutely not! He hit me over the head with a rock!
”I guess,” Hyun Woo concedes. For now. He’s still ready to give up on this stupid idea if it doesn’t work. The moment it seems like Luka hates him, he’s abandoning ship. Maybe Noona would believe him if he said that Luka was bullying him. No, that wouldn’t work, she can always tell when he’s lying.
Hyuna smiles, and it’s as infectious as always. Hyun Woo smiles back, wide and playful because that’s how he always smiles at Hyuna Noona.
Smile still on his face, he glances at Luka. They make eye contact. Luka is staring, staring, staring.
Hyun Woo truly has no idea what’s going on in his head. He’s unreadable. Maybe Luka is already plotting his murder.
Hyun Woo is really starting to regret not getting to know Luka better in the past. Maybe then, he wouldn’t be so confused. Maybe he never would’ve gotten murdered in the first place.
Luka turns to Noona, gives her a polite smile. Hyun Woo can tell that his sister is immediately charmed.
Ugh, what has he gotten himself into?