It had been a tiring day for Sana as one of their professors decided it was the perfect day to announce a surprise short project that they had to submit within today. Even though it was a two person project, Sana had to do it all alone, because Baekhyun had insisted that he would be her project partner, and as expected he did nothing but royally sit down beside her the whole time. She wouldn't have been so physically and mentally drained if she had another productive partner - curse Baekhyun and his stubborn for that. 

"Why are you looking at me like that, Woman?" Unable to ignore Sana's blazing glares anymore, Baekhyun asked or more like snapped. 

"Why am I looking at you like that? If it weren't for you, my day wouldn't have turned this exhausting, Man!" She hissed back, thankful that Mina wasn't there with them to witness their argument - the morning's encounter with Mina was embarrassing enough to last for a few months, she didn't need anymore. 

"Man? I have a name, Woman!" Baekhyun seemed even more irked at the use of this unusual term from the girl.

"Oh what an interesting discovery you have here! For your information, I also have a name!" She sassily pointed out, making the male go silent as he lacked an equally powerful retort. 

"Whatever… Just stop glaring at me!" Blinking his eyes while leading his gaze somewhere else so that he wouldn't have to maintain eye contact, he grumbled. 

"Why?" Sana crossed her arms proudly and followed behind the now stomping male, they were on their way to the parking lot of the campus in the first place. "Are you scared of me?" She pressed on even when his walking pace increased.

Baekhyun merely chuckled out as if he had heard something unbelievable, something really funny, "Scared? Me?" He now got back the confidence to halt and turn around to face the girl, "Of you? You are really something, Oh Sana - I mean Byun Sana!" He smirked victoriously when he used his surname on her name.

"I like my name as it is, no need to use your ugly surname, thank you very much!" She lightly pushed on his shoulder, silently urging him to not stop walking as her priority was to reach home and just slump on her comfortable bed for the night. 

"But I like your name only when it's connected with mine." 

Now it was her turn to halt and give this male a look, why did it sound like he was flirting with her? At least, it sounded cheesy as ! She felt like wanting to throw up, since she could never ever imagine Byun Baekhyun saying or doing something cheesy, it just wasn't his style - although, she didn't really know much about him and his personality let alone knowing his courting style. 

 "You-" She was about to insult him like usual, but she couldn't do it, as her subconscious gaze noticed an unusual but somehow familiar figure just a few feet away behind the male. 

"What about me? Just say what you want to say! It's not like you'd say something nice!" Baekhyun's palms went to his hips as he waited for Sana to continue. 

But the girl had her eyes wavering between Baekhyun and the face of the woman whom she had seen quite a few times since the morning. "B-Baekhyun…"

Finally, the male had managed to notice that something wasn't right, "What happened?" Yet, he asked her calmly.

"I…. I think someone has been.... f-following us since morning!" Needless to say, she wasn't comfortable with the information. Sana did notice this woman-who-was-most-probably-not-alive-anymore the moment her, Baekhyun and Mina had left their apartment building this morning; and she had also seen her during the lunch break. But back in those times, the woman wasn't in this close distance as she was now - squatting in a lonely posture just beside Sana's parked car which wasn't that far away from them. So this time, the petrified girl couldn't blatantly ignore it's existence like the earlier times.

Baekhyun followed her gaze, easily detecting the subject of Sana's sudden fearful features.  "Just ignore it. It wouldn't do anything to you."  He confidently shrugged and started walking towards the car. When he didn't feel Sana continuing behind him, he let out a half-annoyed huff and went back towards her just to not-so-roughly hold the slightly trembling girl's hand and lead her to their destination - right where the spirit of the woman was now standing. "You are really ruining my image! What would it look like to those petty spirits if the monster's bride looks so scared in front of them, huh?" He softly hissed into her ears as he guided her closer and closer to the dreaded spirit. 

"I'm not any monster like you, Baekhyun! I've got n-nothing to protect myself like yo-"

"Oh shut up, Sana. You literally have the whole of me standing with you!" Baekhyun didn't let her complete as he insisted with annoyance.

If the girl's senses weren't clouded with fright, she would've definitely again cringed hard at his words as they could be turned into something cheesy if someone wanted to. 

By the time they reached just face to face with the said spirit, it itself looked quite timid; but it still stood its ground. 

Sana was clinging to Baekhyun's arm like a goddamn koala at this point, not wanting to even look at the dreadful view right in front of her. 

"Yah! Why are you still here? Didn't I tell you to stay away from my wife if you don't want to die for the second time?" She heard the male snap at the other woman coldly. 

"I.. I'm really s-sorry, Master! Please forgive m-me! But I really need your help! P-Please!" The woman cried out, catching Sana's attention immediately. 

Baekhyun scoffed,  "Just get away before I turn your pathetic form into ashes!" and definitely warned with a finality. With a hand's gesture, he had successfully swatted the spirit away from their way. With another hand motion, he had opened the door and led Sana into the driver's seat. "It's gone. You're good. Now calm down and let's go home." He murmured after settling himself on the passenger seat. 

"Master! Please, help me! You are the only one whom I can count on for this! Please! My baby…. he needs help! I beg you, p-please!" 

Sana had barely managed to start the engine when the woman was back at the side of Sana's window and yelled brokenly for help. Baekhyun was unmoving and nonchalant, waiting for Sana to get over the shock and just drive away. But the girl beside him was unable to do anything, this time not frozen because of fear, but the spirit's pitiful whimpers and mention of her baby had melted her willingness to leave without hearing the whole story. 

"Why are you not driving? Do you want me to drive? Come, let's switch-"

"Baekhyun! Stop!" She stopped the male when he was about to go out and switch seats with her. Taking a huge gulp, she braved herself up for her next request - which she knew would just be something that she might regret later, but she would do it anyway, there's no way she could leave someone when they sounded so desperate for help, "I think you should hear her out, at least?"

"Huh? Why would I? I don't have time to do any charity!" The male scoffed. "And have you already forgotten what their kind did to you? They almost killed you!"  

Sana cowered under his heated glare, but her determination didn't waver,  "I know! You don't have to remind me! But, it wouldn't hurt to just hear what she wants to say, right?" An idea lit up her head, she bit her lips and phrased her next words carefully, making sure to bruise his gigantic ego to make it work, "Or are you just scared to face her? Are you scared of such a petty spirit, Byun Baekhyun?" 

And that did the work, just like Sana had presumed.

That's how Sana found herself driving her car with an additional guest sitting behind her, while Baekhyun sat beside her with the biggest scowl in his face, definitely not pleased with the situation. 

Even though her fingers trembled every time she'd even think that a freaking spirit was just a few inches behind her and it could attack her at any moment, she still pushed herself to keep going. Maybe somewhere in the corner of her mind, she knew that when the said grumpy monster was here with her, nothing could harm her. 

                                             ______

"Alright, spill and just leave!" Upon reaching inside their apartment, Baekhyun slumped onto their couch in the living room and gave the other woman a bored look. 

Sana tentatively sat beside Baekhyun - at other times, she would've gone for any other couches there than the one which would lead her to sit with this man, but right now she felt the safest place was definitely the place nearest to him. She also gestured the spirit to take a seat on the opposite couch, not knowing how else to welcome such a non-human guest to her house. 

"T-Thank you, ma'am!" It sat down on the ground instead, managing to look grateful even with her distorted features.

"Sana. It's Sana. Please call me by my name!" Sana immediately let the other woman know. Baekhyun must be cocky enough to be habituated to hearing someone calling him Master, but she wasn't like him, it was hella uncomfortable. 

"You're wasting my time here!" Baekhyun again reminded the spirit, looking like he was this close to just leaving. 

"S-Sorry, Master." 

Sana gave her husband a light glare for being this rude to someone who at present didn't look like any threat. "Stop it! I'll talk to her!" When the male only grumbled some incoherent curses under his breath but didn't make any other sound, she then turned back to the awaiting figure, "Okay, I will listen to what you have to say. But can you please tell me your name first?" It felt really awkward and rude to address some as a 'Spirit' or something like that, so she needed to at least know her name.

"I'm Kim Sooyoon." The woman murmured, looking baffled that someone was still polite enough to ask her name, even if she was just a roaming dead person now. 

"Thanks, Sooyoon. Now you can tell us what help you were talking about?" Sana encouraged Sooyoon, now the previous fear was almost dissipated from her system. 

Sooyoon nodded, her eyes turned grim again, as if she was again reminded of something utterly sorrowful. "I need help for my baby, Sojun. He is just four years old, a little baby with no more guardian to shelter him from this cruel world. I used to be a single mom. So, there's no one here whom I can trust my child with." A few drops of tears fell from her eyes as she started describing her situation, "H-He will die without food and proper care if someone doesn't help him!"

Sana's heart clenched hearing these, she couldn't even imagine being so little and having no one to even feed her!  "What about his father?" She tried to think as rationally as she could, even though she knew sometimes the question regarding the child's father might be a sensitive issue for single mothers. 

"He never wanted my child in the first place. He had found another woman the moment I left him after refusing to abort. And moreover, he's an alcoholic and self-centered bastard. Sojun wouldn't have a good environment even if his father somehow agrees to take him in."  Sooyoon added her side of explanation.  "This is why...this is probably why I couldn't go to the afterlife even after dying. I have heard that people who have unfinished wishes and extremely unbreakable bonds in this life or something they are hellbent on doing even after their death, usually they are the one to become spirits. I… I need to see my child in safe hands, otherwise I wouldn't be able to l-leave.."  

Sana angled her face so that Baekhyun wouldn't see her wiping her tears, she was a woman herself and she could definitely feel how heart wrenching it was to talk about something like this - if she was ever going to become a mother, she would also give her everything to keep her baby safe. 

"Then why were you with those evil ones, doing exactly what an evil spirit does?" Finally, Baekhyun spoke up, asking his query with a pissed frown.

"I was lost, very lost how to do anything after realizing my doom, my death. And I happened to stumble into one of them. They had offered me to join their team, in exchange of teaching me how things work for spirits, they wanted me to help them in their various tasks. I was grateful to them because I managed to learn how to possess a human body and used that opportunity to go see my boy and take care of him like this for a whole month already. But later, when their tasks started getting more dangerous - even life threatening to human beings, I wanted to leave them. But...they are so evil, they had threatened me to harm my baby if I betrayed them! That's why I need y-your help, Master!" Sooyoon clarified even more, making things make sense to both Baekhyun and Sana. 

"But how can Baekhyun help you?" Sana, who didn't have much knowledge regarding their world, asked, curious and eager. She dearly hoped she could also contribute some aid here.  "Do you have anyone whom you can count on for taking care of Sojun?"

"I have a sister, my elder sister who lives in the States with her family. I have contacted her and she has assured me that she will be here within one week to get Sojun."  Sooyoon murmured, her dull eyes reflecting tine sprinkles of hope.  "I need Master Baekhyun's help until then." 

"How did your sister react when she got to know she was speaking with your spirit?" Sana blabbered out her question even before she could measure the sensitivity of her query inside her mind first. She winced and hoped she didn't offend Sooyoon.

Sooyoon merely let out a solemn smile, "I talked to her when I was possessing someone, I pretended to be my friend and let her know about my death as well as my baby boy's circumstances. Actually, initially, I was too greedy and selfish to let go of my son. I was okay with using others' bodies to be with Sojun. But ever since I've offended the leader of the evil spirit gang I work with, I just know my child isn't safe anymore. It's a very tough decision to make, but now I will be sufficed just by knowing my son is far away from here and safe." 

"Uhh so... do you like want Baekhyun to fight with t-that leader so that he wouldn't be able to harm Sojun?" Sana timidly asked, not liking her assumption at all. It's not like she cared about Baekhyun, she just didn't like violence. 

"Bring that little to me, I'll just finish it off in a second." Baekhyun crossed his leg over his other one proudly, and rendered.

Sooyoon's eyes widened as she shook her head violently, "N-No, Master! He isn't any typical weak spirit like me or others! He is v-very dangerous. I don't want you or Sana to get hurt while trying to help me. I just want- I mean I just need you to keep Sojun with you until my sister arrives here and takes him back to the States. That's it." She pleaded earnestly.

                                            ______

"Are you being serious? I'm not doing it! I'm not a freaking babysitter!" Baekhyun protested for the hundredth time ever since Sooyoon had left the apartment to let them decide her child's fate, and ever since Sana had declared to him that she wanted to help Sooyoon and her son. Now, his constant naggings and whines were pushing Sana to the limits of her patience. 

"Okay, fine then!" She gritted out loudly, causing an immediate pause to the male's annoying blabbers, creating a silence full of suspense. "You know what, I really thought you had some leftover humanity in you when you had saved me and later took care of me, but I guess I was just wrong. You were and you will remain the utmost selfish guy I've ever known!" She burst out at him, nostrils flaring as she kept feeding him her disa