Terraforming - Not Just a Dream
"Gasp!"
Chris bolted upright in bed. It felt like any ordinary morning, but the room's layout was different. This wasn't the Northern Training Camp—it was the 11th Sector Combat Lodge. Of course, such trivial changes didn't register with her at all. Right now, something far more important than her own life consumed her thoughts.
She whipped her head around frantically, scanning every corner of the room. But... no matter where she looked, her lover was nowhere to be seen.
"A dream? It was just a dream? No way... right?"
Was it a dream? Had it really all been a dream? Chris prayed from the bottom of her heart that it wasn't. If it turned out to be nothing more than a dream, she wasn't sure she could make it through the day. It had felt that vividly sweet.
"No, please... please... tell me it wasn't a dream... That's right! My leg! I hurt my le—"
A hazy memory surfaced: her leg had been badly injured. If it still hurt, then it couldn't have been a dream. Clutching at that hope, Chris lifted the blanket with her left hand and stared down at her leg.
"Ah... no... nooo...!"
Her leg was perfectly fine. Not a single scar in sight. The realization hit her like a gut punch, and she flexed the injured leg from her memories over and over. But there was no pain at all.
"Hngh... no... hnnngh... please... please...!"
"Nngh...? Chris? You're awake?"
Just as panic was about to swallow her whole, a man's voice drifted up from beneath the bed—the voice she knew so well. The one she'd longed to hear every single day for seven long years, even just once more.
Chris peered over the edge of the bed as fast as humanly possible. And there, naturally, was Park Chanyoung, lying on the cold floor with nothing but a thin blanket spread beneath him.
"Chanyoung...? Wh-why are you on the floor...?"
"Huh? Yawn... I applied some treatment to your injured leg while you were sleeping, but it hasn't fully healed yet. If we shared the bed and I accidentally bumped it... Chris? Are you crying?!"
He shot upright the moment he spotted the tears streaming down her cheeks, all traces of sleep vanishing in an instant.
"I... I thought it was a dream... thought you'd disappeared, Chanyoung..."
"Huh? We've been holding hands with our fingers intertwined this whole time, haven't we?"
"Huh...?"
At his words, Chris glanced down at her right hand. Sure enough, their fingers were locked together. He'd probably endured that uncomfortable position all night, anticipating she'd wake up first like this—just so she could see their joined hands and feel reassured.
...Tears welled up again.
Chanyoung... it's really you... my Chanyoung... for real...
It was so familiar. This thoughtful consideration, tailored just for her—small, yet heart-stirring. After seven years, her chest swelled with that long-lost warmth.
Forget asking how he was still alive or how he'd healed her leg—right now, all she wanted was to pull him into her arms. And without hesitation, she did just that. She knew her Chanyoung wouldn't refuse.
Chris spread her arms wide and leaned toward him. He met her halfway, opening his chest with a natural smile.
Squish.
"Throwing a morning tantrum, are we?"
Nod nod.
"Fine by me. I'll take it all."
A large, warm hand gently stroked the back of her head. Wrapped in the comfort of home, Chris burrowed deeper into his embrace. If she saw herself from an outsider's perspective, she'd die of embarrassment—but she blamed it on lingering sleepiness and indulged a little more.
*
"You... went to the past?"
"Hard to believe, huh?"
"Un... unbelievable. But I have no choice—I can see it with my own eyes..."
Squeeze.
Chris clung to me without any intention of letting go. We'd skipped morning PT and breakfast, just talking the whole time. I'd secretly applied a potion to her leg while she slept, and it had healed completely. But everyone else still saw her as injured, so I'd stayed back under the pretense of nursing her.
Meanwhile, Natalia Kaya had no such excuse—no major injuries—and was forced back to assistant instructor duties just one day after waking from her faint.
I told Chris most of what I'd been through, skipping anything system-related. But I held back on the time-stopping orb, the future-sending orb, and the regression orb. Explaining those to her would've been too complicated.
Talking about the time-related temple and the past-sending orb there was enough to convince her.
"Whoa... I heard East Asia has this thing called the 'red thread of fate.' Guess it really exists..."
"Now that you mention it, it's pretty wild. There was an instructor named Chris, so I helped past-you. And because I helped you, you became an instructor and trained me."
"Yeah... like the old chicken-or-egg question?"
We'd become each other's cause and effect. With time travel tangled up in it all, it felt like some indefinable, special bond had layered itself over our relationship. More than just lovers—something like an unbreakable thread of fate...
I could sense it existing between us.
"Speaking of which, how'd you heal my leg?"
"Well... I'll explain in detail later, but for now, just think of it as my special ability."
"...Something you can't tell others?"
"Spot on."
"Got it."
Beam.
Seeing my awkward expression, she smiled at me—a sign of her trust. She clearly believed I had my reasons for holding back. And honestly, telling her about a parallel Earth's timing right now wouldn't be wise. She was already plenty confused.
To her, reuniting with a lover she'd thought dead seven years ago was still fresh. Better to ease her into things slowly than pile on more chaos.
Well... time to get chewed out, I guess? Better to take the hit first...
I couldn't bring it up myself, but facing it head-on beat waiting for her to do it. Plus, dragging out problems wasn't my style. Clear the air, get scolded, get forgiven—that felt cleaner.
"...I've got something coming to me that you might wanna yell at me for."
"Huh...?"
Pat pat.
"You didn't tell past-me. That you came from the future, and we'd meet again in seven years."
"...You're right. Why didn't you? ...It hurt a lot. Seven years is a long time..."
"I'm sorry..."
Squeeze!
Her face clouded over. Unable to hold back, I tightened my arms around her. To hold her even closer.
"...There was a reason, right? You're always thinking deeply, Chanyoung. If you did it, there must've been a good one. That's what I think."
"Isn't your trust in me a bit too deep?"
"Yup. Hehe."
I'd braced for a scolding, but instead she trusted me and even made it easy to talk. Seven years had matured her mentally—I could feel it. It made me a little proud... and a tad wistful.
Wistful, huh...
I felt a pang of regret over her growth. Maybe deep down, I'd wanted her to stay my "little Chris" forever—relying on me, needing my help.
But that desire was misguided.
...It'd turn her into a trophy.
If I truly loved her, I should rejoice in her growth. Not wish for dependence—that was worlds apart from independence. I just wanted to help her climb her own walls, not scale them for her.
"You've matured a lot, Chris. But the parts I hope never change... they haven't."
"Ch... is that a compliment?"
"Yeah. A big one. The parts I love haven't changed a bit."
"Th-that's... ha... happy..."
Poke.
Her face flushed crimson as she ducked her head. I loved this easily embarrassed side of her. I'd chosen my words deliberately—some guys cringe at saying "love" outright. I wasn't big on direct affection either, but when I wanted to see that blush, it slipped out.
"...Anyway, back to what I was saying: I was worried that if I told you about time travel, it might derail the future in some irreversible way."
"Irreversible?"
"Yeah... For example, if you'd known I didn't die, how do you think you'd have acted?"
She pondered deeply at my question. Better to keep it imaginable than some extreme death scenario.
After a few minutes, she answered.
"Maybe... I wouldn't have become an instructor."
"...My training under you was connected to me?"
"Eek! Th-that's... later! I'll tell you later!!"
"Alright, I won't pry. Anyway, if you hadn't become an instructor... whew, that could've been bad."
"Huh? Why... oh!"
"You get it? Without that trainee-instructor bond, I might not have looked after you in the past. Then..."
"We... might not have become lovers..."
"Exactly what I was guarding against. No telling how badly my clumsy meddling could've screwed the future."
"Fair enough..."
"But the future where you believed 'Park Chanyoung is dead'? I lived it. And we reunited without issue."
"...So not telling me was your best choice?"
"Selfish excuse, huh? Sorry."
She understood without much trouble. The idea of a future where we never became lovers must've terrified her more than I'd thought—she looked thoroughly convinced.
Still, I apologized. Seven years of grief was no joke. I'd glimpsed fragments of it two years back; I knew how much it hurt her.
"No, it's fine. It was tough—really long and hard—but... we met again in the end."
"..."
"No more partings now, right? You'll stay?"
"Yeah. No obstacles left."
"Then that's enough. I'm satisfied. Honestly... just having you back feels like more than I deserve. Yeah. I'll focus on a happy future, not the painful past."
Our gazes locked. My pupils reflected in hers. Without words, a strange, fulfilling resonance passed between us—like our hearts synced perfectly.
I leaned slowly toward her face. Her eyes fluttered shut softly. Admiring her long lashes' graceful curve, I pressed my lips to hers.
"Mmm..."
A full minute passed before our lips parted. Not light, not teasingly lingering—just a heavy, affirming kiss to confirm our love. Exactly what she needed right now.
I figured that'd wrap things up; let her rest today. Combat, injury, reunion, time travel—too much in 24 hours. I'd planned to give her space.
...If she hadn't tempted me.
"Ch... Chanyoung?"
"Yeah?"
"Th-there's... no one around this room... by... at least lunchtime, all the combatants are out on duty..."
"...Chris?"
"E-even if we make... a lot of noise... no one... to hear... right...?"
Her face burned scarlet to her throat as she made her bold request. Her voice trailed off, but she finished strong.
"You're tired now, and you know once I start, I can't stop easily? No regrets?"
Gulp.
Nod...
Chris nodded shyly.