~*Your/Hye Ri's POV*~

"Sorry... Are you okay?" He asked, concern written all over his features. He bent down to help me stand up. "How are you feeling?"

"Oppa..." I stared at him.

"Hm? What is it? Is something wrong?" He questioned.

"Oppa..." My eyes began watering and not before long, they were b with tears.

"Hye Ri? What's wrong? Huh? Why are you crying?" He panicked, a bit flustered.

I threw my arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. At first, he tensed up and stiffened at my touch but after a second passed, he relaxed and began rythymically my hair, comforting me and letting me ruin his shirt once again.

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After a while, he led me to the couch and sat me down, leaving me alone to get me a glass of water. I hugged my legs to my chest and gazed blankly at the floor with a stoic expression, occasionally sniffling.

"Hye Ri. Drink this." He returned and handed me the glass. "I warmed it up a bit. So be careful when you're drinking it."

I absently nodded to him, cupping the glass in my hands and letting the heat seep from the cup to me. I felt the couch dip under his weight as he took a seat next to me. Gently, he guided my head to rest on his shoulder and began my hair in order to calm me once again. "Oppa. You know you lied to me right?" I whispered.

"What?" He frowned, bewildered. "When did I ever lie to you?" He stopped what he was doing and looked at me.

"You said you weren't good with 'feeling talks.'" I cracked a small smile, showing him that I was touched by his actions.

He shook his head, keeping a soft smile on his face. "Babo. Technically we weren't talking." He pushed my head with his finger before letting me rest on him once again.

"Hey. Do you want me to make a promise to you?" He raised a brow and I mimiced his facial expression, curious as to what he was getting at.

"I promise that I won't ever lie to you. You can trust me." He murmered. and shifted his gaze towards me. "So don't ever accuse me of lying again, araso?" He warned, wagging his finger in my face.

I gave a small appreciative smile. "I'll keep you to that promise."On any normal occasion, I probably would have shifted away from his touch by now, but today, I stayed there, needing his comfort. "Oppa." I spoke quietly after a moment.

"Hm?"

"L...Joe Oppa." I said slowly.

"What is it?"

I bit my lip. "C-can you take me somewhere...? Um... well... can you go somewhere with me? Really quick? I have to check something out but I don't want to be alone."

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Upon arrival, I swallowed my saliva, dreading what was to come next. The building standing before me seemed as if it grew twice it's size from the last time I had been here and had become a looming force over me, when in reality, nothing has changed. Taking one last deep breath, I entered the building with L.Joe trailing behind me.

When I was in front of their dorm door, I lightly knocked. "Infinite Oppas? It's Hye Ri. Are you there? Can you please open the door?"

I waited a few seconds, giving them some time to get to the door if the were home. After a while, the door creaked open, revealing a smiling Sungyeol.

"What's up, Hye Ri-yah?"

"Sungyeol Oppa..." A smile twitched at the corner of my lips.

"What? No Choding Oppa?" He feigned surprise. "What is the world coming to."

"Oppa... is L Oppa..." I began but couldn't finish. Sungyeol's expression had changed to an expressionless, stoic one. "Actually can we come in?" I chickened out and avoided asking the question.

"We..?" Sungyeol's eyebrows knit together. He hadn't seen L.Joe yet.

"Yeah. Me and L.Joe Oppa."

Sungyeol slightly frowned but reluctantly opened the door wide enough for me and L.Joe to slip in.

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After letting us in, Sungyeol went to gather up Infinite Oppas. One by one they filed into the living room until it was crowded with bodies. To my dismay, L was not among the mass. I began losing hope but persistantly convinced myself that he could be out at the moment and returning later. I couldn't bring myself to ask just yet for fear that I would not be able to accept the answer.

The eight of us engaged in light conversation although a tense atmosphere hung in the air. They were speaking to me but I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. Their mouths were moving but no sound came out. 

In the tense atmosphere, it was as if everyone was putting on a forced act, as if everything was a facade. It was all so suffocating.

Unable to take it any longer, I mustered up all of the courage that I had and asked the quesiton with a wavering voice. "Is.. is L Oppa..."

"He's not here Hye Ri-yah." Woohyun quietly spoke before I could finish.

"Ah... I see." I weakly smiled. "When will he be back?"

They glanced at each other before gazing at me with soft, sympathetic expressions.

They didn't have to say anything for me to understand. I could see their words printed on their faces.

I let go of my last strand of hope.

'He's not coming back anytime soon.' was what their gazes read.

I closed my eyes and let my tears fall, yearning for comfort. Instantaneously, Sungyeol had me bundled up in his arms, rocking me back and forth while assuring me that everything was going to be alright. The other members of Infinite had also gathered around me, comforting me.

I had expected for L.Joe's comfort as well, but didn't recieve it. He stayed put, sitting a ways away, gazing at me with an unreadable expression on his face.