I freeze for a moment, for a very long moment, wondering what just happened, wondering why I’m lying on a fluffy, comfortable bed, wondering where I was, wondering why I could hear voices, noises that I’ve never heard before. I was afraid, having no idea how I ended up back here when I was supposed to be in a deep sleep above the clouds.

I take a deep breath and sit up, realizing that my clothes are gone, and I’m completely . My face heats up, having never actually seen my body bare before. And thinking about it, I realize I never really thought of removing my clothes before. But I know it’s proper to actually wear clothes.

I hop off the bed and for the first time gaze around, knowing immediately that I’m in a room, a bedroom, studying all the furniture, the objects. But I don’t continue that for long, finding it more important to put on some clothes and get out of here, back to where I belong.

Then I freeze as soon as the thought goes through my head. Where I belong. I squint, suddenly finding those words very familiar, with a ring in it. Then I remember. He was never meant to be here in the first place.

Earth, as a human. Is this where Minho actually belongs?

From there, the only thing that drives me is the thought of finding him, putting it as a mission in the front of my head, my first priority. Quickly, I search for clothes, something to put on, remembering that Minho once taught me about everything in a home of a human.

Closets, that’s where clothes are kept, I search around, my head spinning, until I finally find the wooden doors of a closet. I take the handle and pull them open, gasping at all the garments and articles of clothing inside, never having seen any of them with so much color.

I take a white garment, rising it up in my hand as I study it, wondering how in the world to put it on, then I realize it’s similar to the clothes I’ve always worn. I try to put it on, failing to do it right at the first few tries, but succeeding not so long after, feeling proud of myself for figuring it out. Now, I needed the lower clothing to cover my legs, remembering that those are called pants.

I search, tossing ones that I don’t think are right behind me, finding some pants but not wanting them because they’re not white. And when I don’t find any white pants, I put on the deep blue ones instead, remembering how Minho’s hair color was similar. Buttons and zippers, they were easy to deal with, for Minho had taught me everything about them, too, and I had given extra attention because it intrigued me very much.

With my clothes on, I head down the stairs, not bothering to study the kitchen and the living room, heading out the door immediately. Only to run back inside and slam the door behind me, gasping and whimpering, feeling my body slide down against the wooden door.

Humans, there were so many of them. I was so afraid of them, how they all looked so different, and their voices coming together in such a deafening way. I didn’t want to leave anymore, fearing them, curling up into a ball and sobbing in that wrecked, broken way I always do. Terrifying, just terrifying.

And when I was wishing Minho was there with me, I remember that he is the reason why I have to go, no matter how terrifying the humans might be. I’ve got to find him, no matter what.

I take another deep breath and hesitate for a moment, trying to think of happy thoughts, to reassure myself that the humans won’t hurt me. I just have to ignore them as much as I can. No matter how terrifying they might be....

I get up and open the door once more, gazing openly at the bright day, the humans that passed by, trying not to run again when they look at me, trying not to scream when I hear them speak. This is supposed to be normal, for I am one of them now, too. I am a human now.

I start to walk, noticing how they all had differences, their hair colours, hair styles, their clothing, and their voices. Noticing how many of them were different from me, having bigger, bloated chests, wondering what was wrong with them to have those.

I continue to walk, watching carefully, observing everything, following what they do. All the while searching for anything, anyone familiar, vaguely realizing that I’ve been in this place before, lines and lines of houses. I’ve walked this place before, holding Minho’s hand.

I walk toward a crowd of people, facing my fears, watching as they give way for cars to keep moving between them. My eyes moving so quickly it makes my head spin, studying everything. When the red man disappears and the green one replaces it, the humans start to walk, and I walk with then, noticing how this time it’s the cars that give way for the humans. I feel a smile creep to my lips, liking how humans worked.

I walk around for hours, searching and running away when people approach me. For hours, I wander around in the human world, searching for my lover, until the sun disappears and that’s when I’m truly afraid. Why was the sun disappearing?

I have never been in the dark. For days, I would walk the Earth, but it has never been dark. Darkness was nothing to me, it was something that I have never experienced, and now I had to face it alone, with no one to defend me.

Yet it seemed very normal to everyone else. The humans went on as if it was nothing, and I figured, if they weren’t afraid, I shouldn’t be either. So despite myself, the fear inside of me, I continued to search.

Soon enough, my legs began to hurt. Another thing I have never experienced before, for I never got tired, even when I walked the Earth, and brought spring back. I had endless energy, and I wasn’t used to being tired.

I took a seat outside of a dining place, where many, many humans dined inside. And I could only watch in fascination, never actually eaten besides that time Minho and I consumed that bag of junk food that hurt our tongues. Did all food taste like that?

Just then, I feel my stomach do a nasty, painful grumble, wondering why in the world that happened. I frown, feeling my mouth water, and realizing that it’s the food, so I get up and continue walking instead, ignoring the scary grumbling of my stomach and the aching of my feet.

I’ve got to find Minho, and maybe then I could take him back to the clouds, and everything would be back to normal. Normal, where we only get to see each other once every year, for a wee number of hours. How irritating.

And as I continue to think of him, my eyes sting with tears once more, but I’m not ready to cry. I refuse to. I just continue searching, walking, observing, studying, until all my energy’s drained, and I become lightheaded, before completely passing out.

“You’re awake?” I jump, rolling off of the bed that I hadn’t realized I was lying on, falling onto the ground, only a white blanket wrapped around me. I wheeze and cough, looking around, my eyes wide, unable to relax.

“Hey, hey, relax. It’s alright, what’s the matter?” I hear the same voice coo, watching as a human with the bloated chest and long, midnight black hair approaches me, her eyes gentle yet there’s something behind that look she gives me that gives me the shivers.

“Who—What—I.... what’s—what’s going on?” I wheeze out, realizing that it’s the first time I’ve ever talked ever since, well, since I got here. My voice raw and crackly, my throat hurting with every sound I make.

“My friend and I found you on the ground this morning, so we helped you. Are you feeling okay?” Her voice was smooth, crisp, light, and I study her once more, in a long sleeved, black shirt and some pants that stick really tightly to her legs.

“Th-this morning?” I stutter, feeling myself relax but refusing to stay out of guard. Who knows what she could possibly do to me?

“Yeah. Dawn, actually. Around two A.M?” she says, smiling up at me, her eyes brightening up in a way that’s really nice, but too warm for me to like. I needed Minho, so badly, my hand reaching up to my chest, realizing that my necklace is gone, and has been gone ever since I became human. I feel myself tearing up, wondering where it could be, and wanting to get it back.

“Hey, are you alright?” she asks again, softly, almost like a whisper, leaning toward me to see my face clearer. I choke back the sobs and the screams, before giving one stiff nod. And even though I know she knows that I’m not at all alright, she gives a smile and asks, “What’s your name?”

I hesitate and look at her, study her one more time, before softly saying, “Taemin.”

Her smile widens as she clasps her hands together, giggling in a way that made her eyes turn into two crescent moons. “What a cute name! I’m Krystal,” she exclaims, then offers a hand for me to shake. And I just stare at it, still fearing the warmth, but at the same time wondering if she could actually share her aura like Jonghyun and Onew could.

Slowly, I take her hand, relieved when I don’t feel anything but skin, and her warmth remains hers, and my coldness remains mine. We shake hands for a moment, before she just smiles at me, crouched down next to me.

I watch her carefully, making a note to ask Minho why she was so different, physically, when I find him. That’s when I gasp, realizing that I shouldn’t be lying here on the ground wasting time, I should use all my time to search for my lover, standing up so quickly that my legs wobble for a moment.

She stands up next to me, her face red like a lady bug, and I look at myself, completely once more. My face heats up, too, and I quickly grab the blanket that’s left on the ground, covering myself with it.

She giggles again and makes me sit on the bed. “Don’t worry about anything alright? We’ll take care of you. Now you just sit there and I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

I nod and watch as she leaves, heaving a deep sigh. My stomach grumbles once more, and I’m frowning at it when she comes back, a pile of clothing in her hands. She puts them on the bed next to me and allows me to choose. When that’s done, she leaves again as I put on the clothing, coming back when I’m done with a tray in her hands. My stomach grumbles once more as the nice scent wafts into my nose.

She giggles at me and says, “Well, they’re a little big on you, but you look really cute.”

Not long after, I’m drinking what she called mushroom soup, loving its creamy, delicious taste. She’s sitting next to me, watching me, smiling and giggling. When the soup’s all gone, she leaves me in the bedroom—which I found out to be her friend’s—and comes back empty handed this time, smiling at me as she sits next to me.

“Are you feeling better?” she asks softly, pushing me by the chest, making me lie back down. I nod, smiling at her gratefully, not trusting my voice to give my thanks.

Krystal and I had talked a bit. She was nice and lovely, but misunderstood. Apparently, humans judged her by her looks, how she seemed very cold because of that look in her eyes, but she’s actually very sweet. She had asked about me as well, and the only thing I was able to reveal to her is that I’m here to search for my lover, before I fell asleep.

“You don’t have to go, you know?” Krystal mumbles, holding my hand tightly, refusing for me to leave.

I smile at her as reassuringly as I could and kiss the top of her head, very thankful that I met her, for the few days she’d offered for me to stay over at her home. And now I’m about to leave once more, this time even more determined to find Minho. “I’m sorry. But I’ll come back to you, I promise.”

She looks up at me with watery eyes, her lip trembling before she hugs me tightly, her arms wrapping around my waist. “Don’t ever forget me.”

I chuckle. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

She pulls back, revealing her now tear-streaked face, fascinating me with  how she’s grown so attached to me in just a few days. “Goodbye, Taemin.”

“It’s not goodbye, Krystal. We’ll meet again.” And I wave at her friend, who I think is named Donghae, before I turn and walk away, searching for my lover who I knew was here somewhere, determined to find him no matter how long it would take. If only I could just sense him, like I used to.

So I suddenly stop and close my eyes, connecting myself even deeper into the Earth, searching for that familiar aura, my senses expanding incredibly that it makes the world feel small. If he wants to find me, too, then I’ll find him. And with that thought in mind, a smile finds its way to my lips, now that my search is over, because Minho is here, and I found him.