Chapter Text
the two days pass slowly, too slowly.
woonhak keeps checking the date like it might change faster if he stares at it long enough, but it doesn’t.
so he waits.
he waits through sunday night.
through monday morning, and through the school day.
woonhak won’t lie, school feels strange.
not in a dramatic way – because to be honest, nothing is wrong.
and that’s the problem, everything is too normal.
woonhak sits in class, listening to the teacher explain something at the front, his notebook open, pen in hand.
he writes things down.
he answers when called.
he laughs when his classmates joke.
he moves through the day like he remembers how, and yet it feels off.
before, school was something he squeezed into the spaces between everything else.
he remembers studying in vans, reviewing notes backstage, barely staying awake during lessons after long nights of practice.
he remembers rushing out of school early for schedules, or arriving late because of filming.
his life was always moving, always loud, always full.
but now, there’s space.
too much space.
when the final bell rings, he packs up slowly.
no urgency, no rush.
woonhak stands, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
his chest tightens slightly.
if this was before, i’d already be on my way to a schedule.
but now, he walks out of school like everyone else.
but for once, he’s not going home.
-
the bus ride feels longer than it should.
woonhak sits by the window, fingers tapping lightly against his leg.
his reflection stares back at him faintly through the glass.
his stomach twists.
what if he doesn’t recognize me?
what if i mess this up? he definitely won’t believe me!
he exhales slowly, “…it’s going to be fine.”
he has to try, or he’d regret it forever.
when woonhak gets off the bus, the building is just a short walk from there.
woonhak stops walking as he turns towards the dance academy.
woonhak heart starts beating faster.
“…i’m really doing this.”
then he steps inside.
—
it’s crowded.
way more crowded than he expected.
people are already stretching, warming up, chatting in small groups.
the energy in the room is different from the quiet outside.
it feels so familiar.
woonhak blinks, “woah, this many people signed up?”
he didn’t think it would be this packed.
his chest tightens slightly.
how am i supposed to talk to him like this?
he moves toward the back, scanning the room.
everyone looks ready, focused and excited.
woonhak swallows.
think.
he needs to stand out, he needs riwoo to notice him. otherwise, this chance might slip right past him.
then – the door opens, and everything else fades.
an all too familiar figure walks in, and woonhak forgets how to breathe.
it hits him all at once; the same posture, the same quiet confidence. the same way he scans the room like he’s already thinking about the choreography.
but, it’s different too. something is missing.
something that used to connect them.
“…hyung.” the word barely escapes his mouth, his chest tightens painfully.
woonhak wants to run to him, wants to hug him, to hear him say his name like he used to.
but he doesn’t move.
because to riwoo – he’s no one.
riwoo claps his hands once.
“good afternoon everyone! thank you all for attending today’s class. i won’t keep you all waiting, let’s start!”
hearing his riwoo hyung’s voice after all what happened almost breaks woonhak more than anything. woonhak clenches his fists slightly in an attempt to keep it together.
focus.
then, the music starts, a michael jackson song. one of riwoo’s favorite songs.
—
woonhak messes up, just a little, but it’s enough.
his timing slips during the first run, his body not fully following through.
woonhak feels it immediately, and then he feels riwoo notice.
their eyes meet briefly in the mirror.
woonhak looks away quickly.
“…get it together.” he whispers to himself.
he exhales, resetting his stance. and this time, his body remembers.
the rhythm settles, his movements sharpen. years of training, of performing, of pushing himself – they come back naturally.
woonhak moves like he belongs here, because he does, and he knows this.
and this time, when their eyes meet – riwoo watches.
woonhak feels the shift , so he pushes just a little more.
cleaner lines, stronger control, so by the next run, he’s fully in sync.
when the music stops, riwoo steps forward.
“you.”
woonhak looks up, eyes wide. “…yes?”
“you’re good,” riwoo says simply, with a timid smile on his face.
woonhak blinks, “ah…thank you.”
“have you trained before?”
woonhak hesitates, scratching his head, “…a bit.”
riwoo hums, unconvinced. then what riwoo said next shocked woonhak.
“stay after,” he says. “we’re filming. dance with me.”
woonhak’s heart jumps, eagerly responding. “…okay, i will!”
—
the rest of the class passes in a blur.
filming clips for the dance academy’s social pages, running the choreo again and again.
standing next to riwoo and dancing with him.
it feels familiar in a way that makes his chest ache. the past 2 hours felt like muscle memory, reminding him of his late night dance practices with the members, riwoo taking charge and helping them understand and pick-up the choreography. dancing with riwoo felt like the past – like something just out of reach.
—
eventually, the class ends. people start leaving one by one. woonhak slows down on purpose, tying his shoes again even though they’re already tied, checking his bag, waiting until the room empties. until it’s just him and riwoo. riwoo stands in front of the mirror, going over the choreography again. woonhak observes the older as he makes small corrections and tiny adjustments in his form. it’s the same habits and the same focus.
woonhak chest tightens.
it’s really you.
after a moment, riwoo stops and glances at him.
“…you’re still here.”
woonhak nods. “yeah.”
riwoo grabs his water bottle.
“you’re good,” he says again. “first time i’ve seen you here.”
woonhak forces a small smile. “…yeah. first time.”
before, it was never like that. they saw each other every day.
now – he’s just a stranger, a new student.
riwoo studies him. “…what’s your name?”
“kim woonhak.”
“i’ll remember it.”
woonhak takes a breath.
this is it, woonhak. now’s your chance.
“…hyung.”
it slips out again.
riwoo looks at him, “hyung?”
woonhak winces slightly. “…sorry.”
riwoo tilts his head, “habit?”
“…yeah.”
“…you needed something?”
woonhak nods, “can we talk?”
riwoo watches him for a moment, then nods “sure.”
woonhak exhales slowly “okay, this is going to sound crazy.”
“this will be my first impression of you,” riwoo says lightly.
woonhak almost laughs, knowing what he’ll say next will either turn out good or bad.
“…we know each other.” woonhak blurts out.
riwoo raises an eyebrow, “do we?”
“…not here.”
“…then where?”
woonhak meets his eyes, “somewhere else.”
riwoo crosses his arms slightly.
“you’re going to have to be more specific.”
woonhak swallows, “… in another timeline. we knew each other in another timeline.”
silence.
riwoo stares at him.
“…another timeline.”
woonhak nods, eyes desperate and never leaving the older in front of him. afraid that if he looks away for even a second, everything will disappear. “we were in a group together.”
riwoo lets out a short laugh, “you’re serious?”
“yeah.”
“…what group?”
woonhak doesn’t hesitate.
“boynextdoor.”
riwoo’s expression stays neutral, “…never heard of it.”
“i know.”
woonhak steps closer.
“because it doesn’t exist here.”
riwoo shakes his head slightly.
“okay—”
“you stay late after practice, but you never let yourself go past 2AM.” woonhak cuts in gently.
riwoo’s eyes widen, “…what?”
“even when everyone else leaves,” woonhak continues. “you go over the choreography again. going over small details, looking for any room for improvement.”
riwoo’s brows furrow.
woonhak takes another step.
“you click your tongue when you mess up.”
riwoo goes still, “…how do you know that?”
“you count under your breath during practice,” woonhak adds quietly. “just enough for the person next to you to hear, so they can follow your lead.”
riwoo’s grip tightens on his bottle.
silence, tension heavy.
“…what else?” riwoo asks slowly.
woonhak’s voice softens.
“you get more nervous than you show before any performance.”
riwoo’s eyes flicker, listening as woonhak continues to talk.
“you stretch your fingers like this –” woonhak mimics it, subtle, precise. “ –right before the camera starts rolling.”
riwoo exhales sharply. “…okay.”
he looks at woonhak again.
“…say i believe you.”
woonhak’s heart pounds.
“…okay.”
“then explain it.”
woonhak nods.
“we were a group. six of us.”
“give me names.”
“sungho. jaehyun. leehan. taesan. me. you.”
riwoo listens.
“we trained together. lived together. performed together.”
woonhak’s chest tightens. “…you’re my hyung.”
riwoo looks away briefly, processing.
“…and something happened, i don’t know what,” woonhak admits. “but i woke up here, and everything’s gone.”
“…except me?”
“…well, for now. i’m trying to find all 5 of you.”
silence stretches.
“…and you came to me first?”
woonhak nods.
“of course i did. i searched for so many things but i remembered you telling me about this dance academy where you learned how to dance. i got lucky that even in this universe, you are still tied to this place.”
riwoo studies him for a long moment.
“…if this is real,” he says slowly, “then why do you remember?”
woonhak shakes his head, “…i don’t know.”
“…and you expect me to just believe this?” riwoo questions.
“no, i know i sound crazy, but–“ woonhak meets riwoo’s eyes. “–i just need you to listen.”
a pause.
“…why?”
“because i can’t do this alone.”
that lands, woonhak sees riwoo’s expression shifting slightly.
“…do what?”
woonhak’s voice firms up, showing determination. “bring us back.”
“…back to what?”
“to our dream.”
silence.
riwoo exhales slowly. “…and the others?”
“i’ll find them.”
“…how?”
woonhak’s lips press together. “…i’ll figure it out.”
riwoo watches intently. “…you’re really serious about this.”
it’s not a question but woonhak nods.
“i am.”
another pause, then riwoo blurts out– “okay.”
woonhak blinks – “okay?”
“i don’t understand this,” riwoo says. “and it sounds insane.”
“…yeah.”
“but for some reason i believe that you’re not lying.”
woonhak exhales shakily, “hyung, i’m not.”
riwoo nods slightly, “…and you knew things you shouldn’t.”
“…so i’ll listen.”
woonhak feels something shift in his chest.
hope. real, steady hope.
“really?”
“don’t push it,” riwoo says, but his tone is softer now. “i’m not saying i believe everything yet.”
“but you’re not walking away?”
“no.”
woonhak lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
“okay.”
riwoo crosses his arms again.
“tell me everything, start from the beginning.”
woonhak nods.
he takes a breath and starts talking.
from the start, in great detail.
about the dorm, the practices, their debut, the performances.
the way they laughed, the way they fought, the memories they shared.
riwoo quietly listens, and when woonhak finally finishes, there’s a long silence.
“…if this is true,” riwoo says slowly, “then we’re missing four more people.”
woonhak nods. “yes.”
riwoo looks at him. “…then we find them.”
woonhak’s heart stutters. “…together?”
riwoo doesn’t answer immediately, but he doesn’t say no. and for now, that’s enough.
but as the silence settles between them again, a thought lingers.
because finding riwoo was the easier than he thought.
the others? he’s not quite sure.
riwoo and woonhak didn’t part ways just yet.
somehow, their conversation doesn’t feel finished, even after everything that’s been said.
so they sit on the studio floor, backs against the mirror, the lights dimmer now that the class is over.
woonhak has his laptop open, legs crossed, fingers hovering over the keyboard.
“…okay,” he mutters. “boynextdoor doesn’t exist here, searching the group won’t work. i’ve tried it many times.”
riwoo leans back slightly, watching him “obviously.”
“…i know, i know.” woonhak slightly smirks at riwoo’s subtle tease, another parallel.
woonhak types anyway.
different combinations, names, but nothing.
woonhak clicks his tongue in frustration, and whines. “this is so hard!”
“you just started,” riwoo says, holding back a laugh.
“…still!” woonhak exhales, rubbing his face.
“there has to be something, anything!” as he opens another tab.
woonhak searches about alternate universes again. scrolling through articles, forums, and theories. his eyes scan the words quickly, eager for information.
“…remnants of previous timelines may exist in altered forms… hyung, this was the article that pushed me to finding all of you, now i’ve found one!”
riwoo glances at the screen. “you’re really going all in on this, huh?”
“i have to,” woonhak says quietly, “… because if we existed before, then it means it’s possible again.”
riwoo doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t show disagreement either.
woonhak keeps typing, searching, thinking out loud.
“not the group… maybe individuals… like…activities they would still do…”
riwoo hums faintly, “…like dance?”
woonhak looks at him, “…yeah.” a small smile tugs at his lips, “like dance.”
woonhak goes back to searching; more names, more guesses, but nothing concrete yet.
the room grows quieter, time passes without them noticing.
until, a sound fills the space. soft at first, strumming of a guitar.
riwoo had pulled out his phone at some point, scrolling absentmindedly, and let a video play, just for background noise.
woonhak barely registers it at first, he’s too focused. too deep in thought, typing, clicking , searching. and then he hears a voice.
woonhak freezes. his fingers stop mid-typing.
his head tilts slightly.
“…wait.”
the guitar continues. the voice follows; clear, steady, familiar, too familiar.
woonhak slowly turns his head to face riwoo.
“hyung.”
riwoo glances up. “what?”
“…what are you listening to?”
“hm?” riwoo looks at his phone. “just a random cover.”
woonhak’s heart starts racing. “can i see?”
“it just showed u–” woonhak is already moving.
he scoots closer and gently, but quickly snatches the phone from riwoo’s hand.
riwoo blinks, a bit shocked. “…hey–”
woonhak doesn’t hear him, because –
there, on the screen, is a guy. standing on a street in seoul, guitar in hand, singing.
he’s dressed well – effortlessly stylish, like he didn’t try too hard but still got it right.
his hair falls just the same, his posture, his expression.
woonhak’s breath catches. “no way!”
the voice continues through the speakers, and there’s no doubt, no hesitation.
woonhak’s eyes widen, “hyung.” his voice cracks. “hyung–”
“what?” riwoo leans closer, confused. “what is it?”
woonhak looks up at him, eyes bright, almost disbelieving. “…that’s him.”
“…who?”
woonhak turns the screen back to him, pointing.
“that’s taesan hyung.”
riwoo frowns, “…the one you mentioned?”
woonhak nods quickly. “yes – yes, that’s him, i’m sure–“
“woonhak–”
“it’s him,” woonhak insists, almost breathless. “i’d recognize his voice anywhere.”
riwoo looks back at the video.
the guy continues singing, completely unaware.
“…you’re serious?”
“i am,” woonhak says. his grip tightens slightly on the phone.
“…i didn’t think i’d find him this fast.”
a laugh escapes him — half disbelief, half relief.
“i didn’t think–”
he stops, swallowing. his chest feels full, too full.
riwoo watches him carefully. “…okay. calm down.”
woonhak nods quickly, “okay–okay.”
he takes a breath, then another, but the excitement doesn’t fade.
“…we have to find him. we need to go to him!”
riwoo raises an eyebrow. “…we?”
woonhak looks at him, eyes pleading. “…please?”
riwoo exhales, “woonhak–”
“he’s busking,” woonhak says quickly, pointing at the screen again. “that means he probably does this often–there’s a place–there has to be a place–”
“you don’t even know where that is.”
“yet. i don’t know it yet, i can find it.”
riwoo studies him. “and then what?”
“then we talk to him.”
“and tell him what? that he was in a group that doesn’t exist?”
woonhak hesitates, “…yes? it worked with you, didn’t it?” he counters back.
riwoo stares at him. “you hear how that sounds, right?”
“…i know.”
a moment of silence.
“i’ll do it myself, then.”
riwoo pauses.
woonhak looks back at the phone, already opening new tabs on his laptop.
determined, focused, and hopeful.
a little desperate.
riwoo watches him for a moment longer, then sighs. “you’re really going to do this.”
“yeah.”
“…alone?”
woonhak shrugs lightly, “…if i have to.”
another pause.
riwoo clicks his tongue softly, “you’re unbelievable.”
woonhak glances at him, “…is that a no?”
riwoo looks away briefly, then back.
“…i didn’t say that.”
woonhak blinks expectantly, “…so?”
riwoo exhales, “alright…i’ll go with you.”
woonhak’s face lights up. “…really? you’ll do that?”
“don’t get excited,” riwoo mutters. “you shouldn’t be going around alone anyway.”
“…okay.”
“and if this turns out to be nothing–”
“it won’t,” woonhak says immediately.
riwoo sighs, “…we’ll see.”
but he doesn’t take it back.
and that’s enough.
woonhak grins slightly, then quickly turns back to his laptop.
“okay! let’s find him.”
he types faster now, more precise, more focused.
“if he’s posting covers, he might have socials…”
and then–
“i found it!”
riwoo leans closer, on the screen is a page.
“…that’s him,” woonhak says softly.
riwoo nods slowly, “…looks like he’s been posting for a while.”
woonhak scrolls, his eyes move quickly, taking everything in.
“…5k followers…”
small, growing, just starting. his chest tightens again.
he clicks on a clip.
taesan–his taesan hyung–sits with a guitar, headphones around his neck, talking about a melody he’s been working on.
woonhak freezes at his realization,“…he’s producing.”
riwoo glances at him, eyes wide. “…you said he did that too.”
woonhak nods slowly, “…he loved it.”
he scrolls more, finding more covers of the same artists taesan takes inspiration from.
“…he still listens to the same music.”
riwoo raises an eyebrow, “you can tell?”
woonhak nods. “these songs–these are his favorites.” a small smile appears on his face.
“…it’s really him.”
for a moment, he just watches, taking it all in.
then–focus returns, realizing he has to find more clues. “…okay. here! he posts his schedule.”
he scrolls through captions, comments, tags, and then he points to a post. “…there!”
“he busks every saturday. same spot, at the park in myeongdong!”
riwoo leans in, “…until 7pm.”
woonhak nods.
riwoo sits back, “…next saturday.”
then–
“…we’ll meet here?” riwoo says. “studio. 4PM?”
woonhak nods quickly.
“okay.”
they exchange numbers, a simple and quick exchange to some. but to woonhak, it feels like something more, like a step forward.
when they finally stand to leave, woonhak hesitates, “hyung.”
riwoo looks at him.
“thank you…for listening.” woonhak’s voice is earnest, “i know i sound crazy.”
riwoo shrugs slightly. “…you do.”
woonhak lets out a small laugh, “…yeah.”
“…but.”
riwoo glances away for a second, then back.
“…i don’t know.”
a pause.
“…my gut says to hear you out.”
woonhak’s expression softens, “…really?”
riwoo nods once, “…i have a good feeling about this.”
woonhak grips his bag a little tighter, wanting to hug his riwoo hyung, but decides it might be to early for that. so he just bids the older a final goodbye before turning around to leave the dance academy, and walks back to the bus station.
as woonhak continues his walk, his list is still in his mind.
six items, but now–one is no longer just a name, he found his riwoo hyung. and another is waiting to be found.
next saturday, everything could change again.