FIREFALL, OR IN EXO WONDERLAND ▷ COMPLETE

Overdose

CHAPTER 34: OVERDOSE

Eun-soo stroked her right wrist with left thumb as she listened with full concentration. Her eyes had left her to join the story she was listening to, and only when it ended, they returned. All that was left for her mind to imagine was the sorry sight of young Baekhyun waiting in the dark, calling her name in a silent scream.

So, that solved the mystery why what's real and what's not was intermingled in her recurring dreams, or why Baekhyun grew up with her by each night. He had tried so hard and endured too much to reach her so she would help him. Yet, during her stay in Wonderland, all she thought about was the idea that she was dragged to intervene in a foreign war.

Somehow, deep within herself, she felt guilty. Guilty to leave him so quickly while he was the reason she was here at the first place. The night before she was taken to Wonderland, he pleaded for her help. And had she helped him? No.

"And that's how I met Baekhyun. The end!" Luhan concluded his story with a clap for himself. The others booed him, pointing thumbs down.

"You're not a good storyteller!" complained Chen. "You should've let me do it!"

"It's not about the presentation; it's about the content for Heaven's sake!" countered Luhan.

"If the presentation sucks, who under Earth will enjoy the content?" Chen asked back.

"I promise that I'll take my listeners to crazy heights... With tea." Luhan stressed his point.

"That's not the problem!" Kai glared fiercely at Luhan. After that, his eyes returned to its relaxed state and turned to Eun-soo. "Eun-soo ah, tell me, are you going home or not?"

"No!" Eun-soo stated confidently. "I'm not going home. Not yet."

The others were taken by surprise with her answer. "Why?" they asked.

"Truth is," Eun-soo swore to herself, "I have to settle an unfinished business first."

She was the Key of Fire. Why should she leave her comrades in a crucial time like this? This is their finest hour. It’s time to shuffle the decks and determine the winner.

Wait for me, Baekhyun.

The Royal Hall was stirred by the sound of whirring gears. The King of Hearts, battle-scarred and confined to his wheelchair, went into the hall, only to stop upon reaching the stage. There was a problem. How under Earth can he get on the stage? There wasn't even a ramp or something leading up to it for his ease. Oh, blast!

The King pushed a big red button. An infernal machine came to life. The automated steam-powered wheelchair gave out a little 'click-clack' and drove forward—good indeed—but instead of climbing up, he was slammed against the wall. A humiliating 'bang' followed. White steam erupted out from the boilers and the King's big, reddened ears. His wrath was open for all to see. "You fiendish machine! How dare you defy me? Off with your chimney!" he bawled out.

The crowd struggled to keep their laughter at bay. The weaker ones accidentally slipped a smile, but they were smart enough to hide it fast.

For the first time in his life, the King of Hearts felt helpless.

"Ah, here, let me help you." the Prince Regent appeared from behind and pushed a smaller red button.

The wheelchair jiggled and went twang-twang-twang-phwoosh!

"Y—y—y—yah!" the King's mouth fell open. Two metal bars at the sides of the wheelchair popped out, bending at ninety degrees and extending downwards before staking themselves into the floor. When they were stable enough, the metal bars launched the wheelchair (and the screaming King) up unto the stage. Their task done, the metal bars retracted back to their places.