“I think you need more eyeliner.”

Baekhyun’s head snapped up at her voice and the make-up artist cursed loudly as the boy looked at the mirror, a streak of black elongating from the corner of one of his eyes and it had been drawn down towards his mouth. Rage stirred within him and the make-up artist hurriedly apologised, dabbing a wet cotton pad over the black line. He dismissed the apology, citing that it was his fault for moving while his eyes glared menacingly at a certain phantom whose face had scrunched up in guilt and shame.

Even though the boys have just arrived in Seoul, they have a schedule to attend right off the bat. Rushing to their salon, the boys were thrown into the usual affair of make-up and hair. After the seven-hour flight, the boys were restless for most of them couldn't catch the sleep they badly needed for reasons unbeknownst to them. Needless to say, Baekhyun didn’t enjoy the flight either.

“Would you stop following me!?”

He grabbed tufts of his hair as he glared at the girl that was seated on top of the sink, her legs crossed and hands placed on her knee. She huffed and pouted, eyes glaring back at the boy.

“For your information, you were the one who asked me if I was coming along with you!”

“But you didn’t have to follow me here, to the bathroom!” Exasperated, Baekhyun covered the toilet bowl before flopping himself on it. “Use some common sense, would you?”

“I think my common sense died along with me back there.” The girl stated matter-of-factly, as the boy let out a shout of frustration, which prompted a sharp knock on the door that sent both occupants of the cubicle into a frenzy. The girl, as though she had forgotten that she was dead and invisible, tried to hide herself behind the boy who was trying to shove his head into the sink. As if their efforts would help their situation.

“Baekhyun, you alright in there?” It was Joonmyeon.

Psh, as always.

Rolling his eyes, the boy replied a firm “Yes.” and the girl popped her head out of the door before returning to confirm that EXO’s leader has left for his seat.

“When you’re around me, you should stop doing that.” Baekhyun motioned at the act of her materialising between concrete objects. “It gives me the bejebus and someone might see you.”

“Who?” The girl stared, as she floated back down to the edge of the sink. “Who on Earth, literally, besides you would be able to see me?”

Baekhyun mentally facepalmed himself for his foolish diction as he pointedly avoided her I-thought-so gaze and twiddled his thumbs.

“Anyway, I’m not as dense as you think I am. So I am going to leave you to your business and return to you– our seat.” She waved and the boy’s lips curled up in distaste as she disappeared through the door. Baekhyun sighed as he lifted the toilet bowl cover, and was about to his fly when he felt a presence behind him.

“You!” He yelled as the girl removed her head from the cubicle with the same melodious laugh, and he could hear it ringing in his head as she made her way back to his seat next to a knocked-out Jongdae.

“Baek… Are you sure you’re alright in there…?” The familiar chiding voice returned and Baekhyun resisted the urge to pull his hair out from his scalp.

I swear to God, I am without a doubt the most unfortunate soul here.

“You seriously need to stop following me.”

“Do you think I have a choice?”

“You do!”

“Well, it’s not like I want to follow you…”

“Then why are you following me.”

“B-Because…” Baekhyun whirled around, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the girl that was trailing behind him. Her hands were clasped together and the boy noticed that she had donned the red plaid shirt instead of it being tied around her waist as it had been for the past week. She was chewing on her lower lip, her eyes fixated on something on the floor as she rocked on her heels. “Because you’re the only one I have right now.”

Baekhyun in his breath sharply, for his chest suddenly prickled for reasons unbeknownst to him. He watched as the phantom before him continued to sway back and forth on her heels, her ponytail following her movements. His eyes, as though entranced, shifted with her hair, darting left, right, left, right.

“Baekhyun…?”

He snapped out of the trance, and mentally chided himself for zoning out. Yet, when he heard his name roll off her tongue, he subconsciously thought that it was the most beautiful word he heard from her. But he soon composed himself, bringing back the indifferent expression that he had mastered over the period of that one week the girl had been with him.

“I-I’m sorry!” She squeaked, her feet now flat on the wooden floor, her eyes darting upwards only to fall back down upon registering Baekhyun’s unamused gaze. “I didn’t know what to call you by, and I can’t always not address you each time we speak… So… I– I had to call your name.”

“It’s the first time you said my name.”

“Y-Yes.” The girl didn’t know why she was so frightened by her favourite member when she should be exhilarated instead; maybe it was the hard and dark gaze that he was shooting at her, or maybe it was the annoyance that was rolling off him in droves. “It’s the first time since you could see me.”

“You should do this all the time.”

Her heart thumped. Wh-What…? What did he say?

“E-Excuse me…?”

The boy had covered the lower half of his face with his hand, his svelte digits cupping his cheek, and a ring on his index finger sparkled under the soft lighting of SM building’s training floor.

“I said,” Baekhyun’s voice was slightly muffled by his hand, but she could hear it clearly in the silence of the narrow corridor, “You should just call me by my name next time.”

Her heart soared and a dazzling smile slowly crept onto her face as her mind processed the words that the boy have just said to her.

He said that I could call his name.

He said that I could call his name.

He said that I should call his name.

Next time.

“Does this mean that you want me to stay with you?” She blurted out, and her hands shot up to , her eyes widened. Holy , I accidentally spouted my thought!

Baekhyun’s eyes grew larger and they made contact with the girl’s, prompting his to break away almost immediately.

“I-It’s not like I have a choice, do I? I can’t p-possibly leave you alone in this world…” He could feel heat rushing to his face, and he spun on his heels to shield his crimson face from the girl whose face was exactly the same.

For a few moments, the two of them stood like that — the boy facing forward, the girl gazing at his back. The silence of the empty training floor was deafening, and both persons feared (wondered, actually) if the other could hear the insane pounding of their hearts.

Baekhyun made the first move, his feet moving forward as he slowly let his hand drop from his now-recovered face. No longer was it crimson, but a knowing smile remained. He walked for a few metres before turning back to realise that the girl hadn’t followed.

“You coming?”

At the question, the girl lifted her head up, the crimson having faded, but a silly grin remained. Nodding furiously, she bounded over to him and her hands instinctively reached out to clutch his arm but the scene of her fingers disappearing into the boy’s forehead back at the airport swum into her mind. She let her hands fall, albeit unnaturally, and walked alongside him with her hands clasped behind her.

Baekhyun had noticed her awkward movement, but didn’t question her for he knew that she wouldn’t talk about it anyway. And somehow, as the boy have come to realise as the night of practice dragged into the wee hours of the morning, the loneliness that would plague him whenever he came to practice alone never came for him.

“By the way,” Baekhyun turned to her, as she twirled her hair into a messy bun. “I never got your name.”

The girl stared at him, and under the rays of sunlight that have penetrated the windows of the practice room, her eyes shone and the shade of nut-brown greeted him. A small smile formed on her face as she articulated two words that Baekhyun would never forget in his lifetime.

“Geena Lee.”

Her tongue slipped out from between her lips. “G. E. E. N. A. L. E. E. I know that’s a lot of ‘Es’ and sometimes I wonder why my mother loves that letter so much.” She pursed her lips and a casual thought of “That’s so adorable.” shot through his mind, effectively sending his brain into overdrive at its attempt to banish it.

“But anyway, nice to meet you, Byun Baekhyun.”

And the boy thought an angel had descended from the heavens above when the sunlight burst in and bathed her in its brightness.

“Please.”

“No.”

“Pleaseee!”

“No.”

“Pweaseeeeeeee!”

Baekhyun stifled a snicker.

“No.”

“Fine. Be the insensitive meanie you were back in my home country. I could care less.” Seated on the rug situated in EXO’s living room, the phantom was the epitome of fury with her arms folded across her chest and her legs tucked under her. She had her eyes shut, and her head turned away from the EXO member who was seated beside her with a game controller in his hands.

Baekhyun paused his game, and placed the game controller on his lap. He widened his eyes at her as she gave him a side glance.

"And I would know because I've been watching you since you guys reached the concert venue."

The boy’s jaw slacked. If she's been with us since we reached... That would mean that...

Geena huffed, her cheeks puffed out. “So, Baekhyun-sshi, I think my perspective of you being a loving idol drastically changed. For the worst, might I add.”

Shame and guilt flooded him as he recalled the words that he had said that day, and regret hit him.

“I don’t think I’ll have you as my bias any longer,” Her eyes flew open, and she whirled around to face him, a deep scowl on her face. “Seeing how that’s what you think about your fans. That there are many, so it doesn’t matter how many die since the fans will never run out anyway. Am I right to say that, you insensitive prick!”

She threw an arm towards him, wanting to slam his chest, but it fell through. Baekhyun inhaled sharply, as t