Chanyeol closed the Commander's office door behind him, mind running rampant with everything he had just learned. According to Commander's Song the marking had appeared on the back of his palm one morning, a severe pain having jolted the soldier from his sleep. Initially he had planned on getting the carving seen to by a professional, yet once he recognised the symbol and what it entailed he couldn't bring himself to draw attention to it or the case thus began his method of hiding it beneath a skin-coloured glove. He went on to start describing it as a mere kitchen accident whenever people requested to know what had happened to him, never allowing anyone to see the actual wound. When asked how long he had the mark, Chanyeol was stunned to know that the Commander had obtained the mark three days ago.

"But if the pain was enough to jolt him awake surely he would have felt it as it was carved into his skin!" Minseok hissed through the line, the Medic having returned to the base once he finished his interviews. As he was off the grounds of the campus, Chanyeol had confided in him through a text message explaining the urgency for secrecy. That didn't stop the soldier from forcing Chanyeol into a coded phone call, which allowed him to be the only one free to communicate while his captain struggled to avoid speaking about it directly.

"You know how desperate we get for sleep..." Chanyeol explains, following the corridor back to the auditorium. "The doctor prescribed sleeping pills and eventually it's the only way he could sleep. When the effect wore off, his mind registered the pain from his hand and he jolted awake."

"Suho and I will go through the medical reports again, see if they determined exactly when the carvings were inflicted onto the bodies. We believed that they were carved after their death but seeing as how the Commander has now been marked, we should reconsider our timeline. Sehun and Jongin should be finished their interviews any minute so I'll text them to let them know to come here when they can."

Chanyeol found himself back on the corridor of the auditorium, the double doors he and his teammates had entered earlier coming into view. From the corner of his eye Chanyeol noticed a white glow, forcing him to snap his head to the side in order to find it. For a hallway so filled with darkness to reflect the hour of night, seeing someone wearing white would definitely draw attention. Except when he tried to find said person, Chanyeol was surprised to find himself alone in the hallway staring into empty space. Disregarding it as a trick of the light, Chanyeol turned his attention back to his phone call.

"Will I pick up some coffee on our way back or do you want to order some f-"

"Our? Have you finished your interview yet?"

"Interview?" Chanyeol wondered, hand hovering over the door handle leading into the auditorium. He heard Minseok hum through the line, some papers rustling before he repeated what he had already said. Chanyeol leaned his weight onto the door and walked into the room, eyes narrowing at the bright auditorium lights shining above him. His heart froze in his chest when he noticed a familiar silhouette sitting towards the front, the boy's head whipping to look at him having been startled by the noise. "I'll call you when I'm finished Minseok." The Medic barely got a chance to respond, Chanyeol ending the call right then and there.

"I was wondering how long it would take you," Baekhyun giggled, closing over his textbook before shoving it into his bag. "I know you said you'd be busy but I never expected it to last this long.."

"Forgive me for being late," Chanyeol blushed, surprising himself with how hot his cheeks had become. "I wasn't expecting anyone to wait for me."

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to you," Baekhyun admitted, his own cheeks dusting over in a pale pink hue. "I was hoping that we could catch up once we deal with the formalities first of course."

"Of course." Chanyeol agreed, dipping his head in a nod. After all, the reason he was there in the first place was to hear the criminology students out and potentially acquire some leads. Baekhyun gestured to the seat beside him, offering the Captain a small grin when he allowed himself to occupy the seat. Chanyeol withdrew a small notepad and pen, a habit he had picked up from Suho. He cleared his throat to break the silence that developed as he searched for a blank page, the click of his pen echoing in the air between them. "Whenever you're ready..."

"Well to be honest with you I'm not entirely sure my explanation is worth your time." Baekhyun admitted, eyes fleeting. "I believe it to be quite a silly conclusion but I can't help but notice the similarities. I suppose that if I tell you my idea I'm afraid that you'll think I'm mad."

"Believe me," Chanyeol found himself placing his hand atop of Baekhyun's, the student's gaze instantly falling to the touch. "You'd be surprised by what I'd be willing to believe."

Baekhyun gently slipped his hand out from beneath the Captain's palm, arms stretching towards his bag where he appeared to have produced a black covered book. Chanyeol couldn't help but eye it in suspicion, his attention moving once Baekhyun produced a small blue covered notebook alongside it. He shyly held out these items to Chanyeol, the soldier pocketing his own materials in favour of accepting Baekhyun's.

"It's a horror novel..." Baekhyun explained, forefinger scratching his temple. "It basically tells the story of a supernatural entity that marks their victims before disappearing, it comes back to finish them off later but the story revolves around this particular marking."

"Has Commander Song ever shown you the medical report pictures?" Chanyeol wondered, not entirely sure just how much information Baekhyun possessed about the case. When the college student shook his head in denial, Chanyeol's interest peaked.

"He only described that there was a symbol of sorts that was carved into the back of the hand, though he never specified exactly what that symbol was. I found it odd because even with the limited amount of information he was granted permission to share with us, I kept drawing similarities to this book I had read. It's very graphic and not exactly for those with a weak stomach so as I wasn't entirely sure how you faired with these situations I decided to write you summarised notes-"

"This mark," Chanyeol interrupted, flipping through the blue notebook Baekhyun had given to him. "How was it described in the book?"

"The book described the wound as a spiral shape of some sort, though it never specified if it was in a clockwise or anticlockwise rotation so I really have no certainty of which direction the spiral was spinning though it does mention it only being two lines from the centre which would indicate quite a small design but I suppose that it could be stretched out into a larger design if more area of the skin was used." Baekhyun regarded him for a moment, brows furrowing in the centre of his forehead. "I'm sorry but I can't help but wonder why you're entertaining this.. surely my classmates had more reasonable conclusions for this case.."

A burning urge to confess the secret that had been preventing him from giving himself completely to the college student settled in Chanyeol's stomach, the Captain finding himself tongue tied by Baekhyun's question. The college student sat in silence, waiting for an explanation that he knew wouldn't be given. He had understood a long time ago that soldiers had a duty to secrecy- something Baekhyun despised but ultimately had to accept. Instead Chanyeol closed his notebook and placed the materials down onto his knee, conflicted eyes searching for Baekhyun's. The college student's gaze having fallen to his fingers, dejected by the silence.

"Please keep your phone close," Chanyeol requested, sucking a deep breath into his lungs. "I will call you personally in a couple hours if my request is successful. No need to worry about transportation, I will purchase a cab for you and then if necessary I will personally organise transport to the base if it is deemed necessary. Please prepare an overnight bag once you get home as I'm not entirely sure if it will be necessary but one can never be too certain. Thank you very much for your time tonight Baekhyun, if you can just wait here for a moment while I make a phone call I will then escort you to the car."

Though he had a lot more to say, Baekhyun merely dipped his head though accepting the conditions Chanyeol had requested of him. Taking the student's silence as further confirmation, the Captain raised from his seat and pressed his number one speed dial. He waited for a moment as the man hurried to answer his phone, ears numb to the sweet melody that the man had set for his dialtone.

"Chanyeol?" the tired voice of the Chief echoed into Chanyeol's eardrum. "What could possibly be so important as to disrupt my precious sleeping schedule?"

"Would I even be calling you if this wasn't important?" Chanyeol hissed into the receiver, the urgency allowing to bypass the formalities the Chief would usually scold him to include. "I need you to meet me at the base in ten minutes."

"I literally sleep in the room down the hallway. Why couldn't you have just woken me up when you were here?"

"Because I have a lead on your goddamn case that's why! I need you awake by the time I get there because I need you to be fully conscious when you accept my proposal, I don't want the higher ups breathing down my neck because I want to bring a civilian onto the case!"

"A what?!" The Chief gasped, there was some shuffling happening in the background of the phone call but the Captain wasn't interested in trying to figure out what it was. "You want to bring a civilian into the case?!"

"Case in point." Chanyeol deadpanned, listening as his Chief took a deep breath.

"Alright fine, you have my attention. I'll brew some coffee and meet you in your team's room, since we need to go over the paperwork, allow the civilian to go home first. We can get them back later-"

"Thank you, see you in a few minutes sir." And without delay Chanyeol ended the phone call, his body balancing on his heel as he turned back to Baekhyun who watched him from his spot near the front row. Chanyeol tilted his head and instantly the college student jumped up from his seat, bag rushing to be put onto his shoulder. Baekhyun was by his side within a second, smiling tiredly at the Captain. Chanyeol felt his heart race in his chest, his hands itching to reach out to lace their fingers together. "I'm sorry for being so abrupt with you, it's just that this case is important-"

"You don't need to explain Chanyeol," Baekhyun rushed to interrupt him, leading the way out of the auditorium. "Twenty seven lives are definitely something to be abrupt about. I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I am glad we got to spend time together, it feels like we haven't had that opportunity in quite awhile."

Chanyeol felt his heart leap at Baekhyun's boyish glance, his fluttering eyelashes kicking up a storm in Chanyeol's stomach. The Captain regarded him with a smile, allowing Baekhyun to guide him through the campus and towards the parking lot. Chanyeol busied himself with ordering Baekhyun a cab knowing that the vehicles that worked this particular section of Seoul were quite pleasant, which would allow him to relax knowing that Baekhyun would be in good hands on his way back to his dormitory. The two remained in complete silence while they waited for the taxi to arrive, Baekhyun exchanging his weight onto either of his feet bouncing cutely next to the Captain who had found his entire senses overwhelmed by Baekhyun's presence.

The arrival of the cab pulled a deep breath from his lungs, Chanyeol taking it upon himself to settle Baekhyun into the backseat with his belongings. The college student rushed to produce a paper in order to write down his digits, Chanyeol felt awkward explaining that he already had Baekhyun's phone number though the student seemed to relate it to him being a part of the government. Regardless Baekhyun nodded his head, cheeks painted over in a pale pink blush as Chanyeol reminded him of what he needed from him. Baekhyun was sent off back to his dormitory once he promised to keep his notification on and keep an eye out for an unknown number that would most likely be Chanyeol trying to get a hold of him. The two of them returned back to their respective spaces. Chanyeol was welcomed back to base by the rest of his team, the boys briefing him on their interviews on their way back to the allocated room. Baekhyun was welcomed back to his dormitory by his kitten's soft purrs, the white and grey tabby brushing against his legs to welcome him home. Despite the situation that had brought them both back together again, they still found themselves smiling and valuing the small amount of time they had spent together simply wallowing in each other's presence.