wrong step | baekhyun

+twenty-four+

a/n; we are left with 2 or so more chapters and i'm feeling really emotional because i don't want this to end oh my god i've grown so attached to this story.... ): 

LEE SUNMI

it took me a moment to realize i was shivering. uncontrollably. 

strong sunlight had caused my eyes to remain shut, until i heard a faint voice calling out to me. it felt... a whole lot like deja vu. 

"wake up, sunmi!" someone shook my stiff shoulders as the voice became clearer by the second. the first thing i noticed was my dripping wet hair and the cool breeze that caressed my face, causing my teeth to chatter as well. then, jungkook's face came into view. so i really wasn't hallucinating previously. 

he threw an armful of leaves away, most of them moist with water droplets dripping from their tips, and helped me up. i noted how he had used the leaves as a makeshift basket to hold the water.

"sorry, i had to wake you up." jungkook apologized as he pulled me to my feet, a wave of dizziness threatening to overcome me. reaching into his pocket, he pulled a black scarf out and wrapped it around the lower part of my face. as soon as he ensured that my nose was covered and that i could still breathe, he secured it by tying a knot at the back of my head. 

"what happened?" i asked, my voice muffled. 

he gestured to the fully bloomed daffodils and tulips a few feet away where a pair of hummingbirds fluttered, hovering above the lush greenery. "the flowers here emit a mixed scent of jasmine and grass vapour, both of which are enchanted in order to make you feel sleepy. if i hadn't found you earlier, the poison would have seeped deeper into your system."

i shuddered at how close i was to death, as if i still wasn't used to the fact that i was in dangerous situations nearly half the time. jungkook watched me closely as his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "sunmi noona?"

"wait. why are you here?" i blurted. it was a question that bugged me ever since i had woken up. i would have asked it the moment i saw him, but my mind was in a horrible mess. "and don't you need to cover your nose too?" i added, noticing how he was just breathing normally. 

"well, i kind of..." he hesitated, lowering his gaze. "bugged pamela to bring me here."

seeing how my eyes widened, he continued hastily, "i was worried! we were waiting for you to end your dance but that bastard kai just disappeared from the cruise and so did you. the cctv couldn't catch anything and i was just..." he trailed off and puffed. "worried."

my heart swelled at the sight of him looking all confused and scared. i couldn't help but crack a smile and ruffle his hair. having him here with me made me feel a thousand times more relieved, especially after having to travel alone and constantly diving into danger for the past few days. 

"pamela told me everything." jungkook continued. "she's also the one who called me to stay here as soon as she sensed you coming. since i'm human, i won't ever be affected by the enchanted smells so yeah."

things started to make more sense. "where is she now, then?"

that seemed to ignite a panic attack in jungkook as his eyes widened, as if he just remembered something important. "she said she's headed for the kenji tower but she didn't tell me what for."

whipping around, i realized with a jolt how close i was to the tower. this near, it loomed high above us, seemingly stretching forever into the clouds. tendrils of darkness and bursts of shadows seemed to be concentrated in a particular area, giving me the idea that a fight is occurring at the very top.