The rest of the funeral service was a bit of a blur for Sehun. He remembered how his eyes kept staring back and forth from the casket where Luhan was sleeping in to Luye, his best friend’s younger sister. The speaking done by the funeral staff and Luhan’s family was all said in Chinese, leaving Sehun even more distorted from the happenings of the service. No matter how much Tao tried translating what was happening to Sehun, Sehun just couldn’t get anything through his head. It was as if his mindset was in a state of sub consciousness created through the guilt that was eating away his heart and soul.

                Sehun arrived back to reality when Tao placed a small white and red enclosed envelope on his lap.

                “What is this?” he asked Tao as he picked up the envelope, ready to open it.

                “Don’t open it yet- it’s good luck money,” Tao explained as he held Sehun’s hand to prevent his friend from opening the envelope. “It’s a tradition for the Chinese to use this money to buy candy after the funeral.”

                “I see,” Sehun whispered. “We will go buy candy after the cremation, right?”

                “Yes,” Tao replied. “Luckily we won’t have to drive to a cemetery since there’s one right behind this funeral house. The candy though, once you buy it you need to eat it immediately for good luck.”

                “Alright then,” Sehun whispered as Luye stood up from where she was sitting, walking over to the podium with the microphone near the casket. “What is happening?” he asked Tao while he slipped the envelope into his pocket.

                “It’s the end of this part so a family member is going to say some words,” Tao answered.

                “Da jia hao, wo shi Luye, Luhan de mei mei,” she started in Mandarin. Her sweet voice was definitely identical to her older brother’s honey voice and everyone in the room had their eyes glued onto her.

                Sehun’s mind listened diligently to her every word, but he could not recall what she was saying since he did not understand her language. Finally she repeated what she said in her perfect Korean.

                “Hello everyone, I am Luye, Luhan’s younger sister. My father, mother, and I would like to thank you for attending this service for my older brother,” she explained.

                “That girl sure can speak well,” Taemin noted from behind Sehun as Luye was speaking. “How old is she, by the way?”

                “I have no idea, but I’m guessing around ten years old?” Kai replied, “she looks like around that age, give or take a few years.”

                “Ten years old and the ability to speak like that is stunning,” D.O. added from the side. “She is a strong girl- being able to speak in front of so many people at her brother’s funeral too.”

                Luye continued on. “For those who will be staying for the cremation, please follow me to the exit at the back of this hall. We can only fit about thirty people in the smaller hall and fifteen people in the crematory itself. Also will the six honorary pallbearers please come forward?”

                “Who are the pallbearers?” Sehun asked as he stared staring around the hall. The attendees started getting up. CEO Kim and Teacher Lee made their way towards the direction where the EXO boys and Taemin were standing.

                “Boys, you twel- eleven should follow Luhan’s family to the next hall and then the crematory,” Teacher Lee instructed. “Taemin, if you wish to go too you can.”

                “Thank you Teacher,” Taemin replied. “Are there arrangements for everyone to go back to the hotel?”

                “Yes, security is extra tight around here but we already have cars ready for the other SM artists that will be leaving after this,” CEO Kim replied. “The only ones from our company that will be staying for the next hall and the crematory service will be the EXO boys, you, Boa, Yunho, Leeteuk, Henry, Victoria, Amber, Taeyeon, and Yoona. Everyone else has to head back to the hotel. Let’s go to the next hall now.”

                “Teacher Lee, who are the pallbearers?” Kris asked. “Yixing told me that when he and Suho asked before, the parents said Luye decided them but wouldn’t tell her or something.”

                “They are you guys,” CEO Kim replied shocked. “I thought you guys knew- Kris, Lay, Tao, Xiumin, Chen, and Sehun,” he answered.

                Sehun gulped and his mind went blank. Before he could start having miserable thoughts though, Tao grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the direction of Luhan’s family and Kris, Lay, Xiumin, and Chen followed as well.

                The rest of the group started walking towards the door at the back of the hall. While Sehun’s right hand was being dragged by Tao, he felt a soft hand grab onto his left hand. He turned his head to the left and saw f(x)’s blonde leader squeezing his hands tightly. Even while dressed in all black for mourning, Victoria’s smile was bright enough to lighten up the entire hall.

                “Victoria sunbaenim?” Sehun said to Victoria who smiled back at the surprised maknae. Tao on Sehun’s right was surprised, as well as the other EXO-M members walking by.

                “You look like you’re about to faint and drop straight onto the floor,” she said with a very caring and soft voice to Sehun. “You need to stay strong, Sehun ah~- not only for Luhan but also all your friends and sunbaes that care about you.”

                “I understand sunbaenim, but…” Sehun replied quietly. “I don’t know how to explain my feelings right now.”

“It’s alright,” she replied as she pulled on Sehun’s arm to walk forward. “I’m going to walk you and the rest of the boys to Luhan’s family. Tao ah~, don’t pull on Sehun too hard.”

                “Yes, sorry jie jie,” Tao replied shyly to his senior.

                The six honorary pallbearers and Victoria arrived in front of Luhan’s family. Luhan’s parents were still sitting down- his father was comforting his mother who was still crying rivers of tears. Luye was standing up, holding six pairs of silk white gloves on her hands.

                “Please put these on,” she instructed in Korean as she passed the gloves out to the boys of EXO-M and Sehun. She stopped in front of Victoria after she was done passing the gloves out.

                “Jie jie, you’re not a pallbearer,” Luye pointed out in Chinese to the f(x) leader.

                “I know,” Victoria replied kindly as she went over to give Luye a hug in which the younger girl reciprocated. “I forgot to give you a hug earlier, mei mei. Plus, another Korean translator is always good, isn’t it?”

                “Yeah,” Luye replied as she removed herself from Victoria’s hug, “thank you. You’re a nice person.” She turned towards the EXO-M members and Sehun who all had their gloves on by now. “Please close the casket and then lift up it and follow me into the next hall.”

                Kris, Lay, Tao, Xiumin, Chen, and Sehun all walked towards the casket, which was still opened. Sehun’s hands started shaking as the scent of roses engulfed his lungs once again.

                “Okay, let’s do this by height,” Kris suggested. “Me and Tao will hold near the legs, Chen chen and Xiumin take the middle, and Yixing and Sehun will take the front. Sehun, are you okay?”

                “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Sehun whispered. “We need to close the casket.”

                There was a short, but still, cold silence.

                “I’ll do it,” Lay whispered as he placed his hands on the casket’s lid. He closed his eyes as he slowly lifted it up, closing it in a time frame that was only a few seconds, but seemed as if it was forever through the eyes of the six EXO members, Luhan’s family, and Victoria watching on.

                “Hold it,” Luye commanded from a few feet away. She walked over to the casket and reopened it as she placed her hand on top of Luhan’s pale cheeks. “I need to see my brother one more time,” she said as her eyes stared down on her brother’s body. “I promise this won’t take long.”

                “Go ahead,” Kris replied as Tao started leaning on Kris’ shoulder for support.

                Sehun would never forget the sight he witnessed next. Luye leaned her head forward towards Luhan’s face on the casket and gave her brother a quick kiss on the cheek as the tears that she held back on her icy cold face finally came flowing out of her eyes. It was a sight that caused Sehun to become breathless for a few seconds as chills ran down his spine. It was like a baby Luhan was kissing an adult Luhan goodbye- a strange, bittersweet, but also somewhat disturbing sight.

                Luye lifted her head after the kiss on her brother’s cheek and closed the casket herself. She glanced over at the EXO boys, whose eyes were also tearing at the sight of the younger sister bidding her older brother goodbye. “Please lift up the casket and follow me to the next hall now. We can’t keep the guests already inside waiting,” she said softly as she walked towards the next hall.

                “Let’s do it then,” Sehun whispered as he walked over to his spot next to Luhan’s casket, grabbing the handle with his white gloved hands. Lay stood across from him while Xiumin stood behind him. Chen was across from Xiumin, and Kris was behind Chen. Tao was across from Kris and behind Xiumin.

                “On the count of three, we lift this up,” Kris instructed from behind. “One, two, three, up!”

                Sehun pulled up the handle of the casket where his best friend was sleeping in. It wasn’t heavy- he didn’t expect it to be since Luhan was as light as a feather. Sehun did feel heaviness in his arm through what he thought was the psychological effects of this entire ordeal- it was his guilt that was weighing the casket down, stressing his arms out.

                “We walk at the count of three as well,” Kris commanded again. “One, two three, walk!”

                The six honorable pallbearers walked towards the back hall with Victoria helping Luhan’s parents walk from behind. The door from the grand hall led to the smaller hall where another ritual would be performed before the cremation. The new hall was not only a lot smaller, but also lacked the magnificence and grandeur of the previous hall they just came from. The benches were wooden; the podium stood to the right of the front of the room, and there laid a tall stone rectangular bench for where the casket would be laid down on. There was also a small table with a stand for holding something of some sorts. Luye stood in front of the stone bench but behind the small table, signaling the honorable pallbearers to walk towards that direction.

                “Towards that way,” Kris instructed as the six carried the casket towards the stone bench and successfully placed it down. Even without the casket, Sehun’s arm felt heavy.

                “Please stand where you are,” Luye instructed as she walked over to the podium, the six EXO boys following. “You six will be the first to bow with the incense sticks.” There was a container with a bunch of incense sticks on the podium along with a set of matches. She lit one up and lighted the first stick which she handed to Sehun.

                “What am I suppose to do with this?” he asked Luhan’s younger sister.

                “Bow three times, and then place the stick on the stand on the table- then stay standing to the side,” she instructed as she used the match’s fire to light up other incense sticks that she passed to the other five EXO pallbearers who were on line to perform this ritual for Luhan.

                Sehun walked up to Luhan’s casket and bowed once. He didn’t know he would be doing this again- the bowing that is. But his thoughts were still remembering Luhan’s little sister kissing her brother goodbye- the distressing sight that brought chills down his spine.

                Twice. What a day this was, and how Sehun would never forget it. Although the start was a bit of a blur, the feelings he felt today would be remembered forever.

                And the third time, that was held longer than the previous two before Sehun stood back up, walked forward to add the incense candle to the stand.

                The other pallbearers performed their bows for Luhan and then Luhan’s sister instructed the rest of the sitting crowd to line up and do the same. This entire part of the service took about ten minutes before Luye announced that they would be walking into the crematory now. The funeral staff opened a set of twin doors to the left that revealed a glass wall between the smaller hall and the crematory room.

                “Only fifteen people can accompany my brother into that room,” Luye announced. “My parents will stay here, so that is fourteen people including me.”

                CEO Kim and Teacher Lee instructed for the rest of the EXO members to stand up and walk towards the pallbearers and Luye. That was twelve, including Luhan’s sister. Taemin walked over as well, making it thirteen. Victoria and Amber came forward as well, making it fifteen.

                Luye nodded as she instructed the pallbearers to lift up her brother’s casket and carry it through a side door that lead to the crematory room. Sehun remembered what his friends were saying earlier about this girl- she was so young, but she was performing huge parts for her brother’s funeral. She was leading it really well because she knew her parents were suffering too much to properly send off their son.

                The six honorable pallbearers lifted Luhan’s casket once more, off of the stone bench. Sehun’s arm felt heavy once again as they walked through the side door, behind Luye who lead the way. When they stepped into the crematory room, there were a few of the funeral home staff members who instructed the pallbearers to place the coffin down near the opening of a large furnace. They placed Luhan’s casket down.

                “A warning- it will get really hot in here,” one of the funeral staff members said in Chinese as Victoria translated what was said to the Korean members in the room.

                By now, everyone was standing behind stanchions that divided the waiting area by the door and the area near the casket and furnace. Sehun was standing near the front- Victoria was to his left, and Luye was to his right. To the left of the room stood the glass wall where Sehun saw Luhan’s parents standing with Yunho and Yoona. This was it.

                The funeral staff pushed Luhan’s casket into the furnace and then walked towards the controls. The burning of the casket started.

                There was a loud roar from the flames that swallow up the casket along with an unsettling screech calling for ‘Luhan’ from Sehun’s right. Sehun didn’t need to turn to know it was Luhan’s sister who let out the scream. He wasn’t exactly in control of himself the next second as he instinctively grabbed onto her, tightly hugging her crying soul as her tears were buried on his waist, a bit below his chest.

                “Luye, I’m so sorry,” he whispered while bending his head down closer to Luye’s ears. “Please don’t cry.”

                Ironically, this was said while Sehun couldn’t even stop his own tears from coming out.

A/N: Okay omg I was so exicted about the poster & background that Intricate Simplicity made for Baby and I that I had to write another chapter today ahhhhh <3; I love it so much TwT;; There may be some grammatic mistakes since my brain is somewhat fried after that new EXO KTV thing at S.M.art Genie thing lol.

The funeral has been three chapters long and it's almost over~ the next chapter will focus more on EXO + SM CEO & LSM finding out more about Luye from her and Luhan's parents.