wrong step | baekhyun

+twenty-two+

LEE SUNMI

"so how did you know me?"

i stood with my back pressed against the wall, rejecting his offer to bring me to his place. despite receiving predatory glances from the people passing by us, i much preferred being in the open. after the incident on the cruise, i definitely wasn't hundred percent sure about kai.

seeing how i kept quiet, kai eventually gave a sigh of resignation. "okay okay. i get that you don't want to say anything, bipolar girl."

i frowned. "what bipolar girl?"

"you were so feisty to me earlier." he chuckled. "when i was an eagle, remember?"

"oh that. well that was different..." i trailed off. "wait, so all these people are the same like you?"

"demons." kai corrected. "we are all animals in the day, and are only able to roam about at night." i noticed how he chose not to use the term 'pets'.

i nodded slowly. "what about the humans then?"

shrugging, kai answered nonchalantly, "no one knows. all we can remember is being treated like dirt in the day."

he's hiding something.

"well, okay." i bit my lower lip and started glancing around. trying to find any signboards that could lead me away from this place and bring me to kaonashi town. even though there were streetlamps all around us that helped to illuminate our surroundings, i couldn't help but shiver at the darkness that seemed to stretch into infinity in alleys.

suddenly, i felt hot breath on my skin. "what are you looking for?"

whipping around, i found kai giving me a bemused grin. my frown only made his grin stretch wider. i cleared my throat. "do you... know where's kaonashi town? i need to get there."

it was his time to frown. "what are you talking about? this is kaonashi town." kai gestured to our surroundings.

"but— the lady told me that this is hikari town!"

"it was hikari town." kai corrected. "when night comes, it becomes kaonashi town. the demons take over, remember?"

relief washed over me — a welcome feeling that i honestly missed. maybe things were going in the right direction, after all. but now to search for the last location, kenji tower...

"holy shit, you want to get to the kenji tower?!" a gasp sounded from my right. kai was staring at me with his eyes wide.

"yeah, why— wait, you listened to my thoughts?!" i gaped in accusation. he sucked the inside of his cheeks as a flustered and somewhat guilty look appeared on him.

"it wasn't on purpose, i swear." shuffling of feet, wringing of hands. then, he looked up sharply. "but you really shouldn't head to the kenji tower. it's equivalent to looking for death!"

"i— i need to find someone." i admitted. kai raised his eyebrows questioningly and i contemplated on whether to mention baekhyun or not. for all i know, baekhyun might not even exist in this dimension. but it's worth a try.

"i'm looking for someone by the name of byun baekhyun."

his gaze changed from curious to surprise and recognition almost immediately. "baekhyun? baekhyunnie?"

"wait, you know him?"

he let out a chuckle and shook his head in disbelief. "we were the best of pals. when we were young, i mean. as time passed, the demon king often disrupted my time with baekhyun and said he needed to practice more on his skills. so in the end, we gradually drifted apart. i don't even know where he is now — alive or not."