Yunho and Wooju.
August 17, 2014
The Original Timeline
A s Wooju lay sprawled on the ground, his back pressed against the cold pavement, he pinned his gaze on the starless sky and thought, “ Am I dead?” The world was spinning, but he could still move his appendages and feel the chill penetrating his skin through his hooded jacket.
He felt alive like this, and yet, somehow, it hurt.
An unfamiliar voice pierced the silence, jolting him into reality. “Hey, are you okay?” it said.
The voice was of a young man, gentle and concerned, like a song he’d once heard in a dream.
When Wooju turned his head to find the beautiful source, his heart skipped a beat.
Crouching beside him was a blond, half-ponytailed guy in a plain white shirt, glowing like a star with bright, amber eyes blinking down at him.
“Are you . . . okay?” the blond tried again.
He’s beautiful, Wooju almost said out loud , his attention drawn to the ID badge draped around the blond’s neck.
Ri Yunho is his name?
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“I... I think I’m okay,” Wooju answered, his heart palpitating as his focus shifted back to Yunho.
Perhaps he didn’t just hit his head. Perhaps this guy’s car struck his chest just as hard. Or maybe there was something special about the blond before him.
“You think?” Yunho seemed skeptical.
“I’m okay!” Wooju exclaimed, shaking his head as he struggled to push himself up. “Still alive!”
Before Yunho could extend a hand to help, Wooju’s foot betrayed him, and he tripped over. He careened forward, heading toward the taller blond’s chest.
On instinct, Yunho wrapped an arm around Wooju’s waist, tugging the smaller boy close.
For a moment, Wooju forgot how to breathe.
With their bodies pressed together like this, Wooju almost melted into Yunho’s arms.
Perhaps Yunho could feel it, too.
“I’ll take you home as compensation for almost hitting you,” Yunho said seconds later, clearing his throat.
“No, I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Actually, I am.”
“Do you want me to take you to the hospital instead?”
“What’s wrong with you? I said I’m fine.”
“You’re obviously not if you’re still holding onto me as if your life depends on it,” Yunho insisted. “Come on. I’ll gladly take you to the hospital. Better safe than sorry.”
Wooju drew himself back. “No!”
“Why not?” Lines of confusion etched across Yunho’s face. “Aren’t you hurt?”
“I just don’t want you to.” Wooju stepped back, a frustrated groan escaping him. He only came to an abrupt stop when his foot unintentionally landed on his backpack, leaving a cloud of dust over the black material. With a grunt, he picked it up and swung it over his shoulder.
“Then I’ll carry you to your house. Just point me in the right direction,” Yunho said without hesitation. Not bothering to wait for Wooju’s consent, he scooped the boy up into his arms and cradled him against his chest in one swift motion. Wooju must have been as light as a feather.
This was the first time Wooju felt it: that strange and yet, somewhat familiar warmth. He’d been longing for this feeling, over and over, and Yunho simply gave it to him. No questions asked. No doubts cast. It was as if they were always meant to find each other for this reason.
Or maybe it was just him.
“Hey, put me down!” Wooju’s eyes widened as soon as he realized he was being lifted off the ground. He wriggled in the blond’s arms, his face turning beet red. “If you don’t release me now, I’ll kiss you,” he warned.
The hush that followed was palpable.
Perhaps for Yunho, it was a threat.
But for Wooju, it was a question he couldn’t dare ask.
Can I kiss you?
It would be weird if he’d asked, wouldn’t it?
Wooju knew, so he reconstructed the words before they could slip from his tongue and betray him. But this was it. The moment the rising star fell for an odd one. He decided to hover over his favorite star and just enjoy the coziness, the puzzling pitter-patter of his heart, and home.
Because this stranger, Yunho, felt like home.
“What?” Yunho asked, still holding on to Wooju.
“I prefer piggybacks,” Wooju mumbled, tearing his gaze away from the blond, afraid he’d get caught crushing on him like a kid who’d never been touched before. “I don’t want to be carried like a bride. It’s weird. I don’t like cars either. I get motion sickness.”
Yunho swallowed, empathy reflecting in his golden eyes. Gently, he lowered Wooju to the ground. He turned his back, dropped down on one knee, and looked at Wooju again. A reassuring smile found its way onto his lips.
“Come on, I’ll give you a piggyback ride. We can avoid the car and the bridal carry altogether,” Yunho suggested as he gestured for Wooju to climb onto his back. “I got you.”
“But I’m a stranger.”
“I’m the guy who almost killed you.”
“Huh?” Wooju tilted his head slightly. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? You want me, a stranger, to let you carry me home, even after you almost killed me?”
“Yeah, because I’d really like to change that.”
“How?”
Yunho paused to think. “Let me be the guy who ensures you get home safely tonight instead.”
When Wooju looked into Yunho’s eyes, a surge of trust, of safety—one thrilling and comforting—rushed within him. He couldn’t help but put his hands over those broad shoulders and hoist himself onto the blond’s back. It was like he was under a spell, and he didn’t mind at all.
Wooju carefully wrapped his arms around the blond’s neck, his heart racing and cheeks flushing with heat as Yunho rose and began walking.
“You must love cars so much,” Wooju said.
“I’m a new driver, but don’t worry. That’s not the reason I almost hit you. It’s because you’re wearing black.”
“Ah, so it’s my fault.”
Yunho let out a soft laugh. “You were also jaywalking.”
“So, it is my fault then.”
“All right, all right. I’m kidding,” Yunho said with a long pause in between. “To answer your question, I do love cars. But it’s more like... I love how it feels when I’m driving.”
“What does it feel like?” Wooju wondered innocently.
“Free,” replied Yunho, his body twitching slightly as Wooju’s lips grazed the back of his neck. “It makes me feel free.”
“I want to feel free, too,” Wooju murmured, his voice wistful. “Like a bird soaring beyond its cage.”
“Why be a bird when you can be the entire sky?” Yunho suggested, attempting to lighten the mood. “That way, you can see everything. It’ll be beautiful.”
“Well, I don’t want to see everything,” said Wooju. “I just want to see one star.”
“A star? Which one?” Yunho asked.
A delicate smile tugged at the corners of Wooju’s lips. “Sirius. The brightest star in the sky,” he said, but what he really meant to say was you . “The only star I wish I could reach.”
“Well, that’s an odd name for a star.”
“So, do you want to go race together?” Wooju suggested out of the blue. “There’s this thing called street racing. Maybe we can try something like that?”
“Huh? You just said you get motion sickness. Now you want to race?”
“I’ll work on it.”
“Why?”
“Just because.”
“Then I refuse.”
“Huh, why?”
“Just because.”
Wooju rolled his eyes. “Fine. We’ll meet again anyway,” he said with an optimistic tone, followed by a light chuckle. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up transferring to your school, like fate. Stranger things have happened.”
It was wishful thinking.
They were only eighteen, still young and green. Wooju wanted to be his friend and maybe more.
But Wooju knew.
Yunho, who seemed to have the perfect life with the perfect family, had always been out of his reach.
This wasn’t the first time Wooju saw him, after all. He had seen him many times before. At the park, a few years back, he found Yunho playing tag with his sister, laughing mischievously. At the beach, Yunho and the rest of his family went out for a picnic, shared mandu, talked about their day, built a sandman, and planned their next vacation.
And finally, back when Wooju considered ending his own life at the lantern bridge, Yunho had been there, silently observing him behind the lilac trees.
It wasn’t the mere view of fireflies that saved Wooju’s life that night. It was Yunho, whose amber eyes shimmered as he gazed at the flickering lights of gold.
Yunho, the boy who emitted his own light like a star.
Yunho, the boy Wooju had always wanted to approach but couldn’t muster the courage to make it happen.
Yunho, the boy who almost had it all.
“Like fate?” Yunho broke in, his voice wavering with hesitancy. “What if fate doesn’t want us to meet again?”
“I’ll fight with fate,” Wooju said resolutely. “Over and over.”
Then there was Wooju, the boy who always knew what he wanted—and what he wanted was for Yunho to live.