The Best of Tomorrow-Chapter 7Vol 2. .2

Ryu Seon-jae, wearing a large hoodie and shorts, stepped out while drying his hair with a towel. He immediately rummaged through the pocket of his coat. Kwon Eun-chan, seated in a chair, darted his eyes nervously.

“What, what are you looking for?”

“Huh? Oh, I put the cold medicine I bought earlier in here...”

“You must’ve dropped it on the way. Was the medicine bag big? It could’ve just slipped out.”

Seon-jae, looking resigned, walked over to the bed. He glanced at Eun-chan, who was sitting with one leg up on the bed, anxiously bouncing his knee.

“I’m going to sleep. You planning to just stay there?”

“Even though you’re not sleepy.”

“What?”

“N-no. I’m going to stand guard here.”

Seon-jae let out a soft chuckle at the absurd seriousness in Eun-chan’s face.

“What’s going on? Do you have something to say?”

“Yeah. I do. But I can’t say it. I just... can’t.”

“You’re weird today, Eun-chan.”

Seon-jae tilted his head to the side, and Eun-chan straightened his shoulders.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve seen this scene in my dreams. Over and over.”

“What, you barging into my room and spying on me?”

“...It’s not spying. I said I’m standing guard.”

A laugh escaped Seon-jae’s lips.

“Do you believe in fate?”

“That’s sudden.”

“...Just got curious. Do you?”

“Hmm. I guess, to some extent.”

“...Then do you think fate can be changed?”

Seon-jae exhaled deeply, lips pressed together, then tilted his head.

“Isn’t fate something that’s already decided?”

“...”

“To change that, you’d need an overwhelming force that dominates it.”

“...What, like a god or something?”

“I guess. If such a thing exists.”

That was it. He used to think such things didn’t exist. But the one who brought him here called herself a god—so maybe it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“So then what?”

At Eun-chan’s question, Seon-jae looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

“Hmm... maybe the heart?”

As Seon-jae lay down on the bed, Eun-chan twitched his fingers. A wave of helplessness hit him. He couldn’t even manage to say, “Even with the help of a god, you still die.” How could something as trivial as a heart change a fate of death? You’d need an overwhelming force. Something close to impossible. He reached into his pocket and took out the pocket watch.

Knock knock. Someone was at the door.

“Hey, Ryu Seon-jae. It’s me, In-hyeok. Open up. I brought medicine.”

At that moment, the watch’s hands shifted, and the time struck on the hour.

□ □ □

Time reset.

What was that? Did the god of fate really come by? Seon-jae sat next to Ryu Geun-deok, still thinking about it. But even after that night, he continued to have the same dream. In that dream, Seon-jae still died. Nothing had changed.

He realized that the Seon-jae he met during the time travel might’ve been the Seon-jae of the future. And because he saw the real Seon-jae, not just a dream version, the death felt even more real, and the urge to save him grew stronger. Kwon Eun-chan pressed the engraved pattern of the pocket watch with his body heat.

When the light faded and he opened his eyes, he was standing in the hospital courtyard. It was a rest area behind the funeral hall. Snow had fallen. He looked down and saw that he was dressed in a black suit.

Seon-jae hyung.

Suddenly realizing something, he rushed to hail a taxi and headed straight to the hotel. This time, he wasn’t just going to stand guard—he was going to say something, give a warning. But then Seon-jae’s name came out of the radio.

Eun-chan’s expression froze. His body wouldn’t move, like it was paralyzed. He pulled out his phone and searched Seon-jae’s name.

The headlines, dated just yesterday, were overflowing with alerts.

<Breaking News> Ryu Seon-jae of idol group ‘Potato Pancakes’ found dead.

Ryu Seon-jae, a member of the idol group ‘Potato Pancakes’, was reported dead from acute drug intoxication on the morning of the 30th.

According to reports, he was found collapsed in a hotel room in Jung-gu, Seoul around 6:30 a.m. He was rushed to the hospital, but was confirmed dead.

<Breaking News> Ryu Seon-jae’s agency denies drug overdose.

It’s said he had a history of insomnia and had been prescribed sleeping pills for a long time. But regarding speculation that the cause of death was a drug overdose, the agency stated it was “unfounded.”

On the 28th, fellow group member Baek In-hyeok mentioned on a V Live broadcast, “Seon-jae’s been sick with the flu lately.” This fueled speculation that Seon-jae took both cold medicine and sleeping pills, leading to shock.

Kwon Eun-chan stared blankly at the screen, reading the article.

Then he saw a photo of Kwon Seong-jun crying. He remembered where he had woken up after traveling through time. Finally, he understood why he had been wearing a black suit.

“I came to a time after the dream.”

He thought about Seon-jae, who had sat beside his bed, gently cleaning his hands and feet, quietly talking about this and that. Eun-chan had always watched that version of Seon-jae from the side of the bed, saying, “You’re a really good person, hyung.” Even though Seon-jae couldn’t hear him.

Before reaching his destination, he told the driver to stop the taxi and got out. A place without Seon-jae couldn’t be his destination. He squatted by the roadside, helpless. His body wouldn’t move. The whole situation felt overwhelmingly sorrowful. He recalled the words of the woman who had called herself the god of fate.

‘I came after hearing your voice scatter into the air. You looked so powerless, I wanted to give you a journey.’

“Wasn’t this supposed to save Seon-jae hyung?”

Eun-chan’s brows furrowed.

“You said the balance tilts to a time where fate can be intervened. Then why did it bring me to a time after he died? How am I supposed to save someone who’s already dead?! Open the coffin? Huh?!”

His head throbbed, and he frowned in pain, clutching his forehead. He looked up at the sky. Seeing his unconscious self walk around with moving legs and stand in the future, he couldn’t deny that something like a god existed. But the situation didn’t make sense.

The official statement {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} from the agency said that Seon-jae had died of shock from taking both cold medicine and sleeping pills. A journalist’s article gave more detail.

Ryu Seon-jae, weakened from the flu, barely ate dinner. After returning to his hotel room, he immediately showered. Disliking the feel of a bathrobe, he threw on a large hoodie and shorts. He popped a cold medicine tablet into his mouth and drank a bottle of liquid medicine. Then, to sleep, he swallowed five sleeping pills. That was the final image of Ryu Seon-jae at twenty-three.

As Eun-chan scrolled through the comments, he sighed and lowered his phone.

“What good is hiding the medicine if someone else brings more?”

He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the bright moon. Phrases like “the order of fate,” “things already decided,” and “an overwhelming force” passed through his mind.

“So this is Seon-jae hyung’s fate?”

His breath left his lips in a long, cold puff. Eun-chan stuffed the pocket watch back into his pocket and stood up. As he stared at the sky, lost in thought about this incomprehensible flow of events, his phone buzzed.

The caller was Kwon Seong-jun.

“Yeah, hyung.”

― Where the hell did you go without saying anything?

“Ah...”

― Seon-jae’s dad is looking for you.

“For me?”

― Yeah.

“Okay. I’m on my way.”

He ended the call and tucked the phone away. As he walked slowly, the thought returned—why had he come to a future where Seon-jae had already died? The woman had said the balance would tip toward a time when fate could be disrupted.

He fidgeted with the pocket watch in his pocket and suddenly snapped to attention. There’s no way this was random. Something powerful must have pulled him here. The god of fate wouldn’t just be a god for show. Maybe Seon-jae’s father asking to see him was a clue—something that could still change Seon-jae’s fate.

Eun-chan broke into a run.

While running, he heard crying. A chilling, sorrowful cry. He stopped and looked around. The street was already dark, and not a soul was in sight. But the cry echoed through the night, sending chills down his spine.

“Uwaaaah...”

He stopped again after a few steps, turning quickly in all directions.

“What the hell... That’s creepy as fuck.”

No one was in sight, yet the crying kept getting louder. He’d already seen a “god of fate,” so there was no guarantee he wouldn’t see a ghost next. Eun-chan’s face turned pale.

No. Fuck no.

Terrified, he broke into a sprint.

He ran with all his might to get away from the dark alley. Then he noticed the moon flashing brightly above. Without slowing down, he glanced up at the sky.

The moon was big and brilliant.

Suddenly, everything felt surreal. It was the future, yes—but it wasn’t something he’d experienced himself, so how could he be sure it was his future? Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe this was a fabricated world.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

Just as he lowered his head with that thought, he saw a woman standing in front of him, staring up at the sky in a daze.

In that instant, their shoulders collided, and his body reeled from the impact.

That crying he had heard—was coming from right here.

Kwon Eun-chan turned pale and spun around to look at the woman. Her face was a wreck, her hair clinging to her tear-soaked skin, smeared and pitiful. In the deep darkness, her appearance bordered on grotesque. Eun-chan clenched his jaw to suppress a scream and ran. He had this irrational fear that she might be following him on all fours, whispering things like, “You think this is the future? You really think so? This is hell.” And then cackling in that suspicious, eerie way.

He prayed the crying wouldn’t get any closer and ran with everything he had.

“Why’d you bump into me and run awayyy... Heuaaaang...”

He thought he heard her shout something behind him, but all that echoed was that sobbing wail, growing fainter as he sped up.

□ □ □

At the funeral hall, Kwon Eun-chan sat side by side with Ryu Geun-deok on a bench, holding a vending machine coffee cup the older man handed him. Eun-chan had never actually drunk coffee before, so he only fiddled with the paper cup, not bringing it to his lips. Ryu Geun-deok sipped in silence, staring blankly at the ground before finally speaking.

“I suddenly remembered something.”

“Yes, go on.”

Eun-chan rubbed the cup with his thumb and turned to him.

“A long time ago... When you woke up from your coma, years back. As soon as you saw Seon-jae, you burst into tears. Said you had a dream where he died.”

Eun-chan’s eyes widened. His real self was still unconscious in the hospital bed, so what Ryu Geun-deok was describing was something from a future he hadn’t lived. He couldn’t tell if it was true or not.

“It was so long ago I forgot... But it suddenly came back to me.”

“...I see.”

Ryu Geun-deok took another sip of coffee and looked up at the sky.

“I started wondering if you had seen Seon-jae’s future back then.”

Eun-chan blankly watched Ryu Geun-deok, his face cast in sorrow.

“I never told him I loved him. Not once.”

“...”

“I should’ve said it more often.”

Ryu Geun-deok's face, gazing upward—at the dark sky, at the moon, or perhaps toward where Seon-jae might be—grew heavy with grief. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Inside the mourning room with Ryu Geun-deok, Kwon Eun-chan stood dazed, staring blankly at Seon-jae’s portrait. Kwon Seong-jun, Woo Hyeon-seong, Baek In-hyeok, and Seo Yun-jae stood vigil beside the memorial altar. The sight of his unconscious self lying in a hospital bed felt just as unreal as standing here in the future.

The unfamiliar air, the atmosphere thick with grief, the silent faces—everyone looked pale, no one was smiling, and only Seon-jae was smiling in that photo. It made it hard to breathe.

Eun-chan scanned the mourners. All of them looked drained, as if blood had been sucked from their faces. Baek In-hyeok’s eyes were so swollen from crying they were almost unrecognizable—still red, like he’d just been crying moments ago. The scene stabbed at Eun-chan’s chest.

No. The timeline can’t tip like this.

He bolted out of the funeral hall, reaching into his pocket—only to freeze.

The pocket watch was gone.

He stopped in place, turning his pockets inside out with both hands, frantically patting himself down.

“What?”

His eyes widened in shock. He took off his jacket and checked every pocket. No matter how thoroughly he searched, the watch was nowhere to be found.

“No, no... this can’t be happening.”

In a panic, he retraced his steps. He combed the ground but didn’t find it. Standing near the memorial hall again, he tried to recall where he might have lost it—but then heard a sorrowful wail from another room.

Heuuung...

His brows furrowed sharply.

“No way...”

He hurriedly slipped his shoes back on and rushed toward the sound.

□ □ □

He returned to the street where he had collided with the woman. He couldn’t remember the exact spot, so he searched every nearby alley. But no matter how thoroughly he scoured the ground, the watch wasn’t there.

He crouched, using his phone’s flashlight to scan the pavement as he slowly moved along. The crying was gone, and the alley was dead silent.

“Is this not the place?”

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

“This is driving me nuts.”

He checked the time. It was past midnight.

“Great. Now what am I supposed to do...”

He buried his face in his hands. Everything felt hopelessly tangled. Just then, he heard someone laughing nearby.

He whipped around.

It seemed to come from behind a flowerbed in the park, but he didn’t have time to worry about things like that. He straightened his knees and stood up.

His mind wasn’t working, but he had to find a solution somehow.

He wondered if the watch had fallen when he sat on the bench with Ryu Geun-deok. So he returned to the funeral hall, retracing every step. He even checked the trash bin where he'd thrown away the coffee cup.

Still nothing.

“I’m not stuck here forever, am I?”

He sat on the bench again, exhaling heavily. Nothing had been resolved. Frustrated, he ruffled his hair and scowled as he turned his head.

And there—right where he turned—was a face lit only by the glow of a phone screen.

It startled him. A woman sat crouched in the flowerbed behind the funeral hall, holding her phone close to her face. She was staring into it, mumbling something, then suddenly tears fell. He could see them clearly in the glow. Her sudden sobbing locked his gaze.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and sniffled, then looked up. Eun-chan followed her gaze.

In the darkness, where no streetlights reached, Baek In-hyeok was walking away.

“Baek In-hyeok!”

The woman sprang to her feet and ran toward him. When Baek In-hyeok turned away, she quickly caught up and grabbed his arm.

“Hey, you remember me, right? Huh?”

Baek In-hyeok stared at her silently.

“We ate gamjatang together at Ryu Geun-deok’s Gamjatang, remember? Huh?”

Eun-chan watched, thinking it was a lovers’ quarrel. But then he perked up.

Ryu Geun-deok Gamjatang? That was Seon-jae’s parents’ restaurant.

Without saying a word, Baek In-hyeok entered the building. The woman’s shoulders slumped.

Wait... that coat. It looked familiar.

Eun-chan shot up from his seat. He recalled the woman he’d seen on that street filled with crying.

The woman had already started walking away from the hospital.

“That woman from earlier!”

He dashed after her. He saw her hail a taxi by the main road. As she got in, he reached the street, frantically waving.

“Shit. I can’t lose her now.”

A taxi stopped in front of him. He yanked open the passenger door and jumped in, slamming it shut behind him.

“That taxi! Please follow it! She stole my watch!”

The driver didn’t move.

Eun-chan stared at him, panicked.

“Why aren’t we going?!”

“Seatbelt.”

He scowled and yanked the belt into place.

“Come on, I’m going to lose her!”

The driver slowly turned his face and released the brake.

□ □ □

The taxi dropped him off in a narrow alley. All that remained of the other cab was the glow of its tail lights as it disappeared.

“Where is this place...”

He stood in front of a villa and looked up. Based on the taxi’s direction, this was the most likely house. But with multiple households inside, he had no idea which unit she was in.

“Guess I’ll go up.”

Figuring he had nothing to lose, he entered the building. He climbed the stairs slowly, checking each floor with only two units—101 and 102, 201 and 202—pressing his ear to the doors. Nothing.

What am I doing? Maybe I should just leave.

But he sighed and continued to the third floor. As he reached the landing, loud TV noise blasted from one of the apartments.

What the hell kind of volume is that?

He didn’t even need to press his ear to the door. It was coming from 302. Frowning, he leaned close to 301.

“Turn down your damn TV!”

“Fuck off!!!”

One voice came from 301, the other from 302.

Guess those neighbors hate each other.

He went back down the stairs.

This has to be the right place. Why can’t I find her?

He stepped a few paces from the building and looked up. He wanted to see which floors had lights on. The first and second floors were dark. The third was fully lit, with one unit on the fourth floor and one on the fifth also showing light.

Should I check up there too?

But then he questioned himself—what made him so sure she had the watch? What if she didn’t?

Should I just give up?

He mumbled, lips moving as he lowered his gaze—only to snap his eyes upward again. A burst of bright light flared from one of the third-floor windows.

“There it is!!!”

And then, a woman’s voice rang out, echoing through the dawn.

Eun-chan’s eyes sharpened.

“That’s it—that light!”

He bolted toward the stairs.