"I don't think I did anything wrong though."

Sehun said with a faint smirk, facing Baekhyun who was furious. 

"Alice wants her memories back, so I just provided some food for thought. She wanted to know. You wouldn't be doing her any favors hiding things from her."

He creased his eyes as he provoked.

"I guess we just can't see eye to eye on this?"

Baekhyun's eyes were still burning with rage. He calmly spoke as if had reflecred on what Sehun said.

"It's not like I don't get where you're coming from. But I...I didn't want to hurt her like this. Exposed to the cruelty of reality. Suffering... Here in Wonderland, she had finally found a place where she belonged after being freed from the sorrowful memories of her past. I wanted her pain to forever be 'lost'..."

Baekhyun strung his words together bit by bit as if he were suffering himself. Sehun stared at him with an almost indifferent glare in his eyes. 

"Sure, you want to shelter Alice from her pain. Key word being you here. Do you really think she's that weak?"

Sehun left Baekhyun with those words and turned around, leaving the lakeside and never looking back. A look of anguish came over Baekhyun's face as he lowered his gaze and muttered...

"I don't think it matters how strong or weak you are. The pain is still there. Even if you were strong enough to overcome the scars, nothing changes the fact that it hurts. I let those wounds open, and I hate myself for that..."

"Baekhyun..."

He may have lied, but...he was trying to protect me from the truth. Both of those things were true. Baekhyun didn't tell me the road home because he was looking out for me. I naturally felt that way as I gazed at his profile. It was clear that he was still silently burning with anger. 

"So, Baekhyun..."

I lightly exhaled and spoke to him in a soft voice. 

"I was really angry, you know? You told me that you would help me find the road home, but you were actually doing the complete opposite, you know? I never thought I'd be able to forgive you after you lied to me like that. But...I know you had your reasons for what you did, and if you did all that because you didn't want to hurt me... Then I would honestly like to thank you for your kindness. Thank you, Baekhyun."

Baekhyun smiled in a troubled manner. 

"So does that mean you forgive me?"

"It would be a little arrogant of me to tell you that I forgave you. But at the very least, I take back what I said about never forgiving you."

"Thank you..."

Baekhyun nodded...and without warning, he wrapped me in his arms.

"...! Baekhyun--"

I was about to push him away out of reflex, but I noticed that something was odd and stopped. He was holding me so gently that I felt as if I could have easily escaped if I wanted to. It was completely different from any ordinary, playful embrace. 

"I'm so sorry, Kyungsoo..."

By the time his soft voice reached my ear, it hit me. This was his way of trying to make me feel better. 

(Physical affection is probably really important to Baekhyun. That's why he touches others when he wants to express how he feels...)

It was not like I didn't know how he felt. There was something special about the warmth of others. And there was something mysteriously soothing being wrapped in his arms like this. I lost my dear parents, who I loved so much... But at least for now, at this moment, I wasn't alone. 

"I wa