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Accidents.

{Byun Baekhyun}

The world works in weird ways.

People are different. Beliefs differ depending on who you asked and where you were. Legends have been passed down through generations- stories sculpted by humans to explain the ways of the universe that they had yet come to understand. Many have passed the point of believing in foolish things such as myths and stories of the afterlife. However- no matter where in the world you went- there was always at least one person whose life is led on the basis of these 'fictitious' tales.

An alarm rings through the Byun house at near eight in the morning. The youngest member of their small family wakes up with a start, grabbing his cell phone off the night table beside him. He brings the small device under the covers- rubbing his eyes as he struggles to squint against the brightness of the world in front of him. When Baekhyun slides his finger against the screen, the music comes to an abrupt stop, the alarm screen disappearing quickly. Instead, it's replaced by the sight of his notification-less home screen- the date and time being shoved in his face. 

He kicks his wall out of nothing but bitterness- wanting to pick a fight with the creator of this universe for making him wake up so early. All he gets in return is an awkward silence in which he can sink into the embarrasments of his own actions, despite being alone in his room. For some reason- Baekhyun always feels embarrased at things he does in his own time- like he was secretly aware of a presence unable to show itself. 

The Byun rolls out of bed, throwing his covers aside. Cold air evelopes his body, and he quickly regrets his foolish decisions, shivering as he puts his foot on the hardwood flooring. Why was it always so cold in his house? This too, he curses. As his days of youth quickly pass by him, the more bitter he seems to be getting. His room is littered with his dirty laundry- covering most of the area he walks on. It's only good for times like this, when he wants to get away from the coolness of the ground- but when his mom sees it, it's a seperate story. Twenty-two and living with his parents was a sad story for a guy like Baekhyun- who had held the hopes of others tightly on his shoulders. His smart and cheeky personality had somehow made people believe he would be out of the house by now- off doing something that adults his age would envy. Reality differed, though. After graduating high school, Baekhyun had gone straight to working instead of spending time in college or university. Studying was never what he wanted to do- and having a high school degree was all the boy needed to get by. 

His desk is mostly clean- open text books covering the space. Most of them were borrowed from his local library- tales of ghosts and urban legends that made his heart rate speed up severly. There's a couch in the other corner of his room- a small one seat cushion underneath a bookshelf he built himself during third year. It wasn't much- but his room was the place he felt most affection towards, oddly enough. 

Baekhyun shuffles into the washroom, undoing his pajama pants and matching button-up as he turns the tap on the shower. He doesn't get in right away in fear that the water might be too cold for his already freezing body. Instead, Baekhyun takes the time to pull his toothbrush out of the holder- smearing some toothpaste on the bristles. He sticks the item into his mouth, brushing his teeth as he slips his toes under the running faucet as a way to test the tempurature. It's cold- just like his predictions. For some reason- it was just the water in his room, always cold for the first couple of minutes. 

He spits into the sink, cleaning his tongue with the brush before opening the cabinet beside him in search for the cup he always used. He tilts his head in confusion when he spots the cup on the second shelf- almost certain he put it on the usual space at the bottom. Dismissing the thoughts quickly, Baekhyun grabs ahold of the handle, filling the object to the brim with water. He gurgles the liquid quickly, spitting into the sink a couple of times. Turning off the tap, he returns all his objects to their correct places- looking into the mirror on the wall. He smiles, checking his pearly whites like usual. Finally, the boy fully strips himself of all his clothing, throwing them into the almost empty hamper. The water has gotten warm by the time he steps in, so Baekhyun takes his time washing the crevices of his body. 

He uses extra soap today because of the alluring smell it gave off- but he doesn't even regret it. When he steps out of the shower, the cold air wraps around him before he can even grab his towel. Teeth chattering together from the unusual tempurature, Baekhyun grabs the bottle of lotion from the cupboard and retreats back into his room- getting ready for the long day awaiting him. 

His choice of clothing was boring- fresh underwear matched with his usual work uniform. It was a simple half-sleeved shirt- black with the name of his cafe on his chest pocket- embroided in a dull red. He also slides on his favourite leather pants, careful not to break the dress code of 'black clothes only'. He glances at the time on his analong clock near his door, sighing with relief when he sees there's ten minutes to spare before he has to leave for his morning shift at work. Still, Baekhyun grabs all his needed belongings- his phone, socks, car keys, and sweater.

Closing his room door behind him, Baekhyun trudges down the stairs into the kitchen, where his mother and father are talking about something in the news at the table. 

"Baek!" His mom calls when she sees him, taking a sip of her coffee, "There's cereal in the cupboard if you want some,"

"No thanks- I'll pass. I've got work today, so I'll just buy something from the cafe," He dismisses, offering his mother a wide smile when she pouts at his lack of appetite. 

"Not hungry?" His dad questions, as if it were new.

"Eh," He responds, shrugging his shoulders. He walks towards the tub of fruits on the counter, picking up a single green apple. "I'll take this. How's work been going?"

"Eh," His father says, cleaning his glasses with the fabric of his dress shirt. As a police officer, Baekhyun would expect that his father be more conscious of the wrinkles he was forming. The old Byun doesn't care- worn out by fifteen years in the detective field. No one really expected much of an investigator, anyway. "The cases are pilling up again. There's been a string of missing teens recently. The crews don't find anything at the places they were last seen- other than their ID cards. It's a tough one. Speaking of, my partner and his kid might be coming over for dinner tonight-"

Baekhyun groans, inturrupting his father's sentence