“Master Kim, it’s time for you to wake up.” It was only the second time Mr Lee had woken Kai up since moving into the new house, as Kai had woken up early since the first morning.

Kai rolled over in his sleep, muttering something like “Sing for me, Kyungsoo oppa~” Oppa? Oppa? The butler repeated in his mind, utterly confused and a little worried. “Oh, it’s you.” He could easily detect the disappointment in Kai’s voice, though he didn’t know why it was there. “I’m awake now, so you can go.” Kai’s eyes fully opened and he waved his arm, indicating that Mr Lee should leave.

Kyungsoo’s hand was clutching Kai’s, as if he were afraid to let go of him. Kai turned to face him the second his butler had vanished through the door. “Sing for me…”

Kyungsoo’s face turned a deep shade of pink. “You called… me… oppa…” He droned, head spinning.

“Huh? Did I?” Kai was still dreaming when he said it, so at that point he didn’t remember. “I’ll call you that from now on then. Oppa~”

“You’d better hurry up and get ready; you don’t want to be late for school.” He completely ignored his request, but his cheeks were still red and were getting very hot.

“No! I don’t want to go! I want to stay with you.” Nevertheless, Kai stood up and got dressed. “I’m still not going. We have to find the sycamore tree.”

“Jonginnie~ I can do that alone. You should go to school.” Kai had actually warmed up to that nickname, even though he hated it at first.

“You’ve already done so much for me, you shouldn’t go alone.”

Kyungsoo eventually caved in – though he still made Kai go downstairs and eat breakfast. Kyungsoo followed him, of course, and they left the house together – Kai acting as if he was going to school. He set off earlier than usual, saying to his butler, “I think I’ll walk to school today, so don’t bother preparing the car.” And with that, he strode out (Kyungsoo following behind him.)

They began their search in the local park, Kai praying he wouldn’t get caught in his school uniform. “Kyungsoo oppa, what does a sycamore tree even look like?”

Oh God, he said ‘oppa’ again. The heat and the pink returned to Kyungsoo’s cheeks; for once he was thankful that Kai couldn’t see him. “Er… Umm…” He rubbed his back nervously. “I don’t know.”

He was slightly taken aback when Kai reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a phone – he’d forgotten about how advanced technology had gotten, having no use for it. He watched, eyes full of curiosity, as Kai tapped the keys on his phone. Almost instantaneously, a photo of a sycamore tree appeared on the screen. Great, Kai thought sarcastically when he saw it. It looks exactly like every other tree ever.

Kai was worried they’d never find it, but he underestimated Kyungsoo once again. Kyungsoo’s sharp eyes immediately picked up on something behind Kai. It was a tree that looked practically exactly like the one in the photo, except for one difference: there was a lump sitting under the tree, its back leaning against it. It was only a few feet away from them. They had only wanted to find the tree they were looking for, intending to go back to it in the dead of night without Kai’s parents knowing – it was simply too risky in the daylight.

Without a word, Kyungsoo pulled on Kai’s hand and led him out of the park. “I know which tree it is. We’ll come back later. You can go to school now.”

“No way. I’m not leaving you.” He clung onto Kyungsoo, feeling his way up his arm so he could tell where his chest was. He flung his arms around Kyungsoo’s torso, refusing to let go. Somehow, he found Kyungsoo’s weakness. “Oppa.” He whispered softly, making Kyungsoo’s heart beat dangerously rapidly.

“Alright. Just this once, though.”

“Yay! I love you so much oppa!” Kai blurted out cutely, before realising what he’d said and looked extremely embarrassed at his outburst. He covered his face with his hands, hanging his head, occasionally glancing up at Kyungsoo shyly.

If he hadn’t been dead already, Kyungsoo would have died due to Kai’s adorableness right there and then. He stayed silent, though, taking Kai’s hand in his own and started walking aimlessly in a random direction. It didn’t matter to them where they went, just as long as they could be together.

Despite Kyungsoo’s nagging, Kai didn’t go to sleep that night. It was half past eleven when they snuck downstairs – well, Kai snuck while Kyungsoo floated – and out the door. The only heat coming from each other, they made their way to the park; it was locked, but luckily Kai knew where a hole in the fence was located and squeezed through it – Kyungsoo, on the other hand, just walked straight through the fence.

As they approached the sycamore tree, Kyungsoo noticed that the lump was still there and assumed it must be the one who was waiting for them. The lump gradually changed into a more defined shape, which then turned into a figure, confirming Kyungsoo’s suspicions.

Green, wavy, tangled hair fell to the figure’s broad shoulders. Its eyes were a bright crimson; its nose was sharp and its thin lips were pulled into a snarl. The sight struck fear into Kai. Kyungsoo noticed and pulled him closer to him, almost in a protective way.