, , , ! Baekhyuns heart pounded in his chest as he dashed down the hall and checked the colour lock outside the bathroom. Green. It wasn’t locked. Zora never went into the bathroom without locking the door, but under the panic, he didn't want to take any chances and gracelessly flung the door open anyway. “Zora!” He turned left and right, only to find everything where he’d last left it, the thumping of his heart now beating loudly in his ears. “!” He slammed the door shut and rapidly raced back down the stairs to check the living room.

He knew she wasn’t stupid. She was smart enough to know not to leave the house- with or without his consent, which confused him even more. If she knew she couldn’t leave- where could she have gone? “Zora! This isn’t funny!” He yelled, frantically searching the living room for any sign or her. Being unsucessful, he ran to the kitchen. “Zora! Zora, I swear if you're…” He caught sight of the spare keys jabbed into the lock of the back door and automatically turned towards the window. The knot between his shoulders loosened, a weight lifted from his chest and he exhaled a heavy breath he hadn't realized he was holding in.

Zora was sat in the back garden, her back to the window. But he could only be relieved for a few seconds until the fury kicked in. He walked out to the back garden, storming towards the girl sitting cross-legged on the grass without a care in the world, coloured ink cartridges surrounding her as she scribble away onto the pages on her lap.

“Han Zo-ra!” Baekhyun snapped in a strict tone and she jolted, either because she was had no clue he had come home or because he’d just addressed her full name which only in rare occasions did he do. “What are you doing out…” He trailed off his sentence when he noticed the pink on her nose and cheeks and the red on her fingertips. Baekhyun snatched her hands into his, the iciness of her fingers making him scoff in disbelief. “Ya!” He shouted, making her jump out of her skin once again. “Are you stupid, coming out in this kind of weather?! And in those clothes!?” He barked harshly, referring to the thin material of her pyjamas. “You’re supposed to be inside you idiot! Who in their right mind would come out in this kind of weather anyway?! Are you insa...” He paused a little too late as Zora looked at him in dismay.

That word was a taboo.

Like pulling a trigger that’d set her off into days of depression. And he knew that from experience. But the fact that he hadn’t completely said the word- maybe he was still safe.

Baekhyun turned away from her for a second; unable to meet her deprived eyes and cleared his throat, hacking up the guilt that clogged his windpipe. He then took her other hand, helping her stand as the pages slipped off her lap.

“Get inside…I’ll get your stuff for you” He offered, quickly ruffling her hair as if to make up for nearly saying the forbidden word. Zora just about nodded her head before taking her sketchbook and scurrying inside. Baekhyun watched, noticing that not only did she come out in just her pyjamas but also her bare feet.

Thinking about it now, he wondered how many times she'd come outside while he was away. Surely with Einstein’s IQ, she would know better to stay inside when the weather is too extreme, but after that, he couldn’t be too sure. Maybe her craziness exceeds her intellect. 

Thankfully Zora wasn’t the kind to hold any grudges; otherwise he wouldn’t be surprised if she’d despised him for yelling and screaming at her all these years. He didn’t mean to be so harsh on her. But her incapability to do as she’s told agitated him despite the fact that she’s supposed to be as clever as the superior scientist.

Even after being extra careful not to stain his hands with the ink, Baekhyun still managed to gather her things and enter the kitchen looking like a rainbow threw up on his hands. He sighed, knowing once again through experience that Zora’s ink didn’t come off as easy as dirt. Yet the girl was able to keep herself and her room spotless. He gave her props for that.

Baekhyun took the chance to scan her precious ink collection, taking a random bottle and lightly shaking whatever left of the cerulean blue ink there was in the little glass jar. He figured she must like this colour, comparing the amount that was left to the others which were almost half full- not including the black, which was the base of all her drawings and writing. Taking a closer look at the jar, he noticed a small silver logo of what had looked like a hexagon imprinted on the glass.  

These look like pretty pricey stuff no doubt. But after taking a look at the artwork he picked up, they did her justice.

He slid one of the sheets away from the others to sneak a better peek at it. It wasn't like Baekhyun to be nosy, but it was a golden opppotunity to see just what she's been up to the past decade. Call it being curious.

His eyes scanned the contents of the A5 brown paper that consisted of writing, labeling and beautifully drawn images of a handsome boy surrounded by the subtle hint of orange and red ink, indicating a perfect illusion of dancing flames. Just by looking at it, he could tell that it wasn't a recent creation, it was probably a couple years old judging from the paper. “...Nineteen years of age…blood type A negative, height 184 cm…” He trailed off the profile information and slid another piece of brown paper to his view that seemed to be the continuation of the character details and carried on reading, somehow drawn by the beauty of her handwriting. “’Within the coldest of nights and the darkest of hours…The boy whom possesses the infamous power of the phoenix ignites his flames to guide those who are lost within the depths of darkness’…Hmph, bless her…” He chuckled, only reading the first line of the monologue and already establishing that her artwork had revolved around fantasy.

He figured as much. It’s where her imagination could run wild after all. He always knew she had a knack for it, since it’s not like he’s been completely ignoring her obsession all these years. He could tell by most of her drawings that it had some mythical essence to them. 

Walking back into the living room, he was surprised to find her sitting cross-legged on the couch, her eyes diligently skimming through her recent creations in her sketchbook. Baekhyun stepped closer to her before shoving the fountain pen and clump of drawings to her face. “I put your other things on the table in the kitchen, we can put them away in your room later…” He said, waiting patiently for her to take her things from his hand. But she gazed at the pages for a second before her shoulders fell. She carefully took the paper, however left the fountain pen in his hands. “What? You don’t want it?” He asked, taking another glance at the pen to make sure that he hadn’t mistaken it for another.

It was her favourite one, supposedly. Although Baekhyun couldn’t recognize the differences between any of them, apart from the fact that this one was so worn out that the azure blue colour had started to peel off the sides and the silver nib had started to rust.

Zora made a face, almost a content pout as she gazed at the pen nostalgically. “…It doesn’t work anymore?” He assumed. Seeing as how ancient it looked, he wasn’t surprised when she sadly nodded her head.

Although it was a bit harsh, he was slightly relieved that her depression came from a pen rather than him. “Fine, I’ll throw it in the tra…“ Baekhyun didn’t even finish yet and Zora already frantically shook her hands to stop him. “What, it doesn’t work anymore, right?” Baekhyun confirmed, carelessly yet skillfully twirling the pen between his fingers before she reached out and snatched it from him. Baekhyun glared at her curiously before remembering Zora’s little thing for ‘sentimental value’ which once again- was out of his understanding.

What broke was trash. And why keep trash? He could recognize an attachment to a house pet or a person but not with something that’d become useless or inanimate, like a rusting pen. He decided to let it go as the crazy women would probably have her reasons for cherishing it so much. Whether or not it was a good reason, Baekhyun didn’t really care. Seeing how longingly she clung onto the pen, an idea sparked in his brain...a rather troublesome one.

“…Were you that bored?” He asked her, sounding sympathetic yet tired. Zora blinked at him before nodding her head. And on that note, he rolled his eyes and sighed. “You wanna go outside then?” He suggested almost unwillingly. Her eyes broadened before nodding her head so enthusiatically that her glasses almost fell off her face; her grin showcasing her perfect row of teeth as white as the material of her clothes. 

Baekhyun got himself ready and changed out of his uniform; into his regular jeans, t-shirt and black jacket.

He was risking a lot for this. Even though he was never told why Zora couldn’t leave the house, there must have been a reason behind it and if something was to happen then his uncle would have his head for it.

Actually, Zora was told never to even leave her room, never mind the house. But of course that was too harsh- even in Baekhyuns point of view. To isolate someone in a colourless room for years was more of a treatment for mental paitents than a mute, he'd thought. She wasn't that crazy, nevertheless she wouldn't hurt a fly so she'd do no harm. And it's her 18^th; a special birthday that he would have forgotten about if it hadn’t been for his uncle. Certainly, taking her outside for the first time would be the best gift of all. (That, and he was too broke to actually buy her a present)

But other than getting scolded by his uncle, he was risking another thing. Even if the probability was a slim, if his friends caught him walking around the streets with some girl then he wouldn’t know how to cover up this one with a lie without making it sound completely ridiculous. Though push comes to shove, he’ll just pass her off as a distant relative coming to visit for the day and pray that his friends would be stupid enough to believe him.

After getting himself ready, Baekhyun realized there was something he had overlooked. Zora didn’t have the need of proper attire since she’s never supposed to leave the house. In other words she didn’t own anything like casual clothing, shoes or even socks, only a pair of white slippers that kept her feet warm during winter and even if she could wear them out, Baekhyun wouldn’t want to be seen with her.

Zora shrugged her shoulders, out of ideas of what he could do as she stood in the hall still barefooted and in her sleeping wear. Baekhyun sighed, blowing small strands of his black hair away from his eyes. “Seriously…” He groaned as if being forced out of his will despite being the one who suggested the trip.  He then went back into his room, opening the wardrobe and pulling out the first t-shirt and jacket he could find and shoving it to her face. “Change into these, you can wear your pants outside… even if it does look weird”

Without an argument, she did as he said; going back into her room and coming out in an oversized white t-shirt and blue and grey baseball jersey. She grinned at him before twirling around to show off her outfit.

It surprised him actually. He’d never seen her wear anything other than comfortable pyjamas before. He would have thought she’d come out looking completely ridiculous with her white pyjama bottoms and his random mix of shirts, but something about it made him admit, she didn’t look half bad. “Okay, okay, don’t get too excited, you’re not keeping those, remember?” He rained on her parade and her shoulders fell with a pout. Baekhyun chuckled at how quickly her expression changed, enjoying being a tease. “Let’s go then…” 

Zora’s eyes widened at almost everything she saw in the streets, not at all being subtle with her fascination. Baekhyun took her out to the nearby market where he’d usually do the shopping for them, which was the best choice he had since it was close to home and he couldn’t be bothered going anywhere far. Besides, he figured that the market was enough to fascinate her restricted mind that hasn’t seen much of the world. He watched as she aimlessly walked down the streets in the spare pair of white converse that was almost 3 sizes too big for her and couldn’t hold in his amused smile. She got a few odd looks, but Zora didn't seem to care; and if she didn't care then Baekhyun was more or less content.

As planned, he entered a grocery store to store up on some food and as he thought, it entertained her well. But after 15 minutes, Baekhyun had to end her fun when the shop assistance was starting to get suspicious of her taking endless pictures with her phone of their products. 

“Don’t get used to me doing this. Today is a one off” Baekhyun informed as they casually walked along the streets. Zora blinked at him as if she had no clue what he was on about. He caught her curious glare and scoffed. “You’re 18 today, dummy!” He lightly smacked her across the head and it took her a couple of blinks before smiling sheepishly at the realization. 

Maybe what he needed to get her was a calendar, since it was like this almost every year. She’d always lose track of the day and end up not realizing it was her birthday unless Baekhyun either told her or got her a present.

“You know, for a person with an IQ higher than 150, you sure are stupid” He insulted, mumbling the words however loud enough for her to hear. She took her sketchbook and smacked him across the arm to convey her anger and offense before suddenly pausing. Baekhyun noticed her glare right pass him and turned his neck to where she was looking.

There was a shop painted in silver and white that stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other stores. And only when Baekhyun saw the shop name did he recognize it. ‘EXO calligraphy’. The name was vaguely familiar as he remembered something about coming here once with his uncle back when Zora first moved in; but what clicked was the imprint on the front door. 

Turning to her, Baekhyun raised an eyebrow. “The logo not ringing a bell?” He hinted, pointing towards the silver hexagon logo on the front door; being the same one on her ink jars.

Finally remembering, Zora suddenly dashed to the door. "Whoa- Wait! Zora!" Baekhyun called, seeing as how she'd ran so fast she didn't even notice the pieces of paper and broken fountain pen escape from her sketchbook. He shook his head at her hopelessly before having to squat down to the floor and pick up the pieces before the wind could blow them away any further.

However one particular sheet caught his eye. Another one of her brown A5 sheets with a detailed picture of a cute fluffy dog with a black print on it's neck of what had looked like a small crown. Baekhyun glanced at it before scanning the labeled description. "Loyal, brave and obedient...'King' shape shifts and morphs himself in and out of his natural form to come to rescue those in need of protection and a friend" Baekhyun trailed off the description, staring at the picture in surprise after recognizing it's familiarity. The dog had looked exactly like a larger version of the stray puppy he'd wanted to bring home when he was a child, but couldn't keep because his uncle didn't let him. Stunned that Zora had also taken an interest in the puppy, he would have read more however noticed her trotting back with a pout on her face; he quickly stored her sheets away into his bag for now. "What? It's closed?" Baekhyun asked as he stood back up onto his feet. Zora shook her head and gestured a ticking clock with her hands. "Well, when are they open?" He asked her. Zora gestured her six fingers.

"Six?" Baekhyun automatically took the phone out of his pockets to check for the time. 4:06pm. Another two whole hours. He sighed. "You really wanna go there?" He rolled his eyes at her and she desperately nodded her head, grabbing his arm and giving him puppy dog eyes.

Would he risk being 2 hours out of the house with her? He'd only expected to go in and out of stores for no more than an hour, and the longer they were out, the more chances of bumping into people he might know. Not that he cared that his popularity in school could be affected- he didn't want to have to deal with the Q and A sessions when he went back to school...

But he couldn't say no to those eyes.

"Fine! We'll wait!" He groaned, rolling his eyes away from her as a sign of admitting defeat...however they landed on something rather suspicious.

An intimidating man stood outside a fruit stand, glaring away at the two even when Baekhyun had caught him staring at them. He shot the man a look, thinking that maybe he'll realize he'd noticed and walk away from them already. He did exactly that, however taking out a mobile phone from his black coat instead of walking. 

Zora tugged at his arm, snapping him out of suspicion. But she was faced towards a flashy Tteokbokki stand, steam clouding up the batches of white rice cakes that bathed in the thick red soup. Baekhyun arched his eyebrows back and fourth at her and the food stand. "...You've...never had Tteokbokki before?"

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders to say that she'd never even heard of it. Baekhyun had never thought there'd be a Korean who's never heard of it before, especially in the experience of eating it literally every time he went out with his friends. 

He didn't hesitate to get a few sample for her to try and after convincing her that it wasn't that spicy, she finally ate it. Her eyes blinking with surprise after the first swallow. "You like it?" Baekhyun smiled. She nodded her head, poking the toothpick into another piece and shoving it into with a delighted grin.

He watched her eat with fascination and after a long glare, he only just realized how different she was in comparison to everyone else. Her eyes being a dark chestnut brown with glimpses of what had looked almost golden, her naturally wavy coffee brown hair and milky peach skin; those were the few features that made her look like a character who'd just jumped out of an anime. "Are you really Korean?" He thought, not realizing that he'd said it out loud until Zora knitted her eyebrows at him and silently laughed. He took her reaction as a 'Of course i am'. 

The two walked around a bit more, but having to stop almost every two minutes whenever one of the stalls caught Zora's attention. And despite the cold weather, Baekhyun let her take her time examining everything; he was just lucky that she didn't ask to buy anything since he didn't have that much money on him anymore. Although, he was tempted to purchase the two wooly beanies she'd got him and her to try on.

The stop that took her the longest was one of the accessories and jewelry stands. Baekhyun had to explain what each thing did since she had no clue what they were. He told her the basics, the necklace went around the neck, that the rings went around the fingers and the earrings were for ears, although she raised an eyebrow at the fact that it had a sharp needle at the end. When he'd told her that it went through the skin, she winced immediately and put it down as if it was infested with germs. 

"It's normal, don't worry" Baekhyun laughed, finding her shocked expression amusing. But his laugh suddenly stopped when his sharp eyes caught sight of yet another suspicious figure. It wasn't the same person, but his attire and glare rather similar. He was a few meters away from them, subtly watching from behind another stall, however Baekhyun could still notice the man looking down from his phone and back a few times. Unlike last time when he shook away his curiosity, Baekhyun couldn't help but get a bad feeling about them and quickly suggested walking back to the calligraphy store, telling her that they'd be just on time if they walked fast enough. Zora agreed without hesitation and skipped her way ahead of him, Baekhyun about to follow until...

"So that's what those sharp things are~" 

Baekhyun was startled by the deep toned voice before turning towards the figure. "I was starting to wonder what they were for" The boy continued.

"What?" Baekhyun pulled a face at the tall, handsome guy with light orange hair with a blonde tint, glaring at the black imprints that ran from one side of his ear down his neck. A weird looking tattoo, he thought. The boy shivered as he walked closer to him, glancing his amber eyes around the stalls.

"You should be more careful with that mouth of yours man" He sighed, rubbing his hands together and blowing into them; radiating a bright red glow in his cupped hands as he casually walked passed Baekhyun; who needed to blink several times before recalling what trick he just pulled. He watched the boy walk away for a moment before noticing Zora dramatically waving her hands to get his attention. She'd already gone a pretty far distance ahead of him and he slowly jogged to catch up to her, looking back to the spot where the orange haired boy was however he couldn't see any sign of him anymore...