"dum inter homines sumus, colamus humanitatem"

 

 

Baekhyun got lost in the future.

 

It read 08.23 in his analog watch.  And it was 08:23:54:06 on the floating hologram numbers at one edge of the park.  No matter which clock he looked at, the fact was still the same—he’d be late for his first day of college. 

 

“This time!  This time for sure!”

 

Baekhyun closed his eyes tightly, holding the candy cane pendant between his palm, sending what he believed as positive energy into the cane—at the same time praying to any Direction-Deva that might exist out there—and threw it high in the air.  He caught it swiftly, opening his palm rather nervously.  The cane pointed to a new direction Baekhyun hadn’t tried before, and he quickly ran towards it, fleeting in hopeful yet curious steps, just like an Alice following the white rabbit.

 

Only in his case, he was the one being too tiny in the humongous rabbit hole.

 

Baekhyun didn’t slow down one bit, following the path the cane led him to.  113 steps, 5 long jumps, 7 turns, 11 pair of weird stares, 3 “watch where you’re going!”s, a dozen “I’m so sorry!”s and countless stepped on foot later, Baekhyun finally saw a bright light at the end of the street.  Spirit lifted, Baekhyun hastened his steps, a wide grin plastered on his face.  In his mind he already could see himself opening his arms widely with head thrown back dramatically—a finally-I-reached-freedom pose he learned from his Great -grandpa’s favorite old movie “Shawshank Redemption”.

 

Just a few more steps, a few more steps, a really few more steps, and he would finally reach—

 

—the park.

 

Again.

 

“GYAAAAHHHH!”

 

He did the pose alright.  The finally-I-reached-a-whole-new-level-of-fail one.

 

He had already ended up at the same park for three times now, which was not even one of the hint places on the map in his hand, the only weapon he was armored with for the journey.

 

Now, after almost two hours of getting lost, his hair was all damp of sweat, his bee-like brown and yellow stripe shirt was no longer smooth, his not-metallic backpack felt twice as heavy, and he could swear his turbojet-less shoes had thinned on the sole by at least half an inch.  Swishing his head to the right and left like a puppy trying to disperse any wetness on his head, Baekhyun looked at the map again.

 

“Down from Chase Capsule --> ride Lunar Line to Soleil Square --> walk southeast to Azure Arc main station  --> get on Levitating Train --> drop at Cassiopeia 6th Avenue”

 

He had read the map for at least twenty two times since he hopped down for the Chase Capsule until the sheet all wrinkled and he could actually picture the map precisely in his head without even looking at it again, but he still couldn’t find any clue of how to go to any of the places Ryeowook-hyung had drawn for him.  He looked up to stare at his surrounding again.

 

At first, he thought the city was like a beautiful vast snow covered hill.  The buildings were dominated by pale white color, and so did the concrete covering most of the land of the city.  And then other colors painted into the scenery by the trees, the bushes, and the flowers, then he thought the city resembled more of a freshly awakened spring.  But after he got lost and ended up at the same park for more than twice, he concluded that he couldn’t quite decide how to describe the city.  The view beyond the park was the same as how he saw it for the first time—but at the same time, he somehow couldn’t quite recognize it.  As if he had missed summer and autumn in a day.

 

And with that, he didn’t think he even sure which part of the city he was now, let alone finding his destination.  Sighing heavily, he slumped himself down.  It read 08.41 in his watch.  And the welcoming ceremony would start at 9.00. 

 

Unless a miracle came, he would stay the same.  Lost and late.

 

He was debating with himself whether he should just give up on attending the ceremony and call Ryeowook-hyung to pick him up, when the day finally took a pity on him and sent the miracle he wished for.

 

“Excuse me, Mister Bee.”

 

Baekhyun felt a tug on his sleeve, and he was greeted by a small innocent face of a boy half his height, with a super fat canary perching on his head.  He smiled as Baekhyun turned to look at him, so wide and brightly that it seemed to spark a light in his eyes.  Literally.

 

“I’ve seen you running here for three times already.  Are you lost?”

 

Blinking his eyes a little bit because of the too-bright eyes, Baekhyun nodded, and he showed his map—more like a scrabble-on-a-napkin actually, but the boy seemed to understand right away.  He took the canary off of his head, whispering to it, and put it on Baekhyun’s palm.

 

“Here, Mister Bee.  Chip will take you there!”

 

Baekhyun blinked again, and before he could ask what to do with the canary, the bird had already spread its wings, rising up from his palm and flew into the path right behind him.

 

“Wha—how—“

 

The boy pulled him up, encouraging him to follow the canary.  Slightly tumbling, Baekhyun started running again, saying ‘thank you’ hurriedly as the boy waved him goodbye cheerfully.  He had no enough time to wonder how the canary could find directions and how he would give it back to the boy as the bird kept flying so swiftly and quickly a few meters in front of him.

 

But after a few minutes witnessing it moving zig zag, somersaulting in the air, and another moves ordinary birds would never be able to do, Baekhyun finally realized that it wasn’t a bird at all.  Sure, it has fur in bright yellow, but its shape was all round like a small golf ball, without beak and feet.  To make up for it, the “bird” had four wings instead, and a long, thin tail rolled at the end, and three black shining eyes that filled half its body.  As many other things in the city, it seemed to mimic what’s in nature—but not quite real.

 

After a few more minutes of running—without any foot being accidentally stepped on by him, fortunately—he finally saw a giant archway and a sky-colored glass dome with many floating objects surrounding it.

 

The Azure Arc station.

 

“Oh my God, finally!”

 

Baekhyun would be more than willing to do the reaching-freedom pose with level 9999 of dramatic, if not for the buzz and blinking green sign of “Last Call For Departure” on his transparent ticket.  He quickly planted dozen kisses on the canary for gratitude and mumbled ‘tell the shining eyed boy I say thank you!’ before sprinting to the dome, frantically looking for the elevator to his train.  He dashed to one of opening elevators, which shape reminded him of giant ferris wheel’s capsules.  He fidgeted on his toes as the blinking on his ticket started to turn into yellow—his train would leave soon.

 

He shimmied his way through the crowd, and rushed to Peron 22-57, where his train started to close its door.  With his ticket buzzing rapidly in emergency vibrate, Baekhyun tried to self-suggest himself that his shoes was equipped with a turbo-boost, and he bolted to the almost closed door—

 

“TOUCHDOWN!”

 

The buzzing stopped and the sign turned blue: “Welcome Aboard”.

 

Baekhyun doubled over, panting hard, back against the closed door.  Beyond the all-glass wall, the scenery slowly changed into a long of colors as the train started to move, high above the ground.  The floor vibrated softly like a gentle hum under his feet, sending a sensation of flying through his body.  When his hard breathing gradually subsided, Baekhyun looked out of the wall.

 

The Levitating Train moved so swiftly just like clouds in the ocean of the sky.  The rails formed, dissolved, and reformed like thousand living sands under the train as it moved, making limitless possibilities of lane.  From where he stood now, he could see the city in a much wider view than when he was on the concrete ground.  The park he had been earlier caught his eyes, and only then he realized how much closer it actually was from the station.  Knowing that, he felt so silly for getting lost.  But then, as the face of the city started to change into one he couldn’t recognize once more, Baekhyun reminded of how he got lost in the first place.

 

It should have been easy, Baekhyun thought.  It wasn’t like he never heard any of the places before, he’d seen it enough on television when he wasn’t so busy playing outside.  But what he hadn’t expected was, how everything changed so quickly here.

 

Back in his hometown, one of what people called as “lands of yesterdays”, Baekhyun could easily find places.  The left turn after the tall reddening maple tree, thirty two steps to the east after the house with corn-colored wall and sunset-colored roof by the sunflower garden, two downstreams of the river with tadpoles—that was how they marked places.  And even if he couldn’t find some places, he could just follow the candy cane.  Any place was connected one another in his hometown, and no matter which direction he chose, he would eventually find the marks he needed.

 

But here, in the capital city, of what people in his hometown called as “terra of tomorrows”, nothing seemed to stay the same long enough.  Everything changed.  All too quickly.  Colors, sounds, textures; even less than a blink of an eye.

 

He had tried asking for direction to people around him, for some trees, buildings, or streams he could use for signs.  But it became useless as every wall of the buildings could change its colors and materials in a split second, from white to gray, from glass to concrete.  He couldn’t recognize any tree either, as it could change the height and the leaves like seasons was nothing but a metaphor. 

 

Contrary of those, the streams weren’t changing at all, but it was only because each of it was artificial, with stagnant flow and without any fish or tadpole; just like a fissure on the concrete ground.  Even the sky and the sun seemed somehow unreal, blurred both in shape and shade, and he couldn’t just decide where’s north and south with that.

 

Even now, colors and shapes were changing unceasingly far beneath him, making new formation every second.  It felt just like seeing through a View-Master, a vintage toy he had.  Baekhyun blinked and the city was now wearing another set of colors and textures on its face.  Despite how astonishing the ever so changing view was, a sudden feeling of unease started to sow its seed in his chest, and Baekhyun turned his gaze away from the scenery, trying to distract himself by watching inside the train instead.

 

For a brief glance, it looked just like an ordinary morning ride.  But it didn’t take long before Baekhyun noticed how everything was just as remarkably extraordinary as what he saw outside.

 

Right across him, a girl was making a video call with a borderless tranparent hologram screen conjured from a thin chrome bracelet on her wrist, adjusting the size of the screen simply with the move of her thumb and index finger.  A teenager seated a few meters on his right was playing with a robotic puppy which moves and barks as fluid as the original.  About half a dozen others projected a moveable screen on any surface they preferred, watching movies or listening to musics that only required a swish of a hand to change the channel or playlist.

 

But above all, what caught his attention the most, was the other people.  Sitting among the passengers, Baekhyun noticed those with shapely figures and stunning facial features, whose moves so delicate and words so eloquent;

 

Personas.

 

Baekhyun had seen them several times on television—the old-fashioned thick one with remote controller to change the channel—and he remembered how he kept questioning its existence back then, since the only droid he knew in his hometown was Ted, the vet’s assistant, the one with square body and limbs, its motions were all stiff and the voice so robotic.

 

But now as he had already witnessed their being with his own eyes, his question reshaped:

 

How come they looked so real?

 

So alive?

 

One of the Personas noticed his stare and looked up at him, offering him a friendly smile that reached his eyes—that shined.  Baekhyun instantly reminded of the little boy he met earlier, whose eyes so bright Baekhyun had never found in anyone he knew.

 

It was the Halo.  The bright luminous circle around the pupils—one of the things only Personas would have.  It was one of their distinct features that distinguished them from humans, as what Baekhyun vaguely remembered being mentioned in one program he watched a long time ago on television.

 

A bunch of new questions emerged in his head.  One of it was about the little boy with the canary.  He was kind and sweet, his tone was innocent and sincere as he spoke, but he was not a child.  He wouldn’t be able to grow.  He wouldn’t get taller, his voice wouldn’t break.  He’d forever live his days in that tiny body—if he was even alive at all. 

 

His father’s words echoed in his head,

 

“Seeing their children grow is every parent’s bliss.”

 

And the uneasiness inside his chest just grew bigger.

 

An announcement of arrival snapped Baekhyun from his thoughts.  The doors opened, and he instinctively followed the people to get off the train.  He huffed, relieved that his feet finally touched the solid ground again.  He looked at his map one more time.  He was told that he only needed to cross the street in front of the station to reach his college.

 

But before he left the station, he had to let his father know that he had arrived, just as he promised.  He pulled out his yet another old-fashioned phone from his back pocket.  He pressed a series of numbers he memorized by heart, and put the phone on his ears as it started dialling. 

 

Five beeps and his father hadn’t answered yet.  Well, maybe Dad has an emergency patient right now, Baekhyun thought, and decided to wait a little longer.  At the eighth beep, Baekhyun felt another tug on his sleeve.

 

“Good afternoon, Sir.  Would you like some cookies?”

 

Another small innocent face of a boy half his height, but instead of a fancy canary droid, he brought a basket full of cookies with him.  His smile, though not as bright as the one he had met before, was just as wide and genuine.  Twelve beeps and his father still hadn’t picked it up, and his stomach started to growl.  He smiled back at the boy.

 

“One choco chip and one vanilla-chestnut, please.”

 

The boy took two bags of cookies from the basket and offered it to Baekhyun, “It would be 4.5, Sir.”

 

Baekhyun rummaged into his pocket.  When he pulled out the money and was about to give it to the boy, the long beep finally stopped.

 

“Oh, Dad!  Finally!  What took you so long?  Is it so hectic at the clinic—WOAH!”

 

His phone was snatched right from his hand, and the boy ran quickly from him, dropping his basket—he had stolen it.

 

“HEY, WAIT!”

 

Baekhyun tried to chase the boy, but his energy had already drained because of all the running he had to do since morning.  The boy was agile and fast, he made a huge distance between him and his chaser in no time.  He kept running without looking back, moving among the people he passed so deftly like it wasn’t his first time escaping. 

 

“WAI—ouch—WAIT!  STOP!”

 

The boy ran even faster.  He aimed for a turn at the far end of the peron, trying to vanish from Baekhyun’s sight.  Oh no, oh no, Baekhyun thought it was over now, he had successfully had his most modern thing being stolen on his first day in the city.  But as he ran to the same turn the boy made, he was welcomed with a view he didn’t expect.

 

“Let me go!  Let me go!”

 

The boy was being lifted by his collar on his nape, above the ground.  He struggled to free himself, arms swaying and legs kicking the air frantically.  But his captor didn’t budge at all, like he didn’t weight more than a cat.  Baekhyun looked up to see his savior’s face.  He was nearly a head taller than him, with slightly tanned skin, dark blonde hair, an a pair of eyes  resembled those of felines.

 

And shining Halo around his pupils.

 

“Did he steal something from you?”

 

Those eyes shifted its gaze at him, making  Baekhyun jolted.

 

“Ah—eh—oh y-yes, he has my phone!”

 

The Persona raised one eyebrow at the mention of a “phone”, but then shot his glare to the little boy in his captive.

 

“Give it back.”

 

The boy refused at first, holding the phone close to his chest in a defensive gesture.  Another glare aimed at him, accompanied by a harder hold on his collar.  The boy finally conceded, giving out the phone with a defeated expression.

 

Baekhyun accepted it, and the boy was put back on the ground by his captor.

 

“You should be more careful next time.”  He said, hand still on the boy’s collar, “People from the Brink like him would do anything for money.”

 

The boy pouted, his cheeks reddened, both in embarrasment and anger.  But Baekhyun sensed another thing from him.  A tinge of sadness, of a bitter hopelessness.

 

“I just want the phone because my Momma can’t afford a robot toy for me.”

 

Baekhyun stared at the boy.  He wasn’t as immaculate as everything and everyone else he had seen in the city.  His skin was bruised at some places, dirt and grime sneaked between his hairs and nails.  His clothes was frayed, holes visible on his shoes.  And he didn’t have a smile that reached his eyes.

 

His eyes weren’t bright, it was Halo-less.  And instead of the shining circle, Baekhyun saw a depth of darkness filling it, like an abyss of unspoken sorrow and loss.  The two things he knew woud destroy even the brightest light.

 

Baekhyun smiled.  He raised his phone, and dialled a number.  The boy bulged his eyes in fear.

 

“A-are you calling the police?  No, NO!  Please don’t!  I’m sorry!  I swear I won’t—“

 

“Hi, Dad!” Baekhyun greeted as his call being answered, “Yes, yes, I’m sorry, there was a little a problem earlier—no, no, I’m okay, I’m already arrived at the station, I just have to cross the street.  Yes, Dad, I will let you know when I meet Ryeowook-hyung.  Alright.  Uh-hum.  Yes.  I got it.  Take care, Dad.  I love you.”

 

Baekhyun ended the call, the boy and the Persona were staring at him with a confused look on their faces.  Baekhyun turned off his phone, taking out the SIM card, putting the casing back together—and gave it to the boy.

 

“Here, you can have it.”

 

The boy was stunned, he blinked repeatedly as Baekhyun put the phone on his palm, as if not believing what had just happened.

 

“Oh, and here,” Baekhyun took a few bills and coins from his pocket, and put it on the boy’s another palm.  His smile was wide, happy with a little bit of regret, “I’m sorry for your cookies you left back there.  I hope it can cover it?”

 

The boy stared at him with utter disbelief, but upon seeing his undeterred smile, he eventually nodded.  A sheer blush rose on his cheeks.

 

“T-thank you...”

 

He bowed deeply, giving him a toothy smile, and left them with cheerful steps, cradling the old phone like a treasure.

 

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

 

Baekhyun turned to look at the Persona, who stared at him like he was the weirdest guy he had ever encountered.

 

“He could have lied to you, you know.”

 

Baekhyun grinned at him.

 

“No, he wasn’t.”  He took one of the cookies bags he bought from the boy, eyes sparkling as he saw his favorite snack, fresh and warm, “And even if he lied, I don’t mind.  I can just buy another phone later.  And, look, I also get this super delicious cookies!” 

 

He sighed contently as he took a bite of the chocochip cookies, while the cat-eyed Persona still didn’t bat an eye from him.  Baekhyun grinned again with his mouth full of cookies, and offered him another one from the bag.

 

“Here, have some.”

 

The Persona didn’t budge, still bearing his eyes on Baekhyun, like trying to find any false and pretense in Baekhyun.  After a while, he finally took the cookies, secretly heaved a sigh.

 

“You wouldn’t get along well with Sehun.”

 

“What?  Who?”

 

“Nothing.”  He took a bite, didn’t give a single comment about the taste, “You’re new around here, aren’t you?”

 

“Yep, I’m from the countryside,”  Baekhyun answered between his munching, “I’m Baekhyun, by the way.  And you are...?”

 

“Tao.”

 

“Tao, that’s a unique name!”  Baekhyun chirped a laugh, “Thank you for your help earlier, Tao.”

 

His laugh affected Tao to chuckle, and Baekhyun decided Tao’s smile was the most humanly among all he’d seen from any other Personas.

 

“No problem, Baekhyun.”  Tao lightly pat Baekhyun’s head.  “You’re going somewhere?”

 

“Yep, yep.” Baekhyun finished his cookies in one big last bite, and glanced at his watch, “Oh my God, I should hurry, the opening ceremony will start in 5 minutes!  It’s nice to meet you, Tao!”

 

Baekhyun was ready to leave for the station’s gate to get to the street, before Tao grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking away.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Baekhyun blinked his eyes, confused.

 

“Err...Seoul University?  It’s just across the street outside the station, right?”

 

“..........”

 

“What?”

 

“Baekhyun,” Tao put his hands on Baekhyun’s shoulder, and shifted him to the right, where a floating letters was visible just a few meters above them, showing the identity of the place.

 

“It’s Cygnus Avenue, not Cassiopeia.  You missed it by two stations southwest.”

 

Baekhyun blinked again.  Once.  Twice.  He stared blankly at the floating letters.  Then to the route map of the train on the wall under it.  Then to the clock.

 

“GYAAAAHHHH!”

 

As he finally came to the realization, panic started to crawl back at him again.  He looked frantically at the route map, trying to figure out how to get to the right street.  But there were so many intersecting lines on it that he could hardly follow.

 

“Hey, it’s okay, we still can get there—”

 

“So I have to get on another train again?  The one heading to southwest?  Which one is southwest?  That way?  That way?”

 

“No, that’s northeast, but we can just—”

 

“Which train is it?  When will it depart?  Where do I buy the ticket?  Oh my dear God, I have spent my last money on the cookies now how can I—“

 

“Baekhyun!” Tao put his hands back on Baekhyun’s shoulder, stopping his frantic questions. “We’ll get there in time.”

 

“How?”

 

Tao reached for Baekhyun’s hand and held it, cocking his head to their left.

 

“Come on, this way.”

 

Led by Tao, Baekhyun had to half running to follow his quick and long steps.  In less than a minute, a line of glass compartments in the size of a telephone box came into view.  Tao pulled him into one in the middle of the line.  Unlike what he assumed earlier, the box was spacious enough for four.  As they safely stepped inside the box, it automatically closed behind them, and a small rectangle screen appeared on it.

 

“Welcome to BOTT, Borderless Transit Unit.” A woman’s voice in a formal tone echoed from a direction Baekhyun couldn’t point out, static and sounded artificial, “Please state your desired destination.”

 

“Seoul University, Cassiopeia 6th avenue.”

 

“Seoul University, Cassiopeia 6th avenue.”  The voice repeated Tao’s answer in the same emotionless tone, “The destination stated can be reach between two to fifteen minutes.  Please state your desired speed.”

 

“Two minutes.”

 

“Two minutes to Seoul University, Cassiopeia 6th Avenue.  Please insert 108.3 from your Acolite device.”

 

Tao quickly raised his right hand, where the same chrome bracelet he had seen on almost everyone else in the city wrapped around his wrist.  He put it up to the same level with the screen, and the number 108.3 in green light appeared on it with a beep.  The number soon replaced with “Seoul University, Cassiopeia 6th Avenue.  01.60.77.48.” and “00.02.00.00” in smaller number right under it.

 

“Woah!”

 

Baekhyun jumped back , startled as the box started to descend downward.  The glass surface changed into solid metal as it went down into the ground.  When the box had already completely buried, and all the glass had turned into silvery grey, blocking any view, the timer on the screen began a countdown.  And the box moved.

 

Unlike an elevator Baekhyun had ridden before, the box wasn’t only going up or down.  It moved to the right, and left, and Baekhyun could faintly feel it moving diagonally once.  He couldn’t assume the speed of the box, and Baekhyun somehow doubted if they could really reach their destination that fast.  Still holding Tao’s hand, he looked up at him.

 

“Do we really can get just anywhere we want in any time we need?”

 

“Yes,” Tao said, his voice was smooth and clear, unlike the one echoed in the box, “The faster we want, the more we’ll have to pay, though.”

 

Baekhyun remembered how Tao had spent 108.3 for the ride.  And he suddenly widened his eyes in shock.

 

“Oh my God, Tao!”  He grabbed Tao’s arm, “I’m so sorry you have to spend that much!  With that amount of money, we can buy a year supply of jelly in my hometown!  That is too much!  I’m sorry!”

 

Tao chuckled again.  His other hand rose to tidy Baekhyun’s damp hair on his forehead.

 

“It’s fine.”

 

“No, it’s not!”

 

“Well.  Then you can just buy me a few packs of jelly when you visit your hometown later.”

 

Baekhyun frowned in disapproval.

 

“Only a few?”

 

“Yes.  I’m afraid I might get cavities if I eat too much sweets.”  Tao made an exaggerated worried expression, “You know, I’m kind of scared of dentists.  But don’t tell anyone, though.”

 

Baekhyun laughed.  He could see that Tao just made up the reason for him so he wouldn’t have to worry about paying less than he owed, but he decided to play along.  

 

“Deal, then.”  He grinned widely.  “But seriously, with all technologies you have here, I bet no one will ever be late for anything, right?”

 

Unpredictably, the question Baekhyun had just stated so nonchalantly made a change in Tao’s composed posture.  A vague emotion abruptly replaced his previous playful expression, and Baekhyun had a hard time trying to decipher it.

 

“Yes.”  Despite the small smile, a bitter tone tumbled down Tao’s lips along with his answer, “But because of that, people began to forget what time really worth.”

 

Baekhyun didn’t expect such somber answer.

 

But before he could ask another question, a ding echoed.

 

The box ascended back on the ground, they once again surrounded by glass walls.  The timer counted down to 00.00.00.00.

 

“Welcome to Seoul University, Cassiopeia 6th Avenue.  01.60.77.48.  Thank you for using our service.”

 

The box didn’t only arrive in time, but it also took them right in front of the gate of the university.  It went back under the ground without any sound after they stepped out of it, leaving no trace on the white concrete ground.   Baekhyun’s jaw dropped as he saw how big the university was, much bigger than what he saw on television and newspaper.  It stretched so widely as far as he could see, as if the university was an independent city.

 

“Come on, it’s almost start.”

 

Tao had to half-dragged the amazed Baekhyun through the gate and along the way, answering all of his questions about each thing without slowing his pace.  He finally stopped when they reached a wide opening where a huge crowd gathered.  He let go of Baekhyun’s hand, leaving him all alone in the sea of people he didn’t know.  And Baekhyun suddenly felt so vulnerable.

 

Baekhyun blinked repeatedly, couldn’t figure out what he had to do or where to go, but Tao just smiled at him, patting his shoulder.

 

“Just enjoy the ceremony.  I’ll see you later.”

 

Tao waved his hand as he left him with the crowd, all puzzled and confused.  And before he even half recovered from it, he got startled again by the transparent walls surfaced from the ground, closing around the crowd like countless giant lotus petals until it formed a full building as each end of the petals merged high above them.  A hologram of the university president projected in front of them, looked so real as if he were really present in the building, if not for the size of the hologram that filled the whole front wall.  And as the hologram appeared, the students were all lined up into organized rows even without any guide, like they had already trained for that day—leaving Baekhyun stood alone, awkward, out of the line.

 

Out of place.

 

Even that he had finally arrived there, Baekhyun still felt like being lost.

 

 

 

*  *  *

 

 

“It feels like stepping into a war field full of surprise box mines.”

 

The ceremony finished in an hour and a half, and Tao waited for him just outside the building as all glass petals disappeared into the ground again.  As they walked to the cafeteria—“Baekhyun, let’s get you some food before someone hear how loud your stomach growl and call 911 thinking there’s a lion escaped the zoo”—he told Tao how his day had been going so far.  Starting from how he got lost in the city because he couldn’t recognize any direction and place, to how the city had made him surprised—more like shocked, actually—every three minutes or so, even when he was in the very small part of the city that is the assembly hall where the ceremony was held. 

 

Baekhyun said that maybe, if he had watched television more when he was still in his hometown, he might have understood more about the city and wouldn’t be so shocked at almost everything.  Tao laughed at most part of his story.

 

“Well, yes, even for someone who came from a land of yesterday, you look more like someone who has been living in a cave,” Tao said between his laughter, gaining a pout from Baekhyun, “Just try to think of the surprises as a welcoming gift from the city—ah, hey, guys.” 

 

Another group of students greeted Tao as they walked past them, adding to numbers Baekhyun had lost count of.

 

“And you should’ve told me earlier that you’re a sophomore here.  A popular one at that.”

 

Tao let out another hearty laugh.

 

“It’s kind of fun seeing you being oblivious.”  Tao chuckled as he ruffled Baekhyun’s hair, “And besides, I’m not that popular.  Not as popular as The Luhan, at least.”

 

“The what?”

 

“Hey, Tao!”

 

Another greet coming from afar.  Baekhyun turned his face to where the voice came from, and he saw two persons sat on one of the tables in the outdoor cafeteria a few feet from where they were, one of them waving his hand in their direction.

 

“Here, here!”

 

Tao gestured to join them, and Baekhyun followed him.  The other one of the two rose from his seat as he came closer, pulling the chair for him.  The one who had just called them earlier also stood up to bump his shoulder with Tao from across the table. 

 

And as Baekhyun got a better look, he just realized how distinctly different they were from the other students he had encountered before.

 

The one who greeted Tao was a human, but Baekhyun bet people might mistake him as a doll at first glance.  He had an exquisite feature.  Comely heart-shaped face with sharp chin, smooth fair skin with a tint of sheer blush on his cheeks, twinkling doe eyes, long curly eyelashes, pointy nose, small lips in a color of young bloomed rose.  His light blonde hair looked so soft like forsythias in the first breath of spring, framing his face gracefully.  His slim, delicate stature just added to his figurine-like impression.  Baekhyun wondered if he had to take all roles of princess in school’s drama project.

 

“Have you seated comfortably?”

 

Baekhyun looked up to see the man who pulled the chair for him was still there, hand on the top rail.   Baekhyun hurriedly bowed his head to say thank you.  The man smiled at him before returning to his seat next to the blonde boy, right across him, and Baekhyun could easily see the shining Halo in his obsidian-like eyes.

 

His figure was just as pleasing as the other, despite the vivid contrast.  He owned a skin resembled of those who loved wandering under the sun, and hair as dark as a lake on a moonless night, slightly wavy, partially covering his eyes like curtains protecting secret hidings.  And with similar height to Tao, he had lean yet firm build, radiating a sense of finesse and vigor at the same time.

 

But it wasn’t the stunning physique that had Baekhyun intrigued.

 

There was something about him that made Baekhyun think he looked even more human than Tao, who Baekhyun thought was the most humanlike Persona he had ever laid his eyes on ever since he arrived in the city.

 

Something, that made him look so...souled.

 

“So this is the lost puppy you told me about!”

 

Baekhyun’s train of thought got interrupted by the cheerful voice, and he realized all three of them had their eyes at him.

 

“Wait—lost puppy?”

 

He frowned at Tao, who immediately burst into laughter.

 

“No, no, he must have misheard it, I didn’t call you that.”

 

Baekhyun glared at him accusingly, not believing his excuse, and Tao just laughed louder.

 

“Well, anyway, guys, this is Baekhyun,” Tao pat his head, introducing him to the other two, “And Baekhyun, this is Luhan,”

 

The blonde doll-like boy took his hand and shook it excitedly, wide smile as bright as a sunny day adorning his face.

 

“And his babysitter, Kai.”

 

“Hey!”

 

They laughed at Luhan’s protest, and Baekhyun shook his hand with Kai, who didn’t release it right away.  He kept holding Baekhyun’s hand as his dark eyes stared right into his, and Baekhyun found himself being paralyzed by the gaze.  Unable to pull his hand or even avert his eyes, it felt like Kai had him captive, a prisoner forced to tell even his most well-kept secret. 

 

“Stop it, Kai, you’re scaring him.” 

 

Luhan put a hand on Kai’s shoulder, saving Baekhyun from his scrutinizing stare.

 

“Sorry, it’s his old habit.” He rolled his eyes, “Always looking out for possible enemies.”

 

Kai then loosened his hand into a gentler grip, and offered him an apologetic warm smile.  No sign of any suspicion.

 

“Pardon my rudeness, Mr. Baekhyun.  I’m Kai, young master Luhan’s personal guard.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

“I’ve told you not to call me that!”

 

“Right, you should call him princess instead.”

 

“Yah!”

 

Luhan gave a playful jab at Tao, who avoided it and flicked Luhan’s forehead instead, earning a glare from him.  They tried to tackle each other from their seats, while Baekhyun and Kai just laughed at them.  After getting flicked on the forehead for two more times, Luhan gave up, and Tao insisted he should buy them foods as punishment for losing.

 

As they leisurely devoured their brunch, Baekhyun learnt more about them.  Tao, Luhan, and Kai were on the same year.  Tao was studying anthropology, Luhan and Kai learned mechanical engineering, although the latter’s purpose was more so he could fulfill his duty as a guard and basically followed Luhan to any class and activity he attended.  He also told them how he got enrolled in the music department, how he got an unexpected letter from the university offering him a scholarship a few weeks after he performed in a recital in a neighbor city of Seoul.

 

For the first time since he arrived, he felt like he wasn’t so lost anymore.

 

Luhan was boisterous and talked in excited tones most of the time.  Tao, albeit calmer and looked more mature than Luhan, also loved to joke and tease, making them having good laughs.  Kai was the quietest of them all, but he was very attentive to everything they said and easily blended in the conversation, and he had that calming feeling about him that made even his silence felt comfortable.  They were so friendly and welcoming, and they didn’t seem to bother the fact that Baekhyun came from a land of yesterday, they seemed to find it interesting instead.  They also kindly explained everything about the city and the technologies that he didn’t understand.  Luhan especially seemed to know a lot about Personas. 

 

And if it wasn’t for Luhan mentioning the word, Baekhyun wouldn’t be reminded that two of them weren’t exactly the same kind with him.

 

“Hey, how about we play basketball after this?”  Luhan suggested when they almost finished their meals, “3-on-3, I’ll call Jonghyun and Key to join us!”

 

“Ah, I can’t, I’m sorry,” Baekhyun answered Luhan’s question while slurping on his passion fruit juice, “I have to go to my father’s friend’s house, I’ll be staying there until I find a place for myself.”

 

“You haven’t found any place to stay?”  Luhan asked, “I think there’s many new apartments nearby, have you checked it?”

 

“Ah, no, it’s...”  Baekhyun scratched his head, trying to explain why he didn’t want to choose such modern building, but Kai seemed to understand even before he said a word.

 

“If you prefer a more conservative house resembling the one you used to live in your hometown, Mr. Baekhyun, we can help finding it for you.”

 

Kai gave him a reassuring smile, as if knowing what home really meant for Baekhyun.  Luhan nodded in understanding, and said even though it might be quite difficult, he’d try to look for one for him.  Tao then offered to take him to his next destination, worried that he might get lost again, and telling him he could just buy him another couple of packs of jelly to repay him.

 

Having Luhan hugged him goodbye and Kai smiled at him, wishing  for his safety, and Tao held his hand gently yet protectively along the way, Baekhyun decided he didn’t really mind their differences. 

 

And maybe, he thought, Persona was more than just wires and machines.

 

 

*  *  *

 

 

“Whoa, Baekhyun, you didn’t tell me you have such treasures!”

 

Baekhyun put the last cardboard box with a relieved huff.  Luhan had stopped helping him since four boxes ago, when he found out what stored in it.

 

“Oh my God, yo-yo!  Slinky!  Rubik cube!  Rubik cube!  A real one!  I thought it doesn’t exist anymore!”

 

Baekhyun laughed, letting Luhan drowned himself in the old toys, overly happy like a kid getting a bunch of early Christmas presents.  He walked to the one of the windows to open the curtain, letting the sun rayed its shine into the room, illuminating every crook and nook.  Baekhyun smiled.

 

He was so grateful that Luhan found this house for him, just a couple of days later.

 

Well, it wasn’t like he hated staying with Ryeowook-hyung.  The junior of his father had always been so kind and caring towards him, treating him just like his own little brother.  His assistant Persona and the bartender of his coffee shop, Chen, was just as friendly, despite his penchant for pranks.  Chen had the appearance of a boy in the same age as him, and it was so easy to think of him as an old friend he’d known since childhood in just one day.   

 

But there was something missing in the house.  At least for him.

 

Every door in the house was an automatic glass one, it opened and closed on one’s will.  There was no handle or key, as it used Flesh Memory System instead, it could be locked and unlocked by the touch of registered persons.  Just like most walls on the building Baekhyun had seen in the city, the door could turn from transparent to solid with a simple swipe on its surface.  The lamps in the room Ryeowook-hyung had prepared for him could be and off by a single snap of fingers, and he only needed to spread his fingers or gathered it into a fist to adjust the brightness.  And the ceiling, although it wasn’t glass, it worked like a giant screen, and he could just choose what kind of sky he’d want to see—cloudless with scarce stars, a full starry one, or even the one with bright nebulas and auroras.  Put a pin on the small glowing globe on the night stand, and the ceiling would project the sky on the place pointed. 

 

Just like everything else in the city, it was all so convenient and astounding.  But as he lied on his bed that night, he decided that he preferred things to work the old way—naturally, slowly, unrushed.

 

Back in his old house where he lived with his father, they didn’t have such doors.  They only had wooden ones, with handles and locks.  But he remembered how sometimes when he was sad or down, he would lock himself in his room, and his father would talk to him gently through the closed door, their backs pressed on each side of the door.  And when Baekhyun finally felt better, he would unlock the door and hug his father.  They didn’t have such lamps either.  But sometimes they loved to light candles and arrange it around his bedroom floor, making shadows with their hands.  And they never had such ceiling.  It was just a plain white one.  But it was filled with hanging paper planes he made when he was younger.  And when the weather was nice, his father would take him to camp on their backyard, sleeping under the magnificent ocean of floating stars.

 

He missed those things about a house.  A home.

 

Baekhyun turned around to wander his eyes around the room, to its cream colored walls, ivory wooden door frames and window sills, earth-brown parquet floors, ceiling structures made of ebony, deep crimson bricks of the fireplace.  The serenity embraced him like a pair of welcoming arms, whispering invitations to make new memories, lots of it.

 

“Baekhyun, Baekhyun!  I finished the Rubik cube!”

 

Luhan came running at him, ecstatically shoving the cube into Baekhyun’s hands to see.  It was only a few minutes ago since Luhan found the toy, and now every side of the cube had solved into same rows of color.

 

“Wow, Luhan!  You’re awesome!  I never have solved it before!”

 

Luhan grinned ear to ear, looking so proud of himself.

 

“It’s not that hard once you find the pattern, actually.  Ah, I want to play it again!”

 

Baekhyun smiled seeing how Luhan seemed to take a special liking on the toy.

 

“Just take it home with you then, so you can play it anytime you want.”

 

Luhan’s eyes widen, sparkling with immense happiness.

 

“It’s for me??”

 

“Yes, why not?”  Baekhyun put the cube back on Luhan’s hand, who looked so awed.  “Think of it as a token of gratitude for helping me finding this house.”

 

Luhan chuckled, holding his new toy close to his chest like a newfound treasure.

 

“Well, I couldn’t have found it without Kai, though.  He’s the one who told me what kind of house you’re actually looking for.”

 

“Oh, tell him I say thank you!”

 

Baekhyun made a note for himself to bring something for him too, and he was about to ask Luhan what kind of thing Kai liked when he realized something unusual.

 

“Where is he, by the way?  I thought he’s supposed to be with you all the time.”

 

“He’s home, making our class project.”  Luhan said as he carefully put the Rubik cube into his pocket, and started to look around the room, contemplating on what to do first, “And na’ah, he doesn’t have to stick with me all the time to protect me like a few years ago.  It’s much safer now.  Baekhyun, I think that bench would look nice in your bedroom.”

 

Luhan started to pick up the settee, and Baekhyun helped him carry it by the other end of it. 

 

“Safer?”

 

“Yep.”  They brought the settee into the main bedroom, putting it right under the largest window.  “But you still need to be careful, though, since this house is quite close to the Brink.”

 

Luhan looked out of the window, and Baekhyun followed his stare.  Far beyond the window, a vast deep green forest reigned over the scenery, hiding the edge of the city under its shadow.  Baekhyun remembered the little boy he met a few days ago at the station.  Despite his scruffy appearance, his cookies were warm and sweet, the kind of cookies a loving mother would make.  He smiled at the thought.

 

“I’ll be fine, Luhan.”

 

After a few hours organizing the furnitures in the house, Baekhyun suggested Luhan to go home, saying he could do the rest by himself.  Luhan was a bit unsure at first, but Baekhyun convinced him that he’d call him if he needed any help.  Other than the toys and books, he didn’t have much stuffs anyway, so it wouldn’t take much work to arrange it.  After hugging him and saying thank you again for the Rubik cube—and the clay, kite, and marbles—Luhan left with his car, vanishing from the sight in a speed no vehicle Baekhyun had ever seen having it before.

 

He then spent the rest of the day putting his stuffs in places.  It took the longest time for him to arrange his room, as he wanted it to be as comfortable as possible, as close to what he had in his house.  He opened the last box, the smallest but the one he took the most care among the rest.  Slowly, he pulled out its content one by one.  A dreamcatcher, a carousel music box, a rotating night light, a tiny wind-up toy, a framed picture of him and his father, arms on each other’s shoulder.  Little things he brought to remind him of home.

 

When he finished arranging it around his bed, putting the photograph gently on the night stand for the last, he took a few steps back to look at his room.  He smiled widely, satisfied with everything.

 

His stomach let out a growl.  He looked at the clock on his wall, it was almost 8.  Baekhyun decided to tidy the empty boxes before making himself some dinner.  He flattened the boxes one by one, tying it together with a plastic rope, picking it up and walked out of his room.  He stood in the middle of the living room for a while, wondering if there was any place to store the boxes.  He already knew the house had no attic since he could see the structure of the ceiling and the roof as he looked up, so he should look for another room.

 

After walking around the house for a few minutes, he found a small door in one corner of the corridor separating the library and the kitchen.  The door was made of wood in the same color of the wall, and it was frameless, making him miss it despite already walked past the corridor for a few times that day.  Thinking it might be a storage room, he walked towards it, turning the knob and pushing it open.

 

The room was nothing Baekhyun had imagined it to be.

 

Instead of a narrow room filled with dusty and rusty stuffs the last owner of the house might have left behind, there was a wide chamber with a grand piano stood alone in the middle of it.  The hushed light of the moon danced its way through the small round window on the wall, just in the right angle to illuminate the piano, making it seem glowing in the darkness of the room.  Dusts wafted under the shine like thousand sparkles, silently beckoning him to come closer.

 

Baekhyun put the boxes down, making his way slowly to the piano.  The piano looked old, with a few scratches on its lid and fall board, and some mold covering its feet.  But all of its wires were still intact, and not a single key missing.  He brought his fingers along the smooth line of keys, a gentle note tinkling into the air as he pressed one.  He pressed another key, and one more note floated.  Baekhyun smiled.

 

He sat down on the stool and pulled himself closer to the keyboard.  Getting into a proper stance, he started playing a song.  The sweet melody resonated in the room, swirling gracefully between the moonlights.  Baekhyun immersed himself in the song, feeling his chest became lighter and lighter on every note he made.  It had been a while since the last time he played a piano, and if it wasn’t for his stomach growling, he might keep playing for hours.  He decided to play just one more song, his father’s favorite song that he composed by himself.

 

But when he reached the last note of the song, an unexpected sound echoed, the wood under his feet vibrated softly.

 

There, on the corner of the room, the floor opened, with wooden stairways leading downward.  Baekhyun stood up from the stool, approaching the hole, peeking into it.  It was so dark down there, he could only see until halfway of the stairs before the pitch black darkness swallowed the rest.  His stomach growled once again, but his curiosity overcame his hunger.

 

He climbed down the stairs, treading the steps with extra caution.  When he finally reached the floor at the end of the stairs, unable to see anything, he brought his hand to the wall, trying to find a switch.  He found it a few steps from the stairs, and pushed the button.  He squinted his eyes as the light .  He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the sudden brightness, before looking around the room.

 

The room was small and musty, the only source of light was the light bulb hanging in the middle of the ceiling.  Every side of the room was filled with stuffs in various shapes and size covered with dusty white sheets.  It must be the storage room, Baekhyun thought, and he was thinking to get back upstairs to get his boxes when something caught his eyes, the only thing that wasn’t covered.  It was a chair, stuffed between two tall piles—with a man sitting on it.

 

“Oh my God!”

 

Baekhyun ran across the room to the chair, where the man sat motionless, eyes shut close.

 

“Are you okay??  Can you hear me??”

 

Baekhyun grabbed his arm to shake him awake.  The skin was so cold, and he couldn’t feel any pulse on his hand.  Shocked and worried, Baekhyun rummaged into his pocket to pull out his phone.   His hand fumbled to look for Luhan’s numbers, muttering ‘bealivebealivepleasebealive’ endlessly.  But just when he was about to press dial, he caught a glimpse of something shining on his nape, and Baekhyun dropped his hand.

 

It was a key, hidden under his auburn hair.

 

Baekhyun was stunned.  He craned his face closer to take a better look, sweeping aside the strands of hair covering it.  It was a real key, made of solid brass.  Its clover-shaped bow protruded from his nape, while the other half of it buried into the keyhole on his skin.

 

He pulled away, looking at the still figure.  Despite the coldness, he had a soft and smooth skin, Baekhyun could see sheer lines of veins under it.  Despite the breathlessness, he had a peaceful expression on its face, tilted to one side. 

 

He looked just like a sleeping man.

 

Baekhyun saw a bracelet wound loosely on his right wrist.  Between the woven rattan strings, there was a wooden plate with a name engraved on it:

 

“Chanyeol.”

 

He stared at the face.  The eyes were still closed, and he still couldn’t notice even a slightest move of a finger from him.  He sighed, confused about what to do.  His gaze landed on the key behind his neck again.

 

No, it can’t be.

 

He shook his head.  Maybe he should just wait until tomorrow and ask Luhan about it.

 

But once again, his curiosity won.

 

He slid his hand behind his neck, catching the bow of the key.  With a long, deep breath, he turned it clockwise.

 

A soft grating sound heard as he let go of the key.  Then silence.

 

And the eyes fluttered open.

 

“Woah!”

 

Baekhyun jumped back as the figure awakened, getting up slowly from the chair.  He towered over him with his height, just a few inches away from the ceiling.  He blinked once in a slow motion, and his hazel eyes turned to look at him.  Baekhyun was too shocked to move or speak, and he just rooted there, shivering as the figure stared straight at him.

 

But then he smiled.

 

He took a few steps forward, reaching out his arms at him, pulling him into an embrace.  As Baekhyun drowned into the hold, he could feel warmth radiating from his skin.  He could hear heartbeats from his chest.  He could feel breaths caressing his cheeks.

 

And a deep voice glided into his ears.

 

“Welcome home.”   

 

 

 

 

---

A/N:

Hello, lovely readers :D I finally update this story after nearly 2 years *sobs*.  Yes, yes, I know I should have updated Alohomora first, but this story has been in my laptop for ages and I just have to post it before it gets rotten ;;__;;  Will update this story in a couple of days, and I'll do my best to update other stories too.  English is not my first language and this story is unbetaed, so please forgive any grammatical errors.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it :)  Comments are always welcomed.  Have a good day! :D