Warning: Explicit depiction of injury.

Also, I may have gotten carried away...

-B.

 

 

-March 23rd, 2015. Marseille 10:22.

 

It took three hours and six minutes to get to Marseille and, with every passing minute, Baekhyun wholly regretted swallowing that pill.

Yes, taking the Adderall had kept him awake and alert, but being stuck in a train cabin for three hours had him fidgeting, unable to settle down his anxiety. He couldn't help but worry and fantasize about the possibilities that could have led Junmyeon to risk swimming through the Mediterranean.

Junmyeon wasn’t the only reason the train ride had felt excruciating to him. He still had Chanyeol plaguing his mind with a constant stream of it’s-my-fault. Just thinking of his safety and whereabouts made Baekhyun’s gut feel an uncomfortable burn of guilt.

No, he had known this would happen. He always did, no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise. The moment he got Lu Han involved, he knew there would be consequences to their actions -Lu Han had made it damn clear.

So, of course it was his fault that Chanyeol was in trouble now. He damn well knew that.

Once Baekhyun had gotten off at Saint Charles train station, he took the metro all the way to the port, just like Mama had explained. The moment Baekhyun had stepped out on the west side and got a good look of the place, he had felt his heart sink. The port was enormous, Baekhyun hadn’t the slightest idea of where to look first.

The port was long, twin docks were facing each other, with rows and rows of boats, at least twenty docked in each row. This meant that the port was wide enough for forty boats to cross its width and leave enough space in the middle for circulation. At the south end was the entrance that led to the sea. At its east was the sharp-shaped Fort Saint Nicolas, and little lower from it was the Pharo Palace and its beautiful green gardens. At the opposite side, behind the many buildings, was a hill and on top of that hill was the Basilica Notre-Dame de la Garde.

If he hadn’t been worried about finding Junmyeon, maybe he would’ve enjoyed the view.

Looking around the dock would’ve been close to impossible. Knowing that Junmyeon had been in the water, Baekhyun had thought that his best chance at finding the other would be to search the boats -only he hadn’t known how many goddamn boats there would be. Thankfully he had received a text from Mama, telling him that Junmyeon had last been seen heading east from the port. So he at least had a lead to finding Junmyeon -no matter how small

Baekhyun had gone around the dock to get to the east side, and was now wandering the uphill streets.

In all honesty, he had no clue how to find the other. Marseille was a big city and there were so many people out on the streets -of course there would be on a Monday morning- bustling about on their daily commutes. Baekhyun felt desperate as he looked everywhere, scanning people’s faces to try to find Junmyeon amongst them. 

Oh, how he wished he could’ve brought Jongin along.

Jongin who was able to map out his surroundings and find people -people close to him that is. Baekhyun stopped in his tracks at the thought. Jongin used his abilities to search for them, he reasoned.

“What if I do the same?” Baekhyun mumbled to himself.

Well, what could he do? He pondered. In broad daylight infrared vision would be useless, thermal readings would be a ing mess with all the people around -not to mention how non-definite it was. He couldn’t really tell people apart with it, not when it was so crowded around him. Anything low in the spectrum, microwave, radio, wouldn’t be helpful at all. Those wavelengths were everywhere, a whole mess of colors emitting and clashing, overstimulating Baekhyun’s senses.

Seeing in ultraviolet could help, he could see the smudges on Junmyeon’s skin. Other than that, UV in daylight was overwhelming, for it also was everywhere. He had discovered that in a more dim-lighted environment, UV vision helped sharpen his perception of objects and figures, helping him see further and react faster to movements in the dark. Anything higher than ultraviolet wasn’t going to be of much use either.

So, Baekhyun settled with extending his normal vision on both ends. He let a sliver of UV light pass through his eyes to sharpen his perception of dense objects, such as buildings, cars, trees, and so on, but not enough to overwhelm his senses. He also let smaller wavelengths, of the infrared range, enter his eyes to mark people with bright colors, separating them from inanimate objects that didn't emit heat. Shifting and tweaking his vision, Baekhyun managed to highlight people from a dimmed-out and sharp-edged background.

This way it was easier to differentiate a person’s frame with just one glance. He’d quickly notice their height and shape, and rule them out.

He wasn’t sure where he was heading, but he kept on walking while seeing the world in different colors. He ventured through every street, trying his best not to miss any corner or dead end. He went inside every open store he came across. Though he never dared to ask anyone if they might have seen Junmyeon, it would raise suspicion and leave a trail of curious strangers.

After passing by the courthouse he reached a residential area and Baekhyun’s hopes dropped substantially. There were so many houses and buildings, how was he supposed to find Junmyeon?

No wonder Moon hasn’t found Chanyeol yet.

Pushing his moment of despair down and ignoring his anxious thoughts, Baekhyun kept walking. If anything, he was sure that Junmyeon wouldn’t be hiding inside someone’s home, so he settled with checking the few stores on his way.

He was leaving a mini market when he felt his pocket buzz. He took out his phone and read the text.

‘Dark Bishop to g7. M.’

Baekhyun felt his heart plunge into his stomach as he read the text a second time, before it auto-deleted within the five second frame.

“,” Baekhyun muttered and quickly pocketed his phone.

He tried to take a few steps, but his heart wouldn’t settle. He needed to calm down, but how could he?

Position g7. He remembered one of black’s earlier moves was moving pawn g to position g6, so obviously g7 had been open for the bishop to move.

But what did this mean?

Baekhyun forced himself to keep walking so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself, but his mind had wandered far off.

He thought about everyone’s position.

Jongin and Zitao were right where he needed them, playing "7 minutes in heaven" in that awful isolation room. Lu Han was still in Edinburgh getting his brain checked -and would stay there for as long as Baekhyun needed him to. Minseok and Sehun were both on their way to Paris. Yifan was still in Montreal, getting to know Kyungsoo’s family. Yixing -oblivious Yixing- playing house in Changsa. And Jongdae...well, Baekhyun could only hope Jongdae would be alright.

But Jongdae’s position wasn’t in a bishop’s range, much less from g7.

Baekhyun groaned in annoyance as he pressed the heel of his hands against his closed eyes. “Think, think, think,” he chanted to himself as he tried to visualize the distribution of the pieces on his chessboard.

“Minseok,” Baekhyun gasped.

His light knight was in position c3, diagonal to g7. His first thought was that Minseok was under threat, but then he remembered that in real life Minseok wasn’t in position c3 anymore, but in England with Sehun. His light knight wasn’t in c column but in a, moving parallel with Sehun’s piece.

Taking this into account, then position c3 was empty, leaving a clear path towards pawn b.

Baekhyun’s body stopped moving altogether. He stood frozen on the sidewalk, ignoring the pedestrians passing by and occasionally bumping into him.

It never made sense to Baekhyun why Junmyeon had hurried to France until now. He had been threatened and forced to move despite Baekhyun’s orders.

“That motherer,” Baekhyun cursed angered and hurried his steps.

Junmyeon was in trouble and needed to be found.

His day went by walking and searching restlessly, not caring for a quick break to eat at all. He couldn’t eat, he needed to find Junmyeon -he was desperate to find him.

He searched through alleys and inside dumpsters. Checked every plaza, every small patch of green area standing as a sorry excuse for a park -those weren’t really parks anyway- and even inside running fountains just for the hell of it. 

It was when he caught his reflection on the surface of the water in one of these fountains that Baekhyun stopped searching.

Its basin was so small and shallow that Baekhyun couldn’t help berate himself from how ridiculous he was being -even his reflection looked ridiculous to him.

He rested his hands against the edge of the fountain to lean forward and take a good look at his reflection.

There was so much red around his eyes. His whole face was muddled with red and dark blue. Red between his furrowed brows, red on his cheeks, nose and mouth. His neck and chest were completely red, and where his heart beat against his chest he saw orange and yellow. His slumped shoulders and arms were so dark, a deep blue color that looked almost black, with hints of red on his upper arm.

That’s what he read off his thermal signature. Fear and anxiety.

Baekhyun stared and stared, until his arms began to tremble under his weight.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun asked out loud as he tightened his grip against the edge of the fountain. “This isn’t a game, you fool,” he said with a clenched jaw while glaring at his reflection. “This isn’t a ing game.”

He took in a deep breath before pushing off to stand. Baekhyun rolled his shoulders as he relaxed his arms, focusing on his breathing. He couldn’t do this. He knew he couldn’t waste his time worrying and acting silly. What was he even thinking, looking into a petit fountain?

“Water,” he mumbled to himself. He had been thinking of water when he approached the fountain.

He remembered that Junmyeon hid in the sea when they stayed in Yangyang, nearly three years ago. He could recall Junmyeon saying how he felt safe in the water after Lu Han had fished him out.

But Junmyeon left the dock, he reminded himself, so he couldn't be hiding in water, much less in a fountain, and he wouldn't be stupid enough to hide inside a swimming pool.

Baekhyun let out a frustrated sigh -he needed a better plan to find Junmyeon.

As he walked out of the park and back to a busy street -one with more commercial buildings this time- he noticed a sign by a bakery. Omni Security, it read.

“Brilliant,” he said with a knowing grin.

He searched for the security camera and stood in front of the building, leaning against a car to appear casual. He waved a few times without directly looking at the camera, acting as least suspicious as possible.

He waited -gaze shifting from the camera to the bustling street every once in a while. He didn't know how long he had stood there, though it was long enough for the owner of the car to shoo him away. But Baekhyun stayed in the camera’s range, making sure to be seen.

He waited until he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

‘Vauvenargues street, trees. MM.’

Baekhyun reveled in the moment of relief, but quickly got back to work -it was over four in the afternoon and it would get dark soon. He searched for the street and found out that it was at the other side of the hill from where he was now, and much closer to the port than he had expected. It was a right turn from the port, where Baekhyun had gone left instead.

He hurried through the streets, not quite running to raise suspicion, but rather jogging like any other fool in a leather jacket would.

It took him nearly half an hour to get to Vauvenargues street. It was at the southeast side of the city, in a neighborhood of big houses. Yeah, Baekhyun could tell it was some upper class neighborhood.

He narrowed his search for trees. There were actually more trees and green spaces inside the backyards than the plazas Baekhyun had searched through before.

It was getting dark, the sun would set soon. This could actually make his search easier because there would be less light over-stimulating his senses and he would be able to see better in infrared.

He kept walking up the street until he saw a thicket poking above a wall that secured the yard of a particular house from the road. Baekhyun bent light around himself, making the rays pass by him without reflecting off his body so he could turn invisible to the world. He ran up to the fence and jumped high enough to grab onto the top and pull his body up so he could peer inside the yard. The place was empty. His eyes scanned through the extensive grounds but he saw no human form hidden in the trees. He was about to drop down when he noticed a faint cloud of heat rising from the concrete surface further down the yard. Baekhyun blinked a few times, realizing that the previously unassuming space was an empty swimming pool.

It wasn't like he could see inside, but he felt the urge to check it out.

Baekhyun pulled himself up and jumped down onto the clean-cut grass of the backyard, maintaining his invisibility trick. He made his way to the empty pool and felt his heart race with joy.

He made himself visible before jumping down into the shallow side.

“Hyung!”

Junmyeon, who had been sitting on the floor of the deep end, looked up startled with his hand reaching up to clench at his chest and eyes opening up in a comical way. “, Baekhyun, you scared me,” he exclaimed.

“Couldn’t you take the train like any normal person? Why’d you swim all the way here?” Baekhyun asked with an upbeat tone -he was too excited to see the other again. “Some tickets can be pricey, but it’s better than taking a bus…”

Baekhyun's words hang in the air as he finally got close enough to Junmyeon to notice something wasn’t right. Junmyeon hadn’t stood up, he didn’t even make the effort to try. He had stayed put, sitting on the ground and supporting most of his weight against the concrete wall, right hand clutching his left shoulder. 

Baekhyun could see a little faint cloud of heat rise up from Junmyeon’s shoulder -there was so much red coming from his right hand and left shoulder, which contrasted greatly with the darkness and blue hues of his legs and left arm. Baekhyun read fear, worry, and too much blue to be considered neutral.

He had been right. Junmyeon had been in trouble and got hurt.

Baekhyun blinked his eyes a few times, recalibrating his vision to a normal one. Without the excess color, Baekhyun now saw the paleness of Junmyeon’s complexion. He gulped hard when he saw the washed-out red stain on Junmyeon’s torn, white, long sleeved shirt.

He kneeled down in front of the other, eyes shifting from the wound on Junmyeon’s left shoulder to the elder’s eyes. “What happened?”

“We were attacked in Genoa,” Junmyeon explained, voice soft as if he didn’t put much energy to speak.

“Attacked? By what?” Baekhyun asked concerned. He had a dreadful feeling that he already knew the answer.

Junmyeon looked at him with a stern gaze. Baekhyun could tell he was skeptical.

“By what?” Junmyeon repeated. “You asked by what, as if you already knew it wasn’t human.”

Baekhyun his lips nervously. “Did it look human?”

Junmyeon nodded. “They looked like human boggers. But they were...mostly human,” he explained. “What are they?”

“Some old project we didn’t consider. Human clones with bogger features. Hybrids.” Baekhyun looked down at the blood stains on Junmyeon’s clothes. “I had no idea they existed, hyung,” he said apologetically. “I don’t understand how they found you,” he said keeping his gaze on the wound. It wasn’t entirely a lie.

Junmyeon shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun wanted to refute and tell Junmyeon that it had to be his fault, that because of him they knew Junmyeon was in Singapore, and they must have followed the elder from there to Genoa.

“We must’ve messed up when we used the airport. We probably got spotted.” Junmyeon continued after a sigh.

“We?” Baekhyun suddenly remembered. “What happened to your agent?”

Junmyeon made a small shrugging gesture with the tilt of his head. “I jumped into the water to escape, Baekhyun. I don’t know if Agent Kim managed to escape from the pier.”

Baekhyun nodded slowly and then shifted his attention back to the wound. “Is it bad?” he asked as he scooted closer to take a look.

Junmyeon had two lacerations that went from the scapula, over the shoulder and down towards the upper arm, where there was an additional cut. The ones that crossed his shoulder looked deep enough to cut through muscle.

“I can’t move my arm anymore,” Junmyeon admitted.

Baekhyun tentatively reached down to touch Junmyeon's left hand. “Can you feel this?”

Junmyeon nodded. “It tickles.”

“Good.”

“At first it wasn’t so bad. But I lost some blood swimming over here,” he explained.

“Some blood?” Baekhyun asked with skepticism, because he was sure the other was lacking much more than just some blood from his body.

Junmyeon just nodded. “I’ve tried to keep from bleeding once I got out of the water.”

Baekhyun understood what he meant. Junmyeon had been using his fluid manipulation to keep his blood flowing inside his body -which was why Baekhyun could see heat rising in infrared, from the energy Junmyeon was using. 

“I can give you blood,” Baekhyun suggested.

“What?”

“Like an improvised blood transfusion. I’m O negative, hyung. I could cut a vein and you could use you weird blood manipulation to pass it into your body,” he explained, using his hands to illustrate his idea.

Junmyeon chuckled. “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”

“Hyung, you look like you’re about to pass out.”

Junmyeon shook his head. “We can’t have both of us feeling light headed, Baek. I’ll be fine, my body will heal. Though it’d be better if I could stitch these up.”

Baekhyun fell quiet for a moment. He remembered the vial of rapid regeneration serum he had stolen.

He searched in his pockets for the vial. “I, umm, I have this elixir thingy that helps regenerate tissue quickly.” He showed Junmyeon the transparent vial, the nearly translucent golden-yellow liquid sloshing around. “Blood is a tissue as well, right? This will close up your wounds and restore your blood volume.”

Junmyeon quirked his eyebrows. “Is it safe?”

Baekhyun hesitated as he remembered Mama’s warning. “It’s still a prototype,” he said instead. “It just repairs tissue. It shouldn’t cause any harm.”

Junmyeon bit his lower lip; he looked unsure.

“Hyung, I don’t mean to pressure you, but you’re as white as a sheet and I fear you’re going to pass out on me any moment now,” Baekhyun insisted. “We have to get to Paris and there’s no way we can move discreetly with you injured like this.”

Junmyeon stared at the vial in Baekhyun’s hand. “Alright.”

“Okay, umm,” Baekhyun considered his next steps. “I know it’s kind of chilly, but we’ve got to take your shirt off to clean the wound.”

“It’s clean,” Junmyeon assured.

“Yeah, okay. But we still have to move your shirt for the injection.”

“In-injection?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said as he pulled out a syringe. “Gotta get the serum inside,” he shrugged.

Junmyeon groaned annoyed. “Alright. Help me.” Junmyeon turned to expose his back to him.

It wasn’t easy to remove a long-sleeved shirt, so Baekhyun settled with ripping the left sleeve off first. The cuts looked painful; clean, but painful. The two on Junmyeon’s left shoulder blade were superficial at first, but got deeper as they crossed over his shoulder, and also cut through his lateral line. The third on his upper arm was short but deep, as if a blade pierced through.

Baekhyun looked at the tan line on Junmyeon’s skin -the line made of melanin clusters. “This line is sensitive, right? Does it hurt more?” Baekhyun asked as he poked the cut over the line.

“!” Junmyeon kicked out, pushing Baekhyun away.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he muttered as he got back on his feet.

Baekhyun carefully punctured the top of the vial with the syringe, pulling the plunger back to fill it up with the serum. Once he was ready, he leaned over Junmyeon to get closer to his wound. He could see the other tense up with anticipation.

“You know, hyung,” Baekhyun said casually to gain the other’s attention and distract him from his ministrations. “If it wasn’t because of this cut, I would’ve never known you’ve been hiding a washboard under that shirt.”

“What?” Junmyeon looked up at him confused.

Baekhyun chuckled. “Nice abs, hyung,” he winked at him.

“Shut up, Baek,” Junmyeon looked away embarrassed -and that’s when Baekhyun quickly stuck the needle into his cut and pushed the plunger.

“All done,” Baekhyun said victoriously as he settled back with the empty syringe in hand.

“What?” Junmyeon looked up surprised. “I didn’t even feel it.”

“That’s cuz you’ve got more blood on your face from blushing than in your arm,” Baekhyun teased.

“I’m not blushing.”

“Uh huh,” Baekhyun mocked and he kept his eyes on him, checking out Junmyeon’s torso very, very indiscreetly.

Junmyeon tried to cover himself up with his good arm. “Stop it.” He said, but then his expression changed.

His eyes widened, and he began groaning and gritting his teeth. His right hand shot up to grasp his left shoulder.

“Hyung? Hyung, what’s wrong?” Baekhyun asked as he turned to check the wound.

Baekhyun stared in awe as he watched the cuts close up, skin regenerating and stretching out to connect both sides of the wound, leaving behind scars to remember the damage that had been done.

Baekhyun waited for Junmyeon to calm down before speaking. “They’re healed,” he informed with a smile. “How do you feel?”

“Better,” Junmyeon said as he touched the closed skin. “It burned and itched like hell. It made me think of Yixing.”

“How so?”

“He would’ve spared me the pain.”

Baekhyun nodded and forced himself to smile. “Yeah, well, too bad you’re stuck with me,” he joked as he reached over to pat Junmyeon’s healed shoulder. “Can you stand?”

Junmyeon had no trouble standing up. Baekhyun helped him put his wrecked shirt on and also gave him his jacket to cover up better. “This will have to do for now,” he said as he fixed the jacket's collar.

Junmyeon held onto Baekhyun’s hands to get his attention. Baekhyun looked at Junmyeon, really looked at him this time, paying attention to the slight differences from the face in his memories. He had grown older, Baekhyun could tell even in the darkened day, as the sun began its descent.

Junmyeon pulled him into a hug. “Thank you.”

Baekhyun felt his heart ache at those words. He wrapped his arms tightly around Junmyeon’s back and hid his face against the crook of the other’s neck. “There’s no need to thank me.”

“You found me, Baek,” Junmyeon insisted as he hugged him tighter.

Baekhyun rubbed his forehead against Junmyeon’s shoulder. If only he could tell Junmyeon the reason he was attacked in the first place, then maybe the other wouldn’t be thanking him at all.

“Why’d you hide in a freakin' empty swimming pool?” Baekhyun asked as he pulled away, noticing that the color of Junmyeon's skin looked healthier.

“I thought it’d be less suspicious if I were sitting in an empty pool instead of one filled with water,” he shrugged and scratched his left shoulder.

Baekhyun frowned. “Does it still itch?”

“A little.”

“We should go.”

“Wait,” Junmyeon held onto his wrist. “I want to know what’s going on, Baek.”

“About what?”

“You know what,” Junmyeon countered as he scratched his arm. “Everything that’s happening to us now. What happened to the NIS? Why’s Central down? What happened in New Zealand? Where are Zitao and Jongin now? Are they with her?”

“Wow, okay. Slow down,” Baekhyun raised his hands to stop the other from talking. “First of all, Jongtao are in Paris with Mama. We’ll see them there.”

“Jongtao?”

“Quicker to say,” he shrugged. “Minhun are on their way to Paris as we speak.”

“Minseok and Sehun?” Junmyeon asked amused.

“Yeah. And to everything else you’re asking, I’ll explain later, once we’re safe in Paris.”

“Baek,” Junmyeon scratched his neck. “Is there anything I should be worried about?”

Baekhyun stared back unblinking -there were many things to worry about. Each member had an issue -scratch that, each member was an issue on their own, but there was no way Baekhyun could tell Junmyeon now.

“Your neck,” Baekhyun blabbered instead.

“What?” Junmyeon frowned but kept scratching anyway.

“Hyung, stop. Stop, you’re bleeding,” Baekhyun reached forward to remove Junmyeon’s hand and show him the blood.

They both stared dumbfounded at Junmyeon’s bloodied fingertips.

“How bad does it itch?” Baekhyun asked  wide-eyed.

Junmyeon swallowed thickly. “Like hell.”

“Take off your shirt,” Baekhyun quickly ordered and helped him out of his jacket.

Baekhyun had to emit light from his fingers to clearly see Junmyeon’s skin. Right around his new scars was a nasty rash, irritated with bright red specks. Baekhyun examined the place Junmyeon drew blood from; his skin was so dry that pieces had fallen off where he had scratched it.

Baekhyun wished that that was the extent of the problem, but no, it was worse. Baekhyun watched horrified as the dryness spread down from Junmyeon’s neck over his shoulder, and down his back and upper left arm, tearing his skin open like mudcracks.

Junmyeon reached over and breathed through his teeth as his picked out a chunk of skin, exposing the pink inner layers of the dermis.

“Don’t touch it,” Baekhyun said alarmed. “Does it hurt?”

Junmyeon gave him a scornful look.

“Of course it hurts. I’m stupid, I realize that,” Baekhyun answered for himself. “We can’t just stay here, but we can’t possibly hop on a train with your skin falling off.” Junmyeon groaned annoyed and tried to scratch himself again. “Stop it,” Baekhyun warned.

He looked around the garden with infrared vision. There was a shed at the back of the garden. He guided Junmyeon inside for them to hide, settling a wooden box for him to sit down. Baekhyun quickly texted Mama. He needed Jongin more than ever.

‘Still inside. MM.’

“,” he mumbled.

“You have a phone?” Junmyeon asked, not sounding as surprised as he seemed -probably because he was sitting with his hands between his thighs, squeezing them tight to avoid scratching himself.

“Yeah.” He pocketed his phone.

“You couldn’t call any of us?”

Baekhyun looked back at him, making out his facial expression by looking with a little UV light. “No,” he said and watched Junmyeon’s disappointed gaze shift to sadness.

“Thought so,” he said softly while slowly nodding his head. “Water. I need water,” Junmyeon insisted.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Baekhyun searched for the hose -it was already night outside. He brought the hose inside and helped Junmyeon drink from the little stream.

Baekhyun created a small orb of light between his hands and let it float in their midst to illuminate the shed.

When Junmyeon tried to get his skin wet Baekhyun stopped him. “I need water, Baek. It makes it feel better,” Junmyeon nearly pleaded.

Baekhyun didn’t know if it would do any good, but he compromised. He soaked Junmyeon’s discarded shirt and carefully draped it on his side, like an one-shoulder chiton.

“Better?”

Junmyeon nodded and gave out a small thanks. Baekhyun let out a tired sigh and sank to the floor, sitting in front of the other to look up at him. He thought of their options. Moving Junmyeon in public transportation was too risky and could probably worsen Junmyeon’s condition. He couldn’t contact Moon nor Minseok for help -both were far away on their own tasks. He could try bothering Lu Han, but that could lead to an untimely encounter with Mama. Besides, there wasn’t much Lu Han could do to help in this situation.

His best option was Jongin, but he wasn’t sure how long he would have to wait for him -and hiding in some shed wasn’t a good plan to begin with. He couldn’t keep Junmyeon in these conditions for too long. Junmyeon needed help, medical help.

Baekhyun rubbed his face furiously as he sought out an option he didn’t even want to have to consider.

“I’m sorry, hyung.” Baekhyun apologetically looked up at the other.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

“It is,” he insisted. “Mama told me the serum wasn’t ready and I used it anyway.”

“You were just trying to help,” Junmyeon said sympathetically.

“And I made it worse,” he grumbled. “Tell me the truth. How bad does it hurt?” Junmyeon hesitated to respond. “,” Baekhyun looked away ashamed. “How much worse do you think it’ll get?”

“Very.” Junmyeon answered this time. “Last time it happened, all my skin cracked up. I had to get medical treatment and ended up with this,” he pointed with his chin at the tan lateral line on his arm.

“It happened before?”

“Yeah, during the trials. It happened after I was given that elixir shot,” he explained.

Baekhyun felt his face drop -it couldn’t be a coincidence. “Oh, .”

“What?”

“She knew,” Baekhyun nearly whined as he rubbed his face.

“She knew what?”

“That this would happen if I used the serum on you,” he said exasperated. “She warned me and I didn’t listen -god, I should’ve listened.”

Junmyeon stayed quiet for a few seconds. “You don’t think she did this on purpose, do you?” he asked gravely.

“No. No, she didn’t want me to use it on you,” Baekhyun quickly denied. “This...This is because of your skin. It’s different from others'. You’re like a, like a-”

“Like a fish out of water,” Junmyeon supplied.

Baekhyun bit the inside of his cheeks to refrain from laughing. “Yeah, that.”

Baekhyun reached forward and placed his hand on Junmyeon’s knee. He could feel how tight his muscles were contracting against his hands.

“Hyung, we can’t move unless Jongin picks us up, but you’re going to need medical attention.”

“I can manage-”

“No,” he cut him off. “There’s another option. We’ll get medical help and a ride. I just,” he hesitated, looking down to his hand then back up to Junmyeon’s eyes. “It’s a risk, but we can trust this person. I just wish we didn’t have to, but you need the help.”

Junmyeon let one hand slip from between his thighs and held onto Baekhyun’s. “Okay.”

Baekhyun nodded. “I’ll just make a call.”

He stood up and stepped back to lean against the sturdy wall. He closed his eyes as he picked out his phone, mentally chanting that this was the best decision. He unlocked his phone and dialed the number he knew by heart. Baekhyun fidgeted with his free hand to his side. He felt his heart thump harder and harder against his chest as he waited for the other line to pick up.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. Don’t hang up.”

“...Baekhyun?” Her voice resonated in the small space. He was sure Junmyeon could hear everything. “Where are you calling me from? I don’t recognize this number.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he dismissed her quickly. “I need your help.”

“What?”

“Just listen, please,” he pleaded.

“Give me a second.” They heard footsteps and then a door closing. “Okay.”

“I’m at Marseille. I have a friend who’s injured but I can’t take him to the hospital. He’s got an allergic reaction to some drug and now his skin is cracking and falling off.”

“Some drug? Falling off? Oh my god, what have you’ve gotten into?”

“Nothing,” he was quick to deny. “He’s not the type. Someone spiked his drink at a bar.” Junmyeon scowled at him at the blatant lie.

“You’re telling the truth?”

“Yes.”

Junmyeon shook his head disapprovingly. Baekhyun flipped him off.

“...Okay. How bad is it?”

“I literally can’t move him,” Baekhyun explained.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Can you pick us up?”

“I’m in the middle of my shift. I can’t just leave.” She sounded rushed.

“Tae, please. I wouldn’t be calling you if it wasn’t urgent,” Baekhyun pleaded again.

The line became silent for a moment.

“His skin is falling off?”

“Yes.”

“Is he in pain?”

“Yes.”

“Keep the exposed skin clean. Don’t give him anything for the pain, we don’t know what drug is messing him up.” He heard her sigh on the other side of the line. “I’ll bring medical supplies to wrap him up so we can move him. I’ll pick you guys up as soon as my shift is over. That’s the most I can do.”

“Thank you.” He really meant it. “I’ll text you the address.”

He heard her hesitate before hanging up.

Baekhyun sent the text with their location before putting away his phone. The shed fell silent. Only his suspiration could be heard, as he leaned his head against the wall.

“Who was that?” Junmyeon asked, killing the silence.

“My ex.”

“Oh,” he gaped at him for a moment. “Do you usually lie to your ex?”

Baekhyun chuckled. “I guess that’s why she’s my ex.”

“She.” Junmyeon muttered before humming pensively. “I thought you had a thing with Yixing?”

“I thought so too.”

“Oh…” Junmyeon didn’t press further. “So...What do we do now?”

“We wait.”

 

 

 

-March 23rd, 2015. Las Vegas, 22:04.

 

Chanyeol kept his hood up and his head down as he cautiously walked out of some cheap motel away from the bustling strip. He headed to the drugstore first and bought everything on his list. Then he entered a 24/7 mini market and bought some nutritional bars, instant ramen cups, water and a pack of cigarettes.

When he stepped out of the store a hand grabbed his arm. Chanyeol reacted quickly this time -the pain in his chest fueled him with adrenalin. He turned around and grabbed the stranger by the neck. He kept his hold tight around the other’s throat, knowing it would be foolish to try to incinerate the man in the middle of the street.

The first thing Chanyeol checked was the stranger’s hands. They were clenched at the man’s side, not trying to fight back: they looked like normal human hands.

“Chanyeol.” The man gasped in his hold.

The stranger did nothing to try to pry Chanyeol’s hand away, which surprised him.  “Who are you?”

“Moon. Agent Moon,” he wheezed out.

Chanyeol hesitated before letting go and then stepped back to let the man breath. He stared carefully as the other calmed down, easily recognizing him now.

“I got your message,” Agent Moon said as he rubbed his neck.

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Let’s go,” Chanyeol guided the way in a hurried step.

“Chanyeol.” The agent sounded worried behind him. “Chanyeol, are you hurt?”

He didn’t care to reply and kept his pace. Agent Moon hurried up beside him and took the shopping bags from him.

“I’m fine,” he argued as he tried to reclaim the bags.

“You’re limping,” Moon stated and kept his arm away from the other.

They made it back to the motel in no time. Chanyeol guided the agent to the room he was staying in. He knocked on the door with a specific rhythm before opening it.

“I’m back,” Chanyeol said as he entered the room. “With Agent Moon.”

“Moon?” Agent Jeon looked up surprised.

“Hey, Jeon,” Moon casually waved at the agent laying on the bed. “You look like .”

“Nice to see you too,” Jeon muttered annoyed.

Agent Moon wasn’t joking, Jeon’s condition was bad. He laid on the bed with his pants ripped above the knee to expose his lower legs, which were held up on top of two pillows, a humid towel under his burnt skin.  

“How bad?” Moon asked.

“Ranges from first to second degree,” Jeon replied.

“I’m guessing the forest fire wasn’t such a good idea,” Moon commented as he eyed up Chanyeol.

Chanyeol looked back annoyed but didn’t bother to reply. He was too hurt and too tired to care to keep on conversing with the agent. He put down the bags on the bed and searched for a small box and a water bottle, handing them to his agent.

“Ibuprofen?” Agent Jeon read.

“It was the only nonsteroidal one I could buy without a prescription,” he explained as he helped uncap the water bottle.

“How much should I take?”

“Four hundred milligrams,” Moon answered instead.

Jeon did as told and took two more pills out. “Here,” Jeon handed him the pills and the water bottle. Chanyeol wordlessly took them.

“Got any ointment for the burns?” Moon asked as he searched inside the drugstore bag.

“I could only get an over-the-counter antiseptic cream,” Chanyeol replied as he placed the bag with the food on the table at the corner of the room.

“Nah, that won’t do.” Agent Moon took off his backpack and pulled out a first aid pouch. He searched inside until he pulled out a small jar. “Silver sulfadiazine, or just Silvadene. Same thing.” He placed the jar on top of the bed. “What’d you get for the dressing?”

“Telfa pads, dry-fluffy gauze and an elastic gauze roll.”

“Perfect,” Moon said. “You’ve cleaned up, right?”

“Yeah,” Jeon answered.

“Okay, Chanyeol, wash your hands.”

Chanyeol felt too numb to care and did as told -he just let Agent Moon take control. He was given gloves and a one-sided cotton swab to work with. Together they applied the Silvadene on Jeon’s burnt skin. It was a nasty sight, but Chanyeol didn’t shy away. Red broken skin layered with white cream.

He remembered Yifan. He always remembered Yifan.

“What’s wrong, kid?” Moon asked.

“Nothing.”

Moon stopped his ministrations to look up at him. Chanyeol didn’t meet his gaze.

“Hey, Moon,” Jeon said, speaking rather uncomfortably. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate you being here, but…”

“You want to know why I’m here?” Moon followed.

“I mean, you were in Paris before, right?”

“I was, but then you two got lost,” Moon said and continued to apply the ointment. “Baekhyun wanted me to make sure you were safe.”

Chanyeol froze. He looked up to see Agent Moon staring right back at him. Chanyeol knew that that you Moon spoke of was only meant for himself and didn’t include his guardian.

Baekhyun spoke with Moon, therefore Moon had to be Baekhyun’s guardian or part of his security team.

Baekhyun knew he was in trouble and sent his own agent to find him.

Baekhyun was worried about him.

Baekhyun cared.

“How’d you find us?” Jeon questioned, breaking Chanyeol’s train of thought.

“I intercepted your message,” Moon admitted. “Thank god you sent that, otherwise I don’t know how long it would’ve taken me to find you.”

“For ’s sake, Moon,” Jeon said annoyed while rubbing his face with his hands. “I need Agent Jung’s team.”

“Yeah, well Jongin’s not with them anymore.”

“He’s not?” Chanyeol asked.

“He’s in Paris already, with Zitao. They’re figuring out how to, you know, travel through time.” Moon’s voice lilted at the end in a silly way.

“Travel through time,” Chanyeol repeated to himself.

He had forgotten all about it. He had forgotten that his friends had traveled to the past to help them escape. From point A to point B, Zitao had once said, and now the timeline has caught up with them.

“What day is it?” he asked.

“March twenty-third,” Moon replied without hesitation. “They’ve got about a week left, right?”

Chanyeol simply nodded in response.

Once they were done applying the ointment, Chanyeol helped Moon place the Telfa pads gently on the wounds, creating a single film with them. They would keep his agent’s skin safe from infections and help with the moisture.

“How does it feel?” Moon asked.

“Nice. Refreshing,” Jeon said without looking at them -probably because he was lying about the pain.

“So...What happened to you guys?” Agent Moon finally dared to ask while he picked out the dry gauze.

Chanyeol helped the agent add a layer of dry gauze over the Telfa pads. He busied himself working; he didn’t feel like talking at all.

“Our location was compromised,” Jeon answered for them. “We were attacked by those monsters EX’ACT makes.”

“What did they look like?”

“They were…like us mixed with monster hands. Most of them had different arms, ugly dangling white skin and black claws for fingers.” Jeon grimaced at the memory. “Sometimes they had something else that made them stand out. A ed up eye, pointed teeth, black tongue-”

“You got close enough to see its tongue?” Moon asked incredulously.

“No, the damn thing stuck it out to tease,” Jeon explained.

“The ?”

“I don’t even know,” Jeon muttered. “But the creepiest thing of all is that they repeat.”

“Repeat what?” Moon asked as he finished layering the last bit of dry gauze.

“Repeat themselves,” Jeon stressed.

“They’re clones,” Chanyeol corrected without looking at them and instead searched for the elastic gauze. He hated talking about the hybrid monsters.

“Oh...,” Moon muttered.

“Yeah, ,” Jeon scoffed. “I don’t understand how they found us in the first place. We took the utmost precautions when we moved to Zihuatanejo. ”

“Umm, I…” Moon let his words die as he helped Chanyeol cut out a piece of the elastic gauze. Carefully, they taped the elastic over the dry gauze to keep it in place, loose enough to not put pressure on the wounds. “I think I know how they knew your location,” Moon looked over to Jeon. “It’s because of Maxwell.”

“Maxwell? Agent Maxwell, the analyst?” Jeon asked and Moon nodded. “What does that nerd have to do with this?”

“Maxwell is a rat.”

“What did he do?”

“He betrayed us and left to side with EX’ACT. Not without leaving a present behind though,” Moon huffed at the idea. “He created a computer virus strong enough to fry every server at Central. Left us all in the dark, without communication, without aid. It’s a ing mess.”

“You’re telling me that that geek is the reason for all this? That because of him we’re in this storm?” Jeon asked in disbelief.

“Think about it. Maxwell was the only agent of Chief Park’s team to stay behind at Central. The rest of us got appointed to a kid. He’s the only agent who knew about code Exodus and the one who could’ve sold out information about the boys. He had their files, he knew where we were located,” Moon explained while he kept wrapping up Jeon’s gauze.

“He knew where everyone was?” Chanyeol asked as he stared struck -he didn’t even realize he stopped helping wrap up Jeon’s bandage. “The others, my group, were they attacked too?” he asked full of concern.

“No, kid. Not all of you were under the NIS,” Agent Moon quickly assured. Chanyeol briefly remembered Jongin mentioning that Yifan was under the Chinese Agency, the NSB. “And almost everyone under the NIS are safe and secured.”

“Almost everyone?”

“Well, technically you’re still missing,” Moon chuckled.

Chanyeol let out a breath of relief.

“All done,” Moon said as he finished dressing Jeon’s wounds.

“Why would Maxwell do that?” Agent Jeon asked after giving a quick thanks. “I mean, what motive could he have had to switch sides?”

Agent Moon shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “Beats me,” he said. “All I know is that you guys were attacked after Maxwell disappeared.”

Chanyeol heard his guardian mutter some curses, but he paid no attention to what the other was saying. Instead he took off his gloves, cleaned up and made his way to prepare the food. That was until Agent Moon stood in front of him.

“So what’s up with you?” The agent asked, sizing him up.

Chanyeol frowned. “Nothing.”

“What’s hurting, kid?” Moon insisted.

“Chanyeol, you should clean up your bandages. Let Moon help,” Jeon interfered.

Chanyeol let out a sigh, but knew better than to argue against him. He carefully -and quite reluctantly- pulled off his hoodie, gritting his teeth together to stop himself from making any pained noises. Then he took off his shirt to expose the bandages on his chest. 

“Sit down,” Agent Moon ordered as he pulled out a chair at the table.

Chanyeol obliged and settled down on the uncomfortable chair as the agent brought up his first aid pouch.

“What about your leg?” Moon asked as he sat in front of him.

“What about it?”

“in’ stubborn. Like Baekhyun’s attitude wasn’t enough,” the agent mumbled annoyed. “I know you hurt your leg somewhere, you’ve got a limp -a pretty obvious one.”

Chanyeol huffed displeased. “It’s just a slightly sprained ankle. I’ll be fine.”

“Fine.” Agent Moon mocked agreement, but didn’t press the matter any further.

After he changed his gloves, Moon carefully pulled off the patches of gauze that were haphazardly taped onto his chest. Chanyeol felt a throbbing heat around the cut that crossed his left pectoral, down to the middle where the wound was deeper.

“, kid,” Moon grimaced at the sight. “This needs stitches or it won’t close properly.”

“I can’t go to the hospi-”

Moon raised his hand to shut him up. “I got it. I got it.” He said and then searched in his medical pouch. “Jeon, you should’ve taken care of him, not the other way around.”

“I know,” Jeon bitterly acknowledged. “But I was already hurt when they attacked us again.”

Moon gaped as he inspected the wound. “It looks like a sword blade did this.”

“That’s how sharp their claws are,” Chanyeol commented.

Moon gave an wary look, probably imagining how bad those monsters were.

“Did you take any medication?”

“Ibuprofen.”

“Four hundred?” Chanyeol nodded in response. “Well, giving you any more won’t do much anything.”

Moon got up to search for a few things. He came back with a clean towel, water and the over-the-counter antiseptic cream. Chanyeol sneered through his gritted teeth as the agent dabbed his wound with the wet towel without giving him any prior warning. Moon ignored every gasp of pain that escaped Chanyeol’s mouth and cleaned up as fast as he could -fresh blood stained the tip of the white towel.

Once Moon finished cleaning, he picked up a curved surgical needle with a suture scissor, and threaded it with a white, nearly transparent, suture.

He looked up at Chanyeol with a stern gaze. “Listen, I’m not going to baby you. I don’t have local anesthesia for a wound this deep, only a topical cream that won’t do .” Moon pushed him back into his seat and leaned over him, so his hands and face were directly in front of Chanyeol's wound. “This is going to hurt -a lot. So man the up and endure it.”

Chanyeol wanted to talk back, but Moon pinched his skin up with the forceps and shoved the curved needle through it.

“!” Chanyeol cursed and grasped onto his chair for some leverage.

Moon quickly pulled up the skin at the other side of the cut and threaded the needle through it. Chanyeol watched in horror how the thread passed through his skin as the agent pulled the needle away from his body, until the end of the suture was close to the cut. With swift movements, Moon used the suture scissor and the forceps to knot the thread and brought both sides of his skin together, closing up the first section of his wound.

Chanyeol gulped and looked away when Moon pinched at his skin again to thread it.

“I take it you’ve done this before,” Chanyeol said, hissing as he felt the needle digging into his skin.

“Plenty,” Moon said as he pulled the needle away. Chanyeol squirmed as he felt the thread pass through his skin. “Stay still,” Moon ordered while knotting the suture.

Chanyeol gripped onto his legs, digging his fingertips painfully into his his thighs to distract himself from the aching in his chest. He gasped every now and then when he felt the needle dig through his skin.

The worst part was when Moon got to the deeper segment of the laceration, right at the middle of his chest. Every squeeze, every pinch, every prick felt like a searing flame inside him.

It was ironic. He didn’t know what it felt like to burn until Agent Moon sewed his skin back together. 

“So, you’ve got a fake passport?” Moon asked as he was working on the last section.

“What?”

“A passport. A fake one, not the one you were given for witness protection,” Agent Moon clarified.

“N-no,” he stammered as the needle pricked his skin again.

“We’ll have to get you one then.” Moon finished up the last knot and cut the rest of the suture. “See? It wasn’t so bad,” he grinned.

Chanyeol refrained from commenting. His mother had taught him once that if he didn’t have anything nice to say, it was better to not say anything at all.

Moon smeared a film of antiseptic cream over the stiches. “Just in case,” he said and then proceeded to patch him up with gauze. “I know a guy in Colorado who can help us out with the fake documents. After that we can head over to Paris so you can reunite with your group. Alright?”

“You’ll take me there?” Chanyeol felt genuinely surprised.

“Of course, I promised Baekhyun I would.” Moon smiled.

“You’re Baekhyun’s guardian?”

Moon nodded. “Don’t worry about Baek,” he quickly added. “He can manage himself.”

“Is he safe?”

“Yes.” Moon finished taping the gauze onto his chest and patted it lightly, causing Chanyeol to yelp. “All done.”

Chanyeol breathed out, “Finally.”

“You’re welcome,” Moon said playfully as he stored his medical equipment back into his pouch.

“Thanks.”

After they cleaned up, Agent Moon helped Chanyeol prepare the scarce food they had. They filled the ramen cups with water and then Chanyeol heat them up.

“How convenient,” Moon said with admiration as Chanyeol cooked the noodles. He handed the first ramen cup to Agent Jeon. “Jeon, no hard feelings, but you’re useless now.”

“Wow, thanks for ruining my appetite,” Jeon said sardonically, even though he slurped back the noodles anyway.

“I mean it. You’re done,” Moon crossed his arms.

“I know I am,” Jeon mumbled. He looked up at his colleague. “What’s your plan?”

“Well, I need to take Chanyeol to Paris. He’ll be safe there with the rest of the kids. But we’ll need to make a stop at Colorado before we can catch a flight,” he explained and accepted the ramen Chanyeol handed him. “It’s only a matter of time for those monsters to reach Seattle, probably under the belief the Jongin might be there.”

“I’ll try to message Agent Jung. Again.” Jeon purposely reminded them of Moon’s interference.

“Tell Jung to try to communicate with the NSB agents stationed in Almaty,” Moon instructed.

“Almaty? Why there?” Jeon asked.

“That’s where we’ll have to meet up...eventually,” Moon shrugged.

Chanyeol felt it was a rather cryptic answer, but Agent Jeon didn’t question him.

“So this is what we’ll do.” Moon stood straight to appear more authoritative and used his chopsticks to gesture in the air. “We split up. You’ll continue heading north-west to mess with their leads, while I sneak Chanyeol out of here.” Jeon nodded to his proposition. “Can you manage to keep moving?”

“Probably, if I get a car,” Jeon said.

“That can be arranged.”

“Then it’s settled,” Jeon agreed without hesitation and Chanyeol felt his heart drop. “You’ll take care of him, and I’ll try to get to Jung.”

“No, wait.” Chanyeol sprung out of his chair to kneel next to the bed. “You’re going to leave me?” he asked alarmed.

Jeon gave an apologetic smile. “There’s not much I can do for you anymore.”

“But-”

“Listen. You’ll have to go with Agent Moon so you can see your friends again,” Jeon said in a calm and gentle way. “I’ll forever be grateful that you saved my life, Chanyeol. But now it’s time for me to do my job and help in any way to keep you safe.” He reached out and squeezed Chanyeol’s arm. “Be a good kid and don’t give Moon any trouble, alright?”

Chanyeol nodded in response -not trusting his voice when he felt pressure in the back of his throat. He leaned over, as careful as possible, to envelop his guardian in a hug.

He held back tears as he kept thinking that tomorrow he’d have to bid farewell to the man who had taken care of him for three years.

 

 

-March 24th, 2015. Lyon 06:27.

 

Taeyeon’s shift had ended at ten and she had arrived at Marseille past one in the morning -according to Baekhyun’s calculations, she had kept her word and drove all the way to pick them up as soon as her shift was over.

She had been smart  not to ask questions -only the rudimentary ones. She had treated Junmyeon’s wounds skillfully, like a patient's with burnt skin, wrapping him up with different kinds of gauze so they could transport him in her car.

She didn’t ask anything during the whole drive -she had barely spoken, unless it was to reply back to something either Baekhyun or Junmyeon had said. The plan was to get to Paris, but Junmyeon couldn't bear the pain any longer -he couldn’t stand being in the backseat where every movement caused him pain. So they had to cut their route short and head to Lyon -about three hours away from Marseille and another four and a half from Paris.

She didn't question him when he had suggested they went to his old apartment, despite it being the first time she had ever been invited to his “home”.

It wasn't until they were safe inside the small apartment, filling up the bathtub with water, that she finally broke her silence.

“It wasn't a spiked drink, right?” She asked with her arms crossed over her chest. 

“No. He lied,” Junmyeon said apologetically, sitting right beside her. He didn't have enough strength to stand.

“Hyung,” Baekhyun called out with a warning tone. He was sitting on the edge of the tub to check the temperature. “The water’s cold,” he muttered and left the bathroom to check the heater, which, unsurprisingly, wasn't working.

“Hyung, there’s no hot water,” he informed as he stepped back inside the bathroom.

“I don't think you should be putting him in water at all,” Taeyeon said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

“It helps him, it makes him feel better,” Baekhyun explained.

“His wounds need moisture, but this is too much,” she argued. “And the cold could harm him. Possibly cause a pressure drop.”

“He needs the water,” Baekhyun insisted.

“Fine. I’ll heat up a pot.” She dismissed herself.

“I think she’s annoyed,” Junmyeon whispered while keeping as still as possible not to move his gauze dressings. 

“No, she’s just confused about everything. Probably worn out from having to work a shift at the hospital and dealing with us all night,” he excused.

“She’s a doctor?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “She’s studying to be a nurse. She has to do an internship at a hospital to graduate.”

Baekhyun took off his jacket and black turtleneck, staying in just his undershirt. He stuck his hand deep into the water and emitted microwaves from the diodes in the tip of his fingers.

“What are you doing?” Junmyeon asked softly.

“Heating up the water.”

“With what?”

“Microwaves. You can't see it without some filter,” Baekhyun explained.

“Smart,” he acknowledged. “But not the best timing.”

“Just whistle when she’s near.” Baekhyun turned around to face him.

Junmyeon looked like . His eyes were red and exhausted from crying. The left side of his face was beginning to dry up and crack. He sat on the floor, unable to lean on anything, for it could jostle his bandages and cause him more pain. He looked like a mummy wrapped up in all that gauze.

Baekhyun felt the water warm up considerably before Junmyeon whistled.

“Careful, hot water,” Taeyeon said as she stepped inside with the biggest pot she could find.

“Wow, let me help.” Baekhyun quickly stood up.

“I got it,” she insisted and set the bottom of the pot against the edge of the tub, so she only had to tilt the pot to pour the water.

Baekhyun stuck his arm back in the water to move it around and let it mix. The water felt warm enough to keep Junmyeon comfortable, yet not too hot to bother his wounds. 

“It’s good. That pot was enough,” Baekhyun acted astounded.

“Really?” Taeyeon sunk her hand inside to check. She blinked surprised. “It is warm.”

“How’d you manage to carry all that water?” Baekhyun kept up the act, but Taeyeon didn't look convinced.

She looked at Junmyeon who didn’t meet her gaze, then back at Baekhyun with disappointment. “It wasn't that much,” she muttered before leaving to store the pot.

“You’re unbelievable,” Junmyeon reprimanded.

“Would you prefer I told her the truth?” Baekhyun snapped at him whilst keeping his voice down.

Junmyeon kept quiet, but the frown didn't leave his face.

Baekhyun sighed -he didn't want to fight. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to deal with this,” he apologized.

Junmyeon didn’t have a chance to reply because Taeyeon reappeared.

“Anything else?” she asked to Junmyeon.

“Salt,” he answered.

Taeyeon frowned confused. “Salt?” She rubbed her arm pensively. “Saline solution has about nine grams of sodium chloride per liter of water. How much water do you think that tub holds?”

“Uhh,” Baekhyun dumbly looked at the bathtub. It was a little on the narrow side of a standard size.

“Two hundred twenty-three liters,” Junmyeon answered confidently.

Taeyeon looked up surprised. She looked at Baekhyun, who just nodded in agreement, then back at Junmyeon. “I reckon you’re pretty certain about that,” she commented amused.

Junmyeon smiled, as to say yes.

“Okay, then we need about two kilograms of salt,” Taeyeon concluded. “Where?” she asked as she stepped out towards the kitchen.

“Lower left cabinet...I think,” Baekhyun replied.

“Found it.” They heard her say before she came back with two bags of salt. “One’s not full though, but it’ll do,” she said as she handed Baekhyun the bags.

“Thanks.” Baekhyun poured all the salt in the tub and then used his arms to stir the water.

“Can you stand up?” Taeyeon asked Junmyeon.

“Do I have to?”

She chuckled and kneeled down beside him. “I’ll take these off now.”

Taeyeon delicately unwrapped the dressings and carefully pulled them off. But no matter how slow she peeled off the gauze, skin still fell off. It wasn’t even because of the gauze, Junmyeon’s skin was so horribly cracked that pieces came off on their own.

Baekhyun reached forward to grab Junmyeon’s hand, letting the elder squeeze tight as fresh tears trickled down his bloodshot eyes.

“It’ll be over soon, hyung,” Baekhyun tried to soothe him, but Junmyeon’s breathing hitched as a piece fell off from his chest.

“Okay, okay. It’s done,” Taeyeon said and pulled away the last of the gauze. “Oh, god,”  she gasped as she looked at his full frame.

Junmyeon had lost so much skin around his shoulder, the deeper wounds showed beginnings of muscle tissue. His left arm had lost skin around the upper part, but the dryness and tearing had spread down to his wrist. His left side, back and front, was severely cracked with skin missing at random places. The rash was spreading down his abdomen towards his navel, and also towards his right side, starting from his neck down to his shoulder.

It was a mess. Junmyeon’s skin was a ing horrid mess, and Baekhyun had only himself to blame.

Baekhyun guided Junmyeon’s hands up onto his shoulders so the elder could hold onto him as he tried to stand. Baekhyun grabbed Junmyeon’s hips to pull him up.

“Taeyeon, a little help,” he urged.

Taeyeon moved beside them and reached down to undo Junmyeon’s jeans. Junmyeon looked away embarrassed.

“Don’t be shy,” Taeyeon kindly said. “I’m almost a nurse, so I’ve seen it all before. Except this,” she pointed at the lateral line going down Junmyeon's right side. “I would've thought it was a tattoo if it were darker.”

Baekhyun was sure she was going to ask more about Junmyeon’s lateral lines, but she didn’t. Instead she just kneeled down to help Junmyeon step out of his jeans.

Once they finished undressing him, they both helped Junmyeon gently settle inside the bath.

“How does it feel?” Baekhyun asked kneeling down beside the tub.

Junmyeon let out a content sigh as he leaned his head back to rest against the tub. “Nice,” he suspirated. “Thank you.”

“Is the pain bearable?” Taeyeon asked. Junmyeon just gave her a look and she nodded. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said and then left them alone.

“She’s good,” Junmyeon said once Taeyeon was out of earshot.

“Yeah.” He smiled sadly. “She’s too good for me.”

“Don’t say that,” Junmyeon scowled.

Baekhyun shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’ve already lost her.”

“She’s here now,” Junmyeon tilted his head to the side.

“Hyung, stop. It doesn’t work, it never will,” Baekhyun said bitterly. “You know how it is.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You...don’t?” Junmyeon shook his head. “You’ve never tried dating anyone?”

“No.”

“How about, like, just fooling around?”

“I just…” He fidgeted with his hands. “I’ve never felt an inclination towards intimacy with anyone.”

“Inclination towards intimacy?” Baekhyun repeated with incredulous amusement. “Jeez, just speaking that way makes you sound like a prude.”

“Shut up you, you douche,” Junmyeon looked away embarrassed -if he wasn’t so weak, his cheeks would have flustered red.

Baekhyun chuckled. “I love you too,” he teased.

He smiled fondly as he reached down and cupped water with both hands. He leaned over and carefully poured the water over Junmyeon’s face. He did it two more times and then used his hands to carefully wipe Junmyeon’s face clean, clearing away the tear stains and alleviating the dryness of his skin.

“Better?”

“Yes.”

Baekhyun leaned closer to the tub and reached inside to hold Junmyeon’s hand underwater. “I...I’m sorry-”

“Quit saying that,” Junmyeon cut in. “You ed up, we all up. It’s as simple as that.”

“But-”

“Yixing can fix me up,” he assured. “Stop worrying so much.”

Baekhyun grumbled in defeat and rested his chin against the edge of the tub. He rubbed the back of Junmyeon’s hand with his thumb. “You don’t deserve to be in pain, hyung.”

Junmyeon stared at him with an unreadable expression. “No one deserves pain, Baekhyun. We just feel it.”

Baekhyun wanted to ask what he meant, but he decided that it was best not to indulge in some philosophical conversation.

“Well,” he stood up, taking his shirt and jacket with him. “I’ll see if I can help you feel less of it.”

When Baekhyun walked out, the first thing he noticed was Taeyeon sitting on the stool in front of the piano. She was biting on her forefinger, like she always did when she was in deep thought or nervous.

Baekhyun knew there would be consequences from getting her involved, but he really didn’t feel like dealing with his guilty conscience at the moment.

He put his turtleneck shirt and jacket back on before walking up to her.

“Hey,” he called out softly when he reached her. “Is there anything we can give him for the pain?”

“I...I’ve never seen an allergic reaction like this.” She chewed on her lower lip.

“It’s not…” he sighed. There was no way he could help Junmyeon if he continued lying to her. “It’s not an allergic reaction, it’s something else.”

“What is it? What did he take?”

“A serum that helps regenerate tissue,” he disclosed. “But his skin, his skin is-”

“Different,” she interjected. “Everything about him is different,” Taeyeon looked up at him. “What were those lines on his skin? And those scars,” her eyes widened horrified. “The one on his thigh looks like, like it was eaten by acid.”

She looked at him with a questioning gaze, silently begging him to tell her otherwise. But Baekhyun remained silent.

“What happened to him?” she asked.

“Too many things,” he said somberly. “Please tell me there’s something we can give him to ease the pain.”

“Yes, but, but I can’t sign a prescription. We’d have to get a medic.”

“No,” he immediately declined. “Just tell me what it is and I’ll find a way to get it.”

Taeyeon brows shot up. “You’re going to steal?”

“Yes.”

She blinked at his resolve. “Tramadol.”

“Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

 

It was very dark that morning -it felt like it was still night with all the street lamps on. Baekhyun rushed through small streets, taking a weird shortcut to Guillotière bridge, which stretched over the Rhone river, to the biggest nearby drugstore he knew. Baekhyun made himself invisible before getting near the store, cautious of any security cameras in the block. He waited for a worker to open the front door so he could slip in beside him. He snuck behind the counter and searched the supply racks until he found the drug he was looking for.

“What the ?” He heard someone behind him.

Baekhyun turned around to see the pharmacist looking past him, at the box which appeared to be floating in the air.

. He realized he had ed up.

Baekhyun pocketed the box into his jacket, making it disappear from the pharmacist’s sight. He hurried towards the door, but the worker suddenly stepped in his way, causing him to bump against him and fall to the floor.

“What the…” The worker stared at him in shock.

The worker could see him. He had accidentally stopped making himself invisible when he fell.

“,” he cursed and jumped back to his feet, bolting out of the store.

“Thief! Thief!” He heard someone yelling. “Call the police!”

He heard footsteps behind him. They were after him.

“, , .”

He zigzagged through smaller streets while forcing the light out of the lamps he passed by, hoping to lose them in the dark. He turned right and found the bridge. He crossed to the other side and hid into an alleyway, where he stopped to catch his breath.

He couldn’t hear them anymore.

Baekhyun stepped out of the other end of the alley, into a pedestrian square. He observed his surroundings and realized he had been so caught up in getting away, that he didn’t notice he took a wrong turn until he was in front of a cathedral. He had turned right, taking the bridge that crossed over the Saone river instead of the Rhone river.

Baekhyun stood there, on the pedestrian square of Old Lyon, staring back at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral -otherwise known as the Lyon Cathedral. He had made it all the way to the west side, where the front facade of the Romanesque and Rayonnant Gothic cathedral was. Baekhyun always thought it looked like a smaller, cropped-up version of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, but with more pointed pinnacles that made it look like it caged the beautiful rose window.

For some reason the Lyon Cathedral always managed to make him feel trapped and observed by the creepy statue, God the Father, at the top of the nave roof.

Baekhyun snapped out of his momentary lapse and headed back, knowing he’d have to cross both rivers because of his idiocy.

The morning was still dark, but Baekhyun could see the darkness changing into a deep blue, indicating the beginnings of the sunrise. But the street lamps were still on -at least the ones Baekhyun hadn’t shut off.

His phone buzzed. He read the text.

‘Found him. Safe & sound. M.’

Baekhyun’s steps staggered. He let out a breath of relief and smiled -he finally felt like something was turning out right, until he heard footsteps again.

“There he is!”

“Oh, come on,” he exasperated.

Baekhyun ran and ran, killing the lights behind him. He made sure this time to cross the bridge towards the right direction, first passing the Saone, then the Rhone river.

He zig-zagged through the smaller streets, trying to lose his pursuers and make it back without giving away where he lived. He took a turn he wasn’t certain of and ran towards a gate, only to find it closed and locked up. Baekhyun turned around, metal bars pressing into his back as he tried to catch his breath. He could hear them coming. He focused on the light around him and pushed it aside, making himself invisible to others again. He waited. Two men ran past the alley he was in.

Baekhyun let out a sigh and hurried back, going the opposite direction the men went.

When he finally made it back to his apartment, he found Taeyeon in the bathroom with Junmyeon, feeding him some soup. He briefly realized he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday’s breakfast. He couldn’t have even if he wanted to because of the knot in his stomach.

Junmyeon and Taeyeon silently stared at him, regarding his overall appearance.

“What?” he asked, feeling judged by their gazes.

“Nothing,” Taeyeon shrugged. “It just looks like you ran into trouble. That’s all.”

Baekhyun scratched his head. “A little,” he mumbled rather embarrassed.

He handed over the medication for Taeyeon to decide how much Junmyeon should take. And then went back out to the living room, where he shed off his jacket and slumped down onto the sofa. He texted Mama one more time, informing her about their whereabouts so Jongin would know where to find them.

Taeyeon came out to the kitchen with the empty bowl. “I left him to rest,” she explained.

She set the bowl into the sink and it looked like she was about to wash it, but instead she grasped onto the edge of the sink and stood there. Baekhyun watched her hesitate, he could see how her shoulders tensed. He knew what would happen next. He knew he’d have a lot of questions to answer.

“He needs medical treatment,” she said as she turned around to look at him. “Real medical treatment. Not, not this.”

“He will have it,” he assured. “By the best physician in the world.”

“That sounds like an overstatement.”

“It’s not.”

Taeyeon’s brows furrowed together, tension held in her uncertain gaze. Baekhyun felt her eyes try to search something in him, something she couldn’t find or maybe something he just couldn’t give her.

It wouldn’t be the first time that Baekhyun failed to provide her with what she needed, what she longed for. He had disappointed her so many times before, yet here she was, helping him out when he didn’t deserve her kindness.

The least he could do was to explain himself.

“Tae,” he called out softly. “What are you thinking? You can ask me anything, I’ll tell you what I can. I promise I won’t lie.” He knew it was a risk, but he needed to ease his guilty conscience. “I won’t lie to you anymore.”

Taeyeon tentatively stepped closer and then settled to stay by the table. “I’m thinking that...that I’m finally getting the chance to see who you are, who you really are. And that I’m, I’m afraid I might not want to find out.”

Baekhyun stayed quiet while wondering if what she meant was a good thing or a bad one.

“I knew you were secretive. You always kept up this impenetrable wall about your past. But…” She rubbed her arm. “Nothing about this day has been normal, not even this apartment is normal. I’ve never seen a door so heavily secured like this.” She pointed at the entrance to emphasize. “This whole situation, you, Junmyeon, his wounds, his scars...his skin.” She trailed off, frowning as she thought of something. “His skin isn’t...He doesn’t have normal human skin.”

Baekhyun gulped hard, waiting for the question that he expected.

“Who-” Taeyeon abruptly stopped. Her eyebrows knitted together as her eyes glistened. “What are you?”

Baekhyun closed his eyes and clenched his jaw shut, letting the air leave his lungs through his nose.

There. She said it. She asked him what he expected her to, yet he couldn’t bring himself to answer.

“Baekhyun.” He opened his eyes. She was standing right in front of him, looking down at him with an unreadable expression. “Can you please tell me?”

“I…I’m...” Baekhyun felt his voice was gone.

How was he supposed to answer? He wondered. Should he say he was an experiment? A clone of some dead kid? Or better yet, a dead kid’s clone with super abilities? Would it even matter how he tried to explain what he was? Because he remembered that it hadn’t mattered back then. Back then, when the public had found out about them and called them monsters. Back then, when their happiness had been cut short, forcing them to separate and flee.

No one understood them back then. They could only see them as monsters and nothing else.

“You can call me monster,” he said while staring directly into her eyes, “like everyone else did back home.”

Taeyeon’s eyes widened as she took a step back. She kept her eyes on him, still searching for that something -he couldn’t fathom what.

“Do you remember?” he asked darkly while he slowly stood up so that he would be looking down at her. “Three years ago, the whole city of Seoul paralyzed. Over a million people rallied in the streets, demanding for us to leave.” Baekhyun felt venom rile up in his gut just from thinking about it. “They didn’t care who we were. They just labeled us as monsters and wanted us gone,” he nearly spat. “Do you remember?”

“Y-yes,” she choked out. “I…” A tear fell down her cheek. “I was there. My parents forced me to go with them, so I did.”

Baekhyun had to look away. He felt his anger mix with anguish  -he felt betrayed, but he didn’t dare show her his pain.

“It was terrifying. I saw many things, heard many things, I...I never had thought a crowd could act so viciously.” She spoke with a shaky voice. “The massiveness of it terrified me, but I did nothing to get away. I just walked until I couldn’t stand on my feet anymore.” Baekhyun frowned as he didn’t understand why she was telling him this -but still refused to look at her. “That’s why I left,” she sniffled. “You remember you asked me that once?”

Baekhyun blinked a few times while the memory resurfaced. “You said you needed a change in scenery,” he recalled. “You said that, that Seoul didn’t feel like a...home anymore.”

“After that rally, everything changed.” Baekhyun looked back in time to catch her wiping away her tears. “I’m so-”

“Don’t,” he immediately cut her off. “Just don’t.”

Taeyeon merely nodded and kept silent, holding back her tears, as she continued observing him. Baekhyun realized that her eyes didn’t show any fear. She had been surprised, but not afraid.

Baekhyun leaned forward a bit, getting into her space. “You’re not afraid?” he said, not really asking.

Taeyeon blinked a few times before reaching forward with her hand. She slowly and gently caressed his cheek. “You’re surprised about that?” she asked with a sad smile. “Baekhyun, I’ve shared my life with you. Of course I’m not afraid.”

Baekhyun felt like something struck his heart. Clenching his fists, he stepped out of her reach, putting up an invisible wall between them. He didn’t need to look at her to know she felt hurt.

“I thought you would ask more about today. About all the strange things that happened,” he steered the conversation away. “About...me.”

Taeyeon shook her head. “Junmyeon told me that you helped him. That you found him injured and gave him an experimental drug to heal his wounds,” Taeyeon said as she moved to sit on the arm of the sofa. “But his body reacted wrongly and you ended up calling me.”

Baekhyun nodded slowly, noticing how Junmyeon had left out details -important details.

“That’s what happened,” he assured.

“I believe him,” she said. “But he couldn’t explain how he got those injuries. He said that the less I know, the better. That’s why I’m not asking anymore.”

“He’s right. I shouldn’t have called you. I can’t drag you into this mess,” Baekhyun tried to explain without sounding desperate. “It’s not safe. You will never be safe with us -with me.”

He saw a flash of sorrow pass through her eyes. “I understand,” she barely managed to say. “I, um,” she coughed to get her voice out. “I’m, I’m glad that you did call me. Now that I know who you really are, I feel like I finally understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Us.” She sighed. “Are you aware of how little you let me know about yourself? I don’t even know if Baekhyun is your real name.”

“It is,” he quickly assured. “Byun Baekhyun.”

Taeyeon smiled a little. “Byun Baekhyun,” she repeated. “Baekhyun, the time I spent with you, I always felt that something was off. But I stubbornly ignored it.”

“I reckon you’ve thought about this a lot,” he commented lightly.

“Too much actually,” she shrugged. “You only spoke about the things we did or the friends we had. You never planned ahead, as if you already knew our relationship had an expiration date.”

She stopped to look at him, expecting him to say something. But he didn’t dare tell her that she was right -it would break her to know the truth.

“You never talked about your past,” she continued. “Except this one time. You remember when we went to the park Tete d’Or? We had wandered all the way to the island in the lake and found the memorial monument. The one that has engraved the names of the soldiers killed during the First World War. Do you remember?”

Baekhyun nodded -he did remember and could already guess where she was heading with this.

“We were just passing by it, when suddenly you stopped. You stared in daze at a name, Chaniel, only you kept whispering Chanyeol instead.” She paused to catch her breath, like she was keeping herself from getting emotional again. “I asked you who Chanyeol was, and I’m certain that was the first time you revealed anything true about yourself -about your past. You said: Chanyeol is my best friend. I love him.”

Baekhyun bit into his lower lip -his fingers involuntarily pressing against the diodes inside of them.

“Can you recall how many times you told me that you loved me?”

Baekhyun gulped hard,  guilt swirling in his gut. “No.”

Tears ran down her face again. “That’s right, you can’t. Because you never did.” Taeyeon’s voice trembled a bit, but she kept going. “At the time I thought it might’ve been too soon to say it. But months went by, and then, out of nowhere, you broke up with me before New Year’s day.” She took a moment to wipe her tears. “It ended so abruptly that it left me wondering why. What had happened? What did I do wrong?” She sniffled. “I knew you had some issues, some secretes you weren’t willing to share, so I gave you space. But it wasn’t enough,” she huffed out. “And what I hate the most is that I kept blaming myself about it.”

“Tae,” Baekhyun, against his better judgment, rushed over to hug her. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You were so good to me. I…” He looked down at her tearful face. He reached up to wipe away her tears. “You taught me what love feels like.”

Taeyeon barely managed to suppress a sob. “You loved me?”

“I did,” he finally admitted. “I did for the longest time. I just never...I never said it out loud.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew I would have to let you go one day.”

Taeyeon covered her face, unable to hold back from crying any longer. Baekhyun tried calming her down. He stayed by her side, hugging her close. But hen there was a knock at the door.

“What the…” Baekhyun went to check through the security camera. “Jongin?” He didn’t know why he was reacting this way; he blamed it on his emotional turmoil. “Why the didn’t you just come in?”

“There’s someone else inside,” Jongin explained, sounding rather confused.

“Just get in here,” he snapped. “She knows.”

“You told someone about us?” Jongin exclaimed indignantly, raising his voice after he phased through the door.

Baekhyun saw Taeyeon jump in surprise.

“Are you insane?” Jongin forcibly pulled Baekhyun by the shoulders to look at his face. “You’ve endangered us.”

Baekhyun could read fear in Jongin’s thermal signature, but then it shifted to worry and shame. Canceling his infrared vision, he noticed Jongin’s gaze was looking past him, towards Taeyeon.

He turned his head to see that her face was still flustered and tear-stained -but she kept silent as she watched them.

Baekhyun pushed Jongin’s hands off him. “She won’t tell anyone, because she doesn’t really know anything,” he said calmly.

Jongin clenched his jaw, eyes darting back and forth between them as if he was trying to make sense of the situation.

Taeyeon got up and walked into the bathroom and Baekhyun followed with Jongin behind him.

“Junmyeon,” she called out as she knelt beside the tub. “They’ve come to pick you up.”

“Why are you crying?” he asked sluggishly, clearly doped up.

“It’s…” She tried to smile. “I’ll be fine.”

Junmyeon used a lot of effort to lean forward and caress her cheek. “Don’t cry,” he cooed, “or you’ll dry up like me.”

She chuckled while reaching up to hold onto Junmyeon’s hand. “Okay,” she agreed, even though tears kept trickling down her face. “You need to leave now, so you can get the help you need.”

“Thank you, for everything,” Junmyeon said, smiling fondly at her. “I’m glad I got to meet you.”

“Me too.”

Taeyeon helped Baekhyun to get Junmyeon to stand. Taeyeon wanted to wrap him in gauze again, but Baekhyun told her it wouldn’t be necessary, not when Jongin could teleport him away.

Jongin had been silent during the whole ordeal, tears running down his face as he regarded Junmyeon’s condition.

“What happened?” he said barely above a whisper.

“Jongin, just take him,” Baekhyun ordered. “Once he’s settled, you come get me.”

Jongin nodded and stepped forward to carefully hold onto Junmyeon. And then they were gone.

Baekhyun found it amusing to watch Taeyeon stare at the spot Jongin and Junmyeon had disappeared from. She kept staring until Baekhyun moved to pull the stopper out of the tub.

“They’re gone,” she whispered amazed.

“Yeah, they teleported,” he said softly.

Taeyeon went back into the living room before him. She looked for the medication box she had left on the kitchen counter, and handed it to him.

“One hundred milligrams, every six hours. Next dosage should be at two,” she calmly informed him -showing her professional side.

“That’s…” He checked his phone. “A little over three hours from now.”

“Try to reduce the dose to fifty milligrams, if he can manage the pain.”

“Alright,” he nodded. “Thank you.”

They fell silent for a moment. Taeyeon kept trying to avoid his gaze.

“We...Am I ever going to see you again?” she asked.

Baekhyun couldn’t promise her anything. He had hurt her plenty already.

“No.”

Taeyeon clenched her jaw tight and looked away. 

“Tae, listen. I think you should leave France.”

“No,” she furiously shook her head. “I can’t. I have to finish my internship.”

“You can re-apply and finish it at Seoul,” he insisted.

“No, it doesn’t work that way.”

Jongin reapered in the living room. He looked awkwardly at them, but made no attempt to interrupt.

“I can’t go back,” she looked up at him with a firm gaze. “I can’t. What would I tell my parents?”

“The truth,” Baekhyun said. “Tell them that you met a monster who broke your heart.”

Taeyeon chuckled bitterly. “Nice try,” she said, “but I’m not going back. Seoul isn’t my home anymore.”

Baekhyun sighed and reached over to hug her again. “Please,” he whispered and kissed her forehead. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“I already did.”

Baekhyun felt a stab in his heart, but he couldn’t deny it. “I’m sorry,” he said and felt the tears rush down his face.

Taeyeon gently pushed him away, eyes tearful again. “Now you go. Live your life and let me live mine.” She gazed into his eyes one last time, looking straight at what she had been searching for.

When she reached the door, she hesitated before speaking. “You’re not a monster, Baekhyun.”

Once the door closed, Baekhyun fell to the floor. He couldn’t keep it together anymore. Jongin rushed to his side. He pulled Baekhyun’s arm over his shoulders to haul him up.

“Come on, hyung.” Jongin struggled to stand. “Let’s go.”