Listen to Monogram's 'Lucid Dream' while reading this. Don't know why but it matches this chapter.

Also, this might be a double update because I posted the previous chapter a few days ago so check where you left from before reading. 

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I would forever be grateful to Chanyeol for taking me to the hospital that night. It was thanks to him that I was able to get there as fast as I did. Most of the drive there consisted of me crying, while he did all he could to make me feel better, rubbing circles on my back. And I must say, even amid the agony and urgency, I couldn't help but agree that he was very good at dealing with crying women. Just like he was with winning their heart. I guess, practice does make one perfect.

I told him that he could go back when we reached the hospital, but to my surprise, he jumped out of the cab and ran after me, after handing over the driver his fare. I rushed inside frantically, not having any idea where was I supposed to go. I decided to head towards the same ward where I'd seen him last. The nurse, who took care of Sehun's father, nodded at me with her eyes red as she stuttered when she told me that Sehun was on the hospital's rooftop.

I had half a mind to tell them off for letting someone as vulnerable as him to go to the rooftop. A place that is responsible for half of the suicide cases. What if he...? No, no I don't even want to think about this. She also told Chanyeol and me that Ajhussi's body had been removed to the cold room. Too bad, I would have liked to say the final goodbye.  

Wiping off my tears, I took in a large breath. I gulped a few times to suppress the bubbling emotions in my chest as I headed towards the staircase leading to the rooftop. The minute I turned to leave, the hospital staff asked me to fill out the forms and make arrangements for the dead body. But Chanyeol quickly offered to handle matters that he could and motioned me to go forward and look for Sehun.

Today, his father died.

Sehun was sitting on the rooftop of the hospital, leaning against the metal railing with a half-empty bottle of soju in his hand. His knuckles were bruised from when he punched a hole in his father's room and broke a few things. His hair was disheveled and his eyes lost and stormy, his bony features even more gaunt and pale. My heart bled at the evident painful expression on his face. I'd seen him just this morning looking so bright and happy. It's funny how life events give a one-eighty degrees turn to you. Sehun was looking straight and his lips twisted in a smile when he saw me.

He glanced over his shoulder and shouted, "Dad! Look who's here! Mirae came to visit you today too."

Tears were gathering in my eyes as I squatted down in front of him, holding his shoulder. He was still gazing around, calling his father hopelessly. "Sehun, look at me." I gently placed my palm on his cheek, making him look at me.

His teary eyes met mine and we stared at each other in silence. Then he screamed in frustration. I inhaled sharply seeing him this way. "H-he...my father.."

"Calm down, Sehun, I'm here. It's okay. He'd be in peace now." My lips trembled. But I told myself that I had to be strong for him. When any one of us was suffering, the other had to man up.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Sehun began to sob wretchedly and I wrapped my arms around him. His head laid on my chest, while I caressed his hair. I could feel his whole body shaking. The strangled noise emitting from his throat made me shudder. Hot tears began to fall from my eyes too.

"Everyone is disappearing." He muttered in my shirt.

"I won't. I'll always be here. I'll always be with you."

The rooftop was completely silent except for his loud cries and my silent, suppressed ones as we sat on the cold, hard floor. I held him for a long time, assuring him that he wasn't alone and never will be. Not in my presence.

He already lost his mother and he always talked about how he didn't think he would be able to handle his father's death too. The man promising him to get better and kept telling him that they would celebrate his next birthday out of the hospital, it was the hope he held on to. Sehun spent most of his teenage wishing that he'll have his father back one day. I was terrified thinking about what was going to happen next. How he would go on with his day to day life when his remaining hope was gone.

After I had convinced him to climb down the stairs with me and deal with the waiting stuff, because I had a doubt that Chanyeol would have gone very far with filling out forms because he hardly knew a thing about Ajhussi, Sehun reluctantly complied to face the truth. I became the subject of Sehun's hardened gaze,  as soon as he noticed Chanyeol.

Turning to me, he demanded coldly, "Why did you have to bring him? So he could laugh at my face, at my weaknesses?"

"No, Sehun." I shook my head quickly. "He's here to help."

Sehun scoffed. Chanyeol was already listening when he walked over to us and stopped before Sehun, a neutral expression glued on his face. My gaze flipped between them nervously, praying for the best. I trusted Chanyeol not to pick a fight at such a moment.

"I'm sorry for your loss but I will leave if you are uncomfortable. You need to sign these papers before that, though." Chanyeol spoke and handed him a file containing the death certificate and other medical reports.

Sehun's puffy eyes narrowed as he stared at him for one good minute, but shook his head abruptly in the end, grabbing the papers. A sigh of relief left my mouth. The tension in the room subsided when the door opened with a group of people bursting in. Among them was the Head of Arts Department who was also Sehun's homeroom teacher, Yixing, and Jinyoung, to my relief.

Sehun's teacher came over and delivered his condolences before moving forward and offering to pay all the charges of the funeral. As he and Chanyeol got busy with the arrangements, Yixing embraced Sehun swiftly taking his friend to a corner, making me smile that he at least had a good friend. At the same time Jinyoung raced over to me and I laid my head on his shoulder trying to ease the pain of the loss.

The funeral was short and painful, just like Sehun's reply whenever I asked him how he was feeling. It was held in the small grassy land beside the hospital. There were a certain sadness and emptiness in the air. Even the people who hardly knew him in school were there. A large crowd, all clad in black, came to say their condolences as they shook Sehun's hand, muttering words of condolences which I doubt even reached him. It mostly consisted of fellow students or long-lost relatives. 

Needless to say, nothing had impressed me more than Chanyeol. Nobody would have even suspected him to be Sehun's bully, his worst nightmare. The way he handled the matters, from hiring the caterers alongside his homeroom teacher, to receiving the on-comers and showing them the way, he did all without complaint. Sehun just walked around like a zombie so I could only wonder who would have managed things if it weren't for Chanyeol. Somewhere deep down in my heart, something told me that this was Chanyeol's way of making up for the previous years.

I could recognize the mature side of Chanyeol for the first time in my life and man, was I happy to discover it. But he didn't go over board, not once did I spot Chanyeol trying to make a conversation with him. There was zero interaction between him and Sehun but deep down, I could see that Sehun was silently observing everything the former did but only able to show his speechless gratitude. 

I tried to hold myself together at the funeral, telling myself that I could cry all I wanted when I was in my room but every time I glanced at the coffin, my breathing would get unsteady and tears would rise up. All the memories flooding back all of a sudden. Just like Yixing, who never left Sehun's side and was anxious about his friend, I had Jinyoung and Yumi. I was grateful to them for pumping up the strength in me.

To my surprise, Dad attended the funeral too. But I think it wasn't too out of place since Ajhussi,  after all, lived in our street and the two knew each other well enough. Dad didn't stay for long though, he only talked to Sehun, consoling him, and then met me after saying goodbye.

The funeral was halfway done, when I spotted Junmyun and Baekhyun standing beside the coffin in black suits, their heads hanging low in grief. I walked over to them, shocked to see stains of tears on Baekhyun's face.

I raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged sadly. "I don't know what's happening to me. But nobody deserves the death of a parent. Not even sneaky, old Sehun."

I sighed, unsure of what to say back. After a minute he spoke again.

"Mirae, can you do something for me?" Baekhyun looked up from the coffin. "Please, convey my condolences to Sehun."

"Why don't you do that yourself?"

He shook his head in disbelief as if I suggested something impossible. "Not after everything we did to him, no. I can't face him. Just do me this favor."

I sighed and nodded. Junmyun then turned to me, it was then that I noticed the flowers in his hand. Instead of placing them beside the coffin, he handed them to me. "Give this to him."

My hands stopped in midair when I noticed his choice of flowers. I looked up and smiled at him slightly, holding the bouquet. A silent understanding exchanged between us as he smiled back knowingly.

I made sure to stand next to Sehun and hold his hand, who was plastering a tough look on his face, as people delivered their short speeches regarding his father. Sometimes he would start trembling and I would whisper comforting things in his ear, telling him that it happened because it was the best for Ajhussi. And soon enough, the heart-breaking funeral ended. People stood up to leave. I turned to Sehun who got up too, but he didn't leave. Instead, he absent-mindedly roamed around. Once I caught up with him, I huffed, "Jumyun and Baekhyun asked me to convey their condolences."

He didn't reply.

Then, I handed him the vibrant bouquet Junmyun had given me. He accepted it quietly. "Do you know what white poppies mean, Sehun?" I asked, pointing at the bouquet.

A crease appeared between his brows as he confusedly stared at the flowers in his hand and then back at me. "What? Grief?"

I smiled lightly, shaking my head. "Peace and harmony. These flowers symbolize the end of a war. It's from Junmyun."

Sehun glanced at the flowers as he took in my words, understanding the meaning. When he looked up again, meeting my eyes, I spotted a gentleness in his eyes. I inwardly hoped that Sehun would erase the hatred from his heart, maybe it was just wishful thinking.

As we strolled in the field, a peaceful silence settled between us. The wind blew through our hair, and the sunlight kissing our bodies. Spring was on its way.

"How can the sun shine so brightly today?" Sehun wondered, looking up. "Doesn't it know that my world just came to an end today?"

I touched his arm. "No, Sehun," I said firmly. "I won't let you do this. You're not going to shut down in your little hole."

He met my determined gaze and chuckled quietly. "Don't get so worked up about it."

"I'm serious." I eyed him sternly.

He shrugged. I was in full mode of lecturing him but he changed the topic abruptly. "You've tamed him." 

A crevice appeared between my eyebrows. Confused, I followed his gaze and found that he was, after all, looking at Chanyeol. I exhaled heavily and chuckled. "Me? I didn't do anything."

"I haven't forgotten how he used to be like." Sehun shook his head, sure of his claim. "It's obvious."

"You're crazy. If that was possible, I would have done it ages ago."

Sehun shook his head again, refusing to agree. "Can you thank him for me? I never expected him to do all of this."

A light-hearted smile worked its way to my lips at the fact that how both parties were sending messages through me. Before I could reply, he spoke up. 

"Nobody asked him to do anything. But why he did all this is still a mystery to me. And I want to thank him. I'm grateful for his help." Sehun looked at the ground as he muttered it. I guess he was still taking in this new side of Chanyeol.

"Don't you think he deserves it to hear personally from you? I mean, that's only fair."

He pondered on it for a few minutes. "I guess."

He strode in Chanyeol's direction and I held my breath, watching from distance. Chanyeol froze when he saw him approaching. I surveyed how their figures stiffened tensely as Sehun spoke. I didn't catch any word, but it seemed obvious that there were no harsh words exchanged. The interaction was short and to the point. Chanyeol replied while nodding lightly. He looked relaxed. Then, Sehun walked away.

Chanyeol stood there for a few minutes before his eyes caught me staring. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

Today, Park Chanyeol earned the highest amount of respect in my heart, changing every opinion I ever had of him.

-

The rest of March passed away like the wind. We got indulged in tests and quizzes as the teachers suddenly increased the load because April was approaching and April meant end-of-year exams. We would wake up yawning, drag our sleepy asses to classes only to be burdened with a whole new bunch of assignments. For me, the rest of the day was spent in the library or in my room. Except for rounds. Everything was so dull and quiet that I was forcefully reminded of all the drama that took place at the same time last year. That terrible fight that was kinda life-changing for me. But it brought me peace that everything had settled so pleasantly in its place. Both: Sehun and Chanyeol.

But in between everything, I still found enough time to hang out with Sehun. I tried to pay special attention to him, not make him feel lonely. And so far, it was going pretty well. Sehun was slowly recovering from the trauma and so was I.

So in short, life was pretty much colorless and tasteless.

Until I received that awful phone call.

I was buried in my books when my phone rang loudly, making me jump in annoyance. I made a mental note to mute this stupid cell phone permanently when I'm studying as I received Mom's call.

"Aneong Eomma!" I greeted pleasantly. "How's everyone doing?"

"Fine." She replied shortly. "How are your studies going?"

"Oh um...yeah it's going okay." I smiled sheepishly.

"Good." She cleared uncomfortably.

I could sense that she was rather quiet. "What's up-"

"How could you do this, Mirae?" 

I held my breath, racing my mind to all the possibilities where I did something disgraceful or disrespectful. I reached no conclusion sadly. "Umm... what?"

My ignorance triggered Mom as her silence converted into a storm. "I thought it was only Minji who was unfair and rude to you. But she isn't always the bad guy, after all. I'm so disappointed in you."

I exhaled loudly. Of course. It has to be about her. I braced myself for hearing whatever grave crime I committed. "What on Earth is going on?"

"Oh, great, now you're acting all innocent!" She huffed, sounding pretty irritated.

"I'm serious! Can you just tell me what happened?" I pressed my eyes to close.

There was silence on the line for a few minutes before she spoke again, her tone deadly. "Did you or did you not refuse Minji to attend her engagement party?"

My eyes sprang open in surprise. "What?! Engagement party? She got engaged? When? To whom? Is it the same boyfriend?" I exclaimed loudly. "And, hey! Why didn't anybody tell me?"

Somebody actually proposed to my sister? I had always thought that was impossible.

"Stop pretending, Mirae." She answered boredly causing me to frown.

Not again, I groaned. When I didn't reply, she responded. "Are you serious? Do you really not know at all?"

I sighed. "I had no idea, Mom, I swear." I tried to sound convincing. "Why would I lie to you?"

She emitted an exhausted noise. "I'm seriously done with the two of you!"

"But, I told you, I know nothing about this!" I argued back. "Can you please tell me when this happened?"

"Daehyun proposed to her when they went on vacation together two weeks ago." She answered.

Two weeks? And I'm informed only today? And what's this vacation about? And that engagement party? Oh nice, honey, look how important and well-informed you are, I fumed. "This has been going on since that bloody long and nobody bothered to tell me?" 

"But I thought she would tell you herself!" Eomma protested.

I rolled my eyes. Minji is a lost cause and my parents are too innocent to think that that is ever going to give me a sister's status. "And what were you accusing me of just now? I, her sister, refused to attend her engagement party? Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"But that's what she just told me!"

"Can you be a little more exact?" I requested politely when in reality, I was truly pissed off.

"Minji came over to me just now and claimed that she's received your phone call and you denied to attend her engagement party because you aren't interested." She explained.

"And you believed that!" I shrieked.

"But she said so!"

Sighing, I massaged my temples. The nerve of this girl to frame me like that. "Mom, I'll talk to her myself. Thanks for telling me, though, bye."

I didn't waste a second and dialed her number. This is too much. She's gone very far this time. I wished that I was there to clear this misunderstanding.  After a few tries, Unnie finally picked up. Fuming in anger, I didn't give her a chance to say a word.

"What the hell are you playing at?!" I hissed.

"Huh, what do you mean, sweetie?" She answered with false sweetness.

"You know quite well what I mean!" I spat furiously. "Do you seriously think you could tell Mom your stupid little lies and I wouldn't even get wind of it!"

She scoffed sarcastically. "I thought you'd get the hint, stupid."

"Hint?"

"That I don't want you here at my party, simple!" She answered exasperatedly. "Look, this is my special day. And I beg you not to ruin it for me. I want all the spotlight on me, for once in my life."

My ears refused to believe what I'd just heard. I mean, okay, we aren't exactly best friends and neither on good terms but... I didn't know she would go this far. I'm not even invited to my sister's engagement. And she's talking about spotlight? I moved into a freaking boarding school, away from my hometime, just so she could bath in her bloody spotlight. I hung up the call without a reply, as my eyes began to prick. Quickly, I blinked away the worthless tears forming under my burning eyes.

The rest of the day was a disaster. I snapped my books closed in frustration. It was impossible to concentrate when a hundred other things were running on my mind. Each as disturbing as the other. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Is there something wrong?" Junmyun looked up when he saw me sulking in the common room, glaring at random innocent objects.

I shook my head, groaning loudly. They lifted their brows at me, asking for an explanation. I sighed and answered. "My sister got engaged."

Chanyeol turned to me with furrowed brows pointing out, "And why are you pissed off?" Then he suggested. "You aren't jealous, are you?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Huh, I ain't jealous. It's a miracle somebody agreed to marry her.

"Then?" Yumi asked.

"I'm not invited," I muttered the dreadful words with shame, it isn't exactly something to be proud of, which were followed by peals of laughter from the boys. I glared at them in return.

"I hate you people." 

"I know, I'm sorry-" Baekhyun burst in laughter again "- it's horrible of me but it is kinda hilarious."

"And offensive." Yumi patted my head. I sighed and explained to them about my mother's phone call. I sounded truly miserable by the time I opened up about my conversation with Unnie. I just couldn't help whining in despair.

"So, let me get this straight. Your sister is engaged, she's holding an engagement party, and then she tells your mother that you aren't attending so that you would get the hidden meaning that you're not welcomed." Junmyun summed up my dilemma wisely.

I winced once he voiced it. I replied, "Damn, yes. I just hate her."

Seeing my expression, Chanyeol, who was sitting beside me gave a one-armed hug and I automatically laid my head on his shoulder.

"It'll be alright, I'm sure." He muttered quietly, and though I knew it was a ridiculous thing to promise it made me feel better anyway.

Just then, I spotted Jinyoung descending the boys' staircase. Immediately, I sat up straight causing Chanyeol to shoot me a dispirited look before he pulled his arm back and moved subtly away from me. I felt my cheeks burn as Jinyoung neared us, embarrassed by my reaction. It's not like Chanyeol and I had anything to hide, right? Since I didn't trust myself to answer that, I pushed it in the back of my mind... I know, fabulous strategy of mine, isn't it?

"But, it's all the more reason to go." Baekhyun piped. Chanyeol and Junmyun nodded in agreement.

"What?"

"I mean, if she's trying to exclude you from the whole thing, then show her that you aren't one to be messed with. Get back at her."

I frowned in confusion. "And how do you suppose I do that?"

Chanyeol smiled sweetly. "Didn't she tell you her greatest fear herself?" After a moment he said, "Show up at that engagement party like a , idiot."

"He's right! It's time for revenge, Mirae!" Yumi exclaimed.

My lips parted in surprise, as a smile crept up on my face. "Wouldn't that be too harsh?" I asked doubtfully, but deep inside I loved Chanyeol's plan.

Baekhyun pointed out smugly. "So is everything she did with you."

I nodded slowly trying to convince myself that it was not so unjust with Unnie. "Well, it would place me back in Mom's good books. And since this party falls near our summer vacations, so I have no choice but to attend. Plus, the best part is that it would really piss her off."

They clapped enthusiastically. "There you go." Junmyun cheered.

I smiled inwardly. These people have truly become my advisers. And they have certainly not failed to spoil my morals.

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Hey guys, what are your reviews on Kai's upcoming solo? I'm excited as hell!

This chapter was mostly narrative and fewer dialogues, hope it wasn't a bother. Let me know your honest and detailed feedback. I'm always up for it.

Stay safe :)