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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[ A friend... ha. Very funny, considering Hyunseok's most recent memories are a little different than Haein's own, and friend was the last thing he'd expect Haein to call him. Sure, Hyunseok had used that word plenty, because his tolerance for abuse was absurdly high, but not so high that he doesn't tense up the minute he hears the voice.

His head whips around to the side, and boy that look of shock on his face doesn't match the open and almost friendly tone that Haein's using with him. It fades quickly, however, replaced with confusion and more than a little trepidation.

What's going on here? Why is Haein here? Why is Haein here and approaching him?

Better yet, why is Haein here, approaching him, and not doing it in an aggressive manner? ]

Uh...?

[ He holds up his plate of food, still looking a little nervous. ]

Want some?

[ He has learned many lessons over the past several months, and one of them is to be careful asking Haein too many questions that might tick him off. ]

[ Alright, kind of a strange reaction but Haein had been surprised to see Hyunseok here too. He'd at least had a short window of time to mostly process it, and figures Hyunseok hasn't had the same yet.

What a coincidence for both of them to get invites to this place and then to accept.

Haein glances down at the offered plate, then shakes his head. He's a lot more interested in catching up with Hyunseok than eating. ]

What are you doing here?

[ Hyunseok lowers the plate as confusion starts to win the emotion war. With some hesitation he finally puts the plate down on the table, resigning himself to not eating at all for now.

Haein acting so... non-hostile is definitely more important than his empty stomach right now. This is definitely suspicious, and Hyunseok is more curious about that than he is about why Haein chose to come here too. ]

I mean... you know.

[ This is a very vague response to the question, but he figures Haein has to have some awareness of why Hyunseok would want to escape his current situation, given the god he's stuck serving for the time being.

Hell, as far as Hyunseok is aware that's probably why Haein took this offer too. It might be Hyunseok who had made the deal with the god, but Haein was the one whose powers were being exploited.

Which is why, again, Haein acting like he doesn't want to rip Hyunseok's head off right now is beyond weird. ]

[ This is... starting to get suspicious. Haein's not sure what to make of this situation. He draws back a bit, eyebrows furrowed as he puzzles over what Hyunseok is trying to say. No, Haein doesn't know what it is he's supposed to know. Things had been okay before coming here. They'd been too okay which is why it had spooked him into running.

So really, Haein has no clue what this could be about. ]

I... I don't.

[ Takes a look around, just to make sure no one is eavesdropping in on their conversation, before lowering his voice. ]

Did something happen?

[ There's apprehension building in the pit of his stomach. Haein doesn't like being left in the dark, and the way Hyunseok is acting is much too odd for his tastes. ]

[ He doesn't...?

What the fresh hell?

Hyunseok stares at Haein for a good, uncomfortable ten seconds as he tries to figure out if Haein is messing with him or not. This could easily be a trap, but Haein's usually not particularly sneaky about trying to torment Hyunseok. Mostly he just lets Hyunseok walk into pitfalls all on his own, while adding insulting commentary the whole way through.

He's not insulting Hyunseok right now, and that's honestly pretty weird, but maybe that means that somehow Haein doesn't remember what went down between them.

Is that even possible? Hard to say, but still Hyunseok doesn't really want to give Haein a reason to be cruel to him, so he tries to recover from that. ]

No. I mean... Well, kind of...

[ He grimaces, and makes a vague, dismissive hand gesture. ]

It doesn't matter.

[ It's ten seconds of staring that Haein can't handle. He breaks eye contact to stare at the ground instead, a scowl on his face as annoyance prickles at his skin. This isn't... the reunion he'd been expecting. Not that there would have been much excitement involved, but coming across Hyunseok had been a bit of a relief for Haein, but now...

Now it's obvious that something is being hidden from him. ]

It does matter.

[ Haein's temper flares as he picks his gaze back up to meet Hyunseok's. He feels like he's being played for a fool, like he's really supposed to take this dismissal and move on when it's plain to see that things aren't alright. ]

Tell me what happened. [ And here's the real kicker. ] Is Hyunwoo okay?

[ He's used to seeing the two of them together so Hyunseok being here alone... maybe that has something to do with it. ]

[ That temper is something that Hyunseok is a lot more used to, and the gaze makes Hyunseok flinch and look away. Haein isn't the only one that feels like he's being played for a fool right now. The question seems so pointed to Hyunseok, but he really can't tell what game Haein would be playing at right now to ask something like that.

But how could he possibly forget everything they've been through for the past several months? He can't have, right? He wouldn't ask about Hyunwoo if he had.

Still avoiding eye contact, Hyunseok licks his lips nervously. ]

He's fine now.

[ Even his tone of voice is a little stiff when he answers that, as if the body language wasn't enough to make it clear that something really is deeply wrong here. The use of "now" doesn't hurt to make that point either. ]

[ It's not the answer he wants to hear. The prickling annoyance from earlier turns into full blown frustration and anger. He's not too familiar with the concept of friendship, but he's fairly certain friends don't keep things from each other.

It feels shitty. It's unfair. He's going out of his way to show a reasonable amount of concern (though it's mostly to quell his own anxiety about the situation), and this is what he gets in return? ]

What the hell, Hyunseok?

[ He keeps his voice low, all too aware of the others around them, but the hostile edge lining his words is clearly there. ]

Why can't you just tell me what's going on?

[ This is very, very familiar, and Hyunseok shrinks down on himself when he hears that familiar edge in Haein's voice. He's not even sure what he did wrong here that's setting Haein off this time, but apparently he fucked up. Once again.

He forces himself to look at Haein's face, searching for some sign that Haein is honestly just fucking with him. This would help a lot if Hyunseok was better at reading more than just surface level emotions. ]

You really don't know...?

[ There's an uncertainty, a hesitation in his voice as he asks that. ]

[ There's nothing on Haein's face that would hint at him fucking around. In fact, his expression is an open book and he looks the way he sounds, exasperated and irritated at how long this is dragging out, at how evasive Hyunseok is being.

He exhales loudly, an attempt to settle himself, before he replies. ]

I really don't know.

[ His tone is more level this time around, but the sharp glare in his eyes is a tell that he's one misstep away from slipping back into aggression. ]

[ Everything about this chance encounter in another country has been a whirlwind ride from the beginning, and Hyunseok's head is spinning. He doesn't know what's happening right now, but as angry as Haein seemed like he was getting with him, it still wasn't the contempt he usually addresses Hyunseok with.

And not knowing about Hyunwoo...

There had been a pretty painful number of times that Haein had held the fact that Hyunseok had seriously fucked up his little brother over his head with a remorseless, malicious intent. ]

But you...

[ Hyunseok's not sure how he feels about the fact that Haein can't recall what he did to Hyunwoo now, but his stomach is tying itself up in agitated knots over it. He doesn't like this feeling, but he's not so stupid as to think that telling Haein the full story is going to go well.

He presses his lips together for a moment before continuing. ]

He's doing better now.

[ 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. ]

Summer 1 - Welcome dinner

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