Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Mmmphg- hello?"

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

Jaebum rubs his eyes blearily. His head is too foggy to figure out who he's talking to just by voice alone. "Who's ‘zis?"

"Jinyoung," answers Jinyoung. "Which you would know if you'd stop pressing your phone against your ear and actually look at the screen."

"Oh." Jaebum does as he's told. Jinyoung is grinning up at him. "International video calls are expensive."

Jinyoung's grin grows wider. "I'm sure they are. Which is why I'm calling you through Line. Internet video calls are practically free." Jaebum knows full well that Jinyoung is laughing at him inside. "You don't seem fully awake yet, your face looks so bloated. What time is it there anyway?"

He sounds chatty. This could be a long conversation. Jaebum sits up from bed and gracelessly stumbles to the floor, out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Coffee. Coffee sounds good. "If you can call me through the internet, you can definitely search for time zone converters or something."

"I could have, yes," Jinyoung concedes, "but I figured I'll give you the honor of telling me yourself."

"It's-" Jaebum checks his phone screen "-three in the morning. Closer to four, actually." He fills the electric kettle with water and plugs it in carefully.

Jinyoung's eyebrows furrow. "Why are you already in the kitchen when it's still so early? You could stay in bed."

"Youngjae and I are rooming together, I don't want to wake him up." Jaebum thinks about that some more. "Not that he'll wake up so easily but at least he gets to sleep in peace. It's lunch time there already, right? Shouldn't you be eating?"

"I already ate. Nobody had to remind me, either." Jinyoung has the unfortunate hobby of being too immersed in his dancing to remember basic life sustenance requirements. Good thing Mark's keeping an eye on him. "So how's Dublin?"

"Very wet," Jaebum admits. "And very windy. They said it's summer here but you wouldn't know it. Thanks to Youngjae for insisting that I pack thermal clothes. I have this foolish notion that summer is universally a season for shorts and sleeveless shirts. And it rains literally every day. Okay maybe not rains but it definitely drizzles at least."

"See? Going out of the country is an adventure!" Jinyoung sounds much more excited than Jaebum feels. Must be because he's not the one who has to deal with the weather.

Jaebum still has no idea why Jinyoung even called, but if he hasn't dropped off even after Jaebum told him the time then he must have something important in mind. They'll get to it. Eventually. "How's everything there?"

"Things are the same. My students are crazy. Their parents dote on them. The air is humid. Mark is still perfect. Jackson is still a threat to my eardrums." Jinyoung shrugs. "No major change since you left- oh about three days ago. I'm sorry if life here isn't as fast-paced as over there, Jaebum-sshi."

Jaebum snorts. The water's boiling. He puts coffee grounds in the press and adds hot water. "The pace here is actually much more relaxed than in Seoul. And it's a good thing I packed my own chili powder, most people's idea of spicy food here is abysmal." Jaebum squints at Jinyoung's background. "Are you at home?"

"It isn't obvious?"

"Don't you have a class in the afternoon?"

"I decided to take the day off." To Jinyoung's credit, his smile is slightly sheepish. "I needed a mental health day. Good thing the bosses said yes. Get me something to give them, will you? Now if only I have someone to eat lunch with…"

Jaebum frowns as he pours coffee into his mug. "I thought you already ate." He adds way too much sugar for anyone but himself to call a comfortable amount.

Jinyoung looks deep in thought. "Oh, that's right, I did. Skipped my mind. I guess I still feel kinda hungry."

They'd have gotten to the point of the call by now if Jinyoung had any but he doesn't look like he's gearing up for anything serious. Jaebum changes his approach. "Just to set my expectations here, is there anything in particular you want to talk about?"

Jinyoung fake-judges him so hard. The way he sets his jaw can be very expressive. "Can't I want to talk to my best friend of fifteen years without any ulterior agenda? I'm naturally friendly!"

"Clingy."

"That, too. But seriously, I just want to talk." Jinyoung gives him one of those rare, genuine smiles that cracks at the edges, an acknowledgment that it's not the best time for Jaebum. "I'd offer to let you go back to sleep but I see you're already drinking coffee."

Jaebum makes sure the camera catches him rolling his eyes. "So you woke me up before dawn just to… what, catch up on old times?"

"Because I know you miss me already. I'm so considerate, right?"

Jaebum snorts to himself. Jinyoung is still the same, he can't ever admit that he feels lonely. Still. That's the way they work. That's how they fit with each other, that's how it's been for fifteen years. Jaebum takes a careful sip of his coffee, settles on the couch and lets Jinyoung prattle on about how his out-of-town date with Mark went over the weekend while Jaebum's on the plane, where they stayed in Gyeonggi-do and Mark won him a stuffed rhinoceros in Everland that Jackson accidentally spilled curry sauce on as soon as they got home. Stories that could have waited until Jaebum got back, stories that weren't as important as getting a full night's sleep. But Jaebum listens to him anyway.

Jaebum has never learned how to say no. Not to Jinyoung.






"There aren't… as many people here as I was expecting." Youngjae self-consciously looks around them. "I can count the number of women here in my two hands."

Jaebum snorts quietly. Typical Youngjae. "Physics and engineering have always been male-dominated professions. I mean, how many girls are there in our team back home?"

"Just two out of eight."

Youngjae would know since he flirted with both of them way back when. And Jaebum would have reprimanded him for it, except that Youngjae's version of flirting was so shy and awkward that the girls found it adorable and they baby-brother-zoned him right on the spot. They never even knew what was really happening.

"Excuse me. You're from Korea?" That was said in English.

Jaebum turns around to see a shorter man reading his and Youngjae's nametags. "Um. Yes? Mr. … Khunpimook?"

The man grins. He switches immediately to flawless Korean. "Call me Bambam, that's easier for Koreans to pronounce. Sorry if I startled you, I didn't expect to see Koreans here and I missed speaking the language so I thought I'd say hi. I took my masters degree at Seoul National University."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Jaebum greets with a short bow. "You're…" he squints at the flag icon on Bambam's nametag, "from Thailand? And this is my teammate, Youngjae."

"Hello." Youngjae seems interested. "If you're from Thailand, that means-"

Bambam grins proudly. "Yup. My team will be presenting today. And right on cue, my boss is just about to start." He leads them to some empty seats near the front.

There is a lot of math involved. Some of the terms fly right above Jaebum's head but the theoretical physicist in Youngjae is right in his alley.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in recent physics is the discovery of the hypersystem, a crystallized subnucleonic pattern of quantum information consistent throughout the known universe, which sent physics and engineering teams around the world scrambling to redefine their entire paradigms. Further exploration of the hypersystem is one of the leads being closely watched by the scientific community, one that could inspire the next long-awaited technological revolution.

It's Jaebum's field, but it's not his specialty. He writes code. He builds invisible technology in languages that machines can understand. He's the one who translates what his team of scientists need into the advanced instructions that a computer can execute. Namjoon and Yun (the team's engineers) can build the fastest computer in the world but it will remain useless until Jaebum writes something to operate it.

The people in this conference – and Jaebum is proud to have been invited – represent the handful of teams in the entire world capable of advancing the cutting edge of science and developing the necessary technology to take advantage of it. Hypersystem technology promises endless possibilities for innovation. It's like the discovery of magnetism all over again. Or electricity. Or the atom. It's impossible to say where science would be in fifty years once hypersystem technology evolves.

As it appears, Bambam's team is working on teleportation. Their lead is presenting their experimental model and Youngjae listens throughout the whole three hours in rapt attention.

"It took way more mathematics than I'm comfortable with," Bambam admits after the speech.

Lunch is a bit of vegetables, a lot of meat, and a whole lot of potatoes. Jaebum counts at least four different ways to cook potatoes on his plate and those are different from the potatoes added to the main dishes. None of them have any spice worth noting.

He looks around covertly and sprinkles chili powder all over his plate. Bambam watches him, amused. Youngjae is sitting at another table talking animatedly with Bambam's boss.

"He's our team's theoretical physicist," Jaebum explains. He takes a picture of his food and sends it to Jinyoung. "I'm his lead. My background is more on software engineering."

Bambam nods knowingly. "Ah. I can tell by how jaded you were about the whole talk earlier."

"Exactly. I leave all the math stuff to Youngjae, he's here to understand the theories. I'm here to translate it all to software."

"I'm guessing the business types weren't included in the budget?" Bambam smirks, Jaebum huffs in amusement, and if there were any other scientists at the table with them they would had the same expression of defeated acceptance. By now, everyone's recognized that business is the fastest way for science to grow. Corporate laboratories have more funding than those in universities. They didn't necessarily like it, but… well. Revolution comes in many forms.

"Haven't finished yet?" Youngjae sits down with them with a half-empty plate. Jaebum passes him the chili powder.

Jinyoung sends back a picture of him feeding Mark a slice of sashimi. Jaebum replies with one of him and Bambam captioned My new best friend~, Jinyoung responds with a picture of him fake crying.






There's a metro station behind the Convention Center that leads right to the heart of the city square. Youngjae proposes to get their souvenir shopping done right away.

"And the hosts said we have to drink a pint of Guinness at the first opportunity," Youngjae reminds Jaebum excitedly. "When I said we haven't tried it yet, their reaction was ‘You flew in on the weekend and didn't go drinking? No wonder you seem so cold!' So yeah, that's a pretty strong endorsement, hyung."

They're wrapped up in clothes that they normally wear during autumn as they tread on actual cobblestone roads. Youngjae, who's much more susceptible to the cold, has his neck and half his face covered with Jaebum's scarf.

Jaebum buys way too many postcards, a ref magnet for Mark, rum-filled chocolates for Jackson, a bookmark with a Celtic design for Jinyoung, and a new wallet for himself. Then, after a bit of aegyo, a stitched snapback for Youngjae.

It's when they're settled in on a raised table in an authentic Irish pub on the other side of the river, warming up from the crisp Dublin evening wind, that Youngjae breaches one of his favorite conversation topics: Jaebum-hyung is getting old and he should settle down right away.

"It's not like I have a lot of opportunity, Youngjae," Jaebum says for what feels like the hundredth time. "I'm busy and things at work are only getting more exciting. I don't have much time to go out and meet new people. Besides, who'd want to be in a relationship with someone who works twelve hours a day in a lab, Saturdays included?"

"But you're not severely lacking in opportunities, either," Youngjae points out. They're waiting for the fizz in their beer to float to the surface. Apparently that's how you drink a double-poured stout. "Jia told me she set you up with her friends. And she said they all like you but you're the one who keeps deciding on friendship. The way I hear it, you're a viable catch, hyung."

Jaebum narrows his eyes at him. "I'm not going to date Suzy, don't worry. She's all yours." Jaebum conveniently doesn't mention that he's Suzy's boss and the company has very strict rules about that kind of dating. Suzy's crush on him, widely known thanks to Jia's drunken episode, is perfectly harmless.

Youngjae keeps his expression blank but Jaebum sees the faint blush on his cheeks even with the weak pub light. "Um. Not that I'm affected or anything." Youngjae frowns at his pint. It's almost ready. "I'm just saying. If you'd be as interested in other people as you are with Jinyoung-hyung, I think you can settle into a relationship pretty nicely."

Ah.

Jaebum opts out of answering. He's under no illusion that Youngjae doesn't know. It's not alarming. Youngjae is one of the most accepting people Jaebum has ever met, and to the best of his knowledge Youngjae is the only one who has ever figured it out. Jaebum intends to keep it that way.

He raises his mug for a toast, Youngjae sighs and accepts, and they both drink freely.






The rest of the conference proceeds as any other science conference does: there's a lot of discussion, a whole lot more arguments, and way too much awkward social interaction. Someone gives a talk on how the hypersystem model can be made profitable, someone uses his thesis to slap a detractor in the face, tempers rise and all in all things are normal.

Jaebum, Youngjae, and Bambam exchange email addresses and, to Youngjae's surprise, Naver accounts. ("Great, I have two more people to bug when I go back to Seoul," Bambam says with a conspiratorial grin). It's the third and last night so they celebrate by going for a pub crawl, which ends with Youngjae literally crawling into their hotel suite and Jaebum taking pity on him by carrying him to his bed.

Twenty-three hours later, spread across two flights and a stopover at Abu Dhabi where Jaebum considers buying an overpriced wire elephant, they're waiting in Incheon International Airport at ten in the evening for their rides home.

"Hey, how long until you get here?" Jaebum asks as soon as Jinyoung answers the call. "I mean, no rush but I was wondering if I have time for a snack or something."

Jinyoung sounds confused. "What? Wait, what are you talking about?"

Jaebum blinks to count his seconds of silence. "You're supposed to pick me up? At the airport? Like we agreed on last week?" Youngjae turns to look at him.

"Oh shit, that's today?" This time Jinyoung sounds flustered. "Jaebum, shit, I'm sorry, it completely slipped my mind-"

Jaebum sighs. Because that's pretty much the only thing he can do right then. His manager would be proud of how much he's worked on his anger management.

Jinyoung is still talking. "-I'll be there in half an hour, don't-"

"You can ride home with me, hyung," Youngjae says, pointing at a van that slows to a stop at the pickup area outside. "That's Jinhwan's car." Jinhwan being Youngjae's roommate and Jaebum's frequent contact whenever Youngjae can't hold his alcohol during company parties.

Jaebum nods, relieved; he just wants to go home, he's both tired and restless after sitting in a cramped space in a vibrating tube of metal with nothing but childish video games to entertain him. "Listen, Jinyoung- Jinyoung, listen to me, it's okay, you don't have to pick me up. Youngjae's ride just arrived-" they grab their luggage and head for the exit "-and he volunteered to drop me off."

"Dude, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't worry about it, it's not a big deal." It's hard to speak loudly over the crowd yet still sound calming. "Let's meet up for dinner this weekend? With the gang so I can distribute souvenirs."

"Sure, fuck, I'm sorry, I'll organize everything-"

Jaebum laughs lightly and bids goodbye after one last round of reassuring Jinyoung that it's fine. He climbs tiredly into the van. "Man, you guys are lifesavers, thank you."

"Don't sweat it, hyung." Jinhwan starts them on the last leg of their way home. Youngjae falls asleep in the passenger seat. The next thing Jaebum knows is Jinhwan waking him up in front of his apartment.






If asked while drunk and relaxed and convinced that he's talking to someone who won't share his secrets to anyone else, Jaebum will claim that there are three moments in life that he will never forget.

The first is when he learned to dance. It's a sad state of his life right now that in his team only Youngjae knows about his hobby, this flip side to their team lead who doesn't necessarily go to the lab on weekends but that doesn't mean he's not working. Although it makes him wonder what talents his team could be hiding. If only they aren't so busy every day.

The second is when he met Jinyoung in their last year of high school, and that's thanks to Jinyoung paying more attention to his phone than to the people in the hall and Jaebum is walking backward to wave at some friends walking the other way. A cracked phone and a flared temper later, Jinyoung realizes that Jaebum is the guy he spies on in the dance room, Jaebum challenges him to a showdown to reassert his ego, and Jinyoung humbly tries to worm his way out of it. Both of them are sweating in their undershirts an hour later, Jinyoung is congratulating Jaebum for moving more smoothly than he could hope to, while Jaebum is trying not to show that this is the hardest he's danced his whole life. Jinyoung has skills, and if Jaebum hasn't been so devoted to dancing in his spare time then he would definitely have lost. And from that, a rivalry developed. And in that rivalry, something happened – as everything happens in high school – and they became best friends. He expected them to part ways when Jinyoung chose to major in performance art while Jaebum followed his second love of software engineering under the pressure of his parents, but it wasn't the first time Jaebum was wrong about Jinyoung.

The third moment that Jaebum will never forget is when he realized that he has feelings for his best friend.

It wasn't easy to face the truth.

Jaebum was driving them home from a night downtown. Hongdae is ever famous for being the place to be for university students who want to make the most of their remaining time when someone else is still responsible for them. Jaebum's hands were steady on the wheel, Jinyoung was rowdy when he was tipsy and sang along to the radio at the top of his voice, he was flush and he stank of cheap soju and Jaebum was humoring him because it's the first night Jinyoung could afford to be completely relaxed, he didn't have a major performance for the next three weeks. Jaebum had a project due the next morning but he was still learning that he can't say no to Jinyoung.

And in a flash of reflected road light just as Jinyoung belted off tune to Yu Jaeha's high note, Jaebum sneaked a glance at his best friend and, for the first time, wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

And he never stopped wondering after that, never told anyone, never acted like anything changed. All Jaebum knew is that feelings grew somewhere along the way and now Jinyoung is camped out at the forefront of his mind and it's almost impossible to stop wanting to spend time with him.

But then, they were still kids at heart. Jaebum focused on his projects and soon things stopped getting worse even if they never got any better. They still danced whenever Jaebum could find the time, though it got rarer and rarer until Jaebum promised himself that he'd do something about it when they've both grown up and aren't dependent on their elders as much.

That last part didn't go as planned.






"I brought pizza and beer." Jinyoung sounds proud of his food choices. Jaebum rolls his eyes and lets him through the door followed by Mark who raises a box of fried chicken. Jaebum isn't a fan of western food but he can live with fried chicken. "Jackson's not here yet?"

Mark checks his watch. "He's probably on his way. His shift ended two hours ago and he normally naps for an hour before heading out."

"How long are his shifts this time?"

"Thirty-one hours."

Jaebum winces. He's glad he doesn't work in a hospital. Working for a psychiatric ward can be brutal. "I thought you'd be arriving later. I haven't cleaned up yet."

Jinyoung scoffs as expected. "Dude, your place is clean enough. I've never seen your flat get messed up, not even once."

"Whereas it'll be a miracle to see Jinyoung's flat to be half as clean as this," Mark teases. Jinyoung pouts at him, Mark placates him with a hand on his waist.

"Anyway, I thought I'd be having a late class. Remember that program the school launched? Those Sunday classes for adults who are suddenly interested in learning to dance?" Jinyoung tosses the paper plates to Mark. "Yeah, turns out it'll be starting nextsemester. As in a few months from now. So."

"Somehow it slipped his mind," Mark says, his tone decidedly neutral. "Despite the fact that he used to keep bugging us to sign up for it."

Jinyoung laughs. "I tend to forget things. More so lately."

"Good thing I have a sharp memory, then." Mark almost leans in for a kiss, but he remembers where they are and it's hard for them to keep their hands off each other once they get started.

Jaebum's phone beeps. "Do we feel like being nice? Because Jackson just texted that he's too exhausted to walk the four blocks from the bus stop."

Jinyoung exaggerates rolling his eyes at Mark. "Your best friend can be such a baby, go get him."

"Okay." Mark indulges Jinyoung way too easily. "Can I have your keys, please?"

"What?"

"Keys. To your car?"

Jinyoung blinks blankly. "Didn't you drive us here?" He pats at his pockets. Something jingles weakly. "Oh. Okay. Well, since I have the keys, I'll just go get him then. Back in five minutes, don't get started without me."

"He's really been more forgetful, huh," Jaebum says when he's alone with Mark.

Mark shrugs lightly. Jaebum sees worry there. Mark is naturally quiet but he's also so easy to read. "He told me he feels slightly sick. Or maybe he just has a lot on his mind."

Jaebum doesn't press any further.






Mark happened months after Jaebum's and Jinyoung's graduation from university. Jaebum had just gotten accepted to his first job to write code for statisticians, Jinyoung was signed up as a choreographer for a growing jazz label. Five minutes before Jinyoung was set to go on stage on the night of his first major dance showcase his costume ripped and he frantically asked the nearest volunteer organizer for help. It was love at first crisis. Mark solved the issue with the creative use of duct tape, Jinyoung roused the audience as expected. Jinyoung couldn't stop himself from asking Mark out, Mark couldn't stop himself from saying yes right away.

Three dates later Jaebum went to pick Jinyoung up for their weekly morning run. Mark answered the door, Jinyoung explained that they've just gotten serious, and Jaebum learned that all those songs about heartbreak were barely exaggerating.

But Jaebum has always been a good best friend. Years of telling himself to wait for the right time to tell Jinyoung gave him the experience to grin and bear it, to offer enthusiastic congratulations, to see that the way Jinyoung looked at him and Mark were so completely different.

(He spent the night drinking, woke up with a hangover, read his drunken scribbles and realized it made sense. He made a breakthrough and soon got promoted. All in all, it wasn't so bad.)






Jaebum spots the familiar slouching back down the aisle. "Park Jinyoung in a pharmacy?" he calls out with a pat on Jinyoung's shoulder. "What happened to your pride in natural health?"

Jinyoung grins and punches Jaebum's shoulder. "It got confronted by the reality that I'm getting old."

"Don't say that, I'm older than you!" By a few months anyway but then they're not kids anymore. It's getting harder and harder to wake up in the mornings (something that Jaebum's never been good at in the first place) and his endurance at the gym is noticeably shorter. "What are you getting?"

"Just some vitamins, no big deal." Jinyoung raises the plastic bottles to eye level. They rattle loudly. "I figure that treating my body right while I'm still relatively young will save a lot more trouble in the long run. Is that my favorite dongsaeng?" he asks when Youngjae approaches with an armful of scented toiletries. "What are those?"

"Imported shampoos and conditioners, basically." Jaebum's smile is teasing.

"Jaebum-hyung and I brought the hotel stuff home," Youngjae explains. "And when someone in the team smelled my hair she asked what brand it was and where she could get some."

Jinyoung catches on. Jaebum tells the story often enough. "And who might this inquisitive young lady be?"

Youngjae blushes quickly. "Suzy."

"As it turns out, our local brands don't smell close enough to sandalwood for Youngjae to feel comfortable offering a substitute." Jaebum pinches Youngjae's cheek, Youngjae squawks in protest. "So he's been testing every single European brand he can find and I've been dragged along as the scent tester. How many bottles of shampoo do you have in your bathroom by now?"

Youngjae blinks twice, sighs deeply. "I'll have to count first."

Jinyoung laughs unabashed. "They all smell the same to me, honestly."

"Jinhwan doesn't care too," Youngjae admits. "He doesn't have to buy shampoo for the next few years. Perfect roommate."

They pay for their purchases and bid goodbye outside the store. Jinyoung climbs into his car, Youngjae follows Jaebum to his. Jaebum watches Jinyoung's silhouette twist a bottle open and put something in his mouth. It's not abnormal behavior to want to take vitamins right away, but Jaebum wonders why someone as laid back as Jinyoung couldn't wait to get home first.






Seoul Technological Institute's main office is an unassuming white cube of a building sitting at the edge of civilization, not far enough away to escape the city's famous light pollution but comfortably distant enough that its employees can walk around the company's property and actually smell cleaner air. Gas prices being as they are, Jaebum is among the minority who can afford to take a car to and from work every day. The company provides shuttle services for those who can't.

Distance works great for isolation, and isolation is good for innovation.

On the other hand, it messes with cellphone reception, especially since Jaebum spends his time in one of the underground labs. Jackson sounds tinny over Jaebum's phone.

"-and I don't know what the fuck happened either," Jackson is saying with Jaebum only half listening, "because Mark isn't saying anything but they were giddy and fucking like newlyweds last week remember? But now he's crashed out on my couch-"

"Jackson-"

"-and blankly flipping through channels and anytime I mention J- your friend's name he either tenses up or locks himself up in the bathroom and I really don't think he's jacking off-"

"Jackson, dude, I'm in the middle of a meeting right now, I'll call you back in half an hour-"

"No, not me, call Jinyoung-" the name was said as a whisper "-and figure out why he fucking broke things off. I'll take care of Mark."

"Sure." Jaebum rewrites his plans for the night. "Let's regroup afterward, alright?"

"Will do." Jackson hangs up promptly. Jaebum steps back into the meeting room where Youngjae is discussing the outcome of his latest forays into the near impenetrable world of hypersystem research.

"All of this-" Youngjae gestures to the wall of formulas projected behind him "-basically shows that intelligence is a fundamental element in the universe. It's parallel with the fine structure. The speed of light. The Planck constant. If you break the universe down to the things that actually compose it, right down to the building blocks, you'll find yourself trying to decipher the math of the hypersystem."

Everyone in the room nods. They all know this. It's a summary of what the recent years of the scientific revolution is about.

Youngjae shakes his head. "Except that... that's not strictly correct."

Jaebum tilts his head. Youngjae has them there. But then, given all the buildup he gave since the start of the meeting they already figured out that he's leading up to something ground-breaking. By scientific research standards, anyway.

(Jaebum makes a note to congratulate Youngjae on improving his showmanship skills. Everyone in Jaebum's team – meaning everyone in this room – can follow him effortlessly even if he doesn't slow down like this, but Jaebum is grooming Youngjae to be able to sell his ideas even to non-scientists and the team agreed to be his practice dummies.)

"The theory ends before discussing the actual, crucial nature of the hypersystem." Youngjae presses a button on his remote and the projection behind him changes, replacing the dense clutter of formulae with one that's almost universally known. "E=MC². Einstein's famous Mass-Energy conversion formula, possibly the most advertised physics formula in popular science. It talks about the relationship between energy," the symbol E moves to the lower left of the screen, the equal sign fades away, "mass," the symbol M moves to the lower right, "and the speed of light," the symbol C² moves to the top center.

"We've always looked at this formula to mean that mass and energy are two forms of the same thing, that in the right circumstances (and the circumstance here is at the speed of light) mass can turn into energy and energy can turn into mass. Mass and energy are the building blocks of the universe." A double-headed arrow connects the E and M symbols. "The problem with this perspective is that we're looking too closely at energy and mass while giving the speed of light secondary importance. The hypersystem changes that perspective."

On screen, the C² symbol is replaced by [I]. The double-headed arrow fades. "Hypersystem research tells us that the speed of light is only one variable from a third building block: information. The universe is built on the combination of mass, energy, and information. Meaning in the right circumstances, information becomes substance."

The room responds with resounding silence. Suzy starts scribbling fiercely on her notepad, Hanbin absently adjusts his beenie. Jia looks at Jaebum as if to ask whether he's buying into this development. Jaebum watches the rest of the team.

"This is just a hypothesis, right?" Yun asks from his place furthest from the screen. "Despite all its implications? Or maybe because of the implications, that's why we have to approach it carefully."

"Of course," Youngjae says even if they all know the answer. "This is a mathematical interpretation of the universe. On a fundamental scale."

"So how do we test it?" Jaebum asks. Everyone turns to look at Taehyun, the only applied physicist on the team. Hypotheses aren't worth anything if they couldn't be tested.

"I'll need to see the math. Youngjae? Suzy?" The theoretical physicists both nod at Taehyun's request. "Then we can start talking about building experimental setups."

Jaebum opens the calendar app on his laptop. "Namjoon and Yun, you guys are the engineers. Send me updates about your projects. Will either of you have any free cycles to work on this?"

"I will after the Vasini contract closes next week." That's Namjoon's biggest project, meaning he's about to have a lot of time to work on Youngjae's ideas.

Jaebum bites his lips deep in thought. "Once we have more to work on, I can ask the other teams to review." He looks at Youngjae and tries to hide the pride in his chest, the excitement in his eyes. "Too early for congratulations, right?"

Youngjae laughs. Jaebum catches the tiny glance he throws at Suzy. "Prove me right then congratulate me, boss. We've never released incomplete technology yet. Why start now, right?"

"Of course." Jaebum looks around him. "For those of us who actually feel like going home, the next shuttle leaves in fifteen minutes. But if I know you guys correctly you're going to want to stay and pick apart Youngjae's notes. Which means-"

"Three hours until the last shuttle, we got it." Jia is Jaebum's second in command. She's in charge of making sure that everyone doesn't work too hard. "You going home?"

"Yeah, something came up and I need to be there." Jaebum sighs deeply and glances at his phone. Not a single call or message from anyone, which means no emergencies. Looks like Jackson doesn't need help with Mark.

If only he can figure out what happened to Jinyoung.






Nobody knows it, but some nights Jaebum goes to a hill that overlooks the landscape's mask of city lights.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

Jaebum has been directly involved in developing seven smartphone apps that help improve digital communication, but even he has to admit that nothing beats an old fashioned phone call.

"I heard about what happened." The hill isn't a steep climb, the path is paved but cracked and empty stone benches wait unlit for tomorrow's set of morning joggers.

"Word gets around fast."

"Jackson's concerned about you. You're also friends, right?"

"I don't know anymore."

"I'm telling you. He called me to make sure you're okay. Although once I tell him you're okay then he'll get pissed at you. But that's what friends do." Jaebum could count on one hand the number of times Jinyoung sounded this tired. The worst was when he lost the lead role for a dance musical, something he's been rehearsing for tirelessly for weeks, due to a sprained ankle. But how he sounds tonight is a close second. "Can your favorite person in the world ask why?"

Jinyoung is silent long enough for Jaebum to wonder if the connection broke. But no, he's still there, Jaebum can picture him lining up his words in his head before letting them out to the world. "I guess I just realized that I'm not in the right place for a relationship right now."

"I'm pretty sure you loved Mark."

"I did."

"And I'm pretty sure you still do."

"Hmmm."

Jaebum walks on until the slope curves gently to a flat hilltop where, sitting on the solitary park bench to watch the city slowly light up under its own colors, his best friend is waiting for him. Right where Jaebum knows he would be. Wherever Jinyoung goes, Jaebum will always find him. "Aren't you the guy who adamantly believes that as long as you love each other you can work through anything?"

Jinyoung keeps quiet until Jaebum sits beside him, ends the call but doesn't even turn to look. "Maybe love isn't enough these days." Jinyoung breathes in deep. He rests his head against Jaebum's shoulder. Jaebum feels warm when Jinyoung exhales against him.

"Coming from a hopeless romantic, that's actually startling."

It's as if Jaebum never said a thing. "Will you indulge me if I say I don't want to talk about it?"

Jaebum nods. He's never learned how to say no to Jinyoung. "Do you need anything? To help you get through this."

"I just need my best friend. But I know you'll always be there for me. That's why I know I'm going to be okay."

This is dangerous. Jaebum is used to all this proximity thanks to decades of being best friends with the clingiest person in the world. But Jaebum hasn't lived on the edge ever since Jinyoung met Mark. Jaebum is being reacquainted with the worry of losing control.

"I'm just not in the right headspace for a relationship right now." Jinyoung repeats. He's good at giving non-explanations. He kisses Jaebum's neck chastely and sits back up straight. "Come on, it's getting late and we haven't had dinner. Can I ride with you? I'm too tired to jog back."

Not that he has to ask. Jaebum's glad that Jinyoung has already let go when his heart started pounding too madly to be contained.






But all in all, the calm that Jinyoung carries holds him through.

He and Mark don't meet but he does ask Jaebum to ask Jackson if Mark is doing okay. Jackson doesn't charge Jinyoung down with an epee in his hands so Jaebum assumes that Mark must be whole if still somewhat hurting. If the four of them miss hanging out as a group, nobody says a word.

In the meantime, there's work to be done, experiments to set up, code to be written, reports to be finished. Youngjae keeps looking more and more harassed, Jaebum takes pity on him and delegates some of his workload to Suzy, Jia figures out what Jaebum's doing all too quickly.

"You're not really set to be a matchmaker, you're too obvious," she tells him on their way to get coffee on the second floor micro-canteen. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Suzy finds him adorable the same way you do."

"That settles it, then. We don't have policies about dating within the team, right?"

"How do you see Youngjae, exactly?"

"I would totally date him if I were a girl." In its infinite wisdom the company knew better than to provide coffee vending machines if they didn't want grumpy science guys all over the place. What they have instead are actual espresso machines and very detailed step by step guides on how to use them. Jaebum readies two shots, Jia steams the milk.

"You're just saying that. You have been nothing but brotherly to Youngjae. A very sweet, very caring brother, yes, but still a brother nonetheless." Jia pours their milk into tumblers, Jaebum tops it off with espresso and generously adds honey to his. "Although he kept following you around back then. During his first few months? At one point I thought you two were dating."

"And why would we date?" He looks steadily into her eyes and takes a sip of his latte. "We're both guys."

Jaebum knows how Jia fishes for information.

Jia looks away first. "But it turned out to be a case of hero worship. The kid really looks up to you. Like you're a legendary older brother or something. And I guess that's what's unfortunate about Youngjae. He can get past the friend-zone easily only to be brother-zoned just as quickly."

Jaebum winces. "That can't be fun."

"To be fair to Suzy, I don't think she realizes that Youngjae wants to date her. He's too adorable for anyone to see him like that." Jia adds sugar to Jaebum's mug and they make their way back to the lab. "Hey, he listens to you about everything. Why don't you teach him to be manly?"

"I've been single since I was born. I don't think I'm qualified to teach anyone anything about that."

Jia's knowing look used to put Jaebum on guard. But Jia stopped setting him up with her friends a year ago. Jaebum figures that his secret is lost but Jia is keeping it for him still. He wonders how long he'll stay safe.






"What's this?"

Jinyoung glances over to what Jaebum has picked up in his hands. "Oh, that. That's nothing, don't worry about it."

Jaebum frowns at him. "It's a sealed envelope addressed to you from the hospital. It's kind of worrisome by itself."

"General checkup," Jinyoung explains. He snatches the paper from Jaebum and crams it inside a magazine on his coffee table.

"Are you sick?" Jaebum asks. "Were you actually picking up medicine from the pharmacy?"

Jinyoung's smiles disarmingly. Jaebum has a feeling that it's been practiced a lot. "I said it's nothing, dude, I've just been feeling groggy lately. Ready to go?"

Jaebum pushes the envelope – and Jinyoung's evasiveness – out of his mind. "That's my line. You ready to see him again? It's only been a month or so."

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. But right now I'm just looking forward to having fun."






The first time Jinyoung and Mark see each other again is on Jackson's birthday party, which is basically Jackson's excuse for inviting everyone he knows over to his apartment where barely half of them fit to munch on pizza and beer and lounge in the hallway and try to figure out how Jackson got to meet all these people anyway. Jaebum's pretty sure that there'd be complaints from the neighbors had it been anyone else's party, but for some reason Jackson can get away with anything. Jaebum reaches this conclusion when he sees the landlady nursing a half-empty bottle of soju in her hands while leading an animated discussion on what to do with rowdy tenants, complete with violent gestures that suggest strangulation.

Call it Jackson's superpower.

Jaebum doesn't feel like socializing tonight.

Jinyoung finds him like an expert. "Well. That was a lot less awkward than I thought it would be."

"You have a bottle of beer in your hands but you speak like you haven't been drinking."

"I figure you'd need a sober driver." Which is sensible; Jackson's parties tend to last too long for cabs and sobriety and Jinyoung isn't known for his alcohol tolerance. "Jackson still kind of hates me, I can tell, but he'd be furious if he saw me not indulging his party. Besides, this is for you. It'll be hard to go for another round after you decided to hole yourself up here in the rooftop."

Jaebum grins lightly at him. "Just too tired to deal with crowds, I guess."

And that's partially true, you'd think they were in a club in Gangnam for all the smoke and noise whenever Jackson holds a social event. Jaebum has much less energy than he expects after one of his end of day meetings ran twice as long.

Seoul is famous for its starless nights.

"Do you know Yun? From my team?" Jaebum is staring up at the familiar purple-gray sky. Jinyoung called it depressing during his first month in the metropolitan. "He's working on schematics for a new model of gamma ray sensors that-"

"I'm a dance teacher," Jinyoung reminds him. "I understand what you've said so far but I have a feeling that you're about to dive off the deep end of physics again."

Jaebum laughs and downs another mouthful of beer. "Layman's terms? Give me a minute to calibrate." One of the most dangerous things about Jinyoung is that he's always so interested in what Jaebum has to say even if he has to ask Jaebum to speak casually. It always makes Jaebum feel… important. To Jinyoung. "Suzy – you know Suzy, right?"

"Of course, Youngjae's dream girl."

"Yeah, her. She's exploring the possibility that there are regions in deep space built completely of antimatter. But no one in the world has the kind of equipment needed to prove or disprove that possibility. So Yun's designing one."

"Normally I'd indulge you." Jinyoung takes one of Jaebum's hands and plays with his fingers. Jinyoung likes to keep his hands busy. Jinyoung has no idea of his effect on Jaebum. "But why are you thinking about work when you're supposed to be getting wasted?"

"A few breakthrough ideas that shaped the modern world were discovered when physicists got completely shitfaced."

"You're a programmer."

"I'm just saying."

"You've been so detached from everything lately, I'm pretty sure there's something you're trying to stop yourself from saying."

Jaebum, surprised, glances at Jinyoung, who's amusing himself by counting the wrinkles on Jaebum's fingers. "How's Mark?"

"He's still the same Mark. Quiet. Accommodating. Smiles as blinding as a hundred-megawatt spotlight. He was looking for you, actually, I said maybe you were stuck in the hallway."

"The two of you were together for so long."

Jinyoung grins proudly at him. "The only one who's known me longer is you."

"Suzy thinks," Jaebum continues as if there hadn't been any interruption, "that the only reason why those regions of antimatter haven't been discovered is because we haven't touched them yet."

"I knew touch is important." Jinyoung raises both their hands. "See?"

"And it just got me thinking. Touching- interactions, basically. You can discover a lot of things by interacting with something the right way." Jaebum closes his hand around Jinyoung's. "Like this. You touch something, and you learn what's important."

"I know I'm important to you, Jae."

"I'm in love with you." Jaebum just lost this fight. "I've been in love with you for so long."

Jinyoung doesn't lose his smile, doesn't freeze up, doesn't chase the words away so easily. Jaebum holds his breath until Jinyoung speaks again. "I… had an idea. When I realized you look at me so differently. But that was years ago. Before Mark and I- ah. Even now? Still?"

"Even now, yeah." Jaebum stops himself from pulling Jinyoung into his arms. "I kind of tried not to be. But it didn't work."

Jinyoung still hasn't let go of his hand. "You're one of the most important people to me, Jae."

Jaebum closes his eyes. This, he thinks, is pretty much how he expected things to go.

"And if things were different, I'd say something about maybe learning to love you the same way." Jinyoung grips Jaebum's hand tighter. Like he's stopping Jaebum from withdrawing into himself further. "You're one of the greatest guys I know. But. I can't handle that kind of relationship right now. I'm not in the right space."

"I figured as much," Jaebum admits. "And this isn't me putting myself down, this is just observation. That if you are in the right space for a relationship… well, you wouldn't have broken things off with Mark in the first place."

Jinyoung nods. There's a touch of sadness there. "Yeah. But that doesn't mean I don't love you."

"Hey, love is love. As long as you're still my best friend-"

"I'll always be your best friend, you're not losing me so easily."

"Then I guess I'll be okay."

Jaebum realizes he's lost track of his drinking when he raises his bottle and finds it empty.

Jinyoung hands him the extra beer. "Is this what's been bothering you lately?"

"It's not that I started hoping or anything," Jaebum clarifies. "After you and Mark broke up, I just started wondering again. About what if I'd told you before you met Mark. Would we have ended up being together."

Jinyoung is silent for a while. It's a habit he learned from Mark, not speaking until he knows what he wants to say. "I don't know either. I guess that'll be one of our bigger personal mysteries."

"Some things just weren't meant to be solved so easily."

They head back downstairs where Jackson squeezes them into a couch and forbids them from disappearing for the rest of the night. Jinyoung almost starts drinking, Mark reminds him he's supposed to drive Jaebum home, and Jaebum lets himself relax just this once.






"Have you had your coffee?"

"Bzuh?" Jaebum blinks blearily at his laptop.

Youngjae laughs on screen. "I guess that's a no." Jaebum can tell Youngjae hasn't slept yet despite the tousled hair and the peek of ratty pajamas.

"It's a weekend," Jaebum says when he remembers that it's Saturday. "Why are you holding a video conference on a weekend? And so early, too."

"When have weekends ever stopped me from working?"

"When Hanbin got him drunk that one Saturday," Jia butts in as her userprofile pops into the conference. Youngjae squawks in protest.

Jaebum squints at Jia's video feed. "Why are you in the office meeting room?"

Jia shrugs and takes her seat at the head of the conference table. "Because I didn't want to take this call from the lounge room."

"Jia."

"Boss."

"You're not being a good example to our team by being in the office during weekends."

"Jaebum's scolding someone for working on weekends?" Suzy says as she and Yun join Jia in the meeting room carrying paper cups. "Isn't that double standard or something?"

Youngjae grins evilly. "I know, right?"

Namjoon's userprofile joins the call. He, at least, looks like he just woke up too. "So the people who have no lives have convened. Again."

"Have you had coffee?" Youngjae asks. Namjoon shows his mug to the camera.

"I guess that leaves Jaebum," Jia says. "Go get your coffee, boss, we don't want to deal with a half-sleeping zombie. We'll wait for you."

By the time Jaebum sits back in front of his laptop with a steaming mug of tea in his hands Hanbin has joined Jia, Suzy and Yun in the meeting room, Jaebum has accepted the fact that birds of a feather flock together even through their rest days, and he can pin his hopes for having a normal life on Taehyun because he's nowhere to be found.

Youngjae gets into the swing of things. "I thought I'd tell you guys now so that the idea has time to percolate over the weekend."

"Or what's left of it," Namjoon mutters to the side.

Youngjae grins and lets that go. "Remember that presentation of mine a few weeks ago? About how information can be modeled as the third fundamental substance under the right conditions?"

Hanbin groans loudly. "You've talked about little else. I can't focus on my statistics whenever you're around."

"It is a pretty cool hypothesis," Suzy concedes.

"If we can actually prove it. And that's a pretty big if." Namjoon isn't the most supportive teammate when he's just woken up.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, hyung," Youngjae says. His screen changes to a powerpoint slide filled with dense mathematics. Jaebum doesn't even bother to try and understand it. This is more for Youngjae and Suzy, and Taehyun would have found it interesting if only to call out how unrealistic it is as his first reaction.

Jia stands from her seat and moves closer to the camera. "Phase changes?"

Yun's userprofile pops into the video conference. Jaebum watches him squint into his laptop screen. "What are all these symbols? I haven't seen them before. I mean, I know they're Greek letters but I haven't seen them used this way."

"They're not standard convention," Youngjae explains. "I ran out of the standard variables so I just popped them in as placeholders."

Namjoon narrows his eyes. "You mean you're inventing a new type of math?"

"It's surprisingly easy," says Youngjae. "I basically reworked a lot of physics formulas to figure out how the hypersystem fits into them. That's how I stumbled on this."

"What are we looking at, exactly?" Jaebum feels compelled to ask. Everyone tends to forget that he's not as immersed in mathematics as the rest of them. He gets ignored. Which is a good thing in the sense that Youngjae's managed to rope everyone in, but also bad because Jaebum forgets things that he doesn't understand.

Jia shakes her head. Reproachful. Cautioning. "Youngjae, this is a lot riskier than your previous press release. Where did you base these findings on? What constants did you use?"

Suzy raises her hand and Jia quiets down. "His math checks out, by the way. Or at least I studied his equations and I agree with his conclusions."

"That seals it, then." Hanbin starts typing. His concentration is intense.

Yun lays a hand on Hanbin's lap. "Not yet. We still need Taehyun for this. Two theoretical physicists agreeing on something doesn't actually mean anything." He winks at Suzy.

"Spoken like a true engineer."

Youngjae's math disappears from the screen to be replaced by an extreme close up of Youngjae's nose. "You guys are taking this a lot more excitedly than I expected. But for once I have to slow everyone down. This is just hypothesis. Even less. What's lower than a hypothesis in the scientific ladder?"

"A postulate."

"What's even lower than that?"

"A rumor," Jia answers.

"An unproved rumor," Yun clarifies.

"And a dangerous one," Namjoon adds.

Jaebum clears his throat loudly. "Ahem, what is happening, please?" He watches everyone blink slowly. He can practically hear them lower their gears.

Yun raises his hand. "Basically, boss, he's saying that there's intelligent life out there somewhere."

"What-"

"But not in this universe," Youngjae interrupts hastily. "Or reality, even. We need to invent new vocabulary for this. We're extremophiles, hyung, like those weird bacteria that survive deep in arctic ice. We live in a paltry 3+1 dimensions. The reason why our astrophysicists can't find intelligent life out in space is because we have too few dimensions to actually support intelligence. Humanity is a fluke. We shouldn't even have happened. But if my extrapolations from the hypersystem are correct, the more dimensions we add to the model the higher the chances for intelligent life to prosper."

More intelligence in higher dimensions. Dimensions that are connected to this universe because it follows the same hypersystem.Higher levels of intelligence. Now Jaebum gets what got everyone else excited. "Youngjae. Are you saying that-"

"I'm not saying anything," Youngjae quickly cuts in. "Suzy and I are the only data points right now. Which makes this much less than a postulate. That's the reason why I had to talk about it with everyone. This is too fantastic even for me."

"Imagine." It's Yun's soft tone more than anything else that catches all their attention. "Intelligent life. That evolved completely differently from ours. Imagine how our life could be if we can be decompressed, if we're in an environment that can support intelligent life right away."

"I wouldn't even call it life," Suzy says. "Just… intelligence."

"Exactly." Youngjae looks troubled. Jaebum isn't expecting it, it's so different from his earlier excitement. As if a new thought just occurred to him. "And those dimensions are fundamentally connected to ours. We just have to find a way to get there. Find a way to… ascend."

Hanbin's eyebrows are raised. "I don't trust it."

"Youngjae's math?"

"No, this whole thing. It's ridiculous. Intelligence embedded into the fabric of space-time? A universe where intelligence is abundant? A mathematical model where it turns out we're living in the lowest rung of the spectrum and where we're discrete manifestations of intelligence? Where our minds are compressed and we can ascend to higher, connected dimensions? What's next? That we have souls?"

Jia and Yun look uncomfortably at Hanbin; it's Namjoon who sheds light on the cynicism. "Looks like Youngjae's math is rubbing Hanbin's non-religiousness the wrong way."

"Heaven and earth," says Yun with dawning comprehension. "Heaven where-"

Hanbin growls at him from across the table. Youngjae wisely cuts in. "I'm not saying anything about minds or souls, all I showed here is my math and it's still open to interpretation. I appreciate that everyone dived into this so readily. But right now the best thing to do is to wait for Taehyun to check my results. He's the applied physicist, he's the best person to advise us on how to approach this."

Everyone nods. It's a weak call for calm but they accept it nonetheless.

"I'm not saying it's heaven," Youngjae continues, "but I'm also not saying that it's not."

And that seems to be that. Suzy frowns in concentration at what Yun is showing her. Jia yawns, Namjoon drops off the call, Hanbin leaves the room while muttering something about "more coffee", and Jaebum does his best thinking in the shower.






The only people who ever call Jaebum on Sundays are Jinyoung, when Mark is busy and he needs to bother someone, and Youngjae, who's the only one in the office with the hard-earned right to bother him on his mandatory time off. It's actually become office policy and everyone in the team knows it by heart: Do Not Call Im Jaebum On Sundays Unless It's An Emergency.

Granted, there's a long list of qualifiers about what constitutes an emergency so anyone can still reach out to him if needed, but it's the thought that counts. Everyone wants him to take a break. And there's really nothing stopping him from calling them about work on Sundays so it's generally a good idea to not remind Jaebum of their existence until the day after.

So when an unknown number calls him on a Sunday afternoon, he knows it doesn't bode well.






Like his whole team, Jaebum is cautious about what he believes in. Science and belief can go well with each other only if held in careful balance which makes the whole industry is wary of belief working its way into things.

Jaebum knows that he and Jinyoung are best friends. He knows this because he's seen the evidence over and over again and nothing has challenged it yet.

Jaebum believes that wherever Jinyoung goes, Jaebum will be able to find him. He believes in this more than he believes in anything else.

"Jinyoung?" Jaebum approaches the familiar slouched figure sitting on their spot on top of the hill facing the city skyline. The man doesn't look at him. Jaebum isn't deterred. "Yugyeom's looking for you. He said you didn't show up at the school today. And you haven't been answering your phone. Don't you have that class about rediscovering dance? The one that you've been looking forward to for months?"

Jinyoung ignores him. He just keeps watching the horizon even when Jaebum sits beside him.

"What's wrong?" Jaebum prods. Jinyoung doesn't answer. "Jinyoung, hey, what's wrong? Answer me."

"Jinyoung?" Jinyoung asks. He turns slowly. Jaebum doesn't recognize the expression on a face so familiar. "Is that my name?"

Jaebum ignores the chill that climbs up his neck. "What do you mean?"

"Is that my name?" Jinyoung repeats. His expression melts from unfamiliarity to something close to desperation. "Do you know me? Do you know who I am?"

The important thing is to remain calm. Jaebum doesn't expect the cool mindset he uses in the lab to save him now. But strength comes from the strangest sources. Like his training taught him, Jaebum assesses the facts instead of fighting them. "You're my best friend. If you don't remember, that's okay, I'll help you remember. Please don't panic."

"I'm not panicking." The tension leaves Jinyoung's face. "I believe you."

Jaebum pauses. "Do you remember me?"

Jinyoung shakes his head. "No."

"But you said you believe me... Why?"

"I don't know. I just feel that I trust you. I can feel it as deeply as I don't remember anything."

Jaebum nods. "Come on, let's get you home."

Jaebum rarely calls for favors. Jackson knows that when Jaebum does, it means something has gone seriously wrong.

"You said he doesn't remember his name?" Jackson asks quietly.

"Yeah. Now I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember himself at all." Jaebum feels strangely disconnected now, no more of the earlier struggle to keep on top of what's happening. "I wanted to head straight for the hospital but he insisted that I just bring him home."

Jackson keeps his opinions to himself but his expression shows how much he disagrees with Jaebum. He wipes his face with his hands and nods gamely. Jaebum doesn't ask how long Jackson's been awake for; he knows that number will just make him feel guilty. There'll be time for that later. Right now he wants answers.

They're in Jinyoung's living room. Jackson and Jaebum are huddled by the corner farthest from the kitchen where Jinyoung is staring at the glass of juice that Jaebum poured for him.

"Let me talk to him."

Jaebum leads the way. "Hey, Jinyoung? This is Jackson. He's one of our friends."

Jinyoung shakes his head. "I don't remember you either."

"Good for me," Jackson says easily. "You don't remember all the money I owe you."

Jaebum leaves them to talk. The look in Jackson's eyes is hard to dissect between passion and anger; he's one of the most focused people Jaebum knows and that's one of the best things they can get right now. Because Jaebum certainly can't focus on what happened and still remain calm. Delaying natural reactions can get exhausting after a while.

He occupies himself by looking around the apartment. Finds potato chip wrappers stuffed into the couch, a crusted pair of chopsticks beside the television, bits and pieces of Jinyoung's presence that used to drive Jaebum's innate tidiness crazy back when they lived together. Jinyoung never learns to pick up after himself.

Jaebum resists the urge to clean. Maybe the sense of personality will help Jinyoung remember.

What Jaebum doesn't spare are the medical transcripts he finds all over the place. Slipped in between books on the shelf. Crumpled beside a discarded pair of jeans. The envelope he found a few weeks ago still inside the magazine where Jinyoung hid it in.

Jaebum has no idea what the transcripts mean. But having them at all doesn't mean good things.

"It's a dissociative fugue," Jackson says when they have some privacy. It didn't take long for Jinyoung to say he's tired, and much less for him to actually fall asleep after they show him his bed. Jaebum doesn't know what he went through all morning, can't imagine how terrifying it must be to not remember anything. "It's hard to explain. And even harder to understand." What brings the terror home is Jackson being cautious of his words.

"What did he say?"

"We didn't get to talk much," Jackson admits delicately. "He remembers some things. Like what teeth are. How to read and write. What a phone is for, even if he doesn't remember his passcode. Or his number. He remembers all the basics. Stuff he learned from living in society."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"That's a matter of perspective." Jackson looks somber. "Look, I'm still an intern, okay? I have the fancy doctor title after my name but that doesn't mean I'm a specialist yet."

Jaebum nods. "You're the closest I can get to one right now."

That placates Jackson at least. "It's a good thing because at least we know it's not full blown amnesia. We have cases where patients literally can't remember what books are. Or that they're Korean. Or what words mean at all. We had to build their minds from scratch, those were bad. Jinyoung's not at that level. Which doesn't really narrow down the possibilities about what happened but it gave me something to work with."

"What was that thing you said earlier? Dissociative fugue?"

"Right. That. Think of it as… his explicit memories having been stored somewhere that he can't reach. He doesn't remember what school he went to or what he majored in but he does remember most of the things he learned. His skills are intact even if his memories have these holes in them. He can't remember his identity. That's how I'd describe a dissociative fugue. Some people affected by it go on and build new lives without ever remembering what they lost before the fugue started. There are textbook cases of people remembering only after thirty years."

"Thirty years-"

"Those are extreme cases," Jackson interrupts quickly. "Most fugues won't reach that long. Although it's hard to say exactly how long each specific episode will last. It could be a year, it could be a day, it could be forever." It terrifies them both. "I have zero idea what even caused it. Not that it would be much use."

Jaebum hands him the assorted medical papers. "It turns out that he's been seeing a doctor for weeks. The earliest I found is dated back when I was in Ireland." Jackson reads through them quietly. Jaebum doesn't like how his expression darkens. "Tell me."

"The papers don't have anything definite yet," Jackson says carefully. "But it looks like his doctor's reaching a conclusion. It doesn't say so specifically here but based on the tests and medicines being prescribed… He's been taking multivitamins?"

"I think so?" They both head for the bathroom at the same time. Jinyoung's medicine cabinet reveals some answers.

"Vitamin B supplements." Jackson grimly turns one of the bottles in his hands. "Thiamine deficiency. This isn't good news."

Jaebum stays quiet. He already inferred as much.

"I'm just guessing here-"

"Jackson."

"I'm not a specialist, Jae-"

"Jackson."

Jackson gives in. "There are no Korean names for what I think could be happening to him. Wernicke encephalopathy. Or Korsakoff's syndrome. Both possible. Both incredibly bad news."

"Are they fatal?"

Jackson doesn't answer.

Jaebum grabs his head in his hands and slides down against Jinyoung's bathroom tiles.

That's what sets Jackson off. "Jaebum, calm down, remember that I've been trained to assume the worst but that doesn't mean what I think is happening is actually what's happening."

"He said he doesn't remember me, Jackson. But he still trusted me. He still let me bring him home."

"Yeah, I asked him about that." Jackson sits on the floor beside Jaebum. Easier to lay an arm across Jaebum's shoulders this way. "He has no idea who you are- who we are. But he said he feels like he trusts you. And I think that where you found him isn't a coincidence either. He can remember things that are connected to you even if he doesn't know exactly what those things are and why he knows them. He said that when he had no idea where he was, he still somehow knew how to go to that hill. That it was the only place he knew about. Seems like somehow you made it into his implicit memory. The deeper kind of memories. Those are much harder to forget. I mean, he doesn't even remember Mark."

Mark. Right. Jaebum meets Jackson's gaze. "I think. We shouldn't tell Mark. Not yet."

Jackson purses his lips. "Why?"

"They broke up when Jinyoung's tests are getting more frequent, right?"

Jackson isn't all talk. He picks up on what Jaebum's trying to say. "You think Jinyoung broke up with him because of this?"

"Jinyoung has never wanted to burden other people." They both know that's almost true. There's only one person Jinyoung has ever felt comfortable burdening.

"He should at least have given Mark the choice."

"Come on, Jackson, we both know Mark would have chosen to fight this thing together with him. And it wouldn't have been an easy life, it wouldn't be-."

"Yeah, I get it." Jackson laughs hollowly. "Damn. Guess I lost the right to hate him, huh?"






"Jae?"

It's the familiarity in Jinyoung's voice that wakes Jaebum up. Not that Jinyoung's couch is conducive for comfortable sleep anyway, and the only light to see by is a weak yellow sliver coming from Jinyoung's bedroom.

"I didn't hear you come in," Jinyoung says. He's rubbing his eyes and his face is crossed with creases from his pillows. But he feels familiar. And when he looks at Jaebum there's that comfort with each other that they built over the years. "What are you doing here? Couldn't sleep at home?"

At least this answers one of Jackson's questions. "Are you okay now? You don't feel strange or anything?"

Jinyoung takes his time yawning. "Why would I feel strange? Sorry for waking you, I just got restless. That new class is starting later today. I can still squeeze you into the roster if you want. Come on, Jae, it's dancing."

Jackson is a better choice for handling something like this. But Jaebum is the one who's there. "Jinyoung, what day is it?"

Jinyoung checks the clock above the television. "Sunday now, I guess. Half past midnight. Hence that dance class-"

"Jinyoung, have you-" Jaebum can't imagine any easy way to work things through. He can play dumb now but Jinyoung will find out sooner or later. "You've been forgetting a lot of things lately."

"I've just got a lot on my mind." Jaebum doesn't miss how Jinyoung's tone shifts to defensiveness.

"Jinyoung. It's Monday. The class was yesterday. Yugyeom called me because you didn't show up. Nobody knew where you were." He takes the medical records he hid under the couch pillow and puts them on the table. "I found you on the hill outside the city. Where we always meet up if something's bothering you."

But Jinyoung isn't listening to him now. He's shaking, staring at the papers.

"You could barely remember anything. I brought you home. Here." Jaebum gestured at the records. "Jackson interpreted for me. Jinyoung-"

"I'm scared."

Jaebum doesn't know how to answer that. Nothing stands stronger than honesty.

"Jaebum. I'm scared. It's been happening more frequently. And now you know too. I don't know how to deal with this."

The mind moves with its own sense of time. Jinyoung crouches in slow motion, his shoulders shaking and his skin pale in his island of yellow-lit floor. Jaebum pushes his own fears back and goes to his best friend.

"Jaebum, I don't know if- I can't-" It's hard to understand Jinyoung through the sobbing, through the accent that he loses control of when he's emotional. "Jaebum, what if it happens again and nobody looks for me? What if I wake up lost and-"

Jaebum cradles him safely in his arms. "I'll find you," Jaebum assures him. "Wherever you go, I'll find you and bring you home. We'll work through this. You have me. We'll fight through this together."

He doesn't say that he doesn't know how. But Jaebum is good at finding answers. Jaebum is good at pushing technology to its limits.

And if science can figure out what's making Jinyoung sick, then maybe science can also find a way to cure him.






"I wish I could tell you that teleportation is simple, but it's not." Bambam sounds tinny over the phone. It's less because of the distance and more because of the encryption technology and the soundproof phone booth in the lab that Jaebum is using to hide their discussion from unwanted listeners. No doubt Bambam has his own security in place, too. "The technology is still at its infancy. Everything we've done is like those first baby steps, you know? Science, man: painfully slow at first but give it a decade or two to boom."

Jaebum has already guessed as much. Technology needs time to accelerate before it matures. Hypersystem science is still bound by the same rules of progress.

"Why the sudden interest, anyway?" Bambam asks. "I thought your team is working on a completely different track."

"We are," Jaebum says. "I'm just wondering how to benchmark our progress. The only publicly announced research into hypersystem science is your team's teleportation."

"There's the Netherland team's superluminal communication project."

"Wait, what's that?"

"Faster than light communication. But that one's still very early in development, we just learned about it this week. You know, five years ago I'd have laughed at anyone who implied that faster-than-light anything is possible." Bambam sounds amused with himself. "Of course, now it just seems so obvious."

"Welcome to the scientific revolution." But Jaebum isn't here to muse about the wonders and ironies of science. "So teleportation is basically just at the math stages? Didn't you guys present an experimental model at the conference?"

"Wait, give me a second." The line goes silent. Jaebum passes the time by biting his fingernails. "Okay, I'm back. I just had to confirm something with my boss. So what I'm going to tell you was declassified last month and we'll be publishing a paper on it by next week anyway so there's no harm in talking about it. How fluent are you in hypersystem theories?"

"Not very," Jaebum admits. "If you want technical fluency, that's Youngjae and Suzy. I understand stuff but-"

Bambam interrupts him. "Never mind, I'll speak in layman's terms. The broad brushstroke of the abridged section of the summary of the condensed version of our mathematical model is that information about every single point in space (we're removing time as a dimension for this) has metadata printed right into the hypersystem layer. Sort of like… when you take a picture with smart cameras these days? It encodes information about the picture right into the file itself. So the right machines can figure out where and when the picture was taken, using what brand and model and under what settings."

"Okay, go on." Jaebum knows next to nothing about photography but it sounds like something that camera technology would do so he just accepts it as true.

"That was the first step to figuring out teleportation. And we didn't even intend to study teleportation, okay? We were just doing generic hypersystem research, trying to understand it, you know? Until we learned that every single coordinate in space has metadata in the hypersystem. Like. Instructions in the fabric of reality about what should be in that point of space. It's a lot more complicated than that; don't forget that I'm generalizing several levels down."

Jaebum dutifully takes notes. "Then someone started asking what if we switched the data for two different coordinates in space?"

"That was me." Bambam's proudness carries over well despite the poor sound quality. He must be really pleased with himself. "Then came thousands of brilliant man hours to figure out how to actually make sense of the metadata; you won't believe the intellectual resources we pulled in to this project, we practically involved the whole company. But yeah, eventually we managed to build a machine from scratch, both hardware and software, that can manipulate data in the hypersystem. That was the big experiment. And the findings? The experiment worked. Teleportation can be done. Used up way more energy than I'm comfortable talking about but. Yeah. It can be done."

Jaebum's heart skips a beat. "It worked. You mean you actually teleported something." He'd have dismissed the entire conversation as crazy enthusiasm if he wasn't talking to one of the world experts in the field.

"In highly controlled laboratory conditions, yes." Bambam's tone changes from proud to cautious. "The specimens were two small, nearly identical spheres of gold. We wanted a noble metal and gold had the highest physical potential."

"And is much easier to get in Thailand?"

"That's stereotyping, that is," Bambam says. Jaebum can practically hear him grinning. "But yeah, it's easy to find gold here. Not that you can buy near-pure gold in the market like tourists have been led to believe, but we have more sources than most other countries. Anyway. Two spheres of gold, each one about the size of a golf ball and separated by a two-foot thick wall of lead. Those are the first successfully teleported artifacts in human history."

"That sounds... promising."

Bambam pauses, not long but still meaningful. "What do you really want to know, Jaebum? You might as well ask out loud but I'm not gonna say anything if the answer is still classified."

Jaebum holds his breath. "How far away are we from teleporting actual people?"

He doesn't expect Bambam to laugh loudly. Casually. Like the question is absurd. "Jaebum. Dude. I have no freaking idea. Pure gold is easy to teleport because it's chemically and physically inert. Not to mention the energy requirements!"

"I get the feeling that this has been asked before."

"Don't feel bad," Bambam consoles him. "You're not the only one who's looking in that direction. I actually asked my boss that exact same question. It's possible in the same sense that anything is possible in multiverse theory. But is it actually doable? I have no idea."

Jaebum frowns and puts a question mark beside teleportation on his list. "But aren't human bodies just a collection of different chemicals in a carefully arranged state?"

"You sound like an alchemist," Bambam says. That's not a very good thing to tell a scientist, though Jaebum knows Bambam is being derisive, not condescending. "We thought that too but the biochemistry guys laughed us out of their floor before we even finished the sentence. Human bodies are complicated, man-"

"I didn't say they weren't-"

"-and that's only the body we're talking about, the part that's easier to understand even if we don't actually fully understand it yet."

Jaebum figures out what Bambam wants to say before he actually hears the words.

"Sure, you can teleport a human body, that's theoretically possible because the body is physical. But after you teleport, will the mind within the body still be there? What about the memories? We don't know. Our math doesn't know. And Jaebum, I think we're still decades too early before we can truly know."

Looks like finding Jinyoung when he gets lost is going to be harder than Jaebum thought.






Jaebum is not above asking for help.

Youngjae has long gotten past the point where he gets nervous whenever Jaebum wants to talk to him alone at work.

"I need you to teach me about hypersystem theories."

Youngjae quirks his head to the side. "Hyung, you already know more about hypersystems than almost everybody in the world. We're at the cutting edge of the field."

"I know." Jaebum doesn't smile. "But I don't know as much as you do. I need you to teach me what you know." Youngjae blinks rapidly. Jaebum knows he looks intimidating when he keeps his expression blank.

"Of course." Youngjae looks guarded. But not defensive yet. "May I ask why? I mean, the reason you hired me is so that you don't have to learn what I know. So you can focus on programming. Right?"

"I feel like I'm being left behind," Jaebum says. "I need to know what you guys are actually talking about so I can build programs for it."

He gives time for Youngjae to think it over. "I suppose that's reasonable."

Jaebum nods. "Great. Better get ready for that, then."

Youngjae leaves, put off but still placated. Jaebum wonders if what he said counts as a lie.






"You guys ready for dinner?"

"Of course we're ready, it's dinner!" Jinyoung steps aside to let Mark and Jackson into Jaebum's apartment.

Mark puts the boxes they're carrying on Jaebum's table. It smells like noodles and barbeque. "It's been a while since the four of us last got together like this."

"To be honest I was afraid it would never happen again." Jinyoung winks at Mark before going to the kitchen for drinks.

"What's up with you, Jae?" Mark asks, looking concerned. "You look like you haven't been sleeping well."

"Yeah, things are just busy at work." Jaebum looks away from Jackson. For someone so naturally exuberant, nobody could express quiet concern as well as Jackson does. "How about you? I see you're looking better."

Mark beams at him. "Finished some stressful projects last week. So I have time to relax. This guy here on the other hand-" Mark gestures at his best friend, Jackson quickly schools his expression into one of exhaustion "-has been picking up even longer hours. If that's even possible."

"Gotta work hard, man," Jackson says easily.

Jinyoung comes back with bottles of beer and juice and a stack of Jaebum's plates. Jackson distributes the food, Mark turns the television on, and Jaebum is amazed at how easy it actually is to pretend that everything is normal.






"How long have you been forgetting things? Or is that a stupid question to ask?"

"I can actually remember that. This was… around three weeks before you left for your convention. I was running late for work because I couldn't get out because... I couldn't find my car key. It's not that I forgot where it was, I remember that I put it on the table the night before. And I knew what my key looked like – I could picture it clearly in my head. And the weird thing is that I couldsee that same key on the table. It just... the link in my head to tell me that the key on the table was the key I was looking for? It never came. I just didn't realize that I already found the damn key. So I kept looking. And I couldn't find it so I ended up taking the subway and reaching the school ten minutes late."

"And when you got home?"

"I saw the keys the moment I came in through the door and then the link clicked. But I thought it was a one-time thing. Stress, you know? But it kept happening. So I went to the doctor. And it's been getting worse."

And when Jaebum relays this Jackson later that night, what Jackson has to say doesn't make Jaebum feel any better.

"I guess that's expected. He's been getting more and more forgetful over the past few months, right? We both noticed it. It's not his memories that are failing, it's the mechanism behind his memories. The brain. And the brain has more functions than just remembering things. When one function of the brain fails, it's likely that other functions are failing too."

"And now he's getting worse."

"But he's also seeking treatment. He's fighting this, Jae. And it's not gonna be easy."

"I'll be there for him. He won't go through this alone."






"You look like shit."

Jaebum yawns tiredly. "Good morning to you, too, Jia."

"No, seriously, I've been wanting to say that to you since early this week. Boss, have you been sleeping well? Or at all?" Jia peers closer at him. It takes a lot of conscious effort for Jaebum to not snap at her at all.

"I'm fine, I just have a lot of things going on at the moment." Jaebum lines up the shot glasses and readies the espresso, Jia steams the milk. They head back down to the lab with their coffee tumblers warming their hands. "How are your projects going?"

"Glad you asked. Suzy is now starting to realize that Youngjae is actually trying to put moves on her-"

"Not those projects."

"Ah. Well." Jia hums thoughtfully. "Yun's been working with the radiation guys for the new gamma ray sensor he's designing. That's going well. Taehyun hasn't come back to us yet with his validation of Youngjae's math but I do know he has time booked with Suzy to walk through the theoretical models. So I guess let's give him a few more days."

"How's Namjoon?"

"The Vasini guys are contacting him for an expansion of the original magnetic ring design. But I'm not sure if he's interested. I think he wants to work with Youngjae on hypersystem research. So does Hanbin, actually. In fact, they want me to ask you if they can."

They stop outside the door to Jaebum's office. "And why didn't they ask me themselves?"

Jia pins him with a look. "Because you've got this whole deathray vibe going on. Everyone's scared of approaching you. And I thought they were being silly until I had to update you about how everyone's doing. Normally you're on top of that by yourself. It's kind of alarming, boss."

Jaebum thinks by looking at the ceiling. "Thanks for telling me. Let the guys know that it's nothing serious, okay? They can still come to me if they need anything, I won't bite their heads off."

"Tell them yourself."

"… Okay, that's fair, I'll do that." Jaebum sighs. "But the deathray vibes might be staying for the next few weeks. My plate's kind of full right now. I need to rely on you to manage the team for the time being."

"Fine. I'll do some damage control. Ask if you need help?"

"Will do." They raise a toast with their coffee. Jia continues down the hall, Jaebum goes into his office. "Sorry for the wait."

"Don't worry; it wasn't that long, hyung." Youngjae tosses his markers between his hands and stands by the clean whiteboard. "You ready for your crash course?"

Jaebum takes a deep swig from his tumbler, grabs his notebook, and nods. "Lay it on me."






Jackson meets them in an artisanal coffee shop that serves concoctions Jaebum has never heard of. He has no idea what Jinyoung ordered for him but it tastes like tea and honey and a few other flavors that blend nicely but still feel weird on his tongue. Jaebum likes his drinks simple and straightforward. Or maybe his company just spoiled his taste buds.

"They gave me a diagnosis." Jinyoung slides a large, official-looking envelope across the table. Jackson picks it up like he's afraid it contains a bomb. "The doctor discussed it with me. And I tried to listen but I couldn't absorb anything, I couldn't-"

"You couldn't focus," Jaebum says, and Jinyoung nods.

Jinyoung takes a deep breath, steadies his shaking, and smiles at Jackson. "That's why I need your help. Can you tell me what I'm facing?"

Jackson opens the envelope and reads quietly. Jaebum doesn't like the blank look he pastes on his face. "Jinyoung..."

"No, just- tell me straight." Jinyoung sits straighter. "I know it's not good news. I've had enough of being afraid."

"Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome. It's worse than I thought." Jackson sighs deeply. "Have you been taking your vitamins regularly?"

"For a few months now."

"Good. That might be able to keep you in shape long enough for the doctors to prevent further damage. Most of the time this is caused by alcoholism but I know you don't drink that much. I mean, you drink sometimes but- that. May not be a good idea anymore."

Jinyoung laughs. To Jaebum, it still sounds natural. "I've stopped drinking alcohol since I started going to the doctor. So yeah, that's one less thing to worry about. I guess I was just unlucky."

It's not like Jackson to be careful with his words. He's scanning ahead for what he's going to say; he's out of practice with being tactful around friends. "The good news is it's not immediately lethal. Of course it depends on how you take care of yourself now that you know about it, but- Yeah. The cause is usually thiamine deficiency. Vitamin B₁."

Jaebum grins despite himself. "Jackson. You're acting more flustered than Jinyoung. Don't tell me you're going to be like this with your future patients."

Jackson's grin is brittle. "Patients are one thing. Friends are different. Talking to friends about something that's going to make their lives hell? That's something I hoped I'd never have to do." He takes Jinyoung's hand tightly in his own. "I'm here for you too, man. Jaebum's not the only one who's got your back. I'm sorry for all those times I planned your death when you broke up with Mark. I didn't mean them."

"I never knew you did that."

"Yeah, well. I'll make it up to you. Jaebum's right. You're not going through this alone."






The hypersystem revolution says that information is built right into the fabric of the universe. And according to Youngjae, in the right circumstances information can become substance. The only circumstance he's described so far is matter and energy being interchangeable at the speed of light. But that's not all there is to it.

Bambam's team managed to teleport two balls of gold. By building a machine that can access the hypersystem and swap the metadata of two different coordinates in space.

Hypersystem is all about information. Youngjae says that intelligence is built right into the building blocks of reality.

Then maybe, Jaebum wonders, the hypersystem also has something to say about minds?






"So where are you taking me?"

Jinyoung feels around for Jaebum's arm to stop himself from fiddling with his blindfold. Jaebum focuses on his driving. "Not very far away. Actually, we just arrived. Ready?" He pulls into the parking lot and unties his handkerchief around Jinyoung's eyes.

Jinyoung blinks rapidly while looking around. "This is our old school."

"I thought you'd like to remember some happier days. Come on."

It's the first time they've been back since graduation. Jaebum muses on how it feels so alien now but it almost felt like home a decade ago. There are new buildings, a few departments have been moved around, the students all seem too young to already be in university, but some distant memories are awakening right away.

"Hey look, that's where Profession Jung yelled at you for sleeping through class again."

Jaebum laughs despite himself. "There are way too many times that happened, you have to be more specific."

But for Jinyoung, a performance art major who had a solid interest in sports, the real schoolday fun happened in the gym. "You should have told me where we were going. We could have brought sports clothes and played a few rounds of basketball."

"Yeah, and you'd have beaten me while I just laughed my embarrassment off because everyone thinks I have the build to play sports but I don't actually like any games."

"Whatever, you'd be good if you just practiced- hey look, they still have the mango tree!" Jinyoung pointing outdoors at a massive tree just to the edge of one of the football fields. "Good thing they didn't cut it down."

"I guess it's become part of the university image. I mean, a lot of students chose that as their rest area before heading home." Jaebum squints past the sunlight. "And I imagine a lot of us alumni will have a lot to say if they decide to cut it down. So looks like tradition lives on."

"Rest area. Right," Jinyoung snorts. "Make out area, you mean. Come on, we did it too but that only proves the point. Only time we ever kissed, I don't know what came over me."

Jaebum keeps his expression blank even as his mind starts racing. That never happened. But Jinyoung looks so confident.

"Come on, let's see which of the stalls in the cafeteria they kept." Jinyoung grabs his hand and Jaebum plays along.






"It's called confabulation," Jackson says later that night when Jaebum calls him. "He's remembering false memories. He's not lying, he's not making them up. It's his sickness. And I doubt if that's the only thing he can recall that didn't actually happen."

"Is he getting worse?"

"You're a big fan of science, Jae. I'm sure you noticed that after a change happens its effect speeds up over time."

"I know." Jaebum cradles his head in his hands. "That's what I'm afraid of."






Jaebum feels the mental click when he's washing shampoo out of his hair in the shower.

Normally he would rush out as wet as he was and look for pen and paper to jot the idea down before it fades behind the constant drone of thoughts in his head. But this one catches his whole attention. The rest of his mind goes silent.

The hypersystem is a layer of information defining the entire universe.

Bambam's teleportation showed that information can be switched. So… what if information can be directed?

If the hypersystem treats information as substance, would a software engineer be able to write a machine that can move information around?

Jaebum turns his shower off, barely dries himself and sits still dripping in front of his laptop.






"I guess it can work," Youngjae says although his tone is dripping with doubt. Jaebum's just glad that Youngjae is humoring him. "I can start modeling my research that way if you want. See if the change fits."

Jaebum grins proudly. "You don't have to if you're too busy. But I'd appreciate it a lot."

Youngjae laughs. "Hyung, whenever you say that you always mean ‘do it or else'. What time is Jinyoung-hyung coming? I don't want to drag your party down."

"It's not a party, just a weekly get together. And you can stay; you're one of his favorite people, remember? Plus I can introduce you to Mark and Jackson."

"Too bad they're no longer together. I always wanted to see how romantic Jinyoung-hyung could be."

"Sickeningly. They used to be so nauseating." Jaebum turns his laptop screen around so Youngjae can see what he's written. "Just keep in mind that I'm not a physicist, okay? I have a completely different approach to math."

"I'm familiar with how you build software, don't worry."

"So you said that we're extremophiles because we live in 3+1 dimensions, right? Because intelligence needs more dimensions to be able to manifest freely?"

Youngjae nods. He reads through Jaebum's digital model. "Exactly. I've been working with the biological and chemical sciences departments to chase down a few theories. Which I guess you would have known if you hadn't been so unreachable lately."

"Give me time, let me just finish a few projects then I'll bother you guys as much as before."

Youngjae accepts the promise. "One of the threads I'm chasing is that we adapted to our extreme environment by developing physical bodies."

Jaebum thinks that one through. "Hanbin isn't going to like that development."

"I'm going to present it a little differently, of course," Youngjae says carefully. "But. Maybe some religions have it right. Not in the sense of gods and souls, of course, but who knows? Maybe we really used to be free-floating entities that now need bodies to survive. Or what if we used to exist in higher dimensions before something happened and we got stranded here? And now we can't go back?"

Jaebum shakes his head. "You're starting to sound like you're quoting Catholic creation myth."

Youngjae sighs heavily. "I know. It's kind of hard not to. Welcome to the scientific revolution, hyung. It changes everything." Youngjae squints at a string of code that Jaebum hasn't finished yet. "What's this?"

"Just a loose thought I'm following up on."

"Huh. Really? I thought it was gibberish." Youngjae furrows his eyebrows. "But then, you're the programmer, I'm just someone who throws math at you. Seriously, I haven't seen anything like that before. What language is it in?"

The doorbell rings before Jaebum can come up with an answer. He doesn't bother to get up from his seat, the people he's expecting tonight know his passcode anyway: Jinyoung and Jackson ring the bell only as a formality; Mark is the one who respects Jaebum's space and sadly he's always overshadowed.

"I brought pizza and soda," Jinyoung announces as soon as he comes in. "Jaebum, you'll have to put up with western food tonight. And is that my favorite dongsaeng?"

"Hyung!"

"Jaebum has you working after hours too, huh?" Jinyoung sets the food on the table and greets Youngjae with a hug. "If he's abusing you just tell me and I'll beat him up." He says this while squeezing Youngjae's cheeks.

Youngjae waits until Jinyoung is done manhandling him. "He's actually been lenient lately. We've only been working one hour overtime a day instead of the usual three."

Jinyoung quirks an eyebrow at Jaebum. "That doesn't sound like the Jaebum I know."

"He's joking," Jaebum says. "About the usual three hours. It's usually five hours or nothing." Not that Jaebum is pushing them towards working that long. It's the team's own passion that keeps them glued to their desks.

"Oh, we have a guest tonight." Jackson comes in with his bottles of juice, followed closely by Mark and his small box of cake. "Jaebum roped you into being friends with him, huh? Stay away from Jaebum as early as you can, kid, he's a bad influence."

Jaebum rolls his eyes. "Jackson, Mark, this is Youngjae. He works for me and he happens to be one of Jinyoung's favorites. Youngjae, these are Jackson and Mark."

Youngjae bows. "It's nice to finally meet you." But his pleasantry is overruled by Jackson pulling him in for a hug.

"Don't mind him," Jaebum tells Youngjae. "He's just excessively touchy."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Jinyoung says cheerfully to Mark. "I'm Jinyoung. Jaebum's best friend. No idea why he didn't introduce me but. Well. Where does he know you from?"

Jaebum and Jackson share a look that perfectly translates to a moment of Oh shit.

Mark snorts and puts his box down on the table. "Whatever, Jinyoung. Come on, let's get plates."

Jinyoung's smile freezes. "It's good to be friendly and all but don't you think you're being too familiar for someone I just met?"

Mark blinks at him. "Okay. I'll get the plates then."

Jinyoung turns to look at Jaebum when Mark heads for the kitchen. "Wasn't that a bit rude? He's acting too close already. Who the hell is he?"

Jaebum puts a hand on Jinyoung's shoulder. "Jinyoung. Are you feeling okay?"

"Perfectly fine. Why?"

"Mark, I think we should leave," Jackson says quickly when Mark comes back with Jaebum's dinnerware in his hands.

"But we just got here." Mark grins at Youngjae. "And I finally get to talk to someone who works for Jaebum; I've always been curious what kind of boss he is." Youngjae smiles awkwardly.

"Seriously, who is he?" Jinyoung asks Jaebum.

Mark raises an eyebrow at Jinyoung. "What, just because we broke up suddenly you don't know me anymore? I thought we were okay."

Jinyoung's eyes turn dangerous. "What exactly are you implying?" Jaebum doesn't like Jinyoung's tone.

But then, Mark has always been insightful. It takes exactly one look at how tense Jackson and Jaebum are to clue him in. "Okay. What's happening?"

"I think we should leave," Jackson insists. He puts a hand on Mark's shoulder. Mark doesn't budge.

"Jinyoung?" Mark asks quietly.

Jinyoung is watching him carefully. There's no familiarity in his eyes. But there's a shade of distrust that's so alien to see when he's looking at Mark.

Jaebum steps in between them. "Hey, Jin, why don't you get the napkins? Let me talk to them and let's start introductions again, okay?"

Jinyoung breathes out, calms down, and saunters to the kitchen.

"I think I should go," Youngjae says timidly. Nobody minds him.

Mark is frowning. Jaebum hasn't seen that happen before. "Jaebum, Jackson, what's going on?"

"Jinyoung's not feeling well," Jackson says quietly. "I'll explain later, come on, let's go-"

"What's stopping you from telling me now?"

"Mark, Jackson, you're here! I didn't hear you come in." Everyone turns to look at Jinyoung, who's raised his arms for welcome hugs despite the napkins in his hands. He stops when he sees everyone's expression. "Wow, why is the atmosphere here so heavy?"

"Jackson." Mark sounds upset. "Will you tell me what's going on, please?"

But it's Jaebum who answers. "He has bursts of amnesia." Jinyoung looks stunned at Jaebum. Jackson chokes on air. "He forgets things. People. He was having an episode earlier."

"What-"

"Jaebum, don't-"

"Well this is a shitty way to break the news," Jackson laughs bitterly.

"How long has this been going on?"

"A few months." Jaebum hasn't taken his eyes off Jinyoung, and Jinyoung is looking at betrayed at him. "I'm sorry, but there was really no way to pretend otherwise after what happened."

Jinyoung puts the napkins on the table. He moves carefully as if he doesn't want to provoke anyone. "I guess this isn't going to be the relaxing night that everyone's expecting, huh? Why don't we start eating before the food gets cold? Then at least we won't be tense on an empty stomach." He stands close to Mark and holds his gaze straight. "I think we need to talk."

Mark's eyes aren't steady. "The last time you said that, the things you told me were painful."

It's hard to say who's sadder between them. "This one isn't going to be easy either."






"His sickness is biological, not psychotic," Jackson says solemnly to Youngjae and Jaebum. Jinyoung and Mark have sequestered themselves to Jaebum's tiny balcony. "Lesions in the brain due to malnutrition. Not that he's been eating unhealthily, he's just one of those people who are genetically predisposed to not absorb thiamin readily and now the effects are manifesting."

Youngjae looks pale. Jaebum throws an arm around his shoulder.

Jackson goes on. "He's been taking dietary and intravenous thiamine supplements. And it's slowing the lesions down but... the brain doesn't have a way to repair itself after that kind of breakdown."

"But he still seems functional." Youngjae's sounds weak. It's strange to hear such an impersonal description referring to someone so close.

"My guess is he's a lot worse than what we see." Jackson looks exhausted. More so than usual. "I think he's hiding his other symptoms. And that's his prerogative. Jinyoung is so... personal. Who knows how much emotional turmoil he's facing inside."

Jaebum is too tired to be sad. He leans against the couch and starts writing code in his head. This, at least, feels familiar. This is something he can do, something he's good at.

"How long until someone finds a cure?" Youngjae asks.

"I don't know. Once someone gets sick with this there's no turning back. Medicine has a long way to go."

Youngjae takes Jaebum's hand in his and passes his warmth. "I can't do much, hyung. But if there's anything I can do to lighten the pressures on you at work, or if there's anything I can do for Jinyoung-hyung, please let me know."

"I will," Jaebum says listlessly. The string of commands in his head slows down. "Thank you, Youngjae."






It's like scalar and vector quantities, Jaebum thinks.

Speed is a matter of quantity. Velocity is speed with direction. What if information is like speed but if you give it direction it becomes intelligence? And that thing that gives the direction. What if that's the mind? After all, the mind is seated in the brain and manifests in tiny, biologically generated bursts of electricity that controls the rest of the body. The mind, as it looks to Jaebum, is the intelligence embedded in the body of a person. The mind is an infoelectric hypersystem of its own.

If Youngjae is right that intelligence can manifest freely in the higher dimensions, then minds and bodies are only connected here in the lower dimensions. Separate the two and the mind dies without its protective shell while the body persists without its function. But should the mind die just because its shell is broken?

Jaebum ponders the question as he starts developing the seeds of new technology in his head.






Jinyoung quits his job. He tells Jaebum second. Mark is the first to know.

"It's not like I'm getting any better," Jinyoung says as they wait for their tea to cool. "And my bosses know that something's up, anyway. Apparently I've been forgetting which dances I already taught and I'm running out of excuses. Besides," he adds with a sheepish grin, "you guys have only seen the amnesia. There are worse symptoms. I won't be able to hide them much longer, even from you."

Jinyoung's apartment is noticeably cleaner. Jaebum recognizes the signs that Mark is spending his free time here again.

Jinyoung doesn't have to hide anything from Jaebum. But Jaebum knows that Jinyoung just wants to have something of his own even if what he has left are his weaknesses.

Jaebum adds too much honey to his tea for anyone else to find tolerable. "You look more collected than you've been for a while. More... at peace."

"I guess acceptance does wonders for a guy."

"So does Mark."

Jinyoung grins full of mischief. "Him, too. We're not back together if that's what you're thinking. That would have been a big mistake for him. But we're sort of making up for lost time."

"He's chosen to stand beside you. As he always has."

"I don't deserve him. I don't deserve you guys."

Jaebum solemnly raises his cup to his lips. "You know that's not true."

"Have some fruits. I didn't peel them all for nothing." Jinyoung tries to push the plate across the table but ends up hitting them with his knuckles and grimacing. Jaebum catches the apples before they make a mess on the floor.

"What was that?"

"Yet another symptom that I'm no longer able to pretend doesn't exist."






"Jackson. He's getting worse."

"I know. Jaebum, I'm right there with you on wishing that there's something I can do. But there's nothing. I'm sorry."

Jaebum reins his temper in, tries not to tear his hair off.






No, Jaebum decides. The mind shouldn't die just because the shell is broken.

Maybe if Jaebum can find a different shell, a healthy one, a shell that's willing, a shell that the mind is intensely familiar with... maybe the mind can continue to live in there.






"Hey, Jia?"

"Boss? It's what time in the morning and you're not yet here." Jia sounds more surprised than concerned. "Did you oversleep? Are you back to that habit?"

"I need to work on something extracurricular. Can you hold the fort? We don't have any critical deliverables, do we?"

Jia hums thoughtfully. "Not as far as I know. Anything I can help with?"

"No, it's fine, I'll be there by lunchtime. Call me if anything comes up."

Jaebum's laptop has run out of power since midnight. But he doesn't notice, not when the full intensity of his focus is on the machine he's building in his head. One that's almost pure software and exists entirely out of a language that Jaebum developed to make sense of the hypersystem.

After all, hypersystem technology is all about information. Under the right circumstances information becomes substance, and a machine in any form – even one that's 99% software and exists solely in its creator's head – can make sense of information and apply its changes.

If information is everywhere, then Jaebum doesn't need physical computers anymore.

Welcome to the scientific revolution.






Yet even his technology needs some hardware. Despite all his intensity, even Jaebum needs a focal point.

"You wanted to see me, boss?"

Jaebum gestures at the empty chair in front of his desk for Namjoon to take. This is the only reason why he still came to work. He wanted to see Namjoon before he got distracted by other things. "How are things with the Vasini expansion?"

Namjoon shrugs. "Last I heard it's still under negotiation. I think our projects team doesn't agree with the Vasini Corp's terms. Vasini wants to price it on partner dynamics, our team wants it priced under a completely new contract. Give it three more weeks or so, you know how slowly contract negotiations can go."

"I see." Jaebum steeples his fingers. "Jia mentioned that you want to work with Youngjae on hypersystem research."

"I think it would be exciting," Namjoon admits carefully. "There's a lot of work to be done in that field, and I think hypersystems and advanced magnetics could be a promising merge. But Youngjae and me working with only each other won't be as productive. We need Taehyun as the bridge."

"I'll see what I can do with freeing up some of Taehyun's time," says Jaebum. "But in the meantime, I want you to start brushing up on Youngjae's line of research. Find something that you can work on with him."

Namjoon grins excitedly.

"But I'll need you to do something for me first," Jaebum adds. "Just something minor, it shouldn't take that much time. You're an engineer, I'm sure you can produce it."

"Okay?"

"I need a small artifact made of gold. A cube two inches per side. Hollow, but sealed and filled with helium."

"And…?"

"That's it."

Namjoon blinks blankly. "What would it be for?"

"For an experiment I want to carry out."

"Aren't you a programmer, though?"

Jaebum shrugs. Namjoon takes the hint that no more answers are forthcoming.






Mark looks as immaculate as ever even when he's stressed. But Jaebum can see the slight darker tint of his eye bags, the shorter attention paid to his hair, the empty look in his eyes as he spaces out in the middle of a conversation.

"Thanks for meeting me." Jaebum looks equally exhausted. Off to the side, the waiters are readying their orders. "I know you're very busy."

Mark's laughter, at least, is as light as ever. "Come on, Jaebum, you know I can always find time for you guys."

"I just want to say thanks. For taking care of Jinyoung. I know it's not easy."

"I was about to say the same thing." Mark fiddles with his wooden chopsticks. The weight on his shoulders isn't enviable. "Jinyoung relies on you so much. He always looks up to you."

"We've been friends for fifteen years." And yet it feels like forever. "And I'm glad you guys found each other. I've never seen him as happy as when you're around."

Mark quirks an eyebrow at him. "Why does it seem like we want to tell each other the same thing?"

"Oh?"

"Because you and Jinyoung are so attached. Like. You're part of his identity." Mark smiles guiltily. "I'm actually kind of jealous- but not in the bad way! Your connection is so deep. You have a dynamic that just... works. You're very important to him."

"Come on, we both are. Jinyoung is as needy as he is a loner." They laugh at the irony.

Their dinner arrives. They eat in silence until Jaebum brings up what he really wants to say.

"I'm scared, Mark." He doesn't raise his eyes. His noodles are so fascinating. "I'm scared for him. I'm too scared to think of the future."

Mark doesn't say anything but Jaebum can see Mark's feelings clearly in his eyes: Jaebum isn't the only one.

"I would do anything to make it better." Jaebum's hands are shaking. He puts his chopsticks down. "I would give up my life for him if it means he'll get better. And I'm sure you would, too."

Jaebum sees the flicker of doubt in Mark and it seals his decision.

"Of course," Mark says. Jaebum isn't listening anymore.

It turns out that there's only one person who can give up everything for Jinyoung.






His phone rings in the middle of their team meeting. One look at the caller ID and he knows it's not good news.

"Go take it," Youngjae says. He looks at the rest of the team. Youngjae can compress so much meaning in such a small action. "We'll update you about everything later."

Jaebum nods and steps out to the hallway. "Hello? Jackson?"

Jackson sounds harried. "Okay, dude, what I'm going to say is alarming but I don't want you to freak out."

Jaebum would have responded with sarcasm if he wasn't already primed for bad news and walking briskly to the elevator. "Lay it on me."

"Breathe deeply first. Inhale… Exhale… Ready? Mark just brought Jinyoung here to the hospital. He had a minor seizure. It's subsided, he's unconscious and has been confined, we're carrying out bloodwork."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"But. Jae. Remember science? How things accelerate after change?"

"Yeah." Dissonantly, Jaebum feels composed. "I remember."

Sometimes, terror can be too big to be felt at all.






"He's still out." Mark greets him at the door to Jinyoung's room and leads him inside. "A few doctors have come by to check on him. No news so far."

Jaebum nods. Jinyoung looks exhausted, not peaceful. He looks like he's been in pain for so long and now he can't hide it. "Did anyone call his family?"

"I did." Mark collapses on the couch. "His mom and his sister are hopping on the next train to Seoul. They should be here really early tomorrow morning."

"Great. How are you holding up?"

"I'm actually holding up?" Mark can't find the energy to laugh. "I'm a wreck, Jae. Jackson didn't know what to do with me. I just washed my face with ice-cold water literally a minute before you arrived."

Jackson returns with small plastic bag of snacks. For the first time he looks fresher than either Jaebum or Mark even in his stained green scrubs. "You should have seen him, he was so embarrassing," he says, handing out packets of chips. "He wouldn't stop even after the doctors assured him that Jinyoung is stable." Mark only grins weakly in response.

Jaebum brushes hair out of Jinyoung's face. "How long will he be out for?"

"I don't know." He pats Mark on the shoulder and squeezes reassuringly. Then to Jaebum, "Hey, can I talk to you outside for a minute? As one science guy to another. Sorry, Mark, but you're the artsy type, you wouldn't understand."

"Whatever, asshole."

Jaebum follows him to a smoking room that Jaebum can barely breathe in. "Just so you know, I'm not expecting any good news so if you have some then you'd be exceeding expectations."

"I know. Sadly, your expectations are on point." Jackson checks him from head to foot. Sizes him up to see how he's doing. "And just so you know, I'm scared shitless too. But I can't even imagine how you and Mark must be feeling."

Jaebum closes his eyes and breathes deeply. "We're holding up, it looks like."

"You do it better than him." Jackson wraps his arms around Jaebum, and Jaebum accepts the warmth. "I'm starting to think you're indestructible, dude."

The statement is so ridiculous that Jaebum can't stop himself from laughing.






Youngjae and Jia arrive not long after with cardboard cups of latte from the company machine. Mark welcomes them but he's too tired to join the conversation, sits on the couch and tries not to make noise.

"I have trained you well," Jaebum tells Jia and takes comfort in the familiar taste. "Isn't it too early to leave the office though?"

Jia isn't even trying to look guilty. "After the meeting wrapped up I asked Youngjae what's going on since he seemed to know something-"

"‘Asked' is such a misleading word," Youngjae mutters darkly.

"-and he kind of explained the situation a bit. Really, boss, you could have told us." Jia pinches his shoulder. "We'd have understood if you wanted to take some time off. According to what Youngjae said your best friend is practically the only person you care about."

Jaebum squawks indignantly. "That's an exaggeration; I care about all of you-"

"So now that it's come to this, I'm exercising executive command backed by the entirety of your team and I'm mandating that you take a week off."

Jia looks capable of summoning lightning. The only reasonable response is a weak, "Yes, ma'am."

"How is he?" Youngjae asks softly. He stands closer to Jinyoung's bed.

"Stable, according to the doctors." Jaebum glances at Mark. "That's all they will say. I have no idea what they mean."

"We probably shouldn't crowd in here," Jia suggests. They end up idling by a vending machine where Youngjae buys the last pack of chocolate and Jaebum assures them that he's dealing with things well.

"Still," Jia says, "take a week off. I'm serious. Sort it out. Even you are allowed to rest."

"I know." Jaebum opens his arms and lets Jia in for a hug. "And thank you. I'll go in tomorrow and sort out some administ-"

"No, seriously, take time off. Starting tomorrow. A whole seven days." Jia's insistence is suspicious.

Youngjae starts chuckling and Jia glares at him. "She asked Yun to lock you out of your office. I think by now Yun has found a way to rig your door so it'll say locked until exactly seven days from today."

"I'm very thorough," Jia reminds them both.

They bid goodnight soon after.

"Oh, and hyung." Youngjae reaches into his bag and brings out a small parcel wrapped in white paper. "Namjoon asked me to give this to you. Said something about maybe you'll have more ideas for your experiment during your time off. Or a much-needed distraction."

Jaebum unwraps it when he's alone in the hallway. He holds in his hands an absurdly light cube made of gold.






The last piece of the puzzle comes to Jaebum in a dream about a thousand universes singing the same song, a chorus that defines all of space and time.

Jaebum isn't one for dreams. He's read psychology journals about dreams and that people dream every time they go to sleep. Yet if he does dream, he doesn't remember any. But what are dreams to a mind that needs a shell to survive in extreme conditions? Are they just random neurological activity?

Or maybe people dream only when they're sleeping because the mind is free to pay attention to things other than waking needs? Maybe dreams happen when the mind tries to rebel against its imprisonment, when the mind raps its knuckles against the walls of its shell.

Everything changes during a scientific revolution.






"Jaebum!"

Jaebum startles awake. He's never heard Mark sound so alarmed. The first thing he recognizes is the mass of nurses and doctors surrounding Jinyoung's bed. He's scrambling to his feet in less than a second. "Shit-"

Jackson pins him down when they start rolling Jinyoung's gurney out of the room. The room is pumped full of the smell of adrenaline.

Mark loses his cool first, just an instant before Jaebum does. "I thought you said he was fucking stable!"

"He was! But fuck it, Mark, we're working with what he have, we're doctors not magicians!"

Jackson leads them to a different floor, through hallways that Jaebum doesn't keep track off and soon they're watching down through glass at doctors prepping Jinyoung for surgery. But there are too many people in the room and Jinyoung is out of sight.

Mark has never looked so broken. Jackson pulls him away and hugs him tight by the corner. The only thing Jaebum can hear is Jackson mumbling "It's gonna be okay" over and over again to Mark's ears. That's how Jaebum knows that... it's not. There's nothing more that medicine can do.

But Jaebum doesn't practice medicine.

He puts his hands in his pocket and brings out a two-inch cube of gold filled with nothing but helium. It's the only piece of hardware to the machine that Jaebum built inside his head.

Just because the shell is broken doesn't mean the mind has to die.

He makes sure that neither Jackson nor Mark can see him.

He reaches into his own mind and finds the machine console. Presses the right keys. Enters the right equations. His focal point rises an inch to the air and spins on three axes. He sees a glimpse of Jinyoung's face when a doctor shifts to the side.

Everyone is frantic. They pull out the defibrillator. They've lost him.

Jaebum has time to whisper one last promise.

There is no flash of light. His technology is completely silent. The cube falls back into his hands.

In the operating room below, Jinyoung's shell breaks beyond repair.

They keep the funeral private and intimate.

The entire family thanks both Jaebum and Mark for looking after Jinyoung. Jinyoung's sister keeps herself in Mark's arms too long but nobody has the heart to interrupt. Jinyoung mother sits beside Jaebum and tells him all the times Jinyoung called home to boast about his best friend.

Jaebum breaks down for the first time and lets Youngjae pull him to somewhere more private.

Everything that Jia wants to say she condenses into a simple, "Take all the time you need. We're here for you."

Jackson is keeping a close eye on Mark. Apparently Mark hasn't been able to fall asleep for two days now and Jackson is ready and willing to force a sleeping pill down his throat.

Jaebum watches them all with a small sense of relief. Jinyoung didn't suffer through his illness alone, and now it's all over.

Now, people – especially Mark – can hurt, rest, and move on.






Nobody hears from Jaebum for weeks.

Every once in a while someone goes to a hill that overlooks the landscape's mask of city lights where they find a man crouched on his knees like he's contemplating a problem larger than the whole world.






Things start to feel normal again a month after. Jaebum calls each member of his team to his office and asks them for updates on every single aspect of their lives, not just on their projects.

He institutes a new policy: no more overtime, no more working on weekends. Everyone is required to spend time with family and friends.

The last person he calls on is Youngjae. They share a soft silence before Jaebum asks him about Suzy, and Youngjae, surprised, admits that he's going to ask her out at the end of the day. Jaebum encourages him, Youngjae says that he's so nervous he put on three different kinds of cologne and will most likely add more over the course of the day.

But work is still work. "I want you to drop everything you're working on that's not related to hypersystem technology."

Youngjae nods slowly. "There aren't much of those, anyway. Lately I've been working on practically nothing else. Any particular field you want me to look into?"

"Bambam's team already has a lead on teleportation. The Dutch are working on faster-than-light communication. What can you bring to the table?"

"I can keep looking at the higher-dimensions theory. I think I'm the only one who's thought of that right now."

"Good."

"Only that…" Youngjae looks unsure. "I was reviewing my math a week or so ago and I think I got something wrong."

Jaebum raises his eyebrows.

"For some reason my math doesn't balance out anymore." Youngjae scratches the back of his head. "I still used the same equations. Only now when I apply them to a fresh reading of the hypersystem I'm arriving at completely different results. Even Suzy has no idea why."

"How different are the results?"

"Really tiny. Practically insignificant compared to the totality. We could probably ignore the difference except for the fact that we know there shouldn't have been a change at all since we used the same tools."

"What change? In layman's terms, remember I'm not a physicist."

Youngjae nods. This is a dynamic he's more familiar with. "It's like there's been an increase in the overall intelligence in the higher dimensions. A tiny increase: microscopic to the billionth degree, maybe even smaller. I can't even quantify it, I just know that my equations don't balance out anymore and I had to adjust for this change."

"Like there's another mind there that wasn't there before?"

Youngjae snorts. "Don't let Hanbin hear you say that."

"Well, keep working on it. By this time next year I want you to have mapped out the higher dimensions. Find something tangible. Turn it into a science of its own. Until you can isolate and identify the individual intelligences up there. Pull Namjoon and Taehyun into it if you have to."

"You got it, hyung."

After all, why should a mind die just because its shell is broken? When just out of reach are the higher dimensions, where minds can survive without needing shells for protection?

Jinyoung is out there somewhere. And Jaebum will keep his promise.

Wherever Jinyoung goes, Jaebum will find him and bring him home.