Just like we had planned, we left the hotel the next morning and resumed our drive to Seoul. It took us around two hours to cover the distance on the highway and when the skyline became visible on the horizon, I was more than nervous. We stuck to the edge of the city and left the car in a parking garage underground. It was strange to be here again after everything. Now I saw this city with different eyes and no longer felt safe walking the streets. A sense of fear and paranoia was rooted deep within me and  made me feel like I was constantly pursued by someone. I kept glancing over my shoulder so often that D.O. berated me for being too obvious.

Gnawing at my lower lip, I redirected my gaze to the ground. Baekhyun heaved a sigh and linked my hand with his, prompting me to look up at him. He wore a black baseball cap that shadowed his face and concealed his unusual hair, though his horizontal scar made him stand out regardless. We couldn’t walk the streets of Seoul for too long—it was simply too risky and therefore we soon went looking for a cheap hotel. I was running low on cash and since I couldn’t withdraw money without giving away our location, we would be in trouble soon…

We entered a hotel that didn’t appear expensive from the outside, asking for four different rooms. After we paid and the receptionist handed us the keys, we separated for now, heading to our respective rooms.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, looking around. It was nothing special. There was vanity, a double bed, a desk, and two chairs as well as a small bathroom. The window was tiny and didn’t allow a great view. I laughed when I opened the curtains to stare right at the weathered wall of the next building.

“Could be worse,” Baekhyun said as he kicked the door shut behind him and put down our bags. He stretched his arms, flexed his muscles, and yawned tiredly. “Damn, it’s so exhausting to spend time in the car with these idiots,” he complained. “Does Lay ever shut up?!”

I watched him over my shoulder, a smile blossoming on my lips. “You like them, admit it for once! They’ve been helping us so much, I’m grateful to them.”

His lips formed a thin line and he crossed his arms, pointedly avoiding to look at me. “Maybe,” he said grumpily.

“Aww, come on Baek!” I smiled and walked up to him, taking his hands in mine as I glanced at him. “I  love you,” I added, knowing he liked hearing those words even if he didn’t admit it.

He looked caught off guard for a second, but then he snorted in amusement and shook his head. “You sure are something, kitten,” he said, playfully ruffling my hair with his hand.

My smile brightened and I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him, feeling his soft lips melting against mine. He cupped my cheek, his thumb ghosting over my skin in a gentle caress. “I love you too,” he breathed when he ended the kiss, his hand moving lower to rest on my hip. Red spread over my face as his piercing blue eyes studied my features, and I suddenly felt shy.

“Why are you staring?” I whined.

“Because you’re beautiful, Hyorin,” he whispered, leaning his chin on my shoulder while he embraced my body, holding me close to him. Luckily, he couldn’t see the scarlet hue spreading over my cheeks.

“You’re such a tease.”

“No, I’m being honest,” he snarked and prompted me to laugh. He let go of me and took a step back to sit on the bed, all the while glancing at me. No matter how much time I spent around him, it was still so easy to get flustered by his heavy gaze and the strong emotions swirling through his eyes.

In an attempt to distract me from my nervousness, I walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror to brush my hair. It was tangled and I didn’t like it when that happened. I moved the brush through the black strands and removed all the knots until it was shiny and soft to the touch. As I stared at my reflection, I put a smile on my lips, but it didn’t last for long, the worries within my mind chasing it away. I sighed heavily and leaned against the sink, my hands gripping its edges. If only things weren’t so difficult for us… if only my uncle hadn’t committed those crimes.

I was distracted by my gloomy thoughts and didn’t notice the evil creature crawling through the sink towards my hand. Only when the long legs of the spider touched my fingers, I saw it and froze. This was nightmare material. Disgusting.

I choked on air, madly shaking my hand while screeching like a madwoman. “Ewwwww!”

Baekhyun didn’t need two seconds to rip open the door, nearly tearing it from its hinges. He looked dead serious, his eyes piercing me as he tried to see what was wrong, but when he couldn’t, find anything, he raised his eyebrows at me.

“What the , Hyorin? Do you want me to have a heart attack?” he nagged and crossed his arms. I didn’t hesitate to hide behind him and pointed at the sink where the evil spider was crawling around like it owned the place.

“Do you see that? It’s going to kill me!”

“It’s not,” he deadpanned when he finally realized what the cause for my behavior was. “I can’t believe this. We’ve been dealing with kidnappers and armed criminals and you are scared of a tiny spider?”

“Please take care of it?”

“No.”

“Baekhyun!” I whined and clutched the back of his shirt, tugging at it impatiently.

“That’s not my job.”

“But it is! This spider is a danger!”

“You’re being overdramatic.”

I decided to use my last and most powerful weapon and glanced at him with the widest doe eyes I could pull off, adding a pout to my lips for good measure. “Please?”

A faint hue of red appeared on his cheeks that made me squeal inwardly because it looked adorable on him. “Baekhyun?” I pouted, my hands interlacing with his. He stared at me like I had hypnotized him, his blue eyes never leaving my face, darting from my eyes to my lips and back.

If this didn’t work, then I would be forced to ask D.O., Lay, or Xiumin for help since sharing the bathroom with a spider was out of the question for me. That monster was as big as my hand, no way in hell did it stay here! “If you don’t take care of it, then I’m going to ask Lay,” I said dejectedly and turned around to leave, but he caught my wrist and tugged me closer to him.

“No, I’ll do it.”

“Oh? You changed your mind?” I asked with a teasing undertone in my voice which he didn’t miss. He rolled his eyes at me, not wanting to deal with this right now.

“Shut up, Hyorin,” he grumbled and walked to the sink, grabbing the spider without batting an eye. “I don’t get why you’re making a fuss over a spider.”

I watched him walk to the window and toss it outside where it would hopefully stay. “It’s not tiny, it’s a monster!” I said in a huff.

“Mhm,” he replied, amusement shining in his blue eyes. “Is my little kitten afraid of spiders?”

He lifted me up without warning, throwing me over his shoulder. I let out a gasp, holding on to his back for dear life while I sputtered profanities at him. His hold around my waist was secure and didn’t budge despite my attempts to free myself. He walked over to the bed and threw me on the mattress, but he didn’t leave me alone for long, climbing on the bed. The mischievous spark in his eyes told me he was planning something and I soon found out what it was.

He started tickling me mercilessly, making me squirm and laugh so hard I cried tears. “Eeeek, s-stop it,” I panted, but he dodged my attempts to shove him away, never stopping what he was doing until I was so out of breath my face turned red. Only then he finally left me alone.

“You’re getting that back, Mister! I’ve never heard of a bodyguard attacking his charge,” I huffed and glared at him, though the playful smile on my lips gave away I wasn’t mad at all.

“I only want the best for you,” he retorted cockily, “And making you laugh is part of it.”

It could have sounded sweet, but not in the context of tickling me without mercy. He could be such a cheeky idiot sometimes!

I wanted my revenge and I would get it. My eyes fell on the big pillow lying within reach and I got an idea. I grabbed it, hitting him over the head with it. Feathers rained down on him, some of them getting stuck in his white hair. He looked ridiculous, especially since he gawked at me, unable to believe what I had done.

“Take this!” I shouted and cackled. “You look like a chicken now!”

His eyes narrowed and the light in the room dimmed. “What did you say?” he asked in a dangerously low tone. It sent shivers down my spine.

“You heard me, chicken,” I repeated and squeaked when he lunged at me, dodging him narrowly. I grabbed another pillow so I could attack once more.

“Hyorin,” he drawled, a sinister glint shining in his eyes. Paired with his scar and the white hair he looked scary, but I wasn’t afraid of him. “Come here!”

“Nope,” I countered and threw the pillow at him with all the force I could muster. He evaded it, climbing off the bed without letting me out of his sight. He crouched slightly, tilting his head like he couldn’t decide which way to attack me. I moved backward, not having any other pillow within reach.

“Chicken!” I yelled again and that was the moment the room was shrouded in darkness. No light remained and I couldn’t see a thing. “T-That’s cheating! You’re so mean, just because you have an ability,” I complained sulkily, hearing his chuckle reverberate around me without knowing where he was.

I strained my ears, but my loud heartbeat was the only thing I heard. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to give up easily. Thinking of another way to , the only thing that came to mind was the pillow that should be somewhere near the chairs in the room. They were behind me, but it was impossible to know where exactly I had to move.

“Want to give up and apologize?” he asked huskily, his voice being closer than before.

“No!”

He didn’t reply and I didn’t expect him to, deciding I needed to get my hands on that damn pillow. I walked backward slowly, keeping my hands stretched out so I could feel any obstacles getting in my way. Unfortunately, I didn’t count on the small coffee table to get in my way, my calves hitting against it. I gasped, losing my balance.

A hand grabbed my wrist, halting me and pulling me up in a standing position. “Got you,” a voice whispered in my ear. The light was back on just a second after and allowed me to look into Baekhyun’s eyes. He seemed annoyed, but also amused. “I can’t believe how clumsy you are.”

“Hey, that’s part of my charm!” I tried to defend myself.

He smirked. “True.”

I became flustered and he used the opportunity to lock his lips with mine, kissing me softly. I leaned into him, wrapping an arm around his neck to bury my hand in his silky hair. When I felt feathers sticking out, I grinned. I hadn’t had so much fun in a long time—and I bet it was the same for him. Warmth blossomed in my stomach as I enjoyed being close to him, feeling comfortable in his arms. By the time he broke the kiss, I was breathing heavily and could hardly focus on anything but him.

“Don’t ever call me a chicken again,” he said and rol