kollo_rpg | Summer 1 - Welcome dinner

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Summer 1 - Welcome dinner

[ It's the very first dinner on Norrhamn and the kitchen staff (???) has really gone all out. The counter is covered by a variety of the finest cuisine Sweden has to offer — sandwich cakes of every variety, from the classic salmon and shrimp to ham and horse radish or more modern, vegan varieties with avocado and cherry tomatoes. There's a smaller table set out with strawberry and cream cake, and the traditional spread of seven different types of shortbread cookies. Of course there's coffee and tea by the bucketload, along with other drinks such as elderberry or lingonberry squash. The community center has been decorated for the occasion with bunting and strings of lights leading out into the garden. It's still early summer so the nights are mild and surprisingly bright — the sun has yet to fully set by the time the celebrations kick off. Better get used to the light, it's not getting darker anytime soon. ]

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[ It doesn't make any sense... Haein had seen Hyunseok and Hyunwoo just a day before departing for this place. Had things really gone downhill so fast? Hyunseok had arrived at the same time as Haein, so it wasn't like there was much of a window for anything truly serious to go down and then right itself immediately to the point that Hyunseok would be here rather than at home with his brother.

There's a stretch of silence on his end. Nothing was adding up. ]

What happened to him?

[ He sounds like a broken record, asking the same thing as before, but it seems like Hyunseok is more willing to answer at this point. Or at least, that's what he's hoping.

Maybe the details will clear things up. ]

[ He should have either run the other way when he saw Haein approach him, or just treated him exactly like he normally would have. This situation, where Hyunseok has a big secret to keep from a man who could make his life a living nightmare, is a dangerous one. Hyunseok has never been good at hiding things from people, and he's already sweating up an internal storm thinking about having to keep mum on this one. ]

Uh...

[ Why is it so hard to think up a lie on the spot? ]

He wasn't feeling well for awhile.

[ Okay, good. That's not untrue. ]

Like, really really messed up kind of unwell.

[ Very true actually, so it's not a lie, even if he's not giving details. This is okay, right?

No, it's not. He's still freaking out about this. ]

But I helped him get better, so it's fine now.

[ Not much in the way of details if that's what Haein wanted from him. ]

[ It's better than what he previously got, but it still leaves Haein with a whole lot of questions. He looks puzzled as he tries to process how this could have happened in such a short span of time. The fact that Hyunseok still isn't offering any important details is noted as well. ]

But... he was fine a couple of days ago.

[ Wasn't he...? Okay, confession: Haein definitely spends their time together focused on Hyunseok more than Hyunwoo. Maybe he had missed something. Maybe Hyunwoo hadn't been as okay as he had seemed. ]

Did he get sick after the movie?

[ That's when they parted ways. Something could have happened then. ]

[ Now it's Hyunseok's turn to feel at a loss here. So much has happened since he first met Haein that some of the calmer times they spent together in their early days, the brief period of time when they were actually friends, is lost from his memories.

If pressed he could probably manage to make them resurface, but right now with very little context to go off of the statement just seems weird. The lack of understanding is pretty clear based off his expression too. Hyunseok was never good at hiding his feelings. ]

What movie?

[ He hasn't gone to see any movies in awhile. He hasn't had the time, and what little breathing room the god who basically owns him gives him, Hyunseok mostly spends sleeping and wallowing in negative feelings now. ]

[ This is just a back and forth of them wondering what the heck's going on. There's no way Hyunseok could have already forgotten the movie they'd gone to see. The fact that it had been awful makes it all the more memorable. ]

The shark one. The Meg.

[ Haein hadn't even wanted to go (like usual) but Hyunseok had dragged him along (as always). ]

You made me watch it.

[ Kind of an accusatory tone there, but he's bothered by the fact that Hyunseok had to ask which movie after all the hassle Haein had gone through in actually attending. ]

[ Actually, the movie isn't all that memorable in the long run when you watch a lot of bad movies, but he does remember the event as one of the only "good times" he managed to ever have with Seo Haein.

The thing is... ]

What? But that was...

[ Some time ago. Like a year ago. Hyunseok definitely looks confused now. How the hell did Haein forget a huge swath of his life between that movie and Hyunseok's deal with the devil? ]

[ This is... really testing Haein's patience. He's not used to Hyunseok acting like this. The more he thinks about it, the more he watches and listens, there's something unnervingly strange about all of this.

Haein can't make heads or tails out of any of it. ]

That was what?

[ He looks expectant, but entirely lost by their conversation. ]

[ He has two options here, and neither of them sounds very good. He could keep lying to Haein, even though he can tell he's pissing him off right now, or he can tell him the truth and leave himself open to questions he really doesn't want to answer.

Hyunseok hates this continued attempt at hiding things when he knows he's going to blow his cover sooner or later (he already kind of has), so he figures he might as well go with the second and hope for the best. ]

That was like a year ago, dude...

[ Of all the things Hyunseok could have said, Haein had not been expecting that.

He's left staring, wide-eyed at first and then he's turning his head a bit to properly side-eye Hyunseok, looking very much like someone who just heard the most ridiculous news in the world. A year ago? When they'd seen each other only days before? That was... impossible. ]

You're not making any sense...

[ Haein wants to sound firm when the words leave his mouth, but there's obvious hesitation there. After all, he'd just met a girl who was from a different Korea than him, and he'd had some time to ponder the whole multiverse thing as well. So maybe... Maybe Hyunseok hadn't entirely lost his mind. ]

[ It's pretty understandable that Haein is having trouble understanding what Hyunseok's saying to him, because Hyunseok barely understands it himself. He doesn't know how this has happened, if Haein just can't remember or--

Is this some kind of weird time paradox thing? This is some kind of weird time paradox thing, isn't it? That's way beyond Hyunseok's ability to comprehend if that's the case.

He presses his fingers against his temples, letting out a frustrated sigh as he tries to wrap his head around this whole mess. ]

I'm not making sense to me either, but we saw that movie a year ago!

[ A year ago... Haein repeats that in his mind over and over again. It wasn't impossible. Not after everything, not after this. If it really was a year ago then this Hyunseok was... from the future? An entire year ahead of Haein?

His head is spinning and he takes a staggering step back as the realization of what this could mean hits him. There would be no possible way that he'd have been left alone for a whole year. His uncle would have passed the talisman off to someone, and Haein would have disappeared for some time. That's how it usually went.

His eyes dart from one side to the other as he replays his conversation with Hyunseok over in his mind. There's no way he can make sense of it now with this knowledge. ]

It... it must be the multiverse thing. [ He tries to keep his tone steady even as unease grips at his heart. ] I don't know how it's possible, but...

[ His voice falters, gaze stuck to the floor. ]

... it has to be this place.

[ Multiverse...

Hyunseok nods along with that explanation without much understanding. Time travel he gets in the very crude way often presented in children's cartoons, but multiple universes is another matter that Hyunseok has never really considered on any deep level.

Even now he's struggling to understand what Haein is trying to say with that, but... ]

Wait, are we not... Are you not the Haein I know?

[ He is, but the minute universe was mentioned in any way Hyunseok immediately jumped to what seemed like the simplest conclusion he could concoct. ]

[ It's hard to explain when Haein doesn't entirely understand it himself. That and the fact that he's trying to keep his own discomfort about Hyunseok being so ahead of him in time that he could know something, and that's why he's been acting strangely, is really putting Haein on edge. ]

No, it's not that. If this place can bring people from multiple universes, maybe it can bring people from different points in time too.

[ Though why it would do such a thing remains a complete mystery. ]

As far as I know, we're most likely from the same... universe.

[ That sounds so weird to say. ]

[ Haein has no idea just how much Hyunseok knows, and just how awkward it is that he knows so much. Admittedly that's mostly Hyunseok's fault. Haein being something not entirely human wouldn't be such a big deal if Hyunseok hadn't messed up the relationship they had before by being a selfish asshole.

Gaining full control of someone else's magical abilities at the extent of the other person's freedom and being made to suffer for it really drives home the point of being careful what you wish for. It also does a pretty good job teaching you to maybe not be an asshole that only thinks about yourself.

And yet here Hyunseok is still only thinking of himself as he runs through possible scenarios of what happens if he tells Haein everything that happens in the future.

Nothing he can think of ends pretty, and it might just be in his best interest to lie like his life depends on it, and minimize conversation with Haein while he's here.

Man, for an escape from reality this vacation is already falling pretty short. ]

What the hell even is this place?

[ This whole thing is just... wild. ]

[ It's too bad for Hyunseok that Haein has no intention of leaving him alone. He's one of the very, very few people who Haein has taken a liking to, and despite Hyunseok's odd behavior and even stranger place in time, he's a welcome sight.

Not that Haein would admit it. They've only known each other for a short while, after all... and he doesn't get attached. Ever.

He watches Hyunseok process the information, having already come to accept how weird it is that they're from different points in time. Bizarre and abrupt occurrences are just another day for Haein, but for other, more normal people, it probably takes some time getting used to it.

There are so many questions that he wants to ask, and he's never been all that patient. But for Hyunseok's sake, he holds back... Just for a moment. ]

It's an escape.

[ Haein's gaze turns inquisitive, his voice expectant. His earlier conversation with Kieren comes to mind. ]

People here seem to want to get away from something.

[ Hyunseok's feelings for Haein are more complicated than that. He should honestly hate the guy for everything that he's put Hyunseok through, but he doesn't really. He's angry at him most of the time, and he's constantly frustrated with him, but he can't say he hates him. It is largely Hyunseok's fault that Haein has been as cruel to him as he has, even if Haein's revenge paid Hyunseok back tenfold in a way that Hyunseok doesn't really think he deserves. Certainly the people close to Hyunseok don't deserve to suffer for Hyunseok's choices.

He's called Haein his friend before too, even after all that Haein has put him through because Hyunseok has lost everyone else that he considered a friend before, but it's still hard to say that Hyunseok actually likes Haein.

It makes this whole situation that much worse. He did like Haein at first. From the point in time that Haein is from Hyunseok genuinely liked him a lot, but he can't really fake feeling the same way about Haein that he used to. He's never been a very good actor.

He's reflecting on how to handle being stuck here with Haein when the comment is made, and he makes a vague noise in agreement with the statement before the implications hit him.

Hyunseok's eyes snap to Haein's face, and his lips form a tight, closed line.

He's fishing for details on why Hyunseok is here... ]

[ There are dark times ahead for Haein, but right now, he's in one of the better points in his life.

Right at this moment, though? There's a lot of frustration going on. He watches Hyunseok's expression, the way he clams up and allows silence to take over between them. It isn't... fair. Haein's supposed to know. Hyunseok had said so not too long before.

He's not used to this sort of thing. He doesn't know what to do. Years of fucking with people rather than getting close with them has left him floundering. He feels tense, nervous... upset that he's being kept in the dark. ]

... You're not going to tell me.

[ He tries to keep the hurt and anger from his voice, but it still manages to slip out. Having secrets kept from him? That's not how he operates. Haein has his own secrets that he'd take to the grave, but he's allowed to be hypocritical. He's given himself that right. But other people? Especially Hyunseok and when Haein is supposedly involved? That's unacceptable. ]

[ Something about this sucks more than Hyunseok can verbalize. He doesn't understand why upsetting Haein hurts him when Haein has done so many terrible things to him, but it does. He looks down at the ground between their feet, letting the guilt settle over him like a heavy blanket, wondering if it wouldn't be better to just admit the entirety of the truth right now.

But he can't. The risk of telling Haein what becomes of their friendship seems too great. Haein could easily turn on him again here, and he doesn't want to deal with that a second time. ]

Sorry.

[ He should at least offer something small in way of explanation though. ]

It's just... it's not really my thing to tell anyway.

[ Not good enough. Hyunseok's attempt at an explanation does nothing to console Haein. There's a burst of anger burning away inside of him, and the scorching glare directed at Hyunseok promises that this won't be forgotten. Haein is a master of keeping grudges, and this is one of the more upsetting things he's had to deal with in a while. ]

Fine.

[ The word is practically spat out, the venom in his voice hard to miss. He's been more than patient. Some friendship this was turning out to be. ]

Keep your fucking secret.

[ Haein turns sharply, heading for the exit. As far away from Hyunseok and his bullshit is where he wants to be. He needs some time to cool off. It'll be more than beneficial for the both of them, but there's no way in hell that Haein isn't going to be petty about this every chance he can get later on. ]

[ Well this feels more familiar. Incredible... Haein has no idea the way that Hyunseok will screw him over in Haein's future, and Hyunseok still managed to completely blow his chance to have a decent relationship with the guy. How is he this much of a fuck-up?

Hyunseok sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He doesn't feel good about how this all went down, but maybe it's better if Haein doesn't want to talk to him.

But it feels bad. They are friends in a weird, bitter and constant fighting sort of way. Now it feels like he might not even have that. ]

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Summer 1 - Welcome dinner

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