Chanyeol tried his best to conceal the progression of the Hanahaki disease from Kyungsoo. For many reasons, he didn’t want Kyungsoo to know about it; one of them being not wishing to see Kyungsoo’s distraught face and making him worry to know that Chanyeol had a year at most left to live.

If Chanyeol was going to have that amount of time left to live, he wanted it spent in the best way possible, even if it was to continue this lie he had grown to enjoy so much.

 

Hiding it was still easy to do so in the initial stages of the disease when the coughs were still sporadic and he was only occasionally throwing up flower petals.

Chanyeol brewed cough suppressant potions which stopped him from coughing, especially around Kyungsoo. But the side effect of the cough suppressants was that he would later become drowsy, nauseous and sick, up to the point where he’d then throw up all the red camellia-like petals that had been suppressed throughout the entire days.

 

 

It would last for hours and Chanyeol would be hunched over a sink or a toilet bowl, throwing up saliva, some blood and then the red petals while feeling the utmost biting pain in his chest as it happened.

For every red petal he threw up, he was reminded of the fact that Kyungsoo probably knew what was going on or that Chanyeol was the only one helplessly in love.

Sometimes it was so bad that the thought of death and not having to suffer anymore when he was dead, actually comforted him.

 

 

After every throwing up session, Chanyeol would collect at least one of the petals and put it in a small wooden box which he hid away from Kyungsoo’s sight. It was for him to monitor the progression of the disease, watching as the petals grew larger and waiting for when he’d eventually begin throwing up entire flowers.

Chanyeol didn’t know how to tell Kyungsoo about this because he knew a time would come when it would be almost impossible to hide. Whatever it was, Chanyeol was bent on not revealing the truth to Kyungsoo. Not until he was choking on the petals and not until the flowers had grown roots all the way into his lungs and he would die suffocating on his own blood, all of it borne out of love.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

Despite the early stages of his illness, Chanyeol couldn’t help but grow ever closer to Kyungsoo, especially now that he was making sure to spend every moment of the last days of his life in the best way he could.

Chanyeol realized that he was wasting a lot of time by being away and working in his shop all day, which was the time he could have spent being with Kyungsoo.

 

Chanyeol came up with a solution which would still allow him to work and be with Kyungsoo at the same time, which was to let Kyungsoo work alongside him in the antique shop. After all, Kyungsoo was a sorcerer too and could be of much help when it came to dealing with the magic part of his job.

 

 

 

Chanyeol brought this up to Kyungsoo who was more than happy to help Chanyeol in his shop. Before Kyungsoo could start working in Chanyeol’s antique shop, Chanyeol warned Kyungsoo about the alleged dark magicians who had attacked him and might still want to come after Kyungsoo.

To supposedly protect Kyungsoo against them, Chanyeol cast a concealment spell on Kyungsoo so that he appeared to look like someone else to other people. The spell lasted for a day and Chanyeol would have to cast it every day before they left their home in Germany and went to the shop in Seoul.

 

Chanyeol was lying, of course. He didn’t want Kyungsoo’s former customers and boss from the florist just two blocks away to recognize him working there.

Kyungsoo never questioned it but Chanyeol was starting to feel that Kyungsoo actually knew some things and was just playing along at this point. Chanyeol knew he had no evidence to back up his suspicions and started to believe that maybe he was turning into a mad, rambling man now that he was nearing his death.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

But now that Chanyeol was spending more of his day and time around Kyungsoo, concealing the Hanahaki disease got even more challenging.

They were in their shop one day while it was morning in Seoul. Kyungsoo was cleaning up some old shelves in the shop while Chanyeol was trying to fix an old watch that was just recently sold to them.

 

While Kyungsoo was dusting the antiques and Chanyeol was squinting so heavily because of the small screw parts in the watch he needed to fix, he suddenly felt the constricting feeling in his chest as it tightened up and threatened to cough up something.

Chanyeol immediately cupped a hand to his mouth, dropping all the tools in his hand, letting it hit the wooden table with a loud clang and rolling all the way until it fell onto the floor below.

Kyungsoo, from across the shop, was also startled by the sudden loud sounds coming from Chanyeol’s way and looked to see what was going on.

 

 

 

“Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo called out, his voice tainted with the sounds of worry and concern.

Without responding, Chanyeol ran off to the toilet at the back of the shop with a hand still cupped over his mouth as the nauseous feeling of wanting to vomit rose from the pits of his guts and all the way into his lung cavity.

 

Kyungsoo dropped his feather duster, took off his apron and jogged to the front door, locking it and turning over the sign to “Closed” as he then made his way to the toilet too.

The shop’s toilet was just a small, old one but dry and clean and sometimes smelled of the remnants of a magic spell. The shop itself was located on the ground floor of a building block in an older part of Seoul so that was no surprise that shop was probably as old as the antiques sold in it.

 

 

“Chanyeol? Are you alright in there? Hey, can you listen to me?” Kyungsoo knocked on the toilet door which Chanyeol had locked shut.

Chanyeol was kneeling on the tiled floor of the toilet, gripping the edges of the toilet bowl as he continued to retch and heave. Chanyeol hadn’t eaten yet that day so there was no food to throw up, just water, spots of blood and larger red petals.

Every time he retched and gagged, a stabbing feeling was felt piercing in his chest. Chanyeol knew it would be easier if he just stopped taking the cough suppressants and gradually throw up the flowers instead of waiting for the medication to wear off and have them go out all at once like now.

 

In the midst of his suffering, Chanyeol even considered stopping the medication altogether and just letting it happen so he wouldn’t have to deal with too much pain. That was until he heard Kyungsoo’s mellow voice calling out for him from behind the other side of the door.

Chanyeol stilled, beads of tears forming at the corner of his eyes as Kyungsoo continue calling out for him and asking Chanyeol if he was alright or if he needed anything that could help.

 

 

“I’m fine,” Chanyeol managed to choke out before he threw up several petals that hurt his throat despite how soft they were. Chanyeol continued, gasping for breath, “I’m just feeling a bit sick.”

“Do you want me to come in there? Do you want me to get you some water?” Kyungsoo continued to ask, fidgeting where he stood, ever more worried for Chanyeol.

“No, it’s alright. I don’t want you to have what I’m having. It might be contagious,” Chanyeol lied, “Don’t worry about me. Just go back to work.”

“Oh, okay,” Kyungsoo meekly accepted, believing the lies.

“I’ll be out soon,” Chanyeol yelled from inside the toilet once more, then resting his head on the toilet seat.

 

Chanyeol just wanted this vomiting episode to be done with so he could destroy all the evidence that was the red petals and then return as if nothing had happened. It was bad enough that Kyungsoo had to witness him in the midst of his fits like this.

But at least, all the secrets he had kept were safe now and Chanyeol found a bit of relief in that.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

After that last vomiting episode where he almost risked revealing the Hanahaki disease he had to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol closed up the shop and decided to sleep for at least a week but not before taking all the cough suppressants which he had secretly brewed up without Kyungsoo’s knowledge.

Chanyeol was beyond exhausted and that last episode had left him feeling so weak, unable to go any further than what he was usually capable of.

 

Chanyeol would have continued being awake, not wanting to waste the rest of his life away by sleeping but he couldn’t help it this time. When he and Kyungsoo had gotten home after that day, Chanyeol could only kiss Kyungsoo on the cheek tiredly and announce very tiredly that he was going to bed right away.

With a soft smile, Kyungsoo told Chanyeol to sleep well.

 

 

 

Chanyeol never dreamt when he slept these days. Chanyeol stopped dreaming a long time ago after he had seen the horrors of the war and the genocide that had robbed the lives of far too many magicians whose sin was simply for being alive, not that they had a say in that either.

It wasn’t any different that time. Chanyeol continued sleeping dreamlessly for more than a week, peacefully, with no coughs and with no petals spilling out from his throat. He wasn’t suffering when he was asleep and he didn’t have to be awake to deal with his conscience because of his actions.

 

That itself felt like a dream to Chanyeol and what he woke up to seem to affirm that he wasn’t deserving of the moment of at all, that all the suffering coming his way was what he truly deserved as retribution.

The sun was shining softly through the sheer curtains of the room. The windows were slightly open, letting in a cool breeze from the early summer air. The room was bright but it seemed like a nice, soft glow instead of a glaring brightness.

 

 

Chanyeol felt fingers running through his hair, gently caressing his head and scalp as a soft voice hummed a tune that he didn’t recognize nor heard of before.

Chanyeol could feel the other person’s warm, comforting and inviting presence beside him. He didn’t even need to take a look to see who it was. He just knew who the other person sitting beside him on the bed was.

 

“Didn’t you go to sleep too?” Chanyeol asked, his voice croaking from being asleep so long as he rested his hand on Kyungsoo’s thigh.

“I slept for a day or two. I tried going back to sleep again but I couldn’t so I just stayed up and watched over you the whole time while doing some chores I could. I was worried you’d get sick again,” Kyungsoo answered, keeping his voice low and soft so as to not disturb Chanyeol too much.

“Oh, you didn’t have to,” Chanyeol responded, chuckling dryly, “I hope I wasn’t too much of a trouble for you while I was asleep.”

“No, you weren’t at all,” Kyungsoo assured, “-but sometimes, it felt like your breath was hitching while you were asleep and I was worried that you’d stop breathing so I turned you over and had you lay down on your back. I’m sorry if that disturbed your sleep somewhat. I can’t remember if you’ve always slept like this so I wasn’t too sure.”        

“Yeah well, it happens sometimes but it’s not anything too bad so you don’t have to worry too much about it,” Chanyeol mentioned, eyes fluttering up to look at Kyungsoo as he raised a palm above his face to cup Kyungsoo on the cheek, who was hovering just above him.

“Okay then, but how do you feel now?” Kyungsoo asked, resting his hand over Chanyeol’s and leaning into the touch of the latter’s hand gently on his face.

“It’s much better because I get to see you now,” Chanyeol half-joked, snickering a little.

“Chanyeol-,” Kyungsoo pouted, “I’m serious here because I don’t want to see you getting sick again. I don’t even know what was wrong with you there so I couldn’t do anything to help. I’d like to know now so I can do something.”

“It’s nothing too bad,” Chanyeol continued to lie, “I was probably pushing myself too hard. I didn’t even eat or drink in the days leading up to it so it’s probably that.”

“I thought so,” Kyungsoo sighed, “You don’t think I didn’t notice that you have been giving away the food I cooked for you to the brownie fairies instead? I’m your husband, you know.”

“I know, I know,” Chanyeol admitted only on that part about giving his food away, “I won’t do it next time, alright? I’ll be more careful.”

“You better be,” Kyungsoo’s frown now slowly turned into that of a smile,”-because I made some food just now and I want you to eat it before you get sick again. Are you able to get up? If you can’t, I can bring the food up here.”

“I can get up, I think,” Chanyeol affirmed, “You go on ahead first. I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Are you sure?” Kyungsoo had to ask again.

“I’m sure,” Chanyeol replied again.

“Okay then,” Kyungsoo smiled, bending over to kiss Chanyeol on the forehead, “I’ll see you in a bit.”

 

 

As Kyungsoo got off the bed and padded across the room, Chanyeol rolled over to lie down on his back and look up at the plain ceiling above him

Chanyeol had always thought that he would be in control of the situation, that if he continued to play the role of a responsible husband to Kyungsoo, he’d reap all the benefits from it which included having Kyungsoo become his personal blood source for blood magic.

Kyungsoo was essentially a good person and Chanyeol knew he had made the right decision by choosing Kyungsoo to rope in along this façade he had brought together. There was no other better sorcerer to be “married” too.

 

But while Chanyeol was still continuing that lie and still getting what he wanted out of it, he overlooked the one thing magic couldn’t control and that was his heart and his feelings.

Because as time passed and as he got to know Kyungsoo better and better, Chanyeol found himself falling in love deeper each day. If Chanyeol were to look back and ask himself why he would answer that he could just not help it.

 

After being alone for so long, surrounded by loss and the decline people similar to him each day, Chanyeol was a dying flower that couldn’t help but reach out to the first source of light and warmth that was provided to him. And that was Kyungsoo.

Even if it was a lie, even if Kyungsoo didn’t love him back, even if Kyungsoo would hate him when the truth was revealed, Chanyeol just wanted to be selfish and at least die knowing that he had found love in a dismal world where he even thought it was no longer possible.

 

 

 

That day, after Chanyeol woke up from being asleep for over a week, he decided not to open his shop and spent the entire day hanging out with Kyungsoo in their house.

Chanyeol listened as Kyungsoo talked about something funny that happened with the nymphs and the brownie fairies, loving the crease that formed around Kyungsoo’s eyes when he laughed.

Chanyeol made sure to tell Kyungsoo that he liked the food that was made for him. Chanyeol followed Kyungsoo into the garden; helping pass around tools as Kyungsoo was gardening, listening to Kyungsoo gush about the flowers that would bloom soon in the summer.

 

When the evening came, they cuddled up together in bed and read a book together after dinner. And as night approached, they were a mess of bodies and limbs intertwined with each other as they made love, chanting each other’s names like a spell before falling into one another.

Kyungsoo had no idea and Chanyeol soon learned how being happy and guilty felt like at the same time.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

The cough suppressant potions which Chanyeol brewed seemed to be working if he continued taking them religiously every few days that is. As the days passed, Chanyeol too learned how to properly manage and learn when it was time for him to throw up all the suppressed petals from his lungs.

When he could feel it coming, he would excuse himself and try to get away from Kyungsoo without raising any suspicions. So, he could go somewhere else and finally expel out all the red camellia petals in one go.

 

The petals were also worryingly becoming larger and Chanyeol wasn’t really looking forward to the day when the full flowers would be coming out from between his lips. 

As beautiful as Chanyeol had seen what camellias looked like in full bloom, it was now a grim reminder to his limited time left alive.

 

 

 

Sometime in mid to late summer, over a year since this whole charade started, Chanyeol sent Kyungsoo out on an errand to deliver a spell sealed in a scroll- which would ward off minor evil spirits  - to the old lady, Mrs. Bae, who believed in magic and often made use of Chanyeol’s services.

Chanyeol wasn’t able to go because he knew he was about to throw up the flower petals, feigning it off by saying he was too busy and locked himself in his study while making Kyungsoo run the errand for him.

 

 

It was like killing two birds with one stone. Chanyeol got to hide his disease a little longer from Kyungsoo while also getting paid for carrying out the errand for a regular customer.

 

It was supposed to be another routine delivery. Although Chanyeol usually did the job, Kyungsoo had come along with him at least twice in the past few months since he began working for Chanyeol at the antique shop.

Hence, Kyungsoo knew the route to Mrs. Bae’s and was already on his way back from her house when he walked through a quiet and deserted tunnel when it was already beginning to get dark outside.

 

 

Chanyeol always told Kyungsoo to be careful when walking outside alone because he could be attacked by supposed dark magicians who wanted to hurt him, for reasons Kyungsoo didn’t know. Before Kyungsoo left the shop, he had made sure to cast a concealment spell on himself so he would assume the appearance of some other random person for as long as the spell lasted.

Kyungsoo wore dark clothes and kept his head low as he walked with his hands in the pockets of his trousers, eager to get back to the shop as soon as possible. Even the thought of being outside alone- which he rarely did- was enough to make him feel distressed, simply because of the false alarms, which Chanyeol had planted into his head.

Kyungsoo wouldn’t even choose to take the tunnel path if it weren’t the shortest cut to get back to the shop.

 

As Kyungsoo was walking through the tunnel, the lightings on the walls vandalized with spray paint, flickered and Kyungsoo sped up his pace the moment it happened. The lightings had been fine just a moment ago and he didn’t think it was a coincidence that it was happening now out of all times.

On top of that, Kyungsoo could smell the traces of magic in the air. It was almost like a magician’s natural instinct to just know when magic was at use or in use nearby.

 

 

This smell of magic was akin to something unpleasant burning, like the hair from a human’s head. The damp air also seemed to enable to the unpleasant smell to permeate more through the surroundings. It made Kyungsoo uncomfortable because he didn’t think anything good could even come out of that.

When the lights in the tunnel shut down all at once, Kyungsoo broke into a sprint and made a mad dash for the end of the tunnel- even when the lights in the tunnel immediately turned back on.

 

 

 

Kyungsoo was so close to the end of it. He could already feel the difference in temperature from inside the tunnel when compared to outside of it. He could see the rather empty streets outside beyond the tunnel and the buildings lining it.

Just as Kyungsoo was about to exit the tunnel while still sprinting, he was pushed back by a sudden and invisible wave of force that hit him in the chest, lifting him off his feet as he was thrown back several meters into the tunnel again.

 

Kyungsoo landed on his back onto the worn asphalt road and quickly got back up again, not letting himself falter even for a second because he feared these so-called dark magicians Chanyeol told him about.

Thinking fast, Kyungsoo conjured a snake summon known as Njoka, even before his assailants could appear. As always, Kyungsoo’s summon were always harmless and Njoka was actually a snake summon that was commonly used for catching rats causing an infestation in a certain location.

Kyungsoo had the ability to conjure up greater summons and even Njoka seemed like a bad idea for the situation but it was the first and only thing he could think of at the time. Not remembering a chunk of his past and feeling like he didn’t even live through his memories certainly did hinder Kyungsoo’s ability to a great extent.

                                

 

When Kyungsoo saw the figures of someone, presumably a man, approaching him from the end of the tunnel, Kyungsoo decided to run through the other end of the tunnel only to find out that there was someone else there with seemingly hostile intentions.

The horrendous smell that reminded Kyungsoo of hair burning was growing even stronger as he was surrounded with no escape as the two men slowly approached him.

 

“I knew it. It is him,” One of the magicians spoke up, now close enough for Kyungsoo to have a closer look at his face, “When I hit Kyungsoo with the spell just now, it removed the concealment spell and revealed who he really was.”

“So it’s really the same person that is supposedly Chanyeol’s new shop assistant,” The other magician with the slightly deeper voice commented.

“I knew Chanyeol had something to do with this,” The first magician continued, “I never trusted him in the first place when he said he had no idea where Kyungsoo went.”

“So it was a good idea to follow him, after all,” The second magician added.

 

 

Kyungsoo looked back and forth at the two magicians flanking him at either side. Somehow, he was alarmed but yet also curious about their presence. Weren’t they supposed to attack him? Why were they having a discussion with him in between now of all times?

Kyungsoo had never met them before but they seemed to know of him. They got his name right too.

“Who are you? How do you know my name?” Kyungsoo sternly demanded, butting into their conversation as Njoka hissed at the first magician, baring its fangs.

“He really doesn’t remember us, does he?” The second man directed the question to the first man while pointing at Kyungsoo.

“Obviously, Chanyeol did something to him to wipe out his memory and make Kyungsoo loyal to him,” The first man answered.

“What are you talking about? Chanyeol is my husband! I won’t let you accuse him on such baseless grounds. I don’t even know who the hell you two are to just appear and say things like that,” Kyungsoo scolded, directing Njoka to attack the first magician.

 

 

Before Njoka could even bare its fangs and lurch onto the first magician, he immediately grabbed the snake summon who was just inches away from biting onto his face. After muttering a short incantation, Njoka was instantly de-summoned and vanished from the material world.

The second magician was seemingly ready to assist the first magician.

Seeing that he had the ability to de-summon, Kyungsoo instantly knew that this man was a sorcerer much like himself too. And particularly a strong one who was able to remove summons of another sorcerer so effortlessly.

 

“You’ve changed a lot, Kyungsoo,” The first magician spoke, “You really don’t remember me, do you? I’m your friend, Baekhyun.”

“-and I know you probably don’t remember me either but I’m Jongdae. We’re your friends, Kyungsoo. We’ve known each other for so long,” The second magician named Jongdae revealed, speaking as if he was so familiar to Kyungsoo.

 

When Kyungsoo heard them say out their names, his mind instantly felt blank and lost, as if he was trying hard to remember something that wasn’t there in his memories in the first place. Kyungsoo felt like he was supposed to know and remember something associated to the feeling but there was just nothing.

“I have no idea who the hell you two are,” Kyungsoo hissed, “-and I certainly don’t have any friends either. If I did, I’d remember you.”

“Chanyeol’s lying to you! If you come with us, we can show you the truth. You’re not his husband and you never were!” Jongdae claimed, emotionally, “He is just using you.”

“What are you even talking about? I’ve known Chanyeol almost all my life and we’ve been together for so long. Do you expect me to believe you two whom I’ve never met and don’t have any memory of?” Kyungsoo responded, visibly angrier.

“Look, we mean no harm,” Baekhyun held both of his hands up defensively, “Just listen to us, alright? The life you lead now is not the one that really belongs to you. Yes, your name is Kyungsoo but no you never were Chanyeol’s husband. In fact, the two of you were hardly even friends before this. You went missing over a year ago and we even thought you died but we couldn’t believe it, not until we found the evidence to prove it. We decided to look for you again one last time which led us here. We believe Chanyeol is just using you to further his own endeavors.”

“No, you’re lying,” Kyungsoo argued, “Chanyeol has never hurt or treated me badly. Neither have any idea what you are talking about.”

“Just give us a chance to prove it to you,” Jongdae expressed, distraught at Kyungsoo’s disbelief.

“I don’t need to give people like you a second of my time,” Kyungsoo stood his ground, “Chanyeol warned me about dark magicians like you who might try to lead me astray with lies and then hurt me.”

“Kyungsoo, we would never even dream of hurting you and we can prove everything to you,” Baekhyun claimed, defensively.

“No!” Kyungsoo vehemently refused, saying it out loud.

 

 

Before either Baekhyun or Jongdae could say a word further to prove their point, Kyungsoo had summoned two earth walls that rose out of the ground, breaking through the asphalt, which barricaded himself from both Baekhyun and Jongdae.

Kyungsoo didn’t wait for them to react or do something about it because he broke into another sprint, running as far as his legs could carry him while throwing small spells behind him to thwart off his would-be chasers.

 

Kyungsoo ran as far as he could, taking diversions into back alleys and waiting there until he was sure that he wasn’t followed. Only when he was sure of that did Kyungsoo finally return to the shop where Chanyeol was already waiting for him.

Chanyeol didn’t seem to know anything was wrong, not until Kyungsoo came rushing into the shop and immediately threw himself onto Chanyeol, almost in tears.

 

“They were after me today!” Kyungsoo cried into Chanyeol’s shoulder, “The dark magicians you talked about. There were two of them! One said his name was Baekhyun and the other was Jongdae. Baekhyun is a sorcerer but I’m not sure what Jongdae is.”

“How did they manage to find you? What happened to the concealment spell?” Chanyeol worried, “Did they follow you here?”

“I don’t know anything. They say they knew who I really am but nothing they said makes sense even though I get this feeling like I’m supposed to know what they’re talking about,” Kyungsoo replied, “-and no, I made sure they didn’t follow me here.”

“Did they say anything else to you? About me or about you?” Chanyeol continued to drill Kyungsoo with questions, seemingly alarmed and worried about something.

“They just said what I told you,” Kyungsoo repeated, seemingly baffled at something which he promptly brought up, “Aren’t you going to ask me how I am? Why are you not worried about me instead of these people were the ones who attacked me a year ago?”

“No, of course not,” Chanyeol was now defensive as he placed his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders, “I am worried about you for sure. I just needed to make sure that everything is safe first because I don’t want it to happen again. You know I love you, Kyungsoo.”

“Yeah…,” Kyungsoo muttered, trailing off.

 

Chanyeol went in for a hug, which Kyungsoo accepted. Chanyeol Kyungsoo on the back of his head, shushing him and letting Kyungsoo know that everything was alright now, wanting to make Kyungsoo feel as safe as possible.

But despite all the physical and verbal reassurance he was given, no matter how much he actually still believed Chanyeol, Kyungsoo could not shake off the feeling that something just wasn’t right with his life at the moment.

Even though nothing appeared “wrong” per se, Kyungsoo felt like that there was just something more going on, further than what he could see.

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

Following the run-in with Baekhyun and Jongdae, Chanyeol closed up the shop for at least a week, hiding away with Kyungsoo in their German countryside home.

Chanyeol always seemed wary of something, Kyungsoo observed. Chanyeol would draw all the curtains shut, use magic to seal all their doors and wouldn’t even let the nymphs and helper fairies enter the house.

Kyungsoo wasn’t allowed to walk near the windows and Chanyeol would insist on accompanying him when he was gardening outside, where he was even limited the time to do so whatnot with Chanyeol constantly rushing him to get back inside.

 

The perimeter around their house was relatively safe as to non-magicians; the place would appear as a thick and impassable forested area while in reality, it was actually their cozy home in the middle of a green plain.

Initially, Kyungsoo seemed to understand Chanyeol’s constant worry and fear. It seemed plausible that Chanyeol would be worried over Kyungsoo’s safety whatnot with the alleged attack upon him that left Kyungsoo severely injured over a year ago.

But when Kyungsoo asked if Baekhyun and Jongdae were the ones responsible for it, Chanyeol did not directly deny nor affirm it. He simply told Kyungsoo that they were dangerous and not the type of magicians he wanted Kyungsoo to be around with.

Kyungsoo accepted that explanation at first but he did soon begin questioning a few things.

 

 

 

While he was stuck at home, supposedly hiding away from the dark magicians with Chanyeol, Kyungsoo had a lot of time to think about it especially when he wasn’t allowed to do the things he often did to spend the time with.

Whenever Kyungsoo tried to recall Baekhyun and Jongdae’s face, tried to remember the wafting smell of burning hair in the air at the time, he was hit by a stabbing pain in his head that was centered at the back of his eye sockets.

 

Chanyeol had told Ky