The Ring Bearer

Chapter 27

The next day, we set off to find the tenth mage. When I had announced that I saw the next mage in my dream, the three youngest mages had gotten off the couches they were sitting on and almost tackled me to the ground as they asked who it was that I saw. When I said that it was the mage of Earth, Sehun and Tao dropped their shoulders and returned to where they had been sitting. On the other hand, Jongin was so excited that he pulled me into his arms and was spinning me around. After my incident with Baekhyun, I was more than wary to be spun around in such a manner, so I pulled myself away instantly and made sure no one could see that my cheeks had reddened.

Speaking of Baekhyun, I was relieved to know that he also didn't want to spend any more awkward moments with me and usually was in another room so he could avoid me. Unfortunately, when we set out to find the tenth mage, Baekhyun had no choice but to talk to me. The other mages, including Chanyeol and Chen, had marched ahead of us and left the two of us in the back so we could work out whatever Baekhyun and I had to work out.

Of course, for the most part, that involved me trying to inch closer to Sehun and Tao. Sehun and Tao would send me sympathetic smiles before nudging me toward Baekhyun again, but I didn't want to go anywhere near the mage of light.

"You don't have to run like that, I won't do it again." I didn't believe him completely, since he had already caught me once by surprise, but I nodded and allowed for him to catch up before I continued again with him by my side. His head was bowed as he walked, and he cleared his throat a few times even though his voice was absolutely fine.

"Why did you-"

"I'm sorry for kissing you." he had the tendency to cut me off whenever I spoke, "I was noticing how protective the others were when it comes to you, so I wanted to test it. I could have done it in another way, I know, but I knew it would have the largest reaction... and I was right."

When Baekhyun had kissed me, I hadn't been angry or even hurt; I had been too surprised by the kiss to react. Now, however, I couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Baekhyun had used me in order to see how the others would react.

"You used me." I turned to him to see he had stopped walking and was rubbing at his eyes as if he were crying. For some reason, I felt like his explanation was a lie to cover up why he really kissed me.

"I used to be a singer, you know." he sputtered as he continued rubbing at his eyes, and I glanced at the other mages to see they had gone far off, "I could get any girl I wanted, and they'd all be more than happy to comply to my requests. Until I met Yuna, that is."

Yuna? My ancestor Yuna? The one that Yixing admitted to have had feelings for?

"Yuna was brilliant and had all the resources she could ever need in order to be successful. I was drawn to her like a moth would be drawn to fire." Baekhyun continued speaking even though he was constantly wiping tears away, "I eventually fell for her, and convinced her to be mine. We had gone steady for almost a year, and then she told me about the MAMA corporation's project with the Tree of Life. She told me that if I wanted to be with her, I would have to take part in it. That if I took part in it, I could become an even better singer and light the path for many others after me." Then, Baekhyun's gaze focused on me, and the smallest of smiles lit his face, "You just reminded me so much of her that I couldn't help myself, but... but it was wrong, and I couldn't stay and tell you."

Baekhyun was with Yuna before? Baekhyun confused me with Yuna and kissed me because I reminded him of her? Of my ancestor who tricked him and broke his heart? And still had it, by the looks of it?

"But all this time it was like you hated me." I told him, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his confession. He insulted me more than once and spent most of his time away from me.