“He’s alive! He’s alive and well!” Sehun burst into Areum’s room.

The girl was sitting up in her bed. Her face was still pale, but she managed to bring a smile to the surface when she heard the news. “That’s wonderful!”

Seeing the rare smile on her face, Sehun swallowed the other news. The news about Chen. Chanyeol said that he was not in critical condition, so there was no need to tell her now. She looked like she was on the verge of collapsing.

Sehun walked over and sat next to her on the bed. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. Areum didn’t even have the strength to pull away or protest.

“So don’t worry,” the boy said softly. “Stop worrying about your brother and start focusing on getting better.” The fact that bringing her into the dark world of gangsters had forced her to become so frail and lifeless dug into him like a dagger. “Please return to how you were before.”

“Hmm, that’s in the outskirts of Seoul. How fitting for them to be near the capital,” Kris snorted.

Chanyeol nodded wearily. He had arrived to the hospital where Areum was at just minutes ago. “I just hope we never have to work side-by-side with BAP again.” He rubbed his eyes, which were underlined by dark circles from the lack of sleep. “I was expecting them to gang up with Beast’s men and start ambushing us any minute.”

“We’re fortunate that BAP did keep their word,” Xiumin murmured.

“So many of the Underground World gangs hate on them.” Luhan let out a derisive laugh. “They probably didn’t want to get kicked out or wiped out by some collaboration.”

“So when is Joonmyeon coming back with Chen? To be honest, I would recommend him to leave Chen at the hospital to recover. He may be a tough guy, but he still needs a week or so to heal enough to return to combat,” Kris said.

“Hyung told me that he’d come right after he sees Chen wake up from his surgery.” Chanyeol yawned. “I think I’ll take a quick nap.” He seated himself on a chair in the hallway. “By the way, how’s Areum?”

“The doctor said that her health is improving rapidly,” Kris said. His monotone arrested Chanyeol’s attention. The tall, lanky boy stood, prepared to go see her state himself.

Luhan shoved him back down. “You are not going to see Areum in that state,” he snapped. “You look half-dead. You’ll probably give her a heart attack.” He glanced at the door to her room. “I’ll go check on her. Sehun’s been in that room for who-knows-how-long.” After a three-hour-long nap, Sehun had chased Kai out of the room.

“I’ll call the rookie gangs,” Kris stated. “We need to plan out to take on one of the biggest gangs in the Underground World.”

With a curt nod, Luhan entered Areum’s room. His deer-like eyes grew bigger and they looked like they would pop out of their sockets any second. Areum looked like she was on her deathbed – her state hadn’t been this bad earlier. His hands curled into tight fists. The stress was obviously taking its toll.

“Sehun!” Luhan barked, making the Exo-K maknae jump. Areum gave little to no reaction. “Get you’re a** out of here; what are you – glue? I’ll look after her. You go get some more sleep.”

“I’m fine, Hyung,” the younger boy whined. However, a yawn escaped his lips and guiltiness appeared over his features. He was led out a bit forcefully by the Exo-M member.

Luhan went over to Areum. He sat down. Luhan looked away – every time her lifeless complexion came into vision he felt hopeless and horrible.

“Hyung.” Areum’s voice was hoarse.

“Yes?” Luhan’s tone had become soft, which was so unlike himself. He forced himself to face the young girl. Her face had no color and dark bags surrounded her dull eyes. She looked like someone who had no will – no will to live.

“I want everything to stop.” Luhan could barely hear her voice. “I just… want to close my eyes and not open them again.” A chill ran through Luhan’s spine. “I… want to find peace.”

Luhan threw his arms around her, careful not to apply pressure in his arms. “It will!” He was surprised at the desperation in his voice and took a few deep breaths to calm down. “It will. I promise. It won’t be long. Also…” He swallowed. “If you were gone, what would we do? What would Exo-K and Exo-M be without you?”

“You all are getting along.” She let out a sigh that sounded like a tiny breeze. “Now you all are using ‘we’ instead of ‘us and them.’ I’m glad.”

“We were after each other’s necks before, but now we’re practically a family. A big family. And you’re part of it. So don’t make a hole in it and stay alive. Stay healthy. You’re the light in our darkness,” Luhan whispered. A tear glistened in Areum’s eyes.

“Are you eating and drinking? You need to get better so your brother can see your lively face welcoming him back.” Luhan offered the girl an unopened bottle of water, but she shook her head. It looked like even that small movement was painful for her.

‘Don’t tell me…’ Luhan felt like something was squeezing his heart. ‘Don’t tell me she’s dying.’ He shook his head to get rid of drastic thoughts. He looked up.

“Look,” Luhan whispered. Morning had come and sunlight was peeking out from between the curtains. A ray of light shone onto the covers. Specks of dust danced in its golden light.

The girl lifted her head slightly and the light entered her vision. It captivated her. “It’s beautiful,” Areum managed out breathlessly.

She reached out with a trembling hand to the sunlight. It felt warm to her cold hand. The dust swirled around her fingers, their dance momentarily interrupted. Her eyes were trained on the sunlight while Luhan’s were on her face. A slight sparkle had returned in her eyes.

“See? Even after the dark, sunlight will always shine through. Be our sunlight.” Luhan leaned over and pressed his lips to the girl’s forehead. “Stay strong. Recover your smile. You are always dear to our hearts.”

Wow - it's been this long already? I missed you guys so much!! Sorry for the late update~~ I hope you enjoy!! Please comment!!!!

Have a wonderful summer!