The spring was almost there and that could mean only one thing. The school festival at the ASC Institute. Usually I would be pretty annoyed by this mandatory occasion but this time it was a little different. There was now somebody in the institute that I really liked seeing. I was looking forward to meeting Hyukjae and it would be happening legally too.

Only two weeks after Hyukjae´s break out we were about to meet again. I was sitting in Jungsu´s luxurious car and eating my breakfast as the older one was driving. Jungsu felt like with Hyukjae in there, it would be much safer to have me under his surveillance. I didn´t mind not having to drive and not getting my own car dirty once we drive through the remote area. And most importantly, if Lee Hyukjae wanted to run away, he would and nobody could do anything about it.

“Heechul-ah, there was another death tonight,” Jungsu turned off the radio.

“At school?!” Without intending to I panicked a little.

“Yah, calm down. Of course Hyukjae´s alright, I wouldn´t be telling you in the car like this, if your favourite Fairy was dead.” I know but I couldn´t help it. My head was full of the blonde and the connection was unintentional.

“Any witnesses?” I quickly pretended to be professional.

“No. We were lucky, taking into account that the dead chimera was the council president and as I remember, the boy was nice but didn´t have many friends.” Jungsu explained and I only took a bite of my sandwich. Apart from Hyukjae, I didn´t really like chimeras.

The road turned dusty after a while and soon we the driveway of the institute. About five other cars were already parked on the gravel, none as luxurious as Jungsu´s of course. As I stepped out of the car, I could already hear the ruckus in the building. Normally it would annoy me but this time I was excited. I wonder what´s the blonde´s role in this huge theatre. Is he playing in the band? Maybe the dance show, he looks like that monkey guy from the TV. The cosplay would be the funniest but whatever it is, I´m sure Hyukjae won´t like it. And that´s why I was looking forward to it so much, I wanted to see his annoyed face!

We entered the building and as expected, the first to welcome us were the dogs. Canine chimeras tend to stay by the door but this time they were wearing pretty costumes and giving us a map of the course. I groaned but Jungsu was quick to react and blocked me from running away. He gave the kids his professional smile and began walking through the hall.

“Do we really have to go everywhere?” I whispered when the students were busy acting a scene from a famous drama.

“Eighty percent,” Jungsu said.

“Seventy.”

“Eighty.”

“Sixty.”

“Eighty I say!”

“Half?”

“Alright, whatever, Heechul but what if you miss Hyukjae? He will be disappointed, don´t you think?” Jungsu pouted sadly. , he´s right. I can´t miss it.

And so we went to watch everything. Every sport club, art club and whatever idiotic club there was. I was as always a little freaked out by the zoo around but there was nowhere to run. In the end we arrived to the cafeteria where a make-shift restaurant was built. The only foreign case of chimera was standing in the corner and preparing pancakes. I remembered the hyper boy, Henli, it was my case after all.

All our co-workers were seated around few tables together with the school staff. They all had to go through the course too. They were waiting for the afternoon event to come, the talent show as they call it. For me it´s Freak Show. I hoped Hyukjae would be there because I still haven´t seen him and honestly it was a little worrying.

“Oh, Heechul sunbae, you came,” Donghee greeted me. It was the only member of my investigation team that had the permission to visit the institute. His daughter was here for a short while and died in a few weeks. But the guy got out of it after a while and now he´s one of my most loyal subordinates. I trust him the most and he works the hardest.

“Have you seen Hyukjae?” I didn´t hesitate to ask. Do I look desperate?

“No, not yet,” Donghee shook his head.

“Where in the hell is that brat?” I hissed annoyed. The Great Kim Heechul is waiting!

“I hope you weren´t talking about me or I would have to act offended,” a very familiar voice and witty remark. I spun around in the speed of light. “Hello, hyung.”

Hyukjae was standing there in his usual clothes and his hands in his pockets. His blond bowl was cut shorter and the colour renewed. Hyukjae´s chocolate eyes were peaking from under the bangs that stayed long but what surprised me the most was the emotion behind them. It was blank, just like in the very first days we met. What happened? I wanted to ask but couldn´t because everyone was staring at us. It wasn´t normal for me to talk casually to a chimera. They didn´t know that Hyukjae was special.

“Hey, Fairy,” I said with a smile. Even in front of all those people I couldn´t bring myself to hold back my happiness from seeing the boy uninjured. Those eyes were a little upsetting, though.

“Hyung, let me show you my festival stall,” Hyukjae beamed with a totally fake smile. At first I wanted to decline because I had enough of this already. But then I changed my mind because this was Lee Hyukjae and I was dead sure he hated this stupid festival as much as I did. Something was up.

“Let´s go, show me,” I said and walked out with Hyukjae. I ensured that nobody would follow and then joined the blonde stumbling around the other dressed up chimeras.

Hyukjae then turned right around the corner and took out a key from his pocket. He made sure there wasn´t anybody watching and ushered me into the library. He closed the door behind us and locked it properly. I wasn´t even surprised anymore that he had the key and that he was pulling another stunt. Something was definitely wrong.

“Hyung, I need to talk to you!” The expression my favourite chimera was wearing changed in a second. Now it was fearful and desperate and I didn´t suddenly know whether I didn´t like the blank one better after all.

“What´s wrong, you seemed pretty off from the start,” I gestured him to come closer and sit next to me on the bench. Hyukjae was a little distressed but didn´t hesitate to crash down on the seat on my right.

“He´s dead, hyung,” Hyukjae said and leaned into his palms prompted against his knees.

“The president you mean?” I asked because I was almost sure that Hyukjae was talking about him. Were they somehow connected? Jungsu said that nobody knew about the death and that the president didn´t have close friends. Were we once again one step behind Hyukjae?

“Yeah, Lee Seunggi died tonight and I couldn´t do anything. I couldn´t even stay by his side and he trusted me so much, hyung. I failed to protect him and I even had to pretend as if he has never existed! They said he went back home but he doesn´t have a home! I know it, he told only me,” Hyukjae´s speech was getting frantic and the more he said, the more I was becoming terrified. Hyukjae knew too much already.

“And he was perfectly fine until the evening. Suddenly he paled and I pulled out a handful of his hair! It was horrible, hyung. Then he started feeling pain and I promised him to introduce you. I told him so many lies because I could feel it, hyung. Heechul hyung,” the big brown eyes looked straight at me and I had no choice but to look back. I couldn´t turn away because they were drawing me deeper and deeper. I was scared of his next sentence.

“Seunggi fell apart.” Perfect, Lee Hyukjae. As always you solved it but not all the riddles are for you to be solved. Some answers are too dangerous, Hyukjae.

“Hyung, why are you crying? It was my friend, you stupid detective,” he pouted and the bangs covered his eyes. Only then I realised there were big fat tears sliding down my cheeks.

“Hyukjae, stop worrying me so much, please,” I said and opened my arms. I left the choice to him this time. I didn´t want him to be uncomfortable. But Hyukjae was quick to embrace me and so I hugged him tight. I knew he couldn´t cry and I knew he wanted to so much. I cried for him and I cried because of him. Hyukjae opened the Pandora´s Box after all.

A-cha! Now everything is much clearer, or maybe not? :D Muhehehehehe. The story is getting pretty ugly but at least the two of them are becoming natural. Who knows what will happen next... (Duh, I do) :) (Just for further explanation, it´snot like the kids die after they turn 18. There are no older chimeras because they were born just for 3 years and then only normal kids were born. That group then continued growing up and they are between the age of 16 and 18 right now. The institute adapts to their age of course. It started as nursery school and now it´s high school.) Thank you for reading and commenting and well, sorry about Seunggi again :P - PandaHero