It was around midnight. The night was chilly but cloudless. A million stars shone brightly in the purplest skies of Seoul.

The streets, the houses, and the shops were sleeping, except for two individuals whose aim was to be the best band in Korea.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun, one younger than the other was busy creating melodies while the latter was running his hands through his hair for the perfect lyrics that would fit Chanyeol's music.

They both were quiet, busy doing their work because of the near deadline. Though often times Baekhyun would bring Coffee for them both or Chanyeol would walk over to his Hyung and massage his shoulders for some time.

The night was passing, almost shading the dark eminence with a pinch of magenta.

"Chanyeol, I think these lyrics will work..." Baekhyun's tired eyes looked down on Chanyeol who didn't hear him at first because of the headphones.

"Chanyeol!" Baekhyun called again, tapping the desk with his hand.

That made Chanyeol look up at him in surprise. His eyes had turned red due to a sleepless night and nugatory stress.

He took off his headphones and confused raised his brows.

"I wrote the lyrics," Baekhyun said in a tone of relief and excitement.

"You did? Can I see?" Chanyeol's sleep was now awakened by the sudden incredulity. They were stuck in writing the ideal lyrics for days and days but finally, upon hearing Baekhyun blurt out the good news, Chanyeol's heart skipped a few beats out of anxiety and animation.

Baekhyun hesitantly handed the paper to Chanyeol and waited like a sleepy puppy while Chanyeol whispered the lyrics to himself.

It was hard to tell what Chan was thinking. His expression was impassive from the beginning to the end. As if he was reading someone's biography with no interest whatsoever.

"Chan?" Baekhyun was somehow feeling uneasy. "How is it?"

Chanyeol let out a tiny sigh and closed his eyes.

What was with this reaction, thought Baekhyun but kept quiet.

Chan then opened his eyes and with a quick movement of his hands, tore the paper in two and shot up from his seat.

"Baek! You know how much this band means to us, right? Why aren't you able to write any good songs?!" Chanyeol's voice was high enough to scare Baekhyun a little. He took a step back, eyes widening as he examined the unmitigated anger on Chan's face. His cheeks were getting currant as if he was drunk and didn't know what to do.

"I had high expectations of you for this, Baek..." Chanyeol's sigh shattered Baekhyun's fragile heart. He had worked the entire day and night just to fit the lyrics to their perfect tune and now when his own closest friend said such a thing that would make anyone fear the worst, Baekhyun couldn't hold back the tears in his eyes.

"I did my best, Chan!" He yelled, gritting his teeth as to not let any of his melancholic tears fall.

"No you didn't!"

"Yes, I did! I tried as hard as I could. I gave my all and I have reached my limit, Chanyeol!"

"This is your limit?!" Chanyeol's underline provoked Baekhyun. His body couldn't handle the fierce bitterness. It was overtaking him and he knew that if he stayed any longer in this room, things would go from bad to worst.

"Fine! Why don't you try writing your own lyrics then?!" Baek screamed and impulsively grabbed his jacket from the couch behind him.

"Where are you going now?" He asked annoyingly.

"And while you're at that, why don't you just go and debut on your own! Why need me when I can't even write good lyrics that would suit your grody music!" Baekhyun's last shout made Chanyeol's lip purse. Baekhyun stomped out the room; his hands and forehead were heating quicker than ever and his throat burned from the plethora of pressure and intense screaming.

 

The cold air caressed Baekhyun's cheeks as soon as he left the building.

For a moment, he stopped and turned around to look back at the window whose light was on.

Resentment was filling Baekhyun's lungs upon the thought of Chanyeol's trenchant words.

He clicked his tongue, indignantly averting his gaze from the window and started walking with no exact direction in his mind.

He might have wiped his tears a few times on the way but eventually, the breeze and the lamps hanging from the denim sky comforted him partially.

Nonetheless, as the night was fading, the hatred for Chanyeol vanished from his heart and a sensible regret overtook it. "I shouldn't have said such a thing..." It wasn't Baekhyun's fault but seeing it in a fair point of view, the lyrics was his and Chanyeol knew how talented he was as to entrust such responsibility at him. A gush of rue washed over him like a tidal wave. Promptly, he impulsed on going back to Chanyeol and apologize to him for their futile conversation.

Baekhyun suddenly got back to his senses after plenteous pondering and realization and looked up from his feet. He had stumbled in a dimly lit alley he was unaware of.

He decided to look around to find a name of the street or at least just a name that would tell him where he was, however, before he could turn back and get out of the creepy alley, a sound of a lady crying stopped him from doing so.

"Ex--excuse me..." Baekhyun's voice was hushful. He tried again, "Excuse me."

The crying was unexpectedly getting closer.

Baekhyun's delicate heart was beating rapidly. He was afraid that an entity would emerge from the caliginosity. He was at his ready position to run away the moment he felt any presence.

However, a tall, thin lady appeared in the obfuscate light. She seemed to be in her thirty's, more or less. She looked weak and exhausted and she was crying.

Baekhyun took a wary step forward and softly asked the lady, "A-are you alright, Ma'am?"

"Help me..." The lady wailed and stretched forth her hand feebly.

"What is the problem, Ma'am? Is something wrong?" Baekhyun started to walk towards her, "How can I help you?"

As he got closer to her, the lady took a step back, out of the light and into the shadows.

Baekhyun stopped and frowned, "Excuse me, Ma'am?"

There was no response. The crying had stopped and a deadly silence surrounded Baekhyun.

He didn't know what to do. Should he go further into nothingness and find her? Or should he turn back and leave?

Not to mention, in such a furious state, Baek forgot to take his phone with him; it must still be lying on the coffee table or the couch.

On the other hand, Baekhyun's instinct told him to leave.

Since there was no more sound, he reasoned that it might have been his mere imagination. His mind playing silly tricks on him because of torpidity.

In the end, he turned around and decided to walk away, when all of a sudden, out from the darkness ran a shadow with a baseball bat and smacked Baekhyun's occiput in a powerful sway.

At once, an excruciating pain and immense dizziness made Baek fall to his knees. He clenched his head tight, letting out a loud scream to release the burn and looked up at the darkening scene.

The faint light that was the only illumination in the alley showed two individuals; a woman and a man.

The lady that Baekhyun saw sobbing for help was now perfectly fine and smiling an evil smile The man beside her started to search Baekhyun's pockets for stuff he could find useful but to no avail. In his petrified and benumbed state, Baek tried hard to push the man away from him and run. Nevertheless, his movements were fruitless. The man annoyingly smacked Baekhyun's head again, this time even harder than before and escaped the gloomy alley with his partner, leaving a helpless Baekhyun in the solitude of oblivion. Thereupon, blackness covered Baek's eyes and mind. He fell in the murky alley, deep into a slumber where not even Chanyeol could wake him up.