[ ❉ Two Days Later - October 10th 2016 ]

   A wave of nostalgia washed over Baekhyun as he drove through the streets of the north district. There were only a handful of orphanages in Merehua, one located at each cardinal point of the city. The North Orphanage was the largest and housed around a hundred and fifty children, most of whom had been displaced by the war. He didn’t think he’d be returning to his old home so soon.

   Eventually, he pulled into a quiet street and parked outside the North Orphanage. It was an old renovated university building which had repurposed after the war, it was at least five stories high with walls made from stone bricks. Neat, dense hedges lined the perimeter outside, adding a touch of colour to the monotone structure. He was told that it had once belonged to the most prestigious university in the country but those days were long gone, it’s legacy changed.

   Baekhyun turned off the engine and took a deep breath in anticipation. It’d been a while since his last visit, and he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. He stepped out of the car and opened the back door, holding his hand out expectantly. A small hand grabbed his, and little Park Hana stepped out of the car, peering nervously at her new surroundings. She straightened out her simple white dress before taking Baekhyun’s hand once more. Together, they walked hand in hand up the stone steps towards the entrance.

   When Baekhyun first came here as a teenager, he had felt a sense of foreboding that terrified him. The building was so vast and alien to everything he knew, it did not feel like it would be his new home. He peered down at Hana and saw that she had the same fearful expression, and he felt his heart drop a little. He had to put on a brave face for her. After all that she’d been through in Nuenamire, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

   “Hey,” said Baekhyun softly.

   He stopped and crouched down so that he was face to face with Hana. Squeezing her hands, Baekhyun smiled brightly in an attempt to melt away her fears.

   “It’s alright,” he said, “Don’t you worry, Hana. There are really nice and super cool people here, I promise.”

   “I don’t like it...” Hana mumbled, a pout forming on her face, “I want to go home...”

   “Remember we talked about this? It’s not safe back there. You’ll have to stay here for a while,” comforted Baekhyun. Again, he squeezed on her little hands and pointed at the building, “I use to live here! I can guarantee with all my heart that you’ll love it here. You’ll make so many friends that you’ll never want to leave.”

   Hana thought silently to herself before nodding, the pout on her face softening. Taking her hand once again, they walked up the remaining steps and pushed through the front doors.

   The reception was brightly lit and would have felt quite empty if it were not for the hundreds of children’s paintings that lined the walls. Small, colourful individual handprints hung from peg lines that crisscrossed over the entrance hall just a few feet from Baekhyun’s head. 

   “Baekhyunnie!” a cheerful voice greeted him as they walked in.

   Baekhyun turned around and saw a familiar man walking towards him, with his arms wide open. He had light brown hair that was styled up, and he was wearing a red woolly jumper that had a snowy forest design with simple black pants. Baekhyun could feel a warmth spread in his body, melting away his anxiousness, at the sight of seeing his old friend.

   “Minseok hyung, isn’t it a bit early for that kind of fashion?”

   Baekhyun let go of Hana’s hand and greeted Minseok with a hearty hug.

   “It’s never too early!” Minseok protested, eyes wide in earnest, “You have to get into the festive spirit!”

   Hana peered curiously at all the handprints that hung from the ceiling. She couldn’t help but reach out and try to match one with her palm, and her actions caught Minseok’s attention. He smiled affectionately and ruffled her hair.

   “Well, aren’t you adorable,” Minseok said as he crouched down to height, “What’s your name, princess?”

   “Hana...” she said somewhat shyly, avoiding his gaze, “Park Hana...”

   Baekhyun watched on as Minseok and Hana got to know each other, his heart warming at the sight of Hana finally relaxing. Minseok was good like that, he had a knack for being around children. Baekhyun couldn’t say the same for himself, the ride over had been sombre despite his best efforts to cheer Hana up.

   Ever since the mission at Nuenamire a couple days ago, Baekhyun had found himself growing attached to Hana. When he gave her to the Support teams to look after, she hadn’t wanted to let go. She tried to stay with Baekhyun. She was so confused at first, kept asking to see her parents until a counsellor came to talk with her. Hana spent that evening crying, and it twinged something sorrowful in Baekhyun’s heart, reminding him of how he’d been through the same situation a decade ago.

   So when he heard there was an opening for someone to take Hana to the orphanage, he jumped at the chance. He wanted to make her smile again but evidently based on the ride here, he just wasn’t adept at making children happy.

   Minseok finally stood up, cradling Hana in his arms.

   “Look see, you’ve made a new friend already!” Baekhyun beamed, laughing along with her.

   Minseok bounced up and down a few times, cooing as he did. It was the first time he’d seen Hana laugh since he’d met her. For the next hour, Baekhyun spent his time filling out all her paperwork and organising some minders to help her settle in. When it was time for him to go, he promised that he would come see her soon. Hana seemed content as she waved him off, still peering curiously at her new surroundings.

   “You got some time?” asked Minseok, “We should catch up.”

   Baekhyun checked his watch, noting that he had a few hours spare, and nodded, “Sure.”

   Together, they walked outside to a small park just behind the building and sat down on a weathered wooden bench. It overlooked the sprawling kids playground that they both fondly remembered playing in.

   “The girl you brought in, what’s her name, Hana? She’s a charming little girl,” remarked Minseok.

   “Yeah, she is.”

   Minseok paused before asking, “So, what’s her story?”

   Everyone who lived here had a story whether they spoke of it or not.

   Baekhyun’s was simple; his parents, who had been fighting on behalf of the HLV, had gone missing at the start of the war, presumed dead. He had only been fourteen at the time. Chanyeol’s was similar, except he had witnessed his parents death at the hands of those demonic beasts who ambushed them at their home. It was a miracle that he got out.

   Minseok’s story was a bit of a mystery, Baekhyun never asked, but he just assumed it was similar to theirs because Minseok was already a resident by the time they joined. Briefly, Baekhyun went over Hana’s situation and the situation at Nuenamire, both of them shaking their heads in dismay.

   “Ten years later and this bull still happens,” said Minseok, crossing his arms and frowning deeply, “Was she the only survivor?”

   “Yeah,” said Baekhyun, “We recovered at least eighty complete and partial sets of human remains so far, it’s going to take time to get them all DNA tested.”

   “Did you find out what was t