ヽ(ﾟｰﾟ*ヽ)ヽ(*ﾟｰﾟ*)ﾉ(ﾉ*ﾟｰﾟ)ﾉ     A/N: As a thank you to all the new subscribers! Here's an early release! Just a little taste of more to be posted this Sat. Thank you for giving this story a chance and I hope you enjoy this chapter! 

         

 

Joonmyun found himself alarmed.

The clock ticked 5 am as he rolled out of bed and a tightness began to grip his temple. Mornings were not his forte’.

He submerged his face into a bowl of water resting on top of his dresser - skin enveloped by the cool caress of silk. Here sounds were still, moments of fog as he held his breath. The tension in his neck liberated cogs within his body unwinding one by one - water was his release, his safe haven.

Water, he understood.

Slowly his head lifted, pearls of water still clinging to his face as he wiped them off with a towel.

The night before was odd and unsettling as waves of Miri’s emotions were cast into his dreams. A strangeness hung in the air, a dread that seemed to build as he hurried downstairs to his office.

His plan was to scourge the local markets that day for information, and perhaps in doing so, get in the good graces of his guests. One would not blame him, considering the hostility he faced yesterday due to Jongin’s state of mind after their conversation.

It did however help him gauge the relationships within the group - he had made quite a study of observing their interactions.

Chanyeol would forgive him, of course - such a simple thing could not deter their years of friendship. Sehun was a follower, he could easily assess, so he would follow the mindset of the group. Kyungsoo was protective, especially of Jongin, the menace in his glares proved it to be true.

And then there was Baekhyun.

Joonmyun had mistaken the bright boy’s warm personality for softness. No, Jongin’s older brother was anything but that. He saw it then, at the table, a threat forming into daggers behind Baekhyun’s steady eyes.

There was an uncertainty about him in his mind and one thing he always knew.

Uncertainties were dangerous.

And so Joonmyun found himself alarmed - standing inside his office, his feet planted and eyes transfixed on an unexpected figure sitting in the clutter.

The curtains were open. Golden light flooded onto the oak floors, casting a spotlight in one corner of the room.

And there sat his uncertainty - eyes closed, head drooped low and a sunlight halo casting shadows on the side of his face.

 

Joonmyun stepped back. Perhaps the boy was sleeping, he thought.

He glanced at his desk to the right. He could easily grab the letters he needed to send and sneak away without getting caught.

He nodded his head to himself and then quietly tip-toed to his desk. He took out his money bag and also 2 envelopes already addressed, stuffing them into his leather bag.

 

“Sneaking out?”

He jumped slightly, turning quickly to see Baekhyun now seated upright and staring curiously at him.

“I…uh…have some errands to run,” Joonmyun stuttered.

Baekhyun raised his brow. “At 5:30 am?”

Joonmyun cleared his throat, feeling suddenly constricted, and nodded.

How odd, he thought, feeling the sudden anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

Baekhyun stood up, stretching his arms out like a lazy cat. “Hm….well lucky me,” he smiled, a confusing smile in Joonmyun’s opinion, and he reached behind his pant pocket to take out a black envelope.

Joonmyun caught himself holding his breath as the other walked towards him and casually slipped the envelope into Joonmyun’s bag.

“Mail this for me will you?” Baekhyun smiled again.

Joonmyun nodded - that was the only reaction he could muster. He watched silently as Baekhyun walked away, his shadow reaching long across the wooden floors.

 

“Oh!” Baekhyun stopped at the door and turned slightly back towards him, “Chanyeol will go with you.”

Joonmyun was about to object but he listened to the words carefully, it wasn’t ‘Take Chanyeol with you’, it was ‘Chanyeol will go…’ as if it was already decided.

“He’s waiting in the foyer,” Baekhyun finished.

And before Joonmyun knew it, the boy was already out the door - like an apparition.

 

Joonmyun leaned back against his desk, mentally a bit shocked. He glanced inside his bag, at the black envelope with no name written. It was sealed with red wax, a relief of a marking stamped into it - he had never seen it before.

He stuffed it back into the bag and then walked to the foyer where Chanyeol was indeed waiting, a grumpy grin on his face.

Neither said a word, simply grabbed their coats and after leaving Sena instructions on caring for the rest of the group, they walked out the front door.

At that moment, Joonmyun had a sudden thought about Baekhyun. At how odd it was that the boy was awake that early, in his office.

And then a question sat on the tip of his tongue.

Was he waiting for me all that time?

 

 

“Wait…”

Her hair was silver and grey, like wisps of clouds disappearing in the breeze. He couldn’t see her face, just her feet kicking back flecks of dirt as she ran in front of him.

Her gown was a sheer olive, once shaped against her figure and then billowing like a tarp behind her.

She was like nothing he had ever seen before, a mirage visiting his conscious, and yet he ran after her because of her voice.

A voice so familiar.

“Who are you!” he shouted, breath caught in the chill of the air - his words buried under the rush of thunder above.

But she never turned, simply ran with her hair trailing behind her.

 

There was a wall, a fog that drifted forward and swallowed her whole and then he lost her. He stopped, panting and head twisting to search elsewhere.

She was gone. Once again.

Enveloped into his unconscious.

 

The fog turned into mist, and mist into a clear sky. He took notice suddenly of every little detail.

The grass was yellow-green, tall and to his knees, some now crushed under the weight of his boot.

The sky was blue, moving like water - crashing and dancing in an aimless motion.

In the distance, there were trees - tall like evergreens or oaks reaching high with thick trunks that rooted deep into the earth.

He could smell the sea somewhere near, a taste of salt on his tongue.

 

A blink.

There stood a figure across the field. A man. He could almost make out the contours of his face.

He tried to take a step, but the earth beneath him shook, roots erupting out and wrapping around his legs - holding him firmly in place.

 

“Not Yet”

A voice whispered.

He looked across the field again. The man was facing him, a silhouette of ebony hair and face cast in shadow.

 

“Who - ” he started but then stopped.

The sun moved, abruptly, changing position so that a beam of light now targeted the man’s eyes.

 

Gold.

He pressed his lips together.

Gold like liquid honey.

 

 

 

Jongin tossed under the comforter, glimpses of his dream still fresh in his memory. He settled on his back, staring at the crown molding on the ceiling.

As his muddled thoughts began to clear, a deep realization overcame his senses. It had happened again.

Twice now.

The vision that haunted the hours of moonlight was in the back of his mind like a lingering nostalgia. Once was nothing to worry about, but twice?

Twice was something that had never happened before. It held significance. It held meaning. But what?

He sat up slowly as the stifled cracks of his bones broke the silence in the room.

He thought of her, of the way she always disappeared into the fog. He had never seen her face.

And he thought of the man. The man in his vision was new, like an extended clip grafted onto his original dream. He stared at a gold-leafed vase on his dresser, and let out a breath.

Gold. Like the man’s eyes.

It wasn’t pleasant or aggressive, no, there was mystery almost. And maybe a calm.

There was something alluring about it, and yet he remained cautious as was his nature because it was a different kind of calm.

Like the calm before a storm.

 

 

 

“ ---- and how much exactly were you planning on teachin