3rd person POV~

Days went by and graduation was getting closer. It was a weekend and Daehyun had planned to go on a date with Hanbyul, but since his deadline was way passed he decided to be with his dad to discuss his decision. 

He and Mr. Jung went to a near by basketball court. Daehyun bounced the ball as he made his way to the court with his father following behind. 

"Whoever gets 20 points first wins," Daehyun said once he stepped foot on the court. 

"What's the bet?"

"Loser buys ice cream, like the old days," Daehyun smirked a smile and bounced the ball to his father. He nodded in agreement and they began their game. 

Although Mr. Jung was in his mid 40s, he was quite in shape. The first half, he scored 7 points while Daehyun was lagging with 5 points. 

His father grinned. "Looks like you're going to be buying the ice cream."

Daehyun chuckled and shook his head. "I can still catch up."

He ran towards his father who had the ball and stole it, dribbling towards his side and took a shot. The ball went in nicely. 

The game went on for another 10 minutes before Mr. Jung won the first round. Daehyun, out of breath, requested for a second round. 

"This was only a warm up, lets play another round," Daehyun heavily breathed. 

"Are you willing to take that chance?" his father chuckled as he nodded. "Okay then. If I win again, you buy us dinner."

"Call," Daehyun grinned and grabbed the ball out of his father's hands. This round was more intense; stealing the ball from one another, fouls, and constantly running back and forth. The round last for a good half hour before Mr. Jung won again. 

Daehyun laid flat on the court, breathing heavily. "How are you still in shape?"

"I should be asking you why you aren't?" his father laughed and sat next to him. 

It was silent. 

Daehyun rested an arm over his eyes to block the sun. 

"Appa," he softly said. His father looked down at him. "About Japan-"

"Ah~ that's right!" Mr. Jung exclaimed. "The deadline was 3 days ago!"

"I know," Daehyun said and sighed. "I've made my decision."

His father grew curious, yet anxious about the answer he'd get. 

"I'm staying in Korea," Daehyun finally said after a long pause. His father softly smiled. 

"I had a feeling you'd stay," Mr. Jung quietly said. "Did you stay because of Hanbyul?"

"Not just her," he replied. "But my friends and umma, I can't leave them behind."

Mr. Jung continued to smile. 

"I eventually want to create a life with Hanbyul and I want my friends with us. Also, there needs to be a man to protect umma and since you're leaving, that leaves me to protect her," he continued. He removed his arm from his eyes and sat up to look at his dad. "I'll go to Japan with you for a week and help you settle in, but I'll return to Korea and settle in myself."

His father looked at him, proud that he's grown so much and patted his head. 

"I'll respect your decision then," his father said. "I would've liked it if you were with me, but I think you're better off staying in Korea."

"Thanks, Appa," Daehyun smiled and stood up. "Lets play another round of basketball."

"What's the bet this time?" Mr. Jung laughed, also getting up. 

Daehyun shrugged. "There is no bet. I just wanted to hang out with you longer since today may be the last time we play ball together."

Mr. Jung felt his breath stop for a second and smiled. "Alright."

And so they played ball all evening til the sun set. 

Meanwhile, Luhan was just getting off his morning shift and headed to the grocery store since he got his paycheck today. 

He entered the market and walked around to find something affordable since he still had to pay his rent, water bill and electricity bill which were passed their due date. He didn't have enough money to buy a decent meal, so he headed straight to the ramen section, picking out his favorite ramen. He reached up and grabbed two packages, which contained 4 packs of ramen in a package. That was all he could afford for now. 

He started to walk away when someone asked, "Can you help me reach for the ramen?"

He turned around and slightly widened his eyes. He was facing Daehyun's mother for the first time in years. 

"Luhan," she softly said his name then smiled. "It's nice seeing you again."

He nodded and bowed to her. She softly giggled and pointed up to the ramen she was trying to reach for. "Will you help me get those?"

He nodded and set his ramen on the floor, grabbing a few packages for her. He set them in her cart and grabbed his stuff. 

"Is that all you've been eating?" she asked looking at the ramen in his arms. 

"Yeah, you can say so," he quietly said avoiding her eyes. 

Ever since the incident with Daehyun, Luhan has always been afraid to face his parents cause he was filled with guilt, considering that they had always loved him like their own. 

"Why don't you come join us for dinner tonight? Have a decent meal for once," she said as they both walked to the check-out. 

"I don't want to burden you or the family," he said as he set his stuff on the checkout just as Mrs. Jung immediately set her stuff along with his. 

"You won't be a burden at all," she smiled and pulled out her wallet. "I'll be paying for him too."

He tried to speak, but her silence told him not to. Another worker was bagging their items and she paid for their grocery. 

"You were never a burden to us, Luhan," she continued as they grabbed their bags. "Even when that incident happened between you and Daehyun, we never hated you."

This was the first time he was hearing this. He felt somewhat relieved. 

They walked to her car and he set her groceries in the trunk. She shut the trunk and looked at Luhan. 

"Will you join us for dinner?" she asked as he shook his head. 

"I'm okay, thank you Mrs. Jung," Luhan smiled, thankful. 

"Mrs. Jung?" she raised an eyebrow. "You would always call me Auntie."

Luhan snickered softly. "I guess I've been distancing myself from you guys that I'm now calling you Mrs. Jung."

She giggled and nodded.

"Well, since my offer was rejected I guess I have to make this a no choice decision. You will be joining us for dinner and that's that," she demanded and gently pushed him to the passenger's side. He tried to rebel, but she had more authority. 

During the car ride, she kept talking about her clients' cases, but of course she didn't go in detail because that's illegal. Luhan just nodded to everything she said; he never realized that she was a chatterbox, but he didn't find it unpleasant. 

They hit traffic hour and just when Luhan thought she was done talking, she brought up his father. 

"I met your father the other day," she said bluntly. Luhan tried not to react. "I had to meet a client and I had a few hours to spare, so I scheduled a meeting with him. He's extremely apologetic towards you, Luhan. He regrets everything he did."

Luhan looked out the window to see the cars beside him moving slow. 

"He wishes he could turn things back in time," Mrs. Jung continued to say. "Everyday he is filled with remorse and shame."

"He should be," Luhan said without thinking. He was still angry at his father. 

"I agree, but you shouldn't hate him for what he did," Mrs. Jung said. 

"I don't hate him," Luhan said and he didn't. "Although I did feel hatred towards him, I've just started realizing that I was annoyed at the fact that he did such a thing. Besides, everyone makes mistakes, right?"

She smiled and nodded. 

"Did he say anything else?" Luhan asked. 

"Yeah," she answered. "He loves you. He loves you dearly, Luhan. And he wants to see you, even if you don't want to talk to him, he at least wants to see your face. He wants to see that you're doing fine without him."

Luhan felt his eyes water but he was able to hold it back. He deeply exhaled and turned to look at Mrs. Jung. 

"Will you tell him to wait a little longer? Until I sort my feelings out?" he requested and without a doubt, Mrs. Jung nodded. "Thank you."

-----

Daehyun and his father were back at home waiting for Mrs. Jung to return. They had no idea where she went or who she was bringing along with her, but they had dinner prepared. The two sat on the couch watching some soccer when they heard the door open. Their attention immediately turned to the door and saw the woman they've been waiting for the past hour. 

"Yah, what took you...so long...?" Mr. Jung asked with his tone decreasing when he saw Luhan following in. Daehyun saw Luhan and he couldn't help but smile. Luhan slightly smiled back and stood there, awkwardly. 

"Traffic happened," Mrs. Jung answered her husband and headed into the kitchen. "Bring in the groceries from the car!"

Mr. Jung and Daehyun got up to get the stuff, but Daehyun stopped next to Luhan. 

"It's nice to see you hyung," he smiled and left the house to get the stuff. Luhan silently snickered and joined Mrs. Jung in the kitchen to see if she needed any help. She saw him and smiled. 

"Looks like they've already prepared dinner, so I guess I don't need to make anything," she said and gestured Luhan to sit down. 

The 2 men brought back the groceries and set them on the counter, soon joining Luhan and Mrs. Jung at the table. They started to eat quietly; the family exchanging looks with one another as Luhan was too busy focusing on his meal. 

It wasn't uncomfortable for the family, but it was unfamiliar since its been years that they've had Luhan join them for dinner. 

"So Luhan, how's school?" Mr. Jung asked, unaware about the news. Daehyun kicked his father underneath the table to shut him up.

Luhan had nothing to hide though. "I dropped out about a month ago."

It went silent. Both parents looked at him in shock as Daehyun sighed. 

"But it's something I regret," he added which surprised Daehyun. "Lately, I've been thinking about what I've been doing wrong with my life. And slowly I've started realizing many things, like finding happiness is impossible if I continue to shut myself in. Also, Yongguk hyung told me a story about him and his father. That inspired me to be a better son to my father, even if it's going to be a slow process. So I want to do well for him and for myself."

Daehyun grinned and whispered to himself, "So this dongsaeng was Luhan. Now I get it."

"And I miss my friends," Luhan said. "The efforts they made to help me and to have me back, I don't want it to go to waste. They're also the reason for my happiness, I just never noticed it until I felt the loneliness."

They smiled at Luhan, happy to see this new side of Luhan. No, they were happy to see the Luhan they once knew come back. 

"What will you do now? I'm sure your drop out papers have already been processed," Mrs. Jung said, concerned. Luhan smiled and shrugged, "I'll just have to talk to Principal Oh and figure something out."

"The sooner you talk to him, the better," Mr. Jung smiled and leaned over the table to ruffle Luhan's hair. Mrs. Jung slapped her husband's arm and told him to not lean over the food. He just chuckled.  

"If you need anything, I'm always here," Mrs. Jung assured him. "Remember, you'll always be my second child. I'll do anything to help you."

"Same goes for me," Mr. Jung smiled raising his hand up. 

Luhan was touched and nodded. He turned his head and met Daehyun's eyes; he just couldn't stop smiling. 

Dinner ended and the family had suggested Luhan spend the night since it was late and he lived far. He rejected at first, but he was forced to stay. 

Daehyun laid out some blankets on the floor for Luhan and threw a pillow on the ground. Luhan finished his shower and came out wearing some of Daehyun's clothes, entering the room. He saw Daehyun neatly fixing the blankets and he just couldn't help but chuckle. 

"You don't have to make it perfect," Luhan said walking towards him. 

"Who said I'm making it perfect?" Daehyun snorted and messed up the sheets. Luhan scoffed in disbelief and used his towel to dry his hair. Daehyun went to his bed and slid in the covers. 

"Are you not washing up?" Luhan asked, laying on the sheets laid out. 

"Already did."

"When?"

"This morning."

"Go wash up."

"Don't want to."

"Jung Daehyun," Luhan firmly said his name, but he was smiling. "You've been outside all day playing basketball and sweating. Go shower."

Daehyun groaned like a child and sat up. "Do I have to?"

"Seriously, we're not 8 anymore. You've got to at least smell good for your girlfriend," Luhan teased and Daehyun widened his eyes. 

"How'd you know?" he asked. 

"It was bound to happen between you and Hanbyul," Luhan laughed. "Your mom told me too."

Daehyun rolled his eyes at the fact that his mom is a chatterbox and gossiper. He then got out of bed and took off his shirt. 

"Fine, I'll go shower," Daehyun muttered and threw his shirt on the ground. Luhan was going to tell him to put it in the hamper, but Daehyun knew very well and came back into the room to pick it up and put it in the hamper before leaving. 

Luhan laughed with a head shake and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. The stars they put up when they were kids were still there. 

"Thank you for not giving up on me when I did on myself," he whispered looking at the stars. 

30 minutes later, Daehyun walked in the room in his boxers with his hair damp; Luhan was already knocked out. He maneuvered his way around Luhan to his closet, grabbing a pair of sweats and a muscle tee to sleep in before slipping in his bed. 

He looked down at Luhan and whispered, "I really hope you won't run away anymore."

Luhan shifted in his sleep to his side as Daehyun deeply exhaled before turning his lamp off and going into a deep sleep. 

-----

It was a school day and graduation was creeping up on the senior students quicker. It was a little over 2 weeks away. 

"I feel like my head is going to explode," Krystal groaned while running her fingers through her hair during their lunch break. 

"Tell me about it," Daehyun agreed and threw his pencil up in the air, catching it then throwing it back up. 

Hanbyul poked at her salad with a fork and pouted. "I'm already stressed thinking about college."

They all nodded in agreement. 

"That reminds me, I've been accepted to Sungkyunkwan University," Krystal grinned; they congratulated her. "What about you guys?"

"I haven't hear back from the universities I've applied to," Hanbyul said as Daehyun and Sulli nodded.

"I've been accepted into KAIST," Youngjae stated as they all looked at him with wide eyes. Although it isn't a surprise, they're still shocked. 

"That's great!" Sulli exclaimed as he blushed a bit. Daehyun wrapped his arm around Youngjae. 

"As expected from you," Daehyun smiled like a proud father, making him blush even more. 

The crew continued to talk when the bell rung for them to head back to class. They gathered their trash and threw it in the trash bin on their way out of the cafeteria and to their classroom. 

Walking down the hallway together with Hanbyul leading the way, she suddenly stopped causing everyone to bump into each other. 

"Yah, don't just suddenly sto...p...," Daehyun slightly rounded his eyes when he saw Luhan walking towards them. The others were just as shocked as him. 

"I'm not seeing things, right?" Sulli asked, rubbing her eyes. Krystal narrowed her eyes at Luhan to see if she was actually seeing him as Youngjae's lower jaw was literally hanging off. 

Luhan approached them with a smile and in casual street clothes. "Hi guys."

They awkwardly waved to him. 

"Hyung, what are you doing here?" Youngjae asked, finally pulling his lower jaw back up to its place and pushing his glasses up a bit. 

Luhan shrugged. "I'm going to talk to Principal Oh about me enrolling back to school."

They group gasped, except for Daehyun since he already knew. 

"You're finally coming back?" Hanbyul asked with a grin; Luhan nodded. "That's great."

"Yeah, but we'll see what happens," Luhan crookedly smiled. 

The hallway was now almost completely empty. Instructors scolded lingering students to get back to class and among them was Mr. Chae. 

"Yah, get back to class!" he shouted at 2 male students while waving his stick around. "Yah! You students over there! Get to class!"

Mr. Chae wasn't aware that those students were his. They didn't budge though as their eyes were glued onto Luhan. 

"Did you not hear me? I said get back to-" he stopped abruptly when he saw Luhan. "L-Luhan?"

"Good afternoon," he bowed. Mr. Chae swallowed hard, speechless. He turned to the group and finally snapped out it, ordering them to class. 

Not wanting to get some sort of punishment, Daehyun and the rest went back to class, stealing glances at Luhan. 

Mr. Chae, still flustered, tried to find his words as to why Luhan was back. Luhan just smiled though when a female staff walked up to them, almost breathless like she was searching for this boy. 

"Student Luhan, it's 10 minutes past your appointment with Principal Oh," she said, trying to calm her breathing. "You'll see him, right?"

"Yeah," Luhan replied and bowed to Mr. Chae before taking his leave. 

Luhan followed the female staff all the way to the other side of the school and made their way to Principal Oh's office. She gestured him to enter the office and so he; Principal Oh was playing with a Rubik cube when he walked in. 

"You're finally here," Principal Oh said, setting the cube aside and folded her fingers together, his elbows resting on his desk. "I thought you were going to run away."

"I was more in a rush to see some friends before seeing you," Luhan said. Although, it sounded cold, his voice was gentle. 

Principal Oh smiled and gestured Luhan to take a seat. Luhan sat down and it became silent with the clock ticking. 

"So...you want to enroll back to this school," Principal Oh spoke first after a 2 minute silence. Luhan nodded. "You know you personally handed me those drop out forms."

"I know, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try and come back," Luhan said and swallowed hard. He was nervous. 

The old, gray-haired man snickered. "Let me ask you this. Do you know what I'm supposed do with drop out forms?"

Luhan shook his head. 

"I'm supposed to hand it over to the school board so they can keep it in the record," Principal Oh said. "And once the board deals with your forms, you can no longer continue your studies here. You'd have to find another school to get your GED done."

Luhan felt as if time had stopped for a minute. 

"So you're saying, I can't enroll bak to this school?" Luhan asked as Principal Oh nodded. Luhan hung his head low, digesting everything before looking back up to the principal. "I guess there really was no point of coming here then."

The man just smiled. 

Luhan stood up and bowed to him, turning around. 

"I never said I turned them in," the old man finally spoke bringing Luhan to a stop. "I only told you that I was supposed to turn in your drop out forms to the school board, but I never did."

Luhan turned around and Principal Oh reached in the cabinet by his side. He pulled out an envelope and placed it on his desk. 

"I had a feeling you'd come back when you gave me these forms," he smiled as Luhan did too. "Take a seat, Luhan, and we'll official talk about your future."

And so their discussion began and lasted for a good 2 hours. Principal Oh inform Luhan that although he is still considered a student here, he will not graduate with the others due to his absences. His credits didn't meet the expectations to graduate, but he'd still be able to if he take summer courses. 

Luhan didn't care if he had to take away his summer, because what he really wanted was to graduate and get his life back on track. To finally be happy. 

Just as Luhan was getting ready to leave the office, Principal Oh gave one last comment. "Welcome back, Luhan."

He smiled and bowed to the old man then left with light steps. He couldn't stop grinning to himself and walked down the empty hallways when he slowly walked past Mr. Chae's classroom. 

He heard the instructor's loud voice even when the doors were shut. He peeked in the room through the window and saw his friends diligently taking notes, following along. 

He looked at each of them when he met eyes with Daehyun. He smiled and so did Daehyun. Hanbyul noticed Luhan and gave a little wave. It wasn't long when the other 3 saw Luhan and gave him a smile and wave. 

He couldn't be any happier seeing them, but of course Mr. Chae caught them and told them to focus. Luhan snickered and left his place, walking down the hallway and out the school. 

He deeply inhaled this new air and exhaled. 

"You're getting there, Luhan. Slowly, but surely you'll be able to get your happiness back."