It seemed like a good idea at the time, which is how a lot of Baekhyun’s schemes are.

Now, he—and Jongdae, by extension—are fleeing for their lives and liberty, going deeper into the old house and closing doors behind them to put as much between themselves and Chanyeol’s shrieks as possible.

“Uh oh, end of the line.” Baekhyun opens a door, just to see the garden, and closes it again. He spies the wall of closet space and starts to haul one open. “In here!” The door is heavy, swollen from the humid weather or general disuse.

Inside is dark, dusty, and crammed full of extra bedding and forgotten clothing.

The perfect place to hide.

Like a rabbit entering its den, Baekhyun dives among the futons and forges a path.

Like Alice following the White Rabbit, Jongdae enters after. They’d fit better if they were a decade or so younger, but they don’t mind the closeness.

Baekhyun can’t stop giggling; Jongdae puts his hands over the other boy’s mouth and shrieks when a wet tongue touches his fingers.

“That’s gross!” Jongdae whines, swiping his hand down Baekhyun’s arm, returning the germs.

“That’s what you get for trying to shush me!”

“You’re gonna get us caught!” Jongdae whines.

Baekhyun blows a raspberry and starts shouldering aside more piles of heavy futons. “Let’s just get to the very back. Chanyeol won’t try to push all these aside; it’s too much work for his lily-white hands…” Jongdae follows, catching the dense material before it can bury him.

With his usual tenacity, Baekhyun plows ahead, delving deeper and deeper and mystifying Jongdae more and more. Just how deep is this closet? And why is it getting so cold?

“What the…” Jongdae nearly face-plants in Baekhyun’s . He shoulders him aside and gapes at the scene before them—

“This is a weird closet.”

Jongdae nods. There’s no better description of what they’ve left.

Behind him, he still feels the robes and futons, but there are also low tree branches and snow.

All before them lays a thick carpet of snow. Pine needles peek out, looking like dragon fruit seeds. Overhead is a canopy of reaching, bare limbs with slips of frost. Pine are decorated with ice-encrusted needles.

Baekhyun ventures ahead, mouth open in amazement. “Dude...where are we?”

“Let’s go back,” Jongdae whines, wiping snow from his knees before it melts into the denim. “This is too weird.”

“I see a light!” Like a dog let off its leash, Baekhyun runs off on his own, and Jongdae immediately follows.

The light is stationary, not getting any brighter once they finally break into a clearing and discover a tall lantern made from weathered stone.

It looks like something from an old Buddhist temple. The fire box has four holes, and each hole shows the fire inside burning a different color.

“Somehow, I’m disappointed,” Baekhyun remarks. He circles the lantern one way, then the other, and even tries to climb on top of it, until Jongdae grabs the hem of his shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“I want a better look.”

“Of what? All the trees?” Throwing his arm out, Jongdae looks at the trees. All of the trees. Surrounding them.

No robes or old futons.

No footprints except for around the lantern.

“See if you can spot the closet,” Jongdae says, boosting Baekhyun onto the umbrella of the lamp and holding his legs. “We should go home.”

Even on his toes—nearly falling and dropping back on Jongdae—Baekhyun only sees trees and snow. He doesn’t remember what color the flame was when they approached. Taking off a short distance and circling around, he sees nothing familiar and returns to Jongdae with worry etched around his eyes and mouth.

“I think we’re lost…”

Jongdae rubs his arms and shivers. “No .” He doesn’t help Baekhyun back onto the lantern; Baekhyun manages on his own, although he thinks he feels his jeans tear a little.

There’s got to be a way to find the weird closet again. If they came out of it, logic suggests they can go back the same way.

What was the thing about lichen? It grows on the north side of trees...or was that something about shadows from the sun?

The trees are all snowy, anyway, and it’s hard to tell if it’s actually night or not, with the constant snow from the thick clouds overhead.

He nearly falls when Jongdae grabs his ankle. Rather than apologize, Jongdae hisses at him to be quiet.

“I think I hear someone…”

They do hear Someone, and Someone walks from among the trees with an umbrella, wearing a patchy fur coat.

Baekhyun jumps from the lantern, frightening Someone, who drops their umbrella.

Someone is a very strange person. His patchy fur coat is just that—fur covers their entire lower half—including his long tail—and most of his back, over his shoulders and chest. A human face boasts an angled jaw and soft eyes, then furry, triangular ears stand up from his thick hair.

He looks a lot like a dog walking on its hind legs.

Jongdae moves first, bowing, and Baekhyun follows suit before bouncing upright and smiling brightly. “Hello!”

“Hello…” Someone bows jerkily, tail swaying back and forth.

“I’m Baekhyun; this is Jongdae. Do you live here? Could you help us? Are you ? It’s so cold. Where are we?” Jongdae nudges Baekhyun; he’s an insufferable chatterbox.

After a moment of looking between them, Someone smiles, and his tail wags. “I can help you! I’m Jongin; come with me.” He retrieves his umbrella and closes it; the snow has stopped falling enough to just be dust in the frigid air.

He only has one arm, Jongdae notices.

“I live a little ways away. We’ll have some hot chocolate to warm up.”

Baekhyun bounds ahead to walk beside Jongin. Jongdae hangs back a little and watches the lantern light fade as they walk deeper into the trees. He’s grateful for the help, but meeting a...whatever Jongin is...rather than another human is more than a little disconcerting. Although Baekhyun can and will try to befriend everyone, not everyone is the befriending sort or welcomes the attention.

“We’re almost there,” Jongin says. He lifts a snow-laden branch with his umbrella and holds it for his guests, although it’s more in his way than theirs.

His home is built into a large hill of earth and rocks. More than a cave but not exactly a house like anything they’ve seen in Seoul. Inside is cozy and dry, with rough walls but rugs on the floor and lots of shelves attached to the walls. Most of the shelves are filled with books, although there are pots with small plants as well, trying to stay green and warm. At the opposite end of the room is a fireplace with a white shaggy dog curled in front of the dancing fire.

“Sehun,” Jongin pokes the dog with his umbrella as he unwinds his scarf. “This is Baekhyun and Jongdae.”

Sehun the dog opens his eyes, wags his tail once, and tucks his head back between his forelegs and appears to go to sleep.

“He doesn’t like the cold, so he’s always like that, now.” Gesturing, Jongin invites them to sit while he goes to a kitchenette for a couple of kettles. After filling them with snow, he hangs them over the fire. From a shelf of jars and canisters, he sniffs the contents of one, sneezes over his shoulder, and returns with it and a couple of spoons.

“Where are you from?” Jongin drops spoonfuls of brown powder into either mug, along with smaller amounts of something aromatic and spicy.

“Seoul, except we just came from a place we rented for vacation. We came here from the closet.”

“The...The closet?” The kettles whistle as steam erupts from their spouts. Sehun moans and rolls onto his side.

“We don’t get it, either,” Jongdae adds. If he doesn’t stop Baekhyun, he’ll give away their entire biographies, addresses, and credit card numbers. “The house is big and old; we found a back room that didn’t look like it’s used much, and after crawling through the closet...ended up here. We found the lantern and then you found us.”

“That is interesting.” Finishing the drinks, Jongin hands a mug to either guest. “The spices add a little something. If you don’t like it, I can make some plain.”

Murmuring thanks, both Jongdae and Baekhyun hover over the hot drinks, feeling the tingling of their cheeks fad as they warm up with the curls of steam.

Jongdae sees Jongin sit on a worn armchair to the side of the fireplace. The light reddens his fur and throws deep shadow over his face and body. “You’re not having any?”

“The cold doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.” Rubbing the remains of his missing arm, he smiles softly. “Please, drink and relax.”

Along with the scent of cocoa, there’s a sweet, woody fragrance. It’s not bad. It’s actually quite good, and they both drink slowly as they regain feeling in their limbs and sit heavier with exhaustion.

Baekhyun doesn’t even finish his drink; he’s just so sleepy. His arms slowly lower to his lap, and there’s a hope in the back of his mind that he doesn’t spill anything on himself, but then he’s asleep and sliding over to Jongdae’s shoulder.

Jongin takes the mugs before they can fall. They’re both deep asleep, and he sighs.

Behind him, Sehun sits up with a stretch. “You’re not really going to give them to the Wizard, are you?”

A log breaks in the fireplace; Jongin jumps. “What choice do I have?”

“He may not know about them, yet. They’re probably not who he’s even looking for. He said four.” Sniffing their knees, he his nose and looks at his friend. “You can still let them go home.”

“But if he finds out…” His missing arm aches.

Sehun pushes his head beneath the stump of Jongin’s arm. “But you’re still a good person, Jongin. You know this is wrong.”

“What if he finds out?”

“Is it their problem?”

The spell is a simple one, broken in a few different ways. Rather than roll them around in the snow, like Sehun suggests, Jongin gets another powder and blows it off his palm.

Jongdae wakes with a mighty sneeze, lurching forward and dropping Baekhyun behind him. “Ouch.”

“Why are you complaining, when you didn’t fall between a bony back and old sofa?”

Jongin forces a smile. “You were so exhausted you fell asleep. We thought you could rest a bit before going home. The snow has stopped for now, but it’ll start up again, soon.”

“We don’t know the way…” Baekhyun yawns, “back, though.”

“Sehun will help. He can track anything, even without magic.”

“You have magic?”

Faltering, Jongin shrugs and laughs unconvincingly. “I don’t—Not exactly. It’s not really mine; I borrowed it, but anyway—” He whistles, and the shaggy dog rolls to his feet with a dramatic groan. “We’re going outside, Sehun!” Before he finishes his sentence, Sehun is at the door, more awake and nearly dancing in place.

“At least something’s familiar here,” Jongdae mutters.

The lantern must be a common landmark. Jongin finds it easily. He explains his plan to Sehun, who seems to understand. Maybe he’s trained well, or maybe they have a special bond, being dog and dog-like.

Sehun sniffs both Jongdae and Baekhyun—thoroughly—then starts at the lantern. Walking around it full-circle, he makes wider arcs outwards until he’s in the trees.

“What are we going to do if he doesn’t find the way back?” Baekhyun whispers. He sees Jongin’s ears rotate and flatten to his hair. He probably heard Baekhyun. “We can’t just wander around the forest forever.”

“Someone will look for us.”

“We don’t even know where we are! If that closet is some type of magic, what’s to say it’s not like some portal that only opens certain times, on certain days, or for certain people?” He’s usually a forcefully positive person, but something about the heavy stillness is deafening. He doesn’t like hearing his heartbeat or their shifting weight compacting the snow.

“Please—” Jongin flinches when they look at him. “I’m sorry, just...please, rely on Sehun. He will find your way home.”

Finally, Sehun barks. He’s beside a tree marked with yellow snow.

“Classy, Sehun.” The dog rolls his eyes, and Jongin points into the trees. “Keep walking in that direction, and you’ll be back in no time.”

“Thank you so much! I can’t wait to get home and thaw, and I have this good boy to thank!” Baekhyun ruffles the dog’s ears, and Jongin laughs when Sehun’s rear leg starts to kick. Straightening, Baekhyun smiles at Jongin. “Thank you, too, Jongin.” He cautiously raises a hand, and Jongin ducks his head, allowing his ears to be scratched. They’re softer than they look. “You didn’t have to help us.”

Jongdae hears a sniffle and immediately scolds Baekhyun. “You’re hurting him!—”

“No! No, I’m fine.” He uses his scarf to wipe his face, pink and wet with tears. “It’s not that. You’re just being too kind. I don’t deserve it.”

He’s modest, Baekhyun thinks. Jongdae thinks he’s hiding something.

Sehun and Jongin both straighten, ears alert. They look ready to bolt.

“There you are!” Bursting from beneath a low pine, Chanyeol releases the branch and slingshots snow that flutters down the back of his neck and down his shirt. His hair is a lovely shade of fire engine red—the reason Jongdae and Baekhyun hid in a closet. They replaced Chanyeol’s usual conditioner with tinted product. He’s wearing a futon like a cape and looks ridiculous. “Where are we?”

“Iseung.”

Baekhyun and Jongdae exchange looks but shrug. They hadn’t asked.

“This is the weirdest closet ever. I don’t understand it, but it’s freezing, and I don’t like it.” Chanyeol stuffs his hands as far into his pockets as he can while keeping the futon tucked around him. “Let’s just get home, okay? Where’s Kyungsoo?”

Baekhyun stops packing a snowball and looks at Jongdae. “He’s not with us…” Looking back at Chanyeol, he tries to ignore the nervous shiver from his spine. “He’s not with you?”

“No. I assumed he ran off with you guys, because I couldn’t find him in the house or garden.”

Jongin flinches when they all look at him, and his tail curls around his leg.

“Have you seen a guy a bit shorter than him,” Chanyeol points to Baekhyun, “with a shaved head and glasses?”

Rather than answering the question, Jongin stares wide-eyed. “There’s four of you...?” he breathes in apparent horror.

“This complicates things a little,” Sehun remarks.

“The dog talks?” Chanyeol whispers.

“The dog talks!” Baekhyun shouts.

“Shut up,” Jongdae hisses.

Facing Sehun, Jongin seems ready to cry again. “Their friend is somewhere in Iseung. If the White Wizard finds him first—”

Jongdae frowns. “Who’s the White Wizard?”

“He’s the reason for this winter. Everyone is hiding from him and his winter.”

“His winter? This isn’t just...normal winter weather?”

“It’s supposed to be summer. Even in winter, we never get snow in this region.”

“I guess it’s a good change for the holidays.”

“No.” Sehun shakes his head sadly. “There are no holidays. There are no celebrations. There is no happiness since the White Wizard came here.”

“So he’s a bad guy.”

“Very. He’s the one who took Jongin’s arm. Disobey him, and he’ll turn you into a statue of ice.”

Jongin picks up the narrative, slouching and holding himself to appear smaller. “He’s looking for humans. If your friend is here, the White Wizard will be looking for him.” His tail tucks more firmly between his legs. “I’m sorry…”

 

Kyungsoo has no fear of Chanyeol’s temper. It’s nearly nonexistent, and he’s also too afraid of Kyungsoo to actually attempt retribution.

Baekhyun is the more troublesome of their group, and Jongdae somehow goes along with his ideas and plans, if only to be sure Baekhyun doesn’t hurt himself.

When he can’t find either, Kyungsoo looks in less obvious places. A closet in one of the bedrooms is open; some smaller boxes have spilled out, and there’s a suspiciously wide space between the piles of futons on the bottom.

“What are you, six?” Kyungsoo grumbles and kneels on the floor. He can’t see the back and doesn’t get a response when he calls either Jongdae or Baekhyun’s names. “If you’re hiding just to try and scare me, I’ll kick both your asses…”

Bits of gritty debris dig into the palms of his hands, and he wipes dust bunnies onto his jeans as he follows the path his stupid-silly friends forged.

He wonders just how big this closet even is. It feels as though he should’ve crawled across an entire room yet still hasn’t met a wall.

Stranger still, there’s a cold breeze from ahead of him. He can’t have gotten turned around—there’s no room.

When he finally crawls into a thin blanket of snow, he thinks he’s dreaming.

But it’s cold, and pine needles poke his hands and knees when he pushes himself to his feet.

The air is still, heavy with snow like the trees around him. When he shouts for his friends, his voice doesn’t go very far.

Turning, the closet is still there. It’s somewhat hidden, so he pulls some of the futons out. They can be washed. Someone’s old clothes are a little ways inside, and he grabs something warm.

Wherever he is, it’s obviously winter, and his friends are somewhere in it. He only has half a mind to leave them and wait in the house, but better sense—and greater curiosity—draw him farther into the trees.

Ahead, a light burns. There are no prints around it, but Baekhyun and Jongdae aren’t as dumb as Kyungsoo likes to tell them they are; they should have found the lantern, if it’s lit all the time.

He doesn’t see footprints, however. The new snow may have covered them.

There’s obviously no one around here, so Kyungsoo picks a direction and forges ahead. He should come across some sort of sign or cottage sooner or later.

Later, he hears voices. They don’t sound familiar, but he can ask them if they’ve seen either of his friends.

Following the sound around some trees and over a small hill, he slips and falls flat on his back. His head strikes a frozen root, and bells ring in his ears. They get louder, along with a constant shushing sound, like a sled over the snow.

A horse leans over him, blowing in his face. Kyungsoo hurriedly sits up and immediately regrets it.

When the world stops spinning around him, he takes in the team of elegant, winged horses stomping and snorting before an immaculate white sleigh. The person holding the reins drapes them over the front of the sleigh and cautiously approaches Kyungsoo.

“Are you alright?”

His head aches. There is going to be an impressive goose egg; he can already feel it. “I’ll be okay. I was just— I’m looking for my friends, and I slipped?” It’s not meant to be a question, but once he finally looks at the Good Samaritan, it’s hard to think coherently, concussed or not.

Their smile is gentle, cool, but not unkind. So close, Kyungsoo notices fractal patterns around their eyes and how their light eyelashes seem to catch and keep the snowflakes. The hair that peeks from beneath their thick fur cap is so pale it’s nearly white.

“There are more of you?” A strange way of putting it, but before he can say anything, Kyungsoo is helped to his feet. “Let’s look after you, first. That must have been a nasty fall; we’ll get you warmed up, and you can tell me about your friends. Maybe I can help you find them.”

It’s the best offer Kyungsoo’s gotten since leaving the closet. He’s grateful for the stranger’s help.

The sleigh is wider than it had looked, accommodating driver and passenger comfortably.. With a heavy blanket pulled over his lap, and some sort of fur taken from over the stranger’s own shoulders, Kyungsoo warms quickly.

“I’m Kyungsoo, by the way. Thank you for helping me.”

“My name is Minseok.” They smile and snap the reins. “Hold on, please.”

The horses take off at a brisk trot that quickens to a canter. Wings unfurling, they push down with a mighty flap and lift the sleigh from the snow. Climbing over the treetops, Kyungsoo can only hang onto whatever he possibly can—his seat and Minseok.

Looking down, the forest is massive and seems to go on forever, silent and sleeping under the snow.

They fly north, and Kyungsoo settles more comfortably as he gets used to the motion of a flying sleigh, willing his head to stop throbbing and completely unaware of the plan beneath the frosted canopy to find him as well as the plot to capture his friends hatching beside him.

---

a/n: Written for EXOSeasonal Fest. (prompt no.659 )

Rather than copy the movie closely, my plan was to approach it with Korean religion and mythology in mind. It got out of hand and nearly became total nonsense.

As far as roles go: Chanyeol: Peter, Jongdae: Susan, Kyungsoo: Edmund, Baekhyun: Lucy, Minseok: White Witch, Jongin: Mr Tumnus (as the Samjokgu (three-legged dog that guides people and distinguishes gumiho, travels with a Sapsali companion, Sehun, that dispels evil spirits). No one else makes their appearance, because I'm terrible with time management. Finally, rather than "Narnia," the setting is Iseung, meaning “this world."