Disclaimer:

I am in no way close with EXO. However, everything written here belongs to me. Please don't copy or repost and translate anywhere else without asking.

[listen to – when you can't sleep at night playlist on youtube / link in external link]

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» Chapter ONE; The Beginning of a Mystery.

His eyes slowly opened, as his body slowly regained its life back. He could feel oxygen entering his lungs and carbon dioxide exit it. Birds whistled outside of his house. It woke him up slightly, reminding him that he felt asleep last night due to exhaustion. It also reminded him that he didn't wake up to darkness this time. It was a nice start for a beginning -- the beginning of his week.

A trace of burnt food was still around and laughter echoed in his ear. Baekhyun's eyebrows perked up again, for the hundredth time this month, as he felt hope reappear in his heart. He quickly stood up, not minding about anything else, or how one bird almost fell from his sudden and loud actions. Baekhyun did this every day, repeating the days over and over again like a broken cassette. Maybe one day someone will snap him out of it.

"Jagiya, why did you burn your cooking once--" Baekhyun's voice went smaller and smaller at each word. His hand slowly dropped from the door he just opened. There wasn't anyone in there except for a cat he didn't own. It's been days since her departure, yet Baekhyun was stuck. Well, the only difference was a clean kitchen instead of piles of dirty dishes and dirt-filled floor. There was also a small, yellow sticky note was stuck on of the cabinets. It confused him. Who would do that? But then, he remembered.

'It's your old friend, Chanyeol. I cleaned your house with a couple of our old friends. I have something important to show you. Call me :-)'

It's been months, almost a year, since he ever saw Chanyeol and the others. He wasn't surprised either that he got a message from them. They've been trying to talk with him, but he would push them away, not wanting them to join him with his suffering. Every time they would come to his house, he would either be sleeping or somewhere else. The thing is, these aren't coincidence. He knew when they come and when they leave, so he avoids them as much as possible.

After a ramble and a cloud of thoughts, Baekhyun ran his fingers through his hair, trying to open the tangle mess of a hair he has. He couldn't pass his fingers through them as soft as possible like before. Maybe he had to change his ways. Even the dead have their tasks.

He decided to meet up with his friends this time.

"So, how have you been?" Chanyeol asked him coolly, leaning a bit forward, as he warmed his hands with his coffee drink. The aroma floated around the café, getting people drunk on the taste and smell. It was a nice, comforting feeling. It might sound stupid how the warmth of a shop, and its coffee beans' smell can comfort someone more than a human being.

It was the mid of winter, of course. People would hang out at cafes all the time. It was the time of the year after Christmas bells were packed up, before fireworks ushered in the New Year. Men and women came together to join the party of making resolutions.

'Should I run 42 kilometers this time?' One would ask.

'I shall complete a book series in a week!' Another one would say, butting in on the conversation.

'Reflect on the joys and successes of every single moment,' he remembers his friend, the exact one who's sitting in front of him -- Chanyeol, saying that.

It got him thinking -- What should he hope to achieve this year? To climb two mountains, or to learn a new language like his friend, Sehun? Hit the gym every day; or simply enjoy life to the max?

But what is life when you lock yourself inside all the time? What is life when you've lost everything you had? But... what if you didn't lose it all?

Hence, he resolved-- 2016, the Year of a New Beginning.

"I've been okay, I guess," lies slipped through his mouth without him wanting to. Sadly, it was becoming a habit of his. He is slowly becoming someone he is not. He's becoming an impulsive liar. He wasn't compulsive. It's just an action that happens with no thought.

"Oh, Baekhyun... I've seen your mess today when you were asleep," Chanyeol sighed, shaking his head at his hopeless friend. He had sadness in his eyes for his mess of a friend. You can see the sympathy in his eyes, but not empathy. No man or woman can go through what Baekhyun is going through. "I'm guessing you're not hearing because you want to catch up with me, or miss me, but you want to know that important thing. For all you could know, that important thing might be me."

"What are you trying to imply?"

"You didn't deny what I said either... Are you really going to throw your friendship to the trash just like that? Are you really going to waste your time and life mourning over a missing person?"

Baekhyun looked up at his tall friend and let out a sigh. He gave him a small, yet fake smile and muttered a good-bye before standing up to leave. This is why he didn't want to come. He didn't want to feel guilty for being too selfish. He ignored the stare he felt on him and walked out of the store calmly.

Wind blew against his tangle-free hair, as he looked for a way to go back home. After a couple of seconds, he decided to just take a walk around since it's been a while, after all.

A flock of birds were flying above his head, singing beautiful tunes despite the cold weather. His feet were stepping on a thin layer of snow, passing through people who had troubles of their own. He could've swore he saw a kid or two smiling at him. He could've swore that he saw an old lady smiling at him, giving him hope. Hope in which they didn't have. We all are creatures with mistakes haunting us, yet beautiful memories play whenever you pass by something familiar. We all are creatures who have their own problems.

"Baekhyun-hyung," he heard Chanyeol say before he turned around due to his friend pushing his left shoulder back. Baekhyun looked at him with squinted eyes, trying to figure out why his friend was back. Anyone can tell how lifeless he was.

"This is what I wanted to give you. I hope... you have a good life," Chanyeol's voice slightly cracked, continuing what he started. He took Baekhyun's hand and opened up his palm. A silver key was placed in the middle of his cold palm, warming it a bit. "I hope this can help. Go to where the paper attached to it says. Goodbye... Baekhyun-sshi."

This time, it was Chanyeol's time to turn things around and leave. Unfortunately, Baekhyun didn't feel an ounce of misery add to his never ending misery. He just stood there; watching his tall friend's silhouette disappear in the midst of fogs and snow. He knew, what goes around, comes back around.

As much as lifeless he is, curiosity got the best of him. Baekhyun looked down on the key, his eyes skimming through the slightly ripped paper.

'This was her apartment before she disappeared...'

A small gasp came out of his mouth, as his hand dropped the key. As if a huge wave hit against his body -- or a big slap on his face -- he looked at the direction to where Chanyeol left, his body filled with nothing but regret. Despite him being colder than the depths of the sea, or the winter that froze people to death, he never understood why his friend would try to help him. It wasn't him job.

What is regret? It's a nasty feeling. The nasty thing about it is that it's so poisonous to the soul, it makes you wonder for years, making you wish you could have done something different. The feeling really doesn't go away.

It's been a day or so since he got that key from him. He didn't know whether to actually go or not. Maybe going there will help him get answers to the questions he had. He wanted to know about her case and its cause. However, Baekhyun was afraid; very, very afraid. He didn't know what fate had for him in store this time. What if his case becomes even worse? Baekhyun was in a state of confusion, trying to find for a solution.

His phone vibrated for a second, making him snap out of it. He stretched his hand and got his phone from the other side of his bed. There was a new message for him from an unknown number.

'You should go. Trust me, you'll find it.'

-Read at 3:38a.m.

Baekhyun didn't care that a random person messaged him with a creepy text. He didn't bother to read the number. He didn't know that person, and he didn't know how they knew about it.

But he knew one thing — 2015, the Year of Answers.

His hands quickly fumbled between his hanged jackets before deciding to take his usual black one. He tried wearing his shoes, as he searched for his ear phones. If anyone saw him, they would most likely think he was in a state of panic; slightly shaking hands, multitasking, and fumbled walking. It looked as if you turned an old engine one after hundreds of years.

Cold wind blew against his face for the nth time this day, as he plugged his earphones in his ears. He walked through the streets of his neighborhood, his hands in his pockets. It seemed as if he blend in with the dark very easily; dark-colored clothes and dark brown hair. There was no one, not even a single soul, in the streets he walked in, so it was silent for the time being.

Baekhyun walked from street to street, knowing some shortcuts that can get him to where he wanted to go. He memorized the way to her apartment like the back of his hand. It used to take him about fifteen to twenty minutes to reach there, but since he seemed in a rush, it took him less than that.

Soft music played in his ears as he felt his breath slowly become ragged. In front of him laid a lot of mysteries, questions, and endings. He didn't know if he was ready. A sense of déjà vu washed over him, but he ignored that feeling. He used to come here every day before, right?

Gathering up all of the courage he has, he let out a huge breath before entering the huge building. Most of the corridors are pitch black, not even a single light on. It seemed as if it was dead, but he quickly took that thought back once he saw few lights on every once in a while. Baekhyun's hands where inside his pockets, as his body wandered around the building till he reached the elevator.

The more he walked around, the louder he heard people talking and fighting. At first, he ignored it — calling it a fragment of his imagination. But as time moved on, as his pace started getting faster, he heard them get louder. For the first time in a while he felt scared. There were many things he was scared of; oceans, heights, and creepy looking dolls. Every human has fears and phobias, but some, like Baekhyun, never experienced it in a long time.

His heart started beating faster, as he looked around, trying to get from where the voices came from. Screaming and yelling could be heard through the thick walls, along with banging and things falling. It seemed too real to be a fragment of his imagination.

Baekhyun took out his earphones, trying to listen to the sounds once again. Slowly, he started following the sounds, his legs speeding up every once in a while. He kept looking left and right, trying to find out what the hell was happening. As usual, he was curious. Curiosity killed the cat, after-all.

Suddenly he stopped running, as his mind slowly realized that he was standing right beside her apartment. What terrified him even more is that the noises were coming from that door. Baekhyun dropped his phone from his shaking hand, backing away from the door in front of him. His back hit the wall across the door.

He could feel his chest tighten every second, squeezing the hell out of him. Everything seemed like a blur once again. He felt as if his body was detached from his own soul, just like an out-of-body experience. His thoughts and sayings were all around the place. He couldn't function anymore. A low pitch humming sound was clearly heard beside him, making him collapse down on the ground.

"No, no, no," he kept muttering to himself, his voice slowly going up higher every time he said so. He let out short breaths and pulled his body up, looking for a way to get out of the darkness. His shaking hands quickly grabbed his phone, trying to dial up one of his friends. He would start to get visional snow, which is when you start seeing your surroundings as though you're looking at them through a fuzzy tv screen.

He had the need to escape.

When his fingers were about to press call, he saw through his blurry sight, stained from his constant tears. He looked at the number on the wall, seeing that the number wasn't what he saw. '139? Wasn't it 136?' he thought to himself, breathing out heavily.

After a couple of minutes of him calming himself down, the corridors were silent, leaving a ringing sound in Baekhyun's ears. He realized how it's actually a messed up hallucination of his. He knew the reasons, not the exact ones but close, yet he didn't seek help. Like getting stuck in a deep pit, he couldn't get out of his misery. All what he needed was help. You can't get out without help.

He knew coming here was a bad idea, a very bad one. Why must he keep his suffering go on till the very end? A person with such state seemed like a hopeless case, but we all know he has so much left for him. He plans and maps, places to go and discover. A small, lonely soul just wanted to find its way through a maze of never ending options and decisions. One day, he might find a dead-end, but when will he ever know? A dead-end within a maze is visible within your five sense, but in real life... it's a meeting. A meeting between a soul and death.

A whole big universe and adventures is waiting ahead of him, but he chose to get stuck in a point of his life, repeating it over and over like a broken cassette. The real question is; will that broken cassette ever stop? Sometimes such complex questions can be answered with another question; will it ever be fixed? Sadly, cassettes can't fix themselves; they need someone to fix them.

A human soul is like a cassette. It displays many emotions and feelings throughout its experiences in life, sharing it with others. These emotions always leave a story behind. As in, there would always be a reason that causes such emotion to be triggered in your body. Cassettes can get broken along the way, just like human souls. They're fragile, and they need help. Some of them scream despair in their eyes, just wanting a person -- whether it was a stranger, relative, friend, or boyfriend/girlfriend -- to help them.

Sadly, and unfortunately, Baekhyun was one of them. Even the dead can have their tasks and misery. Even the dead can go through hell. Even the dead can get stuck in the past. Baekhyun, a wander-less soul, is emotionally dead inside.

Regaining few breaths before he stood up. His hair was all messed up from the trashing his body was doing for more than ten minutes. His hands were still shaking, but not as much as it used to before. He was okay; not completely, though.

Baekhyun took out a key from his pocket, staring at it, as it rested int he middle of his palm. He wasn't sure. He never knew how to take the right decision, especially when both sides have their advantages. He knew he had nothing to lose, so why not do what his brain has been telling him to do?

He walked a couple of meters back till he reached door 136. Not giving time for hesitation, he placed the key in the lock. The second he was going to open it, he felt someone else open the door from the other side. He was greeted by someone wearing a black hoodie, covering their face with it and their hair.

Anyone can tell it was a girl since it was way shorter than Baekhyun, and it had extremely long, black hair covering most of its face. For a split second, he thought it was her. But then he realized.

Someone was breaking into her apartment.