A/N: Hi, all! Sorry I haven’t updated for about ;-; I’ve been working overtime at work. Not much free time lately. And when I do, I’m too tired to do anything but lazed around on my bed, doing nothing xD

Anyway, here’s the next chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it! :)

Book 2: The (Crazy) Baby Years

Chapter 5: Visit

It was a dull, cloudy day. Hankyung couldn’t help but feel nervous about the gloomy atmosphere that seems to hang over the small town. The fact that he hadn’t spotted a soul in sight since he drove into town a few minutes ago bothered him, too. Sure, it was a small town, but it wasn’t that early in the morning. Hankyung was pretty sure there should be people out and about, doing their daily business.

But where was everyone?

How strange…

The Chinese man slowly drove down the main road. He was unnerved enough that he was just making his car cautiously creep forward. He couldn’t just shake off the feeling that something wasn’t right in this place.

‘Oh, I hope Kyuhyun and Minhyun are okay!’ Hankyung thought anxiously. He was visiting the two for the first time since they moved on their own. And it seems his visit was just in time, with the strange atmosphere in town right now. He only hoped that he got to Kyuhyun’s apartment in time before anything bad happened to the mother and son duo.

Then, suddenly, a figure finally appeared from around a corner up ahead.

And then another person.

And another, and another, and another… It was a whole procession! They all came from around the corner and started to walk on the main road. There were so many people that Hankyung was sure it was probably the whole small town!

And procession was right—they were all carrying candles and wearing black shirts with some strange insignia.

Hankyung’s car stopped as he gawked at the sight that was slowly approaching him.

‘WHAT ON EARTH-?!’ Hankyung thought in alarm.

And then, he saw what it was all about.

Apparently, Hankyung was wrong to worry about Kyuhyun and Minhyun being hurt by the strange atmosphere in town today. Kyuhyun wouldn’t be a victim—he was the goddamn cause!!!

The people at the middle of the long procession where carrying a large, ornate, golden throne, and even if it was still from a distance, Hankyung could recognize the familiar figure that sat upon it. Cho Kyuhyun. Holding Minhyun in one of his arms. And his other hand was holding a—was that a freaking scepter?! And where on earth did Kyuhyun get the large crown with jewels that was on his head??!

Hankyung hurriedly opened the door and scrambled out of the car. Seeing as the procession was moving slowly, he ran toward it instead.

“Kyuhyun, what the hell is going on?!” Hankyung demanded from the sidewalk once he was at level with Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun looked at him in surprise. “Oh, hyung! You’re here!”

“Yes! And I want an explanation right now!” Hankyung insisted as his eyes followed the person walking nearest him. He knew the man. It was one of his uncle’s old friends! And yet the man just stared forward, unblinking, a strange and perhaps even slightly out of focus look in his eye.

Heck, everyone in the procession look like they were under some kind of mind controlling force (a.k.a. Cho Kyuhyun).

“Minhyun and I conquered the town, hyung!” Kyuhyun chirped cheerfully. His expression was smug and proud. And looked like there was totally nothing wrong and/or strange with what he was saying.

“Conquer?!”

“And now we’re off to take the rest of China!”

“What?!”

“And I expect that by the end of the week, the world will be mine!”

“WHAT?!”

“Well, mine and Minhyun’s,” Kyuhyun corrected himself happily bouncing a little the baby in his arms, who was also looking absolutely delighted by the procession and the quest for world dominance.

“CHO KYUHYUN!” Hankyung bellowed from the sidewalk, watching the moving procession in front of him in horror. “Stop this madness right now! And stop whatever it is that that you’re doing to these people!”

But Kyuhyun just cackled evilly in reply, his laughter growing louder and louder and louder until—

Hankyung’s eyes snapped open, his heart beating wildly in his chest and his body sweating so much that his bedsheets were practically soaked.

Hankyung’s schedule was so full, but none of those matter. He got his annoyed and confused manager to cancel everything from appearances and appointments for a few days—he had much more urgent things to deal with!

The dream had more than convinced Hankyung that it was about time that he visited the small town.

In fact, his visit was already late!

It’s been a few months since Kyuhyun and Minhyun had moved to the town, and Lord only knows what kind of devastation Kyuhyun could have—and probably already have—caused on the town and its poor, innocent villagers!

He drove from Beijing to the small town as fast as he could without breaking the speed limits. Heck, he was so anxious to get there that he was even tempted to break the speed limits, but he figured that getting arrested would only delay him from getting to Kyuhyun and Minhyun. Which would be detrimental to the town, if Hankyung had to save it from Kyuhyun.

And knowing Kyuhyun, Hankyung really probably needed to save the town from the evil maknae!

The sun was bright and shinning when Hankyung drove into the town. People were doing their chores and their jobs as usual. Nothing seemed strange and out of the ordinary.

Totally unlike the atmosphere in Hankyung’s dream.

But this didn’t assure Hankyung one bit.

Having spent so much time dealing with Kyuhyun (and even worse, dealing with Kyuhyun all by his poor and unfortunate self) made one paranoid. And Hankyung was very much paranoid that all these signs of normalcy were just trying to lull him into a false sense of security!

“Oh, God,” Hankyung whimpered fearfully—in a paranoid manner—as he drove toward Kyuhyun’s apartment.

Then, as he neared the building, he spotted Kyuhyun standing right outside. He was holding Minhyun in his arms and talking to a Chinese woman. Nearby, a young girl was playing.

Hankyung supposed these were the neighbors that Kyuhyun had told him about. ‘Oh, the poor souls!’ Hankyung thought sympathetically.

“Hyung?” Kyuhyun asked in surprise and mild confusion as a car stopped in front of them, from within which he could spot Hankyung inside.

“Oh my, God! It’s Hangeng!” Xiari squealed excitedly.

Lin looked around from where was bouncing her ball nearby and sighed at her mother’s excitement. Kyuhyun just groaned and muttered under his breath, “Not this again!”

“HANGENG!” Xiari really screamed this time when Hankyung made it out of his car and stood with them.

“Uhm, hello?” Hangeng greeted with a small smile on his face, bemused by all the excitement. But then, Kyuhyun did tell him that his neighbor’s an ELF. “You must be Xiari.”

“OH, MY GOD! HE KNOWS MY NAME!” Xiari couldn’t help but squeal and spazz, fanning herself with her hand. She was trying but obviously failing to calm herself down.

“Don’t faint again,” Kyuhyun told Xiari sharply as she swayed dangerously on her feet.

Hankyung hit him at the back of his head.

“Ouch!” Kyuhyun glared something fierce at Hankyung.

“Be nice,” was all that Hankyung told him sharply.

As Xiari buried her face again into her hands and squealed into them to get her fangirling side over and done with, Hankyung took Minhyun from Kyuhyun.

“Hello, Minhyunnie! Did you miss Uncle Hannie?” Hankyung cooed at the baby, ticking Minhyun’s stomach.

“Of course not,” Kyuhyun snorted.

“Shut up, I wasn’t asking you!”

“Wow, it’s still habitable!” Hankyung exclaimed in genuine amazement as he stepped into Kyuhyun’s apartment and looked around. Sure, there was fallen jacket on the hallway floor, the cushions on the couch were a bit messed up, and Kyuhyun’s game controllers had their wires all tangled up, but really, considering that this was Kyuhyun they’re talking about, the current state of the apartment was already amazingly clean!

“I told you everything’s grand!” Kyuhyun snarked back at his hyung.

“Actually, I made it habitable,” Xiari corrected, following them into the apartment. She had eventually managed to get all her fangirling spazz out, and she was now able to act at least somewhat normally in front of Hankyung as well.

Well, as normal as a fangirl can act in front of her beloved idols, at least.

“Now, that, I can believe,” Hankyung sighed wearily. Well, at least Kyuhyun had someone to look after him in the meantime. And keep the evil maknae from doing something-stupidly-idiotic-for-an-evil-genius that could kill him and his son. Still, Hankyung pitied the poor woman. She was going to have her work cut out for her. By the time all is said and done, she might revoke her status as an ELF; no doubt, having to care for such an evil maknae all by herself might probably make her regret entering the fandom in the first place.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Kyuhyun grumbled as he made himself comfortable on the couch, messing up the cushions even more.

“I came to check if you were still alive.”

“I am perfectly capable of taking of myself!”

Both Hankyung and Xiari snorted incredulously at that. They’ve seen “how well” Kyuhyun can take of himself. Even Lin, who was now sitting quietly near Kyuhyun, even giggled a bit.

Kyuhyun glared and pouted at them. He very much didn’t like that they doubted that he could take of himself! Well, yeah, the first few days alone were tough, but he managed to keep himself and Minhyun alive before he met Xiari, right?! That totally counted for something, at least!

“And I came to make sure that you haven’t destroyed the town yet,” Hankyung continued as though Kyuhyun hadn’t made a protest to try and save his pride and dignity.

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes in exasperation. His hyung was so annoyingly paranoid! (Of course, it didn’t cross his mind that it was his own evilness that made Hankyung paranoid.)

“I’m not about to destroy this town, you know!” Kyuhyun said. “In fact, I’m even working for the mayor the now!”

“SAY WHAT NOW?!” Hankyung said loudly in surprise, his eyes widening at the shocking words Kyuhyun just said.

“I’m working for the mayor. Xiari’s husband is in the military, and he has a lot of say in this town. He’s away on duty, but Xiari’s convinced him to call the mayor and get him to offer me a job.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hankyung asked Xiari anxiously. Kyuhyun, working with a man of power in this town? Surely nothing good can come out of this!

“HEY!” Kyuhyun snapped, offended, before Xiari could reply to Hankyung’s question. “I’m a genius! I’m more than credible and qualified to work for a powerful political influence here!”

“Yes, but the problem with your ‘genius’ is that it’s always accompanied with evil!” Hankyung replied. Then, he turned to Xiari again. “You’re an ELF! You know he’s an evil maknae! You know your town won’t survive with him so close to power!”

Kyuhyun punched Hankyung’s arm in retaliation, Minhyun watching with as much interest and amusement as a baby can give.

“He’s Cho Kyuhyun—he’s qualified for anything,” Xiari told Hankyung with