When Miyung woke Baekhyun was not there, and nor was anyone else; she was alone, again. Was loneliness going to become a norm for her? She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Light shined in from somewhere and a cold breeze drifted through the room. Wrapping the covers tighter around herself, Miyung huddled into a ball. She sniffed and breathed in, and out. In and out. Her eyebrows quivered; an overwhelming feeling overcame her and she felt like crying. Breathe. Tears collected in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Biting down on her teeth, she hit the bed with her fist. So many feelings swirled around her, their tails whipped around and contained her, refusing to let her breathe. Confusion and embarrassment mixed with fear, sadness and vulnerability whirled into angry and dark clouds within her; they suffocated her. By now the tears streamed endlessly down her face. She felt so confused; so alone; so lost.

Baekhyun stood in the doorway, out of Miyung’s sight, watching her. He had heard her muffled sobs and when he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks he felt so guilty and so sympathetic for her.

“She’s reached her breaking point” Sehun said calmly from behind him. Baekhyun looked up at him and hummed sadly in agreement.

“Lasted longer than I thought she would though” Chen added. They watched Miyung sit and cry, but didn’t make any advance towards her.

“She’s just so...human” Sehun thought “but then again, not”. Everyone knew what he meant. “I mean, like, she almost accepted it. Almost like she expected it…..but not” Sehun sighed; he was very good at figuring people out, as a fortune teller after all.

“Her thoughts are so mixed up and unfinished. They’re like a storm” Chen told them.

Baekhyun stood and watched her as the others left. He was glad that Miyung was who she was, that she was her. He was almost glad that his lights had found her and lead her to him. But this thing about destiny and fate confused him; he didn’t like it because, honestly, it didn’t make for good stories or fun games; it only left people feeling confused and stupid. It left them following a path to what may not even be the perfect ending, instead of creating their own path and fending for themselves. This is something Baekhyun had to learn the hard way. It was also something he hoped Miyung would learn, but she’ll just have to get used to it first.

But Baekhyun often contradicted himself.There were many things that Miyung didn’t know about Baekhyun; that the boys didn’t know about him; that he didn’t know about himself. There were some parts of Baekhyun that were slightly too dark and twisted, and it was something beyond him. Why else would Baekhyun send his perfect lights into the dark forest? And what exactly were they doing out there; they certainly weren’t there for show. And Baekhyun tried to push out these urges, follow his own path, but sometimes he slipped and succumbed to them. They scared him. They whispered and swept around him like smoke, creeping up and into him. But he didn’t want to think about them, so, instead, he watched Miyung. Maybe he would be able to protect her, and she him, and they could leave this tortured world together.

The tears stopped falling from Miyung’s eyes, leaving just dry trails down her reddened cheeks. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. She must look like a mess, she thought. Hauling herself from the bed, she brushed off her arms and legs and stretched. She raked a hand through her hair, wincing as it got stuck in the tangles. She whined and tried pulling her hand out of her hair but to no use. Just then Baekhyun appeared. Great, she thought, I look like a hag and now people are going to see it. She huffed and looked down weakly but Baekhyun only laughed lightly and went to help her. He pulled her hand from her hair and, taking a comb from somewhere, started detangling the mess.

“I used to do Sehun’s hair, but D.O is better at it, so he does now” He spoke calmly, trying to make Miyung feel at ease. He brushed her hair until it was straight and smooth.

“TADA!” he cried, smiling widely at her. Miyung laughed; she felt better now.

“Thank you” she smiled, looking up at him.

“Ahh, that’s okay Mimi” he joked and patted her head, ruffling her hair. A blushed swept over her at the nickname which only made Baekhyun laugh more. He was still playing with her hair; it felt nice, really. She felt her body relax and she let out a breath, relieving her tense self. All she needed was a clear head at the moment. But she was confined in this room, with people she didn’t know.

“Do we have to stay here?” Miyung asked Baekhyun hopefully, but the look on Baekhyun’s face wasn’t promising.

“Well,” he started “we don’t have to stay right here. I mean, you can’t leave the circus but… we can look outside?” he offered weakly. Miyung just wanted fresh air so she nodded her head. Baekhyun nodded his head back at her, also, and motioned for her to follow. They walked back through the normal circus ground. To Miyung’s surprise the door she had come in through only days ago was open. She rushed towards it but Baekhyun stopped her.

“You can’t leave, Miyung” he warned, his voice serious. Her arms flopped in response, the reality crashing over her again and destroying her unknown hopes. Baekhyun held her up and walked her over to the door, setting her down on the floor so that she sat leaning against him. Tears began to brim in her eyes again but Baekhyun just wiped them away. He sighed and relaxed his arms.

“I’m sorry, Miyung” he apologised but there was nothing he could do to help it. Well, at least nothing that wouldn’t bind her here forever.

She watched the snow fall and settle gently on the ground. It looked so peaceful and calm. The trees shifted slightly and small birds left prints in the snow. Icicles hung from branches, reminding Miyung of Luhan and his dance. The air was darkened, but it always was in the forest even when the trees were bare.

Baekhyun watched Miyung as she relaxed. He was glad she was feeling better but it was all just an illusion. Well, the door wasn’t actually there; it was a making of Baekhyun’s imagination, but Miyung didn’t need to know that, did she now? Miyung gripped onto the shirt he was wearing, her head on his chest. Baekhyun told himself that this was right, this is how it was meant to be, but right at the back of his mind he knew something was wrong. And he hated it; why wasn’t he allowed to be happy. It made him so angry; what had he done to deserve so much guilt, he was a good person. He told himself so everyday. Baekhyun you don’t need this, you don’t deserve this; you are a good person. If you keep telling yourself something enough, you would start to believe it; Baekhyun you are a good person. So all he did was pull Miyung closer to him and wrap his arm around her.

She snapped him out of his thoughts with a gasp. Miyung had found the lights again, or rather, they had appeared to her. They danced as the always did, in intricate and delicate movements. They broughts a weird kind of joy to Miyung, they almost hypnotised her; she, subconsciously, wanted to be like one.

“You know you said that they were your’s, right?” Miyung asked, still watching them. It was the question that Baekhyun really didn’t want to answer. There were so many secrets behind the lights.

“Mhmmm” he hummed and nodded his head stiffly.

“How?” She hesitated for a moment “I mean, do you control them? Or…?” Baekhyun thought about how to answer the question.

“They have a mind of their own” he said simply. Miyung nodded her head and sighed in content.

“They’re so pretty” she mumbled. Baekhyun was desperate to get off this topic.

“Why, thank you.” He said, proudly “That’s about the first compliment you’ve given me, after all I’ve shown you” Miyung laughed at his comment and turned to him, smiling.

Miyung was so much calmer now, so much happier. She had forgotten about the want to leave, although she didn’t know why. Baekhyun was glad that she was happy but the guilt was still wedged in his mind. His lights did their job very well.

“Do you like dancing, Miyung?” Baekhyun asked. She nodded straight away.

“I used to go and watch dancers at the theatre whenever I was allowed to” she spoke fondly of the memory, “but I never learnt”. Her expression changed to slight sadness.

“Hmm, I could show you?” Baekhyun offered lightly. Miyung’s cheeks blushed and she shook her head. 
“Ahh come on, Mimi” he whined and pulled her up. He moved so that they were in the right position. He grinned at her, to which she responded with a scowl.

“Just follow my steps” Baekhyun told her. She nodded slowly and moved around with him. Her frown soon turned into a smile as she laughed with him. He picked her up and spun her around. They were in a trance with each other and forgot about dancing. Miyung tripped over her own feet, pulling Baekhyun down with her. But it was okay. They laughed with each other easily as they lay on the floor.

Miyung sighed happily and rested her head on Baekhyun’s chest. He pulled her body closer to his, wrapping his arms around her.

“Thanks, Baekhyun” she smiled and closed her eyes. He laughed gently at her cuteness.

“Are you tired?” he asked quietly. She nodded her head sleepily. Miyung was tired, but more she was just worn out. She snuggled into Baekhyun chest easily, without really thinking about it.

Baekhyun smiled to himself. This is how it’s meant to be, he thought. Closing his eyes, his mind was finally at peace, for now, at least.

A/N Ohhhh it's getting interesting. So many secrets. This took me forever to start writing and I'm sorry it took so long D: forgive me.