A/N: This is the third update, I posted the second chapter yesterday so read it first if you haven't! Thank you!

“It’s almost your birthday. Please, if you really love me... let me see you on your birthday. At least just for a day. I'll be waiting here on that day. Meet me at 10 in the morning. Don't expect me to leave before you come."


Luhan left the field that night, just to come back again two days later. June 19, the same date as written in the yearbook he still kept. It was Hei Lin's 23rd birthday. The busy idol had cancelled all his plans that day, he had even bought presents for his love. He came to the soccer field that lovely Sunday morning, looking as handsome as ever with his brown hair styled up perfectly, carrying a bouquet of red roses, a small pink paper bag and a giant teddy bear. Inside the bag was a brand new smartphone; a gift that he thought would be the most useful since Hei Lin didn't have any cellphone. With that he'd never be disconnected with his love anymore.


Thar morning the men in the neighborhood who often played soccer with him were there, as usual stretching their bodies before they had a game. Big smiles bloomed on their faces when they saw the young man take a seat on a bench and place the presents next to him.


"Ahh, I can smell young love in the air!" one of the adults teased, gaining the idol's attention. Luhan rubbed his nape and laughed sheepishly. "Hello there, young man! Look how handsome you are today! Are you going to confess to a lady?"


"No, no," the brown-haired idol waved his hands and grinned shyly, "it's just someone special's birthday today."


"Aww, such a lovely young man. I want flowers and teddy bear too," another grown up man teased by acting cute, making the others laugh. "So you're not going to play soccer today?"


"Of course not, he doesn't want to be all sweaty when his lady comes, does he?" the other man said. Luhan laughed and nodded agreeing to that.


He seemed cheerful that day, like every other days, but deep down he was as restless as a husband waiting for his wife giving birth. Would Hei Lin show up to him? Did she even know he was waiting there for her?


Luhan spent the next several hours watching the men have an intense soccer match and his feet wouldn't stop moving around, eager to jump into the field and join the game. Even though he couldn't, at least he got something to keep him amused for some time. By the time several rounds of the game had ended, the short arm of Luhan's watch had turned from 10 to 3. The men had started to get worried seeing him.


Coming to the idol while wiping their faces with their towels, they asked, "Where is your lady? You've been waiting here for a while."


"Yeah, maybe you should call her? You haven't had lunch, have you?"


"Oh right, I haven't seen you leave this bench since you came here earlier."


Luhan thanked the older males with an uneasy smile. "It's okay! She will come later, don't worry about me."


"We're going home soon, are you going to stay here?"


"Yup! You guys can leave first. Thank you for worrying about me, but you really shouldn't."


In the end, he managed to ensure them that he'd be fine waiting for some more time, and with that, the group of men left him there alone after offering to buy him some food and being rejected politely. He was once again alone at that field. Not knowing what to do, he turned his head around like a lost clumsy little deer, and then sat the giant teddy bear on his lap and quietly played with it until the sun slowly went down and the sky turned a beautiful shade of pink and orange.


Lifting his longing gaze to the sky, he let out a soft, quiet sigh. "Baby, I'm still waiting. Won't you come to me?"


His empty stomach grumbled and his bottom lip stuck out in a sad pout. His phone had been continuously buzzing in the pocket of his jeans; he fished it out and found his buddy's name on display. 10 missed calls from Lao Gao. He let out yet another sigh, put the phone on silent and returned it back into his pocket.


"I'm not leaving." the idol hugged the fluffy stuffed toy, rested his head against its back as he let his heavy eyes slowly give in to the drowsiness.


In his sleep, he dreamt he saw his goddess finally come to him, looking very beautiful with the exact same look she had in the yearbook. Her soft, natural baby-like scent entered his nostrils and the subtle touch of her fingers brushed against the skin of his face; those alone were enough to get a teardrop to escape his closed eye. That was how deep his longing was.


"Thank you," she barely whispered in tears and a helpless smile, "I'm so sorry. I love you."


She caressed the sleeping boy's brown locks lovingly and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, and just as fast as she had come, she whispered goodbye and left with the wind.


Once Luhan opened his eyes again, he found himself in his room at his parents' house, with tears flooding his field of sight. He could hear heavy sobs, and yet after a moment, he realized it was his own voice.


"W-Why am I here? Hei Lin? T-The presents," he panicked and flipped the sheets off his body, his feelings mixing up when he found he was in pajamas instead of his previous outfit. "How long have I been here...? I-I wasn't supposed to leave... W-Who brought me here? I need to go back."


At the same time, his mother came and peeked into his room. "Xiao Lu, are you awake?"


"Ma-Mama! Why am I here??"


"Lao Gao brought you here earlier. What happened to you?" the elder came inside and sat on the edge of the bed, giving her son a very worried expression. "He found you sleeping at the soccer field. You had tears in your eyes and were mumbling in your sleep when he carried you here."


A part of the deer was confused, and the other part was upset because he had failed to meet his love. Again! He blinked a few times at his mother. "Did he bring home any presents?"


"What presents? He only brought you home. Did something happen? Tell mama about it, Xiao Lu. Are you keeping any secrets?"


Now he became more upset. Someone had probably stolen his presents for Hei Lin. Or had Lao Gao taken all those presents? Why had he had to fall asleep? Feeling frustrated, he sank his face into his hands. Then he decided he couldn't keep it in anymore.


"I was waiting for a girl," he started with a shaky voice, "it's her birthday today. She's... She's someone special to me." Sensing the possible sign of a future daughter-in-law, the mother's eyes almost lit up and sparkled, but the sad tone in her baby's voice made her keep her excitement in.


"So did you meet her today?"


"No." And then at that best timing, the deer's father came to check on his son. And as expected, the mother told her husband about their baby boy’s love matter right when he walked in. Now Luhan had no choice but to tell them everything. And so he really told them everything, from his very first encounter with the black forest lady, their next weird encounters following after, how he had got mad at her for following him, and when he started to fall for her, until the time when she disappeared and how he had been trying to find his missing love. He told them about the pictures where no one could see her, the yearbook, the rumor about her death, his challenge to her to show up on her birthday, and he ended his story with a flushed face as he desperately tried not to cry in front of his parents. Which he failed to do when the old pair took him in their arms.


But boy, how disappointed he was when his mother said, "Xiao Lu, I'm sorry to hear about this girl. But, are you sure you still have hope for… a ghost?" She said it in the most careful way, but the skeptic tone could not be hidden from the boy's ears. And with that, the idol knew his mother didn't fully believe in the story about this lady.


But really. What kind of reaction could be expected from a mother when she was told that her son fell in love with a ghost? The "ghost" itself was more than enough to make her feel insecure, no matter how pretty this ghost was said to be.


Luhan pulled away from the hug and looked at his parents with a hurt look. "Ma, she's not just a ghost, she-"


"Son." The older male's charismatic voice was enough to shut the boy up. He sighed and started to massage his temple. "Do you still remember our wish for grandchildren?" the father of the deer family didn't have to say more to make his son understand what he was trying to say. Can a ghost even give you children?


"Do you... want us to help you find a good lady?"


That was when Luhan lost his hope in his parents. They were subtly trying to make him forget about his love and find a new one. Yes, even his own parents didn't support him!


"...Please give me some time alone."


His mother was about to object, but the calm father held her hand signaling not to. They sighed and quietly left the room.


"You know we really care about you, right? We only want the best for our son. We love you, Xiao Lu." The pretty woman clamped her hand over and left before she could cry seeing the zombie look on her lovely son's face.


It was quiet for a while, with the father still holding the door open. "Have you had dinner?" He asked.


"...I haven't."


"Come out soon, your mama cooked your favorite."


The door was shut and the boy was left alone, yet again. He let himself fall onto his back and threw his arm over his damp eyes, the sound of rushed breath and little hiccups filling the room until it was completely silent. He fell asleep without eating anything that whole day.


And the next day too, after he had returned to his own house. He had lost all his appetite and suddenly he didn't feel hungry anymore. He spent the day curling in his blanket, watching his cats waddle around and lazily play with each other. Therefore it wasn't much surprising that the following day he fell sick. When Lao Gao came to pick him up and bring him to the studio to prepare for a photoshoot, he found the deer passed out in the living room, laid there helplessly and being on the face by his hungry cats.


"Luhan!! Oh goodness what on earth happened where did the maid go?? Where is my phone? Where's the phone? Master Cat hurry and get the phone!"


That day, it was announced that Luhan was taking a short break. All Lufans were happy that he could finally get some rest and enjoy himself. While the truth was he had to stay at the hospital because he lacked of liquid and food intake.


In order not to make the fans worried, Lao Gao searched for an old selfie on Luhan's phone with the similar hair color with the current one, and then posted it on the deer's Weibo and Instagram.


"Yo~ Time for a break, see you guys later!"


Thousands of likes and comments came in less than a minute.


"Take care, Lu ge! We'll miss you!"


"Wow, feels good to be famous." Lao Gao put the phone away and stood next to the bed in the hospital room, quietly staring at Luhan's pale sleeping face. An IV was connected to his left hand. A couple of minutes later, suddenly the manager started talking eagerly with fire lit in his eyes.


"Hey, what were you thinking? Are you dumb? You normally eat like a cow but then you ate nothing for two days, you think you're strong? Even I who really needs to be on a diet won't do such stupid thing," Lao Gao grumbled and scolded the sleeping deer. "Now I have to take care of both you and your cats. The last time they scratched my face you laughed your off, you did this on purpose, didn't you? You like seeing me suffer. I have to do this alone because your parents don't know about this and they won't come give me a hand."


After he had had enough lecturing the unconscious boy, Lao Gao left to get some food and fill his own empty stomach. Just then did Luhan's eyes flutter open, and the pretty chocolate brown orbs emptily gazed at the ceiling for who knows how long.


"I'm dumb."


He remained dull for the rest of the day, and the following day, and the following day. He kept on refusing to eat because everything basically tasted like nothing in his mouth. Thankfully there was the IV to support him. Most of the time, the food ended up in Lao Gao's tummy.


"It's better than wasting food," the bear reasoned.


One night he said, "Seriously, just say anything you want to eat and I'll get it for you. You look like chopsticks already."


"I want Hei Lin's cooking."


"...Great! Great choice. Now I'll just have to go to a shaman and ask for the ability to see ghosts, and then ask for your girl to cook for you. Easy matter! Bye now, heading to a nearby shaman."


He actually left, but to a restaurant instead of a shaman to get a bowl of mutton soup. He remembered Luhan had once told him that one of Hei Lin's cooking that he liked the most was her mutton soup.


However, before he came back, something happened in Luhan's hospital room. While the deer was staring blankly at his blanket, suddenly came the sound of the door being opened and closed again. A normal thing, probably Lao Gao or the nurse, he thought. But when he glanced at the door lazily, he practically jumped in his bed and his eyes shot wide open. He gripped the edge of the bed tightly, his mouth opened and closed like a fish with no voice coming out, and his body soon began to tremble.


"H-Hei Lin..." Before he knew it, the figure had moved from her spot to his body, arms clutching tight around his neck. She hugged him so hard he could barely breathe.


"P-Please... don't kill me," Luhan wheezed and tapped her back weakly, making her gasp and pull away immediately.


"I-I'm sorry- umff!" It was then Luhan's turn to pull her into a big hug. He buried his face on the crook of her neck and took in her baby-like scent as much as he could. It didn't take long until the lady's neck was all wet with tears.


"Where have you been?" the sick deer wailed like a little boy, "Why did you leave me?? Tell me! Why? Are you going to leave again now? Is this just your trick? Another dream?? Just... Just end it already--! Mmff!"


The beautiful lady in black shut him up with a full kiss on the lips, not letting go until he calmed down gradually and melted into the kiss. She bit his bottom lip hard enough to make him squeak in pain. Just then did she break the kiss and pull away.


It was their very first kiss on the lips.


"W-Why did you bite me so hard?" Luhan touched the red mark on his lip and bowed his head shyly, his face and ears turning bright red. That was pretty hot for a first kiss.


"To prove that this is not a dream." The black-haired girl smiled, but when Luhan lifted his gaze to see her pretty face that he had been longing for after so long, he finally noticed that she was crying too. The next time they hugged again, it was a much warmer and loving hug, as they cried on each other's shoulder.


"Please explain everything to me. Please?" Luhan begged weakly through his tears, but the other remained silent. "Do you still love me? Did you love me in the first place?"


"I did," she answered fast, "I do, I've always loved you. P-Please don't doubt that."


"Then why won't you explain?"


"I..." Hei Lin kept her hug firm as she held the other's head on her shoulder. "I'm... I'm not dead. I'm still alive."


Luhan's swollen eyes rounded and his body tensed in the younger's arms. "You... You're not a ghost?" he tried to pull back and see the other's face to see if she was serious, but the fragile-looking arms were strong enough to keep him still. The lady too didn't want him to see more of her tears.


"I don't know what I am."


"I-I don't get it. I'm confused. Hei Lin... Please tell me everything. I-I won't get mad, I promise. I missed you so bad I thought I couldn't live anymore." Silence again, only silent tears and their sniffles could be heard. "Please. I trusted you."


With trembling lips, Hei Lin swallowed the rest of her tears back in and heaved a deep breath. The time to reveal everything finally came. So she started,


"I've always been your fan. When your old group debuted in Korea back then, it was you who first caught my eye. I was young back then, I made fanaccounts everywhere on the internet and posted everything about you. Sometimes I fought with other fangirls online, those who called you pretty like a girl, because I knew you didn't like being called that way." She chuckled and smiled nostalgically between her tears, tightening her embrace around the boy of her dreams. The shy idol buried his face on the other's shoulder, hiding his red face and his embarrassment.


"I went to each and every events EXO had in China, I even went to Korea several times just to see you. I liked to make cute banners for you, hoping that you'd see them, but I bet you never saw me at any of those times. My mom got really angry because I kept on wasting money for you. At home back in Shanghai, I had the walls of my room covered by your posters. I had a dream, I wished someday you would at least notice me there and smile at me. Just a dream of an ordinary fangirl, but I brought that wish every time I was about to see you. Until... one day I fainted during a fansign before I even had you sign my poster, and since then I just... fainted a lot. Especially under the sunlight. It had started since I was younger, but that time it just got more often. I didn't know why. In 2013, if you remember, you guys came to China for the China Love Big Concert in Beijing. That time I had been living in Beijing for two years already, I worked at the coffee shop. I reeeally wanted to go and see you there, but my mom didn't let me. She came all the way from Shanghai and brought me home just to lecture me about how I was losing my mind because of you. But since I had friends in Shanghai who were crazy for EXO too, I still bought the ticket, we left Shanghai secretly and stayed at a hotel in Beijing, close to the venue. We got there a day earlier, we made banners together, and later that day they urged me to go swimming with them at the hotel's swimming pool. I couldn't swim, still can't," she admitted shyly, but Luhan knew about it already from the yearbook.


"It was noon and unusually very hot to me. My friends were splashing around and while they had a race to swim to the other side of the pool, I just stood there on the edge and watched them because I was too scared to get into the water. And then suddenly I felt dizzy... and... that's when it happened. I-I fainted, and... and I fell into the pool, my friends didn't see me fall and I got d-drowned... and when they found me, it-- it was too late already."


Hei Lin began to sob recalling the horrible memory and Luhan held her tight, crying too because he was scared of what might be the end of the story.


"They-- They brought me to a hospital, I heard them crying and calling my name, they kept on apologizing and I wanted to tell them it was okay, but I couldn't wake up and tell them that. My parents came from Shanghai, I wanted to say sorry to them but I couldn't, I just-- I was trapped in a long sleep! I could hear and feel them there, every day, they talked to me but I couldn't answer. I'm neither dead nor alive, that's how I've been these past three years!"


Both cried harder, but a part of Luhan was so relieved that he felt like a bucket of cold water had just been poured over his steaming head. His love wasn't dead! They still had a chance! But she was trapped in a coma. Still it pained him too. He caressed the younger's long hair and left soothing kisses on her cheek and her forehead to calm her down, telling her that it was okay and nothing would change between them. Her tears gradually subsided from the comforting words.


"But... you're not in your body now, is this alright? H-How could this happen?" Luhan asked carefully as he wiped the remaining tears off the girl's cheeks.


"I'm not sure," she hiccupped, "one night I just jumped out of my body because my friend came and told me you were going to have your first mini concert. It was the first time you noticed me when I went there, I was just so h-happy! I didn't expect you could see me, because no one else could. It's so weird, but I'm so happy. My wish came true." She kept on hiccupping while wiping her eyes with her balled hands cutely like a little girl. "And now y-you're holding me like this, what did I do to deserve this? I even made you sick!" she began to wail again. "I stayed away after you showed our picture to Lao Gao because I was scared that you'd hate me for not telling the truth! I'm so sorryyyy! Waahh!"


"Ahh... No, no please don't cry! I don't hate you, really! If I hated you, why would I look for you everywhere?"


"But you couldn't see me once even though I tried to show up! Because of that I lost hope that you'd forgive me, I'm so sorry," she cried into her palms while Luhan frowned to himself. She did try to show up?


"Hei Lin, when did that happen?"


"When you came to the coffee shop after you went to the psychiatrist. That cashier girl, she was always spacing out so I could get into her and interact with you in her position as the cashier and the barista. But that day even though I was inside her, you saw her as herself instead of me," Hei Lin mumbled sadly, "so I got out immediately to hide. I supposed it happened because you were losing faith in me."


Luhan took his turn to apologize. "But why took this long?" he pulled away to see the other's flushed face, "If now I can see you again, you-- you could have shown up earlier."


"I wasn't ready yet to tell you everything. But now you're sick because of me, I couldn't see you like this any longer."


With a sad smile curving on his lips, Luhan cupped the small face in his hands and placed a little kiss on her red nose, before he enveloped her in his warm embrace. "Don't cry now. I forgive you."


Hei Lin's body turned stiff. "R-Really? You're-- You're not mad at me?"


"Nope, I love you too much to be mad at you for too long." Both cracked a shy smile.


"Thank you so much, Lu ge-"


"But there's one thing I'd like to ask from you."


"What is it? Just tell me, I'll do anything for you to pay back my mistakes, really!"


Anything? A naughty smile almost found its way to Luhan's lips, but luckily he was fast to snap back to his common sense. "Will you... let me see the real you? I-I mean, your sleeping body, if it's okay with you."


Hei Lin was doubtful for a second, but the next second she didn't hesitate to agree to that. "Alright. We can go there after you're healthy again! The hospital isn't far away from your parents' house. Remember when I told you I lived near Haidian district?"


"So you meant the hospital."


"Right."


"Can I ask something else?"


"Yeah?"


"Did you really come to me on your birthday?"


"Of course I did. You challenged me to come if I really loved you, so I came. I... I just hid somewhere until you fell asleep."


"Ah... So it wasn't just a dream. Did you... see any presents?"


"I did, I brought them to the hospital where I'm staying."


"Really? Oh that's relieving. I thought someone stole them."


"I'm sorry for taking them away just like that... Ah, wait, I haven't thanked you yet, have I? Lu ge, thank you so much! You really bought me a new phone, I couldn't believe it! And I love the bear sooo much, it's so cute! I've named it Lu, he's sitting next to my bed right now." Hei Lin kissed the deer's cheek out of happiness. When she realized what she had just done, though, she covered her lips in surprise and apologized instantly.


"Eheheheh." Luhan laughed and sratched his head clumsily as a big amount of pink bloomed on his cheeks. "Please don't apologize. You-- You can do that... umm, m-more often. M-Maybe." He took the lady's hands and gently squeezed them in his as they smiled shyly to themselves.


Suddenly the door to the room was opened and the pair let go of each other's hands by reflex. "Luhaann~ It's me, coming from a nearby shaman! Look what I brought you! A mutton soup! Wahhh it smells so good, fresh from Hei Lin's cooking pot!"


Hei Lin cocked her head to the side and gave Luhan a questioning look, while the deer himself pressed his lips together to suppress his chuckle. Clearly, Lao Gao couldn't see the mentioned lady sitting there. The bear paused abruptly when he saw the deer quietly smiling and giggling to himself. His previously pale face wasn't so pale anymore, it was rather pink instead.


"Luhan? What have gotten into you? You okay man?" he pressed his hand on Luhan's forehead trying to feel his temperature. The sick deer pushed the hand away and grabbed the plastic bag in his buddy's other hand.


"Let me have that, I'm hungry."


All the while the idol devoured the food like a starving puppy, Lao Gao watched him with his mouth hanging open in disbelief.


"Which shaman did you go to, huh?" Luhan asked with a mysterious smile, "Either he needs to learn more or you need to learn more from him."


"Uh, the old one at the restaurant down the block." the bigger male scratched the back of his nape. "Really, what happened though? Earlier you were all dull and zombie."


Luhan finished his food quickly and took his best friend's hand. "Reach out your hand like this." Although confused, Lao Gao followed the instruction. He couldn't see that there was another figure who was holding out her hand, sticking her palm against his. When Lao Gao's bigger hand moved an inch forward, the other invisible hand just went through it. Only Luhan and the invisible figure could see that happen. They looked at each other and exchanged a sad smile.


"You've just touched her."


"Huh? Who?"


Luhan encircled his arm around his girl’s waist and pulled her closer gently, took her hand and gave it a soft kiss.


“You’re doing a pantomime.”


"No.” Luhan raised his head, and for the first time in the last several days, a huge, sincere happy smile bloomed on his pale lips.


“It’s my love. She's here with us."

A/N: hello again! This chapter is shorter than the previous ones, like I told you. But finally Luhan found out the truth on this chapter! Turned out Hei Lin wasn't fully a "ghost", but just a comatose girl whose fangirl spirit was so strong that it could fly out her body and go to her idol >:D isn't it every fangirl's dream to be in Hei Lin's position? Such a dream coming true. I can say the girl who will be Luhan's future wife is the luckiest girl in the world.


Anyway! On the next chapter, Luhan would finally go and see the "real" Hei Lin :D what would happen after he saw her? How would they end up? Would Luhan still hold onto his love, who wasn't even fully alive? Find out on the next chapter! Thank you for reading this story, please subscribe and comment! ❤