jkgj

8/16/2019 jkgj

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Close Enough [To Die]

Description

Lu Han wants to die in order to love.

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Sehun is dead and wants to be loved.

Chanyeol is careless and only sees love.

Kyungsoo is restless and wants to give happiness.

Kai is desperate and si ply wants to be happy.

!nd "ae#hyun wants to solve it all.

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$%hy do you do this&$

$Chanyeol stop this. 't(s )or Sehun. ' want to be with hi . ' want to saysorry.$

$He(s dead Lu Han.$

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Lu Han )elt li#e so eone had stabbed hi right into his heart.

!gain and again and again.

Lies lies lies lies lies

I'm not dead Lu Han

I'm with you my love

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Don't listen to him

You friend doesn't know anything about us

$*ou are wrong Chanyeol. Sehun is sitting ne+t to e.$

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Pairing(s): Hunhan, "ae#yeol

Genres - o ance, !ngst, Horror, /ystery, Suspense

Length: Chaptered

Warnings: horror, upsetting events, )rightening coincidences

0oreword

$Hyung can we play&$

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$Stop annoying e Sehun1 '( a big #id and you are still a baby1 2o playwith so eone in your age.$

$3#ay hyung.$

%ith uninterested eyes Lu Han sat on one swing. The screeching o) theswing was easy to hear through the night. He le)t the college to do what,what he always loved. He swung ahead and then bac#.

0rontwards and bac#wards.

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$'sn(t it nice Sehunnie&$

He turned his head to )ace the other swing seat, where a doll was.

$*ou always loved to swing right& Hyung is sorry that he couldn(t playwith you...but we can play now.$

He )leetingly loo#ed at the otionless doll.

Please don't hate hyung

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He loves you too much

*

Now that I finished my stories I will finally update this! tarting fromuly "#$% :)

' #now you guys still hate e )or what ' did in eply.

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"ut ' )elt li#e doing another con)using story1

This story will actually be 4uite sad but ' thin# it(s still gonna be scary.

't will also )ocus on "ae#yeol 55

'nspired by &' s hadow.

+lose enough.

! s all bree6e arose )ro the stillness and ru))led through his hair.

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The coolness o) the iron grid burned against Lu Han(s war hands. Hedidn(t #now why they were li#e that but he didn(t care enough to thin#about it. So e things had to be li#e that. He raised his legs to ove)orward with the swing he was sitting on. 't was cold. %ell it was early inthe orning in autu n, he couldn(t e+pect ore. He didn(t li#e the cold.

The )eeling internally or e+ternally it 7ust hurt hi i) he had too uch o) it.

"ut no atter how cold the swing(s seat would be and no atter how)ree6ing the holding grids were Lu Han would still swing. Even i) theabsolute coolness would pierce through his hands and cause his handsto bleed until he had no ore blood le)t...he would not get o)) it.

He li#ed swinging.

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't re inded hi o) his childhood. He didn(t #now how to thin# about it.So e people had a bad past with death in )a ily and then there werethose that had a )antastic childhood. %ith great )riends, toys and a loving)a ily. Lu Han was in between. He didn(t #now. 'ndi))erence and anotherun#nown )eeling etched across his )ace. He had always )elt a disli#e

towards those people that #ept on co plaining that so ething badhappened to the as a child.

He didn(t disli#e it - he hated it .

There were hundred, illions o) other people in the worlds thate+perience horrible things and they don(t even have the chance toprotest. They 7ust had to endure it. To live with this pain. 8ot having thechance to tal# to so eone. 't was sad and ironic. Lu Han didn(t pitypeople though. He didn(t. ') they were in a bad situation then they haveto live with it.

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They had to adapt in order to survive.

This was what Lu Han was doing.

$!ren(t ' right&$ His )ingertips brushed against so ething so)t9 a aterialo) an ob7ect which was ne+t to hi . 3n an own swing since it wanted toplay as well. Lu Han assu ed it because...Sehun en7oyed swinging as achild. Even though Lu Han had never the chance to 7oin hi , he hadseen it all. So now it was Sehun(s turn to do that what he probably

issed. 't had been a while. 't really had #nowing that Lu Han spent a loto) ti e alone at ho e.

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Sehun couldn(t go and swing alone.

't was not because he was a doll but he would iss Lu Han too uch.

! howling sound drew all the attention Lu Han was able to o))er to itsel).'t was 4uiet to start with but eventually got louder and louder until a littlewhite dog approached hi . 't purposely ca e running to hi . 3ut o) allplaces he chose to co e to Lu Han. He had no clue about ani alsalthough he could tell that it was a baby dog. 3r aybe 7ust a very s alladult dog, whatever it was it too# great interest in Lu Han(s doll. 3ne

would assu e that he wanted to be petted. 'n reality he thought o) thedoll as a chewing toy given that he atte pted to 7u p on the swing.

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He bar#ed very loudly, al ost as i) he was despising the doll and told theowner it to ove it. Lu Han had nothing against ani als. He didn(t hatethe or li#e the . He had never pets so he couldn(t 7udge the )oranything. He didn(t budge )ro his swing and only stretched his ar out,to ta#e a hold o) his doll. %hen he did that, the dog changed the targetand 7u ped on Lu Han. 'n a heartbeat he reacted and didn(t )alter to #ic#the dog away.

The dog didn(t give up and aggressively bar#ed at hi . 'n a o ent li#e

this one would consider options o) what to do with this persistent dog. LuHan didn(t want to co plain or even loo# )or its owner. He didn(t care.:ursing his lips, he grabbed into his poc#et and could )eel so ethingsharp. 3) course he didn(t )orget it.

2oing down on his bony #nees, he tapped his thin thighs and told thedog li#e that to co e closer. The dog visible hesitated and rather ranaround Lu Han to 7u p on the doll. He didn(t say anything. Lu Han stood

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up and stu))ed his precious doll into his bac#pac# be)ore #neeling downagain behind the dog this ti e. Slipping his hand into his poc#et, heraised his hand as i) this was 7ust a basic routine.

't was short, sharp and 4uic#.

!s he plunged the #ni)e into the nec# o) the dog, blood spilled out allover the ground. 't spurted out in a little strea o) blood. The cut was not

deep enough to instantly #ill as the dog was yelping and crying. Havingenough o) this nuisance, Lu Han stabbed in at the sa e place and bloodshot up once again. The blood o) the #ni)e )ell in thic# droplets andlanded onto the ground in splashes.

Lu Han didn(t )eel sic# at all.

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He #ic#ed the dead dog away and a)terward chec#ed the ti e on hiswristwatch. He had )i)teen inutes till his )irst lesson. The #ni)e was4uic#ly discarded by throwing it into the bushes. 't was not that this washis only poc#et #ni)e. He had a lot ore o) it. Lu Han pulled his bac#pac#over his shoulder and then stared at his blood covered hands.

Slowly he wal#ed o)), his school shoes scraping across the earth )loorswi)tly and lightly. He wal#ed leisurely towards the school which wasclose by. 0or the last ti e he turned around, his eyes observing the dead

ani al. "ecause o) its curiosity it had to die. That was the cycle o) hisli)e. ! sad s ile )or ed itsel) on Lu Han(s lips at the sight o) it until itcurved up into a bright laughter.

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Stu id dog!

He s#ipped the way out o) the par# to his school as he had to doso ething against his hands and the s ell.

%hile Lu Han le)t in a scarily good ood, a )igure behind a tree gasped.He was sha#ing and dug his nails into the wood o) the tree while a sourtang was in his outh, a#ing hi )eel sic#.

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"hat did he #ust do$%

*

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The last bit o) blood was washed away at which point Lu Han turned thetab shut. He could hear the re aining drops dripping )ro the tab. !rue)ul sigh escaped hi . He should hurry or so eone would notice hisabsence. He was already a )ew inutes late. The etallic s ell wasgone as well which would have probably pulled attention to hi , and i)people notice it then he would have a proble .

He loo#ed up and regarded hi sel) on the irror re)lection under lowlashes. He blin#ed slowly out o) drowsiness and closed his eyes-

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$/aybe ' disli#e dogs.$

Lu Han was supposed to be alone, the toilet was co pletely e pty.8obody entered since the )irst lesson had started. %ho would want to be

late& He certainly didn(t care unli#e his class ates. %hat counted wasthat he even ca e. So eti es he s#ipped school but not because hehated the building and its teachers. He disli#ed going there because hedidn(t see the point o) going. *es university was a huge )actor that LuHan was going to school because at least in university he couldspeci)ically learn about what he li#ed. ;nli#e in school where he learneda bit o) everything.

Then it happened.

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He heard steps )ro behind, co ing closer and closer. ! young anwas slowly wal#ing up )ro behind. The soles o) his shoes weresla ing against the polishes tiles. The sound grew ore and oredistinct as he got closer to the spot Lu Han was standing at, in )ront o)the irrors.

Two ar s enveloped hi )ro behind as the person brushed his chee#against Lu Han(s. 't was so)tly and not really evident but it was still there.Lu Han(s body was sha#ing as he was breathing hard and )elt li#e hisheart was goings to e+plode. His heart was beating at a rapid pace< thehair on his s#in was standing upright as he listened )or anything thatperson had to say.

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He #ept 4uiet so Lu Han chose to start-

$Don(t worry...'( soon going to 7oin you. Hang in there.$

! s ile was on his lips when he heard those words and hugged Lu Hantighter.

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I'm glad!

%hen Lu Han opened his eyes, he could see hi in the re)lection. Hissoulless eyes that only #new pain and was cornered to listen and obeywhat others told hi to do. He #new that he was going to get help. Hedeserved help. Help )ro Lu Han who understood hi better thananyone else out there. He was treated so un)airly and who was tobla e& Those that ade hi su))er so uch. 't was not bullying,

so ething on a totally di))erent sense.

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"ut when Lu Han turned around, he #new that there was nobody.

Soon I will& wait for me

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Co ing ten inutes late was enough )or Lu Han to be con)used. Hewal#ed in, not bothering to in)or his teacher about his presence.8obody was loo#ing at hi since they had so eone else in their eyes. 'tloo#ed li#e a new student 7oined the in the iddle o) the year. That wasunusual to co e around this ti e. %ell again Lu Han didn(t care uchand plopped hi sel) down in his seat behind his good )riend.

This new student was sitting ne+t to Lu Han(s )riend :ar# Chanyeol. Hewas s iling oddly a lot )or so eone who 7ust trans)erred in. Shouldn(t hebe inti idated and scared to be in such a new environ ent& 3r did healready #now so e people& 't see ed to be this case since they wereall calling hi by his na e without a#ing aw#ward ista#es. EvenChanyeol laughed along and patted that guy on his shoulder. So they

had to be )riends.

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'nteresting.

$Hey Lu Han, why are you so late&$

Chanyeol(s loud and uni4ue voice wo#e Lu Han up )ro his daydrea .He loo#ed up to the source o) the sound and spotted a bunch o) guyssurrounding that new trans)er student(s table including Chanyeol. Theywere e+citedly tal#ing to hi )ro what Lu Han supposed that they really#new each other. :robably )riends )ro di))erent schools and luc#decided to be on his new guy(s side. Ta#ing a hold o) a pen and )lipping itbetween his )ingers, Lu Han didn(t bother to answer the 4uestion. /aybeit was because he )orgot what it was about.

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The 4uestioner didn(t see to ind and turned his whole body to LuHan. $*ou two don(t #now each other right&$ He s iled and snatched thepen away )ro Lu Han(s s all )ingers. They weren(t only s all but )ragileas well. !n easy target )or in7uries which he had e+perienced. 2lancingat his pen, Lu Han swallowed and leaned bac# on his seat. He shrugged

his shoulders when he was as#ed )or the second ti e and also thirdatte pt. %as that so i portant to #now the other&

Lu Han would )orget that boy(s e+istence within a )ew inutes.

Those seconds they spend on introducing each other would have been awaste since Lu Han wouldn(t #eep his na e in his e ory. He wouldn(tsa)ely store it but carelessly get rid o) it. He wouldn(t have a use )or the

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new in)or ation o) #nowing the na e o) that boy. 8ow spea#ing o) hi ,he was staring at Lu Han )or 4uite a while.

The o ent Lu Han spent on thin#ing o) how inconvenient andbotherso e an introduction would be, this guy was doing the opposite.He was clearly trying to re e ber Lu Han(s )ace and place o) his seatas well. He nervously lic#ed his lips )or a )ew ti es until he had enough

courage to directly loo# Lu Han into his eyes. He didn(t ean to be rudein any way but Lu Han(s eyes were scary. So dar# and botto less intoun#nown depths yet to be e+plored by others.

$/y na e is "yun "ae#hyun. *our na e is&$ He s iled and raised hishand to sha#e it with the other.

Lu Han regarded the new student )or a )ew seconds be)ore he loo#edaway, out o) the window. He didn(t say a word and totally ignored"ae#hyun(s e+istence. He didn(t have the nerve or the ti e to tal# to hi .

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't was not speci)ically hi since Lu Han had a proble with a#ing)riends. He had )riends though the idea o) hanging around with othersa)ter school was not what he wanted. He could have studied in that ti e.

He wasn(t the nu ber one student in ter s o) grades but he was s artenough to #now when )un should stop.

3nly because he disli#ed school didn(t ean that he wouldn(t study.

He had other things to worry over than who was dating who and the ne+tconcert o) a popular group. Lu Han had a uch bigger ai in ind whatpeople on the )irst glance wouldn(t understand. They wouldn(tunderstand, not because they were du b but not open inded. Lu Hanli#ed the word (open inded( because he would be able to converse withothers about the weirdest topics. Lu Han was not weird but the way his

ind was set up was not considered nor al.

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$'t is going to rain.$ Those )ive words were the )irst ones "ae#hyun heardo) hi . Lu Han ga6ed at his )riends who were slightly ta#en bac# by hital#ing. *ou see, nor ally they would hear his voice once or twice per

wee#. !nd the wee# has 7ust started. He also would only start aconversation with Chanyeol alone. Lu Han was not going to deny that hepre)erred Chanyeol over everyone else.

$%9%hat do you ean& The weather )orecast said it(s going to besunny.$ The one called Lay sta ered and also got his phone out tochec# over. The other guy ne+t to Lay called Kyungsoo nodded andloo#ed over his shoulders to also have a loo#.

$%ell when Lu Han says that it(s going to rain then he ust be right.$Chanyeol laughed and ad itted that he trusted his )riend ore than thereliable weather )orecast. The other two boys laughed with hi unli#e

"ae#hyun who couldn(t believe what he was 7ust told. How was itpossible that Lu Han #new ore than so eone who was trained andpaid to observe the s#y& He bit his lips and stole a glance at the onewho was sitting slightly at the bac#.

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E+actly in this second, the clouds began to double over each other andreleased 4uic# )alling rain. 't was not even a little, it was so much even)or autu n. !ll the people outside were apparently shoc#ed andsurprised as they rushed with hands on their heads into the school.%hen "ae#hyun realised that this had all happened he could hear Layand Kyungsoo cheering. They were cheering Lu Han on )or correctly(guessing( the weather.

2uess& 2uess "ae#hyun(s ass, so ething was de)initely wrong here.He didn(t want to show his distrust nor the )act that he had a bad )eelingand 7ust s iled. 't was di))icult to s ile in this situation but he didn(t wantthe to as# about his )rown. He was inwardly )rowning and as#ing so

any 4uestions he was desperate to #now. "ut on the outside he #ept

his strained s ile and that was it. %hat should he do apart )ro that&

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$Li#e always, Lu Han is right. ' haven(t e+pected anything else. He isvery good in stu)) li#e that. "ut wait1 So doesn(t that ean that we can(tget bubble tea&1$ Chanyeol as#ed in panic ode and began to whine.They ade plans to eet so they could give "ae#hyun a better insightinto the school. The )our boys #new each other )ro iddle school asthey visited the sa e school. "ae#hyun however had to trans)er schoolsso that they had to part. "ut now he was )ortunate enough to be able tosee the again.

't was 7ust Lu Han who "ae#hyun didn(t #now.

$%e can still get bubble tea. 't(s 7ust...we are going to be wet i) the rainwon(t stop. "ut ' doubt that it(s going to rain )or hours.$ Kyungsooe+plained and had Lay nodding to his opinion. They could still go out buthad to prepare )or surprise rain later on. 't would not rain the whole ti etill school ended but the chances that it would later again were high.

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$'(ll 7oin.$

!ll )our heads were turned to Lu Han who was wea#ly raising his hand.He didn(t loo# at particularly anyone and slowly let his hand )all down.That was the second ti e he said so ething on the sa e day. Eventhough "ae#hyun #new hi )or not very long he #new that it was a big

deal whenever Lu Han said so ething. He could also tell by Lu Han(svoice which didn(t sound as i) he was used to tal#. Chanyeol was irritatedthat suddenly a)ter two years o) re)using to eet up with the , Lu Hansuddenly agreed. %hat was the reason )or that&

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The only thing that changed )ro two years was that "ae#hyun was nowthere.

$Lu Han.$ This was the )irst ti e that Lu Han also willingly introduced

hi sel) to so eone. Earlier he had ignored the hand and introductionand now he was doing it. %as he playing around with "ae#hyun&

$"yun "ae#hyun...' hope we can be good )riends.$ He said in return andwas con)used o) the change. %ell Lu Han was still not going to sha#e hishand. The at osphere turned strange and stu))y. 8obody could sayso ething to start a potential conversation. 8either o) the #new thereason why as well.

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!nd it was not li#e anyone would as#.

*

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't had not even been a day that "ae#hyun arrived and Lu Han wasalready going against all his rules.

He had spo#en twice.

He agreed to 7oin their eeting.

He was currently drin#ing bubble tea. Lu Han would usually never drin#anything sweet li#e this and here he was doing it. Lay, Kyungsoo andChanyeol didn(t #now how to handle this situation. 't was not )orbidden)or Lu Han to do any o) these things but they would be lying i) this wasn(tbothering the . How can so eone )ro one day to the other act sostrange& 't had to have so ething to do with "ae#hyun(s abrupt arrival.

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These things only happened because "ae#hyun was around.

Touching the ice cold window with his )ore)inger, Kyungsoo loo#ed out o) it. The s#y was greyish and the large clouds were oving in a slow butscary pace. The tapping on the glass was caused by the countlessdrops, hitting against it. :eople )ro outside ran )or protection o) the rainand u brellas were swi)tly opened. They were luc#y that they le)t schoolwhen the weather was sort o) dry but gave a hu id )eeling o)). 't didn(tta#e long )or the to )ind shelter in the nearby bubble tea shop.

8one o) the had their u brellas.

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$' didn(t #now you that you drin# bubble tea.$ This state ent )ro Layblew the 4uiet silence away and replaced it with a topic to spea# about.He was sitting in between Kyungsoo and "ae#hyun while across o) the

Lu Han and Chanyeol were. Hi saying that he didn(t #now so eonedrun# bubble tea too, was clearly eant )or Lu Han. He was the only onewho re)used to drin# together with the .

Li#e always he didn(t answer. Even though the windows were closed, itwas cold and it bu))eted against Lu Han(s )rail body. He did not ind thecold touch unli#e his )riends who were co plaining a lot. !s odd as itsounded, Lu Han had the )eeling that so eone was watching hi . He

#new that two eyes were constantly )ocused on hi even i) his eyeswere ost o) the ti e closed. Despite his uncaring e+pression anddisregarding anner, it bothered hi slightly that this person couldn(tleave hi alone.

Lay obviously didn(t get an answer though it didn(t a))ect hi uch. Herather continued to tal# to the others about the newest ovie, than as#

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hi sel) why he was being ignored. 't was not only hi to begin with.They learned how to live with it so outsiders wouldn(t understand this.

$Hey "ae#hyun, did you see it&$ Chanyeol as#ed this ti e a di))erent

person. He didn(t get a respond, which Chanyeol )ound strange. He#new how tal#ative "ae#hyun was and he honestly was 4uiet )or hal) o)the day. He 7ust stopped tal#ing. Did it have to do with the call&"ae#hyun had earlier gotten a call )ro his other when they le)ttogether school. !)ter he )inished, his )ace was very pale and since thenhe hadn(t spo#en a word. So basically as soon as they entered thebubble tea shop he was 4uiet.

$%9%hat& '( sorry can you repeat it&$ "ae#hyun(s )ace whitened )urther and his breath stop as he heard the 4uestion. Ta#ing deep breaths hehad to play along and brighten up the ood a bit. "ut )orcing hi sel) tos ile and act li#e nothing happened was not what he was able to do.

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"ac# stooped and his hand loosely clasped around his cup o) bubbletea, Lu Han ignored the voices around hi , instead choosing to let out as all sigh.

$%hat&1 He(s issing&1 Sorry "ae# ' haven(t seen hi .$ His voice dieddown and Chanyeol swallowed the lu p in his throat. He too# a deepbreath and loo#ed into "ae#hyun(s eyes, his sincere sy pathy irroringthe hard resolve he had o)ten held in his own. He shoo# his headanother ti e, eagerly thin#ing o) places where the dog could have ran o)) to.

$' haven(t seen hi either, '( sorry.$ =oining Chanyeol, Lay apologisedtoo and sighing po#ed his drin#. He #ept his eyes down since he was not

able to )ace his sad )riend.

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$/e too...don(t worry, we will )ind hi .$ Kyungsoo )elt his anger grow atthe stupid situation by a#ing it so hard )or so eone who had 7ust

oved in. "ae#hyun had oved into his new ho e a couple o) days agoso how could he begin a new chapter o) his li)e without his dog& He wasso precious and i portant to "ae#hyun. He whispered ore things in acal tone as his )ists were tightly clenched.

$Did you see "ae#9"ae# Lu Han& He(s white and pretty s all. Hedoesn(t have a collar because he hates the )eeling o) wearing it. He li#esgoing to the par#.$ Chanyeol as#ed Lu Han because he was the only onewho would get an answer )ro hi . !ll eyes were trailing to the one who

hadn(t said anything in a while and were waiting )or a co ebac#. Hedidn(t have to spea# a lot 7ust a yes or no would be enough.

$8o ' haven(t.$

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Lu Han didn(t thin# twice be)ore saying it.

The other three boys tried to a#e "ae#hyun )eel better since reallynobody had seen his beloved dog.

"ut Lu Han wasn(t done yet.

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He s iled, which was an unusual and peculiar sight to everyone at thetable.

$' can help you )ind hi . %e are )riends right&$

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"ecause Lu Han #new.

3ne o) the boys was lying.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Here is the )irst chapter1

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There isn(t uch about Lu Han(s eating disorder but it will be co ingsoon.

So to understand the last bit-

Luhan ,nows that one of his friends had seen him ,ill &ae,-&ae,from ehind a tree. nd right now all % (&ae,hyun/ 0hanyeol/ Lay/1yungsoo) are denying to ha2e seen the dog. o one of them is

o 2iously lying and also doesn t say that he had seen Luhan ,ill thedog .

3ow Luhan ,nows that it was one of his friends and W34 it waswill e e5plained soon.

' #now this is too uch )or the )irst chapter lol but ' really want you guysto get use to thin#ing as the plot goes on.

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!nyway do tell e your thoughts about this whole story, this chapter andthe person who saw Luhan1

There were no tears staining "ae#hyun(s )ace. He 7ust had to accept it.Here he was standing with his )riends at the par# and it didn(t ta#e long)or hi to have sighted his issing dog. He couldn(t even recollect whoe+actly proposed to visit the par#. 0ro one inute to the other they all,

including Lu Han le)t the bubble tea store.

His poor "ae#9"ae# was laying on the cold and rough grass, dirtied withrain water and ud. The red colour didn(t )ade away. 't was still there, soclear and concentrated...de)initely his blood. The tears were burning atthe bac#s o) his eyes but he re)used to let the )all. He had ade it toloo# )ine in )ront o) the others. To suppress his wish to brea# down in)ront his dog but he couldn(t no atter how uch he wanted to. Standingin the silence was so ehow rela+ing and yet he couldn(t e+plain hisheavy heart.

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$%ho would do so ething li#e that...& '9' ean..."ae#9"ae# would never attac# anyone...$ Even as the tears dri)ted noiselessly down his chee#s,"ae#hyun reali6ed how aw)ul it ust have been )or his poor dog. The

silence o) his )riends was proo) enough that he wasn(t the onlyspeechless one. "etween sobs and endless hiccupping, "ae#hyun)inally opened his eyes. His sight was blurry as he could barely a#e outso eone #neeling down.

't was Kyungsoo who was down and placed a tissue over "ae#9"ae#(s)ace. $'( sorry "ae#hyun. '( sure he didn(t do anything...he(s 7ust soinnocent.$ Every word that "ae#hyun wanted to say bac# to hi stuc# inhis throat abruptly. Every uscle )ro6e< his breath caught in his chest. Healso oved down on his #new and wrapped his ar s aroundKyungsoo(s shoulders as he clung to hi and was sha#ing with the )orce

o) his grie) as he held on his )riend as tightly as he could. 3) courseKyungsoo let hi and gave hi co )orting pats on his bac#.

$This is no good...This is disgusting. '9' ean who would even thin# o)this&1 This is too uch. %hoever that was, is pretty low. To stab a poordog...' can(t believe it.$ Lay(s nostrils )lared and )or a brie) o enteveryone wondered about those words. 8ot about what he said butso ething speci)ic. Lay tried to hide his con)usion to no avail< it wasn(t to

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be too noisy. %ith his state ent he )igured so ething out without )urther e+planation see ed i inent, wanting to #now what was wrong butunwilling to set everyone(s te per o)) )or the sa#e o) his own curiosity.

$How do you #now that he was stabbed&$

!gain, Lu Han involved hi sel) but still pre)erred to stay on his swing.He began to ove )orward, a )aint s ile was on his lips. $'

ean...nobody said so ething about stabbing right&$ He didn(t need tosay anything to convey the depth o) the thoughts that he was goingthrough, though, because he #new that none o) the would everunderstand what was going on in his ind. %hat ore i portant was,would be )inding how Lay would even thin# o) stabbing.

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't only needed this sentence that all eyes were now )ocused on Lay.

They weren(t suspicious or anything li#e that but...how did he #now&Kyungsoo sighed and 4uieted "ae#hyun as he shoo# with wordlesse otion. He didn(t even try to hide the da pness on his shoulder. Laydidn(t spea# at all )or a long ti e< he didn(t #now what to say. %hatever

he was going to say would be ta#en in the wrong way. !nd aisunderstanding was the last thing he wanted.

Chanyeol decided to spea# up, co ing to his )riend(s rescue. $'sn(t itobvious i) you loo# at the wounds& ' ean ' can be wrong but Lay is#inda right. They do loo# li#e stabbing wounds.$ 8one o) theresponded i ediately, and the silence stretched between the as

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"ae#hyun(s chee# was pressed to Kyungsoo(s shoulder. He was givenrubs on his bac#, up and down. He didn(t want to suspect anyone but itwas really suspicious. How could so eone tell stab wounds )ro nor al

ones apart&

$' don(t understand this. This is too cruel.$ Kyungsoo was pretty uchcon)used with everything happening right now. He didn(t want to startsuspecting )riends, he didn(t. Then, drawing in a slow, shuddering breath,he added 4uietly, $' ean can we 7ust leave "ae#9"ae# alone& This isridiculous< we don(t need to argue over his death.$ Curling both ar saround "ae#hyun, holding hi close and gathering his strength, hecontinued. $Don(t worry "ae#hyun we will )ind that person.$

Sha#ing his head, the owner o) the dead dog couldn(t go on with this.$'t(s o#ay. 8o need to do this.$ He didn(t want to a#e this ore di))icult

than it already was. He didn(t want to loo# )urther into the death o) hisdog. !ccepting it was proble atic enough and now playing around withtheories wouldn(t bring his dog bac#. 't would 7ust waste ti e and breath)or all o) the .

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$2ood point. ' ean why would you want to try to save so ething i) it isalready gone&$ Lu Han said as the s ile on his lips never le)t, i) anythingit stretched wider. He had pretty stupid )riends. 8one o) the could evenco e up with a single theory. 't was #nown that Lu Han visited al ostdaily the par# to have his conversation with Sehun. So shouldn(t anyone

o) the have the guts to as# hi & They all, counting the person whoclearly saw hi #illing "ae#9"ae#, #new that Lu Han had so ething todo with it.

They were 7ust too a)raid to as#.

$Lu Han...$ That wasn(t what caught Chanyeol(s attention, though, eventhough it added to his apprehension as he loo#ed bac# at the eldest. He

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slowed down his swinging by brushing the heels o) his shoes against theground. He could )eel Chanyeol(s stare on hi despite hi not pic#ingup on the ideas and theories, Chanyeol couldn(t possibly have issed

the scariness behind the clipped way that Lu Han said-

$Let(s as# Sehun...shall we&$

%hen he got a doll out o) his school bag, he s iled at it and patted its

head in a loving way. $%as it Lay who #illed "ae#9"ae#?& Sha#e yourhead i) no and nod i) yes?$ Lu Han sang and it was rhy ing too whichadded into the creepiness )actor. He was so caught up with the answerthat Lu Han couldn(t see that his )riends were all shuddering. They wereall scared that he as#ed a doll so ething li#e that. How was it supposedto happen& 8o atter how i possible it was, they all had a )eeling thatso ething was going to happen. egardless i) a doll could actually ove

or not.

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$3#ay stop this Lu Han. :lease. %e can(t start bla ing ourselves.$ Theonly one who could #eep up with Lu Han ca e in between. Chanyeolsounded cal but )ierce, as the others were oving a bit )urther away."ae#hyun and Kyungsoo too# several steps bac#wards because theysuddenly )elt sic#. Chanyeol however ca e closer to Lu Han as hecouldn@t loo# at "ae#hyun. His watery eyes were the reason.

$%hy& '( 7ust trying to help.$ He 7usti)ied and even though he wascurrently tal#ing to Chanyeol it see ed li#e he wasn(t paying attention )or

anything. He was not even loo#ing at hi as he had only eyes )or hisdoll. %here they really scared& That was in a way cute.

$*9*our help is not needed...$ Lay )inally had the courage to spea#. Hewas still con)used and his hands were tre bling but he had to act strong.%hen he declined Lu Han(s o))er )or help, he could hear the cho#edgasps )ro his )riends. *es, he dared to tal# bac# to Lu Han which heinstantly regretted. He wanted to get his point across but when he saw

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those two hate )illed eyes o) Lu Han staring at hi as i) he had insultedhi , he too# everything bac#-

$'9' 9 ean "ae#hyun said he didn(t want to #now who it was. S9Shouldn(t we respect his wish& He a9a)ter all owns "ae#9"ae#...$ Thatwas very close, Lay could al ost see hi sel) going on his #nees andapologise. He didn(t #now what happened to hi that he had to tal#

bac#. He usually was 4uiet and never said uch in Lu Han(s presence.He was a)raid o) saying anything wrong. To protect Lay, Kyungsooagreed and said so ething li#e "ae#9"ae# should rest in peace withnobody trying to investigate his death.

%hen this was said, Lu Han shoved his doll bac# in his bag and got up.The swing was oving )orwards and bac# due to the otion. He couldhear how they all i ediately tried to tal# to hi as i) they were trying to

a#e up a)ter a )ight. 0unny enough, they never )ought but the restless)right towards the eldest was giving the a reason to thin# so. Lu Hantoo# none o) their words into account and wal#ed o)) with his bagslinging on his shoulder.

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Chanyeol couldn(t let things unanswered and 7ogged to Lu Han. Hethrew his hand out to grasp Lu Han(s hand but without having to turnaround Lu Han glared.

$ e ove your hand.$

$"9"ut...$

$ emove it! $

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"reathing hard, Chanyeol nodded even though it was not visible )or LuHan and let go. He couldn(t win an argu ent so it would be )or the bestto 7ust listen. So eti es it was good to obey his words and not involvehi sel) ore. "ae#hyun, Kyungsoo and especially Lay were all stillunder shoc# )ro the sudden need to help )ro Lu Han. He never i+edhi sel) up with their proble s so why should he do it now& =ust whenthey thought that he would leave the alone, Lu Han halted and turnedaround-

$*ou should stop trying to )ind out why. So e things are supposed tohappen li#e that. !nd whatever you saw is none o) your business.$

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This person #new that he was eant without having to add any na es.

*

Standing in )ront o) the re)rigerator, Lu Han(s eyes )ocused on the little

red popsicle pac#age. He could )eel the silence now, the harsh rattle o)his own breath echoing in the super ar#et he went to. 't was supposedto be 4uic#, the grocery shopping but Lu Han lost it when he saw thatpac#age. Sha#ing his head, Lu Han breathed slowly, shabbily, trying to

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convince hi sel) that it would be o#ay, that everything would be )ine. Hewas going to see Sehun again.

Hyung I like the red one the best%

eally$ I think the blue one is the best

The s ell o) the )reshly ba#ed breads ade Lu Han sic#. He tried togasp )or breath, but was denied )ro air when a strea o) vo it adehis way up through his throat, the sto ach acid was scorching the )lesho) his throat and outh and he )elt tears gathering in the corners o) hiseyes. He had enough strength to push it all bac# because Lu Han wasnot wea#.

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He would not vo it. His entire body )elt boneless and he doubted hecould continue to stand up any ti e soon. His eyelids were drooping andhis body 7er#ed when he )elt hi sel) sliding sideways. He )ought with thenausea and stood straight. That was not enough, and he #new it. 'n acorner o) his ind he was aware that he had to get out. He wassurrounded by )ood so what was he supposed to thin#& His other

ade hi shop )or dinner and he couldn(t re)use her.

%hat should he say&

Sorry o but '( trying to lose weight& The s ell and sight o) )ooda#es e nauseous&

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That was enough. He had everything. Should he ta#e the popsicles ornot& His hand hesitantly grasped the cool pac#age and held it up. Hewas sha#ing it a bit as i) he was weighting it and placed it on his trolley.$'(ll get your )avourite Sehun. The one you always li#ed...$ He s iled )ora second, it was so)t and not arti)icial until he heard a dearly hated voice-

$Hey Lu Han1 ' didn(t #now you are here1$

!lready #nowing who it was, Lu Han(s s ile disappeared and he loo#edup with a )rown.

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"yun "ae#hyun. Since it was evening ti e and way past school ti enone o) the were wearing their uni)or . To be honest Lu Han al ost

didn(t recogni6e his whole appearance. He was nervously s iling andwaved at the elder who was not reacting. ;nderstanding that he wasbeing ignored, "ae#hyun stepped bac# )ro hi so he could eet hiseyes ore easily. His throat tightened when he saw Lu Han(s totalappearance.

E+actly li#e Lu Han, "ae#hyun al ost didn(t distinguish hi either. $898ice to see you.$ He had to swallow and lic# his lips )irst, incapable toactually )or the words )or nu erous long, aching o ents as he

)eared the answer al ost as uch as as#ing, gathering up his courageenough to continue, $*ou are s#inny...wow...$ That was )ran#ly not what"ae#hyun wanted to say, he swore it wasn(t. "ut it 7ust ca e out. To notbla e hi , anyone would have as#ed that. !nyone would have as#edwhy the hell Lu Han see ed so thin in si ple 7eans and shirt.

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%hen he wore his uni)or he see ed pretty )ine though.

$'9'( s9sorry1 '...didn(t ean to be rude in any way1 't(s 7ust...$ "ae#hyunopened his outh to say ore but he re)le+ively stopped and hesitated.'t see ed strange, to not #now, but he couldn(t bring hi sel) to say it. Hedidn(t want to a#e it worse. 't had been days a)ter "ae#9"ae#(s death

and the others clearly said to stay away )ro Lu Han. To not upset hior a#e hi angry.

Lu Han le)t to pay )or his stu)) and le)t a )lustered "ae#hyun behind.

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$:9:lease w9wait1 '( done too11$

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!)ter paying, "ae#hyun did his best to wal# with Lu Han. 't was not thatLu Han was too )ast, the aw#wardness ade it di))icult )or "ae#hyun tobe ne+t to hi . The silence didn(t even see out o) place because theydidn(t tal#. They 7ust didn(t. "ae#hyun wanted to have conversations withhi but suddenly the words o) his )riends ca e bac#. That he should notassociate hi sel) with so eone li#e Lu Han. They loo#ed honestlyinti idated when they said that.

!part )ro Chanyeol. He see ed rela+ed. He si ply told "ae#hyun tonot be )riends with Lu Han and try to not cross paths. Even so,"ae#hyun couldn(t stand the silence it was li#e he was not there. He waspretty sure that his presence and absence wouldn(t a#e a di))erence )or Lu Han. 3ccasionally he glanced at the elder and waited, patient andun4uestioning. He wasn(t sure )or what he was waiting. Than#)ully, LuHan opened his outh to #ill the unco )ortable stillness-

$' suggest that you should stop )ollowing e.$

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"ae#hyun didn(t understand and stupidly blin#ed at Lu Han. He turnedhis head to the right and le)t, co prehending that they were )urther awaythan he initially believed.

They were already at the bus stop&

Since when&

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$'9'...$ "ae#hyun helplessly raised his hands to avoid aisunderstanding.

$*ou don(t need a bus. Leave now.$ Lu Han had enough o) this ridiculous

act. He didn(t want to be annoyed. The other(s heart lodged so ewherein his throat caused by Lu Han(s strict tone. He actually had a very so)tvoice but when he used it di))erently then it was al ost unrecogni6able."ae#hyun held his plastic bags tighter. His was outh gaping openwordlessly be)ore he cla ped it shut and nodded once. So eti es itwas better to not as# and obey.

$' see you...in school...Lu Han...$ etaining his )ret)ulness under a stableleash and spea#ing slowly he bid goodbye. He swi)tly bowed and ran o))

to be as )ar as possible away )ro Lu Han. "ut then he ran bac# to LuHan which also con)used the usual cal elder.

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$%ell you are probably wondering why ' can be so bright when y dogrecently died...$ 8o, Lu Han was not wondering and he was not curiousbut the )act that "ae#hyun ca e bac# was brave. The younger reached

out and grabbed the very thin ar lightly when loo#ing down. He wasworried about Lu Han(s ar that was so s#inny though he ignored it andheld it tighter. He added, $' thin# i) you s ile when so ething badhappened your heart will )eel at ease...so ' have no choice but continues iling.$

He ended his speech with a sheepish s ile.

He waited and let go Lu Han(s ar a)ter a )ew seconds because it wasso ething he shouldn(t have done in the )irst place. He hoped that LuHan got the essage. 'nwardly he was about to e+plode )ro curiosityabout Lu Han(s answer and outwardly cal as he could be. 't was true

that he didn(t #now Lu Han )or long, he didn(t #now Lu Han at all and yethe believed that it was )or the best.

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$Do that again and '(ll brea# your )ingers, "yun.$

"ae#hyun closed his eyes brie)ly, resisting the urge to tell hi that hestill believed so. %hat he had said was )or hi personally the truth. Thechances that Lu Han would ever agree were lower than winning thelottery and yet he )elt li#e he acco plished so ething. %ith a )inal wavehe ran away be)ore Lu Han could a#e his words reality. /aybe in thenear )uture he would be able to see Lu Han s ile. He was not obsessed

nor in love with hi . 't was very strange whenever they had )un that thisone person re)used to s ile or pretend that he had )un.

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That Lu Han was 7ust sitting there with this blan# e+pression andeveryone around hi was en7oying li)e.

%hat nobody #new was that Lu Han could s ile.

"ut only with the right person around.

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"ae#hyun was not certain i) he should have le)t Lu Han alone. He #newthat he was now being ridiculous but he 7ust wanted to a#e sure i) LuHan loo#ed li#e he was thin#ing. The o ent he turned around andnarrowed his eyes to see the other, his chest ra ed into so eoneelse(s chest. 't didn(t ta#e long )or hi to lose his balance. He wouldhave )allen pretty hard but the person, who he bu ped into, grabbed"ae#hyun(s wrist and pulled hi bac# up.

$Sorry ' wasn(t loo#ing...$ "ae#hyun pressed the heels o) his hands to his

eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. That was e barrassing< hope)ully LuHan didn(t see it. 3therwise he would have another reason to disli#e hithan he already was. "ae#hyun tipped his head to the side curiously. Hecouldn@t see the )ace o) the person he bu ped into since the strangerwas wearing a blac# cap. The guy was tall as well and #ept his visiondown.

!s i) he didn(t want to be seen. "ae#hyun could #ind o) a#e his noseand lips out but everything over that was a ystery. $8ah it(s y )ault

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too.$ His lips curled up< it was light and not )orced at all. The shorterpursed his lips and shi)ted his ga6e )ro the )ace o) the stranger down tohis hand. He was holding so ething and so ehow urged "ae#hyun to

ta#e it. ! peculiar at osphere hung in the air, penetrating everythingaround the . %hy would this guy give "ae#hyun so ething& 't was their )irst ti e to eet so what possible could he have to hand hi over&

$Ta#e it.$ He said and snatched "ae#hyun(s hand without his per issionto put so ething on it.

Snapping out o) his disbelie), "ae#hyun )inally regarded the ob7ect. Heshould have been de anding to #now )ro where this guy had gotten LuHan(s doll. "hy he had it . "ae#hyun didn(t #now a lot about the elder buthe #new that the doll he was always carrying was precious to hi . Sowhy should he give it to this guy& %ho was he&

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"ut "ae#hyun didn(t as#. He didn(t do anything. He couldn(t do anything.Even when this guy s ir#ed and wal#ed o)), "ae#hyun couldn(t call a)terhi . 'nstead o) being )urious or even horri)ied at the prospect o)

e+periencing such a grueso e o ent all he could do was sprintingbac# to the bus stop where Lu Han was. He didn(t ris# a second glanceat this doll because it scared the shit out o) hi .

He was seriously scared.

The airways o) his lungs closed up as he )elt li#e he was on the verge o)a eltdown. He wanted to call Lu Han, to tell hi to not enter the bus, todo anything that would grab his attention. "ae#hyun ran as )ast as hislegs could carry hi , despite hi being a slow runner. !bsolute

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desperation was li#e a slap on his )ace. He was di66y, breathless,terri)ied and still couldn(t get the courage to gli pse at the doll.

't was probably e+aggerated but he )elt li#e he was dangling over the

edge o) a roo).

The relie) to see Lu Han was 4uic#ly shattered as he was about to enterthe bus.

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$D38(T1 L; H!81 *3; 03 23T TH'S1$

He #new that he was greatly overstepping his boundaries but "ae#hyundidn(t give a shit in that o ent. He pulled Lu Han out o) the bus despitethe elder resisting. The bus driver was understandably perple+ed thoughnonetheless decided to close the door and drive away. "ae#hyungasped )or air once, twice, his throat clic#ing dryly. His vision blurred, buthe still anaged to say in a relatively understandable voice-

$*ou...)orgot...your doll.$

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Lu Han was )or illisecond surprised but pro ptly covered this up bywrin#ling his nose and indlessly accepting it. He didn(t try to hide thecringe when he reali6ed how cla y "ae#hyun(s hands were.

E+hausted and )eeling entally dead, "ae#hyun sat down on the seat atbus stop(s and waved at hi sel) )or so e air.

$%ho gave you this&$ Lu Han glared at the other who was trying to catchhis breath.

$!9! guy...' ran into...$

The ne+t o ent triggered another )ast heartbeat and breathingproble )or "ae#hyun. Lu Han was standing in )ront o) hi and leaned)orward so close that "ae#hyun could identi)y a tiny scar on his lips. LuHan(s unusual horri)ied, shoc#ed e+pression see ed to con)use the

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sitting boy. He didn(t see any e otions )ro Lu Han and this were nowa lot to ta#e into. Did he #now this guy& %hy was he so...despaired&

$%here e+actly is this person&$

"ae#hyun(s sto ach twisted with the si ilar 4uestions as the elder

stared at hi with tensed 7aw. Did he do so ething wrong& %as it wrongto have given hi the doll& "ae#hyun couldn(t eet his ga6e and )orcedinstead hi sel) to co e up with an answer. During this silence Lu Han(s)ace re ained )ir and serious. !s i) he 7ust had to #now this answer.

$He le)t...th9this way...$

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He dropped his groceries and )ollowed "ae#hyun(s )inger.

$Lu Han&1 %hat(s wrong& %ait )or e1$ "ae#hyun was con)used as helland could only pic# up the )allen plastic bags, trailing a)ter the other.

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*

The dar#ness didn(t trouble Lu Han who continued searching )or theysterious stranger. He gripped his hair as he ran around a )ew houses

and then straight to school. The words, that "ae#hyun had gotten thedoll )ro so eone else pulsed at hi , originating )ro the pressure he)elt on his te ples. ;nli#e "ae#hyun who was ore concerned thanan+ious, Lu Han sped up and speedily passed the open school gates.

't was late and nevertheless the teachers didn(t loc# the gates.

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Hesitantly "ae#hyun )ollowed hi and even though it was aroundidnight, the lights )ro the street la ps still shone, a#ing shadows

appear in nearby alleyways )ro probably drun#en people. "ae#hyun

7u ped and held onto Lu Han(s shoulders when he heard a s4uea#ingsound. His body was paraly6ed with so uch )ear that he could only hidebehind the ne+t best person. The sound that )rightened hi was only thewind which blew against the iron gates.

$Don(t touch e, "yun.$ Lu Han rolled his eyes and gave the other apush which caused hi to stu ble bac#wards. The oon(s light was)lic#ering< it see ed and strea ed through the clouds that covered the

dar# s#y. "ae#hyun(s heart ha ered )ast at the sound o) anothernoise, and he suc#ed in his breath he was holding in. His eyes chec#edout their surroundings and )ro6e )or a o ent when he heard loudsto ping. 't was relatively dull and didn(t see li#e it was actually )rooutside but inside the building. The 4uestion was why would so eonego to school and that in the iddle o) the night&

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't was a bad idea to have co e.

He wanted to go bac# ho e.

$=ust to a#e it clear. ' le)t y doll behind at ho e and ' do not have any

siblings.$

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't was a a6ing how Lu Han said that without a hint o) horror. %hy wasn(the a)raid that this stranger had bro#en into his house& 3r aybe i) hedidn(t brea# in then that eant...no. Dolls couldn(t ove. That wasridiculous. Aiolantly )ighting bac# tears, "ae#hyun bit his lips, )eeling hise otions steadily winning the battle over his pride. His hand periodicallywiped tears away )ro his )ace.

') he stayed there any longer, then he #new he was going to be shoc#ed.

!nd that )or a li)eti e.

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So eone was waiting )or the .

$%9%as this guy )ro earlier a thie)&1 How did he get into your ho9$"ae#hyun(s sentence was le)t un)inished as he couldn(t ove his lips.There was a strident crushing noise when a)terwards so ething )ell outo) the windows. 0or one heart stopping o ent, he had actually thought

that he was going to die. He could not ove his body, as i) he was)ro6en.

He could only see the des# that ca e )lying out o) the window.

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His eyes were wide and i) he would have stayed there a second laterthen that would have been it.

Dead.

Letting out an ear9piercing screa , "ae#hyun tripped on his own )eetwhile he tried to ove out o) the way. He had 7ust one thought in his

ind. To get out, to be away )ro that place. Lu Han in co parison didnot a#e one sound and erely wal#ed a eter away )ro where hewas standing. E+actly where both o) the were standing a second agocrashed the des# on. The collision was so da n loud that it ade"ae#hyun cover his ears.

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%hy in the world would so eone throw a des#&

!l ost at the sa e ti e, both boys loo#ed up but couldn(t see anything.The window was shattered and apart )ro that, there was only their dar#and evidently unoccupied classroo . So who would be angry enough tothrow a des# at the & This was clearly atte pted urder. "ae#hyunwanted to leave and go bac# ho e to hide under his covers. %hat didhe do to that person& He couldn(t re e ber a ti e when he wasparticularly ean to anyone. Hell, he was in this school )or about two

wee#s. How could he a#e hi sel) ene ies that 4uic#ly&

*r maybe it really was that guy with the ca -

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$' suggest that will stop these stupid thoughts at once. It was not him .$ !s he crossed his ar s over his chest Lu Han glared and approachedthe )allen table which was surprisingly in a good shape. /aybe there

were so e hints or secret essages )or the to )igure out. That Lu Hancould so ehow read his ind was not even bothering hi any ore."ae#hyun 7ust wanted to #now, what was up with that rando and totallyun)air attac#&

0earing another attac# to co e, "ae#hyun was staring at the bro#enwindow while Lu Han inspected the table.

$%hat do we have here&$

Lu Han )ound so ething stuc# under the des#. He )irst touched it withhis )ingers and when he )elt it being drenched in a li4uid, he instantlyripped that thing o)) the des#. He brought it up and abruptly sla ed iton the sur)ace o) the des#. "ae#hyun gaped at the thing, co pletely in

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disgust, and Lu Han )elt a hysterical urge to laugh at how shoc#ed"ae#hyun was, as though he couldn(t possibly )atho that so eonewould actually do such a thing.

't was a piece o) paper soa#ed in blood.

Lu Han(s hand and the paper was slightly dar# red, which showed thatthe blood was a )ew days old. 't didn(t s ell very badly. He sni))ed hisbloody hand while "ae#hyun was entally going through places wherehe could )reely vo it.

%hat a coincidence, Lu Han #new that s ell very well. He s iled whichthe younger couldn(t see because he busy )ighting with his sto ach.Even i) he would see it, he would be )eeling strange that Lu Han wass iling in the very wrong o ent. He was not supposed to be s iling

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when he was in contact with blood. He was supposed to be )rea#ed outor )ind out whose blood it was.

"ut Lu Han #new it already.

Despite the dar#ness he grabbed the paper and held it in the oonlight

up.

Dear +aekhyun& you are missing +aek-+aek right$

,his a er should remind you of him .

See you soon%

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$This is sic#. This is so )uc#ing sic#.$

Lu Han(s s ir# intensi)ied when his ga6e trailed up to the bro#enwindow-

$This person up there doesn(t care i) it(s sic#. Let(s visit your secret

ad irer.$

Cool shudder tric#led down "ae#hyun(s tensed spine. He couldn(tbelieve that they would actually go a)ter the person who al ost #illed

the . %hat i) that person had weapons& /aybe a gun& He shoo# hishead to get those negative thoughts out o) his head. He 7ust had to beclose to Lu Han. 't didn(t atter who it was, anyone he #new it wouldhave done it.

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He glanced around nervously, not understanding how the hallways couldbe so scary at night ti e. During school ti e he was )or the a7ority o)his ti e wal#ing around there. The )rightening at osphere penetratedhi , his ind as "ae#hyun couldn(t #eep his thoughts straight. Hesitant

oonlight strea ed through the windows, casting unnatural shadows on

the walls.

$Don(t be a wi p.$

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Lu Han said indi))erently and wal#ed )aster to what "ae#hyun yelped andalso oved 4uic#er. There was so ething unsettling about this wholesituation. =ust so ething that see ed so wrong. Didn(t "ae#hyun want

to only shop and then go bac# ho e& So what was he doing there& Hewould sooner or later )ace so eone who was going to end his li)e. Thisplaced all his senses into a panic#y level.

He was overly sensitive and reacted to 4uietest sound. 3nly to #eephi sel) sa)e. 8ot to ention that he did his best to stic# to Lu Han. !lsothere was so ething in the air that was thic#, every ti e "ae#hyun triedto breath, he couldn(t. His heart was unhealthily beating )ast so that hewas seriously concerned.

They arrived at their ho eroo class.

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Cautiously and ost o) all 4uietly, "ae#hyun stared at Lu Han da6ed anda)raid. He was loo#ing at hi )or guidance because he had no idea what

should happen ne+t. Lu Han always see ed to be prepared )oreverything. That was aybe a bit too uch to say but even so, he was

ore con)ident than "ae#hyun hi sel). He didn(t bother to tell theyounger what his plan was.

$Don(t be a coward and get out.$ This was what Lu Han announcedwhen he noticed that their classroo was loc#ed. %hy would that personprovo#e the to co e i) they wouldn(t let the in& %as that personregretting it& %ell too bad, Lu Han didn(t care and would surely notleave a)ter being al ost crushed to death. "ae#hyun swallowed silently,#nowing that a single isplaced word now could ean death )or the .

He still believed that their attac#er was dangerous and probably ar edwith weapons.

$Listen up...$ Lu Han began again, his voice slightly steadier asannoyance )orced hi bac# to )ull wa#e)ulness. $!re you the sa ecoward that had seen e in the par#& ') yes then #noc# once. ') no then#noc# twice.$ There was no other way to get a response )ro this

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sha eless person. Lu Han couldn(t )ind a less direct way toco unicate with the . "ae#hyun )elt sic# once again, how could thatinti idating person cooperate with the & He wouldn(t. He surely

wouldn(t and instead chop their heads o)).

There was a long pause )ro the other side o) the wall.

0or a inute "ae#hyun was convinced that this was a stupid idea andthey should leave while they had the chance to. They should 7ust go to

the police since this was their 7ob. "ut "ae#hyun doubted that he couldever persuade the other to leave his spot and )orget it. Even when LuHan had no speci)ic e otions re)lected on his )ace, he wouldn(t give up.=ust as "ae#hyun was seriously going to drag the elder away, a soundinterrupted.

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't was one si ple #noc#.

Lu Han crac#ed an a used s ile.

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So it was one o) their lovely )riends.

3ne o) the tried to #ill their )riend.

Kyungsoo, Lay or Chanyeol.

$%ow, didn(t e+pect this to be really true. %hatever. Did you accidentlythrow the des#& Knoc# once i) yes and twice i) no.$ He had to win ti eso "ae#hyun could go to the teachers( o))ice to get the spare #ey. Thatwas why he as#ed this du b 4uestion. 3) course it wasn(t accidently.Loo#ing bac# at the an+ious younger, he hissed in his cal voice that"ae#hyun should go to get the #ey.

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"ae#hyun didn(t agree and instantly shoo# his head. He could never goalone i) it was that dar#. !nd who #new i) ore cra6y people were hidingonly to get the . He )elt so ething sharp pierce itsel) through his throatat the words. ! sense o) betrayal washed over hi even as he )orcedhi sel) to not tal# too loudly. He )elt betrayed that Lu Han would noteven consider another option. How could he not thin# o) his )eelings&%ell this was Lu Han.

$=ust go. Ta#e this i) you need to.$ Lu Han )ished his phone )ro hispoc#et and handed it over a)ter activating the torch in it. He was notbeing nice. He 7ust wanted hi to ove. They had to use the opportunitywhile this person was cooperating. "ae#hyun didn(t as# why he was li#ethat or what ade hi do it. 8obody spo#e when "ae#hyun acceptedthe phone and ade his way to the o))ice. He was scared li#e always but

that he had at least gotten so e light was relieving.

He could have used his own phone but that Lu Han had given his was

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uch ore special. He wasn(t the person to do that. So that eant thatunapproachable Lu Han was now his )riend right& His )ingers tightenedaround the device as he oved in a pathetically slow speed. ! cold gush

swept through his body, a chorus o) whispers and gaps echoed )robehind. 0linching as i) he was used to do it, "ae#hyun turned aroundand could see Lu Han )ro the other end o) the hallway. He was stilltrying to tal# to the ysterious person by a#ing the #noc# theiranswer.

"ae#hyun still )elt unsa)e and unprotected. So vulnerable as i) he wasdrowning in )right. His heart was pounding and he anaged it to breatheheavily. He had hurry up. His whole body )elt cold, even though sweatwas tric#ling down his )orehead. He didn(t lose any ti e when he

grabbed the #ey )ro its holder but al ost dropped the phone. The lighto) it was shining in his eyes and )or the )irst ti e he had a proper loo# atit.

The bac#ground was a picture o) a two #ids.

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3ne o) the who was the shorter one, held a red ball in his hand whilethe taller one was resting his hand in the short one(s. They gave thei pression o) being around seven or si+& %hy would Lu Han have that

picture& To his de)ence, the slightly taller one had a rese blance with LuHan. They did loo# si ilar in a lot o) ways.

He wasn(t s iling.

"ae#hyun could )eel the strangeness #ic# in, increasing his heart rate,)looding hi with adrenaline. He lic#ed his dry lips and decided to leave.He didn(t go there to stare at the picture but get the #eys. His breath4uic#ened and he used every uscle in his body to sti)le a whi per. Thelast thing he could do was a#e a sound. :aying attention to his steps,"ae#hyun returned bac# to Lu Han(s side. They sharpness o) the #ey he

was holding in his right hand was scratching against his pal .

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Lu Han too# his phone and put it bac# were it originally was. Heovertoo# the #ey and didn(t iss the weird loo# "ae#hyun was giving

hi . 't was not that he cared uch, aware that he had other proble s hehad to deal with. He wasn(t really sure why he even gave his phone out.

$!re you still there& Knoc# once )or yes.$

3ne #noc# was audible.

Deter ined, Lu Han slid the #ey into the opening. He was prettycollected not li#e "ae#hyun who was having a ental brea#down. He

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would see the )ace o) that person who atte pted to hurt the . %as thatperson so eone he #new& "ae#hyun(s body was sha#ing and his terror)illed eyes were wide. There was a bitter taste in the bac# o) his outh

that he couldn(t see to get rid o) and his breath was co ing out inragged gasps.

The only thing that ade Lu Han curious was i) that person was reallyidentical to the one who had observed his stabbing s#ills.

He clai ed to be it.

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!s soon as the (clic#( was there and the door pushed open, they

)urrowed their eyebrows.

8obody was in there.

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*

$!re you sure that you don(t want to co e with us&$

!)ter everything happened, both boys decided that it was better to leave.'t didn(t a#e sense. How could so eone vanish in a atter o)

seconds& There were no secrets door nor could that person have 7u ped out o) the window. That eant that this person was person )ree,out there and could attac# again. Lu Han wasn(t worried over "ae#hyunbut this note was unsettling. That "ae#hyun would be the ne+t one.

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Luc#ily "ae#hyun had called Chanyeol to bring hi ho e. He was not

that stupid to go alone. !nd li#e the great )riend Chanyeol was, he didn(tas# why they were so late at school. He didn(t say anything particularlystrange or suspicious. 3) course he was naturally curious and as#ed a)ew 4uestions but that was it. 't was not the )irst ti e that he brought"ae#hyun ho e so he didn(t ind.

$Lu Han are you sure that you don(t want to co e& 't(s not sa)e )or youeither.$ Either "ae#hyun was 7ust trying to get ore people close to hior he was genuinely worried. %ell whatever it was, Lu Han wouldn(t gowith the . He didn(t need anyone to protect hi . He didn(t need to beprotected at all. "ecause Lu Han #new, in that horrible corner o) his indthat he was e+cited. He already had a person in ind who could it be.

Since the person who had seen hi in the par# and the one who loc#edhi sel) up was the sa e person.

$Don(t waste your breath. ' said no.$ He turned around to not have to see

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their con)used )aces and le)t. Every ti e they insisted hi to be with hithose particular thoughts arose, however, Lu Han couldn(t help but thin#that he would rather ris# being alone than be with any o) the . 't was not

that they did so ething wrong, the proble was not the . 't was LuHan. He couldn(t stand any sort o) co pany but obviously had to interactwith the when )orced in pro7ects.

$%hy is he always li#e that&$ Chanyeol loo#ed down at his upset )riendwho as#ed the 4uestion. He #new that others couldn(t understand LuHan(s heart and ind. 't was )ar too co ple+ and co plicated, not lettingpeople have an insight to what was wrong. He wanted to be li#e that.

!nd Chanyeol could live with that. He used to be one o) those that as#edLu Han a illion 4uestions and now he 7ust tal#ed when needed.

$8o ideaB$ He lied and grasped "ae#hyun(s wrist to pull hi away )rothe school gates. He did #now a bit but he couldn(t ris# it to tell anyone. 'twas not Chanyeol(s place to say anything. !nd even i), "ae#hyunwouldn(t understand a thing. The lac# o) #nowledge would push hi toas# ore 4uestions. This again would be too stress)ul and ti econsu ing. 't was better )or hi to be clueless at the o ent.

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$So are you hungry& Let(s eat so ewhere1$ Chanyeol arched )orwardswith a teasing grin on his )ace.

"ae#hyun snorted and eventually laughed. This guy could only thin#about )ood. He pretended to thin# )or a second, be)ore nudgingChanyeol(s shoulder even i) he had to stand on tip toes. $Do you #nowhow late it is& !s i) a shop would be open,$ he said and play)ullypunched the taller one(s shoulder.

Chanyeol hu))ed slightly, o))ended at those harsh words. $There isso ething called F convenience store.$

$Then good luc# trying to )ind one.$ "ae#hyun gave hi another lightshove be)ore he began running. Chanyeol scowled be)ore he s iled athis )riend(s bac# and )ollowed hi . He was not the person to run thoughat least he had a reason to. ') course he was still curious what they weredoing in school so late but right now he didn(t care. Li#e this, everything

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was )ine.

Lu Han, who was standing behind close by streetla p, loo#ed a)ter thewith an irritated e+pression.

$These idiots...$

*

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$'( ho e.$

%hile re oving his shoes, he could hear un)a iliar voices inside hisliving roo . The TA was on what probably his other was watching. LuHan wal#ed )urther in and regarded his groceries which were de)initelyruined. %ell ost li#ely the popsicle he bought, the ris# o) being oltenwas high. He sighed as he entered the living roo to give his other thechange. She glanced at hi , co ple enting i) she should as# )or the

reason why he was so late.

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He should really tell her be)orehand that he wouldn(t eat.

Closing the door with his leg, Lu Han inspected his clean roo . He hatedcleaning up though the reason why his roo was not essy was that hedidn(t do anything in there. 't was 7ust clean. %henever he passed his li)e

si6ed irror he would auto atically )rown since this was one o) thethings he hated. He hated standing in )ront o) it because he )elt )at. He#new that he was not literally )at but in his standards he had to lose oreweight.

That was his goal.

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The la6y and bored voice ca e )ro a person who sat on the windowsill.

0or the ti e being Lu Han didn(t say anything. So ething in this guy(svoice had stopped hi cold in his trac#s, ade it i possible to )ocus onwhat to do ne+t. 't sounded so sarcastic and yet caring, Lu Han couldonly snort. He was al ost speechless to be honest. 't too# hi a

o ent to register those words as so ething ore than an indolentthought in his i agination, being there to co )ort, $*ou(re losing weight

right&$ The guy as#ed again as he ad7usted his blac# cap on his head.He didn(t push Lu Han and he #new that he was 7ust trying to record hisprogress.

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Lu Han a bit con)used. How could he as# about that when they werediscussing so ething i portant& 't was not that Lu Han could )orce hito answer i) he didn(t. 't would a#e everything easier but i) he didn(t

want to then )ine. ;sually Lu Han wouldn(t let this slide but what could hedo&

8odding lightly, Lu Han gave hi his popsicle, $Did you happen to seeso eone in our school& "ecause o) that )uc#er ' have al ost died.$ 'twas e+aggerated because it was actually "ae#hyun who al ost diedsince he reacted very late to the )lying table. He stood there, head up asi) his )eet were glued on the ground. Lu Han was also startled but didn(twant the other to see that. Lu Han wasn(t a onster or anything li#e that,he had )eelings too. He could cry, laugh and )eel hurt li#e anyone else.

$*ou #now who that is right& %hy are you as#ing e&$ He counteredand ade a hand otion to Lu Han to co e closer. %hen he did, theguy )lic#ed Lu Han(s pale )orehead with his )ingers, $Don(t do anything

you will regret. =ust leave it.$ He advised and it )ran#ly see ed ridiculoushow serious he spo#e when holding a popsicle )or children. He #new LuHan and didn(t want hi to get into useless trouble. Lu Han didn(t agreewith this at all and trailed his )ingertips on the other(s chee#-

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$So you e+pect e to 4uietly wait and do nothing& ' don(t li#e gettingblood on y clothes you #now.$

He got it all wrong. The guy put his hand into his 7ac#et and pulledso ething out. He held the ob7ect in his hand swung it )ro one side tothe other, $' said don(t do anything that you will regret. ' have never saidthat you can(t ta#e revenge.$ He e+plained while Lu Han(s eyes were)ollowing the ob7ect. He s iled because this was what he loo#ed)or. +lood! The sa e blood which that person used to soa# the note )ro

earlier. 't was very i portant )or "ae#hyun because it was that blood.

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"ae#9"ae#(s blood.

ushed )ro happiness, Lu Han s iled wider and too# the bottle over.He went up on tip toes and placed his hands on the guy(s shoulder, tiltinghis head up to pull hi down on a #iss. 0or so e reason he didn(t )eel

lips but a )inger. Lu Han opened his eyes )ro the con)usion and noticedthat the other had put his )inger on his lips to prevent the #iss.

$ evenge is li#e punching the person bac# who punched you.$

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Lu Han waited )or a while )or his brain to process this sentence andeventually nodded.

$%hat happens i) both #eep using revenge&$

%as this a physiological 4uestion&

That eant that Lu Han had to answer well, $There won(t be an end&$He rather as#ed bac# than actually answered the 4uestion. He was

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ba))led and this answer was the one that popped in his ind. ') twopeople #eep on punching bac# then their whole li)e would be consistingin revenge and neither o) the would be ever le)t alone.

't was a s art answer but the other shoo# his head with a straight )acede+pression.

$*ou(ll die earlier than anyone else so stop this shit Lu Han.$

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Since he saw so ething that he shouldn(t have seen.

You're dead!

*

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$') you are luc#y then aybe we(ll get a supply teacher or so ething li#ethat. !pparently /s Ki is ill.$ Lay added and instantly brought a s ile to

Chanyeol(s lips. 't )aded though when Kyungsoo said that he shouldn(tsay this stu)) i) it wasn(t proven yet.

$' ean 7ust to a#e sure we shoul9$

Suddenly students began to cry and yell about so ething that wasco ing towards the . Kuungsoo naturally raised his head and instant)ear crippled hi , )ree6ing every uscle o) his body even though he wasclearly sha#ing on the outside. 't was one o) those o ents whenso eone #new what was going on but too scared to do a thing. He hadthe )eeling as though so ething has wal#ed through hi and le)t hi

disoriented and breathless.

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There was a blood covered table )lying down )ro an already crushed

window.

:er)ectly ai ing down at Kyungsoo.

He could hear his )riends telling hi to run away. He #new that i) hewouldn(t ove any ti e soon than he would be dead in seconds. He hadnever )elt so certain o) anything else in his li)e. The colour drained )rohis )ace and he could no longer ove hi sel). %hen he was inwardlypreparing hi sel) )or death, he could hear steady )ootsteps )roso eone else. Everything else was bloc#ed )ro his ears e+cept those)ootsteps which were co ing closer and closer.

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The ne+t second he was pulled into so eone(s ar s who also did

biggest 7u p so eone could possible do.

The sounds, everything ca e bac# the o ent Kyungsoo )reed hi sel))ro the tight grasp the other was holding. The intense s ashing o) thetable, the cheering and also shoc#ed screa s )ro class ates thatseconds ago weren(t even there and then 4uestions o) Lay andChanyeol. ') he was o#ay, what happened, i) he hurt hi sel) and i) hewas o#ay. The guy who saved Kyungsoo(s li)e got up and wasi ediately praised by his )riends )or this ove. The other peoplearound the couldn(t be that happy and were rather annoyed.

$%hat the )uc# was this&1$

$This is so dangerous1$

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$Shall we call a teacher&1(

$The window is bro#en1$

The students were dea)eningly tal#ing over each other while Lay was ina )ro6en state. His brain was replaying the scene, in which his )riendal ost lost his li)e. %as that an accident& "ut how can so eone do thisas an accident& Tears were gathering in his eyes when he couldn(t doanything. He was 7ust standing there, otionless. Kyungsoo was alreadyin Chanyeol(s ar s and was told that everything was )ine and that hewas in sa)ety.

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Kyungsoo had only one thought in ind.

$Loo# up guys1 't was Lu Han1$ ! rando person shouted and with thatclai ed, hundreds o) eyes were staring at the bro#en window.

8ot bothering to hide hi sel), Lu Han stepped closer to the window andwaved at everyone who was down.

%hat he got in return were harsh insults and saying that they wouldin)or the teachers.

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$"ae#9"ae# was nothing! %hat '( going to do with you won(t becategori6ed as hu an any ore. *ou are dead, Do Kyungsoo.$

He s iled while saying this and again was cursed by enraged students.

$0uc# you1 H3% C!8 *3; D3 TH'S&1$

$HE@S *3; 0 'E8D1$

$*3; /38STE 1$

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$0;CK'82 D 3: DE!D !L E!D*1$

Lu Han didn(t care about the , what ore i portant was that Kyungsoowas scared to death.

!nd he should be.

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Those children were no proble )or Lu Han. ') they seriously thoughtthat they could threaten Lu Han in any way then they really needed tosee a doctor. They were nothing co pared to hi , lower than anything

else. 't was Kyungsoo(s )ault )or not inding his own business. ') hewould have 7ust ignored Lu Han and acted as i) nothing happened thenhe wouldn(t have been in this position.

The vibrating in his poc#et led Lu Han to reach blindly towards thebu66ing phone, and he could easily discern the na e )lashing on thescreen. !ny other ti e, he would have ignored :ar# Chanyeol(s callbecause he regularly called hi i) he had stupid things to say. Li#e whathe was eating or how he was doing. Lu Han in all conscience didn(t #nowwhy but he too# a seat on a rando des# and accepted.

His eyes were scanning the crushed window which was lightly coveredin blood.

$%hat do you want&$ Lu Han de anded to #now, not trying to hide thei patience in his voice. %hen he loo#ed around he could see the boo#s

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on the other des#s )ro his class ates and rando scribbling on theboard. 't was li#e any other classroo ...nor al. E+cluding the huge holeon the window and the blood on the )loor. Lu Han didn(t ean to waste

so uch blood, it 7ust happened. However what bothered hi ore werethe words that crac#led out )ro the phone were not ones he had beene+pecting to hear.

$Lu Han are you hurt&1 '(ve seen what 7ust happened1 !re you indanger&$

Lu Han s ir#ed, using the hand not holding the phone to s other alaughter that was about to co e out. How )uc#ing stupid did Chanyeolhave to be to understand that this was not an accident& %hat did Lu Han

have to do so that Chanyeol would apprehend that this was hisintention& To al ost #ill his )riend&

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!nd yes, he wasn(t in the large crowd.

$' don(t need any help or be protected. Don(t9$ 8ow this idiot had theurge to hang up. Lu Han wanted to protest, one could easily tell, but he

was con)licted. 't was already too late, i) he wanted to ad it it or not. He#new Chanyeol well and he would be there in a )ew seconds. Lu Hanwas not a)raid or an+ious that Chanyeol(s presence would co pletelyblow his cover. +ecause there was no cover! There was nothing to hide)or Lu Han. His ind raced to )ind a way to argue that Chanyeolshouldn(t eddle into his business.

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He couldn(t care less about hi but wouldn(t it be )unny i) Chanyeolwould be on his side& He wouldn(t 4uestion hi anyway. !s o) cue, thetall boy opened the door and sprinted to Lu Han who was standing in the

iddle o) the roo . Lu Han stared at hi , stunned, )or 7ust an instant. Hedid #now that Chanyeol would co e and yet it surprised hi )or asecond. Lu Han stepped as close to hi as he could without touchinghi .

Chanyeol(s eyes were )ocused on Lu Han probably )or in7uries orso ething li#e that. He wouldn(t )ind anything since he had never doneanything to in7ure hi sel). Chanyeol(s eyes trailed up and straightawaycould not escape Lu Han(s cold eyes, $Leave '( )ine.$ He sighed andsuppressed his )rustration with the one who didn(t co prehend. Theystood there, staring into each other@s eyes )or a o ent until Lu Hanhad enough and was going to go by hi sel).

That was not what Chanyeol had in ind as his eyes had visiblydar#ened )ro concern. How could he act as i) everything was )ine&

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wasn(t the type to lie and it sounded convincing enough )or a Chanyeolto give it a chance.

"ut Chanyeol couldn(t betray his conscience.

He #new that there was ore to the story.

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$' don(t #now what(s happening right now. !nd whatever is going tohappen...you #now that you can trust e right&$

Lu Han thought about that and parted his lips to say so ething buti ediately closed it again be)ore going out.

He didn(t listen to Chanyeol(s last words.

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$'(ll be waiting Lu Han. '( a)ter all your )riend.$

*

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That Lu Han was not wanted by any students in school was not a secret.He #new it and it was not li#e he would do anything to spea# againstthat. 't spread li#e a wild)ire that Lu Han had done so ething to an

actual )riend until everyone including the teachers #new that. Hardly anhour had passed and everyone was up to date with the incident.

!)ter Lu Han had le)t Chanyeol he went to the restroo to thin# about

his ne+t step. 't was not that he indlessly carried his actions out. Hehad a plan which he had to strictly )ollow in order to get rid o) DoKyungsoo. He didn(t spend a lot o) ti e there since he still had to go tohis lessons. egardless o) who was waiting there )or hi . So when heshowed up twenty inutes into his lesson and opened the door, heraised his eyebrow.

!ll eyes were perceptibly on hi but it was not the usual loo# whenso eone ca e late. 't didn(t last long as they continued to writeso ething what see ed li#e an essay. !s i) they really wanted tooverloo# his attendance. Lu Han pursed his lips and wal#ed into theroo and the ne+t thing he noticed was a bit too uch. Literally all thedes#s close to hi oved away to the )ar right side towards the door.They were all sitting as )ar as possible away )ro hi . That caused Lu

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Han(s des# to be alone ne+t to the window. There was so uch spacearound his des#...ridiculous.

') Chanyeol would have been in this lesson than he would de)initely be

the only one anywhere close to hi . "ut he was ne+t door )or thissub7ect and was probably as#ing hi sel) how it was all going.

$:lease ta#e a seat. %hat(s the reason )or your lateness&$ The teacherad7usted his glasses though didn(t loo# up )ro his boo#s he wasreading.

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$' de and a new des#.$

$E+cuse e& That(s not what ' have as#ed you. ' also want to tal# to youabout what had happened today. ' don(t see a proble with y9$ He

stopped tal#ing and put his boo# down as he stood up. %hat was wrongwith his des#& He didn(t go anywhere but his e+pression was enough toconvey what he was thin#ing. So eone had the )ree ti e to write withred per anent ar#er hurt)ul things on Lu Han(s des#-

6ie!

7ou monster

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o fu+,ing ugly

7ou thin, you +an do whate2er you want little prin+ess

We hate u

Go away no ody needs you

6o us a fa2our and ,ill yourself

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The teacher didn(t #now what to say. Everyone #new what happenedearlier and it would be wrong to 7ust let it slide. !lthough what thosestudents did to hi wasn(t considered as better. They were secretlytal#ing to each other when the teacher was trying to cal Lu Han downeven though he wasn't saying anything . He was standing there, not evenappearing to be upset. His eyes trailed over the whole class and noKyungsoo was there. That was so ehow predictable why would heshow up&

His other )riend Lay was not even paying attention to anything. He waswriting his essay as i) nothing i portant happened. He didn(t spare asingle glance at Lu Han. %as it because o) his )ear or was he suddenly)eeling unco )ortable to be in the sa e roo with hi & He didn(t want tohave anything to do with that. He wanted to be le)t out< he wanted toavoid so eone li#e Lu Han at all cost. 't wouldn(t be worth it.

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$3#ay be 4uiet everyone. %ho had done this to Lu Han(s table& Spea#now.$ The teacher loo#ed over his class and nobody said anything,instead they glared at the (victi ( who inspected his nails.

$Sir we have done this together as a class. Didn(t you see what he doneto Kyungsoo this orning& He(s cra6y. :lease get hi out o) this school.$The vice class president stood up and put his hands on the table. Hewas inti idated when his eyes et Lu Han(s though he had to staystrong )or the sa)ety o) his class ates. 't didn(t ta#e long to hear (he(srights( )ro others that also got up and #ept on pointing at Lu Han whorolled his eyes.

'n a atter o) seconds, they were al ost all up and shouted conde ning

stu)) towards Lu Han while others tried to persuade the teacher to #ic#hi out. ! sic# person li#e hi could never share the sa e class asthe . %hat i) he would try to attac# so eone again& He a)ter all hadsaid that he would continue to ai at Kyungsoo. Everyone heard it1 Hedidn(t need to deny it i) he ever planned to. %hile there was so uch

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noise going on with the all shouting horrible things towards hi , LuHan couldn(t stay 4uiet any ore and opened his outh-

$Did you see e doing it& Did you see e throwing it& ') no then ' would

advise you to shut up.$

%hat he said was so absurd that it was genius!

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*es, it was easy to bla e so eone. Though did so eone ta#e the ti eto )ind out what happened& The pieces )it per)ectly together that it wasLu Han who threw the des#. He was standing there so it was hi . Hewas threatening Kyungsoo so it was hi . He was the only one there so itwas hi . He was Lu Han & so it had to be him . 8obody else would doso ething evil as that. Since none o) his class ates bothered to thin# o) others they bla ed hi .

$S9Stop saying things li#e that1 %e #now what you have done %EK83% TH!T 'T %!S *3;1$ The vice class president began to get reallywor#ed up. He couldn(t believe that Lu Han could a#e hi sel) loo#

innocent. He shouldn(t even try to anipulate their e ory. How dare he4uestion so ething so )uc#ing obvious. 't was so obvious, he shouldn(ttal# li#e that. 8o atter what tric# he wanted to use on the and no

atter how stupid his 4uestions were...he shouldn(t. He shouldn(t esswith their heads. They had seen what they had seen and Lu Han(s tal#wouldn(t a))ect the .

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Lu Han didn(t give a shit and did as they teacher told hi to. Kyungsoo(sdes# was ne+t to the vice president(s who 7ust realised who would be soclose to hi . He tried to #eep his cool and si ply loo#ed away when LuHan ca e nearer. Though he )elt li#e he couldn(t breathe and his heartwas beating so )ast, he didn(t want to panic. He did start to thin# o)scenarios that could happen. /aybe Lu Han would stab hi whennobody was paying attention. Lu Han sat down and didn(t say anythingabout the way the whole class was glaring at hi . 't wasn(t as intense asbe)ore since Lu Han was now sitting with the .

They gradually began to get a)raid.

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The vice class president was sweating< his hands were )eeling cla yand hot. The teacher told the all to continue writing their essay whichhe 4uic#ly concentrated on. He had to ignore Lu Han< he had to a#e

the best out o) the situation. "ut when he )elt two #nown eyes staringholes into his head, the vice class president )elt li#e his chest was goingto burst.

%ith sha#ing hand he carried on writing.

Lu Han #ept on staring.

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Han #new that Chanyeol was so ehow dense but how couldn(t he seehow s#inny he had gotten& "ae#hyun saw this within a )ew days.

%hy didn(t he co e today& %as he ill& Lu Han had to do so ethingagainst that. To thin# about this prying idiot, he didn(t need any )riends.The class wasn(t over or anywhere towards the end but Lu Han couldn(tcare less. He got up and this 4uiet sound was enough to interrupt the)ootball ga e. !t )irst he thought that he was superior to the and didn(twant to play and now he was 7ust leaving& %ho gave hi the right to dothat&

The students didn(t let his chance to and protested to the teacher whowas also con)used. He #new that Lu Han did things on his ownregardless o) that, he couldn(t 7ust leave class whenever he )elt li#e it.$Lu Han, can ' as# where you are going&$ His voice was relatively wea#)or so eone who was way taller and physically stronger than Lu Han.The 4uestioned boy stopped wal#ing and uttered a silent (restroo (be)ore leaving again. The answer would be anyway yes, he didn(t needto listen.

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Lu Han didn(t go to the toilets but the changing roo .

Leaving school )or the rest o) the day was way better than be with those 7udge ental, du b people. He didn(t )eel li#e staying in the sa ebuilding as the . They had a narrow ind that would never accept thatthey would be capable o) a#ing wrong decisions. *es, LuHan had thrown the des# and he had never denied it. 't was easy tocon)use his class ates who believed that they couldn(t be wrong. They

were right and Lu Han ac#nowledged that.

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%hat annoyed hi though was that none o) the spo#e to hi in a caland civilised way. 'nstead they avoided hi li#e an e+ploding bo b andbothered hi )ro distance. They put the selves above Lu Han and

7udged everything that didn(t )it into their sche a negatively. They didn(tvalue Lu Han(s opinion because he didn(t (have( one.

%hen he was bac# in the building, he wanted to change and )inallyleave.

"ut he couldn(t. He couldn(t leave because so ething very odd adehi wonder. 't happened when he was on the way bac# to the changingroo . There he noticed that the 7anitor(s roo was slightly open. Lu Han

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! )ew shelves, boo#s and a dead body.

The at osphere added its icy gesture as the air ad7usted around hi .Sprawled on the ground and covered in red was an un oving body. The

uggy windows where bloc#ing Lu Han(s view o) it but he approached ituntil he was 7ust inches away. 't was not his )irst ti e to have seen such

a horrible thing. The !C was on< the reason )or its use would be this. ')so eone deliberately had turned on the !C then this eant that it had tobe urder.

Lu Han reali6ed that he hadn(t loo#ed at the dead person, aybe he#new the . The etal o) the #ni)e which was ne+t to the victi neatlysliced through the s#in with little e))ort and dug into the sto ach and

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chest area. 't was dar# but it wasn(t di))icult to deter ine that the victiwas ale. "etter to say, it was the vice class president. There was so

uch blood. 't was all soa#ing his white shirt that it ade an i pressive

contrast.

His )ace was unrecogni6able.

So eone had slashed hi on his )ace which ade his death even orehu iliating. How Lu Han #new that it was the vice president was than#sto the badge he was always carrying on his bla6er. ') he wouldn(t have

worn it then Lu Han honestly couldn(t tell i) this...creature was even ahu an.

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That eant that there was one less person that wanted to #ic# Lu Hanout.

%ell it was ti e to go.

He couldn(t waste ore ti e on this piti)ul hu an being. His hands werein his poc#ets, his head tilted towards the pool o) blood. Steppingbac#wards to avoid any contact o) blood, Lu Han did that what he tried tonot do. His shoe ade contact with the blood and caused the whole soleo) his shoe to turn cri son. He sighed< did this really need to happen& ')others would see this then obviously Lu Han had to be the person whohad done that. He had blood on his shoe< there wouldn(t be even ti e tode)end hi sel). He had learned little by little that whatever he did wouldbe ta#en the wrong way.

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To be honest Lu Han didn(t care uch about the vice class president.That was what he would get )or stic#ing with the crowd. 't ight havebeen peer pressure but that wouldn(t 7usti)y bla ing Lu Han )oreverything happening. 't was sad that he didn(t want to disappoint hisclass ates and yet ended up li#e that.

Lu Han slid his shoes o)) his )eet and tip toed bac# to the door.

He 4uietly opened it and closed it behind his bac#, glancing to the rightand le)t side. =ust when he thought that he was )or the second ti e

alone, he heard steps co ing )ro )ar distance. He narrowed his eyesand could a#e out Lay co ing towards Lu Han with )ootballs in hisar s. 't was ost li#ely that he was co ing )ro )ield since Lu Han(sclass was over now.

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$Lay.$ Lu Han called with no de)inite e otion in his voice as he struttedto the other side o) the hallway. The called one cringed since he well#new who the unsy pathetic voice belonged to. He was tre bling andhoped that aybe he would get ercy< a)ter all he didn(t side with theclass right& He didn(t say anything bad about Lu Han, he was sure thathe didn(t.

$*9*es&$ His eyes were #ept low on the ground, hugging the )ootballstighter to his chest.

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Lu Han stretched his right ar over to hi to present hi his shoes thathe had ta#en o)).

$Switch shoes with e. Tell that anyone and you are dead.$

0lipping through so e aga6ines, Lu Han let his eyes trail over thewords and pictures on the inside. He was in a rando convenience storeand was doing so e late night shopping his other didn(t #now about.

He was old enough to go anyway on his own and didn(t need to tell hereverything. 0or what e+actly he was loo#ing )or was di))icult to say. Thereason he went out was that he wanted to get so e )resh air and notspeci)ically shop.

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The te ptation was still there when Lu Han passed this particularconvenience store which had diet aga6ines behind the window glass.Lu Han didn(t thin# uch when we wal#ed bac# to get in there and have

a loo#. He would still stic# to his old ethod and not eat uch. 't wasn(twor#ing any ore though aybe those aga6ines had a di))erent and

ore e))ective way.

He #new that there was hardly anyone inside but that didn(t bother hi .He wasn(t a)raid because he #new that Sehun would be close to hi .Even i) Lu Han didn(t see hi , #nowing it was ore than enough.

eali6ing that everything that he read wouldn(t wor# on hi , he put thebac# where he got the )ro . %hen Lu Han turned around to leave andgo ho e, he was slightly shoc#ed that so eone was behind hi .

't was a guy who was taller than Lu Han by hal) a head and had his

hands in his poc#ets. He wasn(t engrossed in the aga6ines when LuHan stepped aside but clutched the ar o) his, $*our na e is Lu Hanright&$ He s iled and needed a )ew seconds to understand that heshould re ove his hand. He did re ove it with a sheepish grin and alsostepped bac# )or space.

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$%hy do you care&$ Lu Han gave hi the ost uninterested loo# the guyhad ever seen in his li)e.

$'( 7ust curious...you are the one who had thrown the des# right& 3n Do

Kyungsoo&$ He tried again when he saw how Lu Han wal#ed away. Thissee ed to have hit a nerve because Lu Han stopped his wal# but wasn(tinterested enough to loo# around. He co ple ented i) he should tal# tohi or i) that would be considered as waste o) ti e. !nd why was he stills iling& That wasn(t a )unny atter. Lu Han didn(t need to turn around to#now that, the tone o) his voice was enough.

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$Than# you very uch. ' actually have another thing to say. Did you#now what happened today& So eone )ro your class was )ound deadin the 7anitor@s roo .$ !s i) he didn(t hear the second part to Lu Han(sanswer he sha elessly carried on. He was luc#y enough that Lu Hanignored this and instead let out a chuc#le, $ eally& Did you co e to tell

e that you suspect e&$ His bac# was still )acing =ongin who raised aneyebrow. He was di))erent )ro those other ones, he had a brain.

$8ope ' don(t. ' know it wasn(t you.$ He answered and hoped that thisinterested Lu Han. He didn(t care i) would be standing out )ro theothers. He #new that it wasn(t Lu Han. ;nli#e his class ates he didn(t

7u p on conclusions li#e everyone else. He would thin# )irst be)oresaying anything. Lu Han shrugged his shoulders and le)t without payingsince he didn(t get anything. This =ongin #id should stay away )ro hi)or the ti e being. He was in)uriating and so ehow botherso e. "ut hisway o) thin#ing wondered hi , in a good way.

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$*our )riend Lay got into a lot o) trouble. !llegedly he had blood on hisshoe but he(s not saying anything. %hat do you thin#&$ =ongin triedagain but this ti e his words were le)t unheard. He could only sigh whenhis words didn(t reach Lu Han who co pletely le)t the store. 3) coursehe heard everything< he 7ust didn(t want to say anything. "ecause he hadnothing to say. He had nothing to say about this since actions spo#elouder than words right&

During the silence, =ongin(s phone vibrated and with an apparent )rown

he pic#ed the call up, $Hello&$ He as#ed as his eyes were on Lu Hanwho was crossing the street in total dar#ness. %as it really sa)e )or hito go out li#e that& %ell he didn(t loo# li#e he would be scared o) thedar#ness.

"hat did he say$

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$He didn(t say anything. ' thin# he doesn(t want to be involved.$

*kay& good #ob

=ongin(s trade ar# s ile returned upon hearing those words.

2ood 7ob, indeed.

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*

There was a scent o) sweet per)u e as Lu Han crac#ed his eyes openwhile his legs were pulled in on the couch. He was too tired to goanywhere, to even leave that couch but he #new that he couldn(t stay. 'nspite o) the headache he would get as soon as he would step into theschool caused by those idiots. Lu Han sighed and buried his )ace intothe nec# o) so eone who was sitting ne+t to hi .

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$8o. The )aster the better.$

Lu Han #new that it was ris#y to have said that but he would stay to hiswords, $!re you that eager to die Lu Han& *ou can ta#e your ti e.$ Histone was play)ul but a little serious. He was aware that Lu Han did hisbest to lose weight. 't wasn(t obvious at all but he had an eye )or things

li#e that. So Lu Han shouldn(t worry i) it would get out o) hand. This wasa)ter all their secret. 8obody else needed to be in)or ed about this.

$*ou don(t need to worry. Death is not scary.$ He said, brushing thestrands away )ro Lu Han(s eyes. That was not the best process toprepare so eone who would be ready give up their live. "ut both wereconscious o) what they were getting the selves into. $Don(t worry...you

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will be able to co e bac# to li)e.$ He silently reassured, leaning )orwardto #iss Lu Han(s )orehead. The latter loo#ed worried )or a second but notalar ed, which the other too# as yes.

Every part o) Lu Han(s body was aware o) his presence and closeness.

The #noc#ing on the door, ade both brea# their eye contact and rather)ocus on the sound which ca e )ro across the hallway. They loo#edbac# at each other in con)usion silently as#ing the other i) they have toldso eone to co e. Lu Han(s parents were at wor# and he couldn(tre e ber to have invited anyone. Could it be that annoying #id )ro thenight be)ore& The one he saw at the store& He could have )ollowed LuHan ho e to say ore bullshit anyone could care less about.

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Lu Han ade with his hand a sign that told the other guy to stay still ashe would loo# who it was. Sa)ety was be)ore anything else. That waswhy he went to the cupboard under the TA and pulled so ething out thatwas hidden within a scar). Lu Han hid the ob7ect behind his bac# andwal#ed slowly and care)ully towards the door. He really couldn(tre e ber to have told anyone to co e. :ressing his bac# against thedoor he held the ob7ect slightly up in his hands and leaned his te pleagainst the door, $%ho is there&$ He as#ed and slipped his right inde+)inger into the hole o) the weapon, lightly touching the trigger.

$'t(s e1 "yun "ae#hyun1$

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!s soon as he said that, Lu Han let out a noiseless sigh and chuc#ed theob7ect bac# to the other who had seen it all. He on the other hand caughtit, returned bac# to the cupboard and placed it there where it initiallywas. This "ae#hyun had really no sha e to 7ust show up when Lu Hantold hi hundred ti es to ind his own business. How did he even gethis address& %ho could have given it to hi &

$This idiot...$ Lu Han was truly angry, no he was urderous. The reason)or his anger was di))icult to understand. 't was not very reasonable norwould anyone else be angry i) it had been the selves in his place. LuHan purposely decided to stay at ho e so no one could annoy hi or

a#e his li)e harder with groundless ru ours. He #new that al ost noneo) the were true but even so he couldn(t stand it. This stupid "ae#hyunhad to get it into his brain that Lu Han didn(t want to see hi .

$Lu Han1 !re you ill& ' hope you aren(t. Can you open the door& ' reallyneed to tell you so ething.$ Sy pathy )or his anger wasn(t what

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"ae#hyun had but rather curiosity. He was wondering why he didn(t go toschool on that day since it(s still going on. "ae#hyun was currentlycutting biology class to 4uic#ly visit Lu Han. How he got the address was

not di))icult as the receptionist lady was )riendly enough to share it withhi .

$"yun '(ll give you three seconds to leave. ' do not have ti e to playaround with you. 2o now i) you don(t want to lose a )inger.$

$:lease Lu Han. ' swear it(s i portant1 't(s about Lay1 He(s treated sobadly1 !pparently it started all yesterday but ' didn(t co e to schoolbecause ' was sic#. 't wasn(t his )ault but everyone #eeps bla ing hi 1$

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Having his hands balled into )ists, "ae#hyun pressed the against thedoor as oisture was building irately in his eyes. Could issing one daybe so bad& %hy did this all have to happen when he was not there& !nd

why was Lay being 4uiet& This didn(t a#e sense, there had to be oreto it.

$!9!nd ' have the )eeling that so eone is )ollowing e1 ' #now it soundscra6y and you will thin# '( 7ust see#ing your attention but ' swear this ishappening1 :lease help e '( scared1$ The wet heated tears that hadbeen vanishing into the air )ro the war th on his chee#s turned into asingle disappointed sob. The uscle tensed in "ae#hyun(s 7aw as he

clenched his teeth against the upco ing sounds that were bound toburst out.

He closed his da p eyes and hoped that the horrible pain that hadbored itsel) into his very core would stop. 't was pathetic, "ae#hyun waspathetic and yet he couldn(t care less about his pride. He 7ust wantedhelp and was very sure that Lu Han would be able to help hi .

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"ae#hyun didn(t #now why but he trusted Lu Han scarily uch9 as if hewas the older brother he never had . 8o, as i) he was so eone whopeople could go to i) they needed help.

't was cra6y because Lu Han was in reality the opposite.

He didn(t do any )avours )or anyone nor was he so eone trustworthy. Hewas cold and rude yet in so e way polite. "ae#hyun was not sure )rowhere the hell he got the illusion that Lu Han was such a great person i)he in )act was anything but that. There was not a single ti e when"ae#hyun saw hi doing so ething good so how was that possible tothin# the opposite& He )elt li#e he couldn(t breathe. That horriblepressure on his chest that practically cho#ed hi was getting stronger.

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/aybe it was the aura that surrounded Lu Han which ade "ae#hyun sonaive.

$'9'( not...telling y9you to protect... e...' 7ust n9need so e advice aboutLay a9and y situation. '( a)ter all your )riend...$ His eyes burnt with hottears that 4uic#ly troubled his visuali6ation, and be)ore he could controlhi sel) they started to roll down his )lushed chee#s with no end in sight.

Lu Han(s sweaty hand was )ir ly clutching the handle.

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%here did he hear those words again&

I'll be waiting Lu Han! I'm after all your friend!

Chanyeol.

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$*ou guys atch...$ Lu Han spo#e under his breath as he unconsciouslypushed the handle down. %hen he reali6ed what he had done, it wasalready too late as "ae#hyun stu bled in with both red eyes and rednose including snot co ing out o) it. He didn(t waste any ore ti e andburied his head in Lu Han(s nec#, inhaling deeply li#e he was )ighting )orair. He held Lu Han tightly to hi , being very care)ul, #nowing with atouch that Lu Han(s body was )li sy and brea#able.

"ut this was not the point, being in sa)e ar s was ore i portant.

$"9"yun let go...$ The one being )orce)ully hugged aw#wardly tried not totouch "ae#hyun. This was getting very unco )ortable because Lu Hanhad never agreed to so uch s#in ship. He had never agreed to. 't wasnot happening very o)ten. %hen was the last ti e that he was huggedother than him and "ae#hyun& Lu Han couldn(t re e ber. 't was toolong ago.

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He loo#ed up behind "ae#hyun and could see a third person standingthere.

He was wearing a blac# cap.

Since when did he leave the roo & Lu Han was about to as# hi whenthat guy ade a hugging otion. Lu Han was con)used and didn(tunderstand hi until his glance dropped down at "ae#hyun who wasstill clinging on hi . %as he telling Lu Han to hug bac#& Sighing, Lu Hanslowly raised his ar s and wrapped the lightly around the sobbing boy.

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$Satis)ied&$ Lu Han as#ed the guy whereupon a s ir# ade his way tohis lips )ollowed by a thu b up.

"ae#hyun could so ewhat )eel the ribs o) the other which re inded hi

o) his third concern.

"ut this could wait.

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*

$L9Lu Han '( so happy that you let e in, ' #new that you didn(t hate9$

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$,alk& ' don(t have all day.$ Lu Han cut it in, staring at his own cup o) tea.=ust when "ae#hyun had cal ed down and loo#ed around in the #itchenthey were at, his sadness ca e bac# in a )lash. He thought that he hadcal ed down but apparently he hadn(t. He )elt li#e so ebody 7ust rippedhis heart out o) his chest and there was a gaping hole inside. 't ayhave been e+aggeration but there was no other way to describe it.

$Tal# now. ' will really #ic# you out i) you don(t.$ The owner o) the housewouldn(t desperately wait )or answers. ') "ae#hyun didn(t #now how to

)or sentences then he could really leave. His irrational behaviourcon)used hi ore and ore with every passing second. "ut "ae#hyundidn(t #now. %here to e+actly start because he had so uch to say. ') LuHan would even understand how )rightened he was. 't was not only hiwho was scared, poor Lay was probably not )eeling better.

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$'t started apparently yesterday but ' wasn(t there s9so ' don(t #now. Thevice president had cruelly died and...a9and they are bla ing Lay. ' don(teven #now why. They are bla ing you as well because...th9they said youle)t a)ter that happened. Everyone is so a)raid and wants to trans)erschools but the head teacher isn(t letting us. He said not everyone cantrans)er )or the sa e reason...too any students would be gone. This ishorrible1$ "ae#hyun cried out, cutting hi o)), sha#ing his headhysterically. His eyes )lashed towards hi , desperately trying to e+plainhi the situation. !s their ga6es et, "ae#hyun couldn(t see shoc# orconcern that Lu Han was also being suspected. He couldn(tsee...anything.

$So what(s the second reason& *ou said you(re being )ollowed&$

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"ae#hyun was surpri6ed about this lac# o) reaction though he nodded,$*eah. S9Since yesterday when ' le)t the hospital )or a chec#9up. 't wasnot that so eone was literally )ollowing but ' had the )eeling that therewas always so eone behind e. 't stopped when ' went ho e. '9' wasa)raid that this person would be hiding in a close by alleyway so 'dragged Chanyeol with e whenever ' went so ewhere. %hen ' 7ust le)tschool to co e here ' still had the )eeling.$ He said with tre bling handsand )uriously beating heart. So uch was happening in such a shorta ount o) ti e. How was that possible& !nd why "ae#hyun&

$' would advise you to stay close to Chanyeol or anyone else. /a#e sureto never be alone.$ Lu Han crossed his leg over his other, e+posing hislower thigh since he was wearing shorts. 'nstead o) listening what hewas told, "ae#hyun(s red eyes were )ocused on Lu Han(s stature. Hecouldn(t believe that a guy could be so s#inny, it wasn(t in public veryobvious but being alone with hi li#e that was di))erent.

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$"yun "ae#hyun, close your eyes and open your ears.$ Lu Han hissed,reali6ing what had been happening he too# a thin blan#et and put it onhis lap.

$SorryB$

$' said stay close to so eone. /a#e sure to never be alone.$ Herepeated annoyed, )eeling stupid )or saying obvious things.

$Can ' stay close to you&$ "ae#hyun intertwined his own )ingers andbatted his wet eyelashes. He would use this opportunity to be closer)riends with Lu Han. 't was obvious that the latter was not #nown )orbeing the ost sociable. Couldn(t they be better )riends li#e this& 't wasrec#less to use such a dangerous situation )or stupid wishes li#e that but

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"ae#hyun couldn(t help it. He had to use every chance he would be ableto get.

$!re you y )a ily&$

"ae#hyun didn(t anticipate this #ind o) 4uestion and shoo# his head.

$!re you y lover&$

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!gain, "ae#hyun couldn(t help but sha#e his head with a )aint blush.

$Then ' won(t be able to stay close to you. !ctually, '( not even close toy parents so how do you e+pect e to stay close to you& Thin# be)ore

you say so ething "yun.$ %ith this said Lu Han s ir#ed and crossedhis ar s over his chest. He wouldn(t do things li#e that )or anyone."ae#hyun would have to )ind so eone else li#e Chanyeol to do that.

$Then what about9$ So ething so)t had po#ed "ae#hyun(s ar whoas#ed hi sel) i) Lu Han could have had pets. "ut when he turned hishead he was greeted with a doll which was certainly not there a inuteago. "ae#hyun was so sure that there was not anything when theyentered the #itchen that he was inwardly )rea#ing out. He couldn(t startscrea ing because in this o ent o) wea#ness Lu Han would de)initely#ic# hi out.

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esting his pal on his lips, "ae#hyun(s eyes travelled )ro the dollbac# to Lu Han who was cal ly drin#ing his tea. He )elt so sic# that hecould vo it all over the place but he had to stay strong, $Lu Han...was it

the whole ti e there& *our doll ' ean...i9it(s scaring e.$ He whisperedwhich was u))led by his pal . His eyes widened when Lu Han got up,stretched his ar s to get the doll and sat bac# down. He had the nerveto place this thing on his lap and patted its head. 't was the sa e one hehad in the par# the other day.

!nd why was he nicer to this doll than to actual hu an beings&

$%ow. %hat a wea#ling. 't loo#s li#e a lot o) things are scary to you"yun.$

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8o, Lu Han was 7ust braver and bolder than the average hu an.

$His na e is Sehun and he wants to be greeted.$ Still patting its head,Lu Han said that and snapped his attention bac# to the other who was

)ro6en. "ae#hyun was not convinced at all but waved his hand, $H9Hellothere. '( "yun "ae#hyun. Lu Han(s )riend.$ He )elt thoughtless )orsaying these things. !nd he )elt even ore stupid to be inti idated bythis thing. The situation was stupid to a#e it short. 3n the other handthough it was not very strange to have dolls. *es Lu Han was aneighteen years old boy and had a doll. There were a lot o) people outthere who still had dolls but what ade Lu Han so di))erent was that his

one fucking moved!

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The reason )or others to do that was ainly because they issedso eone and na ing a doll a)ter a loved one soothed the pain. 3r was ita present )ro this person&

$Did you have a )riend who was called Sehun& 's he away and you areissing hi & 's that why you na ed your doll li#e that&$ "ae#hyun #new

that he was stepping over his boundaries but his in4uisitiveness won. Hetoo# a deep breath and respired slowly, trying to recoup so e controlbac# over his shuddering, overawed body. He closed his eyes )or a brie)

o ent and inhaled deeply. $'9'( sorry ' didn(t ean to say that. 't(s 7ust...Sehun is a hu an(s na e. !nd usually dolls have nic#na esright&$

$%hat are you trying to say&$ Lu Han as#ed distrust)ully, his eyes)ocused on the other(s again, probing )or so e #ind o) additionalclari)ication. "ae#hyun(s head was spinning and he tried to re e berhow to answer but )ailed sadly. ! second ago he was tal#ing li#e a river

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and now they were bac# to their original state. !w#ward and not close toeach other. "ae#hyun closed his eyes and shoo# his head, trying to getrid o) the unwanted )eelings o) what was actually going on.

$!side o) all y proble s Lu Han...are you perhaps... issingso eone&$

%aiting )or a hit on his head or insults that he should ind his ownbusiness, "ae#hyun #ept his eyes down and didn(t ove. %hy wouldso eone li#e Lu Han tell hi so ething that could bother hi & !)tertelling hi so any ti es to shut his outh and be 4uiet...why would LuHan suddenly want to pour his )ears out& 't wouldn(t happen. They were

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too di))erent, e+actly li#e Chanyeol had said. Lu Han wasn(t open and)reely could tell everyone what he had been thin#ing. 3r what his worrieswere.

$' do iss hi . !nd this doll is a piti)ul replace ent.$ Lu Han against allodds spo#e and caused "ae#hyun to raise his head in surprise. He

continued as he glanced at the doll and hugged it tighter. $' 7ust needso ething that re inds e o) hi . *ou can still iss so eone who isright ne+t to you. *ou can still iss so eone i) you see this person everyday. *ou can still iss so eone i) he is so close to you that you thin# itcould be only a drea . *ou can still iss so eone i) he puts an araround you to co )ort you. *ou can still iss so eone i) he is alwaysthere )or you. *ou can still iss hi . ' do. / lot . !nd ' )eel apologetic

towards hi .$

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Lu Han had never tal#ed so uch in one go.

"ae#hyun(s eyes )lew open and he loo#ed at Lu Han, a)raid that it ightbe too uch )or hi , but what he saw on his )ace ade hi speechless.He was s iling, it was light and his eyes were graced with a war lighto) adoration. Lu Han was s iling. 3n the )irst glance it see ed li#e itwas towards "ae#hyun but no, it passed the other and was ai ed at thewall where another person was leaning on. He heard everything that was

said and couldn(t help the constricted pressure in his chest.

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Scraping his sureness )or the last ti e together, "ae#hyun as#edanother 4uestion-

$Lu Han...is it possible that you are dati9$

8ot letting "ae#hyun )inish, Lu Han(s s ile disappeared and wasreplaced by his lip corner tilting downwards. He put his )inger on his lips,signi)ying that "ae#hyun should be 4uiet )or the ti e being. He loo#edso serious, totally di))erent )ro earlier. Lu Han(s eyes widened and hislips parted slightly as i) to say so ething, but he re ained silent. Thecontrolling e otion on his )ace was uncertainty. His uscles were tenseas he observed every sound.

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There was water )lowing )ro the bathroo .

So eone had touched the tab )ro the sin#.

Lu Han loo#ed up to the one who was still standing at the wall.

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He shoo# his head and ade a de)ensive ove ent with his hands.

Then "ae#hyun who had also noticed those sounds turned his headinevitably, loo#ing around in apprehension. "ut )ro6e again in horrorwhen Lu Han appeared to be concentrating on so ething. Lu Han adethis e+pression that so eone only used i) they believed that anotherperson was in their house. "ae#hyun(s breath hitched in his throat as hisears too# in the sound o) rushing water. Chills ran down his spine as hislips parted when he heard that things )ell down in the roo ne+t to the#itchen.

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8ot being able to hold it in any longer, "ae#hyun let out a bloc#edscrea which he so)tened with his hands on his outh. His head startedto whirl and suddenly he )elt di66y. Those noises scared hi so uch

that it ade hi )eel nauseaous.

He thought that he was going to die.

Lu Han didn(t wait any ore. He ripped so ething )ro under the tableand loaded it while ai ing at the )loor. So uch stu)) was going on, )rowhere the hell did he get a gun& 'n what position did Lu Han have to bethat he had to stic# guns with tape under the table& %as he evenallowed to carry it&

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$L9Lu Han...'( scared...$ "ae#hyun whispered and hoped that whoeverwas a#ing those sounds wouldn(t )ind the .

$Don(t ove. Stay here, a#e a sound and you are literally dead. ' ean

it.$

Lu Han wal#ed o)) in silent steps and le)t the doll behind which was notscaring "ae#hyun any ore. 't was the opposite. The overwhel ed teentoo# it and pressed it against his chest, to get at least so e co )ort.%hen he realised that he 7ust let Lu Han alone with a urderer or a thie),

he slapped his own )orehead and got o)) the chair. How cowardly did hehave to be& "ae#hyun should have so e courage even i) his #neeswere sha#ing so uch.

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He was aware o) Lu Han(s warning to stay but he couldn(t let hi goalone.

Two was better than one, right&

't was noiseless when "ae#hyun )ollowed Lu Han as cautiously as hecould. He whispered Lu Han(s voice in a 4uestioning anner though hisvoice was very sole n and cal , his e+pression betrayed hi ."ae#hyun couldn(t i agine what could be going through his ind in that

o ent, but he #new that he had a gun. The weapon didn(t scare"ae#hyun, 7ust what he was capable o) doing with it. He was barely legalso where did he even get it&

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"ae#hyun didn(t #now where the bathroo was since this was his )irstti e in that house but he could guess it. %hoever was waiting couldeasily rip the to pieces without any hesitation or regret depending onhow hu an they were. ') they were even hu an. "ae#hyun had ga6edat Lu Han, waiting )or hi very intently. His e+pression was unreadable.He opened the door to his bathroo and see ed to be as collected asalways but his eyes burnt with such intensity. !s i) he was seeingso ething that he did not li#e.

He wasn(t glaring but i) there was a less har )ul stage to it, then thatwas what Lu Han had been doing. !ll o) his sha poo bottles and a )ew

brushes were laying on the tiles. The water had stopped )lowing thoughthe sin# was evidently wet that it showed its use. Lu Han sighed andwent to the little window to close it. 't ay loo#ed li#e a strong wind blowhad thrown his things down but both #new that it was nothing li#e that.

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8o atter how strong the wind was, it couldn(t be strong enough to turnthe tab on. Lu Han groaned and pic#ed his things one by one up. !s i) ayounger sibling had thrown the and he had to clean a)ter the ."ae#hyun had never seen hi li#e this be)ore. There was an e otion inhis eyes that he couldn(t identi)y, but it ade hi )eel sa)e and strangely

cal . !t least Lu Han see ed to #now to what to do.

$!re you sure that it wasn(t you&$ Lu Han uttered a)ter he had puteverything bac#. !t )irst "ae#hyun thought that he was eant when heheard that 4uestion. Since when did he get noticed& Then again, nothingcould escape Lu Han(s sharp eyes. He opened his outh to say an

apology )or ignoring the warning and 7ust )ollowing though he wasinterrupted.

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$%hat do you ean& 3) course it was you, don(t play innocent. ' don(tcare i) you were with us when it hap9 whatever.$ 0acing the wall, Lu Han)olded his ar s over his chest and began to tal#. 't was strange becausehe obviously was not conversing with "ae#hyun who decided to staybehind the slightly open door. He thought that it was ore interesting tosee Lu Han having a conversation with himself . "ut it honestly didn(tsee li#e the other person was hi sel) as well. /aybe an i aginary

)riend& 'nvisible&

%henever "ae#hyun glanced to the wall he didn(t see anything. Hebelieved that aybe there was so ething his eyes were issing and yethe was disappointed. There wasn(t anything. 8othing. "lan#. 0or once itwas not scaring hi but interesting hi . 't was interesting that Lu Hanhad an invisible )riend or a disorder that caused hi to have suchconversations. He didn(t see li#e the type to be part o) those people.

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Suddenly Lu Han shoo# his head with an al ost unnoticeable s ile andpulled his ar s in. %hat Lu Han )elt was totally di))erent )ro what itappeared to be. His chest was pressed against Lu Han(s tightly and herested his head on the top o) Lu Han(s burying his nose into his hair. Hisar s were still around Lu Han, pressing hi tightly against his body. LuHan(s )ingers were still caressing the other(s ar lovingly, sending tinywaves o) shiver down his spine. !s i) he co pletely elted into hise brace, resting his head on the guy(s shoulder while he listened to hisheartbeat.

Even though there was none.

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he was not the person to be in relationships. 't was not that he didn(t#now what love was, he 7ust didn(t bother hi sel) with it. His personalitypractically screa ed that he didn(t care about anything in the world.

;n)ortunately none o) this e+plained why they were in such an inti ateposition.

Hugging was o#ay between )riends but this was not li#e a ere hugging.%hen they had stopped tal#ing, "ae#hyun(s heart started to race,pounded in his chest, against his ribcage wilder than ever be)ore. Didthey notice hi & How could that be& "ae#hyun didn(t a#e a singlesound. He was sure that he didn(t. He also didn(t see that Lu Han(s eyes)lashed towards the door behind he was hiding at.

He was still staring at the door, tilting his head in a con)used anner.$%hat(s wrong&$ Lu Han was as#ed )ro the other, his voice was )ull o)worry as they stopped hugging. His thu b stro#ed Lu Han(s chee#boneever so gently. He turned his head towards hi with gentle )orce, so theyboth could loo# into each other(s eyes. Lu Han however couldn(t #eep his

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eyes )ocused as they trailed to the le)t side, the direction to the door,$There is so eone.$ 0or a brie) o ent the guy )ro6e, surprised by LuHan(s sudden words, and then began to laugh. Though he could )eel he

stopped breathing.

$Lu Han ' thin# you are overreacting. ' doubt that there is so eone.$ He#noc#ed the distrust)ul boy on his )orehead and sighed as well.

$8o '( sure there is so eone. ' can prove it,$ Lu Han raised his gun andsteadily ai ed at the target in )ront o) hi . 't was the door which was theonly thing that separated "ae#hyun and the . Shouldn(t it beunoccupied behind the door& !)ter all nobody was there. The other didn(tsay anything but si ply nodded his head. 't was not li#e he couldanything to change his ind.

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Knowing that there could have been "ae#hyun, Lu Han )elt his handstart to sweat, a#ing it intolerable )or hi to grip the gun decisively.%hat was wrong with hi & He told this idiot to stay bac# and i) he didn(tlisten then it was his )ault. Lu Han too# a deep breath, and s4uee6ed thetrigger. The sound o) the gunshot was unpredictably loud, a#ing hi

lightly )linch. The loudness o) the gunshot going o)) ripped through"ae#hyun(s ears as i) ' was right ne+t to the gun with no guard.

=ust in that o ent he reali6ed that it was probably ai ed at hi .

There was no ti e )or hi to run )or his li)e since every single ove entcould deter ine the outco e. He 7ust leaned against the door, closinghis eyes as tight as he could. Seconds passed and "ae#hyun still didn(t

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do anything, he didn(t even blin#. He was sha#ing slightly, a#ing surethat he was )ine. He also )elt wave o) relie) washing over hi although itdidn(t help uch. He had other things to worry over li#e getting out o)

there as 4uic# as possible.

The hole o) the bullet was #ust ne+t to "ae#hyun(s chee#, )lying throughthe wood in high speed.

! hundred i+ed e otions crossed "ae#hyun(s pale )ace, too )ast )orhi to understand the . He )elt that he stopped breathing, the stablerhyth o) the rising and sin#ing o) his chest stopped. He stared down athis )eet with this unbelievable pressure in his chest. ') he would havebeen standing a little ore to the le)t then he would not have ade it.

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$Loo#s li#e ' was wrong.$ 't wasn(t usual )or Lu Han to say and ad it hisown ista#es. He didn(t a#e any ista#es because he only involvedhi sel) in situations when he #new that he had the upper hand. Theother stared down at Lu Han with wonder ent, his cold )ingertipsbrushed every inch o) Lu Han(s )ace and a )ew o ents later he rela+edco pletely. ela+ing though didn(t ean that Lu Han had stoppedthin#ing. How was that possible that he was wrong& He #new thatso eone was )ollowing hi to the bathroo .

0earing )or another attac# to happen, "ae#hyun too# the 4uietest stepbac#wards to go where he was supposed to be at. He tried to control hisbreathing and not a#e stupid ista#es li#e crashing into )urniture. Hisheart had raced again< his blood had boiled in his veins. His lungs had)illed again with air so that he had been able to breathe again. This wasi portant )or "ae#hyun, to not )rea# out that Lu Han was together withso e ghost. He had to be cal about it all and thin# with a rational brain.

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*es he barely escaped a gunshot but crying over that was not thes artest ove.

"ae#hyun was al ost bac# into the living roo with )eather light steps.;ntil his )eet ade contact with the doll that had been laying on the )loor)or a while. He had totally )orgotten about it. %hat was it na e again&%hatever it was, "ae#hyun could not ove it. 8ot even a illi etre. LuHan would notice it so he had to endure those blac# arti)icial eyesstaring at hi . 't was so creepy. !ll o) "ae#hyun(s ove ents ca e to

an end when he too# a seat where he was earlier sitting. His uscles)ro6e and he only sat there, otionless, avoiding eye contact with thecreepy doll.

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! inute passed.

Twenty inutes passed.

"ae#hyun was an+ious. %hat was Lu Han doing& He didn(t dare to as#and re ained silent< the )ear see ed to paralyse hi . His body wasvisibly sha#ing as he )inally heard sounds o) )ootsteps. :rior to that heheard sounds that he rather didn(t want to tal# about. 't wasn(t loud butthe )act that the whole house was so da n 4uiet ade every noisesound ten ti es louder than it actually was. "ae#hyun was now )eelingstrange and prying that he was so obsessed with )inding ore out aboutLu Han.

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!n hour passed.

He was )ro6en )or a brie) o ent, trying ta#e in what he 7ust heard. Hecouldn(t properly understand those words but he de)initely heard hisna e. How could Lu Han leave "ae#hyun alone i) there was still thepossibility o) being attac#ed by so eone& "ae#hyun should have beenincredibly angry that he was being le)t alone )or so long. How could he)orget that "ae#hyun was still waiting )or hi & He clenched his )ists sotightly< it loo#ed li#e the bones in his #nuc#les would cut through his pales#in.

0ro ti e to ti e "ae#hyun heard the water rushing.

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"hat in the world were they doing$

=ust when he thought it couldn(t get any worse, so eone had )inallyturned o)) the water. Then the door crea#ed open9 de)initely thebathroo (s door as Lu Han wal#ed the hall down in new clothes. His hair was wet, at so e parts stic#ing to his s#in. So he has the nerve to ta#e abath or shower when "ae#hyun was al ost going cra6y )ro thewaiting&

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$*ou are still here&$

Those were Lu Han(s )irst words when he dried his oist hair with atowel, not loo#ing into "ae#hyun(s eyes who was sha#en. %as he reallyserious& This thought )lashed through "ae#hyun(s ind when his headsnapped towards Lu Han i ediately at the sound o) his bored voice.His e+pression didn(t so)ten as their eyes loc#ed< instead he was wal#ingto the direction o) the table. "ae#hyun(s con)idence cru bled as his eyesslightly pulled away )ro hi to loo# into his eyes.

$How can you say this& '9' ean...didn(t you say that you(ll chec# out i)there was so eone&$ "ae#hyun swallowed nervously, )or a brie)

o ent his eyes )lic#ered towards Lu Han, who was still standing at the

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sa e spot as be)ore, now ne+t to the edge o) the #itchen table. 'n thisway Lu Han see ed a lot ore co posed than he usually was. 't waspossible that he was )eeling li#e that since this was his ho e.

Lu Han didn(t answer but #neeled )or a o ent down to pic# so ethingup. 't obviously was his doll which he in no way could leave li#e that.

$"yun you )orgot to put hi bac# where it was. ' le)t hi on the table andnot )loor.$

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"ae#hyun(s heart san#< he was )or once totally speechless.

Shit!

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*

Lu Han didn(t #now what ade hi go to one o) the study night classes.His class had every 0riday a study night session )ro eight to wheneverthey were done. 'ts purpose was to study even ore with no distraction)ro other classes since only one was allowed to be in school. Thechances o) the students being loud and distracting were even lower.They would study alone with no teacher who would be in the teachers@roo to ar# tests.

't was bewildering how "ae#hyun le)t so 4uic#ly a)ter his cover wasblown o)) by Lu Han. 't was not very di))icult. So why was Lu Han soeager to go to this useless lesson i) he could have been doing so ethingelse& He didn(t #now. /aybe it was the )act that the study lesson wouldbe the 4uic#est way to see "ae#hyun again since their regular lessonwas already over. He didn(t have "ae#hyun(s phone nu ber nor did he#now where he was living. He didn(t even #now what he wanted to say.

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"ut he had to de)initely a#e sure that "ae#hyun didn(t see hi .

The person Lu Han issed the ost.

Sehun.

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He wouldn(t understand anything. !nd this would lead to as# ore4uestions and ore to what Lu Han didn(t even #now the answers. Hewas not all9#nowing his understanding was li ited as well. !nd the tinybit Lu Han could wor# with shouldn(t be what "ae#hyun would want toinvolve hi sel). !nd that was what Lu Han wanted to get across. That"ae#hyun should )orget what he saw and not as# 4uestions.

Lu Han could barely see all the way to the end o) the hallway, to thehardly illu inated hallways that led to the classroo s. The couple o) dilights le)t on overnight replicated o)) o) the windows. The echoes )ro his)ootsteps ade hi )eel uneasy. He )elt unprotected with going alone.

There were no roo s in where he could hide nor or any stairs he couldta#e. He 7ust had to )ocus on the door at the end o) the hallway.

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!bruptly the lights went o)).

$3) course.$ Lu Han sighed as he )elt lightly di66y and gravity pulling hidown. %hile wal#ing through the dar# hallway he had the )eeling thatso eone gave hi strong obscure ga6es. ! little light was visible at theend o) the hallway and he pushed hi sel) to endure this. ') the lightsweren(t wor#ing any ore then why was their classroo so well9lit& !candle& His gut )eeling told hi to leave this place 9 and this 4uic#ly.However so ething was driving hi )orward, to at least chec# i)"ae#hyun was there.

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%hen he eventually arrived, he pushed the door open. He couldn(t evenstep a )oot into the roo as he was pushed down on the )loor. Hecouldn(t ove. Lu Han too# a deep breath and e+haled, staring around inthe dar# classroo where only a )ew candles were lit on. There were ahand)ul o) )a iliar )aces glaring at hi . They pushed all chairs andtables aside so that there was e pty space in the iddle o) theclassroo . Lu Han didn(t say anything and let whoever held hi , tightenhis wrists with so ething long which see ed to be a tie.

There was so uch going on that Lu Han couldn(t 4uite co prehendwhat happened. He could see a )ew )aces but )elt nonetheless di66y. Hecould )eel that so eone dragged hi to the centre o) the roo andharshly shoved hi to the ground to sit. $%hat are you doing...&$ Lu Hanas#ed and thought that his head ight e+plode )ro the pressure. Heached all over and he )elt e+tre ely nauseated.

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Then he understood.

He hadn(t eaten anything )or a while.

$2ood to #now that you ca e. %e #new that you ca e.$ ! girl ca e outo) nowhere and was standing in )ront o) hi . She had her hands crossedover her chest and was )rowned at Lu Han who could barely a#e her)ace out. 't was Choi =inri, the girl who had a huge crush on thedeceased vice class president. So what was this all about& Couldso eone turn the lights on& The s ell o) the candles ade Lu Han sic#that he could )aint right on that place.

She wasn(t alone with a )ew others who were standing behind her. Theywere having one o) the ost hate)ul e+pression Lu Han had seen in his

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li)e. %eren(t they suspecting Lay any ore& They could always )ind areason to hate Lu Han who 7ust wanted to get out o) there. He couldn(teven see "ae#hyun, the reason why he ca e. There were too any

people and the light9headedness he )elt was a#ing it di))icult )or hi tostay )ocused.

$%here is "ae#hyun&$ He u bled, needing to ta#e a breath a)ter eachword. Lu Han didn(t co e to tal# to the < he wanted to tal# to "ae#hyun.

$He doesn(t want to see you.$ =inri hissed and couldn(t stand the way theother was loo#ing at the . !s i) he was better than the . How was hebetter& They were all the sa e. !nd hi #illing /inho was so ethingthat =inri could never )orgive. She wouldn(t )orgive hi . She #new that

violence was no solution and she had no intentions o) hurting Lu Han.%ell physically. He still deserved to be treated so badly and even his)riend "ae#hyun )inally understood.

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$!re you acting so oblivious or are you serious&1$ !nother guy 7oined theone sided conversation as he threw so ething right in )ront o) Lu Han(s)eet. They were pictures. Lu Han(s eyes couldn(t really see anything a)ter concentrating )or the )irst ti e. He loo#ed at it again and then reali6edwhat it was all about. 8ow he understood why "ae#hyun didn(t want to

see hi and also didn(t show up at this study session. 't ade sense andnow Lu Han was so ehow regretting it to have ever done it.

:ictures o) Lu Han a)ter he had stabbed "ae#9"ae# were in )ront o) hi .

Do Kyungsoo.

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$He doesn(t want to have anything to do with you, you urderer. 0irstthis dog and now /inho. %H3 'S *3; 8EGT T! 2ET *3;

:HS*CH3&1$ She blew up but was actually about to cry, she could )eelthe lu p in her throat, she was that angry. !nd she doubted that he waseven recollecting what she was telling hi . There was a reaction )rohis )ace when he had seen the pictures but he went bac# to his stubbornstate. %hy was it so di))icult )or hi to 7ust )uc#ing ad it that it was hi &There was so uch evidence spea#ing against hi . He couldn(t deny it &he #ust couldn't!

$' thin# we have to #eep hi here a little longer.$

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The last person Lu Han wanted to see wal#ed )ro the corner o) theroo , towards the sitting boy. He ca e out o) nowhere. 0or how longwas he even there& Ki =ongin, annoying as ever halted ne+t to =inriand play)ully waved at Lu Han, $%e eet again.$ He s iled wider andeven had the tendency to go down so he and Lu Han could loo# intoeach other(s eyes. He e+pected to see nervousness washing over LuHan(s )ace or desperation however he didn(t see anything. He re ainedunresponsive and erely let out a bothered sigh.

$;ntie e now, this is ridiculous.$

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$*ou #ill other beings don(t you thin# that you are being ridiculous aswell&$ =ongin(s voice was unusually thought)ul and he see ed li#e he)inally understood how serious the situation was.

$' don(t understand how #illing is ridiculous.$ "e)ore his class ates couldlisten up hundreds o) reasons why he was wrong, Lu Han continued tospea#, $' ean people die )or others right& There is not rule a whypeople thin# it is orally right to #ill right& Killing is living. So eti es youhave to #ill to be able to live. ') you(re in danger you want to be sa)ethere)ore you(ll a#e sure that nobody will be there to hurt you. How doyou #now that the dog wasn(t attac#ing e& How do you #now that

/inho wasn(t attac#ing e& 'n )act, ' didn(t even touch hi so )indso eone else to bla e. 1ntie me now .$

$!9!re you trying to 7usti)y #illing& This is cra6y. *ou(re dangerous )or us1S9So eone call the police1$ =inri didn(t )eel well any ore, this was scary.She )elt sic# and instantly ordered so eone to call the police but =ongin

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didn(t let it being carried out. He raised his hand and said to stop it. Hehad an idea which he had to try out.

$So you are saying that it is o#ay to end people(s lives.$ =ongin su ed

up whereupon Lu Han wea#ly nodded, that was right.

He s iled and gently grasped Lu Han@s chin, tilting his head up.

$Then you wouldn(t ind i) ' would end your li)e, Lu Han. *ou said thatit(s o#ay.$

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+ecause you are endangering someone on I value!

This =ongin was treacherous. He #new what he had to say and twistingLu Han(s words was also so ething he see ed to en7oy. There was nochance that Lu Han could #eep his cal co posure under suchcircu stances. This was not what he had eant. This wasn(t it. *es in away =ongin was right but what he had 7ust said ade no sense. Hewouldn(t #ill rando people on the streets nor would he be able to 7usti)yit. +ecause one couldn't! *ou wouldn(t be able to end so eone(s li)e andthen de)end it.

!n icy sweat had already bro#en on Lu Han(s body. He )elt unusuallybreathless, his heart racing and a )aded dru ing began to sound in hisears. He loo#ed up again and suddenly the whole class was spinning.Even =ongin(s )ace who changed his )ace e+pression and see ed rather

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concerned. !ll the sounds were bloc#ed away )ro Lu Han(s ears and inthe ne+t second he was already laying on the ground.

The )all didn(t hurt at all since his ind was so )ocused on easing thepain. He was trying to ignore the yelp that escaped =inri and everythingelse around hi . He had to have control over his breathing and thepain)ul co pression in his sto ach. He too# deep breaths in through his

outh< it only ade the unsteadiness slightly better. Lu Han couldn(thear a thing and i) that wasn(t bad enough he closed his eyes.

$%hat should we do&1 '9' didn(t want that1 ' 7ust...wanted to #now why hedid that to /inho1$ =inri teared up and rapidly rushed to Lu Han so shecould untie his wrists. This was not what she had wanted. She didn(t.$=ongin what should we do&1$ She whipped her head bac# to the personwho didn(t do anything yet. =ongin didn(t even bother with answering the

4uestion. The other students were also with =inri and atte pted to wa#eLu Han by slapping his chee# though that didn(t wor#.

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0inally a)ter co prehending what was going on, =ongin went down onhis #nees and turned around, $'(ll bring hi to the hospital don(t call ane ergency car.$ He strictly said and otioned the others to bring Lu Hanon his bac#. They loo#ed at each other and nodded, care)ully pic#inghi up and place his ar s around =ongin(s nec# )or support. =ongindidn(t #now why but he held Lu Han(s legs and headed straight out o) theroo .

He heard =inri shouting that he should hurry up to what =ongin replied

that she should do it hersel) then.

=ongin didn(t #now why but he ran as )ast as he could. %asn(t that whathe wanted& Didn(t he want Lu Han to su))er and eventually die& He didn(t

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want it in such a way though. 't was too 4uic# and he wouldn(t be able toreceive any answers to his 4uestions. He wanted to #now a lot and LuHan see ed li#e the per)ect person to help hi . This totally changed

when he had et Kyungsoo.

%hen he had et hi in a par# at night )or the )irst ti e, he was curious.%hat was a boy li#e hi doing there& %as he #ic#ed out )ro ho e&=ongin could only sit ne+t to hi and say nothing. !s i) he didn(tac#nowledge =ongin, he 7ust sul#ed and #ept his ga6e down. There was

so ething that attracted =ongin to the stranger and even with no wordshe could )eel the sadness. They didn(t #now each other. They didn(t#now anything about the other, and yet he loo#ed at =ongin with thosehuge hope)ul eyes when he said it-

I hate Lu Han!

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Kyungsoo didn(t e+pect the other boy to #now hi or do anything abouthis proble s. He 7ust needed so eone to listen to hi . He wantedso eone to #now about his pain. 't didn(t atter i) he #new that personor not ! /nyone . 't could have been anyone. 't was =ongin who ade the)irst step by sitting ne+t to hi so he should at least listen to what hewanted to say right& That was 7ust )air. He wanted 7ustice and nothing

ore.

So =ongin would a#e sure that Kyungsoo would get whatever hewanted.

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He wasn(t in love with Kyungsoo.

He didn(t )eel bad )or Kyungsoo.

He didn(t want to do Kyungsoo a si ple )avour.

=ongin was es eri6ed by the boy who sat ne+t to hi and had thatiserable e+pression on his )ace.

"ecause =ongin also had his proble s with Lu Han, so why not hit two)lies with one slap&

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!nd here he was carrying the boy he wanted dead to sa)ety. =ongindidn(t even #now what ade hi do it. 't wasn(t =inri. He would havedone it anyway but why& He bla ed his instincts to help who ever hecould. Lu Han or not, he was in danger. !nd =ongin )elt du b anduseless )or doing that. %asn(t that what Kyungsoo wanted& Didn(t he

want Lu Han to su))er as uch as possible& %hy he wanted that was notclear. =ongin didn(t #now though he would help Kyungsoo anywaybecause they had the sa e goal.

=ongin had his reasons too.

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't was dar# outside and a )ew people were giving the loo#s. ! )ew carsrushes by, creating a slight bree6e while =ongin ran under the shiningla p posts that lightened the way to the closest hospital. He let out a4uiet sigh o) relie) as the shopping buildings ca e into view. That eantthat they were close. He was ildly breathing and in his still9hunchedstature he couldn(t stop thin#ing about certain scenarios. %hat i) hewould have 7ust thrown Lu Han in the nearby river& %ouldn(t his problebe solved& %ouldn(t Kyungsoo be in sa)ety&

So any 4uestions and yet he had so little ti e. =ongin was actuallysurprised by the lightness o) Lu Han. "etween that and the appealingidea to let Lu Han drown to his death, he shoo# his head and held theother tighter. That would be too 4uic#. There wouldn(t be any su))eringnor would Lu Han be aware o) what was happening around hi . /aybehe was because his legs 4uic#ly ca e to wrap the selves around=ongin(s sto ach.

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So he was conscious&

0or a o ent, =ongin )eared he would )all until he put his hands )ir erunder Lu Han(s #nees and 7u ped a little, positioning hi ore

co )ortably on his bac#. Lu Han in his hal) asleep state clung hi sel)tightly to =ongin(s nec# and shoulders as he parted his lips, $S9Sehun...$He whispered with eyes still closed and this slowed =ongin down. Hedidn(t #now how to react to that at all. He wasn(t tired )ro running )orstraight twenty inutes but he was shoc#ed.

His eyes oved to the le)t side where Lu Han(s head was on his nec#and he let out an outbreath, $Still didn(t )orget hi huh&$ He loo#ed bac#to the )ront and sped once again up. His heart was beating agonisingly inhis chest as his )eet pounded against the pave ent. =ongin had a lot toas# o) Lu Han but )or now he had to push everything away and suppress

his urge to screa his )eelings out. Those )eelings he could have neversur)aced, the )eelings he could never tell Lu Han because he didn(t#now. He didn(t #now how uch =ongin despised hi . How uch painhe )elt because o) hi , how hurt he was.

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So why was he now helping hi &

'nstead o) )iguring this out he decided to run )aster, panting as heleisurely began to get tired and his li bs ached. The settling )eeling o)an+iety ran#ed through his ind again as he i ediately wal#ed thestairs up to the auto atic doors o) the hospital.

=ongin didn(t #now.

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4ommy!!!what does that mean that I have to go to an or hanage$

0othing 5ongin don't listen to him

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*

Laying there on the bed o) the hospital Lu Han s4uir ed as he slept,creating a )eeling o) belonging that reached into Chanyeol(s heart. Hewas visiting with Kyungsoo the latter(s )ather who was )or a very longwhile sic#. He couldn(t #now that Lu Han was also present 7ust a )ewdoors away. Chanyeol was luc#y that he had seen Lu Han alone in theroo when he wanted to get hi sel) so ething to drin#. There wasn(t adoctor or anyone li#e that inside, not a single visitor.

So Chanyeol decided to beco e one.

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't was very late so what possibly could have happened to hi & Theywere )riends so it was naturally to worry over that. He didn(t see tohave any e+ternal in7uries and was rather sleeping than wince )ro pain.%hen Chanyeol sat down ne+t to Lu Han(s legs he wanted ti e to stopright now. "ecause Lu Han was the ost beauti)ul when he wasn(tglaring or cursing anyone. =ust li#e that, he al ost rese bled a di))erentperson. !s soon as he thought that, Lu Han(s breathing changed, and hiseyes began to tre ble beneath his eyelids.

He was either going to wa#e up or he was drea ing.

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!n un#nown )eeling si ilar to e+cite ent )illed Chanyeol(s heart at beingable to ta#e in Lu Han(s )ace. 't had been a while that he had seen LuHan li#e that and being so close to hi didn(t happen every day.Chanyeol didn(t #now why he )elt li#e that and he reliably should doso ething against it. He should have done so ething about his body

oving )orward. He should have done so ething about the bubbling)eeling in his sto ach and the way he care)ully touched Lu Han(s chee#.

He leaned closer and closer in< he didn(t #now what ade hi do it.

:robably the )act that Lu Han was in a deep slu ber and wouldn(t #nowanything about that. He wouldn(t. Chanyeol #new that he should berespecting Lu Han(s privacy but he couldn(t help it. 0or how long did hehave to play the clueless )riend who wasn(t aware o) anything that wasgoing on& He didn(t want to. 8ot any ore. He loo#ed at the sleeping)igure in )ront o) hi and sighed. $Don(t a#e us so worried...Sehunwouldn(t li#e it...$ His words trailed o)) as he re e bered who e+actly

was responsible )or Lu Han(s shut in personality.

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%ell Lu Han was always a bit 4uiet but the reason he was cold wasso ething di))icult to e+plain. $He wouldn(t li#e it at all. !nd neither do 'so please tal# to e i) you have proble sB$ He too# a breath asdisappoint ent washed through hi )or a o ent and as he loo#ed athis hands.

$S9Sehun...$ Lu Han suddenly oved slightly in his sleep, wa#ingChanyeol up )ro this train o) thoughts. His lips curled up into a slights ile and he continued to ur ur that na e in )ront o) Chanyeol whoassu ed that this would happen. He #new deep down that he wouldnever be able to ta#e Sehun(s place he had in Lu Han(s heart. So eonewho wasn(t there any ore but was still able to loo# down on Chanyeol.Even a)ter so any years he didn(t leave Lu Han(s ind and was what

he thought about the ost. Chanyeol wanted to overloo# it but it did hurta lot.

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$...Chanyeol is that you&$

!s o) cue, Lu Han was sitting up and touched his )orehead )or a )ever.The throbbing in his head still re ained though, re)using to go away.Chanyeol as#ing hi a hundred ti es i) he was )ine did nothing to easethe pain either. $'( totally )ine.$ He sighed and pushed the sheets o)) hislower body. Silently groaning, Lu Han needed a o ent to ove hiswea# body. /inutes passed and Chanyeol still didn(t do anything, didn(teven blin#. He was relieved a)ter a )low o) co posure ca e over hi .He was happy that Lu Han appeared to be really )ine. "ut he still had the)eeling that this was not an accident. 0ainting li#e that was not whatwould rando ly happen to Lu Han.

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So it was purposely done.

$%hy do you do this&$ He )inally was brave enough to spea# and balledhis hands into )ists.

$Chanyeol stop this. 't(s )or Sehun. ' want to be with hi . ' want to saysorry.$

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:lease not this again. Chanyeol really couldn(t hear it any ore. Hecouldn(t. He didn(t want Lu Han to run a)ter so eone who was gone )orso long. He didn(t want Lu Han to waste his ti e with so eone whowouldn(t be able to love hi bac# the way he wanted to. Chanyeol wasin a si ilar position but dissi ilar to Lu Han he could )ace reality. He#new where is place was and not overstep the li its he was supposed tostay under. He wouldn(t do any rec#less actions li#e getting hi sel) into

accidents to see so eone dead again. Chanyeol was not stupid. He#new well that Lu Han was trying to #ill hi sel). The 4uestion was that hedidn(t #now how .

$He(s dead Lu Han.$

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Lu Han )elt li#e so eone had stabbed hi right into his heart.

!gain and again and again.

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Lies lies lies lies lies

I'm not dead Lu Han

I'm with you my love

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Don't listen to him

You friend doesn't know anything about us

$*ou are wrong Chanyeol. Sehun is sitting ne+t to e.$

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Sehun was not dead.

He wasn(t alive either.

He was in the iddle, helplessly stuc# in between.

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*

Sitting on those unco )ortable chairs in the entrance hall, =ongin didn(t#now what ca e over hi . He couldn(t a#e his ind up, why did hehelp Lu Han& %hy& %asn(t that what he wanted the whole ti e&%ouldn(t Kyungsoo be a lot sa)er& He leaned bac# )ro hi all those

thoughts which burnt with deep sorrow and regret, it ade his heartache. =ongin shouldn(t care about anyone but Kyungsoo since he wasthe sa e as =ongin. They were the sa e. They had the sa e destiny, tolive in pain and agony.

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They didn(t deserve it. They didn(t do anything to deserve so ething li#ethat. =ongin was barely si+ when his whole peace)ul li)e was )lipped overwith one sentence. %ith such a young age he had to deal with so uchresponsibility and the )act that his parents couldn(t loo# at each otherany ore ade it worse. Kyungsoo was currently going through it so=ongin could relate. He could relate to Kyungsoo(s situation because thatwas all =ongin thought about in his childhood.

"eing lost in thoughts, =ongin could )eel so ething cool on his )orehead.

He loo#ed up and saw Kyungsoo s iling at hi with two soda cans. Hedidn(t say anything as he too# a seat ne+t to the younger and gave hi acane. The s ile never le)t his )ace but now it see ed strained. $%hatare you doing here& !re you visiting so eone& This late&$ He as#ed andalso placed his own pal on =ongin(s )orehead. He couldn(t )eel anythingsuspicious and so re oved it though waiting )or an answer.

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$*eah...' visited so eone. "ut '( done and...' should go. *ou&$ Hestared on the polished shiny )loor and brushed the soles o) his shoes onit.

Kyungsoo ga6ed at =ongin and gradually nodded also having so ethingto say, $'( visiting y dad. He isn(t )eeling well. He(s there )or a longti e but ' doubt that it(s serious.$ He said and stared o)) into distance,re)using to ention that Chanyeol acco panied hi . He didn(t #now whybut he didn(t want to say it in )ront o) hi . =ongin however #new about it,he didn(t care uch about it. They didn(t )it in his opinion but it was 7usthi .

Suddenly =ongin(s carelessness disappeared in a heartbeat as well ashis tiredness. He could see )ro distance but co ing closer, Chanyeoland Lu Han together. The taller had an ar around Lu Han and was

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supporting hi to wal#. Even though Lu Han loo#ed bothered andouthed Chanyeol to let go, he stayed stubborn. =ongin wouldn(t usually

care about it but Kyungsoo was there and would be able to see

everything. That was not what he wanted to happen.

$Can you hug e&$

$H9Huh&$ Kyungsoo as#ed con)used, not #nowing )ro where e+actlythis ca e )ro .

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$Hug e, '( sad.$ He wrapped his ar s tightly around Kyungsoo,holding hi close to hi as he loo#ed at Lu Han and Chanyeol(sapproaching )igures. That was not a lie. =ongin did want a hug and he

was sad. He was doing it )or a reason but even so he would have as#ed)or it. He could )eel Kyungsoo(s body sti))en but eventually rela+ing. Hegrabbed the bac# o) Kyungsoo(s head so that he could properly holdhi .

$Don(t say anything. =ust let e be this close.$

Despite Kyungsoo(s eyes had slightly widened, he didn(t say anythingand )or a brie) o ent his behaviour ysti)ied hi , but then heunderstood. Did so ething bad happen& 't was the opposite )or =ongin,so ething bad happened to Kyungsoo and he wanted to co )ort hi .He didn(t #now it yet and hope)ully wouldn(t never. To bring hi even to

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)urther sa)ety, =ongin clasped the other(s wrist and pulled hi o)) thechair.

$=ongin9$

$=ust )ollow e.$

8ot being co pletely sure, Kyungsoo nodded and le)t together with hithe hospital. He was totally clueless why =ongin wanted to go with hi .%asn(t the hospital )ine to tal# to& He couldn(t say uch to it andobeyed. He didn(t #now )or how long they wal#ed nor did =ongin sayanything. Kyungsoo(s wrist began to twinge though he didn(t sayanything. He wasn(t scared o) =ongin but it was better to 7ust not sayanything.

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"ut Lu Han had only eyes )or Sehun.

$Kyungsoo is it wrong that ' want to be happy&$ =ongin as#ed when heand the elder arrived at the bridge he earlier passed. He 7ust glanceddown at his re)lection on the dar# water which was illu inated by the

oon(s light. This 4uestion was in his ind )or so long but he had neverthe chance to as# the to anyone.

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$8o. 8o it(s not.$ He didn(t need any ti e to thin# about it. *es, Kyungsoowas still con)used and clueless what they were doing at a rando bridgebut he was still capable o) answering 4uestions.

$Then why do other people a#e e su))er so that they can beco ehappy&$

Kyungsoo #new that this was heading into a strange direction but hecouldn(t stop hi sel) )ro answering, $' don(t #now. So e people aresel)ish and #now that they are hurting others. Then there are thosepeople that are oblivious and silently hurt others. %hy are you as#ing&$

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He turned his head to the other who see ed to be in deep thought. Hedidn(t say a word and 7ust stared o)) into distance.

$Lu Han prevents y happiness.$

Kyungsoo didn(t understand, not even a bit.

$H9How does he do that&$

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'nstead o) answering =ongin carried on spea#ing about so ethingdi))erent, $Lu Han a#es your li)e harder too right& "ut we can(t

underesti ate hi . He(s evil. ' want to burn his )ace o)). 3r slit his throat."it by bit. ' want hi to die so badly and as slowly as possible.$ Thosewords were 7ust distortion to hi and only thin#ing about it ade hisheart and body pain. His boo ing laughter )illed the silence in whichKyungsoo 7ust stared =ongin, co prehending those words. He too# a)ew deep breaths. Everything he had 7ust said was so unbelievable.

Kyungsoo didn(t #now what to thin#.

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%as he really that naive to thin# that =ongin was so helpless&

$*ou too Kyungsoo. Lu Han steals Chanyeol )ro you. Even i) he doesn(tli#e Chanyeol bac#...he still has his )ull attention. The attention you wishto have.$

That was no good, Kyungsoo shoo# his head.

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$'9$

$*ou want Chanyeol right& *ou cannot deny that. Don(t deny it. 't wouldonly a#e things di))icult )or you.$

Sto talking!

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$%hat do you want )ro e =ongin&$ He pressed his lips tightly together trying to sti)le ore things he wanted to say. %hat was going on& %hatwere they tal#ing about& He didn(t #now but wanted it to stop. He

wanted it all to stop. This was not the =ongin he #new. He stared at hicon)used, raising his eyebrow 4uestioningly. He bored his ga6e intoKyungsoo(s )or a o ent be)ore his eyes )lic#ered down then bac# toKyungsoo(s eyes again.

"eing 4uiet )or the o ent, =ongin turned his body )ully to Kyungsoo(s.He too# his )ace in his hands and )orced the overwhel ed elder to loo#up-

$"e y li it. The e otional support ' never had. Tell e when to stop.Care )or e. Keep e in place and ost o) all....ensure that ' will get yhappiness. '(ll get rid o) Lu Han )or you.$

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Kyungsoo #new that he would regret it.

$3#ay.$

!)ter all the stress )ro telling Chanyeol that he did not need so eoneto bring hi ho e, Lu Han could )inally rest. He was e+hausted, he#new it already and staying in the hospital wouldn(t help since he #newthe proble . Lu Han didn(t need so eone to tell hi that he didn(t eat a

lot. ') he was aware o) that then he didn(t need to stay right& They wouldhave de)initely called his parents which he wanted to avoid at all cost.They would have to be the last ones to #now about Lu Han(s eatingdisorder. That his other was too dense to see that Lu Han alwaysreturned her )ood bac#. His )ather was a wor#aholic and rarely at ho e.

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Did he even #now that he had a son at ho e who was starving hi sel)to death&

Li#e the good old saying, what they didn(t #now couldn(t hurt the .

/oreover, Lu Han would #eep it li#e that. He had no plans o) tellinganyone about his ai . 8obody should #now and nobody should tell. Hisclass ates would anyway throw a party i) he wouldn(t be there any ore.Lu Han however wasn(t stupid, he #new how valuable li)e was. So hehad plans to return bac# with Sehun by his side. The sa e Sehun whoheld his hand every night and co )orted hi when everyone pointed the)inger at hi . "ut this Sehun wasn(t a hu an, let alone alive and thatwas what he was going to change.

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$%hat are you thin#ing about&$ ! hoarse voice right ne+t to Lu Han(s ear)orced hi to halt those thoughts. Lu Han turned around, his eyesstaring against gloo y ones that belonged to none other than Sehun.His hand that laid on Lu Han(s waist uch too low to be considereddecent, and could even be considered as touching his ass. Did Lu Han

care& 8o. Did he li#e it& *es he did. !)ter all this was love right&

$!bout you, e, us...everything.$ Lu Han 4uietly replied and pulled theblan#et up to his bare chest while Sehun hugged hi tighter. He threw a4uestioning loo# at Lu Han, obviously sensing that there was so ethingwrong through his e+pression but Lu Han shoo# his head. There was notso ething speci)ically wrong but 7ust strange. Aery very strange. Hedidn(t show interest but that didn(t ean that in the bac# o) his ind he

was not eagerly thin#ing about that.

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Turning around he too# Sehun(s cold )ace in this hands and stared athi .

He stared.

$Do you thin# that there is a hidden #iller in y class& 3r school& ' thin#it(s weird how /inho died so...pathetically& %ho would they bother to cutup his )ace& This #id was annoying but he was good loo#ing.$ Lu Hanshared his thoughts that were lingering in a corner o) his ind )or awhile. He understood how so eone could be so angry and )or a split

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second thin# about #illing. "ut why would they go through this ess9 andore i portantly, why did everyone see ed so guiltless& There was not

even one person who ade the selves suspicious.

Sehun couldn(t )ollow Lu Han(s thoughts since he was still wonderingabout the last sentence, $2ood loo#ing& '(ll cut your )ace up i) you saythat again about so eone.$ He spo#e 4uietly and cal but the anger or

7ealousy was still evident. Lu Han didn(t laugh or said that he was theonly one or all that cheesy shit.

He si ply ga6ed at Sehun(s unresponsive )ace and sco))ed, $'(d li#e tosee you try.$ He said that al ost in a oc#ing way though didn(t stopholding Sehun(s )ace in his hands. He rubbed his thu bs against the

chee#bones and leaned )orwards. He was now so uch closer, until theywere nearly an inch apart, and then Sehun said, in a breathy and lowtone, which 7ust sent shivers through Lu Han(s spine, $"aby don(t test

e. '(ll do it.$ Sehun who had also no shirt on, reached with his otherhand towards the night des# ne+t to Lu Han(s bed and slipped his )ingers

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into a gap. He ru aged through it until his hand ade contact withso ething sharp.

He too# it out and held it up, )or the other clearly to see.

! poc#et #ni)e.

Lu Han was con)used but not that Sehun had a #ni)e in his hand but thatit was his #ni)e. How did he #now that Lu Han had hidden it there

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8ow he was )acing the wall. His eyes were dull and despite Sehun tryingto o))er hi the war th he didn(t )eel any ore...Lu Han re)used. Here)used to. 't was not ti e. 't still wasn(t ti e to go this step.

0or Lu Han those stages went bac#wards.

He didn(t ind having se+ with Sehun but he didn(t want to be touchedli#e that.

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3r #issed, he didn(t want to.

't still wasn(t ti e )or that.

$Hyung is sorry. ' didn(t ean to.$ Lu Han said, it was the nth ti e yetthere were so any )eelings into it. Lu Han understood what he did was

wrong and he had )orgiven hi sel) so why couldn(t Sehun& 0or how longdid he have to live with this burden& He was ready to give hi love, hisbody,9 his life even . !nd Sehun couldn(t say that it was o#ay. "ecause itwasn(t. 't wasn(t o#ay and wouldn(t be. 8ot in the near )uture. So Luhanhad held everything in. His apologies, his tears and the unconditionallove he wanted to o))er. Sehun didn(t want any o) that )or now.

$Lu Han '9$

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Lu Han couldn(t have any o) that and pushed Sehun away. He toldhi sel) he could do this. He didn(t want anyone to thin# that he waswea#. He wasn(t wea#. Lu Han was strong, stronger than this. %hat waswrong with Sehun& %hat did he want& "ile started to rise in his throat,but he tried hard to not let it show. He )elt li#e he was going to be sic#,but he #ept swallowing and concentrated on his inhalation.

$Shut up1 Shut up shut up1 %hat do you want )ro e Sehun&1 ' doeverything )or you1 '( trying to #ill ysel) )or your sa#e1$ He wastre bling all over as he grabbed the bed cover to cover hi sel). LuHan(s eyes slipped shut when he got o)) the bed on unsteady legs.%asn(t this what Sehun wanted& To let Lu Han su))er& The thoughts hithi again and again. 3nly thin#ing about it crushed out any o) the air he

had stored in his lungs. He dropped his #nees down right in )ront o) thethrown poc#et #ni)e.

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He too# it, suddenly positioning the sharp end on his nec# as it barelytouched it, $'s that what you want Sehun& *ou want to see e deadright&1 'S TH'S %H!T *3; %!8T&1 ' !/ =;ST 23'82 T3 C;T /*TH 3!T1 898o...'(ll bathe in acid. 3r '(ll burn ysel). !s l9long as we canbe together. ight&$ He s iled9 it was )orced and la6y as i) he was tired)ro it all. 't was true, he was tired so tired. He 7ust wanted his ista#esto be )orgiven and live a nor al li)e with Sehun. ! totally nor al li)ewhen nobody would hate hi )or even breathing.

%hen nobody would hurt hi .

Sehun had another opinion.

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$8o. ') you want to co e bac# to li)e your body cannot be da agede+ternally. That(s why ' told you to lose9$

$Then ' will ta#e pills1 3r is this too 4uic#& ' #now you Sehun...you wante to )eel pain right& *ou want e to crawl bac# to you and beg )or

)orgiveness. *ou are such a bastard. Such a bad bad an.$ Lu Hanshoo# his head still s iling at so e point even chuc#ling. He was awareo) that but still didn(t stop. ! part o) hi would gladly listen to Sehun andcarry on while the coherent part couldn(t help but wonder. /aybe it was

the nausea )ro avoiding )ood )or so long or aybe he was grasping hissenses.

!greeing to whatever Lu Han was saying Sehun nodded, though hisind was already rushing to another thought that he apparently couldn(t

hold down any longer. $Lu Han you need to cal down i) you want to tal#to e. %hy are you getting so wor#ed up )or& *ou(ve been well )or thepast )ew wee#s. 's so eone bothering you&$

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Hearing this Lu Han laughed and waved this unreasonable speculationaway.

$"othering&1 4e$% *ou are so ridiculous. 8obody is bothering e. '( notgetting wor#ed up )or. '( per)ectly )ine.$ Lu Han an+iously chewed onhis lip, so ething he did when he was in helpless situations. Li#e he

entioned, he was )ine everything was o#ay. 8onetheless, this 4uestionstill )elt heavy on his chest as the words soa#ed into his ind. Therewasn(t anyone bothering hi right& Everyone avoided Lu Han right&

Staring at the #ni)e, he held it tighter and shoo# his head.

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He was )ine.

There wasn(t anyone bothe9

So you are saying that it is okay to end eo le's lives!

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8o.

,hen you wouldn't mind if I would end your life& Lu Han! You said that it'sokay!

$83 'T(S 83T1 D38(T 0;CK'82 C3/:! E /E %'TH *3;1$ Lu Hanshrie#ed and held his head, slightly bending down.

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$"aby who are you tal#ing about&$ Sehun(s voice was gravelly and wea#in a way that was co )orting. He crin#led his nose when he didn(t getany answer and 7ust received ore screa ing )ro Lu Han(s side. Hewas cursing so eone but didn(t ention their na e9 as i) it was taboo.

!lthough the real reason was that he 7ust didn(t want to spea# out hisdisgusting na e. Sehun had enough and le)t the bed, heading straight tothe iddle o) the roo where Lu Han was wal#ing in a circle.

He was wal#ing and wal#ing, clutching his head and #ept repeating $This

won(t do$, it ade hi cra6y that was probably his ai . He was soclouded with those thoughts that he didn(t pay attention to anythingSehun had said. !)ter the )i)th call to his na e, Lu Han turned andeventually re e bered that he wasn(t the only one in the roo . "e)orehe could e+plain hi sel), Sehun reached )orward to grab his ar andspun Lu Han around, slapping hi loudly across the )ace.

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0ro this i pact, Lu Han stu bled bac#, his hand instantly dropping the#ni)e to hold the redness on the right side o) his )ace with his other hand.His eyes widened as he loo#ed up and et Sehun(s indi))erent ga6e.

$Se9$

$Co e to your senses Lu Han. Tell e e+actly who this guy is. %hatdoes he do to you&$ 'nstead o) starting to shout at Sehun )or 7ust gettinghit, Lu Han sighed and nodded. He too# a deep breath, cal ing hi sel))or what had to be said. He needed to tell Sehun about that, to a#e hiunderstand who this person was to bother hi so uch. 'n )act, whycouldn@t =ongin leave Lu Han alone& %ho was he to tal# to Lu Han&

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$He is an idiot. He(s stupid. He annoys e and won(t leave e alone. Hethin#s he can tal# bac# to e this )uc#ing piece o) shit. '(ll seriously #illhi i) he ever tal#s to e again.$ His voice was harsh and angry. His

eyes were piercing as i) he was i agining that he was loo#ing at =onginwith this #ind o) anger. !nd not Sehun who he had helplessly )allen )or. ') Lu Han would have seen =ongin in this o ent then he would haveta#en his gun and shot hi to the point o) not getting recogni6edany ore.

!gain, again and again.

Sehun rubbed his te ple acting li#e this wasn(t a big deal at all and ledLu Han bac# to his bed. 't was only ten in the orning so he still hadti e to go to a )ew lessons. Suddenly Lu Han laughed une+pectedly,panting and )a iliar and though it sent another 4uic# bolt o) pain into his

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brain. His head hurt as i) it had been split open, this was his entire )ault.Everything was his )ault. Couldn(t he leave Lu Han alone&

His lips #ept tre bling, but nothing was co ing out, and he shoo# his

head, trying to deny what he was hearing. Sehun(s ar s ca e )robehind, wrapping Lu Han into a weird bac# hug while the annoyed boywas staring at his uni)or that was laying scattered on the )loor. Heloo#ed up at Sehun. Then he turned hi sel) around and )ell )orward intoSehun(s war ar s, breathing heavily into his shoulder. The other 7ustheld on tight, rubbing his bac# and let Lu Han in peace.

!)ter what see ed to be a )ew inutes, Lu Han opened his outh to sayso ething-

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$Ki =ongin...is going down that son o) a bitch.$

*

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He didn(t thin# that it would happen this 4uic#ly.

't was disco )orting hi . He wasn(t sure why, but he )elt li#e the )igurethat had been )ollowing getting closer. The second Lu Han had steppedinto the school he had the )eeling that so eone was watching hi . Hewas supposed to be the only one in the hallway since everyone else wasin lessons so why was that person there& Lu Han didn(t have the chance

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to properly turn around but given that he had a thing )or )iguring this out,he trusted his instincts.

To test i) that person was seriously not leaving hi alone, Lu Han

4uic#ened his pace. His shoes hit against the shiny )loor, 4uietly echoingthe steps o) hi and also his )ollower(s.

Lu Han had passed his class already )ive ti es.

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! clear a disadvantage )or Lu Han was that he could never see their)ace, but he #new when the person was staring at hi , and it gave higoose bu ps. 't weighed heavy in his sto ach, twisting and turning. ')

he only #new who was )ollowing hi .

Sighing to hi sel), Lu Han pulled his phone out o) his ca era and heldits display in )ront o) his )ace. He activated its )ront ca era andpretended to )i+ his hair, which caused his wal#ing to turn slower. Toadapt, his pursuer also got slower and slower as leaving enoughdistance between both o) the was i portant. They a)ter all couldn(t ris#it to be caught by the one they wanted to secretly go a)ter.

Lu Han ad7usted his phone in such a way that he could )il everythingbehind hi . Thin#ing that he had spotted the person on his phone, he6oo ed in until the person(s identity was revealed. Lu Han(s eyeswidened slightly9 )or a second very surprised. He was breathing heavilywhile biting his lips but his )ace showed no signs o) )ear.

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2im 5ongin$

He bit his lips harder, and then sneered be)ore he started sprinting o)).

He ran and ran, e))ectively hearing the 4uic# steps )ro his )ollower whoturned out to be the one he couldn(t stand. Lu Han had not thought thathe would be con)ronted with hi that 4uic#ly. He #new that sooner orlater one o) the would start approaching the other but this was too )ast)or hi . Too )ast )or Lu Han. The rational part o) his brain told hi to run

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away, but the irrational part wanted hi to halt and brea# =ongin(s nec#.'t was growing stronger by the second told hi that so ething waswrong.

Lu Han rushed the stairs down to storage roo s ainly )or :.Ee4uip ent li#e balls or bad inton nets. He #ic#ed one rusty door open,waiting )or the )ollowing o) =ongin. Lu Han(s could )eel the bloodpu ping in his ear, his pulse rose but nothing ca e. He continued towait )or three seconds, which see ed li#e years. The pressure in thisheart was unbearable, that =ongin wasn(t co ing. How could he nowturn bac#&

'n that second Lu Han e+pected it the least to happen, the door opened.

8ot wanting to lose any ti e though he too# the nearby baseball bat andspun around on the spot. He was now )ace to )ace with the )igure thathad been pissing hi o)) and raised his urge to #ill. 'n this o ent, their)aces were ere inches apart )ro each other.

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3nly Sehun was allowed to be this close.

"itterly clenching his teeth, Lu Han swung the bat and brutally s ac#edit against the other(s )ace. This was what Lu Han had been waiting )or.He wanted to hurt =ongin. !s soon as he dropped on the )loor, Lu Han

7u ped on hi and sat on his torso, de)initely crushing his bones li#ethat. He gripped the bat around his )ingers tighter and pulled bac# to hitagain. !cross his )ace, straight on his nose, his eyes. "lood wasshooting out and Lu Han was still going on strong-

$D'E1 D'E1 TH!T(S %H!T *3; 2ET1$ He shouted, so eti es closinghis eyes to not vo it )ro the blood.

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"ut one word changed everything.

$H9H...el...p..$

't was 4uiet, croa#y and bro#en. 't too# so e ti e )or Lu Han to reali6ethat this voice ca e )ro the boy underneath hi . This couldn(t be as=ongin wasn(t the person to beg others )or help. *es, Lu Han hated hi

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but that didn(t ean that he didn(t study his personality. =ongin was tooarrogant, stuc# up to ever consider as#ing so eone )or help. He wouldsurely blurt so e rando coc#y line even on the verge o) death.

Lu Han(s eyes 4uic#ly darted down only to be greeted with blood. Hebeat up the )ace so badly that he couldn(t see anything. !nd even with allthe blood re oved, the additional bruises weren(t to underesti ateeither. The storage roo was too dar# to be able to loo# at )ace )eaturesin ore details so that Lu Han ade use o) his phone and lightened hisvicti (s )ace up. He blin#ed a )ew ti es, trying to re e ber the na e o)that person. He visibly )rowned as his brows )urrowed together. Hereco posed hi sel) and turned his phone(s light o)).

$Lee Tae in&$

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So Lu Han was trying to #ill the wrong person&

He loo#ed down to his victi who was heavily breathing. ') this wasn(t=ongin then why the hell did he )ollow hi & %ho e+actly did connect Lu

Han and Lee Tae in that the younger had to )ollow hi li#e that& Hetried to gain control o) the heart that was threatening to beat its way rightout o) his chest. Lu Han thought hard very very hard. ') this Tae in didn(treally have a reason to )ollow hi then Lu Han had no proble s withleaving hi alive.

"ut he had seen Lu Han li#e that.

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%hich eant that Tae in had to say goodbye to his li)e. 't was anywayhis )ault )or snea#ing up to Lu Han li#e that, what was his reason& Sucha bother. Lu Han loo#ed at hi )or a o ent, as i) trying to decideso ething, be)ore slu ping down ne+t to hi . The heavily in7ured boygroaned when the weight was li)ted o)) hi . He 7ust wanted to do onething. Couldn(t he 7ust revenge one person& This was not supposed tohappen li#e that. Tae in crushed his teeth together with tears in hiseyes.

't should have been the other way round.

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$*ou seriously tried to attac# e li#e this&1 *ou(re an idiot Tae in, such astupid boy. *ou won(t go )ar with this1$ Lu Han a usingly laughed andleaned closer to hi , sha#ing the gun with a s ile in )ront o) Tae in(sbloody )ace. 8ow he was oc#ing hi as well. ') Tae in was reallygoing to die9 in this o ent, in a dusty storage roo , beaten up by Lu

Han then he 7ust wanted to as# hi one 4uestion.

3ne single 4uestion.

') it wasn(t too uch.

$%9%as...i9it you who #illed.../9/inho&$

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This ru our was still going around& Lu Han clic#ed his tongue andrested his chee# on his hand while his elbow was propped on his #nee,$8ope. 't wasn(t e.$ He said, not needing a lot o) ti e to thin# aboutthat. !t least one o) the #new now the truth. "ut it was too late )or hianyway. He wouldn(t last long which Lu Han had to a#e sure. He hadother proble s and getting arrested was not on his list. Tae in(sreaction was actually better than assu ed. He didn(t )rea# out that hewas thin#ing the whole ti e wrong.

$'9' see...$ He whispered though his heart thu ped wildly against hisbrittle ribs. He was going to get up or sit in the very least but his headhurt too uch )or that to happen. Tae in then stretched his hand andreached out )or Lu Han(s #nee. Thin#ing that Tae in had planned

so ething, Lu Han evidently )linched but when he eant no har , thetense )eeling )aded away. Did he have a last wish& "ecause this positionre inded o) as#ing so eone )or a )avour.

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$:9:lease )ind out...who #9#illed.../inho...he s9said...that s9so eone was)9)ollowing hi ...$ 0ighting )or proper eyesight, Tae in whined in paina)ter giving this in)or ation. 8one o) his li bs were wor#ing together tostand up or do any sorts o) ove ent. He tensed up and whi pered,supposing another attac# )or touching hi , but it never ca e. Lu Han

wasn(t thin#ing about that as so ething else was way ore interesting.He had 7ust said that so eone had been )ollowing /inho. %here did LuHan hear this& He was sure that so eone told hi so ething si ilar tothat.

"here did he hear that&

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Lu Han watched Tae in with a thought)ul )ace as the other clutched his)ace, stopping the strea o) blood, his entire body hurt li#e hell, and hedid not want to try to stand.

/-/nd I have the feeling that someone is following me% I know it soundscra6y and you will think I'm #ust seeking your attention but I swear this isha ening% Please hel me I'm scared%

"ae#hyun.

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The wish to as# another 4uestion li#e who )ollowed hi or i) Tae in#new how he loo#ed li#e was interrupted by the sound o) so eoneapproaching. Since the hallways were e pty and it was very 4uiet LuHan could clearly hear it and supposed that this person was aroundtwenty eters away. He and Tae in i ediately )ro6e. Knowing thatthey had to leave, Tae in grabbed Lu Han(s leg tighter and spo#e.

$K9Kill e and r9run away...b9but...pro ise e...to...)ind...h9his #iller...'don(t want...t9to live any ore...so you won(t have any...r9regrets...$ Thetears ca e, all his intentions to #ill Lu Han )aded and now it was 7ustTae in, helpless wea# Tae in who couldn(t stop his )alling tears. Hewas now even as#ing his urderer to revenge so eone Lu Han couldn(tcare less about. Sobbing he dropped his head onto Lu Han(s #nee, notbeing able to breathe. He 7ust couldn(t breathe.

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$H9Hey...don(t die on e...$ Lu Han sighed but his actions spo#e againsthis words. He re oved his own tie and un)olded it so that it was a longstring. He sighed again and uttered a $0ine, )ine ' will$ be)ore hewrapped the tie on one end around Tae in(s nec# and held both ends inhis hands. He was sure that he told hi sel) to not care about others, toignore the but i) he was as#ed li#e that. He couldn(t help hi sel). Hedid have a reason to agree though.

%hoever )ollowed /inho see ed now to have his eyes open )or

"ae#hyun.

Even though he agreed, Lu Han pried Tae in(s )ingers away )ro his#nees. Lu Han pulled both ends o) the tie as )ar )ro each other aspossible, pulling with all his strength. He pulled with no e otions in his)ace and )elt )ine, as Tae in had gotten his answer )or his re4uest. Hewould get what he wanted.

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The world spun )or the victi and his ind grew )oggy. His heart, oncerapidly beating, was currently slowing in speed. His hand that were onLu Han(s #nees slowly slipped away. The li)e was )orced out o) Tae in(swea# body and he eventually )ell )orwards on Lu Han(s lap. %ithin thirtyseconds, he was #noc#ed out and to a#e sure he was not living

any ore, Lu Han put his )inger under Tae in(s nose.

8othing.

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$*ou didn(t even use your gun...' hope you don(t ind that ' will ta#eyours.$ Lu Han s iled and positioned Tae in to stand up, leading hitowards the open windows. He was pretty heavy )or his appearance, it

too# a while to place hi on the windowsill. The ne+t thing he had to dowas get rid o) Tae in as 4uic#ly as possible. !nd he had to doso ething against the bloody bat and the corresponding blood on the)loor. So should he hide Tae in in another roo or should he 7ust throwhi out o) the window&

He loo#ed down and couldn(t see anyone wal#ing around. There were a)ew bushes and that the storage roo was still high up despite being

close to the ground, Lu Han decided on letting hi )all. He did learnso ething new. He didn(t #now that there was so eone who )ollowedstudents and eventually urdered the . 't was only one )or now butcould "ae#hyun be the ne+t target&

That cruel person was a#ing it loo# li#e it was Lu Han.

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So it has to be so eone he #new.

Kyungsoo&

=ongin&

Even Chanyeol&

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$Lu Han&$

Even Lay.

Turning around, Lu Han went bac# to his addened state. %ho dared tocall his na e& Lu Han(s )ingers s#id across the sill as he glared at theuninvited guest. He shouldn(t be invading anyone(s privacy. Lay should

7ust ignore the )act that there was a li)eless body dangling on thewindowsill and was about to )all down. %hat did he even want )ro Lu

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Han& %hat was so i portant )or hi to not run away& 't was true that hedidn(t #now that Lu Han was inside the storage roo but i) he caredabout his li)e in the slightest he would have run away.

3r was he 7ust )ro6en )ro )ear&

Then he could a#e hi sel) use)ul i) he had no plans to leave.

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$Lay give e a hand.$ Lu Han de anded sharply as he pointed at thebody. The called boy was not sure i) it was ore upsetting to hear theeerily cal note in his voice or that he was 7ust told to help hi with a

corpse. :art o) hi wanted to believe that Lu Han had nothing to do withthat and it was 7ust a huge isunderstanding. Those thoughts he washolding onto were blown o)) by Lu Han glaring at hi . 8ot wanting to bethe ne+t person to end up li#e that, he wea#ly nodded and wal#edtowards Lu Han.

0ear rose together with )rustration in Lay(s gut.

He ignored the bloody bat on the )loor.

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$2rab his an#les and '(ll get his wrists. =ust drop hi down to thebushes.$

Lay stared at hi .

$%hat& !re you scared& Don(t worry he(s dead already. ' don(t thin# it(s)orbidden to throw a corpse out o) the windows. So don(t shit yoursel).$Ta#ing a strong hold o) Tae in(s wrists, he li)ted his ar s and part o) historso while Lay closed his eyes and )ear)ully clutched the an#les alsoraising the . %ithout counting or saying anything, they both let go in the

e+act sa e second, causing Tae in to )all down and crush against thebushes underneath the window.

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$Do e another )avour and clean this ess up. The bat as well and put itbac#9$

$%hy&$

Lu Han didn(t say anything. He was surprised by Lay tal#ing bac# to hiand loo#ed bac# hi with the sort o) pure con)usion used by so eonewho did nothing wrong. 0ro where did he get the courage to tal# li#e

that& 8ot even once since the day they et had Lay cut hi o)) li#e that.So 4uic# and an+ious. !s i) he needed to get the answer now. 'ndeed,Lay(s legs were sha#ing and it wasn(t #nown i) he hi sel) was aware o)that. He didn(t see li#e it as the only thing that he had in ind hadnothing to do with that.

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$%hy a ' still alive& %hy didn(t you #ill e yet&$ Lay cho#ed out holdinghis sha#ing hands into )ists. Lu Han(s response was 7ust ga6ing at hi <his eyes were cold and dull. !t this sight, Lay regretted everything hehad said and was going to drop on his #nees. His throat tightened andhis vision blurred even as Lu Han )rowned and ca e closer. $Listen well

Lay. '( not so e heartless onster that 7ust #ills others. ' have yreasons. !nd this one...$ His thu b pointed out o) the window, whichindicated Tae in who was now outside. $...had learned today.$

$"9"ut you said that you want to #ill Kyungsoo too1 Did h9he give you areason too&$

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$/ore or less.$

$T9That(s...$ He couldn(t #eep going as the tears burned in his eyes andunabated but he resistes, pushing the bac#. Lay didn(t have anythingto co e bac# hi . 't was his )ault that so e people now bla ed Lay )or/inho(s death. 8ot all o) the but a good a ount to haunt hi )oreverwith threats. So why couldn(t Lay be angry& He wasn(t angry at Lu Hanbut curious. %hat e+actly drove Lu Han to be li#e that&

! pang o) i patience settled itsel) in Lu Han(s heart.

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He grabbed a tissue )ro his poc#et and approached Lay. !t )irst thelatter winced, )earing that Lu Han ay have changed his ind and wasgoing to hurt hi . !stoundingly nothing li#e that happened, he raised his

hand wiped the sweat o)) Lay(s )orehead. $Don(t a#e e hate you*i+ing. *ou are a good )riend.$ "rushing ore and ore sweat o)) his)ace, Lay(s eyes widened but not )ro this particular action. He was notcon)used that Lu Han was acting li#e that but that his eyes were soe pty&

$2ive e your tie.$

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This o ent was already over. 8odding slowly Lay re oved his tie andhanded it over to Lu Han who lightly s iled. His eyes trails o)) and,seeing that he had no intentions o) hurting Lay, he turned and repeated

again that the other should clean up the bat and generally the ess. Laydrew in a slow, steadying breath and could al ost )eel his heartso)tening and slowing down )ro the stress. 'nstead o) being o) )eelingresent ent or anger, he )elt cal ...so ehow rela+ed. Knowing that LuHan wouldn(t end his li)e gave hi green light to do so ething.

He pulled his own sleeve o) his bla6er up, revealing a bracelet.

$L9Lu Han& Can you return this to "ae#hyun&$ /aybe he was nowsaying too uch and he and Lu Han weren(t as (o#ay( as he thought.There were still the chances that he would change his ind and do thesa e thing to Lay what he did with the other person. The way his )ace

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shi)ted, )ro care)ul to desperately hope)ul was new to hi . He wasn(tused to tal# so )reely to Lu Han without thin#ing about theconse4uences.

"ut he was ore surprised by the answer he received.

$Sure.$

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Lu Han turned bac# around and waited )or Lay to re ove the bracelet)ro his wrist. He said so ething about "ae#hyun dropping it in historyclass and he was too )ar to be called. 8ot that Lu Han cared. !)ter a )ew

inutes o) struggling, he re oved it and held it out.

The hand o) Lu Han, which was certain to ta#e it, paused.

He aggressively snatched the bracelet with wide eyes what Lay hadnever seen be)ore. He had never seen that uch reaction )ro Lu Han.'t was so un)a iliar9 so bi6arre that shivers ran through Lay, ta#ing awayso e o) the tension that he hadn(t even reali6ed had been there. Lu Hanwas staring at the bracelet as i) he had never seen such a thing in his li)ebe)ore.

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The irony could su))ocate so eone.

't was not the )irst ti e Lu Han had seen it since he was the one whocreated it.

'n sha#ing handwriting, a na e was i printed which Lu Han would haverecogni6ed between illions.

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Hyunnie.

This did not )it together. 't could not. That ade no sense< it was soeccentric that Lu Han had never thought o) it. 3ut o) all people in theworld... +yun +aekhyun$ 8o. 8o it couldn(t. He loo#ed up at Lay, whodidn(t #now what he was thin#ing about. Lu Han shoo# his head< hecouldn(t 7ust stand there and let ti e pass. Shouldn(t he do so ethinginstead o) 7ust standing there and stare at the bracelet& His bracelet$

He crushed the accessory in his hand, he couldn(t spea#. He #newthings were still di))icult between the , #new that "ae#hyun wasso eone special. He didn(t #now the reason but when he 7oined hisclass, Lu Han naturally )ound hi sel) tal#ing. He didn(t #now what drovehi to spea# ore it was 7ust "ae#hyun(s doing. %hat he speci)ically didto a#e Lu Han )eel at ease was so ething he had to )ind out on hisown.

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$'9's so ething wrong&$ Lay didn(t want to appear noisy but thosee+pressions Lu Han ade were worth being as#ed )or. He loo#ed so lost

and angry in that o ent< his isperception to how this bracelet wasconnected to "ae#hyun was so evident on his )ace that Lay(s heartached. He didn(t )eel sorry or anything li#e that. His heart was aching )or"ae#hyun who would surely be the victi o) his wrath. 3r would Lu Hanalso get angry at Lay& "ut Lay didn(t do anything right&

$Li#e ' said clean here up. Tell anyone and you are dead.$ Lu Han coldlysaid, indicating the place where he had beaten and strangled Tae in.He was )inally being hi sel) again. "ut honestly, this was 7ust shoc#ing)or hi to )ind out that "ae#hyun had Hyunnie(s bracelet. ') Lay hadnever entioned it would have Lu Han ever )ound out& :robably not.

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He was grate)ul that he did. Seeing his old bracelet he had ade overten years ago was li#e opening an old wound. 't hurt to see it again. 8otthe bracelet itsel) but the lin# he could a#e with it. His past wouldunravel itsel), bit by bit. "ut this was not what Lu Han wanted. He didn(twant it. His past should stay buried and untouched. 8obody should dare

trying to )ind out and this "ae#hyun was doing it by carrying this stupidbracelet. Lu Han should have never ade it or given it to so eone.

"ut Hyunnie was special.

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He deserved a special bracelet )or that.

Lu Han eyed the bracelet 4uestionably as i) it was responsible )or hisannoyance. 't was. 't really was, its e+istence and absence would a#ea huge di))erence.

He was going to rip it into pieces but Lay(s une+pected shout stoppedhi -

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$D38(T1$

His ar s were outstretched as i) he was to grab it even though he was a)ew eters away )ro it. Lay(s body had outwardly acted )irst than his

brain, causing this ir#so e outburst. 't was irritating )or Lu Han becausehe had never seen the other raise his voice li#e that. He loo#ed at Lay,

ade direct eye contact )or the )irst ti e in a while and didn(t thin# o)dropping the ga6e. $*ou didn(t need to be so loud. ! si ple (no( wouldhave done it too.$

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Lay loo#ed up a little in shoc#< that de)initely hadn(t been his intention.He didn(t want Lu Han to destroy so ething that belonged to his )riend.8o atter how scary Lu Han was the ite belonged to "ae#hyun and he

had the right to get it in all pieces bac#. 't wasn(t right to yell li#e that buthe thought that Lu Han wouldn(t pay attention to hi i) he had said it4uieter.

$S9Sorry...but it(s "ae#hyun(s right& ' don(t thin# you should...brea# it...$Lay added to not loo# li#e a co plete loser in the aw#ward silence,letting the weight o) his words rest on his shoulders. 't ade his ar s)eel heavy and his heart under pressure. He should really learn to shut

his outh in those situations. The loo# Lu Han was giving hi was li#eso eone who was co ple enting i) Lay should 7oin Tae in or i) heshould 7ust ignore hi and leave.

He decided on the second option.

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2iving Lay a )inal threatening glare, Lu Han s4uee6ed the bracelet in hishand and hastily le)t the roo . He didn(t have ti e to play around li#ethat. He had better things to do. Things li#e )inding "ae#hyun and as#inghi )ro where the hell he got his bracelet he had given to Hyunnie.%ere they )riends& "ecause only the thoughts o) the being the sa eperson ade Lu Han sic#. This )uc#ing idiot "ae#hyun could never beHyunnie.

They 7ust didn(t )it together.

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%al#ing )aster Lu Han bu ped into a teacher )or a di))erent class. Hewas in such a hurry that he didn(t listen to his teacher scolding hi butcarried on wal#ing. He didn(t have the ti e to listen on hi blabberingabout how he should act. He had ore i portant things to do. Thingsthat he couldn(t push away. He loo#ed pale, his eyes sun#en in a thin)ace. Lu Han )elt sic# as well and could barely stop as#ing hi sel) i) hewas )ine. 0inding this bracelet ade hi truly sic# because Lu Han did

not wish to see it again anyti e soon.

! weighty )eeling o) dissatis)action rose in Lu Han(s chest when he le)tthe school(s building. He #new that this was literally a waste o) ti e sincehe wal#ed in and then bac# out. "ut this was an e ergency. He didn(teven try to )ind "ae#hyun who would be able to spea# out. /aybe hehad )ound Hyunnie(s bracelet so ewhere. !lthough this was veryunli#ely since he had clearly said that he would treasure it.

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,hank you Hannie% I will kee this forever with me%

It's not that great

Lu Han didn(t e+pect hi to stand to his words and really #eep it. If hewas +aekhyun . !nd he actually had always been honest be)ore, insistingon #eeping everything he said he would. He had never lied be)ore and#eeping secrets was also so ething Hyunnie wouldn(t thin# o) doing.

The silence was sti)ling Lu Han when practically nobody was on thestreets, leaving hi totally e+posed )or anyone to )ollow hi .

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This uneasy )eeling was )ollowed by his 4uic# beating heart. 't was notti e to dwell on e ories when he had to )ind out so ething. $%hy the)uc# are you 7ust showing up now&$ Lu Han ran a discouraged handthrough his hair as his )ace re)le+ively scrunched by loo#ing at thebracelet. He didn(t say ore and stared at the ob7ect with pleading eyes.%hy& %hy& %hy& Couldn(t it 7ust leave& He hated the )eeling o) learningabout this so late. He )elt slow and helpless that the bracelet was always

there which eant that Hyunnie never le)t.

Those thoughts scared Lu Han. He didn(t #now what to thin# aboutcon)ronting "ae#hyun about it. He had this pathetic hope)ul e+pressionon his )ace his ga6e trained on the ground. He didn(t even #now i) hewas going to the right direction. %hen sighting the bus stop, he let out anoiseless sigh and instantly ca e closer. He didn(t sit down or anythingli#e that. =ust standing ne+t to the sign o) the stop was ore convenient)or hi . The only person who was also there was a young an who wasreading a boo# or so ething li#e that.

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%hen the )irst bus arrived, Lu Han(s heart san# in atter o) seconds.

't wasn(t his bus though. His sto ach s4uir ed at the thought that hehad to wait again. %hat ade it all scarier was that the an also didn(tleave. He didn(t even loo# up his boo# as i) he #new that he would notta#e it. Lu Han(s head hurt with the )orce to let the da n bus appear. Hedidn(t want to waste ti e li#e that and this an ade hi )eelunco )ortable. Lu Han(s )ace was pretty neutral and showed no signs o))ear but inwardly he was as#ing hi sel) why nobody else was there.

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The second bus arrived.

!s this happened, Lu Han(s head snapped up, pathetically hoping )or hisstupid bus to co e. 't was getting late and Lu Han did not want to wastehis ti e any )urther. Sadly nothing happened li#e he assu ed to and thesecond bus was di))erent )ro the )irst one but not the one he would

ta#e. The electrical sign that showed which bus would co e on whatti e wasn(t wor#ing. The paper was inaccurate )or a while so this was ano.

Lu Han was getting worried, why was nothing going his way& He put hishands around his sto ach that began to pain. 't was )rightening, a #not

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o) uscles that re)used to rela+ despite the hope tre bling wea#ly in hischest. Lu Han honestly couldn(t care less about his body. He 7ust wantedto ta#e the bus to leave. He had to )ind out now i) "ae#hyun and

Hyunnie were the sa e person or not.

$E+cuse e...$

;pon hearing this hesitant call, Lu Han turned his head away )ro theperson. He wasn(t in the ood to help anyone and this an was tooweird. Every thought clinging to the possibility that aybe the bus would

actually co e wouldn(t leave his ind. The best and s artest thing )orLu Han to do was to ignore hi and patiently wait )or the bus.

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!s ti e went on there was a certain change in Lu Han(s de eanoureven as every e otion he had tried to #eep in place was slipping away.Everything was going wrong. He had counted )i)teen buses but the anwas still there. His bus was 7ust not appearing. Lu Han was not evena)raid any ore since he had gone in his ind though every scenario incase he would get ever attac#ed.

This didn(t #eep the an away.

$E+cuse e but '( really not so e pervert i) you thin# so.$ He had

started once again so that Lu Han )inally oved his head and stared athi . /aybe it was a good idea to listen to hi ...whatever he had to say.

!s he li)ted his )ace o)) his boo#, Lu Han was able to see his whole )ace.He loo#ed li#e a nor al an, nothing strange. His ga6e )lic#ered guiltily

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to the )loor again but Lu Han was ready, so ewhat relieved and ostlye+hausted by the approach.

$'s so ething wrong&$ Lu Han tried to have control over his voice, to let

it be strong and sure. The last thing he wanted to be was appearing tobe wea# and helpless. !n ideal target )or anyone. 't was night ti e, thetra))ic lights lit up the night and signs o) advertise ent )lashedeverywhere. Lu Han was now than#)ul that people began to co e outthough it was a bit too late because he wasn(t terri)ied any ore. Saidstranger ru aged in his poc#et and held so ething up to present-

$'( a detective and was told to observe this area. ' don(t #now i) youheard about it but recently there are a )ew urders going around. 't

loo#s li#e the culprit is targeting young boys in high school. The )irstthree victi s were )ro the school a )ew bloc#s away and now it see sli#e your school is targeted. ' heard a boy Choi /inho was the )irst victiright& =udging )ro your uni)or ' can see that you are attending thisschool.$

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Lu Han glanced at hi )or so e ti e.

$' see.$ The overpowering )eeling )orced air )ro Lu Han(s lungs in a)rail, winded laugh. He didn(t )eel li#e laughing but also not li#e crying. 't

was a i+ture o) )eelings that were going on in hi . So this person wastelling hi that he was a detective wor#ing around this neighbourhood&'t sounded credible and that /inho(s death ay have been plotted wasrather i pressive. So the person Tae in wanted to get caught wasactually a serial #iller& Didn(t that ean that a serial #iller would be a)ter"ae#hyun&

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wal#ed o)) as i) he had never intended to ta#e the bus. Lu Han with thecard in his hand loo#ed a)ter hi , his horror stanching )ro hi . He hadusually never believed in those stories. *et Sehun(s e+istence alone

proved hi wrong.

This ghost who 7ust urdered others couldn(t be Sehun.

His Sehun would never do that.

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Sha#ing his head Lu Han(s eyes trailed to the le)t and right )ro the busstop(s point. He suddenly didn(t )eel so sa)e any ore. !)ter listening tothis story, which ore or less was true, he didn(t )eel li#e going anywhereany ore. "ut Lu Han couldn(t ris# it to change his ind because o)so ething li#e that. He had to )ind out what actually happened toHyunnie without thin#ing too uch about other stu)).

His bus arrived.

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*

The conta inated wooden door crea#ed slowly open and echoing)ootsteps occupied the stillness that hung in the stu))y at osphere. LuHan didn(t #now how any years had passed since he was )or the lastti e there. 0ive years& He didn(t #now. The house was in the iddle o)nowhere in a little )orest. The windows were older with layers o) dirt. !)ew were even shattered< Lu Han didn(t #now what to say to that.

There was still the da aged sign covered in a layer o) dirt.

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*r hanage for everyone%

Lu Han crac#ed a s ile, tracing the characters with his )inger. He didn(tind the dirt at all. He should be scared to death to be in the iddle o)

the night in a )orest when a serial #iller was wal#ing )reely around. Hedidn(t thin# about that in this o ent. So any e ories were still in

there. The place where he spent a good part o) his childhood. The placewhere everything began.

The place where he had et Chanyeol, Sehun and Hyunnie.

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The rays o) the oonlight were shining through the crushed glasswindows catching on the )loor and shelves. Even though this place shutdown ages ago and nobody was allowed to reside there any ore, LuHan could clearly see that there were still a )ew toys. This eant that noteverything was gone, including the docu ents. Lu Han wal#ed )urther inas his vision was blurry and his hands were sha#ing. His sto ach washurting )ro not eating again though this could wait. This was Lu Han(sonly chance to retrieve the papers. To see and understand whathappened to Hyunnie a)ter he was adopted.

The o))ice was despite all those years 4uic#ly )ound. 't wasn(t big, as theorphanage in general didn(t have a lot o) children. Lu Han chuc#leddourly in relie) as the i age o) hi sel) playing together with another boy

inside the o))ice )aded. The i age disappeared )ro his ind(s eye atlast and he turned the rusty and sha#y door#nob to go in. %hat he didn(t)oresee was the load o) dirt attac#ing his )ace and there)ore caused hito close his eyes and cover his nose with his sleeve.

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$!re you o#ay&$

Lu Han(s heart stopped beating.

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He didn(t dare to turn hi sel) around. His ind )elt heavy and blan# ashe stood there, his ar s hanging li ply at his sides, eyes )ocused on the

essily sorted a ount o) )olders and papers. He still didn(t turn aroundwhen he heard steps co ing closer )ro behind. He still didn(t turnaround when he could )eel the presence o) another person. He allowedsin#ing it in, considering what this eant. %as this how his li)e wouldend& "eing attac#ed by a lunatic serial #iller&

The )act that so eone else was there startled hi so uch that he didn(tproperly listen to the voice o) that person.

Lu Han oved hi sel) and cautiously )aced the other.

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't was none other than Sehun.

$*o.$ Sehun said and swi)tly raised his pal , not #nowing in whatsituation he was in. He was being stared at by Lu Han as i) he was analien that was not supposed to be there where he was. 't was so ehowli#e that e+cluding the alien part. Lu Han couldn(t believe that Sehun had)ollowed hi all the way to the orphanage. Did that ean that he alsolistened to =oon yun&

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$*ou really worried e...$ Lu Han blew out and didn(t )orget to sigh.There was a good reason why he didn(t tell Sehun about Hyunnie(sbracelet. /aybe he had also witnessed it. The idea was to not tellanyone, especially Chanyeol. He would dig too uch into it li#e Lu Hanwas doing it right now. He would dig so deep until everything wouldrevealed about what had happened to Hyunnie and why "ae#hyun hadhis )avourite bracelet.

$Sorry )or scaring you. ' didn(t ean to.$ Sehun apologi6ed and stretchedhis ar s out. He was a bit away )ro Lu Han, which )orced hi to ove)orward and have his ar s around Lu Han(s s all )igure. He could )eelhow Sehun(s ar s )i+ated the selves around Lu Han(s narrowshoulders, holding hi close without pointlessly hurting hi .

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0eeling now a lot sa)er, Lu Han pressed his ear against Sehun(s chest.egardless o) hi being partly ghost, Lu Han could de)initely hear his

heart pound reassuringly underneath his ear. $Stay with e.$ Curling his

)ingers into the bac# o) Sehun(s shirt, Lu Han had said and )elt neversa)er with hi by his side. His eyes were closed, en7oying the war th,which shouldn(t have been here.

$%hat are you doing here&$ This #ind o) 4uestion was what Lu Han hadbeen waiting )or to hear. That was understandable as who would thin# o) going to an abandoned orphanage so late in ti e& Lu Han. He wouldn(tbe able to wait until the ne+t orning. 3therwise, he wouldn(t be able to

sleep or thin# straight until )inding out. 't nagged on his heart thatHyunnie was aybe alive as "ae#hyun. He didn(t #now i) he even died,it had been too long to properly re e ber.

Snapping his eyes open, Lu Han oved away )ro Sehun to continuewhat he was doing. The 4uic#er he was the ore he would )eel assuredto #now. Lu Han approached the )olders, which contained the contact

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in)or ation o) the children that used to live there. He didn(t #now i) it wasstill credible as it could be that they oved away. 3n the other hand, itwas his only source to wor# with.

He couldn(t )orget that Sehun was still there who didn(t have a clue aboutanything. Lu Han #neeled down on the dirty )loor and )orced his tenseshoulders to rela+, to si ulate cal ness even i) he couldn(t. He was soclose in )inding out the identity o) Hyunnie. ') he was related to "ae#hyunin any way. Lu Han went through the grubby papers, hoping that theywere in alphabetical order. 't would a#e it easier.

Sliding his )ingers into the ne+t pac#, Sehun was ga6ing at hi , )ightingwith hi sel) i) he should as# what was going on. !lthough the interest on

Lu Han(s )ace clearly told hi to be 4uiet and do nothing. Lu Hancouldn(t )ind anything related to his ti e at the orphanage. 8odocu ents, no pictures. %ell he had to ta#e the picture part bac#, as hesuddenly touched so ething that see ed to be li#e that.

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!s it was too dar# to see, Lu Han with the help o) Sehun got up and heldthe card up. The lights o) roo were ost de)initely not wor#ing whichled hi to use oonlight to be able to loo# at it. %ithout turning his head,Lu Han could see Sehun tilt his head slightly in his direction. He eitherdidn(t understand what was going on or tried to also have a loo# at whathe was holding. Lu Han arched his eyebrows, disbelie) was written overhis )ace.

The person on picture loo#ed li#e9

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%ithout any warning, Lu Han )elt his wrist aggressively held and pulledbac# by Sehun. %hen he atte pted to go bac# to the )olders, his wristwas pulled even stronger. ! )lare o) bubbling anger ade itsel)

noticeable in Lu Han(s chest when Sehun didn(t tal# to hi and 7ustpulled, $Se9$ 8ow he was even covering Lu Han(s outh with his handa)ter )lipping hi bac#wards. Lu Han(s bac# hit Sehun(s chest while theywal#ed to the wall ne+t to the door and crouched down by the anybo+es gathered there.

$So eone is here.$ Sehun uttered under his breath and pushed LuHan down once again between his legs. He )i+ed the bo+es in such a

way that it would cover the )ro anyone who would co e in. Lu Hanstopped struggling the second he heard that. They weren(t alone& Thiswasn(t good. %ho would co e around this ti e to an unrestrictedorphanage& Lu Han had a reason unli#e whoever that was. 3r did theyco e to )ind the data o) so eone as well&

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$Let(s not ove...$ Lu Han said, )orcing his eyes away )ro thedocu ents up to the other who had s4uee6ed his legs together andthere)ore Lu Han(s too. Sehun returned his hand on Lu Han(s lips to tell

hi to be 4uiet. E+actly a)ter that, loud sto ping ca e )ro the hallway.'t was so loud and sudden that Lu Han )linched with wide eyes. %ho intheir right ind would be so loud i) they wanted to brea# into a building&

This untypical behaviour was strange )or Lu Han who stupidly droppedthe picture he had been holding. 't 7ust lay there in the iddle o) theroo )or who ever to ta#e. %ould this person ta#e the picture or leaveit& Lu Han could )eel the hand o) Sehun on his lips with ore pressure,the louder the steps were.

$Sehun '( terri)ied.$ The dread in his voice was clear when Lu Hanreali6ed that this person could slice their heads o)) )or all he #new. Theywere in an area were not a lot o) people where and Lu Han doubted thatthis person would want to tal# to the .

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The drought in Sehun(s voice was al ost pain)ul to listen to as he said,$Don(t worry. ' will protect you< there is no need to be scared at all.$ Theway he said that as i) everything was )ine and nothing would happen."ut how was he supposed to #now& How should he #now that they werein sa)ety& 't was nice )ro hi to a#e Lu Han )eel sa)e though Lu Handidn(t want to get hi hurt either.

The door screeched open, slowly and creepily.

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Lu Han did his best to not a#e a sound and observe that person. His)ear was veiled by his atte pt to stay strong and not let it scare hi . 8otlet the presence o) the person who had the physi4ue o) a ale, horri)yhi . 2reat, i) it would have been a wo an then they could have at leastoverpowered her in case o) an attac#. %hy was nothing going Lu Han(sway& He )elt Sehun(s other hand slide up and rest on Lu Han(s heart. !si) he wanted to chec# how )ast Lu Han(s heart was beating.

!s slowly and care)ully Lu Han could, he placed his hand over Sehun(s.

't was now beating )aster.

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The sounds o) assive nu bers o) paper )alling down popped thisbubble and caused Lu Han to loo# up. He tried to properly see between

the bo+es( gaps, hoping that this guy wouldn(t dare to loo# through the .Then they would be really screwed. 't didn(t loo# li#e the guy had eyes)or anything other than the docu ents si ilar to Lu Han. He was eagerlyloo#ing through the and at so e point 4uietly cursed. Lu Han andSehun held their breath and did their best to stay otionless.

Lu Han #ept peering through the gaps o) the bo+es. %hen the otherperson see ed to have )ound whatever he were searching )or, he sortedthe out and #ept on loo#ing out o) the window. Lu Han was seeing thisall as his eyes widened and he clutched Sehun(s hand on his chest. Thechange o) his usual behaviour didn(t get unnoticed by Sehun. He could)eel how nervous and worried Lu Han was and this was only )ro si plyhiding. 't didn(t ta#e long )or Sehun to co )ort hi even in this state, as

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he spo#e gently, $Don(t worry. Don(t a#e a sound '(ll protect you.$ Hehoped Lu Han wouldn(t be upset and 4uietly agree to this.

Lu Han didn(t answer to those words yet he s4uee6ed Sehun(s handtighter.

The person was about to go but he un)ortunately spotted the picture onthe )loor. !lthough he carried a bloc# o) docu ents in his hands, itsee ed li#e the picture interested hi .

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Please don't take it

This was the only thought in Luhan(s ind. He crushed his teeth together and pursed his lips in an e))ort to #eep the together. He couldn(t a#ea single ista#e or their cover would be blown o)). He tried to ta#enoiseless breaths and cal down. He #new the too uch stress was notgood )or hi sel). 't was not li#e the intruder would stay there )orever andat this o ent, Sehun(s ar s around Lu Han got )ir er. He had

so ehow understood how tense and scared Lu Han was. This littlegesture should re ind hi that he was not alone.

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0ocusing on the picture the intruder shrugged his shoulders, cru pled itand threw the little ball away.

Lu Han had never )elt so relieved in his li)e. !nd to a#e it better, thatperson to conclude le)t with papers in his hands. Lu Han(s heart beat sounsteadily in his chest that he was sure that it would stop pu ping.Sehun loo#ed down at Lu Han with his stunning s ile on his )ace and itonly ade it worse. !s i) hearing all o) Lu Han(s thoughts, Sehun restedhis chin on the shorter(s head. He used the situation as a way to beclose to Lu Han without a#ing hi angry.

The situation was still chilling because they were 7ust with a totalstranger in an abandoned orphanage.

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%hy would so eone go there&

!)ter hearing the engine o) a car, both were sure that this ysteriousperson had )inally hit the gas pedal and drove away. Lu Han tilted hishead up to )ace Sehun who noticed this and also loo#ed down. His eyesbored into Lu Han(s, and he saw the beca e even dar#er than be)ore.

He blin#ed9 realising that he was being stared at and began ovinghi sel). This ove ent re inded Lu Han that they didn(t co e to stareat each other.

Sehun didn(t waver to ta#e Lu Han(s hand and help hi up. !s their s#intouched, the place heated up. 3nce again, his heartbeat and breathingbeca e irregular, blood started to boil. Iuic#ly Lu Han pulled his hand

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bac# in and loo#ed away. He had no ti e to )eel li#e that when he hadore i portant things to do. Li#e )inding /inho(s urderer who was the

person that )ollowed "ae#hyun. He also needed to )ind out what

happened to Hyunnie that so eone else had his bracelet. He didn(tbelieve that they were the sa e person. 'n between that, he had no ti eto sort his )eelings out.

Still being sha#en by the surprise visit )ro this person, Lu Han pushedthe bo+es away and created the path bac# to the des# o) the o))ice.2reat, a ess was le)t behind so how should Lu Han )ind Hyunnie(sin)or ation& $Loo# here1$ Sehun went down on his #nees )or a secondand got the cru pled picture, which had been earlier thrown away. Hisvoice was hoarse and scarcely louder than a whisper. Lu Han noddedslowly, unable to spea# or thin# reasonably. His eyes only )ollowedSehun who care)ully un)olded the ite .

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3n it was a little boy with a bracelet in his hand.

't wasn(t Hyunnie.

't was...so eone else.

Lu Han couldn(t believe it.

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$Kai&$ This na e was written on the bracelet and even without readingit< Lu Han would have recogni6ed hi . How couldn(t he& The sa e Kaiwho was always there )or hi . The sa e Kai who helped hi outwhenever he was in trouble. 3nly a )ew people had received thebracelets that Lu Han as a child had ade. He was a boy and braceletsweren(t his things but those boys were his best )riends. They deservedso ething special. Even a)ter all the ess, a)ter everything that hadhappened Lu Han was so happy to see the picture.

There was only one thing that ade hi )eel uneasy.

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Kai oddly enough rese bled the guy that got on his nerves.

Ki =ongin.

$8o no no no...$ Lu Han repeated, cutting his own thoughts o)), sha#ing

his head )rantically. His eyes )lashed towards Sehun, desperately tryingto )ind reassurance. Sehun couldn(t really help in that situation, he hadnever seen =ongin. "ut he #new that he was getting annoyed by Lu Hanstaring at the picture as i) the #id was the love o) his li)e. Tension e itted)ro and it was only supported by Lu Han(s shoc# and )ears. Lu Han

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was )rowning, loo#ing both con)ounded and agitated at the sa e ti eand 7ust so, so scared. His lips, worried curved downward at the corners.

$'... ean Kai was so sweet and =ongin can rot in hell )or all ' care.$

Sehun curled his hands into )ists, getting angrier.

Sweet.

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Lu Han had never used this word on Sehun.

$He was so help)ul and nice unli#e that useless piece o) shit.$

Don't say that

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$He was the one ' was sure to stay with. =ongin can )uc# hi se9$

Harshly grabbing Lu Han(s )ace who was not )ocused on Sehun at all, hepressed their lips together and that )or the )irst ti e. Sehun was waiting)or this, a ti e when he wouldn(t be re7ected. He did caught Lu Han o))guard but i) he didn(t want to then he could say so. Sehun couldn(t helpburying his )ingers into his essy, so)t hair i ediately< his nails gra6edhis scalp gently. Sehun(s eyelids )luttered closed, dissi ilar to Lu Hanwhose eyes were open.

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He didn(t #now what to do since this was his )irst #iss.

'n a dusty little roo with nobody around, cut o)) )ro the city.

!s Sehun #issed hi deeper, Lu Han slowly but surely let go o) Kai(spicture and rather put his hands on Sehun(s chest. He also closed hiseyes, )aintly blushing. !n un#nown )eeling was heavy in his chest, and itburnt hi )ro within. This penetrating )eeling was so new and

overwhel ing. Lu Han )elt his chest crushing under this co pressionand his airways closed up. %as this what he had always re)used&

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Lu Han was sure.

Hyunnie was not "ae#hyun.

Kai was not =ongin.

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!nd Lu Han was helplessly in love.

*

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esting his hands on his lap, Kyungsoo was waiting )or =ongin tochange his clothes. He was the one who as#ed Kyungsoo )or help inso e sub7ects he didn(t understand. !nd now he had the nerve to go

so ewhere and co e bac# in the iddle o) the night. Kyungsoo wassitting alone in =ongin(s roo , his bed to be clearer and waited )or theyounger. He honestly needed to teach =ongin about holdingappoint ents because Kyungsoo had no plans to stay over at =ongin(splace.

't was 4uiet and that =ongin was living alone ade everything scarier.That was probably why he gave Kyungsoo a copy o) his #ey to unloc#the door. "ut what Kyungsoo didn(t suppose was to be greeted withsilence. 't was co pletely silent which let hi assu e in the couple o)seconds he was there, that =ongin was living alone. There weren(tenough shoes as well in the cabinet )or a roo ate or either parent. He

ade so e tea and wal#ed around in the eanti e to #eep hi sel)

busy and be ore )a iliar.

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!)ter two hours o) waiting Kyungsoo began to wonder i) he had )orgottenabout their eeting.

!s o) cue =ongin entered, he carried a lot o) papers so that Kyungsooas#ed hi i) he needed help. The younger politely declined and alsoapologi6ed )or co ing late. 8or ally Kyungsoo would have gotten adbut this ti e he 7ust slowly nodded, still eyeing the papers. Despitesaying no, he helped =ongin to carry the to his roo . He put the onhis des# and e+cused hi sel) to change his clothes in the bathroo .Kyungsoo could only nod and told hi to go on.

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$Sorry ' really had to go so ewhere.$ Co ing in new, ore co )ortableclothes =ongin apologi6ed and wal#ed over to Kyungsoo who was nowstaring at the des#. !t )irst =ongin thought that, the elder was loo#ingthrough the papers but he wasn(t. 0ar in the bac# ne+t to pens and other boo#s there was so ething he was engrossed by. Kyungsoo didn(t ta#eit. He was only ad iring it )ro distance until he heard =ongin openingdoor. He apologi6ed again which unclear in Kyungsoo(s ear since he was

only )ocusing on the ob7ect.

=ongin(s eyes trailed over to the ob7ect and approached the des#.

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$'t(s really pretty...)ro where did you get it&$ Kyungsoo as#ed as hedared to reach over and hold it in his hand.

S iling lightly =ongin overtoo# it )ro Kyungsoo(s hand and )astened the

bracelet around the elder(s wrist.

$' don(t #now. ' apparently had it since ' was young.$

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8ow that Kyungsoo had the bracelet around his wrist, =ongin s iledagain and repeated what the other had earlier said-

$:retty.$

The na e Kai was on it.

't was a sunny day, Lu Han could re e ber. Shouldn(t sunny weatherindicated happiness and )oreshadow so ething good to happen& Thiswas not the case )or Lu Han. This was the day where everything hadchanged. Everything. The beginning o) the day was li#e any other day.

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He wo#e up in his bed with nobody around. 3) course nobody was there<it was a routine he had learned to accept. Lu Han didn(t hate it to stayho e alone until the very night when he would be already sleeping.

Then his parents would co e ho e.

't had been days since he had seen his parents( )aces.

't was not li#e he cared.

Lu Han was seven and didn(t care about his parents.

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He had never said (' love you( nor did he hug the as long as he couldre e ber. 't was not only his parents, he didn(t care about anyone. LuHan was since birth categorised as one o) those (strange( children. Hehad never shown any interest in toys or TA shows, even the ostpopular ones. !lthough there was a reason why he always le)t the TA on

when he was eating. He wanted to hear voices and not )eel )or ao ent alone.

The way he was le)t abandoned showed that he could with sevenactually care about hi sel). He #new how to use the icrowave,co puter, TA and other electrical appliances. Lu Han was s art verys art )or his age but nobody #new about that. 8ot a teacher since hedidn(t go to school and not his parents who )orgot about hi . His Korean

was also 4uite developed )or so eone who had oved a year ago.

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!s he was a strange child he had strange ways to play.

He ade bracelets and played with a )ew dolls he had brought )roChina. His parents did not buy hi a single thing since they had ovedin. 8ot clothes, not toys or boo#s. 8othing. ;ndoubtedly a waste o)

oney. Lu Han didn(t really #now that dolls and bracelets were rather )orgirls than boys. He did see girls on TA always playing with the butnever boys. He had always thought that the boy(s character didn(t li#e itrather than the gender. 't was )un )or hi so he had no plans o) stopping.

!lthough the dolls were 4uite )lu))y and children )riendly, Lu Han loved itto cut their heads o)).

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He 7ust did.

!nd then he sewed the bac# on. He was very s#illed with the needleand didn(t hurt hi sel). Even i) he did, nobody would care. Lu Han didn(t#now when this habit9 or hobby had started. He li#ed it to )eel superior toothers. To de)eat others. %ouldn(t they )inally listen to hi & Lu Han

wasn(t oblivious he #new on the point what e+actly #illing was and didn(tregret anything. He was 7ust practicing with his doll and when he wouldbe old enough then he would get his revenge.

3n his parents and rando people.

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He didn(t care who it was.

He wanted to see the su))er.

Li#e Lu Han did.

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!)ter eating, Lu Han sat on the carpeted )loor o) the little living roo andwatched TA while stitching the head o) one o) his dolls. 3ther #ids in hisage would be sitting in school and learn what one plus one was but LuHan wouldn(t get the opportunity. His parents( had clearly said that hedidn(t need to go school since he would wor# in their shop when grownup. "oo#s, noteboo#s, pens, pencil and crayons were a waste o) hardearned oney. They could use it )or better things li#e groceries or

clothes. "ut why had Lu Han never gotten new clothes&

So eone was #noc#ing at the door.

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Lu Han dropped his doll and slowly ade his way towards the #itchen.0ro there he li)ted a chair up which he did with a lot o) e))ort andpushed it in )ront o) the door. He cli bed up, stood on it and loo#ed

through the little hole. There were two en in uni)or . This #ind o)uni)or eant police. :olice were nice people that helped others thiswas what Lu Han had learned )ro TA. He 7u ped o)) the chair andpulled it bac#wards be)ore wal#ing around it and opening the door, ontiptoes.

$*es&$ He as#ed uninterestedly, astounding the police en with thissoulless attitude. Children around this age should be ore hyper. Theyloo#ed at each other in con)usion until one o) the #neeled down to beon the sa e eye level as hi .

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$*ou are Han right& Lu Han. %here(s your o y or daddy&$ The anas#ed in a )riendly and cal approach to not shoc# hi .

Lu Han pursed his lips and spo#e, $%or#ing li#e always.$ He nodded

a)ter saying that, as i) he was con)ir ing it with hi sel).

$%hen are they co ing bac#&$ The second one as#ed and also oveddown to not have to loo# down on hi .

$%hen Hannie(s sleeping.$ He answered and con)used the en by thesudden use o) third person. Shouldn(t he be a bit too old )or that& 3r was

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Hannie a di))erent person li#e a non9registered sibling& %hen they as#edhi who Hannie was, Lu Han pointed at hi sel) with a blan# e+pression.He was Hannie. That should have been a bit obvious. 't was degrading

to ad it that but this child gave out a peculiar vibe that could scareanyone o)). %hy would he use such an a))ectionate nic#na e )or anapathetic child li#e hi &

$Does Hannie go to school& ! #ind neighbour said that she had neverseen hi together with his parents. !nd she sees hi doing alonegroceries shopping, she(s worried. That(s why she called us. =ust tochec#.$ He elaborated what was actually going on. !nd )ro what itloo#ed li#e, she see ed to be right. There were no trails o) parents, itwas 4uiet. 8or could they see any used shoes.

$' don(t go to school. 't(s a waste o) oney. '( )ine, than# you.$ Lu Han

surprised the again with switching bac# to )irst person and the way hewas tal#ing. So uncaring and annoyed as i) he honestly didn(t want to#now why those police en were there. They were there to chec# i) LuHan(s parents were able to care )or hi and loo# a)ter hi . The waythings turned out didn(t see li#e the whole )a ily cared.

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$Lu Han. *ou #now it(s )orbidden to stay alone li#e that.$

$"ut '( )in9$

$Yes I know . *ou can care about yoursel). "ut still, you can(t. *ou areunder eighteen. *ou are not even hal) o) eighteen. This is a seriousproble . *ou can(t. :ac# your things< you(ll have to co e with us. %e(llcontact your parents.$ The police an said and got up )ro that position,

switching to a ore serious voice. He pushed the door open while LuHan couldn(t do anything against that. He slowly nodded and let theothers into his place. They bowed at the little boy and put their shoes o)).3ne o) the called other police en and ore in)or ation about the Lu)a ily.

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Lu Han wal#ed bac# into the living roo and pac#ed the needle settogether. He sighed, turned the TA o)) and got all his dolls in his ar s.He went to his tiny roo and pulled the yellow suitcase under his bed.He 7ust threw the in as well as all his clothes. He had never thoughtthat such a o ent would ever happen that he didn(t #now what to pac#.Should he tell his parents or would they already #now& 't wouldn(t a#ea di))erence )or the anyway.

Did he have to go to that place&

!n orphanage&

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%hen Lu Han had )irstly arrived at the orphanage he thought that it wasall wrong. He shouldn(t be in a place with other children. He wanted to gobac# ho e where nobody was. He didn(t eat or sleep while the careta#er would get worried and as# what was wrong. Lu Han wouldn(t answer and

7ust all day stare out o) the window. 0or twenty )ive days he loo#ed out

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na e. He had to try it out so he unconsciously called the other boy onlyto widen his eyes and put his hands on his outh. %hat did he do&1 'twould be better to turn around and play with his dolls though he )elt a

hand on his shoulder.

He turned and could see Kai s iling at hi .

$*ou #now ' was waiting )or this1 %hat(s your na e&$ He as#ed and

shoo# Lu Han(s shoulder in a gentle anner. He couldn(t wait any oreto play with Lu Han li#e he always wanted to. 8obody li#ed it to be alone,he could relate to that.

$H9Hannie...$ Lu Han again didn(t thin# with his brain and answered.Shortly a)ter that he )elt his body being dragged away )ro the windowto the iddle o) the roo . ! lot o) toys were there but )or the )irst ti e he

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didn(t ind the . He didn(t ind sitting with those toys. Kai gentlypushed Lu Han down in )ront o) another boy who was staring at hi . Hesee ed so uch younger than the . 0ive& Si+& 8ot older that was )or

sure.

Kai was sitting ne+t to Lu Han and pointed at the still un#nown child,$This is 3h Sehun. He(s called Hunnie. He(s...uh...si+. '( Kai and si+ toobut still a bit '( older than hi .$ He then crawled over to Sehun(s sideand sat down ne+t to hi , pointing at hi , $This is Lu Han. He(s...seven.He(s our hyung so respect hi Hunnie.$ Kai )inished the introduction andslapped Sehun(s head when he wasn(t listening. The youngest 4uic#ly

apologi6ed and gave Lu Han a chewed on toy as an apology. Lu Han)rowned and shoo# his head pushing his ar with the toy away. He didn(tgo there to get disgusting toys but to socialise ore.

This child was irritating hi . He didn(t see li#e the type to listen. Thatwas why Kai had slapped hi Jso)tly but still so that he would listen to

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hi . He loo#ed anything but obedient and ore li#e a nuisance. Thesewere the ones Lu Han couldn(t stand the ost. He hated the . 3nlybecause he was younger than hi didn(t ean that Lu Han would be

nice to hi . He wouldn(t )eel )riendship or anything else )or the , noteven Kai. ') he would continue to stay at the window then the careta#erswould surely bring hi to another orphanage in another country ordi))erent city. That was why he had decided to 7oin the )ro ti e toti e.

3n the sa e day he had learned that Kai had been in the orphanagesince birth.

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!nd Sehun(s reason was that his dad had hit his o so badly that shehad to stay in hospital.

Lu Han(s )ace didn(t so)ten but his heart did.

! tiny bit.

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*

Loo#ing bac# at those e ories, Lu Han stopped staring out o) thewindow and paid attention to his own studies. %ell he atte pted to. His

ind wasn(t )ocused at all. He couldn(t concentrate and wouldn(t be ableto. Everything was hurting, his sto ach the ost. Lu Han usually wasn(t

li#e that. He reduced the a ount o) )ood he ate li#e always but thisti e...this ti e it )elt that he went too )ar. Since the =ongin and Kaisituation he couldn(t pull hi sel) together. He ate less and less< the lac#o) sleep didn(t trouble hi any ore.

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He turned his phone o)), trying to escape the worried calls )roChanyeol. Since Lu Han had le)t the hospital he hadn(t seen hi . Hespent ti e with "ae#hyun who ignored Lu Han as good as he could. He

did loo# so eti es very scared and #ept on touching his wrist. %as heloo#ing )or the bracelet& Lu Han wouldn(t return it until he would )ind itsreal owner. Lay saying that it belonged to "ae#hyun didn(t changeanything. 't proved nothing. Si ilar to Tae in(s death who despite Laynot having his tie did not get bla ed. They ade assu ptions li#e hehad lost it or anything li#e that.

Lu Han wanted to laugh because no atter how good his alibi was,

people would still bla e hi .

They were surprisingly s art.

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Since they were all very sure that Lu Han was the one who had brutally#illed Tae in he was ignored by everyone not including his teacher andChanyeol. Kyungsoo had been trans)erred into a di))erent class and=ongin also oved bac# to his original class. /aybe this was why LuHan didn(t )eel anything strange. There were no conversation and not

even once did =ongin go to hi to annoy hi . He usually would havedone that and )or the )irst ti e Lu Han wouldn(t ind. He wouldn(t indbecause he hi sel) wanted to as# =ongin so ething.

%hy in the world his )ace was si ilar to Kai(s.

They could never be the sa e person so aybe they were related. !nd=ongin #new where Kai was so that Lu Han could eet hi . Thepossibility that they were the sa e person was erased by Lu Han(s ind.He didn(t want to thin# about it. He also didn(t want to thin# about

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"ae#hyun who )ell sic# and rested at ho e. ! possible reason was thathe got an+ious )ro losing (his( bracelet. !t least he wouldn(t be able torun into his potential urderer. 't was not use to deny it but Lu Han was

worried about "ae#hyun.

The ore he thought about "ae#hyun the ore he slowly re e beredHyunnie(s )ace.

He didn(t want to re e ber. He didn(t want to re e ber Hyunnie(s )acebecause i) it would be si ilar to "ae#hyun then Lu Han wouldn(t #nowwhat to do any ore. He wouldn(t. 't was overwhel ing that all hischildhood )riends ended up li#e that a)ter being harshly separated. 't wassad and stressed Lu Han out. He closed his eyes and pressed his coldhand against his )orehead, it started to thu p a little. The di66iness hehad been )eeling suddenly beca e worse.

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He 7ust there )eeling pric#ly sensations all over, things started to )ade toblac#. Lu Han was slowly leaning to the right, holding onto his des#though he still lost his balance and hit the )loor. He was )aintly hearing

so eone yell his na e and he was sure that it was Chanyeol. This wasa study lesson so no teacher who would be able to help hi was in sight.

!s uch as his class ates wanted to ignore hi , they couldn(t #eep hiseyes away )ro his otionless body.

$Lu Han1 !re you o#ay&1$ Li#e assu ed, Chanyeol ca e )ro the otherside o) the classroo . He instantly #neeled down and patted Lu Han(scold chee#. There was no reaction )ro the other, so Chanyeol placed

two )ingers on Lu Han(s nec# )eeling a wea# pulse. %hat was wrong withhi & He couldn(t allow hi sel) to panic when Lu Han needed hi the

ost. This was Chanyeol(s chance to be help)ul and not )all behind. Hedidn(t want to stand behind Sehun i) he could help hi as uch.

He care)ully pushed Lu Han(s legs together under the curious ga6es o)the others. Then he li)ted both legs, holding the in place so ore blood

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could easily )low. He couldn(t ris# it to a#e any ista#es< Lu Han(s li)ehe wanted to protect was in danger,

$So eone call a teacher1 %H* THE 0;CK ! E *3; 83T D3'82

!8*TH'82&1$

He screa ed9 :ar# Chanyeol who was #nown to be happy F and a)riendly person screa ed as loudly as he could. The others were)linching and were relatively inti idated by this outburst. Even ore bythe idea that it was hi who was doing that. He glared at crowd, thin#ingo) he should 7ust drop it and do it all alone co pletely. /ostly the girlscringed under his angry, conte ptuous ga6e and their regards )ellapologetic. Lay watched as goose bu ps erupted on his ar s and his

whole body began to slightly sha#e with )ear.

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His hand was raised.

$'9'(ll go...'(ll go and please don(t bla e Lu Han. He is a good person. *ouguys 7ust close your eyes )ro it. He doesn(t deserve the pressure youput hi under...$ Lay spo#e wea#ly, his whole body began to shiverunder their sharp stares and Lay slowly shi)ted )urther away )ro the .;ntil he was close enough at the door and ran o)) leaving the classrooin silence.

So eone started to cry.

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't was =ung Soo7ung.

$'( so sorry1 ' didn(t ean to ignore hi 1 ' didn(t ean to be ean tohi 1 's he going to die&1 '( so sorry. So sorry11 ' can(t handle the guilt1$She bawled and )ell on her #nees, grabbing her )aces as tears strea eddown. %ith this con)ession, ore and ore girls began to sob as the

boys were pushing their tears bac#. They all said how sorry they wereand regretted this all. Chanyeol should have )elt suspicious about thissudden change but he didn(t. He could see in their eyes how sorry theywere. Everyone ade ista#es and this was why Chanyeol couldn(t callthe out )or that.

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$Cal down1 Soo7ung go get a cloth and put it in cold water1 Luna1 2oget so e drin#ing water1 *ou guys there, open the window we need airhere1$ Chanyeol co anded the and ade sure that Lu Han(s legs

were raised and that he wasn(t being oved. They all nodded and asthey were told while the others couldn(t do anything but watch and hope)or the best. Chanyeol 4uic#ly told a boy to #eep Lu Han(s legs raisedsince he had to loosen Lu Han(s clothing li#e the shirt and also the tie.

He unbuttoned Lu Han(s shirt, with 4uic#, otions and then pushed the)abric o)) his shoulders. Suddenly he )elt a bi6arre sensation gathering inhis lungs. 't was the boy he li#ed but that wasn(t the reason. 't wasn(t the

reason. He #new that he was being paranoid but the )eeling thatso eone was intensively watching hi didn(t go away. He could neverguess that Sehun was sitting on Lu Han(s des# and observed thesituation. His )ace showed no e otion because this was what he wantedright&

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To let Lu Han co e close to death.

"ut why didn(t Lu Han leave his body&

%as it too early&

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He was still laying there so peace)ul and undisturbed. The total oppositeo) what was actually going on because they all held their breath )ro theapprehension. Chanyeol did his best and tilted Lu Han(s head bac#,li)ting the chin to help air get through his nose and outh. His )ingerswere visibly sha#ing when he put his ear to his outh to a#e sure hewas even breathing. He heard a )aint breathing sound which wasenough )or the o ent, it wasn(t too late. His other hand was on LuHan(s e+posed chest. 3nly )ro this touch he )inally had a grasp aboutwhat was going on. He was underweight, too s#inny even. %as that thereason )or his )ainting&

Chanyeol didn(t have the ti e to )rea# out about that and rather chec#edagain i) Lu Han was breathing. %hy did Lay ta#e so long to call ateacher& Didn(t they care about their student& 3ther class ates haddialled the e ergency nu ber and were told to wait ten inutes )or it toarrive. They obviously told Chanyeol about it who could only sigh. %hat

i) so ething would happen in those ten inutes& /nd where the fuckwas Soo#ung$

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He was so stressed about that and had no clue that so eone )a iliarwas #neeling beside Lu Han. Sehun too# his )ragile )ace into his handsand brushed the hair out o) his )ace, caressing his chee#s, his lips andhis still closed eyelids sy pathetically, $Soon you are going to 7oin e.$He s iled and was not paying attention to the panic#ing students. Deathwas unavoidable and i) it was Lu Han(s ti e then why )rea# out& Even i)he in )act did it on purpose9 what happened, had happened. They should

let go and let Lu Han alone so that he can )eel the pain.

!)ter )ive inutes o) i patient waiting, Soo7ung ca e running bac#though the cloth she had in her hand was dry. =ust when Chanyeol wasgoing to shout at her )or doing nothing, he saw how shoc#ed she was.Her )ace was pale, lips were tre bling and her #nees were terribly

sha#ing. %as she going to )aint as well& She see ed so upset that shewasn(t in her right ind to cry li#e anyone else would. %hen all thestudents were tal#ing over each other and as#ed why she too# so longshe began to sha#e her head.

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$T9There is....There is...so eone...d9dead...so uch blood...' thin# it(s=inri...' don(t want to go there any ore1 :lease tell e it(s not true1$ Shewhispered at )irst but got louder and )inally tears rolled down his chee#ssilently as the e ories o) that discovery in the girls( toilet )looded her

ind. She wiped the away but couldn(t stop her tears. %hy was shecrying so any ti es in )ront o) everyone& 3r ore why were so anybad things happening&

$%here&1$

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$292irls( toilet...it can(t be =inri though1 %hy her&1$ Soo7ung choc#ed outand 7ust dropped down on her #nees only )or a )riend to rush to her.

That was enough in)or ation )or Chanyeol.

$'(ll be bac#.$

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Chanyeol re oved his hand )ro Lu Han and got up.

Sehun loo#ed a)ter hi .

*

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This atter was so urgent that Chanyeol didn(t care i) a teacher wouldsee hi . ! urderer in their school& This would be the third one. %howould do that& He )elt the pain, the distress, the creeping )ear spreadinside his chest again< they were ore intense li#e when he heard aboutit )ro Soo7ung. 0irst /inho and then Tae in& %hat did two per)ectly)ine boys do& The )act that it see ed to be the sa e case as )roneighbouring schools. So this school was the new target o) thosehorrible people&

Chanyeol turned around to a#e sure he wasn(t )ollowed. %hen he )irstheard about those cases on the news he didn(t really care because ithad nothing to do with hi . "ut now it was his business. 't was hisbusiness because it was his freaking school . 8ow he was standing in)ront o) the door o) the girls( restroo . He had to be 4uiet because who#new i) this urderer went bac# to their victi . Chanyeol pushed the

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handle and stepped cautiously in, as silent as he could. 3n the )irstglance he didn(t see anything suspicious and care)ully wal#ed in.

%as Soo7ung 7ust pran#ing hi & "ut she see ed too shoc#ed to be

7o#ing. She was not the girl to 7o#e around about death since one couldeasily )righten her. Chanyeol(s eyes ra#ed through the spacious roo ,ta#en in every little detail o) it, until he caught a gli pse o) a slightlyopened stall door. His heart tightened pain)ully at the e ory o) whatshe had said. The con)idence he had was all gone. He sighed andloo#ed at door. There was the con)lict in his eyes. He wanted to a#esure that everyone would be sa)e but was he ready to be con)ronted with

it&

't had to be now or never.

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He gave the crea#ing door a 4uic# push so that it opened up, revealingthe inside. Chanyeol didn(t )eel sic#. He )elt weird...that was a better ter)or that. He didn(t #now why. 't didn(t scare hi that Choi =inri(s wristsand an#les were tied up. That there was tape stuc# on her outh toprevent any calls )or help. That her chest was cut open, the blood wassoa#ing her white school shirt. She was in an unusual position whereshe was hal)way laying on the cover o) the toilet seat.

Chanyeol didn(t )eel sic#.

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He was scared. Their school was de)initely the ne+t target. The ne+ttarget )or those horrible urders. /inho, Tae in and now 5inri . %howould be ne+t& There was the answer to it. He helplessly raised hishead which was initially used to let hi cal down but on the white wallo) the stalll, a bloody writing attracted his attention. He blin#ed a )ewti es to get rid o) the heavy )eeling inside his chest. 't was so heavy thatit didn(t let hi properly breathe. %as now the sic#ness co ing&

%ith blurry sight he could a#e out )our lines.

Choi /inho

Lee Tae in

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Choi =inri

"yun "ae#hyun

%ith the little consciousness Chanyeol had he ade his way towards thedoor, to get out. He was breathing heavily as his heart was aching. Hisbody didn(t ove since it was still under shoc#. His lips were un ovingunable to call anyone and pressed the tightly together. 0or a brie)

o ent he 7ust stared at the door, pushing his eyebrows together a tinybit as he was listening to his own thoughts that were rushing through his

ind. He had to protect "ae#hyun. His na e wasn(t crossed yet so iteant that he was alive.

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"ut why didn(t Chanyeol(s legs ove& He )elt so wea# and now thenausea was )inally showing up. He carried hi sel) to the stall ne+t door,hovered over the seat and let it all out. There were tears )lowing as well.He was so wea#, he )ailed to protect Lu Han and now "ae#hyun wouldbe the ne+t victi o) his own stupidity. 'nstead o) letting his wea# bodyvo it, he should get up and )ind "ae#hyun. 3nly i) "ae#hyun was sa)ehe was allowed to rest.

Throwing hi sel) to the sin#s he washed his )ace and ran o)).

He ca e bac# to his senses.

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The di66iness didn(t go away, in )act he )elt even di66ier )ro runningthrough the hallway as )ast as he could. He was had only "ae#hyun in

ind that he passed their classroo without chec#ing on Lu Han. ') hehad loo#ed then he would have seen the teachers and en in uni)orwere carrying Lu Han onto a rescue stretcher to bring hi to a hospital.

So any students )ro other classes were standing in )ront o) the doorand bloc#ed Chanyeol(s way to leave. He pushed the all away andlightly bu ped into a bystander who was )a iliar. He didn(t have the ti eto chec# and carried on running.

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!)ter dialing his nu ber Chanyeol pressed his phone against his ear, heran and ran and ran.

:lease pic# up

:lease pic# up

:lease pic# up

:lease pic# u9

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Hello$

0ro this one (hello( he could understand that he was )ine. He didn(tsound an+ious or scared, per)ectly nor al li#e always. Chanyeol needed

to catch his breath he needed to rest so ewhere and slow his heartdown. He #new that it didn(t loo# good )or hi i) he would #eep this up. 'nthe )ace o) this he needed to a#e sure that "ae#hyun was in sa)ety.Chanyeol couldn(t run any ore and rested on a nearby la p post 7ustne+t to the school gates.

"ae#hyun was )ine.

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7hanyeol$ I-Is something wrong$ Sorry that I didn't call you I was rettyill and my mom took my hone

$'t(s o#ay. Don(t worry. !re you alone& 's so eone with you& 's so eone

standing in )ront o) your door& 's there so eone suspicious& Does thisperson a#e you )eel unco )ortable&$ Chanyeol didn(t #now how hewas able to say this all when his heart pounded so hard against his ribs.He loudly in and e+haled, )eeling tired and worn out. He couldn(t rest yet

aybe this person was closer to "ae#hyun than he #new.

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7hanyeol there isn't anyone! Did something ha en$

$*9*es you #now =inri right&$ 'n this o ent Chanyeol 7ust wanted toclear this up. He didn(t care i) he would be scaring hi < "ae#hyun had to

be aware o) this.

"ut aybe "ae#hyun was ore aware than thought.

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"hat$ She's dead right$ 7ut u and tied u $ Like a resent

Chanyeol was 4uiet.

$How...&$

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Little did he #now that "ae#hyun was laying on his bed. His roo wasdar#< the curtains were all pulled together. He had thrown all o) hisblan#ets on the )loor as he had a blood covered #ni)e in his hand.

The blood on it dripped down to "ae#hyun(s )ace.

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+eautiful right$

This was the second ti e that it happened. The hospital was one o) thethings he really wanted to side9step. They would contact his parents,they would as# hi why he the other day and they would easure hisweight. This was too uch )or Lu Han who 7ust wanted to rest. Hewanted to close his eyes and sleep. %hat he also couldn(t stand was theattention he would get the o ent he would go bac# to school.

He didn(t want to tal# to the .

8ow he was laying again in the sa e hospital he had ran away )ro a)ew days ago. %ould they recognise hi & Hope)ully not. Lu Han didn(thave the ti e )or this dra a. He had )ailed and was alive. %ould Sehun

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be angry at hi & %ould he be saddened because Lu Han had survived&Crac#ing his eyes open, Lu Han loo#ed up the co plete white ceiling.He could hear the beeping o) the achine as i) it was 7ust ne+t to his ear.

His ar was connected with a tube to it, probably nutrition and all thatother useless stu)) was )lowing through. They were trying to get his bodybac# to at least an i aginable stage.

$Lu Han& !re you awa#e&$

Hearing this u))led voice< Lu Han trailed his eyes to his le)t side where

so eone was sitting. He couldn(t properly see his eyes had to )ocus.This so eone too# one o) Lu Han(s hands in his own, s4uee6ing it,$Se...hun&$ Lu Han whispered even though he couldn(t #eep his visionclear. 't had to be Sehun since he was the only one who actually caredabout Lu Han. %ho else would care enough to stay by his side& His

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parents had only wor# in their ind and nothing else. Everyone...his)riends abandoned hi as they were all scared o) hi .

The clasp on his hand sti))ened )or a second, $898o...it(s e Chanyeol.$

He answered tentatively, already supposing that he was ista#en )orso eone else. This Sehun wouldn(t be easily ta#en o)) Lu Han(s indand Chanyeol had learned about it. He should really get used to it. Hehad other proble s li#e one o) his best )riends being a indless #iller."e)ore he could as# anything or say a word "ae#hyun had hung up andwouldn(t pic# up. Chanyeol didn(t want to ad it it but he was too scaredand ost o) all shoc#ed to go to "ae#hyun(s place. He also had to ta#e

care o) Lu Han )irst, to see i) he was )ine.

$!re you alright& Does anything hurt&$ He couldn(t control his curiosityand let the 4uestions out he had to #now.

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Lu Han waited )or a )ew seconds, he was si ply staring at Chanyeol(sconcern stric#en )ace, $Everything hurts Chanyeol. Everything. "ut osto) all... y heart. Do you thin# Sehun would still want e&$ He ur uredunder his breath, his entire body )elt spiritless and he doubted he couldget up any ti e soon. 't was not li#e he had any place to go. His eyelidswere sagging though he told hi sel) to stay awa#e. He wanted to hearthe answer. Chanyeol would de)initely say that Sehun was dead and heshould let go but this ti e Lu Han has the )eeling that it would bedi))erent. "ecause Chanyeol was ga6ing at hi )or so long, care)ullypic#ing out his answer.

$') he won(t want you now...then he never wanted you in the )irst place.That is y answer i) he would be still here.$

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$He is. Sehun is always with e.$ Lu Han cut it and let out a silent sigh.He was used to hear hi co plain about Sehun(s death and hi beingstill alive. His breathing beca e contrived and he clenched his eyesshut. "eing used to it didn(t ean it didn(t bother hi any ore. Hewanted to do nothing ore than disappear and hope death wouldswallow hi up.

$Can ' as# you a 4uestion then&$ Chanyeol 4uestioned, still holding the

other(s hand in his own one. He didn(t #now who he could tal# aboutthat but Lu Han see ed to be the right person. He had never saidanything about that but Chanyeol was sure that his #nowledge was tooli ited to even thin# about it. Lu Han was ore serious and ature. He

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wouldn(t ho e in such a dangerous and )rightening situation. ! situationwhen all the students in school would be in danger.

He had to as# about "ae#hyun.

$Lu Han what do you thin# about two )aced people& Even hypocritical& '9' ean...$ His voice bro#e and he helplessly blin#ed the tears away,$...i agine you always had this one conception about this person. *9*ou

always thought that this person was so eone close to you. *ou li#ed thisperson, a great )riend. "ut then you )ind out so ething shoc#ing anddisturbing about that person. *ou don(t #now i) you should be scared ordisappointed....$ Chanyeol went on, his voice getting 4uieter and cal .

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He #new that Lu Han would not 7udge hi or thin# that he was awea#ling.

$!re you tal#ing about "ae#hyun&$

$%9%hat&1$

How did he #now that& $'t is hi right&$ Lu Han )urrowed his eyebrowsand ga6ed at hi as i) saying he was an idiot )or thin#ing that hewouldn(t )ind out. He would )ind out since there was no other person whowould )it into this description. He had also learned that so ething was

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strange about "ae#hyun. Knowing Chanyeol, that was e+actly what hewas thin#ing. He slowly nodded his head, not prepared )or e+plainingthis 4uic#ly. He probably had his doubts about "ae#hyun who was lately

issing ore lessons. %ould it be ti e again&

$He(s probably planning who his ne+t target is going to be.$ Lu Hanwhispered and closed his eyes be)ore opening the again.

$*9*ou #now about this as well&1$ %as there anything he wasn(t awareo)& Chanyeol didn(t #now i) he should be i pressed or con)used so hedecided )or both together. %as he the only one who wasn(t aware o) thisat all& He actually thought that aybe he 7ust heard everything wrong or"ae#hyun was 7ust playing with hi . "ut the serious e+pression )ro Lu

Han )aded those thoughts instantaneously away. This couldn(t be a 7o#e<they were in no position to 7o#e around about that.

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$Chanyeol you don(t #now a lot about e. !nd to answer your4uestion...what ' thin# about those #inds o) people is that they didn(tdeserve your trust. "ae#hyun used...you and your #ind heart )or his ownthoughts and advantages. *ou should have never trusted hi . Even i) hesee ed li#e the )riendliest person on earth.$ 't was not possible todisregard his racing heart, the pain was 7ust e+cruciating. Lu Han hadalways the )eeling that so ething was o)) about "ae#hyun. He was

always so cheer)ul, understanding and generous. He was li#e an ideal)riend.

That was why Lu Han never included hi in the list o) his suspects. Hedid have hi in ind but he was too unsure to ever add hi . /urderersca e in all shapes and )or s. So eone being nice didn(t ean that they

weren(t capable o) #illing. / misconce tion . Lu Han(s eyes were glued onChanyeol, watching his every ove ent, i patiently waiting )or hi tosay so ething. !nything that would show that he had understood thosewords.

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!s he loo#ed down at their hands Chanyeol sighed, $' still can(t believeit. 't doesn(t a#e sense. "ae#hyun is not so eone who would do th9$

$Chanyeol. 't has nothing to do with believing. 't is what it is. *ou can(tchange it. Stop loo#ing bac# and thin# )orward. 3nly then...you(ll be ableto understand.$ 2iving Chanyeol(s larger hand a s4uee6e, Lu Han again

e+plained. He could al ost hear his own heartbeat pic#ing up, loudlythat he was sure the other heard it. This proved that he was also wor#edup and e+hausted. He was cal )ro the outside but going cra6y in theinside. ') it was "ae#hyun who had urdered didn(t that ean that hewas also responsible )or the other deaths&

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!s i) Chanyeol had heard this thought process, he got his phone out andbegan to eagerly type so ething. He didn(t say anything to Lu Han whogave hi a weird loo#. The silence was intorable. !)ter a while o)

Chanyeol browsing through the 'nternet, he stopped. His )ingers glidaway )ro Lu Han(s at )irst slowly but eventually to )or a )ist. His headwhipped up as their ga6es loc#ed instantly and his breath caught in histhroat. So eti es things that give the i pression o) being so unreal anddisbelieving stay li#e this even with all the evidence spea#ing againstthe .

This was such a case.

$The school that had been attac#ed be)ore ours...'t was "ae#hyun(s oldschool.$

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't wasn(t uch but Lu Han(s eyes widened and his hands started toslightly sha#e. He didn(t have a reason to be surprised because he saw itco ing. Even so why did nobody notice that& %asn(t "ae#hyun sosociable& !)ter this revelation Chanyeol as well )elt nervous, scared andabsolutely du b)ounded at the sa e ti e. He didn(t #now what to thin#.8ow that he got one hundred percent o) reassurance that it had to be"ae#hyun he )elt sic#.

So everything was his doing& /inho& Tae in& =inri& !ll the othervicti s&

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$%ow. This still...doesn(t a#e sense...then the person who was stal#ing"ae#hyun....$

$...was 7ust a cover up so he won(t be suspected. He(s s art.$

$!nd writing his na e on the toilet...$

$...was a 7ust his signature. 't was basically hi saying that ("yun"ae#hyun( had done it. The answer was right in )ront o) us.$ Lu Han)inished o)) Chanyeol(s sentences with easiness. This realisation adeboth o) the )eel stupid. Aery stupid. How can so eone be so two)aced& This was a proo) that you shouldn(t blindly trust everyone. Thiswas 7ust the start. ') everything led to "ae#hyun then there was a high

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chance that Kyungsoo was on the sa e boat. He either was deceivedli#e everyone else or they genuinely wanted to help each other out.

There was also Ki =ongin who was surely with Kyungsoo.

%ere all three o) the plotting against hi &

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This couldn(t be.

't )it together but that couldn(t be. They never showed uch interest ineach other. %ell Kyungsoo and "ae#hyun were good )riends but =ongin

didn(t have any relation towards the latter. 2iven that both o) the wereHyunnie and Kai then it did a#e sense. This couldn(t be since =ongindidn(t have a bracelet...but "ae#hyun did.

Lu Han saw a )lash o) i ages )or a o ent in his ind though he ratherpre)erred to )orget the . There was a boy. 't was Sehun who wasstanding in )ront o) a door step. His )ace was covered in bruises as hewas desperately trying to tal# to another boy. This other boy wasscrea ing at Sehun and sha#ing his head, pointing away to tell hi that

he should leave. "ut Sehun was the one who was sha#ing his head andwas begging about so ething.

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The other boy was Lu Han.

$L9Lu Han& Everything o#ay&$ 't was Chanyeol who as#ed concernedwas heavy in his tone. %ith this 4uestion, Lu Han snapped bac# to

reality. He blin#ed in da6e, noticing that his eyelashes were wet. Heraised his pal s and care)ully touched his da p chee#s. 8ow heunderstood that he was actually crying. "lin#ing ore to get rid o) oretears, he brushed the with his wrist away and loo#ed aside.

$Can you please leave&$

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Li#e the good )riend Chanyeol was he nodded and stood up, wal#ingtowards the door. He #new that he should let hi have his privacy butthere was the chance that he was 7ust lonely. 8o atter how harsh andintroverted he was...Lu Han was still a hu an. So Chanyeol was hal)wayout when he turned around )or another con)ir ation. %hat he saw wasLu Han already staring at hi with a s all s ile.

$Than# you. 0or everything ' ean.$

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Chanyeol ga6ed bac# at hi , not #nowing what to thin#.

$*9*ou are welco e. Stay healthy. '...will stay away )ro "ae#hyun.$

Lu Han s iled again with tears dripping )ro his chin and nodded.

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$:lease do that.$

*

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Hearing steps co ing )ro the staircase, "ae#hyun oved in his bedand sat up. He sighed and brushed the blood on his )ace with his hands.He )elt so relieved. 8ow that she was dead, "ae#hyun could )eel happy

again. She didn(t particularly do so ething that upset hi . 't was 7ustthat she was the last person who had been seen to openly argue with LuHan. ') she was dead then wouldn(t all the bla e go to hi & %hat adehi doubt this plan was that he heard that Lu Han had collapsed so itwouldn(t really a#e sense i) a wea# person would har another.

!nd then there was Chanyeol.

Suddenly hundreds o) thoughts started to rush through his ind. Hecould hear voices )ro outside his roo co ing closer. 3ne o) the

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see ed to be =ongin and the other aybe Kyungsoo. !lthough hecouldn(t really understand their words, their voices were 7ust low in thebac#ground to hi . He 7ust continued to stare at the #ni)e in his hand. ')

he would wash it then he had nothing to re ind hi about his doings. Hewas proud o) that. He de)initely should have )elt asha ed to attac#others without a reason.

't was at the beginning li#e that. "ae#hyun didn(t have a reason when he#illed his )or er )riends in his old school. They were bac#stabbinganyway all the ti e. That was why "ae#hyun didn(t have any regrets. Hewas a nice person. The side that "ae#hyun showed to others wasn(t

)a#e. He was very )riendly and li#ed it to a#e )riends. "ut then he hadthose ti es when he would 7ust have the urge to slice so eone(s heado)). He didn(t always hold a grudge against that person, it was al ostrando ly.

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He )elt )ree, better when he did that.

/inho had been one o) those people.

The door crea#ed open, as =ongin and Kyungsoo ca e in. They were abit con)used about the lac# o) light yet didn(t co plain. They had otherthings to tal# about than the dar#ness o) the roo .

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$Did you hear that Lu Han is in hospital& Chanyeol should be with hi .$') "ae#hyun heard correctly )ro =ongin then he could hear the oc#ingsound in his tone. 't was not the )irst ti e that Chanyeol and Lu Hanwere together. "ut why was "ae#hyun(s heart protesting& Shouting thathe shouldn(t be with Chanyeol& He didn(t belong to anyone and could gowherever he wanted. So he )orced hi sel) to leave it. 'gnoring that

atter caused his heart to pain)ully s4uee6e, it crushed his whole body,and he had never )elt anything li#e that be)ore. %hat could that )eelingbe&

$%hatever. 's he in critical condition&$ To )orget this heartache "ae#hyunas#ed another 4uestion which had =ongin shrug his shoulders.

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$Don(t #now. They won(t tell since '( not his relative. ' thin# he is )inethough because ' saw Chanyeol leaving. ') it would have been seriousthen ' doubt that he would have gone so ewhere.$

!)ter saying that he loo#ed at "ae#hyun. He stared bac# at =ongin, hiseyes were cal but desperate to learn ore about the situation. Heneeded to have a plan. They needed to have a plan because Chanyeolhad )ound everything out. This wasn(t a big deal because he would havetold hi anyway. The proble was that "ae#hyun didn(t #now what to do

ne+t. There weren(t people any ore who were #nown to )ight with LuHan. %ell there was Kyungsoo but "ae#hyun wouldn(t touch hi .

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!)ter everything happened...they were still )riends.

$"ae#hyun can ' as# you a 4uestion&$ Kyungsoo )inally said so ethingand ade both boys loo# at hi .

$Sure go on.$ "ae#hyun s iled and gave the i pression o) being thecaring )riend as i) nothing changed.

$'t(s 7ust...what did Lu Han do to you two& ' ean you #now that he(sta#ing so eone ' li#e )ro e but what(s with you&$ He as#ed and i) hewas honest, this 4uestion nagged at hi )or a very long ti e. %hat

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e+actly did Lu Han do to a#e the both do such horrible things& Theirreason see ed to be so uch ore serious than his own. "ae#hyunbeing a urderer and =ongin helping hi was surprising and )ascinating

at the sa e ti e. "ecause "ae#hyun being the one to )ollow Lu Haneverywhere and always being )riendly with hi didn(t )it with the truth.

"ae#hyun was still nice it was not that he had been wearing a as# )ullo) s iles.

"ut being nice didn(t ean that he had not evil intentions. He had always

those intentions< they were 7ust buried deep down. That nobody would)ind the i) it wasn(t ti e yet.

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$'t(s a very long story. '9'(ll tell you when ' have ti e.$ He answered with a)orced s ile and shi)ted on his bed to lay bac# down. He was tired andwanted to rest even i) he would wa#e up with the police standing ne+t tohi . Chanyeol though wouldn(t dare to call anyone. He was probablytelling hi sel) that he heard wrong and it was all a poor lie. He was

so eone opti istic so things that didn(t )it were )or hi di))icult tounderstand.

$That(s o#ay...' guess...' see you later...$ %ith a little wave Kyungsoo bidhi goodbye and turned to leave. =ongin was startled because they had

7ust arrived but "ae#hyun appeared to be sleepy. So he aw#wardlyscratched the bac# o) his head and uttered a (bye(. The one laying onhis bed s iled at both o) the and waved at the , saying that they

should be care)ul on their way. This was 4uite ironic because "ae#hyunwas a person who could easily endanger so eone else(s li)e.

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He didn(t have a reason.

He 7ust did.

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!)ter this ess that was going on in school, they were still all e+pectedto go to school. ! lot o) students were scared that the school washaunted because Lu Han #ept on )ainting there and three urders hadhappened. /aybe there were even ore corpses nobody #new about.Kyungsoo )or )act wasn(t scared o) that and so dragged =ongin as wellbac# to school. They re oved the writing on the stall wall so that nopolice would get into contact with "ae#hyun.

'nstead o) going bac# to lessons, they pre)erred it to sit on the roo)topand tal# a bit. 't was Kyungsoo who wanted to tal# because what"ae#hyun said was still in his ind and wouldn(t leave so easily. %hat

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did that all ean& Too long to e+plain& They could shorten the story hewasn(t that curious about it. 't was 7ust )rustrating not to #now about that.'t was i portant, why would "ae#hyun go so )ar )or 7ust ere revenge.

There were other possibilities though their reason had to be veryi portant then.

/aybe he should really as#9

$Sorry.$

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!s those words were said, Kyungsoo deliberately turned his head to=ongin who had used the . He loo#ed very serious and sad. ! lot o)things were probably going through his ind. He sighed and also turnedhis head so that their ga6es were loc#ed. 't was very easy to identi)y the)eelings that were re)lected in Kyungsoo(s eyes, $%hy...did you saysorry& 's so ething wrong&$ He as#ed ore and still didn(t understandthe reason )or the apology. Kyungsoo couldn(t re e ber a ti e when=ongin did or said so ething bad. He got his answer when =ongin too# ahold o) his wrist and held it up, revealing the bracelet.

$'(ve lied to you. ' do re e ber )ro where ' have gotten it. 't(s 7ust9$

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$*ou don(t trust e&$

$898o1 ' swear it(s not that. '...wasn(t ready to share it with anyone. 'treopens wounds ' rather want to have sealed. 't hurts too uch.$ He

whispered and stared o)), pushing the heavy )eeling in his chest away.He did trust Kyungsoo but this story didn(t have anything to do withtrusts. 't was 7ust i) he would be co )ortable to tell. 't had to do with=ongin and not the person he was telling. Luc#ily )or hi Kyungsoos iled and ru))led his hair, bringing it into a ess.

$That(s )ine. '( not ad at you. %as this bracelet )ro your e+9girl)riend&$ He let his hand rest on =ongin(s head who was staring atKyungsoo with disbelieving eyes. That was it& He wouldn(t as# ore&He had a)ter all lied so shouldn(t he want to #now the reason )or thedishonesty& Seconds passed and Kyungsoo was waiting )or an answeras i) the actual sub7ect had been co pletely dropped. He still didn(tre ove his hands and was staring at =ongin.

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$8o it wasn(t. "ut #inda. /ore li#e e+9)riend. 't(s...so ething thathappened a while ago.$ He carried on and so Kyungsoo pulled his handbac# and nodded his head. Then a pretty good idea ca e into his ind.

!lthough they spent a lot o) ti e together they didn(t really #now theother as uch he thought he did. $*ou #now =ongin, ' thin# we shouldget to #now each other better. *ou don(t need to tell e everything. *ousaid that ' should help you to #eep your e otions in place so do the )irststep and tell e a bit about yoursel).$

%hen =ongin heard this he was staggered and needed a o ent tocollect hi sel).

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$'9'ntroduction&$ He repeated and earned a #een nod )ro the elder.

$*eah li#e who you are. The part about Lu Han...you can leave that out.$Kyungsoo e+plained and to not a#e it all unco )ortable )or hi he

added the last bit. 't was 7ust that they spend a lot o) ti e together andgetting to #now each other couldn(t be bad right& He would also sayso ething about hi sel). So =ongin would also understand hi better.

Shi)ting a bit on the ground, =ongin was thin#ing )or a o ent and thenspo#e, $'( Ki =ongin. Seventeen. ' li#e chic#en. '( an orphan. ' hate

aths and anything with nu bers ' thin# it(s con)using. ' live alone andthe last ti e ' had a )a ily was when ' 7ust turned si+. There was thisreally nice lady and her husband who couldn(t have children. So sheadopted e but )or so e reason her co pany went ban#rupt and shecouldn(t have e any ore. So ' went bac# to the orphanage. ' was not

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sociable but when ' ca e bac# ' was deter ined to a#e )riends so 'started to tal# to other children. There was this one child who ' li#ed sowe beca e 4uic#ly )riends. His na e was Hunnie because we had

nic#na es there since none o) us could pronounce di))icult na es. !ndthen there was Hyunnie...there was Hannie as well. Chanyeol 7oined uspretty late as *eollie. %e had a lot o) )un and Hannie ade us )riendshipbracelets9$

Kyungsoo was staring at =ongin.

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$Did...' say too uch&$ =ongin nervously as#ed and scratched his head.He didn(t ean to say so uch and he al ost went to the area who hadsaid he wouldn(t tal# about. Kyungsoo was loo#ing at hi as i) he was

saying so ething incredible or i pressive because his eyebrows wereraised and he ade no ove to interrupt =ongin and as# a 4uestion. Hewas into listening that he didn(t #now that he was ga6ing at the youngeras i) he had said so ething re ar#able.

Then his tight e+pression loosened itsel) and he s iled, po#ing =ongin(s)orehead.

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$*ou said that you want to be happy right& *ou said you wanted to #nowhappiness, to understand what you are )eeling. *ou want e to give youyour happiness.$

=ongin was con)used but slowly nodded, $*eah....that(s right.$ %hat wasthe big deal about that&

Kyungsoo bro#e out into laughter and once again dishevelled his hair.

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$Do you listen to yoursel) when you are tal#ing& *ou sounded so e+citedand rela+ed when you tal#ed about your e+perience there. *our old)riends. ' guess they are the #ey reason to beco e happy. *ou can(t

beco e happy by yoursel).$ He e+plained which ade sense in hisind. =ongin always wanted to beco e happy, to )orce the )eeling upon

hi sel). He had been happy at so e point in his li)e. He 7ust didn(tappreciate it enough or wasn(t aware o) it. 't was there but =ongin choseto close his eyes and loo# )or it.

$=ongin you need to )ind those people that will a#e you happy. '( notsaying that you should loo# )or your old )riends but live your li)e and stopliving with grie). There a illions and illions o) people out there youdon(t #now. /aybe you have lived your li)e too 4uic#ly. ' don(t #now whathappened with Lu Han or "ae#hyun and '( not saying that you shouldlet go but kee your eyes o en . '( not only tal#ing about your)riends...the love o) your li)e could be right in )ront o) you and you would

never #now.$

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$ eally&$ =ongin as#ed, co pletely caught o)) guard with this #ind o)answer. He had never thought about it in such a way. 't was true that=ongin was blind with )inding revenge and being happy that he didn(tthin# o) the ost obvious ways. His ga6e dropped down and while thes ile never le)t Kyungsoo(s lips, =ongin li)ted his hand and stared at theblue s#y.

He pretended to grab the sun and narrowed his eyes )ro its rays.

$%ill you help e to beco e happy&$

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$Sure.$

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*

't had been al ost a day since Lu Han was ad itted into the hospital.Throughout the whole day only Sehun and Chanyeol had co e to visithi . Sehun didn(t say uch and didn(t a#e hi sel) visible but Lu Han#new that he was there and was loo#ing over hi . Chanyeol stood to his

words and didn(t contact "ae#hyun any ore. He wouldn(t pic# up butnow he was thin#ing about it any ore. Lu Han didn(t e+pect his parentsto co e because they were wor#ing. He thought that they would at leastgive the hospital a call about his condition or what the reason even wasthough they didn(t.

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They wouldn(t notice his absence anyway.

Lu Han didn(t #now what to do. 8ow that the doctors )ound out that hewas losing weight on purpose, would they even let hi go& %ould the

tell hi to see a counsellor& This could wait because Lu Han had tocon)ront "ae#hyun. He had to as# hi why the hell he was #illing people)or the )un o) it and then a#ing it loo# li#e it was Lu Han& ') he wasreally wor#ing with =ongin then he was screwed. There was no reason)or both o) the to hold any grudges against Lu Han.

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3nly i) they were Kai and Hyunnie then they head every reason to.

This uncertainty drove Lu Han cra6y.

He wanted to get out )ro this da n hospital. He didn(t care i) he woulddie, he wanted that anyway. %hat was currently essing with his indwas =ongin(s and "ae#hyun(s reason )or their hatred towards hi . 3nthe )irst glance =ongin was 7ust li#e any other annoying teenager who

should ind his own business. "ut in reality he was anything but that.Kyungsoo was de)initely used by both o) the so that all the anger goesto towards hi . They pointed all the arrows towards Kyungsoo so thatthey would never see suspicious.

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The sleepiness that never bothered hi was suddenly there andoverca e his ind with weariness. Lu Han couldn(t sleep at ho e )orso e reason, too any thoughts #ept hi awa#e. !nd even #now it wasbothering hi though he could )ight against it. He needed sleep so hisbody could at least rest )or a little while. 't had been put under stress )or

the past hours and sleeping couldn(t do so ething bad.

!s soon as he )ell into a deep slu ber, the door opened open.

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So)t and soundless steps )ollowed, approaching the bed.

! hand reach out )or Lu Han(s sleeping )igure.

The sounds o) re oving the tube )ro Lu Han(s ar were not issed byhis ear. He could hear everything. 't was )or obvious reasons s arter tonot say anything and pretend to sleep. "ut who would co e in the

iddle o) the night to trans)er hi & 't couldn(t be a nurse since they

would have turned the lights on or at least would have ade so enoise. The tiredness that was )lowing through Lu Han. He was unable toget up and de)end hi sel) as it paralysed his body.

!)ter getting )orced into a sitting position, Lu Han could )eel that thisperson heaved hi with easiness up. That eant that they had to be

ale and aybe taller than hi . There surely could be strong wo en

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but the grip was 7ust too rough. %ith Lu Han in his ar he ovedtowards the door in a 4uic# pace. Lu Han couldn(t open his eyes as hishead lightly bu ped into the chest o) the other. =ust where were they

going& His heart began to beat uneasily. "reath was helplessly caught inhis throat as his heartbeat accelerated and ha ering so violently in hischest that each beat see ed to cause physical pain.

$Don(t worry. '(ve got you.$ This voice alone was enough )or Lu Han to#now who was carrying. %ith closed eyes he could clearly )eel that theair around hi got colder. They were outside& %hy was nobody stoppingSehun& Lu Han trusted hi but why would he #idnap hi & ') he wantedto say so ething then he could have been warned be)orehand. He wasprobably sad that Lu Han survived and was on the way to recovery. Sothat was the reason )or hi to ta#e hi away )ro the hospital.

'n the ne+t o ent, Lu Han was thrown onto the bac# seats o) a car.0ro where did Sehun get a car& Even i) he was alive he would havebeen too young to drive. 't could have been that Lu Han was

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underesti ating hi and he too# driving lessons. To where was theproble . %here were they going to go& His house was the ost logicallocation. Sehun was aware o) the lac# o) )a ily ti e spent together. He

#new that Lu Han was always alone which let his house be a good placeto stay at. There would be nobody to say anything. 8obody to beconcerned, nobody to care.

Sehun turned the #eys and stepped onto the gas pedal.

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't had been an hour since Sehun had abducted Lu Han )ro the hospital.There were no words e+changed between the throughout the car ride

even though Sehun did #now that he was awa#e. He was staring )robehind at Sehun in the car and couldn(t bring hi sel) to say anything. Hisbody was too wea# to sit up or do any ove ents. So he was bound to

7ust lay there, otionless and witness how he was driven to his house.This was surely where Sehun would bring hi because nobody wasthere to inter)ere and let the tal# in peace.

"ut now they were sitting on Lu Han(s bed, have already le)t the car awhile ago and yet they couldn(t say anything. Sehun had carried hi intothe dar# house and was barely able to turn the lights on. Though thiswas not their ain proble . They had other things to discuss whichliterally li)e were depending. %ho would do the )irst step was orei portant because all they did was loo# at each other. Especially Sehun

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didn(t ta#e his ti e to blin# and i) anything oved closer to the other thattheir legs were touching.

He had no proble s to call Lu Han beauti)ul even with his pale )ace and

his struggles to breathe. The boy be)ore hi didn(t ove, his dull eyeswere boring into Sehun(s. ! tear )ell )ro Lu Han chee# and struc# hischin. 0ollowed by another tear that slipped out o) his eye and traileddown to the pillow. He loo#ed at Sehun with an intensity that )inally toldhi that Lu Han was not reconsidering to die. He #new what hepro ised Sehun and he #new that other than Chanyeol nobody would)eel sad. Lu Han wouldn(t do it )or the attention and he didn(t e+pect

others to cry when he wouldn(t be there. %ould anyone even notice it&

"eing ready didn(t ean that he wasn(t scared. Lu Han was terri)ied o)dying because he didn(t #now what e+actly would happen to hi . %ouldhe beco e li#e Sehun& 3r would he 7ust )all into the deep depths o)dar#ness and not awa#e any ore. He wanted to be with Sehun but the)ear was not letting go o) his heart.

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Sehun was still ga6ing thought)ully at hi , hands on his lap, waitingpatiently )or Lu Han to say so ething. The longer he waited he ca e tothe conclusion that Lu Han aybe didn(t want to start and was waiting)or hi to begin, $Lu Han. ' #now what you are thin#ing but it isn(t as badas it sounds. *ou(ll be )ree li#e e. Don(t be scared, ' too# you away

)ro the hospital.$

Lu Han could only stare at hi , so any i pending responses to choose)ro that he was co pletely unable to choose any single one )or several

o ents. 0inally he decided to open his outh and say so ething,$Sehun ' want to be with you but how do ' #now that...we will betogether&$ He could still re e ber the )irst ti e he as#ed this 4uestionwhich was a )ew onths ago. He could still re e ber how Sehun

laughed it o)) and said that they will de)initely be together. He could stillre e ber how relieved he was when Sehun said that everything wasgoing to be )ine. 8obody would have inded Lu Han(s death and hecould stay with so eone who truly loved hi than others who ignoredhi .

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Sehun(s answer had never changed.

$%e will be together. '( sure. Don(t worry about other things. !s long asyou believe in it then you will soon be able to hold y hand...)orever.$His voice disturbed the silence and Lu Han )ro6e9 it was so)t and gentlea response that he had not anticipated. He thought that a)ter all this ti eSehun would get sic# o) hi . !nd )ro all the )ailing o) dying he wouldta#e it in his own hands. Lu Han was over e+uberant, not letting his

happiness show in this o ent.

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$!re you sure& /y li)e isn(t worth anything but...that doesn(t ean ' wantto be alone again.$ Lu Han sel)9pitied, leaning )orward so that his lipstouched Sehun(s ear as he went on. $So eti es ' have troublesbelieving that you want e. ' ean you #now e )or so long. *ou haveseen everything o) e. '( disappointing you by staying alive.$ He trailedhis hands over the sides o) Sehun, )ingers digging deep into his waist. !tthe sight o) his watery eyes, Sehun was startled, shoulders tensing )or a

o ent be)ore he pulled the other closer to his chest. "reathless andtre bling, Lu Han leaned his )orehead against Sehun(s provided chest.

$Sehun do you love e&$ This 4uestion was waiting to be as#ed as LuHan always wanted to #now about his true )eelings. ') he was ever goingto be loved bac#. ') he would ever hear those words directed at hi ."ecause he had never heard the . 8obody had ever told hi that hewas loved. The bags under his eyes showed how e+hausted he trulywas. "ut there was this at osphere to hi , a little wave o) serenity

around hi that showed Sehun that he was still happy to be by his side.

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There was no answer. !lready e+pecting this Lu Han closed his eyesand gritted his teeth, not in )rustration, but to so ething a#in todesperation. 2etting accepted )or who he was, was so ething that hesilently )ought very hard to achieve when it ca e to others. He alwayssaid that he didn(t care about opinions but it did hurt hi how he wasdi))erently seen co pared to everyone else. !nd now Sehun could noteven bring hi sel) to say that he loved Lu Han. He had thought sobecause Lu Han was sure that he was )ighting with hi sel) to answersuch a ridiculous 4uestion.

$' do. ' love you Lu Han.$

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Strong hands gripping Lu Han(s )rail shoulders, and then Sehun loo#eddown #eeping their intense eye contact up. Lu Han(s tears slipped )rohis eyes and rolled down his chee#s, re aining unresponsive )or a

o ent, too ba))led as he tried to ta#e in the situation. He was wrong&%as this )or real because Lu Han was not in the ood )or stupid 7o#es.Sehun pulled bac#, brushed his thu b against Lu Han(s botto lip, andwhispered words that cut his breath short.

$') ' wouldn(t love you, do you thin# ' would let you 7ust live your li)e& *ouare a)ter all responsibility )or y short li)e.$

!nd then he swept down and captured his lips in a war , ild #iss.:ulling hi closer by the waist, Sehun lic#ed the other boy(s lips, causingLu Han to shiver slightly, be)ore parting said lips to welco e hi . His lips)ound Lu Han(s a split second later, while duc#ing his head closer todeepen the #iss. He could )eel a war hand slide over the speedily

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overheating s#in o) his chest. Sehun pushed Lu Han down, brea#ingtheir #iss )or a o ent so he could lean )orwards and #eep going.

Lu Han(s heart was racing, thu ping against its cage so hard it hurt. He

)elt nervous, troubled and panic#ed, even. 't was hard to breathe, and it)elt li#e he would die i) Sehun would go on. "ut Lu Han didn(t have thepower to spea# up or even re)use. This wasn(t their )irst ti e yet it )eltli#e it was. Sehun was conscious that the other was not healthy or wasphysically )ine to do so ething so he decided to begin. He ran his)ingertips down his ar s, whispering words that Lu Han(s ear couldn(t4uite catch at the )irst try.

$Listen. ' don(t show it uch but without you '( lonely. ' don(t haveanyone else,$ Sehun loo#ed down on Lu Han(s con)licted )ace andleaned )orwards to #iss hi again. $That doesn(t ean that '( 7ust usingyou. %hat ' )eel )or you is real.$ He #issed Lu Han(s )orehead, $*ou aythin# that '( 7ust so e #id that wants you to su))er...$ He oved down to

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Lu Han(s 7aw, his tone low and barely over a whisper. $...and that(s truebut ' do love you. Don(t thin# that ' don(t.$

Ta#ing this in Lu Han )elt weariness settle behind his eyelids, and a

ponderous weight sin# in his gut, $So you want so ething bad to happento e but then you say that you love& ' believe that you want to #eepyour lover sa)e.$ He )elt his eyes sting suspiciously as Sehun didn(t sayanything to that. ! slight bree6e co ing )ro the opened window wa)tedhis scent over to hi . He e+pected a slap or so ething that would tellhi that he was not wanted. %hat he got in return was Lu Hanscrunching his eyes shut, tears were running down his reddened chee#s,

and he too# Sehun(s )ace in his hands.

$Sehun would you ever )orgive e&$

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His response was sliding his hands down to Lu Han(s thighs, partingthe .

$*eah.$

Lu Han li)ted his ga6e and all o) his uscles tensed up. His heart )ro6e inhis chest, then instantly 7olted into overdrive as he, literally dropped his

outh open. He didn(t e+pect to hear it this early. He had always wantedto be )orgiven but it 7ust wasn(t realistic. He too# deep, even breaths tocal hi sel) down, while he let go o) Sehun(s )ace to pull hi down. Hewrapped his ar s around Sehun(s nec# and held hi tight.

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'n the ne+t o ent he let the shirt )all to the )loor, and then went )or thewaistband o) his pants. Even though those were hurriedly undone, theybeca e i patient. Eventually all o) their clothes were laying on the cold)loor. Lu Han )elt the bed sin# a little under the additional weight ovingtowards hi . His hands were war as they glided over Sehun(s s#in,

)eeling the co pacted uscle beneath the sur)ace, )inding the placesthat ade Sehun(s hands tighten and holding hi )ir er.

0ro this ove, Sehun(s right hand travelled up Lu Han(s )rail torso,sliding up his nec#, only to pause at his outh. He gripped Lu Han(schin, )orcing hi to loo#. 8o words were needed to co unicate as hepushed Sehun a bit bac# and stretched his ar towards his cupboardwhich was ne+t to his bed. He searched through it and )ound a little newbottle. He handed it over to Sehun who opened it and pushed his )ingersin. Lu Han didn(t say uch but waited as he rested his )orehead onSehun(s collarbone, trailing his )ingertip on it.

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;sing this second, Sehun waited )or Lu Han to lay bac# down andangled hi sel) )urther up the bed to lean closer to hi . He dipped his)ace closer to Lu Han(s until they #issed< the )eeling sent a thrill downSehun(s spine.

His hands stro#ed down Lu Han(s bac#, and he )ound hi sel) unable tonot thin# about doing anything he better should not thin# o). Lu Hanwasn(t the type to ove or say uch so he bit everything bac# whenSehun probed his entrance provocatively be)ore inserting one )inger. !s

the digit oved in and out, gently stro#ing his wall )or a while and a)ter a)ew o ents he pulled it out be)ore pushing two in, the stretch a little

ore pain)ul but rather sustaining.

$'t(s o#ay. '9'(ve been through worse...$ Lu Han(s chest was heaving insynch with hi inhaling. The sound o) his unusual 4uiet, whispery voice

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was not what Sehun #new o) hi . His blood was pu ping through hisveins as his )ree hand slid down Lu Han(s side be)ore resting against hiswaist. He dragged it down his e+posed sto ach be)ore letting go o) it.

He li)ted his hand to hold Lu Han(s chin and pressed a gentle, 4uic# #issto his lips.

$Lu Han ' love you. So e part o) e still hates you but y love )or youwill overco e that.$ He could )eel his entire body heating up, what adeit worse was the way Lu Han(s nails were digging slightly into his

shoulders.

$' don(t #now what to say.$

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$Then don(t say anything.$

*

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't was li#e any other boring day. Lu Han sat in the corner o) the playingroo and was stitching one o) his dolls. He could hear in the bac#ground

children laughing while playing together with their )riends. Lu Han wasannoyed but he didn(t show any e otions to convey his anger. He didn(tloo# at the and was only concentrating on shoving the needle(s endinto the cotton. !)ter staying )or three onths in the orphanage he hadlearned that he should 7ust ignore those that pulled on his nerve strings.

They were all around his age and so eti es as#ed hi i) he wanted toplay with the . Lu Han politely declined, not )orgetting to add that hedidn(t have ti e )or such childish ga es. He had better things to do.Things li#e a#ing bracelet )or his annoying )riends. They are annoyingbut the good #ind o) annoying. Kai )ollowed by Hunnie and the newaddition Hyunnie would rando ly show up and tal# to hi . Lu Han toldthe every ti e to get lost though he didn(t ean it in a bad way.

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He did want the to stay.

$%hat are you doing&$

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This very well9#nown voice appeared )ro behind Lu Han(s bac#. !lso alittle head showed up over Lu Han(s shoulder, e+citedly observing theother. This was not the )irst ti e that the youngest and ost irritating boyca e and bothered hi . He was the one who ca e )re4uently to Lu Hanand always as#ed the sa e 4uestion. He also had this doll in his handand carried it everywhere, it was creepy. Lu Han had also dolls but what

ade Sehun(s one so strange was that he literally carried it everywhere.

Holding the needle tighter Lu Han has no choice but sighed andanswered, $' thin# you can see that. Stop as#ing stupid 4uestions.$

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Sehun let out a sound o) recognition and plopped hi sel) ne+t to theother.

$Can ' help you&$

$8o.$ 't was sharp and 4uic#. He actually had a reason )or being so blunt

since holding a needle was very dangerous )or Sehun. He was naturallyclu sy and Lu Han would never want to see hi get hurt. He would notsay that out loud because he had too uch pride and continued to beli#e the usual rude child. He didn(t care i) anyone thought o) hi li#e that.

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Sehun didn(t see to be hurt at all and as#ed another 4uestion, $Can 'play with your dolls& ' thin# ine is lonely.$

Lu Han stared at the younger with a so ewhat ta#en bac# e+pression.

$8o. Dolls can(t get lonely. They don(t have brains.$ Lu Han sighed )orthe second ti e and went bac# to stitching. Couldn(t he )ind so eoneelse to play with& He wasn(t )riendless Sehun was very sociable. So why

would he agree to co e to so eone who didn(t li#e tal#ing& This was 7ust not a#ing sense. Sehun not being hurt at all was not a#ing senseeither as he was ga6ing at Lu Han(s tense )ace.

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$Hyung can you a#e e a )riendship bracelet& Kai has one and you(rea#ing Hyunnie one too1 That(s not )air1$ His ood instantly dropped,

biting his lips in )rustration Sehun pouted because that treat ent was not)air. He was 7u ping )ro topic to topic to aybe get the other(sattention.

$Listen Sehun. '( very busy so go away.$

$8o you(re not. *ou are tal#ing to e.$

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This child was so in)uriating that it wasn(t )unny. He was everywhere andcouldn(t leave Lu Han alone. %henever he told the younger to get lost hewould ignore hi and 7ust continue to as# stupid 4uestions. Lu Han didn(tbla e his age because he was only three onths younger than Kai andhe had clearly better anners. Either Sehun was 7ust acting stupid to getattention or he was irritating as hell.

$Sehun ' won(t a#e you a bracelet so go away1 !nd play with so eoneat your age1$ He raised his tone and hoped that this ti e it got into hisbrain. He should learn that no eant no. He wouldn(t get any specialtreat ent and this was )inal. Lu Han thought that he would gethar lessly cursed at li#e Sehun saying that the elder was ean. %hatactually happened was Sehun dropping his ga6e and got up. He

ur ured a (bye(. He dragged his doll a)ter hi , leaving the play roowith sagging shoulders and #ept his head low.

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The other children playing were loo#ing at the scene and were as#ingthe selves what happened. Lu Han didn(t tal# uch and getting loudwas also so ething he didn(t do uch. He didn(t do it because he hadno reason to but Sehun was getting on his nerves, $This child...$ Hewhispered, sitting down and ta#ing the needle again to continue hiswor#. %hy was it always hi who Sehun went to& "ecause when hewent to Kai or Hyunnie he wasn(t )rustrating.

$Don(t you thin# you are being ean&$

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Lu Han #new that he was eant but he didn(t bother raising his head ora#e any sound o) ac#nowledge ent. He carried on with stitching and

ignored the other boy who sat ne+t to hi . %ell he wished that he couldignore hi , $Hannie why are you so ean to hi &$ The boy 4uestionedand po#ed the side o) the as#ed one. Lu Han was torn between being4uiet and 7ust answering shortly. Still having his eyes on his doll, hepulled the needle through the hole and pulled it with the string up.

$"ecause he(s annoying.$

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was loo#ing at and then he got it, $%hat& 8o it(s not his1 't(s )or9$ Hecouldn(t #eep going because Hyunnie said so ething about getting(Hunnie( and was already standing. Lu Han still tried to e+plain hi but

he didn(t listen and ran o)). This le)t hi again alone with aisunderstanding between the . The worst thing that could possibly

happen to hi was9

$H*;82 *3; ! E /!K'82 /E ! " !CELET&1$

Sehun ca e bac# into the roo , running )ast though he )ell, got up9 andthen slowly approached Lu Han who was s4uee6ing his eyes shut. %hywould Hyunnie do that& He should #now very well Lu Han how )elt aboutthis annoying child. He wasn(t the only who had an H at the beginning o)his na e, $!re you really doing it&1 ' thought you didn(t li#e e1$ Hes iled and shoo# Lu Han by grabbing his shoulders. He had to ad itthat Sehun was happier li#e that9 he didn(t see hi a lot being thishappy. That was truly rare because all Lu Han did was yell at hi .

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$The thing is...$ Lu Han #new that he would regret it, $...yeah ' a but it(snot done yet.$

$ eally&1 *ou are the best hyung even i) you are ean1 Can you spell

y na e&$ Sehun didn(t let go and was now holding onto Lu Han(s ar ,tugging and pulling it.

$393) course ' can. 2et e so e paper '(ll show you.$ Lu Han sighedand pointed at the table which had so e blan# paper on it that theycould use. Sehun nodded and ran o)), happy that he would )inally get a

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present )ro so eone he thought hated hi . He didn(t usually sayanything that showed that he li#ed Sehun in any way. So this braceletwas unanticipated because he always wanted to get one. Lu Han was no

di))erent and was hi sel) con)used why he 7ust didn(t say the truth. Hedidn(t really #now and 7ust agreed. 't was all Hyunnie(s )ault )ro thebeginning.

Sehun ca e bac# with a )ew sheets and let the all )all in )ront o) LuHan(s #nees. He had also a )ew colour crayons and gave Lu Han thebiggest blac# one. The elder accepted it and hovered over the paper<slowly he put the crayon(s end on the paper and began to draw a )ew

characters. 't wasn(t very i pressive and his handwriting was sha#y andhorrible )or a neat #id li#e hi but Sehun was anyway i pressed. Hedidn(t really #now why he was i pressed but he #new that he was gladthat he could )inally be with his hyung.

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He thought that he would always get pushed away and Lu Han wouldnever play with hi . They currently weren(t playing but at least they weresitting together with no proble s. !)ter he was done he pushed the

paper )orwards so that it was touching Sehun(s #nees and loo#ed up-

$!nd& %hat do you thin#& 3) course ' can write your na e.$

Sehun pic#ed it up and held it in )ront o) his )ace, a a6ed at the writing.

$' don(t #now ' can(t read1 "ut it loo#s nice1$

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Lu Han ga6ed at hi and lightly s iled, loo#ing aside.

You're such an idiot Sehun

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Even with )inally having the bracelet in his hand he went bac# to hisclingy state and annoyed Lu Han li#e always. He was ore annoyingthan ever, the reason was that he now thought that Lu Han li#ed hibac# and they could beco e )riends. He didn(t #now that getting thebracelet was 7ust an accident and he was never supposed to have one.Lu Han would never tell hi the truth but he had to a#e clear thatSehun should #eep his distance )ro . He had other )riends9 at his placewho he could play with. %hat was so special about Lu Han that he wasbeing )ollowed by hi &

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%hat ade hi angrier was that nobody, neither Kai nor Hyunnie helpedhi . They didn(t tell Sehun o)) or told hi to leave Lu Han alone. 't wasthe opposite< they were siding with Sehun and encouraged hi to play

with hi . They said that Sehun really li#ed Lu Han and that was why here)used to play with so eone else. Kai and Hyunnie being their )riends

eant that they would support the . They would help Sehun to spendore ti e with Lu Han and help Lu Han to a#e others )riends whicheant Sehun only.

There were ti es that Lu Han really didn(t want Sehun to be with the .

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Ti es when they would do things )or older boys where Sehun didn(thave a word to say in it.

't was pouring on that day, not a lot but enough to a#e their clotheswet. Lu Han, Hyunnie and Kai wanted to play )ootball and this outside.The careta#er didn(t allow the because they could easily catch a cold

but Kai persuaded her that they could play )or a )ew inutes. %hichevertechni4ue he used was e))ective because she agreed and said that shewould count )ive inutes. 3thers would thin# that this would be a wastebecause o) this short ti e but they didn(t have a proble with it.

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8one o) the had told Sehun a word as he had one o) the wea#esti une syste s and would get in seconds ill.

%hen Lu Han, Hyunnie and Kai went through the little )orest and played)or about )our inutes, Lu Han got worried.

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He )elt bad )or not saying anything to Sehun.

!s this thought struc# his ind, he helplessly #ic#ed the ball with orestrength than intended so that it )lew away. He was going to get it but the

voice o) the careta#er told the that the ti e was over. Lu Han wouldnonetheless get it but Kai stopped hi and said that they would get itlater. They didn(t want to brea# the trust towards the careta#er otherwiseshe wouldn(t ever allow the to go anywhere, $'t(s o#ay let(s go1$Hyunnie pulled Lu Han(s ar bac# to the building while the other wasga6ing at the distant bushes.

%hat they didn(t e+pect9 not in the slightest was that Sehun who wasstanding in )ront o) the window had seen everything. He was not angry atthe )or not telling hi but he was upset that the ball was gone. He#new that this was Lu Han(s )avorite one because he always used it

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when they played )ootball. Sehun le)t the playroo and went bac# to theroo he shared with Kai and another boy, loo#ing through his wardrobe.He )ound his 7ac#et there and put it on, a#ing sure that nobody had

seen hi . Then he snatched the u brella and his doll that had beenlaying under his bed )or 4uite a while.

He had to get the ball bac#.

't was noon and ost children were sleeping so they didn(t notice howSehun tip toed downstairs and eventually slipped his )eet into shoes. Hecould see that Kai and the other(s shoes were there as well becausethey had already returned and were in the living roo as a careta#erwas drying the with towels. Sehun pursed his lips when he wal#edtowards the door and stretched his ar up to be able to touch the #nob.He turned it a)ter seconds o) struggling and glided through the gap to not

a#e uch noise.

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$%here did it go&$ Sehun as#ed and opened the u brella up, holding itover his head. 3n the other hand was his precious doll. The rain co ingdown was now a lot ore than earlier that Sehun had troubles seeing.He wal#ed bac# the way they had ta#en and lost the ball. He 7oggedwhen he saw so ething red stuc# in a bush though it was a bit )ar away.That didn(t atter because i) he would bring it bac#, wouldn(t Lu Han behappier& He would than# Sehun and then they would beco e best

)riends. %ith a s ile, he sped once again up and headed to the bushes.'t was a bit )ar away and to be honest he had never been there but aslong as he was 4uic# then it was )ine.

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=ust when his uneasy heart had cal ed down, he grabbed the ball withone hand and pushed it against his chest together with his doll. His other hand was holding the u brella. Sehun turned around and soon enoughdropped the ball and doll. He had dropped the since he had gotten ashoc#. There was a grown up an standing in )ront o) hi . He was notcarrying an u brella and was staring down at Sehun. His ga6e was sosharp that Sehun shivered and loo#ed down. He again atte pted to getthe ball but the an #ic#ed the ball away, landing so ewhere withintwenty eters.

$*ou can(t do that1 't(s Lu Han hyung(s1$ Sehun yelled but the other didn(treally listen and pulled Sehun at his 7ac#et.

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$Shut up1 *our )ather had ruined y co pany1 ' should have never donethe partnership1 83% HE(S S%'//'82 '8 /38E* !8D %H!T(S %'TH/E&1$

Sehun didn(t understand and apprehensively shoo# his head.

$'9' don(t have a dad1 He hit y o ' don(t want a dad li#e that1$ Hiswords were le)t unheard as the an 7ust harshly pulled the child a)terhi . 't didn(t atter how uch he was resisting because at the end hewas carried away as his bracelet )ell out o) his wrist and landed on the

uddy ground. Sehun had tears in his eyes when he saw that and as#edhi sel) why he had to be so du b and run a)ter the ball& 'n theorphanage he would have been sa)e. He hadn(t seen his parents in along ti e so who was this an& Sehun could #ind o) understand whatwas eant with co pany. His )a ily wasn(t poor, they had always a loto) oney and his dad had a big co pany.

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%hat did his stupid dad do&

0irst hit his o and then putting hi in this situation&

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Sehun did not return to the orphanage and was reported issing a)ter aday o) searching.

$%hat&1 *ou can(t )ind hi &1$ Kai cried and as#ed the police en wholoo#ed at each other and then de7ectedly shoo# their heads. They weregoing to reassure that they would )ind hi but Kai didn(t want to hear any

o) that and 7ust ran away bac# the playroo where nobody was playingalone. The children were too scared that they would be the ne+t ones sothey stayed together in large groups. Kai was the one who was the ostworried even ore than the careta#ers who bla ed the selves )or not#eeping an eye on hi .

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This was so )rustrating how it could happen in the iddle o) the day. Kaicould 4uic#ly spot Lu Han whose bac# was )acing hi and was probablystitching so ething li#e always, $Hey1 Let(s loo# )or hi again1 Those

police en can(t see properly ' bet we could do it a lot better1$ He spo#eout though Lu Han didn(t turn around and didn(t say anything. He didn(teven )linch )ro hearing his voice. Kai bit the inside o) his chee# andcurled his )ists into balls. He couldn(t believe that Lu Han was acting sounresponsive.

$'( sure we can )ind hi 1 Co e help e1$ He repeated again withcrac#ing voice but Lu Han didn(t say a word. He was #nown )or disli#ing

Sehun but that didn(t ean that he would ignore so ething li#e that. Kaiwas sure that unli#e Hyunnie who was crying in his roo Lu Han woulddo so ething. He wouldn(t brush it o))< he wasn(t the person to do that.He #new better than that.

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Crushing his teeth together, Kai had enough and grabbed Lu Han(selbow to turn hi around.

%hat he saw was not an indi))erent e+pression but tears9 actual tears

strea ing down his chee#s.

$'(ve....'(ve never wanted so ething bad to happen to hi ..11 :9:leasebelieve e.$

He was holding Sehun(s bracelet and doll in his hand which was bothcovered in dirt.

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Kai couldn(t anything so he si ply hugged Lu Han.

$'t(s o#ay. 't(s not your )ault.$

8ot your )ault.

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*

Chanyeol couldn(t sleep a)ter the revelation o) "ae#hyun(s actual identity.He couldn(t believe how easily Lu Han could accept that their )riend wasso eone who #illed others. "ecause no atter how hard Chanyeol

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couldn(t. He had spent so uch ti e with so eone who had in realityinnocent blood on his hands. He had 7o#ed around with hi , hungaround with hi . 8ow that he #new who Chanyeol actually was would he

be the ne+t target& 't could have been hi .

%al#ing around so late wasn(t so ething s art to do but Chanyeolcouldn(t help it. He needed to get his head clear. He needed to tal# toso eone9 to Lu Han . That was his reason )or heading towards his)riend(s house. He wanted to tal# about "ae#hyun, it was stupid but

aybe there were wrong and "ae#hyun was actually innocent. Hestared o)) into space )or at which his head was spinning. He was not

sure i) he was ready )or the big con)rontation yet. Chanyeol neededore ti e to process the in)or ation that has 7ust sun# into his ind.

He needed advice )ro Lu Han. Keeping his sight low, he wal#edtowards the door o) the house. He could see a )igure standing in )ront o)the door but Chanyeol didn(t care. 't was probably one o) his parents. He

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didn(t see Lu Han(s parents uch whenever he visited hi . %hen heca e closer those thoughts )aded away and were replaced with doubt. ') this was one o) Lu Han(s parents then why would they ta#e so long ti e

to get in&

"ecause it wasn(t the .

$Hey...$ The person was "ae#hyun who so)tly waved at the taller.

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Chanyeol(s eyes were wide.

This should have been the o ent. How "ae#hyun was loo#ing so sadand guilty was the proo) he was loo#ing )or, then he had it now without adoubt. ! con)rontation at this very o ent could yield no denials.:ictures o) =inri )lic#ered through Chanyeol(s head again and he couldsee nothing but the dishonesty and betrayal o) one o) the people hetrusted the ost. He was close to "ae#hyun. He helped "ae#hyun onhis )eet when he was devastated that his childhood )riend had died.Chanyeol didn(t #now uch about Sehun but he could tell )ro the tearsthat "ae#hyun had shed their closeness.

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His breathing began to )alter and hitch in his throat when Chanyeolturned around and wal#ed away.

He pro ised Lu Han to stay away )ro "ae#hyun.

$Chanyeol& H9Hey wait...$ "ae#hyun called a)ter hi and oved his legswell.

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Chanyeol decided to be 4uiet and 4uic#en his speed< he really couldn(thandle this now.

"ae#hyun was not patient any ore. He ran a)ter the other, his arreaching towards Chanyeol as his hand grabs )or his ar . %hen he waspushed away "ae#hyun )ro6e, ar out9stretched and he slowly loo#edup, $Don(t tell e you are siding with Lu Han now. Chanyeol '( closer toyou than you are to hi . *ou can(t do this.$ !)ter saying that he ovedcloser, desperate to get hi bac#. He reached his hand out to touch

Chanyeol(s shoulder though he stopped, and dropped his ar again.

$Chanyeol listen. '( your best )riend. ' #now you better than anyoneelse. Lu Han doesn(t even li#e you bac# so stop this and start loo#ing atothers. ' #now you are angry at e )or doing....these things but you needto understand e. 't(s Lu Han(s )ault that Sehun9$

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$Sehun, Sehun, Sehun1 Can you stop tal#ing about hi &1 ' C!8(T HE!H'S 8!/E !8*/3 E1$ Chanyeol didn(t ean to burst out li#e that but it

7ust )ell out )ro his outh be)ore he could stop it, $' don(t care1 ') youdon(t leave e alone '(ll call the police and tell the what you did1$ Heshouldn(t have ac#nowledged "ae#hyun(s e+istence nor should he have

tal#ed bac# to hi but he couldn(t any ore. He had to set this straight.Their )riendship was put under so uch stress so uch tension that itwasn(t possible )or it to get bac# how it was. 't wouldn(t wor# any ore.

Chanyeol couldn(t stay in his presence and le)t to collect his thoughts ina 4uieter place where no "ae#hyun would )ollow hi .

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$898o you can(t do this1 *ou can(t1 Chanyeol we are best )riends1 %e doeverything together...11$

He didn(t get a response because the other was not there.

'n this second, "ae#hyun(s heart crac#ed and )ell apart. 't was right inthis o ent when tears began to spill onto his chee#s. /ore and oretears )ollow right a)ter. He didn(t ove )orwards, not wiping his tearsaway but bended his #nees and hugged the . He didn(t #now any ore.%hy was he always wrong& %hy was nobody angry at Lu Han& %hy

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"ae#hyun didn(t raise his head and narrowed his eyes, $!re you going toside with Lu Han too Lay&$

$' don(t side with anyone. '( 7ust hoping that this will be over.$ Heanswered and genuinely wanted his words to beco e true. He didn(tunderstand neither Lu Han(s nor "ae#hyun(s intentions.

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$3ver& 't will be over when Lu Han is dead.$

"ecause #illing other insigni)icant people was )or "ae#hyun only apain#iller.

! pain#iller )or his aching heart.

't was a bad idea, i ature even. "ut Chanyeol couldn(t let it go. Hecouldn(t because this part o) hi did not want to believe the evidence.He shouldn(t stand in )ront o) the door that separated hi )ro "ae#hyunwho was on the other side. He couldn(t help it to go to his place and tal#to hi . *es, he was the one who clearly said that he didn(t want anythingto do with "ae#hyun. !nd now he was the one who chose to go visit hi .To his de)ence it wasn(t a )riendly visit, he wouldn(t thin# o) it.

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Chanyeol was there to get answers. He couldn(t 7ust accept that his best)riend had #illed other people. That was a horrible act and anyone should

have been punished accordingly. He didn(t even see "ae#hyun in schoolany ore which was also a reason )or hi to co e to his house. Hedidn(t buy the being ill e+cuse because "ae#hyun was not physically ill.He was per)ectly )ine. %ho #new what he was doing secretly doing atho e.

The door opened up with "ae#hyun holding the handle with a little toouch )orce.

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He see ed noticeably con)used that the person who told hi the othernight to stay away )ro hi was now co ing bac#. %hat was his plan&%as he essing with "ae#hyun&

$%hat ' said was the truth. "ut ' want answers. ' want to #now whate+actly a#es you do these things.$ Chanyeol a)ter a heart wrenching

o ent whispered, with a degree o) caution in his voice. "ae#hyunraised his eyebrows at hi , a#ing it clear that he hadn(t anticipatedthat. !)ter their argu ent )ell he thought that he wouldn(t see there otheragain.

$' don(t understand. %hat do you want )ro e& 2o bac# to Lu Han youwon(t understand e...$

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"ae#hyun(s heart was aw)ully thu ping pain)ully. The trace o) hope thatChanyeol would a#e up with hi vanished co pletely. He obviouslythought that by being 4uiet he would aybe change his ind. "ut hewasn(t. Chanyeol had no intentions o) apologi6ing or being )riends withhi again. He 7ust wanted to #now the other side o) the story. 0unny, he

didn(t even #now Lu Han(s side. He didn(t #now anyone(s side. He didn(t#now what happened between the , everything was a ystery.

$'9$

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$"ae#hyun. ' don(t want to )orgive you. ' want to understand you. Don(tisunderstand e.$

This was the co plete truth. ') )riend or not urdering being un)orgivablewouldn(t change. Chanyeol had a very hard ti e to even accept it9 to notlet his brain discard this in)or ation because it see ed so unrealistic."ae#hyun loo#ed up at hi with sudden interest, brea#ing eye contact

7ust long enough to glance aside and thin# about it. %hen he turnedbac# to Chanyeol, he stood sideways and his body angles towards his.

$Can we tal#& :lease. ' need to understand this.$ 't sounded al ost li#epathetically begging and yet Chanyeol didn(t )eel asha ed. He had to dothis . The weather was slightly cold which was shown by Chanyeol lightly

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shivering and putting his hands into his war poc#ets )or so e war th."ae#hyun(s eyes obviously didn(t iss this. He bit his botto lip andpushed the door wider open.

$Co e in.$

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't wasn(t the )irst ti e that Chanyeol was in "ae#hyun(s roo or house.They always used to play together when they had no worries andnothing to thin# about. Chanyeol wished that he could go bac# to thoseti es. "ecause now everything was too uch )or hi . !ll o) his )riends(bonds bro#e and everyone was going their own way. He wished he coulddo that too. He wished to )orget everything but he couldn(t. 't wasn(t thateasy and he #new that. Si ilar to Lay he was lost, unable to bring theall bac# together.

They wal#ed to the direction o) "ae#hyun(s roo < on the way to itChanyeol could see )a ily pictures o) "ae#hyun(s )a ily. He had alwaysseen the but now he was paying ore attention to it. Despiteeverything happening between the , he was happy that "ae#hyun)ound a )a ily. He was happy that there were people "ae#hyun couldcall his parents. His actual parents couldn(t a))ord hi any ore that waswhat he had said to Chanyeol.

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%hen he opened the door and otioned Chanyeol to )ollow, there werealready two other boys sitting on the bed.

$%hat are you doing here Kyungsoo& !nd who are you&$ 't was

understandable who the )irst 4uestion was directed to. The second4uestion was )or =ongin who didn(t see very i pressed. He couldn(tre e ber hi & %ell =ongin couldn(t bla e hi since he didn(t reallyloo# li#e his child sel) and he doubted that Chanyeol(s brain hadre e bered his )ace. He waited )or "ae#hyun to close the door whothen leaned against the wood, a#ing sure that nobody could leave.Chanyeol(s eyes didn(t iss that ove ent but he didn(t say anything

and continued to stare at the two boys. Kyungsoo who hadn(t saidanything )inally e+plained his reason )or being there-

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$"ae#hyun told e to co e here. He said that he wants to tell eso ething.$

=ongin #ept 4uiet.

$Sit down Chanyeol. ') you want to understand e...$ "ae#hyunuttered under his breath and pointed at the )ree space ne+t to =ongin.

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He #new that he had to say it and i) Kyungsoo was there then he couldtell hi too. They had to #now about the reason. He didn(t want the tothin# that "ae#hyun had nothing better to do then a#e Lu Han(s li)e a

living hell. He had his reasons which they will now #now and probablynot 7udge hi )or it. Chanyeol slowly nodded and sat down on thespacious bed ne+t to =ongin(s le)t side.

$'t goes bac# to the ti e when you Chanyeol ca e to the orphanage...$He turned his head sharply, preparing to tell hi e+actly what happened

but he was unprepared to )ind Chanyeol ga6ing at hi as i) he had to tellhi the ost interesting story. He thought that Chanyeol would beco ei patient and de and )or a proper answer. !s well as Kyungsoo whowas telling hi with his eyes that he was listening. The continuation wasstuc# in his throat, as his sto ach )luttered and his heart thu ped.8onetheless "ae#hyun had to clear his head and #eep going.

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He tried to picture the scene that he always )ought to push away, hissto ach now churning as "ae#hyun stared bac# at the .

$'t was the day you arrived, Chanyeol. Kai had told e so ething very,very i portant.$

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't was a )ew days a)ter Sehun(s disappearance and Hyunnie re)used toleave his roo . He wasn(t even that close to hi but he had a wea#heart. He was a)raid i) that would happen ore )re4uently. %hat wouldhappen i) the ne+t target would beco e Kai or Lu Han& He couldn(t ris#

it to lose the . He #new )ro careta#ers that the whole country wasloo#ing )or Sehun. 8ot because they were very concerned but his )atherneeded to get his successor bac#. Hyunnie couldn(t care less aboutthose things9 he 7ust wanted to see Sehun again.

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He curled hi sel) in his blan#ets when he loo#ed out o) the window. 'twas pouring9 e3actly like on that day! He hoped that nobody would let

the children out. They couldn(t ris# it again to lose so eone sinceSehun(s )ather had )iled a lawsuit against the orphanage )or not ta#ingcare o) hi properly. ') they would have done their 7ob correctly thenSehun would have never been let out again. The scary thing about thisall was that Hyunnie didn(t #now what a lawsuit was but he #new that thecareta#ers have tal#ed about (closing the orphanage(.

They were trying to get as uch children as possible into new )a ilies.

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't see ed li#e /r. 3h was clearly winning this case even though it didn(teven go to court yet. %ith the a ount o) oney he had he would buy thecourt and i) not then buy then whole orphanage.

Hyunnie didn(t want to ove.

He heard a #noc# on the door and oved away )ro the window. Thedoor was opened and Kai wal#ed in with a serious e+pression. Heappeared to be thought)ul as well when he without as#ing sat down ne+tto Hyunnie. He really was sad and #ept his eyes on the )loor. The soundo) sitting down and vague awareness o) ove ent caused Hyunnie tota#e a good loo# at hi . %hat was now with this ood& He #new that he

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shouldn(t thin# that because Hyunnie was the one who was all the ti egloo y though he 7ust wasn(t used to it )ro Kai.

$Lu Han has )ound a )a ily. He(ll be adopted in a wee#.$

Hyunnie could )eel the twisting and turning in his chest, $%9%hat& 8o1%hy& 0irst Sehun and now Lu Han& This is not )air.$

$8o this is good.$

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Kai said that so noiseless that Hyunnie thought that he heard wrong butKai turned ore to hi and grabbed his shoulders, $' don(t #now i) 'should tell you that...$ He swallowed and gripped the other(s shoulderstighter. Didn(t he have the right to #now that& Didn(t he have the right to#now who actually was responsible )or this is)ortune& He was aware o) hurting Lu Han(s trust and )eelings since he had pro ised to not tellanyone. "ut Hyunnie was not 7ust anyone.

$'t was all Lu Han(s )ault. He told the guy who #idnapped Sehun wherewe were living and he gave hi a picture o) Sehun. That(s how he #newwho he had to ta#e.$

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Hyunnie 7ust watched hi , unable to say anything.

$He(s sorry and he as#ed e to #eep it a secret but ' needed to tell youthis. ' told hi that it was )ine and not his )ault. "ut you #now what& '(very...very angry. '( probably a bad )riend but ' can(t brush it o)). 't wasstill his )ault.$ He said, ga6ing steadily into Hyunnie(s surprisingly cold

eyes. He loo#ed down, )eeling the guilt o) brea#ing Lu Han(s trust. !nd atthe sa e ti e he )elt good )or saying this. He )elt relieved to )inally beable to share it with so eone.

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$How could he do that...Sehun was his )riend.$ Hyunnie didn(t shout buthis voice indicated enough rage to show that.

$' don(t thin# that he has bad intentions. ' can #ind o) understand his sidetoo.$ Kai said but that didn(t ean he would disregard what he did. Thiswas not so ething he would easily )orgive. He wouldn(t. %hy did Lu Haneven tal# to hi & Didn(t he #now the rules o) not tal#ing to strangers& Hesighed and rubbed his hand on his )ace. He didn(t #now i) he should tellthe careta#er. !s i) Hyunnie had heard this thought, he decisively shoo#his head.

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$8o. Don(t tell anyone, ' ean it. He(s getting adopted right& %e won(tsee hi ever again right& Let(s live li#e that. !nd a#e his last days theworst days he ever had.$

Kai didn(t waver to nod and glared at the bracelet he had gotten )ro LuHan.

%as it all worth it&

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$How are you&$

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Hearing this so)t voice, Hyunnie stopped solving the pu66le he waswor#ing on and loo#ed up. He could see Lu Han shyly waving at hi ,probably )eeling aw#ward that they haven(t tal#ed )or so long. They didn(tbecause Hyunnie was busy avoiding hi throughout the whole wee#. Hetold Kai to do the e+act sa e thing and not tal# to hi any ore. "utun)ortunately on the last day o) Lu Han(s stay he anaged to co e and)ind Hyunnie. He thought that so ething was wrong because Kai andalso Hyunnie were not tal#ing to hi any ore. This was his last wee# sowhy would they be so ean&

Lu Han didn(t thin# o) crying because he didn(t need to. He didn(t thin#that crying would bring his )riends bac#. This was proven by Hyunnie 7ustcontinuing to )ind the pieces. He didn(t ac#nowledge the boy in )ront o)hi and rather pre)erred to )ind the issing pieces. He was doing thispu66le )or a new child called *eollie whose real na e was :ar#

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Chanyeol. Lu Han also played with the new addition but )or so e reasonthey all three never played together. 't didn(t wor# because Hyunniewal#ed away whenever the other(s na e was entioned.

$%hat are you doing& Do you need help&$ Lu Han as#ed when he#neeled down and reached )or a piece that was a bit )ar away. %ith this

ove, Hyunnie dropped his piece and stood up. He didn(t loo# at Lu Hanand 7ust wal#ed o)), not )orgetting to let out an annoyed sigh. The roowas silent. He thought about 7ust as#ing hi to leave, but there were too

any ti es where he would have the urge to screa at Lu Han. Hewanted to say so uch but this wouldn(t wor#. He had to ta#e no notice

o) hi as good as he could. !)ter all Lu Han had already pac#ed histhings and would leave on the sa e day.

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$H9Hyunnie...aren(t you going to say bye& '( not going to co e bac#...$Lu Han as#ed even though that this wouldn(t reach hi any ore.

Hyunnie le)t the roo and then the idea that he was aybe in a bad

ood was blown away by Hyunnie instantly tal#ing eagerly to Kai and*eollie. !s soon as he stepped out o) the roo and saw the , hisindi))erent e+pression dropped and they tal#ed. Lu Han was still in theplayroo and had seen this all with isperception on his )ace. %hat didhe do wrong& %hy was he being ignored& He hadn(t done anythingwrong.

8othing.

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He had already pac#ed his suitcase and ade sure to #eep Sehun(s doll.He had stitched the bracelet into the inside o) the doll so he had bothtogether. These were the only things he had #ept with hi sel). Heobviously couldn(t #eep Sehun(s clothes or other belongings. He washaving a hard ti e so why were Kai and Hyunnie not tal#ing to hiany ore& He was anyway not tal#ing to other children. So *eollie wasthe only person he could openly tal# and play with. He didn(t really #nowabout the situation and the )act that nobody was approaching Lu Han.

*eollie tal#ed a lot9 almost like Sehun!

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That was aybe why he could easily be )riends with hi .

The careta#er was having a conversation with Lu Han(s adoptive otherwho was getting also a )ew docu ents. ;nder the was Lu Han with hisbelongings who were also saying his goodbye to *eollie. They didn(t#now each other )or a long ti e but it wasn(t di))icult to beco e )riends.He was a)ter all the only one who was listening to hi and helping hi ,$%e can still stay in contact. %here ' live now is 7ust a bus away.$ LuHan e+plained so that the other wouldn(t thin# that wouldn(t see eachother ever again. They would see each other.

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$*eah. "ut aren(t you going to say bye to the & Kai and Hyunnie&$ Heen4uiringly as#ed, not being aware what tension was between the threeo) the . Lu Han closed his outh< conscious suddenly that it washanging open. He thought that it would be better to not say or doanything. 't was their choice to ignore hi so why should he approachthe now& $8o ' won(t.$ The other boy was loo#ing at hi in a strangeway and Lu Han nodded a very slight ove ent. 't would be better li#ethis he was sure.

$%hatever happened...'( sure they will iss you.$

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Lu Han didn(t #now how to respond to that since it hit hi li#e a punch tothe sto ach. He was sure that the only person they will ever iss wasSehun alone. %hy would they even thin# o) issing Lu Han& 8ot even ayear had passed since they have et but still Lu Han thought that

aybe they would stop with their ignorance and at least bid higoodbye. 'nstead o) ignoring hi and crying a)ter so eone who wouldn(treturn. Lu Han was sad too about Sehun as it was partly his )ault as well.

He was sad but he had to ove on. 3) course he issed the youngerand would want to see hi again but holding onto it wouldn(t do hi anygood. Lu Han would now have a )a ily.

:eople who would ta#e care o) hi .

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So ething what he always wanted.

He didn(t hate his actual parents because they 7ust had a busy li)e. Theyneeded to a#e oney and provide the with )ood and a house. %hywould they spare so e ti e )or their son who was )ine on his own& LuHan was 4uiet and had never said anything to the . 't wasn(t really their

)ault )or being oblivious. 't could happen and to be honest he wasn(tangry at the .

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$"ye Chanyeol.$ He waved at the taller and surprisingly too# the hand o)the lady. He wasn(t used to holding hands but it did )eel nice in a way.

$"ye Lu Han1 '(ll a#e sure to visit you1$ Chanyeol said and waved bac#,earning a s ile )ro the wo an who said that she would welco e hi .Chanyeol was happy that Lu Han wouldn(t be alone any ore. Evenwhen he would be in a roo )ull o) children, he would )eel alone. Hedidn(t really #now the reason )or Lu Han(s loneliness other than being aboy called Sehun. He didn(t #now uch since nobody wanted to actually

tell hi .

$Co e on.$

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His new other pulled his hand and said her goodbyes to the careta#erand Chanyeol.

Lu Han stu bled a)ter her and turned around< he didn(t see Hyunnie orKai.

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Their )riendship should have ended li#e that.

't shouldn(t.

*

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So any years had passed. Eleven& Ten& 't had been so long that hehad seen the orphanage and his old )riends. %hen Chanyeol had said

that he would visit Lu Han then he wasn(t #idding. He ca e so anyti es that he already #new the way to get there. %hen he turned eightwhich was 7ust a year a)ter Lu Han had been adopted he also had )ounda )a ily. This process o) adopting was very 4uic# because Sehun(s)ather wanted to close the orphanage since it wasn(t sa)e enough. Thatwas why the careta#ers had no choice and give the children.

They would still chec# i) the )a ilies would be good enough )or adoptingbut 7ust not as good as they used to. The only child who didn(t want to beadopting was Kai. He re)used to leave the place where Sehun had been)or the last ti e. %here e+actly Sehun was now, was still un#nown. His#idnapper had de anded oney9 which he had gotten and yet didn(t let

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hi go. 8obody #new what those people wanted. That was the)rustrating part.

Hyunnie had been adopted very 4uic#ly into a )a ily who were living not

that )ar away. He didn(t really ind. /aybe he would have the chance tosee Sehun once again. He used every opportunity when they wentshopping or 7ust out to loo# )or hi . He didn(t really care about Lu Hanany ore. He was a heartless person and was too uch o) a coward totell others what he did. He did his part to the #idnapping so shouldn(t getat least ad it that&

He really couldn(t stand people li#e that. They thought that they werebetter than anyone else. Lu Han was a child but not a stupid one.Hyunnie didn(t even #now why he was #eeping this da n bracelet./aybe Lu Han would recognise it when both would be grown up. He

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thought that Kai should be a bit angrier as well. He was angry but 7ustnot (enough(. Hi not wanting to get adopted though showed that he wasstill sad about it. He didn(t need to show his anger or sadness through

words.

That was he was put into a boarding school )or children was one reasonhe had to control his )eelings. He was put into there as he has a prettyhigh 'I )or so eone his age. !nd so he didn(t have a proble withstudying. 't was the opposite, he li#ed it. He would study and study untilhe would be able to see Lu Han again. He would as# hi all sorts o)4uestions ranging )ro (why( to (what were you thin#ing(. He didn(t li#e it

to be separated )ro Hyunnie though the school was not very )ar away.'t was pretty uch that Hyunnie didn(t have other )riends because *eollieto the other side o) the city.

This was also the area where Lu Han was living.

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't was li#e they were all going their own way.

!s i) they were brea#ing apart.

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$Do you need help with this 4uestion&$

Lu Han loo#ed up when he heard Chanyeol(s 4uestion and stared bac#at his te+tboo#. He blin#ed a )ew ti es and loo#ed bac# at the boy in)ront o) hi , $%hat a#es you thin# that&$ He as#ed and pic#ed his pen

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up to answer the 4uery on the boo#. They were in his roo 9 sitting at ades# and were doing their ho ewor#, $'t(s 7ust...you were staring at itand '(ve thought you are struggling. *ou can tell e.$ Chanyeol

responded and also wrote so ething down, not loo#ing up. He could seethat Lu Han was pretty uch distracted with everything. There wereti es when he would 7ust ga6e at the wall )or inutes.

$'( )ine.$

$') we want to go to a good high school then we need to do well now. 'ean we shouldn(t underesti ate iddle schools.$ Chanyeol elaborated

and did his glasses 7ustice. He really wanted to go to a good high school

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together with Lu Han. Since they were now going to separate iddleschools he wanted the to be at least together )or that ti e. He wasn(treally lonely because he had a lot o) )riends. The one who was pretty

uch always alone was Lu Han. 't didn(t bother hi since he li#ed it soChanyeol wouldn(t say anything about that.

$' ade new )riends today again. They are called Lay and "ae#hyun.Kyungsoo #new the and introduced e to the .$ He couldn(t believethat those people had been the whole ti e in the sa e school. Theywere really nice especially "ae#hyun. He didn(t #now the reason but hehad the )eeling that they #new each other )ro so ewhere.

! doll which had been on Lu Han(s lap )or a while was hugged with onear against his sto ach, $ eally& That(s nice.$ Lu Han said and didn(tsee genuinely interested. He wasn(t because he had only one boy

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alone in his head. There was only one person who he was at nightcrying a)ter. He was always on his ind. There was not even one daywhen Lu Han was not thin#ing about hi . !nd this was bothering

Chanyeol. He reached )orward and put his hand on top o) Lu Han(s tohold it there and gently stro#e his thu b cross the top o) his hand.

$' thin# you should let go. ' ean since nobody heard o) hi any orethey are all saying he isn(t alive any ore. 't has been years andhonestly...you should really ove on.$ Chanyeol had held it all togetherpretty well up to that point, but the annoyance that )looded through hisbody caused hi to lose it. He was sic# o) Lu Han bringing Sehun into

every conversation they had. 't didn(t atter what they were tal#ingabout because at the end o) the day only Sehun(s na e ca e )ro LuHan(s lips. He wasn(t 7ealous because Lu Han was only his )riend butthat didn(t ean that it didn(t )rustrate hi . They were doing theirho ewor# and Lu Han should rather )ocus on his studies.

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Lu Han did appreciate hi worrying but he couldn(t do anything againsthis aching heart. He couldn(t because he didn(t want to actually ove on.%hen he was a child he thought that oving away with a new )a ilywould bring hi onto di))erent thoughts. "ut Sehun(s doll alone broughteverything bac#. He didn(t want to thin# about hi , he thought that hehad oved on. He thought that he wasn(t thin#ing about it any ore. "uthe was. He was still thin#ing about hi . 't wasn(t easy to let go o)

so eone you used to be always around with.

$'(ll...leave.$ Closing his boo#, Chanyeol put all o) his stu)) together a)terhe had placed the in his bag. He would try to wor# with Lu Han when

his head would be clear. %hen he would be able to understandChanyeol and what he wanted )ro hi . "ecause this soulless Lu Hanwas scaring hi 9 he wanted the old Lu Han bac#. The less in)or ationthere was about Sehun, the less Lu Han tal#ed. 't was really a))ectinghi .

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$' see. "e sa)e.$ He whispered as he raised his head and #ept his eyesright on Chanyeol whose eyes were bac# on Lu Han. 't was one o) thosestrange o ents you would see on TA or read in boo#s. %hen either o)the were si ply loo#ing at the other person as i) they 7ust had to.Chanyeol wanted the other to see in his eyes that he was there )or hi .

He shouldn(t #eep his sadness to hi sel) but )ight against it and oveon. He didn(t #now Sehun but he was sure that he wouldn(t want Lu Hanto be li#e that.

$*eah...bye.$ Chanyeol got up with his bag and surprisingly Lu Han aswell. This was une+pected which eant that he also have to go

so ewhere, $' won(t )orget Sehun nor will ' accept that he(s dead.$ Hesaid, #eeping his eyes )ir ly on Chanyeol(s. He on the other hand heldthe regard, but doing it with a so ewhat annoyed e+pression. 't wasn(treally annoyance because he wasn(t upset but so ehow disappointed.He was disappointed because he e+pected Lu Han to say that he was

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thin#ing about it. Thin#ing about letting o) so eone who disappearedyears ago with no trails or hints o) his location. The only e+planation wasthat he was dead.

$'(ll see you later.$

The crea#ing door closed a)ter Chanyeol had le)t.

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!n hour later and Lu Han was still staring at the door. !s ti e passed hewas growing even ore restless inside. His body was so desperate to

ove< so desperate that it al ost hurt. Lu Han had e+pected oreco )orting words )ro his )riend(s side. Chanyeol was his )riend. Heshould have acted ore li#e a )riend rather than so eone who told hiwhat to do. He didn(t see the point o) living his li)e when his way o) livingwas (wrong(. He #new that it was 7ust Chanyeol(s opinion between

illions but he couldn(t help it to pay attention to it. %hat was so wrongwith issing so eone& "hat was so wrong with thinking that Sehun

was still alive$

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%hy was Lu Han always wrong&

Hyunnie thought so.

Kai and Chanyeol now as well.

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He had nothing to lose.

%hen Lu Han 7u ped he thought that he would not )eel any pain.

He thought that he would 7oin Sehun wherever he was.

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He thought that he would )inally )eel peace.

%hat he )elt instead were the ar s o) a co plete stranger who didn(thave a clue what was going on.

He stared at Lu Han.

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Lu Han stared bac# at hi .

!nd nobody saw the rushing car co ing.

The rest o) the story didn(t even need to be entioned. 't didn(t becauseanyone with a healthy ind could put the pieces together. EvenChanyeol who wouldn(t believe what he was hearing. The way "ae#hyun

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said this all sounded too real to be 7ust a big lie. %hy would he lie aboutthat& %hy e+actly would he& There was nothing to lie about and"ae#hyun shouldn(t )eel li#e that.

!nd what ade it all stranger was so ething that Chanyeol didn(te+pect. He chose not to do anything and let the other continue. "utHyunnie was "ae#hyun& eally& He was really the whole ti e there.Chanyeol was torn between being happy and being shoc#ed that a)terso any years he still hated Lu Han. He should have grown up or )orgetabout this all. 't wasn(t worth "ae#hyun(s ti e.

$'t was said that Sehun was laying on Lu Han. Lu Han was per)ectly )inewith no bruises...but Sehun was...he was...he was 7ust9 it(s clearly LuHan(s )ault again )or ta#ing Sehun as a shield.$ "ae#hyun went angry on,loo#ing down )or a o ent, even though he had nothing at all to be

asha ed o). He had done nothing wrong. There was nothing that he didand couldn(t be 7usti)ied. "ae#hyun wanted Lu Han to get what hedeserved was that so bad&

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$' totally agree. %e couldn(t even go to his )uc#ing )uneral because o) his)ather.$ =ongin )or the )irst ti e spo#e and got all the attention. Even )roKyungsoo who was 7ust listening. He understood )ro where they wereco ing but why did they have )or so long so uch anguish& Couldn(tthey 7ust )orget and leave it& 0ro what the story sounded li#e it see edthat Lu Han was 7ust a #id that had ade a ista#e. Couldn(t they)orgive hi & This revenge plan was 7ust a waste o) ti e and lives. Eveni) he prevented =ongin(s happiness he shouldn(t get this uch hate.

$The best thing is that he doesn(t even recogni6e us. He doesn(t #nowthat we are his )or er )riends.$ =ongin e+plained )urther and in so eway sounded proud o) it. 't would de)initely ade revenge easier as theyas (nor al class ates( wouldn(t get suspected. So eone as sharp

inded as Lu Han was pretty useless in this situation. They were#eeping their bracelet9 well "ae#hyun had openly done that. How anyhints did he need&

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$That proves how stupid he is. 0irst endangering Sehun(s li)e and then#illing hi anyway. 't was his entire )ault.$ =ongin said what was on his

ind. He loo#ed at Chanyeol and Kyungsoo on each o) his side and too#in their disbelieving e+pressions be)ore e bracing a slightly oreserious tone, $Don(t you two thin# so& ' ean it(s very easy to

understand and ' don(t thin# you(ll have to say so ething against this.$=ongin replied s iling as he )ailed to #eep eye contact with the andloo#ed 4uic#ly away be)ore glancing bac# again.

$/aybe Sehun was protecting Lu Han. ') he got all the da age eventhough they were together at this ti e....then this only would a#e asense.$

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Kyungsoo should have #ept his outh shut because now everyone wasstaring at hi .

The loo# that hurt the ost was =ongin(s. His eyes were searching

Kyungsoo(s )ace in the so)t light o) the la p throughout the dar# roo . 'twas only his loo# that attered because he #new the reaction that hewould have gotten )ro "ae#hyun and Chanyeol. He #new that theywould be shoc#ed )or hi to ta#e the other side. "ut =ongin(s shoc# wasnot anticipated because Kyungsoo thought that the younger would )oronce agree with hi . 't was so da n obvious )or Kyungsoo that therewas so ething going on between Lu Han and Sehun and "ae#hyun

#new too. Knowing it didn(t ean that "ae#hyun had to accept it though.

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"ae#hyun didn(t want to accept it. Lu Han hurt Sehun too uch )or theto be together. "ut Kyungsoo was con)ir ing those thoughts he wantedto ignore, $%ouldn(t Sehun 7ust leave Lu Han on his own i) he wantedhi to su))er&$ Kyungsoo(s voice trailed o)) into a whisper when henoticed that everyone was listening to hi . The )rown lines on =ongin(s)orehead showed that he didn(t understand. He didn(t want tounderstand. He thought that Kyungsoo was on his side. He should have#nown better than anyone else how he desperately was searching )or hishappiness. He thought that they had the sa e ai so why the suddenchange o) attitude& That was so unli#e hi .

$' don(t get it. So what i) there is ore& 't won(t change it that Lu Han isan asshole. He )uc#ing deserves to die9$

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$Hey don(t tal# about hi li#e that1$ Chanyeol cut in and glared at =ongin,not li#ing the way he was tal#ing about hi . How could he& This was notthe Kai he used to #now. 't wasn(t hi . Ti e changed hi and whatever

happened to hi , he had no right to tal# so badly about hi . He wasannoyed at hi sel) )or being so cal when he was surrounded withthose that wanted Lu Han dead. The words Lu Han had said to hi , to#eep his distance )ro "ae#hyun played on Chanyeol(s ind.

He couldn(t help but )eel a little satis)action )ro )inally #nowing whatwas going on, which in turn would a#e hi s arter than be)ore.Especially when he was so clueless at the beginning. He guessed that

he couldn(t do anything against his curiosity.

$%hy& '( 7ust saying the truth.$

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$8obody needs to hear your #ind o) truth.$ Chanyeol was getting angrierwith every second that he had to hear this bullshit.

$Can you you two stop&1 ' don(t want this any ore.$

%hat nobody was prepared )or was Kyungsoo(s outburst. His eyesdarted to the )loor, his ga6e )ailing to conceal sudden panic. 0aster thanthen thought was possible he got up and ran o)) but =ongin e+ceededthis speed by grasping his wrist. %hat ade hi thin# that he could 7ustrun away& %hat nobody #new what that it was all getting too uch )or

hi . He thought that they only wanted to bully Lu Han so he could haveChanyeol. "ut there is so uch ore to it. There was ore history and)ro the loo#s o) the situation, what =ongin and "ae#hyun were )eelingwas not 7ust disli#e. They to the sincerest )or hated Lu Han.

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Thoughts whirled around =ongin(s head and a strange )eeling developedin the pit o) his sto ach. He #new that he was disappointed by gettingdropped so 4uic#ly. He #new that their only connection ore or less wasLu Han. So how could they still eet when he didn(t want to haveanything to do with Lu Han& !s ridiculous as it sounded =ongin wanted

to have a reason to be with Kyungsoo he didn(t want to lose hi .

$'(ll still help you =ongin. ' ean you want to be happy right& '(ll help you.=ust #eep e away )ro whatever you guys are planning )or Lu Han. 'don(t want blood on y )ingers. ' agreed to play the scapegoat but ' don(twant this any ore.$ He e+plained and was getting worried how tight=ongin was holding onto hi . He was naturally strong though )ro thishold Kyungsoo could )eel that he was sha#ing. %hat ade everything

worse what that "ae#hyun was cal . He wasn(t getting angry or as#ing)or the reason o) his decision.

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!nd that scared Kyungsoo.

$Sure. 2o i) you want. 8obody is telling you stay.$

Those were "ae#hyun(s only words. The lac# o) reaction was alsocreepy to Chanyeol and =ongin who too# their eyes o)) Kyungsoo whose)ace was white and eyes were )ear)ul. Chanyeol(s chest restrained as hisheart ha ering in his chest and his uscles tensed al ost pain)ully.His li bs )elt heavy as i) they were weighed down and even i) he wantedto ove the he didn(t thin# he could. He couldn(t even turn his head to)ace "ae#hyun.

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Terri)ied but deter ined Kyungsoo nodded and le)t.

=ongin was going to call a)ter hi though his anger oved towardsanother person.

He glared at "ae#hyun who was ga6ing at the door.

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$How could you let hi go&$

!s i) Chanyeol was not there "ae#hyun answered this si ple 4uestion.

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$%e don(t need a betrayer.$

*

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$Hyung can we play&$

$Stop annoying e Sehun1 '( a big #id and you are still a baby1 2o playwith so eone in your age.$

$3#ay hyung.$

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%ith uninterested eyes Lu Han sat on one swing. The screeching o) theswing was easy to hear through the night. He le)t the college to do what,what he always loved. He swung ahead and then bac#.

0rontwards and bac#wards.

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$'sn(t it nice Sehunnie&$

He turned his head to )ace the other swing seat, where a doll was.

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$*ou always loved to swing right& Hyung is sorry that he couldn(t playwith you...but we can play now.$

He )leetingly loo#ed at the otionless doll.

Please don't hate hyung

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He loves you too much

Slowly he opened his eyes and blin#ed up at the white ceiling. He turnedhis head sensibly to the side< pain shot down his spine and he )rowned,which pro pted ore soreness through his body. Lu Han was bac# in

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the hospital. He didn(t thin# that he would drea o) those things again.He didn(t want to )orget it but being constantly re inded o) it wouldn(tchange that. He could still re e ber that Sehun had ta#en hi bac# to

his house. %hat happened a)ter that was 7ust blurred e ories )or hi .

He didn(t e+pect to be ta#en bac# to the hospital. Sehun was notso eone who would do that. He #new that Lu Han was in a poorcondition and wasn(t #illing hi , his plan& So why would he ta#e Lu Hanbac# to the place where he would get the needed treat ent& 't couldn(tpossibly be that he had changed his ind. That was not li#e hi at all.He wouldn(t do that.

He laid bac# on his pillow and closed his heavy )eeling eyes9 until heheard a set of footste s!

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He opened his eyes once again and none other than Lay had thecon)idence to visit hi . He had a bou4uet o) )lowers in his ar s since itwas so big and aw#wardly held the up. Lu Han si ply winced as painran down his bac# in a wave. His body was even wea#er than be)orewhich was surely caused by what he had earlier done. He didn(t #nowwhat to say or as# so he didn(t. He waited )or Lay to a#e the )irst step.

!nd he did.

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$'...hope you(re )eeling better now.$ He whispered and since they werethe only ones in the roo , Lu Han(s ear didn(t iss it.

Lay slowly put the )lowers on Lu Han(s bed and ade his way bac# to

the door.

$%ait.$

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Staring at the )loor in )right, 4uestions ran through Lay(s head so )astthey stu bled over each other in his ind. Did he do so ething wrong&%hy would Lu Han want hi to hold on i) he didn(t have uch to say&There wasn(t anything wrong with what he said or did. Didn(t he li#e)lowers& He dread)ully wanted to #now ore about that but Lay #new notto press )or the in)or ation. $*9*es&$ He answered and dared to turnaround.

The boy(s e+pression changed slightly when he loo#ed at Lu Han and healso saw a brie) )lash o) con)usion and so ething he couldn(t 4uitedistinguish )lic#er across Lu Han(s )ace be)ore the hesitation ca e bac#,$Do you #now i) Chanyeol is with "ae#hyun& Do you #now i) they are

eeting up&$ He loo#ed down at the )lowers in )ront o) hi as he spo#e,but he could see the other boy 7ust on the side9line o) his vision< hehadn(t oved any and was still watching Lu Han closely.

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$' ean i) they do tell Chanyeol to #eep his pro ise. ' don(t want hi indanger.$ The other sti))ened and Lu Han swi)tly carried on tal#ing, notwanting hi to thin# that he was about to be repri anded. $' don(t #now

how uch you #now but it(s 7ust )or your sa)ety. Stay away )ro"ae#hyun.$ Lay was shoc#ed by two things that he thought was di))icultto digest. 0irst that his believes were true, Chanyeol was spending ti ewith "ae#hyun and that he was worried about Lay. He didn(t say it in )ullsentences but he was worried.

$3#ay.$ Lay shi)ted slightly, trans)erring his weight )ro )oot to )oot andbiting on his botto lip with his teeth, loo#ing nervous. He opened andclosed his outh several ti es and Lu Han )ro6e, watching hi care)ullyand waiting hope)ully )or hi to spea#, $' ean '(ve seen the togetheronce and ' don(t #now i) they are still tal#ing.$ He said in a whisper andcould see the other boy nodding. He understood now, it sounded thatChanyeol was as#ing )or ore in)or ation. He had nobody else to go toe+cept )or "ae#hyun personally.

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$*ou can leave now.$ His ga6e returned to Lu Han(s )ace and he realisedthat the other boy was loo#ing 4ui66ically at hi , no doubt wonderingwhy Lay was staring at hi )or so long. He tossed his e otions in,hoping his thoughts weren(t evident on his )ace and )inally loo#ed over atthe door. He nodded and wal#ed o)), a di))erent #ind o) nerves anduncertainty swirled through hi and his )ingers tre bling slightly. Lu Hannodded in ac#nowledge ent. 't didn(t bother hi that he was leaving< hewas used to not be around with another person )or so long.

$Did you hear that&$

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Sehun was sitting ne+t to Lu Han(s legs and stared at the )lowers,indlessly answering-

$3) course ' did.$

Lu Han )ingers were resting also on the )lowers, so)tly brushing thepetals. He didn(t really #now what to do any ore. He was lost and hopedthat Sehun would #now what to do ne+t. ') he was honest, he was stilla)raid o) dying. He was a)raid o) losing his li)e to so ething uncertain.He would aybe be with Sehun and aybe not. "e)ore he could evenhave these thoughts would he even be ever le)t alone& He didn(t thin#

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that the hospital would leave hi alone a)ter everything that happened.They would de)initely thin# that he was suicidal whatnot.

$*ou will stay with e right&$ Lu Han as#ed, putting intentionally a lot o))right and uncertainty into the 4uestion. $' ean...it(s...7ust...$ !s soon ashe couldn(t continue he sighed and rubbed his )ace. He didn(t want to cryor show in any )or or type his wea#ness. He was al ost going to saythat he wanted to stay with hi )orever or better that he loved hi . Theyhad never said that they loved each other directly even though it was

ore than obvious. 't was very obvious that it didn(t need words. Theydidn(t need to say so ething that they were both aware o).

He glanced at Sehun who hadn(t ta#en his eyes o)) Lu Han9 not even asecond.

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$Can you hug e&$

't was Lu Han(s 4uestion and yet it was Sehun who see ed to be cal er than he was.

'n seconds his easily brea#able body had pressed up against Sehuntightly, though not so tight that it was hurting hi or causing any pain. LuHan wasn(t healthy and so e pressure could 4uic#ly worsen hiscondition. %hat ade this not relevant was that Lu Han had a s alls ile on his )ace, one that showed he was co )ortable, while his right

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hand was lightly on Sehun(s shoulder. He li#ed it to )eel close to theother, it war ed his heart up. 't was not li#e they had a lot o)opportunities to be as close as they were now.

$Sehun what a ' going to do now&$ He 4uestioned, seriously needingguidance about his li)e.

$Do you want to be with e&$ Sehun bro#e the hug, pushing the other a

bit away to ta#e Lu Han(s hands in his own. He didn(t wait long to get anod )ro Lu Han. This answer would never change. He #new thatthrough whatever they went thought9 he would never want to leaveSehun(s side. Sehun didn(t even #now when e+actly they )ell )or each

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other because he doubted that they as children #new what love was.They 7ust loved each other and there was no reassurance needed.

"ut this ti e the answer changed.

$') you want to be with e...then you need to let e go.$

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Lu Han could )eel Sehun(s hand slip out o) his own though he tightly heldonto the .

$%9%hat do you ean&1 't doesn(t wor# li#e that1 *ou can(t 7ust leave1%ho a ' going to be with&1 ' went )or you through hell and bac# andyou thin# you can 7ust leave e&1$ Lu Han his eyes were narrowed, his)ace screwed up in )ury. That was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.%ere all those years o) starving and bla ing hi sel) )or nothing& Thatcouldn(t be true. He gritted his teeth in an e))ort to contain so e o) hisanger and )rustration. 't ade hi so angry. He didn(t want to bedisappointed again.

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$Lu9$

$:lease don(t leave e. ' don(t have anyone else.$

Sehun turned always wea# at the sight o) the other boy(s crying.

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$3#ay, ' won(t.$

*

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He didn(t #now what e+actly ade hi do it. Kyungsoo was so eonewho was easily scared when it was dar# but he had to co e since=ongin wanted to tell hi so ething. He said that it was very i portantand the other could in no way iss it. Kyungsoo was a naturally curiousperson and agreed to eet hi at the bridge where they had once beenalready. He was thin#ing about it the whole ti e what =ongin could bewanting to tell hi . 't could have been anything but i portant enough tonot be said over the phone or a te+t essage.

He was about to call hi and as# where he was since he was stood up)or about ten inutes. %as there a lot o) tra))ic& The possibility was low itwas too late )or anyone to travel. /aybe he )elt sic#& "ut he would havesaid that to Kyungsoo who was about to send hi another essage,$%here could he be&$ He as#ed hi sel), genuinely wondering because=ongin was the one who as#ed i) they could eet up. 't was not easy )orKyungsoo to be out at nights and =ongin should have been aware o)that.

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!)ter what it see ed to be ten ore inutes, Kyungsoo could see )rosa)e distance that =ongin running towards hi . The s ile that Kyungsoohad, dropped the closer the other boy ca e and his )ace replaced it witha horri)ied e+pression. There was so ething red on =ongin(s light shirtand it didn(t loo# li#e paint. 't didn(t. Kyungsoo didn(t #now what to do orsay. De anding to #now what happened to =ongin and why he too# solong would be considered rude. He didn(t want to bother =ongin9 he

wanted to hel him . !lthough he didn(t #now what was going on he triedto be cal about it and not )rea# out.

8ow that =ongin was close enough, Kyungsoo dropped his tensedshoulders and also stepped )orwards, $%9%hat happened to you&$ Heas#ed and pointed at the shirt, totally issing the worry that was in=ongin(s )ace. He was worried9 very worried )or Kyungsoo but all he didwas panting and sha#e his head. He had no ti e to e+plain anything. He

7ust wanted hi to be in sa)ety, to leave this place as soon as possible.He had never thought that this would ever happen let alone on the ne+tday.

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$'t(s..."9"ae#hyun...He #nows we(re eeting...$ That was the onlyin)or ation he could bring out without scaring the other o)).

"ut this atte pt didn(t wor# because Kyungsoo loo#ed ore scared thanbe)ore. He was sha#ing when he heard the na e o) their utual )riendwho still couldn(t let his hate rest. He said nothing and the )ear didn(t

)ade )ro his eyes any. He was no longer loo#ing at hi in panic. Hewas terri)ied and let his hand hand travel on =ongin(s blood s udgedshirt, $%9%hat happened to you& %as that hi &$ Kyungsoo as#ed hitentatively, still #eeping his voice low and trying not to a#e any sudden

ove ents. He was tre bling, not having the con)idence to spea# out"ae#hyun(s na e.

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Due to the dar#ness Kyungsoo had al ost not seen the huge woundover the right side o) chest. =ongin had been hiding it with his 7ac#et butthat didn(t wor# because Kyungsoo decisively pushed it away to revealthe in7ury. He )elt sic# to see it since it was his )irst ti e to see such awound. %ho had done it& %as that really "ae#hyun& "ut weren(t they)riends& 't was con)using Kyungsoo who decided that they couldn(t stayli#e that any ore. He threw =ongin(s le)t ar over his shoulders and heldonto his bac#, cautiously wal#ing hi to the direction o) the nearbyhospital.

"eing too wea# to )ight against hi didn(t ean that =ongin had nothingto say, $!re you an idiot& 0orget about e1 "ae#hyun is...he wants...$

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$He wants to #ill e right&$

Kyungsoo wouldn(t act stupid and pretend that he didn(t #now about thisany ore. 't was obvious by the way how cold he spo#e. He didn(t seeKyungsoo as a )riend any ore because he didn(t want to continue withtheir revenge plan. "ecause he had changed his ind he wasn(t allowed

to be called a )riend any ore. 't hurt his heart. 't hurt hi because he#new "ae#hyun )or so )uc#ing long and this was how he was gettingrepaid. 't wasn(t )air that "ae#hyun see ed to thin# that he had powerover others and thin# that he could 7ust #ill others i) he didn(t li#e the .

%hat was that )or logic& Kyungsoo )ought with the tears that ca eanyway down. They rolled down his chee#s though he didn(t a#e any

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e+pression e4uivalent to sadness. He held =ongin tighter and tried to nota#e a sound. He #new that he wasn(t welco ed any ore when he said

that he wanted to get out. !nd =ongin was also aware o) that. He wanted

to save Kyungsoo to what he had brought hi sel) into an argu ent withhis long9ti e )riend. Then again "ae#hyun thought that he was beingbetrayed again because =ongin was on Kyungsoo(s side.

%hat happened a)ter that was not di))icult to )igure out. "etweenscrea ing and cursing, "ae#hyun too# a hold o) a close by #ni)e and

7ust stabbed hi . =ongin didn(t bla e hi because he wasn(t thin#ingwhen he did that. He was also not thin#ing when he said that Kyungsoowas going to be the ne+t. =ongin without loo#ing at his own woundrushed to the place where they were supposed to eet. He needed to

a#e sure that he would have )ound hi be)ore "ae#hyun did. He #newvery well how "ae#hyun was dead serious whenever he was angry.

$Don(t worry...'(ll bring you to a hospital and you(ll get treat9$

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$2yungsoo you need to leave .$

He shoo# his head when =ongin had said that and 7ust sped his pace up.He wouldn(t thin# o) leaving hi alone. 8ever would he do that. %hat

#ind o) person would be so heartless& He didn(t care what "ae#hyunwould do to hi . He didn(t care i) he would die< it was 7ust that =onginneeded to be in sa)ety. !side )ro bring so irritated at Lu Han he hadnever hurted so eone physically. He had never done anything what wasworth to die )or. Kyungsoo didn(t as well but that wasn(t the point. Thepoint was that =ongin had to be treated, he could thin# o) anything elselate9

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't was so un)oreseen that Kyungsoo didn(t #now how to react.

He )elt so ething sharp in thigh and chest that it pulled hi down. His)ace s ashed against the ground as well as =ongin. 8ow two seconds

later the pain showed up9 it was indescribable. The bangs were hearda)terwards. 't only too# a o ent )or Kyungsoo to )eel again pain ringingin his leg and chest. He dropped =ongin who was supporting andcla ped his hands over the wounded places, crying out in pain. Hecould )eel the )resh blood oo6e out o) the wound. He could hear the yells)ro =ongin desperately as#ing i) he was )ine.

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$H9Hey1 !re you o#ay&1 Kyungsoo1$ The dull throbbing ca e bac# whichwas at the wound site and grew in greatness until the pain began tooverta#e =ongin(s senses and panic set in. He totally )orgot about his

own in7ury. The shoc# )ro seeing Kyungsoo in such a position was thetrigger )or his )orgotten pain to return. He didn(t have the ti e to thin#about that, not when Kyungsoo was coughing so uch blood. 0ro thesight o) seeing this blood =ongin(s own pain beca e al ost unbearable.Everything hurt and seeing Kyungsoo li#e that was too uch to handle.

$%hat did ' tell you&1 He(s here1 %e need to leave1$

't was not even a 4uestion any ore, he was screa ing. =ongin #newthat every second they wasted counted. "ae#hyun could shoot everysecond again. He dragged his hand roughly over Kyungsoo(s chest,trying to stop the devastating over)low o) blood. He bit his botto lip,

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trying to s other the never9ending chattering o) his teeth. His hand )ir lyclutched the wound and yet so uch blood covered his hand. 't grippedhi so tightly that his #nuc#les were bone white in the dar#ness o) the

night. He was sure that he could save Kyungsoo, he didn(t even doanything.

=ust when he thought that he would never hear his voice again,Kyungsoo coughed blood again.

$'...he hates e. %as '...such a bad )riend&$

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$Shut up. Shut up, 7ust don(t tal# ! Please .$ =ongin anaged to croa#be)ore his other hand slipped into his poc#et to get his phone. He dialledthe e ergency nu ber and could barely spea# but didn(t )orget to say

that they should hurry up. His throat clenching violently when he hung upand loo#ed bac# at the other boy. ') he would have tal#ed to =ongin, i) hewould have 7ust listened then it would have never happened. 8one o)that would have happened. "ut Kyungsoo had to be so stubborn and"ae#hyun was 7ust ad. He didn(t have an e+cuse )or "ae#hyun(sbehaviour since he couldn(t e+plain it.

$'t...hurts...$

$Don(t worry. =ust hang on, help is co ing.$ He replied and his sto ach,which had not stopped to twist on itsel) )or a while, stirred with anotherpain that he assu ed was his own in7ury. =ongin was hi sel) in7ured but

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he could only see Kyungsoo(s wounds. He could only see Kyungsoo(stears and his pain alone. =ongin wasn(t thin#ing about hi sel) at all. Hesighed loudly, out o) anger rather than )ear growing in his chest at the

sight o) hi being so...bro#en. =ongin didn(t even #now why he cared souch about Kyungsoo.

He 7ust did. He thought that Kyungsoo would be a great way to handlehis 7u bled )eelings but no. He was ore than a ere person whosorted his e otions out. He aybe didn(t #now hi )or a long while

though that didn(t ean that he didn(t care about hi . He cared about"ae#hyun as well. "ecause nobody #new "ae#hyun as well as he did.Chanyeol(s illusions o) #nowing "ae#hyun so well shattered with oneoccurrence he didn(t #now about. 8obody #new about that e+cluding o)=ongin. He #new about "ae#hyun(s secrets and ther)ore was notso eone who could be easily replaced.

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8obody #new that "ae#hyun was lonely.

8obody #new about "ae#hyun(s )eelings.

=ongin #new as well that the culprit was hiding behind a tree and couldshoot again.

"ut he wouldn(t shoot.

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$:lease do e a )avour and don(t be angry at "ae#hyun...$ He could )eelthat Kyungsoo tensed up, shoc#ed )or a o ent at =ongin(s suddenwords. %hy shouldn(t he be angry at the person who shot hi & Slowly,he loo#ed up at =ongin(s desperate )ace not li#ing the thoughts runningthrough his ind at all. He didn(t understand how he could e+pect )roKyungsoo to not )eel )rustration or anger towards "ae#hyun. %hyshouldn(t he& 'nstead o) getting wor#ed up )or it or as# a illion

4uestions, Kyungsoo 7ust nodded. He nodded9 indicating that he was)ine with it. He didn(t #now the reason why but he trusted =ongin.

He wouldn(t be angry at "ae#hyun.

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$Then how can you e+pect e to not be angr9$

$"EC!;SE "!EKH*;8 0;CK'82 8EEDS /E1 HE 8EEDS /E1 HED3ES8(T H!AE !8*38E ELSE1$

Kyungsoo stared at =ongin with )ear in his eyes, $"ut he9$ !nd onceagain he was interrupted.

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$8o1 "ae#hyun can(t be le)t alone. ' can(t )orgive Lu Han or he(ll thin# 'will betray hi .$

Kyungsoo couldn(t )ollow hi any ore.

$'...don(t #now what to say. ' hope you(ll )ind your happiness.$ He spo#e4uietly, )eeling tired as =ongin(s ga6e #ept getting )i+ed on his )ace. Heclosed his eyes loo#ing peace)ul, asleep, but there was no ove ent

beneath his eyelids. !nd yet he anaged to go on, $' don(t #now what(shappening between you all but ' #now that you....are...a nice person.'...would have considered li#ing you...when this adness would be over.$'t was no use to tell =ongin now because there wouldn(t be a ti e whenthis would happen. 't was already too late.

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$H9Hey1 %a#e up1 Don(t sleep1 '( sorry )or yelling1 K9Kyungsoo youcan(t 7ust sleep1 '( so sorry1$ =ongin )elt bad )or getting angry andrepeatedly slapped the other(s pale chee# which turned red )ro hisblood. The tears that strea ed abundantly down his chee#s and nec#added to the cold )eeling. His own in7ury ust have opened up because

his chest )elt li#e it was burning and his heart was even worse.

This wouldn(t wor#.

't wouldn(t.

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=ust when =ongin thought that he had )ound so eone who understoodhi , this person le)t hi as well.

' would have considered li#ing you.

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0irst "ae#hyun and now Kyungsoo.

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=ongin really didn(t have any luc#.

+lose enough 8to die9.

The ti e had co e. 8ow "ae#hyun could )inally do what he had neverthe chance to. He wouldn(t call hi sel) evil9 7ust so eone with proble s.He had other ways to solve those, he was di))erent. Di))erent didn(t eanwrong. 't was not the sa e. He would de)initely )eel better, $Sopathetic...$ His eyes were unresponsive with detestation as he loo#eddown on the sleeping )igure in )ront o) hi . Li#e that he was )acing LuHan who was curled under the sheets.

"ae#hyun couldn(t help but let his eyes roa )reely around the other boy.He couldn(t believe how peace)ul Lu Han was able to sleep when so

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uch stu)) was going on. Things he was ostly responsible )or. Hecouldn(t 7ust leave it. 't was his responsibility. ') he thought that he could

7ust get out o) it all then he was deadly wrong. 8ery wrong! There was a

substantial pause in which the inco patible i pacts o) this upco ingaction hit hi sel), all the applicable )acts discernably 7u ping out at hiand directing his thoughts.

He unhurriedly li)ted his gun up and used his )ree hand to cup over theother one that was holding the gun. Holding the gun as )ar away )rohi as possible, he got ready to shoot. He wouldn(t regret it. That waswhat he always wanted, what he waited )or. He didn(t care about anypunish ents it wouldn(t a))ect hi anyways. He didn(t have the ti e towait )or #ar a to hunt a)ter Lu Han. This would ta#e too long so hewould ta#e the atter into his own hands.

%henever "ae#hyun tried to thin# about the possible outco es, hisind blan#ed. The only solution was to pull that trigger that would end

his su))ering. 't would end everything. Even though "ae#hyun hadco plete con)idence in his sense o) 7ustice, a niggling, unspea#able)eeling was trying to sprout its way into his ind. !nd along with it ca e

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the sharp suspicion that aybe his actions were wrong. 't was obviouslywrong on the )irst glance but when he thought about it, he believed thathe didn(t have the right.

8ot necessarily using the correct solution but he couldn(t help it.Cautiously he li)ted his ar up so they were on even height with hischest, and placed his sha#ing )inger around the trigger. He tightened his

outh with e))ort. 't ay have been better to tal# to Lu Han, try tounderstand his side as well but he couldn(t. "ae#hyun 7ust couldn(t bringit over his heart. Especially not towards a sel)9centred, rude person li#eLu Han. He didn(t deserve pity or the e))ort to try to understand hi .

;nli#e "ae#hyun, Lu Han was at peace.

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He )elt a slight bree6e chilling his body )ro the open windows. 't wasstirring hi bac# )ro his slu ber. "ae#hyun an+iously bit his lips andstepped closer, it could have been his last chance to a#e things right.

!t )irst Lu Han was 7ust shi)ting under the covers. "ut soon he wasslowly opening his eyes< he reali6ed that the blan#et was not properlycovering his body. 8or was it protecting hi )ro the cold, andi ediately "ae#hyun could see how Lu Han was staring at hi .

He didn(t see the gun but only "ae#hyun(s )ace.

Their eyes )inally et and the boy on the bed )inally understood thedepth o) what was happening. He was in the presence o) possibly theperson who would a#e the di))erence o) living or dying. So eone he

once could have called a reliable )riend. So eone he had trusted a lot.That was e+actly what the Lu Han )elt in that o ent9 that split secondnow as he loo#ed at the other in )ront o) hi .

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$Do you #now )or how long ' was waiting )or this&$

't was 7ust a whisper, barely leaving "ae#hyun(s lips and yet in Lu Han(sears it sounded so loud. He )elt his heart constrict in the show o)absolute shoc# in )ront o) "ae#hyun. There weren(t a lot o) ti es whenLu Han was scared or inti idated by so eone. He didn(t )eel )right or asi ilar )eeling growing in his chest. 'n his everyday li)e he barely wasaware o) those e otions. "ut now it was di))erent. 't wasn(t 7ust nor al)ear. 't was )ear o) so eone who would not hesitate to #ill hi .

$'t was all worth itBthe waiting...only the worst )or you Lu Han...$ He saidinaudibly as he could see that the entioned boy did not see at allready )or it. He didn(t understand it. Lu Han didn(t understand whate+actly he did wrong. He #new that he was being hated but )or whate+act reason& He didn(t understand what he did to deserve this

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treat ent. He couldn(t re e ber a ti e when he did "ae#hyun wrong. 'twas the sa e with Hyunnie. He didn(t #now what the other has adehi so upset.

') it bothered hi that uch then why was he so 4uiet about it&

$*ou probably thin# that you didn(t do anything right&$

Lu Han was 4uiet.

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$*ou thin# (why is he ai ing a gun at e, what did ' do&( ! ' right&$"ae#hyun went on< it was evident in his voice that he was having )un. 'twas )un )or hi because he was en7oying the way Lu Han was acting.He was breathing pretty 4uic#ly and the )ailing o) )ocusing his eyes on"ae#hyun was good proo) that he was scared. He didn(t understand

what was going on. He trailed his eyes up and stared intently on"ae#hyun(a inde+ )inger which was rubbing the trigger. Lu Han noticedthis and realised that he ay had really done so ething wrong.

He obviously wasn(t per)ect and had done ista#es but whate3actly ade hi loo# so bad in )ront o) "ae#hyun&

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$Honestly spea#ing '( as clueless as you. '(ve gotten this in)or ationout o) second hand. 't(s a source that ' trust so ' have no doubts.$"ae#hyun whispered and studied ever single ove ent or twitch on Lu

Han that showed any connections.

$' don(t really understand. ' haven(t done anything worth o) gettingtreated li#e this9$ He stopped as he didn(t thin# that the cal "ae#hyunwould ever raise his voice in such a loud tone-

$*3; D'D1 *3; K83% %ELL %H!T *3; D'D1$

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between his eyebrows. $'( sorry i) ' did,$ he ad itted so ewhatapologetically. He li)ted his head higher to )ace properly )ace hi , hewaited )or a reaction.

"reathing slowly, "ae#hyun pondered his words, his ind turning overthoughts o) what led his li)e to be this pathetic. He thought that it wasn(t)air9 which wasn(t. How could he si ply apologi6e& This wasn(t )air. He

couldn(t 7ust say (sorry( and si ply e+pect everything to be )ine. 't didn(twor# li#e that. 't didn(t. He paused and swallowed a )lash o) anger)lic#ering through his eyes< he hadn(t issed the way Lu Han loo#edaside. 8or the way his hand had risen unconsciously to lightly rub hisright ar up and down.

Did he thin# that this was a ga e& The thought ade anger and)rustration rush through hi and he )elt a sudden, strong instinct to a#ehi )eel the sa e pain he went through. "ae#hyun(s eyes were glassywith tears and his )ace was creased with rage and pain. He hadn(t doneanything wrong so he didn(t understand why he was li#e that. Several

drops spilled )ro his eyes and tric#led slowly down his pale chee#s.

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$'t(s because...you Lu Han... ade e9$

$*ou are dead.$

"ae#hyun was at )irst going to say that it was bullshit though he

clenched his 7aw and paused.

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You are dead .

"ae#hyun loo#ed li#e he was about to be sic# and Lu Han couldn(tbla e hi . He couldn(t i agine how he would be )eeling in this o ent

i) the roles were switched and his secret would have been revealed. Hewas sure that he would react si ilarly. "ae#hyun wished that he couldchange Lu Han(s ind, to let hi ta#e it bac#. "ecause it was true. Hedidn(t want to hear it )ro so eone, especially Lu Han. 't was beco ingincreasingly di))icult )or "ae#hyun to hold onto his co posure.

"e)ore he could have ta#en his revenge, everything went wrong. 't wasall wrong because Lu Han should have been dead. He shouldn(t learnthe truth, he should have never. His anger rapidly grew as the new

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in)or ation san# into Lu Han(s brain. Trying to get rid o) "ae#hyun(stears and horri)ied e+pression and going through his e ories, he wasstruggling to hold hi sel) together and not brea# down. He blin#ed to try

and hold bac# tears. He didn(t want to cry though it was actually too late.

$Shut up1 't(s your entire )uc#ing )ault1 uining Sehun(s li)e wasn(tenough right&1 *ou also had to ruin ine1$ He didn(t care that Lu Hanwasn(t able to )ollow hi . He didn(t need to )ollow. He #new whathappened so he should stop acting so du b. %henever these thoughts)illed his head "ae#hyun(s whole body would tre ble in disgust and hisheart and sto ach would s4uee6e and tighten with agony and)rustration. !nd as the days went on and those )eelings got stronger, hebeca e unable to describe the any ore< this was nothing he had evere+perienced be)ore.

Lu Han didn(t have anything to say as he shoo# his head, $' don(t9$

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$*ou don(t understand&1 That(s your )avourite sentence1 *ou #now that'( dead1 S3 %H* THE 0;CK ! E *3; ST'LL : ETE8D'82&1%H*&1$

!nd then, be)ore this anger could vanish, Lu Han )elt a hand collide withhis )ragile chee#, and he #new that he had been hit. 3ut o) shoc#, heloo#ed up and couldn(t believe it. His widened eyes narrowed as herecovered )ro this attac#, rubbing his chee# in pain. "ae#hyun #newthat he had to control hi sel) otherwise he would 7ust pull the trigger. Hewas in rage, indicated by his heaving chest, )lushed chee#s and piercing,cold eyes.

$' don(t understand you. *ou say that you #now ' a dead but then yousay you don(t #now what ' want )ro you. !re you actually serious&$ 'twas a straight)orward 4uestion< "ae#hyun couldn(t believe that it was so

di))icult to get this. He didn(t want to shout any ore though he wanted tocontrol his anger and a#e sure he wouldn(t urder hi this 4uic#. $Doyou thin# that you can 7ust live your li)e and )orget everything aroundyou&$ He ad itted that aybe Lu Han couldn(t ta#e it all. He was that

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stupid to 7ust )orget it and try to live on. So piti)ul. Such a piti)ul hu anbeing.

$'( not. ' do #now it but do we have to tal# about it& 't will hurt you9$ Lu

Han gasped, i ediately realising what he had said. He wanted to hithi sel) )or not #eeping his outh shut. 't would have been way easier tocarry on and pretend to not #now anything. 't would have been easier )or both sides considering that "ae#hyun would out o) anger 7ust shoot hi ./aybe it was better to 7ust get shot instead o) po#ing the proble andhope that it won(t bother hi .

$*ou #now it. '( not stupid. '( not. Don(t you )eel any regret&1$"ae#hyun could )eel his anger rise again, he pressed his eyes shut and

raised his hand. He was all set to hit hi again. He didn(t care any ore.He was going to hit hi again but his hand never ade contact with LuHan.

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't 7ust stopped oving.

He opened his eyes and could see a hand hold onto his wrist."ae#hyun(s eyes too# in the entire scene as Sehun did the one thing hehas never done to hi . He had never opposed "ae#hyun. Sehun hadalways listened to hi . He had always nodded and s iled because"ae#hyun was older than hi . They were )riends and this was the )irstti e that Sehun had stopped "ae#hyun )ro doing what he wanted. Hewas holding "ae#hyun(s wrist so tight as i) he was desperately trying toget it away )ro Lu Han.

Lu Han loo#ed up at Sehun and )ro6e, his eyes )ollowed Sehun(s arand stayed at this point. He didn(t #now what to thin# about that. :erhapshe had deserved that slap. :erhaps he should have 7ust told hi to

ove and let hi sel) get hit. "ut all he did was being 4uiet and started at

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the one person who always protected hi , loved hi , he couldn(t livewith. Lu Han couldn(t live without Sehun because he was the one whopushed hi to live and also die. He was pale with one hand clutching the

bed sheet while the other hand was )or ed into a )ist to #eep his)eelings in place

Sehun(s heart crac#ed, loo#ing at their bro#en )riendship...or what wasle)t o) it. He didn(t #now when he and "ae#hyun bro#e apart or thesudden disli#e towards Lu Han.

$%hat did he do to you& '( sorry but ' need to #now. Lu Han wouldn(t 7ust hurt anyone.$ Sehun as#ed part o) hi did not want the answerswhile the other ore do inant part couldn(t wait any ore. He was sic#and tired o) seeing Lu Han getting treated so badly. 8ot only by"ae#hyun but by who ever he et. He was long enough by Lu Han(s

side to have pic#ed up these things. 't had always caught his eyes andthat Lu Han didn(t de)end hi sel) ade the situation ore worriso e.

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't too# a )ew seconds )or "ae#hyun to reali6e the other(s appearance ashe recovered 4uic#ly, the an+iety that had been dilating his pupils rapidly)ading. $So you won(t bother to actually tal# to e& Sehun the last ti e

'(ve properly got to tal# to you was over ten years ago. !nd yet you areta#ing his side,$ he said 4uietly, )eeling sad and unwanted. Sehuncouldn(t thin# o) anything to say to this and he was still chastising hi sel) )or what he did, so he stayed silent and a)ter a short pause, "ae#hyunspo#e again-

$Do you even #now what he did& Sehun ' thin# you don(t #now9$

$' do. The person in the car that ran e over was you "ae#hyun, right&$

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Sehun did #now.

$*eah. /y parents and ' were inside.$ He said, still in a very 4uiet voice.He hunched his shoulders slightly, his ar s wrapping solicitously around

his own waist. Suddenly the gun wasn(t i portant any ore neither the)act that he wanted to beat the shit out o) Lu Han. He didn(t careany ore. Lu Han loo#ed li#e he had learned so ething he never #newe+isted as Sehun(s eyes so)tened, listening to the other(s story.

He )elt a bolt o) )ear to re e ber that day 7olt down his spine but"ae#hyun #new that he couldn(t ta#e it bac# any ore. His anger was stillthere 7ust way ore settled, $%e were going to pic# up =ongin but

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suddenly y dad )ainted and we ca e o)) the road.$ He trailed o))< hiseyes downcast and Lu Han blin#ed bac# the tears that had gathered at"ae#hyun(s words and the sight o) his bro#en )ace. He started to ove,

hesitated, then ade a decision and shi)ted until he was sitting closer.

$%e hit you and Lu Han. '( sorry )or that but...$ He wasn(t done. Hewasn(t. "ecause Lu Han was glancing to the side. He #new what

"ae#hyun was going to tell Sehun since he wasn(t conscious at thatti e. "ae#hyun lost his li)e on that day alongside with his parents andSehun. 3nly i) he could have gotten the help he needed then none o)that would have happened.

Trying to ignore the unco )ortable sensation, Sehun let his hand rest on"ae#hyun(s head )or a o ent, lightly brushing his thu b in s allstro#es across the so)t hair, be)ore slowly sliding his hand down, #eepinghis eyes on his )ace to chec# )or any hint o) uneasiness. His hand wasstill 4uavering visibly as he touched "ae#hyun(s 7aw and s oothed histhu b along the line o) his s#in, $*ou don(t need to tal# any ore '

understand.$ He didn(t want "ae#hyun to go through the pain o) revivingthose horrible e ories.

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$898o it(s not...$ He shoo# his head and pushed Sehun(s hand away asco )ort was not the ain thing.

$' don(t want to listen to it.$ 8ow it was Lu Han who loo#ed li#e he wasabout to cry. 't ade hi sad that he was responsible )or "ae#hyun(spain. He thought that i) he acted strong, he would get over it. "ut itwasn(t so ething you could 7ust (get over(. He needed ti e. Ti e hedidn(t have because "ae#hyun was still set to #ill hi .

His sto ach twisted unnervingly and Lu Han(s heart clenched as i)so eone had s4uee6ed it. 't was a pain)ul re inder that he had doneso ething very bad. He shouldn(t try to sugarcoat it because there wasnothing to sugarcoat with. !cting clueless wouldn(t bring hi )ar and Lu

Han already ad itted to #now. He swallowed again and inhaled deeplyto try and hold bac# the tears that were threatening to a#e anappearance.

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$'9$

$*ou(re sorry& 3r you don(t understand&1 %hat are you going to say&1$ ')Sehun wouldn(t have been physically separating the then Lu Hanwould be already laying down on the )loor. !nd that unconsciously."ae#hyun wanted e4uality, he wanted )airness. He wasn(t a bad personin his eyes, he 7ust Lu Han to get what he deserved. %hat was so badabout that& %hy was he even tal#ing around about it and not saying thetruth& 't was obvious that Lu Han didn(t want to associate hi sel) with

the proble .

$' don(t...want you here any longer. Can you please leave&$ Lu Hanas#ed hi and )rowned )or a )ew seconds as "ae#hyun tried to loo#o))hand under his intense stare. He drooped with annoyance when hisdidn(t e+pression clear. $' #now what ' did was wrong and i) ' had thechance ' would go bac# and a#e it right. :lease 7ust go.$ His ind wasrapidly tic#ing through thoughts, the deeper eaning )lic#ing between

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the e+pression Sehun showed hi and above the growing )ear thatasse bled in Lu Han(s chest.

$!re you stupid& *our sorry won(t do anything to e1$ "ae#hyun didn(t

want to hear it any ore. He 7ust wanted to get it all o) his chest, $'thought we are )riends1 ' thought you would have helped e. ' #now wehad our di))iculties but you had only Sehun in your ind. *ou wanted tosave Sehun and abandon e.$ His )ingers twitched in anger as he dughis nails into his heated s#in. 't hurts to thin# about it. "ae#hyun )elt li#ehis heart had dropped< he thought that he couldn(t #eep going any ore.He wanted to close this chapter o) his li)e.

He wanted to close it )orever.

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$"ae#hyun '( sorry...$ 't wasn(t his proble nor did he do so ethingwrong but Sehun bit his lip, holding bac# the tears which only hurt histhroat ore. He blin#ed a couple ti es, hoping that the tears would stayin place, $'( sorry that this happen but please don(t be angry at Lu Han.He didn(t #now.$ He only said that. Lu Han stared at Sehun who had 7ustde)ended hi < he didn(t #now what to thin#. His eyes were watery,hoping that "ae#hyun would believe that. That he would spare because

Lu Han was desperate. He was silently screa ing and begging )or)orgiveness what his pride didn(t allow.

$:lease '( sorry1$ Lu Han put his hands on his )ace to hide his tears. 'twas too late since they were were spilling already, his heart wasspeeding up. He )elt so bro#en, as i) a wrong use o) words could givehi the last push. Sehun didn(t loo# better he was trying to support LuHan by saying nonsense. He didn(t #now what he was saying e+cludingthe occasional use o) (he didn(t #now(.

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"ae#hyun(s eyes twitched, )ighting against tears.

$He su))ered so uch. Don(t a#e it harder )or hi . '( not as#ing you to)orgive hi but...please leave hi .$ Sehun repeated and darted his ga6e

to "ae#hyun when he )elt the other boy tense slightly. Their eyes et,and so ething he wasn(t able to put into words went through Sehun. 'twasn(t his situation or proble but he )elt li#e he was the only one whounderstood Lu Han(s )eelings, the only one who could help hi .

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His eyes beca e un)ocused as his own thoughts pulled hi deep intohis head, $He wanted to save e. *ou need to understand his side too. '

ean i) this would have been so eone you love...wouldn(t...wouldn(t you

)orget everything around you& 0ind the )astest way to help the &$Sehun(s pleading voice e))ectively wea#ened "ae#hyun(s #nees< thepace o) his heart was once again accelerated. %hy did he have to beright& 5ust why$

$'...$ There wasn(t anything he could bring out. "ae#hyun tried to calhi sel) down as the thoughts o) his own sanity ca e pouring into hishead. He couldn(t thin# straight. That wasn(t what he had planned. 'twasn(t supposed to be li#e that. 't wasn(t. They were shoving hi into acorner. %as that on purpose& "ut how could he )orget it all& He had losthis li)e. He wasn(t alive any ore. The ability to a#e hi sel) visible )orso e ti e was not soothing this pain in his chest.

$3#ay. 't(s all o#ay.$

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%hy did he say that&

"ae#hyun@s eyes widened at his own words. Despite his best e))orts, LuHan ust have been able to see the hesitation and )ear in his eyes,because he reached out and too# "ae#hyun(s hands in his and gavethe an encouraging s4uee6e. $'t(s o#ay. *our ind isn(t ready to )orgive

e but your heart is...$ He whispered and see ed oddly cal )orso eone who was begging )or his li)e earlier. "ae#hyun(s eyes wereburning with intensity and his words were )illed with such persuasion thathe )elt tears asse ble again and a )ir tension in his throat. Heswallowed around the thic#ness in his throat and gripped at Lu Han(shands, clinging to this contact.

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$This is not true1 ' totally hate you11 ' hate you so )uc#ing uch1 /y owas calling )or help but you only helped Sehun1 ' lost her1 ' 7ust #new her )9)or a )ew years1 They would never see e graduate1 They would never

see e getting arried..1 't(s your )ault...11 *our )ault...$

't was not anyone(s )ault, bad ti ing i) anything.

"ut "ae#hyun needed so eone to bla e.

!nd Lu Han was there.

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Sehun watched as "ae#hyun(s eyes )illed with e otion, and they startedto water. His lips started 4uivering, and he bit down harder on the to

stop their sha#ing. He si ply ga6ed at hi )or a o ent< his eyesre)lected an upsetting co bination o) an+iety and isunderstanding. Hewasn(t even angry any ore. He wished nothing ore than being angrybut he couldn(t. He wasn(t angry at Lu Han though he wished it wasdi))erent.

$'t(s o#ay "ae#hyun. *ou can hate e.$

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Lu Han didn(t realise there were tears pooling in his eyes until he noticedthe burning )eeling in his red eyes. He didn(t li#e this at all. He wantedSehun to run over and hold hi against his chest. He ight as wellwanted to cry, saying that everything was un)air. 8othing was going howhe wanted it to be, everything was going wrong. He was starting towonder i) there was anything that would wor# )or hi . Sehun slid closerto hi and wrapped his ar s around hi , pulling the s aller boy againsthis chest.

Lu Han was sti)) )or a o ent, be)ore he rela+ed and leaned intoSehun(s e brace.

$Everything is o#ay. Don(t worry '( here.$

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8o, nothing was o#ay.

Lu Han wanted to be )orgiven.

"ut there wasn(t anyone to )orgive hi any ore.

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"ae#hyun wouldn(t return any ore.

2hosts weren(t i ortal and Sehun(s ti e would soon co e as well.

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Lu Han was at least close enough.

Close enough to be )orgiven.

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His eyes read over the co puter screen, )urrowing his eyebrows at thete+t. The taller an who was sitting on the chair loo#ed up and ga6ed atthe other person in the roo . He could see the glow in his eyes andcurve o) his 7aw in the di light )ro the windows. He loo#ed bac# at thescreen and pointed at the written te+t, $!re you serious *i+ing& *ou aregoing to end it li#e this& The )uc#& %orst ending ever.$ He ur uredand read again the last couple o) lines be)ore nodding.

The other person pursed his lips and leaned over to have a loo# as well,$*ou thin# so& ' thin# it(s o#ay.$ His e+pression so)tened and he studied

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the sitting person with cold eyes. $' ean there isn(t really a happyending but still...it(s o#ay.$ He said a)ter a o ent, sounding ore asthough he were thin#ing aloud than actually tal#ing to hi . He was going

to say so ething again though bro#e o)), biting on his botto lip. $HeyKris doesn(t any character re inds you o) e&$

$There was so eone. ' thin# Lay. The useless one. *ou even used yourreal na e. ' still don(t #now why he was there. The a ount o) plot holesyou have is ridiculous. %hat happened to Kai& 3r Chanyeol& ' eanwasn(t he i portant&$

*i+ing(s outh opened and then closed again, his e+pression a i+tureo) caution and hesitancy, and he loo#ed slightly serious as i) this was

one o) the things he had e+pected to be as#ed about.

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$'t(s supposed to be li#e this. 't(s not an open ending...it(s 7ust li#e that.$

Kris loo#ed over the wor# )or the third ti e and nodded, $') you aresatis)ied send it o)). 't(s pretty late '(ll drive you ho e.$ He patted hisshoulder and le)t in a )ast speed the roo .

He closed the door and le)t *i+ing alone in the dar#ness.

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So e o) the concerns he had was disappearing )ro his ind, thewillpower in his e+pression helped hi to get over the criti4ue.

He opened a cupboard and revealed a picture.

't was old9 covered with dust.

He swore that he would never loo# at it again.

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The )aces o) his deceased )riends.

Do Kyungsoo

Ki =ongin

:ar# Chanyeol

He, hi sel).

"yun "ae#hyun

Lu Han.

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