Baekhyun awoke to a pleasant light shining through an unfamiliar window. He looked around to see a tall, middle aged man with a bright smile and a nice suit. "Who are you, and where am I?" Baekhyun asked, sensing that he could trust the man. 

"I'm Mr. Lee, and you're wherever you want, Baekhyun." The man said, smiling at Baekhyun. 

"Why am I here?" Baekhyun was extremely confused. It wasn't like he didn't like the appearance of the place, it was nice. The walls were a nice cream color with coffee brown curtains and a matching bedspread to go with the clean, white furniture. 

"Well," Mr. Lee said. "This may sound hard to hear, but you're almost dead."

"What?" He jumped out of the bed and onto his feet, looking at himself in the mirror. 

Chanyeol was then the thing to cross Baek's mind. What would happen to him? Would he be alright? Completely waste himself in affairs and crowded club scenes? Stay alone forever? God, Baekhyun couldn't believe what was happening to him. 

"Almost dead. You can still save yourself, though. Only the people with the lightest souls can do this, and only if they make decisions that The Leader thinks is acceptable." Mr. Lee explained. "Oh, and your boyfriend's fine. He's just about find out. Follow me." 

Baekhyun immediately followed Mr. Lee out of the room, desperate to see what Chanyeol would do. He hoped that the younger wouldn't fall apart; he could be so fragile. He remembered the multiple occasions on which Chanyeol would put on a stone face in front of the older when they were in public with their friends, but as soon as they set foot in the house, he cracked. He would sob, and scream, and just cry to Baekhyun about how much he hated the world and missed his mom--she had recently died of ovarian cancer. 

"Oh god..." Baekhyun murmured, looking at the screen what Mr. Lee pulled up. 

"Hello?" Chanyeol answered the phone, confused at the caller ID of the hospital. 

"Park Chanyeol?" A nurse on the other end asked. 

"That's me..."

"You were on the ICE list. I regret to inform you that Byun Baekhyun was in the West Area Recording Studio's lobby when there was a mass shooting. He's in surgery now, and we haven't yet heard an update from the doctors. His parents are out of the country, yes?"

Chanyeol froze at the sudden information thrown at him, comprehending it all too quickly. He must have been silent longer than he thought since the nurse called out to him. 

"Mr. Park? You still there?" 

"Yes. And yes, his parents are out of the country." Chanyeol said in a shaky voice, his eyes blurring with tears. 

"Please come to the hospital, then. I'll explain the details of his injuries when you're here. I'm sure Mr. Byun would appreciate it if you were there when he gets out of the surgery, as well. Goodbye, Mr. Park."

"B-bye," he breathed. 

"Channie, don't cry..." Baekhyun whispered, biting his lip at the sight of the taller man clutching his phone to his chest and wobbling to his car. 

"Now, the test begins." Mr. Lee said. "You should know that it's not going to be easy, Baekhyun." He pressed a button on the wall and a door opened allowing the both of them to step through.