The place their parents rented for Luhan’s graduation party lay a ten minute drive from their home, which meant all the guests had to be transported there. And just like Eunbi expected, the party got bigger than her mother first said. People seemed to be everywhere and she sighed when Luhan walked past her. The glass in his hand was filled to the brim with what Eunbi guessed was alcohol. She ignored it for she saw no reason to tell an adult, and instead walked over to where Sehun stood. The frown on his face displayed just how much he disliked the whole event.

“Having fun?” Eunbi tried to look unfazed as she spoke to him. Something that became incredibly more difficult when his hand bumped against hers. The skincontact must have been an innocent act from his side because he pulled away ever so slightly before replying that the party was stupid. That Luhan didn’t deserve it and that the money they’d thrown away could have been used to better things. Eunbi agreed to a certain extent. But it was also a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. You only graduated high school once, and knowing that Luhan would move out in less than a week, it gave her more than one reason to celebrate.  

“Be happy that he’s moving out then.”

Their little conversation was interrupted at that as her mother showed up in front of them. The older woman wanted them to look a little happier and show some interest in the other guests. Eunbi nodded, an awkward and not so sincere smile on her lips. Sehun on the other hand grew irritated at the request. He wanted no part in any of the celebration and would rather have stayed home. Something he also made very clear when he, much to Eunbi’s surprise, took a hold of her hand and pulled her with. She panicked, her pulse racing so fast she began to gasp for air. Eunbi didn’t even dare to look back at her mother in fear of the other’s expression.

“We’re so dead. We’re so dead.” They were going to be in so much trouble when they got home because if there was something her mother couldn’t take, it was when people ignored her words. Sehun simply scoffed at the words. Eunbi’s mother could say whatever she wanted and he would still not care. Being an adult did not give you the right to push and order people around. It was enough that the teachers at school did that.

“You really need to stop pleasing your mom all the time.” He was sick and tired of always seeing Eunbi so stressed out. And for what. Because her mother wanted her to do a certain thing. Because it was expected of her to behave like a perfect daughter. It was a wonder she hadn’t suffered a mental breakdown yet. Some of the guests had turned to see what was going on, which, to Eunbi’s discomfort only made her nervous. Sehun was after all grasping onto her hand and the way he spoke could spark misunderstandings. But in the midst of all the tumult, she noticed Kyungsoo. The male flashed her a huge smile and she ordered Sehun to stop. He didn’t and instead continued to drag Eunbi with until she used her other hand to punch him in the side. Not hard. But just enough to slow him down.

“I want to talk to Kyungsoo.” Sehun sighed but let go of her nonetheless. Only to watch as she headed over to the other male. To say he was pissed off would be an understatement. There was nothing he could do about it though, at least not then and there. Not without attracting unwanted attention. So with an ever decreasing mood, Sehun walked out of there, grabbed his jacket, and went to take a smoke. And whilst he did that, Eunbi was busy talking to Kyungsoo.

“I didn’t expect you to come. I thought you would be preoccupied with school.” Being a university student meant a lot of work and Eunbi had been certain he wouldn’t show. But she was glad he did.

“I’ve already finished most of my schoolwork so I figured why not. Why, you don’t want me here?” He nudged her side in a playful manner, to which Eunbi laughed and said she was happy he visited. Her grandmother showed up as well and she was quick to give the woman a hug. The reunion, even though it’d only been a week since they last saw each other, was heartwarming and made her feel at ease. All Eunbi wished at the moments was that they could stay a little longer. Unfortunately that would most likely not happen. But it was a nice thought and she wondered if a trip to Daegu would be possible. It was a while since last time and the break served as a perfect opportunity for Eunbi to go back. She made a mental note to ask her mother later. Speaking of which. The woman appeared out of nowhere, an expression that spelled stress obvious.

“Have any of you seen Luhan? We can’t find him anywhere.” Eunbi frowned, unsure of she was supposed to mention her run-in with him. Then again. It wasn’t like she knew where he disappeared off to after that. Some of his friends were present, too. But according to her mother none of them knew where he was either. Maybe he’d gotten drunk and fallen asleep somewhere? It was Luhan they were talking about, which meant anything was possible.

“I saw him earlier. But I have no idea where he went.” It wasn’t like she paid too much attention to it either, what he did and where he was. It didn’t bother her the slightest actually, because he could take care of himself. Despite that, Eunbi agreed to look for him. And the only reason for that was to satisfy her mother, who told her to be quick. With a sigh she excused herself and then began to search for the older male. Eunbi headed in the direction where they passed each other, only to come to a dilemma when she arrived at a staircase that lead down to some sort of basement. The irritation she felt before was nothing in comparison to how she experienced it now and Eunbi cursed under her breath as she headed down. The whole floor was in complete darkness and she hesitated when she couldn’t find the lightswitch.

“Luhan?” She squinted her eyes but saw nothing nonetheless. Either he wasn’t down there or he’d passed out. She called his name a second time, only to met with silence. Eunbi took a step forward, immediately regretted it, and ran back up. Her mother could say whatever she wanted because there was no way in hell she would be searching for him in the basement. Not alone and definitely not in the dark. So Eunbi began to look for Sehun instead, and thus ignored her mother’s words. He was a lot easier to find and she wasn’t even surprised when she spotted him leaning against the wall in the common room. What made her uneasy was the expression on his face, and she asked him if anything was wrong as soon as she’d walked up to him.

“Why can’t we just leave? It’s not like they would care. Hell. They’ll probably not even notice that we are gone.” It was a tempting thought. One Eunbi considered for a while before coming to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be right. It had nothing to do with Luhan or the fact that it was his graduation party. But more because of her grandmother and Kyungsoo. She wanted to be with them as much as possible before they returned back to Daegu the following day. Sehun frowned at this.

“Fine. But I’m leaving.” Anything was better than having to stay there, surrounded by people he didn’t know. Eunbi had other plans though, and that others might see was of no concern as she grabbed a hold of his hand and laced their fingers together. The sudden move was unexpected and Sehun looked down at the girl with a newfound curiosity. He could never have foreseen that she would hold his hand in such a public place. More over. At an event like this where their family was present. Not that he was disappointed. Overjoyed would be a more suitable word to describe how he felt.

And that’s how he ended up staying at the party.

The day soon turned into evening and she’d stuck to Sehun’s side most of the time. With a few exceptions when she went to talk to her grandmother and Kyungsoo. Her mother came by once, too, and asked if she found Luhan, something that made her release Sehun’s hand. The woman left pretty quickly though, after Eunbi explained that she hadn’t found him, to which she took a hold of Sehun’s hand again. No one suspected a thing and it struck her then, that everyone seemed to be so busy with their own stuff, with their own life, to even notice.

They snuck away when no one saw, and as Sehun lead the way she soon realized where they were heading. The basement. It was obviously the only place in the entire building where it was quiet and empty. But it also meant Eunbi needed to face what she couldn’t handle earlier that day. The darkness. A problem that was forgotten as soon as they stepped into the space and Sehun pulled her to him. Not being able to see wasn’t that much of a hazard for her other senses took over where her eyesight fell short.

His breathing was heavy and her cheeks flushed when his hands moved up her side. And if that wasn’t enough to send her heart racing, his next move certainly did for he leaned in, his lips brushing against her collarbone before he planted butterfly kisses along up to her chin. Eunbi gripped at his shirt to steady herself. But the heated moment turned into terror in the split of a second and Eunbi let out a scream when she heard a muffled cry. The sound scared her to such an extent that Sehun had to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her upright.

“Who’s there?” Sehun’s voice echoed between the walls and created a crescendo that must’ve been heard by other guests for light flooded the space within a minute. This was followed by her stepfather making his way forward whilst at the same time asking what was going on. Eunbi wanted to know that too after she saw Luhan. He was sitting on the floor with eyes closed and his head back against the stonewall. A glass stood before him.

“What’s wrong with you, Luhan?” Their father walked up and placed himself right in front of the boy, whose eyelids fluttered open.

“Am I dead yet.” Eunbi turned rigid at the words. She could barely believe what he said. A feeling that seemed to be shared by Sehun and their father. The latter even asked his son to repeat himself, almost as if he thought he’d heard wrong. But when Luhan once again asked if he was dead, the older male reached out and pulled Luhan to his feet. A small container fell to the floor as a result. One she watched her stepfather pick up at the expense of Luhan, who collapsed to the floor without warning. Eunbi blinked, overwhelmed. She had no idea what was happening. And before she knew it, Sehun was ordering her to go and call for help.