Lu Han's heart jumps so hard it felt like it came out of his chest and landed on the floor right at his feet. He quickly backs away from Se Hun, his eyes still shut. "That voice...it sounds so familiar." Lu Han squeezes his eyes shut even harder before hesitantly opening them one at a time. His lifts his head and notices Chen is back. Their eyes meet and Chen is looking at him curiously and confused - his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Huh!" Lu Han squeaks in surprise - his face now turning bright red from embarrassment. "Why did you have to choose the worst moment to walk in?! No...I can't fully blame him. What was I doing? I'm so stupid... we're both guys. This isn't right..."

Chen never breaks eye-contact with Lu Han and the tension in the room grows stronger. The silence begins to become unbearable until Chen finally decides to speak.

"Lu Han...what were you doing just now?" Chen says in a calm voice, which makes Lu Han even more nervous.

"I-I was just, uh..." Lu Han begins. "I can't tell him the truth. He'll probably think I'm some kind of ert or something. But, I hate that I have to lie to him. Especially since he has shown me nothing but kindness..." He takes a deep breath and starts again. "I was just making sure his breathing sounded okay. Those bandages might be wrapped around his torso pretty tight."

"Well, this is embarrassing." Chen awkwardly chuckles once, then smiles as he places one of his hands on the back of his neck. "Sorry if I came off as a bit rude. I only asked you like that because, well, if you were in my position, it looked kind of weird. Like you were trying to kiss him or something."

"Mm?!" Lu Han's heart jumps again when he hears the word "kiss" and he sits straight up in his chair. "K-kiss? But we're both guys. Why would you think something like that?" "I swear I'm going to have a heart-attack if I keep getting hit left and right with so many surprises in such a short time span."

"Silly, right?" Chen chuckles.

A sad smile creeps across Lu Han's face. "Yeah...silly." Lu Han replies before sliding back down in his chair.

Chen's smile slowly turns into a frown. "But, hey, Lu Han?"

"Yes?" Lu Han replies.

"Are you alright? You aren't acting like yourself. Is it because of what I said? If it is, I apologize if I offended you in any kind of way." Chen says sincerely as he walks over to where Lu Han is sitting - placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Or is it because you're worried about Se Hun-ah?"

Lu Han shakes his head and looks down at the floor. "No, you're okay. Your words surprised me but I'm not offended by them. I'm actually not feeling too well right now."

"Why didn't you go home then, pabo?" Chen asks worried, feeling Lu Han's forehead to see if he was running a fever. "Hmm, you do feel a little warm. You should go home and get some rest. The next time I see you, I don't want it to be here in the hospital. Se Hun being admitted is enough already. Besides, we have school tomorrow and it wouldn't be fun without you." Chen smiles warmly.

"I guess you're right." Lu Han smiles back before standing up to leave. "Just...can you let Se Hun sunbae know that I came to see him?" Lu Han requests, handing Chen the lunch he made for Se Hun earlier.

Chen chuckles and briefly ruffles Lu Han's hair. "I'll let him know."

Lu Han looks at Se Hun one more time before heading towards the door but is suddenly stopped by Chen before he could leave.

"Hey, Lu Han, wait a second!" Chen exclaims as he quickly walks over to him. "You said earlier that you walked here, right?" he asks before reaching into his coat pocket and pulls out an expensive looking wallet. He opens it up, pulls out 20,000 won and casually hands it to Lu Han. "Here."

Lu Han waves his hands out in front of him. "Oh! No, Chen sunbae...I can't accept that. I don't mind walking back home. Walking to and from school or the store is the only exercise I get." Lu Han smiles but the smile isn't returned by Chen. Chen is looking back at Lu Han with a serious expression.

"If he looks at me any longer like that, he may end up burning a hole through me." Lu Han becomes uncomfortable and averts his eyes away from Chen.

"I wasn't asking, so take it." Chen replies firmly, not even waiting for Lu Han to respond before slipping the money into his sweater pocket then patting his chest a few times as if he were checking to see if the money was secure. "You may not mind walking back home by yourself, but I do. And I'm sure Baekhyun and Se Hun would too. Especially if you're not feeling well. Take the bus and call me as soon as you get home so I know you got there safely."

Lu Han looks back at Chen, surprised. "I haven't known Chen sunbae that long, but he's never talked to me like this.Why is he being so serious? Is he...worried about me?" Lu Han nods and bows before quickly leaving. He didn't feel like being scolded again.

Lu Han sighs as he starts his walk to the bus stop in front of the hospital. "I really wanted to see Se Hun sunbae when he wakes up, but I couldn't stand being in that room any longer. I think I can finally breathe now. Chen was really giving me the stare down back there. I'm just glad I was able to get myself out of that situation. How embarrassing."

Shortly after, Lu Han finally arrives at the bus stop and takes a look at the schedule. "Looks like I have about ten minutes before the next bus." Lu Han says to himself while looking down at his watch. He turns to see if there are any empty bench seats and lucky enough, there's one seat left, but it's in between two people. Lu Han nervously bites his lower lip. "Maybe I'll just stand. It's not that long of a wait." he quietly says to himself.

Just as Lu Han finishes saying this, one of the guys picks up his bag and stands up - motioning for Lu Han to take his seat.

"Huh?! Did he hear me? No, he couldn't have. I said it quietly enough so that no one would hear me. Not to mention the noise from the traffic and other people passing by."

Lu Han shyly bows and walks over to the, now empty, seat. His looks over at the guy kind enough to give up his own seat for a complete stranger. "Kamsahamnida."

The stranger looks back at Lu Han and grins, but doesn't say anything. Lu Han doesn't think too much of it and just sits down.

The bus finally arrives, after what seems like forever, and all the people begin to board. Lu Han freezes at the front, remembering he forgot to get change for the 20,000 won Chen gave him. He starts searching all of his pockets to see if he had any change on him he probably forgot about.

"Mmm..." Lu Han groans in annoyance, still searching around. "I'm sorry for holding up your bus. I know you're on a schedule." He apologizes to the bus driver before turning back around to get off. But before he got the chance to leave, the same stranger from earlier pays for his bus fare.

"It's okay. I got it, so go ahead and take a seat." the stranger says to Lu Han.

He didn't feel right having someone he didn't even know, nor met until today, pay for his bus fare, but he also didn't want to hold up the bus any longer than he already has. So he just respectfully bows and scrambles to find a seat. There isn't that many people on right now, so it makes Lu Han feel more at ease.

"This is perfect. The bus isn't crowded like I was worried it'd be. Too many people makes me nervous..." Lu Han thinks to himself before noticing someone sitting down beside him. He turns to look at who it is and it's that guy again.

"Hm?!" Lu Han exclaims.

"I'm sorry. Am I intruding?" the stranger asks.

Lu Han was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the same stranger he's been interacting with since the bus stop, that he didn't realize he even made a noise.

"Oh, well..." Lu Han begins.

"If you'd like me to move, I wouldn't mind. Just say the word." he replies - staring blankly back at Lu Han as if he is waiting to be shooed away.

"N-no...it's alright, I don't mind. You can sit wherever you want." Lu Han smiles, before looking away and out the window. The truth is, Lu Han really did mind. He feels grateful towards the stranger for helping him, not once, but twice in the same day. "He seems nice, but there are more than enough seats to sit in other than sitting right beside me." Lu Han rest his chin on his hand, lets out a soft sigh and continues looking out the window.

The bus ride was silent until the stranger sitting beside him finally decides to start a conversation five minutes later.

"Your name is Lu Han, right?" he asks, still facing the front of the bus.

Lu Han quickly turns to face the stranger in surprise. "How does he know my name?" "Hu-?! Oh...yeah. How did you-?"

"I'm Hyung Seok. Park Hyung Seok." he says, cutting Lu Han off mid-sentence. He turns to look at Lu Han who still has the same look of surprise on his face and chuckles a few times. "Hmhmhm. By the look on your face, you must be surprised that I know your name." Hyung Seok outstretches his hand and points to Lu Han's shirt. "You're still wearing your visitor's sticker."

Lu Han looks down at his shirt and notices he never took his visitor's sticker off after he left the hospital. "Oh!" He peels the sticker off and balls it up in his hand before sticking it into his pants pocket. Lu Han sighs in relief. "I almost thought he was some kind of stalker...or something like that."

"Didn't mean to scare you. I was just having a little fun. You should've seen the look on your face though...priceless." Hyung Seok laughs.

"Well, I didn't find it that funny." Lu Han pouts.

The bus starts slowing down and eventually comes to a stop.

"Looks like my journey ends here. It was nice meeting you, Lu Han." Before he leaves, he pulls out a small notepad and scribbles something down. He rips out the piece of paper, hands it to Lu Han and softly smiles before getting off the bus.

Lu Han looks down at the piece of paper and it reads: "Let's hang out sometime. 02-312-3456 Call me. -Park Hyung Seok" He folds the paper in half and puts it away in his pocket not really reacting to it.

The bus finally reaches Lu Han's stop and he hurries off. When he steps off, he notices Baekhyun standing there waiting for him. "Baekhyun, what are you doing here?" Lu Han asks confused. "I thought you were babysitting your sister."

Baekhyun nods. "I was but my parents came back earlier than I expected. Then I got a call from Chen. He told me you weren't feeling well so I decided to come wait for you at the bus stop to make sure you made the trip okay. How are you feeling now? I'll walk you home so Chen won't have to be so worried about you getting home safely."

"It really isn't necessary." Lu Han shakes his head. "It's only a couple of blocks. I can make it on my own...really. You should head back to the hospital. Se Hun should be awake by now and he's probably looking for you too."

"We're your friends now Lu Han. Remember? You can depend on us now to help you whenever you need it. So there's no need to always try and do everything on your own." Baekhyun smiles and happily puts his arm around Lu Han's shoulders. "Let's go."

Lu Han smiles back and begins walking with Baekhyun. They're having so much fun talking and laughing, they almost pass Lu Han's house.

"We're here." Baekhyun announces, still trying to catch his breath from laughing so much.

Lu Han nods and smiles. "Thank you for walking me home, Baekhyun. It was fun."

"Anytime, Lu Han. Hope you feel better soon. If anything happens, you know how to reach us." Baekhyun replies while walking away and waves. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Lu Han waves back. He quietly closes the door and takes his shoes off. His mother notices him coming in and rushes over to him - blocking him from coming any further into the house.

"So...how did it go?" she asks curiously.

"Good." Lu Han shrugs.

"Good? You were there with them for hours and all you have to say about it is that it was "good"?" his mother sternly replies.

"Really good?" Lu Han says back.

"Oh, so we have a comedian in the house now." she scoffs and folds her arms. "Well, since you think you're so funny, you can start working on those chores of yours. I'm going out for a few hours, so by the time I get back, I'm expecting everything to be done. Go pick up the ingredients for dinner too. I left the shopping list on the counter." She walks over to the sofa and picks up her purse. "Now be a good boy. If everything is not finished by the time I get back, there's always the basement." She pats Lu Han's head and laughs coldly before slipping on her shoes and leaving out the door.

Lu Han shivers at the thought of being locked down in the basement again. He knows he's older now and shouldn't be afraid of things this minor, but the idea of being locked away in a dark, depressing room where someone could forget about you made him fear the basement even more. That's all he thought about since he was a child; being locked down there and forgotten about. Lu Han shakes his head to clear his thoughts and gets to working on his chores.

He walks into the kitchen to find the chore list and scans over it. "Hmm...this doesn't seem too bad. I've done a lot worse than this. I think I can get this done and still have time to spare. It's been a while since the last time I was able to just sit down and read a good book."

He gets to work on his chores - checking off each one as he finishes them. "I guess all that's left to do now is shop for groceries." Lu Han sighs and wipes the sweat from his forehead. His quickly puts his shoes back on at the door and runs out.

About thirty minutes go by and Lu Han returns home from the store with several bags in his hands. "I'm not sure if mother wants me to cook or not, but it'd be best if I cooked instead. My food actually tastes good and people don't hesitate finishing it off." Lu Han proudly giggles to himself while heading into the kitchen and placing the bags on the counter - taking out all the items one-by-one. He washes his hands and gets to work.

After dinner is finished, Lu Han looks down at his watch. "It's not quite dinner time yet, but mother should be back by now. She did say it would be a few hours." Lu Han says to himself. "I don't mind, but I rushed for nothing. Oh well. At least I can relax now." Lu Han walks to his room and closes the door behind him. He grabs a book and plops down on his bed looking up at the ceiling.

"Ahhh, this feels so good after such a long and exhausting day." Lu Han exhales slowly and closes his eyes. The incident at the hospital starts replaying through his mind again. His eyes shoot open and he lightly slaps his face a few times. "This is not the time to start thinking about that. I should read. That should take my mind off everything." Lu Han props his back up on the headboard, opens his book and begins reading quietly to himself. But the thoughts from the hospital incident keep creeping up in the back of his mind and he begins reading the same lines over and over again. He slams the book shut and lays it beside him. "I'm probably just worried about him. Yeah, that must be it. I'm sure he's fine. Chen sunbae and Baekhyun are looking after him." He nods to himself in assurance and dozes off to sleep, taking a much needed nap.

The alarm for school goes off and scares Lu Han awake. He quickly hits the snooze button and sits up in bed, stretching and letting out a big yawn. "I hate mornings..." he mumbles before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. He finishes up in the bathroom, puts on his uniform and heads into the kitchen to grab his lunch he pre-made last night so his wouldn't have to worry about in the morning just in case he was running late.

His parents are already downstairs in the kitchen having their morning coffee - his father reading the morning paper as usual. Lu Han always felt his father would read the paper just to avoid making conversation with him. Not like he cared too much, even though he wanted to know how it feels to have a strong father-son relationship.

"Good morning, mother. Good morning, father." Lu Han bows before them. He grabs his lunch and heads for the door. He wasn't expecting a response, so he never bothered to just stand around. But surprisingly, his mother called out to him this time.

"Lu Han?" she calls out.

"Yes?" Lu Han answers. "I must've done something wrong. Just scold me already so I can get to school." Lu Han loved going to school. It was his way of escaping life at home.

"Don't forget what I told you about those new friends of yours. Become close to them and take care of your family. Don't mess this up for us. We don't need you becoming an even bigger disgrace than you already are." she says sternly.

"Yes, ma'am." Lu Han says sadly before bowing and leaving. He was used to being called a disgrace, dumb and useless, but being told to use his friends for his parents' benefits hurt his heart even more than being called any of those names. He wants to become closer to his friends, but not for that reason...

He finally arrives at school and notices Chen and Baekhyun waiting at his locker. Baekhyun notices Lu Han first and calls him over.

"Hey! Lu Han, you're here!" Baekhyun calls out before running up to give Lu Han a big hug. "I was so worried about you yesterday. I didn't want to leave you by yourself."

Chen walks over to where Lu Han and Baekhyun are and clears in throat in disagreement. "We were worried about you, Lu Han." Chen narrows his eyes at Baekhyun. Baekhyun just out his tongue at Chen while still hugging Lu Han. Chen ignores it and looks back at Lu Han with a bright smile. "I take it you're feeling much better since you came to school today?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, much better." Lu Han softly smiles while trying to wiggle out of Baekhyun's hold.

"Would you let him go already? Can't you tell he doesn't want you hugging him anymore?" Chen says while glaring at Baekhyun.

"Mind your own business, hyung. I know he likes it. You like it, don't you, Lu Han?" Baekhyun playfully asks.

"I mean, well...it's okay but-" Lu Han begins before being cut off by someone calling his name in the distance.

"Hm?" Baekhyun lets go of Lu Han and starts looking around. "Sounds like someone is calling you."

Lu Han looks in the direction he hears the voice coming from and notices someone walking towards them.

"Hey, Lu Han. I thought that was you. What a surprise." the person grins.

"Y-you..." Lu Han stammers.