(EXOt)ox(ic)

Chapter 5: Temple Run part 1

"Why hello! What's your name?"
"S-Sunny... I'm Suho's sister", said the shy child.
She was indeed cute and seemed quite friendly. I chuckled as I realised how her brother was an exact opposite of her... I wondered why he seemed so distant... Then suddenly,

"Sunny, what are you doing here?"
Suho asked as he eyed me in a weird way. Sunny ran upto her brother excitedly and said, "Oppa! Look at the sunset! Beautiful, isn't it?". That was the first time I had seen that cold man crack a warm smile.
"Yes, Sunny. Just like you", said he, as he flicked her tiny button nose. Sunny's giggles were like the bells on charms that chimed when the wind blew. Just when I began to think that Suho might not be as bad as I had thought...
" You could've called Oppa to watch the sunset with you, you know? You didn't have to watch it with a stranger".
Suho's eyes lost their warmth for a second as his gaze shifted to me. Obviously I was the unwelcome stranger he referred to. Usually, I'd let these mean comments slide, but at that time, I felt that if I kept quiet, it'd mean that I approve of him dissing me. "I am no-"
"Oppa... This Unnie isn't a stranger! She's my friend", Sunny stood up to her brother for me. This made Suho a little surprised. Maybe even a tad bit angry.
"Oh yeah? Do you even know her name?", asked Suho bitterly.
"Ally. Ally Unnie. I bet even you didn't know that, Oppa", Sunny teased her brother, who then started to attack her with tickles that left her squirming and laughing— a great way of distracting someone, if you ask me.
Apparently, Sunny had overheard my name when she stayed upstairs as we freely roamed around the house in the living room. Why was he being so over-protective? Sure, it's natural for some people to get attached to their siblings who are several years younger to them, but being so overprotective about them that people have barely seen them around the house? Is that even fair to Sunny? But then... Who am I to judge? They probably have their own reasons for it... I quickly left the balcony after I chirped a feeble "bye" to Sunny, trying not to get myself into any more awkward situations. As I sprinted downstairs, I was greeted by a pair of mischievously grinning faces.
"What have you done this time, Harry (Harui) ? And how did 'Minmin' help you out?", I asked as I folded my arms and stared at the brochure in Harui's hands.
"We didn't do anything... Yet. But, we're planning it out though.", replied Harui.
"You've heard of Honoloco Temple, right?", asked Xiumin.
"Horololo?"
"No. Honoloco. It's a pretty famous tourist spot with a mysterious legend!"
No wonder why Harui was so elated. I'm pretty sure she'll get into trouble there as well.
"We're going there tomorrow at 8am. Wanna tag along?", asked Xiumin.
"Is that even a question? Of course she's coming! We're dragging her butt to the temple"
Xiumin laughed at Harui's sense of humour. I didn't feel like going anywhere after the whole 'incident', to be honest, but the two cookies had already planned the outing. So, I felt it was better to tag along with them to make sure they don't end up in a ditch, than to stay here and worry all the time. Moreover, I didn't feel comfortable staying in this house, so I agreed. Harui instructed me to get ready by '8 am sharp', tomorrow as this temple was a little far away from where we stayed.

The next day, at 8am...
"What ever happened to 8am sharp, Miss sassy pants?", Xiumin asked as we patiently waited for Harui to decorate her face with different kinds of powders.
"She probably meant 8am KST", I remarked as Harui glared at me. "A girl needs to be at her best, especially when going to a temple like this! For all I know, I could meet my soulmate 😉 ". I was puzzled about what Harui had mentioned. ..Soulmate? ...
We soon left the mansion — and by we, I mean Harui, Xiumin, Baekhyun and myself. Chanyeol had some work with the photoshoots and of course Krystal and Jiwoo would tag along. Suho and Sunny hadn't peaked out of their room since last night, so we assumed they weren't interested.

At Honoloco temple, we followed a tour guide, who explained everything about the temple to us. As she explained the architectural details, Xiumin yawned so widely, it seemed like his soul was ready to come out of his body through his mouth. Harui tried to contain her laughter every time Xiumin yawned. Baekhyun was busy putting his photography skills to action with his 'brand new camera', while I was the only one who listened intently.
After a brief explanation about the construction of the temple, the guide permitted us to roam about and view the scenic beauty of the place. Not too long after the announcement, Xiumin and Harui abandoned both of us and sprinted quickly. Probably to get into trouble again.
I sighed, realizing that I was on a baby-sitting tour with two naughty kids who looked liked grown-ups.
*Click* *Click*
The sound of the camera snapping pictures caught my attention this time. I turned side-ways to see Baekhyun and the camera lens directed straight at me. I quickly hid my face with my hands and asked, "What are you doing?? Omg!"
The sound of his feeble chuckles at my sudden, shy behavior rang through my ear.
"Just trying to appreciate nature's beauty", said he, as he smirked. I wasn't able to tell if he was flirting, or just teasing me. He handed over his camera to me and showed me the pictures he had taken. My eyes popped as I saw beautiful candid pictures he had taken of me. "Hmm. Impressive", I said, for which he smiled. We strolled around the vast garden that encircled the huge temple that majestically stood tall, even after several decades— centuries even!
"Apparently there's a legend about this temple. Something about finding a soulmate", said Baekhyun, as we climbed the steep slope of a hill near the temple, to get a better view. "Ohhh, no wonder why Harry mentioned that she was getting ready to meet her one and only"
" They say that this temple is actually a symbol of love, that unites destined mates. This temple was built by a prince, who was united with his lover, despite objections and pressure to marry a royal, from his family. This was the place they met each other and got married, after constructing this temple. Though the temple is quite well-known for love, it is also known for bringing good luck!", Baekhyun explained.

We were panting heavily by the time we reached the top. Though the hill wasn't very high, it was a very steep path with a lot of wicked rocks. The scene that I saw from that spot left me speechless. It was simply magnificent, like a three dimensional painting by Da Vinci himself. For a few minutes, we stood there admiring the stunning view without uttering a word. Would this place make people fall in love? Maybe. In love with people?  Not really sure. In love with the scenery? Definitely!

"Is this what falling in love feels like?", I asked.

We took our turns to take pictures with the astonishing scene as a background, posing in different, silly ways and giggling as we looked at the outcome. We then slowly descended down the steep slope, talking about CBX's comeback next month. "I heard that they're planning to shoot the official MV somewhere here in the Bahamas, or in Seychelles."
"Are you serious Baekhyun?!!? Oh my!— OWW!"
I hadn't noticed where I had placed my leg and ended up spraining my ankle. Again. But, somehow I hadn't landed on my face. In fact, I hadn't landed at all...
"You sure do have a knack for attracting mishaps."
Baekhyun had caught me after I had twisted my ankle, before I could fall. Kinda like that ballet pose, if you ask me. And seriously, no. It ain't that romantic when your injured and dependent on someone to help you limp your way. "I feel sorry for you though. Limping your whole vacation away like that", said Baekhyun in a sorry, yet teasing manner. "Yeah, and I feel sorry for you. You're gonna have to carry me, because I seriously cannot walk", I replied.
"Haha, sure. But seriously though, you can technically walk, right?"
"..."
"... Sigh. Butter my butt and call me a biscuit... "

Meanwhile, elsewhere.
3rd person perspective
Harui and Xiumin sprinted across the grassy yard, gawking at the ancient statues and the bizarra creepers that wound themselves around the pillars. The both of them had stumbled upon a smaller shrine, outside which there was a written scripture. Xiumin looked at it intently, trying to perceive the writings of an unknown and forgotten language. "You're too dumb to understand that", said Harui. Xiumin raised his eyebrows at her and asked, "Oh, yeah? And how are you sure that I can't read this?". Harui looked a little surprised. "So, you really do understand what it says?"
Xiumin nodded with a toothy smile. "Well, what does it say?", Harui asked curiously. "It says, one who calls others a fool is the biggest fool", Xiumin said as he smirked at Harui, who then tried to deliver a fairly strong punch to his gut. Grateful to his reflexes, Xiumin was able to stop her fist and pull her close to him. Harui collided with Xiumin like a clumsy truck. When Harui looked up, Xiumin's face was just an inch away from hers and this made the blood rush to her face. If not for the shadow of the canopy  that cast upon both of them, she would've been called out for looking like a cherry about to explode. His usually calm eyes had a sudden glint of mischief and thrill in them and the shadow made his facial features look more sculpted. A small smirk tugged at one side of his moist lips and Harui's heart almost leapt out of her chest as Xiumin moved his face closer to hers...