“I’m Byun Baekhyun.”

There was a second long pause as Chanyeol turned to look at the shorter man wearing an oversized hoodie and a pair of torn jeans.

“No, you’re not.” was the simple reply he got as Chanyeol turned back to the tall man he’d been previously talking to. “As I was saying, before your assistant so rudely interrupted me-” Chanyeol continued and with an iron grip around the tall man’s arm he marched out of the elevator that had stopped on floor 14.

As the elevator doors slowly closed, leaving the three of them in the elevator, the man calling himself Baekhyun turned to the other two.

“What’s his deal?” He asked.

“Don’t know really.” Jongin answered with a shrug. “I just think he’s really desperate for a real shower actually.” As Jongin answered Kyungsoo took the time to look closer to this man who said he was Baekhyun. His hair was of a dark auburn shade and, just as the tall guy’s, was looking very well taken care of (in comparison to Kyungsoo’s own hair which was very much in need of a shower). His complexion was so smooth it made Kyungsoo slightly jealous, no matter if he was wearing makeup or not, and he was roughly the same height as Kyungsoo too. There was a sparkle in his dark brown eyes that Kyungsoo found himself drawn to but what stood out the most was the accessories he was wearing on his hands. They consisted of a metal star laying flat on the back of his hands. From four of the star’s points thin chains were fastened, two to lace around his index and little finger and two to fasten around his wrist. They stood in a stark contrast to his otherwise casual clothes with the tiny diamonds adorning each of the star’s points. But it wasn’t the diamonds that took Kyungsoo’s attention, it was the shape of the star. It gave him a strange feeling of deja vu and he immediately looked down on the ring he wore himself. He and Jongin still hadn’t switched their rings even if Luhan insisted that they really should. Kyungsoo knew very well for himself now that Luhan was right and that it would be better for them to just get their own rings back, but in his human memories he had given Jongin his ring as a gift and no matter how fake that memory was he didn’t want to take the gift back. Even if Jongin understood exactly why they should do that. A gift was a gift. And if this just meant that he had to stay close to Jongin to be close to his so-called power source, then Kyungsoo wasn’t complaining.

Kyungsoo looked at his Jongin’s ring and couldn’t help but think that it matched the accessories the elevator stranger was wearing. That plus the deja vu feeling he had made Kyungsoo believe that this actually might be the Baekhyun after all.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo interrupted Jongin’s rant about the importance of showers. “but may I look closer to your jewelry? It’s beautiful.” He asked and then added quickly as to not scare the other. “I won’t rob you, I promise.” If he could face palm himself without looking more stupid than already he would do it

“Well, that’s reassuring.” Baekhyun(?) laughed. “But sure, why not? I am proud of my designs after all. Although I’m sad to say that we don’t sell these anymore. Limited edition.”

“I’ve seen that!” Jongin exclaimed when Baekhyun raised his hand for Kyungsoo to look closer at the jewelry.

“No, you haven’t?” Baekhyun sounded as sceptical as he looked, one eyebrow slightly raised as well as one side of hi top lip.

“Yes, I have.” Jongin didn’t back down and he carefully took Baekhyun’s hand in his own to be able to investigate the bling closer.

“No, you haven’t. By limited edition I meant one. This is the only pair of these that I ever made. And only I have ever worn them. And never to official events. You can’t have seen them before?”

“Yes I have! I saw it on…” Jongin paused as he looked at Kyungsoo nervously. By the look alone Kyungsoo understood where Jongin had seen the symbol. He smiled at Jongin and nodded as if urging him to continue.

“I saw it on a door.” Jongin concluded.

“Okay?” Baekhyun looked extremely confused and also slightly annoyed.

“I don’t know how to explain it…” Jongin continued, looking at Kyungsoo for help but his boyfriend only patted him on the arm and encouraged him to continue.

“Soo was recently kidnapped,” Jongin started reaching down to hold Kyungsoo’s hand. “There’s much much more to the story but I don’t think I physically can tell you it right now. It’s too close still. However the room he was held in had a symbol similar to that one. “ As he spoke he held up his left hand to show Baekhyun the ring he was wearing, Kyungsoo’s ring. “And there were many more doors with similar symbols on them. Yours was on one of them. And I believe that that room is made for you, if that makes any sense.”

“It doesn’t.” Baekhyun answered firmly and Jongin’s face dropped before Baekhyun suddenly smiled at the two of them. “But I’m intrigued. Can you tell me what your friend right now is telling my assistant that I apparently really need to listen to?”

Jongin and Kyungsoo exchanged a look.

“No, but we know the perfect guy who can.” Kyungsoo answered and pressed the button for the ground floor.

~ * ~

Luhan and Baekhyun had been conversing for a good 20 minutes now and the rest of the group had been watching them intently for the whole time (excluding Chanyeol who most probably still was talking to Baekhyun’s assistant). They hadn’t gotten an official confirmation that this Baekhyun was the right one but Kyungsoo was certain, both because of his bling and because of Luhan not sending him away.

“How do you think it’s going?” Yixing whispered, not leaving the pair with his gaze. Something might happen if he stopped looking even for a second.

“Don’t know. It’s hard to tell.” Kyungsoo whispered back, having the same philosophy as Yixing and therefore not looking elsewhere than Luhan and Baekhyun.

Luhan had been the one talking for the whole time, Baekhyun only looking serious and nodding from time to time. It was hard to read what the nods might mean from this distance. It could be an “I-understand nod” but it could just as easily be an “You-are-crazy-and-I’m-only-nodding-so-that-you-don’t-kill-me nod”. And since they couldn’t hear what Luhan was saying, as they were all the way by the entrance and Kyungsoo and the gang was sitting by the elevators, they actually didn’t know whether or not Luhan was explaining their origin story or if he very politely asked for forgiveness for the rude behavior Jongin, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had met him with.

Kyungsoo desperately hoped that it was the first option since he really wanted a shower, almost as much as Chanyeol wanted one, and also since it would be nice if they could find all the members since that obviously was quite important too. But Kyungsoo’s top priority right now was to shower. Members came later. They would always be there anyway (unless MBLAQ had managed to get them killed but Kyungsoo did rather not think about that possibility).

Another 10 minutes passed and by now only Kyungsoo was still watching the pair. Jongin had fallen asleep, leaning on Kyungsoo’s shoulder in a weird position that couldn’t possibly be comfortable, and Yixing was playing a messenger based kind of game on his phone.

Kyungsoo was seriously thinking about giving up too, there was only so much of two people talking that you could take before it turned quite uninteresting, However before Kyungsoo had the time to lean his head against Jongin’s and try to get some shut-eye too there was a chance before him. Baekhyun was the one who actually said something. It was short but it was definitely him who said it and Luhan was the one who nodded in return. Luhan shortly grasped Baekhyun’s shoulder and then Baekhyun turned towards the group (or to Kyungsoo who was the only one still paying attention) and started walking towards them.

“I’m going on vacation, you guys.” He exclaimed with a big smile when he was close enough for them to hear him. Kyungsoo was momentarily blinded by the brightness of his smile. He literally seemed to brighten up the room a bit with that smile. It was a big, genuine smile, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help himself but smile back. Yixing looked up from his phone at the sound of Baekhyun’s voice and he had a visible reaction to the smile, almost looking as if blinded by the sun for a brief second before he righted himself and smiled back at the man who seemed to be younger than they first had thought. IT was something about that smile.

After a few seconds of all of them smiling at each other (except Jongin who was still sleeping) and Baekhyun looking as if he wanted more of an reaction from them Kyungsoo finally grasped what Baekhyun had said.

“A vacation?” He asked and that seemed to get Yixing out of his daze too.

“Yes! I’ve just contacted everyone that I’m going on a much deserved vacation and that they’re not supposed to contact me unless absolutely necessary, so I’ll probably only get like 10 emails a day! Isn’t that amazing.” Baekhyun’s smile seemed to almost grow bigger at the thought of getting next to no emails, something that Kyungsoo sadly could relate to. He hadn’t checked his inbox since that fateful day at the office where he met Luhan for the second time and he didn’t think he’d ever be prepared to check it again.

“Okay?” Yixing said and looked at Luhan who had walked up to them too for more of an explanation.

“What Baekhyun is trying to say is that he’s coming with us.” Luhan explained with a smile that growed slightly when he glanced at Jongin who had just started to snore lightly.

“Yeah!” Baekhyun basically screamed, catching the attention from a couple of stressed businesspeople who immediately looked away when they saw who it was who caused the commotion. “I have no idea what this Tree of Life or BLAP or whatever is and I don’t really understant, but I’m intrigued about these so-called superpowers and I want to know what mine is!” Kyungsoo thought he could give a pretty good guess but he decided to stay silent since if he was wrong it would be pretty embarrassing. “And also, travelling around the world seems awesome! So I’m totally in!”

“Great!” Kyungsoo answered with just as much intensity as Baekhyun before he turned to Yixing to quietly mutter “He does know about the whole getting chased and possibly killed thing, right?”

Yixing shrugged as Baekhyun happily turned to Luhan and asked when they would be leaving. Luhan answered that they would leave as fast as possible but they were all in dire need of a shower and a new set of clean clothes, so that was their top priority right now (Kyungsoo inwardly thanked God for Luhan’s answer). Baekhyun immediately invited them to his home then, he apparently lived in a penthouse that rich bastard, and urged them on to hurry up. He was apparently very ready to leave the country.

Just as Kyungsoo turned to carefully shake Jongin awake Luhan asked the question that probably should have been asked earlier by either him or Yixing.

“Where is Chanyeol?”

Thankfully Kyungsoo didn’t have to explain as the elevators opened right there and then and a very happy Chanyeol came out, dragging Baekhyun’s assistant with him who looked like everything that could go wrong just had gone wrong for him.

“Hey, guys! I found Baekhyun!” He hollered and very dramatically introduced them to his ‘Baekhyun’ by falling to his knees and extending his arms towards said man who looked highly uncomfortable and in need of some help. “And I’ve explained everything and he’s ready to join us.”

“I’m not!” The tall guy finally said. “And for the last time, I’m not Baekhyun!” He continued before Chanyeol could interrupt him. “I’m Baekhyun’s assistant, the Byun Baekhyun’s assistant!” He both sounded and looked like that was the most important job he could ever dream of getting. “And I’m not going anywhere!” He actually stomped his foot to enunciate how much he meant what he said but it only made it more visible how young he actually was. He was probably younger than all of them, at most he could be Jongin’s age.

“He’s telling the truth.” Baekhyun and Luhan said at the same time leaving everyone in a small state of shock for a second since it was so synchronized.

“He’s not Baekhyun.” Luhan continued while the real Baekhyun waved as to show that he was.

“However,”Luhan continued before Chanyeol could manage to look too defeated. “Good job finding Sehun!”

AN:

So I just realised that this fic is a hundred pages long O.O like wtf? How did that happen? Okay so it's with the whole backstory and character explanataions and whatever included that nobody else but me will ever read but it's still a hundred pages and I'm actually a bit proud~ It might've taken me like 20 000 years but it's still the longest thing I've ever written, not counting my dream diary that might be longer.

Sehun was originally not at all supposed to be introduced this early. He was supposed to live in Rotterdam, studying at Codarts but well that didnn't really work out now did it x)

Hope you liked it~ Thank you for reading <3