“What just happened?” Sehun asked, eyes wide from the shock. He heard Jongin sigh from behind and turned around to face the darker boy.

“Luhan doesn’t get angry very easily,” Jongin muttered, “but when he does, he’s ing terrifying.”

“But he was fine only minutes ago-”

“,” Jongin groaned, massaging his temple. “I knew this was going to happen when he and Baekhyun were talking. I just didn’t think he’d snap today.”

“But I didn’t do anything out of blue,” Sehun argued weakly. He saw Kyungsoo eye him sharply, practically ordering him to sit down.

“That’s the problem,” Kyungsoo said, “you’re not doing anything differently. Honestly, Sehun, Luhan’s been spending all his time and energy on you for months. He’s the reason you two are friends. What were you doing all along?”

“Luhan begged you to be friends with him. He then begged you to go eat lunch with him. Then, he begged you to go hang out with him. Luhan begged you to go shop for groceries with him. He begged you to come to this club together, and he just begged you to go have fun with him. Frankly, I think Luhan is simply tired of begging,” Jongin stated, serious eyes boring into Sehun’s.

“And you never say yes without saying no first,” Kyungsoo added, “that has got to be tiring on his part, Sehun.”

“That’s not me though,” Sehun muttered weakly, “this isn’t me. It’s Luhan.”

“Luhan’s trying to help you, you idiot. At least cooperate.”

Sehun sat in silence before muttering quietly. “I think I screwed up.”

“Aren’t you a genius?” Jongin drawled, but quickly shut up when Kyungsoo knudged his ribs.

“He went that way, in case you were wondering,” Kyungsoo pointed to the crowd. “You should hurry up.”

“Uh, yeah, I probably should,” Sehun muttered and scrambled to his feet, pushing his way through the large crowd. He winced at the ear piercingly loud music and even more when the smell of the sweaty, dancing crowd made its way to his nose. He couldn’t see any signs of Luhan, and struggled to push his way deeper into the dead center.

“Sehun?”

Sehun turned around, hoping it was who he was looking for, only to sigh in defeat when he saw Minseok looking at him with wide eyes. Jongdae was right behind him, struggling to keep still with his hands curled tightly on Minseok’s waist.

“What’s wrong? Why are you here alone?” MInseok said, stepping forward. “Where’s Luhan?”

“I don’t know,” Sehun yelled over the music. “He got mad and ran off.”

Minseok and Jongdae froze immediately, gaping at him in shock.

“Luhan got mad?!” Jongdae screamed, catching the attention of nearby dancers. “What the did you do to him?”

“I need to find him and apologize,” Sehun replied, glaring at a couple who were staring too long. “Did you guys see him?”

“No, we didn’t,” Minseok replied with a shrug. “Are you sure he came this way?”

“Yeah. I’m going to go look around.”

“Find him, Sehun,” Minseok scolded before wrapping his arm around Jongdae’s waist and going back into the crowd. With a sigh, Sehun turned around continued onward. The music was getting more obnoxious by the second, and he caught sight of Minseok and Jongdae basically on top of each other and dancing wildly a few more times as he looked around and tried to find Luhan.

“Yah, Luhan!” He yelled, an attempt gone to waste as he heard his voice fade into the background. “Luhan! Luhan!”

With a last push, Sehun finally managed to escape the crowd and stepped out to the relatively empty area near the music booth. He saw a man pressing buttons on top of the stage, a wide smile on his face as he was talking actively with an attractive girl. Sehun reluctantly stepped up and went towards him.

“Um, excuse me?”

The man paused mid speech and turned towards him, smile still wide and friendly.

“Want me to play a song?”

Sehun halted and slowly shook his head, giving the man an apologetic look. “Sorry. I was wondering if you saw someone. He’s a bit smaller than my height, has honey brown hair, and has large eyes. He’s wearing a navy blue shirt with a thin grey cardigan.”

The man frowned for a bit, tapping his index finger against the machine, trying to search his brain.

“Oh, wait, I think I saw him! He looked like he was seriously pissed off. You his boyfriend or something?”

Sehun immediately flushed and heard the woman who the man was talking to before let out a soft laughter. Clearing his throat, he fervently shook his head.

“No, he’s a friend, and we had a little fight. I need to find him and apologize. Do you know where he went?”

“That way,” The man lifted his finger and pointed to the exit. “He barged out before anyone could stop him. Daehyun seemed to know him. He’s my friend, by the way.”

“You must be Yongguk then,” Sehun stated. “Daehyun-hyung is my friend’s close hyung.”

“Nice to meet you,” Yongguk leaned down to shake Sehun’s hand. “And, by the way, that’s Yongguk hyung to you.”

“Right. Sorry. If you’ll excuse me, I really need to go find my friend.”

“Good luck,” Yongguk sent him off with a playful wink before returning his attention to the female. Sehun ran to the exit, but when he passed by the bathroom on the way, a familiar noise stopped him.

What the ?

Sehun frowned, hoping dearly that it wasn’t what he thought it was, and stepped closer to the bathroom door. The noise got louder, and with a grimace, he slowly opened the door and peeped in.

To his surprise, he saw Baekhyun propped up on the bathroom sink, his face tilted down. Chanyeol was standing right in front of him, his arms wrapped around Baekhyun’s waist and lips moving furiously against the shorter’s. Baekhyun’s hands were grasping Chanyeol’s hair, long fingers tightening and releasing repeatedly. Sehun felt his jaw slowly drop, and when Chanyeol emitted another moan, he stepped back with a muffled shriek and quietly closed the door.

Oh my god. Oh my ing god. I did not just see that.

Sehun furiously rubbed his eyes and muttered to himself. It wasn’t that Baekhyun and Chanyeol together was a surprise, but the fact that he caught them in action in a club nonetheless shook him. He gripped the wall, eyes red from the harsh rubbing, when he remembered what he was doing there in the first place.

Luhan.

“!” Sehun cursed and fastened his pace, heading towards the exit. He was halfway out the door when a hand caught his arm and pulled him back.

“Oh Sehun!”

He turned around with a sneer before pausing from the sight. Daehyun was standing in front of him, face flushed red and mouth panting.

“Don’t go out,” Daehyun warned, “Oh Sehun, don’t go.”

“I need to find Luhan,” Sehun protested, “do you know where he is? I need to find him.”

“I’ll go find him and drag him in,” Daehyun attempted to pull Sehun all the way back in, but Sehun didn’t budge.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see why I need to listen to you,” Sehun retorted, snatching his arm away with a frown. “It’s none of your business.”

“I’m trying to help you here, Oh Sehun.”

“I don’t see why you need to-,” Sehun was in the middle of replying when the implication of Daehyun’s sentence hit him. He immediately paled and looked up, frown slowly changing into a panicked look. “Wait. Is Luhan in danger?”

“Don’t panic, Sehun. I’ll go and bring him in-”

“I asked if Luhan was in danger!” Sehun roared.

“I don’t know,” Daehyun was pleading now. “But right after he left, a crowd of boys left and followed him. Sehun, I need you to stay put and wait because we both know you should not leave this place in this state-”

“ that!” Sehun spat before storming out. He was running down the dark street when he heard a small yell from afar. Eyes red in fury, he ran even faster, hands already tightening into fists.

“Luhan!” He yelled, “Luhan! Answer me!”

“Se-”

Sehun halted at the sound, panting as he spun around, trying to find the source of the noise. It seemed to come from the right, and he began running once more. There was a large thump from a long, shady looking alleyway. He grabbed the closest thing he could find, a medium sized rock, and threw it towards the alleyway. There was a large cry of pain and a series of loud curses.

“What the ?!”

“Who did that?”

“, my shin.”

Sehun sneered, walking slowly into the alleyway. He saw a group of five teenagers huddled at the other end, but what caught his attention was the figure of the familiar honey blonde trapped against the wall, hair tousled into a mess and lips bleeding.

“Luhan,” he managed to say, and found his anger firing up once more. Luhan stared at him helplessly, eyes red and teary.

“Sehun,” he muttered.

“Oh my god. Oh Sehun?!”

Sehun frowned when one of the guys spoke up. He turned to face the group with a vicious frown, but found himself freezing when he finally took in the sight in front of him.

“It’s you, right? Oh Sehun?”

Sehun found himself unable to move. His throat went dry, and he saw Luhan look at him in shock, mouth slowly parting open.

“What the are you doing here, Park Sihyung?” Sehun’s voice came out low, borderline deadly and ready to attack.

“The question is what the are you doing here,” the boy, Sihyung, retorted. “You left Seocho years ago. Why are you even back?”

“None of your goddamn business,” Sehun sneered. “You need to back off from my friend. Now.”

“Your friend?” Another boy spoke up, chuckling slightly. He walked over and grabbed Luhan’s shirt, pulling him forward. Luhan choked at the sudden force and tumbled forward, face turning pale but eyes fixed on Sehun.

“This is your friend?”

If Sehun looked dangerous before, now he looked plane insane. His hands, which had relaxed from the shock, tightened once more and he stepped forward, eyes not leaving Luhan once.

“You get your filthy, ing hands off him now.”

“He’s a , Sehun,” the boy spoke, shaking Luhan forcefully. “He prefers ing boys over girls. He’s a disgrace, a disgusting animal, and you call him your friend? Where has your common sense gone?”

“If you call him that one more time, I will ing destroy you all,” Sehun replied quietly, and that made him sound even scarier than ever. “I’ll repeat one more time. Let. Go. Of. Him.”

“You’ve always been a little off in the head, but I never thought you’d completely lose it. What are you going to tell me now? That you’re a yourself?”

The group burst out in laughter, and Sihyung stepped up, chin pointed up and a wide smirk on his face. “Don’t tell me this er is your boyfriend?”

“That ‘er’  you’re holding right now happens to my best friend, you gits. And he’s also the reason you’re going to get what you deserved years ago.”

Sehun, aiming for the boy farthest away from Luhan, kicked the boy’s chest and sent him flying to the floor. He saw another boy come forward and attempt to throw a punch, but quickly dodged it before kicking the boy’s upper torso and pushing him towards the rest.

He was about to attack another when he felt hands grab his arm and pull him back. Struggling to get out, he aimed a kick behind when another arm pushed him against the wall and pinned him down.

“You aren’t doing this alone,” Jongin hissed, furious eyes fixed on the group of boys. “I have some debt I need to repay, afterall.”

Sehun faced the beginning of the alleyway to see all of his friends walking forward, Daehyun and Yongguk included, with equally pissed off looks. Jongin slowly let the boy go and stepped back, moving his neck sideways to relax his muscles.

“Those bastards you were beating up, by the way,” Jongin said, pointing his thumb at the boys, “are the ones I met a couple days ago at the ice cream store. They’re the homophobic bastards you wanted to meet so badly.”

With that, Jongin spun around and jumped forward, his fist hitting a boy square in the face. Chanyeol quickly joined the fight, aiding Jongin as he efficiently hit the boys down one by one. Daehyun and Yongguk went over to the boy who was holding Luhan, prying his hand off and sending him to the floor together.

“Sehun!”

Sehun, who was in the middle of attacking Sihyung, looked up to see Luhan run over to him with teary eyes. Sihyung was already nearing unconsciousness, so Sehun slowly stood up and caught Luhan in his arms.

“Are you alright?” He said, looking down at Luhan’s face. Luhan hesitantly raised his hand, thumb brushing against Sehun’s bruised cheek and lips.

“I’m sorry for getting you into this. I shouldn't have run out,” Luhan muttered.

“So you are a .”

Sehun tore his gaze away from Luhan to look down at Sihyung, who was slowly sitting up, spitting blood on the floor.

“That isn’t your concern,” Sehun replied coldly. Sihyung scoffed, wincing slightly at the pain.

“Does your boyfriend know what you were like before?” Sihyung said with a sneer. “How you were complete trash back then? How you weren’t afraid of being a bully? How you were an iljin, and a top one at that?”

Sehun saw the fighting around him slowly stop. Almost all of the boys were too hurt and beaten up to do any harm. Chanyeol slowly let go of the collar of the boy he was currently fighting, staring up at Sehun with surprise. Jongin cursed quietly, aiming one last punch on a boy and standing up, wiping his bloody hand on his jeans. Baekhyun buried his head in his hands, and Kyungsoo, who was standing in the very back, let out a very loud, audible gasp. Minseok and Jongdae didn’t change expressions, but their eyes bore into Sehun’s back.

Luhan, who was in Sehun’s arms, froze and stared up at Sehun with large, wavering eyes.

“I wasn’t an iljin,” Sehun stated, tone unchanging, “you were, and I was your friend.”

“You never complained about anything we did. You went along with everything. That makes you one of us, Oh Sehun.”

“And that got me an expulsion. A ing expulsion, Park Sihyung,” Sehun walked towards the boy and swiftly grabbed the boy’s collar, pulling his closer. “I didn’t do , but I got the punishment because of you tards. So I payed the price, because I was a ing idiot and I deserved it for thinking hanging out with asses was going to be a walk in the park.”

“You were always an ,” Sihyung spat back, mouth tugging up into a one-sided grin, “just because you never showed it doesn’t mean you aren’t one. You saw everything, and you didn’t do . Doesn’t mean you are a saint, Oh Sehun. It means you’re a cold-hearted, unsympathetic .”

The moment Sihyun was done, Sehun flew one last punch towards the boy’s face, watching as he fell to the ground with a loud thud. Breathing heavily, he was about to hit once more when a hand grabbed his fist, curling around it tightly.

“Don’t, Sehun. He’s not worth it.”

Sehun turned around and looked down at Luhan, who was giving him a weak smile. Sehun slowly dropped his hand and faced the rest of the group. Jongin silently slipped to the back, placing himself in front of Kyungsoo. Baekhyun was eyeing Chanyeol up and down, trying to find any injuries that seemed serious. Minseok and Jongdae were, for the first time in a very long time, standing side by side in silence. Daehyun was the first one to break the silence.

“I told you not to leave,” he said, tutting. “I knew it would end up as a fight.”

“I had no choice,” Sehun replied, and he felt his arms unconsciously find their way around Luhan’s shaking waist.

“So you lost your temper? How smart,” Daehyun drawled before sighing. “You guys should all go back home. I’ll give Baekhyun your stuff tomorrow.”

“Thanks hyung,” Baekhyun said, finally satisfied with Chanyeol’s condition and smiled. “Come on guys. Let’s head back. We can talk there.”

Sehun waited until the last and began walking. Luhan watched in worry as Sehun seemed to be limping slightly. Frowning in worry, he leaned down to wrap Sehun’s arm around his neck.

“You’re hurt,” Luhan muttered, “really, Sehun. Please don’t get hurt.”

“Did they do anything to you before I arrived?”

Luhan flinched at Sehun’s tone. He stole a quick glance, but Sehun’s eyes were fixed ahead, cold and empty.

“Just words. One punch. You came quickly,” Luhan explained. “There were five of them and one of me. I couldn’t get out.”

When he felt Sehun stiffen, Luhan quickly added. “I’m honestly okay, Sehun. You don’t have to worry. You’re worse than I am.”

“If I knew they were the ones you met a few days ago, I could’ve prevented this from happening,” Sehun protested. “If I was just a little smarter-”

“Will you please stop? It’s obviously not your fault, so you can shut up now,” Luhan glared.

Sehun walked in silence, and Luhan looked at the boy in worry when he finally spoke up.

“I wanted to apologize,” Sehun muttered, “for what happened back in the club. I didn’t mean to act like that. I feel Iike I took you for granted, and I shouldn’t have. It’s just that I’m so comfortable around you, and I’m not used to putting it any effort in a relationship. You’re so bright and happy all the time, and I wasn’t wise enough to think of how you would feel. I’m truly sorry, Luhan. I treasure you as a friend, and that’s a fact I don’t want you to doubt.”

Luhan listened quietly, finding his heart swell from Sehun’s words. “I don’t doubt it,” he replied softly, “I know I overreacted back there. I was pissed off at everything - the way Baekhyun was in a bad mood and not telling me, the way Jongin was brooding silently and jumping to your defense, and just....every little thing has been bugging me for a while, honestly. I shouldn’t have yelled at you - it was my fault for taking everything to heart. I shouldn’t have pushed you to do things you weren’t comfortable with - it was selfish of me. I just figured that since I got you to open up to me, I’d be able to push you to the next step.”

“I’m trying my best,” Sehun paused in his step, turning around to face him. “You’ve been so much help, and I’m honestly starting to enjoy myself with each and every one of you. Somethings, however, are still hard.”

“I understand,” Luhan said, smiling, “it’s hard. I get it. You’re not me. I should stop forcing you to do things you don’t enjoy, because that’s not you.”

“You’re my best friend, Luhan. I like you a lot. You need to know that.”

Luhan blinked slowly before his mouth curled up into a sloppy, bitter smile.

“Yeah, I know.”

Sehun nodded firmly, returning the smile, and started walking once more. When he realized Luhan wasn’t following, he halted and turned around, giving the boy a curious look.

“I like you too, by the way,” Luhan said, smile gone now. His eyes were fixed on the ground, refusing to meet Sehun’s. “And I don’t think it’s the way you meant it.”

Sehun found himself slowly freezing in place, his smile falling visibly. Luhan lifted his head just in turn to catch it, and let out a soft yet sad laughter.

“I’m sorry,” he said, voice barely over a whisper, and slowly walked forward, giving Sehun one last look before pushing past him.

Sehun was in much too shock to do anything. He remained rooted in place, hearing as Luhan’s normally light footsteps dragged away.

I feel like a lot of explanations are in order. I'll try to make this as simple as possible

1. What's an iljin?

Iljin is probably the biggest problem in Korean High School these days. They're basically students who not only act as bullies but also start a lot of fights with students from other schools, do drugs and cigaretts, get involved in a lot of illegal activities, etc. They're basically the troublemakers. The ones who 'rule the student body' to state simply. I know this may seem really unrealistic, but it's true. 일진 or Iljin is actually quite common here. Can be both girls and boys, and they're looked highly down upon by the society. If you look it up, you may find a lot of interesting info.

2. So....who exactly is Sehun?

This will be explained further. What I can tell you is....Sehun is a very cautious boy. There's a phrase here in South Korea that goes along the lines of "Horrific 8th graders (second year of middle school)." This is the age where iljins are most prevalent, and also the age Sehun was when he lived in Seocho. He was in an 'iljin gang' and his friends were 'iljins', but he only stuck with them because being friends with iljins were convenient as no one bothered him and left him be - something he really enjoyed. The rest will be revealed over time. 

3. So...did Luhan overreact, or were his actions justified?

This will be explained more in the next chapter, but I'll tell you this: I build all my characters will flaws. Luhan was probably the only one (I think?) so far who didn't seem to have a HUGE character flaw. He was a nice, patient character. His actions in the previous chapter stems from one of his character flaws. 

4. DID LUHAN JUST CONFESS??????

wait and see. 

5. Do you agree with Sehun or Luhan more?

Logically, I side with Sehun. Emotionally, I side with Luhan. You guys will understand more in the next few chapters.

Okay...so I think I covered most of the questions I received. If there are certain parts you don't understand, I'll try to explain them if they're not something that will be naturally revealed through the storyline.

Sorry for the long- author's note guys lolz.