WOW. The number of frustrated #seulhyun shippers reached its peak because of the previous chapter! Lol! Some have given up on the fic, but if you're reading this, it means that you haven't. Amd because you have not given up, welcome to the last four chapters of the fic. Enjoy and great thanks to you :) LONG CHAPTER AHEAD because I haven't updated for two days.

>>>SEUL MIN'S POV<<<

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=75&v=dLxqqb18rvs  Life by SHINee

They say that running away entailed freedom.

For quite some time in my life, that quote held true, but the minute I ran away from Baekhyun, I knew that freedom did not willingly join me.

Only loneliness did.

It was not easy to make a decision when faced with a situation like mine. I cannot believe I have to reiterate this. 

I did not want to accept Chanyeol's money because if I did, it would seem that I only dated Baekhyun for money. Sure, I had the choice not to tell Baekhyun, but I just cannot keep a secret from someone so valuable to me. 

And I guess I did not want to take a risk by accepting the money and explaining it to Baekhyun afterwards. I was too scared that Baekhyun would never understand. 

So I vowed not to accept Chanyeol's money and continue being with Baekhyun. 

But my vow did not last very long. 

Me leaving EXO's dorm was me running away from Byun Baekhyun because I had chosen family over romance.

Call me a culprit but when I found out the news about my mother, I had instantaneously decided to betray Baekhyun by accepting Chanyeol's money to use for my mother's operation.

And simultaneously, I just left Baekhyun with no proper closure.

In fact, before I left for Gyeonsang-do to see my family, I met up with Chanyeol to get the thirteen million won as stipulated in our "agreement."

I won't lie and tell that I did not feel an inch of guilt when my hands touched the cold bundle of cash. Of course, it hurt. I pictured Baekhyun's disgruntled appearance when he chased me down the street two weeks ago. 

Chanyeol even urged me to just tell Baekhyun the truth because Baekhyun would have understood me. But I was a coward. I knew Baekhyun by heart. He would not take the news lightly.

It was better to leave without words,

because words cut the deepest.

Gyeongsang-do was a faint little reminder of the solitude consuming my body. My mother's hospital room was the epitome of emptiness and despair. The silence was disturbed by the repetitive beeping sounds of the machine that kept my mother alive.

Why was life such a ?

Have you ever felt so much heaviness in your eyes that even your tears failed to fall?

That was me when I saw my mother on her hospital bed. She was fast asleep, with her operation approaching in two days.

Please live.

My brother was profusely apologizing to me for his salary was not enough to pay our mother's surgery, and I only reminded him that we were a team. The two of us grew up together, and there was absolutely no reason for us to quarrel about money, especially when our mother's life was at stake.

"Oh by the way, your Baekhyun called me. I don't know where the did he get my number, but he was asking me your whereabouts. Okay, I hate to say this, but the boy seemed sincere, so I told him you were here. Whatever issue you have, settle it with that boy. If it's about that deal with Chanyeol, then just admit it. You can almost bet that the Baekhyun boy will chase you down here just to reunite with you. If he loves you, if. If he doesn't, then he's a douche." My brother informed me.

I gasped.

"Excuse me? You told him I'm here?" I exclaimed.

>>>BAEKHYUN'S POV<<<

Who was she kidding?  Did she think she could get away from me that easily?

If she were just one of those s in the bars I used to frequent, I wouldn't have given a single .

But she was Kim Seul Min.

And if that meant tracking down all the Kim Seo Juns in South Korea, I was certain that her brother would be forced to tell me where she was.

Gyeongsang province.

Without packing my bags, I took my car and drove to see Seul Min after two weeks of no communication.

So she left me because her mother was sick? That was her reason? She should have told me. Uhm, I'm dependable, am I?

As expected, a couple of nurses in the local hospital asked for my signature, but I was intent on finding where Seul Min was.

And when we saw each other along the hospital hallway, she was not the same person I knew of.

>>>SEUL MIN'S POV<<<

I was positive that my mother would be strong again after the surgery.

It was twelve million won, and that amount of money could heal even the sickest of the sick.

But life took a wrong turn and decided to run me over with a bitter reality. 

My brother and I had been waiting at the operating room's hallway for more than an hour. We held each other's hands and reassured ourselves that of course, there was nothing that twelve million couldn't fix.

But life lesson number five. Money will not always solve your problems. 

"Your mother had internal hemorrhage during the operation, and we tried to revive her, but she couldn't. She did not survive. Time of death, six pm. I am very sorry." The surgeon informed us with a grave disposition. The surgeon removed his surgical mask and gave my brother a supportive tap on the shoulder.

My brother let go of my hand and started to laugh. "Doctor, you must be kidding. My mother is the strongest out there. She told me she wouldn't leave us. My mother always keeps her promises. I know she's there, and she's alive!" Seo Jun oppa shouted, but it was a slash in my throat when I witnes