A Wind Of Change [1] || EXO ✓

006: Maroon Hoodie

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Twilight set forth as the sun timidly sunk below the horizon. Strolling along the sidewalk on her way home, Hazel scrolled through the several pictures of the school and its beguiling scenery. Her fingers stopped at a selfie taken with Kyungsoo. It felt good to have Kyungsoo by her side after so long. The sweet smile on her lips faded into an evil smirk when her eyes landed on shaky pictures of Mr. Oh which she had clicked secretly at the library.

One thing that she hated about herself was clicking pictures of every beautiful thing or creature - be it a cute bird, a stylish boy, a handsome man or whatever that caught the fancy of her eyes - she would click a snap of it. It was a very nasty behaviour, she knew. Especially when it was clicked without consent and she could even get reported for--

Her train of thoughts fell off the track when she caught the sight of the maroon hoodie - the handsome counter boy, the ballerino - coming out of his shop after waving a bye at someone inside the store. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, inserted both hands into his pant pockets and proceeded to walk.

The other thing she hated about herself was being way too curious. The last thing that Bianca would want was to see her daughter follow a random guy on street.

Maybe there was a reason why Bianca was limiting Hazel's freedom.

Because Bianca's child was now following the boy like a shadow. Every nerve and fibre of Hazel's rational side of the brain was screaming to take a u-turn while her shaky legs kept bounding behind the boy, who walked rather swiftly, taking curves along narrow lanes under the neon yellow lampposts.

But what worse could happen from following (read as: stalking) this boy? For the worst of scenarios, the boy might be a drug-dealer waiting to meet a client, or maybe even a rapist. A cold shiver ran down her spine; there she was, yet again, overthinking. This part of the street was a bit dark and before she could think more, the boy stopped in front of an old garage. A cat - white fur soft and untangled - snuggled its way around his legs. The boy crouched on the ground and tenderly picked it up. The cat meowed and nuzzled in his palm and rested its cheeks there, shutting its glowing feline eyes.

"Was your day just as insignificant as mine?" he asked, standing up from his place. He turned back to check around when he heard the lid of the nearby dustbin fall on the ground. Seeing no one in sight, he went back to conversing with the cat.

Hazel clamped a hand over her mouth, her heart racing as she hid her frame behind the wall, just beside the dustbin--she had to close her nose as well. She listened to his dejected murmurs with the cat, mostly comprising: "I hope your day wasn't shitty as mine", "maybe you should get a new owner" and the occasional meows that he got in response; all of which made him look like a lost and lonely loser which was in sharp contrast to his cool guy persona.

"Kai!" Resounded a voice of a boy. She peeked from the wall and saw the annoying Mr. Whistle Guy, approaching the counter boy whose name she now positively thought was Kai.

She remained there, prying on their conversation.

"C'mon! Let's go to Guillame's." The whistle boy offered.

"It's okay, You go on." Kai replied.

"You skipped lunch saying that you'll have it later."

"Let go, Baekhyun. I'm not coming."

Hazel registered the name in mind. The whistle boy was called Baekhyun.

"Are you sure?" Baekhyun prodded.

"Don't worry about me."

"Coming or not?" Baekhyun asked in a manner that hinted his wearing patience when Kai remained mum.

"Honestly," Kai voiced out, stern, "I'm done with being a bother to you. I make you feel...burdened. I feel burdened...you've been paying for my meals often these days."

"Shut up, Kai!" Baekhyun pulled Kai by his arm and the two walked side by side, with Baekhyun chiding into the latter's ears.

Hazel was amazed by Baekhyun's caring behaviour which contradicted his goofy attitude that she was aware of. She followed them to Guillame's and sat in the booth right behind Kai's, camouflaging herself with a menu card, still unsure if that really helped conceal her identity.

"What will you do without me Kai? It's not always about working your ass off. You should be taking care of your health as well." Said Baekhyun with concerned eyes.

"I've not been able to pay my school fees nor get my uniform." Kai replied worriedly. "The deadline is nearing. I can't keep borrowing money from Min-hyung. Not again."

"You'll have to stick to living in the garage for a few more days. I know that it's been quite difficult managing things altogether. But hang in there, alright? Feel free to ask for help anytime. Okay?" Baekhyun assured.

A mixture of emotions lingered in the air. Baekhyun looked away and mumbled, "Can't believe that your sister is ignoring you even now."

Kai looked out of the window long lost in memories that reminded him of all the pain he had endured.

By far, Hazel could gather bits and pieces of information in her head from eavesdropping. Kai and Baekhyun were good friends. Kai was going through some kind of crisis. Kai lived alone. None of what she learnt about him eased her mind.

Although not sure how, she knew she had to do something for him.

For Kai.

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A/N: Spoiler alert!!!
The next KaiBaek chapter is going to be thrilling.

[Revised - Feb 9, 2021]