"You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness."

- Gotye

******

On Monday morning, Sehun and I stepped out of the apartment and walked to school together. Both of us were eating buttered toast, while absentmindedly checking our school bags to see if we had left anything behind. We were actually 30 minutes late for school but we didn't really care. I flipped my long brown hair to the side and straightened my varsity jacket. Sehun ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed his temple slightly, trying to energize himself. 

I rubbed my eyes sleepily and we sneakily ducked inside the gates of school and managed to make it to homeroom. When we entered, both of us looking like we just woke up and still clutching remnants of our toast, our homeroom teacher glanced at us and grinned. "I see the two of you still bothered coming to school." The entire class stared at us in awe and envy. I ducked my head slightly but Sehun remained his usual cool emotionless self and barely nodded. We sat down next to each other and classes started.

The time flew by and soon, school was over. I glanced at Luhan's empty seat, he was still absent. I had a nagging feeling that something was not right. My parents haven't spoken to me in so many days, I've lost count. I felt like there was something crucial going on, something that I was not aware of. 

Sehun came over and said "Want to go out for lunch?" I nodded and the two of us walked out of school. We took a cab to Gangnam and entered a restaurant. I tried to act normally but the nagging suspicion still couldn't leave me and Sehun noticed my abnormal behavior and frowned. He saw that I was acting strangely, but he didn't say anything.

Once we were seated, I tried calling my parents but they didn't answer their phones. I called their personal assistants, their drivers, their stylists, the mansion's butler but none of them answered. I was getting really worried and Sehun asked "What's wrong?" I shook my head. "Nothing. It's just that my parents haven't spoken to me in days, and everything's too... quiet. I'm worried. Luhan's absent too. I think something bad has happened." 

Surprise registered on Sehun's flawless face as he said "Maybe they're just busy? If something big happened, I think you would have found out a long time ago." I shook my head again. "Aniyo, something feels wrong. No one is answering their phones!" I slammed my phone onto the table, worry flooding my eyes. Sehun reached out and held my chin, tipping it up and forcing me to look at him.

His beautiful eyes stared into mine. "Listen to me, everything's fine. Calm down, you're probably overreacting."

I nodded and inhaled sharply. He was right. Nothing bad has happened and I'm just being paranoid. I forced out a small smile and said "You're right. If something bad happened, I would have known."

Just then, my phone beeped and I glanced at it. 

My eyes widened in shock, then horror. My entire body felt like it had frozen into place, my thoughts refusing to register in my brain. No.... Please, no...

The daily stock rates were shown on my phone. My dad's company, the multinational company that he spent his entire life and soul for, had a massive economic strike. There was a huge plunge in the stock rates of the company, estimating a loss of $80 billion. All his investors were pulling out of the company, refusing to invest anymore. I stared at the flat red line on the stock report, my body going cold with shock. He's going to lose everything... The headlines of the news flashed in my eyes. Terms like "bankruptcy", "massive stock reduction", "economic strike" and "financial crisis" replayed in my head, rendering me of my thoughts. 

Sehun saw my reaction and grabbed my phone. He stared at the screen and widened his eyes in shock. 

He tried to grabbed my hand but I quickly stood up. "I have to go." I blurted and ran out of the restaurant.

Sehun felt a sudden agitation and shouted "YAH! LEE JI-EUN! Hold on!" but she had already ran out of the restaurant. He slumped against his chair, thinking about her reaction earlier, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He wished he could do something to help, but he couldn't. He clenched his fists as his eyes darkened rapidly.

I dashed down the street and hailed a cab. By the time the cab pulled up in front of my mansion, I was trembling. It was surrounded by a hoard of reporters and there was even a news helicopter circling the top of our mansion. When I stepped out of the cab, they saw me and they immediately ran to me. 

"Lee Ji-eun! How do you feel about the sudden financial crisis?"

"Why would there suddenly be such a huge stock plunge?"

"Something as drastic as this hasn't happened in years! Please explain to us!"

"Lee Ji-eun!"

"Lee Ji-eun!"

"When will your father announce bankruptcy?"

I fought through the crowd of ravenous reporters, trembling. My eyes were blurred with tears and just when I was about to break down, someone yelled "BACK OFF!", and the crowd of reporters instantly formed a path. I glanced up and saw Luhan and a few bodyguards rushing towards me. Luhan hugged me tightly and carried me. The reporters went crazy and started snapping photos again. 

The flashes made my head hurt and I rested my head against his shoulder. Luhan glanced at me, pain apparent in his eyes. I was still trembling, my entire body shaking from fear. Once we were in the mansion and the bodyguards had locked and secure the door, I dashed to my father's office. I banged wildly on the door and screamed at my father to open the door.  Luhan tried to pull me back but I was too delirious to care and shoved him roughly away.

Just then, the door opened and I saw my mother's pale face. For the first time in my life, she was bare of any jewelry or makeup. Her eyes were hollow. I burst in and saw my father staring outside the window. 

I closed the door and asked softly "Is it true?"

My father took one look at me, and his gaze said it all. My entire life, my father had always been the clever calculative businessman, always in control of everything. But now, the dead look in his eyes, were all I needed to see, and seeing my father like this had greatly unnerved me. I tried not to tremble as I asked "So what are we going to do now?"

My father looked at me, the dead look in his eyes flickering slightly as he said slowly "Whatever it takes."

Whatever it takes.

I squared my shoulders and inhaled sharply. So be it. 

Sehun remained seated at that restaurant, staring at the stock rates on his phone. Her dad's company had already hit the flatline, and unless they had a personal savior or a miracle happened, the company was doomed. He felt a sudden bad feeling in his gut. He didn't know why, but somehow, he had a premonition that something drastic was going to happen, and he was not going to like it one bit.

Suddenly, his phone beeped and he stared at the news headlines.

The picture of Luhan hugging her and carrying her inside the mansion was front page news.

He narrowed his eyes, as the bad feeling in his gut intensified. 

He had a feeling that he was going to lose her.

*****

I'm not really that fond of this chapter but well, I guess this chapter is necessary to hit the turning point of this story. So, to sum things up, the company of IU's father is on the verge of bankruptcy and they're going to make a very crass decision to save the company. I wonder what that will be.... And well, Sehun's premonition might be true too. :O

What do you think they will do? Hopefully the answer wouldn't shock you too much. :D 

Subscribe and comment! <3

So hot. :3