( eighteen)

It has been a day, but Kai is still in care of Miyoung. He attempted to straighten his back to lean on Miyoung's white couch, and tried to stop himself from coughing but out of effort it didn't. Instead, his coughing got even worse – more of like catching a real fever for humans. But there was a slight difference that an alien can tell. 

"Kai.. ", Miyong’s eyes widened, seeing a part from Kai's chest (that was seen bare at the time) glowing, out of nowhere. 

"It's the code."

"Code?", she reiterated.

He slid his fingers onto it and covered the part where the glowing thing comes out. "It's a schedule. My schedule on this Earth.", Miyoung was shot for the moment, processing what Kai said. "Roughly, I have 900 galacies. It means 3 more months."

"So.. after you.. spend three more months here, you'll go back to EXO?", she can't help but to ask. 

"That's if I don't complete the mission. And that’s if I don’t find the three.", he docked towards his chest and when he removed his hand, no more scars of light were visible. 

She was bothered. What will be his punishment if he will fail.

What Kai doesn't know is that Miyoung took the risk to go to Earth to see him; to see if he does well. He doesn't know why or when she decided on that. He didn't even know her fully. Miyoung was quite the non-showy type of person, but when she decided on something, she deals with it wisely.  

"Right.", she delivered in an agreeing tone. 

Kai cleared his throat. 

"Look!", full of excitement, Miyoung pointed at an article and read it out loud. "If an alien experiences severe pain in the chest and skin desaturates, follow procedure number three.." 

"Are you sure it's a reliable source?", Kai deeply announced. 

"Well it says here."

---

Chanyeol decided to go home since it’s late. He walked alone with his sports bag slung on his arm. He kept on looking at the perfect ground, and kicked a pebble. He wanted to scream, and be punished.

His eyes were irritated by the feel of guiltiness and sorrow that filled his chest. ‘Why did you do that Chanyeol?’ Ara’s face flashed out of nowhere. “I’m sorry.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Kids these days.”, an old lady responded, not having a hint of what Chanyeol was sorry about.

Chanyeol bowed at her and scratched his nape afterwards.

He shrugged his head, aiming to forget the incident, but it didn’t help even a little. When the time he stepped in his home, he had to urge to the shower to tow away the chlorine smell his body has.

After it, he arranged his bag and put away the swimming shorts he wore for their match. Chanyeol dried his hair using a towel. Like every day’s, he slumped onto his couch and flipped on the channels but still it didn’t hinder him for thinking about Ara.

He wanted to say ‘sorry’ and see her smiling face again. He was very, very sorry and very naïve too of Ara’s condition.

---

The next day, Miyoung took the lead in overseeing her friend. She thought Ara would like it if she will arrange a little surprise. She planned to make her lunch since Bulgogi was her favorite and Ara’s, too.

“Miyoung.”, her name was called. She forgot that Kai was staying in her personal space for the past three days. “Yes?”, she turned back as she was stoned at the moment.

“Were you heading for school?”

“Yeah.”, Kai wore a nice plain three-fourths coated with pink. She never thought pink would suit Kai. “How ‘bout you?”

was half-open, chewing the little chunks of beef she tasted for her later lunch date with her lovely friend – Ara.

“What’s that?”, Kai was curious as he entered Miyoung’s small kitchen.

“Food.”

“Wow. I never knew you would be this sweet.. ”, as Kai attempts to pick his chopsticks. But his hand was hit by the other.

“It’s for Ara.”

---

Miyoung patiently waited for Ara to come to class. She was there in their classroom five minutes before the bell rang. It was strange and it wasn’t a normal day.

‘Is it because I am absent for the past three days?’  She questioned herself. “Oh no. Homeworks.”, shot, she rose from her seat and texted Ara to check if there are. Hastily, she waited for her reply. But even Ara’s shadow neither entered her sight.

At lunch, Miyoung pursued to send her text messages and called her number to catch things between them.

On the other day Ara was alone, but today Miyoung was the one. “Come on Ara. I don’t want my surprise to fail.”, she mumbled in her thought.

Fifteen minutes have passed. Miyoung was hopeless, more of desperate to see her friend even this once. She spun around the four corners of the canteen, looking for Ara. “Is she mad at me?”

“It can’t be. Ara is not that type.”, she shook her head upon the thought.

Then suddenly, a tall man sat in front of where her table was. He was quiet, and maybe a little tired. Miyoung can’t be wrong. She knew him. She knew who he was because of Ara.

“Right! Chanyeol!”

She tapped on one of his shoulders to call his attention. “Hey, I hate to destroy your appetite but have you seen Ara?”

Chanyeol paused his eating and dropped his sandwich. Several students passed by and looked at him without hesitation. They even whispered things in front of him. Some made faces. Hearing her name being called reminisced the last time of their encounter. He gulped, and only taking a pause from his eating was what he can do.  

---

“Where are you going? Aren’t you informed that cutting class is a major offense?”, Kai stopped Miyoung upon seeing her getting her things out of her locker during lunch time.

“I don’t care. If only I could be absent again for this day it’s okay.”

“What?”

She walked in a fast pace. But in the middle, she was stuck – being blocked by Kai.

“Okay, but tell me where are you going.”

“To Ara.”, a sheen of tears covered her eyes as she pronounced her name.

“She’s in a hospital, unconscious. I might not see her again if I don’t..”

“Wait,” not finishing her sentence, Kai declared. “I’m coming with you.” He was in the middle of confusion, and finding out the truth will set his questions be answered.  

He cleanly swept his things out of his locker as fast as he can. “Let’s go.”

“Are you serious?”, Miyoung surprisingly asked him out of her consciousness.

“Of course.”

They took a cab for convenience purposes. Glad to know, Kai was a pro in shifting the guards’ attention so they smoothly got out of the school premises without getting noticed.

“Take the route on the left. It would take us faster to the hospital.”

At the sea of cars, Kai thought that they would be smudged by the heavy traffic so he advised the driver of the cab. He was indeed knowledgeable about streets; one of the things Miyoung didn’t thought him of having.

After swiftly making it to the hospital where Ara was confined, Miyoung gathered herself to the concierge.

“Excuse me, where’s the room of Miss Yoo Ara?”

“Yoo Ara?”, the nurses’ kept looking at each other like they didn’t heard that name before.

“Yoo Ara”, Miyoung described Ara’s features but the nurses seemed to be ignorant of who she was talking about. “Oh no,” she checked her phone and dialed Chanyeol’s phone number to confirm whether his given name of hospital was right.

Meanwhile, Kai’s patience was put to a test so he created his own search for Ara’s room. He started looking at the first floor down to the last upper floors and he was glad that his plan worked.

---

“Luhan, don’t get too clingy. You might bug our Sleeping Beauty’s sleep.”, Sehun teased Luhan whose chin and arms occupied a part of Ara’s bed – seeing if Ara’s fine. “It’s not going to work ‘hun. I’m staying here. Just here.”

“Well, you say so.”

As Sehun did the reprimanding, Lay focused into reading his clock. It said 5:49. “Shouldn’t we be heading home?”

“Are you kidding? Who’s going to take care of Bambi then?”, Luhan can’t help but to ask. “I mean, I’ll get our things and get back here.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Aren’t you going to help Luhan?”, Sehun acted like a boss.

“I’ll stay here. You help. You’re the one who carries more things than me.”

“No, I changed my mind. It’s me and my self. I can handle it.”

“You sure?”, Luhan asked Lay.

“Yep. Be back at 6:30.”

He was set, but just before tilting the knob, he sought something strange. Like the knob was heated by something very powerful no one could understand but the aliens. “Hey, have you.. ”

Luhan glanced at Lay, then to Sehun when he saw what Lay saw.  

“So I am right.”, a guy stood in front of them and the three looked like they were spilled by a bucket of ice.

“Kai?”, Lay cannot be wrong.

“Why?”, Kai looked at the white ceiling of Ara’s room. He was very happy that now he has found them. “Are you three surprised?”

“Why are you here? What do you want from us?”, Luhan approached Kai and pushed his body to the wall just enough to keep him distant from Ara. He snatched his words away and did the glares.

“What am I doing here? Aren’t I supposed to ask you that? What are you doing here and nursing a human?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I have been looking for you, and I won.”, Kai curves his lips, aiming to do an evil-ish smirk but before that Luhan gripped his neck tighter as he wanted to choke him just to protect their little Bambi.

“Why did you do that to Ara? You know that she’s sick.”

Slowly, Kai’s movements began to lose. He hasn’t noticed Ara’s skin turn to pale. The monitor went by a rhythm, which supports Ara’s life. “She’s what?”

“Ara’s heart is weak. We took care of her since she was a little baby because she was sick. What supports her life is the necklace and now that it’s gone.. ”

“Luhan,” Sehun cut them both, making Kai and Luhan distant from each other. Lay was the second man who made sure Luhan to calm down. Their eyes were set on fire, but after opening up Ara’s condition, it seemed like the two forgot the purpose of their intensified throwing of words and impulsive approaches.  

“I.. ”, Kai catches his breath as he leaned onto the wall behind him, holding his throat. “I didn’t know about that.”

“I didn’t know anything.”

“So you’re telling us that you don’t have it?”, Lay curiously asked.

“Have what?”

“The necklace.”

Kai shrugged his head. “No.”

“So, who has it?”