Chapter Text
4.
It is the number of people he is looking at. Seunghyun had stayed sober for the past month, or at least he thought he had. Or what possibly explain the scene in front of him?
Seunghyun sat on the edge of his bed, brows furrowed in sheer confusion as he glances around the room. He was still in his room, he knew for sure, but there were some strange additions that were not there when he fell asleep the previous night.
1 exact replica of him sat cross-legged on the floor, hunched over his phone as he typed, probably texting someone. The copy of him looked much younger, possibly 10 or so years, his hair is cut into a textured crop, messy bangs touching his eyebrows. He wore a silk pyjama set, blue with tiny white dots. It was somewhat similar to what Seunghyun would wear to sleep nowadays. His face sported a massive grin as he enthusiastically typed out texts on his phone.
Seunghyun found his appearance very familiar but was unable to pinpoint when he last had this look. It was only until he spotted the green phone case with silly cartoonish stickers on the back that he finally realised. The Secret Message. It was filmed exactly 10 years ago, and he had starred as the main actor, Woo-Hyun. And if he guessed correctly, the Woo-Hyun in front of him had to be texting his girlfriend, Haruka. Seunghyun did not remember much of the plot -only the main details- as it was quite light-hearted, a romance-comedy with a touch of angst. He had quite a bit of fun filming it with the female star.
An unpleasant emotion wells up in Seunghyun’s chest, a mix of sadness and nostalgia that caused his heart to ache unbearably. He ignores this feeling, shifting his gaze to the left corner of the room, where another copy of him stood, leaning against the window rail and gazing at the scenery. The window was pushed open slightly, not enough for the wind to come in, but for the copy of him to take a drag from a cigarette.
Seunghyun watched the smoke curl into the air and dissipate. From the back silhouette of his copy, he was unable to tell who he was. Dressed in a well-fitted navy suit and polished leather shoes, this copy had a strong figure. His hair was just slightly shorter than Seunghyun’s, curly black locks left un-styled. A name pops up in his mind. Ham Daegil. The main character of Tazza: The Hidden Card. Seunghyun let a small smile form on his lips. The filming of that movie was slightly hectic, but overall a treasured experience. Partly because Seunghyun found bits of himself in the character, making it easier to fully immerse himself into the acting. He gazed at the standing figure for a little while longer, reminiscing of the funny moments they had while filming.
Seunghyun then moved on, gaze turning to the right. This time, he immediately recognizes the copy of him. Thanos, Choi Su-bong, who he recently acted as in Squid Game 2. The purple hair was striking, forming a contrast in the otherwise muted room. Seunghyun hid a grimace. Of course he has to be here. It wasn’t as if Seunghyun hated the character, he had acted as him after all, but he did find Thanos’ behaviour to be somewhat distasteful.
“Drugs.” The word popped up in Seunghyun’s mind. He frowned, willing his brain to stay quiet. It is not a good time for that.
In front of him, Thanos lazed on an armchair. It is Seunghyun’s favorite chair, evident from the fact that it is placed smack center of his bedroom. It could also be considered a sofa, he supposed. Dressed in the iconic green jumpsuit, the copy lay horizontally, head and legs resting comfortably on the armrests. Thanos’ fingers fidgeted with the cross necklace as he gazed up at the ceiling, as if completely unaware of his surroundings.
If it were possible, Seunghyun would not want to talk to him. Seunghyun looked away from the purple haired junkie, eyes landing on the last replica of himself. Almost immediately, his brows furrow and he looks away.
He could recognize that look from anywhere. Pink hair boldly pushed up, dressed in a white suit with contrasting colourful patterns on the sides. Draped on him is a fur coat, outlining the shape of his broad shoulders. Its Seunghyun, or more specifically T.O.P, his stage persona carefully handcrafted to entertain his fans. Of course, it is a mix of his actual personality and some learned charisma. It isn’t a façade, at least to a certain extent. Just another way to express himself.
In a way, all the replicas in the room resonated with him, one way or another, good or bad. At that thought, Seunghyun’s frown grew, worry lines creasing his forehead. The fact that he was seeing this is already quite incredulous. There is no logical explanation as to why there were 4 copies of him. Seunghyun found his head hurting as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact.
A sudden thought struck him. What if its some sort of multiverse thing? Seunghyun recalled the alternate universe theories that he read on Reddit some time ago. He didn’t put much thought into it, thinking that it was just someone who had too much time on their hands to come up with this nonsense, but the evidence is in front of him.
His next thought is, why? Why had they appeared in his room? Why today? Why these specific characters? Seunghyun couldn’t bring himself to call them people just yet. Maybe he would change his mind once he interacted with all of them and understood just what was happening.
Seunghyun’s mind returned to the present, realising that the room was still silent. No one was talking to each other or even looking at each other. Strange. Does he have to be the one who initiates? If so, who should he talk to first?
His gaze lingers on T.O.P -he decided to call them by their character’s name, instead of “copy of him”- before he turns his head. T.O.P would be the last one he wants to talk to. He knew why he felt this way, but didn’t feel brave enough to come to terms with it just yet. Seunghyun skips over Thanos, not even bothering to give him a thought, thus leaving him with either Daegil or Woo-Hyun. Both were relatively safe choices, at least compared to the others.
He chooses the one closer to him. Woo-Hyun it is.