“Hyung, are you alright?” Gongchan asked as Sandeul entered the dorm. He could see that something wasn’t right with him, but he wasn’t entirely sure what he and Eunji had talked about. “Did you and Eunji talk about something?”

            “It’s nothing Channie,” Sandeul said with an attempted smile, “don’t worry yourself over it.”

            “Okay,” Gongchan said, but he wasn’t sure that he was just going to forget about it that easily since it didn’t seem like it was nothing.

            Silently, Sandeul went into his bedroom and plopped down on his bed as he stared at the bottom of the bunk that was on top. Of course it bothered him to find out that Lila had cancer and that was the reason that she was in the hospital, but it was information that he shouldn’t know. Unless the information came from Lila, Sandeul was going to ignore it, no matter how much it bothered him inside.

            Then there came the thoughts of Jinyoung. Sandeul wondered if Jinyoung knew about the cancer, if he knew the real reason why Lila was there. “Why wouldn’t he know?” Sandeul asked himself as he threw a pillow over his face. He figured that the best way to deal with everything would be to sleep. Lately he wasn’t getting enough sleep because of his shooting schedule and felt that maybe he was just living a dream, that maybe Lila wasn’t sick, and that maybe when he woke up, everything would be the same as it was before.

“How long does the treatment usually last?” Jinyoung asked Lila as he sat next to her on the hospital bed with his fingers intertwined with hers.

            “It could take who knows how long,” Lila said. “It depends on how well it’s working and whether it gets worse or not. Why are you wondering?”

            “I was just wondering that maybe you’re sick of being stuck in here, you know?” Jinyoung said with a chuckle.

            “I’m okay in here,” Lila said with a nod of her head and a smile. “It’s normal for me.”

            “It kind of hurts me to think that this is normal for you…” Jinyoung stared as he looked at Lila.

            “Don’t hurt,” Lila said as she wrapped both of her arms around Jinyoung and leaned her head against his chest. “It’s alright, it’s just life, you know?”

            “I’ll cure you.”

            “Hmm?” Lila asked as she looked at Jinyoung’s face.

            “I’ll cure you. I’ll study to become a doctor and cure you and everyone else that’s suffering from this type of stuff.”

            “But you’re an entertainer. It’ll be too hard to be an entertainer and to do this at the same time.”

            “Still, though,” Jinyoung attempted to reason.

            “Don’t, I’ll be okay. Hopefully this time it’ll be gone for sure,” Lila said with a smile. “I’m sure of it. Dr. Kim said that I’m already responding well to the treatment, so just give it a couple of more weeks and I’ll be released, don’t worry.”

Like that, weeks passed and Lila was allowed to be released from the hospital, but only if she were to take things easy. “Everything has been going well,” Dr. Kim said as she came into Lila’s room. “Your body has been responding well to the treatment and after a couple of more checkups here at the hospital, I’m sure you’ll be able to get rid of this once and for all.”

            “Thank you,” Lila said with a smile as she slightly bowed. She was happy to be released from the hospital and hopefully be able to do things as they were before. Not many things had happened during her time in the hospital, at least things that Lila knew about.

            “Now I hope I don’t see you back here,” Dr. Kim said as she walked with Lila after she signed the release papers. “Unless it’s for your checkups, of course.”

            “I don’t want to come back here,” Lila said with a chuckle.

            “And that boy that you have, he seems like a nice one.”

            “Thanks,” Lila said with a chuckle.

            “But it looks like you have another one waiting for you.”

            “Hmm?” Lila confusingly asked as Dr. Kim motioned to someone sitting on a bench who immediately looked up once they both walked out of the hospital.

            “I’ll leave you alone,” Dr. Kim said with a knowing face. “I’ll see you for your checkup then, alright?” Lila nodded her head as Dr. Kim went back into the hospital. Once Dr. Kim disappeared, Lila approached the person sitting on the bench, only to be surprised.

            “Mir?” Lila hesitantly asked as a familiar face sat in front of her. Of course, it was covered with a hat and sunglasses, but Lila was sure that it was Mir, the face structure was unmistakable.

            “So you do remember me?” Mir asked with a chuckle as he stood up. “I didn’t think you would remember me.”

            “Well…it surely has been a while,” Lila said. “I mean, how long has it been since I last saw you?”

            “Four years, maybe, I lost count,” Mir said. “All I know is that it’s been too long.”

            “But how did you even know that I was here?”

            “Your parents wanted to make sure that you got home safely. I guess my parents told them that I was visiting home for a short while and they wanted to make sure that I met up with you since I’m normally a busy-body. I heard that you came back from America.”

            “I have, but it’s been a couple of months since then,” Lila said as she thought about the time that she first landed in Korea again.

            “Hmm, I heard about what happened between you and that Sandeul kid.”

            “What do you mean?” Lila asked. She wasn’t entirely sure what Mir could’ve heard about them.

            “Here, I’ll drive you back home and tell you everything. Just tell me where you live.”

            Lila followed Mir to his car and told him where her apartment was located as he started to drive. “So…oppa,” Lila slowly said, “what did you hear about me and Sandeul?”

            “That you guys broke up, but I also saw the interview where he said that you were his girlfriend before in the past. I never knew that that kid is part of an idol group.”

            “Well, neither did I,” Lila said with an awkward laugh. “But it’s alright, it’s all in the past now. I didn’t get much backlash about the whole incident because I was in the hospital. I bet most people probably forgot about it anyway.”

            “Maybe, I hope. I don’t want to cause a problem for you.”

            “I guess, but oppa, why are you wearing sunglasses and a hat?” Lila wondered.

            “Ah, that…I’ll tell you, but it looks like we’re here at your apartment.”

            “True…would you like to come in?”

            “Sure,” Mir said. “Let’s park the car first.”

            After Mir parked the car, Lila led him up to her apartment, typed in the passcode, and opened the door, only to be surprised by everyone being in her apartment.

            “Welcome home!” everyone yelled as soon as they saw Lila.

            “Huh?” Lila asked as she saw the boys of B1A4 standing there with smiles on their faces. “What’s all this?”

            “Jinyoung-hyung wanted to welcome you home,” Gongchan said with a smile.

            “Ah, who is this?” Baro asked as he noticed Mir standing next to her.

            “Oh, I’m—,” Mir began as he took off his hat and sunglasses.

            “Mir-sunbae?” Shinwoo asked.

            “Sunbae?” Lila asked as she stared at Mir. “You’re an entertainer, too?”

            “Yeah,” Mir said nodding his head. “I was going to tell you…”

            “So that’s why you went up to Seoul?”

            “Kind of,” Mir said with a chuckle.

            “Anyway, we’re all glad you’re home,” Jinyoung said going up to Lila and hugging her before looking at Mir. “Hello,” he said politely greeting him. “I’m Jung Jinyoung, the leader of B1A4 and Lila’s boyfriend.”

            “Boyfriend?” Mir asked with a shock as he looked at Lila.

            “Heh, yeah,” Lila awkwardly said as Mir’s confession from years ago passes through her mind. It didn’t seem as though anyone noticed it, but Lila noticed Mir’s quick glance towards Sandeul who was standing near a corner of the room.

            “Anyway, let’s continue with this welcome home party!” Gongchan announced as he attempted to divert the awkward tension that was building in the room. “You’re finally home from the hospital after so long, it probably feels like forever, right?”

            “Kind of,” Lila said as she sat down on the couch in between Mir and Jinyoung. The guys still had no idea why Lila was at the hospital and she was thankful towards Jinyoung for not telling them throughout the entire time. They did visit her, though, but the reason she was there was always kept a secret. Honestly, Lila kind of wondered what the guys thought she was in the hospital for in the first place since she was there for so long.

            “Now that you’re back are you going to continue going to school?” Gongchan wondered.

            “Hopefully,” Lila said with a slightly awkward laugh. “I mean I know I have things to catch up on, but I want to go back, if it allows.”

            “I could always help,” Gongchan said. “We take some of the same classes anyway.”

            “True,” I say with a chuckle. “Ah, Eunji, what about her? How has she been? I haven’t heard much about her since I wasn’t around much.”

            “Ah…Eunji,” Shinwoo said as he looked at Sandeul.

            “What? Did something happen?” Lila wondered.

            “Not really…more like…she moved back to her hometown,” Sandeul said with a chuckle.

            “Huh?” Lila asked.

            “Eunji moved away from Seoul for the time being,” Gongchan said. “No one knows why, though, she just said that she had to move away for a little while.”

            “Oh, so then the apartment next door is empty?” Lila asked.

            “Yeah, she moved out about a week ago,” Baro said.

            “I wonder why she didn’t say goodbye,” Lila said before she shrugged her shoulders. “I guess there’s nothing we can already do about it since it already happened.”

            Time passed and it was already time for the guys to leave. “Congrats on getting released!” Gongchan yelled before he hugged Lila. “I’m glad that you’re finally home. Will you ever tell us the reason why you were in the hospital?”

            “Maybe,” Lila said with a chuckle, “but for right now, it’s going to be a secret, alright?”

            “I guess,” he said as he pouted before Baro pushed him out of the way.

            “Goodbye Lila,” Baro said as he opened his arms wide, to which Lila laughed at him. “Hopefully I’ll be seeing you soon, right? You’re not going to disappear like Eunji did, right?”

            “I’m not,” Lila said.

            After Shinwoo said goodbye, and Sandeul said his awkward one, there was only Jinyoung left. “Hey, I’ll call you later, alright? For now you can get your rest and catch up with Mir-sunbae.”

            “Alright,” Lila said with a smile. Without saying anything, Jinyoung gently kissed Lila’s forehead and hugged her.

            “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

            “Okay, see you tomorrow,” Lila said with a smile as she watched them go. “Hey, don’t laugh at me,” she said as she turned around and saw Mir laughing on the couch.

            “It’s a new side of you that I’ve never seen before,” he admitted.

            “And what side is that?” she asked as she crossed her hands over her chest.

            “It’s the side of being all lovey-dovey with a boyfriend.”

            Lila didn’t say anything and stuck her tongue out as she sat down on the couch next to Mir. “It feels so long since we sat like this,” Lila said as she placed her hands on her knees. “It kind of feels awkward, doesn’t it.”

            “I wouldn’t say awkward…more like we forgot the feelings, you know?”

            “Maybe,” Lila sighed. “Ah, I should clean up a bit from the party.”

            “Here, I can clean up,” Mir said stopping Lila from being able to get off of the couch. “You should rest. I’m not sure why you were in the hospital for that long, but since you were in there for that long, you should rest.”

            “Oh, thanks,” Lila said with a smile as she watched Mir begin to clean up.

            It felt like forever since she was last able to see Mir, which it was, but she hadn’t realized what the time meant. Now it felt like they barely even knew each other. Lila didn’t know that Mir had left to go into the entertainment business, just like Sandeul. It felt like everyone she knew went to become an idol without telling her, only to have her discover later by running into them again.

            “So, Lila, can I ask you something?” Mir asked as he sat back down on the couch next to Lila.

            “Sure, what is it?” Lila wondered.

            “Do you have lingering feelings for Sandeul?”

            “Huh?” Lila asked slightly shocked by his question. “Why would you ask such a thing?”

            “I’m just wondering. I mean…never mind, just answer me, please,” Mir said as he looked at Lila. “Do you still like Sandeul?”

“Hello?” Lila asked as she picked up the phone. Mir had already left since he wanted to get back home and Lila was watching television in her living room while enjoying her time at home. She didn’t realize it much in the hospital, but she missed being at home. She missed being able to eat food that she made, to watch something other than the hospital programming, and to be able to just sleep in her own bed.

            “Lila…it’s um…Sandeul,” Sandeul awkwardly said on the other line.

            “Sandeul?” Lila asked in surprise. She wondered why he would be calling her when she was expecting Jinyoung to be on the other line. “Why are you calling now?”

            “I forgot to ask you this earlier,” Sandeul slowly started, “but I was wondering if I could ask a favor from you.”

            “A favor? What kind of favor?”

            “I was wondering if you’d like to join me for this party.”

            “A party? What’s the party for?”

            “It’s sort of like an after party, you know, for the drama I was shooting. I was wondering if you would like to…be my date for it, but it doesn’t have to be like a date,” Sandeul quickly added on. “It could just be like friends because I mean, we’re friends, right?”

            “I…I guess,” Lila said. She honestly wasn’t sure what their relationship was, but if Sandeul said that they’re friends, then why wouldn’t they be? “I guess we’re friends.”

            “And don’t worry, I already mentioned it to Jinyoung-hyung. Like if Eunji hadn’t disappeared, I’d ask her, but then again we already broke up, so it would be awkward to be seen with her. But the two of us did break up and there was a short scandal about us, but we’re going as friends because we’re friends so no one should say anything and—”

            “Sandeul,” Lila said interrupting him. “As a friend, I’ll go with you to this party thing.”

            “You will?” Sandeul asked shocked.

            “You weren’t expecting for me to say yes?”

            “No, it’s just— thanks, Lila,” Sandeul said. “I’ll tell you more of the details later.”

            “Okay. Goodnight Sandeul.”

            “Goodnight Lila,” Sandeul said before they both hung up the phone.

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What will happen at the party? Does Mir know the reason why Lila was in the hospital? Will Lila tell Sandeul why she was in the hospital? Will Eunji make a return?

Here's Chapter 24. Hope you enjoyed :D