Luhan was eight years old when he met his father. He remembered that day the clearest in his dark memories. The grave look his mother had, her face masked with a pale fear. His father was tall, handsome even. He wore a shiny black suit, something of rarity. The way his hair was brushed to the side was evenly and neatly styled. His father was handsome. But he realized he looked nothing like his father. Maybe the light hazel eyes resembled his, but his facial features came mostly from his mother. He hid

himself behind his mother's legs, his hand holding onto hers tightly.  

           "What do you want?"

           Luhan could see a smirk, etching its way across the other mans face. His mother had spoken mandarin. "I'm here to see my lovely son, of course. After all, I've spent a considerable amount of time searching for you two." He took a step in, and Luhan's mother immediately stepped back, shielding Luhan protectively.

           "Leave! You are not welcomed here!" Her voice rose, the first Luhan had ever heard it go. He was starting to be afraid, his little hands holding onto his mother ever so tightly. Afraid of letting go.

           "Don't be like that Seul Yeon." He took another step inside, this time speaking Korean. Luhan looked up at his mother. Her eyebrows were contorted downwards, anger and fear intermixed.

           "Do not address me in such a way. Leave this house before I call the police!"

           "Oh please, you know it won't work. I own corporations bigger than those little police stations. I can get away with anything. Even murder. Now, Luhan right? What a nice name, baby deer. Come hug daddy!" He bent downwards, his arms outstretched for him. Luhan looked at the smile plastered on his father's face. His mother was still holding onto him, and out of fear, hid his face behind his mother, holding her dress tightly with his free hand. " See look what you've done. He's afraid of me for absolutely no reason. Just like you."

           She rolled her eyes. "You disgust me more than my fear. Now please leave, you are scaring my son." He let his arms fall down and stared at Seul Yeon for a second before standing back up.

           "Don't be too comfortable. I'll be back tomorrow. Expect me," he said confidently while leaving back out of the door. She stood there, holding Luhan until she saw his car drive away. Once she deemed it safe, she let go of Luhan's hands and bent down to look at him in the face. Luhan had begun crying, tears plastered his cheeks.

           "My baby deer, look at me," she said, putting her hand on his cheeks. "Don't listen to that evil man. He may be your real father, but he is evil. Don't ever go near him if you see him, okay?" Luhan innocently nodded, his knees shaking. He wouldn't even dare go near the man. He was handsome to his little eyes, but the man exuded an aura that gave him the trembles.

           "Mom...I'm going to stay with you forever right? You won't let him take me away, right?" He used his forearm to wipe his tears. Seul Yeon smiled to comfort him. She kissed his forehead and spoke softly,              "I will never let him take you..."

"But...what if he does?" His heart was hoping his mother would be sure.

           "If he ever does, I will search for you and I promise till you are back in my arms again, that I will do my all to find you and take you back."

           Luhan held out his pinky and nodded, a little smile slowly lifting the corners of his tiny lips. "And I promise that if he does, I'll do my best to find you again mom..." She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the ends. She linked her pinky with his and stamped their thumbs together. They, after all, never made promises with each other that they couldn't fulfill.

           Though he had promised to arrive again the next day, he didn't and it wasn't until Luhan turned ten years of age, that he appeared once again in the mother and son's life. Luhan was sitting at the dining table doing his math homework. He was the best in his class for multiplication, and he was finally able to learn piano after begging his mother. She also enrolled him in vocal classes, hence Luhan's current singing. The doorbell rung, and both their heads perked up. She was in the middle of cutting vegetables, so Luhan voluntarily went to open the door. He hummed as he jumped over his backpack laying abandoned on the floor. The doorbell rang again and he quickly opened the door. There stood a man he did not know. He wore dark glasses and had a strange coat.

           "Are you Luhan?"

           He nodded slowly, unsure of whether he should be answering strangers questions without his mother present.

          "Luhan, who is it?" He heard his mother call, as her steps indicated she was coming. The man looked suspiciously from side to side and before Luhan even had a chance to turn around to his mother, the man swiftly snatched Luhan up from where he was standing. He screamed, thus hearing his mothers worried voice. Luhan beat the mans back but it seemed useless. He hit the man's ear, causing him to be thrown to the cement. He could see another man run past them and hold his mother, who was screaming, down. The black car parked neatly beside the sidewalk beeped and then the passenger seat opened. One foot, then another. Brown Oxford shoes hit against the cement and Luhan looked up slowly at the man standing above him.

          "I'm sorry about our previous engagement. I was unable to properly meet you two." He smiled, and bent down beside Luhan. He scooted backwards and tried to get away.

           "Luhan! Run, get help!" He got on his feet and began to run but he heard his mother scream out of pain. She was punched in the face by the man holding her down. He watched, frozen in his tracks. He wanted to stay with his mother, but he was supposed to run. The man who originally grabbed him began running towards him but was stopped by his father.

           "Luhan...look at this..." He pulled a black object out of his pocket. Then, he shot towards their large oak tree in the yard. The loudness reverberated in his ear drums, his body going deathly cold. "Look here. I'm sure you're old enough to understand that this gun can end your mother's life, for good."

           Luhan stared in shock and fear, his pupils dilated and his hands trembling. He took a step back. "Run Luhan! Forget about me! Just run and don't let him take you!"

           He took another step but when his father clicked the gun into place, he froze.

           "Don't get me wrong, Luhan. Your mother is really important to me. But she betrayed me and left China for Korea. She took you from me so that she could use you as an excuse to get free money. She's the evil one here. She doesn't really love you at all. I will end her life for you..."

           Luhan's tears fell down. He was confused. He didn't want to believe what the man was saying, because he loved his mother so much. But because of the fear, he became confused. "Luhan don't listen to him! Forget about me and run! Please!" She began to sob almost hysterically. If their house had been closer to the city, neighbors would've seen and helped. But it was useless. Luhan slumped down to his knees.

           "Please let her live...I'll go with you..." He bit his bottom lip, holding in the tears. "I know...that she doesn't love me. I know it's a lie..."

           His father looked confused for a second, but quickly recovered. He smirked. " I always knew you would see her evilness. I'm going to save you today!" He ran over to Luhan and lifted him up for an embrace. Luhan could hear his mothers betrayed cries and he looked at her in the eyes. The man holding her back let go, letting her fall to the floor defeated. His lips pouted, his sons nearly escaping. He didn't quite understand what it was he was getting himself into, but all he knew was that if he didn't obediently go with the man, his mothers life would be in jeopardy. "Let's go Luhan! Let's leave this hellish life. You must've been so lonely living with such an evil woman."

           "My toys...and my stuff. I need my stuff first." He was desperate to go near his sobbing mother.

           "You don't need it. When we go back to China, I can buy you anything you want." Luhan gulped. His mothers eyes trailing back up to the two. He nodded to his father and was ushered near the door by one of the men. His father turned around and got in the car. While his back was turned away, Luhan quickly held up his pinky. His mother had looked up in time to see him stamp his thumb in the air and before any of them saw, she held up her pinky.

           "Luhan! I love you! Don't forget me!" Luhan finally let out his tears, his face contorted into sadness. He was ushered into the car and seat belted next to one of the men.

           Seul Yeon was left sobbing at the door of her house, her wrists bruised from the man who held her down and her lips bleeding. She couldn't believe that just five ten minutes prior, Luhan was singing songs at the dining table, doing his math homework. She knew, that she may never be able to see him again.

           Luhan stared out of the window as the car he was in slowly drove through the busy city of China. He was going through Beijing, a city in which his mother once described as magical. He tried to remember if it was his dreams messing with his memories or if he really did remember her saying it. It had been a long time since he was taken from his mother to China.

           He just finished his first year of university, where he was going to major in business. Not that he had much choice. His father, the owner of the Han corporations throughout China wanted Luhan to be the successor to his position. Though it wasn't as easy as pie when it came down to it. When Luhan had arrived in China, he was surprised to find out that his father was currently married to another women, who in fact, had a son three years older than he was. When they greeted him, it was as he had expected. His stepmother snickered and rolled her eyes, whereas his step-brother proceeded to bully him for, that day forward.

           He found that his father was always busy working. He had meetings here and there, coming home at most twice a week for a couple of hours before leaving again. When Luhan turned thirteen years old, his father took him out alone for a birthday treat. At the restaurant that he had chose, a waiter walked by, and his hands automatically held onto her waist. Luhan was taken-aback, surprise evident on his face.

           "Don't look at me like that Luhan. Your mama is getting old, I need something younger you know." Luhan nodded, though disgust and guilt built up in his stomach. The waitress removed his arms uncomfortably and tried her best to smile.

           "I'm sorry sir, but I'm a little busy. Maybe next time," she said, before hurriedly walking away.

It was after that dinner date with his father that he found out he was seeing many other women, all of which his stepmother and stepbrother was ignorant of. They didn't believe a word he had said when he tried to tell them of how unfaithful their father was. In return, he was punished severely by his older brother, his step mother watching with amusement. That was when everything began to get worse.

           After his punishment, something snapped inside of his step brother. Before, he had only bullied him, hitting him here and there and getting laughs out of it. But when he felt a sudden pleasure of hurting the younger, and hearing his muffled cries, he became addicted to afflicting pain. His stepmother and father wasn't doing so well either. When he turned fifteen, she found out that he had fathered almost a dozen other women's children, she became angered. He remembered doing his homework in his room, getting ready to call it a night when he heard a vase shatter. He walked over to his door and leaned against it to hear more.

          "You evil son of a ! How dare you belittle me! You are nothing but my lowly mistress. Sure you gave birth to my son first but you're only the second, lowly mistress who is nothing. If not for you, Seul Yeon and I would've never broke apart!" He heard her shout in Cantonese, a dialect he couldn't really understand. It was then Luhan realized that maybe, just maybe, his father really did love his mother at some point.

          And then he realized, that his father was the only link he had left with his mother. It didn't feel right, that the man who was responsible for taking him away from the one person he loved most, was the only one he'd rather be near.

           Luhan snapped out of his memories, the driver asking where he was going.

           "Just drop me off here. I'm going to get some boba tea before I go to my university. I need to talk to my    professor." The driver nodded, pulling up to the side. Luhan quickly got out of the car and made way to the boba tea shop. As per usual, girls who walked pass would whistle or glue their eyes onto him. He was popular for being smart, athletic and handsome. But most important, rich. However, Luhan's personality created a barrier from the rest of the citizens. Except for his only friend, Zhang Yixing. They attend the same university, often meeting up to sing or talk about music. Yixing was going for a music major, and he knew how much Luhan wanted to as well. He knew Luhan was talented.

           Luhan entered the boba shop, greeted by his friend.

           "Hey Luhan! You're finally here!" shouted Yixing, his home dialect slipping out. He folded his lips in as others who heard began to stare awkwardly.

           Luhan chuckled. "Why wouldn't I? How could I go a day without boba?" He sat down, Yixing already on his way to prepare the usual for him.

           "Lu-ge, I saw my co-worker putting chocolate into a customers boba. Do you want to try your strawberry boba with it?" He shrugged, indifferent to it.

           "So...Yixing...you're going to be applying for the study abroad programme in South Korea right?"

He smiled as he shook the boba, chunks of chocolate floating. He regretted his depiction to put them in there. "Yeah. The application is due in two weeks. I think you should do it." Luhan nearly choked on nothing. His heart began to pump blood faster as he denied.

           "I'll be fine here."

           "No, but I know how much you want to go to South Korea. You always talk about how you wished you could major in music too. I understand your father and or family is super strict...scratch that. They are the epitome of strictness! I'm just saying. Though...just at least try to talk to them about it. I'm sure if you pester them enough, they'll relent."

           Luhan shook his head, as he walked over to the counter and took the boba. "No, my father especially, will ever let me leave this country unless he is sure that I won't desert the family."

           Yixing arched an eyebrow in question, but pushed the thought aside. "Well, I may be absent minded and oblivious to what's happening around me sometimes...or most of the time. But I know you would do almost anything to go. So I'm going to ask my professor for you and give you the applications. Just fill it out, take a chance. They might just let you," he said, with a wink. Luhan giggled from his weird face and looked out the window as people walked pass. He considered it.

           Luhan could remember one day specifically. He was writing in one of his journals, unaware of his step brother peering behind him. Luhan just turned eighteen and his brother was already twenty one. On that day, it was April 16, the day his mother was born. He remembered celebrating with her. But those memories were beginning to fade, and he already forgot how she looked like. He wrote about how much he wanted to go back to her, where he didn't have to feel so cold and hated. Luha said stepbrother had continued his sadistic sick activities, sometimes abusing not only him, but other employees of the mansion. None of them ever spoke up about it. They just held it in.

           "Oh, so you're planning on betraying us one day huh? I knew that that was your purpose!" He laughed as Luhan quickly turned around and held his journal close to his chest. The cackles didn't stop but when it did, it was so sudden. It was a sarcastic laugh.

           "What do you want?" Said Luhan defensively. He tried his best not to sound too angry.

           "Don't you understand, that if I tell father about your plans to meet that , you'll be in a world of hurt?"

           Luhan but his lip, trying hard not to swing at him. "I'm not planning anything. Whatever he has planned for me, I'll do."

           "You're funny and horrible at lying. I can see through you. Why would you even go back anyways? You at least have a life here. You probably didn't know what luxury was when you stilled lived with that !"

           Luhan couldn't hold it in. It was the first time the subject of his mother had come up since he met them. He knew they talked badly of his mother behind his back, but he didn't care because they were too scared to say it to his face, but with it being said straight out to him, he became so enraged. He swung twice, hitting him square in the jaw. The older fell to the floor, sigh hotly panicking at the hidden strength of his

step brother. Luhan quickly stood up and picked up his journal he had thrown to the ground in anger.

           "Speak ill of my mother once more and I'll break your teeth!"

           His brother smirked. " If I tell my mother what you just did, she can hurt you and get away with it. Even if my father gets angry, she'll still win. Besides, that old man isn't coming home anytime soon."

Luhan's nose twitched in annoyance and slowly began to calm down his raging anger after thinking of the consequences. It was, after all, true. The last he had seen his father was at an expensive bar, drunk,

broken, crying and apologetic.

           After that incident, Luhan was constantly ridiculed, his whole personality and what little happiness he possessed shutdown.

           On the day that the application was due, he handed it over to Yixing to proofread. He was adamant on not going, and that it was a "just in case". When he finally left school and Yixing behind to go home, he received a call. It was from one of his fathers personal assistants.

           "Hello?"

           "Luhan? Where are you?"

           "I'm heading home. What's happening?"

           "Your father passed away today...due to a ..."

           He dropped his cellphone, before picking it up quickly and telling his location. It wasn't even ten minutes before a shiny black car pulled up and he got in.

           He learned, at his fathers huge and grand funeral, that he passed away due to a . Not only that, he had contracted a ually transmitted disease. His dozens of mistresses was to be kept a secret within the people who knew. None of which were invited. In his will, he gave a fourth of his assets to his oldest son and the rest of his fortune to Luhan. To which his stepmother and stepbrother went ballistic over.

           However, his stepmother took it with herself, to be in charge of the company, appointing her son as her second hand person.

           Luhan did not feel as emotional as he thought he would. He only felt fear. When he received an email, accepting him into the study abroad program, he accepted it. He was in his way to study abroad in South Korea, which ended too short.

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AN:// I feel like and stomach flu got me good. Word vomit again. Lol.