~~One Week Later…~~

“ASH, you’re doing great! Let’s keep it going!”

Sweat trickling down to his defined collarbone, Yi-an automatically moved to the upbeat rhythm as the singer gazed at the mirror in front of him intensely. For the past week, Yi-an had immersed himself in his work, desperate to break free from his intrusive thoughts of the conglomerate heir. Yet, despite his efforts, in moments like these where he was doing something routine, his mind slipped back to his encounter with Min’s doppelganger. 

Shock. Anguish. Yearning… All those emotions had flickered in Director Yoon’s eyes when he saw the famous singer. But why? Wasn’t he supposed to be a stranger? Yi-an abruptly stopped dancing as he stood in the middle of the practice room, staring at his reflection. Just who was he?

“Yi-an…?”

“...I think I need a break. Can we continue in thirty minutes?”

“Hmm. Let’s just take the rest of the day off, okay? I can tell your mind is elsewhere, and I don’t want you to injure yourself right before your comeback.”

“All right. Sorry, everyone; I’ll make sure to be in a better condition tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work today!”

“No problem, take it easy! We’ll see you tomorrow!” One of the backup dancers hollered, waving goodbye to Yi-an.

He flashed a grateful smile at his team and watched them trickle out of the room. Combing his sweaty bangs away from his eyes, Yi-an plopped onto the hardwood floor and gazed up at the ceiling. 

“He looks like Min hyung, but everyone says he isn’t. Ha… I don’t know anymore.” 

Yi-an groaned as he fell back onto the floor with his arms spread out like an eagle. His head pounding, the singer closed his eyes. Maybe a quick nap would ease his buzzing mind and free him from that man…

~*~

~~16 Years Ago… Seoul, South Korea~~

Yi-an glanced around the crowded room, feeling nervous about his first monthly evaluation at the entertainment company. The ten-year-old wrung his hands together when he spotted a slightly older boy silently crying in the corner of the busy waiting room. Curious, Yi-an hesitantly approached him.

“Um… Are you okay?”

The twelve-year-old flinched and wiped away his tears before giving Yi-an a small, shy smile. Yi-an’s eyes widened as his heart fluttered for a split second. Could someone be this good-looking…? 

Awkwardly, he offered a piece of milk candy to the sniffling boy. 

“Are you giving it to me?”

“Yup. It always makes me feel better when I’m sad.” Yi-an sweetly smiled as he plopped himself next to him.

“... thanks. I’m Min, by the way. What’s your name?” he asked, popping the candy into his mouth.

“Asher, but everyone here calls me Yi-an. It’s my Korean name.”

“Asher...? Where are you from?”

“Toronto, Canada. What about you?”

“New York, but my family moved back to Korea two years ago. Did your parents move with you?”

Yi-an shook his head, a sad pout on his lips as he gathered his knees in his arms, “No, my aunt is taking care of me here. But, um… why were you crying? Did you do your evaluations already?”

“Oh… I wasn’t crying about that.”

“Then why?”

“My grandpa’s cat gave birth to kittens, but he sent away my favorite one to my cousin without telling me. So I’m just upset over it.”

“If he sent it to your cousin, maybe you can see it again one day! Did you give it a name or anything?”

“Mhm. I named it Kong-i. He was the smallest one of the litter.”

“That’s a cute name! Hey, what if you make a song for Kong-i?”

“A song…?”

“Yeah! Then Kong-i will know just how much you care about him!” Yi-an gasped, his eyes sparkling with excitement as Min studied him curiously. 

“I… I don’t know what I’d write, though. I’m not that good at writing lyrics….”

“I can help you! Unless… you don’t want to?”

Yi-an nervously glanced at Min, who stayed quiet for a while as he continued staring at him. All of a sudden, the older boy angelically beamed at Yi-an, 

“Pfft. Wanna meet up after our eval? I can do the music composition.”

“Huh? Oh, um… sounds great to me!”

The two boys smiled at each other before erupting into a fit of giggles. While the pair didn’t know each other very well, they could feel it: this new friendship would last a lifetime.

~*~

His dark brown eyes snapped open as Yi-an stirred awake from his “quick” nap. The lights in the practice room had long turned off. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Yi-an wiped away the stray tears that had managed to streak down the sides of his face. They were supposed to be friends for a lifetime, yet… 

Taking out his phone from his pocket, he numbly stared at the notification on the screen. Biting his lip, Yi-an shakily placed his phone beside him before burying his head between his knees. Time really did go by fast, didn’t it? 

Yi-an swallowed down the anguished sobs in his throat. Guilt gripped his heart as the distant yet vivid memory of his last encounter with Min resurfaced. If only he hadn’t begged Min to come to his graduation, would he be by his side right now? 

Maybe it was his desperation to break free from this suffocating feeling in his chest, but Yi-an was constantly at battle with himself. Some days, he wished he could keep his memories of Min forever. Other times, Yi-an prayed to break free from this never-ending nightmare. Yet, amusingly enough, as time continued to flow by effortlessly, Yi-an found himself leaving Min behind regardless of what he wanted. 

“I wish I could forget you already. Then it wouldn’t hurt so much….”