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Han Yoohyun stares at this older version of himself. He’s twenty-five, just five years older. He has more scars than Han Yoohyun, some that look so old, that he should already have them on his skin, but he doesn’t. The other him seems more exhausted, but he’s still younger than most of the other S-Classes Han Yoohyun is forced to deal with.
The other him is his brother’s age, which means his brother looks just as young as this other version of Han Yoohyun.
“How could you do that to hyung?” The other him asks.
Pathetic, is all Han Yoohyun can measure up as a reply.
Is this the brother Han Yoojin loves so much? The one he turned back time for, the man Han Yoohyun will never grow up to be again?
He doesn’t deserve Han Yoojin. Han Yoohyun never deserved Han Yoojin, but this failure of a brother deserves him even less.
How could he push his brother away again and again, when he was so very loved that Han Yoojin wrapped his hands around his own throat, killing another version of himself just so that they could reunite?
Should Han Yoohyun hate his older brother now for murdering his real brother? Should he love him even more at this tangible proof of his love? Anger, jealousy, and devotion fight in his heart. No one else could claim to be his brother’s most beloved now. After all, he didn’t die for them.
“I didn’t do anything,” Han Yoohyun finally replies. I didn’t do enough. I didn’t know the depth of his love.
The other him snarls. “He can hardly breathe without you digging your hands into his lungs.”
Han Yoohyun cocks his head, wonders if the other him can be considered prey despite his SS-Rank.
“So what,” he says. “At least my brother knows I love him.”
And he does. Han Yoohyun loves him so, so much, he wouldn’t mind copying his brother’s actions, wrapping his hands around his own throat and extinguish this interloper standing between him and his brother.
It would be the easiest murder he’s ever committed. The kindest too.
Han Yoohyun knows himself. He barely tolerates sharing his brother with the other parasites and no matter how grand his brother’s adoration, there is not enough for two little brothers.
One of them will eventually starve to death and Han Yoohyun refuses to secede his place to a version of himself that failed his brother.
But he won’t hurt him yet.
His brother loves this Han Yoohyun. He cannot interfere with that or risk losing his brother and Han Yoohyun hardly knows how to breathe without his brother by his side.
Luckily, he probably won’t even need to do anything about this older version of himself. His other self seems perfectly capable of ruining his relationship all on his own. He claims to love his brother, but if he really did, he wouldn’t leave Han Yoojin clinging to him as though he were starving.
When his other self finally disappoints his brother for the last time, Han Yoohyun will be there to pick up all the lovely pieces.
He will prove that Han Yoojin was right to turn back time, to turn to him, to keep Han Yoohyun instead of trying to get back this other timeline’s failure.
“I love him too,” the other him says.
Han Yoohyun lets flames flicker over his fingers. He’s not quite as strong as the other him yet, but the gap between them is shorter than five years.
He smiles.
“But I love him right.”
And hyung will know it too. Han Yoohyun only has to be patient a little will longer.