Chapter Twenty-Two

The Aftermath

Luhan's face fell when his eyes detected the girl's crumbled state on the ground. He quickly ran over and hoisted her up into a standing position.

 "Hey Sungmi, what's wrong with you?" 

She quickly wiped away her tears and looked dejectedly at the ground, her chest moving up and down in uneven breaths as she tried to compose herself. "Luhan...c-can you please take me home?" 

Luhan could sense the situation even without Sungmi's admittance. When he had gotten here, he thought he had seen someone with the likes of Kai hopping into a taxi, but he wasn't so sure. Now, seeing Sungmi in this state, he knew exactly what had happened. 

It wasn't the right time to ask questions.

"Alright, I'll take you," Luhan said softly, then put a hand gently on Sungmi's shoulder to lead her away from the bridge to the place where he had parked his car. She followed obediently, sometimes halting to discreetly wipe away a tear, but other than that, they didn't say a word to each other. The car ride was just as awkwardly silent, and Luhan couldn't help but sneak worried glances over at the girl once in a while to make sure she was still okay. Her pale, sickly complexion and bloodshot eyes communicated a weak mental condition, and he didn't want her to faint or do anything drastic. That wouldn't be good. 

Although he had had plans earlier to visit a friend before coming here, Luhan knew he had to cancel them. Sungmi didn't look too well, and if he had to choose between his two friends, her situation required more attention than a casual meet-up with Minseok. He was going to have to explain that to the other guy later. 

When they got to her house, Luhan walked her up to the door, intending to follow her inside and stay until she would comfortable enough to tell him what had happened. He didn't know how he suddenly became Sungmi's diary, or therapist, or fairy godfather, but all Luhan knew was that he didn't mind it. The girl had a kind heart, and if helping her meant she would be happy, he would gladly take on the role of the personal wingman and the helping friend. 

Just as Sungmi was about to dig her key into the keyhole, the door swung open to reveal a tall man clad in a professional suit. As soon as his eyes fell on Sungmi, he lunged forward to engulf her in a bear hug. 

"I missed you, dongsaeang!" he cried, reaching up a hand to ruffle Sungmi's hair. When no response came from his sister, he pulled back from the hug and gasped as he took in her expression and downcast eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? And why are you all wet?" he asked worriedly. 

Sungmi shook her head and gave her brother a forced smile, but her swollen eyes betrayed her. "Nothing. How are you, Sungmin?" 

He raised an eyebrow in question. Although Sungmin wasn't around often, he still knew when something wasn't right with his sister. He hadn't seen this look on her face ever since her high school days, and that was a long time ago. 

He completely ignored her question. "Hey, are you really okay?" 

"I'm fine. Really," Sungmi replied, and then pushed past him to enter the house without glancing back at her brother or Luhan. 

When Sungmin turned back around, that was when he noticed the stranger that was leaning against the doorway, his arms folded with a concerned look on his face. 

"Who are you?" Sungmin asked, slightly unnerved by the fact that his sister had been followed by a man home. Come to think of it, he wondered where exactly Kai was, since he hadn't seen a glimpse of the other ever since he got home the previous night. 

Luhan straightened up from his leaning position and respectfully bowed. "I'm Sungmi's friend." 

Friend? Sungmin thought to himself, eyeing the boy skeptically. His sister had never brought home a friend before, much less a guy friend with better than average looks, albiet a little feminine. He couldn't help but ponder what exactly had gone on in the house with his absence for the past three weeks, and the fact that his sister had come home with a tear-stained face definitely raised questions. 

His big brother persona surfaced. "What did you do to her?" 

Luhan shook his head. "It's not what you think." 

"Oh?"

"I'll explain everything," Luhan said, "but Sungmi needs some space. At least for now." 

Sungmin was more confused than ever. The other walked over to the edge of the sidewalk and sat down on the curb, motioning with his hand for Sungmin to follow. Reluctantly, he closed the door behind him and seated himself at least three feet away from Luhan. 

"You can start asking," Luhan said. 

Sungmi's expression came to mind. "First and foremost, why does my sister look a dying cat that's been left out in the rain?" 

Luhan chuckled at the analogy. "Not really quite sure what happened, but Kai plays a big part." 

"You know Kai?" 

"I just ran into him a couple of times." 

"Oh." Sungmin furrowed his eyebrows, his fingers twisting his black tie in unease. "I wondered what happened then. Do you know where he is?" 

Luhan shook his head. "No. Actually, now that I think about it, Sungmi should tell you most of this when she feels comfortable enough to do so. You can bet she isn't feeling very great at the moment, so go easy on her."

Sungmin scratched his head. Right now, he was more confused than ever about his sister and his guest and the man sitting beside him, but none of his thoughts were binding together coherently into a question. He hadn't been around Sungmi enough to feel comfortable asking her personal questions, and it even seemed that the stranger next to him knew her better than her own brother did. What was he supposed to do? 

"Uh...um...what should I address you by?" Sungmin awkwardly inquired. 

"The name's Luhan. I'm Chinese." 

Sungmin reeled back in surprise. He definitely hadn't expected this person to be Chinese with such fluency. "You have nice Korean pronunciation. And Luhan, if this isn't too much to ask, can you please look over my sister? If her condition is as bad as you say, then I think she needs a friend around. I'm always busy and I never know when I'll have to leave again." 

Luhan nodded. "I'll do it even without your request."