Chapter Text
Section I - Returning Back
Chapter 1.on the Plane
Sung Hanbin opened his eyes and found himself on a plane.
It feels wrong. He has no schedules require a flight recently. His comeback period just ended and he's just had some free time. In his memory, he should have slept well in his apartment the night before, waiting for the alarm clock to wake him up the next day to do some exercise.
His head was still a little dizzy, and his body's reaction was slow. His arms and legs were slightly stiff squeezed into the narrow seat. He was about to adjust his posture when his palm was gently scratched in a sudden.
Sung Hanbin lowered his head and looked at the hands intertwined with his own. The person sitting next to him was still sleeping on him. It seemed as if it was just an unconscious action.
"Hao?" Sung Hanbin's heartbeat suddenly accelerated and he couldn't believe his eyes. They haven't seen each other for a long time, so why are they on the same plane now?
However, it was so natural and intimate. If it wasn't Zhang Hao, who else could it be?
Seems not sleep well, Zhang Hao snorted and rubbed his head lightly on Sung Hanbin. Sung Hanbin held his hand tightly and turned to look at the head resting on his shoulder.
No, Zhang Hao had just dyed his hair red a few days ago and flexed some selfies to him. But now, the head looks more like a round brown chestnut. He leaned forward, wishing to see more clearly from another angle, but he was a little stunned when he saw the sleeping face.
It's obviously a very familiar face, and the clear tear mole is still embedded under his eye. However, couldn't explain why, Sung Hanbin felt there was something different about him, as if no traces left on his face of the past ten years since they first met.
It really is a dream, right? Obviously Zhang Hao has been traveling in China recently, and he couldn't even make it to come back for his birthday.
But how could this dream be so real? He could even feel the brush of hair and warm breath on his neck.
"We're halfway now, right?"
"Almost, it's been more than an hour."
A familiar voice reached Sung Hanbin's ears and exploded in his head. He opened his eyes wide and looked back. In the back seat were Kim Jiwoong and Seok Matthew, smiling and chatting in a low voice.
"Did I disturb you?" Kim Jiwoong raised his head and met Sung Hanbin's eyes. "Sorry, I'll keep my voice down."
"No, no..." Sung Hanbin waved his hand, quickly turned back, closed his eyes and shook his head. Why Kim Jiwoong and Seok Matthew also looked the same as they did when they first debuted?
He rested for a while to calm down. He once again opened his eyes and looked around and surprisingly to find himself surrounded by ZB1 members. Managers and staffs at that time were not far from them, and everyone's faces seemed to have returned to ten years ago overnight.
What exactly is going on? And where is their destination?
He fumbled around in his backpack with his free hand and finally found a boarding pass, on which the date was clearly printed — May 15, 2023, NRT to ICN.
Narita Airport to Incheon, he has flown this route countless times in the past ten years, and this is the return date of his first trip to Japan.
True enough, it is the K-pop concert not far from the end of the survival show ten years ago, and before his official debut as a member of ZB1 .
Why this time?
Is it a dream?
If it was a dream, why had he suddenly dreamt of this day?
Reminded by his phone again, it was indeed the day ten years ago.
He flipped through the photo album. The most recent photos were of him holding Zhang Hao in front of the mirror in the hotel room in the morning. Zhang Hao lowered his head and chuckled in shyness, bangs straggling down on his forehead.
The face of young self was strange but familiar. In his twenties, there are plenty of collagen on his face. The lines and edges that had become clearer with time were still a little blurry. His eyes narrowed and cheekbones rose on his smiley face, and the iconic midcheek groove1 appeared again.
I should be so happy and content at that time.
Has he become younger now? Sung Hanbin couldn't wait to turn on the front camera and looked at his face through the screen. It looked similar to what he just saw in the photos.
So only the consciousness is back, right?
"Taking a selfie?" Sung Hanbin came to his senses and found another face on the screen. It was Zhang Hao, just woke up, rubbing his eyes, yawning and looking at Sung Hanbin's cell phone lens. "Why don't you use a filter?"
Hearing his words, Sung Hanbin swiped a few times on his phone, chose an application, and randomly selected a sticker, "good?"
He has already changed several mobile phones over the past years, and he is not even sure whether this application will still be there ten years from now.
Zhang Hao came closer, a pair of cat ears and cat whiskers immediately appeared on his face on the screen. "Okay, go ahead." Saying this, he leaned on Sung Hanbin, held his shoulders, and made a cute face on the phone.
Sung Hanbin's heart was beating hard. It had been a long time since Zhang Hao was so lively. He stared blankly and unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
"Hurry up, my face is going stiff." Zhang Hao patted his arm.
"Okay." Sung Hanbin nodded immediately and pressed the side button several times in a row.
Zhang Hao already had enough fun after taking a few more photos, so he looked at the clouds from the window. Sung Hanbin looked up to find the lavatory sign turned green, then he stood up and went straight to the lavatory. In fact, he didn't really want to relieve himself, all he wanted to do was to confirm his suspicion. Mirrors are always much clearer than phone lens.
He washed his face and wiped away the water droplets with a paper towel, as if his mind could be clearer by doing this.
The person in the mirror was himself ten years ago .
It can't be wrong.
A year after debut, he got his ears pierced, which were symmetrical to Zhang Hao. That year, his birthday gift from Zhang Hao was an earring from a pair, and the other one was kept by Zhang Hao. When they were secretly dating, they each wore the earring brazenly.
In the mirror, there were not any tiny damage on his earlobes.
Two years after the disbandment, a tear mole unknowingly appeared under his eye, but the color was much lighter. That night when Zhang Hao flew back to Korea from China and had a date with him at home, he teased Sung Hanbin, asking why he was still playing the little trick of dotting moles so long ago. He just shook his head, took Zhang Hao's hand, and placed his fingertips on the piece of skin under his eyes.
He leaned close to the mirror and examined the corners of his eyes in the dim light. The skin was still clean and nothing had grown on it.
Maybe there is no need to check further, there should be no new tattoo, which was a violin near the hip, with roses blooming on the strings.
It was written shortly after he was discharged from the army, but in fact he had thought about it much earlier. "I will accompany you after you end the militarily service." Hearing his idea, Zhang Hao touched the piece of skin and kissed on it, "I'm afraid you would be bullied otherwise."
Thinking of this, the skin on his hip suddenly began to burn, just feel like the warmth left by Zhang Hao's lips.
Sung Hanbin returned to his seat, and as soon as he fastened his seat belt, Zhang Hao's hand stretched out again and inserted his fingers into Sung Hanbin's fingers.
It's really been a long time since we last met, Hao.
He stared straight at Zhang Hao, his eyes sweeping from the smooth forehead to the straight nose, resting at the watery red lips just coated with a layer of lip balm to prevent dryness. Perhaps his staring was too intense, Zhang Hao turned his head forward, leaving his flushed side face to him.
Sung Hanbin held Zhang Hao's hand tightly and swallowed hard. His mouth was so dry, keen to claim Zhang Hao's lips right here, and kiss him hard like no one else in the cabin which was full of passengers.
But it's indeed not the right occasion.
I really miss you, Zhang Hao. Sung Hanbin raised their holding hands and pressed his hot cheek against the back of Zhang Hao's hand, gently rubbing on it by shaking his head a little.
Then he quickly pulled the hand in front of his eye, and firmly pressed his lips to it.
The warm and wet touch came from skin which was slightly cooler. Zhang Hao shook his hand reflexively, spread his fingers, and tried to break free from Sung Hanbin's hand.
Is this guy crazy?
Sung Hanbin held him tighter. His fingers did not loosen at all though he kept saying "Sorry" in a breathy voice.
It's the forceful and brutal Sung Hanbin on the hunt, which cannot be hide under the gentle appearance and occasionally sneaks out. Zhang Hao failed to pull out his hand, so he let him go, but he couldn't understand why Sung Hanbin was suddenly like this. It seems he haven't done anything.
Sung Hanbin's heart was beating violently for a while before slowly returning to a steady rhythm. Calming down a little, he felt that he had just been a little impulsive somehow.
Even if he indeed go back to this day ten years ago, who can guarantee that everything will happen again identically. Although Zhang Hao allowed him to hold his hand, how far have they been at this moment? Has he already confessed his love?
Sung Hanbin, just look at yourself. How can you be so immature when you are ten years older?
His thought was a little chaotic, so he just simply closed his eyes. It would be better to gather his thoughts after landing and return to the dormitory. He pulled Zhang Hao's forearm in front of him and hugged him, arms crossed.
Perhaps the shock was too great and his mind kept running at high speed for too long. Sung Hanbin fell asleep completely soon.
He had a dream, in which the thirty-three-year-old Zhang Hao finally returned to his apartment. Zhang Hao sneaked into his quilt as soon as he changed into his loungewear, threw himself into his arms, and smiled in his ear, saying "get up".
"It must be a dream." Sung Hanbin held Zhang Hao's waist and murmured to himself.
"What dream?" Zhang Hao was a little curious.
"I dreamed that I was back to ten years ago, on the right flight back to Seoul when we went to K-con for the first time." Sung Hanbin rubbed Zhang Hao's hair, "So incredible... "