Luhan finally found his suitcase and walked out to the passenger arrival area. He nervously pushed down his snapback and readjusted his mask. He looked around.

No screaming fans, no flashes of cameras in his face. No members chatting next to him, no managers anxiously escorting him out, no security guards pushing people away from him.

He has never felt this free before. Or alone.

Luhan looked around nervously. From a distance, he saw someone waving frantically at him. He picked up his pace and started running.

Lao Gao was waiting for him.

“Welcome back, buddy,” his best friend said, hugging him.

Luhan grinned, but the smile quickly vanished behind his mask.

“Let’s get out of here,” Luhan said anxiously.

Lao Gao nodded. “Let’s go,” he said. “Your parents are waiting for you.”

* * *

Luhan stared at his phone. Numerous articles were already popping up with conflicting reports and his name was number one on various search engines.

He sighed before logging onto Weibo.

Luhan’s eyes widened as he read Yixing’s post. He knew his friend had risked getting scolded by the managers. He debated texting him or the other members, but decided against it. He knew it wouldn’t do them any good.

He closed his eyes as thoughts filled his mind. Did I do the right thing? Am I going to regret this later on in life? I'm not sure, but one thing's certain:

我回家了

I’m home.