《Undying Dream》


 Chapter 1 - Alarm Clock

    "Clang... clang... clang..." The metallic sound of the alarm clock echoed through the room until a hand emerged from under the covers to silence the source of the noise, the infamous alarm clock.


    "It''s already 10 am?" A handsome man with wavy black hair and beautiful blue eyes appears from under the covers, staring at the alarm clock in disbelief.


    The man gets up and goes to the kitchen. It is noticeable that he has some difficulty getting out of bed. Looking closer, we can see that it is his right leg that is causing him problems. He can only get up and walk with the help of his cane.


    The reason he can''t walk normally is that when he was 17 years old, he was in a car accident. In the accident, his right leg was crushed for an extended period, and blood flow was blocked, causing a heart attack in his leg, which consequently caused necrosis in his right thigh muscle. Because of all this, he has to take painkillers every day to reduce his pain. It doesn''t go away, it''s just bearable.


    Now, 10 years after the accident, his job is to compose melodies, rhythms, lyrics, and music in general. He has composed hundreds of hit songs. Most of his songs were written for a very famous K-pop group called CYPHER (pronounced Si-fur) and many other solo singers. However, his dream was not to be a composer, even though he was very good at it. He wanted to be a dancer, but everything was destroyed in 1 minute, his biggest dream was taken away from him. He didn''t give up, he did physical therapy continuously and it helped him to walk again with help, but unfortunately, he can''t walk without a cane, let alone dance.


    He overcame it... or so he believes...


    "Kyu!! Where did you put the coffee?" The man yells.


    "Siwoo, I already told you the coffee is on the top shelf." Another man who appears to be in his 30s appears in the kitchen, grabs the coffee from the shelf, and hands it to his brother. "Satisfied? You woke up the whole neighborhood with that scream of yours."


    "Sorry, but you know I can''t reach up there..." The man, or rather Siwoo, looks at his right leg bitterly, while holding his cane in one hand and the coffee in the other. His brother looks at his leg and remembers everything his brother went through, all the pain, all the suffering, the feeling of not being able to do what he loves.


    "Don''t think about it, come on, I''ll make your coffee." He puts his arms around his brother''s shoulders and smiles. His brother''s eyes light up.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "No, your coffee is terrible Kyu! hahaha" Siwoo would never admit it, but he was happy that his brother Kyungho, or Kyu as he liked to call him, was always by his side, even in his most difficult times he was one of the only people who helped him to get back on his feet, he definitely loved his older brother.


    "Just to be clear, Yoon was the one who put the coffee up there, It¡¯s kinda a habit of theirs now."


    "It had to be that dumbass!"


    "Don''t talk about them like that, hahaha, although I have to agree that sometimes they are really stupid."


    The two brothers talk, while the older one makes breakfast and the younger one sits at the table. They have always been very close, they grew up together and always took care of each other. Siwoo was happy that his brother had found love, but deep down he wondered if he was getting in the way of them since because of his condition, it was difficult to live alone. Siwoo wondered every day if he should really keep living with his brother.


    "Kyu, I was thinking of buying an apartment..." He looks seriously at his brother who hands him his coffee, his brother freezes and looks lost, wondering where that thought came from.


    "Why? Don''t you like living with us?" His brother asks him, looking seriously at Siwoo. "You know you can always count on me, right? If it''s about you ''getting in the way,'' I assure you that has never happened, you never get in the way."


    "No... No... It''s not that, it''s just that I was... thinking of buying a bigger place to be my... music studio!" Siwoo hated lying to his brother, but in this case, he thought it was necessary. He wanted to give his brother some privacy.


    "Well, if that''s what it''s for, then I don''t see why not... but you have to promise me that you''ll visit us every weekend and you have to be close by." - His brother looks at him seriously as he talks about the conditions of his departure. -"And I need to see the apartment before you buy it."


    "Alright." - They''ve had thousands of conversations about this, and Siwoo knows his brother isn''t capable of giving in to his conditions.


    "Well, I need to go to work, I''ll see you later."


    "Bye, have a good day at work."


    Siwoo watches his brother leave the kitchen and soon hears the front door close. Siwoo grabs his phone and starts looking for apartments in the area, he looks at a bunch of them, and they are too big or too small. After 3 hours of searching, he finally finds one that seems good, he contacts the person who advertised it and asks if he can visit the apartment, and the person schedules the visit for that same day at 3 pm.


    A few minutes before the scheduled time, Siwoo decides to call his brother and let him know that he is leaving to see one of the apartments.


    "That''s it, I''m going to that address that I sent you in a message Kyu." - Siwoo speaks on the phone with his brother.


    "Let me know when you leave there and get home."


    "Alright."


    Siwoo turns off his phone and books a ride with a private car to take him to the location. In the car, he sends a message to the apartment owner saying he''s on his way. He arrives and gets out of the private car. The owner is waiting for him in front of the building, and they greet each other before entering.


    The owner explains he''s selling the apartment because his mother got sick, and he''s moving back to his hometown. He doesn''t need the place anymore. He shows Siwoo the apartment while explaining his situation. Siwoo likes the place and decides to show it to his brother. He thanks the owner for the tour and says goodbye, heading towards the exit.


    As Siwoo leaves the building, he sees the private car parked nearby. He needs to cross the traffic light to get to it.


    "Well, that''s just fantastic. I definitely entered the right address in the app."


    Siwoo gets a little flustered by the driver''s poor parking, but noticing the green light, decides to cross the street. Halfway across the crosswalk, a screech pierces the air as a car barrels towards him, showing no signs of slowing down. History repeats itself in the cruelest way - Siwoo is struck down, just like ten years ago. The only difference: this time, it''s fatal.

 Chapter 2 - A Cat?

    Siwoo realises that people are running towards him after the car crash, but his vision starts to blur until it goes completely dark. Sometime later, Siwoo regains consciousness and slowly wakes up, opening his eyes to find himself in a kind of white room. A very bright light appears and Siwoo closes his eyes reflexively, but when he opens them he sees absolutely nothing.


    "Welcome ?? ??? Park Siwoo"


    "Who are you and where am I?" Siwoo looks around for any human figure but finds nothing but the colour white.


    "Hm... you can call me Ti and you are ?? ??? ... but I don''t think you can understand our language" Ti transforms and appears in front of Siwoo.


    "Are you a cat?" Siwoo looks at the animal confused.


    "Not really, this is just one of my forms. However, we''re not here to talk about that. Park Siwoo, you weren''t supposed to have any accidents in your life, your destiny was... I guess you could say it was stolen, so I am here to make an offer." The cat speaks seriously looking at Siwoo.


    "A talking cat¡­this can only be a dream..."


    "Park Siwoo, in the human world ?????, we are forbidden to change things, but for humans is different. If you want to have a second chance to live again, I just need a favour from you." The cat closes its eyes and smiles a bit menacingly.


    Siwoo is confused, this all seems like a dream but the pain he felt when the car hit him was real. His only option was to believe this... cat? Well, it doesn''t seem like a bad idea to go back to the past... before everything happened¡­


    "What needs to be done to go back?" Siwoo looks at the cat like he finally accepts that all this is not a dream.


    "You need to find out who caused all these accidents in the human world, and prevent that person from causing these problems again" As the cat is about to finish speaking, it is interrupted by the sound of walls that are turning from white to grey and black.  "We''re running out of time, I need to send you right now."


    "But you didn''t finish talking!" Siwoo looks at the cat.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll send someone to help" The cat smiles and everything goes black.


    "Siwoo wake up!...SIWOO!!!" A familiar voice was shouting when Siwoo opened his eyes in shock, he saw Kyungho, his brother at least 10 years younger.


    "I woke up, no need to shout."


    "I''m just waking you. You have school today, don''t you? It''s already 9 am"


    "Wait...school?... oh! What day is it today Kyu?"


    "Day xx/xx/xxxx... why? Did you forget about your school because of the dancing class??"


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Siwoo looks at his brother in panic, then looks at his hands... it seems smaller, he gets out of bed and goes to the mirror in his room. His brother thinks he''s gone crazy and leaves the room, while Siwoo looks at himself in the mirror and sees that he''s 12 years old again. A few minutes later, he stops staring at the mirror and realises that he''s walking normally and that he''s not feeling any pain.


    "So walking is really like riding a bike, once you learn it you never forget! Haha" Siwoo laughs at the situation, he can''t believe he''s walking again. "Okay, I need to focus!" He looks in the mirror and slaps his cheeks, getting back to reality. "If my memory is right, today''s dancing class is fake. It''s today that the scouts will watch our performance and choose whether to recruit anyone." Taking his hands off his face, he adjusted his posture. "Before anything, I need to test my current abilities"


    Siwoo leaves his room, closing the door carefully trying not to make any noise. Then he tiptoes to the living room trying to leave his house without his brother noticing, and well¡­ his plan fails when his brother appears right behind him.


    "What do you think you''re doing?" His brother looks him up and down, crossing his arms and smiling slyly. Meanwhile, Siwoo is now panicking.


    "Hahaha... Nothing... just going to..." Siwoo tries to deceive his brother, but Kyu is not stupid enough to fall for those silly excuses.


    "I don''t care where you''re going, but you need to eat something first, I don''t want you to starve on the way and die. I know about that habit of yours, not eating in the morning is bad for your health." Kyu says all this while pulling his brother by the ear and taking him to the kitchen.


    "Okay, okay, let go of me now. You''re pulling too hard!!!" Finally, when the two of them are in the kitchen, Kyu lets go of his brother''s ear.


    "Sit down and eat your food."


    "Yes sir!" Siwoo, terrified by his brother''s irritated and serious aura, just does as ordered.


    "Did you like it?"


    "Yes, you were always good at cooking." Siwoo smiles at his brother Kyu in a nostalgic tone, remembering memories of the two of them and how his brother Kyu gave up his dreams to take care of him.


    "If I wasn''t good, I wouldn''t open the restaurant." Kyu pats his younger brother''s head lightly, making him stop having negative thoughts. "Finish your food and get out before I change my mind, after all, you have school today and they''ve already complained about your absences." Siwoo looks at his brother immediately and opens a huge smile.


    "You''re the best!!" Kyu strokes Siwoo''s head and leaves the kitchen to get ready for work. Siwoo finishes eating, goes straight to the door with only his cell phone in his pocket and heads to the dance studio.


    His brother returns to the kitchen to see if he has finished eating and only finds the empty plate and a note that says: "I''m going to the dance studio and meeting Tae. I''ll be back for dinner!" After his brother finishes reading the note, he gets annoyed.


    "That little shit even dared to talk about dinner. I swear I''m going to kill him one day."


    . . .


    Siwoo never thought he would miss running, but since the accident, he has never spent a day thinking about the pain and energy that running brought him. Now that he can run again, he is anxious to dance, for this little body may be just a few hours without dancing, but mentally it has been over 20 years since he has moved his leg freely. Arriving at the dance studio, Siwoo stops right in front of the door, staring at it.


    "Shouldn''t you be in school?" A strange voice questions Siwoo. When he looks back, his eyes shine with happiness and sadness. Since he stopped dancing, he has refused to see anyone who was connected to his life through dance. He didn''t want to be reminded of the times when he could still dance and especially feel his envy towards the people that are doing things he couldn''t... Yes, quite selfish, but who in the world would be happy to see other people doing something you love and feel powerless to do without help? You can blame him for being selfish, but you will never know his suffering... After all, we only feel our sufferings.


    "Aren''t you going to answer me?" The person speaks again, pulling Siwoo out of his thoughts.


    "...My brother let me skip..."


    "I can''t believe this, hahaha. You are always like that! Should we go in then?"


    "...Yes Eunjin¡­I mean, Mrs Kim"

 Chapter 3 - Old Memories

    "No trouble on your first day, okay, Siwoo?" his brother, Kyu, asked, a hint of worry in his voice.


    Siwoo, brimming with excitement, nodded eagerly. "Okay!"


    Kyu ruffled his little brother''s hair. "Go make some friends. I''ll pick you up after school."


    Entering the lively classroom, Siwoo spotted a boy sitting alone in the corner. Without hesitation, he walked over, a friendly smile already on his face.


    "Hi! I''m Park Siwoo, but you can call me Siwoo if you want to be friends."


    The boy glanced at Siwoo then quickly looked away. Unfazed, Siwoo continued the conversation.


    "What''s your name?" he asked, his smile widening.


    "Choi Taemin," the boy mumbled shyly.


    "Great to meet you, Taemin! How about I call you Tae? We''re best friends now!" Siwoo declared, extending his hand. Tae, a little hesitant, shook it. A giggle escaped Tae''s lips, and soon they were both laughing.


    Their newfound friendship was interrupted by a group of boys approaching. One of them pointed at Tae with a sneer.


    "Hey, are you the one without a mom?"


    Siwoo''s face hardened. He saw the hurt flicker across Tae''s eyes. Before he could think twice, he confronted the bully.


    "Who do you think you are, talking to him like that?" Siwoo demanded, his voice surprisingly firm for a five-year-old.


    The bully, taken aback by Siwoo''s defiance, scoffed. "And who are you? Do you know who my dad is?"


    Siwoo, not backing down, replied, "No, and I don''t care."


    This enraged the bully, who lunged at Siwoo. But Siwoo, fueled by a desire to protect his new friend, dodged the attack and landed a surprised punch on the bully. It was the first time Siwoo had ever resorted to violence, but he didn''t regret it. He had defended himself and Tae.


    Unfortunately, the situation escalated, and the principal got involved. While Siwoo expected the bully to be punished, the principal reprimanded everyone involved, including Siwoo, for resorting to violence. Siwoo fumed silently.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The wait in the principal''s office was agonizing. The bully, smug and confident, seemed to be getting away with everything. Taemin, sensing Siwoo''s anger, reached for his hand, offering silent comfort.


    Finally, the parents arrived. Taemin''s father, a tall man with striking green eyes and dark skin, introduced himself as William James. Soon after, Kyu arrived, a mix of concern and annoyance etched on his face.


    The bully''s father, impatient and entitled, pressured the principal to deal with the situation quickly.


    As the principal explained the events, Taemin''s father stepped in. "Are you seriously considering punishing the child who defended my son more than the one who started it?" he questioned, his voice firm but respectful.


    The principal stammered, caught off guard. "No, of course not. But violence isn''t tolerated here."


    "Verbal bullying is violence too," Taemin''s father countered. "You don''t have to hit someone to cause them pain. It seems you''re punishing the victim here."


    A lengthy discussion ensued, with Taemin''s father advocating for a fair resolution. Eventually, the principal conceded, realizing his initial approach was flawed. All parties involved received a one-day suspension, a consequence meant to serve as a lesson rather than a punishment.


    Leaving the principal''s office, Taemin''s father approached Siwoo and Kyu. "Thank you," he said to Siwoo, his voice filled with gratitude. "You showed great courage defending my son. Come visit us sometime."


    Taemin, usually shy, shyly nodded in agreement. Siwoo, heartened by the turn of events, beamed.


    "Sounds good!" he exclaimed. "We''re best friends, right Tae?"


    Tae, a newfound confidence sparkling in his eyes, managed a small but firm, "Yes."


    Suddenly, a loud yell shatters the air. "SIWOO!!!"


    Siwoo jolts back to reality. He''s sprawled on the floor of the dance studio, his heart hammering in his chest. He searches for the source of the shout and sees his dance teacher, her face etched with worry. Beside her stands a figure that makes his breath catch.


    It''s them. The person he hasn''t seen since the accident, the one whose presence used to fill him with a dull ache. Back then, the pity in their eyes had been unbearable. But things are different now. Maybe. He could change the course of their relationship, rebuild the bridge that had crumbled.


    Lost in thought, Siwoo doesn''t notice someone approaching.


    "Siwoo, are you okay?" a familiar voice asks.


    He whips his head around, his eyes widening. "Tae...Taemin..."


    "Hm? Yeah? Is something wrong?" Taemin asks, concerned, flickering in his gaze.


    Siwoo swallows the lump in his throat. "No... I just missed you," he mumbles, trying to mask the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside him.


    "But we just saw each other yesterday..." Taemin points out a hint of confusion in his voice.


    Siwoo avoids Taemin''s gaze. "Anyway, how did your exam go yesterday?" he asks, desperate to change the subject.


    "I think I did well, but..."