[title song: sorry sorry answer]

chapter 12;

The moment Hyemi steps into the cramped living room, she knows there’s something wrong. The tension in the room is cutting and when she glances at Baekhyun (for some kind of explanation) he won’t even look at her.

She frowns at the fact that, maybe, Baekhyun is hurt. The last time she’d hurt his feelings he had given her the silent treatment until she dumped three cups of his favorite milk bubble tea into his lap and kept pestering him constantly until he finally broke. She can’t believe Baekhyun is still so childish. It makes her heart twist a bit because he hasn’t really changed at all and she’s missed him. Even if what they had started off as a mission for him.

Hyemi shakes her head to clear her thoughts and glances around the room. Her eyes lock with Kris, who’s seated an intricately designed wooden chair, one leg over the other as he rests a chin against his right fist. His dark eyes are fixed on hers, even though Suho is speaking to him in hushed tones. He won’t look away from her and his unblinking eyes leaves an unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach.

“How about we get down to business?” Kris interrupts Suho, suddenly, voice loud.

Suho purses his lips, his eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”

Kris’s eyes flicker to Suho’s narrowed ones before he smiles, wickedly. He nods his head towards Hyemi. “I want her, of course.”

All eyes in the room turn to her and some of them look startled, as if they’ve just realized Hyemi is in the room. Hyemi blinks rapidly, unsure of what to say. What is she supposed to say? That she doesn’t want to go with Kris? That there’s something terrifyingly dangerous about him? That there’s something too familiar with him and she doesn’t like it? He’s the crowned prince of this damn planet and she’s his prisoner, whether she likes it or not. His eyes tell her that he’s aware that she knows all this and he finds it amusing.

“She’s with the Brotherhood, now, Kris.” Luhan speaks up, his eyes flickering over Hyemi’s knowingly. “We’ll give her back to you after she’s done figuring out the Tree’s message.”

“Besides, why’d you have to force Chanyeol to drag you here?” Jongdae adds, eyeing Chanyeol almost piteously. “You know we were going to send her back to you. She needs to fix this damn planet first. You trying to keep her locked up won’t help anything.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes a bit at Jongdae. “He didn’t force me to bring him here.”

Baekhyun speaks for the first time and Hyemi can’t help but stare at him. “Please.” He scoffs, pink lips jutting out and nose wrinkled. “Don’t act like the King’s Mark lets you make your own choices.” Chanyeol bites his lips and opens his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed together in irritation.

Kris makes a face and wrinkles his nose in annoyance, his expression changing into something a bit more childish. “Shut up. I’m trying to make a point here.” Kris booms, scowling slightly at Chanyeol who immediately stops talking and earns a pointed eyebrow raise from Baekhyun. Kris turns to Hyemi and speaks, his voice loud and, honestly, a bit annoying. “I want her back in the dungeons. Now.”

At this point, Hyemi’s temper flares. They’re talking about her like she’s not even here. She’s tired of being dragged around. And there’s something off about this whole conversation. She feels like she’s in an argument that’s years old, she feels like the tension in the room doesn’t add up to the conversation at hand. This is just the tip of the iceberg, she thinks, and it makes her so angry because she’s somehow been dragged into all of this. So she speaks up, glaring at Kris. “I’m trying to do what you asked, or rather threatened, me to do, so why the hell do you want me to go back there?” Hyemi snaps, hands on her hips.

Kris eyes her rather condescendingly, eyes skirting up and down her body and across her face, as if he’s trying to somehow belittle her with just his eyes alone. “You don’t get it, do you?” Kris murmurs, expression pinched.

“Get what?” Hyemi inquires, matching his tone. “How much of a you’re being?”

Kris rolls his eyes at that. “No. This isn’t just about fixing this goddamn planet. This isn’t some environmental project I’ve asked you to do. There’s a war coming and you are the golden ing ticket, as much as I hate to admit it. These idiots couldn’t keep you from them even if the Second Moon was flying high in the sky. My father told me he wanted you close and that’s what I intend to do.”

“The golden ticket? What are you talking about?” Hyemi says, eyes going wide.

Kris smirks then and Hyemi can’t describe it as anything but conniving. He looks at Suho. “You didn’t tell her?” His tone implies that he already knows the answer to his question.

“We were getting to it.” Suho mutters, in annoyance.

Hyemi looks around the room and no one meets her gaze. How many things will they hide away from her? “What is he talking about?” She asks, quietly, her eyes landing on Baekhyun even though she doesn’t really mean to single him out.

Kris just chuckles before he stands up, robes sweeping around him. He adjusts the ponytail on his head before sighing. “I guess I should take my leave, then?” Kris asks, rhetorically. He glances at Suho. “I expect her back in the dungeons in two days’ time. Or else I’ll send someone out to get her. Do you understand me, Joonmyun?”

“It’s Suho.” Suho crosses his arms and doesn’t look at all intimidated by Kris’s presence and height.

Kris just sweeps past him, shoulder knocking into Suho’s side. “Let’s go, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol pauses for an extra moment and locks eyes with Hyemi. “I’m sorry, Hyemi.”

Hyemi shakes her head, a little lost in thought, and Chanyeol smiles, reassuringly.

Before Chanyeol leaves, Sehun calls after him, voice bored yet still slightly annoyed. “Tell Tao to answer my calls.”

“Stop harassing my guard, Oh.” Kris’s calls back before the door slams shut behind him. Sehun snorts and Hyemi feels incredibly tired.

This is so tiring, she realizes.

She looks up at Luhan, who seems to be staring at her with a glassy, faraway look. “What did Kris mean?” She asks, voice soft. She’s sure they’ve heard her. Sehun turns his head away, towards Suho, who looks exhausted. Jongin frowns. Yixing reaches for Jongdae’s hand and squeezes it, making Jongdae sigh and glance at the floor.  Baekhyun won’t look at her.

Finally, Luhan speaks, his eyes sparkling softly. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.” He says, soothingly, as he beckons for her.

Hyemi nods and when she heads to the door, she can’t help but look back at Baekhyun. His eyes are closed and his jaw is clenched. He seems tense and she glances away, quickly.

~.~.~.~.~

Hyemi can’t believe her eyes. The moment she steps out of the little house she finds herself on smooth pavement. Wherever they are, it’s not as grand as Kris’s castle, but it definitely has a certain charm to it. The alleyways are cramped and there’s barely enough room for two people to walk side-by-side without bumping into each other and the sides of the houses. She looks to her left and right and she realizes the streets seem to wind on and on without any sort of end in sight. Hyemi looks up and the sky is a dark, mustard yellow, the pink clouds more of a dark magenta then the light pink it had been earlier. The air tastes almost stale and it’s a little bit harder to breathe out here. There’s the constant chatter of voices and the smell of food that makes water but she isn’t sure where it’s coming from. She feels like she’s in the middle of a labyrinth.

Luhan smiles, reassuringly, before he turns to his left. He glances over his shoulder, “Are you coming?”

She nods before hurrying after him, soon matching his stride, their shoulders bumping every once in a while. He doesn’t say much, seemingly content in just walking, and it makes Hyemi a bit anxious. She’s always used to a steady stream of conversation with her friends.

“Where are we going?” Hyemi asks, eventually, when the silence stretches on for too long.

Luhan’s eyebrows furrow in thought before he glances down at her. “I didn’t really have a destination in mind.”

“Oh.” She murmurs, eyeing graffiti covered doors as they pass by. Down with the King, it says in blood red. “Luhan-ssi?”

“You want to know what Kris was talking about.” Luhan states rather than questions, as he steps over an open sewage hole. Luhan grasps Hyemi’s arm and gently maneuvers her around the open sewage hole with incredible ease.

Hyemi nods, slowly, eyes flickering up to Luhan’s face.

Luhan smiles at her, then, and it’s the gentlest smile she’s seen on another person (other than Baekhyun) ever since she’s gotten here. His eyes sparkle like the stars back home and she decides she likes Luhan. “Remember those monsters on Earth? They’re controlled by a much bigger enemy, someone who’s looking for you.”

“Why?” Hyemi asks even though she’s sure she knows exactly why. She’s the vessel to the tree and she thinks that also entails that she somehow carries the tree’s power inside of her. It only makes sense, right? And if her theory is true then that means a lot of people will try to get their hands on that power.

“You’re right. They want the power you harbor inside of you.” Luhan says, that knowing twinkle in his eyes returning.

Hyemi frowns, eyeing the side of his face suspiciously. “How did you do that? How did you…read my mind like that?”

“I’m telekinetic. And just a bit telepathic.” Luhan says, cheerfully. Hyemi thinks it’s a little creepy and figures he knows what she’s thinking.

“Of course you are.” Hyemi mutters in annoyance.

Luhan sighs, then, a little sadly. “I don’t mean to get into your head like that. I try not to. It’s just hard to control sometimes.”

For a moment, Hyemi is taken aback by the momentary vulnerability in his expression. There’s a sort of age old sadness in his eyes that Hyemi doesn’t quite understand. “It’s okay.” She says, softly.

Luhan looks as if he’s somewhere far, far away, eyes distant and unfocused. Then he seems to snap back to reality and his expression turns serious. “Kris doesn’t just want you back under his watch because of his father’s orders. He wants to ensure that he’s the only one with access to your powers. He doesn’t like that we have you. He doesn’t like it when Joonmyun holds any type of power over him. He never did.”

Hyemi nods, slowly, ignoring the fact that his words make her feel a little objectified. She can address that later. “I don’t even know what kind of powers I have.” Hyemi mutters, sighing.

“That’s why you need to learn about them and learn to control them.” Luhan says, a little ominously. There’s a look on his face that Hyemi interprets quickly. She needs to learn to control her powers not just to figure out what she can and can’t do but also so she can keep them to herself. So she can protect herself and maybe even finally rely on herself. Her eyes widen in realization.

“So I don’t become an easily manipulated weapon.” Hyemi murmurs aloud, watching as the sky becomes a dark blue, a haze of dark blood red drifting above the buildings all around them, like fog.

“You’re smarter than Baek gives you credit for.” Luhan responds, nodding almost approvingly. Hyemi grimaces at the declaration and Luhan chuckles a bit. Speaking of Baekhyun, Hyemi is reminded of the atmosphere throughout Kris’s visit.

“Um, what happened between you all and Kris, anyway?” Hyemi blurts out, curiosity getting the best of her.

Luhan’s eyes become detached and he seems to be staring right through Hyemi, fingers fiddling with a glinting silver ring on his left hand. “That’s a story for another time, I think.” Luhan mutters.

Before Hyemi can say another word, she’s interrupted by an ear piercing roar that seems to shake the very foundation of this planet.

Luhan immediately springs into action before her, eyes darting, and she’s vaguely reminded of a started deer.

A familiar scraping deep voice echoes through the winding streets, bouncing off the soot-covered walls, and she shivers. The sound of metal clinking against pavement grates at her ears. The labyrinth town makes the voice sound like it’s coming from every direction, surrounding her, breathing down her neck.

“Hyemi-ah. Come out, come out wherever you are~”

Luhan puts a single finger to his lips before he gently pushes Hyemi back towards where they came from, a firm hand on her trembling back.

~.~.~.~.~

Hyemi can see a cloud of dust and rubble rising from the direction they’re headed and she finds that she has a really bad feeling about this. She glances back at Luhan, expression helpless, and he grips her arm, pulling her behind him.

He begins to step forwards and she starts to follow when something cold wraps around her ankle. Hyemi’s eyes widen as she looks down. There’s something cold and silver winding around her ankle and slowly winding up her leg. She tugs on Luhan’s sleeves, glancing back.

That’s when she sees it. A man a couple heads taller than even Kris, horns protruding from its head and skin a leathery grey color. What terrifies her most are the familiar red eyes, pinpoints of black placed right in the center. She screams as it grins at her, teeth sharp as knives and vast in number. Then it yanks at the silver cord and she loses her footing, her grip on Luhan’s shirt loosening as she’s dragged backwards, closer to the beast plowing through the narrow streets behind them.

She vaguely hears Luhan shouting and her ears keep ringing. She’s thrown onto her back and slowly, too slowly, dragged by her ankle towards the monster, her shirt riding up and her back scraping against the pavement roughly, cuts no doubt surfacing. The silver thing continues winding up her leg until it reaches her thigh and it’s so tight, she begins to lose all feeling in her legs.

The closer she gets to it, the bigger and more horrifying it looks, it’s red eyes burning itself into her memory, tiny black pupils drilling holes into her soul.

“We never got to finish our game, Hyemi-ah~” It says in a menacingly sweet voice, baring its teeth at her. “Let’s play together one more time.”

And then it places a single hand across her stomach, sharp fingers digging into her flesh. Pain erupts from her abdomen and she can’t help but writhe in pain, belatedly realizing that the sharp screaming is coming from her. It hurts so much and she’s so scared. She can’t breathe. She wants this thing to get off of her.

At that very thought, there’s a sharp tingling sensation around her neck and she shivers, a sort of heat rising from the pit of her stomach and filling her whole body, all the way to the very tips of her toes. Then she hears a shrill, high pitched keening, both high-pitched and low-pitched mixing together until it becomes almost unbearable to listen to, shiver running up and down her spine.

Before she can figure out what the hell is going on, her whole world goes black.

~.~.~.~.~

Hyemi wakes up to too much pressure all over her body. Blinking rapidly, she realizes why. She’s buried under heavy rubble and the moment she realizes this, the pain comes back tenfold. She breathes heavily, gasping at the pain filling every nerve of her body, and tries to move some part of her body. Only her head is free. She calls out for help, but her voice is too soft and weak.

Right then and there, she wonders if this is how she’ll die. Will she die under a pile of rocks in an unknown town light years away from her home?

She hopes not.

Then she hears a voice. “I found her! Hyung!”

She doesn’t remember anything after that.

~.~.~.~.~

Hyemi finds herself sitting in the middle of a long hallway, darkness surrounding her. She doesn’t know if she should turn around and head back or move forward.

As if on cue, a feather light voice reaches her ears, familiar as ever. “Are you just going to sit there or move?”

Hyemi looks up and gasps. She staring at an exact replica of herself, but there’s something different about this Hyemi. This Hyemi is wearing a short, strapless black dress and heels; hair curled prettily and lips painted blood red. Pretty Hyemi eyes Hyemi rather condescendingly, “Come on. Get up. You’re blocking traffic.”

Hyemi frowns at that, “What traffic?” She’s pretty sure she’s alone in this hallway.

Pretty Hyemi looks pointedly behind Hyemi and she glances back, startled at the sight of a boy standing behind her patiently. His face is hidden but he’s wearing a sleek suit and his build looks vaguely familiar. She stares at him and he doesn’t even move. He just stands there, face hidden by shadows and hands behind his back, posture perfectly straight and still.

“Move.” Pretty Hyemi says more forcefully, tone angrier than Hyemi expects it to be.

So Hyemi quickly scrambles to the side of the hall and presses her back against the wall. She watches as Pretty Hyemi breaks into a soft smile and throws a wink at her before stepping forwards. The boy in the suit remains as still as a statue, even as Pretty Hyemi steps towards him, until they’re a hairsbreadth away. Pretty Hyemi brushes a hand along his chest and rests it over his shoulder. There’s something strangely familiar about the way they’re interacting. Pretty Hyemi steps closer to boy, until they’re intimately closer, before pressing a kiss against his shadowed face. Hyemi blinks, surprised at the utter intimacy in the gesture. Pretty Hyemi deepens the kiss, uncaring of the fact that Hyemi is watching.

Hyemi looks away, a blush creeping up her cheeks that she can’t stop.

“Ah. Young love.” A voice whispers just beside Hyemi's left ear and startles her out of her thoughts. Hyemi turns her head sharply and squeaks because she’s sitting next to an old lady and when Hyemi manages to focus on the elderly women, she realizes that she has the same exact eyes as Hyemi. Same nose, too. Now that Hyemi thinks about it, they both have very similar features. Old Hyemi has deep lines forming at the creases along her eyes a mouth, deep wrinkles from years of living engraved in her face. Her hair is a soft gray and it’s incredibly dull. There are clear tubes around her face that go into her nose. Hyemi has the odd feeling that she’s witnessing an old woman’s last moments of life.

Old Hyemi grins at Hyemi, her teeth thankfully all there. “I can’t wait for you to experience that.”

Hyemi blinks. “You’re really me?”

Old Hyemi chuckles weakly, her eyes flickering to Pretty Hyemi and the statue boy still embracing. “Hopefully.”

Hyemi frowns and stares at Old Hyemi’s wrinkled, papery hands. “I don’t understand.”

Old Hyemi raises three fingers. “You have three paths to choose from. Two of them won’t allow you to become me.”

“What?” Hyemi grimaces because she’s honestly tired of these mind games. Her own mind is playing games with her.

“Two choices will leave you to die young, .” Pretty Hyemi suddenly cuts through the silence. Hyemi glares at Pretty Hyemi who only rolls her eyes, her arm wound around the statue boy’s waist.

“Be nice.” Old Hyemi reprimands. Pretty Hyemi opens to retort and Hyemi feels overwhelmed. She is literally watching herself argue with herself right now. She must be going insane. Old Hyemi turns to Hyemi and places a soft hand across Hyemi’s cheek, patting it gently. “I know you’re confused right now.” She says, shakily, “But the only advice I can give you is to trust your instincts. Follow your head, not your heart.”

Old Hyemi smiles and she watches as Old Hyemi melts away into smoke and darkness, a swirl of images dissipating into nothing. Pretty Hyemi eyes Hyemi from her side of the hall before sighing, a little dramatically. “Kick some out there, babe.” Pretty Hyemi says and Hyemi gives her a wry smile, amused with the way Pretty Hyemi puckers her lips and blows a kiss before grabbing the hand of the stoic boy and dragging him away, into the darkness, the clicking of her heels slowly fading away.

Slowly, Hyemi stands up and eyes the darkness ahead of her and wonders if she should move forward. At her indecision, there’s a prick of light forming just ahead of her. Hyemi watches as the speck of light begins to glow, pulsing bigger and bigger until it’s the size of a ball that could easily fit in her palms. Hyemi reaches out to it, cupping her palms, and the ball of light zooms towards her, slowly circling her. It falls forward a bit, gently grazing her cheek and it doesn’t burn like she expects it to. It’s spreads a soft warmth through her and she smiles at the sense of safety it brings. She holds out her palms and it drops into her open hands, burrowing into her palms like a baby animal.

The sense of warmth is short-lived, however.

Hyemi watches as the ball of light seems to melt against her hands, deflating and losing itself in the surrounding darkness. She tries to save it, cupping her hands together, but it doesn’t help. She watches in horror as the ball of light breaks into a million tiny shards and a wave freezing cold washes through her. She looks up from her hands and screams, rooted to her spot with fear.

Staring right back at her are slanted stark white eyes against black skin. It’s leaning down so it’s nose to nose with her and it doesn’t blink, full white eyes pinning her to her spot.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” Its voice brings chills down her spine, her knees shaking weakly. There’s something ethereal about it, as if she can hear millions and millions of different voices merged into this one being.

Its eyes flash a beautiful crimson red and she’s never been so full of awe of anything before. Yet, her skin still crawls at the sight. She feels like she’s burning up from the inside out.

“Welcome home.” It whispers and she loses all sense of time and space, the world disappearing from sight. She explodes from within.

~.~.~.~.~

Hyemi’s eyes shoot open and she sits up so fast, her head spins. Hands grasp at her shoulders and she’s too weak to shake them off.

“You need to rest.” Baekhyun’s familiar voice mutters close to her ear.

Hyemi complies with his consistent hands and she hears him sigh when she flops back down on her back without much protest. She looks up at him and he looks so worried, concern etched across every plane of his face.

“What happened?” Hyemi asks, voice hoarse.

“We found you under a pile of rubble. You have several broken bones and a concussion.” Baekhyun says, clinically, his jaw clenching slightly. Before Hyemi can say anything, Baekhyun continues speaking, an edge to his tone that sounds almost…guilty?  “You were unconscious and I tried to bring you back to consciousness. I was so close but then…” He trails off, fists forming next to your hands.

“I saw someone.” Hyemi breathes. “A monster.”

“I know. I caught a glimpse of him. We lost you to him, Hyemi.” Baekhyun says with grave eyes. He threads his fingers through hers and she feels safe. She momentarily forgets about those blank white eyes and loud, discordant voice. His grip tightens around her fingers, filling the empty spaces and she closes her eyes, focusing on breathing steadily.

“What do you mean ‘lost you to him’? Who was that?” Hyemi asks.

Baekhyun tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and Hyemi hates how clinical his voice sounds. But there’s an edge of something else in his tone, something that squeezes her heart. “He’s the one who sent all those creatures after you. He wants you and he almost had you. He almost stopped your heart.”

Hyemi blinks at him, confused above everything else.

Baekhyun brings their interlocked hands to his lips and kisses her fingers softly, gently, as if he’s trying to reassure himself that she’s really there. He’s not touching her for her comfort, for once. He’s touching her for his comfort, she realizes, anxiety washing over her. Baekhyun never seeks comfort for himself so whenever he did she always knew something very terrible had happened.

“You were dead. You weren’t breathing. I thought you were dead.” Baekhyun breathes, his voice so, so soft, and she clutches onto his fingers, to comfort him or herself, she isn’t entirely sure anymore. “I’m sorry.” He says, the guilt in his voice driving her up the wall. The look in his eyes is the closest to panic she’s ever seen in his face before and it honestly terrifies her. He’s supposed to be the strong one. He’s not supposed to look so scared and guilty.

“It’s okay.” She says, quickly. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

Baekhyun presses forward, burying his face into the crook of her neck, her hands in his, and she lies very, very still. He’s nodding his head as he remains at the crook of her neck, his breathing still normal. His nose tickles her neck but she doesn’t dare move. He’s not crying or anything, she’s sure of it, but his vulnerability is strangely endearing. She reaches up and brushes a hand through his soft hair and he doesn’t move. He remains as still as a statue and her chest flutters uncomfortably, her heart racing inexplicably.

~.~.~.~.~

Hyemi wakes up feeling like she’s been hit by a two ton truck. “.” She mutters. Her body doesn’t hurt, she’s just incredibly sore. She feels like she ran a marathon without preparing beforehand. Before she can really take in her surroundings the bedroom door slams open with a loud bang.

“Rise and shine, princess.” A voice—Jongin—shouts loudly before he rips open the curtains and light floods into the room, nearly blinding her.

Hyemi groans loudly and throws her arms over her eyes. “I’m injured, leave me alone.”

Jongin scoffs, loudly. “I know for a fact you’re not injured anymore. Sore? Probably. But definitely not injured. Yixing hyung’s an amazing medic.”

Hyemi knows Jongin is right. She peeks at him from underneath her forearm. “What do you want?”

“It’s time to train.”

“What?”

“Get up before I dump a bucket of water on your head.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

Hyemi groans and Jongin snickers before holding up five fingers. “You have five minutes.” And then he disappears on the spot, leaving Hyemi to wonder how her life turned into this.

a/n: I think I answered a whole lot of stuff here yAYYY!!! PLUS I'm soooo addicted to the title track to this chapter omg I love Super Junior wow.

Please tell me ALL YOUR THOUGHTS They motivate me!!

ps. Baek looked so good in singin' in the rain! omg He looked so happy and cute I love him!!

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Thank you. I love you!

xoxo