"..."

(Who are you...? Are you talking to me...?)

"Alice--"

(...No. That's not my name.)

"Can you hear me, Alice--?"

(He can't be talking to me.)

"Come on, wake up... Alice."

(I keep telling you--)

"I'm not Alice!"

I shouted out and woke up. I must have fallen asleep against a tree trunk. I looked to the side and found a mushroon growing. I was in the midst of a dense forest. Trees with branches growing every which way created a dark and somber atmosphere. There were signs everywhere indicating different directions that I was almost bound to get lost. 

"If I recall, this must be..."

This was the place where I met that young man who called himself the 'Cheshire Cat'...

"Good morning, Alice."

"..."

A grinning Cheshire Cat-- Baekhyun was staring right at me. I couldn't help but scowl when I saw him smiling as if he hadn't a care despite my confusion. 

"...How did I get here?"

"You don't remember anything?"

His question seemed oddly laced with amusement, so I searched my memory as I framed my reply. 

"I remember hearing a strange voice echo inside my head... right before losing consciousness. A moment ago I was at a tea party, and now I find myself back in the forest."

By the time I gave him my answer, my eyes had closed unwittingly. 

(What if I've lost my memory again?)

I couldn't remember anything about myself besides my name. I started to worry about the physical and emotional state I was in. 

"There's nothing to worry about, Alice."

Baekhyun's amethyst-colored eyes creased as he smiled softly. For some reason, the sparkle in his eyes seemed so mysterious. 

"Er... Baekhyun, do you even know what's bothering me?" 

I released a wary sigh, but Baekhyun's smile didn't falter. With a confident air, he whispered. 

"You had a sudden lapse in memory... and now you're afraid your memory is gone again, am I right? You're afraid that you might be walking around aimlessly without knowing nothing, as if sleepwalking..."

"--"

His assessment was so spot on, I was momentarily dumbfounded. Baekhyun's smile widened when he saw I was speechless. His lips curved up like a crescent moon. His gentle smile affected an air of concern, but the mysterious sparkle never left his eyes. 

(What a... spiteful grin.)

There was no real reason. It was just the way I felt. 

"I repeat... You have nothing to worry about. At least, I don't think much time has elapsed since you lost consci