[COMPLETE] First Time

TRANSMISSION 17.5 _THE MENTOR_

"I was working at the Institute, looking up for some material when someone entered my office. It was Sungjin. And this happened before this time, and at a different multiverse."

[[ F L A S H B A C K <start>

"It can't be true," Sungjin said barging in my office.

"It is."

"You're letting her die?!" Sungjin shouted at me.

"There's nothing I can do, and believe me, I've tried everything."

"We found a way to save her!"

"That last stunt that you and Park Jaehyung pulled almost made a lot of multiverses collapse! Good thing that her best friend is a talented manipulator and  you have that Health/Medical Science prodigy friend of yours - "

"Jae's energy was expended and so was Wonpil's... Younghyun is going overtime trying to help them recover... But that's not why I'm here, sir."

"No, Sungjin. That way is too risky. We barely contained the collateral damage this time. What if we didn't get to you in time? How do you think she'd react if she knows that you're doing all this?"

"She won't like it. But that's not what I'm here for. I'm not going to risk my life for her... I am giving my life to her."]]

I paused my narration to look at your face.

"Dad... Why did he need to give my life for me?"

"Because in that multiverse I came from... The one who was sick was you. You were one of the most talented students in your batch, almost as strong and as talented as Wonpil... But you were very, very sick."

You staggered and would have fallen if Wonpil didn't catch you.

"Not only could you manipulate threads, you could also weave new threads, that is, opening up new possibilites. But Multiverse Thread Weavers, in exchange for their tremendous power are given very short life spans - you wouldn't have made it past your 20th birthday."

[[
"But there are complications."

"There's nothing complicated about my love for her, sir. All I'm asking is can it be done? I can't ask her, because she'll refuse and so will Wonpil. I haven't even told Jae and Younghyun about this."

"And you think I won't refuse?"

"My life for your daughter's? The answer seems so obvious, sir."

"Sungjin, no. This isn't how she wants this story to end."

"There is no other way... This is the only way." Sungjin and I look at each other for a few moments before I looked down and sighed.]]

"Haven't you ever wondered how a regular spacetime student could have gotten that disease? They're not supposed to. Only those gifted with teleportation or time travelling could. And Sungjin had both," Younghyun said quietly.

"That last stunt they pulled didn't just affect Jae and Wonpil - upon checking Sungjin, he was already afflicted with the Spacial/Temporal Dysfunction but it could still have been cured at that stage."

[["Every exchange should be equal. A life for a life. My life is still longer than hers. If we both give up our powers, she'll be able to live long."

"Sungjin. If I alter the threads, you'll be the one who gets sick. It won't get cured... And you are sure to die."

"What else?"

"She won't remember this multiverse or any of them before this. She would live her life believing that she is only a regular person. She won't remember being sick and she won't know of this exchange until it is too late."

"That I can take -"

"She'll forget you."

"I'll just make her remember every single time. I just want to see her happy as much as I can with the time we have left."

We go to the laboratory, to the Creator's Loom, which was a Weaver's equivalent to the Maker's Spindle.

"Sungjin, are you sure about this?"

"Yes sir."

I started to weave a multiverse and overlapped it with the present until both have blended seamlessly.

"Thank you Sungjin, for giving my daughter her second chance."

"She would have done the same for me. I didn't know you were a weaver, sir. How did you go beyond the deadline?"

"Her mother... My wife did the same thing you're doing right now."]]

F L A S H B A C K <end>

"He wanted to ensure that you'll live in every multiverse thread so every thread Wonpil examined, and even the ones he didn't, I have already altered as per Sungjin's request. In that way, Sungjin left no loose ends - he really wanted... Wants you to live, even without him."

I finished my story and left the four of them to absorb the story, but there were no dry eyes in there, including my own. I  then went to visit Sungjin, who just finished getting his blood drawn.

"Hello, Professor. I feel like I'm about to disappear soon," he said weakly.

I gave him a pendant that contained a multiverse cloth that I wove from a fabric of time.

"In case you want to go back for a while."

He smiled and closed his eyes.

That was the last time I saw Park Sungjin.