[CONTENTID1]Bibbidi Bobbidi Mew[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]A SELECTION OF CHOCOLATE-BOYS by gaksitalGaksital[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3](A/N: a special update to celebrate this story getting featured! THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE WISHES, SUPPORT AND KIND WORDS!)

Darkness. It crept in from every corner of her vision. Suzy had managed to scramble her way out of the hedge, but her dress was in tatters. Her eyeliner fell down her cheeks like dark rain. Her face was silver with tears. The straps of her sandals had been snapped in her attempt to escape the bushes. She didn’t know how much time had passed but it felt like an eternity.

She heard an owl hoot nearby, and it startled her. She clutched at her frightened rabbit heart as she searched for an exit out of the woods. There was none, and a heavy silence pressed in the air. It was subtle, yet she felt it palpitating hauntingly around her. The crickets chirped and the stars twinkled from the velvety sky above her.

The leaves rustled closeby. She shivered, wrapping her arms across her chest to induce warmth in her body. Suzy’s lips trembled. Extreme sadness poured into her chest and it spread to every finger and every toe. She slowly sat on her knees, weeping silently to herself. She had never felt so alone before. The loneliness was tearing her apart from inside.

The branches crackled nearby. She jumped back up, looking around.

“W-who’s there?”

Silence. Suzy stayed firm in her spot. She stared into the darkness beyond, imagining a hoard of demons dancing in the distance. She could see their wicked grins and their evil eyes. They galloped in circles around a hearth of fire. Suzy shook her head, and admonished herself for thinking such silly thoughts.

Surely there were no such things as demons were there? Perhaps there were...maybe demons existed in humans too. Bok Choy was a clear example of it. Most demons wore the masks of people. They walked about the day and schemed evil plots at night. Unfortunately, innocent Kang Suzy was one of the many pawns in their plans. She wanted to cry over it.

Gingerly, she wiped the tears from her eyes. The cold was bone chilling. She would freeze to death-- that was more likely than being mauled to shreds by a beast. Suzy leaned against a branch, curling into herself.

Her surroundings were hazy. She thought she saw a figure somewhere nearby. The  beaming moonrays from the silhouette moved closer, until someone plonked on the space next to her. She would have flinched under normal circumstances, but her muscles were drained from all energy. Her teeth were chattering from the cold.

She stared up at the familiar figure that meant so much to her heart. He had the same physiognomy as Jaejoong, the same melodious smile and the same soulful eyes that would always send her into a utopia made out of chocolate.

“Is this what it comes down to,” Jaejoong whispered to her. His hand slipped over her shoulders. Strangely, it didn’t give her any warmth.

His kindness forced her tears to brew once again. Suzy leaned into him, shivering and sobbing. He didn’t do anything to comfort her. He just sat there, an immaculate figment of her imagination-- the part of her heart that wished to survive.

“There’s nothing I can do,” she said quietly, “I’m going to die here.”

“Suzy, look at me.” Jaejoong held her shoulders and forced her to stare into his large eyes. “You’re not going to die, okay? Do you remember what I’ve told you? You’re a good person, and good things will come to good people.” He traced an icy hand over her cheek, which she grasped like a needy child.

“Oppa...I’m not.” She shook her head. “I’m not a good person.”

The man let out a chuckle. “Just because bad things happen to you, doesn’t define who you are. Get going now. You can do this. You’ll find a way. Just believe in yourself.”

His words sank deep into her heart. She knew he wasn’t real, but she could imagine the real Jaejoong say this to her, and that only made her like him all over again. He leaned in to kiss her, his lips ever so soft and ethereal. Then, he vanished from her arms, effervescing under a sigh of the wind.

That was when Suzy heard a feral growl. She snapped her head and almost shrieked when she recognised a large, black wolf standing next to her. It was barely visible in the streaming darkness. Yellow eyes flared with demonic intent, and thick strips of saliva poured from its snout. She sensed a familiar aura, like the time when she was almost stabbed back at the EXO-L nightclub.

“S-stay away from me!”

The wind picked up pace. The leaves bustled around her. She heard heavy breathing closeby. The wolf barked at her. It bared its sharp, pointed teeth.

Just because bad things happen to you, doesn’t define who you are.

Suddenly, adrenaline rushed to every corner of her body. Suzy’s barefeet skittered across the grass as she ran through thickets of hedges, branches and plants. Twigs and leaves were caught in her hair. Some of the branches tugged at her tattered dress, tearing it up even more. Padded feet chased after her.

Her breath was stertorous. Her lungs screamed for oxygen. She saw lights. They were blinding her. Before she knew it, she was stranded amidst granite, and there was a flash of silver rushing towards her. It never collided. Someone hopped out of the car-- a familiar voice yet she could barely make out her saviour.

The surly face of Kim Himchan impeded her blurry vision. He was talking to her but his words were inaccessible to her ears. She wanted to laugh in Fate’s face. Why was it that every time she was in trouble, the top model almost knocked the life out of her?

His hands were on her shoulders, shaking her. Maybe he believed that this would instill sanity back into her, but Suzy was dizzy. There was a noise in her head. His blazer went around her shoulders. An arm under her knees, another around her waist, and she was lifted off the ground and placed into the car. When the door closed, the ringing in her ears ended.

“What the hell happened to you?” Himchan was now in the driver seat.

He steered his car to the side of the road, and stared at her with a dubious expression.

Suzy stared at her hands. Her shoulders shook but she bit into her bottom lip. She had wasted too many tears that evening. She would waste no more.

“It’s a long story,” she breathed, “I don’t think you’d want to know.”

He snorted  to himself, but said, “Top models still lend an ear, you know.”

“You wouldn’t understand!” She retorted, and he almost fliched from the ire in her voice. Suzy sighed, and rubbed her temples. “I’m sorry…”

Himchan remained quiet for a long time. He just stared furiously at his steering wheel, and it occurred to Suzy that he was brooding. It was strange to see him like this, musing over something that didn’t involve his handsome face.

He gave her a sidelong glance. “Listen loser, I don’t know what happened, and I hate doing you favours all the time, but I’ll do one more. I’ll take you home.” His lips twisted.

She knew he hated expressing kindness but something stirred inside her chest. A solitary tear trickled down her eye. “Thank you…”

“Yeah, you better,” he scoffed, and he started the car once more.

She thought he’d ask her for directions but he just drove the car to anywhere, and for a long time, they strolled through the wilderness of Seoul in silence. It was unusually comforting.

Finally, he cleared his throat for the directions and she let him know. Suzy tightened the blue blazer around her shoulders. It’s vanilla scent infiltrated her nostrils.

Himchan took a plastic cup from the side. It has half-filled with milk tea and taro tapioca beads.

“Uh…I kinda drank half of this already, but I’m being nice in giving you the other half. You know, my fans would rip each other apart if I offered this to them,” he claimed, eyes on the road, but arm extended towards her.

Suzy giggled softly and took it from him, much to his surprise. When she slurped a mouthful, he watched her in consternation.

“You just drank my germs,” Himchan mumbled, “Oh my…I don’t want to think of this. Ugh.”

“Were they chasing you again?” Her question threw him off.

“Well duh. the Royal Pirates are just jealous of my beautiful face, ya hear?”