Chapter Five | The Stitches

Sehun was walking in daze when he felt something strange as if he just woke up from a dream. He looked around, realizing he was already a block away from his apartment. He tried to remember what he’d been doing before that, but all he got was the memory of himself at the school’s entrance with Kimiko while both of them were waiting for the bus. He looked at his wristwatch and got surprised at the sight of its cracked glass. Its hands indicated 8:00 sharp. Was it possible he’d been walking for almost two hours? His apartment was only a ten-minute ride away from school. And remembering that, why would he be walking if he could have been riding a bus? He looked at it again and noticed the second hand was not moving. He remembered seeing it working fine and without a crack while he waited for Kimiko after their gardening, but now it was broken. When did that happen?

When he got home, he saw the door slightly ajar with the lights flashing from inside. He slowly opened the door wide and peeked inside. He cupped the switch at the right side and turned the lights off. He waited for three seconds and turned it on again. This time, it stayed on. He went inside and took off his shoes. By the time he walked to his room, something caught the corner of his eye and he turned to look at the unlit kitchen. He was startled by the silhouette standing beside the sink. It was a man’s figure, but he wasn’t sure if the figure was facing him or had his back turned to him.

“Hyung,” he called, laughing, “What are you doing in the dark?”

Chanyeol—the only person he could conclude after seeing the familiar figure—didn’t respond and just stood there. It was weird but Sehun thought better not to annoy his Hyung who must be in a bad mood, and went to his own room. He turned the lights on and threw his bag to his table. Instead of sitting down on his chair, he dove into his bed and dipped his face into his pillow. He felt so tired; he wanted to go to sleep, but his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He let out a grunt and lazily took it out. He was surprised to see Chanyeol’s name on the screen. What’s with his friend today?

“Hyung,” he said, “Why are you calling? We’re--”

“Hey, kid, are you home now?” Chanyeol said from the other line.

This confused him. He immediately sat up and looked at the door.

“Are you kidding me, Hyung?” he said, laughing nervously, “You heard me ent--”

“I got held up from work, but I’m on my way now. I brought dinner.”

“What? But you’re just in the kitchen a whi--”

Sehun slowly put his phone down, stopping midway their conversation. He didn’t take his eyes off the door, remembering the person he saw in their apartment’s kitchen. He was so sure it was his Hyung but he also thought it was weird for Chanyeol to stand alone in the dark. His heart began to pound faster as he slowly stood up and went to take his skateboard beside his table. Suddenly, th