Shell-shocked, Wooyoung stood and wiped his eyes. Even from a distance, the light stung as if someone shone a flashlight right into his eyes. Its color was warmer than the fluorescent lights he was used to from the shelter and this facility; so cozy.

For whatever reason, the sight tickled his nose and Wooyoung had to sneeze. Confused, he shook it off and stared back out into the world that was bathed in more light than he ever saw it in.

"Go ahead. It won't harm you," Seonghwa offered. His avatar stayed on his computer and Hongjoong didn't care for anything else as he remained glued to Seonghwa's side.

Jongho ventured first, and Mingi huffed to get up and follow him. In an instant, Yeosang scrambled to his side to support his shoulder. Together, they tumbled through the open doors and stepped into the light-flooded corridor. Jongho held out his hands to let the rays dance over his skin, and a noise of awe escaped him.

"It's warm!" He exclaimed and Mingi checked for himself, making sure it wouldn't harm Jongho.

Wooyoung was rooted to the spot. He wanted to take a look as well and find out what they worked so hard for while trusting Seonghwa blindly. But his duty was to watch San and even if their bodies were entangled in too cozy of a position to count as a proper watch, he didn't dare to pull away.

But it was too late now, wasn't it? The sun shone after ninety years, and the water crashed down hard enough to make the world tremble. They were beyond the point of reversal and what San dreaded already became reality.

Before he had to figure out the physics behind Seonghwa's cure, San picked up on his hesitation. When he spoke, his voice was scratchy and so quiet Wooyoung barely heard it.

"I won't do anything. Just go."

Wooyoung paused. He hated to regard San with caution after how close they became. Every touch sparked along his skin and he just wanted to cozy up and look at the sun together.

Not everything was lost. They didn't have to become strangers. But his betrayal stung and even now, he didn't look at Wooyoung.

This pain that he kept to himself gaped between them like a canyon. San treated it as a concern that only applied to himself, but Wooyoung would have loved to be part of his life. So long as San didn't let him in, there was no exchange.

Too curious to communicate this dilemma right now, Wooyoung stood. It was too late for San. Even if he kicked and punched at the computer now, Seonghwa already did the deed.

And if what he said was true, then the world was healing, and the skies cleared. 

Wooyoung hurried through the room to catch up with his friends and left it to Hongjoong to defend his obsession in case something happened. When he stepped into the golden rays, he could feel their warmth on his arms, and they weren't scorching. They cradled him with a heat unlike that of a fire or a blanket. 

Awed, Wooyoung lifted his eyes out of the window to stand in marvel with his friends.

Everything was so bright. The golden hue danced over the dead trees and glistened on the surface of the pool down in the backyard. It brightened the bleak concrete and lit the looming shadows.

All the light came from a massive ball of it that had been hidden behind the smog. It shone with so much force that Wooyoung teared up just looking at it and illuminated its blue surroundings.

Blue.

The sky truly was blue. A hue so unnatural, yet so soothing to look at. It was deep and wide, spanning across the entire field of sight, and though Wooyoung didn't understand why it was blue and if there was another layer beyond, it was spectacular.

The vision felt like a fever dream. As if it might disappear from their sight at any second and leave nothing behind. As if this was a momentary miracle, a trick of the light, and not what their sky had always been supposed to look like.

No wonder the world had no fouls back then. If it was this bright, they would go extinct.

Yunho had made his way inside through the window, too impatient to wait out in the sun by himself. Now, when Wooyoung heard his voice behind him, he instinctively reached for his hand. Yunho wrapped him into a loose hug to place his chin on Wooyoung's head. Holding each other up, the pair shared the long dream they never thought to come true.

"So that is... the sun," Yunho muttered in awe. Seonghwa showed them so much about it, explained time and time again what a burning star was supposed to be and they never understood.

And they didn't need to. Now it was here, breaking through the clear skies, and its rays warmed their tormented hearts.

Seonghwa's voice chirped through the speakers, and he was giddy to share this with them.

"Please don't stare into it directly."

Jongho craned his head, trying to find him. He leaned against Mingi's shoulder in a similar vision to Wooyoung and Yunho. Their dream made the trader speechless, and he held onto Jongho's waist while empty eyes stared up into the sky.

Seonghwa did this. Seonghwa and their group effort. The skies were healed as they had hoped and, in theory, it should stay like this.

"But it's so pretty. I want to look," Jongho pouted. He looked drained, but also delighted to be standing in the window, soaking up the light they never knew they lacked.

"That's exactly what is a bad idea. It can hurt you," Seonghwa explained with his typical patience that made Wooyoung roll his eyes and shook Mingi from his stupefaction. 

"Yeah, yeah, everything hurts us."

"This hurts you very quickly!"

Yunho glanced away, blinking his eyes. When Wooyoung did the same, he noticed dark spots dancing in his vision. At first, he thought he might black out, but they quickly disappeared.

"He's right, ugh," Yunho groaned. One by one, they ripped their gazes away and glanced sparingly. Everyone wanted to go outside, but they had to catch their breaths first. Only when they had their weapons they should venture out. Even in the light, the dangers of this world weren't banished yet. Across the entire globe, people had to be disoriented with the sudden rays beaming down on them, but they would understand soon. That the warmth and the light would help them.

For the first time in a lifetime, Wooyoung blinked against the sunlight when he pushed his hair back. The air was fresh now that the smog settled and was carried off by a faint breeze. 

"Where are the stars?" Wooyoung demanded to know. If the sky and the sun were real, were the stars also real? Did the night bring out many, many more tiny suns that sparkled in the dark sky?

Ridiculous as it always had sounded, suddenly it wasn't so unrealistic. Seonghwa worked actual magic.

The AI chuckled over his speakers.

"Not here yet. We will have to wait a few hours."

Wooyoung never wanted today to end and he also couldn't wait for the night. Overwhelmed, he glanced at his friends. 

"Let's go outside," Mingi frolicked, and his eyes had livened up with excitement. It infected the others, and they returned to the computer console to pick up their weapons. 

"Will you be fine?" Mingi asked Seonghwa and his avatar danced across his screen as he got comfortable in his new home. 

"I can lock the doors from here, yes. No worries in case I run out of power. The CRC regenerates it."

Wooyoung threw him a grin while Yeosang offered Hongjoong to come out with them. After a second glance, Wooyoung noticed the room was otherwise empty apart from them. Startled, he flicked his head around, but no trace of San. His bag had disappeared, and Seonghwa and Hongjoong were unharmed.

"Seonghwa?" Wooyoung asked, and his strain had Yunho perk up.

"Where is he?" He demanded to know, not mentioning his name, so the others could continue gushing about the new world. 

If anything happened to San...

After a beat of silence, Seonghwa muttered with compassion.

"Give him some time. He doesn't hate us for what we did, but the guilt suffocates his mind."

Wooyoung hesitated. He wanted to be there for his lover and wanted to share his pain, but he could never relate in the way San needed him to. Otherwise, Wooyoung would have taken his side and stopped the mission. 

"Okay," Wooyoung whispered. He hung his head. His burden wasn't as heavy as San's, but it made breathing difficult. For a moment, he considered staying behind. Perhaps he should wait for San. If his mind stuck with him, it would be difficult to match the joy of the others and to wrap his head around all the new information of their changed world.

A hand found his shoulder and squeezed it. Wooyoung looked up to Yunho's familiar smile, frivolous with triumph.

"Come on," he invited him. "He won't leave if you truly mean something to him."

After a moment, Wooyoung nodded. Yunho's sympathetic voice coaxed him to pick up his rifle and join them.

Unbelievable as it was, Wooyoung knew he was San's reason not to go. He might wander and he might close off to find some solitude, but he couldn't bring himself to leave this place.

This was the very same reason he didn't shoot them. Why Wooyoung could stop his treason before anything worse happened.

Because San liked him. Even now, haunting the corridors by himself to deal with his remorse,  San had nowhere else to go. He was as if caught in Wooyoung's web and while that thought was scary, it also soothed Wooyoung. He could have an eye on San and make sure nothing bad would happen to him. 

It was difficult to grasp that knowledge. Yunho and Wooyoung liked each other. Wooyoung and San certainly understood their intimacy. But suddenly, everything had so much weight. Suddenly, the raider picked Wooyoung over his dying community without ever sharing that obligation.

Stepping outside would clear Wooyoung's frazzled mind. He didn't know how to deal with this realization, but it had time until later. For now, Wooyoung gladly trailed behind Yunho as they ran down the stairs. Yeosang and Jongho helped Mingi and soon, everyone gathered in the outer yard. The sun heated the concrete and everything looked so different now. Wooyoung never wanted to stop looking up and already his nape ached and his eyes stung.

He never realized how much time of his life he spent looking at the ground to scour it for food.

Mingi had to sit down on the steps leading to the entrance door, but he shared everyone's enthusiasm about their surroundings. At first, Jongho raced back and forth to look at everything. The sun never changed its angle, and it shimmered on some surfaces, like the door. Though it behaved so similarly to a flashlight, its overbearing might was astonishing. It just hung in the sky, a natural part of their cycle. As if it never had been gone.

Later, while Yeosang crouched at a few dead branches, Jongho sat next to Mingi to rest his leg. They didn't speak, but a smile played around the corners of Mingi's mouth when their leader shyly fiddled with his hands.

 "I want the trees to be green," Yeosang elaborated when Yunho and Wooyoung joined him in his corner. The insects didn't seem too interested in the change of light. Wooyoung wondered how people elsewhere reacted. All of a sudden, the sun beamed from the sky, and the water fell from its orbs. How did the humans react? And the fouls?

So many things to learn. Since they never considered the plan might come true, everything overwhelmed them.

"Everything has... so much color." Yunho agreed. Like the pictures Seonghwa showed them of the past. Would flowers bloom? Would the trees be green even after all those years?

They didn't go inside for a long time and only when the sun noticeably moved across the skies, Seonghwa reminded them to eat something.

"Let's sleep on the roof! The fouls won't get there and we can look at the stars!" Yunho frolicked since their adventure wasn't over.

Giddy, Wooyoung rushed along to help him prepare their camp. Seonghwa accompanied them through the building, at peace and proud of himself for granting them this, even if it changed nothing but the light for now.

But they knew. Out there, so much more changed. And Wooyoung wanted to look at everything as soon as possible.