~~12 Years Later… Year 2023 F.D.; LAX, California~~ 

Stretching his arms in front of him, the black-haired teen yawned as he glanced out the airplane window. Over the years, Hyun and Yoo-jin maintained their close friendship despite residing in different countries. The pair and their families had often visited one another whenever they could. It was odd… Whenever he hung out with Jin* or messaged him, Hyun couldn’t help but feel like he was talking to Ye-ji– his best friend from his past life.

Hyun smiled at the old memory of when he and Jin had agreed to be friends. He couldn’t believe it had been that long ago since Jin presented himself as a “guardian angel.” Hyun chuckled, shaking his head. Of all the things Jin could have said, that was what he went for??? Nevertheless, Hyun had been glad to meet another person who, quite possibly, reincarnated into this world just like him. 

“... Reincarnation, huh?”

Sighing, Hyun glanced down at the drawing he had ripped from his drawing pad. Running a hand over the rough paper, Hyun stared down at the sloppy sketch of Song Yoo’s face that he had drawn to pass the time. Okay, he had to admit, it was horrible, but it sort of looked like him… if Song Yoo was an egghead. Deep in thought, Hyun tapped his hand on the drawing while blankly staring out the window.

He still couldn’t believe it. Fifteen years. It had already been exactly fifteen years since he arrived in this world as Hyun. However, despite all his desperate attempts, Hyun had no idea how to find Song Yoo. Did Song Yoo even have the same face as his previous self? What if he looked completely different now? 

Folding up his drawing, he shoved it into his backpack. Dammit, what was the point in drawing when he couldn’t even draw a stick figure?! Hyun closed his eyes with an irritated scowl as he tried to get more comfortable in his seat. I should just take a nap since there’s still forty minutes left until we land…, he thought as he stifled a yawn.

Yet, as the minutes passed, Hyun grew more irritated. The ruby-eyed teen had thought that by the time he reached 18 years old, he would have already met Song Yoo… However, in the past twelve years, Hyun didn’t meet anyone who resembled the famed actor. Was he even going to meet him in this life? Or was this all just going to be one big fat failure?!

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will begin our descent into Los Angeles. Please turn off all portable electronic devices and stow them until we have arrived at the gate–”

Sitting upright from his slouch, Hyun strapped on his seatbelt and packed away his backpack under his seat. Blankly gazing down at the sprawling city, Hyun leaned on the cool window, 

“... Just where the hell are you?”

~~~

Picking up his luggage from the conveyor, Hyun sighed. Dammit, how was he going to carry all this? Maybe he brought too much… Well, it was cheaper to bring everything rather than ship it over from Korea. His heart fluttered with excitement as Hyun smiled at the thought of seeing his best friend again. It had been roughly two years since they last met in person… Besides, Hyun was about to spill a surprising secret that he had kept from his best friend.

Chuckling to himself, Hyun was about to push his baggage cart towards “Arrivals” when a young man with ash blue hair rammed into his shoulders. Unable to hold his balance, Hyun felt himself falling when the man quickly grabbed the surprised teen. Not realizing he had been holding his breath, Hyun let out a relieved sigh, thankful that he hadn’t fallen on the back of his head.

“Woo-jae! Did you grab your bags– Uh…”

Da-bin, Woo-jae’s childhood friend, stopped in his tracks as he gawked at the flailing duo in front of him. What in the world was going on here?! Why was Woo-jae holding that dude by his backpack?? Wait…! Was that–

“Ugh, you’re freaking heavy.” Woo-jae grimaced as he stared down at Hyun.

“W-WHAT?! HEY! I never asked you to catch me–”

“Oh, really? Well then.”

Dropping Hyun like a sack of potatoes, Woo-jae smirked as the shorter teen painfully landed on his back. Dumbfounded, Hyun looked up at the young man in utter disbelief. What the hell?! Who was this a-hole?! However, before Hyun could even argue with the blue-haired man, Da-bin smacked the back of his friend’s head.

“Why would you do that, you idiot?!!!”

“Wha– What?! He said–”

“Hyun?”

“Jin…!”

Hyun stared at Yoo-jin, who glared at the two men towering over his friend. What the hell were they doing to Hyun?! Were they trying to bully this gullible idiot or something?! Goddammit. Helping Hyun to his feet, Yoo-jin forcibly pulled the blundering idiot behind him– not noticing that Hyun’s drawing was lying on the ground. Then, turning to Woo-jae, Yoo-jin frowned as he inched closer to the handsome pair.

“Dude, what’s your problem? Why would you just drop him like that?”

“Well, he didn’t ask me to catch him… So, why shouldn’t I drop him?”

“... What the fuck?! You wanna fight or something–”

Immediately placing himself between the two, Da-bin held his hands in surrender, “Woah, woah, woah. We weren’t trying to do anything to your boy…friend–”

“WHAT BOYFRIEND?!” the two friends shouted, incredulously staring at the cowering mint-haired man.

“O-Oh… Uh. F-Friend? In any case, my friend was trying to help him–”

“Oh, really? If he was tryna ‘help,’ why’d he drop my friend like that?! See, Hyun? Don’t fall for a pretty face like that guy, okay?”

“Uh….” Hyun awkwardly glanced around, praying that no one was staring at them. Damn, why was this dude going off on them?! Ugh.

“What’s that supposed to mean–” Woo-jae was about to lunge toward Yoo-jin when Hyun gasped in delight.

Startled, the trio looked toward the ruby-eyed teen. Why was he acting like that? With his eyes twinkling, Hyun wiped his drooling mouth as he pushed away the pair in a trance. Was that Butter & Sugar?! The famous pop-up pâtisserie that only opened once a year?! 

“Hyun…? Dude, where are you going– Dammit. That idiot and his stupid obsession with cake! HYUN!” 

Casting one last glare at the baffled duo, Yoo-jin pointed his finger at Woo-jae, “I better not catch you around, or else that pretty face of yours won’t be so pretty anymore.”

Turning back around, Yoo-jin paused as he searched for Hyun in the crowds. Awkwardly standing there, Yoo-jin slowly glanced behind him, a soft blush crossing his cheeks. Dammit…! Ignoring Woo-jae, Jin looked at Da-bin with a sheepish smile.

“Uh… Did you see where he went? I can’t seem to find him.”

“Oh. Um… That way. I think he was heading towards the right.”

“Ah. Thank you!” Yoo-jin was about to run after Hyun with the baggage cart when he stopped and glanced back at Woo-jae again. Making a hand gesture, he threatened the stupefied young man, “I have my eyes on you!”

“Pfft… haha.” Da-bin muffled his laugh as Woo-jae just stared after the running teen. What the hell…?

Rolling his eyes, Woo-jae was about to walk to the conveyor belt when he noticed a folded-up paper on the ground. With a raised eyebrow, he bent down and picked it up. Did this belong to the red-eyed idiot from earlier…? Glancing back at the crowds, Woo-jae smirked. What a chaotic duo.

“Hmm~ What’s this…?” Woo-jae was about to open it when Da-bin stopped his curious friend.

“I don’t think you should open it. What if it’s important–”

“Who cares? They said they would keep an ‘eye’ on me, remember? They’ll come for it.”

“Seriously–”

Ignoring Da-bin’s protests, Woo-jae opened it and froze as he gazed at the monstrosity within. What the heck was this supposed to be? The two friends silently stared at the drawing. Was this supposed to be a person…? Or an egg with a beanie? 

“Heh.”

“...? What are you doing?” Da-bin asked as he watched his friend snap a picture of the photo.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing. I just thought we should return this picture to its owner~.”

“...By posting it on social media???”

“Well, do you have a better idea? Don’t worry; my fans will probably find him within a day~” Woo-jae brightly smiled as he hummed to himself. Now, he had an excuse to see that guy again!

SIDE NOTE:

*Jin: Nickname for Yoo-jin

**NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**