Cursed Freedom

Baekhyun's Story

(Story under construction  🏗)

<Rated M for brief mentions of prostitution>

Chanyeol found himself sitting cross-legged on the ragged carpet of the bedroom he had chosen for Baekhyun. He was leaning up against the side of the old armchair as Baekhyun, now dressed and sitting comfortably on the four poster bed, the blanket still casually thrown around his shoulders, began to tell the tale of how he found himself in this strange situation.

"Well... my parents died when I was just 15, and I didn't have any other close relatives."

"I've been a lot of places since then, but recently... I lived under a bridge in the city for a while, and then I bunked with a street band of guys. They were pretty cool. They told me I had a good voice, so I would sing with them on street corners for very little money from passersby."

"After a while, this shady character started showing up on the regular making some really generous donations to us, but he gave me the creeps because he just wouldn't leave me alone. He kept calling me pretty and other things like that. It made me... uncomfortable..."

"Anyways, one day, he grabbed ahold of me and got me in the back of his car. I think he was... well... you know what? Hell! I'll just say it, I think he was a pimp. He told me I looked like a good fuck. I think he was looking for 'new people.' I think... I think he was trying to prostitute me. But, luckily, I managed to get out of his car when he stopped for gas and I just started running and didn't look back. I just kept going until I found myself in these trees out here and I got lost and couldn't find my way back. That's when I saw your house here... and that brings us up to today."

Chanyeol had his fingers folded in front of his face as he listened, fascinated, but saddened by Baekhyun's wild story of how he ended up here, in the cursed, elegant mansion, of all places. Although deep in the recesses of his mind, he was wondering how Baekhyun had somehow teleported into the mansion. He also wondered if Baekhyun was aware that he hadn't gotten in by just walking through the front door and was baffled as to why he hadn't shown any curiosity about that.

But his pondering quickly passed as the thought suddenly, and finally, occurred to him that, including to being in ragged old clothes and freezing cold, his new guest was also probably starving!

He jumped up, shrugging off the guilty feelings about the comfort of the cursed mansion compared to Baekhyun's situation. (Maybe having everything he ever needed wasn't the worst part of his curse.)

Chanyeol reached out his hand to Baekhyun again, pulling him off the bed and to his feet. Already headed out the door of the bedroom, looking behind him to see if Baekhyun was following him, and he was.

"Are you hungry?! From your story, it doesn't sound like you've eaten in a while!" Chanyeol chuckled at Baekhyun's small smile.

"Yeah, I guess I am a bit peckish." Baekhyun said with another laugh. Chanyeol could get used to hearing that... "I did find some wild edibles here and there in the forest. Berries, mushrooms, that kind of thing. Found some water from a freshwater stream. But, no. I haven't had a full meal in god knows how long."

"Come on, let's go down to the kitchen, I'll cook you dinner."

"Thank you! God, you're like my fucking savior!" Baekhyun exclaimed, again with that characteristic giggle. But Chanyeol only marveled at how much this guy trusted him already.

Chanyeol guided his guest through the halls and down the stairs, but his brow was furrowed. He wondered and, in fact, worried about the water and food that Baekhyun had consumed in the forest. Maybe that's how he'd gotten into the mansion. Maybe he had inadvertently cursed himself as well by eating the food of the forest. You never know this deep in the woods.

But he didn't want to bring that up and scare his new friend. Especially because, to most people, the legends that the forest was haunted was just a spooky story that most people laughed off the same way one would at the mention of Bigfoot or the Lochness Monster.

He kept quiet about these thoughts and led Baekhyun down the stairs through the sitting room and to the kitchen.