'Come on, Han. Let's go somewhere.'

'Where?'

You felt miserable walking down the corridor of the student accommodation block and out onto the campus pathways. Jinri held your arm and looked at you, wondering whether or not to hug you or sit down and talk. She chose neither, instead dragging you to the one place she assumed you'd feel happier at.

'I always find oppa here whenever he's in a bad mood. It's usually an hour or so after the girl he likes has come round crying to him,' she said as she slipped into the back entrance of the sport centre and pryed open the door. Switching the lights on, you smiled a little seeing the water so still and glass-like. Fragile but strong. Water is soft but water can kill. You supposed Lay was like that too. Fragile but strong. Soft but murderous. A complex personality rolled into a tight ball and squidged around like plasticine. That was Lay to you.

'He lied to me,' you said, taking off your shoes and socks and rolling up the legs of your jeans. 'He told me he would always be with me. 'If I'm in Korea, he's in Korea', that's what we agreed on. Why would he lie to me?'

'Did he promise?'

'Yes.'

'Did he remember?'

'I asked him a few days ago!'

'And he said the promise still stands?'

'He... He... He nodded.'

Jinri shrugged, 'there's your answer then. He probably just didn't want to ruin your date-'

'It wasn't a date.'

'I know. Sorry. I meant day out.'

You gently slid both feet into the water, waggling your toes and placed your mobile phone on the side.

'Are you really that upset about Lay leaving?' Jinri asked.

You nodded, 'I'm more upset that he lied to me and broke his promise. And that-... No, nothing.'

'What?'

'Nothing.'

'Oh come on, you can't start the sentence and then not finish it.'

'I know Lay. I know he doesn't want to go home. It just doesn't make sense, you know?'

'Maybe he suddenly had a desire to return?'

You shook your head, 'no, people like Tao have a desire to go home. And from the looks of it, no one else knew about it. His sudden desire to go home, I mean. Luhan looked pretty angry too. I saw Ah Ri holding him back so he musn't have known about it.' 

'Did you hear what he said to Lay?'

'No, why?'

'Oh. No reason. He was just shouting at him, that's all.'

You sighed, not caring enough to pry further. If this was what Lay wanted to do, then so be it. You were angry he'd lied to you and although Jinri suggested it was because he didn't want to ruin your day, you didn't want to hear any excuses. A lie was a lie and Mr Zhang Yixing had broken his promise. As time passed, you ran out of things to rant and be angry about. The tears began to fall and being drunk was doing no good to your mood either. Eventually, Jinri decided she'd call Taejoon who would call Sehun to come and help take you back home.

'I'm just going to make a call outside since there's no reception in here.'

'Sure. Leave me to my own misery.'

'Han, why don't you run around the pool? Release some endorphins. Get happy.'

'I'm okay.'

'No seriously, just run a lap around the poolside. I'll be back in just a moment.'

You vowed you wouldn't dare do exercise when you felt like such utter rubbish. A minute went by and Jinri hadn't returned. Then came 2 minutes. Eventually 5 minutes had gone by and Jinri hadn't returned. Heaving your alcohol soaked bones, you began jogging down the length of the pool.

'Taejoon-ah, where are you?'

'We're just clearing up. Where did you get to? Your brother's out looking for you.'

'I'm at the pool.'

'The pool?'

'Yeah,' Jinri said down the line, 'Haneul's here too.'

'She is?' There was a heightened shout in the background followed by Aaron's own shouting. 'She's at the pool!'

Another shout.

'What?!'

Followed by another.

'What on earth is she doing there?'

Followed by a quiet mumble.

'She probably hates me.'

Jinri tutted and her teeth, waiting for Aaron to get back to her. When he finally did, and she asked him what was happening, he sounded assertive as though some sort of battle strategy had just been formed.

'Lay and I are on our way. The others are coming in just a moment so don't worry. We'll get you guys and then you and I can either stay at their dorm or crash at Jenny and Minwoo's place.'

'Is that okay with them?'

'Both Suho and Minwoo have offered since it's late and they don't want Jaemin-hyung to drive. You're not that drunk, are you?'

'Not really. Just thirsty.'

'I've got a bottle of water with me. You can have a bit when I get there.'

'How long will you be?'

'5 minutes.'

'Haneul's pretty out of it, oppa.' She heard Aaron relay the message to Lay before replying a quick and out of breath 'okay, just stay together for now'.

When returning, she found you with your head submerged under the water. She ran to you, screaming your name and you lifted your head out of the water, yelling at her too.

'What?! What?! What is it Jinri-ah?!'

Jinri lifted you up by the underarms, scolding you for almost scaring her to death.

'Haneul, the pool level's deeper than 3metres, what on earth do you think you're doing?! I thought you had drowned! And if you had fallen in then you would have drowned! I could have had a heart attack!'

'Aaah... Cardiac infarction...'

'Cardiac what?'

'Infarction,' you replied drowsily, 'it's a heart attack.'

'God you're drunk.'

 

Once you were standing, Jinri began running with you up and down the poolside. She constantly checked if you felt like you were going to be sick or faint or trip but you insisted you were fine. You were rather happy about your near inebriation. Maybe you'd fall asleep and forget about being angry with Lay. Kris was right about the alcohol hitting you like a truck. It felt like your head was being pounded by thousands of school buses and stomped on by all the school children in them. There was a loud creak and Jinri jumped, turning to see who it was by the door. As it was late at night, or perhaps very early in the morning, you shouldn't really have been at the pool. But desperate times called for desperate measures, as they say, and Jinri wanted you far away from the ensuing fight that appeared to have been about to break out on the rooftop when she managed to drag you away.

'Jinri-ah!'

She felt herself smile when the figure emerging from the shadows was that of the boy she had spent endless hours looking at. She knew his stance and his voice from anywhere.

'Taejoon-ah!'

'Taejoon?' You turned your head and saw him, waving your hand in your drunken state, 'Taejoon-ah, hi!'

Aaron stepped forwards and began walking over to the side you and Jinri were running along when another person entered through the doors. They entered slowly, as if they were scared to come in from the dark into the light, and kept their head down. Only this time, you recognised their slump and stature. 

A mere whisper left your lips when you locked eye contact with him from across the body of water. 'Lay...' 

You felt your body trip and your head go heavy. Your felt your foot slide from beneath you and your body give way. You felt the world go quiet if not for the sound of screams. You felt the coolness of the pool water wrap around you and that was when you realised where you were- in a 3 metre deep body of water, drunk and drowning. And you couldn't swim up. You couldn't get back up to the surface. You willed your legs and arms to work but your brain didn't tell them to move. Jinri panicked. Aaron and Lay also panicked. Jinri tore off her hoodie and dived in after you, screaming at Aaron and Lay who both ran towards your side of the pool to get the others quickly and to call her brother.

Jinri landed in the water and opened her eyes, ignoring the burning sensation. Her long hair surrounded her neck and she struggled to pull it away from her, coming up to breathe. As she came up, Aaron pointed and yelled at her, 'she's there, Jinri-ah! She's over there! Grab her! Grab her quickly!' Jinri took another gulp of air and swam over to where she could see a dark figure in the pool, slowly sinking towards the bottom. Your lungs were dying. Your eyes were closing. Your vision was going and your thoughts went black. Jinri willed herself to reach out to you and grabbed your wrist with her hand, desperate to pull you back up to the surface. Her own oxygen was running out. She wasn't equipped to hold her breath for a long time when stressed. Sure, her singing did a bit of help but she was started to feel the pain. Her mind was running amock. 

What if I don't make it out either?

What if I die down here?

What if-

A sharp pain seared down her leg, targeting her foot and she cried out in pain underwater, letting go of your wrist and frantically swimming back up to the surface.

'Jinri! Jinri-ah! Where's Haneul?!'

Jinri thrashed about in the water, struggling to undo her shoelaces, her foot cramping from having been dehydrated earlier and not getting enough oxygen. Aaron watched from the side as Jinri's head dipped back under the surface whilst her hands waved frantically, making enough splash to give anyone a cause for concern. Aaron's face paled and he stepped out of his shoes, taking off his jacket and shirt too. 

'J-Jinri...'

Lay stood, horrified, and rooted to the spot. His throat was dry and he choked back on the reality in front of him. 

Is this how I'm going to lose Haneul? Not to a person but to water?

Aaron turned to him just as he was about to dive in for Jinri. He turned to him and yelled right in his face, trying to knock some sense into Lay. 

'You ing idiot, are you just going to stand there and do nothing?! What are you?! What the are you waiting for?!'

Jinri managed to bring her head up and she cried for help, screaming, shouting and crying.

'Taejoon-ah! I- I...'

Aaron had had enough, jumping in, successfully pulling Jinri into his arms and making his way to the side where she could then hold onto the side. She was coughing and spluttering, her wet hair glued to her face and wrapped like an octopus' tentacles around her neck. He cradled her as he hauled himself out of the steps, laying her down on the side. It was all happening so fast. Kris, Suho and Xiumin, the only ones not completely wasted rushed in. Kris' eyes widened, his jaw dropping to the ground when he couldn't see you. Piecing two and two together, he began running forwards and everyone else who had arrived only a few minutes followed in. 

Aaron looked up at Lay who was still staring at your dark figure disappearing into the depths of the water. He sighed, trying to regain his strength to get you too. Having carried Jinri out of the water, his energy was running low. But he also knew if someone didn't get you soon, then Death would have another to claim. And Aaron wasn't having any of that. Slipping back into the water, he pushed off the side to try and make his way over to where you were. The pool itself was dark as the pool lights weren't on but he could make out the outline of your pale body. When he was only half way across the length of the pool, he felt his lungs begin to give up, his body telling him he wasn't strong enough to save another. He came up for air before pushing further, not intending on listening to himself when a flash of white, scarred skin and navy clothes shot past him, diving down and holding you under your armpits, kicking upwards to bring you to the surface.

 

When you were brought up and rolled onto the poolside, Suho kept everyone back. Lay shook you, his fingers trembling as he roamed your body and stripped you of your zip up. With nothing but a piece of mere cotton and underwear seperating his hands from your chest, he began pumping, performing CPR and the chest compressions he'd hoped he'd never have to use on someone he knew and especially not someone he loved. 

...28, 29, 30.

He looked at you and gulped, swallowing his nerves, before leaning down and placing his lips over yours, blowing air into your mouth. Lifting his head for another breath, he looked at Jinri crying in Aaron's arms. 

Come on Haneul.

He brought his lips back to yours and blew again before repeating the process.

...28, 29, 30.

Two more breaths. No sign of chest movement. Nothing

...28, 29, 30.

One more breath- a particularly tearful and desperate one. One full of Lay's desire and love. He was crying and screaming, performing resuscitation like it was his life at stake. And with that final breath, you choked, eyes snapped open and vomited water all over him. 

'H-Haneul...' he breathed, 'oh my God, Haneul... Oh my God.'

He wrapped his arms around you, both your shivering bodies being warmed by each other but you pushed him away, trying to stand up. 

'Haneul, don't. Let me just hold you. I almost just lost you.' He said quietly, 'Haneul...'

Tears pushed past your eyelashes as you shook violently from your crying.

'You lied to me!'

'Han, I don't think this is the right time for that...' Jinri said quietly, 'Lay just saved your life.'

'Lay, how can you lie to me so easily?!'

'Haneul, I-'

'-can explain?'

Lay nodded.

'I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear any stupid excuses!' The tears rolled down your cheeks as you howled, hitting and punching Lay's chest, subconciously dodging his old wounds. 'Why did you save me?! Why did you do that?!'

'Because... Because I...'

'You already lied to me and broke your promise so why do you care about what happens to me?! Why didn't you just let me die? Or why didn't you let Taejoon save me instead?! Why did it have to be you of all people?! The person I'm to sick to death of!'

'Because I don't want anyone else touching you!' Lay yelled back, 'I didn't want to see him lifting you out of the water. I didn't want him to hold you in his arms and I didn't want to be a ing idiot anymore!'

The boys who had all gathered stood a good few paces away, keeping silent and listening. 

'And because if you hadn't survived, I would have wanted to know I had done everything I could in my power to save you!'

'You're not making any sense!' you shouted, 'you're leaving me! You're leaving all of us! What the hell are you talking about?!-'

'Why did I save you?! You want the real ing answer?! Because I ing love you, you idiot!'

Chanyeol felt his chest deflate. Kai and D.O looked at each other. Seohee simply blinked, nodding as she had known all along.

'How has it taken you so long to realise that?...' Lay said, a drop of water dribbling down his washed-out face, 'how can you still not know how much I like you?'

'You're the idiot,' you said, 'and I don't believe you. If you like me then why are you leaving?'

Lay crawled back to you, enveloping you in a hug and this time, when pushing him didn't work, you slapped him. The harsh smack of hand to cheek froze everyone on poolside and they all turned to look at you, stunned into complete silence. The only person who didn't look shocked was Lay.

'I'm not someone for you to just pick up and play with when you feel like it, Lay.'

No one said anything. You took D.O's jacket and hand that he had offered and let yourself be led away, gently being rubbed on the forearm occasionally as he tried to warm you. Before you left, you turned to Lay who was putting on his shirt to cover his scars again. 

'You lied to me and I hate you for that.'

 

 

 

---

D. R. A. M. A. T. I. C  APPLAUSE PLEASE. The last confession has been done. Hallelujah!

And yes, the last chapter was indeed designed to rub salt into your wounds with that lil Luhan bit at the very end (I think we all know which bit was purposely put in to pull at your heartstrings a little). I know how much some of you love Luhan but really, there are too many stories with Luhan as the main character. And Luhan just... didn't fit quite right for me. Meh. Personal preference, I spose (especially as 3 of the lovelines are my biases... oops)

Please also bare in mind that I've just finished watching God of Study (which BTW I THINK YOU SHOULD ALL WATCH BECAUSE IT IS SO AMAZING AND EVERYONE CAN RELATE) and I've been crying non stop because of it. It's so emotional and listening to the OST non stop has sort of made this chapter really emotional too... Oops again!