"Your grades are improving again." My mother said as she poured in my soup. Her hair was neat, clothes smelled of flowers. I missed my mother. This was the only day in the year she did not work. Her birthday. And we were celebrating it the way it should. I grew warm inside upon eating her food and singing her songs. Kai was here too. I asked him to come, though he had opposed the offer first. I wanted him to be among a kind people. Even though it was only my mother, Chanyeol and myself.

Chanyeol posed as my cousin. It was strange at first. My mother actually thought he was. She remembered him. Did Chanyeol really have this power on people? On second thought... Maybe he had been manipulating me like that as well. At this point I did not care. All I wanted was for my mother and Kai to smile from time to time. And they did. That made me very happy.

When dinner was over, mother and Chanyeol talked while Kai and I left for upstairs. So strange. They actually were talking about the past that never happened. It did occupy my mother in a good way. Chanyeol seemed strange. Out of it. Like he actually took pleasure into talking to my mom. I wondered if he once had parents. I really did.

"Did you have a nice time?"

"Yeah," he grinned and found his way to my bed. Kai sat down and rested his head on my pillow seconds later. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Your mom's really nice."

"She is", I replied and looked at the moon. It shined through the window and illuminated the darkness that would have been here.

"My dad's gone." Kai said. "On a trip. You didn't really have to invite me," Kai stopped talking. His eyelids twitched until they fell shut. I approached him and kneeled in front of the bed, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"I had to. Now," I nodded. "Enough with the sadness." My eyes travelled to Miyoung as I tried to forget that particular day. "Your grades are better as well. You never mentioned that."

"I didn't?" he smiled and stretched his legs. "Maybe it's because I'm feeling better, Luhan. Kind of have you to thank for it."

A warmth filled my being. I frowned first, unsure what to do, but his face was all I could see. Yes, Kai was vulnerable, but also very strong. He was someone I looked up to. Someone that had always taken care of me and I never wanted him to leave me again. This friendship we had, I wanted it to last. I would rather get hurt by NYF than seeing Kai suffer any more.

"What are you staring at?" he said and lay on his back. I stood up and shook my head.

I wanted to say something, raise my voice and tell him how much I liked looking at him- how the sadness in his eyes was nothing compared to that infinite moment when his lips moved into a smile. I wished I did it, I wanted to, but something broke me out of this rather peculiar trance. Someone knocked on the door.

Chanyeol stepped inside and looked at the two of us. "Siwon is clean. I hung around him like his shadow. Never spotted anything weird."

"Really?" Kai could not believe his ears. "Can't be! He's crazy."

"Yes," Chanyeol nodded. "He is rather insane. But not the insane we are looking for."

"We?" Kai frowned. "I thought this... What are you looking for, Luhan?"

I rolled my eyes. Chanyeol had said too much. I did not want Kai to suspect anything. "He's just the invested kinda type. Right, cousin?"

"Yes. My apologies. His house is clean, too white and quite empty. Nothing weird in the basement. Noting weird in the attic. He just lives his life rather...compulsively. It's tiring too watch. And he's not...n