" Loving is probably hundreds and thousands of times more difficult than breaking up
But I'm a fool that can't live without you - what do you want me to do?"

"Good morning." Jaejin greeted as Hongki made his way downstairs.

Hongki smiled and fixed his coat. Jaejin watched from the kitchen counter, munching on some toast.

"Breakfast, hyung?" Jaejin offered. Hongki nodded, took some toast from the plate and sat on a stool across his friend.

They were eating quietly. Jaejin brain whirred, whether to or not to ask about what happened to his friend yesterday. Hongki seemed lost, and he looked sad, really sad. Today he looked a lot better than he did yesterday, a little tired but better.

Before he could open his mouth to ask, Hongki beat him to it.

"Today is the day of your audition, right?" His friend asked.

Jaejin mouth hung open. What did he just say?
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hongki cocked his eyebrow.

"What did you say, hyung? A-audition?"

Hongki stuffed the rest of his toast inside his mouth and held one finger up. Jaejin waited until his friend finished swallowing the last chunk of food inside his mouth.

"It is 17th of January, right?" Hongki said, drinking his juice.

"Uh'huh." Jaejin answered slowly. Just how did he know? Jaejin made sure that no one knows about that, even his Mom.

"The audition is on," he checked on his watch. "11 am, right?"

Jaejin bobbed his head up and down. His half eaten toast was still on his hand.

Hongki chuckled and stood up. He patted Jaejin's shoulder and walked to the sink to wash his glass.

"You're going to be just fine, Jae. I'm going out." He stopped in front of the door. "I think you'll get recruited as a band member, just wait and see." He winked and walked out, leaving Jaejin with his mouth still wide open.

***

Hongki walked on the familiar street, taking in everything that he had been through. The smell of coffees and perfumes, passing cars, and the hustling of the city around him. Everyone was just starting their new day, unaware about what happened to him. Or the death of his loved one he had just experienced.

His feet brought him to the building he would have known anywhere. The glass walls made it easier for him to see what happened inside, and like he had played in his mind again and again, a girl had started her day early in the studio.

She was dancing to the beat of the music played from the speaker, but he know she was just warming up.

He looked to his side to the newspaper rack. He picked up one daily paper. His eyes was caught by the headline of the article.

'Dead girl, got hit by a drunk driver on her way to dance recital.'

He quickly scanned through the article and later on his eyes traveled to the top right side of the paper. The date was 24th of January. His eyebrows met in confusion. He took a different paper from the rack and it showed the date it should have been today, 17th of January.

He then realized the the article was somehow came from the future. He checked the other papers on the rack but none of them dated later than 17th of January so he decided to keep that particular article.

He thought about how she reacted when they ran into each other at the church. Why did she looked at him like that? She was his girl, so why did she acted like she didn't know him?

He turned his head to the newspaper rack and to the paper in his hand. It was about a week apart. If the article in his hand was from the future and he traveled back to the past which was seven days before. That means he was on the day where it all started.

The day he first met Seolhyun.

It was the same day. For some reason, Hongki wasn't feeling like returning to his house. Even after he spent the whole night in the office. It wasn't because he had problems with his housemate. Jaejin and him was pretty close, like hyung and dongsaeng. They surprisingly had a lot in common, and it was enough to make Jaejin into one of his best friend.

He didn't return because he had just gotten into a big fight with his Grandpa about the stocks in his company. So he stopped by and took a walk, but a distant sound of music lured him into the quiet block and found the hidden studio. He can't explain how he heard that music in the first place, he can only think of Fate.

He stayed to watch her dance all day long, and when she finished they had a long talk, and soon after they started going out together.

***

Hongki kept his distance from her, far enough so she wouldn't notice that he was following her. They were walking nearing the zebra crossing as Hongki glanced on his watch. The clock showed 09:40pm.

Suddenly the girl he was following ran to the zebra crossing where the light of the pedestrian cross was already blinking in green. Hongki who saw the scene held his breath and rushed to pull her just in time of a car passing the traffic light very fast, the driver honking along the way.

He pulled her and she swirled into the safety of his chest. He hugged her as if to protect her from everything.

She pushed away to look at her savior. He stepped back, feeling hurt. But he quickly calmed his heart, reminding himself that she didn't remember him, yet.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sucking on a sharp breath. His eyes scanned her face for any sign of pain.

Seolhyun stared back at him, looking straight for his eyes. Concern was clearly shown on those two pools of dark browns. Did they met before? He looked familiar.. Yes, yesterday outside of the church. He hugged her tightly, and really squeezed the guts out of her, whispering ridiculous words to her. She was scared shitless but that stranger had saved her tonight.

She tucked the strand of her that fell in front of her face and bowed slightly.
"Yes, thank you."
"It's alright. I'm glad you're okay." He sighed. She looked up and saw that he was smiling, and without her knowing it, she smiled back.

"Can I walk with you?" Hongki asked.
"Sorry?" She cocked her brow, looking weirdly at him.
"I mean, if you want to. Just until you get your bus. It's late, and kind of dangerous for a lady to be on her own." he stuttered, he didn't want to appear creepy in front of her, or else his plan would be going the other way around.
He waited for her answer patiently, but he was really nervous inside. What if he already mess everything up?
The girl shocked him by smiling, "Okay."

Without thinking much, he held out his hand. "I'm Lee Hongki by the way."
She accepted his hand and shook it.
"Kim Seolhyun."

They walked to the bus stop together and a while later a bus came.

"I gotta go. Thanks for keeping me a company, Hongki-ssi." Seolhyun smiled and walked to her bus.
She was walking away as she felt the bubble that were about to burst inside her tummy. Biting her bottom lip, she finally made up her mind. She turned around and saw him still standing where she left him, looking her at back.
"Do you want to come for a cup of coffee tomorrow?" She asked hurriedly.

Hongki was surprised again. He nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, I'll see you at the studio." He blurted out.
"Okay, good night." She bowed and entered the bus.

Seolhyun climbed aboard and found a seat near the window. She smiled at Hongki who waved at her.
The bus started to go on it's way, just as a question came up to her mind.

'How did he know about the studio?'

***

When Hongki arrived at home it was already late. The living room was quiet with no signs of life, so Jaejin was probably asleep. He climbed up the stairs, shrugging off his coat. He arrived at his room, washed his face and got ready to sleep.

As he lay on his bed staring on nothing but the darkness surrounding him, he remembered about his short memories with Kim Seolhyun, the girl who stole his heart with her dances. Those pretty lips and luring pair of eyes that kept him awake most nights will leave him for good.

Just the thought of him going back in time was unbelievable. But that's what happened. He didn't have any rational explanations for it, but he was very grateful. Although she didn't remember him, and he had to start again with her. He know and vowed with his life that he would change the destiny, he will save her from that accident.

He sat up and turned on his night lamp. He reached out to the calendar sitting on his night stand and stared at the dates. It was just yesterday that Seolhyun left him forever, and suddenly today was the first day they met, like the history was playing itself again. He opened the drawer and found a red pen. It wasn't a good colour to mark the calendar, but it should do.

His eyes was glued on the spot where the date of the accident occurred, Tuesday 24th and he made a circle on it. He then moved to today's date, which was a week earlier, Tuesday 17th and marked 'x' on it. Seven days until the dreaded accident.

He put back the calendar on its place, turned off the light, and ended his day.