Late | k.ys

16

Once again, he was floating in space.

The world was a black emptiness. Not a single star dotted the sky above his head, nor did any animals run through the black grasses below his feet. His room had disappeared, leaving him surrounded by nothing but darkness. Yeosang looked around, deeply confused.

Am I dead? he thought. He touched his stomach and felt his shirt. Well, I'm still wearing clothes...

Yeosang flipped his body over so he was in standing position. It was if he was in zero gravity; he did multiple front flips before he regained balance. He wiggled his feet, knowing that they were in his shoes. Suddenly, a bright light caught his attention. He winced, surprised at the sudden glint. When he squinted, he realized it was the Heaven's Hourglass, latched onto Yeosang's neck like a skinny golden parasite.

"Wow," Yeosang held the hourglass in his hands carefully, as if the fragile accessory might break in his hands. He watched the sand's absurd path through the hourglass as everything that had happened to him previously before entering this strange void flashed back before his eyes.

"So Ja—Jinsoo attacked me?" Yeosang frowned, his memory playing like an old film. "In my own room? What was the point? And that golden light at the end...?" Yeosang looked down at the hourglass floating just a few millimeters from his cupped hands. "Was that... you?"

It felt weird talking to an inanimate object, but he swore he saw the hourglass light up brighter for a few brief moments. He smiled at it, a wave of relief and gratitude washing over him.

"No wonder Jeonghan was so adamant for me to wear you on my neck all the time," Yeosang pulled the necklace down so it wouldn't float off his neck. "Now the question is... where the heck are we?"

The necklace didn't respond, but a sudden flash of light on his left made him turn around so fast his body did another somersault. When he was floating upright again, he saw blurry white-blue cloud-like images. Yeosang moved his arms in the way a swimmer would navigate a body of water to get a closer look at the 'clouds'. As he floated nearer, he heard muffled voices.

"No! Yeo... sang... hear... e...?"

"Yeohee?" Yeosang called, unsure.

"Yeo... by... stay... me, okay?"

Yeosang looked around at his environment slowly. This must be some kind of dream—perhaps some defense simulation that kicked in when the Hourglass was defending him, to keep him alive. And he was pretty sure he was still alive, as he could feel his heart thumping against his sternum. Now the question was, how could he leave this dream-like state?

"Um, Mr... Hourglass...?" Yeosang trailed off, unsure as he held the charm between his fingers. "I, uh... how do I get out of here?"

At his question, the Heaven's Hourglass began vibrating violently. Wide-eyed, Yeosang dropped the necklace as it floated into the air and started emitting bright golden rays. Yeosang shielded his face as the dazzling light blinded him, disintegrating him from the black realm and back into the real world.

>~<

"Y-Yeosang!"

"...Ma?" Yeosang called, his eyelids refusing to budge. Gosh, I feel absolutely terrible.

"HE'S ALIVE!" Mrs Kang shrieked.

"Mom, we knew that earlier—he was breathing!" Yeosang heard Yeohee exclaimed. He thought that she sounded rather relieved.

Yeosang felt a rough hand on his left arm, brushing it slowly. "Are you feeling alright, son?" a gruff voice asked.

Yeosang nodded weakly, and he slowly opened his eyes. He felt his father's hand relax on his arm as he took in the room he was in. He was lying on a hospital bed (Of course, he thought, rather annoyed), with an IV drip hanging next to his bed. Yeohee and his mother were seated on his right, while his dad was on his left. A news channel played on the TV screen hanging on the wall right in front of him, displaying news of a scientist who spread the false news that a new vaccine for the flu has been discovered. Yeosang relaxed, knowing that he was safe.