Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

79

It was quiet.

The type of silence that made the itching goosebumps spread against your skin. A mysterious yet threatening wave of wind that flowed through the quiet town.

It was odd.

Busan had always been known for the busy people walking through to get to work. Especially near all the bus and train stations. There was always a swarm of people that would crowd around the area...

But today, it was different.

Was it because of the weather? The temperature had dropped rapidly after a few nights. The days became chiller, and the layers of clothing increased majorly. But that wouldn't make sense. The citizens would just put on extra layers and head to their location.

Was it because of the traffic? The traffic had always seemed bad in the district. There was a lot of business individuals who always packed the area. They were in a rush, and like always, the red light that indicated stop had delayed their awaiting arrival. But that wouldn't make sense either. New Years had recently ended, so no big holidays would be coming up. The traffic had even appeared to decrease lately... so what exactly was the issue?

Oh.

Was the increasing rate of deaths frightening?

Perhaps the screams for help from the isolated alleys made them paranoid. Who would want to walk down the silent street all by themselves? Recently everyone had felt like they were being followed or watched. Maybe it was just in their head...

Maybe.

The town just couldn't get the horrifying pictures to leave them alone. The gory scene of the slaughtered individuals filled their minds like a chilling avalanche. This had been occurring everywhere—First Seoul, then Incheon, then Daegu... and now Busan. Everyone knew the murders were all done by the same individuals. Perhaps it was because the kills were consistent. Or they all died in a similar way...

Or maybe it was because the same symbol was seen at every crime scene...

A beautiful bloomed hydrangea is always left behind.

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The smell of lavender overtook most of the house. The sweet and fresh aroma spread through each room like an addicting game. The atmosphere felt a lot better in Korea than it did in the States. The severe jet lag was still pretty irritating, but mainly everything improved.

Baekhyun had rested at home for more than a week now. He was taking his time on his designated break and was enjoying every second of it. He didn't have to leave the house as often now that he was in Korea. In America, he had to work so much, and he hated having to communicate with other people. He wasn't socially paranoid, but he just came to dislike people touching him or even speaking. He only allowed his brother and uncle to hug him. Anyone else who dared to reach out would have their hands removed instantly. The speaking issue had improved a lot, though. Nearly two years ago, when he had left Korea, he had lost himself completely. He was healing as time passed, but...

The scars never left his injured heart.

The boy with white hair walked into the kitchen early morning. Heechul had been slightly shocked when he saw the boy in his usual black pajamas.

"Daehyun called you already?" Baekhyun nodded and took a seat on the high chairs. His eyes averted to the television as he responded.