Prologue

           With the first term of the new academic year coming to a staggering halt, the students can almost taste the sweet flavor of the upcoming holiday season. The last few days of November had been chilly but now that December has finally made its entrance, the wind is colder than ever and the people are just waiting for the first snowfall of the season. Some professors decided to give their final exams and projects ahead of time but the students cannot let themselves let out a breath of relief just yet because some professors chose to be an by pushing the deadlines and exams towards the very last day of the term. Unfortunately for Byun Baekhyun, a nineteen-year-old Music major, most of his professors took the path of becoming an to their students so instead of happily going back to his hometown in Bucheon together with his childhood friend in the second week of December, Baekhyun is still locked up in his dorm in Seoul.

           The glare of the laptop and the blowing of frosty winter air through the open window of his room are making Baekhyun’s droopy eyes dry and irritable but he does not let this deter him from trying to finish his final paper for a major subject that night. The deadline is still two days away but he cannot stand to stay in the dorm alone any longer, so he is going to try turning in the paper to their professor earlier; if he gets lucky, the old hag might even give him some brownie points for being so industrious.

           “I told you, it wasn’t me who sent that stuffed toy!”

           Baekhyun peeks over the top of his laptop to see what the heck is going on in his favorite drama. He furrows his brows as he tries to make sense of the scene that is currently unfolding through his small television screen but he gives up quickly when he really cannot understand anymore. He hates watching his favorite drama when his attention is divided like this but it is not like he has any other choice at the moment, so instead, he promises himself that he would definitely watch that night’s episode online when he finally arrives at his parents’ house. Baekhyun turns his full attention back on his paper and tries to add more input but it is once again snatched away by the TV when he hears the female lead, Jin Yeseul, shouting. With wide eyes, he looks at the TV and the sight makes his heart drum erratically against his ribcage.

           “PARK CHANYEOL! PARK CHANYEOL! SAVE ME PLEASE! SAVE ME! CHANYEOL!”

           The final paper forgotten, Baekhyun slams his laptop shut and scurries in front of the TV to get a better view of what is happening. His eyes and mouth are wide and his hands are clasped together under his chin as he anticipates if Park Chanyeol, the amazing extraterrestrial male lead, would indeed show up and save the lead actress from plummeting into her death in an uncontrollable car. The scene changes and now it is showing Park Chanyeol standing on some rooftop, his eyes closed as he tries to use his superhuman hearing abilities to locate the lead actress. Baekhyun is chewing on his nails now, completely on the edge, as the scene reverted back to Jin Yeseul and the way she is still screaming at the top of her lungs makes Baekhyun feel even more nervous.

           Suddenly, lightning flashes outside Baekhyun’s open window at the same time that lightning does in the drama and then, the TV shuts down with an abrupt static sound.

           Baekhyun is frozen on his spot on the floor; he blinks in the dark and tries to keep his burst of indignation at bay. How could his TV die on him just like that? How could his TV betray him when a very important scene from the drama is being shown? Now that scene is probably done and he does not know what happened! He would spend the night wide-awake on his bed, desperately wondering what the heck happened to Jin Yeseul. Baekhyun is sure that there is just no way that his brain would be able to focus back on writing his final paper because it would spend the whole night wondering if Park Chanyeol managed to stop the car and save her in time. Unable to control his annoyance anymore, Baekhyun stands up and marches over to the TV. With a growl, he gives it a hard nudge with his foot before he repeatedly bangs it with his palm.

           “You. Stupid. Old. TV!” Baekhyun says, punctuating every word by hitting the innocent device.

           Still not satisfied, Baekhyun reaches behind it with the intention of pulling the cord from the socket to completely kill it. Wrong move. Without warning, white hot pain suddenly shoots up from Baekhyun’s hand until it reaches his forearm and in a split second, his whole body is already in so much pain as if tongues of flame were his skin. Through his slipping consciousness, Baekhyun feels his body convulsing and he hears himself gasping for air as his eyes painfully and involuntarily roll at the back of his head. He attempts to let go of the wire with the little control he still has over his body but it seems like the more he tries to let go, the more he is being pulled in.

           The pain becomes too extreme by then and soon enough, absolute darkness engulfs him.

Author's Notes: So that's how it all started! Chanyeol would appear in the next chapter~ Hope you liked it so far! Thanks for reading!