Yesteryear

The Gift

On his way to his quick trip to Babylon to get San his present from two thousand years ago, Wooyoung dropped by Yongguk's office to greet the man. Wooyoung had brought fresh coffee for him as variation to the same boring blend Yongguk always drank. When Yongguk wrapped his bony fingers around the cup to give it a first sip, he sighed in pleasure about the taste.

"Here for the Babylon adventure?"

Wooyoung nodded. He didn't bother to sit down, just resting his hips against Yongguk's table.

"Yes, I want to get him a pendant. I feel of all the things I could give him, that one would survive the years best. Who knows what trouble we have coming our way in the future." Not that Wooyoung wished that San would have to go through hard times once more after Wooyoung's lifetime ended, but he could never be so sure. Compared to the past, the future was unpredictable. As peaceful as it was presently, the people wishing for death and destruction would never disappear.

"A good choice. You are doing a remarkable job of collecting information, by the way. I feel we came a lot closer to the answer we seek, especially with San's help. I can't wait to meet him." Yongguk pushed his hand through his thick hair and leaned back. His spine cracked and Wooyoung grimaced.

"I can't wait for you to meet him, either. I've been busy preparing my home for him these past few days." Wooyoung's grin turned bashful and Yongguk's expression softened further.

"Meet him in London and then we will see about how we can piece your theories together. I also couldn't help but notice you look literally nothing like the Vitruvian Man." Yongguk glanced at his computer screen where he had pulled up the picture of the drawings in Leonardo's sketch book that got so popular. It even dated back to being finished in the same year as Wooyoung had visited there. Wooyoung had posed for only half of it, but they had discarded him as a model afterward to use someone else.

The perfect example of how Wooyoung couldn't change the flow of time. Ultimately, everything happened as it should.

"They didn't show me their versions. I wonder if they drew me weirdly from the beginning because that's how they saw me, or if the person actually changed."

Yongguk shrugged and chuckled at his screen once more. When he turned back to Wooyoung, his expression grew serious again.

"If you meet Suusaandar, remember to keep your distance. He doesn't know you yet."

"I will probably try to avoid him so it doesn't get peculiar, yes. The plan is to go in, find something pretty at the bazaar, and out."

Pleased by the idea, Yongguk gave him a thumbs up through his delicious sip.

"Then have fun. No need to report back to me. You wanted to go to London in two days, right? I will prepare accordingly. I have no other date behind that. You collected the theories, now we can focus on you meeting San and you can figure out the rest in our modern time." Satisfaction rumbled in Yongguk's deep voice.

"Got it. Then see you later," Wooyoung grinned before he hopped off. Yongguk yelled a 'thanks for the coffee' after him when Wooyoung skipped out of the door.

His trip to Babylon was short and simple. Seungyoun had left the same clothes as back then in his locker for Wooyoung. He would jump to a few years before he had originally visited to lower his chances of meeting anyone he knew.

Back in the sandy planes of Babylon, Wooyoung sighed with the memories it carried. When he had last been here, he had no idea about San and the role he would play in Wooyoung's life. He didn't know he would get to kiss and embrace the gorgeous concubine. If he told the Wooyoung of back then about the adventures he and San would have together, would he believe him? Probably not.