The moment Baekhyun stepped off the plane, he felt a wave of energy flowing through his limbs, making it seem as though he was walking on clouds. Even the air he breathed in felt different. Grinning widely from ear to ear, he eagerly collected his luggage and sped-walked towards the exit. Behind him, Chinsun strolled leisurely, almost languidly.

“How do you have so much energy?” Chinsun chuckled, shaking her head at how Baekhyun reminded her of an overexcited beagle. “My joints are so sore from sitting in a cramped space for too long.”

“You sound like a grandma.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you’re not actually the same age as Granny Im? How can you complain so much after just a couple of hours on a plane? Gosh, Jongdae’s whininess must have rubbed off on you.”

The words shot out of Baekhyun’s mouth like bullets, with no pause for a breather. Chinsun’s mouth opened and closed but no sound was produced.

“Cat got your tongue?” Baekhyun teased, his eyes glistening under the sunlight peaking through the glass walls of the airport.

“I’m letting you off this time because I’m nice,” Chinsun huffed, purposefully bumping into Baekhyun’s shoulders as she walked past him.

“Sure, sure,” Baekhyun giggled. “I suppose I should thank you. I’m sure it’s the magic of your kimchi that enchanted my parents, which in turn allowed me to return sooner rather than later.”

“You better show your gratitude,” Chinsun responded in a haughty tone.

“Yes madam,” Baekhyun exclaimed while mimicking a military style salute.

Jokes aside, Baekhyun felt immense gratitude towards Chinsun. After the whole ordeal of the toilet spirit and the book signing event and gifting the kimchi to his parents, Chinsun revealed that she had booked an open-return ticket; meaning she was planning to stay in Seoul for as long as Baekhyun was; she was going to stay in order to return home with him; she was there to take him home.

Smiling tenderly to himself, Baekhyun caught up with Chinsun and gave her a side glance, taking in her profile. The sun grazed her delicate skin, adding a healthy glow to her otherwise haunting aura full of mystique. Having her by his side was truly a great fortune that Baekhyun was willing to spend countless lifetimes to repay.

Baekhyun was pulled out of his reverie for the girl all too soon however when an all too familiar high pitched voice pierced through the air and aimed for his eardrums directly.

“Byun Baekhyunnieeee! Kwon Chinsunnieeee! Welcome home my darlings!!!” Jongdae hollered as he skipped out of the car, jumping on the spot and waving his arms around like a fool.

Chinsun and Baekhyun both froze in their steps. Chinsun choked on her saliva, a rash of crimson painting her face and ridding her of her usual calmness. Sure, she was used to appearing crazy while handling spirits and goblins, she was accustomed to performing bizarre rituals and spraying water around regardless of who was around, she had no problem chanting indecipherable scriptures in the middle of a busy street. What was outside of her depth however was being subjected to Kim Jongdae’s embarrassing remarks. This was not something Chinsun experienced often as she usually remained in the sidelines and observed Jongin being the target of Jongdae’s troll-like behaviours.

Interestingly, Baekhyun was the calmer one of the two. It was as though their personalities had been switched. Thus as Chinsun looked like she wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide in there, Baekhyun raised an eyebrow and stared bluntly into Jongdae’s eyes.

“It’s you,” Baekhyun stated in a monotonous tone.

“I’m offended,” Jongdae gasped, dramatically slapping a hand over his chest. “I took time off work to give you guys a ride home and this is how you react to my warm welcome and generosity?”

“You’d have to be working first in order to take time off work,” Baekhyun snorted, ignoring Jongdae’s glare as he slipped into the car. “Thanks for putting the luggage away. Since you’re so generous and all.”

Jongdae gawked at his supposed best friend and stared at the discarded suitcase before turning towards Chinsun.

“What has Seoul done to him?”

Chinsun shrugged her shoulders . She then gave Jongdae a sympathetic pat on the back before joining Baekhyun in the car.

Needless to say, the car journey back was far from being quiet and peaceful. Nothing could possibly stop Jongdae from talking and Baekhyun was all too eager to compete with him on who could utter the most nonsense in the span of one car ride Chinsun gazed out the window and playfully covered her ears to buffer the chatter while occasionally spying on the two best friends. When she did so, her lips could not help but curl in a motherly smile.

When Chinsun returned her attention to the scenery outside, she realised although it was a familiar street rolling out in front of them, it was the wrong one. Instead of the convenience store with obnoxious neon lights, it was the elegant Kim Funeral Home next to the mo