Chapter Text
Mashiho walks down the aisle. No, it’s not the aisle of the wedding hall yet. Don’t get too excited. It’s just the beginning of their unique love story that only the two of them have in this universe.
Mashiho walks down the aisle of the corridor to his dressing room in his white tuxedo, his makeup is done and hair clips are on his hair to make it set. He talks on the phone while walking, a little irritated at the person on the other side of the line, "Kim Junkyu, where the hell are you!?"
"Sorry, love. I'm on my way there. I just finished my experiment."
"You’re still working? You know it's our wedding day, right?"
“I couldn't sleep last night and suddenly had a eureka moment. I thought I wouldn't have time to do it if not last night. We’re going on a long honeymoon after the wedding after all. I didn’t realize it's morning already. I’m really sorry. I’d be there in time I promise! There’s just a bit of traffic here—”
"So you prioritize your work over our wedding? Over me? Do you even really love me?"
“Mashi…I love you, you know it, right?”
“I don’t. Your actions say you don’t love me enough.”
“Mashi..Love…”
Mashiho hears Junkyu whines cutely on the other side. Does he think he’ll let it slide if he acts all cute? It’s normal for them to argue and oftentimes it’s Junkyu’s fault and well, maybe— okay fine, he’s a bit at fault too and his short temper. He keeps it down though, he thinks, and always tries to be more understanding and patient with Junkyu. He will always be the first one to give in but not today. Today is a special day, a day they will be experiencing only once in their lifetime.
It’s their wedding day.
Mashiho wants everything to be perfect but it’s not going the way he wants right from the start. Maybe right from the start, he chose the wrong groom to marry.
“Get here asap or you won’t have a groom to marry any—”
He isn’t able to complete his sentence nor hear Junkyu’s reply anymore. Mashiho miscalculates and misses a step on the stairs because he’s too focused on talking to Junkyu. The stair is pretty high too and he’s falling fast. He can’t do anything but brace for impact as he squeezes his eyes shut and covers his head. His phone goes flying in the process and he hears the glass casing break as it lands on the ground first.
He expects for the cold hard floor to hit him but instead, he feels the damp ground and gets stung by tiny blades on his arms. When he opens his eyes, he is laying down on a lawn of luscious green grasses. The first thing he does is inspect himself for any injury. Thankfully, there is none except his white tuxedo is now stained with dirt. He dusts himself off and looks around. He is suddenly outside, in an unfamiliar park. He’s so sure their wedding is in the middle of winter, there can’t be any grass growing this fresh in the cold weather. He feels the tickle of the sun’s warmth and looks up. The sun is too irritatingly hot and glaring for it to be winter.
Impossible.
Where is he? What day is today? His heart palpitates and he is becoming more anxious. Is he dreaming? He pinches his cheek. It hurts. It must be real.
He is still wondering what happened and how he got here in the first place when suddenly a cute young child, around four or five years old, approaches him.
"Ahjussi, awe you owkay? Why awe you so diwty? My mom says not to pway with diwt" the small child curiously asked in his almost incomprehensible garble.
Huh?
Mashiho stares at the kid intently and tilts his head. The kid resembles someone but that doesn’t make sense. Nothing is making sense to him right now. He was just on the phone a few minutes ago, now a child is talking to him.
“Why awe you wooking at me wike that, Ahjussi? You want my icecweam? It’s mwine though,” the kid tries to hide the ice cream he is holding behind his back and pouts, “You should ask youw mom fow icecweam.”
Mashiho tries to wrap his head around what's happening. The kid talking to him now is just too familiar for him to be mistaken. It’s the first time seeing him in person but he is sure he has seen his face in pictures many times before.
“Did you shrink? What have you been doing in your lab?”
“Huh? Wab? Awe you owkay, Ahjussi?”
The kid looks at him with concern and pity. He suddenly shows him his ice cream and offers, “Fwine. You can take a bwite.”
The kid doesn’t seem to know what Mashiho is talking about. He probably thinks he’s some crazy guy right now. Then, what is it? What is happening?
He looks at the kid again and gets distracted by those big brown eyes looking up at him.
Awww.
He stops thinking for a moment.
The kid is just too adorable and cute. He wants to pinch those chubby cheeks. He squats down so he can talk to him eye-to-eye, “You’re really going to share it with me?”
The kid nods, “Hewe. Becauwse youw pwetty.”
Mashiho giggles at the sudden compliment, “I’m pretty?”
“Un. I thought you’we an angel. This shines,” the kid nods again and points on his face.
“Hm? My face?”
The kid nods vigorously this time, “Pwetty”
Mashiho coughs, a bit embarrassed by the compliment. It’s not that no one has ever complimented his face but it’s been a while since he’s been complimented this sincerely and aggressively, well, maybe except for that person who loves kissing his cheeks. He’s still the same no matter how small he has gotten.
Ah. He wonders what happened to their wedding. He hopes his groom will already be in the wedding hall when he comes back. Or else—
He sighs.
Whatever is he thinking right now? He doesn’t even know how to return. He might get stuck in this place forever and it scares him. He should find a way to return soon.
The sweat running down his face distracts him from his thoughts. He is really not friends with the sun. This is why they set their wedding in winter, except for it being their favorite season too. One of the only things they agreed on. He removes his suit and suddenly realizes, “Ah! It’s because of the sun and my white suit. It’s because I’m wearing white now. White reflects light the best so you thought my face was shining.”
“Wefwect?”
“Reflect. Reflection. Reflection is when light bounces on an object to our eyes. Objects reflect light differently, that’s why we see different colors. ”
“Wefwect— Wefwe— Weflection?”
“Hm-hmm, good enough. You’ll learn it when you study more. You’re a bright kid after all,” Mashiho ruffles his hair and looks at him with affection, “You’re so cute.”
The kid sulks and shakes his head, “I’m not cute, I’m handswome. Mom says so.”
“Hm-hmm. You're handsome. You’ll be even more handsome in the future. And cute too.”
“NOoooooo. I’m not cute! I’m hwandswome!”
“You can be both.”
“Oh.” The kid stops after the realization and smiles so wide, “Then I’m cute AND hwandswome.”
“Right. Right.” Mashiho laughs.
He forgets for a moment that he’s in an unfamiliar place, enjoying the company of a kid. Maybe because of familiarity or maybe he really has this kind of charm that makes Masiho forget his problems.
He cannot deny who he is anymore.
“Junkyu-ya~ Are you bothering someone again? It’s time for the shoot to start!” A beautiful woman in her mid-30’s approaches the two of them.
“Mom~” the young kid goes running to the woman and hugs her.
Seeing her and hearing how she calls the young child, Mashiho confirms his hunch. The little kid is Junkyu and the woman is his soon-to-be mother-in-law. She looks younger and even more beautiful now. He suddenly remembers how Junkyu said he used to be a model for child apparel and it looks like they are shooting for one right now. That means… he traveled back to the past. But how? Why?
“Mom, that Ahjussi is pwetty. I like him. I’ll mawwy him.”
“Honey, it’s bad manners to point your finger at people. And you can’t just marry anyone you find pretty.”
“But dad says he mawwied mom because mom is pwetty.”
“Oh? Your dad said that?” she blushed at Junkyu’s innocent remark.
Mashiho snickers after hearing their conversation. No wonder Junkyu grew up sweet, his parents are sweet too.
Junkyu’s mom realizes she forgot to apologize to Mashiho and turns to him, “I’m sorry my kid bothered you.”
“Oh no, it’s nothing. Mo— Ma’am. He’s a kind and adorable kid. He even offered me his ice cream.”
She gets happy to hear Mashiho’s account of her kid’s kindness then turns to the young Junkyu and pats his head, “You did a good job, son.”
Junkyu lets her pat him and smiles proudly to his mom.
“Let’s go? The director is waiting. I’ll buy you another ice cream if you do well in this photoshoot.”
Junkyu nods and holds his mother’s hand.
Mashiho looks at them in silence as they walk away. Then they stop half-way and Junkyu seems to be saying something to his mom before he runs back to him.
“This is fow you. My mom says she’ll buy me mowe ice cweam so you can have this.”
“Oh, you’re so sweet. Thank you. Enjoy your shoot.”
The young Junkyu pauses and gestures for him to squat down again so Mashiho does as told, then Junkyu whispers to his ears, “I… I don’t wike camewas but mom’s smile is beautiful when she watches me. Don’t tell her. It’s a secwet.”
Mashiho nods and ruffles Junkyu’s head again, “You’re really a good kid.”
“Hehe. Ba-bye, Ahjussi!”
“Bye!”
Mashiho watches them walk away and now he’s back to his problem. How does he get back? He starts looking around, finding a clue in every corner, when he trips on one of the cable lines set up by the staff for the photoshoot.
And again, he gets transferred to another place, it’s not the wedding hall but he’s familiar with the place this time.