---

It’s time to throw the garbage, which Hyejin doesn’t like to do most. She waits for a couple of hours inside her small home, looking through the curtains, before some of her neighbors leave the waste disposal area, just so she could segregate her waste into its rightful bins, alone.

 

With a big black plastic bag in her hand, the small girl scurries her way out to the area and with her gloved hands, she starts to throw the recyclable ones then planning to put last the biodegradable garbages. 

 

She’s half way through it, not until…

 

“Hyejin-ah…” 

 

Her heart almost leaps out of her rib cage in surprise. The same tone of voice, but now more gentle and genuine. She lifts her gaze to see the visitor, and nearly thought he’s the sun. He’s too luminescent for her shy eyes, his smile is too wide and beaming.

 

“B-Baekhyun, g-good morning…” she greets him, her voice low and quavering.

 

“Give me, I’ll segregate it for you…” Baekhyun now stands beside her and the closeness is giving her more anxiety. Of course, she still remembers what happened last night crystal clear and she is still incredulous of how fast this guy dyes his hair back to blonde in just one night. This is the Baekhyun she met yesterday morning. The friendly one with a dazzling aura.

 

The Day version.

 

Hyejin can only stare at the male, now that he already snatches the bag of her garbage in her grasps and volunteers to sort them out for her. 

 

And now that she’s staring at him, she’s more enthralled of this present Baekhyun, this close. Though near the garbage bins, his smell still out-stands. He smells like strawberries, but with a tinge of black musk and some scent of baby powder. There’s just something about men perfumes that makes her feel in love and giddy. Besides the smell, she likes how his cheeks lift like squishy mochi buns when he smiles and there’s something about his bright orbs under those round specs that she sometimes finds herself lost into. He’s just wearing casual clothes apparently, a cozy white t-shirt and denim pants… but maybe everything just looks good on him. He can pull off any clothing.

 

Then again, her heart is beating faster. She puts a hand against her chest, slightly worried that the guy might hear it.

 

“Did I say thank you?” she frets. “Oh God, I didn’t.”

 

“There…” Baekhyun throws the last of her garbage. Then he turns back to her, smiling so charismatically, and all the guts Hyejin built up for a thank you are all gone in a snap.

 

She feels like she’s about to melt under his radiance. Her face is turning red once again, she can feel it.

 

“U-Uhm…” she fidgets, looking away. “T-Thanks.”

 

She hears him laugh shortly. She likes that soft tiny chuckle coming from his voice box, and the way his row of white teeth shows and how his eyes crinkle in merriment as she peeks over him.

 

After removing the gloves off their hands, they start to walk away now from the disposal area. Hyejin thinks that this is the last of their interaction but she is surprised Baekhyun’s trying to initiate more.

 

“I thought I’ll never get to see you today, after yesterday. This is a second time.” He says.

 

Second time?

 

Hyejin brings her eyes back at him, bewildered. “S-Second time?”

 

They both stop walking.

 

Baekhyun tilts his head to the side, slightly bothered of her reaction. “Uhm, yeah? At your doorway, I gave you the rice cake, right? " he gestures as he tells her.

 

Then, who is the Baekhyun I met last night? Was he telling the truth about the magical phone?

 

Yesterday is still vivid to her. She met him red haired, dark and bemusing. He’s even wearing a striking outfit.

 

And he even almost kissed her.

 

Hyejin is too lost in her thoughts that Baekhyun snapping his fingers at her face, jolts her back to her sanity.

 

She gasps meekly. “S-Sorry.”

 

“Oh… wait…” Baekhyun suddenly moves his face closer to hers, and Hyejin nearly shrieks. Her pupils are trembling as the guy takes a look of her scalded face, maybe wondering.

 

“Are you wearing eye contacts today?” so that’s the reason. 

 

Finally he retreats back, relieving Hyejin.

 

“I thought he’s going to do that again…” she muses.

 

Clearly, the Baekhyun now, still acts like he’s never seen her yesterday night. And she’s becoming more confused.

 

“Yeah…” she answers him now. “I-I am n-near sighted.”

 

Baekhyun catches his breath, “Ah! I see… so that’s the reason why you’re snobby…”

 

She blushes. “I, I can’t properly see… a-and even if I have these lenses on, sometimes they don’t help at all.”

 

“Hmm…” He nods. “Ah by the way…” now he’s taking something out of his pocket. 

 

It’s his phone.

 

Once she sees the screen, she finds it in Day mode.

 

“May I have your number?” and she wonders why the male is suddenly acting shy and in some way, can’t manage to meet her eyes directly.

 

“I… I just want to be your friend.”

 

“A-A friend?” she echoes, quite unsure.

 

Baekhyun confirms with a nod. “Yes. Let’s be friends.”

 

“I don’t talk too much.” She shies her gaze away once again. She always do.

 

“It doesn’t matter… what’s important is that we are friends.” He offers her his hand for a handshake and Hyejin is dillydallying whether to grab it or not.

 

It’ll be my first to hold a male’s hand.

 

Hyejin reaches to hold his beautiful hand and she is quite amazed to see that the guy has such pretty long slender fingers and something about those digits makes her want to squeal and smile—but she’s trying to hold it in, afraid of scaring her only guy friend away.

 

Only guy friend.

 

And when their hands touched, his skin feels so warm and new to her senses. In her entire life, she had never touched a male hand aside from her father’s before and her dad’s hands are rather calloused in texture. Baekhyun’s skin has that desirable softness in it, moisturized, but she can still feel the strength of the guy, judging it on the way he holds her hand and the perfect branching of his veins at the prone area. 

 

“But, is it really okay to feel an electrifying feeling in the heart when a man touches you?” she thinks. 

 

Hyejin pulls her hand away quick, somewhat petrified of the feeling the touch is giving her. Baekhyun on the other hand, takes his back and decides to brush his nape briefly to fill the void.

 

“Uhm…” he initiates, both hands now on his phone. “Can I have your number then?”

 

Hyejin states out her number and regrets it seconds after telling the guy a bit of her personal information. As a person who loves solitary life, this gives her more worries to think about.

 

Baekhyun is inwardly smiling in bliss as he types it down. And somehow, Hyejin finds it satisfying to watch him do that. 

 

“I’ll give you a text so that you can save mine too.” He says, nearly giving Hyejin a heart attack when he all of a sudden shifts his gaze at her. 

 

“M-My phone is inside.” She retorts, lowkey panicking where to dart her eyes at. 

 

“I can pretty relate with you.” He suddenly opens up. “I also have problems with my eyes and though I have these glasses on, there are also times that I can’t see clearly. But I don’t want an upgrade or a surgery because I am scared.” Then he beams at her, making her heart tripling its beat. “So I tend to have this habit to just smile at people…”

 

“But you saw me clearly last night…” there goes her confusion befuddling her brain.

 

“Anyways…” he shakes his head, finding himself silly at the moment. “I don’t know why I am rambling these stuffs about me to you…” she notices how he’s doing many hand gestures apparently. “Y-You can always talk to me. I-I’ll be here for you. Just a call away.”

 

Always talk to me

 

Hyejin can only nod back. Things about talking and interacting aren’t just her thing.

 

“D-Do you have work today?” Baekhyun asks her, a little bit stunned though, as if he couldn’t think of anything to ask.

 

“No… today is Sunday…”

 

They stared.

 

“Ah…” Baekhyun chooses to break the forming awkward silence, now chuckling to himself. “S-Sorry… but is it okay if we go and take a walk to the nearby park? I really want to take a tour of the town, but I don’t have anyone to walk with?”

 

He sees the hesitation in her face and that greatly alarms him that he’s probably going to be rejected sooner so he quickly supplies. “I mean I’m not forcing you… maybe later in the afternoon… I need to walk Mongryeongie too…”

 

“Mongryeongie? Is that a pet? A cat?” the way Hyejin asks him innocently makes him want to pet her hair now and tell her how cute she is.

 

But, of course, he doesn’t want to scare her with that impudence.

 

“You can’t stroll with a cat… they’re too stubborn.” He laughs softly at her cuteness. “He’s a dog. A corgi…”

 

“But, I saw one video in Mytube… a pet owner strolls her Persian cat in her yard… and they look cute together.” 

 

Baekhyun finds it cute that she’s talking to him with ease now.

 

“You like Mytube?” he queries.

 

Hyejin nods. “I watch a lot of cute videos when I’m bored. Like cute vlogs and the like.”

 

Something about making vlogs gives Baekhyun’s mind a brilliant idea. 

 

“That’s nice…” he smiles. “Maybe I can post videos of Mongryeongie in Mytube too, so that you can watch how playful and cute my dog is.”

 

Hyejin’s eyes round in amazement. “Y-You will?”

 

And the latter hums, agreeing. “But, only if you agree in coming with me later…”

 

“I’ll come with you.” Hyejin cuts him off with a sincere smile plastering on her face, without her full knowing, and Baekhyun has too blink his eyes fast, not believing what he’s currently seeing.

 

She just smiled at him.

 

“Beautiful…” he meant the smile, and he got too fascinated of her smile that he just clears his throat in pretense to save himself. “I-I mean, great…”

 

Hyejin couldn’t believe that she just agreed. She likes to watch dogs and cats videos so much that maybe the idea of seeing Baekhyun’s dog overwhelmed her. Now, she has to deal with society again.

 

But, maybe this shall be the start.

 

“So… see you later then?” he beams.

 

“Hmm… see you later.”

 

---

 

It’s just yesterday meeting Baekhyun and Hyejin is disbelieving the fact that she’s going to have more interactions with that new comer. 

 

She could just actually disagree but maybe, it’s because of meeting mongryeongie and maybe about the Dark Baekhyun that all of these current stuffs happening, is happening. Of course, she wants to see his corgi and definitely, she wants to get to know him more or maybe get more clues.

 

Maybe he has a twin brother, but he’s delinquent that’s why his family is trying to hide him from the people?

 

Maybe he has split personalities?

 

But that fast? Fast transformation?

 

Maybe he’s just wearing wig and contacts…

 

Her brain is about to explode, just thinking.

 

A text yanks her back to reality. It’s from him. And her heart begins to drum so fast once again against her chest. Baekhyun sent her a picture of himself and his corgi. He’s not wearing his glasses on and he looks at home in his white sweatshirt and black cargo pants. He’s hugging and kissing the fluffy dog’s head fondly.

 

Her eyes trail to his lips and the part that the dark Baekhyun kissed on her face last night momentarily throbs. She remembers how closed he was, how warm and soft his lips felt like against her skin… everything about it was so surreal, including his whole dark persona.

 

Hyejin throws her phone to the side couch, shaking off the thoughts about Baekhyun in her small head in panic.

 

“What did I get myself into?!”

 

---

 

Hyejin walks out of her house, shy and afraid as some of her neighbors who happens to be outside too, keeps stealing glances at her, all wondering the same: she’s finally out of her house…

 

But for Byun Baekhyun who is waiting for her at her house gate with Mongryeongie the corgi on leashed.

 

Up until she reaches him, she finds him smiling back at her the whole time, and Baekhyun deems it automatic that he’d probably smile at her forever.

 

“Just look at that soft mocha-colored curly hair and her cute pink lacy dress.” He fancies.

 

Hyejin can barely lift her chin up to face him. The intriguing stares of her neighbors is still freaking her out. 

 

“T-This is your dog?” she can’t believe she spoke first. Because once she sees the corgi, her heart is somehow relieved.

 

Mongryeongie is a cute brown and white corgi with pleading round eyes, boopable nose, body so squishy soft and fat, and a corgi heart that doesn’t disappoints.

 

Hyejin is too fascinated of him that she just pats him down in the head, now smiling. 

 

Baekhyun keeps staring at her in utter enchantment. He feels his heart glowing in relief to see her smiling. But he lowkey wished he could see her purple eyes again—she’s wearing still her black lenses.

 

“He’s cute.” She giggles. 

 

“Yeah… so cute.” He says, still looking at her. 

 

Hyejin brings her eyes back to look at him and is stupefied to find him still staring at her. Her face heats up and now her heart is beating like a wild mess again.

 

“Hmm, let’s go. Let’s buy him some dog food first…” he suggests. She nods, agreeing.

 

They start to walk like shy couples on a first date and the nearby people are still looking at them, amazed to see the young couple together. Baekhyun keeps the leash tight and proper in his grasp since Mongryeongie is running naughtily in almost every corner. Hyejin watches the dog, still adoring him and Baekhyun couldn’t ask for more but to see her happy. There are times, Baekhyun forgets to hold the leash properly since he finds himself lost in her faddish smile and Hyejin on the other hand, tends to forget that the male is with her and she’s shamelessly laughing in gaiety at the dog’s dorkiness not knowing that Baekhyun is observing her, truly magnetized.

 

Something about these shy eye contacts and smiles make their hearts warm and giddy. They talk less, but the feeling is just there, happy and lingering.

 

They go to a pet shop first to buy treats for Mongryeong before heading to the town’s park. Along the way, Baekhyun buys them both some cotton candy and instead of buying two, he takes the big one.

 

“A-Are we supposed to share?” Hyejin blushes.

 

Baekhyun, habitually, brushes his nape, having the same warm circles forming on his cheeks like hers. “U-Uhm, if you don’t mind. I’m holding Mongryeong as you can see. Can you hold this for us… is it okay?”

 

Trying to put on a brave heart, thinking that this is her first step to face her fear with people, she agrees, “N-No problem…” she slightly panics as she takes it from his free hand, not wanting to disappoint him. “I’ll hold it for u-us…”  

 

Baekhyun muses a smile at her, “Thank you.”

 

“You want some?” she offers it close to him.

 

“Hmm.” 

 

Without taking it from her hand, he leans down and takes a big bite. Something in her heart is ticklish, and she finds herself liking it. 

 

“Thanks…” he talks as he munches the sweet treat. “You take some too.”

 

Hyejin takes a bit, opposite to where he ate, and also hums in bliss, “It’s sweet.”

 

Baekhyun’s insides keeps melting at her cuteness. 

 

The park is calm with few people lingering around. Green bushes at the sides makes the path and there are enough green fields to sit on for picnic dates. There’s a small fountain in the middle and some says it’s magical. 

 

“Ahh… finally the central park.” Baekhyun tries to say something, concerned that maybe Hyejin is feeling bored at the moment. But when he checks her at his side, he sees her fully entertained instead, smiling in gaiety at mongryeong, his dog.

 

At least she’s happy.

 

Mongryeong, the ever naughty dog, runs in haste all of a sudden, taking Baekhyun aback from staring at Hyejin in a trance. Now the small dog is pulling him elsewhere and because of the klutzy situation, his phone falls off from his pants pocket.

 

Hyejin stares at the gadget on the ground, like it’s foreign. She glances at the preoccupied Baekhyun first and turns to look down at the phone again. Curious, she picks the smart phone up and somehow, she wants to search for evidences.

 

Baekhyun happens to look back at her, to see if she’s still trailing behind. And at once, fear sips into his system. Letting the dog’s leash out of his grip, he rushes back to her in panic. He snatches the phone from her hands, surprising Hyejin. 

 

He is heaving and the fondness in his eyes is out of trace as he glares at her. 

 

“Don’t touch this.” He warns. 

 

Hyejin is left dumb struck, gaping at him in incredulity. 

 

The same cold eyes, but vexing.

 

“I-I’m…” she finds it hard to talk, all her confidence now fading out of her soul. She just met a friend, and now she’s making him mad. She swears to her life now, she’ll never talk to anybody anymore. “…s-sorry…”

 

Seeing the girl almost close to tears, Baekhyun bolts back to his self. Vaguely, he stares at his phone that almost turn to night mode. He closes it quick then hurries to apologies to her. “I’m sorry… I-I just don’t like it when someone touches my personal belongings. I-I’m sorry…”

 

Hyejin concludes that maybe the Dark Baekhyun is saying the truth.

 

There’s something mysterious about his phone.

 

---

 

Albeit the awkward moment awhile ago, Baekhyun is able to calm Hyejin after apologizing to her for how many times. Good thing Mongryeong is there to help him. He showed her some dog tricks and Hyejin is somewhat relieved and convinced.

 

Like asking Mongryeong’s hand but the dog instantly sits. What a lazy dog.

 

In fact, the abruptness of his behavior over his phone, made her more beguiled about him.

 

They planned to go home now. Baekhyun’s reason is that, it’s already getting late, he needs to take her back.

 

Actually, she wants to stay late. 

 

To see if the Dark Baekhyun appears.

 

Along the way back to their homes, they somehow heared some disturbing noises around the corner streets. Mongryeong barks at the dark isle, hinting danger. Hyejin and Baekhyun follows to see and she frets immediately at what they found—a group of bad boys, like gangsters, are beating up a poor boy for money.

 

Baekhyun tries to pull Mongryeong back, afraid that they might get in trouble. He’s planning to call the police once they’re in a safer distance. Five big guys against two boys and a girl like Hyejin? He doesn’t want to get her in trouble, knowing that he invited her to come with him and the girl didn’t actually like the idea of it but still she agreed.

 

“L-Let’s go Hyejin-ah…” he tries to usher her away since she’s glued on her place, shocked at the commotion. 

 

But, Mongryeong’s barking caused the bad guys to whirl their attentions at them instead. 

 

“Oh hey…” says the bald one, with bulky built. He’s sneering at them. “Maybe those two can give us money instead.”

 

“Hyejin-ah… come…” Baekhyun holds her hand out of worry, planning to pull her away with him. 

 

“Oh no! you’re not going anywhere!” the one with big scary eyes, pulls the limped boy from the ground and darts a knife at his throat, aiming to kill him. “If you take one more step away, we will kill this boy!”

 

“Save me…” the poor boy pleads at them, crying. Hyejin's heart crumbles into pieces.

 

“Please… I’ll give you my money. Just let him and us go.” Baekhyun bargains. He doesn’t want to act this low in front of these hoodlums but for the sake of Hyejin’s safety, he will try to negotiate.

 

“Boys.” The leader ushers his head at their direction, ordering them to rip off whatever expensive the two has in their bodies. 

 

Baekhyun releases her hand just to wrap his arm around her waist now, moving her closer to him to protect her. He doesn’t want to unnecessarily touch her but for the sake of keeping her safe, he must guard her close, whatever it takes.

 

Hyejin meekly gasps for the contact, eyes rounded now at Baekhyun’s. Her heart quavers weirdly; maybe out of fear, but something is warm about his gesture. 

 

Baekhyun takes his wallet out and pulls all his cash then throws it to the gangsters. “Here. Now give us the boy.”

 

“Phones.” 

 

“No phones. We don’t have phones.” Baekhyun bellows indignantly.

 

The gangsters shared evil gazes first before looking back to the couple menacingly. “Rip them off.”

 

Hyejin turns dizzy with all the urgency of what is happening. She just finds herself pushed into the safe side, with mongryeong running to her to protect her, as the small dog nonstop barks at the bad guys while Baekhyun deals with them, showing off his taekwando skills to beat them up and tries to distract them all, not to get near to Hyejin.

 

It’s bad, yes. But, he needs to protect Hyejin and the poor boy at all cost.

 

One of the bad guys happens to land his fist on Baekhyun’s face. Hyejin yelps for the attack, shriveling in fear for the male friend.

 

“Stupid! Why didn’t I bring my phone?” she thought to herself.

 

Baekhyun is able to bring two of them down, kicking them on the face, punching them on the stomach, but he’s all alone, and some of them are able to hurt him back too. Hyejin finds herself useless at the side, cramming still on what to do to help him. She plans to run away to ask for help but, what if when she comes back, Baekhyun’s already dead? Or what if one of the bad guys chases her too?

 

She really doesn’t know what to do.

 

“B-Baekhyun-ah…” she keeps crying.

 

Suddenly, Baekhyun’s phone slips out of his jeans again then lands to the ground and one hoodlum happens to kick it to where Hyejin is, unknowingly. 

 

Hyejin gets the phone in a rush to dial for help. But, an idea reminds her.

 

Dark Baekhyun.

 

“Sorry Baekhyun…” 

 

She clicks the power button thrice and in a snap, the phone turns night mode. 

 

Hyejin drops her head down and cries endlessly. Mongryeong goes to her, wailing to comfort her. She hugs the dog, as she snivels wreck in fear. 

 

She doesn’t want to see what is happening in front of her after dialing for help. 

 

She just knows that Baekhyun is still fighting the bad guys.

 

Not until, she hears the bad guys whimper all in pain and she feels them running away now. It was so all of a sudden that the moment she lifts her head to look, her jaw instantly drops, astounded. 

 

I thought magic only happens in movies…

 

Baekhyun’s hair is back to its crimson color, his aura once again is stronger than before. He turns to look at Hyejin, now with the same green irises and mysterious dark gaze. The Day Baekhyun was just in a sweatshirt and pants awhile ago but, how come this dark Baekhyun is wearing a flashy outfit now in just a blink of an eye?

 

Once his stare seizes hers, his eyes twinkle in amusement. He curls his lips into a smirk.

 

“Heart, you called me?”

 

Hyejin can only look at him as he approaches her. He goes down on one knee, leveling their gazes. He cups the side of her cheek gently, letting his eyes trail on every feature of her face, his impish smile not leaving his lips.

 

“Now you know how to call me, huh?” he says in a jest. 

 

“H-How… H-How i-is t-this…” the current situation is making her speechless. 

 

The Dark Baekhyun leans in, surprising her a kiss on the forehead. The kiss made Hyejin even more flabbergasted. As he retreats away to meet her eyes again, he tells her, “I’m about to come out and save you. But my stupid other self won’t let me. Good thing this phone…” he picks it up from the ground and shows it to her. “…found its way to you. And you called me, Heart…”

 

---

 

A/N:

 

sorry if i took time updating this.

 

been very busy in work lately. huhuhu

 

-XOXO