'This brings a whole new meaning to 'living your dreams',' thought Yeonjun as he clung to Soobin's shoulders on the way to the apartment.

All the buildings that they passed - even though he had never seen them before - seemed so familiar. Before he had lost the ability to sleep peacefully and dream, he had dreamt of these streets. He had dreamt of the bike he was currently riding on. Every last tiny detail was the same so much so that it was all a bit eerie to Yeonjun.

"You okay? You're awfully quiet," came Soobin's voice then, dragging him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just taking it all in," said Yeonjun. "It's odd enough that you look the same as my Soobin, but this place...the more streets you turn down, the more familiar it seems."

"Really?"

Even though he knew Soobin couldn't see him because he was facing forward, Yeonjun nodded his head in answer. Soobin took the silence as an affirmative answer though as he rounded the last block and soon came in sight of his apartment building.

"We're here," said Soobin as he slowed down and eventually stopped the bike, waiting for Yeonjun to get off before getting off himself.

Yeonjun followed Soobin up the weedy walkway as they made their way towards the door of his apartment. After the door was unlocked, Soobin led the way into the darkened interior with his bike. Yeonjun followed shortly after, shutting the door behind him. Taking the takeout containers out of the bike basket, Soobin carried them into the kitchen, turning lights on, on his way.

"Sorry for the mess," he said. "I...I've been meaning to clean."

Yeonjun looked around the small apartment from where he stood in the entryway. It looked relatively in order until he let his eyes adjust to the surroundings. He noticed the haphazard stack of dishes in the sink and the articles of clothing strewn across the floor. The clutter here and there was understandable to Yeonjun. When someone lost another, they tended to also begin to lose themselves in the process of grieving. Order was no longer a priority when their mind was chaotic. Yeonjun knew it from experience having grown up in a household where his father had died during watcher training and his mother had succumbed to the grief of raising her only son - a mirror image of his father - alone.

"Come in and make yourself at home," said Soobin as he took a seat at the table. "We need to talk about what is going on."

"We do," said Yeonjun as he moved to take a seat across from him.

"It's just...odd...I feel like I'm looking at a ghost or something," said Soobin with a weak chuckle to try and lighten up the tense atmosphere.

"Well, I have been thinking you were a hostage...well, I mean I guess my Soobin still is because you aren't him even though you look just like him."

"So, start from the beginning," said Soobin. "Tell me everything."

"Everything?"

Soobin nodded as he opened his takeout container to grab his sandwich.

"I'm all ears. Metaphorically speaking."

Yeonjun smirked weakly. He wouldn't burden Soobin with the burdens of his younger past now, but would instead focus on the more relevant things. Yeonjun moved to grab his sandwich too, taking a few bites of it before starting in on his story.

"I'm from a place called Nova," he said. "I am an official watcher on Nova where I am stationed in one of thousands of watchtowers ensuring that nothing foreign comes through the breach that will prove destructive to our world."

"The breach?"

Yeonjun nodded, swallowing the bite in his mouth as he added, "When I was around eight, something happened in Nova. To this day no one is quite sure what, but it caused a tear in the seam of our reality deep within the heart of our forest. Once in a while, odd things would come through that the Novian government would declare a threat to our society. Due to this, the watchers were established and it was the expectation of every able-bodied man - when they turned eighteen - to be sent away to train for a year before eventually taking up residence inside one of the watchtowers."

"That doesn't give you time to live a life," commented Soobin.

"Being alive was enough of a life in the eyes of the Novian government," said Yeonjun. "Besides, we were ultimately disposable in the end. If we don't end up dead or MIA by the time we turn thirty, we are released from watcher duty so we could procreate."

"Lovely," said Soobin; Yeonjun smirking at the sarcastic way it was said.

"Anyway, when I went to my watchtower, I was pretty much a loner. I didn't really have friends growing up. I met you...or at least another you, Hueningkai, Taehyun, and Beomgyu over the video tablet one night and we became fast friends."

"Wait...you had a Hueningkai, Taehyun, and Beomgyu too? It wasn't just me?"

Yeonjun nodded his head, a sadness taking over him then as he put down his sandwich.

"They all went missing too...before you did," said Yeonjun. "I was the last one and was left alone. Like always."

"Hey," said Soobin, reaching a hand out to lay it on one of Yeonjun's wrists as he looked down at the table, "I will admit this is really odd, but I...look I know I'm not your Soobin, but I will help you find yours. You aren't alone."

"You believe me then?"

"It's a bit hard to, but the proof is sitting right in front of me," said Soobin, "After all you aren't a ghost."

"And you aren't a hostage," said Yeonjun.

Before either of them could say anything more, a knock came at the door that had both of their heads jerking towards it.

"SOOBIN! WE KNOW YOU'RE HOME! WE CAN SEE THE LIGHTS ON!" came Hueningkai's shout through the door. "LET US IN!"

"I can't let them know about me," said Yeonjun, "Not yet. I mean...I probably am already putting you in enough danger and I..."

"I get it," said Soobin as he quickly stood up, "Hide! Anywhere! Quick!"

Soobin turned just then to see that the curtains above the kitchen sink were parted. Hueningkai was known to peek in windows if Soobin made him wait outside too long. Soobin made a mad dash for the curtains, yanking them shut as Yeonjun moved to rush down the small hallway. Just as Yeonjun was about to take the corner into Soobin's bedroom, his foot made contact with a discarded piece of clothing. It caused him to slip across the floor with the grace of a disoriented ice skater, banging his forehead into the wall.

"Are you okay?" whispered Soobin in a hiss as he made his way towards the front door where Hueningkai was still banging.

"I'm fine," whispered Yeonjun back with one hand clasped over his throbbing forehead.

Yeonjun rubbed at it as he entered the bedroom, barely managing to slip into the cramped quarters of Soobin's closet just as the front door was opened and hurricane Kai made its presence known.