Taekwoon POV
After fading away from the soccer field, I start thinking. ‘Why am I here? Where is here? What is going on?’ The last thing I remember before entering the soccer field was yet again the feeling of my breath being knocked out of me and seeing Char’s picture.
As I think about Char, the world starts to become colourful again. Suddenly, I am sitting on the steps next to Cheonggyecheon Stream. Beautiful lanterns seemingly hover over the stream. The trees are green and lush, decorating the walkway and path.

I try to stand up, but my body won’t listen. It’s just like on the soccer field. I will myself to stand up and walk across the stepping stones to the other side of the stream. Once I get there, I sit on the steps opposite of where I just was. As expected, a younger me remains sitting on the steps across from where I am currently. He is wearing his soccer uniform and has his backpack next to him. There probably is a soccer practice later that evening. Our team used to practice five nights a weeks in preparation for big tournaments. The practices were grueling, I used to hate them. But the younger me doesn’t seem to be thinking about the practice right now. He is happily taking off his shoes and putting his feet in the stream. He grabs his backpack and pulls out his homework.
I remember coming to this stream all the time as a child. I would come everyday after school and do my homework. I prefered to do it here rather than at home. The air at home was always so stuffy, whereas out here it was fresh.
As I reminisce about the past, I can see him look up from his homework and freeze. He drops his pen and looks towards me. I know he isn’t looking at me, rather through me. Turning around, I see a young girl skipping this way. She looks about a year younger than the younger me.
As she gets closer, something in my brain clicks and I recognize her. She is the younger version of Char. That means that I am back to the day when we first met. If I really am there, then as she gets closer to the stepping stones, she is going to trip and scrape her knee.
I look back to the young me. He is staring at Char and watching her come closer. Suddenly, he stands up and runs over the stepping stones to my side of the stream.
“ARE YOU OKAY?!” He yells as he runs across the stepping stones.
I turn more to see Char on the ground holder her knee. There is a little red spot on the ground from where she fell. He quickly rushes over to her and helps her up. He leads her to the steps where I am sitting and gets her to sit down. He looks at her knee and makes a frowny face.
“It looks bad. Let me go get you some…” The younger me says, trailing off.
I remember this moment so well. I was going to go get her some medicine for the cut, but as soon as I looked into her eyes for the first time, my mind went blank. It was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that. Even in the future, it has never happened again with anything or anyone but her. She is the only person that can make my mind go blank. The way she acts around me is different than around anyone else and it make me forget everything going on around us.
“What are you going to get?” She asks.
“Knee… Medicine…. Store… Be right back…” The younger me mumbles before standing up and stumbling away towards the nearby corner store.
I chuckle at how cute I acted around Char back then. I used to be a nervous wreck around her. Luckily, I get over that nervousness in the future.
I look down at Char. She used to be so small and cute. She had dark brown hair that went down to her shoulders. She was wearing sweatpants and a sweater.
‘Her fashion sense never changes.’ I chuckle as I think about her closet back in our apartment.
I see Char turn her head as I hear young me call out “I’M BACK!” As he runs over to her, he almost trips. I laugh as he steadies himself and continues to run this way. Char chuckles at his clumsiness.
Young Taekwoon arrives and kneels on the step below her. He takes the medicine and applies it to her cut. I look at Char and see her blushing.
‘She blushed when I did that? Why didn’t I notice that back then?’ I quietly say under my breath. Even now seeing her blush makes my heart race and my mind go blank.
“All done. Does that feel better?” He asks as he gets up and sits next to Char.
“Yeah, thanks.” Char says quietly and nods.
‘She used to be so shy, especially around me. It was adorable. Now she is louder than I am, especially around the VIXX members. However, Hakyeon Hyung and Wonsik make her the most animated.’ I think to myself. As I think about her, I start to miss Char a lot. Her warmth, her love, everything about her, I miss it all. I want to go back to the hospital room and be back in my own body. I’m brought out of my thoughts when I hear the younger me yelling.
“SEE YOU TOMORROW!! PROMISE YOU WON’T FORGET!!” He yells at young Char as she walks away.
Char turns around and waves at him before continuing to walk away. Young me crosses the stepping stones again and sits down next to his homework. He picks up his notebook but can’t focus on his work.
I am about to go over to him when I start to feel myself fade. The world starts to disappear again.
‘What is going on? I am fading again? Where am I going now? Am I reliving old memories? If I am, why?’’ I think before the world goes completely black once again. “Char!” I shout out in the darkness as I feel a tear roll down my cheek.

Notes