Luhan waited at the school with a nervous mind. It had been a while since he last saw or spoke to his brother, so he wasn’t entirely sure how things were going to go. He also wasn’t sure how to spill the news about their mother’s death. Would he be mad at the thought of the family not telling him when his mother had died?

            “Ah, you’re here,” Luhan said when he saw Lay approach.

            “Why did you want to meet outside of our old school?” Lay asked as he looked around the place. It hadn’t changed one bit.

            “Because I just felt as though I haven’t been here for a while, you know?” Luhan asked with a chuckle. “Even though it hasn’t been that long since I graduated, I slowly began to miss this place, you know?”

            “I know,” Lay said with a nod of his head. “So, what was the reason that you wanted to meet me?”

            “Promise me you won’t get angry, alright?” Luhan started as he stared at his older brother.

            “Okay, but I don’t see why that’s really necessary,” Lay said as he attempted to think about the reason why Luhan would make him promise to not get angry.

            “Mom…” Luhan started. “She…she passed away…a couple of weeks ago…”

            “Huh?” Lay asked in surprise. He didn’t know how to react upon hearing the news. He wanted to feel sad about it, and even though he was, he knew that he shouldn’t because he was the one that cut ties with his family. He was the one that had left the family after finding out what they were keeping from him, he was the one that never returned or had done anything. It was all of his fault, so why should he feel remorse when he didn’t deserve any?

            “Don’t blame it on yourself,” Luhan said sensing his older brother’s hesitancy. “You still loved her, she was still your mother. Despite everything that happened, you’re still a part of our family, hyung. So don’t think that you’re not and that you don’t deserve to feel sad about it. You can feel sad about it, everyone can feel sad about it.”

            “Thank you,” Lay whispered as he felt the tears start to form in his eyes. “Thank you.”

Ellie sat in Chen’s hospital room and looked out the window, with the occasional glance at him. Nothing had happened yet and she wasn’t entirely sure when anything would. She hoped that maybe, just maybe he would be able to wake up and regain consciousness, but according to the doctors, that might not happen for a while.

            “Hmm, there you are,” Luhan said entering the hospital room.

            “Luhan?” Ellie asked in surprise as she looked towards the door. “What are you doing here?”

            “I went to your house again,” he admitted as he walked over and leaned against the wall while giving a slight smile towards Ellie. “And your parents said that you were at the hospital checking up on your classmate, Chen. Then that’s how I found you.”

            “Oh,” Ellie whispered as she took another glance towards Chen.

            “I was looking for you, actually,” he continued. “I wanted to talk with you.”

            “Okay,” Ellie said nodding her head. “Let’s talk somewhere else, alright?”

            Luhan nodded his head and the two exited the hospital, heading to the bench that was directly outside of the room. “Here is alright, right?” Luhan asked looking at her. “I would think that you would want to be someplace near to Chen in case something happened.”

            “Yeah,” Ellie whispered as she looked into the room and stared at the sleeping Chen for a moment before looking back at Luhan. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

            “You,” Luhan replied plainly. “And I guess a bit of me.”

            “What about you…and me?”

            “I talked with my brother yesterday,” Luhan said as he thought about the nice conversation that he had with him as it brought a smile to his face. “It was the first time that I had talked to him in a while and somehow, it was nice. I told him about my mother’s death…our mother’s death and I told him that it’s not his fault and that he shouldn’t blame himself for anything.”

            “That’s good, you know, that you had a talk with him.”

            “I know, right?” Luhan excitedly said as he looked at Ellie. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, well at least that’s not the thing between you and me.” Suddenly, Luhan turned towards Ellie and took both of her hands into his, surprising her. “You know that I like you, right?”

            “I…I know,” Ellie quietly said. “Or at least I kind of figured when you announced that I was your girlfriend.”

            “Hmm, I figured you would,” Luhan said with a nod of his head. “I’m sorry if I offended you in any way by doing that.”

            “You didn’t,” Ellie quickly interjected. She didn’t want Luhan to get the wrong impression. “I…I was just shocked that day.”

            Luhan gave a small smile to Ellie before he continued. “Well I never really officially confessed to you, but I’m not going to.”

            “Huh?” Ellie asked in surprise. It wasn’t like she was expecting Luhan to give her a confession, especially when she didn’t return the feelings, but it took her by surprise, for him to say that he wasn’t going to confess when it was something that he didn’t really need to say in the beginning anyway. “I mean…you know…” Ellie said as she attempted to smooth over her not so perfect reaction.

            “It’s alright, I understand,” Luhan said with a chuckle. “But I’m not going to confess, despite my feelings for you because I see that your feelings lie with someone else, even if that someone else already has a girlfriend.” It wouldn’t have been noticeable to anyone, but Ellie noticed Luhan take a quick look inside Chen’s hospital room before looking back at her with a smile. “I understand your feelings, so I’m not going to intrude.” Suddenly, Luhan stood up and patted Ellie on the top of her head. “That’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”

            “That wasn’t really a talk,” Ellie said with a light laugh as she stood up from the bench.

            “I guess it wasn’t,” Luhan said with slight nervousness.

            “But still, it’s alright. Friends?” Ellie asked as she stuck out her hand.

            “Friends,” Luhan responded as he shook her hand back. “Ah, I have to get going, but if you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to call, alright?” Ellie nodded her head before Luhan took off towards the elevator.

            Luhan entered the elevator and made his way to the lobby of the hospital before leaving. He wasn’t sad about not being able to confess to Ellie because his attraction towards her wasn’t that deep, but still, he cared for her, but it was more like an older brother caring for a younger sister. “Luhan? What are you doing here?”

            “Hyung?” Luhan asked as he looked at the person that had just called him. “What are you doing here?”

            “I’ve come to see one of my friend’s friends,” Lay said. He didn’t want to tell Luhan that he had found his real brother because he wasn’t entirely sure how he would react to it. “Why are you here?”

            “To visit someone who knows someone else here, her friend is here, pretty badly beaten.”

            “So it’s a girl, eh?” Lay asked slightly poking fun at his younger brother.

            “Yeah, but don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything and we’re not going to date or anything,” Luhan said immediately clearing up any misunderstandings before they happened. “I was just coming to visit her, to see how she was doing.”

            “That’s good, that’s good.”

            “Well, I guess I should get going,” Luhan said. “It was nice seeing you again, hyung. Hopefully I’ll see you around some more.”

            “Maybe, maybe,” Lay repeated before he and Luhan went their separate ways.

            Meanwhile, Lay made his way up the stairs and saw Xiumin in his usual spot sitting against the wall, watching the hospital bed, but something seemed completely different than the last time that Lay was there. “Ah, you’re back,” Xiumin said as he looked at Lay.

            “Is there something wrong?” Lay worriedly asked as he looked at Xiumin.

            “Guess who I just saw…”

            “Who?” Lay wondered. “I mean, Luhan was here, but other than that, I can’t think of anyone…”

            “Luhan? I remember him,” Xiumin said as he briefly thought back to the time when he first met Lay and when they were hang out together, along with Luhan. “But  no, I didn’t see him.”

            “Then who did you see?” Lay curiously asked.

            “Chen…I saw Chen.”

            “Huh? What did you just say?”

            “I saw Chen in a hospital room with a girl.”

            “Do you know the girl?”

            “No,” Xiumin said shaking his head. “I don’t ever remember seeing her, but Lay, we have to save her.” Lay nodded his head, he understood what his brother was getting at. They had to get the girl away from Chen, it wasn’t safe. Even though they knew nothing about the situation that Chen was in, they understood that the girl needed to be out of the picture or else she would get dragged into unwanted trouble.

            “Where is he staying?” Lay curiously asked.

            “I’ll show you.”

            “What about your wife though?”

            “If I were to choose, and you know how much I hate choosing, I’d choose saving the girl over staying with my wife for this current moment. I know that she’s safe here, but that girl, that girl isn’t lying in a hospital bed.” Lay nodded his head as he understood the situation even more. Xiumin would be the one to understand the situation the most since he grew up in the lifestyle more than Lay had.

“Who are you?” Ellie asked as she looked at the men that had entered the hospital room.

            “I could ask you the same question,” the man in the center said. He was surrounded by men in suits and Ellie could only guess that they were probably bodyguards, but who the guy was still remained a mystery. “Who are you?”

            “A classmate,” Ellie said, even though it wasn’t necessarily the truth anymore, it was still a good an answer as any.

            “Well then, since you answered my question, I shall answer yours,” he said with a smile that slightly creeped Ellie out. “I’m his father.”

            Ellie was surprised at the statement, but she didn’t show it. She was surprised that that man would be Chen’s father. She wondered if he even knew who his father was, his mother didn’t exactly seem like the nicest type when Ellie met her in another hospital stay. It also made Ellie wonder why his parents only came when their son was in the hospital and not beforehand, or at least why they didn’t do something to prevent the hospital stay. Although, Ellie figured that that particular hospital stay couldn’t have been helped.

            Before Ellie could say anything in response, though, she saw two people come through the door. “What are you doing here?” one angrily asked.

            “I could ask you the same question,” the man said with a smirk. “Are you here for your precious younger brother?” Ellie looked at the two men that just entered and saw them both momentarily look at her before looking at the man, Chen’s father.

            “You don’t deserve to be here,” the same guy as before said. “I thought I told you to stay away from him.”

            “I’m only trying to do what I think is best,” he said in a tone that sounded like he was attempting to be kind enough to his son.

            “Well what you think best is wrong,” the second guy said.

            “Speaking of, a classmate came to visit Chen,” his father said as he looked at Ellie with a smile. “Isn’t that nice?”

            “Classmate? What are you talking about?” the second guy asked looking at where Ellie was standing. “That’s not his classmate.”

            “Wha—,” Ellie was about to say when she was cut off, and shocked, with the second guy going over and putting his arm around her shoulder.

            “This is my girlfriend, I told her to watch him and to be cautious of you.”

            Without saying another word, Ellie was escorted out of the room with the second guy while the first one remained inside. “What are you doing?” Ellie immediately asked after he had brought her far away enough from the door.

            “I’m saving you,” he simply responded.

            “Saving me?” Ellie asked. “In who’s right mind are you saving me?”

            “I’m saving you from him, I’m saving you from entering this life. Believe me when I say don’t come back, believe me when I say that you should distance yourself. He knows what you look like now, who knows what he’ll be able to do to you.”

            “What are you talking about?” Ellie asked, she was still confused.

            “Look, you look like a nice girl and I have no doubt you are, but please stay away. I’m begging you.”

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Will Ellie be able to stay away from Chen? Why is she being warned to stay away? Just what does Chen's family do?

Here's Chapter 25. Hope you enjoyed the story :D

Sorry it took me so long to update, but here ya go!

Have a good morning, good afternoon, or goodnight! :)