( 'daemon' )

With all his strength he pulled the boy towards his car and got him in the passenger seat, driving away as quickly as possible. Once he parked near the E. R., he acted quickly but carefully. He took the boy out of his car and called the nurses over to help with. “Take him to the surgeon, he will need stiches. He lost a lot of blood, so make sure he rests. I will me back and question him”, he said and passed the boy over to some nurses who carried him inside. Baekhyun had to show his badge to make sure the boy is a priority, and he made sure to underline the words ‘assault’ and ‘serial killer’, just enough to make everyone work in his favour. However, he had to go home and change his clothes before he came back to check up on the boy.

“It is always like this, is it not? Whenever there is an event, people do not fail to parade down the hallway and show everyone what they are made of. I feel like a teenager, honestly”, Baekhyun chuckled shortly, but bitterly. It annoyed him somehow. The lack of evolution, the primitivism and immaturity. It made him think about himself, his own path and whether or not he has changed. But he knows he has evolved, he knows that. He was mature, but then he has always been mature. He suddenly suffered of an error in his system, an imperfection. It pissed him off, it almost made him lose his iconic calm. “Habits, just another name for addiction”, Baekhyun said and dragged another smoke, breathing out and pointing forward at nothing. His e-cigarette was situated perfectly between his thin and long fingers. He was trying to make a point, but it might be hard to do so without alcohol, especially in there. “I will tell you something about habits, my friend. They are a fault, an abomination in the behavioural pattern of human beings. Those who have them are incapable of evolving. And evolution makes us, well, better. This dumpster lacks the environment for evolution”, he as enraged. If he would have had a cup, he would have broken it by now. The music and the lights were the ones making him so irritable. But he took another smoke, and breathed out, calming himself down. He did not want to lose it, not in front of Jiyong anyways. “Of course, I do not mean yourself. I mean those potheads who are making out after so many years over a joint, clearly unable to pay their bills but living off of their summer romance and bitter addiction”, he continued, calmer and pointed at the couple nearby. He looked over at Jiyong who did not come over to have a lesson given to him. Baekhyun felt it was necessary to lie. One of the rare occasions he would do so without any reasonable explanation. “I had too much to drink, I am probably just stepping on your mood. Do forgive me. If there is anything I could do to make it better, let me know”, he said in his normal, calm voice once again. Great. GG probably drugged him with all those lights and that damn loud music. It was too loud.

He recognised her. More like he recognised her build, her posture and her expression. She was one of the few people he used to meet up with in high school and have deep conversations about art. Even if at first, the girl was nowhere near interested in the philosophy behind art. They did not meet up a lot, he assumed she was embarrassed or perhaps jut awkward to see him a lot in case rumours would start. They were not dating, their relationship was purely platonic, but having to explain that in front of all students was not pleasant, so Baekhyun understood. But he did not forget her, he just left her behind in his past. Now that she surfaced again, Baekhyun was curious to see how she has evolved, how his guidance or words influenced her views on art and on the world in general. He walked closer and stopped next to her. He was not sure if she will recognize him, not a first at least. As she was distracted looking around, he broke the ice while looking at the piece in front of him. It was his own, and he assumed she must have seen his signature. “Astonishing what can be washed ashore, is it not?”, he started in his signature calming tone, waiting for her to have a reaction.

He saw the young man look around quite interested, mainly in the photography corner. He did his best to blend in, but Baekhyun assumed it was hard for him to do so due to his height. He seemed quite hesitant, something Baekhyun would associated with a first timer. He did not mind though, and he approached him. Whilst the man lowered his head respectfully, perhaps thinking Baekhyun was just a passer-by, he had other plans. Baekhyun stopped next to the man, although he returned the respect. He looked at the photography the man was circling around for so long. He assumed he was interested in it, or perhaps was its creator. “And you must be Choi Jaewon, or are you just an art lover?”, he asked in a calm and controlled voice after he read the name of the photographer, whose work the man was staring at. It was merely his calculated nature, he questioned people so many times before. Of course, most of the people he questions stand accused of murder most of the times.

As much as Baekhyun did not want their conversation about art to end, he knew that sooner or later he must speak his intentions. Or at least address his concerns. “I see you are well-acquainted with deceit. It just so happens that the most prominent source of doubt comes from within. Sometimes the answers are right in front of us”, Baekhyun spoke slowly, and in a calculated manner. However, it was a natural speech that only underlined his personality. “You must understand then, why I am here”, he continued, his sounds measured, his pauses in the right places. “Unfortunately, I must rip you away from the wonders of art. However, I will help your crossing be less abrupt for I hate taking something so precious away. Imagine the stains on the painting, concentrate on them. Follow them with your eyes, on the walls. Make them red”, he continued and pointed at the all, moving his hand slowly in a line. He was about to make his point, but he had to make it in a way Jiyong will appreciate it, or at least cooperate with.