hostility

In showbiz, there is no such thing as hostility; it's just that when two people have similar levels of status, jealous inevitably occurs. But when two people are so drastically different from each other, this kind of hostility might turn into envy, and then an unrealizable fantasy.

Luhan was once a star, an object of envy. But now, he only had the right to become jealous of others. While the first supporting actor, Do Kyungsoo, was discussing with the director about the details of this scene, Luhan took a small mirror and carefully examined the pimple that emerged around his mouth last night, unavoidably encountering the baby face with which Luhan had a love-hate relationship. It was this face that led him to be discovered by a talent scout at the age of four, and subsequently cast into a movie centered on the Chinese New Year festivities supported by a strong, popular cast. As a result, Luhan became the public sweetheart known by the young as well as the elderly. But it was also because of this ageless face that concealed his maturity as an adult, even to the point where many directors expressed that his baby face ruined the atmosphere of emotional scenes; having Luhan act with girls gave the feeling of a brother-sister relationship, and romantic chemistry was always difficult to achieve. Lu Zhihan, a renowned director who made Luhan's debut possible, had offered him numerous opportunities. However, Luhan seemed to continuously let Director Lu down as he himself became the basis of criticism for whichever movie he appeared in, and all of those critiques were unrelated to his acting skills; they were about his face. Therefore, the two no longer had any work-related interaction besides off-screen, personal contact. This time, Director Lu was the one that hooked Luhan up and had him cast for the second supporting role in the movie "Password." In the movie, he was the lead actor's friend; although he didn't have much screen time, his parts were still quite riveting. Over the years, Luhan had already abandoned the adamancy that only big stars were entitled to; if there was a role available, he'd take it. After all, the showbiz industry was big enough for him to survive in one way or another.

"Luhan-ge, I got you a crystal sugar pear drink[1] from the lady around the corner, have it before you get heaty[2]." Oh Sehun handed a thermos over to Luhan, who was trying to pop his pimple in front of the mirror. Oh Sehun started working for Luhan as his assistant right out of college. At that time, Luhan's popularity was dropping severely, so his old "star manager" quit as he didn't want go down with Luhan, burying his own potential. On top of that, Luhan had so much going on that he just randomly picked one out of the pile of application letters, and that happened to be Oh Sehun's. In his letter, Sehun didn't use much fancy vocabulary; he just wrote that he had grown up watching Luhan's movies, and was hoping he could somehow help out. Luhan immediately called the phone number provided in the letter, and Sehun started working the very next day. Sehun had been Luhan's assistant/agent[3] ever since. Sometimes Sehun would complain that he had picked the wrong person to work for; he had expected his boss to be accommodating and easy to serve, but as it turned out, Luhan was inflexible and difficult. For this reason, Sehun would frequently, but not intentionally, offend his boss who didn't act much like a boss. Despite all the complaining, Sehun still worked very hard to get scripts and acting gigs for Luhan. In fact, if not for Sehun, Luhan might have already dropped out the entertainment circle. "Oh, I'll drink it after I'm done with this scene. I've got filming till late tonight, so you don't need to wait up. Just go home and help me feed Ado." Luhan had a Samoyed named Ado; the dog was adorable, but its fur was hard to tame. Besides the regular feeding, someone had to comb its fur down too. "Alright. Ado is in heat these days, he almost bit me yesterday! So I have to take care of your dog on top of being your assistant? That's how you destroy the future of our nation?" Sehun drank his orange juice while complaining, winning a glare from Luhan. "So what if I am? Hurry up and scram!" Luhan pushed Sehun along and fixed himself up. Do Kyungsoo had finished going over his part with the director, and the assistant director, who was in charge of coordinating, was already prompting Luhan that it was his turn. Reluctantly, Sehun left the scene with Luhan's repeated urging. Luhan began to adjust his mentality and immerse himself in his character.

Even though Luhan's baby face had cost him a few opportunities, his acting was still flawless for adaptable roles. The first supporting, Do Kyungsoo, gave Luhan an embarrassing smile. "Sorry we got stuck for so long because of me." Do Kyungsoo was a popular ballad singer currently in the spotlight. It was a given in showbiz that established singers branched out into acting, so during the process of filming and acting, singers often displayed the awkwardness of amateurs. "Everyone's like this when they first started." Luhan was lying; when he first started acting, he relied entirely on talent, maybe it was because he was so young. Each and every move and gesture Luhan carried out by going with his instincts. He was one of those people who had a knack for acting. Thinking as such, Luhan felt bitterly despondent, because even so, he was not the lead, but only the second supporting. "After we're done shooting this scene, I'll treat you to a late-night snack!" Do Kyungsoo put his arm around Luhan's shoulder as if they were buddies. Luhan glanced over. Discomfort unknowingly spread as he looked at Kyungsoo's hand on his own shoulder. "I have to stay late tonight for filming. Maybe some other time." Luhan shrugged, as if he had no choice but to decline. Kyungsoo smiled along awkwardly. Maybe it was because the director had a breakthrough with Kyungsoo when shooting his part, or because Luhan was especially cooperative, the last take with Kyungsoo went swimmingly well. The lead actor for "Password" was Kim Jongin, who was going up the ladder at an incredible speed in the international film industry over the past five years. Originally looking at a Hollywood script, Kim Jongin didn't want to take part in a domestic art film. However, Wang Jiacheng, the director of this movie, was his mentor. After continuous nonsuccess in casting the lead actor, Kim Jongin had no choice but to decline the Hollywood gig and returned to China for "Password." Even though Kim Jongin and Luhan were friends in their characters, they barely encountered each other as each scene was filmed by individual shots. Except for the previous group scenes, tonight was technically the first time the two played opposite each other. In fact, Luhan harbored complicated feelings toward this new generation of male actors, including Kim Jongin.

They got to the top without having gone through much trials, and unlike Luhan who started as a child actor, most of these new-generation actors were already widely accepted for their adult appearances. Even if their acting career wasn't smooth sailing, at least it was always moving forward. Luhan envied this trend of development, but alas, he couldn't say that it was unjust. But in terms of personal lifestyle, Luhan had a hard time forming positive impressions of these actors. They were often the subject of gossip headlines, many would throw temper tantrums at the set, and a good number of them had corrupt personal lives. However, after joining the "Password" crew, Luhan's impression of Kim Jongin had changed somewhat. Despite Kim Jongin's never-ending scandals, Luhan respected his professionalism at the set. It was nighttime. As soon as the set lights were switched on, Kim Jongin's Buick van arrived outside the set. His assistant got out of the van first, his hands full with gifts, which he then politely distributed to the crew members present, including actors such as Luhan. Although he was still a rookie in this business, Kim Jongin had grasped the way things worked around here. Everyone who had crossed paths with him all had good remarks about Kim Jongin. Luhan thanked Kim Jongin's assistant as he accepted the lunchbox handed to him. Kim Jongin didn't get out of the van until a moment later, probably because he was fixing himself up in the car. Even though his face was full of smiles, Luhan knew that he wasn't really looking at anyone; this was an ability required of professional celebrities. Due to his long legs, it didn't take Kim Jongin more than three strides to get to the spot of the director's monitor. The two then exchanged enthusiastic greetings, with arms slung across each other's shoulders. It was obvious that they were long-time acquaintances. Wang Jiacheng was one of the few domestic directors with international prestige. This time, Luhan was willing to join the crew as the second supporting only because of Director Wang's reputation. He was friendly alright, but he gave off such a heavy artistic aura that his professional attitude prevailed even during light conversations about filming. It seemed impossible that one would have additional private interaction with him. Most actors would resort to ass-kissing to the director after joining a crew like this, merely hoping to pave a smoother road in their future acting career. It wasn't that Luhan didn't understand this; it was his inherent reservations that prevented him from offering the excessive

sycophancy exhibited by the other actors in the crew. Today was Luhan's first time seeing Director Wang so close with an actor and behaving as if they were good friends. Suddenly, Luhan couldn't help but developed further respect for Kim Jongin and his influences. In this scene, Luhan's character, Luo Cheng, played the role of a mediator. Having a crush on the lead actress, Luo Cheng decided to have a talk with Zhou He (Kim Jongin's character) after seeing that the lead actress almost ended her own life because of Zhou He. The director picked a filming location along the shoreline in order to express the gloom of the characters. They weren't at a beach, but the night breeze was still comparable, giving Luhan a headache. It was just a minor scene, but the filming took place at such an odd hour only because Kim Jongin had to take the early morning flight to the U.S. Kim Jongin finished his part in one natural take; it took merely 10 minutes. As soon as Luhan uttered his last word in the script, the director called "cut." "Thanks everyone, you've all worked hard!" Kim Jongin said as he bowed and nodded to those in the vicinity. Before playing opposite Luhan, he courteously said, "I really like your earlier works, it's an honor to be working with you." Luhan knew that he was just being polite. However, he also knew that he had to play along, as that was the way things worked in this business. Looking at Kim Jongin, Luhan replied with equivalent courtesy, "Thank you." The late shooting was thus concluded successfully. Putting on his coat, Luhan was going to call a gege that he was close with to ask him to pick him up, but Kim Jongin's assistant approached before Luhan had the chance to dial. "Mr. Luhan, Jongin said that if you're going back to the city, we can give you a ride." Seeing that the guy was being quite nice, and thinking that it was fine since it was on their way anyway, Luhan nodded in agreement. "Alright, then, if it's not much trouble." Luhan nodded with a smile and got in the van with Kim Jongin's assistant. Kim Jongin had his eyes closed, napping, in the back of the van. Upon this sight, Luhan withdrew the grin prepared for thanking him and quietly sat in the shotgun seat instead. During the long drive, the driver started chatting with Luhan out of boredom.

When turning around a corner, the van abruptly shook a bit, waking up Kim Jongin who suddenly opened his eyes. "What time is it?" Kim Jongin looked up and out the window. "1:30. You can go back to sleep. It'll be about another hour at least from the city to Peicheng airport." The assistant replied while sending text messages to coordinate Kim Jongin's schedule. Seeing that Kim Jongin was awake, Luhan thought that since he did get a ride from them, he put on a smile and looked at Kim Jongin, "I was going to thank you, but didn't because you were asleep. Thanks for giving me a ride." "It's on the way anyway." Kim Jongin didn't say more, and neither did Luhan, who silently listened to the sound of tires scratching against the road. After about 20 minutes, Luhan got off in front of his neighborhood. He and Kim Jongin exchanged some small talks before the van drove away. Standing by the side of the road while watching the van took off, Luhan sighed. It was true that for people of a status like Kim Jongin's, every trivial thing would be appropriately taken care of. Luhan unknowingly shook his head as he felt the pressure magnify. He touched the pimple around his mouth and felt it sting. Then, he suddenly remembered that he had left the thermos containing the crystal sugar pear drink that Sehun got him in front of the windshield of Kim Jongin's van. Sehun was probably going to yell at him for being so forgetful. These days, there weren't many celebrities who had gotten to a level like where Kim Jongin was now. Luhan compared Kim Jongin's professional assistant to his very own, who seemed to be above his boss. This was the difference what set Kim Jongin apart from Luhan.

When Luhan got home, Oh Sehun was eating instant noodles and watching a cross-era soap opera on TV, his foot on Ado. He made no signs of getting up upon Luhan's entrance; instead, he gestured with his chin toward the script on the coffee table. "This is the script from President Choi. He said that your current gig is ending soon, so we need to start looking for new roles." Oh Sehun said with a tinge of bitterness. Choi Minho is the president of Luhan's talent agency, TIME. Even though Luhan had gradually lost his appeal over the recent years, Choi Minho didn't seem to want to kick him out. Luhan was definitely grateful about this. However, Oh Sehun didn't really like Choi. Oh Sehun lived by the principle of causality; he would get strongly suspicious of any effect without a cause. Oh Sehun thought that since Luhan no longer had much to offer, he was supposed to be coldshouldered. Rather, Choi did things against this principle. This was exactly why Oh Sehun had doubts about Choi as a person. Even though Oh Sehun was younger than Luhan, his thinking was rather negative at times. Take showbiz for example; Oh Sehun believed that there was too much depravity in this circle, and his boss, Luhan, was the easiest target, the most likely victim to be eaten alive. Regarding this, Luhan thought that Oh Sehun's beliefs actually proved his naivet. In terms of showbiz, Luhan hadn't easily maneuvered through the years, but he still had the fluidity that came with having been in this business for this long. Despite his feigned ignorance, Luhan was basically aware of all the insider, behind-the-scene info. Choi Minho was gay. Luhan knew this because after a celebratory company dinner, Luhan, who knew his own limits and drank moderately, helped the heavily inebriated Choi Minho home. When Choi Minho held Luhan's face and was about to plant a kiss, Luhan evaded by sliding out from under his grasp, causing his boss to fall straight to the ground. This kind of stuff was not foreign to Luhan. After all, he had been in this business since he was a child, plus having a boyish face that highly appealed to rich men, numerous executives had tried to make a move on Luhan. He didn't know if it was because of pure luck or his own superb skills, he was able to evade successfully each time. Of course, this included his own boss, Choi Minho.

After that incident, both had the mutual understanding to never bring it up again. After all, they were adults, and since Luhan had clearly rejected his advances, Choi Minho just dropped it and didn't make another attempt. It was a spur of the moment anyway, an act that wasn't worth arguing over. Then, Choi Minho got with a young man at the company, Lee Taemin. Their relationship was on-and-off with at least three "breakups." Luhan thought that it was probably unlikely that he himself would be "eaten alive," as Oh Sehun worried. However, Luhan did have Choi Minho's number based on that incident. If Oh Sehun really wanted to get to the bottom of the "cause," this would be it. "Did you look over this script?" Luhan mumbled as he flipped through the pages. The TIME company typically focused on idol-casting shows. Their range of role selection was actually quite limited for "older" actors like Luhan who could no longer pull off pure and innocent roles. If not for the help of some directors that Luhan had worked with in the past, Luhan would have barely been able to survive in the company. "It's a TV show, not a movie. I just sort of skimmed through it. It's historical, your character is a scholar." Oh Sehun briefly explained the script, his eyes still fixated on TV. Luhan's head was hurting a little. Even though he had flopped and yet to have a breakthrough, he still stuck around in the film industry. Everyone in the business knew that although fast-food lifestyles had engendered a wide variety of TV viewers, movies spanning only a few hours were the one that could truly present an actor's status and ability. However, when one could only play one or two small roles in movies, the earnings were barely enough to get by. Luhan had previously consulted with friends in the business what he should do. Both his boss Choi Minho and Director Lu had mentioned TV shows. Luhan had his reservations, but right now, being reserved was not going to give him his next meal. And so when filming "Password," Luhan let his tongue slip to the company that if there was a TV script, he would take it. He just didn't expect Choi Minho to act so quickly, sending him one within 10 days. Luhan read through the script. He thought that neither the producer nor the director was particularly famous, and his character was undoubtedly a leading role; after all, he used to be

on the A-list in the film industry. He had previously met the lead actress, Xiao Zi, who was his houbei[1]. Luhan was not familiar with the next lead actor, so he looked up and asked Oh Sehun, who was laughing at something on TV. "Who's Huang Zitao?" "A martial arts actor. He's gotten really famous from shooting cross-era these two years. The "Hero Across Time and Space" I'm watching right nowhe's in it." Hearing this, Luhan instinctively looked up and watched the chaotic action scenes on TV. A masked man dressed in blue was fighting against 12 or 13 people in the air. Luhan thought he was probably much younger than himself. "Luhan-ge, are you going to take it? I do want to get an autograph from Huang Zitao, but I think you should give it more thought. If you start doing TV shows, you probably won't be able to go back to movies. Not in this lifetime, anyway." Oh Sehun was not exactly well-read, but he would phrase things using a professional perspective, clearly separating emotions and rationality. Luhan paused, then said unwillingly, "I don't really have a choice." He recalled the sight of Kim Jongin today and how he managed to work his way through this business, compared to himself, lacking the courage to even get close to the director. Even if this disparity could be compensated little by little, Luhan still had to have the ability to do so in the first place. He thought that with his age, if he continued to be passive, the probability of him catching up to someone with ability and acting literacysomeone like Kim Jongin, was basically zero. If he really couldn't fit in in that circle, it was probably wiser to voluntarily withdraw and find a place that he could make a living and support himself. This was reality. Luhan had slowly learned to concede. "Even though I don't really trust President Choi, I feel like the path he set out for you kind of suits you. TV shows aren't dense, and you can shoot more episodes if you like it, and less if you don't. Not like movies that suck the strength out of you." Oh Sehun had finished eating his instant noodles, and lifted up the foot that had been on Ado. The dog had probably already gone numb from being stepped on, making no movements and looking like a lump of fur.

Luhan changed into his pajamas. While wiping off Oh Sehun's footprint on Ado with a towel, he deliberated on his assistant's words. Luhan was thinking about the issue of acting literacy and pursuits, but he bit on his tongue and stayed quiet at the end. In his current state, he shouldn't be focused on pointless details. Weren't the modern people like this? Seeking solely the end and disregarding the means. Oh Sehun washed the dishes, then picked up his coat and keys, about to go home. Before he left, he didn't forget to kick Ado, which ran straight to Luhan. "Stop picking on him! He's been moody lately because he can't find a girlfriend," Luhan held his dog close. Oh Sehun withdrew his foot in dismay. "What's that got to do with me? He went crazy and bit me again today! Ado, you little brat, you'd better watch out tomorrow, or I'll send you to the veterinarian and have you neutered!" Ado seemed to understand what Oh Sehun said, replying with a few grunts. "Stop it. Remember to pick me up earlier tomorrow to go to the set, my parts are getting wrapped up tomorrow." "Mm, got it. If you're sure that you'll take this show, I'll call their casting director tomorrow." "Didn't I say that I'll take it?" Luhan said impatiently and kicked the door shut. Oh Sehun, who was standing at the door and got pushed out as the door closed, touched his nose in defeat. He looked at the calendar on his cell phone: it was the 15th. He thought to himself, his boss was entering that psychotic phase again, just as he would around this time of each month.

The last day of filming went smoothly. The staff courteously brought Luhan a bouquet, who accepted thankfully.

"Thank you guys for everything. You've all worked hard." Luhan bowed as everyone at the set launched into an applause. To express his gratitude, Luhan went up to Director Wang, who, upon seeing Luhan coming toward him, wore a grin and put off discussing with the stage manager about the specifics of the next scenes.

"Luhan, you did well out there. My old friend Lu sure has a good eye." Director Wang patted Luhan on the shoulder, speaking in such a cordial manner with him for the first time. It was normal, actually; the wrap-up day meant that people might never have an opportunity to work together again, so everyone expressed all the enthusiasm that they could possibly express, and all was good. This was a consensus in this business.

"It's all thanks to the directors teaching. Thank you, Director Wang, for giving me this opportunity." Normally, Luhan would have added, If another opportunity comes along, please feel free to contact me, just to be polite. But after chewing the words over, Luhan decided against it. After all, there were too many B- and C-list movie actors like Luhan. With a director like Wang Jiacheng, you'd be lucky to get picked once; the probability of getting picked a second time was basically naught. Knowing this, Luhan would have humiliated himself if he were to add that shameless invitation.

"You gained this opportunity yourself, I simply pushed things along. It's not just Lu, a lot of people have referred you to me." Director Wang said with a smile. Luhan actually didn't want to hear anymore; the excessive formality in those words was starting to sound like unpleasant noise.

But still, Luhan replied while beaming, "I'm flattered, really." Just as Luhan was about to bid farewell and leave, Director Wang paused in deep thought and said, grinning, "I'm serious, Luhan. Your acting is very solid. As for style well, it's something that can be adjusted. I actually have a new movie that I wanted to cast you, but the studio disapproved. The reason why I'm telling you this today is to see if you could ask your agency to speak to Youyi's president, and find out why they wouldn't let you take it." It didn't click in Luhan's head at first. Director Wang wanted to cast him for an upcoming movie? But then at the mention of Youyi Group, a filmmaking studio, Luhan's excitement disappeared sooner than it surfaced.

"Youyi was my old agency." Luhan shook his head with a forced smile.

"Is it contract dispute? That explains it. Why don't you figure out if there's anything that can be done to smooth things over, because I think you're really suitable for that role. If you could do it, it'll definitely turn out better than that guy they referred me." It was the first time since Luhan became of age that he heard a director gave him such high praise, and he was truly touched. But once he thought of the dispute with Youyi, his head was starting to hurt again.

"I really appreciate your endorsement, but the studio must have their reasons. I look forward to working with you again, if a more appropriate opportunity comes along." Luhan enunciated each word with deliberation. What a shame, he thought. But certain things are unattainable no matter how hard you try.

Including reconciling with Youyi.

When Luhan first entered showbiz, he was signed under Youyi. He was about 15 years old and at the peak of his popularity. The growth of the domestic film market was also at its pinnacle. To milk the most profits out of Luhan at the apex of his career, Youyi was having him take almost 10 movies a year. During his most exhausted days, Luhan was filming five movies all at once. Still a minor, he had to daily undertake a workload that was overwhelming even to adults. After two years, the constant overworking finally took a toll on Luhan; while filming "Grown-up Kid*, he collapsed right in front of the camera. He was sent to the hospital by the crew, and stayed there for six months.

Entertainment agencies werent charities. Upon realizing that the costs and benefits of their signed artists were no longer balanced, agencies could give a rats ass about these artists survival. During Luhans stay in the hospital, Youyi issued him countless notices demanding him to return to work, which Luhans family found to be infuriating. They thought that even if they were the worst parents, they would never force their son to be a money-making machine. Youyis ruthlessness was the last straw for Luhans parents.

After their request to terminate the contract failed to prevail, Luhans parents took it straight to court and sued Youyi. Since most legal regulations on artist contract termination were relatively simple at that time, much ambiguity existed in regards to numerous sensitive issues. In the end, Luhans family

managed to terminate the contract, but at a massive price; not only did they have to use the majority of Luhans previous earnings to pay the penalty for contract violation, Youyi also took advantage of their status in the industry and began blacklisting Luhan.

At the time, the general public sympathized with Luhan, and because he was at one point the public sweetheart and much adored by the masses, he continued to get acting gigs and commercials in spite of Youyis blacklisting. This, obviously, outraged the arrogant and self-righteous agency. Then, when Luhan flopped later on, many people also attributed it to the after-effects of affronting Youyi. However, Luhan knew that if you really had the ability, no one could get to you. He believed that Youyi was able to have his number because his own competitiveness had diminished, like the last straw that broke the camels back. And he wasnt able to recover ever since.

Oh Sehun had been waiting in the parking lot. This kid... playing heavy metal music in the car again, Luhan thought as the sound of bang bang bang reached his ears from a distance away, shaking the ground.

At the sight of Luhan looking as if someone just took a shit on him, Oh Sehun promptly turned off the music as Luhan got in at the backseat, and started the car after stealing a glance at his boss. Throughout the entire drive, Luhan either had his eyes closed or zoned out looking out the window.

Did Ado give you rabies or something? Oh Sehun pushed his sunglasses up into his hair and squinted at the man in the back. Luhan continued to look out the window in silence.

I want to quit. Even though Luhan was able to calmly respond to Director Wang back at the set, there was a storm raging in him right now. After struggling for so many years and being rejected by so many people, he finally came across an A-list director who endorsed him and gave him an opportunity, but in the end, it turned out to be a complete waste.

Was this a sign? Were the gods hinting something at him? Luhan felt that he had been hinted for many years now, but he still held onto the thin thread of luck and continued to pretend as if he fit in. But he was already 29! Not 9, or 19. He should have the dignity and status of an adult, not being kicked around like a freakin soccer ball.

Oh Sehun could tell that Luhan was in a bad mood. He had wanted to crack jokes to lighten the atmosphere, but decided to just shut up and drive. Over the years, Luhan had said something along the same lines for countless times, but it was always just an emotional outburst. After he had calmed down, Luhan would continue his showbiz life as he always had. He had entered this industry at such a young age, so showbiz was the only means he knew of to support himself. If he left the entertainment industry, he would have nowhere to go.

This was also what made Oh Sehun feel most sorry for Luhan.

After that outburst, Luhan seemed to have calm down somewhat as he asked his assistant, Where are we going next?

Were going to meet the director of Two Romantic Stars*. They had called this morning and scheduled for this time. Oh Sehun said as he continued driving. The other lead, Huang Zitao, will be there too. The lead actress has to do a commercial, so shell probably be late.

Luhan nodded and said nothing more.

If Director Wang were to break this news to him any other day, Luhan wouldnt have been this mad, but the 16th was the day that Lulin, his twin sister, died in a car accident. Maybe it was the ESP between twins, he remembered this time on a monthly basis. Ever since his sister passed three years ago, he would get irritable around the 16th of every month. Coincidentally, this day was also the day that Lulin used to have that time of the month.

Luhan randomly picked up todays newspaper lying next to his lap. The headline for the entertainment section stated, Kim Jongin on a Possible Secret Date with American Tycoons Daughter Diana, Trashing Reporters Camera in a Rage. The cover even contained a picture for evidence that the paparazzi had snapped in the midst of chaos, and a small photo at the bottom showed Kim Jongin snatching the camera from a reporter.

Luhan seldom read about gossip and scandals, whereas Oh Sehun loved that kind of stuff. Whenever he

was bored in the car, Luhan would casually flip through these news, and seeing all these ridiculous happenings actually produced some sort of calming effect when he was in a particularly bad mood, like today. He just didnt expect to stumble upon news about Kim Jongin.

Before playing opposite Kim Jongin, Luhan wouldnt have taken it seriously upon seeing a photo of the guy in a gossip magazine. But since he did, he thought this kind of groundless rumors had to be madeup; for a guy like Kim Jongin who didnt even bother with keeping a scene log at the set, there was no way he would act out and snatch a reporters camera. It must have been because this paparazzi was being excessively invasive, driving Kim Jongin over the edge.

At this thought, Luhan suddenly felt much better. He mused, so what if shit happened to him? Even a big star like Kim Jongin couldnt avoid getting set up like this.

When they arrived at MON, a TV production company, a large group of fans had crowded at the entrance, holding up signs and banners graced with Huang Zitaos name. One of the banners stood out, reading: Huang Zitao Fanclub. Due to the massive crowd, Oh Sehun had to drive around the corner to the back of the building. This was one of the perks enjoyed by TV celebrities--the instant accumulation of fans as explosive as a newly discovered spring, giving rise to a type of short-term influence that not only big international movie stars could achieve. However, the downside was its transience; after a long time void of new hypnotizing works, even the most zealous fans would eventually walk away. Even though Luhan wasnt familiar with Huang Zitao, he found out about him from Oh Sehun, who had commented on how this guy was so good-looking and manly. More importantly, Huang Zitao supposedly had superb martial arts skills; apparently, he was a disciple at Shaolin temple. There was also a rumor going around that he was actually an illegitimate child of an internationally renowned martial arts star. Luhan knew what it felt like to be on the fast track to stardom. However, he saw it as a burden because he was so young at the time; whenever he wanted to go out, there was always a group of strange men and women waiting at his door to get his autographs. How could he possibly be

able to enjoy a normal childhood? Plus, it was such a distant memory that he didnt even know where to start reminiscing. At one point, some gossip magazine snapped an unnecessary shot of him walking about in sandals and eating ramen, titling it Luhan Hitting Rock Bottom, Resorting to Eating at Street Vendors. Oh Sehun hid that magazine from his boss, claiming that he did it so that Luhan wouldnt get upset. But Luhan mused, You think you know me? You have no idea. If Luhan couldnt take that sort of stuff, he wouldnt be the number-one child star who snatched various film awards across China and Taiwan before reaching the age of 20. Although he did yearn for a rebirth in the entertainment industry, he no longer placed any importance on fame, unlike most new and rising stars. Instead, he wanted to impress people through his works. The director had not yet arrived when they entered the conference room. The guy lying on the couch with a hat over his face was probably Huang Zitao, and his assistant was putting away gifts from his fans. The assistant didnt react to Luhans appearance more than a quick look in their direction before returning his attention to the gifts scattered over the floor. Oh Sehun touched his nose sourly and turned to Luhan, who knew what his assistant wanted to say from his eyes: These rookie brats on the fast track are so rude. If I knew he was so low-class, I wouldnt have liked him at all. Luhan just gave him a tsk: Oh Sehun, mind your own business. So what if hes rude? It has nothing to do with you. After waiting for about 20 minutes, Kim Joonmyun, the producer, and Sun Jiang, the director, finally arrived. Huang Zitaos assistant woke up the actor on the couch. Luhan first greeted Kim Joonmyun and Sun Jiang. Huang Zitao got up from the couch and also approached with a smile. He first shook hands with the producer and director, then turned to Luhan and said with visible embarrassment, Im so sorry, I completely passed out and didnt even realize Luhan qianbei* was here, followed by a bow. Luhan helped him up, Its fine, I just got here too. He thought to himself, not a bad kid, but his assistant definitely wasnt professional enough, lacking the visual recognition ability required to survive in this business. The currently rapid development for Huang Zitao was mostly due to the

short-term concentration of mass popularity, but if he wanted this growth to continue in the long run, this assistant of his might very well become his deadweight. Seeing that Huang Zitao seemed to be pretty humble and watchful, the previous irked expression on Oh Sehun's face somewhat subsided. Luhan thought, This kid is always like this. It's easy for him to dislike someone, but it doesn't take much for him to like someone either. What a kid, he smiled at the thought. The person who was introducing this TV show in front of Luhan was the producer, Kim Joonmyun. Compared to others at MON, he was considered a newcomer, which explained why Luhan knew so little of him. The night before, Luhan spent the whole night asking around friends in the business about Kim Joonmyun. The majority opinion was that he was still lacking in experience, but gained quite a reputation for himself after having produced an extremely popular show recently. He also had the potential to become an ace producer at MON in the next 10 years. Based on the atmosphere of familiarity among the group, it was clear that Huang Zitao had a friendly off-screen relationship with the director and producer. Suddenly, Luhan realized why Huang Zitao was able to be so relaxed to the point where he was napping in the conference room. Including the new script about to be discussed for "Two Romantic Stars", this was the third time Huang Zitao worked with the director and producer. The culture of this business was quite intricate, actually. Once the strong came together and formed a clique, whoever attempting break into the circle would only be regarded as the weak, the minority. If this circle didn't open up on its own and let him in, Luhan could already see the barrier that was about to form between him and them during the upcoming filming process. Nevertheless, Huang Zitao, Kim Joonmyun, as well as the director didn't seem exclusive, which enabled Luhan to relax while discussing the script with them. Despite the fact that Luhan couldn't help but constantly ponder how to communicate with these people, he was ultimately put to ease and stopped worrying about how he was going to film. After going over about half of the script, someone else came in. Kim Joonmyun smiled and pulled the person's arm, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that Luhan accepted 'Two Romantic Stars'. As the boss of a B-list company, I decided to come over and see how things are going." This person was Park Chanyeol, who presided over MON's film studio. Park Chanyeol had been at MON for five or six years, but he only became influential in the business over the past few years. Apparently, Park Chanyeol didn't start off his career in the entertainment industry, but studied fashion design at Parsons in the U.S. When he later returned to China, he initially wanted to be a designer, but found that there was little domestic recognition being given to this field, and so he started a business with a few friends in Beijing. Even though Park Chanyeol had dabbled in business in the past, he was still an amateur lacking the brains for finance and investment, so his business failed within two years. Incidentally, Park Chanyeol came across a senior at that time, who asked him to help promote some B- and C-list models in the latter's business, and Park Chanyeol got the idea of getting scripts for the models to shoot TV shows or movies. So he ended up signing a couple of unknown stars and purchasing an entire company. Some might wonder, people normally couldn't found a company whenever they wanted, and Park Chanyeol had just started working in the real world, so where did he get his funds? Well, think about which school he graduated from--Parsons. Could he have been able to go overseas and study at such an expensive school if his family weren't well-off? Although it was unclear which business his family was in, Park Chanyeol definitely came from a wealthy background. Park Chanyeol came over to Luhan and Huang Zitao, shaking hands with them, and not excluding Luhan's assistant as he inquired, "This is?" looking to Luhan, and then to Oh Sehun, who was sitting beside him. "Oh Sehun, my assistant," Luhan offered. Normally, Oh Sehun was exempt from initial meetings like this, but he felt bad leaving because Huang Zitao's assistant stayed. Still, Oh Sehun began to daydream once he settled himself next to Luhan, and didn't come back to earth until Luhan introduced him. He instinctively smiled at Park Chanyeol and took the latter's extended hand in a handshake.

Huang Zitao's assistant was about to get up and pitch an obsequious smile, but Park Chanyeol turned around and went back to his seat next to Kim Joonmyun, showing no desire to greet the former. "You guys do your own thing, I'm just going to be listening," Park Chanyeol grinned at the people in front of him, planting his chin on his hand. And so everyone continued the discussion as before, but all could feel the subtle change in the atmosphere. Park Chanyeol's presence was too overwhelming, making Luhan somewhat uncomfortable, albeit he was used to formal occasions like this one. There were people from all walks of life in the entertainment industry, and Luhan had seen enough to be able to get a pretty good idea of a person when he saw one. But not Park Chanyeol. Luhan just couldn't see through him. He was smiling, but Luhan could feel the aloofness behind that smile. He was nonchalant, but Luhan couldn't shake the thought that he was secretly prying. Park Chanyeol's gaze was like a beam dissecting the wholeness of a person, making one feel like they were stark naked under his watch. Luhan subconsciously leaned to the side and supported his head with his hand, blocking Park Chanyeol's sight. Despite the surging undercurrent of uneasiness, the group finally finished the script reading. Perhaps Luhan was fully concentrated during the reading; Park Chanyeol had already left by the time he looked up. Upon the completion of script reading, Kim Joonmyun left to take a call. When he came back, he said to the group, "Our boss has booked a table and wants to invite Director Sun and you guys to join us for dinner. Xiao Zi just finished shooting her commercial, so she'll go straight to the place and meet us there." Luhan and Huang Zitao nodded in sync, knowing full well that no one in their right mind would even start looking for an excuse to not go to this dinner. It was a universal consensus that if you wanted to stay in this game, you had to follow the rules. A so-called dinner was essentially an occasion for getting to know someone in a discreet manner. It wasn't just a meal, but a process of mutual prying by parties holding differing interests. As an actor, especially one in the minority of this game, if you couldn't stand firm and

hold onto your own bottom line, you would become the prey and get eaten alive by the predator. At such dinners, some people would take advantage of the occasion and seize opportunities. However, most people ended up hopelessly falling into the abyss, where no one could save them. Since MON had provided rides, both Oh Sehun and Huang Zitao's assistant left their cars behind. In the car, Luhan asked Kim Joonmyun who was going to be at the dinner besides President Park and Xiao Zi. "Wu Fan, the CEO of Fareast Corporation; Kim Jonghyun, the son of Shanghua Pharmaceuticals' CEO; singer Do Kyungsoo, and a few of President Park's friends," Kim Joonmyun politely replied as Luhan's mind began to go numb. Fareast and Shanghua were industrial corporations, but they had a stake in the TV and film industry as well. In the industry, excluding the current major acting agencies, Fareast and Shanghua were two well-known non-showbiz investors. As for Do Kyungsoo, Luhan was taken aback that he was also going to be present; he didn't seem like the type of person who would have any relations to these people. Massaging his temples, Luhan noticed that Huang Zitao shared his ambivalent sentiments from a quick look at the latter's face. He knew that they were both aware of the negative reputation that these people had--they were members of the "evil dinner organizers" that people in the business spoke of in a hush. These guys would always pull some ridiculous shit. Words on the street went that in one occasion, after these big shots had a good number of drinks, an actress was forcibly stripped and had a ton of disgraceful photos taken, which were then "accidentally" posted online. This issue was a social topic that remained in heated discussion for quite some time. Many industry outsiders blamed the actress, calling her indecent and indiscreet. However, numerous insiders, including Luhan and Huang Zitao, knew that the credits went to these rich bastards who had too much money and time on their hands. It was a game that they played to destroy an innocent person. Just before they arrived at the restaurant, Luhan's brother-in-law, Byun Baekhyun, called to ask if he was coming to Lulin's three-year anniversary memorial next month; he had prepared too

many papers for burning, and he couldn't carry them all himself. Kim Joonmyun was urging Luhan to get off, so he only managed a brief "Yes" before hanging up and quickly getting out of the car. Before entering the restaurant, Oh Sehun and Luhan checked their time. "Right now it's 7:30. After about 30 minutes, I'm going to pretend that I'm drunk and you'll carry me out," Luhan said to his assistant. "We're leaving after only half an hour?" Oh Sehun was a bit surprised at Luhan's vigilance this time round. In the past, he would stay at least an hour to show that he somewhat cared about things like this. "These people are animals. The longer we stay, the more we're in danger. And Sehun-ah, you'd better not drink too much. I don't want to carryyou like last time." "It's done. Only tea shall pass my lips today, and no water. I'll be on the lookout." This was showbiz, and this was the game that they must play.

Although he had been in this business for many years, Luhan could never get used to the atmosphere of dinners like this, especially after he had become of age. Actually, when he was younger, especially while he was under Youyi (who was audacious because of his extreme popularity), Luhan never had to do more than sit for a while at the dinners and meet a couple of investors and stakeholders, and he was allowed to substitute tea for alcohol just for the looks. However, ever since he terminated his contract with Youyi and left that place and as his fame faded with time, these dinners became more like torture than paying respects. Not only did he have to follow one toast after another, but he also often encountered sexual harassments by some perverts who preferred men. Fortunately, Luhan had been highly alert these past few years, or else he would have been dragged into unwanted trouble. STB, the place where this dinner was being held, was a high-end restaurant that contained 20 independent, square suites in place of a large, common hall. Although it looked no different from a typical entertainment facility on the outside, its internal dcor and amenities evidently catered to VIPs. Not only did those in showbiz frequently book tables at STB, but it was also a common location for politicians and businessmen to provide hospitality to important guests. Showbiz was essentially an industry that overlapped with politics and business. They were interdependent social communities; the growth of one somehow affected the development of another. But showbiz itself could never reach a level of comparable formality; instead, it often merely served as the furnishing to dull dinners such as this one. One would quickly realize that those who truly achieved the elite status in showbiz mostly had their business centered on something outside of this industry.

Luhan and the others followed a server to the Moon Suite. The clamoring within the suite could be heard from outside. Huang Zitao and Luhan gave each other a look, but remained silent as they entered the suite following Kim Joonmyun. Luhan had been in this suite before, so he was quite familiar with its interior structure: the round table was where food was served, stretching along the direction of the round table was a mini performance stage with highly professional lighting and audio equipment, and an Ushaped row of sofas lied along the wall. When Luhan, Huang Zitao, and their assistants entered, those who were already there were all still standing; some were chatting, some were watching a girl dancing Flamingo on the mini stage. As Luhan's eyes followed the light cast upon the girl on stage, he thought she looked familiar. Racking his brain, Luhan finally remembered: wasn't that UEE, the new-generation actress who rapidly rose to stardom lately? A while back, Luhan had a few producers complain to him that this girl relied on connections and got her hands on several good scripts through a "special method". Watching UEE casting seductive looks at the executives seated near the stage combined with hypnotizing gestures, Luhan suddenly understood what kind of "method" she used. This kind of dinner had destroyed the career of countless actresses, but even more continued to participate, waiting to be exploited, only because these "setups" could bring endless opportunities. Many people were blinded by the ideal of a bright future; they thought that if they did whatever they were told and if they could rise to the occasion, they could change these people, the ones setting up this game, who would come to support these rising stars from beginning to end. But the reality was that there were just too many good-looking men and women in this business, and there would always be someone else that was more handsome or beautiful. Instead of expecting these scumbags to help you rise to stardom, you might have a better chance by outright stealing it. Looking around, there were quite a few women in the suite. Besides UEE who was onstage, Xiao Zi and two models were chatting with Park Chanyeol and his friends. All of a sudden, Luhan noticed that Huang Zitao's expression changed; he was glaring at the stranger clinging onto Xiao Zi by her arm, his nostrils flaring in visible anger.

Following behind Kim Joonmyun, Huang Zitao and Luhan came to the front of Park Chanyeol. Kim Joonmyun whispered something into his boss's ear, and Park Chanyeol broke into a smile as he looked up at Luhan and Huang Zitao. "Ahh, our big stars have finally arrived. Let me introduce you: the one sitting next to our beautiful Xiao Zi is President Wu of Fareast Corporation." With his arm still around Xiao Zi, Wu Fan nodded at Luhan and Huang Zitao before turning aside to sip from his red wine. Luhan saw the way Xiao Zi lookd at Huang Zitao and sensed a predicament; her eyes were calling for help as desperately as a person drowning. Huang Zitao clenched his fists and slightly leaned forward without knowing. Luhan, who was standing just behind the younger guy, lightly tugged at Huang Zitao's arm. Others might not have noticed, but Luhan had by now guessed the relationship between Huang Zitao and Xiao Zi: They were probably dating. Xiao Zi's look and Huang Zitao's reaction were not foreign to Luhan, as he himself had experienced this type of situation. Luhan held back Huang Zitao, whom he had just met for the first time, not out of pure kindness, but because he knew that if his junior did not try to restrain himself, the whole situation would become extremely ugly, which would benefit no one in the days to come. Park Chanyeol paused, then continued, "The one standing over there and watching the performance is President Kim Jonghyun of Shanghua Pharmaceuticals; look at him so into checking the girl out that he completely forgot that we existed. And the one playing classical guitar over there is Do Kyungsoo, you guys should already know who he is. Oh yeah, Luhan, didn't you film a movie with him?" Park Chanyeol took a sip of his wine as he smiled at Luhan. "Yes, that's right. I didn't expect to see him here." Do Kyungsoo seemed to realize that someone on the other side was talking about him. He looked up and beamed at Luhan, who waved in courtesy. After the due introductions were done for all the execs present, Park Chanyeol asked the server to bring a glass of wine each for Luhan and Huang Zitao, and an extra one when he saw Oh Sehun who was standing behind Luhan. "Thank you for the thought, but Sehun is feeling under the weather these days, so if you'll be so kind to give him some tea instead" Luhan reached in front of Oh Sehun and took the red wine

offered by the server to his assistant. The smile on Park Chanyeol's face did not waver as he replied, "Oh, I see That's too bad, but health comes first," sparing Oh Sehun. After the performance came to an end, Kim Jonghyun held UEE by the waist and went up to Park Chanyeol, who asked with raised brows, "Is your brother coming today? If not, we're just going to go ahead and eat without him." "He flew to the States early this morning, so the earliest he could get here is probably around 10. Why don't we just dig in? We can just order something else for him when he gets here. We'll be here until 1:30 at least anyway, isn't that right, Wu Fan?" Kim Jonghyun offered a light kiss to UEE, who smiled coyly. Wu Fan, who was still hugging Xiao Zi, gave a nod, and his serious face finally broke into a subtle smile because of his friend's question, "I won't have time to fool around with you guys next week with the board restructuring. Whoever leaves first tonight is a loser!" Wu Fan seemed particularly callous at the last words and tightened his hold on Xiao Zi. Standing next to Huang Zitao, Luhan could feel the younger guy exude a ruthlessness more severe than that on Wu Fan's face. He thought, This dinner is definitely going to be a lot of work. Park Chanyeol brought several execs to the table. Typically, the boss holding the dinner would set a separate table for the artists and their assistants, but for some reason, the table in the current suite was twice as large as normal. Park Chanyeol said, "Tonight, everyone's equal. So let's have a good, hearty meal together at one table." Luhan's eyelid jumped as he mulled over Park Chanyeol's proclamation. These guys were people who didn't like outsiders joining their private dinners to prevent the disclosure of insider scoop to the media or even the public, which would be detrimental to their reputation. Because they had previously been exposed a few times, many private dinners in showbiz now imposed strict limitations on who could attend. As a member of the "evil dinner organizers", Park Chanyeol should be more sensitive than others, but he had set up a big round table with no hierarchical boundaries today, which was atypical of him. Luhan was perplexed by what was going on. In fact, Oh Sehun, sitting next to him, was even more perplexed. By now, you should know that Oh Sehun was the type of person to continue doubting and dwelling on something before he

figured out the cause of a problem. Ever since he entered this suite and finding that the execs didn't bring him and the other assistants out to another room, Oh Sehun sensed that something was off. He had been trying to hint this at Luhan with various looks, which were however overlooked by the latter. And so Oh Sehun gave up in the end, thinking that regardless of whether this situation was fishy or not, he would follow their original plan and carry Luhan out after half an hour, which should be okay. So he stayed quiet. On the table, stakes were being exchanged under the influence of alcohol; under the table, an undercurrent of something ominous was growing. Looking at cups of various sizes on the table, Luhan estimated his tolerance. He didn't particularly like to drink, but he could still hold his liquor. So he should be able to handle it if the execs around the table each offered him a glass. But when certain problems didn't appear problematic, that's when one was in deep shit: despite his careful planning, Luhan didn't expect that the alcohol offered was going to be vodka bombs*. After he returned Kim Jonghyun's toast, Luhan began considering if he should feign drinking by secretly spitting the alcohol into a paper towel while wiping his mouth. However, this dinner turned out to be much more difficult to maneuver compared to the ones he had been before: As a joke, Park Chanyeol had an exec sitting next to Luhan hold the latter down by the arms as Park Chanyeol made him swallow the alcohol; Luhan didn't even have the chance to look for a paper towel. And it went as such for the following drinks. Finally, Oh Sehun couldn't bear watching his boss like this, and said to Park Chanyeol with a forced smile, "Luhan could only hold his liquor this much, I don't think he can drink anymore. Let me drink the remaining two glasses instead." When the others were forcing Xiao Zi to drink, Huang Zitao helped her out a few times as well. Even though Wu Fan was a little pissed off, he did nothing and just watched. And so Oh Sehun thought that if Xiao Zi could get help with her drinks, so could Luhan. We Sehun thought that since it was only two drinks, it wouldn't be so bad even if they were strong. After finishing these drinks for formality's sake, the important thing was to quickly drag the already inebriated Luhan out of there.

Luhan wanted to stop Oh Sehun, but his limbs had already gone limp, and he could barely muster enough strength to speak. He then passed out on Oh Sehun's lap. "Sure, but didn't Luhan say that you weren't feeling well? Making you drink wouldn't be right, would it?" The corners of Park Chanyeol's mouth curved up at these words, but he continued making bombs for Oh Sehun. "A drink or two should be okay," Oh Sehun accepted the drinks offered by Park Chanyeol and immediately chugged them. The burning sensation made him realize right away the reason why Luhan got so drunk: This drink was lethally strong. Nevertheless, Oh Sehun had already offered, and he would make an ass of himself now if he said he couldn't do it. Plus, if he didn't finish the toast, these hard-to-please big shots were not going to spare Luhan. After all, they were all important characters in this business. If they felt offended, Luhan wouldn't have any part in the works that they invested in, and that would lead to a horrific vicious cycle. Gritting his teeth, Oh Sehun took the second glass handed by a grinning Park Chanyeol, and swallowed it in one go. He became dizzy all of a sudden. "T-t-the toast is done I think I should take Luhan home" Oh Sehun stood up in an attempt to put Luhan on his back when he realized that he had no strength to do so; instead, he just wobbled around the suite. He could only manage to pull Luhan up and make him lean on his shoulders. "You're already this drunk, it wouldn't be the right way to treat our guests if we let you guys leave like this." In a flash, Park Chanyeol stood up and held up Oh Sehun and Luhan, his expression full of seeming sympathy. "Why don't you rest here for a little while? After the dinner's over, I'll take you guys home, yeah?" Park Chanyeol pulled the two to a sofa and settled them down in the seats. The feeling that something was definitely off was intensifying, even Luhan, who was extremely drunk, could sense it. Squinting, Luhan saw Huang Zitao passed out from drinking on Xiao Zi's behalf, a slightly anxious Xiao Zi, and Oh Sehun, who was beginning to shake from the alcohol. Luhan's uneasiness reached its maximum.

For the first time in the 20 plus years that he had been around in showbiz, Luhan felt that he didn't have the stakes to play this game.

Park Chanyeol looked at Kim Joonmyun as he turned the ring on his finger. He muttered to his subordinate, "We can close the doors now." Gloom instantly cast over Kim Joonmyun's eyes. He turned around and asked the other celebrity assistants to leave the suite and wait in the neighboring room. Huang Zitao's assistant

was confused by what was going on and mumbled something, but immediately shut up when he met Kim Joonmyun's cold eyes. Kim Joonmyun knew full well what was about to take place next. One reason he was able to get to where he was today at MON in just five years was his own competence as a producer. Another reason, which was more important, was his ability to provide "toys" to these playboys after receiving approved scripts and associated actors. At first, Kim Joonmyun was ashamed of what he was doing. But after a while, he came to accept his role as a "pimp". As a rookie who didn't have much connections or a background for him to easily climb up the ladder, in order to surpass those who started before him and blocked his way to the top, he had to resort to a means that he himself found despicable and let himself be involved in these setups. The stage light suddenly dimmed as the curtains dropped. The lady companions in the suite all began to unbutton their clothes and strip. Looking at Huang Zitao, who was lying on the floor, and then at Wu Fan that was staring at her, Xiao Zi was especially hesitant. She clutched the buttons atop her chest, not knowing what to say. "I've already seen whatever is there to see, so take it off," Wu Fan said as he leaned back on the sofa. All of the girls had already stripped down to their bras and underwear and went behind the curtains, leaving Xiao Zi in her dilemma out here. "But that was when I didn't have a boyfriend. Couldn't you cut me some slacks today?" Xiao Zi trembled as she beseeched the CEO, her teeth chattering in fear. If she knew that Fareast was one of the investors for "Two Romantic Stars", Xiao Zi wouldn't have accepted the role. When she had just entered showbiz, she was full of hopes and dreams. Even though she wasn't among the most popular, many financial backers in the business doted on her and promised her the future of an international superstar. Xiao Zi was so innocent at that time, thinking that young tycoons driving a BMW were all knights, and handsome guys smoking a cigar were all husband candidates. When she met Wu Fan, who bought her Chanel from the most recent season in addition to investing in her new movie, she felt content and thought, why bother working her ass off?

But her dream only lasted for two months. Xiao Zi soon realized that she was only one of his numerous girlfriends. He would give to others whatever he gave her, or even better things if they provided him superior "service". Xiao Zi thought she was in a relationship with Wu Fan and so started a huge fight with him. Wu Fan didn't even bat an eye as he sneered in response, "Who said you were my girlfriend?" Xiao Zi wasn't the clingy type. With such a cold-hearted and unsympathetic person, she would be trashing her dignity if she continued to stick around. So she took off all the jewelry she was wearing and threw them at his face before walking away "with dignity". Even though she acted so indignant at the time, after that fight, Xiao Zi realized in a panic that not one studio would cast her, and she couldn't even get signed by any acting agency in the business. She went to the staff who brought her into showbiz, who only offered, "Did you offend Mr. Wu?" And that was when it dawned on her. In the midst of her predicament, Xiao Zi finally realized what was really going on. All this time, Xiao Zi was often called the "Queen" by her fans both on- and off-screen. But in showbiz, an industry where one's each and every move was controlled by someone else, she was just a puppet to be manipulated at will. Moreover, she happened to be infatuated with the brands, the jewelry, the material things given to such puppets. It was too hard to quit this addiction. If she wanted to continue enjoying all these perks, she had to pay the price for it. And so Xiao Zi went back to Wu Fan, who didn't say anything other than a simple command: "Come to STB every Friday night and drink with me until I stop telling you to come." The next three months was something that Xiao Zi wanted to erase from her memory. Every week, she had to take part in the setups that these social "perverts" organized and make sexually arousing moves and gestures. She wanted to cry, but she was asked to always put on a smile. After three months of torture, Wu Fan stopped asking her to come; she then finally got signed by an agency, and most of her film deals came back as well. Xiao Zi thought that she had finally pulled through a major life crisis, though barely. Since then, she became extremely wary and hoped that she would never come across these people ever again. After so many years of living her life in peace, that nightmare came back to haunt her just when she entered into a new relationship.

Xiao Zi was afraid to tell Zitao what happened with Wu Fan in the past, not because she was scared that he'd get mad at her, but out of fear that her hot-headed boyfriend wouldn't be able to restrain himself and go find Wu Fan to "settle things". Zitao might think that things between men should be settled as such, but they weren't in an industry of equality. If the two went head-to-head, Wu Fan undoubtedly had the ability to push Huang Zitao into that abyss beyond redemption. Xiao Zi looked down at her boyfriend on the floor, a million worries and fears entangled in her mind. She gritted her teeth and undid her buttons one by one, and went up the stage. "So, what do you guys want to do with these sheep? Same thing as last time?" Kim Jonghyun asked excitedly with a glass in his hand. "Sheep" was their universal name for people to be "killed off". Most of their "sheep" were men, but there had also been one or two unattractive female MCs on the list. "I'm not interested in men, but I kind of want to fuck with Huang Zitao. He had it coming when he took my girl without my permission," Wu Fan took a sip of his wine. "But Chanyeol, why did you let that assistant stay?" "Just for fun. The more the merrier, no?" Park Chanyeol squinted at Luhan and his assistant, who were passed out on the sofa, as he began to feel heated for some unknown reason. Other execs also grew excited as they undid the top button of their shirt and waited for the show to start. On the other hand, Do Kyungsoo hadn't said anything. When Park Chanyeol glanced over at him and asked what was the matter with him, he casually replied, "You guys can fuck with anyone but Luhan." Do Kyungsoo was the son of Dulun Airline's senior CEO. Besides these close friends of his, no one in or outside the entertainment industry knew about this. Do Kyungsoo had always kept a low profile; he thought that being labeled as a second-generation richling could easily affect his own career and passion for music, so he had always intentionally kept this information unknown. Do Kyungsoo accepted a role in "Password" on the strong request of Kim Jongin, who said that as long-time friends, they had to shoot a movie together no matter what. So he joined the crew out of fun. The first time he saw Luhan, who was getting some shut-eye on a standby chair,

some excitement crept up within Do Kyungsoo. He then shared his feelings with his crazy friends before figuring out how much of these "feelings" was attraction. Then he ended up part of this setup after Park Chanyeol and the others egged him on. "Better to have fun as a group than by yourself." Park Chanyeol snapped his fingers as cue, and the girls onstage obediently dragged the three guys onto the stage. Already unconscious, the three were like sandbags to be punched and kicked at will. The bombs that they had weren't simple bombs. They contained CAORS, which was an extremely soluble aphrodisiac. It was colorless and tasteless in liquid, and once ingested, its potent ingredients went straight down the esophagus and immediately invaded each cell of the body. There was no way to alleviate besides touching, which could be done by others or the person themselves. CAORS was a common method used by this group on many women. Their victims included men as well, not out of sexual desire, but mostly to draw out indecent behaviors, which were then photographed for fun as well as stakes for blackmailing. If they didn't do as they were told, these pictures would be posted online to teach them a lesson. At first, the group just wanted to have Huang Zitao touch himself as entertainment, but when Park Chanyeol saw Luhan and Oh Sehun at the initial meeting, he changed his mind. Besides their good looks, the two guys also wore the expression of "I'll never stoop to your level", which made them even better candidates for setups in Park Chanyeol's eyes, who asked Kim Joonmyun to bring them over as well. The effects of CAORS began to kick in 30 minutes after consumption. Luhan, who was always physically sensitive, abruptly opened his eyes. His heart was racing and his skin tingly as he watched a woman unbuttoning his shirt, and he struggled despite not having an ounce of strength in his body. Incidentally, he looked over and saw Oh Sehun and Huang Zitao beside him, who still had their eyes closed. Then he saw the scumbags in the audience, some with glasses in their hands and some holding up cameras. It dawned on him that he had just fallen into a trap. Luhan suppressed the desire building up in his chest and pulled Oh Sehun's arm in an attempt to wake him up. But when he opened his mouth, moans came out instead of words. When he

lifted his arm, the pale skin that was widely exposed when his buttons were undone revealed redness from his intense struggling just now. Aroused at this sight, the girl who was unbuttoning his shirt began to undo Luhan's belt, exposing his small waist. Astonished gasps were heard in the audience. A few execs even put down their glasses and began moving toward the stage, extending their hands to touch Luhan's body. Even though they weren't into men, they still found it thrilling to try something new every once in a while. Eyes in a half squint, Luhan tried to move toward the back of the stage with great difficulty. He knew that he couldn't get out of this situation now, and the only way to get through it was to suppress the desire burning in his chest and wait for these people's excitement to die down. But seeing pairs of lustful eyes and the hands that had already crept onto Sehun's body, Luhan couldn't help but to feel hopeless. Xiao Zi kneeled beside Huang Zitao in her underwear, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at the man who was in such a mess because of her. This sight was bothering Wu Fan, who was watching from a distance. He angrily threw his glass on the ground and slowly made his way to the stage. He pushed the weeping Xiao Zi to the side and tore open Huang Zitao's shirt, which was already stained by alcohol and wet. Wu Fan put one hand on the younger man's pale, firm abs, caressing back and forth. As if still in a painful dream, Huang Zitao released an insuppressible moan with his eyes still shut. "See that? So this is the man you're in love with?" Wu Fan smirked at Xiao Zi. Because of Wu Fan's touch, Huang Zitao's physical desire could no longer be contained. As soon as the older man withdrew his hand, Huang Zitao curled up and began to moan in pain, touching the stage floor in an attempt to mitigate the sensations, but only to find it intensify. Wu Fan's previous touch led Huang Zitao to attempt reproducing the same feeling and begin touching himself, shifting into different positions as his two hands stroked his own body. The large amount of sweat that had resulted from twitching formed clouds of fog over his topless body. "Wu Fan, I'll do whatever you want, but please let Zitao go. He's innocent!" Seeing her typically egotistical boyfriend unconsciously touch himself like a male prostitute pleasing his customer, Xiao Zi broke down and begged Wu Fan for mercy.

At first, Wu Fan just wanted to teach this woman a lesson; even though he stopped contacting her, it didn't mean that she could get with someone else. But when he saw the topless man who was continuously caressing his own toned body, Wu Fan changed his mind and took off his jacket, tossing it to Kim Jonghyun. He pulled up Huang Zitao, who was curled up in a fetal position, and carried him bridal-style. Ignoring Xiao Zi's pleading, Wu Fan threw the younger man onto the sofa and pulled down his pants. "Hey, you're not actually going to do it, are you?" Kim Jonghyun was shocked when he caught his friend's jacket. Wu Fan was never this open, and it was a man, not a woman, that he was about to fuck (with). It was extremely atypical of him to do something like putting on a public show. Wu Fan ignored him. Not missing a beat, he hitched Huang Zitao's legs over his shoulders and thrust forward. Huang Zitao's wave of unconscious moans with Xiao Zi's hopeless shrieks had officially brought this "show" to its climax.

Sitting on the sofa, Park Chanyeol glanced over at Do Kyungsoo, who had his eyes fixated on Luhan. Park Chanyeol's lips curved up, "Go get him if you like him. There's no stars, men, or women in this place, only sheep waiting to be killed." At his last word, Park Chanyeol bottomed up the drink in his hand and took off his shirt, tossing it on the sofa. "See that assistant? I didn't know he would be so irresistible once he knocked out. His lips are even redder than the hottest chick I've had." Even though Oh Sehun didn't have as much to drink as Luhan, his tolerance was low to begin with, so two drinks easily knock him out. When he accompanied Luhan to dinners in the past, he mostly sat in the neighboring room and ate and chatted with other assistants. Last time, he somehow put himself in a drinking competition against someone on the same table out of chauvinistic pride, emptying half a bottle of Laobaigan*. When Luhan went over to get him, Oh Sehun had already passed out. In the end, despite his own fatigue, Luhan had to carry his assistant on the back, flagging a cab and leaving their car behind.

Since that incident, Luhan repeatedly warned Oh Sehun to handle things rationally, especially when alcohol was involved. At such dinners, using alcohol as a solution would only aggravate the problem, and today's situation proved Luhan right. Watching his assistant being stripped by the girls and harassed by the execs, Luhan couldn't do anything even if he wanted to; in his current state, he could barely save himself. As another wave of discomfort hit, Luhan began to lose his consciousness again. Park Chanyeol went up the stage and yanked away the hands roaming over Oh Sehun's body, dragging the kid to the back of the stage. Even though he also wanted to play around, he didn't have a strong desire for revenge like Wu Fan, so he found it pointless to put up a show in front of the crowd. However, he did find Oh Sehun fascinating, and thought it'd be fun to fool around with him. With his back to the stage, Park Chanyeol looked down at Oh Sehun, who lied completely unconscious under the dimmed light. He broke into a small smirk, wanting to insert his fingers into the younger guy's mouth, but found that the teeth were clenched tight. So Park Chanyeol grabbed Oh Sehun's chin, prying his mouth open as he forced two fingers in. Oh Sehun unconsciously grunted out of discomfort, furrowing brows that were too delicate for a man. This sent a stream of warmth from Park Chanyeol's brain straight to his member. As a habitual Casanova, he hadn't experienced this kind of involuntary desire for a long time. He instinctively began moving his fingers in and out of the younger guy's mouth at an increased speed. Park Chanyeol then added two more in a frenzy while further accelerating the motion. Oh Sehun, who was half-conscious, began to struggle and fight against the intensity of this finger-fucking. Some fluid began dripping from the corner of his mouth, which began to ache, and his already-pink lips became even more flushed. Park Chanyeol's looks suddenly transformed from casual fooling around to extreme lust. His eyes wanted to penetrate this unfamiliar body and find out the source that was fueling his desire to this level. Park Chanyeol took out his fingers and unzipped his pants, then immediately shoved his erection into Oh Sehun's mouth. In his semi-consciousness, Oh Sehun thought he was just dreaming. The feeling of something like a hot iron rod entering his mouth made him come to

his senses. He slightly opened his eyes and wanted to say something, only to find that he was completely gagged. His body involuntarily began to tremble under the touch of Park Chanyeol. "Uhhh.. erm." The fullness in his mouth started to exert pain as the man on top of him began twitching, and the thing grew larger. Oh Sehun had a small mouth to begin with, and now it had been stretched to the point of numbness. He instinctively stuck out his tongue, hoping to push out the strange thing inside his mouth. But once his tongue came into contact with the "hot rod", the man above him exploded into beastly groaning. "I didn't know you had it in you I'm pleasantly surprised." Panting, Park Chanyeol ripped the little remaining shreds of clothes off of Oh Sehun's body. Under the additive influence of alcohol and the aphrodisiac and plus Park Chanyeol's teasing, Oh Sehun's body was no longer under his own control, releasing aching moans full of lust that pushed Park Chanyeol over the edge. The older man grabbed Oh Sehun's narrow waist and pushed his saliva-lubricated wantonness into the latter's tight hole. "Ahhh" Oh Sehun wanted to yell out in pain, but found that what came out of his mouth was merely discontinuous sounds as the other man moved into him. Even though he had lost his senses, the sensation of pain was still perceptible. The feeling was like a drug, permeating, brainwashing, and numbing him, and the pain slowly formed into a bottomless pit of lust. This kind of touching, the thrill of his skin rubbing against someone else's, made Oh Sehun fall deeper and deeper into that pit. All of a sudden, Park Chanyeol planted his mouth on the younger one's, his tongue roaming around the inside as if searching for honey, entangling and fighting for dominance. Oh Sehun felt as if he was drowning, unable to breathe. After a period of kissing, Park Chanyeol released the younger guy's swollen lips as his tongue trailed down to Oh Sehun's neck, kissing his body. Oh Sehun's desire was driven to the peak, replacing his earlier frown with sounds of hypnotizing moans as his body involuntarily moved in rhythm with Park Chanyeol. Instead of feeling as if a thousand bugs were eating away his flesh, Oh Sehun finally felt the sensation subside from the older man's physical contact. When Park Chanyeol pulled away a little bit, Oh Sehun's brows furrowed as he unknowingly reached out in search of the antidote that was making him feel better.

"Don't worry, I'll give you what you want." Park Chanyeol flipped him over and held him close to his own body before launching into a series of thrusts. Oh Sehun's moans intensified and became screams, arousing Park Chanyeol like no other. Because crazy things were also happening outside the curtains and everyone knew how dirty Park Chanyeol could get, no one dared to peak behind and find out where the screams were coming from. "With a voice like this, it'd be a waste for you to just be an assistant. How about I make you a star?" Park Chanyeol teased in Oh Sehun's ear while thrusting into the body underneath him, but Oh Sehun was only half-conscious and could only utter incoherent sounds in response. Park Chanyeol just smiled and pulled him further into his embrace.

Do Kyungsoo squinted as he watched the stage shake from the "intense exercise" behind the curtains. Thinking back to what Park Chanyeol said, he felt something rise within him. Luhan was completely limp in a corner, his pants pulled down halfway by one of the girls, dangling and exposing his pale thighs, and his shirt had already been torn wide open. Some execs were madly pouring red wine over Luhan's body. Because the heat in his body was yet to be dispelled, Luhan began panting in a frenzy as the cold drops of wine landed on his burning body, the sounds unintentionally turning into heavy breathing, groaning, and then moaning that could no longer be suppressed. Do Kyungsoo gulped out of reflex upon this sight, even though he was considered reserved compared to his brute friends. Initially full of girls in addition to the three guys, the stage was becoming empty as the "items" onstage were being collected one by one, leaving a half-naked Luhan lying there. As the clock continued to tick and Luhan's expression grew increasingly enticing as his pain intensified, the remaining crowd in the audience was ready to make a move. Everyone knew that Luhan made for a good "toy", but all were hesitant to be the first to claim him; after all, he wasn't a newcomer nor an unknown assistant. Luhan used to be a superstar too. As Luhan's body movement became more and more distorted, the sounds of his panting gradually turned into screams, and the group of animals waiting in the audience finally broke out of their restraints. President Zhang of Beirong Fund, who was well over 60, along with the

42-year-old President Ahn of Anhua Securities went up and dragged Luhan off stage. They began to stroke Luhan from his neck, to his shoulders, and down to his exposed thighs. Do Kyungsoo, who was contemplating how to put an end to this show, abruptly got up and shoved away the two men who were violating Luhan. The two older men were about to throw a fit when Kim Jongin burst through the doors, promptly shutting them up. They walked away in resignation and looked for other models to be their toys. Do Kyungsoo held Luhan and tried to pull him up onto the sofa when he felt Luhan's limbs intertwine with his own body, the actor's lips inching closer to Do Kyungsoo's face as if searching for water to quench his thirst. The singer's face immediately reddened. Right when he was about to meet Luhan's inviting lips, Kim Jongin's hand suddenly appeared between their faces. The intruder peeled Luhan's body away from Do Kyungsoo before the latter could get angry. "This is because of CAORS. If you kiss him like this, it'll be a mistake you can't fix." Kim Jongin's face was void of expressions. Even though his friends had almost no bottom lines, Kim Jongin had never wavered. Moreover, he had always believed that Do Kyungsoo was the most rational of the group. Fooling around was one thing, but Kim Jongin always believed that discretion was imperative in order to live the way he wanted. He was pissed off seeing how Do Kyungsoo seemed to have gone crazy for Luhan. In fact, before shooting "Password", Kim Jongin knew little of Luhan, not more than the fact that he was a has-been child star. Despite saying that he liked the older guy's works, Kim Jongin had not watched even one. If not for the way his good friend Do Kyungsoo looked at him and the high praises Director Wang Jiacheng had for Luhan, Kim Jongin wouldn't give him a second look. But what happened tonight made him extremely uncomfortable; Luhan's existence made him uneasy because the former was making the people around Kim Jongin lose their mind. Looking at Luhan's overly exquisite face, Kim Jongin thought he was like one of those women in ancient times whose blinding beauty led to the fall of an empire, basically the root of evil. He thought, Luhan was definitely using his irresistibly brainwashing qualities to seduce Do Kyungsoo, and his universal charms was what clouded Director Wang's judgment, who was

even considering casting Luhan as the lead in the next movie. Did this guy sleep with Director Wang? He used these eyes to suck their souls out of their body, didn't he? Kim Jongin kept all these bitter resentments to himself. He offered to take Luhan home because he didn't want to put him in a cab only to have Do Kyungsoo pick him up halfway. He had no choice, because he wanted to do the right thing and prevent his friend from falling deeper. Kim Jongin thought that after the movie wrapped up, he wouldn't have to see Luhan again. Little did he know, the first thing he saw after coming back from the U.S. was Luhan clinging onto Do Kyungsoo, who even put himself in a tense situation with two senior execs when he never made anyone his enemy. Asshole! Kim Jongin thought angrily. Within one day, Luhan managed to get with his friend?? Let alone the seductive gestures that he was making to drive everyone around him to insanity. Kim Jongin dragged Luhan behind him in a rage. Do Kyungsoo tried to stop him, but his friend held up an arm. "Jongin, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Do Kyungsoo fervently shook Kim Jongin. "I'm doing you a favor! I don't want you to fall deeper! He he'll destroy you!" Half -conscious, Luhan felt someone pinching his arm so hard as if they wanted to dig through his bones. Like a burglar who got the things he came for, Kim Jongin picked Luhan up and bolted out of the suite. He felt the body in his arms become hotter and hotter, and those half-open, inadvertently seductive eyes triggered something inside Kim Jongin. He was convinced that Luhan was a curse that should not exist in this world.

Kim Jongin thought, once he got Luhan out of there, he'd just drop him off somewhere, problem solved. But he had underestimated his friend Do Kyungsoo, and how stubborn he was; Do Kyungsoo had followed him all the way to the parking lot. Kim Jongin tossed Luhan to the backseat. He rolled down the window and waved Do Kyungsoo a "bye-bye" as he sleekly drove the car around his friend.

"What the hell are you gonna do with him?!" Do Kyungsoo shouted at the car passing by him, infuriated. "Make him disappear!" Gritting his teeth, Kim Jongin growled in resentment as he turned on the headlights. Incensed, Do Kyungsoo pounded the wall with his fists; when he thought of jumping into his own car and go after Kim Jongin, the latter had already sped off out of sight. The moment he got off the plane, Kim Jongin had told his assistant to take a break as he decided to drive over to STB himself. The steering wheel felt unfamiliar after not having laid his hands on it for some time; this adding to a sudden shower of pouring rain gave the feeling that he was flying as he stepped on the gas, the tires seemingly drifting above the slippery road. Kim Jongin held the steering wheel with one hand as he lit up a cigarette. Through the rearview mirror, he saw Luhan curled up, his body twisting in tremendous pain. He suddenly felt unusually agitated. He put out his cigarette and threw the butt out the window. Although he said he was doing it as a favor for his good friend, as someone who was slightly OCD about the way he did things, he was still pretty irked at having someone that annoyed him in his own car. CAORS was a newly developed "sex" product, and its effects could last for 3 or 4 hours. If he continued to allow Luhan to invade his field of vision in those positions, Kim Jongin didn't know if he could keep suppressing the desire to kill him off. Because of the downpour, there weren't many pedestrians on the street. Going straight down this road would lead them to Guojiang Bridge in the city. Kim Jongin originally wanted to just throw this "thing" on the street and let the rain wake him up, but his brows knitted deeply as his eyes landed on that pair of clouded, unintentionally enticing eyes, and those slightly open and bright red lips, while the sounds of unconscious groans with each bump on the road reached his ears. Kim Jongin was becoming agitated again. All of a sudden, he thought he shouldn't easily let Luhan go, not when he was making him feel so royally shitty. He took the exit off the expressway and drove straight down to under the bridge, all the way to the end where the paved road stopped and the streams of water met the shore. Kim Jongin got out of the car and ruthlessly dragged out Luhan, whose face was extremely flushed. Under the rain, he put the unconscious man over his shoulders, and dropped him in the water.

Becoming submerged all of a sudden, Luhan was jolted awake, yet not completely conscious; he was merely struggling out of physiological reflexes. Kim Jongin was going to just leave him there and drive off; he thought, if he dies, he asked for it; if he doesnt, he got lucky. But his feet were somehow rooted to the ground. He watched Luhan struggle with his life and was failing; the water was slowly pulling him downward. H-help... me... Luhan called out of desperation, and Kim Jongin froze. He bit down on his lower lip, turned around, and got into his car and took off. In the rearview mirror, he saw that the splashes from Luhans struggling were becoming smaller and smaller, until only ripples from the raindrops remained on the surface of the water, as if a person hadnt just fell through it. Kim Jongin scrunched his brows in a dilemma. He turned on the stereo and tried hard to not think about the desperation in Luhans eyes before he became completely submerged , but that look in his eyes when he shouted Help me had already been deeply carved into the drivers mind, and it seemed like it was there to stay. With a bitter punch on the steering wheel, Kim Jongin turned back after driving off for several hundred meters. He stripped and threw his clothes to the back of the car, and then jumped into the water, frantically searching for the body that was struggling a moment ago. Luckily, the water wasnt too deep; after searching around 2, 3 times, Kim Jongin got a hol d of Luhans shirt and readily dragged him out of the water. Although he had inhaled a good amount of water, Luhan hadnt drowned for too long, and he was most likely familiar with water. So when Kim Jongin got him onto the shore, Luhan was still breathing, but barely. While performing chest compressions to get Luhan to spew out the water, Kim Jongin suddenly cussed at himself for not minding his own business. After all, he was a celebrity; if Luhan didnt make it and it got linked back to him, Kim Jongin would be in deep shit. He pinched Luhans nose and took a deep breath before blowing a mouthful of air into the latters mouth, which felt soft and feverish. It might have been the aphrodisiac kicking in again when his body got warmth after having been in contact with ice cold water, Luhans tongue suddenly stretched out and entered Kim Jongins mouth, as if searching for something to quench his thirst. Kim Jongin frowned and abruptly pushed him away in a panic. Due to the CPR, Luhan suddenly felt a wave of nausea and puked up the excess water in his lungs. After

going through various tortures in the past few hours, Luhans body began to shake violently under the dual effect of hot and cold. Kim Jongin scoffed, Asshole, before unwillingly taking Luhan into his arms and back in his car. Theres no way I can take him home, Kim Jongin thought. But it was partly his fault that Luhan was like this, and it wouldnt be right to just drop him off somewhere on the street. So he made a call to Lay. Give me a room, Kim Jongin said, toneless, as he continued to drive. Already getting a room when you just got back from the States? Who is it this time? As a richling owning SMS, a five-star hotel, Lay was another friend of Kim Jongins with unhealthy influences. Before Kim Jongin got famous, the two of them were best friends growing up. Ever since Lays father abruptly passed away when he had just graduated from business school, Lay had no choice but to give up his prime years of fooling around to take up the family business. Compared to Wu Fan, who had his parents support, and Park Chanyeol, whose small business was relatively easy to run, Lays SMS hotel chain was much more difficult to manage. Not only did he have to make frequent trips to international branches, but he also had to allocate shares based on the demands of the board. So over the years, Lay rarely came out to their gatherings. But there was an advantage having a friend who ran a hotel: you could get a private, VIP-level room anytime, anywhere. Spare me your lame jokes, I dont have time for this right now. Kim Jongin was always aloof, but he normally would warm up to Lay. It was a rare sight to Lay that his friend was being so aggravated, impatient, and even about to go crazy. Alright, alright. Go straight to Room 710. Ill open the door for you and put the key on the table. Lay thought hed better not to piss off Kim Jongin, and thus decided to give him the best suite, something that he almost never did. Kim Jongin knew the way to SMS well. He managed to get through carrying Luhan out of the car to throwing him down on the bed without causing a fuss; luckily, no one at the front desk tossed him a strange look. In the lobby, the doorman was about to approach and offer

assistance, but when he met Kim Jongins murderous eyes, he promptly gave up the idea and quickly returned to his post at the doors. He was about to leave when he saw through the hotel room mirror that he had been drenched all over. He made a call to his assistant, asking for a set of clothes to be delivered. Then he looked at the curled up body on the bed. He hit the redial and told his assistant to deliver two sets of clothes instead. H-help.. me... Luhan pleaded in a small voice, still drowning in nightmarish fear, his supplication emerging from lips that were partly open, wet, and utterly flushed. While pondering whether he should take a shower first, Kim Jongin started taking pity on this old man. He disliked such weak, spineless men. Yet, he wanted to make sure if he was okay, as if driven by conscience, or maybe some unknown temptation. Kim Jongin nervously inched toward the bed. He raised his hand to Luhan's forehead. It was burning. As Kim Jongin knelt beside the bed and growing helpless in trying to figure out what to do next, Luhan, despite still physically weak, managed to snake his hands up the former's arms and around his neck. The effects of CAORS were unbelievably powerful; even when Luhan had already lost half his mind and was showing signs of a fever from being soaked in cold water earlier, the aphrodisiac was still acting as usual. But Kim Jongin thought different. He believed that Luhan was inherently a whore, and the drug only brought out what he already had in him. Upon this thought, the minute amount of pity that he had felt before was completely replaced by loathing. The combination of the returned body warmth due to being indoors and the touch on his head just now from Kim Jongin, the desire previously suppressed by the cold again enveloped Luhan like a wildfire. He began to pant heavily and rub against the sheets in a frenzy. He grabbed Kim Jongin's shirt and pulled him close. Kim Jongin wanted to push away this obviously delirious person, but he soon realized that a man's desire was a shameful thing that had nothing to do with emotions. Despite his strong detestation for this man, his body still gave the most genuine reaction when Luhan's torso snaked onto his own toned chest.

Luhan felt the stillness in the person beside him and took it as an unspoken permission. He then wrapped himself entirely around Kim Jongin. He wanted something so bad right now, but he didn't know what. He just knew that there was something that could mitigate the numbness, heat, and pain within his body. He had lost the ability to think and reason, and he was completely under the control of physical instincts. Taking one step forward was lust, and taking one step backward was still lust. "You really want this?" Kim Jongin growled angrily as he grabbed Luhan's arm that was pulling him closer, his piercing eyes locking with the opposite pair fogged with irrational desire. "H-help help me or else let me die." Luhan held back his tears as he licked his lips. After having fought against the drug for so long, his body had given up by now. He could only let the streams of desire surge through his body and its last line of defense. He felt like he was dying. He even kind of missed that instant of relief when he was dropped into the water earlier. Kim Jongin paused. After a long sigh, he pulled down the other's pants and inserted two long fingers into Luhan's opening. "Ahhhhh." Luhan let out a scream, and then used his own hand to guide Kim Jongin's wrist as his body began to follow the movement of the fingers that were searching for the G-spot. This was Kim Jongin's first time touching a man there. When he inserted his fingers into that foreign spot, he was mentally preparing himself, gritting his teeth as his fingers began moving. It felt like he was rubbing the stomach of a dead fish. He didn't hate it, just thought it was an usual feeling. "Press here with your finger you do the rest yourself." Kim Jongin wanted to take out his fingers when Luhan stopped him, looking at him with misted eyes and licking his lips out of lustful thirst. "Again" Luhan managed from a raw throat. Kim Jongin pursed his lips as he watched this man, driven by lust, now seemed like a totally different person from the one he had first met. A man whose pants were pulled down halfway and with half of his shirt torn. It didn't look anything other than an suggestive invitation. " then fingers won't do." Kim Jongin gulped and mumbled, shaking his head reluctantly.

When Luhan unknowingly touched Kim Jongin last time, the latter's desire broke through the dam. Blood surged through his veins as he unfastened his belt with bloodshot eyes. He pulled Luhan's legs apart and hiked them at his waist, and thrust all the way in along the waterbed. Luhan backed up against the wall, and the two suddenly became confined in a narrow space. Seeing those partly open lips, Kim Jongin held back the impulse to attack them. Instead, he shoved all his impulses into Luhan. In the subconscious of Kim Jongin, kissing was something you did only with your lover. Right now, he and Luhan were merely two people helping each other with their needs; it was nothing more than lust. Despite the fingering foreplay just now, Luhan's virgin hole was still quite tight. The sudden collision without any prior "greeting" ended up tearing his behind, causing some blood to ooze down the crack. "Sss mMMmmmm.. ahhhHHhhhh." He hissed and frowned in pain, but the aching was soon overshadowed by the pleasure from subsequent instants of physical collision. The blood ended up as a lubricant, easing the friction between two joining body parts. Kim Jongin took Luhan's slender, pale thighs and put them against his own torso, opening the largest possible angle that would increase the ease of entrance. "You wanted to be fucked by a man that bad? Huh?" With bloodshot eyes full of loathing, Kim Jongin spit out these words as he gritted his teeth and watched himself continuously entering the supple body beneath him. The pleasure that had engulfed his entirety, Luhan's face urging him to keep entering again and again, and that feline cry released at each thrust; these things were like catalysts that made Kim Jongin keep going, and going, and going. He just couldn't stop.

Kim Jongin had already completely dismissed the so-called drug effects. He was convinced that this was Luhan's true color. If he could open his legs to him under these circumstances, then, Kim Jongin was certain, there would be a second, a third, even a fourth man that was about to enjoy this kind of "benefit". Or maybe he wasn't even the first one. Maybe Do Kyungsoo had already slept with him. Maybe this was how he got all his roles, following those unspoken rules. The thought of this made Kim Jongin suddenly feel more exasperated and angry. He pulled Luhan's waist against his lower half. He took the tie he had just loosened and tied it around Luhan's arms, as if prompted by a force of unknown emotions, trying to find some form of release and balance from the body writhing beneath him. "AhhhHhhh" His soft moans turned into a painful scream as Kim Jongin suddenly began thrusting much harder. Luhan bit down on the muscled arms that were gripping his waist, leaving a visible mark. Kim Jongin's anger--or was it lust?--became intensified from the pain, and accelerated even more, as if he wanted to penetrate this body all the way through, to fill the emptiness in him that someone had revealed tonight with lust. "After tonight, I don't ever want to see you again, Luhan. You and I will become the most unfamiliar strangers." Kim Jongin snarled into Luhan's ears as his desire hit the deepest part of the other's body. After both of them had entirely emptied, Luhan's body was limp. He sprawled across the bed, lying on his stomach and with his head turned sideways. There was no more signs of cravings in his eyes, which were staring into space, lifeless. Wide open, his eyes were fixated on the corner of the wall. After Kim Jongin pulled out, Luhan stiffly pulled down his shirt out of instinct, as if trying to hide his dirtied member. Kim Jongin merely peered at him before getting up and going into the bathroom. The sounds of showering water suddenly made Luhan, still slumped on the bed, burst into tears. What the hell happened? What exactly happened tonight? He just felt like the whole thing was a terrifying nightmare. Someone got him drunk, he felt really hot, he fell into the water, and

then he slept with a man?! AND that person was Kim Jongin. Even though he had been pretending that he was unaware of many things in this business, at this age, it wasn't like he was nave. He was brimming with bitter regret that he had fallen straight into the trap this time after having had his guard up for so long. But could he blame Kim Jongin? Even if you told him it was all because of the drug, that he was unconscious, but in his "dream", he clearly begged the guy to fuck him, no? At this thought, Luhan slapped himself on the mouth. Luhan you're usually so smart, but you can get really fucking dumb in the matter of seconds. You fucking thought that since you've been around for this long, no one could pull off something that'd knock you out, and look what happened today. You not only begged a man to fuck you, you're even scared to breathe after the deed, as if you're afraid that he'll make you remember how disgraceful you were. After a quick shower, Kim Jongin put on a bathrobe, sat down at the edge of the bed, and lit up a cigarette. Luhan still had his knees against his chest, his back facing the other, afraid to move an inch. He was going to wait for Kim Jongin to leave before fixing himself up. After over 10 minutes of awkward silence, Kim Jongin's assistant called to say that the clothes had been delivered and placed by the door. Kim Jongin got up, took the clothes in, and got changed. He tossed the remaining set of clothes onto the bed. Then he left. As he heard the door close, Luhan put his arms over his head, and his whimpering turned into sobbing. He couldn't believe that as someone nearing 30 years old, he could still be this fragile. Despite his own misery, he suddenly thought of Oh Sehun and remembered that he didn't even know if his assistant was still alive. So he pulled himself together and dragged his torn, aching body into the bathroom. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Luhan looked at the marks on his wrists where he had been tied up, and something jolted through him. Throughout the intense carnality, Luhan could feel how much Kim Jongin despised and resented him, and he realized that the latter actually held such deep grudges against him, and all that friendliness was just an act. Luhan was never the type of person to make enemies, but at this moment, he was actually grateful for this

"hostility", which made it impossible that they would ever reconcile, and the so-called pain would never resurface in front of him. Luhan was relieved at the thought of this. He pursed his lips as he kept washing himself off of the traces of intimacy. Right now, he just wanted to get out of there ASAP, go look for Sehun, and run away from this crazy circle of people that was more horrifying than a bad dream. He got changed and fixed himself up, then left the hotel and rushed over to STB. But it was empty when he arrived, as if those unimaginably twisted acts had never happened the night before. He took out his cell phone and tried his luck as he dialed Oh Sehun's number. And it actually went through. "Oh Sehun! Where are you?" Luhan felt incredibly guilty. Although Sehun had been working as his assistant all these years, their relationship had been more than employer-employee after spending large amounts of time together. Especially after Lulin passed, Luhan had naturally come to treat Oh Sehun as family and rely on him as such. Luhan was lonely. After the car accident 3 years ago that he thought he had caused, he not only lost a sister, but also lost the trust of his blood-related family, who had since treated him as a killer, someone who had torn apart this family. Even though Byun Baekhyun, his brother-in-law, had always stressed that it was only an accident and tried to make him look good in front of his own parents, his parents still looked at him with rejecting eyes. Because he didn't want to deal with the misery imposed by his own family, Luhan had not gone back home for New Year's in 3 years. If Oh Sehun, the only person that was family to him right now, also got hurt because of him, then wouldn't it once again prove his mother right when she scolded him and called him a "jinx"? The feelings of guilt were growing larger in him, about to haunt him for many days to come. "I... I'm trying to get gigs for you, of course why don't you come home? I just fed Ado." Wu Sehun's voice was a bit hoarse, but otherwise normal. This threw Luhan off, as he was going to

shout "What the hell happened to you?" into the phone. He was sure that Sehun was being harassed based on the memory he still had of that night. He was really okay? "O-oh, okay, I'll be right back." Luhan replied in feigned composure, hiding the fact that he was so glad at those words. Before this call, he had mentally prepared himself for the worst; if those assholes did anything to Oh Sehun, he would go to the media. If he had to put all the previously involved artists to shame, he'd do it just to have these evildoers prosecuted. But once he heard Oh Sehun's undisturbed voice, the weight in his heart was finally lifted, and he felt much better. Luhan had completely moved on from his experience by now. As for that Kim Jongin who hated him so much, Luhan decided to forget him. They were from different worlds to begin with, and something unusual happened between them only because of a drug. Luhan didn't feel like he had been raped. If it was just giving each other what they needed at the time, then fine, he accepted that. Even though he still felt something nagging in the back of his mind, he attributed it to the feeling of being violated when two straight men had sexual relations. After he got his exhausted self home, Oh Sehun began telling Luhan his schedule of the day in a raspy voice, a mask covering his face. Seeing how Luhan sprawled himself on the couch the instant he got back, Oh Sehun offered, "Or maybe we should cancel today's schedule" He didn't ask why Luhan was so tired. The gloom cast over his face showed concerns, but it seemed like something in the air had turned sour. "We can talk about the schedule later. Sehun, could you speak to the people at MON and tell them that I don't wanna shoot 'Two Romantic Stars" anymore?" Luhan said quietly, pretending to be calm. Oh Sehun froze. Luhan thought, even though Sehun was okay, after all those unpleasant experiences last night, he wasn't sure if he could still work with these scumbags. In particular, Luhan found that President Park who spiked their drinks as well as his sneaky subordinates extremely unnerving. Plus, the person who led him into this trap was the producer for this show! Luhan didn't want to make enemies, but he also didn't want to work with a group of deceitful dickheads. The thought of this suddenly reminded Luhan of Huang Zitao. Though they had only met once and very briefly, having experienced similar things, Luhan

couldn't help but feel empathetic toward his junior. He could only hope that Huang Zitao was okay after being put through what happened last night. "." Oh Sehun was silent. He was looking at his phone, his eyes lifeless. He wasn't e ven making signs of kicking away Ado, who was grinding its head against his leg. "Sehun? You alright?" Luhan studied Oh Sehun, who suddenly snapped out of his deep thought. "This is the only gig that came through these days. Even though even though they did go overboard last night, but in the end nothing nothing happened," Oh Sehun started to choke. "Luhan-ge, the show you should do it." Luhan frowned; he knew that something was off this whole time. Oh Sehun was never good at lying, and here he was, saying things that lacked a certain gravity but still sounded serious enough. Luhan ignored the pain in his lower half and got up, hurrying over to Oh Sehun. He pulled away the hand covering the mask and yanked it off. The bruises around the younger's mouth were shockingly visible. "What the hell happened to your mouth?" Luhan's left eyelid was jumping, and that ominous feeling once again spread throughout his body. Luhan's unease had actually come true; Oh Sehun was pretending to be okay so that he wouldn't worry. These bastards so it's true Oh Sehun snatched the mask from Luhan's hand and put it back on. "I just had too much to drink and knocked myself on the leg of a chair. Don't be so paranoid. What could happen to a grown man like me? Anyway, back to what I was saying, you have to take this gig, or else I quit." Oh Sehun would often joke around or threaten Luhan with this or that, but this threat was not looking much like a threat at all. "Oh Sehun!" Luhan yelled anxiously; he wanted to hear the truth from him. "Stop asking, Luhan-ge, I'm begging you!" Oh Sehun sighed and fell to his knees in despair. His shoulders were shaking. So those memories are all real those unbearable memories

"Sehun?" Luhan lowered into a squat and gazed at Oh Sehun. This was the first time in a long time that he was speaking to Oh Sehun in such a gentle voice; he was afraid that an overly intense gesture would upset the younger even more. "Nothing.. I'm just a little tired." Oh Sehun fell into silence for a few seconds, his fingers unconsciously massaging his brows. He put his mask back on. He seemed so nonchalant, as if the hysterical person a moment ago was someone else. "Take a break and go home. I'm not in the mood to work anyway," Luhan patted Oh Sehun on the back while thinking he should probably move up the date to meet his brother-in-law. If he wanted to teach those assholes a lesson, it might be easier if he used some help from Byun Baekhyun's identity as an entertainment news reporter. His face didn't betray these thoughts as he mulled them over. Oh Sehun watched Luhan in a frown. He knew this person in front of him all too well. He might look composed on the outside, but Oh Sehun could tell that something was churning in his

mind. "Luhan, I'm doing away with the honorifics this time because I want to advise you as your assistant. Don't try to expose those people. You have to stay rational even if they did something to me. What you're planning to do will end up like trying to break rocks with eggs or something equally childish. Plus they really didn't do anything to me." Luhan had always thought Oh Sehun as a kid with gray thinking*, so in regards to many things, Luhan would refrain from busting his bubble as someone older and more experienced, despite disagreeing with his opinions. But when Oh Sehun almost broke down this morning, Luhan saw an unfamiliar "grown-up" in him. Maybe his personality had been reshaped after spending all this time in showbiz, or maybe he was always like this, just overlooked by Luhan in his own conceited "grown-up thinking". Luhan now began to see Oh Sehun differently. Seeing Oh Sehun so concerned for him, Luhan thought he couldn't let the younger worry about him anymore. So he fibbed, "It's not like this is the first day you're working as my assistant. I'm fully aware of that." Luhan patted him on the shoulder. "Plus, you're not a kid anymore, what's with the shaking?" Oh Sehun took his bag and headed to the door. He stared into Luhan's eyes as he was about to leave, forcing a smile, "Remember to read the script. 'Two Romantic Stars' starts shooting next Monday, don't forget." Luhan nodded quietly. He could be considered as mentally precocious; biologically, he was nearing 30, but he was really 60 at heart. At the same time, because he grew up in this vanity world, he had a hard time remaining calm about certain things, especially things that he cared about. If one cussed at him, insulted him, or attacked his reputation as a star, he wouldn't have much of a reaction. Instead, if one did something slightly out of the ordinary to Luhan as a person, or the people around him, his impulsive action would be as intense as anyone else. Take, for example, when his sister was exposed by Byun Baekhyun when he was still an unknown paparazzi back then, Luhan went to the guy's magazine firm and set his bike on fire. Even though later on things strangely worked out and Byun Baekhyun married his sister Lulin, Byun Baekhyun still occasionally used what he did back then as a joke to tease him, saying

something like, What kind of grown-up star is capable of things like this? No wonder you're destined to be a "child star". Now, Byun Baekhyun had climbed up the ladder and become the assistant chief editor of "OK Auntie"*, a gossip magazine. Since Lulin passed away, he made work his life, and was dubbed by many bitter celebrities as a "shameless workaholic". He and his "cannon", a super long-lens camera, had exposed tons of perverse insider scoop in the business. These two days were crunch time for Byun Baekhyun as he was working on getting the weekly periodical to print, but when Luhan said he had to speak to him about something urgent, he put work on pause and met with Luhan. "Been waiting long?" Luhan said as he arrived at the caf. Byun Baekhyun was writing something furiously in a notebook, his laptop open next to it. This kid still a workaholic. "Nah. Some reporters just sent me some photos they took the other day, I was checking to see if they're good enough to get printed." Baekhyun took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He watched Luhan as he sat down across from him with a dreary, emaciated face, looking even worse than when he had to work overtime for 2 weeks straight. "You've been staying up for filming? I thought 'Password' wrapped up?" "I'm still hung over from last night, that's why I look pretty shitty. Speak for yourself though, your dark circles makes it look like you're competing with our national treasure. But you? Not even." Even though it had been 3 years since Lulin passed, Luhan maintained a friendly relationship with his brother-in-law. Lulin used to say that if not for Luhan, the two of them wouldn't become a couple, so they had always seen him as their matchmaker. But nonetheless, their story didn't have a happy ending. Luhan was the person who brought them together, but he was also the one that ended their happiness. Whenever he thought back to that car accident 3 years ago, Luhan would feel his heart ache, and he felt especially sorry toward Baekhyun every time they met up. Harboring these unspeakable feelings, Luhan had always wanted to take care of his brother-in-law, filling in the empty spot where his sister should've been. "It's tough making a living in showbiz, especially as paparazzi. It's been a month without something headline-worthy, so our president has been on my case day in and day out, saying if I don't come up with anything big soon, he's gonna kick me out." Baekhyun grinned at Luhan as

he continued, "But luckily we got a pretty good scoop last night. You know Huang Zitao, right? Last night, he got brought to SMS by the Fareast CEO and opened a room. Tsk tsk tsk This should be enough to last us a while." Byun Baekhyun smiled at Luhan as he took a sip of his coffee. Luhan had been listening with composure, but his expression changed at the mention of Huang Zitao and SMS. So it wasn't just me yesterday, Huang Zitao went there too. The thought of this made him break out in cold sweats as he wondered if he and Kim Jongin got spotted too. But as he looked up, Byun Baekhyun's eyes didn't reveal anything unusual, so Luhan had to test the waters, "Only them? Did the paparazzi get anything specific?" Byun Baekhyun was a bit taken aback at Luhan's sudden questioning, since he never really asked much about the details of his work. But he didn't think much of it as he saw sincerity in the other's eyes, so he told it as is. "I think they only got photos of those two. It was raining, so they only managed to get the profile shot. But the thing is, with SMS, you could only get as far as the front entrance, and they've got a very comprehensive CCTV system inside, so it's difficult to get anything detailed." Byun Baekhyun said as he clicked on the photos in his laptop, as if he was trying to pick the best one. "Actually, the thing I wanted to talk to you about today has to do with that." Luhan took a sip of his water, then rubbed his hands together nervously. It so happened that he didn't get photographed, but they got Huang Zitao instead. At these words, Byun Baekhyun was again surprised by his brother-in-law. "Eh? Don't tell me you too?" Byun Baekhyun furrowed his brows in shock, "You've always been careful, what's going on here?" Baekhyun shoved his laptop to the side and fixed his inquiring eyes on Luhan. Luhan awkwardly looked up, thinking that he could leave out the part that had to do with himself, as long as he could have Baekhyun help publicize what these people were doing. "I've got nothing to do with it. It's the 'evil dinners' that I'm talking about." Byun Baekhyun's ears perked up at this mention. Though he was obviously interested, Luhan could still tell that his brother-in-law was confused. "But Luhan, you're not someone that likes to bring people to justice. What trick are you pulling on me that you're voluntarily giving me

scoop? Is it because I keep whining that I'm not getting enough work, so you're taking pity on me?" Byun Baekhyun grinned and joked with Luhan as he slapped him on the shoulder. Despite their friendly relationship all these years, Luhan rarely mentioned to Byun Baekhyun things about his own work; after all, the two circles they belonged to constantly had occupational tension. Byun Baekhyun had always clearly separated his work from his personal life, and he was also well aware of his brother-in-law's stereotype about his work, so when they met up, they usually talked about how they were doing, or simply had a meal together. Luhan was acting out of the ordinary today, which the other thought was odd. "Who they go after is none of my business, but this time, they went overboard." Luhan looked at Byun Baekhyun with apparent persistence in his eyes. Byun Baekhyun gave up the idea of joking around as he grasped the gravity of the situation. He understood what that look meant. Luhan had always cared tremendously about the people in his personal life. It wasn't hard to tell from his expression and words that this definitely had to do with someone close to him. Byun Baekhyun guessed it was Oh Sehun. "You know, if it's coming from you, of course I'll do anything to help. It's just that these people are too fucking powerful, and there have been hundreds if not thousands of people who were ever involved in their dinners the past two years. It's been quite a downer for us paparazzi." Byun Baekhyun continued after taking a sip, "But, as a paparazzi who has a sense of social responsibility and with abilities out of this world, it's not impossible to teach them a small lesson." Byun Baekhyun put down his mug and beamed at Luhan, "But you have to help me." "Sure, what can I do?" "According to reliable sources, tomorrow they will open rooms at SMS after leaving STB. Since SMS is extremely strict about what kind of people can get in, you have to bring me inside." The mild smirk on Byun Baekhyun's face earlier was now replaced by professional caution. Previously, due to the so-called internal subversion in showbiz, Byun Baekhyun had also helped some celebrities execute similar expos like this. But this time was different; the person he was collaborating with was his brother-in-law, who was displaying an abnormally high sense of justice when his own name was rarely ever mentioned in the gossips. What kind of deep

grudges did Luhan hold against these people, that he threw aside his high values and "stooped" to my level? Oh Sehun must be real special to Luhan. "Okay, I'll do it." Luhan heaved a sigh and peered out the window. He asked himself if it was worth it. All these years, he had always strived to just live his own life and mind his own business, but now he was about to delve into something that went against his professional conscience. But when he thought of how upset Oh Sehun was this morning, Luhan pulled himself together. He thought, Screw it. I'm going down either way. Actually, all this time, Byun Baekhyun always felt something inexplicable toward Luhan, especially after Lulin passed. Every time he saw the forlorn look on Luhan's face, his throat would feel so raw as if it was on fire, but he felt even worse if he didn't see Luhan. So every month, Byun Baekhyun would set aside a time to meet with Luhan. After his wife passed away, he could only remember Lulin through a face that resembled hers. As for other unnecessary thoughts, he typically killed them as they first took form, stopping them from growing into something else. "Take care of yourself. Look at you down to skin and bones." Byun Baekhyun sighed as he pointed at Luhan's protruding collarbones. "How come you're not wearing the twin necklace? I almost never see you forget." Byun Baekhyun remembered everything about this man that took a resemblance to Lulin. Today, the item that symbolized their relationship as twins was absent on the empty notch of Luhan's chest. Luhan touched his own neck and drew a sharp breath. He might've left it on the bedside table before he took a shower at SMS, he thought. The thought of this drove him into a panic. He quickly got to his feet and rushed toward the exit. "I drove. Where are you going? I'll go look with you." Byun Baekhyun could tell by Luhan's anxious movement that he probably forgot where he dropped the necklace. And since Luhan left home in a hurry, he had taken a cab to the caf. So when Byun Baekhyun offered, he nodded without thinking and got into the former's car. When Luhan said he was going to SMS, Byun Baekhyun simply paused for 2 seconds, but said nothing. After their car arrived at the front of the hotel, Luhan remained seated, refusing to get

out. Byun Baekhyun followed his stare ahead and saw two people: Lay, the owner of SMS, and the celebrity Kim Jongin. Seeing that Luhan was making no signs of exiting, Byun Baekhyun pretty much figured out that he was hiding from one of those two. But he didn't try to rush Luhan, so they just sat in the car, until a doorman came over and told them to move their car, as a guest was behind them. Watching Luhan's knitted brows that told of anxiety and bitterness, Byun Baekhyun felt something tug at his heart. "What about this, you wait here, tell me the room number, and I'll go look for you." Byun Baekhyun unfastened his seatbelt and looked at Luhan. "Alright. It's 710." As Byun Baekhyun was about to get out of the car, Luhan added, "Thank you for not asking." Byun Baekhyun just tossed the other a cheerful grin before turning around and walking into the hotel.

Byun Baekhyun fixed the cuffs of his sleeves and walked into this "six-star" hotel. Because he had been working overtime for 2 weeks and camping out at the office, though he did do his laundry, he was still wearing the same clothes he did a week ago--t-shirt and jeans. Dressed in these made him look out of place in such a grandiose place. He normally didn't care much about appearances, but he was now wondering if it was okay that he was dressed like this. "Excuse me, my friend opened a room here last night and left something behind. I was wondering if you could ask around and see if anyone picked it up." Byun Baekhyun walked up to the front desk and smiled at the receptionist. "Oh? Which room was it?" The receptionist inquired politely. "710." "Please wait a moment, I will ask the seventh floor housekeeping staff." She smiled before dialing an extension and inquired about the situation. Then she hung up and smiled at Byun Baekhyun, "I'm sorry sir, they didn't see anything this morning during housekeeping. Customers who stay overnight at our hotel normally wouldn't lose their belongings. Could you ask your friend to try to remember if he really left something here?" Embarrassed, Byun Baekhyun called Luhan. After a moment of recalling, Luhan said on the phone that he was 100% certain he lost the necklace here. "Or is it possible to have someone take me to 710 for me to look around myself? Maybe it got dropped through the gaps?" After hanging up helplessly, Byun Baekhyun now resorted to negotiating with the receptionist. He knew what this necklace meant to Luhan; the pendant had a picture of Luhan and Lulin when they were kids, and there were originally two identical pendants. After Lulin passed away, hers went with her into the coffin, and Luhan wore his in memorial of his sister. Byun Baekhyun knew better than anyone just how much they loved each

other. Once, Byun Baekhyun said to his wife half-jokingly, "If people who are blood-related could get married, I probably wouldn't be your husband," and Lulin actually agreed completely. Because of that, they went through a cold war for some time, but eventually, he got used to the fact that he was ranked second in Lulin's heart. After all, it would be somewhat inappropriate to get jealous of someone who was her twin brother. "Alright, I'll ask someone from the seventh floor housekeeping to go look with you." "Thank you." Although SMS was a long-time watch point of his, Byun Baekhyun hadn't stepped inside the hotel for many years due to several previous unpleasant experiences that he had here. He followed a housekeeper into the elevator and up to the seventh floor. Byun Baekhyun noticed that the dcor changed by floor; the higher the floor, the more upscale the interior design, and the number of rooms decreased as well. If there were 50 rooms on the second floor, then there were only about 10 on the seventh floor. Also, entrance to the seventh floor required a triple ID card scanning. Byun Baekhyun scrunched his brows, wondering how in the world did Luhan get in here. Based on his personality and the fact that he lived in the city, he would never casually open rooms in a luxurious place like this. Out of occupational habits, Byun Baekhyun inadvertently asked, "It seems like not everyone could stay on the seventh floor?" The staff that brought Byun Baekhyun upstairs explained with a grin, "The seventh floor is not open to the public. These are all rooms reserved for the CEO's friends. Sir, it's 710 that you need to visit, right?" "Yes, please lead the way." Byun Baekhyun was even more confused after what the staff said. The CEO's friends? I never knew Luhan was close with the CEO? If they were really friends, wouldn't Luhan have gone out of the car and said hi at the front just now? Despite his many questions, Byun Baekhyun didn't suspect that his brother-in-law had lied to him; based on Luhan's personality, he wouldn't try to hide something, unless there was a reason for him to keep it secret. But ever since Luhan's strange behavior earlier today, his flustering when they arrived at the front of the hotel, and then the anger when he brought up the "evil dinners",

Byun Baekhyun was almost positive that Luhan had to be somewhat involved in what went down last night. The staff opened the door to room 710, which was already spotless following housekeeping. "We usually clean up immediately after the customer checks out. If there's anything left behind, we'd take it to the front desk, so customers could come back and pick them up later. But the housekeeping staff in charge of cleaning this floor today did not see any necklace." "It's okay. How about you go on about your day, I'll take a closer look in the gaps. I trust your professional standards, and I'll also explain to the person in charge later. Necklaces are small things that can be easily dropped into a gap somewhere. It definitely wasn't because you didn't do your job well." Byun Baekhyun knew the rules in hotels; if customers left something behind and the housekeeping staff didn't look closely enough, such carelessness could jeopardize their job. And so while requesting to look for what he came for, Byun Baekhyun also appropriately gave reasons that could spare these staff the possibility of looking bad. "Alright. Take your time, I'll be in the receptionist room at the end of the hall. You can come find me after you're done." With Byun Baekhyun offering such a speech, the staff thought that he probably wasn't some suspicious character and let him do what he wanted. After seeing the staff off, Byun Baekhyun followed what Luhan said and went to the bedside, looking into the gap. When he saw the ivory lamp on the bedside table, he suddenly realized in regret that he should've brought some "work equipment" with him. Since it was difficult enough to actually get inside this hotel, let alone getting on the seventh floor, and with the staff explaining that most people were barred from this floor, the elite that could conduct dirty business in here had to be extremely influential people. If he could install a bug or something in here, it would've helped with his work tremendously. Just as he got down to the floor and began searching intently with his ass sticking out, Byun Baekhyun seemed to have heard a call for help. The rooms had excellent soundproof; if not for the open window, he probably wouldn't have been able to hear anything through the walls. This took him by surprise; he thought, who would be calling for help in a place like this? He forgot about the necklace and immediately leaned closely against the wall, trying to hear what was going on next door.

The instant when Byun Baekhyun wanted to find out what was going on, there was someone who had been standing at the door to 710 for some time. The person had his arms folded, amused at the man crouching on the floor, who was too focused to notice that his shirt had lifted up, exposing half of his pale torso. Ever since Byun Baekhyun walked through the doors to SMS, Lay had recognized that this person was from that notorious magazine "OK Auntie". Numerous celebrities who stayed at his hotel had complained to him about this man and his infuriating ability to get the most shady scoop. Not too long ago, a couple of people from this magazine even tried to get inside the hotel under disguise to engage in stalking, but were caught by the security guards and had their camera equipment smashed. So when Lay saw this person walking through the front door today in broad daylight, even though the security check didn't find anything suspicious, like camera equipment or bugs, it made Lay all the more wary. What the hell is this old man doing here today? Is he only gonna open a room? But he doesn't look like someone that could pay USD$3000 up front for one night? And so after the housekeeping staff took Byun Baekhyun upstairs, Lay went up to the front desk after seeing Kim Jongin off, "What did that guy ask?" Upon questioning by the CEO who normally didn't inquire about specific details of the hotel, the front desk staff got nervous, wondering if this was an impromptu checkup, and began to stutter. "T-t-that guy? He said his friend left behind a necklace in 710, so he came to look for it." Lay frowned at the reply. 710 was the room that he himself opened last night for that horny bastard Kim Jongin, how did a gossip magazine reporter become his friend? Lay had always hated paparazzi, plus his own curiosity, he followed Byun Baekhyun to the seventh floor. Standing at the door to 710 and watching Byun Baekhyun search for something with his ass up in the air when he used to run head-to-head with the hotel staff, Lay couldn't help but smirk at the sight. He was going to tell him to scram, but he just stood there and kept watching, out of curiosity or something other reason. He wanted to see what kind of trick this guy had up his sleeves.

It wasn't until he saw that Byun Baekhyun went against the wall trying to hear what was going on next door, then did Lay's amused smile disappear. He slowly and calmly walked toward Byun Baekhyun, and stood behind him. Byun Baekhyun felt goose bumps in his back. He slowly turned around and met the ice cold stare of Lay. They looked at each other for one awkward minute before Byun Baekhyun broke the silence. "Ermyou've got really solid walls," Byun Baekhyun weakly patted the wall that he was up against just a minute ago, offering an obsequious smile. Having worked as a paparazzi for a long time, whenever he found himself to be in this kind of situation, he often chose to gloss over and use jokes to dissolve the awkwardness. "Oh? If you wanna touch it so badly, I can take you next door, you can touch all you want." Lay raised his brow and sneered. Byun Baekhyun quickly got up from the floor and waved his hands. "No, it's fine. I just came to help a friend look for a necklace, but I didn't find it, so uhm, I'm gonna go." He tried to go around Lay with his head down, but got pulled back at the passing. "Byun Baekhyun, 'shameless workaholic'." Lay grabbed his collar and spit out in a chilled voice. "As an unimportant person, I'm extremely honored to have such a great person like yourself remember my name." Byun Baekhyun wanted to free himself from the other's grasp, but found that Lay's eyes were becoming colder, and his hold becoming stronger. "You're an unimportant person? To think that back then, the almighty Key went to rock bottom wasn't that because of your gossip magazine?" Lay paused a bit, "Even though I was out of the country at that time, because of you and your goddamn minions exposing Key's scandal at this hotel, we were in deficit for two years in a row. If not for my dad's bailout, I wonder what SMS would be like today" The increasing coldness in his voice was chilling Byun Baekhyun to the bones. He thought, this was the so-called secular news these days; either you reported something right away, or you waited for the right time to do it. Thinking back to the time when he was fighting for the position of the assistant chief editor, Byun Baekhyun did resort to certain means, and the Key incident was comparable to the Edison Chen sex scandal a couple years back, so it naturally became his stepping stone. Although the end result was that

he and his magazine became blacklisted by SMS, he did get to sit down behind the assistant chief editor desk. He thought that important people tended to be forgetful, but here he ran into one that liked to rake up old scores. "What do you want?" With Lay's antagonistic and menacing words, Byun Baekhyun also put aside his paparazzi smile, thinking he wouldn't be able to get away without putting up a fight.

What do I want? Lay smirked. He took out an exquisite miniature handgun from behind and put it next to Byun Baekhyuns head. Just when Byun Baekhyun took a sharp breath at the pop, he realized that what fired out of the gun was a small flame; it was just a lighter. Byun Baekhyun suddenly heaved a sigh of relief; he thought Lay wasnt that stupid. He knew the consequences to murder. Were all adults, but you using such a childish way to show how angry you are with me, means that I must cause you a lot of stress... Byun Baekhyun glanced at Lay before he suddenl y wriggled out of Lays hold. Ooooh, Im so scared, what should I do? I feel like you should do something thatll make me feel safe. Out of nowhere, Lay shoved Byun Baekhyun to the French windows, pulled open the curtains, and set his head on the windowsill. Seeing how much I like you, how about I have security go tell the person in that car that youve left through the back door? That shouldnt piss you off, right? As soon as Lay finished, Byun Baekhyuns cell phone went off. It was Luhan. Lay raised his brows and lifted his chin toward the other, as if saying, Do whatever you want, Ill just be watching. Byun Baekhyun thought it was just getting harder for him to get out of there; Lay looked like he wouldnt easily let him go without having him beg f or it. It was probably because he had been closely watching SMS and it annoyed the hell out of them, but Byun Baekhyun still had faith in

his abilities to talk his way out of this and convince Lay to drop his antagonism. Plus, he didnt want Luhan to know about things like this. Luhan already disliked his occupation as a paparazzi. If he found out how Byun Baekhyun was being humiliated like this, he would definitely find it unsettling. After a moment of deliberation, Byun Baekhyun decided to take the call. Uhm... yeah... something suddenly came up at the office, and I happened to run into a colleague in the back, so he gave me a ride back. Looking up, Byun Baekhyun saw Lays unreadable expression and added, Sorry, I didnt find the necklace, and here Im asking you to take the car back home... if anything, Ill talk to you when we meet up again. Just as Luhan began talking about what they should do tomorrow, Byun Baekhyun quickly dropped a Lets talk later and hung up. He looked up and offered a big grin, not wanting to lose to Lay. Certain things can work out if you talk it out... We did do quite a bit of wrong to you guys, but you understand that we were just doing our job, dont you? Before this, Byun Baekhyun had heard of Lays feats; despite his young age, over the past few years after returning to China due to his fathers death, he did manage to wipe out a large number of obstacles throughout Beijing. For example, Lay crushed a former competing hotel through an equity merger in just 8 months. Byun Baekhyun had heard from a colleague from the fiscal department that it wasnt as simple as it sounded; it was more like they used the equity merger as a cover for an organizational robbery. It had to do with the fact that Lay knew both the good guys and the bad guys; using both a carrot and a stick, it wouldve been a piece of cake for him to force the largest shareholder of the other party to sign off on the merger. Moreover, SMS was a place where both good and bad guys came in and out. Before when he spoke of it to Luhan, he only roughly described what this hotel was like, but in fact, countless incidents of all kinds had happened at this upscale facility for social and leisure use of the upper class, not excluding providing officetel for lovers, exclusive VIP services, and even special services like house arrests. Apparently, a government official put a secretary of the opposing party under house arrest at SMS, and used certain means to interrogate and obtain

information about his opponent. Some people would say that this was illegal, but in this society where power and wealth were overly concentrated and abused, most problems could be justified as long as no blood was shed. Just recently, a subordinate reported to Byun Baekhyun that Huang Zitao and Wu Fan visited SMS last night, but they only saw Wu Fan leave. So when he heard a call for help, his first thought was that it might well have been this extremely popular young actor. Too bad he got caught before he could get a better idea of what happened. I understand, so whatever happens next, you have to understand where Im coming from, too. Lay snapped his fingers and a horde of big guys barged in and gripped Byun Baekhyun, kicking the back of his knees and making him drop to the ground. A lot o f stuff has been going on lately, Im afraid that if I let you go like this, you wont be able to keep that big mouth of yours shut, so I need to have you stay here for two nights. After things have calmed down a bit, Ill properly send you home for sure. Lay smiled as he crouched down, lifting Byun Baekhyun's chin. There was no anger on his face; instead, he seemed like he was excited about something. "Thank you, but I really don't deserve for you to do that I mean, I'm from the working class, I I really can't afford your six-star services. Please just let me go, I'll swear on my integrity that I will absolutely keep my mouth shut." Ultimately, Byun Baekhyun really wasn't some big, important person, and encountering something targeting him today--something dangerous--did scare the shit out of him. Since he even mobilized his men, Lay definitely didn't just want to scare him. He must have some ulterior motives. "Well I really didn't want to get mad with you and your stupid gossip magazine, but some things make me feel like there's a toad on my foot; it doesn't bite, but it's annoying enough. So I decided to use you guys as an example, and send a warning to all the paparazzi in this city that are trying to get some scoop on my turf: Don't get fucking delusional with making money. Grow some brains first before trying to mess with me. And you're right, high-class rooms like this don't suit you, so I got you a separate room. It'll be a perfect match." Lay snatched the phone from Byun Baekhyun's hand and threw it out the window. He tossed a grin at the security guards, who immediately lifted up Byun Baekhyun despite his protest and

struggling, as if they were carrying a package. Then they threw him into a dark, cold basement. Over the years, Byun Baekhyun did offend a number of people from uncovering the so-called truth in the showbiz circle, but either because the heavens favored him, or he simply got lucky, he had never gotten into serious trouble. Now, squatting in the basement, he looked around this place that resembled a prison cell from the ancient times, Byun Baekhyun suddenly felt shivers down his back. He felt as if all of his good luck from the past years had been used up in one night. "What do you think? It's cool all year round, you don't even need an air conditioner. Oh yeah, there's also a restroom, though it's not very clean." Lay closed the door to the basement and leaned at the door. All of a sudden, he was in a really good mood as he watched the guy squatting over there with despair written all over his face. He strutted up to him and saw that Byun Baekhyun's midsection was showing again. Lay scrunched up his brows as he mused, Do paparazzi get paid shit? Why can't you buy clothes that actually fit? Damn what's the point of working your ass off then? "But honestly, we had old scores, but nothing recent! I only came here today to look for something for my friend, I really didn't plan to pull something off at this place! And I really wanted to ask, did you know that this was illegal?" Not only was the timing bad, I had to run into this goddamn dead end with this guy. "Not now it isn't, but who knows if it will be later? But for my client's privacy, I had to take some precautionary measures. Food will be provided over the two days that you're here, and you have the restroom. If you need to find 'release'." Lay stooped down in front of Byun Baekhyun, grinning as he stroked the pale and exposed midriff. "I wouldn't mind taking care of that for you." Byun Baekhyun shoved him aside, his ass landing on the ground from the momentum. "N-no thanks! My kidneys have been suffering lately*, there's no need." Byun Baekhyun pulled down his shirt in utter embarrassment, wondering if this man was a pervert or what. Even though he did harbor some sort of feelings toward Luhan, it was only because he looked like his wife. If he really had to fool around with a man he barely knew, he wouldn't even be brave enough to start.

"Oh but there will be," Lay got up. He bent down and took off Byun Baekhyun's glasses. Lay rubbed the other's nose, and then burst into cackles at his surprised expression. He turned around and walked toward the door as he said, laughing, "After a night of passion, you'll know what to say and what not to say. Later, Specky, I'll keep the glasses. You actually look much better without them." Suddenly without his glasses, Byun Baekhyun felt like the dark basement seemed even darker. He gritted his teeth and pounded on the wall, cussing out Lay's ancestors, "You'd better not let me out once I'm free, I, Byun Baekhyun, will bury you and your SMS with shady scoop!!" Amidst his anger, Byun Baekhyun began contemplating: What the fuck is "a night of passion"? Does it have to do with the info on last night? Luhan looked up the hotel building as he hung up with his brother-in-law. He always had a hard time tolerating Byun Baekhyun's workaholism; on several previous occasions, he would take a call in the middle of a meal and just run off without explaining. Then, he would call and apologize after the fact, saying that whenever he was in a rush, he would forget that there was someone else next to him. Even though this problem of his often threw Luhan into confusion, he got used to it after a while. This time, it seemed that Byun Baekhyun did it again, and so Luhan didn't suspect much. He just thought that the next time he saw him, he should say something, since it was getting a little too frustrating. After Luhan took Byun Baekhyun's car home, he held the "Two Romantic Stars" script in his hands with growing discomfort. Heaving a sigh, Luhan opened the script, and read the first sentence by his character, Bai Zhan: "In this world, where there is black, there is white also. I've always thought that I was the righteous one, but with the pressures of reality, I've slowly become a puppet living in between. In the years of partnering with Hei Long as a pair of good and bad cops, I've come to realize the true meaning of my existence. In this world where black isn't black and white isn't white, you have to stick by your own principles, and that's the path you should take."

Just as Luhan was deliberating how to escape this black-and-white world, Kim Joonmyun, the producer, called. Looking at the caller ID flashing on the screen, Luhan hesitated for over 10 seconds before he finally answered. "Tomorrow my boss wants to ask everyone to come out for another gathering. Wanna come?" Kim Joonmyun's voice sounded extremely calm, as if what happened last night had nothing to do with him. ".." Luhan said nothing. He couldn't manage one word, consumed by the thought of how could someone be so shameless. "I know you must despise me, but I have to say, Luhan, we're the most powerless people in this boat, and I'm doing my best to protect you guys." Kim Joonmyun said as he sighed, "Like Zitao, I tried to protect him during the past few times that we worked together. I tried to make excuses for him not to have to go to the dinners. But this time, I did my best." "." "Don't be disgusted by one part and reject the whole thing. We're all doing this for survival." As he finished, Kim Joonmyun was going to hang up when Luhan finally spoke. "I'll go, but I'm bringing a friend." Luhan took a deep breath as he pushed out the last words. As if surprised at Luhan's reply, Kim Joonmyun fell into a few seconds of silence. "Alright. And uh, I look forward to working with you." So it was true that the world wasn't just black and white. Luhan thought that the only thing he could do right now was to not get drowned by reality. If he could escape, he had to be the one to save himself. Tomorrow, he hoped to turn the tables together with Byun Baekhyun.

By the next day, Luhan still hadn't seen Byun Baekhyun come to pick up his car, and the 15th phone call failed to go through. He already had a feeling that something was wrong, and now he was getting more and more restless. Luhan drove Byun Baekhyun's car to his office, and was told that the guy had disappeared ever since yesterday morning. Then he hurried to his apartment and used the spare key under the flower pot to open the door, only to find a void that had taken over for quite some time. It looked like Byun Baekhyun probably hadn't been home since he worked overtime yesterday. Luhan looked in a number of places and still couldn't find him. An ominous feeling was spreading maliciously in his head. The original plans of them going to the dinner tonight together was no longer on his mind. Right now, Luhan had to find his brother-in-law. He recalled that the last time he heard from him was

in front of SMS, where the missing person said that he had run into a colleague and accepted the ride back to work. After the search attempts today, Byun Baekhyun was obviously lying. Over the years, although Byun Baekhyun had fabricated one lie after another for the sake of his work, Luhan believed that he would never, ever lie to him; he was sure of it. This was what made his brother-in-law so trustworthy to him. When no explanation prevailed, Luhan was forced to the come to the conclusion that something had happened to Byun Baekhyun. A light bulb went off in Luhan's head and he quickly drove to SMS, and parked in the lot in the back. Before getting out of the car, he saw two people exiting from the Ferrari some distance away. It was Park Chanyeol and Oh Sehun. For an unknown reason, something suddenly jerked Luhan's heart. I did give him a break, but when did he start hanging out with these douchebags? Following the dim light in the parking lot, Luhan saw Park Chanyeol put his arm around Oh Sehun's shoulders, who immediately pushed it away. Then Park Chanyeol grabbed Oh Sehun by his waist, immobilizing him before pushing him up against the post. Park Chanyeol began attacking the other with ruthless kisses. Oh Sehun stopped struggling and let Park Chanyeol continue his assault. Luhan, who was sitting in the car, couldn't bear to watch anymore. He called Oh Sehun out of instinct. Park Chanyeol stopped at the ringing of the phone. Oh Sehun shakily answered his phone. "Sehun ah where are you?" Luhan was hiding low in his seat and managed a question as he tried to stop trembling. "I-I'm at home, Luhan-ge. What's up? If nothing Im so sleepy, I wanna go to bed." Oh Sehun pretended to be calm, but Luhan could tell that he was nervous, and the subsiding panting from the previous intense kissing lingered in his voice. All of a sudden, Luhan felt so helpless. It was his fault that Oh Sehun got dragged into this, and now here he was, watching the kid being trampled by evil without being able to do a thing. Luhan contemplated what to do; he would only embarrass Sehun if he were to run out right now and try to intervene. "Nothing, just wanted to see how you were doing." Luhan took a deep breath before fibbing. "I see. Then I'm gonna hang up now bye, Luhan-ge." Luhan gripped the phone in his hand as he listened to the monotone at the other end. His heart stirred as he thought of Oh Sehun's

"bye". He suddenly began to regret hiring him as his assistant in the first place, and he regretted even more that because of his own imprudence, an innocent kid like Oh Sehun fell into such a predicament. Luhan stayed inside the car as waves of thoughts crashed into him. He didn't get out until the two disappeared from his sight. Standing in the empty parking lot, his feet felt like leaden weights, planting him to the ground. Why, Sehun? He was forcing himself on you, but why didn't you resist? What did Park Chanyeol do to you to make you like this, when you're a straight guy who's had 3 girlfriends? The thought of this was so painful, it felt like his head was being split in half. Out of nowhere, headlights flashed in his direction, a shadow flickering behind them, stinging his eyes. Squinting, Luhan peered toward the light source and saw Do Kyungsoo get out of the car with car keys in his hand. "Didn't think I'd see you here," he walked up to Luhan, wearing an earnest grin. His memory of that night was incomplete, but Luhan vaguely remembered Do Kyungsoo helping him get out of there. But he still believed that Do Kyungsoo couldn't be much of a good guy. He was just the least rotten one in that whole basket of rotten apples. "What a coincidence," Luhan forced a smile. He immediately began moving toward the elevator. Do Kyungsoo could tell that Luhan didn't want to talk to him, but he still followed the other into the elevator. An awkward silence reigned during the ride up. "That night were you okay?" Do Kyungsoo suddenly spoke before the elevator was about to reach the lobby. Luhan trembled as he thought vehemently what this "okay" meant. If being thrown into the water, getting raped by a man, and having his friend humiliated was "okay", then he was doing just peachy. "If you were looking for an affirmative answer, then I'm fine." As he stepped out of the elevator, Luhan turned around and added, "Thanks, anyway." Do Kyungsoo managed an uncomfortable smile. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself. After coming out of the elevator, he remained at the bank, watching. Luhan didn't turn back. He wondered if he was being too harsh. It was true that he disliked these people, but at least Do Kyungsoo never had the intention of hurting him. But then, why should he go soft on him? If Do Kyungsoo could be friends with these assholes, there was no

way he could get along with him. Too bad, he mused, that he thought Do Kyungsoo was a decent guy while shooting "Password". "Hi, I was wondering if there was a guy in glasses that came here yesterday looking for a necklace? In room 710." Luhan stretched his neck over the counter as he asked the receptionist. The welcoming beam on the receptionist's face suddenly disappeared. She replied with gravity, "Yes, but he couldn't find it, so he left." Luhan frowned at the response. She was obviously lying through her teeth. She couldn't have had personal reasons to do so, so someone must have ordered her to. Just as Luhan wanted to ask something else, the receptionist suddenly pretended to be busy and dialed an extension. Security guards marched out of the waiting room. They stood at either side of Luhan and said to him politely, "Sir, we just received a call that you were harassing a receptionist. We'd like to ask you to leave the premise immediately." Baffled, Luhan stared at the two beefy guys. Before he could defend himself, the guards took him by the arms and began hauling him out the lobby. "How could you do this without a legit reason?! LET ME GO!!" Luhan yelled furiously. A good number of guests in the front lobby stood up and turned their eyes to the scene. Some were whispering, "Isn't that Luhan?" Do Kyungsoo, who had been watching Luhan in the back, went up to the guards and yanked their arms away, "Let him go!" "But Mr. Do" The guards knew that he was their boss's friend, but they still got orders to carry out. They were at a loss. "No buts. If anyone asks, tell them it was me that let him go." Do Kyungsoo glared at them as he took out his phone and issued a threat, "Looks like I'm now a nobody here at SMS. I should give Lay a call and ask him what he's been doing with you people," he spit out with raised brows. Seeing how outraged Do Kyungsoo was and being threatened with a call to their boss, the apprehensive guards finally gave up and left. Luhan glanced at Do Kyungsoo as he rubbed his shoulders. "Thanks," he managed unwillingly. "You came to look for someone?" Despite the fact that he knew Luhan had no intention of

speaking to him, Do Kyungsoo still attempted a conversation with enthusiasm. He added in seriousness, "Luhan, I really want to help you." "Why?" Luhan knitted his brows at the other. Why are you always so two-faced? If you really wanted to help, why were you just watching me and the others make a fool of ourselves as if it was joke? If you really wanted to help, why didn't you tell me that the drinks were spiked? If Luhan used to hide what was bothering him just like every other hypocrite in this business, then Do Kyungsoo's persistent ingratiation after that night finally pushed him over the edge. He hated being played around like a monkey, especially when he was beaten with a stick before being fed a piece of candy. Do Kyungsoo was stunned, speechless. Already irritated, Luhan turned around to leave after the other failed to produce a reaction. "If I said I liked you, would you accept me?" Luhan only paused for a split second before resuming his steps. At the lack of reaction, Do Kyungsoo continued, "If you give up looking for him, aren't you scared that he'll get hurt?" These last words made Luhan whip around, his chest constricting in panic. So he knew. He knew that Byun Baekhyun disappeared inside this hotel. So he knew everything. That goddamn expression of his just now, that face asking "Are you looking for someone?"--Luhan wanted to slap that face so badly right now. "What the fuck you knew everything and you're asking me??" Luhan was utterly infuri ated. Were these people addicted to fucking around with a monkey? Did they think that monkeys performed for free? "I admit, I did hold back in the beginning. But right now, I just want to help someone I like. Even if you won't accept me," Do Kyungsoo gazed at him. "I know where he is, but Lay is very stubborn. He's not gonna let the guy go unless you're someone close to me. He knows all of my friends, so it'd be hard to have you pretend to be my friend. If you don't mind, you could pretend to be my significant other? As an excuse to get him to release the guy." Luhan flinched at the words "significant other". It gave him the urge to send two punches in the other's face. Noticing Luhan's displeased expression, Do Kyungsoo added, "It's really just pretending. After he lets the guy go, I swear I'll leave you alone."

Luhan's feet were set on leaving the hotel's premise, but right now they were glued to the spot. Although he didn't know why SMS suddenly held Byun Baekhyun hostage, Luhan knew that it definitely had to do with him. But this probably wouldn't have happened if Luhan didn't let him go inside the hotel to look for the necklace. If he mustered the courage to just turn around and leave right now, what would happen to Byun Baekhyun? Luhan had witnessed how unpredictable these people were. If their primary interests were at stake, they might do something that would seriously jeopardize Byun Baekhyun's safety. Luhan was overcome by worries. He was afraid that each rash decision that he made could determine whether someone else was going to live. He sighed in resignation. He decided that he could only take this risk; maybe this least rotten apple had come to be handy. "Right now, I have no choice but to trust you. If you genuinely want to help, I appreciate it. If you're just pretending to, please stop. It disgusts me." "I really do, I swear!" Do Kyungsoo assured him solemnly.

Seeing him here was the last thing he expected to happen. Hugging Luhan by the waist, Do Kyungsoo took him to Lay's office on the 18th floor. It was a luxurious, spacious room with decorative contours. After they entered through the wooden doors, everyone in the room couldn't be any more familiar to Luhan. Wu Fan was sipping a glass

of red wine by the window, Park Chanyeol was playing miniature golf, while Kim Jongin and Kim Jonghyun were on the leather sofa, chatting with Lay. When he spotted Kim Jongin, Luhan shrank out of instinct, but was pulled back by Do Kyungsoo, who tightened his grip on the other's waist. "Didn't think you'd get here so fast, Kyungsoo. But you got here just in time. Come help us convince Jongin. He said he's not going tonight," Lay whined to Do Kyungsoo before noticing the person in his firm embrace. "You two? Good job, dude." Lay switched to a smirk, as if he didn't think his friend could pull it off. At Lay's words, Kim Jongin, who was leaning into the sofa and looking out the window, turned his eyes toward the door. He suddenly blanched, his brows scrunched up tightly. "Let me introduce, this is my lover, Luhan. And this is Lay, the CEO of SMS. I'm sure you know the others already." Luhan was already shocked by the sight in front of him, and now he was even more staggered, only able to produce an awkward nod. In fact, he was going through a mental seizure inside; if there was a hole in the ground, he would bury himself in there with no second thoughts. "Oooh, I haven't seen you in a few days and you already got yourself a lover? I'm so jealous. Come, sit." Park Chanyeol walked over to the sofa, something hidden in his tone. Sehun wasn't by his side. Luhan had the urge to punch in that pretentious face of his, but stifled it as he reminded himself that his priority right now was to save his brother-in-law. He tugged Do Kyungsoo by the shirt, hinting him to get to the point. Wu Fan just offered an apathetic glance toward the joking in the room before returning his gaze out the window. Kim Jongin was silent the whole time, his cold eyes fixed somewhere else. "Actually, Lay, I wanted to talk to you about something. That paparazzi you took into hostage the other day is actually Luhan's brother-in-law. Could you let the guy go?" Do Kyungsoo said pleasantly as he picked up a glass on the coffee table. Lay didn't waver in his grin. He casually responded to Do Kyungsoo's sincere eyes, "Geez, I didn't 'take him into hostage'. I'm not that violent. It's just that I liked this little guy a lot, so I wanted to keep him to play with tonight. You wouldn't mind, would you?" Lay turned to Luhan, a smile still plastered on his face, but Luhan could clearly sense the pressure in his voice.

Luhan forced a reply, frowning, "Since you offered, I'd really appreciate it." "You're now our Kyungsoo's 'beloved boyfriend', as his buddy, how could I possibly give your guy a hard time? Don't worry, nothing will happen to him." Lay got up and offered a glass of wine to Luhan, who wanted to decline, but accepted anyway after giving it some thought. Nonetheless, because of the unpleasant experience he had the last time he was in the presence of these people, Luhan didn't drink from it. Lay and Park Chanyeol snickered when they saw that Luhan was making no signs of drinking. Kim Jongin turned around and looked at Luhan, his eyes as if piercing through air, lifeless. Luhan quickly looked away, only to meet Do Kyungsoo's eyes that had been fixated on himself. Do Kyungsoo took it as a sign of chemistry and actually stretched out his hand and caressed the back of Luhan's head. This awkward scene was suddenly turned around when Wu Fan suddenly spoke, "Did he eat when you sent him food today?" Wu Fan approached Lay, wine glass in his hands and completely ignoring Luhan. "Nope. Besides screaming for help, he pukes whenever we feed him." Lay put away his smile and looked at Wu Fan gravely. "Just let him go. Or at least uncuff him. My guys told me that he might have an infection. You did your 'punishment' already anyway. He might actually die if you keep this up." They were discussing a matter of life and death nonchalantly, as if it was a game, as if Luhan wasn't there. Something stirred in Luhan as he wondered who was so unlucky to be treated like a toy by these people. "It's because he's so damn stubborn with me and won't cave at all! If I can't make him understand who's boss, I'll take his last name." Wu Fan coldly replied. Luhan couldn't help but feel chills running down his back, but besides him, no one reacted any differently, as if they were long used to this. You people are seriously dicks, Luhan thought. He was growing uncomfortable at the thought that he was about to spend an entire night in this kind of atmosphere, let alone Kim Jongin who was sitting across from him but treating him like air with a blank face. Just then, Kim Jongin's phone went off, and continued to ring as he ignored it. His friends peered at the caller ID:

Diana. They looked at each other and said nothing. In the end, his older brother, Kim Jonghyun, decided to speak up. "You should return her call, or else she's gonna go to mom and say you're ignoring her," Kim Jonghyun patted his brother on the shoulder reluctantly. Kim Jongin looked at the flashing screen of his phone, and then turned his eyes to Luhan, who was next to Do Kyungsoo. He suddenly picked up the phone and threw it on the ground. Due to the force and the fact that the floor was made of Lay's favorite hard black marble, the phone was smashed into irreparable pieces. The sharp sounds of shattering assaulted everyone's ears. Kim Jonghyun touched his nose in defeat and got to his feet. Despite being the older brother, he didn't want to get involved in this drama. The rest tried to resolve the awkwardness and suggested a change in venue. Lay saw how pissed off Kim Jongin was and concluded that there was probably no chance that he could convince his friend to go to STB, so he made the executive decision of changing the venue to the SMS rooftop. Park Chanyeol made a call to Kim Joonmyun and let him know that he could send the "bitches" over. Luhan cringed inside when he heard Park Chanyeol use the word "bitches", but he managed to plaster on a small smile for these people. The saying went, prostitutes had no heart, and actors had no emotions*; they only appeared human in bed or onstage. Luhan knew that every time these people asked them to come out not because they valued them as artists, but treated them as toys, as entertainment. Even though he was already well aware of this early on, he still found it unnerving to know just how exactly they defined people like him. Luhan followed the group toward the rooftop. Unthinking, he looked behind his shoulders, only to meet Kim Jongin's eyes, watching him. Kim Jongin lifted up a balled fist, then opened it. The necklace was dangling from his palm. Luhan 's heart tightened and he froze, unable to move even though he had wanted to get the hell out of there ASAP just seconds ago. Do Kyungsoo hurried him, "What's wrong?" He looked at Do Kyungsoo, and then thought about the necklace that he regarded even more highly than his own life. He blurted out, "You go ahead, I I wanna go to the restroom first." Do Kyungsoo furrowed his brows, but didn't question him. He offered a "I'll wait for you up there" before joining Lay and the others on the way to the rooftop.

It was just the two of them now. The place was so quiet that the smallest sound of breeze didn't belong. "Did you do that on purpose?" Kim Jongin's cold voice pierced through the silence. "Give me back my necklace!" Luhan walked up to Kim Jongin and reached for the necklace in his hand. Kim Jongin stepped back and drew the necklace back into his palm. "Im asking you, did you fucking do that on purpose?!" Kim Jongin gripped Luhan's elbow and hurled him down on the sofa. He loosened his collar and kneed Luhan in the crotch, pinning him in place. "Did you have to go so low?? Didn't I tell you to get the fuck away from the people close to me? Huh??" Kim Jongin was yelling louder and louder, putting more and more force through his knee. "I know you hate me. If you give me back my necklace, I promise you, you'll never see me again!" Without the effects of drugs this time, Luhan had the strength of a grown man. He sat up and tried to free himself as he kicked the other in the ribs. That kick magnified the anger in Kim Jongin, who immediately pressed Luhan's leg under his own body, holding him in place. "Can I still trust you?" Kim Jongin's bloodshot eyes were inexplicably sinister. This wasn't the sweet and gentle guy in the movies, nor the star who humbly treated everyone on the set, and definitely not the artist whose professionalism Luhan had once respected. The Kim Jongin now was like the devil, a monster whose sanity had been consumed by darkness. Do Kyungsoo's voice calling for Luhan was heard from outside the door. Luhan was about to answer when Kim Jongin put a hand over his mouth. He quickly hauled Luhan behind the sofa before pushing himself down on top of the other. They sensed Do Kyungsoo enter and walk into the restroom, and then searching around the living room. Because the place was too big, and Kim Jongin did a perfect job hiding the two of them, Do Kyungsoo was completely oblivious to Luhan's silent call for help. Kim Jongin looked down at the man beneath him, his face reddening from being stifled. Without warning, he pulled down the other's pants and instantly rammed into Luhan. Luhan hissed, releasing a groan. He knitted his brows and bit down on his lips, which began to bleed as he was biting so hard because of the intense pain. He didn't want to cry, and he

thought that his lacrimal glands should have become desensitized due to age, but apparent not. Right now, his tears were out of his control as they were relentlessly drawn out by the pain. He was losing his strength from the sudden assault and tearing in his body, and his hand stopped pushing Kim Jongin away. It was nothing like the physical pleasure it was supposed to be, but a punishment that was worse than being imprisoned. After thrusting a few times, Kim Jongin noticed that the body underneath him was stiff, the face void of expressions, and his fury evaporated as he suddenly froze, watching Luhan's ashy face. "I just want my necklace back." Luhan said slowly as he looked at Kim Jongin with a vacant face. Kim Jongin immediately held down the outstretched right hand, pinning it down as he suddenly launched into another merciless assault, despite softening slightly just a moment ago. He abhorred this face on Luhan, the apathy, the tenacity hidden beneath a still face. It made him want to tear and shred every last defense in this person even more, to see what he was like without a soul. The collision between two bodies brought more than desire; it gave an irrepressible desperation. The blood seeping from the corner of Luhan's lips was like a flower blooming on his translucently pale face. Kim Jongin, who had always avoided kissing in a purely physical relationship, suddenly leaned down, licking the bright red spot. It was only one lick, but the metallic taste quickly spread beyond the tip of his tongue like a flame. It was like a drug, making him want even more. So he licked again, just the blood. But he soon began to suck, and then enveloped Luhan's mouth with his own. His mouth, his tongue brutally invaded the closed mouth, prying it open, sucking out the last breath, the pairs of lips intertwining. That half-sweet, half-bitter taste of blood mixed with something else opened up every single pore in Kim Jongin's body. He felt as if he was in heaven. Luhan, on the other hand, was overtaken by tremors all over as he passively received what felt like punishment. He felt like the world was completely empty, and he seemed to be hearing a voice chanting in his ears: breathe don't drown He thought he was probably dead, because he felt like he was in hell.

This gathering was able to take place thanks to Lay. Everyone was actually extremely busy these days, barely able to spare a minute out of their packed schedules, but today happened to be Lays birthday, and it had been years since they all celebrated together. Lay proposed a party this year out of the spur of a moment, with the reason being that they would all be scattered to different places soon, so this year they should get together for real for his birthday. For the sake of this party, Wu Fan and Park Chanyeol cancelled multiple meetings, and even Do Kyungsoo changed the date for his new album release. As Lays closest buddies, the Kim brothers obviously would show up. But after Park Chanyeol said something to Kim Jongin, the latter adamantly refused to participate, even though he had come to Lays office already. And then the rest was history. Despite a sudden change in venue, luckily the weather today was nice, not excessively windy up on the rooftop. The hotel personnel were also very competent, as they were able to put together a presentable party setup on a last-minute notice. The vacant rooftop suddenly became boisterous and glamorous with the arrival of the group of ladies that Park Chanyeol had invited, and the guests were busying themselves with drinking and other forms of entertainment. The crowd was getting larger by the minute. No one noticed that Kim Jongin and Luhan were still missing. Park Chanyeol had his arms around two girls, one on each side, drinking. Do Kyungsoo was on the rooftop, but his eyes constantly flickered to the exit, preoccupied with something. After a brief moment, he left and went downstairs to look for Luhan. Wu Fan and Lay were standing off to the side with drinks in their hands as they chatted about the recent FANSL merger. In the middle of their conversation, a staff went up to Lay and murmured a report in his ear. Lay's

eyes remained on Wu Fan, but his smile vanished all of a sudden. He dismissed the staff and cleared his throat. "Huang Zitao just bit a staff's hand. Maybe you wanna go check it out?" Lay moved beside Wu Fan, unconsciously raising his voice due to the surrounding noise. Wu Fan furrowed his brows. He took a sip of his drink before setting it down on the counter nearby. Lay offered to come along, but Wu Fan declined. "You're the birthday boy today, you don't need to see things like blood." After a pause, Wu Fan continued as he broke into strides and fixed the cuffs of his sleeves, "You know how they tame beasts? Whipping, and more whipping," he said in a low voice that was nonetheless extremely piercing. Lay understood what he meant and so stayed behind, getting slight shivers down his back. In recent years, he knew that because of family strife, Wu Fan's aloofness intensified and transformed into ruthlessness, but he didn't know just exactly how cold his friend had become until Huang Zitao came along. As a friend, Lay suddenly felt relatively fortunate. After all, being an enemy to someone like Wu Fan warranted a lifetime of misery. Passing through the wild crowd, Wu Fan's face became increasingly menacing as the lights faded behind him. People who knew him and wanted to say hi were instantly intimidated by his aura and made way. He walked into the elevator and pressed 7. Those who were already inside immediately bowed and exited as Wu Fan entered. In the eyes of Wu Fan, there were only two types of people in this world: the strong and the weak. The strong would always rule over the weak, and the weak could only survive under the foothold of the strong. This was the philosophy that he had lived by all these years. It had been effective in the past, and remained applicable today. As for Huang Zitao, Wu Fan never wanted to have anything to do with him. He only wanted to teach him a lesson for messing with what was his. After the "punishment", Wu Fan was waiting for him to do the obvious--get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness. He didn't expect that this fool would stand up to him despite his own lowly status, or even to fight back and spit out a "Fuck you, Wu Fan." This was the perfect definition of infuriating.

Spewing expletives nonstop, Huang Zitao had gone limp after last night's "intense exercise", even though the drug's effects had worn off. Wu Fan swiftly chose to handle violence with violence to resolve this exasperating scene: he held Huang Zitao's restless hands in place and used the handcuffs in the drawer, originally prepared by the hotel as a sex toy for guests, to cuff them to the bed post. Then he used his tie to bind his feet together. So Wu Fan thought that that would've solved the problem. But Huang Zitao's free mouth was still spitting out expletives. Wu Fan took off his shirt and stuffed it into the other's mouth, shutting off the annoying noise. He watched the person that was sufficiently tied up on the bed but continued struggling, and frowned. He got off the bed and sat on the chair on the bedside. He put on his pants, and then lit a cigarette. It wasn't his first time with a man, but they were all effeminized boys that were suitable for gay sex, and it was always just a fulfillment of desire with mutual consent. He merely fucked Huang Zitao out of anger; the guy wasn't his type. It was a pure accident. As for bringing him to the hotel, he only did it to not be a wuss in front of his friends, who were egging him on. He thought it would simply be an one-night stand, and he was going to just tell Huang Zitao to leave as soon as he woke. But then the guy started biting people like a dog with rabid first thing in the morning. Looking into Huang Zitao's bloodshot eyes, Wu Fan smirked with a feeling of familiarity; this sight actually reminded him of Chief. Chief was a Bengali white tiger that Wu Fan's father acquired through overseas connections and gave him as a birthday present when he was 12. When it just arrived at Wu Fan's house, Chief was still young, but it had already grown quite a temper. Not only did it dislike strangers, but it would also growl at and try to bite his owners for no reason. The private animal trainer that they had hired said hopelessly to Wu Fan's father, suggesting that he send the tiger back; from the way it looked, the tiger was bound to hurt someone in the future. The 12-year-old Wu Fan made the executive decision and fired the trainer on his father's behalf. He spent 2 weeks and tamed the tiger using whips and a long stick. Over the years, he had been using the way he tamed his tiger to make "conquests" left and right. The whip he used ended up training a third-generation "iron fist" in the Wu household. While Wu Fan was studying in the U.S., Chief wouldn't follow the orders of someone else, and

was shot to death by the butler. After so many years, Wu Fan still kept the tiger hide, though he thought that beings like Chief should probably be eradicated from this world. After a coincidental "pleasure ride", he unexpectedly came across someone like Chief, including a pair of large, defiant eyes. Wu Fan put out his cigarette as he came to a decision without thinking--tame him. Using whips and cuffs. He spent 2 weeks with Chief, so it shouldn't take him more than a few days with this low life that was incomparable to the tiger. But Wu Fan failed to take into account the physical differences between a human and a tiger; within 2 days, Huang Zitao had become weaker than he had anticipated. An untamed animal was bound to bite back at some point, and Huang Zitao turned out to be surprisingly similar to an untamed animal. The housekeeping staff standing at the door to the room rushed over to Wu Fan as they saw him coming out of the elevator. Before they opened their mouth, Wu Fan preemptively took out his wallet and wrote out a check to be given to the staff that got bitten. Then he sent them away. As he pushed the door open, an acrid odor of blood instantly pervaded his nose. Huang Zitao looked at Wu Fan, his mouth dripping blood. Despite starving for days and lacking physical strength, that persistent insolence was still apparent in his eyes, irritating Wu Fan to the point of cursing. He kicked the door closed and immediately took off his tie and got out of his suit. He knelt over Huang Zitao. With each inch that Huang Zitao moved, he slapped him across the face, to the point where Huang Zitao began to bleed in the corner of his mouth. After being tied up in bed for 2 days, Huang Zitao had been changed into loose pajamas by the staff. Wu Fan yanked down his pajama pants while pinning back the thrashing body. "Do you hate me?" Wu Fan asked with raised brows. "So much that I wanna kill you!" Huang Zitao snarled through gritted teeth, his voice raspy from the lack of food or water. As if he had already expected this answer, Wu Fan gripped his waist and rammed into Huang Zitao. He put his arm in front of the other's mouth, as if tempting him to bite it.

Without a thought, Huang Zitao sank his teeth down with all the remaining strength in his body. Wu Fan frowned, but didn't try to free his arm. He simply watched his own arm bleed as he began thrusting faster. "I'll let go of you when you stop biting." Wu Fan used his good arm to hold the other's waist even tighter and continued driving into him harder and harder. Huang Zitao was not going to release his bite now that his enemy was bleeding. He wanted to tear this person apart with his teeth, draining his blood, killing him. When a person became too stubborn about something, he tended to forget about something else that was of equal importance. Wu Fan's member that was colliding against Huang Zitao had become stained with blood because of the enormous force, on top of the existing blood on the latter's body. The white sheets were now smeared with two sources of blood, merging into one stream of want. The pain became embodied in the vivid red as both of them descended into an irrational rage. After sputtering two growls, Huang Zitao finally released his bite as he passed out, and Wu Fan withdrew from his body. In passing, his glance fell on the arms that were bloodied from struggling within the handcuffs, and then he looked at the bite mark of over an inch on his own arm. He thought Huang Zitao definitely was biting as hard as he was suffering. This guy would go to any lengths to get even. He got up and fished out a bunch of keys from the inner pocket of his shirt. Then he uncuffed Huang Zitao and untied his feet. He whispered into the ears of the unconscious man, "I'm letting you go. Let's see how far you can make it." Wu Fan put on his pants and called the hotel staff from the hotel phone. It wasn't that Wu Fan was tired of taming Huang Zitao, nor did he run out of ways to do so. He knew full well that Huang Zitao was a human being, as opposed to Chief, and humans were relatively fragile creatures. He didn't want to end his life before making him witness and realize the inequality inherent in this world; that wasn't Wu Fan's ultimate goal. Basically, today was only a warm-up. When he left the room, he saw Lay who had come downstairs to check up on him. He said with composure, "Don't worry. Even if he's dead, it won't happen at your hotel."

Lay uneasily sent his friend a punch. "When am I ever scared of that? Dude, don't change the subject, you know what I'm concerned about." Seeing a group of staff coming down from the rooftop and toward their direction, Wu Fan and Lay headed to the elevator on the opposite side. Wu Fan said as they walked, "I'm not into men, but I'll never pass up a chance to feel the thrill of conquering someone. Today's your birthday, stop talking about stuff like this. Don't you forget that I cancelled a board meeting for you. Let's go, birthday boy." Lay studied Wu Fan's unchanging face throughout this conversation. For some reason, an ominous feeling shot up from the bottom of his feet all the way to his head. Right now, he was most worried about Wu Fan repeating a mistake from many years ago, all because of his instincts to pursue that thrill of conquest. That time, the other party ended up dead in bed at SMS.

Lay just finished giving a short speech on the stage, thanking everyone who came today, and his final "Have a great fucking time!" was like a bomb, triggering the explosion of the crowd into a heightened madness. A few girls walked up the stage and began grinding up on Lay. Although he hadn't visited nightclubs much in the past few years, past memories of the good ol' crazy times flooded over him upon the intimate contact, instantly sending him into a frenzy that affected those watching in the audience as well. Park Chanyeol was fooling around with the woman clinging onto him as he looked at his silent phone. This kid didn't actually abandon his Luhan-ge and quit on me, right? The musing made him scrunch up his brows. "President Park~ what do you think about me?" The new supermodel, Suri, asked in a whiny, honeyed voice as she embraced Park Chanyeol's arm. He drank from his glass and put his arm around her waist, smiling. "I think you're pretty. And I love it." He pulled her close to her and took a whiff of the scent of her perfume as he massaged her ass.

Kim Joonmyun, who had been moderating the venue, came up to Park Chanyeol. Overlooking the lewd sight in front of him as if he had long been used to it, he directly spoke into Park Chanyeol's ear an overall report of today, "Everyone's here except Luhan." Park Chanyeol's hand continued the squeezing motion as he nonchalantly replied, "Oh, okay." Kim Joonmyun was apparently confused by his boss's indifference; after all, he had stressed multiple times that Luhan must come. Nonetheless, Kim Joonmyun tossed aside his questions and didn't say a word. He nodded and then left. Why did Park Chanyeol want to invite Luhan? The answer was simple. First, it was obvious that Kim Jongin and Do Kyungsoo both showed some form of attention toward Luhan. As a friend to both, Park Chanyeol would be doing either of them a favor if things worked out either way. Second, he wanted to show Oh Sehun that the person he liked had already become someone else's target, so he should just give up and be a toy for Park Chanyeol. But he misjudged two things. One was that Luhan's relationships with Kim Jongin and Do Kyungsoo were way too complicated. The other was that Oh Sehun changed his mind halfway; after entering the hotel room on the way to the rooftop, he had second thoughts and actually kicked Park Chanyeol in the balls before running away. Recalling this incident, Park Chanyeol lifted his brows. This kid is really fucking interesting. Smirking, he sent a text to Oh Sehun as an attempt to break him: "So about those sexy pictures of youhow could I just upload them on the Internet? With the money I have at MON, if I burned them onto a CD, it should sell, right? Oh yeah, how's it going with Luhan's work? I hope he can find something on Mars." After he sent the text, he followed it up with the most seductive picture of Oh Sehun, where he was completely naked. Park Chanyeol gave it 2 hours max from the time he sent the text with the picture to the time Oh Sehun returned. But 2 hours had passed, and there was no sight of Oh Sehun anywhere. An inexplicable feeling came over Park Chanyeol; he just felt really irritated. As if trying to vent this unknown feeling, he reached into the woman's top and began kneading her soft breasts. "So President Park can I shoot that movie?" The woman leaned into the crook of his neck, sucking, as her body attached itself to him. If not for the crowd, she might have already stripped and offered herself to him.

"Sure if you do a good job." He suddenly lifted up the woman and set her on his lap, making her cry out in surprise, which was fortunately drowned out by the booming music. Just when he was about to proceed, an approaching individual deepened the grin on his face. Seeing Oh Sehun coming closer toward him, Park Chanyeol held the woman close to his own body, the posture was not unlike the one that Oh Sehun was in the other night. That time, under the effects of the drug, Oh Sehun's lithe body showed him all the possible positions that two men could be in, including this "cowboy" position that Park Chanyeol became addicted to. He remembered how under the dimming light, Oh Sehun clasped his arms as he sat down on him, his soft opening tightening around his member, bringing them into multiple waves of climax as he swayed back and forth. For the first time in his life, Park Chanyeol wanted to keep a record of it, just in case he couldn't find another body that could please him so perfectly, but at least he would have something to jack off to. And so Park Chanyeol used his phone and took pictures of Oh Sehun's delicately enchanting look when he was penetrated, the way he rocked and moaned on top of him, and how he impatiently sought his kisses as he slung his legs over him After so many years of sleeping around, Park Chanyeol, for the very first time, experienced what it was like to make love with a perfect joining of two bodies that night. Every time Oh Sehun's body clashed with his own, it drove him crazy. In that instant, he wanted to keep going in it all, to keep fucking the man beneath him in this life of bottomless depravity. In fact, the first time he saw Oh Sehun and Luhan, he could tell right off the bat that he liked Luhan, as in a shy, secret crush that he was afraid to show. During that initial meeting, the person that Park Chanyeol was staring at was not Luhan, but Oh Sehun, who was gazing at Luhan tenderly, even though he would quickly hide his face with any available object when Luhan turned around. Suddenly, Park Chanyeol couldn't help but whip his head around and release a suppressed laugh at this scene; he found it more fascinating than the various role or scene changes he had seen before. He had a sudden thought and mused what it would be like if this shy, fragile man was being forced upon After going at it for 7 or 8 times in a row that night, Park Chanyeol was utterly attracted to this soft, compliant body. He thought Oh Sehun would make a good sex buddy. But when the

morning came, Oh Sehun panicked as he saw himself in the embrace of a buck naked Park Chanyeol. He shoved him away, but instead fell off the bed, completely exposed. "You.. you you I I I" Oh Sehun began stuttering incoherently. He wanted to stand up, but his legs immediately went out from under him, sending him straight back to the floor. Park Chanyeol got up on his side and hauled Oh Sehun back up on the bed. He held down the shaking body with his slender, toned figure. "Don't pretend to be innocent. Weren't you moaning your head off last night?" Park Chanyeol's lips sneaked up on Oh Sehun's, but the younger clenched his teeth out of self-preservation instincts despite the fright, preventing the entrance of Park Chanyeol's tongue. Then out of nowhere, he burst into tears. Park Chanyeol knitted his brows as he watched the figure that was entirely cooperative the night before now launching into such a childish resistance. He suddenly lost all interest. He glanced at Oh Sehun and slid off his body. With no regards to Oh Sehun sobbing into a mess, he began to get dressed. "Why are you making it seem like I raped you? Last night, it was you who kept saying, 'don't pull out, give it to me!'" His master-level expertise in that department had consistently been acknowledged over the years, even worshipped by those that had experienced it; anyone--woman or man--would be thrilled to be able to go another round with him. Did this kid get kicked in the head by a horse or something? He should be damn honored to sleep with me instead of grumbling about it! "But you obviously drugged me! Oh Sehuns weeping was intensifying; the more he thought about what he did with this man last night, the more ashamed he was of himself. Hey, no one forced you to drink anything, you brought it on yourself. Park Chanyeol snickered, and Oh Sehun was stunned to speechlessness. At that time, all he had in mind was trying to drink-block for Luhan and sparing him of possible danger, and now Oh Sehun was clueless about Luhans whereabouts, while he himself was targeted by a horny bastard. He just wanted to demonstrate a little manliness in front of the person he liked, and it always had to end up as something that he could barely clean up. The thought of this sent Oh Sehun into another bout of sobbing, to the point where he buried his head into a pillow, immediately drenching it with tears.

Getting increasingly irked by the wailing, Park Chanyeol roared, Hey! Are you fucking done?? If you dont stop, Im gonna put all the videos I filmed last night online! Then your crush Luhan will be out of work for the rest of his life! Oh Sehun suddenly stopped weeping and drew out of the pillow, gaping at Park Chanyeol. Videos? My crush Luhan? It finally dawned on him what was happening. He had thought everything was over, but there was something else waiting. Seeing how Oh Sehun suddenly became quiet and unusually edgy, Park Chanyeol realized he had just discovered an extremely useful trick, one that worked even better than tossing a bone to a salivating dog. As if hooked to the thrill of playing this trick, he grinned as he walked toward the head of the bed. He lifted Oh Sehun off the bed by his trembling arms, and attacked his lips with no warning. This time, Oh Sehun still widened his eyes at the abrupt kiss, but his mouth involuntarily began to open under Park Chanyeols threatening glare. Park Chanyeol extended his tongue and started assailing the others mouth in a frenzy, instantly meshing with the other upon contact. The intensity of the kiss sent Oh Sehun into a flustered daze. Finally, Park Chanyeol let go of the panting boy, beaming, Be my sex buddy, and your videos and Luhan will be safe and sound. Oh Sehun was stupefied by this offer. He felt as if he had been hit by lightning and his head split in half. Park Chanyeol didnt make him stay; instead, he was given 24 hours to think about it. But after he had given it careful thought and came to find Park Chanyeol, he ended up running away in panic. Nevertheless, Park Chanyeol knew that he was going to come back sooner or later. Even though Oh Sehun was clearly ambivalent between the two choices, he still couldnt fight reality and what it offered him. As a fool that cared about reputation and love even more, in the end, he voluntarily walked into this coincidental trap that Park Chanyeol had set. The glimmering lights were painting rainbows on Oh Sehuns pale face. Park Chanyeol looked up from between the womans breasts and studied the man awkwardly standing in front of him, Made your decision? He abruptly shoved the woman to the side and pulled Oh Sehun onto his lap. Oh Sehun began struggling out of instincts, but gritted his teeth

as he met Park Chanyeols frivolous but adamant eyes. He tolerated the wanton groping over his body. Mm, Oh Sehun managed. Park Chanyeol pried open his thighs as he chewed on his mouth, sucking continuously. Just as his body was forced up against the wall, Oh Sehun used his remaining strength to pull away from the others mouth and added, Dont forget what you promised me, his eyes brimming with determination. Park Chanyeol actually found it aggravating that the person beneath him was opening his legs for someone elses sake. His excessive male ego made him wonder if it was his reduced charm or deteriorated bed skills that he had to use threats to access another mans body. The thought of this royally pissed him off. He sucked the others lips and wrapped those legs around himself. Then he carried Oh Sehun into the nearest stairwell. After a brief moment of calm, another violent wave of assault ensued, and the two were quickly stripped in their entirety. Between blurred lights, Oh Sehun squinted and spotted over Park Chanyeols ears a familiar face descending over the stairs--Luhan.

Between sporadic lights and shadows, Luhan picked up a nearby vase on the floor and smashed it on Kim Jongin's head. In that instant, Luhan felt like the world had stopped. Kim Jongin held his head and glared at Luhan in fury, blood slowly seeping through his fingers and dripping onto the corner of Luhan's eye. He shoved Kim Jongin off of himself and searched the necklace out of the other's inner pocket. He ignored Kim Jongin's wobbling body and bolted out the room as if his life depended on it. After he pressed L in the elevator for the lobby, he remembered that Lay still had Byun Baekhyun. So he got off the elevator and took the stairs up to the rooftop. That was when he saw the two people blatantly going at it in the stairwell. Luhan had been convincing himself that what he saw in the underground parking lot--Park Chanyeol and Oh Sehun--was all an illusion. There was no way that they were together. And yet

4 or 5 hours later, this scene popped up in front of his eyes. Luhan was never going to get over the shock. It was too obvious, unmistakable. No amount of self-hypnosis was going to offset this. Right now, Luhan felt especially helpless, physically and emotionally. Even though just now, Kim Jongin denounced how shameless he was, Luhan didn't care what he thought. He believed that as long as he knew he did right, proving himself in front of these people was pointless. But when he saw how defenseless Oh Sehun was beneath Park Chanyeol, that brittle wall of defense inside him instantly dissolved. Luhan marched up and yanked Park Chanyeol away, followed by a punch in his face. "How exactly did you threaten Sehun?! Park Chanyeol, you motherfucker!!" When Luhan was about to give him another blow, Oh Sehun grabbed his arm from behind. "Luhan-ge I wanted it" Luhan whipped around and bored his bloodshot eyes into a collected Oh Sehun. His heart was bleeding. Luhan let go of the sneering Park Chanyeol and clutched Oh Sehun in the arms, screaming desperately, "Sehun ah! OH SEHUN!! Remember what I told you on your first day as my assistant?? You need to have a sense of shame, especially in this shameless business!" His voice was rising so much so that it was starting to crack. Oh Sehun simply stood there and let the other shake him by the shoulder. He bit the corner of his mouth and replied nonchalantly, "He said he'll make me a star, that's much better than an assistant to a B-list actor, isn't it?" The shattering coldness in these callous words hurled Luhan into a daze that almost took his legs out from under him. Even Park Chanyeol, who was watching on the side, gawked in surprise. Then he narrowed his eyes and walked up to Oh Sehun. Park Chanyeol put his arm around the other's shoulders, and met no resistance. Oh Sehun was enduring any and every form of indecency from him. Luhan released Oh Sehun's hand in defeat. He had nothing to say. If it was because Oh Sehun was being threatened or used, Luhan could come up with a thousand reasons to talk him out of it. He'd rather offend Park Chanyeol, and he had already surrendered to the possibility that the guy could blacklist him in the business. If Park Chanyeol got some dirt on Oh Sehun, he could come to Luhan, and they could come up with a solution

together, regardless of how difficult it was. But Oh Sehun's explanation for Luhan was that he wanted to be famous. This was something Luhan couldn't give him, nor did he have any stakes to put on it. After Oh Sehun's stabbing words, Luhan unknowingly curved up his lips as he suppressed his anger. He quietly said, "Then I wish you the best of luck." As he finished, Luhan turned on his heels and slowly moved toward the rooftop. At this moment, Luhan was dwelling on the fact that Oh Sehun, the guy that he had treated as his own little brother, no longer needed him. He had wanted to join forces with his brother-in-law and get some justice for everything that Oh Sehun had to put up with, but now he realized that there was no need. So after all this time, his care and concerns were merely one-sided. Watching Luhan leave, it wasn't until he had disappeared into the distance when Oh Sehun's still face started to show signs of anguish, tears pouring down his cheeks. He didn't want to let Luhan find out the real situation, because if he did, he would definitely choose to destroy Park Chanyeol, even if it meant destroying himself at the same time. But of course, he would have to pay the price of indirectly ending his acting career. Oh Sehun knew better than anyone Luhan's current career situation. He didn't want to spread this fire to Luhan's life, the fire that started because of his own recklessness. Park Chanyeol was watching Oh Sehun, who had his back to him, shoulders trembling. For some reason, something nagged inside Park Chanyeol. He felt like he had played the bad guy. He chuckled and grasped Oh Sehun's arm, who stubbornly tried to free himself. Park Chanyeol didn't care. He lifted Oh Sehun by the waist and flung him onto the wall before pressing up against him. Oh Sehun choked back sobs into his chest, all to prove himself to the person he had just falsely abandoned. "Why don't you just tell him the truth? Your trying to be a saint almost made me fall for you." Park Chanyeol murmured as he rubbed his member against the other's behind, while his hands were making bolder movements. "If I told him the truth, would you let us go?" Oh Sehun snapped in an accusatory tone, choking on tears.

"Of course. Not" Park Chanyeol grinned as he sucked Oh Sehun's neck, tasting and savoring like a vampire who had found the perfect prey. Oh Sehun shut his eyes. He felt like he was being woven into a white spider web by an unknown force, eaten alive by a spider.

Byun Baekhyun was surprised when Lay opened the door to the basement, but he still got onto his feet and approached the door. He was hoping that Lay had come to let him go because he'd been pricked by his conscience, or simply realized that playing around like this with him was boring. "You have two choices. One, walk out of this door and leave SMS." As soon as he heard this, Byun Baekhyun began walking out the door without thinking. Lay stopped him and pulled him back. "What are you doing? Aren't you letting me go?" Byun Baekhyun snapped impatiently. He hated men who went back on their word, especiallypowerful men who went back on their word. "You haven't heard my second choice yet. Come to our party, and I'll let you wear a minicamera. You can take any pictures you'd like of the ugly side of celebrities," Lay smirked as he brushed the corner of his mouth as he added, "Including me." Byun Baekhyun stopped struggling out of Lay's grasp, his ears perking up, especially at Lay's last words. On second thought, Lay wasn't an unicellular organism; how was it possible that he was being so nice, giving him this big, fat cookie? Typically, Byun Baekhyun would wonder if he was dreaming. Or maybe the cookie was in fact inedible? "Wow, since when did you become so kind? I'm not used to this at all." Byun Baekhyun touched the back of his head, pretending to be pleasantly surprised. "I obviously have some conditions for this transaction." Lay grinned as he fixed his tie. Byun Baekhyun thought, Now we're getting to the point. "You know Kim Byongseong, right? "The owner of Sky City?" Sky City was a hotel comparable to SMS. Lately, SMS and Sky City somewhat clashed over competing for a resort property in the suburbs. Even though Byun

Baekhyun ran entertainment news, he was in the media, after all, so he was relatively aware of these things. "I've invited him to my party today as well. What you need to do is to dig up some dirt on him. If it can go on the headline tomorrow morning, I'll get off your back in the future. Otherwise, even if I let you go today, you'll get fired anyway." Lay sneered as he looked at Byun Baekhyun, who immediately fell from cloud nine. He thought, No wonder this manipulative guy kept around till now it wasn't because he didn't want to harm an important "talent", but only because he had needs. I've finally witnessed the legendary, ruthless smiling assassin. "Well, since you've talked it up like this, could I say no?" Byun Baekhyun frowned, grumbling silently about how annoying this man was; he had obviously blocked off all exits, and here he was, pretending he was doing you a favor. "But I need to make sure in advance: if anything comes up, you'll deal with it." "Of course." Lay put his arm around Byun Baekhyun's shoulders, who immediately shrugged it off. Before they reached the rooftop, Lay slung his arm around the other again as he whispered into his ear, "You gotta act close to me, or people are gonna suspect how someone like you can get in a party like this." Lay scooped out a pinhole camera shaped like a brooch and pinned it on Byun Baekhyun's shirt. Byun Baekhyun sighed in resignation. He thought, Lay was using his job against himself, and plus he didn't have anything to lose, so he made no protests. Walking toward the crowd in an embrace, the first person that Lay introduced Byun Baekhyun to was Kim Byongseong, who was a middle-aged man in his 40s. Unlike many upper-class douchebags surrounded by women, Kim Byongseong was strangely alone, and looked like a person of integrity. This was problematic to Byun Baekhyun; how was he going to get dirt on someone like this? Lay ignored Byun Baekhyun's disgruntled face and pushed him toward Kim Byongseong. He smiled at the two of them, "Now that you two have met, why don't you have a good chat?" Then he patted both on the shoulder and strolled off. "Hehe hello." Byun Baekhyun greeted the other awkwardly while silently cussing out Lay a million times. Did you have to make it so obvious that you wanted to get dirt on him? Shouldn't you at least cook up the atmosphere before leaving me here? What am I supposed to do now??

"Hi," Kim Byongseong seemed a little uneasy as well. "You look quite plain. I could never tell that this was your job." After a mere 3 seconds of awkwardness, Kim Byongseong abruptly shifted closer to Byun Baekhyun, rubbing his arm with his own. It was a weird feeling, because the way his body heat was spreading was a little. Abnormal. Byun Baekhyun thought he was referring to his job as a paparazzi and naturally replied, "It's actually not as bad as everyone thinks it is. People like me are trying to survive within the gaps, but we fulfill certain needs of society too." "Right, of course you do." Kim Byongseong suddenly hugged Byun Baekhyun's shoulders, as if testing his reaction. Byun Baekhyun froze. He looked up and saw Lay making his rounds with the crowd not far away, and he was somehow bewildered. Out of instincts, Byun Baekhyun tried to pull out of the other's embrace, but failed as the man casually retained his grasp. "Uh I don't think this is a good idea ha.. ha.." Byun Baekhyun laughed dryly as he became flustered at this so-called intimate manner of social exchange among celebrities. He thought it was a littletoo intimate. "Is it because there are too many people here, you're not used to it? But you should be. As part of your job, aren't you familiar with stuff like this?" Kim Byongseong reached toward Byun Baekhyun's waist and sneaked past his shirt, giving him a light pinch. All of a sudden, Byun Baekhyun realized what he meant. Dammit, he thinks I'm a gigolo! That sneaky bastard I can't believe I got tricked again.

Byun Baekhyun felt like reality suddenly had him at the throat. He wanted to cry out, but found that he could barely breathe. Why did he choose to become a paparazzi? He couldn't really remember. He graduated from college with a journalism degree and an idealistic goal to reveal all truths in this world. During his job search among various news and media companies, he encountered overwhelming competition as a new college grad, even for jobs that had a high workload and little pay. The only place that he heard back from was LOW multimedia group, a private media company that started up in tabloid news. Coming from a underprivileged family, Byun Baekhyun couldn't afford to sit around and wait for something better. He felt fortunate enough that someone considered him at all, so he went to the interview the next day. The interviewer was Editor Luo, the chief editor of OK Auntie at that time. "I read your thesis. You gave an in-depth analysis on the harm that paparazzi imposes on society?" Editor Luo smiled. At that time, Byun Baekhyun had no idea that his interviewer was an expert in the paparazzi profession, and thought that these words were a compliment. He naturally launched into an eloquent response. "Yes. I hope for society to develop journalistic conscience, so the media won't be corrupted by those trashy junk food media," Byun Baekhyun replied to the editor with a determined gaze. About 3 minutes of awkward silence permeated the room. The other interviewers looked to Editor Luo, whose expression remained unaffected. Indeed a seasoned professional, Editor Luo said to Byun Baekhyun with composure, "You underestimate human beings. Nutrition content isn't the only standard for making choices. Sometimes, we just provide a different kind of media selection. You can't deny the significance of gossip, just like you can't deny the need for KFC and McDonald's." Editor Luo took out a current copy of OK Auntie and flipped to the headline. It was an article on a domestic A-list actor soliciting prostitutes in Thailand. He pointed at the associated photo and grinned, "Plus, who said paparazzi couldn't reveal the truth? And does this truth really have no

nutritional value to society? Does the mass not need to know about public figures without professional or moral integrity? Do you think this is exacerbating societal harm, or compensating for it?" Byun Baekhyun was completely staggered by Editor Luo's theory, which matched perfectly with reality. Years of ivory tower living had restricted him to thinking that paparazzi, a somewhat disreputable profession, was the scum of the communications field. But after hearing the editor's rationale, he felt like he didn't have sufficient evidence to support his opinions. Editor Luo looked at Byun Baekhyun seriously, "Our group includes other types of news publications, but right now we're most short-staffed for OK Auntie. If you accept our offer, you can start work tomorrow. If you still think lowly of this profession, even after what I just said, then I respect your decision, and I wish you luck in finding your journalism ideals." Standing at the crossroad of life, the multitude of choices constantly pressured one to quickly make a decision. At the same time, things worked out in a strange way. Whether it was because of the pressure of making a living, or because he had been persuaded by Editor Luo's words, Byun Baekhyun accepted the offer and stepped into this field with little internal conflict. When he first started this job, he had to keep an eye out for all kinds of trivial things and then make exaggerated reports out of it. He had felt irritated, he had wavered, even despised this job. But after seemingly wasting all this time, Byun Baekhyun actually came to view paparazzi as his religion, when he had once loathed the work so much. Luling used to say, "Byun Baekhyun, I feel like sometimes you have a very strong sense of principle, but after getting raped by reality, you're the least likely person to fight back." Byun Baekhyun had quarreled with his wife several times over this. But in the end, he came to the bitter realization that this was indeed who he was. He looked like he would abide by his principle, but when he encountered obstacles, he would end up taking a step back, accepting values forced upon him. Just like right now. Being mistaken as a gigolo, Byun Baekhyun could have tossed a drink right onto the man's face, but as he met the opposite pair of eyes that had now turned obscenely dark, he suddenly had an explosive epiphany. If a social elite like Kim Byongseong who'd never had any dirt on him

were suddenly exposed to the public, it would be his highest professional accomplishment this entire year. In his head, Byun Baekhyun wouldn't admit to himself that he had failed to overcome Lay as a hurdle; instead, the way he saw it, he was really working toward his own objective while helping Lay eliminate his competitor along the way. This mentality helped minimize the helplessness he had felt from being coerced into this situation. After reflexively resisting Kim Byongseong's advances for a few times, Byun Baekhyun locked the other's eyes and voluntarily shifted his body closer. He was mentally puking over his own behavior, but he forced down the emotional discomfort and feigned gladness as he followed the other into a room. When passing by Lay, Byun Baekhyun peered at him without a word. After they entered the room, Kim Byongseong went to take a shower. Byun Baekhyun took advantage of this reprieve and pinned his brooch camera by the bedside at a good angle. He thought, he would stick it out as long as they didn't get to the third base. If things started to escalate beyond his limit, he would use the excuse of hemorrhoids to get out of there. After all, they were both men, and the other was an older man, so Kim Byongseong probably wouldn't force him into sex. Per Kim Byongseong's request, Byun Baekhyun took a shower as well. As soon as he came out of the bathroom, the other pounced on him and pushed him down on the bed. Byun Baekhyun glanced over at the camera at the bedside and tried to make Kim Byongseong shift toward that direction. Trying to get away from the flood of saliva, he began dodging the incoming harassment with a fake smile. But the man thought he was trying to tease and intensified his advances, making it even more difficult for Byun Baekhyun to hold his grounds. He wondered if all these shots were enough, because if things kept up, he probably couldn't guard his virgin hole from the invasion of this lowlife. So when Kim Byongseong was about to lean down and suck the life out of his face, he took this opportunity to hold the approaching face in place and beamed, "I'm sorry, President Kim, I just remembered that I've got hemorrhoids, so I'm out of commission today." Byun Baekhyun feigned an apologetic smile as he immediately got up and moved toward the door. Kim Byongseong could barely wait to get to the real fun, so his face immediately turned sour at the rejection. But he seemed to have an

idea, something a lot more fun. He changed his mind and then said, grinning, "Actually, I wasnt planning to do you. I haven't been able to have sex for a long time now because of age and stress. But I do get off when I see someone in pain." Kim Byongseong pushed him down and pinned him in place. He drew out a pair of handcuffs from the bedside drawer and fastened them onto Byun Baekhyun's wrists. Then he took out a whip from the drawer. Byun Baekhyun was stupefied; it dawned on him what the man meant by getting off to someone's pain. Even though over the years he'd been married, and he'd also watched various types of "videos", but they were mostly regular, soft core stuff. S&M was something he had only heard of, he never expected to experience it himself on the day that he was seen as a gigolo. "President Kim, I'm really inexperienced in S&M, how about I get you an experienced colleague of mine, he can get here in just a jiffy!" Byun Baekhyun jiggled his handcuffs. If he didn't figure out something fast, today he would really become a victim to this pervert's crazy plans. "You'll learn." Kim Byongseong chewed on his Adam's apple as he began to stroke the exposed upper body with the whip, tracing each line and crevice over the torso. "P-President Kim I really can't" Byun Baekhyun declined with difficulty, an indescribable feeling of revulsion spreading upon him. But he couldn't do anything with his two hands in cuffs, and he was truly frightened. Just a moment ago, he was confident that he would be able to get out, but right now, he didn't know what was going to happen next. Kim Byongseong knelt over him and began stroking his own gross-looking, wilted member while lightly lashing the flexible whip on Byun Baekhyun's midsection. Noticeable pink marks quickly appeared on the pallid skin that had been kept from the sun. "Uhh mm ahhhhHHHHH!" Byun Baekhyun was able to purse his lips and bite down on it for the first few lashes, but as the man began belting the whip harder and harder, the pain rapidly grew and seized his core. He started to thrash about involuntarily, the pain stomping on his nerve endings. At the limit of his tolerance, he balled his fists and made a final attempt to resist. When that failed and everything turned dark, he was overcome by despair.

One cry escaped from his throat as he could no longer bear the pain. Then a second, a third, a forth followed. It turned the sadist on and drove him to accelerate the whipping, while Byun Baekhyun's body trembled nonstop out of instinctive struggle. "Your reaction is such a turn-on makes me wanna get inside you" Byun Baekhyun was breaking out in sweats from the lashing, his lips turning bright red due to the intense pain. The sight aroused the man so much so that he could no longer hold it in, ejecting onto Byun Baekhyun's face. Overtaken by lust, the sadist ignored the resistance underneath him and pried open his mouth, shoving his member in. Not even 2 seconds passed when Byun Baekhyun used the last ounce of his strength and sank his teeth down, making the man cry out in pain. Kim Byongseong pointed a finger at him in disbelief and held his member as he rolled to the ground. Then he got up and yelled "Bitch!" as he angrily slapped the other across the cheek twice. He had lost all interest. He pulled on his pants and stomped out of the room, leaving Byun Baekhyun still in cuffs. Byun Baekhyun scrunched up his brows. He felt like today sucked balls. Big time. The massive lines of lash marks on his torso were smarting him to numbness and uneasy. His face felt sticky, but even if he wanted to wipe it, his two hands were obviously useless at this point. He twisted his head to the side and looked at the mini-camera, anxiety brimming within him. He hadn't shed a tear in years, but right now, he suddenly felt his eyes sting. Still faced toward the camera, a tear found its way down his sticky cheek. But he held it back after just one drop; as a man, he thought crying was a shameful thing to do. Half an hour after Kim Byongseong left, Lay came into the room. Byun Baekhyun was silent. Lay walked over to the bed and crawled to the head from the edge until his body was hovering above the other's in a suggestive position. He scooped out a key to unlock the handcuffs, but his hand paused midway. "Hurry up!" Byun Baekhyun knitted his brows, rushing the other in a hoarse voice. He then realized that although he obviously meant for him to uncuff him, in such a suggestive position, these two words seemed to have taken on an entirely different meaning on their own. So he added, "Hurry up and uncuff me!"

Lay watched him with an unmoving face. He put the key back into his pants pocket. Then he began wiping the goo off of the other's face with his sleeves. The rough motion was chafing Byun Baekhyun's skin, making him cry out, "Let me go! I'll do it myself." "You cried?" Lay made no signs of releasing him. He blurted the question as he brushed at the corner of the other's eye. He was watching the whole thing from a monitor. He thought he should be glad and enjoy the brutal suffering of someone that he had resented for so long, but something kept nagging him, prompting him to do something. Every molesting move of Kim Byongseong gave Lay the urge to barge into the room. He only wanted a sign from Byun Baekhyun, a sign hinting of vulnerability, even just a small "Help". But no, there was nothing. Besides that imperceptible drop of tear that he shed after it was all over, Byun Baekhyun didn't show anything. "Yeah right! Stop wasting time and let me go!" "Is it really that hard for you to show a sign of weakness?" Lay leaned down and murmured in his ear. Byun Baekhyun whipped his head to the side, his brows furrowing bitterly. "No, not usually." Byun Baekhyun was seized by panic. With the man that he detested so much before him, he swallowed the sullen frustration and kept his head turned sideways. Lay put his arms around the other's waist and put his face against the chest, wherein a heart was beating. He said in an undertone, "I hear the sound of egg shells cracking." The heart that seemed as tough as a stone was actually no less fragile than an egg. With a light crack, the softness within had begun to spill all over.

Carrying a suggestive undertone one minute, Lay made a sudden movement the next, laying his hand on Byun Baekhyun's crotch. The heat that had been roused from the previous lashing was still palpable. "What are you doing?" Byun Baekhyun was just starting to feel a little better because of the other's softened attitude, but now he twisted his body to the side, glaring at Lay. "How long has it been? A long time, right?" mumbling, Lay trailed the other's earlobe with his tongue. The ear had always been a sensitive spot for Byun Baekhyun. The tickling from this superficial contact was instantly numbing. Blushing, Byun Baekhyun frowned and snapped, "That's none of your business! I'm not interested in men. Just hurry up and unlock these goddamn cuffs!" He tossed and turned his torso in an attempt to move away from Lay's stroking hand, but found that because of his cuffed hands, he couldn't escape from the assault no matter how hard he tried. "It was my fault that you ended up like this, the least I can do is to make it up to you, no? Today, I'll help you find release, alright?" Lay held down the other's writhing torso and

continued fondling his member. Struggling between resisting and giving in, in the end, Byun Baekhyun totally lost to the male need. Lay was right. Ever since Luling passed away, Byun Baekhyun had channeled his energy entirely into work. In the past 3 years, he didn't even have time to watch porn and jack off, let alone finding some release with a woman. Although he hadn't yet hit 30 and was still in a man's sexual prime years, he felt as if he had aged decades overnight after losing his wife. So all of a sudden, he had lost interest in anything related to physical cravings. For a while, because he thought this "dysfunction" was becoming problematic, he even visited a psychiatrist. The results revealed that there was nothing wrong with him physically; the root of the problem was anxiety. The psychiatrist advised him to "relax". As a grown man, Byun Baekhyun knew what that meant. But every time he passed by an "adult" venue, he was never in the mood to walk in. He had harbored some sort of feelings toward Luhan, but after a trip to the public bath with him, Byun Baekhyun realized that these feelings weren't that strong, after all. It was because he shared the same masculine physique; despite having a similar face to Luling's, all of his yearnings dissipated at the sight of a male body. Just moments ago, Byun Baekhyun was already grossed out by Kim Byongseong's body. Now that Lay was just the opposite, with his clothes still on, the sight of a male body--which Byun Baekhyun couldn't accept--was thus concealed, reducing his repulsion in half. Nonetheless, Lay's stroking continued to make him feel extremely tense, and the obscene atmosphere was pushing him toward desperation. "I'm fine, really! Uncuffing me would be the best way.. for you to make it up.. to me.. mmm" What terrified him wasn't the overflowing lust in Lay's eyes, but his own uncontrollable pulsation. The craving was growing stronger under Lay's continual stroking, and was now taking over the entirety of Byun Baekhyun. Under Lay's manipulation, moans finally escaped from his lips after years of suppression. He wanted to close his legs, but found that desire had already robbed his body of all energy. He went limp after a brief struggle. Lay chewed on the other's earlobe, his teeth tracing the sensitive skin, his tongue torturing the already heightened nerve endings.

Byun Baekhyun trembled as it dawned on him how clumsy he had been in the past in bed. He had vowed together with Luling that they would keep their marriage as pure as their mutual first love, and they were content in their marriage, but they never surpassed anything beyond the missionary position. Even when coming across superb skills in porn, he merely treated it as entertainment, not something to learn and apply in real life. But he never expected to run into a man who was more skillful than a professional, while he himself had become like the woman in those porn videos, the limit of his nerves being teased and tested. In this moment, he didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Under the simultaneous attack of Lay's mouth and hand, Byun Baekhyun released into the other's hand. "There it is" Lay said with a grin, as if rubbing it in his face. Byun Baekhyun wanted to yell at himself; I don't even fucking like men, why did my body have to betray me like this He flushed in an instant. The reddened face surprised Lay, who gripped the other's chin and ambushed his neck, ignoring Byun Baekhyun's shock as his tongue traced all the way up to his mouth, while his hand sneaked behind the other's body. Through Lay's minty lips, he could smell the scent of red wine from the other's mouth, and even some aroma of cigar. He thought he was supposed to dislike this, that he was supposed to find the male body repulsive, but he somehow had no strength to push away after meeting those soft lips. Lay had said that the egg had cracked. When he said that, Byun Baekhyun was actually somewhat shaken. Over the years, he'd been strong alone, he'd been lonely alone, he'd been tasting the pain of reality alone, all because he believed that a man needed to be tough. But the truth was, life didn't give him enough strength to hang on. He wondered if God could give him just half an hour today to run away from life, to be vulnerable for once. And this man, who not only had the looks of a bad guy but was evil to the core, turned out to be a fleeting, fake, but warm shelter. It suddenly gave him an urge to cry. And so he stopped fighting. When Lay's tongue entered his mouth, he chose to welcome it. Lay's grin magnified at the change. He held the man and pulled him into his arms, inserting his

roaming fingers behind Byun Baekhyun into the opening. After a quick moment of stretching the hole, Lay shed his pants and thrust into the other's body. Following the previous exploratory foreplay, the numbing sensation of pleasure immediately ensued. As Byun Baekhyun began fading out of consciousness from the physical impact, Lay took this chance to uncuff him and brought his limp arms around himself. In between rounds of falling deeper into lust, Byun Baekhyun was suddenly tossed into panic. He parted his eyes that were reddened by desire, watching the man that was holding his torso and ramming into him. Unknowingly, tears gushed out like currents overcoming a dam. He wasn't crying out of pain, nor was it because he was having sex with a man, but for some reason, he just wanted to cry right now. Lay pretended to be calm and continued to move, but he was taken aback by the sight in front of him. Byun Baekhyun suddenly wrapped his arms around the other's neck and buried his face into Lay's chest. Amidst the frenzied physical collisions, he began to sob. With a grunt, Lay ejected into the other's body, who didn't seem to notice that the movement had stopped, his arms remained around Lay's neck. He was still weeping. He thought Lay finished early because of his breakdown, but he still couldn't stop afterward. He then realized that it had nothing to do with him. Lay held his trembling shoulders and drew him tightly into an embrace. He'd gone through so much. He was always working his ass off, he lost his wife early, and he was trying to make a living between the gaps. He was suffering just like any other nobodys, but he had such a stubborn, relentless personality. Over the past years, a tremendous amount of pain and struggle must have built up within him. His sobs were piercing enough to make one shudder, like a force tearing him apart from within. Lay was quiet. He just stroked Byun Baekhyun's head and let him cry it all out. After some time, he fell asleep. When he awoke, the man was gone, leaving behind tear stains on his shirt, a telling mark that a man named Byun Baekhyun had once lied against his chest. Luhan stayed in and slept for 3 days straight. He felt unbearably exhausted since he brought Byun Baekhyun back from SMS 3 days ago. In the car, Luhan noticed that his brother-in-law was

also tired like a dog. He wanted to ask about being taken into hostage, but chose not to in the end. He felt like it must have been a bad experience, and knowing Byun Baekhyun as someone who normally couldn't stand being taken advantage of, since he was able to get out and didn't grumble or growl about what happened, Luhan thought he was probably okay. Before they went their separate ways, Byun Baekhyun broke the silence and said, "Don't forget Luling's memorial." Luhan felt him quivering as he spoke those words. He patted him on the shoulder. Byun Baekhyun froze for a split second before tossing Luhan a smile. Luhan thought, even though what happened these past few days was a nightmare, it finally ended now. Everything had been returned to where it was supposed to be at last. But certain habits remained the same. Including Ado. When the dog howled by the door, Luhan yelled from the kitchen as he was about to make some noodles, "Oh Sehun! Give him something to eat!" The instant he finished, Luhan froze, stunned, realizing that a never-ending self-mockery had begun. He wiped his hands and poured out some dog food for Ado. Kneeling beside the ravenous dog, he brushed its fur as anguish gripped his heart. When Director Wang called, Luhan was stirring the noodles while spacing out toward the black TV screen. "Hello? Yes, hi, Director." Luhan greeted politely. He felt like he had already left this business, so he'd been locking himself up the past few days. A while back, Oh Sehun had asked him what could he do if he left showbiz. He contemplated about the question and concluded that there was indeed nothing else that he could do, but when he thought of how this business repulsed and disgusted him, he felt like even if he had to go begging on the streets, then so be it. He even made the decision of never having anything to do with anyone in showbiz. But Director Wang was, after all, his mentor. He was also one of the few that approved and praised his acting skills after he had become of age. Luhan was never the type of person to interact with someone just as a means to an end. Right now, he was willing to take Director Wang's call only to show his respect. "The studio was supposed to call you about this, but they probably couldn't have explained it well enough, so I decided to tell you myself. 'Passwords' has been nominated for the Academy,

so we're gonna move up the promotion. Jongin's in the hospital, so our male lead is out. Do Kyungsoo is going on his Asia tour, so he most likely won't be able to make it, either. I really hope you would help me out here and come help fill out the stage or something." The director was being very sincere; the fact that he used the words "help me out" made Luhan do a double take. It wasn't like he was some superstar, and he was only the second supporting in the movie. He found it difficult to accept the director's pleading tone. Based on the decision he had made, Luhan thought right now, he was really supposed to say no. But as someone who had always highly respected his mentor, the refusal was stuck in his throat because of that "help me". "Uh" Luhan replied in hesitation. As if he could tell that Luhan was in a pickle, the director smiled, "It's alright. I know you're working on a TV show these days, if you really don't have time, I'll figure something out" The disappointment was apparent in his voice. Just as he was about to hang up, Luhan caved anyway after a moment of struggle. "I-I'm not working much these days. I'll come, Director Wang. In terms of time and other details, just call me directly when it's finalized. Sehun Sehun quit." "That's wonderful, Luhan. I knew you'd say yes." Luhan smiled stiffly. He thought, he was really destined to be screwed over. After getting screwed this time, he would never, ever again soften for anyone and stay in this shithole.

"You finally came, my 'close friend'." Right now, Kim Jongin was like an evil spirit in one of those horror movies, an eeriness surrounding him.

He hadn't been around for too long, but thanks to his prestigious background and superior EQ, Kim Jongin thought he had already made quite a name for himself, and that was a fact. He'd

had a big film on the screen once a year, and although one or two of them were small-scale productions, they were so well made that they had won awards in overseas film festivals, which served as subsidies for these small films. In 5 years, his works had not only built up a positive reputation, but also had box office guarantees. At the same time, the art films that he worked on rendered him the representative of the new generation of male acting talent. For an actor to have achieved this all before the age of 25, it was considered a miracle. Despite the fact that his family had always somewhat disapproved of his career, they had changed their mind to a certain degree probably due to his recently accumulated international fame. Even his father, who had always frowned upon him, let it go as well. He told his son, "If you can consider this family and not bring us disgrace, and if you don't fight the arranged marriage, the rest I'm letting you do whatever you want." Compared to those who fought for their dreams, he lacked a certain level of drive; and unlike those who were pathetically confined by certain restrictions, he thought he had it easier. People who knew Kim Jongin understood that even though he wasn't necessarily a saint, his perfectionist tenacity set him apart from most squandering richlings Until he met Luhan. Kim Jongin didn't think of himself as someone who was easily swayed, but lately, he seemed to always be affected by some unknown emotion. The first time he slept with Luhan was halfforced, a side-product of circumstances, but the second time, he was well aware of his own willingness, and he couldn't deny that there was an element of rape. He had rarely displayed emotions his whole life. Even if he really disliked someone, he'd usually keep it to himself, at least avoiding any interaction with the person. But this time, with Luhan, he just could not suppress this irrational anger for some reason. He obviously despised the guy, but at the sight of those radiant red lips, his body would move closer on its own. It was like opium, overwhelmingly irresistible. And this asshole just had to get involved with Do Kyungsoo. Did he completely forget about my warning the first time? I told him to leave my people alone, I told him to never again show up before me, and he always had to show up when I'm already annoyed as hell.

As it turned out, the Kim Jongin that had always been put on a pedestal went down due to a vase. At that moment, he was stupefied, not out of shock or pain, but disbelief. He couldn't believe that this B-list actor who looked weak, undignified, and even cheap, would avenge with such violence. He held his head as he stared at the man who had the vase in his hand, his shoulders trembling and hatred filling his eyes, who ended up sprinting out of his sight. Kim Jongin knitted his brows, and to his surprise--his heart skipped a beat. He could've gone to the rooftop and made a scene out of it. Let alone his power within this group of people, anyone present on the rooftop that day could have easily made Luhan suffer. But maybe his train of thought had derailed, or the blow to his head had really damaged what was inside it, he just got up from the floor and drove back home alone, getting his family doctor to treat the wound. When people asked, he just said that it was an accident. The official statement from his company was that he had been injured while auditioning in the U.S. In the midst of all this, it didn't cross his mind that he should get even with Luhan. Fuck what's wrong with me? This guy obviously split open my head, and he didn't even bother getting someone to bandage me up and just ran off like that. AND he still hasn't apologized after so many days. Why am I feeling like this? After a moment of pondering, Kim Jongin blamed it on a side effect from losing too much blood. He must have been so pissed off that his heart forgot to do its job. On the other hand, the studio wanted to blow things out of proportion with this. They made private calls to various media companies and spread the rumor that the injury had to do with a change in lines. Kim Jongin just shrugged it off with a smirk. Even though the rumor was entirely made-up, at least they got the main character right. Things sort of worked out in a funny way. Then, Kim Jongin initially refused to cooperate with the "hospital visit" stunt. He never liked having his personal space invaded. Plus, as a man, he thought it was embarrassing to have the world know that you got hurt. But then the studio said to him, "This gimmick with you and Luhan making up is necessary for this round of promotion to succeed. But if you're not comfortable with this, we'll have to put off the promotion planning."

It was Kim Jongin's assistant who took the call. At that time, he was in bed, reading a Hollywood script. His assistant covered the phone as he asked for his thoughts. If he wasn't okay with it, the assistant would decline the proposal on the spot. Kim Jongin furrowed his brows and gave only one word, "Fine." His assistant was taken aback, but his boss had always been unpredictable, so he didn't speculate much and delivered the response to the sponsor. The person on the other end of the phone was pleasantly surprised as they kept going on about how they thought Kim Jongin would say no. Do Kyungsoo, who had declined participating in the "Password" promotions due to his concerts, had no idea that the media was going to visit today. He simply came to take his friend home, but happened to step in line with the commotion. Lying in bed, Kim Jongin's eyes immediately went to a smiling Luhan acting a little too close with Do Kyungsoo. He suddenly felt his chest constrict, and his grin became frigid. Luhan was beaming to everyone, but his face turned stiff like a corpse when it turned to Kim Jongin's. Under the blanket, Kim Jongin's hands were balling into fists. Despite his inner turmoil, as a public figure, Kim Jongin managed to interact with the media with a collected face. The hug that later appeared on the headlines was actually not in the "script" that the sponsor came up with. Those actions came entirely from his instincts. When his hand touched Luhan's tiny waist, his lower half gave an unexpected reaction. No one noticed any of this. After the reporters left, Kim Jongin was behind Luhan the whole time. When he saw the other enter the public bathroom downstairs, he followed without a second thought. Luhan looked as if he had seen a ghost, leaving the faucet running. When he heard Kim Jongin utter the words "close friend", his shoulders involuntarily shook. After a moment of shock, Luhan lowered his head and turned off the water. He turned on his heels and walked past Kim Jongin without a word. Kim Jongin pushed him up against the wall before attacking the other's neck with his lips. Luhan widened his eyes at the ambush. He disregarded the bandage on Kim Jongin's head and smacked him right on the wound.

"If I could hit you once, I can do it again. I'm not a woman. This move isn't gonna work every time," Luhan glared at the man who was holding his head. He laid his hand on the doorknob and was about to walk out when he was hoisted up by the other and tossed into a stall. Before he could scream "You fucking pervert", someone walked into the restroom. "Do you believe that Kim Jongin and Luhan are really friends?" The voice sounded like the E News reporter that kept raising questions today. "Who the hell can tell in this business. But did you see the way Do Kyungsoo looked at Luhan? I already had an idea that he was into men, but I didn't think he'd be that obvious. I think it'll be hard to get dirt on Kim Jongin and Luhan, but some gay scoop on Do Kyungsoo and Luhan should be easy." The two guys carelessly muttered as they emptied into the urinals. Luhan saw Kim Jongin's eyes darken. "Speaking of Luhan, it's weird because he's supposed to be straight, but all of his scandals have been with guys. Remember that really confusing incident with him and his boss Choi Minho? And also Zhao Rencheng from 'Winds and Rains' back then. I heard that this time, it's because Director Wang Jiacheng personally dotes on Luhan and said something to someone he knows at the Golden Bull. Otherwise, he couldn't have been nominated for Best Supporting" They were starting to go overboard, giving Luhan an urge to run out and punch them in the face. He looked up and saw Kim Jongin blanching. He shuddered again. Ignoring the fact that there were two reporters out there, Kim Jongin began sucking on Luhan's neck. Luhan went stiff, but unable to make a sound. The irony of the situation was mocking; he already had a good number of rumors hovering around him, if he was seen making out with a man right now, he would've straight up verified those rumors. As if reading Luhan's mind, Kim Jongin went farther as he unfastened Luhan's belt and began rubbing the protrusion below his waist. Luhan shoved him away, incidentally causing the stall divider to sway. The two on the outside snickered; they understood that it wasn't uncommon for couples who couldn't control themselves to go about their business in the restrooms, they just didn't expect it to happen at a hospital. In an unspoken understanding, the two pulled up their pants and left the restroom. Kim Jongin's mouth captured Luhan's as he lifted him up and set him around his own torso.

"Kim Jongin, are you for real??" Luhan tried hard to push the other away and snarled in a low voice between breaths. "If you could let them fuck you, why can't I?" Kim Jongin pinned Luhan in place, his physical strength still intact despite the head injury; instead, he seemed to have grown stronger in an instant. Even though his body was immobilized, Luhan smacked him across the face upon those cheap words. The slap sounded particularly crisp, ringing throughout the restroom. The air seemed to have stopped flowing. It was only a split second, but that slap seemed to have unlocked a door to craving, unknowingly stimulating a nerve within Kim Jongin. A craving that he had never experienced with any woman, including his girlfriend Diana, now erupted into an unstoppable flood. He started to frantically torture Luhan's mouth, his hands roaming all over the other's torso. After merely minutes, he immediately shoved his craving into Luhan. When his burning desire came into contact with the other's soft behind, the feelings of pleasure from that physical impact instantly replaced all rationality. That familiar black hole of lust easily sucked both of them in. "W-why do you do this.. every time?" The thrust caused Luhan to arch his back and almost slide off of the other's body, forcing him to grab onto Kim Jongin's solid shoulders, "when you obviously hate me" Luhan was confounded by what was happening. They were two people who clearly hated each other, didn't get along right off the bat, and vowed that they would never see each other again at each counter, but every single time, they found themselves in a position that should only exist between people in an intimate relationship. "I don't know either I just know that right now, I want you." Kim Jongin didn't pause in his movement. Luhan was depleted of his strength from the other's pounding, his parting lips were immediately taken hostage by the other, whose tongue continuously stirred and raided every inch of his mouth, fluids inadvertently dripping along the corner of their mouths. After an unknown number of rounds, Luhan felt like his entire body was drained of energy, utterly unraveled. Kim Jongin held the limp body, but made no signs of letting him go.

"If you're gonna seduce someone, seduce me. I can make you famous, I can give you money, and I can even help you hit another peak in your career. What do you think?" Kim Jongin murmured, the tip of his nose caressing Luhan's cheek that was wet from the sweat of passion. Luhan didn't want to speak. He just felt so tired. And he thought, Enough.

Oh Sehun had no idea that after years of playing the role of Eponine*, and sometimes Ursula*, he didn't even get a chance to confess to Luhan, and here he was, ruined by a human trash named Park Chanyeol. Oh Sehun didn't think of himself as a fool that would sacrifice all for love, but he was looking out for Luhan. He was scared that Luhan's future would go down the gutter because of him. And so he pulled a stunt that only existed in tragic love stories--leave Luhan and let him continue his life as a star. Oh Sehun would also leave showbiz, so that Park Chanyeol couldn't get to Luhan even if he wanted to. Going all out in his plan, Oh Sehun rushed home overnight and asked for his parents' help. Over the years, even though his father had always regarded him as an unfilial son in the Oh household, he would always go home during Chinese New Years. After all, they were his parents, and their disapproval would never surpass the level of social class conflicts. After yelling "Oh Sehun you're a goddamn useless disappointment" for the nth time, they took their only son in anyway. The Oh family had a total of 8 children; 7 girls and one boy. The 7 daughters had all married. Whenever Oh Sehun was in a mini-financial crisis, it was his sisters that took turns helping him out. When he was a kid, he was often mistaken as a girl and called "bamei"* because of his delicate looks. After he became of age, Oh Sehun realized that this nickname was quite inappropriate, so he desperately denied it being associated with him. But then, the "bamei" nickname had already been spread to miles away and stuck, it wasn't something that Oh Sehun could control. In the end, he had to surrender to reality and fate.

When he saw Luhan on TV today, he was actually happy. But as the sight of Kim Jongin hugging him popped up, a shadow immediately cast over him. With his mother grumbling, Oh Sehun quickly finished his instant noodles and went to the family restaurant to help out. In the past years, although he wasn't working some noble job, he got to wear a suit everyday at the very least, and the occasions he attended were mostly upscale as well. Now that he had suddenly returned to the back kitchen full of grease and fumes, he needed a lot of getting used to. "Hey, isn't this bamei? When did you come back?" The person chopping up the vegetables was Oh Sehun's fifth brother-in-law. The man had a figure not unlike a sumo wrestler, even that weighty call of "bamei" sent Oh Sehun into a shudder. "I quit my job, so I came home to help out." Oh Sehun rolled up his sleeves and began putting away the boxed dishes laid on the table, getting ready for delivery. "You weren't happy with it?" His bald second brother-in-law stopped working the ladle and came over. "Bamei? Did someone pick on you? Tell me, I'll hack a leg off of that bastard!" "No, nothing like that. I'm gonna go deliver" Exasperated, Oh Sehun picked up the delivery box and strolled out, thinking, Must be nice to be simple-minded. He set the delivery box on the backseat of his scooter, and followed the address provided by his third sister. After 30 minutes, he still hadn't found the place. He took out the slip of paper and confirmed it with several passersby before realizing that the place was way out there. It was almost by the fucking mountain villas. Oh Sehun angrily dialed his third sister's number. "Aren't we not supposed to deliver out of a 500-meter radius?? This place is on the way out of the city!" Oh Sehun was about to lose his mind in fury, roaring into his cell phone after parking the scooter off the road. "They said they'll pay 10 times the delivery charge, you'd be an idiot if you turn it down! Bamei, be good, don't whine so much on your first day back helping out. I'll buy you popsicles when you come back!" His sister was cooing him left and right, as if treating him like a 3-year-old, again. "Alright FINE. And stop calling me bamei!" Oh Sehun hung up in defeat. He looked at the sun that was giving him a headache and got an urge to scream profanities.

He put his phone back into his pocket and started his scooter. As he continued toward the villas, the flock of Ferrari, BMW, and Chrysler racing past him stung his eyes. He was suddenly perplexed. Who out of these filthy rich had their eyes on their plain, commoner dishes? Did they get sick of abalone and shark's fin? Following the address on his paper, he stopped in front of a mansion with the sign, "Floor 12, Section 2, Jingcui Villa". Oh Sehun parked his scooter by the side and rang the doorbell with the delivery box in hand. "Hi, this is delivery from Oh Tea Restaurant." "Yes, the door's open. Please come in." The voice obviously belonged to a middle-aged man, probably the butler. Walking from the front door into the mansion took Oh Sehun almost 10 minutes. If you're so rich, isn't your chef supposed to know how to make anything imaginable? Why did you have to order drumstick over rice? The thought of made Oh Sehun twitch in annoyance. The butler welcomed Oh Sehun into the house and led him up to the second floor. The sounds of shooting pool travelled through the door. As he entered with the delivery box, Oh Sehun froze in his steps like an idiot, unable to take a step forward or backward. It was that motherfucking Park Chanyeol, with friends that he didn't know. Oh Sehun was trembling. He was fooled again, over 10 times the fucking delivery charge. It was this bastard that ruined the dream he had guarded for years, leaving him with no choice but to start over with a new life. What Park Chanyeol wanted to give him, he didn't want at all. And why was he doing this to him now? Oh Sehun wasn't nave to believe that it was all just for a couple of orders of drumstick over rice. He threw the delivery box on the floor and turned on his heels unthinking. He thought, I don't care about the money. It's really fucking dumb to get tricked over and over again. "Your father's quite a nice guy, he even told me that you had a nickname called 'bamei'." Oh Sehun was about to bolt when these words planted him to the spot. "If he saw those pictures of you, I wonder what he'd do..?" Park Chanyeol chalked up his cue and executed a swift stroke. A ball fell into the hole with a crisp thud. "." Oh Sehun's feet were unmoving, and his last thought of running vanished.

"You really went out of your way, huh? You moved, changed your number, and quit your job, but I found you anyway." Park Chanyeol broke into a wide grin as he strutted up to Oh Sehun. He put his arms around the other's waist, brushing Oh Sehun's cheek with his hair from behind. Oh Sehun snatched a container of drumstick over rice and hurled it onto Park Chanyeol's face. At once, the room was filled with the cheap odor of the town. The butler, who was standing to the side, hurried over to clean his master up, but Park Chanyeol just waved him away. He grabbed Oh Sehun and dragged him toward the back of the room. "I'm gonna have him lick all of it clean for me," he cackled as he said this, but no one in the room thought he was joking.

Park Chanyeol had never been rejected like this. Oh Sehun had obviously shown that he'd surrendered to him, what with saying that he wanted to be famous and all that. But then when he called Oh Sehun the next day to ask him to come out, the guy had vanished into thin air. He usually didn't like being clingy with someone he'd slept with, but this time, he actually brought a horde of friends and drove to Oh Sehun's apartment. He even resorted to illegal means to break into the place. When he was met with a completely empty room, Park Chanyeol screamed, "FUCK YOU!!!" drawing the attention of the landlady. "Uhm excuse me, sir, did you just break into this place?" The landlady had her hands set on the hips, on the brink of exploding. "So what if I did?" Park Chanyeol gripped his cell phone, his rage burning all the way to the ceiling. Meeting his pair of fiery eyes, the already hot-tempered landlady instantly went quiet. Noticing Park Chanyeol's expensive outfit and the two bodyguards next to him, she realized it was best not to piss him off. "N-nothing, I was just asking. If you're looking for Oh Sehun, he moved out last night." The landlady broke into a beam, suddenly turning helpful. Before, she had withheld Oh Sehun's rent for countless times, and even frequently stole the dried fish hung in front of his door that were sent by his mother. When Oh Sehun went to reason with her, he ended up getting yelled at. She was one of those that picked on the weak but balked at the strong. "Where did he go?" Park Chanyeol stared at the landlady, anger seeping through the corner of his lips. She almost got stomach ulcers from his terrifying eyes boring into her. "I-I have no idea. He left in a hurry without explaining a thing. I'm guessing he moved home." Before Oh Sehun left, he kept emphasizing to her to not reveal anything about where he went if anyone asked. Yet, when this old lady peered at these guys that smelled like trouble, she was consumed with the worry that they'd rip her apart if she kept quiet, so she forgot all about Oh Sehun's request and spilled the beans.

"O-Oh Tea Restaurant." The landlady wiped the sweat off her forehead as she saw them off. At the sound of the door closing, she fell to the floor in fear. She could only wish Oh Sehun the best, hoping that he would still be in one piece. Park Chanyeol was born in this city, but he had always hung around the upper east area, and then before he reached puberty, he packed up and went study abroad in the U.S. So he was mostly unfamiliar with the more commoner part of the lower east area. After exiting the expressway, the roads became substantially narrower, and cars couldn't even fit in the alleyways further ahead. But it seemed like Oh Tea Restaurant was booming with business, with lines stretching around the corner. "Sir, why don't you stay in the car and we'll go?" The bodyguards looked at a frowning Park Chanyeol, guessing that he was repulsed by the sight. As a richling that had been walking on roads paved with money, normally he would never come anywhere near to a place like this. "I'll go." Park Chanyeol rubbed out his frown, determination written on his face. He tread on the soggy alleyway and squeezed into the crowd. When he almost reached the restaurant entrance, a beefy guy blocked him off. "Hey kid, you need to get in line, or we're not gonna sell you a thing." The man spoke in a thick local dialect, his greasy hand pulling Park Chanyeol by the arm. Irritation crept onto Park Chanyeol's face as he peered at the man's hand on him, wanting to shake it off, but ended up tolerating it. Instead, he put on his signature smile. "Ah, is that so? That's too bad, because I'm a friend of Oh Sehun's. He used to tell me how his family restaurant's food was really good and asked me to try it. The thing is, I might go out of the country tomorrow and never come back again, so I might not get another chance." Park Chanyeol's bemoaning expression sent the surrounding ladies into brimming motherly empathy. "You're bamei's friend? Im his father! I see what you're saying, but queuing is our rule, and I can't really make an exception for you. How about this, you leave us your address, and I'll have someone deliver." Park Chanyeol tried hard not to laugh as he processed the "bamei" nickname. At the same time, he marveled at the wonders of God's creation; the person before

him was Oh Sehun's father? Except the fact that they were both male, he was having a hard time identifying any resemblance between the two "Sure! How about you have Sehun deliver for me? Since I live pretty far, I'll pay 10 times the delivery charge." The thought of the man being Oh Sehun's father somehow dissipated the disgust he felt just now. When the bodyguard tried to yank off the man's hand on his master, Park Chanyeol waved him away. Park Chanyeol was one of those people who drew fear from those who knew him and affection from those who didn't. This was particularly true under ambiguous circumstances. Almost anyone that met his extremely charismatic and innocuous grin would let down their guard in front of him. Oh Sehun's father quickly formed a good first impression when he saw that Park Chanyeol was a handsome young adult who looked quite accomplished. When the guy mentioned that he was a friend of his son's, the old man instantly took a liking to him and couldn't stop himself from complimenting Park Chanyeol left and right. He thought, Look at how well he's grown, compared to that brat of ours who's in his 20s and still needs us to feed him. Indeed the same kind of rice feeds a hundred kinds of people. Before leaving, Park Chanyeol handed the old man a business card and offered that he could come to him if he needed anything at all. The title glimmering on the card had the old man sold. He kept patting Park Chanyeol on the shoulder and exclaimed, "My son is damn lucky to have a friend like you!" After putting away the business card, the old man asked his third daughter to get his son on the phone and ask him to do the delivery. Details somehow got lost through the messenger, so Oh Sehun were totally clueless of the circumstances, and was "sold" just like that. "Let me go! How dare you hold me down! PARK CHANYEOL!" After a moment of struggling, Park Chanyeol flung the other onto the pool table and pushed him down with his own body. Park Chanyeol's friends, who were originally accompanying him in shooting pool and sitting by the pool table, didn't want to disturb the scene, and so immediately exited one after another. In the end, only Park Chanyeol and Oh Sehun were left in the room, glaring at each other. The juice from the drumstick over rice that was tossed on Park Chanyeol was beginning to drip from his face toward his chest.

"Lick!" He barked while shifting his body toward Oh Sehun's face, his hand holding down the other's quivering body. "No! You disgusting pervert!" Oh Sehun twisted his head to the side as he muttered bitterly. This is just not my day I'm stuck with this pervert again. "Don't you fucking think that leaving Luhan would solve the problem. Things only work out that way in your dreams." Park Chanyeol said grimly as he unfastened Oh Sehun's belt, an evil grin plastered on his face. "W-what are you gonna do?" "Nothing. Do you wanna make the people around you suffer? I suggest you lick all of this clean; otherwise, knowing me, you should know that something might be unimaginable to you, but nothing is impossible for me." Park Chanyeol leaned down and teased the other's lips, one hand embracing Oh Sehun's half-exposed waist, the other trailing along and kneading the pale, long leg, inching toward the inner thigh. Oh Sehun knitted his brows. His writhing body went still after Park Chanyeol's last words. He owned a multimedia company. He had the regulatory rights to over half of the entertainment in this city. He knew his father. More importantly, he was an asshole. Oh Sehun's scalp went numb when he recalled the things he did to him before. He regretted being impulsive a moment ago, Why did I throw food on his face I basically dug my own grave. Shaking, Oh Sehun reluctantly licked at the other's wet earlobe, then along the cheek, down to the chin, the neck, and then half of the exposed chest. He looked up and saw that Park Chanyeol's eyes were burning with lust. He shuddered and drew back his tongue. "There's more around my mouth, can't you see?" Park Chanyeol slightly puckered his lips and smirked as he pointed to his mouth. There were indeed a couple of rice grains stuck to his lips. But Oh Sehun would rather shoot himself in the foot than getting near that spot. Park Chanyeol blocked the other's head from drawing backward and repeated, "I told you to lick everything clean!" Oh Sehun twitched and shut his eyes as his tongue neared the corner of the other's mouth. After just one slight brush, Park Chanyeol captured the other's tongue and began assailing his

lips. The violent raid in his mouth sent shivers down Oh Sehun's nerves, fluids trickling down their mouths. Park Chanyeol quickly shed the other's pants and hoisted up one leg before thrusting all the way in. He held Oh Sehun's shaking torso, continuing in his frantic kissing, the clash between their two bodies carrying him away. It had only been a few days, but he was going crazy missing this body and the thrill of invading that softness that had topped any sensation he'd ever experienced in sex. He was offering him so many perks and showing him so much temptation, but Oh Sehun still walked away just like that. After that, Park Chanyeol realized that threats were the only way to control him. Once Park Chanyeol released the other's mouth, Oh Sehun began panting desperately. There was an instant just now when he thought maybe he was dead. The pain from the penetration had turned into a numbing sensation of pleasure, making him unknowingly grip Park Chanyeol's shoulders, his unclipped nails digging into the other's flesh. Losing balance, Oh Sehun's legs involuntarily snaked around the other's hips. Park Chanyeol gnawed at those vibrant red lips as he drove himself into the deepest end in the other's body. The heat from the physical collision was starting to make Oh Sehun feel dizzy. He had just freed himself from those persistent lips, but they came back and resumed the pestering within a mere 2 seconds. As the movement in the lower half escalated, the longer the assault on his lips became. It was starting to suffocate him. "That.. that's enough" Oh Sehun had been pushed to the brink of consciousness, his powerless hands trying to push away Park Chanyeol's unrelenting body. Park Chanyeol lifted up the other's upper half and put the hands on his own shoulders, setting the other on his erection before launching into another round. He looked up and forced Oh Sehun's mouth onto his own while holding the other's waist tight against his own. With an arch, Park Chanyeol brought both of them to climax. Oh Sehun went limp, his head unconsciously dropped to the side. Park Chanyeol kissed the corner of the other's lips, resignation growing in his eyes as he mumbled, "If threats worked I really want to just threaten you forever."

The unconscious man didn't hear what he said, but Park Chanyeol was stunned by his own words.

Luhan hauled his tired body home. Every bone and muscle was aching, and taking one step was demanding his life. He pushed the door open and to his surprise, Ado didn't pounce on him like a starved wolf. He went to the kitchen and saw that the bowl was half-full. Luhan scrunched up his brows and knelt down, touching the dog's forehead. You don't seem sick, why did you eat so little today? He rubbed his shoulder and fell back onto the couch. Turning his head to the side, he noticed a note under a cup on the coffee table. "Don't give up! You must keep going!" As if the author didn't want his handwriting to be identified, he wrote it using his left hand. Luhan snorted and picked up the note as he thought, This stupid kid I don't even have to think to know that he wrote it. As for Oh Sehun's resolve that day, Luhan actually didn't want to get to the bottom of it. So what if he wanted to be famous? Luhan thought it was a common sentiment, anyway, although it did contract what he used to think of Oh Sehun--a person who basically didn't know how to fight for himself, a person who looked smart, but would often short-circuit. Luhan just missed him, and thought it was a shame. He missed him because of the living habits that had grown over the years; not having the kid around within 10 meters of radius just felt empty. He thought it was a shame because Park Chanyeol was a douche. Despite witnessing

them do things typical of couples, Luhan knew that having Park Chanyeol actually treat Oh Sehun as a significant other was unimaginably impossible. He was just worried that Sehun was being used. But none of this had anything to do with him, anyway. After all, it was mutual, and even if they split in the end, it would simply have been a transaction, each taking what they needed. If he were to be a hen overprotective of her chicks, it would be uncalled for. He folded up the note and inserted into Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and quickly realized what a coincidence it was. This was exactly Sehun's encouragement to him-the unbearable lightness of being. Wanting to give up but realizing the severe lack of choice in life, robbing all courage of a wavering heart to let everything go. Luhan never thought of himself as weak. Even though he was ostracized by his family after losing his sister and had since then been all on his own, he never thought life owed him anything. After all, he had experienced all the fame there was to have. No one was ever in his way to the doors available to him, he just couldn't open them. What did such self-induced dead ends have to do with fate? So every time Byun Baekhyun asked him to come out for a drink and dump a shitload of complaints on life, Luhan would turn around and snap, "We walked into this dead end with our own two feet. Don't fucking blame it on life. It's got nothing to do with it." He turned on the TV. The entertainment news was all about the hug between him and Kim Jongin. As he watched, he suddenly felt a pang of nausea. He ran into the bathroom and began vomiting himself empty. Watching it flush down, what happened at the hospital earlier today replayed in his head like a movie: the sweat running down his own body, the beastly gnarls that the other person released when entering him. It made him shudder, dropping him to the floor in a daze. He hugged his knees close to his chest. Something was gripping his heart. It happened again. If not for Kim Jongin's girlfriend Diana screaming his name like a lunatic in front of the hospital, he probably wouldn't have stopped. During that violent passion, Luhan seemed to have forgotten that he was being forced upon as he was overcome by ecstasy toward the end. The thought of it made him feel disgusted by himself. "Luling, what should I do? Luling?" He drew out the pendant from his neck, clutching it before his chest. His body began to sway despite himself as he broke into quiet sobs.

"Are you tired? Luhan?" A ray of light seemed to be shining into his head. Luling's voice was getting closer, clearer. "Mm, I'm really tired" He felt as if Luling was holding his shoulders, taking him back to the times when he could no longer hang on, how Luling would gently convince him to persist. It made him feel safe. "If you're not happy, then just stop." He felt Luling's hand brushing through his hair. All of a sudden, he felt his entire body become so light. "But you always said, 'Luhan, I hope you'll make it farther and become a legend that people will always remember. A person may die, but the memories they leave behind stay alive.' Luling, if reality can really make me quit out of anger, am I still Luhan?" He watched his sister's smiling face, tears falling from the corner of his eyes. "If you already know the answer, why are you still stuck? Remember that composition I wrote in elementary school?" Luling's shimmering eyes were sparkling before him. She said tenderly, "My brother is a very brave person despite injustice despite obstacles despite harm, he would always be strong and pull through and that's the reason why I love him." Luling's hovering hand seemed to be wiping away his tears. Upon her last words, he could no longer fight the despair, and broke down into wails. Luling gazed into his anguished eyes with overflowing, inexpressible love before finally fading away and vanishing. Still seated, he stretched out his hands trying to get a hold of her disappearing body, before realizing that it was futile. The light that was growing fainter became merged with the teardrops at the corner of his eyes, then it was completely gone. Luhan's greatest fear was reminiscence. Remembering the times he had with his sister tore him apart every time. The Luhan now seemed mature and open-minded about many things, but he used to be extremely ill-tempered 3 years ago. With his fame gone like the wind overnight, he was stuck on arrogance, unable to step down from the pedestal he'd been on since he was a child. Luling was the only person that could get to him, especially during the times when he exiled himself from reality. After a director verbally denied all of his hard work for the second time with the plan to cut down on his lines, it shattered him. He took illicit drugs that he had never considered touching

and took his car to the streets, racing at lethal speeds. Due to the drug's effect of diminishing a person's focus, he thought the Luling waving around the corner signaling him to stop was the director that belittled him. Without a thought, he stomped on the gas and sped toward the figure, sending Luling flying into the sky, like a butterfly. The shrieks snapped him out of his haze. As he bolted from the car and clutched his sister's trampled body, the waves of bitter regret crashed into him, drowning him. His parents resented him for the accident. Nevertheless, he was their own son, and a public figure at that. To resolve the incident, their lawyer bribed the witness to give a false testimony, and the effects of that prohibited drug became one of the key factors that freed him from the charge. His cries of "Let me die" in court were regarded as genuine remorse by the jury. In the end, Luhan was acquitted. But to him, he thought fate had already sentenced him to death, all because he obliviously let himself go. Since then, he changed. Not even being denied the feeling of being a superstar, he sometimes felt like any difficulty in his life was a punishment he deserved. If he could, he had to bear it all. Oh Sehun used to ask him a lot, "How come you never speak up? If someone does you wrong, you should fight back! Even though you're not a superstar anymore, it doesn't mean you won't become one again. Why do you let anyone shit on you??" "Silence is the price that I have to pay for belittling life in the past." This was the answer he gave Oh Sehun every time. But he was human, after all. Despite the mentality that he should bear any and all punishments, being tortured like an animal over and over and how certain people have changed gave him thoughts of quitting. He even began considering just ending his life and following Luling. Nonetheless, when his thoughts turned to Luling's hopes for him, the avoidant attitude suddenly became shameful to him. He got up and washed his face, then wiped it clean of water and tears. He returned to the living room and called Kim Joonmyun.

"You're not really quitting like what Choi Minho said, are you?" Kim Joonmyun jumped ahead before Luhan even spoke. "I was, but not anymore. I'll still shoot 'Two Romantic Stars'. I'm just calling to confirm if it starts filming next Monday. I don't have an assistant right now, so call me directly if anything comes up with the studio," Luhan said in a calm voice. "Good, good. I suppose President Choi was joking with me. After all, you're the first main, we'll have a hard time coping if you left. Even though we've had a lot of unpleasant encounters, please believe me when I say that I very much look forward to working with you." Kim Joonmyun offered solemnly, afraid that Luhan would pick up on an undertone. "I know. We're all professionals, a lot of things are naturally common sense. I also look forward to working with you." Unsmiling, Luhan replied in a bland voice. After hanging up, the doorbell rang before he could even recover. He opened the door to a beautiful woman, who looked half-Asian and donning a high-class outfit. Her haughty expression made it easy for Luhan to guess that she came from a well-off family. "Are you Luhan?" The woman blurted with knitted brows. Luhan was taken aback. "Yes and you are?" Luhan didn't want to invite her in, but she took the liberty to walk in anyway. She set herself down on the couch and crossed her legs. Upon Luhan's question, she replied with disdain. "I'm Diana. Jongin's fiance." He could tell a tinge of possession in her tone. "We're getting married in October." "Oh congratulations." What's it got to do with me that you're getting married?? He snapped silently, thinking that it was already difficult to hide from Kim Jongin, why did his fiance come out of nowhere and get on his back. "I know you slept with Jongin, I could tell at the hospital. Even though you didn't see me," she pursed her lips as she squinted at him. Then she pointed to the mark on his neck, grinning, "That's from Jongin, right?" Luhan pulled on his shirt in embarrassment, smiling with furrowed brows, "Ms. Diana, I think you're mistaken. I have no relationships with Kim Jongin besides working on a previous movie.

Please rest assured." Luhan opened the door, hinting her to leave. But the woman made no movement. "You had a car accident a while back you ran over your sister." She flatly described this wound that Luhan could never bear to touch. The air froze for a moment before Luhan barked in a low voice, "I'd like you to leave right now!" "If you don't leave Jongin, I will find the best lawyer to re-settle these old scores. By then, not only your acting career will come to an end, you'll probably also get sent into prison." As if proud of her own behavior, the woman dropped this threat when she got up and moved toward the door. "Superstar, you'd better give it a lot of thought. But it's really weird that Jongin would hook up with a cold-blooded person like you." Luhan watched the woman leave before slamming the door shut. His body went limp against the door, and the world had gone quiet.

Having been accustomed to filming movies, the first day of shooting a TV show felt relatively foreign to Luhan. On the way to the set, he was resting throughout the whole ride. Despite having stayed home the past few days, he wasn't able to have a sufficient rest. Tomorrow was Luling's third memorial, and his long-time-no-seen brother-in-law brought home the joss papers last night, because this year his parents had decided to visit the burial site the day of. In the past, they would hold the memorial on a different day due to overwhelming grief, but for some reason, they changed their mind this year. Luhan was waiting for Byun Baekhyun to let him know when he could visit the cemetery; he didn't want his appearance to trouble his parents. As soon as he arrived at the set, Luhan saw Huang Zitao discussing the script with the director. This was the first time they met again after their mutual horrid experience at STB. As he

approached, the director got up and welcomed him, and Huang Zitao also stood up and shook his hands. "Looks like I'm late, sorry to keep you guys waiting." Luhan bowed apologetically after tossing his bag on the chair prepared by the crew. "No, not at all. I was a little nervous about acting with you for the first time, so I got here earlier to get some advice from the director." Huang Zitao didn't want Luhan to feel uncomfortable as he tried to lighten up the atmosphere. Looking around, Luhan didn't see his girlfriend Xiao Zi. Instead, a new actress that wasn't on the roster, Su Ran, came over to say hi. "I'm Su Ran for the role of Bai Susu. Please take good care of me." The cute, petite girl was completely opposite from Xiao Zi. Luhan mused, But isn't Bai Susu supposed to be for Xiao Zi? The character also looks like a mature female from the script he pondered why Su Ran showed up out of nowhere. Having been around in this business for this long, Luhan kept his questions to himself as he pasted on a smile and received Su Ran's extended hand for a handshake. "Don't say that, we'll be working as a team and helping each other out." He looked up and saw that Huang Zitao's expressions remained unchanged, so he put away his thoughts. After all, it was the producing company that picked the actors, not him. They probably had their own reasons for switching. Plus, since Huang Zitao, as Xiao Zi's boyfriend, didn't offer an explanation, it would have been unprofessional for Luhan to show concerns. Compared to Huang Zitao, whose first scene involved wires and fighting against over 10 men, Luhan didn't have to deal with acrobatics, which made his scenes much easier to execute. Moreover, his shots were mostly fillers that didn't require detailed filming, so with his experience, Luhan easily finished his takes with no NGs. On the other hand, Su Ran was a rookie, and one without much acting experience, despite being dubbed the most recent "boy killer". Unlike Do Kyungsoo, she also wasn't used to big scenes, which was why she was often timid and hesitant. In order to not delay Luhan's next scene, the director decided to film Luhan's and Su Ran's takes separately, so as to prevent Su Ran's NGs from affecting Luhan's shaped emotions. As it turned

out, after all of Luhan's single takes were done, Su Ran was still stuck in scene two. At this rate, they probably wouldn't be able to finish filming until the next morning. Huang Zitao finished the action scenes and came to the rest area. He sat down on his chair and began thumbing through the script for the next scene. Luhan glanced over at him. Knowing how his qianbei was extremely observant, Huang Zitao didn't try to hide and said openly, "I decided to let Xiao Zi take a break for a while. As a man, it makes sense for me to be the breadwinner anyway. As for Su Ran, she's a friend of Xiao Zi's that kind of subbed in last minute. Director Sun Jiang is known for being strict in the TV industry, so I dont know if having her help out is doing her good or harm," he chuckled helplessly as he took a sip of water. In fact, Luhan knew that those people didn't spare Huang Zitao that night. Even though he was at the brink of consciousness himself, he did manage to see something. He just didn't know what happened to Huang Zitao in the end. But looking at how he seemed composed enough to film right now, Luhan thought that even if he was somewhat affected, it didn't seem to be too bad. At least he was still physically intact. "She's still young, just needs some training. Like you. You're already doing a nice job." Luhan said as he wiped off his sweat. He wasn't flattering Huang Zitao. When he peered at the monitor on the action crew's side just now, he noticed that the kid had a good grasp of eye expressions and gestures, unlike many current martial arts actors who would overly exaggerate. With a few more years of training, he would definitely emerge as an outstanding actor. "No you're just puffing me up. I know my own abilities very well. I was a professional martial arts competitor, but I got injured, and that's how I started acting. There's really not much opportunities for me, it's simply a job that pays. But I've watched your works, and that's acting. What I'm doing is just a few punches here and there." Huang Zitao waved his hand in embarrassment, declining Luhan's compliments. "I dont ask for much, I just hope that the people in this business will leave me room to survive, that's all." His face turned a shade of desolation as he said the last words. "What do you mean room to survive? Survival is entirely up to you, or else how are you gonna take care of your woman, right?" Luhan patted him on the shoulder. He instantly took a liking to this man who was several years younger than him. Huang Zitao lacked the impatient conceit

commonly seen in many newly popular actors, and his mention of survival resonated with Luhan deeply. He began to empathize with the kid. Around noon, Xiao Zi came to visit the set with some homemade food in hand. Luhan was used to her being in layers of makeup and fancy clothes, so he did quite a double take upon the sight of Xiao Zi dressed in casual clothes. Luhan had worked with Xiao Zi in the past, so they were already pretty acquainted with each other. Huang Zitao invited him to join them and try Xiao Zi's cooking. Su Ran, who was just being yelled at by the director, also took her break and came to see her friend. Before she even joined the group, Su Ran could no longer hold back as soon as she saw her friend's face. She clutched Xiao Zi's shoulders and burst into sobs. Luhan was properly surprised. "You want me to comfort you or smack you?? The director would yell at you because he's trying to train you. Unless you wanna go back and just be a model with boobs and no brains?" Xiao Zi patted her friend on the back but offering no consolation. Upon her words, Su Ran's weeping intensified. "I didn't say I'm quitting it's just that it feels so awful! No one has ever been so mean to me" Su Ran sniffled. Xiao Zi shook her head helplessly and lowered her voice. "If they're not mean to you, they're trying to sleep with you. If you want people to respect you, you have to suffer a little first, or else you will always be looked down upon." Xiao Zi's words were so compelling, even the nearby Luhan couldn't help but be stunned as well. He recognized how those were words that would only come from someone who had been active for years in this industry and personally experienced certain things. The whole time, Huang Zitao was quiet, his head buried in the lunch delivered by his girlfriend. After a moment, the action crew resumed filming first. Huang Zitao passed his things to Xiao Zi and the two smiled at each other with unspoken understanding before he left to get hooked up to the wires again. Su Ran was still teary-eyed, but she wanted to pursue her dream, after all. Even though she was still young at heart, she knew the way things worked, and understood without much

explanations. This bout of venting at noon shouldn't affect her from shaping her emotions when filming resumed in the afternoon. Luhan was getting through his takes very quickly, so he wasn't in a rush to start filming again. He took a seat in the rest area and waited for the last scene to start around 3 in the afternoon. After putting away the lunchboxes, Xiao Zi stuck around and sat next to Luhan as they started chatting about this and that. At some point, Xiao Zi suddenly became serious as she looked up and gazed at Luhan, "When we were shooting commercials before, you really looked out for me, and I always thought that you were really nice. Actually, I've always looked at you as an older brother." Luhan was taken aback by Xiao Zi's abrupt heart-to-heart, but he didn't know his surprise. After all, he did used to have a younger sister, and now that a girl was calling him gege so cordially, it was heartwarming. "I'm glad to have such a pretty sister like you." Luhan knew that it wasn't easy for Xiao Zi and Huang Zitao to be together, so he sympathized with them to a certain degree. He studied Xiao Zi and could tell that she wanted to ask for a favor. He'd do his best to help, but if it was beyond his ability, she could only leave it up to the odds. "Luhan-ge, could you help me talk to Zitao? He's been under a lot of stress lately. I know it has to do with me, but he won't tell me anything. It makes me even more worried," she looked at Luhan anxiously, clutching her fingers. "Zitao is a solid, honest person. He gets deceived easily in this business, and he doesn't have many friends. Back then, I didn't think I'd be with this idiot. I only stepped in to help because I couldn't bear watching some guys picking on him, but I didn't know I'd become attracted to his innocent, silly personality. Even though he's not anyone rich or important, I'm content being with him. It's just that I have certain baggage from my past and these baggage have come to affect Zitao." She began to choke as she spoke. Luhan was stuck. He could not deal with a crying woman. "I'm not very close to him, you know that. We haven't even said more than 10 sentences to each other. If I were to talk to him, I don't even know where to start." Luhan wondered what made him look like a confidante that people would often ask him to be the mediator. "But Zitao and I trust you a great deal, both as a person and in your ability. Really. Zitao has never mentioned to me which qianbei he took a liking to, but lately he kept talking about you. If

it's you helping me get my point across, I'm sure he'll listen." Xiao Zi suddenly stood up and bowed to him, giving Luhan a good shock when he was just thinking about how to decline her request. He quickly got up and held her up. "This is" he sighed. "Alright okay, I'll try. But I can't guarantee that it'll do any good." Luhan rubbed over his brows in defeat, wondering if he was just too easy. "I knew you were the best!" Xiao Zi stepped forward and hugged him. A shutter sound was heard from not far away. The two didn't pay much attention, as reporters would frequently loiter around the set. After he saw Xiao Zi off, Luhan returned to the general crew for filming in the afternoon. He began contemplating how he was going to talk to Huang Zitao after they finished filming-should they talk about life or their dreams? It was giving him a headache. As he looked up, he saw Kim Joonmyun approaching, with Park Chanyeol and Wu Fan behind him. His heart suddenly began to race as he wondered what they were doing here. He grabbed a paper fan and used it to shield his face, pretending to be busy as he launched into a chat about the show with the director. He stole glances at the group sitting and talking a distance away. At this moment, Luhan was trying to hide from these people as much as possible. The saying went, one could offend a gentleman, but never offend a villain. This principle suited his current situation perfectly. He was already in a messy situation; if he clashed with these people again, there would certainly be no peace for him in the days to come. The sight of Park Chanyeol suddenly reminded Luhan of Sehun. He wondered what happened to him, and hoped that he was doing alright.

Luhan missed it when Huang Zitao fell from above. At the time, he had already begun his take, and then the director from action A team came to tell Sun Jiang that they had a situation. That was when Luhan found out that Huang Zitao had fallen because a clasp on his harness was loose, dropping him. All the onsite staff rushed over to see how bad it was. "It's okay, there was a cushion, I'm fine," Huang Zitao waved at the crowd in embarrassment, attempting to reassure them. A staff was hovering over him and unfastening the harness on him, while he held his back with knitted brows. "I'm sorry I'm sorry! I didn't buckle the clasp properly, it's my fault!" A staff responsible for special effects hurried over, apologizing profusely. Huang Zitao's eyes fleeted past the crowd, as if there was someone or something else that caught his attention. "It's not your fault. I just didn't get a good hold of balance," he waved in disagreement. He tried to straighten up, but ended up bending over. After all, he had fallen straight on his tailbone, damage was inevitable in spite of the cushion. The action A team director approached with furrowed brows. He said worriedly, "You should go get it checked out at the hospital. It'd be bad if it's really something serious." "This kind of stuff happens a lot, it's fine, really. I'll say something if I really can't do it. I might have trouble moving for now, I'll just go rest in the rest area for a while. We can continue filming when I'm good to go." Huang Zitao had been filming TV shows, so he knew how costly a day of filming was. Despite his growing popularity lately, he was still technically a rookie. If he dragged down the team right now, everyone may be okay with it on the outside, but they would certainly grumble on the inside. They would think that getting injured for martial arts actors was as likely as getting a piece of candy. If the crew schedule for the entire day was delayed over this, people would think of him as arrogant and demanding. His insistence promptly shut everyone up, and the general crew resumed filming. Luhan was done within 30 minutes. He returned to the rest area and was about to pack up and go home when he looked up and saw Huang Zitao's face distorting in pain. After thinking for a moment, Luhan put down his stuff and sat beside the guy. Though not exactly appropriate, he thought

this moment was probably the best time to have a heart-to-heart with him, as per Xiao Zi's request. He followed Huang Zitao's gaze toward Park Chanyeol's car that bad been parked by the side to the set. It seemed as if they had taken a trip around the set. After talking to the director and producer, they returned to the car, but apparently didn't leave yet. Luhan was surprised to see these people here, but since they didn't act particularly repulsive and everything was normal, he didn't think much of it. Huang Zitao stopped zoning out when he noticed that Luhan seemed to be watching him. He broke into an awkward smile. "Feeling better now? I just saw you limping. Why don't you wrap up for today? Even if you won't go to the hospital, you should still go home and rest." Luhan took a drink of water and smiled at Huang Zitao. "I'm sorry that you're worried but there's no way I can rest. There are hundreds of people here on standby, just to wait for me. I can't do that to them." Huang Zitao shook his head helplessly. "When Xiao Zi was talking to me today, she said how worried she is about you. Even though we're not very close, but as a qianbei, I hope I can be of some help. After all, I've been there, done that. I might know certain things just a little better." Luhan patted the other on the shoulder. Huang Zitao had his head down at first, but looked up with confusion written across his face. Still, Luhan could tell from the other's eyes that he was touched, accepting Luhan's intentions readily. Huang Zitao lowered his head again, his brows scrunched up as his body began to shake. "I just feel like it's so humiliating" he covered his face with a towel. Luhan couldn't see it, but he knew that the guy was crying. "I hate having people worry about me, but certain things" he paused, choking, "certain thing are just impossible to talk about, as a grown man." Luhan pulled out some tissues from his pocket and handed to the guy, who accepted after a brief moment of surprise. "I don't know what you're going through right now, but trust me, many people in this business feel some form of helplessness, including me." Huang Zitao furtively wiped away his tears

before lifting up his head to meet the other's eyes, listening. "If I'm really upset about something, I would always tell my sister about it. Otherwise, keeping it all bottled up inside is unhealthy," Luhan looked at the guy with sincerity. "That's nice that you have a sister." Envy crept onto Huang Zitao's face, as if lamenting that he didn't have one. "Well, she passed away 3 years ago. I normally use this to talk to her," Luhan smiled at him as he held the necklace pendant before his chest. A few minutes of awkward silence passed. Then, as if having invested an amount of thought, Huang Zitao suddenly spoke. "Ever since I was born, I have never experienced the warmth of a family. My mom was addicted to gambling, so as far back as I could remember, we've always been dirt poor. Then my dad divorced my mom because she couldn't turn away from her gambling habits. My dad sent me to a youth sports academy to save money, and then I got into the provincial sports team, so I haven't seen my dad for over 10 years since then. But honestly, my teachers and classmates at the sports academy were really good to me, and it gave me the idea to make wushu* into a career. If not competition, then I'd be a coach. But then, because of an incident at a competition, I can't fight head-on anymore. I didn't want to trouble my coach who always took care of me, so I took up a lot of part-time jobs in secret, trying to make some money to support myself. It was at one of those part-time jobs that I met my assistant," he pointed to his insensible assistant, who was bickering with someone else a distance away. Huang Zitao chuckled in defeat before continuing, "I know this guy's not that well-bred, but it's my way of thanking him for what he did for me. He brought me out here, there's no way that I can abandon him." "Yeah, I hear ya." Luhan nodded genuinely. He thought, indeed everyone had their own story. Seeing one's fame and glory, no one would have guessed just how much helplessness was behind it all. "You must be bored hearing me rambling on and on." Slightly flustered, Huang Zitao held his head and laughed sheepishly.

Luhan put out his hands and grinned, "Not at all. I really appreciate you trusting me and telling me so much about yourself. Speaking of which, you're not scared that I'll tattle-tale to gossip magazines? You fool." "I trust you. Ever since I saw you for the first time, I knew that you're a good guy." Huang Zitao gazed at his qianbei firmly, making the man slightly uncomfortable. "Man, no wonder Xiao Zi called you simple. You'd call anyone a good guy." Luhan bemoaned that Huang Zitao still had such an uncorrupt heart after having worked on a few pieces, and it was truly commendable. He just didn't know how long this simplicity of his would last. "I know I have a one-track mind, but I can still tell the good guys from the bad guys. Like those people sitting in the car over there--they're definitely scumbags." Huang Zitao suddenly growled, pointing to the car across from them. Luhan did a small double take at the other's unexpectedly intense reaction. In fact, those people were the reason why Huang Zitao fell earlier. After he saw them, he was too nervous and wanted to finish up quickly and leave, so he started moving before buckling up properly. Luhan quickly shifted closer and covered the other's mouth. He thought, with this many people here on the set, this guy was actually talking smack about the studio owner and the investor under broad daylights. If words got to those people, Huang Zitao would be in deep shit. Huang Zitao yanked away Luhan's hand. As if venting a flood of emotions, he said halfdesperately, "Qianbei, I really want to just die." Then he choked back on what already came out of his mouth. Luhan patted the other's trembling shoulders and didn't ask a thing. Because Huang Zitao wouldn't explain anyway. He couldn't tell Xiao Zi about certain things, and it was even more difficult to talk about it with Luhan. That night, Huang Zitao dragged his battered body from STB to home. As he neared, he saw that his mother, who rarely ever came to find him, was squatting at the door. She burst into wails the instant she saw her son, her bandaged hand was especially striking. She had a finger chopped off from losing over 5 million dollars, and she was told that if she didn't pay her debt within 10 days, she would get both of her hands hacked off. Even though she

had been a terribly irresponsible mother over the years, Huang Zitao always thought that she did give birth to him, after all. He could never let her get her hands chopped off. "Why is it so much money?? 5 million???" Huang Zitao was mad, but he still dragged his mother into the house. He had just moved into this area, and he didn't want to make a scene in front of the neighbors. "Even though I love gambling, I've never had much money these past years to bet this much. It's just that today the casino said there was a reward for the 10000th customer and gave me a 1 million chip. So I didn't think much of it and just used it to gamble, but I had bad luck and I" his mother wept as she tried to justify what she did. Huang Zitao was consumed with rage. He pointed at his mother and roared, veins popping on his forehead, "Which casino?" "Fareast" That name instantly plunged him into despair. Fareast Casino was one of Wu Fan's Fareast enterprises. He was getting a headache at the thought of having to deal with the person who locked him up for 2 days and violated him. What a fucking coincidence that I have to get involved with this asshole again He went to the bank with his mother to check his account, and found that he only had a little over 1 million. This was the fund that he had saved up for supporting Xiao Zi. Even with the paycheck that he'd get from filming "Two Romantic Stars", it would still fall short of 5 million. Today was the second to last day to the deadline. Xiao Zi might have some money lying around, but it still wouldn't be enough, not that his dignity would even allow him to borrow it. The thought of this made him give up on the idea. With these mixed feelings of hopelessness, bitterness, and worry, the sight of Wu Fan made Huang Zitao feel like not ending his own life was already his limit. "Thank you, qianbei, for listening to my rambling. I'm okay, I'll be fine after I ride this out. You should go home. After I'm done with this take, I'm probably gonna pack up too." Huang Zitao forced into a grin as he got up and moved toward the action A team, his hand supporting his back. Luhan stepped forward wanting to help him along, but his gesture was politely declined by the guy.

Watching that despondent back, Luhan suddenly felt unease nag at him.

Wu Fan sat in the car, watching Huang Zitao leave Luhan with his hand on his back, inching toward the set. A deep knot set between his eyebrows. He didn't believe in humanity. Just like cats didn't believe the harmlessness in rats. Wu Fan was a typical child born of the Wu family, with a cold face and a cold heart. However, he wasn't born this way. It was just that having been put through what happened in the Wu household, normal emotions would inevitably be replaced by vacancy over time. It wasn't so bad when he was studying in the U.S. It all started when his father abruptly passed away, which triggered discord and altercation within the family. Wu Fan was the eldest son, but his biological mother passed away when he was young. His stepmother had always wanted to make her own son, Wu Zheng, the successor to the Wu family enterprise, but Wu Fan's father was a traditional patriarch who stood unaffected by her coaxing. She then got a scheming idea, where she two-timed with Wu Fan's uncle, Wu Lingfeng, and the two poisoned Wu Fan' father, causing his sudden death. Then they colluded with the family lawyer to forge the will, stealing all of Wu Fan's inheritance. At the time, Wu Fan was still in the U.S. Mr. Sandler, his own lawyer, said that with his ability and charisma, he didn't need a cent from home to make it out there on his own. But after Wu Fan found out from a longtime family servant about the collusion between his stepmother and

uncle, he decided to take revenge. Through his trademark "iron wrist" and ferocious incidents executed out of rage, he quickly eliminated the accomplices in the household just within 3 weeks. In the end, he sent the uncle into jail, and made the stepmother "disappear" into thin air. A few that knew about the detailed course of the events also vanished without a trace after Wu Fan used certain unmentionable methods. He was only 19 at the time. Wu Fan had already defined humanity as immoral at that age of innocence. He thought that even beasts were better than man. If not for the fact that he grew up with Park Chanyeol, Lay, Do Kyungsoo, and Kim Jongin, Wu Fan wouldn't have hung around these people. Like what Kim Jongin had once said, Wu Fan was the most insecure of the bunch. That was why he would choose the most brutal way to strip others of their sense of security. Wu Fan didn't produce a reaction to comments like this. It was his life, and he could live however he wanted. He had never given a care to other people's critique on his behavior. As for Huang Zitao, he could not put into words the feelings he was having toward him. At first it might have been vengeance, and then conquest. Now, he felt like he was a predator, waiting for the thrill of capturing his prey in his hand after being pierced through the heart. During the two days when he locked up Huang Zitao, he had hired a few private investigators to run a detailed background check on Huang Zitao. But after the incident, he was too busy and promptly forgot about it all. Wu Fan didn't dwell on his release of Huang Zitao that day; he thought if he wanted, getting his hands on another B-list unknown star was a piece of cake, anyway. Then at one point, he returned to his office due to some urgent business, and incidentally opened the file on Huang Zitao that had been lying around on his desk. The more he read, the tighter his fists were winding. Huang Zitao, 22 years old. Mother was a vicious gambler. When he was 5, his mother sold him to human traffickers for money, it was his father who bailed him out. After his parents divorced, he stayed with his father. But when his father remarried, the stepmother couldn't stand having him around, so he was sent to a wushu boarding school. He was bullied shortly after he arrived. Today, a scar spanning over 10 centimeters from an "accidental" stabbing by classmates remained on his back; it had almost killed him at the time. His coach was good to him on the

surface, but his ulterior, real motives were to bring the kid along to street shows and make money for himself. As a result, the simple-minded kid was oblivious to the fact that he had been essentially "sold" and used as a money-maker for almost 8 years Wu Fan's brows were furrowing deeper at the increasing detail of the background check. He ended up hurling the stack of papers on the ground. Is this kid an idiot? Or is he retarded or just batshit crazy? He was astounded by the fact that such a person hadn't been eaten alive by the depraved society but able to survive for this many years. All of a sudden, curiosity crept up on him. This kid is certainly a curious case worth studying I should put him under a microscope and do a little research. He called Liu Zhong from his office phone, the PI that was in charge of investigating Huang Zitao. Upon questioning about Huang Zitao's mother, Liu Zhong said that the guy had consistently deposited money into his mother's account, so she would have something to gamble with. Lately, the mother had been visiting Fareast Casino a lot, but never betting a large sum. Still, she would always end up being asked to leave for cheating. With eyebrows raised, Wu Fan called for Manager Zhang at Fareast Casino. He threw a photo of Huang Zitao's mother on the table and ordered in a grim voice, "Find an excuse to teach her a lesson. Then give her a debt that she could never pay back." The usually clever manager quickly understood. He made a private call to a few henchmen to carry out the order. Coincidentally, the woman took the bait that same night. When she had her finger chopped off, Wu Fan was present as well, but standing on the other side of the one-way glass. He didn't really know what he was trying to achieve by having the woman indebted for 5 million dollars. He just wondered, with this kind of mother and this kind of behavior, would Huang Zitao still help her like a fool? As it turned out, Wu Fan thought right; Huang Zitao took it upon himself to gather the money for his mother's debt. He even heard from Kim Joonmyun that the guy had expressed the intention of collecting advance payment for filming "Two Romantic Stars". When he received this information, Wu Fan was sitting in Park Chanyeol's office, eyebrows knitted, but his lips upturned into an eerie smile.

"My dear President Wu, why are you like this? I'm scared." Park Chanyeol put down the pen about to sign off on some documents, give-me-a-break written across his face. "Today I wanna go check out the set of your stupid TV show." It was rare for Wu Fan to voluntarily visit a set when he was usually indifferent to what he was investing in, so Park Chanyeol was quite taken aback. Still, he couldn't refuse his friend who never really asked much of him. So he put aside his work and had Kim Joonmyun make arrangements for them to visit the set. On the ride there, Wu Fan asked Park Chanyeol, "Have you ever been interested in someone other than their body?" Sitting behind the steering wheel, Park Chanyeol was slightly baffled. He wondered if his friend had been hit by lightning today; since when did this carnivore suddenly turn into a vegetarian? "Uhm, yeah. But currently, the body is more appealing." He stepped on the gas and shifted into second gear, as if Wu Fan's question had just touched an unnerving spot. The car suddenly fell into a few minutes of silence. Wu Fan leaned his head on the window, rubbing the ends of his eyebrows as if troubled by some conundrum. Park Chanyeol studied his friend and wondered if he was in a bad mood because of the lack of their "dinners" lately. He quickly suggested, "How about we go somewhere and I get us some women?" "Nah, I'm not in the mood." Wu Fan declined his friend's good intentions with a shake of the head. Before Park Chanyeol could pitch another dumb idea, they arrived at the set. Based on previous experience, "visiting the set" was usually their excuse to check out if there were any "toys" they'd like to collect to try at the next dinner. Xiao Zi had decided to withdraw from the crew, so the only new person in town was the rookie Su Ran. Park Chanyeol thought Wu Fan wanted to come to check her out, so after they got out of the car, he took Wu Fan straight to Director Sun Jiang and had him introduce the girl. But Wu Fan's uninterested and wandering eyes perplexed Park Chanyeol even more. "Yo, Su Ran is talking to you." Wu Fan didn't notice the beaming girl in front of him until Park Chanyeol nudged him in the elbow. "Hi President Wu, I'm Su Ran." Wu Fan's good looks and superior social status naturally elicited gazes of admiration from most women who were unaware of the real deal, not excluding Su

Ran. She was aware that Xiao Zi had a history with this wealthy bachelor, but that was in the past, after all. Su Ran thought Wu Fan was just her style, and she'd be ecstatic if she could be with him. With childish coy, she shifted next to Wu Fan and subtly tugged at his arm in an earnest attempt to flirt. Wu Fan was agitated in looking for someone, but he still returned a polite smile--per usual with pretty girls--and introduced himself, "Wu Fan." Su Ran was instantly charmed, oblivious to the director urging her to resume her takes with Luhan. Before she was able to get to know the bachelor, a commotion erupted on the side of the action crew. Wu Fan immediately peeled off the woman's hand and fixed his eyes in the direction of people rushing. The sight of Huang Zitao bent over in pain suddenly seized him. When he stood there and watched Huang Zitao apologize profusely, "I'm sorry, really sorry for delaying everyone", an unexplained anger began sprouting in him. You just fell through the air to the fucking ground and you're apologizing? Are you even human? He was confounded by how the guy was still smiling with all that pain, and smiling so brightly, as if he was sick in the head. Wu Fan couldn't watch anymore. Irritated, he flung Su Ran off of his arm and called for Park Chanyeol to return to the car. Park Chanyeol had wanted to check out what all the commotion was about, but seeing his friend's murderous face, he refrained from asking any questions. Why are we leaving so soon when we almost reeled her in? He thought Wu Fan indeed could flip tables faster than flipping a page. The more he was trying to figure him out, the more disconcerted he became. After getting into the car, Park Chanyeol was going to start the car and leave when Wu Fan blocked the hand about to key in the engine. He said coldly, "Wait." And they waited for almost 30 minutes. "What the hell are you waiting for?" Park Chanyeol looked at his watch, thinking he still got plans to stall someone tonight, and he didn't have much time left. What's up with this dude today? He's usually decisive and never wastes his time, why is he acting so randomly right now? Is he possessed or something?

"Let's go." With Park Chanyeol so fidgety as if he was about to shit his pants, Wu Fan said flatly as he withdrew his gaze from out the window. "You didn't fall for someone did you? Is it Su Ran?" The way his friend looked suddenly fel t familiar to Park Chanyeol, who thought it took a resemblance to the wavering Wu Fan in high school with a crush on their female teacher. "Just drive your damn car and stop talking nonsense." Wu Fan muttered in a toneless voice, brows knitted. Park Chanyeol felt chills running down his spine. Looking at his friend blanching in exasperation, he knew better than to speak another word. But Park Chanyeol was now certain that the cold-blooded Wu Fan actually felt something real for once...

Huang Zitao held his back as the wires lifted him up into the sky once again. As he looked down, he had an urge to just unbuckle the harness and let himself fall to his death.

Two Romantic Stars action crew, scene three, action! The script supervisor clicked the clapperboard, cuing Huang Zitaos knife-fight with a group of stuntmen clothed in black. During the fight, one of the stuntmen kicked into Huang Zitaos injured back, and the camera focus immediately took to his face. To avoid altering his facial expressions due to the pain, he was clenching his teeth so hard that it bled.

Maybe it was because the executive director was absent today, or out of concern for Huang Zitaos injury, the crew did not re-film this scene despite a number of mistakes. After a while, the clapperbloard was clicked and the assistant director called cut. After Huang Zitao was lowered from above, his back could no longer support his weight. He leaned to the side as he tried to recover.

Huang Zitaos assistant, Wang Jiang, shoved the bystanding staff to the side and said sourly, Stop gathering around him, theres nothing to look! He piped up all of a sudden, which was odd considering how he was nowhere to be found just moments ago when Huang Zitao fell.

Huang Zitao furrowed his brows, growing a little uncomfortable at the sight of Wang Jiangs hypocritical smile. He said as he helped Huang Zitao up, Listen, theres a jewelry store opening today, Ill take you to help cut the ribbon later. I took the money already. Huang Zitao lifted up his head and stared at him, wanting to say something, but stopped prematurely. He just nodded.

It had always been like this. Huang Zitao seemed to be endlessly tolerant of his insensible, opportunistic, and even sometimes heartless assistant. One would have a hard time imagining Huang Zitao, a real man with a plethora of martial arts skills who never shied away from confrontations, would become a defenseless pawn when facing his own assistant. They had, however, argued in the past, and even Xiao Zi had helped him confront the guy. But after each argument, Wang Jiang would tug at his arm and fervently bemoan about him having nowhere else to go, and how much he had sacrificed for Huang Zitao over the years.

Every time the man pulled this trick, Huang Zitao would soften and cave. Sometimes even Xiao Zi would reproach him, Look at you, you look so tough and yet you become such a wuss in front of a jerk like him.

He did bring me out here. Plus, he really has no skills, and he doesnt get along with people. If I dont let him work as my assistant, he and his wife are doomed. Well see. If he gets worse, well let him go. Huang Zitao would sigh and defend him, and Xiao Zi could only cross her arms in frustration. Eventually, she stopped trying to intervene.

In the end, Huang Zitao gave up trying to achieve a consensus with Wang Jiang. He stopped fighting about a lot of things, and naturally they ran into less conflicts. And so it became that Huang Zitao would do whatever Wang Jiang said.

He took a quick shower and changed in one of the trailers on the set before following Wang Jiang to the jewelry store.

In the car, Huang Zitao made a call to a real estate agency. With none of his fundraising attempts coming to fruition, he decided to sell the newly purchased house at its full price. Adding this sum to his savings and the advance payment for the TV show, he should be able to put together 5 million. The house was

supposed to be for him and Xiao Zi after they were to get married, but he actually didnt tell her about selling it. He was taking things one step at a time. If Xiao Zi broke up with him over this, then it probably wasnt meant to be in the first place. Moreover, knowing Xiao Zi, Huang Zitao knew that she would simply call him stupid at most and let it go.

He stomached his back pain as he socialized with the store owners and personnel, and then gave a few autographs to fans. After deciding that he would go to the casino with his mother and pay the debt as soon as he could leave, he received a call from his mother while resting in the lounge at the jewelry store.

Zitao! Help me! Tell these people that youre my son and Ill pay them back! The clamor erupting on the other end mixed with his mothers cries suddenly shocked his eardrum to numbness.

Mom, stop crying first. Give the phone to the person next to you. Ill talk to him. The noise of passing over the phone was replaced by a rude baritone.

Are you really that big star Huang Zitao? The man raised his voice incredulously.

Yes... I am. Huang Zitao was shaking. The existing pain in his body and a foreboding feeling plunged him into a state of unease.

Your mom came to our casino again today and lost 3 million. With the 5 million from before, now she owes us 8 million. If you have money, youd better send it over now. Otherwise, itd be more than 2 hands that shell be losing. The man hung up callously. Huang Zitao drew a sharp breath and froze.

A small party had been prepared following the ribbon-cutting, but Huang Zitao had to skip out on it. His assistant rolled his eyes furiously, which Huang Zitao pretended he didnt see. He asked Wang Jiang to go home as he flagged a cab to Fareast Casino.

It was with the casino industry that the Wu family enterprise really took off. They monopolized almost all casinos in Beijing, and when Wu Fan took over, he expanded the business to Las Vegas and Macau. Though casinos were a lottery industry that the city frowned upon, it did manage to drive the GDP

municipally, and even regionally as well. Since the era of Wu Fans father, the entire Fareast enterprise was completely revamped, and the profits from the casinos were disguised by those from the general franchises. It had been a smooth sail for Fareast in the commercial realm, and Wu Fan naturally became the boss true to its name.

On the other hand, Fareast Casino was a place that Huang Zitao never wanted to enter, possibly because his childhood memories of his mother were mostly overshadowed by the noises of gambling and ensuing fights at casinos. After he stepped off the taxi, Huang Zitao took a deep breath, his heart beating out of his chest. He had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Unlike how he remembered casinos, Fareast Casino seemed to have been cleared out today. His mother was tied down to a chair, a number of vicious-looking men standing beside her. They stared down Huang Zitao the instant he walked through the door.

Zitao! Zitao! Save me! I just wanted to try my luck and see if I could win it all back, I thought maybe I could win back the 5 million, but... I still lost... Out of annoyance, one of the men pulled out a rag behind him and stuffed it into the womans mouth.

Let her go! I will pay back the money. Huang Zitao stepped forward but was blocked down by the men. Hand over the money, or shes not going anywhere.

I only have 5 million with me right now, but give me 2 more days and Ill definitely get you that 3 million! Huang Zitao nervously explained. He resented having such an inconsiderate mother, but she was his mother, after all. His priority was to get her out of there.

So that means you dont have it. The man smirked, brows raised. This is a casino, weve seen plenty of people like your mom. They would just keep dragging it out, and in the end, they vanish into thin air. So even though youre a celebrity, we still dont trust you. We need to see money in front of us today. If not, then sorry. We gotta send a warning to those assholes that never want to pay us back! The minions behind him hauled the woman by her arm, and someone pulled out a 3-foot-long butcher life, aiming at the limb.

Someone blocked him down again when Huang Zitao bolted over. Left with no choice, he helplessly screamed, I know your boss Wu Fan!

The men contemplatively looked at each other for a few beats. The head of the pack sneered, Tons of people know our boss, even the lady selling popsicles at the corner knows him. You think well let it go just because you know him?

If you dont believe me, call him!

Before those men could retort, Wu Fan appeared descending down the stairs, gloom surrounding the figure. The henchmen immediately lowered their head submissively. The head walked up to Wu Fan and whispered in his ear. Huang Zitao knitted his brows as he watched Wu Fan, whose face was still.

Leave. I wanna talk to him. The men paused a beat before silently rushing out of the lobby in confusion. Now there were only Huang Zitao, his mother, and Wu Fan.

Let my mom go. Ill pay you back the whole thing. Huang Zitao was about to approach his mother and untie her when Wu Fan got into his way.

Under normal circumstances, even though he could no longer fight like professional wushu competitors, with his well-grounded skills, Huang Zitao could easily have a regular person like Wu Fan down on the floor in no time. But this moment was far from normal, and his back that got injured during the day was now hurting massively. Merely standing straight required his willpower, let alone taking on a fist fight. With Wu Fan standing before him, Huang Zitao suddenly sank into reluctant hopelessness.

What kind of relationship do you have with me that I should break the rules and cut you some slacks? Wu Fans lips curved into a sinister grin as he moved right up to Huang Zitao, saving almost no room between their bodies as he looked down into Huang Zitaos eyes.

All of a sudden, Huang Zitao was reminded of that dreadful memory, knocking him off balance as he slumped to the ground.

II have no relationship with you, but I am a public figure. 3 million is not a small sum, but if I take on a few extra shows and commercials, I can still get that money. So please trust that I will be able to pay you back. Because his back had completely given out, Huang Zitao could not get up no matter how hard he tried, and he was stuck sitting on the floor, where he had to tip his head back to look at the pillar-like Wu Fan. Wu Fan didnt speak for a while. His eyes shifted to a gaming table nearby. Then he peered at Huang Zitao, Actually... there is a faster way to solve this. Your mom owes me 8 million from gambling, so lets bet on this. Toss the die and guess big or small. If you win, I wont ask for a cent, and Ill even have a car take you guys home. If you lose... Wu Fan paused. He extended his arm and tipped Huang Zitaos chin. How about you pay me yourself?

With his brows already knitted, the offer sent Huang Zitao into a state of shock and all strength left his body.

What if I dont want to play? Huang Zitao breathed heavily through gritted teeth.

Then I have no choice but to follow the system, Wu Fan vacantly pointed to the terrified woman tied to the chair. The void on his face threw Huang Zitao into despair.

As if he had already guessed Huang Zitaos answer, Wu Fan took two die from the gaming table and enclosed his hand over them.

You go first.

Watching Wu Fans closed fist, Huang Zitao was getting dizzy. He couldnt even think, and felt as if the air surrounding him had stopped, stifling him. He didnt want to play this game. He had always looked down on gambling, dismissing it as something that drained peoples willpower. Ironically, right now, he had no choice but to gamble, and the outcome was going to decide his fate. At least on the surface, Wu Fan gave him an option that could mean hope. Huang Zitao wanted to give up on it all and just let fate

decide. But when he thought of Xiao Zi, his heart began to ache. As her smile became dimmer and dimmer in his consciousness, Huang Zitao hopelessly croaked one word.

Small...

Wu Fan threw the die on the ground. Under the lights, the three pairs of eyes intently watched the die slow to a stop. The final answer was two sixes, which was 12. Big.

Huang Zitao shut his eyes and felt his entire body give out from under him. His slumped torso over the floor was hauled up by Wu Fan, who held his head and met his mouth, devouring him like a beast feasting on its prey and sucking the temperature from his lips. It was a possessive kiss that Huang Zitao had no energy to fight off whatsoever. Being pushed down on the gaming table, Huang Zitao saw his mother gaping in dejection through the corner of his eyes. It was as if the sky had fallen on him.

Huang Zitao was curled up, despair written across his face. Wu Fan glanced at him, then pointed at the woman tied to the chair and roared, "Get out!" Her hands were actually untied, so it didn't take her long to get off the chair. She held her son's eyes for a moment, tears brimming in her eyes. She seemed to want to say something, but instead choked back on it as she turned and left the casino. Huang Zitao stared at Wu Fan stiffly, eyes full of confusion. Wu Fan exhaled and put his arms around Huang Zitao's waist. His face moved beside Huang Zitao's ear and narrowed his eyes. "That's right. She sold you again." "No you must have threatened her! She's my mom she how could she" Huang Zitao knitted his eyes and willed his surging tears back in. "Something that's important to you isn't as nearly important to her as money." Wu Fan held the man frigid in his brokenness, mumbling in his ear. Those words sent tremors throughout Huang Zitao's body. Despite Wu Fan's hands caressing his torso, Huang Zitao felt not even a tinge of desire to resist. He just stared blankly into Wu Fan's eyes, unblinking. Wu Fan's heart skipped a beat. He chewed on Huang Zitao's cold and trembling lips. After a moment of struggling between their tongues, Wu Fan suddenly tasted salt. He looked down and saw Huang Zitao's long-suppressed tears falling across his cheeks and into their mouths. Something gripped his heart. Right now, Huang Zitao wasn't the raging, defiant man he had remembered; there was only pure despair. It was inexplicable to Wu Fan, this feeling that he had never felt with Chief. "You've already lost to me." Wu Fan frowned as he pulled Huang Zitao's torso up and wrapped his arms around it. "Stop crying! That's an order." "I'm not crying!" Huang Zitao stubbornly raised his head, but the tears continued to flow uncontrollably, staining his entire face. It was as if all the frustrations he had bottled up over the years were pouring out along with the tears. In his eyes there was bewilderment, accusation, helplessness, and hatred for the man before him.

Despite adversity reigning his life, Huang Zitao hinged himself on a peaceful illusion and was moving forward with a spirit of mental victory*. But after Wu Fan showed up, that fantastical mirage completely vanished. And now, even his own mother colluded with this stranger to set him up. It was true that his mother had never treated him right over the years, but Huang Zitao had always firmly believed that blood was thicker than water. What happened just now had completely trampled and shed this belief to shards. Wu Fan stood and stared at the tears covering Huang Zitao's face. He tapped on a teardrop with his finger, and then brought it to his lip. Something suddenly seized him from within. Ever since he was 19, he had forgotten what it was like to cry. And it was then that he lost the ability to love. Watching the man before him and thinking about how Huang Zitao was such a simple fool with a nave faith in love, how he still managed to smile despite being taken advantage of over and over again, how fate was never kind to him but his humanity remained intact deep inside. Watching Huang Zitao and thinking, unknowingly, Wu Fan's heart ached with empathy. "Be with me. I won't let you cry." In his quiet sobs, Huang Zitao bit his lower lip and looked at Wu Fan. His eyes were puzzled, and began filling with murderous rage.
*Mental victory is a self-defense mechanism where a person self-hypnotizes himself into believing that everything's okay despite the surrounding pain and misery in reality. It's also a way to console oneself.

After Luhan came home from the set, it was already past 7 PM. Byun Baekhyun called and said Luhan's parents were really going to be at the memorial tomorrow, so Luhan should probably visit at another time. Luhan simply hummed in understanding. Byun Baekhyun wanted to say something comforting, but hesitated for a few beats and lost his chance when a single monotone rang in their ears, signaling an incoming call. They finished their conversation hurriedly, but before hanging up, Luhan heard the other person mumble, "I've never blamed you about Luling. I won't blame you tomorrow, and I never will." As Luhan received the interrupting call, he croaked as he involuntarily choked to the last words of Byun Baekhyun.

"Luhan? This is Wang Jiacheng. What's wrong with your voice? Are you crying?" The director asked with concern. Luhan suddenly felt embarrassed, his eyes misted. "Nothing, I'm just tearing up over something spicy that I was eating. How could I help you, Director?" The director didn't usually make calls just to chat. It must be something urgent that he was calling Luhan this late. "I can't call you just because I want to? I see how it is." The director teased as he pretended to be offended. Luhan didn't have the habit to kiss ass, but Director Wang had always been kind to him, and manners were necessary regardless. Luhan didn't want the director to misunderstand and quickly explained, "Of course not, I'm glad that you called, it's just kind of random." "Well, it's my 60th birthday tomorrow and I'm holding a small private party at my villa in the West Mountain. Come! I want to introduce you to some people, too." The director broke into a hearty laugh. Luhan had planned to go to Luling's memorial tomorrow, but not anymore after his brother-in-law's call just now. Nevertheless, he had already requested a day off from the film crew, so he had the day free, coincidentally. Being extended a personal invitation from a senior like Wang Jiacheng was extremely flattering, and it would be disrespectful if he declined. "Oh really? Of course I'll come. Happy early birthday, Director." When the director said it was a "small" private party, Luhan was thinking 7 or 8 people, 12 max. As for gifting, something too insignificant was out of the question, but something too much might make him look like a sycophant. Luhan knew that the director liked wine, and remembered that he still had a bottle of 1982 Lafite that he bought in France a while back. He never had a chance to open it and it had just been sitting around. It should be an appropriate gift, he decided. Luhan was aware that the director held a U.S. citizenship and owned real estate in Beijing, but he didn't know that the director's estates were located in such a sprawling area as the West Mountain, where each villa was a colossal distance apart from one another. There was a racecourse about a 10-minute drive away from the villas, and a drape of verdant mountainous areas spread across upward from the racecourse.

Luhan drove to the entrance to the West Mountain villa area, through which a three-lane security check point lied. Past the entrance and driving further down, it took Luhan almost 10 minutes before arriving at the director's villa. He pushed open the doors and saw that a bustling crowd had already gathered. The servants were preparing the food, and some guests who had arrived early were chatting on the benches in the front yard. It obviously was not a "small" party. Close to 40 people were present even before the scheduled time of the event, and every guest was a celebrity in or outside showbiz. For example, the person talking to the director right now was Thomas Eddick, a famous American director. As Luhan entered, he handed his gift to a servant ushering at the door. He thought about going to say hi to the director, but changed his mind, not wanting to interrupt the conversation. He looked around and realized that the guests were half-strangers that he had seen in the media, but had never had any personal interaction with. He had always felt out of place at such upscale gatherings, and he wasn't planning to make an exception today trying to fit in. He picked up a glass of chilled wine and started pondering when he could leave, when a familiar figure suddenly appeared before his eyes. "Hey, Luhan!" Do Kyungsoo slapped Luhan on the shoulder cheerfully, his eyes widened in surprise. Luhan looked up in slight embarrassment and replied with a helpless smile. "Hey, what a coincidence." Luhan scanned the area with the wary thought that wherever Do Kyungsoo appeared, that person would probably also be near. Luhan hoped he wouldn't run into him today; it had happened enough times that the mere possibility was both dreadful and frightening. "Not a coincidence at all. I only came last minute after I found out that you were coming. I hate parties like this where you pretend to know people you don't. It annoys the hell out of me." Do Kyungsoo complained, his arms happily slung across Luhan's shoulders. Luhan peered at the arms lying on his shoulders in resignation. That's exactly what you're doing to me right now though Luhan fixed his eyes on the director, wanting to seize the moment when he saw that the director was finally done talking to Thomas. He swiftly rolled out of Do Kyungsoo's arms and strutted forward, but someone got to the director one step ahead of him, some international movie actress recently in the limelight. Luhan stopped in the middle of his track in defeat. Do Kyungsoo caught up to him and chuckled, "Director Wang probably won't be able to spare a minute tonight. It's so

boring here, let's go horseback riding at the racecourse. We can come back when everyone else is drunk off their ass." Luhan wanted to decline Do Kyungsoo's eager suggestion, but as he looked around the public figures all wearing a faade, it was nauseating. When he drove past the racecourse before the party, he did feel quite nostalgic. The last time he went horseback riding was with Luling. Even though they weren't great at it, he missed that feeling of liberation when he was riding. Luhan pondered for a beat and nodded. He put down the wine in his hand and followed into Do Kyungsoo's car, heading toward the racecourse. It was past 5 PM, and most staff on the racecourse had already left. The guard offered no questions and let them in when he saw Do Kyungsoo. With no staff ushering them, Do Kyungsoo easily led the way into the stable. "You know your way around here?" Luhan asked as he petted the mane of a white horse. "Yeah. I come here a lot with my childhood friends. It became a private course after Jongin bought it, so we can come whenever we want." Luhan's petting hand suddenly froze, as if electrocuted, at the mention of that name. He couldn't utter a word. "You alright?" Luhan didn't snap out of it until Do Kyungsoo wagged two fingers before Luhan's eyes. "Yeah. Just amazed how beautiful this horse is. I like it a lot." Luhan said as he put more force into petting the horse's head, which seemed to have irked the animal as it puffed heftily through its nostrils. "Well, you're in luck today. This is the most docile horse on the whole course, Jongin's favorite. Normally, Jongin wouldn't let anyone else touch it, but you can give it a try today. It's a he, by the way, his name is Rocky." Do Kyungsoo led out the horse as if revealing a treasure. He put the bit guard and saddle on the horse. Studying the gorgeous white horse, Luhan felt a strange sense of familiarity. Luhan stepped onto the stirrup and mounted the horse. Rocky was very calm at first, slowly carrying Luhan in a stroll around the course. Before Luhan even got used to the serenity of the ride, Rocky

abruptly jumped over the fence in a split second. The horse zoomed past the plains and accelerated toward the West Mountain. Luhan only realized how fast the horse was speeding when Do Kyungsoo's shouts behind them faded into quietness in an instant. Even though Luhan did some horseback riding as a child, he had never rode past the beginner level, and riding two laps within a course was the most he'd accomplished. Now that Rocky was dashing at an unimaginable speed and its mane drifting in the air, they were going so fast that Luhan felt like the wind had stopped. The horse sped into the woods inside the West Mountain and launched toward the densely packed trees, hurling Luhan right onto a tree. He held onto a branch dizzily. If this horse is supposed to be the most docile, then the wildest probably eats people Rocky didn't seem to care that his rider had disappeared as he took off toward the deeper end of the woods without a beat. Luhan slumped across the branch, his back feeling like it had torn. He seemed to have gotten scraped while speeding through the woods. His heart seized in pain whenever he tried to move. Luhan gave up moving. He thought that after waiting for a while, Do Kyungsoo should be coming after he saw Rocky head in this direction. But he waited for over an hour and there was not a shadow in the vicinity. The sun was setting. Then he heard the sound of gallops from a distance away. Luhan perked up, thinking that it must be Do Kyungsoo. When he squinted at the approaching figure, Luhan fell from cloud nine as he realized that it was Kim Jongin saddling on a towering black horse, his eyes looking even more menacing with the messy black hair. Kim Jongin leapt off the horse and sauntered to the feet of the tree, riding crop in his hand. He stretched out the free hand and shouted, "Jump!" Luhan gripped onto the branch. He already resented Kim Jongin, and now he felt even more helplessly vulnerable, being at the mercy of his enemy. Even though Kim Jongin came to save him, Luhan couldn't let go of the aversion clawing at him. ""

"Kyungsoo rode to the mountains on the other side. If the reason why you're not coming down is because I came instead of him, then you're gonna have to stay here tonight." Kim Jongin furrowed his brows and snapped. It was getting dark by now, the bleeding in Luhan's back was becoming increasingly painful, and his body temperature was dropping. After a moment of mental struggle, Luhan had no choice but to yield to reality. He clenched his teeth and flung himself across the branch and downward, as if wanting to crush Kim Jongin to death. When Luhan fell on him, Kim Jongin was taken by surprise. Kim Jongin was well-built and regularly worked out, and his physical ferocity made him capable of reining the wildest horse going out of control, so he naturally thought he could easily catch the skinny figure on the branch. Nonetheless, with the force of gravity, Luhan fell and crushed Kim Jongin all the way down, his entire body sprawling atop of Kim Jongin. Luhan felt a sudden sense of thrill the instant he fell on Kim Jongin, thinking smugly that Kim Jongin finally got his payback. But Luhan quickly realized how suggestive this position was. He could even sense an obscene smirk in the other's eyes. He tried to get up when Kim Jongin flipped over and pushed him down on the ground. Through the fabric of his pants, Luhan could already feel Kim Jongin's crotch heating up rapidly. He laid his hands on Kim Jongin's chest in an attempt to push him off, but Kim Jongin yanked Luhan's hands off and pinned them above his head. "You made me," Kim Jongin muttered before engulfing the other's mouth with his own, his tongue prying open Luhan's teeth. Luhan froze, his brows knitted as it all seemed to be happening too fast. He fought frigidly, but still lost as Kim Jongin's tongue pushed through and raided Luhan's mouth, making slurping noises as it swirled and twirled around Luhan's defenseless tongue. Kim Jongin's trailed down Luhan's torso and dragged down his pants, caressing Luhan's pale skin and enjoying his struggle. "Are you out of your mind?" Luhan spat with difficulty when Kim Jongin released his mouth and attacked his neck instead. He inhaled sharply when a finger penetrated him without warning. He groaned as his body bucked up. The familiar pain was more agonizing than his injured back.

"I am out of my mind did you read the headlines this morning?... I thought you were only interested in men but I didn't know you were okay with women you wanna marry her or something?" Kim Jongin said bitterly, but not pausing in his hands and lips. "Who? Marry who?" Luhan spoke with substantial effort, his eyes narrowed as he continued to resist in vain. The unrelenting addition of digits into him and the friction between their bodies was gradually stripping him of the strength to fight. "So you have more than one girlfriend than Xiao Zi?" Kim Jongin angrily gnawed at Luhan's ear and ignored whether Luhan had been stretched out as he drove himself all the way into Luhan. Luhan clutched the grass floor and involuntarily jerked his hip upward. Kim Jongin gripped Luhan's waist. He began thrusting faster as he leaned down, capturing Luhan's lips. "H-huh?" Luhan clutched Kim Jongin's shirt, his voice fracturing into syllables resembling moans in response to a simple question that failed to register in his head, the clash between their bodies knocking senses out of him. Kim Jongin leapt up all of a suddenly, hauling up Luhan and pushing him against the tree before continuing to pound into Luhan manically. With the pain in both his back and behind, Luhan's brows set in a deep knot, searing sweat trickling down his torso. Kim Jongin's deep growls pierced through the quiet of the dusk, the violently swaying tree causing the birds that had just returned to their nests to scatter. Kim Jongin hoisted up Luhan's waist, hiking the other's legs around his own torso. In between thrusts, a thought popped up into Kim Jongin's head. What is the matter with me? He no longer had a clue as to what he wanted; whether he wanted to fuse Luhan's body into his own, or to tear it apart completely before Luhan launched his life into chaos. The violent frenzy did not subside despite the sky dimming into darkness. Kim Jongin's feverish body brought Luhan's unfeeling figure to the boiling point, again and again, blasting his soul into pieces.

Kim Jongin had the most convoluted dream today. He was called to his family mansion first thing early in the morning. Diana was sitting next to his mother, a sweet smile typical of girls her age pasted on her face. Jongin-ah, come sit here. Well have breakfast together later. His mother smiled at him, waving for him to approach. His father raised his head and tossed Kim Jongin a vacant look before resuming to reading the current newspaper. Today is Director Wang Jiachengs birthday, I dont think I can stay long. I have to get to the West Mountain in a bit. Kim Jongin didnt hold any grudges toward Diana. They grew up together, and despite her princess syndrome that put him off, he didnt dislike her. With his neutral attitude toward relationships, Kim Jongin naturally didnt oppose when this arranged marriage was planned for him.

Diana, on the other hand, was quite an independent woman. She never rushed to tie the knot through the 3 years of their engagement, and usually raised no protests to Kim Jongins sexual escapades. But for some reason, lately their parents had started to push them toward the altar, driving Kim Jongin into frustration when he had planned to fool around for 2 more years before being tied down and stifled by a wedding band. He had already anticipated this before he was told to come home for breakfast. I know youre a big star and all, but you must have time for breakfast, yes? His father suddenly looked up, his brows set in a dictatorial knot, face austere. The boys of the Kim household had been terrified of their father since they were children. Even though they had all grown up, they still felt intimidated by their father as much as a mouse by a cat, as if trapped in the shadows of their childhood. Kim Jongin frowned as he dropped the car keys into his pocket. He sat down next to his mother. His mother held his hand, and then picked up Dianas and placed it atop the other. She smiled at them, Listen to me. Stop fooling around and postponing the wedding. How about next month? Jonghyuns resort in Hawaii will be opening, itd be a good time for you two to tie the knot then. Kim Jongin looked at Diana; clearly she had already known. Then his eyes travelled to his mother, whose well-intended thoughts he didn't have the heart to dismiss. I got a show to film these days. Im gonna be tied up with work for at least one or two months. Kim Jongin abruptly retracted his hand and placed it on his mothers shoulder. He could feel Diana slumping in dismay. His mother sighed. I know, I know youre busy, but you and Diana arent young anymore, and I would love to see my grandson before Im buried. Your brother isnt even close to considering settling down, Ive already given up on him. Youre my only hope now, Jongin. Listen to your mom. The most beautiful affair will only be an affair, not a lifetime commitment. Its time that you settle down, his mother coaxed, gazing into his eyes. His father, who had been silent during this conversation, tossed the perused newspaper on the coffee table. He asked his wife and Diana to go to the dining room, and told Kim Jongin to follow him into his study. Never the paternal figure to be generous with support, the old man went straight to the point.

Ive been working on a transnational financing project with Hanson Group, and Dianas father thinks our sincerity is lacking, Jongin. Hanson Group was founded by Dianas great grandfather, its operations mainly in maritime and railroad transportation. With its solid economic power, Hanson Group had occupied the No. 1 spot among American business groups for decades. It was obvious why Kim Jongins father was talking to him about this. He knew from the get -go that his marriage was being used as a stake by his own family. But now that they were treating him like a pound of meat lying on the scale and waiting to be appraised for its worth, Kim Jongin still felt a trace of annoyance. I don't really care, but would Diana be okay with rushing like this? Kim Jongin had had a few conversations with Diana about the topic; he knew that she wasn't keen on rushing, unlike the majority of marriage-ready women. This was also what earned her Kim Jongins respect. With his father pressuring him on the spot, Kim Jongin was hoping to use her as a shield. Your mother and I already asked for her opinion. She says its up to you. Kim Jongin frowned. Diana had always been opinionated and self-sufficient; since when did she forfeit her say? It was strange, he mused. Dad, I know this is very important to you, but couldnt you let us talk about it some more? Alright. But Jongin, with certain things, the end result will be the same no matter how much you fight it. And dont forget that this is what you promised when I let you stay in showbiz. Kim Jongin let out a weighted sigh, nodding. The breakfast that followed was stifling. Afterward, Kim Jongin drove Diana to her apartment. Silence permeated the car. Jongin, Im so scared. Diana suddenly burst into tears in the passengers seat. Im scared that someone is gonna steal you away, so I agreed to moving up the wedding. Please dont blame me. Kim Jongin was taken aback by his fiancees unexpected sobs. He pulled over the car. Didnt I say that I would marry you? But if youre cooking up a scheme to get there, Im not okay with that. The sudden financing project, the sudden pressure from his parents. From what he knew of Diana, it must have been her behind it all.

I know about you and Luhan, Diana replied with a straight face, wiping away the tears with a handkerchief. Im scared that hes using you, Jongin. Hes trouble. Look at the headline from this morning and youll know. A womanizer like him is good at seducing people, but hes not capable of a real relationship. Diana pulled out a tabloid magazine from her bag. The cover was graced with a headline, Has been Superstar Luhan Reclaims Popularity with Xiao Zi. Kim Jongin offhandedly flipped through the article and stared at the photo of their allegedly passionate hug. His expressions were unchanged, sufficiently hiding the agitation growing within him. Kim Jongin was wordless and motionless. Diana suddenly threw her arms around him and wept, Only my feelings for you are real only I can treat you right with a ll my heart, Jongin. Let's get married." He massaged his forehead in defeat and tossed the magazine aside. "You're thinking too much. There's nothing between me and him," he muttered. He took Diana back to her place before speeding toward the West Mountain racecourse. He would always come here to vent whenever he was in a bad mood. He wanted to ride Rocky, but the feeder said the horse was having mood swings lately, with random bouts of leaping over the fence and galloping into the West Mountain, stopping only by the waters where Thunder had drowned. So he fed Rocky some grass clippings and led Midnight out of the stable. After riding for a while, Kim Jongin returned to the stable when he neared the time of the director's party. He ran into Do Kyungsoo, who was rushing out, saddled. "Rocky took Luhan to the West Mountain!" Do Kyungsoo was about to dash out when Kim Jongin's heart gave a sudden jerk upon hearing that name. "Let's split up. You go to that mountain in the front, I'll go to the one in the back." Kim Jongin knew where Rocky went, but that wasn't where he told his friend to go. He didn't know why he did it, misleading Do Kyungsoo. He only knew just how much he hated it when he saw how worried Do Kyungsoo was about Luhan, and when he saw them alone. "Got it." It didn't take Midnight long to find Luhan. When Kim Jongin saw that person, a flood of inexplicable feelings washed over him and he did what he wasn't supposed to do, again. It was

frustrating to him; Luhan was a man, and a man with no morals or bottom lines. Why was he attracted to this body time after time, why did all the chemicals within his body run amok the instant he touched that skin; Kim Jongin didn't think he would ever be confused about his sexual orientation, but he wasn't sure anymore. The frenzied lovemaking came to an abrupt finish when Luhan suddenly fainted. Kim Jongin felt Luhan's forehead with his lips. It was burning. Before this, Kim Jongin had already untied the rein on Midnight, letting the horse go to find Rocky, so now they were without vehicles. Kim Jongin picked him up and carried him bridalstyle. Just when he thought he probably had to carry him like this and walk back to the stable, he realized that his own arm was stained with blood, and the gashes in Luhan's back from the branches. He drew a sharp breath, his head aching upon the predicament. If he walked back, Luhan might not be able to last the whole way. Then he remembered that they were near the cabin where he and his friends used to stay when they went hunting. He hurried in that direction, Luhan in his arms. On the way to the cabin, Kim Jongin could feel Luhan's body gradually becoming colder. Upon the realization that he charged nonstop into the injured man when the latter was losing a massive amount of blood, Kim Jongin frowned. Watching the shivering body, something called distress budded in his heart unexpectedly. Kim Jongin took off his jacket and covered the body with it. When he saw the deep knot between the brows of the unconscious man, his hands unknowingly tightened around the figure. Luckily, the cabin was fully stocked by the stable staff as an annual routine, even though Kim Jongin and his friends hadn't visited it in 2 or 3 years. Kim Jongin laid the body on the wooden bed. He tore open the shirt from the back, and inwardly swore at the gory sight of torn flesh assaulting his eyes. When he was about to apply medicine on the wound, Luhan suddenly turned his head, eyes half-lidded, mumbling, "LuLuling, is that you?" Kim Jongin attributed the murmurs to the fever. He didn't even catch what Luhan said before instinctively humming in acknowledgement. All of a sudden, Luhan erupted into wails and twisted to the side, slinging his arms around Kim Jongin's neck.

"I'm really dead, Luling.. I can finally hug you for real now you're not just air anymore I'm so happy I don't have to go back anymore" Kim Jongin froze, the ointment in his hand falling to the ground. He didn't try to break the unexpected hug. The shower of tears turned into a storm in no time. Even though Luhan was unconscious just a moment ago, and his strength was reduced by the fever, he seemed to be holding onto Kim Jongin with his soul, as if he had finally seized the last hope, his final escape. In that instant, Kim Jongin felt like he was important to Luhan. Really important. That made him feel like his heart was going to fail on him. His frigid arm found its way to Luhan's shoulder. He patted the weeping man, holding the limp body, feeling his heart throb painfully every time the figure shook due to the unrelenting sobs. Death is it really so liberating for him? Slowly, the cries faded into sniffles amongst unintelligible mumbles. Kim Jongin could only make out a plea seeping through the hoarse voice. "Don't leave me okay?" Kim Jongin felt a current of electricity surging through his body, paralyzing him, possessing him. "Okay." Like he had been dreaming all this time.

Exhausted from the wrenching wails, Luhan fell asleep. Kim Jongin looked at the figure cuddled in his arms and released a long sigh. He was planning to leave the cabin as soon as he bandaged Luhan up, but that was no longer feasible. Kim Jongin hesitated if he should lay Luhan down when his cell phone rang.

Kim Jongin slung Luhan's arm around his own shoulders, letting Luhan collapse against his own body. He fished out his cell phone from his pocket. The caller ID said Do Kyungsoo. Kim Jongin paused for two seconds before cutting off the call. He turned off his phone. A storm was starting to rage within him, Kim Jongin could feel it. He was getting more and more restless at the growing feeling of indescribable unease, all because of the figure in his arms, the man that uttered a "Don't leave me" between sobs. Kim Jongin chose to face this person with a protective mindset, something that had never taken form in his head his whole life. It was an unprecedented way of thinking, an attitude that he had never even adopted with someone that he was most intimate with. When people saw Kim Jongin, they thought, "You're so perfect!". His diehard fans, the pretty young socialites that treated him like gem. And so he would always show his best behavior and display an array of idealistic attributes, while responding with a "I'm too flattered" when in fact, he had already accepted such complimentary definitions. Since he was a child, Kim Jongin had always reigned the apex of the pyramid. He saw the world through a third person point of view. On the outside, he always wore an amiable smile. On the inside, he rode on inherent superiority and despised people for their vanity and uncouthness. Kim Jongin was born in an extremely wealthy, established family. His mother was the heiress to aristocracy, his father was the founder of a multinational corporation. Under the influence of his cultured mother, he learned how to play the piano at the age of 3, instructed by an internationally renown pianist. He learned how to dance at the age of 4. Entering the film industry was purely out of his personal interest, but he quickly rose to stardom far before shedding the technical label of a rookie. When others would have basked in the joy of instantaneous fame, he had already started planning to retire. This was partly because of family reasons, and partly because of himself. Even though he felt that acting in movies unfettered his potential, the frequency of uncalled for strife and drama was starting to tire him. It was simple, really. As someone who had never really failed in anything, Kim Jongin was getting bored with the world. Persisting or fighting for something was meaningless to him. Living on the top of the world all his life, he no longer knew what it felt like to be a human being. People praised the reality in the heartrending romance that he portrayed for the camera

, while he silently scorned, You bunch of idiots you think this is real? In Lay's words, Kim Jongin had lost the ability to love. Meeting Luhan suddenly unshackled the most primitive desires in Kim Jongin, the lust that he had never felt beginning to gush out of his being. At first, he thought that this feeling stemmed from a mere wish to punish Luhan for holding ulterior motives, to teach him a lesson for seducing Do Kyungsoo. But with time, things started to deviate from his preset line of direction. Watching Luhan unconsciously furrowing his brows and biting his lower lip, Kim Jongin considered, for the first time and in all seriousness, if he should stop. If it was supposed to be a punishment, perhaps it should have ended by now. But he failed, time after time, to control this damned craving to devour Luhan. Whenever his body came into contact with the other's, he became a tightly winded machine, with no power to stop lusting, kissing, clinging, penetrating, groaning. Kim Jongin loathed Luhan, what he did, who he was, everything he had. But Luhan seemed to have cast a spell on him. Kim Jongin couldn't find it in himself to tear his gaze away from Luhan's eyes. The persistence in those eyes that continued to blaze despite numerous hardships and failures stoked Kim Jongin's curiosity. He wanted to know what really happened, everything. Like now, Luhan thought he was dead, but he looked so blissful, content even. His lips were upturned into a smile even in his sleep. Why? Why did he burst into tears and then break into grins? Realizing that Luhan was leaning against Kim Jongin only because he had mistaken him to be someone else, jealousy suddenly dominated Kim Jongin's entirety. Holding the limp body in his arms, he didn't want to let go, ever. Studying the still and quiet figure, Kim Jongin genuinely wanted to keep holding Luhan like this. He didn't want to let Luhan out of his grasp. He didn't want Luhan to cry or laugh unless it was for him, over him, about him. He wanted Luhan's joy, anger, grief, and happiness to belong to him, and him only. All of a sudden, Kim Jongin felt a crushing helplessness. He thought everything was in his control, but he realized that there was nothing he could do. At the thought of how this reverie of unparalleled warmth was going to dissipate into a vacuum the instant Luhan opened his eyes, Kim Jongin was devastated by unspeakable regrets.

 Byun Baekhyun hung up with Luhan with a resigned sigh. As it turned out, Luhan couldnt make it to Luling's memorial. It had been three years. Over these three years of turbulence, Byun Baekhyun watched Luhan tread on the road of injustice. When he found out that Luhan had caused Luling's death three years ago, Byun Baekhyun did get mad, cursing the heavens for being so unfair to him. But he never blamed Luhan for it, because he knew the relationship between Luhan and Luling and that no words could delineate how close they were. The moment he killed Luling, Luhan killed himself, too. During the days following the incident, Byun Baekhyun saw the relentless disintegration of Luhan, his heart tugged at the sight of a prideful man morphing into a mass of self-loath overnight. Through the door ajar, Byun Baekhyun once accidentally saw the back of Luhan kneeling in a corner, sobbing in anguish with Luling's necklace clutched in his hand. Byun Baekhyun didn't have the heart to spare more than a passing glance. Then, Luling's parents disowned Luhan, removing him from the Lu household register*. His mother cried, "You probably think this is cruel of me, but Luhan, when you killed my daughter, I know that I lost my son, too. Take it as if I never had you. From now on, you don't have any relations to us." Luhan stiffly accepted everyone's blame, stiffly bowed, and stiffly turned around and left. The hopelessness carved into his face as he turned was also carved into Byun Baekhyun's memory. Byun Baekhyun believed more than anyone else that if Luhan could exchange his own life for Luling's, he would do so without a beat. But life did not allow for such if's. Every time Byun Baekhyun saw Luhan, he would console him and try to convince him, "No matter what, Luling and I would never blame you. Even though the in-law's don't understand, they'll come to terms with time. So Luhan, you have to hang on. Not just for yourself, but also for your sister who's watching you from above." Luhan would respond with a "Okay, I will", but Byun Baekhyun knew that Luhan still had not forgiven himself. Instead, the suffering Luhan inflicted upon himself over the years was worsening. For a period of time, he was shedding a terrifying amount of hair due to long-term

insomnia. Sometimes when Byun Baekhyun was working late and picked up a call from Luhan, he was met with silence from the other end, save for the faint sound of breathing. When he asked what was wrong, Luhan would offer a "Oh, sorry, I got the wrong number" before ending the call hastily. Byun Baekhyu knew that Luhan called because he was lonely. Always busy with his acting career since young, the number of friends Luhan had was depressingly small. There was only a handful of phone numbers in his address book that Luhan could consider calling for something unrelated to work. Besides his long-time assistant Oh Sehun, Byun Baekhyun was the only person that Luhan could talk to. The thought of this ached him. Byun Baekhyun felt affection toward Luhan, but he knew that he was not gay. He was well aware that the reason why his heart would give that little pull was because Luhan looked like Luling, and because he watched Luhan drown in such heart-wrenching pain. So every once in a while, Byun Baekhyun would entertain the idea of finding Luhan a companion, someone he could at least talk to, but it never worked out. The girls that he had set Luhan up with would say that Luhan was really nice, but he was too nice, and with his baby face, they saw him as a little brother rather than someone older. Basically, they couldn't imagine him as a boyfriend. The problem, once again, was Luhan's face. Thinking about Luhan with worry mixed with heartache, Byun Baekhyun felt like he was acting like a mother. His swerving train of thoughts was interrupted by Lutao, a colleague who was in charge of scouting out in the field, walked into his office. "We got blocked again," said Lutao in a low voice. Byun Baekhyun pushed up his glasses. This was the seventh time over the past two weeks that their headline scoop was robbed, either because another tabloid was one step ahead, or their paparazzi got caught red-handed. It just seemed like a streak of shitty luck. Byun Baekhyun thought of going to the temple to pray after this issue was through. "What happened this time?" "Got caught by security when they were leaving the parking lot at Lushan Hotel. This is the seventh cam we lost," Lutao mumbled in defeat. "And I heard that all the trouble we ran into this month is because we've offended some big shot, and now he's trying to cut off our lifeline."

"Stop talking nonsense. Keep scouting. If we end up with no headlines for tomorrow, I'm gonna hold you responsible," Byun Baekhyun peeled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He dismissed Lutao in a wave before the latter could complain further. Byun Baekhyun's head began to throb as his thoughts drifted to all the groundless speculations over the past two weeks. He knew who was behind all this, but he was hoping that the person wouldn't actually have his way with it. Byun Baekhyun thought that with the endless amount of rumors and scandals, that person couldn't possibly be capable of snatching up all the dirt out there before they got to it. But it turned out to be even worse than he had anticipated. At this rate, that bastard would really wring his tabloid dry. Yes, that person was Lay from SMS. When he opened his eyes that morning, Byun Baekhyun looked down and saw himself naked and curled up in the arms of that man, and the memories of what happened the night before humiliated him to the point where he just wanted to defenestrate himself. Byun Baekhyun noiselessly shifted out of Lay's hold and ignored the soreness in his behind as he hurriedly got dressed. Before he left, the more he thought about the whole thing, the more enraged he felt. As the notoriously persistent "shameless workaholic" known within showbiz, he was about to scramble off without a sound after being taken advantage of. Even gigolos got paid for selling their body, was he less than even a gigolo? So before he realized what he was doing, Byun Baekhyun picked up Lay's wallet from the floor, and took out all the cards and cash with no regards to things like account numbers and passwords. Then he threw the wallet back on the floor and stomped on it a few times. As always, no good ever came out of impulsive decisions. The stacks of cards and bills sitting on Byun Baekhyun's table needled discomfort into him whenever he glanced at it. Then Lay's call came faster than Byun Baekhyun had expected, except that Lay really took it as if he had paid for that night and said, "Since you took my money, you wouldn't mind a second round, right?" "Over my dead body!" Byun Baekhyun hung up vehemently, and the tabloid's "bad luck" ensued immediately, for two weeks straight. He didn't want to associate these two things, but then one day the company president called him into his office and said solemnly, "Baekhyun ah,

I know it's not easy being a paparazzi, and you will inevitably piss people off, I accept that. But could we not piss off big shots that can literally kill us off, like SMS?" Byun Baekhyun 's head began to ache as he walked out of the president's office. I only took some money and a couple platinum cards--or was it diamond?--I can't remember, but does it make sense that he's trying to get even like this? Isn't he supposed to be rich? Does this money make that much of a difference? Because of this, Byun Baekhyun was plagued by sleeplessness the whole night. He laid out the stacks of bills and cards over the table and called Lay. After ringing twice, a woman picked up. "Hello? Who is this? Lay's in the shower, could you hold for a minute?" Byun Baekhyun knitted his brows at the high, honeyed voice on the other end. He hung up without a word. Looking at the row of plastics on the table, a sudden rage grew within him. He snatched up one that looked the most valuable and bent it in half with a snap.

Lay sat in his dimmed office, a hand propped under his chin. He watched Linda hang up the phone. "What did he say?" he got up and walked up to Linda, who returned his cell phone. "I said what you told me to and he didn't really say anything. He seemed really angry because he just hung up." Linda got on her feet and tentatively reported to her strange-acting superior. Lay was in the middle of a meeting when the call came. He paused for a few seconds before dismissing the departmental managers along with the meeting itself. Then Lay called for Linda, enigma in his gestures as he took a fountain pen and wrote down on a piece of paper: "Lay is in the shower, could you hold for a minute?", hinting her to say this to the caller. Linda was puzzled by the obvious insinuation in these words, and also by the blatant lie as Lay was standing right before her in a suit. She found it increasingly difficult to understand this person that the hotel industry labeled as eerily unreadable. Despite her doubts, Linda did what she was told, fulfilling her duties as a secretary. Orders were orders, as long as they did not involve unspoken lifethreatening rules; this was a universal professional code of conduct. "Oh, okay. You can go now." Lay rubbed the back of his head and, shockingly, was trying to suppress a laugh. Seeing her usually deadpan boss acting like this, Linda shuddered. She simply nodded and gave one last confused look at Lay before turning on her heels and leaving the office. Lay burst into a chuckle after the door closed behind his secretary. He muttered to the night view draped behind the window, "You're obviously interested nothing from you even after I

drove you into a corner 7 times, and now you're looking for me? Byun Baekhyun, playing hard to get, aren't you?" Lay thought he had been plenty patient with Byun Baekhyun. Ever since the day when Byun Baekhyun fled in a fluster, Lay's soul went with him too. Thinking about those amusing mannerisms would instantly put Lay in a strangely good moodstealing all of his credit cards and money instead of resigning to defeat without a fuss; sneaking out in a hurry that even his own underwear was left behind these impulsive actions didn't piss Lay off, but got him taken with Byun Baekhyun. Lay never beat around the bush when it came to relationships. With Byun Baekhyun giving such overly ambiguous signals, Lay almost had to employ what he learned from the psychology courses he took in college to finally make out the nearly imperceptible pique of interest. There was no ambivalence in Lay's thoughts: Since you're playing hard to get, if you won't come find me, I'll make you. So Lay put his connections to use and blocked down the sources from "OK Auntie" for 2 weeks and took away 7 cameras, but Byun Baekhyun still didn't bulge, contradicting his workaholic reputation. Lay had always believed that he was good at reading people, and now, for the first time, he was hit with a sense of rejection. He wondered if it was because he had been fooling around all these years without any emotional investment, that he no longer knew how to figure these things out. Lay wanted to talk to someone, but his friends were nowhere to be found these days. When he finally got to see Kim Jonghyun, it was only for business purposes, thanks to their partnership in developing the Hawaii resort. But Lay knew that it would be inappropriate of him to talk to Kim Jonghyun about his predicament; his friend still held a grudge against Byun Baekhyun. If not for Do Kyungsoo bringing Luhan along back then and plus Lay's persuasion, Kim Jonghyun was set on keeping Byun Baekhyun hostage. It all boiled down to this: Kim Jonghyun was involved with Key. He was head over heels for Key, pretty much abandoning his long-time nymphomaniac tendencies and ready for a committed relationship. Little did he know that Key was just playing around, while Kim Jonghyun mistook him for sincerity. So the two got into an argument at SMS, which happened to be witnessed and photographed by Byun Baekhyun in the underground parking lot. Kim Jonghyun was outside the entertainment industry, so he wasn't too affected, but not Key. Key was a showbiz heartthrob at the time, winning hearts of teenage girls left and

right. When the scandal broke out, Key's career was put to an abrupt end. Though the city claimed to be supportive of a diversity of issues, such advocacy only held true on an individual level. Public figures involved in same-sex scandals were deemed as sexual orientation issues, which were always controversial. Continuing to stay in showbiz was implausible regardless of how highly regarded the person might be. Because of this, Key had to give up his career in China and relocate to the U.S., which also meant a permanent farewell with Kim Jonghyun. As a rookie star, Key's rock-bottom flop severely influenced his efforts overseas, and gradually, he was forgotten. Later, Kim Jonghyun apparently went to the U.S. to find Key, but to no avail. Kim Jonghyun sank into dejection for a while after he came back. Over the years, even though Kim Jonghyun abhorred Byun Baekhyun's paparazzi behavior at the time, he had always thought that he himself had a part in what happened as well, and so other than viciously accusing Byun Baekhyun, Kim Jonghyun never put it into action. When Byun Baekhyun walked into SMS with his own feet, Lay considered it a courtesy to Do Kyungsoo and himself that Kim Jonghyun didn't put a bullet into Byun Baekhyun's head. If he were to tell Kim Jonghyun that he had fallen for the guy, Lay was certain that his long-time friendship with Kim Jonghyun would go right down the drain. Already in a pickle with figuring out Byun Baekhyun, there was another equally frustrating matter that Lay had to deal with. The news of Kim Jongin marrying Diana had stirred up a commotion both within and outside the families. It wasn't a big deal, really; they all knew that these two would tie the knot sooner or later. The problem was, Lay's aunt* Park Chanyeol's mothergot on Lay's case ever since. Their families were close, but there was also underlying competition among the elderly, especially Lay's aunt and Kim Jongin's mother. The rivalry between them began before they married, from trivial things in daily life to family, career, and their children. Even now with both women nearing 50, nothing had changed in terms of their temperament. Seeing Kim Jongin about to settle down and with her perpetually anxious disposition, Lay's aunt began to worry and took on the role of a matchmaker, constantly dragging Lay and Park Chanyeol to blind dates. Park Chanyeol even started planning to move his company overseas just to get away from his mother's nagging.

Among the guys, Lay had the least pressure, technically. His mother passed away when he was young, and his father followed two years ago, leaving him with the family enterprise. His parents loved each other very much, so Lay's father never remarried, sparing Lay with a potential step-brother fighting with him over the inheritance. But this also meant that Lay naturally assumed the sole responsibility of continuing the bloodline. On the other hand, Lay's aunt had always taken good care of Lay, despite her own early marriage. After Lay's father passed, she even took it upon herself to return to her family* just to give Lay assistance and support with running the business. That was the reason why with zero management experience, Lay was able to gradually take on the role of an owner without being duped or exploited by ambitious competitors. Despite his gratitude toward his aunt, Lay faced the most pressure from her, as she wished for Lay to get married and have a family as soon as possible. It wasn't that Lay didn't want to realize her wishes, but he found a marriage without love unacceptable, probably because of his own parents' loving marriage. Whenever Lay expressed reluctance toward the endeavor, his aunt would release an exhausted sigh and lamented, "Chanyeol has a ton of brothers, and I'm not even banking on him to give the Park family a child. But Lay, you're different. My family has never had good luck with bearing sons. If the bloodline stops with you, how am I supposed to face my brother and sister-in-law when I meet them in heaven?" Lay was greatly troubled by this for a long time. He took his current situation into account and made some compromises. Finally, Lay let his aunt arrange blind dates for him. He quit playing around and even declined a multitude of raunchy gatherings using work as an excuse. When everything began heading in the supposed right direction, Byun Baekhyun showed up in his life. Lay wasn't sure if the word "like" was a hyperbole for how he felt about Byun Baekhyun, but he was drawn the instant he saw the man's midriff. Afterward, Lay might have acted out of resentment, but it was also partly because he wanted to get Byun Baekhyun's attention. Lay never considered himself to be playing with fire; he just thought that, yes, procreation was important, but so was love. So while contemplating how to get closer to Byun Baekhyun these days, Lay didn't refuse the blind dates set up by his aunt, which became more frequent after the news of Kim Jongin marrying.

Lay had already anticipated that Byun Baekhyun would call. After all, Lay tried so hard to force Byun Baekhyun into looking for him that he even made a call to the CEO of the multimedia group that owned the tabloid. Even though he was mentally prepared, the abruptness of Byun Baekhyun's call still roused some excitement in Lay, who suddenly fostered an idea when he inadvertently glanced over at his secretary. So Lay had Linda pretend to be his lover to gauge Byun Baekyun's reaction. The outcome could not be more satisfactory. Lay knew that Byun Baekhyun wasn't gay, but Lay had always been confident in his ability to charm both men and women, and with some tender affection, it would be a piece of cake to reel in the uptight Byun Baekhyun. After about two hours, Lay drove home. Byun Baekhyun called him again. "Lay, listen, I'll give you back your money and credit cards, you give me back those 7 cameras, let's call it even," said Byun Baekhyun calmly after taking a deep breath. Lay teased as if nothing happened, "It's all yours. If it's not enough, I'll give you more." "Wow, you're unusually generous to an one-night-stand," Byun Baekhyun sneered. He changed his tone and continued, "But I'm not into spending other people's money. If you appreciate even a little bit the fact that I didn't put what happened on the tabloid, please stop setting up blocks everywhere and destroy my career." "Destroy your career? Sweetie, you really think I'm that low?" "Who the fuck is your sweetie?" Byun Baekhyun was somehow riled up because of that word. "You obviously like women, why are you playing this stupid game? We're both adults, so stop it. Even if you don't care, it's embarrassing enough for me." After yelling into the phone, a few seconds of silence ensued. "You like me," Lay drawled, his husky voice lingering. Byun Baekhyun was stunned. The sudden sound of an engine starting snapped Lay into realization; Byun Baekhyun probably forgot to hang up in a rushed panic. Lay ran to the balcony with his phone still in his hand, just in time to catch a car dashing around the corner like a startled bird fleeing. Without a thought, Lay bolted downstairs and into his car, delving into a chase behind that fool.

The chase only spanned over two neighborhoods. With Lay's tailgating and Byun Baekhyun's unfamiliarity with the area, Lay quickly forced the other into a dead end. He parked his car right behind, allowing Byun Baekhyun no room to escape. Lay jumped out of the car and shuffled up to the window at the driver's side, pounding on the glass. "So what if you like me? You don't need to be shy, get out of the car!" "Are you that scared of me? Are you afraid that you'll fall in love with me once you see me in person?" "I'm gonna set your car on fire if you don't come out now!" "YAH!! BYUN BAEKHYUN!!!" And so it went on. Lay pounded on the car door and screamed nonstop like an escaped mental patient, receiving terrified looks from passersby who unknowingly increased their pace to get away from this pervert. Over 10 minutes had passed and Lay made no signs of quitting; instead, the words flying out of his mouth were becoming more and more obscene. Finally, Byun Baekhyun couldn't take it more. He lowered the window halfway and retorted helplessly, "Who the hell likes you! I just I just came over to give you back your money and get my cameras back" Before he could finish, Lay reached in and yanked Byun Baekhyun out by the collar, planting a kiss on the older man's lips. Byun Baekhyun already lacked sufficient grounds to justify himself, and now he was utterly incapacitated for further defense with his mouth occupied. Amidst the messy struggle, Lay somehow managed to open the door from the inside with his free hand and slid into the car, effectively pushing Byun Baekhyun to the far side of the driver's seat. He tried to kick Lay out of the car, but Lay caught his leg and pushed Byun Baekhyun down on the passenger's seat before resuming the assault with his lips. "Your mouth isn't nearly as honest as down here," said Lay lecherously as he unbuttoned Byun Baekhyun's pants.

Lay looked down at a gaping Byun Baekhyun, bewilderment visible on his face. His lips curved up slightly before they roamed in the crook of the older man's neck, sucking frantically. Lay's one hand caressed Byun Baekhyun's slim torso, while the other firmly held the dodging head in place.

Byun Baekhyun stretched out his arm in an attempt to open the door, but his hand was slapped away before even reaching it. "Hey, that's not cute," Lay chuckled as his hands moved faster all over the body beneath him. In the compacted space in the front of the car, Lay pinned Byun Baekhyun in a corner, eliminating all possibilities for escape. "Let me go! Lay, you goddamn pervert! You're the one that's cute, your whole family is cute!" Byun Baekhyun wanted to retort with a snappy remark, but his comeback ended up a suggestive insinuation, turning his face crimson as he stopped himself short. "Ooh I see you like me so much that you like my family too, huh? How do you expect me to stop now?" Lay jerked away Byun Baekhyun's pants that were shed halfway down, along with his already loosened shirt. Then he suddenly brandished a cylindrical item out of nowhere. Byun Baekhyun did a double take when he saw what was in Lay's hand. "What exactly are you planning to do?" Byun Baekhyun started to whimper. What the fuck he even had KY prepared how far does he wanna go? I can't believe he carries this thing around "What do you think?" Lay opened the lid to the bottle of lubricant with his teeth, trying to console the man stricken by panic. Lay had prepared this item ever since he became aware of his own interest in Byun Baekhyun. He had placed the lubricant on the coffee table in his living room, with the perfect plan that he would seduce Byun Baekhyun into coming over. They would have a candlelight dinner in peace, followed by a session of porn appreciation on the sofa under the dimmed light. Upon the climax in the video, he would push Byun Baekhyun down on the sofa and launch into a couple of their own sessions. If Byun Baekhyun yelped in pain, the lubricant would be ready within a hand's reach, and then he would carry the older man to his bedroom for another few rounds. Lay had it planned out to the last detail, but he didn't expect it to be so hard to reel in Byun Baekhyun, who failed to take the bait after more than two weeks. When Lay saw Byun Baekhyun speeding away under his balcony, he instinctively picked up the bottle from the coffee table on his way out. Lay probably already suspected that it would come in handy today, one way or the other.

"I don't understand! I really don't get it!! Lay, can't you just let me go? So what if I parked in front of your house? It's not against the law or anything. Does everyone that parks there have to get something shoved up their ass? Can't you put up a warning sign next time or something?? Do we really have to do this?" Byun Baekhyun whined as he clutched Lay by the shoulder, attempting to dissuade Lay with a glib protest and a puppy-dog face. Lay, however, was somehow mesmerized by the sight before him: the small, reddened eyes, the moist lips, even that whiny voice went straight to Lay's heart. Lay sighed. He looked at Byun Baekhyun as if he was troubled. Wrapping his arms around the older man's torso, Lay inched his face right up to Byun Baekhyun's. He planted a nibble on the other's nose and grinned, "On second thought I still think that I can't let you go just like that." Lay immediately slid a lubricated finger into Byun Baekhyun, the invading chilly sensation making his hair stand up. Byun Baekhyun unknowingly nudged the digit deeper into himself as he writhed in resistance, and Lay couldn't help but add a few more. "Take it out it feels weird." groaned Byun Baekhyun, his brows furrowing a s he grabbed Lay's arm. He wanted to yell at Lay, but his voice somehow came out small. His body suddenly went limp, void of all strength, as if something had permeated through his skin, delivering a peculiar sensation in his behind. "What... what did you give me" Byun Baekhyun looked at Lay through half-lidded eyes, his face completely flushed. As the heat in his body grew, Byun Baekhyun tried to push Lay away, but his resisting hands were snatched and pinned in place, naturally closing the distance between the two. Byun Baekhyun was terrified. "Don't worry, just adding a simple pleasure of life." Lay grazed Byun Baekhyun's earlobe, exhaling hot air into his ear. Byun Baekhyun shuddered. The truth was, this brand of KY was an upgraded version of a traditional herbal aphrodisiac. In the past, Lay never needed this. He would leave as soon as the deed was done, one-time deal or not. But Lay had more in mind for Byun Baekhyun. He thought that the mere acts of penetration and withdrawal were boring, even for a man. As a hotel owner, he had the advantage of easily obtaining such adult toys through connections. Thanks to his libidinous friend, Kim Jonghyun, Lay was able to get his hands on this sample. "Make good use of it. I got

Key wrapped around my little finger all thanks to this baby," Kim Jonghyun leered as he handed the item over. Lay peered at his friend, assuming that the real reason why Key left him hadn't completely registered in Kim Jonghyun's head; the best sex meant nothing if a relationship was purely physical. But in Lay's head, during the beginning stages when feelings were still developing, high-quality sex still had its advantages in retaining Byun Baekhyun's attention, or else the man might get tired of the male body and go back to the opposite sex. Such was the worrisome drawback to falling for a straight man. "Fuck you and your simple pleaAHHH!" Byun Baekhyun was cut short when Lay unexpectedly shoved into him. The sensation was something he had never felt before, and it surprisingly didn't hurt at all. It was just that the sudden entrance pricked all of his nerve endings. Lay put down the car seat and began moving. He nibbled on Byun Baekhyun's involuntarily parting mouth. Byun Baekhyun's body stopped resisting as it launched into chaos due to the mysterious effects of a certain substance, and despite himself, his body began meeting Lay's thrusts at a rhythm. Lay's tongue twirled in Byun Baekhyun's mouth, the intensity of the kiss torturing the older man who was drowning in unwanted pleasure. "How does it feel?" Lay smiled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "What did you do why do I feel so weird... " Byun Baekhyun was again interrupted. He cried out when Lay sat in the seat and picked up Byun Baekhyun's softening body, setting the older man on his own lap. Holding Byun Baekhyun's torso, Lay began the next round. "Don't talk, save your energy. We're not close to being done." At these words, Byun Baekhyun kind of wanted to die. I am so whipped, thought Park Chanyeol. He was sitting in the car and watching Oh Sehun busying in the tea restaurant through a pair of binoculars. After suffering through the whole day with a frighteningly unreadable Wu Fan, Park Chanyeol had not one thought to talk his friend out of his trance. All Park Chanyeol had in mind was to go find Oh Sehun. He thought both(?) of them had enjoyed it on the pool table, but Park Chanyeol

didn't see it coming when Oh Sehun jumped off the table and conveniently kicked him in the balls before quickly pulling on his pants and fleeing. If not for Park Chanyeol, Jr. being a tough little guy, he might well have been an eunuch by now. Used to always getting what he wanted in terms of relationships, Park Chanyeol refused to accept Oh Sehun's rejection. He vehemently vowed that if he didn't win Oh Sehun over, he would write his own name backward. Since then, Park Chanyeol seemed to have forgotten that he had a company to run. He would drive to the tea restaurant every day to see Oh Sehun. If Oh Sehun was seen alone outside, Park Chanyeol would have his bodyguards haul the younger man into the car. If Oh Sehun refused to get in, Park Chanyeol would still molest his stiff body, ignoring the eyes shooting daggers and rolling furiously. After repeating the routine for a few days, Park Chanyeol was addicted. Like a pre-programmed robot, he would show up at a fixed time every day. His Lamborghini used to be an eyesore parked in the small alley, but the residents learned to ignore its presence once Park Chanyeol started coming more and more frequently. These military high-resolution binoculars turned out to be quite effective. Even the helplessness in Oh Sehun's eyes once he saw the Lamborghini outside could be detected clearly. At first, Oh Sehun refused to go help out at the restaurant to avoid Park Chanyeol, but his father got fed up with him doing nothing at home, so Oh Sehun was forced to go back under the threat of a beating. Oh Sehun was, in fact, terrified. The feigned nonchalance whenever Oh Sehun peered toward Park Chanyeol's car was more than amusing to the older man. Oh Sehun was like a box of candy. Park Chanyeol could not predict what color the next piece would be in, but ultimately, it didn't matter. He wanted to eat all of them. Through the binoculars, Park Chanyeol saw Oh Sehun dozing off in the corner for the 12th time today. He unconsciously increased the magnification to the point where the fly hovering over Oh Sehun's nose could be seen. Watching the drool tentatively pooling at the corner of Oh Sehun's mouth, Park Chanyeol gulped, a fiery desire beginning to rise within him. Just as he pondered how to put out this fire, his cell phone went off. Frowning, Park Chanyeol answered the phone, his eyes still glued behind the binoculars.

"You little brat! The date tonight is at 7! Where the hell did you run off to?!" Park Chanyeol wanted to just hang up on her, but restrained himself when he remembered how his mother went straight to his office and made a scene the last time he did. He shuddered at the scream piercing into his ear and responded in defeat. "I'm in a meeting, a very very important meeting," Park Chanyeol fibbed absentmindedly as he watched Oh Sehun get yelled at and his ear twisted by his father, reluctant protest written across his face. "I called your secretary, she said you already left the office! Don't you fuck with me, Park Chanyeol. If I could let you come out of my womb, I can put you back in too!" The old lady launched into a nonsensical rant again. It would happen a few times every month. "I'm at the branch, okay? Mom, didn't you say you wouldn't interfere with my work? It's gonna be really hard to make the business bigger than how Dad did. I'm gonna need your support, or else how are you gonna deal with the stepmoms" retorted Park Chanyeol. "Mom, I'm gonna hang up, I shouldn't be on my cell phone at work," he hurriedly ended the call as he saw that Oh Sehun was about to go out for delivery. Park Chanyeol turned his phone off after he hung up. He tossed a look to his two bodyguards. In less than 3 minutes, Oh Sehun was shoved into the car. "Could you stop this bullshit?! Park Chanyeol!! I got a delivery to make!" Oh Sehun groaned and stuffed the delivery box between them. What the hell does this stupid pervert want?? If he's trying to flirt, once or twice might be okay, but it's been almost two fucking weeks!! Is he trying to drive me crazy or what?! "Well, I need a kiss and they can wait, or I can just give you the delivery fee." Wiggling his eyebrows, Park Chanyeol shamelessly planted a kiss on Oh Sehun's lips, ignoring the bulky object wedged between them. "Are you out of your mind? There's plenty of women out there, what do you want from me? Once or twice is enough, can you stop it already??" Oh Sehun smacked away the other man's head. He was getting more and more enraged and frustrated that he ended up digging his fingers into Park Chanyeol's head that housed a high IQ undeserving of such abuse.

Park Chanyeol couldn't have been a better partner in bed, but Oh Sehun immediately turned over a cold shoulder ever since he took him that night in Oh Sehun's unconsciousness. And now even when Oh Sehun was about to split his head open, Park Chanyeol was laughing as if he enjoyed it. Amidst the chaotic struggle and entangling of limbs, the car door was somehow kicked open at one point, and a head popped into the backseat. The person stared at the two disheveled men, and then at the boxes of food dropped on the floor. It was Oh Sehun's father.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" Oh Sehun snapped out of a daze when his father roared at the two. He hurriedly wriggled out of Park Chanyeol's arms, even remembering to pick up the delivery boxes scattered in the car. Park Chanyeol, on the other hand, was comparatively collected. He got out of the car and smiled at Mr. Oh. Park Chanyeol's two bodyguards, who were sent to a distance away earlier, sensed that something was up and rushed over, stationing themselves behind their boss. "Mr. Oh, I just got too excited because I haven't seen Sehun in a while." Park Chanyeol tugged Oh Sehun over and threw an arm around his shoulders, beaming at Mr. Oh cheerfully. Mr. Oh furrowed his brows, skepticism written on his face. He turned and stared at his son as if asking him to attest to Park Chanyeol's claim. Oh Sehun sighed and looked down, anxiously pondering what he should do. If he said Park Chanyeol was actually blocking off the parameters and stalking him, and he had even slept with the guy, then his father would surely flip a shit. The last time he got kicked out of the house was due to his father's momentary rage; this time, his father would no doubt remove him from the household register. On the other hand, if he played along with Park Chanyeol, as much as he hated to, at least it would appease his father. Maybe this thing would work out on its own after Park Chanyeol lost interest. It could be killing two birds with one stone.

With immeasurable reluctance, Oh Sehun managed a "Uhm yeah. we're really, really clos e." It almost killed Oh Sehun to utter the last word, but because of this affirmation, Mr. Oh's frown finally let up. Mr. Oh shrugged off his suspicions and decided that he made too big a deal out of it. After all, two grown men wrangling with their limbs interlaced is normal(?). He wondered if they used to do this a lot when they were young. Actually, Mr. Oh was more sensitized than usual because of the recent shocking news of his old friend's son coming out of the closet. He raised a brow and patted Park Chanyeol on the shoulder. Mr. Oh thought of the positive first impression he had of the kid, and decided that Park Chanyeol probably wasn't fawning because he looked sincere enough. The old man shed his previous anger and softened his voice. "It's just that his sister said she saw someone put Sehun into the car, and I was worried, so I came over to see what was going on. It looks like I worried too much. You're Chanyeol, right? The guy that asked us to deliver last time?" "Yes sir. I was in such a rush last time that I didn't get to have a proper conversation with you, since we're here, why don't we all have dinner somewhere? Bring Sehun's sisters and brothersin-law too, and Mrs. Oh," Park Chanyeol politely shook hands with Mr. Oh as he buttered him up with a warm offer to treat the whole Oh family to a meal. Contrasting to how unreasonably possessive Park Chanyeol would be when he was alone with Oh Sehun, the younger one found his bright smiles to be blindingly irritating. "That's not a fair deal. Why don't you come over instead? My wife isn't a master chef or anything, but her cooking is pretty okay. Today happens to be my birthday too, so you should definitely come and have a drink or two with me." Mr. Oh was one of those people that liked to make the most out of an opportunity, and if he happened to hit it off with someone, his generosity would be unhesitating. Ever since he met Park Chanyeol last time, he kept saying to his wife, "Look at that kid, he's got manners, looks, and a future. The point is, he exudes manliness in everything he does, completely unlike this kid of ours. Sehun's like a little girl ever since he was little, blushing like a damn maiden whenever he met a stranger" Even though Mr. Oh was a little wary of Park Chanyeol when he first met

him, he took an instant liking to him, and his fondness of the guy grew when his son said that Park Chanyeol was a friend, and Mr. Oh couldn't approve of Park Chanyeol more. "That's great! Happy birthday, Mr. Oh. If you like to drink, then you're in luck. When I went to Shanghai last time, I brought back with me a couple bottles of 100% aged wine. You'll definitely like it. Tonight, let's drink till we're drunk!"chirped Park Chanyeol with a few hearty laughs. Standing behind his father, Oh Sehun bored furious glares into Park Chanyeol. What a two-faced chameleon you're obviously a dickfaced pervert that tried to feel me up multiple times. I only went along with what you said because I didn't want my family to know about what happened between us, and you bastard now you're really acting the part and taking advantage of this situation. I thought I've seen enough shameless people, but this is my first time seeing someone as shameless as you. Oh Sehun really, really did not want to play along with Park Chanyeol, so he picked up the delivery boxes and walked off toward his scooter. His father dragged him back before he even got half way. "Forget about the delivery, give them to your brother-in-law. Go take Chanyeol home and ask your mother to make a few more dishes." The boxes were wrenched out of his hand by his father, who pushed him toward Park Chanyeol. Oh Sehun's feelings right now were indescribable. Park Chanyeol was supposed to be his enemy, not a friend. He was the one that shat on his life and forced him to quit his job and come back home to help out. He was the one that hurled his life into chaos. But right now, Oh Sehun could not, for the life of him, tell his family about any of this. Moreover, Oh Sehun totally didn't expect Park Chanyeol to get so low that now he was trying to virtually bribe his family, just so he could continue terrorizing Oh Sehun. Oh Sehun looked at Park Chanyeol with daggers. Crossing his arms, he warned Park Chanyeol in a whisper, "Stop it after this thing is over and get out of here." Park Chanyeol held Oh Sehun by the arm, ignoring the younger man's eye-rolling sequence. "What if I say no?" Park Chanyeol murmured as he smiled and waved at Mr. Oh, who was returning to the tea restaurant.

"Park Chanyeol!" Oh Sehun growled impatiently, drawing his father's attention. Oh Sehun replaced his disgruntled face with a feigned smile to the old man. He hauled Park Chanyeol by the tie in the direction toward his house. "Atta boy. It would be bad if your dad saw that." Oh Sehun found Park Chanyeol's worrisome face a little nauseating. "Get off me. He can't see us anymore, so stop pretending we're close. My dad would yell at me if you don't go tonight, so just this once. After dinner, you'd better get the hell away from me. As far as possible." Oh Sehun curtly shrugged off Park Chanyeol's arm. Park Chanyeol seemed to have abandoned the idea of defying him, because he didn't make any signs of returning the following kick from Oh Sehun. On the other hand, though, his bodyguards were fed up and kept raising their fists, which, of course, were lowered after a glance from Park Chanyeol. Oh Sehun's house was located in a small neighborhood not far from the tea restaurant. Park Chanyeol sent his bodyguards home to pick up the wine while he followed Oh Sehun to his house. As soon as Mrs. Oh opened the door and saw Park Chanyeol behind it, her eyes lit up and completely ignored what Oh Sehun said to her. She pulled Park Chanyeol toward the sofa and began talking him up, her hand continually tugging his affectionately, while she ordered Oh Sehun around to get them some tea. "I heard from my husband, and he was right. You're such a cheery kid. How did you become friends with this introvert of ours? Sehun's been antisocial since he was little. Who would've thought he could befriend someone this charming like you?" Oh Sehun was hiding out in the kitchen. Other parents praised and adored their own kid, but such norms obviously didn't exist when it came to his own parents, he reflected bitterly. And what's so good about Park Chanyeol? Mom and dad must have been blinded by his super-white teeth and lost their most basic rationality that they're just trashing me now. "Sehun's not antisocial at all. I think he's charming," Park Chanyeol said with a teeth-baring grin, tossing a glance toward Oh Sehun, who was violently glowering at him from the kitchen. At this, Oh Sehun went from pissed to outraged. He searched around the kitchen and scooped out a spoonful of salt from the salt jar with a vengeful thought that if death onto Park Chanyeol

was not possible, pain was the very least he could do. As he was about to exit the kitchen with the tea, he thought just one spoon wasn't enough, and added another spoonful. Oh Sehun set the teacups on the coffee table in his planned order. He stood there, his eyes fixed on Park Chanyeol who was bringing his teacup to his lips. When Park Chanyeol's lips were almost touching the cup, the thunderous holler of Oh Sehun's seventh sister resounded from the door, and Park Chanyeol put down his teacup. Oh Sehun's brows instantly furrowed. He chewed on his lower lip bitterly, his hands curling into fists. "Hey, bamei, how come you didn't tell us that you brought a friend home? If not for Dad, we wouldn't have known you had such a cool friend. Chanyeol, right? Such a hottie." Oh Sehun's seventh sister was only a year older than him. Because they were of a similar age, they got along the most growing up. Since they were already pretty close and she was naturally outgoing, she comfortably patted Park Chanyeol on the shoulder, knowing that he was her little brother's friend. She released a hearty laugh and said, "You haven't touched this right? Can I have it? I'm so thirsty." Park Chanyeol smiled at her with a go right ahead look. Oh Sehun panicked when his sister picked up that teacup. He quickly stepped forward and tried to take it from her hand. "Give it back to him! I'll get you another one." Shisus fricken christ, my dear sister, why did you have to mess up my plan at this critical moment?! "Man, now that you got yourself a friend, you can't even let your own sister have some tea? What's your relationship that you're so protective of him?" The girl sniggered and teased her brother as she pulled back her hand that Oh Sehun was tugging. "No! He needs to drink this!!" Oh Sehun was almost screaming, frightening even his mother who had already distanced herself from the noisy bunch. Everyone was giving Oh Sehun weird looks, and it suddenly became eerily awkward. Oh Sehun was about to explain when Park Chanyeol stood up and went up to the girl. He apologetically asked for the teacup back, and then chugged the entire content without batting an eye. Oh Sehun took the emptied cup from him and looked at the salt precipitates settled at the bottom. He looked up and gawked at the unknown species before him.

But but I obviously added a truckload of salt how could he just drink it like it's plain water?? Oh Sehun stared after Park Chanyeol, who was beaming with no pretense and not a hint of irritation as he resumed talking with Mrs. Oh. Oh Sehun went back to the kitchen in defeat. His sister, who witnessed everything just now, followed. "What exactly is going on between you two? Spill it! Mom and Dad might not be able to notice, but there's no way you could get past my experienced yaoi radar," his sister twisted Oh Sehun's ear with a you're dead if you lie to me look. "What do you think? I think you've been reading too much slash fiction," Oh Sehun peered at her offhandedly as he turned on the faucet and began washing the cup. "When I was at your old apartment last time, I saw a book called 'A Cultural Study on Homosexuality'. You were reading that because of him, weren't you?" Oh Sehun did a slight double take, but did not pause in the washing. So she saw the book. Actually, it was because back then, he was so infatuated with Luhan that when he was contemplating how to confess, he bought a bunch of books and CDs to learn about that topic. He thought through this strategy, he could somehow win Luhan over. But in the end, none of that came in handy. "What the hell are you talking about? He's just a regular friend that comes over for a meal or whatever. We're not even that close." Oh Sehun paused a beat before adding reluctantly, "Even if I was really into guys, I wouldn't like him anyway." His sister tossed him a look and chuckled. "Then this is your loss, because I think he likes you." Oh Sehun was stumped, then shocked, before he realized something. A yaoi fangirl's world is a dark, dark place they would never think two guys hanging out together is normal. Even this kind of dysfunctional relationship that I have with that dude can be made into a yaoi thing, does she have even a little common sense? I kept telling her to stop reading that crap and she never listened. Now look at her twisted world view. Releasing a sigh, Oh Sehun snorted. "Right, right, the whole world is head over heels for me. Let's go outside. Someone like him would never make it in our world." Pushing his sister out of the kitchen, Oh Sehun stood at the door and watched Park Chanyeol in an animated conversation with his mother and his other sisters that just came home. His

thoughts drifted toward everything that happened between them recently, and he suddenly felt like he was at the wrong place and the wrong time. He likes me? You've gotta be shitting me.

Not wanting to stoop to the level of that devious Park Chanyeol, Oh Sehun remained inside the kitchen. When he got bored, he took out a couple of potatoes from the vegetable crate and began peeling and stabbing at them as if they were voodoo dolls of Park Chanyeol.

After some time, Oh Sehun suddenly felt a breeze behind his back. He tilted his head and peered out of the corner of his eye. Park Chanyeol clung to his back with a faint smile.

"Wh"

Oh Sehun was about to ask "why did you come in" when a pair of lips stifled him.

"I'm so thirsty."

Park Chanyeol pried open Oh Sehun's mouth with his tongue, looking into the younger one's eyes full of shock as that tongue began to twirl inside. Oh Sehun frowned as the salty taste of saliva invaded his senses.

The kitchen was semi-enclosed. Even though they were in the corner and at a blind spot from the living room, they would be seen if someone stood up and looked toward their direction. Oh Sehun wanted to push away Park Chanyeol, but he didn't want to draw people's attention if he were to struggle with noticeable movement or noise. So he could only resist silently and with restrained effort, and basically gave up trying to fight Park Chanyeol, letting it go because it was "just" a kiss.

But this kiss ended up lasting for almost five minutes, and Oh Sehun was becoming out of breath. Then Park Chanyeol began to go overboard as he hoisted Oh Sehun up on the countertop. He released Oh Sehun's mouth and shifted his kiss to the neck instead, while his hands began unbuttoning Oh Sehun's pants.

In a panic, Oh Sehun grabbed Park Chanyeol by the hair, glaring into his eyes with desperation.

Park Chanyeol froze. After a moment, as if deliberating on a difficult choice, he redid the loosened

buttons one by one. He looked up and peered at Oh Sehun, who was still watching him. Park Chanyeol suddenly raised a hand and covered Oh Sehun's eyes. He released a defeated sigh.

"Do you hate me?"

Oh Sehun was stumped for a few seconds by this childish and inexplicable behavior. He smacked away Park Chanyeol's hand and jumped off the countertop, then walked toward the exit from the kitchen.

Park Chanyeol followed suit and resumed his questioning, as if he wouldn't stop until he got an answer.

"Do you hate me?"

Oh Sehun stopped in his tracks. He replied coldly without turning around.

"I don't hate you. You make me sick."

Then he resumed strolling toward the living room, leaving Park Chanyeol dumbfounded.

Oh Sehun's sisters looked from Oh Sehun to Park Chanyeol as the two emerged from the kitchen. They could tell that both guys were in a bad mood, but no one asked what happened. The sisters followed their mother into the kitchen, while Park Chanyeol sat down at the far left of the sofa and chatted with Mr. Oh, and Oh Sehun settled at the far right, watching TV impassively.

Park Chanyeol was still smiling, but he was far less energetic than before. Contrary to Oh Sehun's expectations, Park Chanyeol did not leave because what he just said to him, but continued to stay beside Mr. Oh and drank with the old man. The Oh household was all women save for Mr. Oh and his only son, who happened to be a lightweight, so Mr. Oh never really had the chance to drink to his satisfaction. But their guest today could hold both a good conversation and large amounts of alcohol. The two talked about guy stuff while enjoying the white wine that Park Chanyeol had his bodyguards bring over. After the women finished eating and went home, at the dining table sat only Mr. Oh, Park Chanyeol, and Oh Sehun who was bored by himself but couldn't just get up and leave.

When all the eating and drinking concluded, it was almost midnight. Park Chanyeol, who was visibly drunk, announced his departure, but Mr. Oh stopped him and said he would have Park Chanyeol spend the night here with Oh Sehun, that it wasn't a big deal since they were both guys.

Oh Sehun almost fell off the chair.

Park Chanyeol glanced at the younger man, then turned to Mr. Oh and smiled. "It's fine, I'll have someone pick me up," he declined politely as he raised his cell phone.

"Why are you so stubborn, huh? You think my place isn't good enough for you?" Mr. Oh raised a brow and clung onto Park Chanyeol's arm, pulling him away from the door. Amidst the tug of war, Oh Sehun spoke.

"Just stay here tonight. You can sleep in my room, I'll sleep in the living room," Oh Sehun said as he tossed Park Chanyeol a reluctant look before cleaning up the dining table. He hated to have Park Chanyeol spend the night, but taking his father into consideration, Oh Sehun decided to sacrifice his own feelings. It was just one night, anyway. Park Chanyeol would go back home the next morning.

Park Chanyeol was a little taken aback by Oh Sehun's concession. With Mr. Oh's insistence, he finally agreed, putting his phone away.

While Oh Sehun helped cleaning up in the kitchen, Park Chanyeol went into his room. He laid down on the single bed with the lights on, studying the minimalistic surroundings. The huge poster of Luhan tacked to the wall seemed especially glaring to Park Chanyeol right now. He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep under the familiar scent in the sheets. After some time, the door opened.

Oh Sehun entered and flicked on the lights. He walked to the closet and took out a comforter and pillow, then swiftly turned on his heels to exit.

"Don't go" Park Chanyeol slurred.

Oh Sehun paused a bit before resuming his steps, unaffected. Just as he stepped outside the room, the

sound of puking erupted behind his back. He frowned and put down the comforter and pillow in his hands, returning to the room with great reluctance. He looked at the man clutching the edge and hurling off the bed.

Although Oh Sehun didn't want to even look at him during dinner, he could tell that Park Chanyeol was drinking at a lethal pace. He barely touched the food and was downing one glass after another as if battling with Mr. Oh. The yellow bile that he was bringing up right now was concrete evidence.

"Stop puking in my fucking room!"

Oh Sehun hauled up the semi-unconscious figure and put an arm around it in an attempt to drag Park Chanyeol into the bathroom. But the drunkard hung onto his waist and refused to bulge.

"Don' go don't go don't.. go."

Park Chanyeol kept repeating these two words as if he was sleep talking, the staggering smell of ether choking Oh Sehun.

"What the hell do you want?" Oh Sehun snapped as he glared into the other's bloodshot eyes. He tried to wrench himself out of the grasp, but found that it was only getting tighter. Park Chanyeol was basically pinning him down on the bed with his legs clamping down the other's. Oh Sehun felt like his body was about to get snapped in half.

"I'm not gonna do anything to you. Just let me hold you like this"

Park Chanyeol droned as he pulled Oh Sehun's head toward his chest, closing his reddened eyes with not another word. It was as if he was holding back with clenched teeth.

An inherent fear rose within Oh Sehun the instant he came into contact with Park Chanyeol's body, which was overheated due to alcohol. But the older man stopped moving, and when Oh Sehun felt Park Chanyeol's steadying heartbeat and looked up at the still face, he felt an unprecedented calmness.

What happened to him?

Oh Sehun was puzzled, pondering with furrowed brows. After a while, he grew tired in his thoughts, and fell asleep.

Luhan picked up today's newspaper from a newsstand on his way to the parking lot. The entertainment headline was With New Boyfriend Luhan, Xiao Zi Moving Out of Ex Huang Zitao's Apartment. The economy headline was Kim and Hanson Groups in Financing Partnership, Respective Successors Kim Jongin and Diana to Marry within the Month.

Luhan rubbed the back of his head and tossed the paper into the trashcan. He fetched his car and drove to the set. His back was still aching a little, but the painkillers he took in the morning seemed to have kicked in. Plus, he didn't have to do any action scenes like Huang Zitao, so he should be fine. He actually had difficulty getting out of bed this morning, but he had already taken close to three days off since he came back from the West Mountain. It would be bluntly inconsiderate of him if he continued his absence. So he gritted his teeth and forced himself to go back to work.

As for what happened two days ago, Luhan didn't really remember, willingly or not. One reason was that Kim Jongin played a part in it, and another reason was that he went unconscious from the fever, which filtered out much of the incident from his memory. He vaguely heard words and phrases, but none of it registered in his head. After a turn of events, he somehow ended up in the hospital. When he opened his eyes to a white-coated person at the end of the bed, Luhan was bewildered.

"How... did I get here?" Luhan asked with much confusion, massaging his head.

"A Mr. Do took you here."

And so Luhan thought, It must have been Do Kyungsoo that saved me. He shook his head in self-defeat, deciding that he should be nicer to Do Kyungsoo. He had made things quite difficult for the singer a few times, but Do Kyungsoo minded none of that and still treated him with persistent kindness. People like Do Kyungsoo were hard to come by, considering Luhan's current situation.

Luhan went home after taking just one sick day spent in the hospital. He thought about calling Do Kyungsoo to thank him, but then realized he didn't know what to say. After some hesitation, Luhan decided to send a text message: Thank you. When you're less busy, let's meet up for a meal. On me.

The call arrived almost instantly after he pressed send. A headache crept up as Luhan looked at the caller ID flashing on the screen. After deliberating for a moment, he decided that he should avoid being pretentious, and answered his phone.

"Are you feeling better? I got the run-through for my tour, so I had to go and leave you in the hospital."

Do Kyungsoo sounded tired, but Luhan could hear the concern in his voice.

"Yeah, much better. I'm home already, actually. Thank you, really, for taking me to the hospital. I definitely have to treat you to a good meal."

Luhan didn't have many friends, and after Oh Sehun left, there was barely anyone who really cared about him, other than Do Kyungsoo. In that moment, Luhan thought it would have been nice to be friends with someone like him.

"Don't mention it. Having you see me as a friend would be good enough for me."

"I do see you as a friend. I really do," Luhan said with unusual sincerity.

Do Kyungsoo went silent on the other end, as if in a brief state of shock. He resumed with an eager question.

"Then, can we meet up often later on?"

"Of course," Luhan laughed. He found it a little hard to believe that such a popular singer would be so timid.

"Wow, this is a little overwhelming. Let me calm down for a sec." Do Kyungsoo chuckled like an idiot for a bit before continuing. "I'm opening in Beijing this week, do you think you can come? As a friend," he asked tentatively with a gulp.

Luhan paused for a few beats, thinking. Just as Do Kyungsoo was about to give up, Luhan replied. "Yeah, sure. But I don't make for a good audience, haven't been to a concert in years."

"That's fine! I'm happy as long as you can come," Do Kyungsoo responded with apparent excitement.

Luhan shook his head helplessly at himself. He thought it was time he began mingling. If he kept pushing people away, misunderstandings would never be cleared.

When Luhan arrived on the set, the production assistants approached him to give him a brief update. Huang Zitao was sitting in his standby chair and reading the script. He waved warmly when he saw Luhan, but Luhan could clearly see the lifelessness in Huang Zitao's eyes.

Luhan walked up to the younger man with a smile, asking him about how the filming went the past two days. It turned out that Huang Zitao also took two days off, so besides Su Ran's parts, the parts for both the action and general male leads were put on hold.

"There were some complications with my back since that accident. I came today with a back brace too," Huang Zitao pointed to his back weakly. When he said this, Luhan somehow felt like the younger man was beating around the bush. Questions popped into Luhan's head as he thought back to the headline he saw this morning. His scandal with Xiao Zi was just ridiculous, and he knew that Huang Zitao didn't buy any of that, but Luhan was confused about the second part, about Xiao Zi moving out of Huang Zitao's place. In the end, though, Luhan quenched his curiosity out of consideration for their privacy. It would have been inappropriate if he pried.

Su Ran approached them in the middle of their conversation. Unlike the sweet pleasantness when they first met, Luhan noted a rather intimidating malice on her face. Out of nowhere, Su Ran struck Huang Zitao across the cheek.

"You heartless bastard! How dare you break up with her just like that? What did you take her for?!"

She followed with two more slaps, as if releasing all the anger she had built up for this moment.

Huang Zitao looked at her blankly. "I'm sorry" he apologized as he held his face, his ears ringing and teeth clenched. He made no signs of counterstriking; instead, it seemed almost as if he wanted to be hit.

"You think an 'Im sorry' is enough? Xiao Zi overdosed on sleeping pills last night, did you even know that??" Su Ran screamed and burst into tears.

This kind of stuff wasn't supposed to be uttered in public; after all, the more people there were, the faster words spread, and it would probably get to the media and blown out of proportion by tomorrow. But obviously Su Ran was at a point so emotional that she could do nothing but vent it all.

When Su Ran disclosed this news, Huang Zitao was stunned. He shot up and stalked off for a few strides, and then returned and sank into the chair. He tousled up his hair and released a desperate growl into his hands.

When Sun Ke, the assistant director, came over, Luhan was the only one in his right mind. Sun Ke asked with his eyes what was going on. Luhan stood up and pulled him to the side, suggesting that they film his parts first and let these two calm themselves down.

Luckily, Sun Ke was accommodating enough to tell the production crew to rearrange the flow and start takes with Luhan.

Luhan's eyes drifted back to Huang Zitao and Suran, who were stiffly seated behind the set. He realized how everyone had their own struggles. For those two, he hoped they would overcome their hurdle safely. And himself, too, with his own hurdle.

Besides the underlying tension and cold war between Huang Zitao and Su Ran, the filming went well enough for today. When the clapperboard clicked off the finish to the last scene of the day, Luhan peered at his watch. It was six-thirty, about an hour away from Do Kyungsoo's concert. He hurriedly got changed and washed up before getting in his car and driving off the set. When he turned a corner, Luhan wasn't sure if it was his eyes playing tricks on him as he spotted a Porsche with Wu Fan leaning on it, as if waiting for someone. Luhan stared blankly for a few beats before shrugging it off. It wasn't any of his business why Wu Fan was there, anyway. He didn't stop and continued driving in the direction of Beijing Stadium.

Luhan was aware of Do Kyungsoo's popularity, but he had no idea the level was this high. Tens of thousands of fans were in the plaza outside the stadium, holding banners, purchasing fanchant sticks, blowing up balloons. If not for the VIP ticket in his hand that gave him access to the back door, there was no way Luhan could squeeze past this throng of youngsters. On the other hand, these kids were probably too small to know or remember Luhan from the days when he was at his peak, so he didn't expect anyone to recognize him.

"Excuse me, are you Luhan?" A teenage female fan went up to Luhan with a notebook in her hand.

Luhan stopped in his track behind a staff toward the back door, due to his attention-awareness cultivated over the years of being a public figure. He looked at the girl with a pleasant surprise, and replied courteously. "Yes, I am."

"Could you give me an autograph?" The teenager asked timidly.

Luhan was rather taken aback, but did not act as such. He restrained his grin and took the notebook and pen handed over by the fan. "Sure."

As Luhan penned his signature, the girl suddenly spoke.

"Um can I ask you a question?"

Luhan gave an "Okay" without looking up from the paper.

"Uhm, that rumor about you and our Kyungsoo is it true?" The fan cautiously posed her question, which baffled Luhan and made him pause his pen, unable to proceed to writing a few encouraging words as he had planned to.

Luhan handed back her notebook and smiled. "We're just friends."

"But that's an SO ticket you're holding," the girl pointed to his hand, gazing at the miniature cardboard with a spiteful envy.

Luhan lifted the ticket-holding hand and examined it, shaking his head in defeat. He didnt want to deal with any impending drama with these fans, so he turned on his heels and followed the staff into the venue. On the way, confusion uncomfortably nagged in the back of Luhan's mind, so he asked the staff what this "SO ticket" was.

"It's a ticket that singers reserve for their significant other, but since not everyone has an SO, it becomes a marketing gimmick. For this concert, Do Kyungsoo's SO ticket price got way jacked up, but he ended up giving it to you instead of some maniac fan. He asked us to come out to get you mainly because he was afraid that his fans would attack you for this," the staff replied with a polite smile, followed by a shrug.

Luhan was rather stunned. He looked at the seat assigned by his ticket from far away, and didn't settle himself in it until the start time was nearing. As the VIPs began taking their seats

one by one, Luhan had no choice but follow suit, perching himself on the chair that screamed for attention. He quickly became the target for all the fans in the stadium to shoot their eyedaggers, which made Luhan extremely uncomfortable. He felt like he was sitting on needles, prickling him to get up and bolt.

In the few minutes counting down to the start of the concert, Luhan still had his eyes fixed on the exit, out of which two people emerged. Under the faint fluorescent light, the approaching shadows of the pair slowly revealed their owners.

Kim Jongin and Diana strolled into Luhan's field of vision.

Luhan froze, forgetting to turn around and look away. His eyes met Kim Jongin's too easily. Witnessing the exchange, Diana frowned and tugged at Kim Jongin by the arm, making him turn his head and follow her into their seats by the door.

Luhan turned his head back to the front slowly, wrecked by the thought that he had to pass by the couple upon exiting. He immediately regretted agreeing to Do Kyungsoo's invitation so readily, and made a mental note that he must think twice next time. But even after a moment of rueful self-blaming, Luhan remained in his seat as promised, waiting for the curtain to rise.

The stage lights flicked on one by one, and Do Kyungsoo's voice stirred up the crowd with a fast song that launched him into stardom back then, "Let's Party Tonight". Luhan came to full realization of how popular the singer was when the surrounding screams engulfed him. The frenzied crowd sang along without missing a word from upbeat sensations to romantic ballads. Gradually, Luhan's bristled nerves calmed to a lull with Do Kyungsoo's strangely soothing vocals, and before he knew it, two hours had passed. But the whole time, as if avoiding the two people sitting in the back, Luhan looked straight ahead without twitching a muscle in his neck, as if his head had been casted in place. After a few hours, an unavoidable soreness pervaded his neck.

When Luhan thought that he had almost pulled through unscathed, he was, once again, towed into an abyss because of a speech by Do Kyungsoo.

"A lot of my friends came today. Some of them are people that do no good to my health in any aspect, some are producers that once endorsed me, and I'm forever grateful to them, so I won't bore you with the same thank-you speech. Today, I wanted to mention a special person. When I found out that he would be coming, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep for the past few days. I have reserved a special place for him in my heart, and even though this is one-sided, I'm completely okay with it. I just hope that I'll continue to feel this way, as unrequited as it is, for many days to come. Next up is 'After All This Time'. I would like to dedicate this song to him, as well as those of you that are going through the same thing."

Clutching the mic and slightly panting still from the previous fast song, Do Kyungsoo's gaze travelled to the VIP section, toward where Luhan was sitting. The spotlight followed suit, beaming down on Luhan and his vicinity. Luhan furrowed his eyes and groaned inwardly as he lowered his head with an overwhelming desire to crawl into the nearest available hole. The nearby fans mumbled begrudgingly, but the murmurs died down when the background music streamed through and the lights dimmed. Luhan looked down, his gaze weighed downward, but his heart began drifting upward with the soft melody. After All This Time

I had a dream Where you were the scenery that I couldn't stop watching I thought if I was persistent enough I could have the things I hoped for People tell me, "Oh sweetie, don't be so stubborn There is an end to everything" But why Why

Why can't I just give up and let go These regretful thoughts Will probably drown me one day Maybe in this lifetime Maybe the next Maybe I can only watch you from the back

Luhan's head shot up at the lyrics, staring into the stage light. His previous embarrassment was now replaced by a sudden sadness that stung his eyes. When he tilted his head and surreptitiously dabbed at his tearful eyes, he saw Kim Jongin staring at him. As if alarmed by this unexpected outpour, Kim Jongin got up from his seat and stepped forward. Diana immediately pulled him back with desperation.

Luhan covered his eyes with a tissue and got up to leave without waiting for the song to end. When he passed by Kim Jongin on the way to the exit, a hand shot out and grabbed Luhan by the arm.

"What's wrong?" Kim Jongin flung away Diana's grip as he pulled Luhan back.

"Eye infection. You guys enjoy, I'm gonna go," Luhan responded with civility, though not without unwillingness. Even though he had shared a handful of qualms and animosity with Kim Jongin, he appreciated the younger man's concern at the moment. Plus, under the circumstances with Diana sitting there, surly remarks would only rouse her suspicions.

"It's raining. I'll give you a ride." Without waiting for a response, Kim Jongin picked up his suit jacket draping over the back of his seat and got on his heels.

Luhan looked from the man about to follow suit to the woman snubbed in distress. He shook his head.

"I'll be fine. You should stay with Ms. Diana. You probably won't get to enjoy a date like this after the wedding."

Kim Jongin was stumped. He stood there, his feet planted to the ground.

Rubbing the back of his head, Luhan walked out the exit. A staff informed him that the parking lot was closed for the duration of the concert. He couldn't fetch his car until the concert ended. But the venue was in the suburbs, and he probably had to walk a few streets over to be able to flag a taxi. Luhan gave it some thought before deciding to just walk. He asked the staff for a disposable umbrella, and, ignoring the downpour outside, dragged his feet out the venue.

Kim Jongin sat back down in his seat. His eyes were on the stage, and his ears were listening, but none of it registered. He felt like cracks were emerging one by one in the grounds of his world. A few minutes after Luhan left, Kim Jongin suddenly stood up and picked up his jacket, heading for the exit. Diana clung onto his arm, begging him in a low voice full of anguish. "Don't make me, Jongin."

Kim Jongin paused a beat, but still shrugged his jacket on. He pulled Diana's hand away and muttered in her ear. "Wait here, I'll be right back." Disregarding the agony on her face, Kim Jongin walked off with the feeling that he must have been possessed by something.

Back at the West Mountain, when he witnessed Luhan nearly fall apart in unconsciousness and shake in heartwrenching despair, Kim Jongin made the decision to leave him alone. He called Do Kyungsoo and asked him to take Luhan to the hospital, while he himself followed behind in his car. Sitting in the driver's seat, he watched his friend carry Luhan inside the hospital.

At that time, Kim Jongin thought he had no feelings toward Luhan whatsoever; he only did what he did out of pity, and sending an injured person to the hospital was a pedestrian act warranted

of anyone with a conscience. As for impulsively forcing himself on Luhan, he blamed it on the stupid weather, the stupid atmosphere, the stupid temperature. When he detached himself from it all, all these emotions that went against his rationality would be gone too. After all, he was Kim Jongin, the person that stood at the top of the pyramid, and Luhan was just someone who had been abandoned by life.

Before coming to the concert, Kim Jongin had no idea Luhan was going to be there. So when he saw that face unexpectedly, all of his resolve instantly shattered. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Luhan since then. Despite Diana resting her head on his shoulder, the whole time, Kim Jongin was thinking about the person with a rigid gaze fixated ahead.

And then, that person cried. Because of "After All This Time."

What Do Kyungsoo said was very sentimental. Having known the guy for so many years, Kim Jongin knew that if his friend wasn't so taken, he wouldn't have said something so cheesy in public. And he even managed to sing this song with such unprecedented ease. Do Kyungsoo had written the song for his ex-girlfriend who passed away from leukemia. He had buried this work and left it unsung until today, just for that "special" person. When Do Kyungsoo announced the name of the song, Kim Jongin's heart gave a small, unwillingly tug.

After he watched Luhan leave the stadium, Kim Jongin couldn't sit still, his mind pricked by an antsy restlessness. So he left, too. He wanted to find out what Luhan was doing after leaving. Or more precisely, what his own heart was doing.

The rain shower intensified as Luhan walked on the empty roads with a flimsy transparent umbrella. The two-block distance that the staff had assured him seemed endless in light of the downpour. Luhan whipped around and looked at the distant light radiating from the stadium. He turned back around. He'd rather get soaked to death than going back there.

He tried to flag someone down and hitch a ride, but to no avail with the speed of the passing traffic. Luhan was already drenched, the device in his hand proving useless. When he reached a crossroad, a gust crashed into him, easily turning his umbrella inside out and snatching it out of his hands.

He looked up at the sky, and roared into the raindrops falling on his face.

"HEY, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME? THEN GO RIGHT AHEAD! DO IT! GOD, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME??!"

The vacant roads were still unfilled, and the heavy rain continued to pour. Reality didn't change a bit because of Luhan's rage. He sank into utter despair, and stared into the vastness blankly, his feet unmoving. With half-lidded eyes, he stood in the rain, as if receiving nature's baptism.

Kim Jongin frowned when he ran out of the stadium and saw the heavy rain. He asked the security standing by the entrance, who informed him that the parking lot was closed, and Luhan headed toward

the roads with a disposable umbrella. Kim Jongin cursed under his breath. He half-threatened and halfbribed the security at the parking lot and fetched his car, then sped off toward the direction indicated by the guards.

The rain rushed down in unrelenting cascades as Kim Jongin drove, the windshield wipers squealing against the glass. With the headlights, he searched for the man that so foolishly ran away and into the rain. Finally, in some dark corner off the roads, Kim Jongin spotted Luhan standing in the rain in a daze, a broken umbrella in his hand.

Kim Jongin hurriedly got out of the car and scooped out an umbrella from the trunk. He walked up to Luhan and opened the umbrella, holding it over his head. Luhan raised his head and looked at Kim Jongin, puzzled.

"Are you crazy?? It's pouring, couldn't you have waited till the end then leave?!" Kim Jongin shouted at the older man, his voice torn into fragments by the riotous storm.

Luhan said nothing. He dropped the defective umbrella on the ground and pushed Kim Jongin away, walking back into the rain. Kim Jongin screamed after him, but Luhan didn't stop or turn around.

"Fuck," Kim Jongin muttered before catching up to Luhan with a jog. He yanked Luhan's arm and twisted his head, forcing the older man to look straight at him.

"Let me go, Kim Jongin! What happens to me has nothing to do with you! Did you know how much I hate you? You clearly said you despise me, but you just won't leave me alone. Did you know that did you"

Luhan choked before the last word could make it out of his throat. Raindrops fell down his cheeks, a faint glint glistening in his reddened eyes from tears, the rain, or maybe both.

"Let's go back to the car first." Kim Jongin hauled Luhan by the arm, but the older man wouldn't bulge. Instead, Luhan sat on the ground with a slump, refusing to move despite Kim Jongin's dragging and pulling.

"No. I'm not going anywhere. Even if I go back, I'm gonna be alone anyway. I'd rather sit here and let the rain wake me up." Luhan lifted his head and let the rain assault him with no mercy. The drop in his body temperature was already evident in the wrist that Kim Jongin was holding.

Watching the hopelessness in Luhan's eyes, Kim Jongin's thoughts rushed back to the day when Luhan was running a fever. The Luhan then was a man who wanted to die with such resolve, a man who had nothing to hold onto in this world, a man who searched so desperately for a way out of life. As if driven by sympathy, Kim Jongin retorted immediately.

"Who said you were alone?"

Kim Jongin was taken aback by his own words. He quickly added, as if making amends, "I mean, Kyungsoo likes you, and your old assistant, and Xiao Zi, and Wang Jiacheng. There are so many people that got taken with you after meeting you just once," he said while wiping waters off his cheek. Then he realized how strange it felt, him saying these things. In the past, he used to shove this in Luhan's face as proof for his lewd indecency, and now, ironically, he was saying the same thing to console the older man.

Luhan's stiff face broke into a grin, and he began laughing manically. He laughed and laughed, and didn't stop despite being choked by the rain that gushed into his mouth. Amongst his hysterical laughter, a warmth suddenly enveloped his mouth as Kim Jongin stooped down and shoved Luhan's head toward his chest.

"Do I still deserve love?"

The coarse growl travelled to Kim Jongin's ears and detonated all of his nerves into pieces. He looked down at Luhan's trembling shoulders and vacant gaze into the rain, and his heart shook just the same.

"Can someone tell me if I still deserve to be loved?!"

The agonizing laughter stopped as Luhan clutched his chest and repeated the question in between huffs,

desolation filling his eyes.

"Kim Jongin, you hate me, right? Maybe I'm really as bad as you say I am. Maybe I'm really that shit of a person that you make me out to be. Maybe that's why everyone that claimed they loved me left me anyway. No, except for Luling, because I was the one that killed her."

At this, Luhan broke into a chuckle. He held Kim Jongin's head and looked into his eyes.

"Did you know I killed my own sister, and I'm still here, alive and well. I'm still alive. I'm still fucking alive"

Luhan snarled as he hit himself in the chest, one punch heavier than the one before it. Kim Jongin froze, then gripped Luhan's flailing hand, slamming the fist on himself.

"Hit me. Go ahead, hit me instead. I did you so many wrongs, take it out on me."

As if coming across a newfound punching bag, Luhan landed a fist on Kim Jongin. Then he launched into a desperate frenzy as he used every ounce of strength he had and sent sloppy blows into the younger man, as if finally expelling everything he had bottled up inside. After releasing a hopeless cry, Luhan was spent and collapsed in Kim Jongin's arms. The younger man picked him up and carried the limp body into his car.

Kim Jongin set Luhan in the passenger's seat before returning to the driver's seat. The two impassively watched the darkness far out the window in between the shifting windshield wipers. Luhan slumped to the side, dropping his head on Kim Jongin's lap.

The younger man froze. He stiffly raised a hand and placed it on Luhan's head. As Kim Jongin raised the free hand to start the car, Luhan suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand.

"It was you right?" Luhan croaked, his throat raw from screaming his lungs out in the rain just now.

"Hm?"

It was so quiet that only the splash of the rain was audible, and Kim Jongin thought he could hear it when Luhan gulped.

"I was standing at the end of the tunnel, everything was dark, and I was walking, slowly. There was a bottomless black hole before me. If I jumped, I would be free. But then I heard something behind me, on the other end where it was bright. Someone said something to me. And then my legs moved on their own and carried me back.."

Kim Jongin watched Luhan tell the story monotonously. He suddenly felt like life was inexplicably cruel and unfair. Unknowingly, he began stroking the older man's head with unusual tenderness.

"And then?"

Kim Jongin's lips slightly curved upward as he felt like he had become the ideal listener. It was the only thing he could do right now, under the circumstances. For the first time, he felt no desire to touch Luhan's body.

"Someone said to me in a whisper, 'Don't be scared. I'm here.' That was you, right?" Luhan paused. "That was the first time someone said that to me in years."

""

Silence came over Kim Jongin. And more silence.

"I know why Sehun's good to me. I know why Baekhyun's good to me. Even Do Kyungsoo, I know why he's good to me. I'm actually really selfish. I know, but I pretend I don't, because I'm lonely. I'm scared that they'll walk out of my life."

Luhan halted for a few beats, closing his eyes. Then he mumbled. "But then in the end, they left anyway, just like they were supposed to. That's why when you said I was low, I didn't deny it."

Kim Jongin wanted to offer a rebuttal when his mouth was covered by a hand.

"When I'm with you, I feel safe, in a really messed up sense, because you don't like me, and there's no way that you will, so I don't feel pressured to do anything for you in return." Luhan held Kim Jongin's hand with a grip as tight as a drowning person who had just grasped a lifesaver. "Because my heart is dead already. There's nothing that I can offer for the people that love me, except ending up hurting them."

Kim Jongin sat in a state of shock. The only thing invading his senses was the freezing cold in Luhan's hand. He thought of how perverse this reasoning was, but he couldn't toss away that hand when his heart was aching so badly.

Luhan's eyes curved into crescents hinting of laughs, but it was tears that rolled out of the corners. Kim Jongin covered the tear-rimmed eyes and leaned down, planting a quick peck on the mouth that parted for more words.

Then he took his hand off of Luhan's eyes and held his gaze as he said with a straight face.

"I don't like you. So before your heart comes back to life, let me take care of you."

Luhan stared at the younger man and was stumped for a beat before he wrapped quivering hands around Kim Jongin, letting the warmth in the other's strong, firm body permeate his own, little by little.

Luhan wanted to say, Don't joke around like that. You're about to get married. You can't afford to play a game like this. But he couldn't, the words trapped behind his tongue. He just felt cold, so cold that the only thing he wanted was a warm place. Maybe there was no love in that place, maybe this man wasn't being sincere, but to Luhan, Kim Jongin was a place that made him feel safe the most, and burdened the least. Because he didn't have to do anything in return.

"Remember to stop," Luhan droned quietly as he buried his head into the younger man's stomach. The words were directed at Kim Jongin, but he had meant them for himself.

Huang Zitao was having a hard time getting through filming today. Partly it was because of his back injury, and partly because he was worried about Xiao Zi. When Luhan bowed to the staff in farewell after finishing his takes, Huang Zitao was still stuck in the second action scene.

Zitao, whats the matter? You can normally get through these actions in one take, the action crew director grumbled a little impatiently. If he was just slow in the beginning of the day due to his back, the director would have let it go, but it had been NGs throughout the whole day. The director was obviously peeved, and the rest of the crew was growing frustrated as well.

Huang Zitao quickly straightened up his back and flashed an apologetic smile at the crew. He gritted his teeth and, miraculously, did not NG again for the next two hours or so. When the director called cut, Huang Zitao felt like his entire back was numb. Shrugging on his jacket, he set out to leave the set when Wu Fan called. He wanted to reject the call, but decided to pick up after second thoughts.

Are you done? The deep voice on the other hand asked casually.

Uh not yet, Huang Zitao lied. He wanted to go visit Xiao Zi at the hospital.

Oh. Call me when you are. Wu Fan hung up without a response.

Huang Zitao stared blankly at the dial-toned phone, then shrugged it off. What happened, happened. There was no changing the reality. He had to be a man of his word.

Wu Fan had said to him, What you need to know is that Im very straightforward, and I have this kind of OCD where if theres something I cant have, I will do anything to get it, at all cost.

So Huang Zitao, youd better keep your promise to me. Wu Fan placed his hand on the younger mans shoulder. The touch, as airy as it was, somehow immobilized him.

Despite his one-tracked mind, having been in showbiz for a few years, Huang Zitao was aware of the chain reactions exclusive to this industry. But for the sake of Xiao Zi, he wanted to put things off with Wu Fan for at least a few days. He was hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could fulfill this promise without having his body involved.

Wu Fan saw straight through Huang Zitaos plan, but he didnt spoil it. Even though Wu Fan told Huang Zitao he would give him a few days to sleep on it, indecent photos of Xiao Zi were uploaded on the

Internet the night of. It started with one or two, and then quickly went viral, escalating into a wildfire. Xiao Zi, who was an avid Weibo user, had to deactivate her account and take down the photos one by one in tears. That night, she wept by the window. With every step Huang Zitao took forward, she took one backward, further out toward the balcony.

It was like a one-sided cold war. She would start crying before Huang Zitao even began to speak. At the end, silence was the best strategy.

Lets break up, Xiao Zi sobbed with knitted brows, gazing at her boyfriend at ten strides away. I cant take this anymore. She fell apart, screaming as she stooped to the ground.

Im here for you!! If you feel like you cant take it, Ill help you get through it!

How? With every picture I take down, there are a thousand more. The image Ive worked so hard for six years to build is gone, just like that, she croaked between stifled sobs, dodging Huang Zitao as he approached. And that look of sympathy youre my boyfriend, you should be angry and dump me instead of trying to comfort me! Why are you so good to me? What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to just accept it without feeling guilty?

Huang Zitao was stumped. He replied with a murmur and an aching heart. But but youre my girlfriend youre gonna be my wife and the mother of my children. If I dont care for you, who will? Xiao Zi, stop being so stubborn" He took a tentative step forward, and she gripped the handrail of the balcony, as if she was going to fling herself over if he came any closer.

At this, Huang Zitao stopped dead in his track, watching the girl with an anguished grimace, leaning against the handrail, her hair swishing in the wind.

"There are some things once it happens, it can't be erased. Even if you and I pretend to forget, it will leave a permanent mark right here," Xiao Zi cried as she clutched her chest. She wiped away her tears and flashed a helpless smile at him. "You deserve better. Forget me think of me as someone passing by."

Huang Zitao reached out toward her hand, but his feet remained in a stalemate. He couldn't move forward nor backward. He watched tears pour out of her eyes in endless waterfalls and blamed himself. This was Xiao Zi, who had been so strong, being reduced to tears in front of him. He was such a jerk, he thought. She was his woman, and he was supposed to protect her. Instead, she had to go through this because of him.

"It'll be okay. I promise."

Huang Zitao mopped his tears with his arm, tossing Xiao Zi a reassuring smile and this promise behind his shoulders as he left the apartment. He went to find Wu Fan.

The next day, all of Xiao Zi's pictures circulating online were verified by some official source as the products of photoshop, and so overnight, what was right and wrong were reversed.

Huang Zitao was afraid to meet up with Xiao Zi. He sent a simple text message instead: My best wishes.

Sitting on the leather sofa, Wu Fan watched Huang Zitao's face scrunching in dismay. He said nothing, but walked over and held the younger man's head to his chest. Huang Zitao was filled with enough hatred to burn reality to ashes, but so what if he could? Would everything be back to normal amongst the ashes? Huang Zitao was scared to imagine, and he had never understood the meaning of hopelessness better than now.

What was this thing between him and Wu Fan right now? Huang Zitao didn't know. There were no changes to his daily life; rather, things were calmer than how they used to be. Wu Fan wasn't as barbaric as Huang Zitao had expected. The most Wu Fan would do was call him out of nowhere late at night and ask him to come over; when he did, Wu Fan only asked him to sit beside him for a while. Or, Wu Fan would drive over and park in front of his place, sitting in there the whole night. It wasn't that Huang Zitao wanted to be aware of such unexpected visits, but he couldn't really ignore the presence of a Porsche.

On his first day back to the set after the back injury, Huang Zitao got a succinct call from Wu Fan before he even had the chance to eat breakfast.

"I'll pick you up when you're done."

"Mm." He hung up hurriedly after the monosyllabic reply. He waited around for Wang Jiang to come pick him up, but there was no signs of his assistant when the hour hand passed ten. He called and Wang Jiang's phone was off. In his confusion, Huang Zitao heard a knock on the door. He opened it to meet a wholesome-looking guy with a bun-shaped face, maturity tinged by a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

"Hi, I'm Kim Xiumin, your new manager as appointed by President Wu. You can call me Xiumin." The new guy flashed a courteous smile at Huang Zitao, who was at a loss for words.

"What happened to Wang Jiang?" Huang Zitao was baffled. He peered past Kim Xiumin's shoulders, wondering if he was being punk'd by Wang Jiang.

"He moved out of the country."

Huang Zitao was utterly stunned. It was just yesterday when Wang Jiang called him and excitedly told him that he had snagged a few commercial events for the actor; how could he have left the country overnight? Huang Zitao tried the guy's cell phone again, and was met with the same dial tone. He felt like the past few days were too bizarre, rife with things that would only happen in movies.

Despite his uneasiness with Wang Jiang's sudden disappearance, Huang Zitao was impressed by Kim Xiumin's competence as a manager. The new guy was obviously a few levels higher than his ex-manager in terms of professionalism; all schedules were arranged and organized with military precision, and his hand-off with the film crew was quick and efficient.

As Huang Zitao was getting dressed into his film clothes, Kim Xiumin was negotiating with the director about production-related requests while coordinating the next items on the agenda.

After filming, Huang Zitao wanted to go visit Xiao Zi at the hospital. Anxiety nagged him as he walked toward the parking lot. Though he managed to get past Wu Fan, his new manager, who seemed simple but was actually really sharp, was a whole different story.

But Kim Xiumin just pushed up his glasses and said to his boss, "As of now, I'm officially off-work. What you want to do now is up to you, I won't get in the way. Even though President Wu hired me to do this job, my direct boss is you. So you can rest assured, do whatever you want."

Then Kim Xiumin left Huang Zitao with an offhanded wave as he passed the actor's car and headed toward another exit, probably to flag a taxi.

Huang Zitao was genuinely grateful toward Wu Fan for choosing such a thoughtful candidate. But on second thought, he was plagued with worries. Even though Kim Xiumin said he wouldn't interfere with Huang Zitao's private life, he was technically under Wu Fan. It was like a time bomb had been buried in his own backyard, ready to detonate at any time.

As he almost arrived at the hospital, Huang Zitao spotted a group of paparazzi taking post at the entrance, so he drove around and went to the back. But when he neared the back door in a disguise of sunglasses and a mask, he didn't expect another handful of paparazzi to be there as well.

"Huang Zitao! Huang Zitao! Are you here to see Xiao Zi out of guilt? Are you related to Xiao Zi's suicide attempt? Did you guys really break up?...."

Huang Zitao was cornered by a swarm of mics, the commotion drawing those initially stationed at the front. He was trapped in the crowd, unable to move an inch.

He pushed up his shades and fixed his mask as he tried to bulldoze through the crazed paparazzi, but found that brute force was impossible with his still injured back. Huang Zitao ended up shouting "Please move" as he attempted to push his way through.

In the struggles, two black-clothed burly men rushed over out of nowhere and blocked off the crowd with their backs, making a path for Huang Zitao. After he made it inside, he saw that the two men were still standing outside, guarding the back door.

Huang Zitao suddenly felt chills running down his back.

He scooped out his cell phone and dialed Wu Fan's number. It was picked up after one ring.

"You're done?" The person asked with a composed voice.

"NNot yet I called the wrong person." He hung up immediately, his heart pounding. What happened just now could only be Wu Fan's doing, but he had no reason to do this. If Wu Fan knew that he had lied to him and come to see Xiao Zi instead, why would he send his men to help him? It didn't make sense to Huang Zitao.

He released a heavy sigh as he snapped out of his thoughts. He decided to not dwell on it; maybe, just like the folktale he had read as a child, snail-river maidens* really did exist.

Huang Zitao took off his sunglasses and mask, closing his eyes as he mentally prepared himself. Then he walked into Xiao Zi's room.

With his sunglasses and mask off, Huang Zitao entered the room where Xiao Zi was staying. It was empty. The bed was unoccupied and unmade. The fruit baskets and bouquets lying on the bedside table hinted recent visitors. He thought the patient just left temporarily and so decided to wait in the room. Then he was alerted by sudden noises coming from the bathroom.

As he rushed inside, Huang Zitao was horrified by the sight before him. Xiao Zi was sniffing No. 4* off of an aluminum foil with a lighter.

He dashed over and snatched away the drug in her hand, then threw it in the toilet, flushing it down.

"You promised that you would never touch this again!" Huang Zitao screamed, ruffling his hair in desperation.

When he met Xiao Zi, he found out that when she was younger, she had hung out with the wrong crowd and got into drugs. But those drugs were mild and non-addictive, and over the years of their relationship, Huang Zitao had never seen her get hung up over this. Yet just now, she was using No. 4.

Huang Zitao, obviously, had never touched this stuff, but he was rather aware of it from just hearing about it. No. 4 wasn't just habit-forming, but can be extremely lethal.

"And you promised that we would be together forever." Xiao Zi snickered. "Promise? If promises were

real, there wouldn't be so many people that kill themselves over disappointment." In contrast to her intense reaction merely two days ago, the Xiao Zi right now had moved past despair and completely given up on herself.

"I know reality is cruel, but I'm trying really hard too! After this is over, I will definitely be with you!" He said to her in muffled desolation, stooped down and holding the trembling woman.

"It's pointless. Zitao, just go."

Xiao Zi slumped lifelessly and tried to push away Huang Zitao. He tried to hold himself down by exerting his back, but he failed, teeth clenched and forehead beaded with cold sweats.

As a seasoned martial arts actor, injuries were normal to Huang Zitao, and they would usually go away after two or three days. But this back injury was strangely persistent, even the pain was more intense than usual.

In the past, Xiao Zi used to make him a special anesthetic solution, and the pain would stop once he drank it. But after a while, Huang Zitao realized that the solution was as habit-forming as cough syrup. Plus, with his hands full and not having Xiao Zi around the past two days, even after he found the liquid at home, he had refrained from drinking it despite the agonizing pain.

"How can I leave you alone now?" After overdosing on sleeping pills, and now relapsing into her old habits, Huang Zitao couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen to Xiao Zi if he really just turned around and walked away. Watching his self-abandoned girlfriend, his eyes filled with ache shedding his heart, because he never even expected to come this far with her.

Back when they first worked together, Huang Zitao was just a nobody, while Xiao Zi had already risen to stardom. The two didn't have any interaction besides bumping into each other a few times. He didn't get to know Xiao Zi until their TV show was about to wrap up. On the set, the male lead had earned a scrape on his hand from a fighting scene with Huang Zitao, and lashed out at him, abusing rights of a victim. With his personality, Huang Zitao simply endured the scolding. But Xiao Zi, who had been acting opposite the male lead prior to the incident, couldn't stand to watch. She stepped up and argued with

the guy, "You're only his senior by two years, aren't you being a little shit by using this 'experience' to put him down? We're all in the same boat, there's no such thing as seniority around here" If not for Huang Zitao coming out and holding her back, she probably would have continued berating the guy.

After filming concluded for that day, Xiao Zi went up to Huang Zitao. "Are you really a man? If you are, next time when someone yells at you, you need to yell them back, or else people will shit all over you wherever you go." Since then, Huang Zitao remembered Xiao Zi as someone tough and not to be messed with, and they became two people that had more things to talk about than strangers. When he first saw Xiao Zi using, Huang Zitao felt extremely frustrated. He had tried to talk her into quitting, but Xiao Zi said that it all started when she was tricked by her friends. When they went out, they would mix special K in the drink, and then switched to ecstasy. After a while, she would find herself locked up in a room with her friends in a drug party. When Xiao Zi told him this casually, Huang Zitao suddenly felt an urge to protect her.

Seeing his softened face, Xiao Zi said, jokingly, "I'll quit if you make me your girlfriend, even if it kills me."

Huang Zitao was dumbfounded. It was too sudden and unbelievable. Xiao Zi wants to be my girlfriend?? This is huge. He stuttered in a panic. "But I I'm not rich and I don't really know how to socialize and"

Xiao Zi looked at the flustered simpleton and said with a sudden resolve. "I just want you, that's all. Because no one has ever been this good to me."

Huang Zitao was stunned, because he felt exactly the same with her. There was no such thing as coincidence, he thought. Sometimes, you could say that it was fate.

And so he nodded, and they became an underground couple ever since. It had been over two years. All this time, Huang Zitao had avoided getting famous through Xiao Zi; he slowly got to where he was today starting with a few TV shows. Xiao Zi told him once that when he had a solid career going on, she would retire from showbiz and become a full-time wife and mother. When she said this, Xiao Zi was beaming, a content glow radiating from her face.

Whenever he reminisced about this, Huang Zitao wanted to slap himself across the face. In this tumultuous world, he still failed to grow into a man, a man who was capable of protecting the woman he loved.

"I'm not as good you think I am! I've actually been using from time to time over the years. I was on it for three, four years, you think I could quit just like that? And that liquid painkiller is just normal tap water mixed with special K powder. I gave it to you because I saw how you couldn't sleep because of the pain. This isn't something that a normal woman would even think of doing. I'm like a black hole to you, Zitao. We always talked about how dark this business is, and it never occurred to you that the real darkness is the woman lying next to you," she looked into his eyes as the words became more ruthless, forming a knife to sever the thin thread of his hope.

"I don't believe you," he said as his gaze held hers, accented pause between his words.

Xiao Zi continued nonchalantly, piercing through Huang Zitao's last line of defense. "You think the work that made your name was all your own doing? You only got the part because I slept with the director. All the actresses do this. You can't stop after doing it just once, because you'll just keep wanting more, more fame, more opportunities. When I agreed to be with you, I was just playing around. Now that I'm done playing, you're good enough to be on your own too. So let's just go our separate ways. Leave me alone."

Huang Zitao was at a loss, his gaze unwavering and feet unmoving. Xiao Zi screamed at him, "Go! My overdose has nothing to do with you! I just got sick of living, alright? JUST LEAVE! GET OUT!!"

"Look at me, Xiao Zi. This isn't something you would say. Someone forced you to, right? Was it" Huang Zitao rubbed the back of his head as he approached her in bewilderment.

"Huang Zitao, are you really that stupid? How many times do I have to tell you? I have never loved you. Forget everything I said before. Go back to where you're supposed to be. I don't want you here."

As a rigid stalemate reigned between the two, Huang Zitao's phone went off. It was Wu Fan. This time, he picked up immediately.

"Are you done?" It was that same deep voice, but somehow smarting his ear at the moment.

"Was it you? It was you, wasn't it??" Huang Zitao cried into the phone with despair, watching Xiao Zi cowering in the corner.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wu Fan replied, a hint of mockery in his voice.

"You knew I was coming to the hospital to see Xiao Zi, and yet you just let me, no, you helped me get in, but in fact you did this on purpose, didn't you? Even Su Ran, you were the one that sent her as a replacement, weren't you?! Did you threaten Xiao Zi? You motherfucking bastard, Wu Fan!!"

When he swore into the phone, Xiao Zi leapt up from the ground and gripped his arm, raising a finger to her lips hinting him to stop talking. "Stop it Just stop " She muttered anxiously.

He yanked away her hand and continued roaring, ignoring the silence on the other end.

"Wu Fan, you listen to me and you listen good. Even if I'm with you, it doesn't mean that I love you. There's only one person that I will ever love in this lifetime, and that's Xiao Zi. Yeah, she has baggage and she uses drugs, and she might even get me hooked on it too, but I love her all the same. All these things that you're doing to make me leave her is only making me hate you more." His throat went raw from the screaming, and he breathed heavily as Xiao Zi held onto his arm, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" The chilled voice rose after Huang Zitao finished his tirade.

"I've never been so sure in my entire life."

Huang Zitao hung up and took out the battery. He gripped Xiao Zi by the shoulder, his eyes full of resolve.

"If we could run away to somewhere far from here and live a simple life, would you come with me?"

She said nothing, but she didn't have to. Her answer lied within the choked sobs that were about to overflow. Xiao Zi weakly clutched his arm and cried, "Why are you so stupid you idiot, you should just leave like I told you to."

"When I said forever, I meant it."

Huang Zitao held her up and had her changed. Since there were guards at both the front and back, they climbed down the fire escape ladder along the exterior wall of the building. As they disappeared into an alley, the couple looked at each other with a faint smile, as if confirming, Are we really gonna give it all up?

Yes. If you can't get something without cheating, then you might as well let it go for good.

The headline for the next morning would be "Leading Stars Huang Zitao and Xiao Zi Vanished Without a Trace". Some people speculated kidnapping, while others guessed assassination. Except for Byun Baekhyun, no one thought it could be an elope. After all, this was a highly improbable hypothesis. Who in showbiz would be willing to give up their money, status, and fame?

No one.

Lay sends Baekhyun 1000 roses for his birthday, which effectively pisses Baekhyun off (may I quote-translate, You think getting fucked in the ass is true love?? You might as well just go back to being a caveman.). Lay seeks relationship advice from his secretary, who informs him that if you get yelled at for giving presents, its probably because the other person wants to keep it on the down low. Lay silently snickers at Baekhyun acting like such a girl. Lay gets

kidnapped by his aunt to a blind date along with Chanyeol. They bemoan their respective love troubles in the car on the way. Lay and Chanyeol arrive at the restaurant for their dates, who happen to be sisters.

Baekhyun asks Luhan to come out for a meal, leaving out that he's also invited Sehun in hopes of helping them make up. Chanyeol and Lay happen to be at the same restaurant as Luhan, Sehun, and Baekhyun. The duo abandons their dates and interrupts the meal, but is caught by Lays aunt before any damage could be done. Sehun confesses to Luhan and is overheard by an enraged Chanyeol, who drags Sehun out the restaurant.

Chanyeol gets injured in the arm when he attempts to leap over a car in pursuit of Sehun. Sehun turns around and calls Luhan, and Chanyeol comes out of nowhere and throws his phone away (Because of you, I cant focus, I get nervous breakdowns, I jump over cars, I eavesdrop, I get angry, upset, hurt... if this is your revenge for me raping you, then congratulations, Oh Sehun, you have fucking succeeded.). Sehun takes Chanyeol, who is losing large amounts of blood, to the hospital, and Chanyeol manages to mumble a If I knew having you see me bleed would work, I shouldve done it earlier. Chanyeol faints in the taxi and Sehun realizes how much he actually cares.

Luhan worries about Sehun after the latter hangs up abruptly earlier. Baekhyun seems to have a better idea about Sehuns Chanyeol-related predicament and assures Luhan that things will work out somehow. Upon leaving the restaurant, Luhan is ambushed by an ahjumma, who apparently is a fan and goes to the lengths of calling a fanclub worth of ahjummas. Luhan becomes surrounded and unable to extract himself from the women asking endless questions and individual autographs. He tells Baekhyun to go ahead and try to find Sehun. Then he gets a call from Jongin, who tells him that he has plans with Diana and cant come to pick him up.

Flashback. Luhan and Jongin are unofficially together. Jongin would do all the things a boyfriend is supposed to do, though with a deadpan face. Luhan doesn't know how to feel besides convincing himself that they're just acting an unscripted drama. As for Jongin, he has accepted his own ability to overlook or walk away from the wretched beauty that is Luhan.

Kim Jongin had no idea he would come this far with Luhan. Even though his contempt toward Luhan was so deeply rooted, he couldnt, for the life of him, ignore the tears on Luhans face. He was a beautiful train wreck, like a flower petal littered on the ground after being trampled by a storm, damaged and yet irresistible. This time, Kim Jongin lost to his own instincts. Reason was telling him to get the hell away, but his need, want, for Luhan had become unstoppable, a tornado that easily obliterated everything structured he had built in his heart, leaving it in a shambles.

The first flower that bloomed amongst that wreckage was Luhans tears.

Diana, who has grown increasingly hysterical whenever she senses Jongins reluctance, asks him

to go check out potential wedding halls with her. He relents, but is preoccupied by thoughts of Luhan and Wu Fan's question of "do you love Diana?" in an earlier encounter. However, Jongin leaves abruptly before they wrap up, and Diana makes a call asking the other person to destroy Luhan.

Jongin calls Luhan but is unable to reach him. He eventually locates Luhan in a playground near Luhans place. He tries Luhan again and, from a distance, watches him pick up while sitting on a swing. Jongin asks where is he, Luhan lies that hes eating with friends. Jongin offers to pick him up, but Luhan declines, then proposes that they should stop seeing each other. Jongin asks why, and Luhan says, [spot and very rough trans again I just cant leave kailu alone can I now]

Its supposed to end at some point, isnt it? Plus, youre getting married. This.. is a bad idea. Luhan raised his head and gazed at the moon that had crept up the sky. His voice sounded lonely to his own ears.

Can you give me another reason?

Kim Jongin walked toward Luhan from the back, slowly. His voice was approaching, but Luhan was oblivious in his own trance.

A reason?

Luhan cocked his head and pondered. He managed a reply after a moment.

I want to be alone.

He was telling this to Kim Jongin, and himself.

Because only if he were alone could he be free from hurt, farewells, pain, disappointment. If he was alone, he wouldnt feel lonely after having passed through bustling crow ds. If he was alone, he wouldnt be mocked by those who witnessed his pain. Only solitude could give him that ultimate sense of security.

Kim Jongin stood behind Luhan, silent. Luhan continued mumbling into the phone.

I was already alone for three years. Three more years wouldnt make a difference, or another three years after that, and another three after that. Its not a bad idea to be alone for the rest of my life.

No one wants to be alone, Kim Jongin croaked into his phone before wrapping his arm s around Luhan from the back.

Luhan froze, still holding his phone, afraid to turn around or move an inch or make a sound. Maybe it was all a dream and he was going to wake up any minute. His smile didnt fade, but he felt something unpleasant in his nose because of the warmth behind him. [...] I said that I wasnt gonna go anywhere before your heart came back to life. Im Kim Jongin, and I dont ever go back on my word. He nuzzled to the crook of Luhans neck as he tightened his embrace. Luhan felt like he was being suffocated.

Whats the point of coming back to life when I'm going to die anyway.

Kim Jongin covered Luhans mouth and shut him up. [...]

At least you will have lived.

Wu Fan meets up with a drug dealer who supposedly has info on the whereabouts of Zitao and Xiao Zi, who has been getting drugs from him. The guy informs Wu Fan that Zitao seems to have also gotten into drugs, to prove that he could quit if he wanted. Wu Fan tells the guy to stop supplying them with anything before getting the address. He uses his connections to the police to have their place raided and Xiao Zi arrested, but arranged for Zitao to walk free.

Wu Fan has Zitao brought back to his place. He gives him the ultimatum that either he stays with Wu Fan and behaves himself and he will arrange for Xiao Zi to be treated by professional addiction therapy, or Xiao Zi will be charged with possession of illegal substance and likely sent to prison for years. Zitao relents, though with agonizing reluctance.

Baekhyun utilizes his paparazzi talent and tracks Sehun down to the hospital where hes at. Sehun explains to Baekhyun that after dropping Chanyeol off, he wanted to leave but was asked by the hospital staff to stay, as per standard protocol (they need someone to fill out forms so the hospital is spared of liabilities). Baekhyun decides to help Sehun out and find a way for him to leave [hes on Sehuns side, what with his effort to bring Sehun and Luhan together har], but he realizes that the only way to make that happen is to ask Lay to come, which mildly deters him, but he calls Lay anyway. It requires some yelling to get the point across, but Lay arrives moments later. After compromising with great reluctance, Baekhyun relents to Lays manipulative whining and stays so Sehun could leave.

However, before Sehun could manage to get himself out of there, his name is called and apparently,

Chanyeol demands his bedside presence before the doctor could stitch him up. Sehun briefly considers just letting Chanyeol bleed to death, but he caves in the end.

Meanwhile, Lay harasses Baekhyun and immediately earns some screaming in his face that involves threats of This is the last time Im letting you touch me. Next time, Im going to shove a fire extinguisher up your ass. See how you like that. before bolting.

Flashback. Chanyeols internal monologue after jumping over cars reveals that he has, in fact, intentionally gushed more blood than necessary before Sehun (by aggravating his wound) as a tactic to get Sehun back (into his pants). Evidently, it worked.

Back to the hospital scene. Chanyeol refuses to go under when the docs try to stitch up his arm, which apparently will hurt like a mofo if done in consciousness. Chanyeol demands that either they get him someone named Oh Sehun or he can willingly sign a disclaimer. The docs relent while being just a tad mortified by the patients irrationality. Sehun is ushered into the room and awkwardly sits on a stool next to the bed. Chanyeol tells Sehun the story about his father, who was a womanizer despite marriage, and a car accident that involved his parents. The malfunctioned car tumbled off a cliff and his father shielded his mother while being crushed by the deforming car, more to gauge his love for his wife based on how much pain he was willing to endure.

Thats why I didnt want to get put under... I wanted to take the pain and find out just how much I like you. Oh Sehun, Im in so much fucking pain right now, but when I think of you, I feel like I can take more.

Sehun thinks hes joking. Maybe the pain has gotten to his head. Chanyeol protests, saying that all the hospital staff present in the room can attest to his sincerity, while the said witnesses pretend to be oblivious to the mini-drama before them.

Oh Sehun! I dont like beating around the bush. I like you. I dont like seeing you act like youre weak or helpless in front of other people. If youre willing to be with me, I will never make you feel unappreciated. I will make the whole world know and acknowledge your existence. I dont care if people try to stop me, Ill stand up for you and make all of your problems go away.

Sehun is obviously ready to bury himself in a hole in utter embarrassment. He took off one shoe and threw it on the bed, hitting the bullseye that is Chanyeols mouth before telling to get lost.

Today is the Golden Bull Award ceremony [to refresh your memory, this is the award that Luhan and Jongin were nominated for Password] and the morning finds Luhan making breakfast and Jongin still half-asleep in bed. Luhan informs Jongin that Kyungsoo will come pick him up later, which effectively wakes Jongin up. He seems to want to say something, but doesnt. Instead, he tells Luhan that hes

leaving for the States next week for filming and he might be gone for over a month, leaving out the fact (which they both know so well) that his wedding is in a month upon his return. An awkward silence sets in as neither of them says more, not wanting to unbalance the fine equilibrium they have finally reached.

Feeling stifled, Luhan brought the dishes to the kitchen. He stood in front of the sink, spacing out and deaf to the running water from the faucets.

Kim Jongin heaved a sigh and walked up to Luhan. He slid his hands through the gaps made by Luhans arms and perched his chin on Luhans shoulders. He squeezed some dish detergent on a plate and began to scrub. When Luhan came to, one of the plates was already washed.

Just leave it, I... Luhan tried to take the unwashed plate from the others hands. Kim Jongin stopped him.

Its fine. You made the breakfast, Ill do the dishes. You can go back to spacing out. Kim Jongin teased, not pausing the scrubbing motion of his hands. Luhan blushed at the words.

I-I wasnt spacing out. He watched Kim Jongin finish scrubbing, and turned off the faucet. The chore was done, but neither made signs of moving away. Luhan looked at Kim Jongins wet hands and sighed. He grabbed some paper towels and held them out, hinting for the other to dry his hands, but Kim Jongin was in an apparent daze, unmoving.

Luhan turned and, upon meeting Kim Jongins gaze, quickly averted his eyes. Out of some unknown instinct, or perhaps wanting to extract himself from this awkward situation, Luhan pulled the others wrist forth and started wiping, finger by finger, brushing over defined joints. The hand trembled.

In that instant, time ceased to move forward as a stream flowed past and around them, quietly, comfortably. Luhan didnt think being with Kim Jongin could bring such tranquility. Having him around always led to a tenuous, exhausting tug-of-war. This moment felt incredibly unreal.

You can stop now, its dry already. Kim Jongin grabbed Luhans hands, stilling them. Luhan paused, his

head lowered, at a loss.

Let go of me, its too warm. Luhan tried to push him away, but Kim Jongin only held onto him tighter. If not for the phone that went off in the living room, he had no intention of letting go.

Luhan quickly extracts himself and almost runs to answer his phone. Its Kyungsoo informing him that hes downstairs waiting for him. Luhan hurriedly picks up his suit and heads to the door.

Kim Jongin stood outside the kitchen and watched Luhan in his hurry.

See you later, he murmured, a little too quietly. Luhan sensed a slight melancholy from his voice.

Luhan smiled and nodded as he left. Something like regret tugged at him. After walking off for a distance, Luhan ran back, panting as he planted a fleeting kiss on Kim Jongins cheek.

Luhan whips around and dashes downstairs as soon as his lips pull away. He doesnt remember how he got into Kyungsoos car and everythings still a blur. He cringes inwardly in self-humiliation; he actually kissed Jongin voluntarily.

Since Kyungsoos concert, the singer continues to treat Luhan as he would, as if that bold confession never happened. Luhan is relieved; he appreciates having Kyungsoo as a friend, despite the latters feelings that hes unable to reciprocate. At least things arent weird between them, and Luhan hopes Kyungsoo will eventually turn these feelings platonic. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, does his best to maintain this so-called friendship; he knows how Luhan feels, but hed rather not hear it with his own ears.

They arrive at the ceremony venue and Luhan proceeds to the pre-award press con. The reporters ask Jongin about his upcoming plans, including filming in the States and his wedding. Jongin pauses and peers at Luhan. He declines to answer any questions unrelated to Password.

The ceremony begins. When the MC announces the winner of Best Supporting Actor, it isnt Luhans name that comes out of his mouth. Luhan smiles all the same, but he is slightly disappointed. He drops

his hands under the table and another pair grabs his hand; he looks around the table and meets Jongins eyes (hes actually managed to grab Luhans hand with a person between them). Luhan kicks him under the table, but Jongin ignores him. He flattens Luhans hand and writes on his palm: You are better than him, with four exclamation marks clearly drawn after.

Jongin doesnt let go of Luhand hand until his own name is called onstage. He gives his thank-you speech with rehearsed ease, and then he pauses, looking in the direction of the Password crew. When he says, You guys wont believe what this film brought for me. Its something thats more staggering than receiving this award, Luhan, for an instant, feels as if Jongins words are directed at him. He shakes his head and tells himself that he must be overthinking.

After the ceremony, from which Password emerges as the biggest winner, Director Wang generously proposes an after-party at his place. Due to health reasons and avoidance of inebriation, Luhan doesnt take more than two sips. He then rightfully end s up as the designated driver, with Kyungsoo, Jongin, and a crew member in the car. The staff calls shotgun (much to the dismay of Jongin and Kyungsoo) and ends up slumped over Luhan, and then conveniently puking all over him. So Luhan has to take the car off the expressway and park somewhere under the bridge. Luhan asks Kyungsoo and Jongin to take the staff back to the directors place to have him cleaned up, and hell just stay here and wash up by the river. Jongin abuses his acting talent and pretends to be more drunk than earlier, and Kyungsoo is passively bullied into taking the car with the unconscious staff in it, leaving with immeasurable reluctance.

Luhan teases (another shocking self-revelation) Jongin for getting his way by acting. He resumes washing his shirt by the river and suddenly feels something cold on his neck; its his necklace. Memories flood over him, all the incidents associated with this necklace and SMS, and then Jongin. Hes already forgotten how to get it back.

The girl in the necklace... thats Luling, right? Kim Jongin asked, voice seemingly casual. Luhan looked up, tossing him a glance. He nodded.

Kim Jongin rubbed the back of his head. He wanted another cigarette. He took out the pack and saw that it was empty. He crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the water.

You said if you ever win again, you would dedicate the trophy to her.

Luhan, still recovering from the previous surprise with the returned necklace, was stunned. He did say that, but that was a passing comment at a non-mainstream talk show months ago. Kim Jongin didnt even use the computer much, there was no way he would watch some forgotten TV program for his sake.

Luhan got up and wrung water out of his shirt. He wanted silence to replace the ambiguity that had persisted since earlier today, but Kim Jongin had something else in mind. He took out the trophy and held it out between them.

The winner of this years Golden Bull Best Actor is.....Luhan!

Like an idiot, Kim Jongin raised the trophy forward like an offering. Luhans jaw dropped, and the shirt in his hand fell to the ground.

After a moment of forgotten facial expression control, Luhan snapped out of his daze and picked up his shirt from the ground. He pushed Kim Jongins arm away and chuckled.

Stop joking around. Besides, it should technically be Best Supporting Actor.

This years committee chair was Kim Jongin. Voter - Kim Jongin. Witness - Kim Jongin.

Presenter - also Kim Jongin. To me, youre the Best Actor, his eyes folded into mischievou s slits, a smile playing on his lips. The shirt that Luhan had just picked up fell through his hand again.

Did you hear that, Luling? Kim Jongin pulled Luhan forward by the necklace and murmured at the photo in the pendant, his full lips pressed up against Luhans neck. Your brother is awesome.

He was supposed to hate him, Kim Jongin said to himself. But gradually, he forgot where he came from. He didnt want to like Luhan, but every little detail of the time they spent together made his heart ache, and then ache some more. What he did just now wasnt entirely abrupt; he had already thought of it when he was standing onstage and, even from a distance, sensed Luhans dismay. There was a dark cloud looming over Luhans head that made Kim Jongin want to give him some sort of warmth.

Over the past months, whenever he was alone, he would dig out Luhans past works and interviews. He realized, from watching and observing Luhan in these clips, that Luhan used to be so much more vivacious and real, a stark contrast to the Luhan before him now that was trapped in sullenness. The disparity was staggering, and Kim Jongin discovered the origin of Luhans fragility, self-doubt, aimlessness, and helplessness.

Take it. This is pure gold, you can even get it made into a couple gold bracelets. Kim Jongin tried to mitigate the whole thing with a lame joke, as Park Chanyeol would do, but it didnt seem to be effective, as Luhan continued to stare blankly, hands by his side. He thought perhaps Luhan had mistaken him and thought the gesture was one of mockery. Kim Jongin was about to explain when Luhan broke out of his hesitation and embraced him, burying his face into the taller ones chest. Luhan took a deep breath.

You... What the hell do you want...

.....

Im not supposed to like you, and youre not supposed to like me. We agreed to this.

.....

Stop being so good to me. What if I cant let go?

......

But... you have to leave sooner or later anyway, right?

[this is where Im mentally incapacitated by kailu feels let me recover okay]

Jongin wants to hold Luhans head up so he could look into his eyes, but Luhan clings onto him, tears drenching his shoulder. So Jongin just leaves him as is. He tries to think of something heartwarming, some consoling promise, but he realizes that he cant give any. Thinking back to how everything started, because they hated each other, there was no dependency; because they hated each other, there were no lingering feelings; because they hated each other, they were spared of commitments and promises. They agreed to this, that all of this was supposed to be about attaining some form of physical warmth, no more, no less.

[...]

Luhan choked on unspoken words, You were supposed to stop, we were supposed to stop. When the words reached his lips, they became grumbles of frustration.

Kim Jongin, what am I supposed to do with you? What am I supposed to do?

Kailu continued. It begins to rain. Jongin doesnt realize this until Luhan points it out, followed by a Every time we meet,

it starts raining. It seems like the gods also think were each others mortal enemies." A makeout session ensues (with much desperation) as they become drenched in the rain, and only separate when they hear Kyungsoo calling for them. Kyungsoo (finally) begins to sense that something is up between Jongin and Luhan; before he called their names, he couldnt tell if they were in an embrace or merely standing next to each other, but the sudden movement when he did call made it crystal clear. Kyungsoo is tossed into a mixture of feelings, most of which are not very pleasant.

In the car, no one says anything. Kyungsoo notices that a jacket is placed in the middle of the backseat, covering two interlaced hands underneath. He is driven by a sudden annoyance and asks Jongin how the wedding planning is coming along. Jongin can tell that Kyungsoo probably figured it out and is passively acting out, but goes along with him. Before they get out of the car, Kyungsoo leaves them with a You should just let go. Neither of you can afford to play this game. Luhan freezes and withdraws his hand. Jongin calls him, only to fix up his hair.

Luhan wanted to yell at him, for acting like he still didnt know how bad the situation had become, for giving him false hopes despite knowing how it was going to end up. Luhan didnt know how much Do Kyungsoo knew, but it wasnt difficult to decipher from the way he was acting earlier; the singer seemed to have figured out their relationship, and that Neither of you can afford to play shattered their foolish hopes, the wishful thinking that they would be able to continue the way they were going. But the way Kim Jongin softened just now, his tenderness utterly disintegrated Luhans resolve. Yes, they used to be nemesis. Yes, they used to dislike each other. But now, Luhan didnt know anymore; he could no longer tell where he was going, Kim Jongins actions and words misguiding him, and he let his heart take him into a dark place that would never see the light.

Theyre now back at the directors place. Luhan has too much to drink, and Kyungsoo, out of concern, asks him to stop drinking, but Luhan mistakes him for Jongin and addresses him by Jongins name instead. In a jealous rage, Kyungsoo picks Luhan up and carries him into one of the guestrooms. Luhan, in his drunkenness, continues to mistake Kyungsoo for Jongin even as the singer begins to undress and then presses down on Luhan.

Kim Jongin why do we have to do this every time Luhan reached out, his eyes half-lidded. Do Kyungsoo snatched his arm and screamed, Im not Kim Jongin, damn it! Im Do Kyungsoo, Do

Kyungsoo! Why cant it be me? Why? He sucked Luhans neck fervently, yanking off the older ones pants. Luhan shuddered out of his daze.

Kim Jongin Kim JonginKim Jongin Tears tumbled out of Luhans eyes. The string of Kim Jongins rammed into Do Kyungsoo, and he released Luhan as strength left his body and heart.

....

Youre arrogant get jealous easily unreasonable unpredictable and mean

....

But recently youve been so good to me, staying with me. It makes me feel like Im alive But you said once my heart is back to life, youll be gone. Luhan squinted his eyes, choking, wanting to stop his tears but only more came out.

....

If I say I love you, can you not get married? Can you not leave? Kim Jongin my heart.. it hurts Luhan suddenly threw his arms around Do Kyungsoos neck and sobbed into his shoulders.

Kyungsoo gives up on fighting and trying to win Luhan over. He hugs Luhan back, even though he hates that the only thing that comes out of Luhans mouth is Kim Jongin, even though he detests being a substitute. All of this is secondary to how much he abhors seeing Luhan cry.

I wont. Im not going anywhere.

[...]

Do Kyungsoo thought, if he could pretend to be Kim Jongin and be by Luhans side, then he was willing to pretend for the rest of his life.

Baekxing continued from the hospital scene. [my apologies in advance that I cant translate this part in full because its so fricken hilarious]

Baekhyun runs out of the hospital and Lay follows. Before Lay could warn him, Baekhyun falls into an open manhole. Lay looks around and finds himself in a rather remote area; the odds of getting some help are next to naught. In the end, Lay grits his teeth and strips his Armani [yes this was necessary to mention] dress shirt as well as the undershirt and tears the fabrics into strips, making them into a rope. He extends it down into the hole.

Hold on to this, Ill pull you up. Just as Lay marveled at these words brimming with manliness, he heard a response echoing up.

Uh, is this really gonna hold? And youre so skinny, can you really pull me up?

That pisses Lay off as he screams down the hole about how ungrateful Baekhyun is and that even if hes skinny its all muscle. Baekhyun grumbles a bit before tugging on the rope, and Lay pulls him up, but

only halfway. Baekhyun protests but to no avail as Lay the ever-manipulative jerk refuses to get him out of the hole unless he declares Lay the Amazing Muscle Man and Mr. Universe. Baekhyun swallows his pride and does as hes told, and Lay fulfills his promise. Once Baekhyun is up on the ground, he snorts at Lays disheveled appearance before realizing that he has sprained his ankle. Lay shoves him up to his back and carries him.

Despite all the sassy retorts, Baekhyun cant help but do little things like pressing his body closer to Lays bare torso to give warmth against the wind, shifting to a different angle so he doesnt put as much weight on Lay, and then finally, blurting out a Thanks when Lay randomly picks a flower off the road (See, it looks like you) and gives it to him.

The remark of gratitude caught Lay off-guard and he chuckled, You make a living out of digging up other peoples secrets, but youre clueless about your own. Let me tell you, Byun Baekhyun, you like me, and you like me a lot. You cant let it go even though Im a man and youre straight. Lets just say it was love at first sight. Strings of defiant comebacks flashed across his mind, but none made it out of Byun Baekhyuns mouth.

Oh and um, happy birthday, Byun Baekhyun. He buried his head into the crook of Lays neck, the purple flower clutched in his hand. There had been so much on his mind, but all thoughts vanished. Right now, he hated to admit that certain things had changed.

Chanyeol signs a merger with Minho. Theyre having a drink at STB and Wu Fan [erm still gonna use this name instead of Kris] joins. Minho teases him for looking at the time as soon as he arrives. He leaves, sensing that Wu Fan and Chanyeol need to talk in private. It is revealed that Wu Fan had asked Chanyeol and Minho to acquire ONE, the company that Zitao is under, so Zitaos contract is now officially with MON (Chanyeols company) instead.

[throwing in taoris spot trans just for Laura]

Thanks.

Youre saying thanks to me? Please, dont make me puke, Park Chanyeol teased. Plus, Im not doing you a favor. This was always part of our plan. He broke into a laugh.. You couldve done this without moving a finger, why bother beating around the bush? This isnt like you.

I dont want him to get the wrong idea, to think that Im trying to fuck him over, Wu Fan said, expressionless, as he turned the glass in his hand. Im in real deep this time, my friend. When you like someone, dont pull too too much crazy shit, or your chance of actually being with them will be close to zero. Remember that, he said as he looked at his watch again. Park Chanyeol had never heard him talk this much over the past years.

His words take Chanyeol by surprise; Wu Fan is not the type to be emotionally involved, and marriage, when it becomes a must, would be more like a chore that he needs to get done for the sake of continuing the lineage. Being involved with Wu Fan for real is taxing for both the body and the heart. Chanyeol thinks maybe this time, Wu Fans feelings are actually involved, though it borders on sympathy.

Truthfully, Im not even sure if its feelings. But at least now I have plenty of time to find out. His lips turned wistfully as Wu Fan glanced at his watch for the last time before leaving.

Chanyeol begins to think back to what happened at the hospital. Flashback. He clutches Sehuns shoe since it flew out of Sehuns hand. Chanyeol stays in the VIP suite, the cheap sneaker on the bedside table standing out like an eyesore. The whole situation earns Chanyeol a smack or two in the head by his mother when she arrives, who is furious because his son had jumped over a car for another man and even kept his shoe. Chanyeols older sister, who has come along (flying in from Europe), asks their mom to leave them alone and that shed talk to him.

Chanyeols sister asks if he remembers what she told him the first time he ever got rejected (in 6th grade); he says yes, Win her over, and then dump her. She scorns him for not being able to handle one guy when they have that reputation to live up to (in which they always come out the winner when it comes to relationships). She psychoanalyzes him and tells him that hes only eager and restless right

now because he hasnt reeled Sehun in yet; once that happens, Chanyeol will get sick of him and dump him, just like he always did in the past. Chanyeol is peeved and tells her to mind her own business.

I came back this time was for Jongins wedding next month, and also to deal with this issue of yours. If youre not into those Japanese girls [the ones he was set up with on that double-date with Lay], theres this European chick that I think is quite nice. So before I leave, youd better get with that kid. Trust me, I know you. This thing that youre doing isnt like you. Youll stop sooner than you think.

His sisters speech makes Chanyeol think twice about Sehun. Hes positive that hes into Sehuns body, but hes still not sure about this thing called feelings. He toys with the idea that his sister may be right. Maybe hes just craving for the feeling of possession; once he got it, he wouldnt want to keep it anymore. Chanyeol suddenly finds the possibility relieving. Hes not used to the whole courting business. He asks his sister to cook up a scheme for him to end this once and for all.

The scheme, as it turns out, involves Chanyeol pretending to be a hobo for a month, on the premise that his business has gone under, he is disowned by his family because of Sehun, his sister refuses to help him, and hes forced to ask Sehun to take him in. So Chanyeol rings Sehuns doorbell later that night with a suitcase, asking him to let him stay with him. Sehun is shocked, annoyed, then worried (for his family to find Chanyeol at their door again). He finally relents after some pleading by Chanyeol, but just for one night then he has to find somewhere else to crash. The Golden Bull award happens to be on TV and Sehun ignores Chanyeol and scoots up close to the TV when the presenter announced Best Supporting Actor. Sehun slumps on the floor at the outcome and shuts off the TV.

Its all set up beforehand, dont take it too seriously.

...

Luhan will get better scripts in the future. He should have no problem winning next time.

....

Actually, I think he--

Could you shut up? Wait here, Ill go get you a blanket. Oh Sehun turned and went into his bedroom. He took out one blanket at first, but grabbed another on the second thought that it might be chilly later in the night.

The next morning, Sehun didnt even get to shoo Chanyeol out as his dad woke up earlier than he did and obviously, the old man grinned ecstatically when he saw Chanyeol. Chanyeol tells him that somethings happened at home so he came to crash at Sehuns, but Sehun said its too much trouble, so Ill get going. Mr. Oh stops him (in his exaggerated sighs and suitcase-dragging) and tells him to stay for as long as he wants. Sehun protests but is promptly shot down by his father. And thus begins Oh Sehuns life with a live-in Park Chanyeol, who claims that he cant just stay without contributing and starts helping out around the tea restaurant. Sehun thought Chanyeol wouldnt last for two days, but in those two days, Chanyeol easily snags a ton of delivery orders, milking his charm and good looks for all its worth. This obviously gains Chanyeol unadulterated approval and endless praises from Mr. Oh, who seems to have unofficially adopted Chanyeol in his head and constantly bemoans why Sehun, his only son, isnt half the man that Chanyeol is. The business thrives because of Chanyeol, especially the drastically increased number of female customers.

Chanyeol asks Sehun to go do a delivery with him, which Sehun instantly refuses, but eventually is forced to go along because of his father. Sehun doesnt speak to Chanyeol the entire time, and when theyre done delivering, Sehun makes a stop somewhere else. He ignores Chanyeols questions as he finds his way into an apartment with ease. Chanyeol figures it out that theyre at Luhans place. Sehun feeds the dog and waters the plants, ignoring Chanyeol, who doesnt mind so much and starts playing with the dog. Sehun finds a letter addressed to him on the coffee table. He reads it and sinks into a grieved daze. Chanyeol says nothing but waits. After a few minutes, Sehun gets up to leave, and says to Chanyeol, Im gonna go drink, you wanna come with? Chanyeol agrees readily, guessing that it probably has to do with that letter, and they go to this shabby tent that Chanyeol hesitates for a few beats before entering. Sehun becomes drunk quickly after just half a bottle.

Park Chanyeol never thought youd end up like this Oh Sehun burped. Actually.. I didnt believe you one bit at first. If I didnt ask a friend to find out for me, and they told me that youre really done for, I always thought you were lying.

In fact, Chanyeols sister had everything taken care off seamlessly. Besides the two of them, Lay, Wu Fan, and Jongin had no idea. Lay even called to ask what was going on, and offered a job as a janitor at his hotel, but Chanyeol turned it down and simply said that If all goes well, Ill come back on top after a month. Lay didnt pry further, thinking that there must be a reason why Chanyeol wouldnt tell him.

That really hurt. Park Chanyeol reached over for his arm, but Oh Sehun slapped his hand away.

Why the hell should it hurt for you? Im the one thats supposed to be hurting! Oh Sehun snapped and suddenly choked, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Dude, whats going on? Why are you crying? Even though I got kicked out because of you, I left on my own. Park Chanyeol shifted over and tried to pull Oh Sehun by the arm, but the younger one pushed him away.

You're so full of yourself. Who said it had to do with you? Oh Sehun dropped his forehead into his hand and took another gulp of beer. He tried to blink back the tears. My crush is over, just like that. Five years six months and three days.

Park Chanyeol watched his agonized face from the side, and it dawned on him. He was about to say something before Oh Sehun continued. He told me to stop coming over and clean for him. He told me to stop feeding the dog and watering the plants. He told me to go back and live my own life.

.... Park Chanyeol took another sip as well, rubbing his furrowed brows and thought, You idiot.

But without him what life do I have? Oh Sehun poured himself another glass and downed it bottoms up.

If he doesnt want you, are you gonna go off yourself? There are plenty of fish in the sea, like the one in front of you right now. Park Chanyeol flashed a cocky grin, tossing his bangs back shamelessly. Oh Sehun almost spit the beer in his mouth all over the others face.

Even if theres no one left in this world I still wouldnt pick you, he drawled as he patted Park Chanyeols face, possibly due to the alcohol. As if spellbound, Park Chanyeol put an arm around his back, and Oh Sehun didnt resist one bit. When Oh Sehun put all of his weight on him, Park Chanyeol knew the guy was completely sloshed. It also just happened to start raining, and the tent owner began to shoo everyone out. Park Chanyeol tried to maneuver the limbs so he could carry Oh Sehun on his back, but the younger one clung onto him in the front like a koala, and Park Chanyeol lost his train of thought for a second; this was his favorite pose. Regardless, they had to get out of there, and he had to hold it in, for now.

They had walked there and their delivery cab was quite a distance away. Halfway back to the car, Park Chanyeol thought he was going to lose his mind with Oh Sehun literally attached to his body and the friction created as he moved. He looked around and saw a small rundown hotel around the corner. Abandoning his usual OCD tendencies, he couldnt care that much at the moment and just ran in.

Once they were inside the room, Park Chanyeol tried to peel Oh Sehun off and at least put him in the shower, but Oh Sehun wouldnt let go. He peered at Park Chanyeol and mumbled, I have this pale face, cherry lips, thi-thin arms and I confessed to you.. but why why wont you accept me still He ran his lips across Park Chanyeols cheek, and Park Chanyeol gave up, his physical and mental capacities maxed out. He carried Oh Sehun into the bathroom and began the assault that his hands and mouth were so familiar with.

Ow...Youyoure biting me.. it hurts Oh Sehun frowned and tried to dodge, writhing uncomfortably under the unyielding touch.

My heart hurts even more because of you. Heal me and forget him

[insert bathroom sex here]

Under the influence of alcohol along with loneliness, Sehun changed in the way he responds, meeting Chanyeol in his thrusts as he grips his shoulders, offering kisses as he licks Chanyeols lips.

[insert more sex in bed because bathroom is not very comfortable]

Sehun falls asleep instantly in Chanyeols arms. Chanyeol watches the figure unaware in a dreamless sleep, and he is gripped by an inexplicable tightness inside his chest. He sighs.

Youve put me under a spell.

{one}

Wu Fans two female cousins (Rei Rong and Rei Jia) visit from the US. Among his relatives, Wu Fan is the closest with his aunt, who helped out quite a lot along with her husband after his father passed away. Consequently, Wu Fan is rather close with her daughters, the eldest of whom (Rei Rong) is blind by birth. Hes also particularly protective of Rei Rong because of his mothers wishes for him to take care of her, bestowed upon him like a mission when he was young. Rei Rong is gentle, patient, and reserved, while Rei Jia is rambunctious and borderline bratty. After having revamped half of his place as a rehab center solely for Zitao, Wu Fan encourages his cousins to go visit (and thereafter stay at) Jongins parents place in an attempt to shield the knowledge of Zitaos stay from them. Rei Rong, who is particularly attached to Wu Fan, is disappointed to see that her cousin seems less available, physically and emotionally, to welcome and accompany them.

Meanwhile, Zitao has practically gone on a hunger strike since he arrived. Wu Fan goes to check on Zitao and walks in on him clenching a shard of glass in his hand as if to seek comfort from the physical pain in a withdrawal-induced delirium. Shocked, Wu Fan ties him to the bed by the limbs to prevent him from further harming himself. He considers calling for a doctor, but opts against it, not wanting to draw the attention of his cousins. So he ends up treating Zitaos wound using a first-aid kit while muttering what an idiot he is.

Flashback. The withdrawal turns out to be much agonizing than Zitao thought possible. To abate the pain, he has resorted to various self-injurious behaviors, forcing Wu Fan to change all ceramic or

fragile items in the house to wooden or durable substitutes. Despite the tension that persists between them and the resentment Zitao still holds for Wu Fan, he cant pretend that he hasnt heard or seen what Wu Fan does for him. He would grit his teeth and put up a front before Wu Fan, but after hes gone, Zitao would grovel and cling to the butler, pleading him for either a sniff of drug or a stab of knife.

I know youre in pain, but so is Master. Every night, he would stand in front of his room and look in here, watching until its past 2 or 3 in the morning, the butler pulled the man up with a defeated sigh.

Huang Zitao paused, slightly taken aback, but he still didnt soften. This is all his fault!

Did he get you into drugs?

The rhetorical question put Huang Zitao at a loss for words.

The butler placed a tray of warm dishes, freshly cooked, on the table.

Even though you never touch the food we bring you, Master still asks us to make fresh ones every other hour. Young man, being stubborn is not the way to handle certain things; otherwise, it will never get resolved. Master isnt what you would call a good man, but with you, he holds nothing back, Im sure of that. I may be senile, but Im not that conservative, and Ive had my share of life experiences. I dont exactly agree with what Master is doing, basically providing for a grown man, but Im grateful to you, you know. Youre the first person that Master is giving his all to. of course, how this will pan out in the end, no one knows.

Zitao is extremely conflicted. He still thinks Wu Fan is an unforgivable asshole who made him and Xiao Zi, whose whereabouts he doesnt even know, live like a zombie right now. At the same time, hes aware of what Wu Fan has done, and is doing, for him, like readily offering an

arm for him to bite so he would stop worrying his already torn lips, giving him the highly treasured tiger hide as a warming apparatus with no hesitation, hauling him up on the back when hes on the brink of insanity and letting him just lay there or carrying him around.

There was one night when Huang Zitao was seized by delirium and screamed at the person carrying him on his back, Why? Why?

Wu Fan raised his head and replied softly. I said that I wouldnt let you cry, but I failed. The only thing I can do now is to turn my back to you, so I dont have to see your tears. Sensing that the younger man was nearing a breakdown, Wu Fan continued. I guess Im just being selfish.

Huang Zitao was being torn apart by delirium from the withdrawal and confusion because of Wu Fan.

End of flashback. Zitao is supposed to hate Wu Fan, the person who practically took everything away from him. But he couldnt, not in this moment.

Seeing Wu Fan offer an arm for him to bite again, something grips Zitaos chest.

Cant you just let me be?? Cant you go back to the asshole that I used to hate so much? Cant you Sobs cut his words off as Zitao clenches at his hair and growls.

Wu Fan glances at him and extracts the last shard from Zitaos palm.

Ill leave you alone when you overcome the addiction.

{two}

Hansoo continued from the bedroom scene. Kyungsoo has never considered himself a saint; if he genuinely likes someone, he would be lying if he claims he wants nothing in return. He had wanted to fight for Luhan, but at the end, those eyes full of anguish cause him to give up.

Before I let you go, let me kiss you just once. After tonight, were just friends.

Still drifting in and out of consciousness, Luhan barely opens his eyes and gives less than a perceptible response. Kyungsoo leans in. He tastes the bitterness of unattainability.

Jongin did catch Kyungsoo and Luhan go upstairs. He doesnt begin to suspect until the two are still missing after quite a while, so he goes in search for them. When he finally locates the right room, Jongin walks right in on Kyungsoo pulling up Luhans pants. Kyungsoo sees Jongin go ashen, but he doesnt stop; instead, he leans closer and holds Luhan, the intimacy more than suggestive.

Let go, Kyungsoo. I dont want to have to repeat myself. Jongin walks over and pulls Kyungsoos hand away.

And the same to you, Kyungsoo ignores Jongin as he begins to do up Luhans buttons while nibbling on his earlobes. Jongin loses it. Thoughts of their friendship flee as he hauls Kyungsoo up and punches him in the face.

Dont push me, Kyungsoo! I dont want this to destroy our friendship, Jongin growls at Kyungsoo, pulling Luhan toward him.

You havent changed a bit you have to have everything, you cant give up your image, just like you couldnt give up your toy when we were kids. But Kim Jongin, Luhan isnt a toy. He

wont be there, waiting for you, after you damage him and abandon him. Hes a person with feelings and thoughts! You go get married and be the big star that you are. You go and conquer the world. But there is only one Luhan. If you cant give him anything, then let him go, goddammit! If you cant find it in yourself to sacrifice for someone, then let me do it! Let me protect him.

Jongin holds Luhan in his arms, wrapping the limp figure into the comforter.

But he wont let anyone protect him except me.

Watching Jongin carry Luhan out the door, something snaps within Kyungsoo. He maniacally pounds a fist into the wall, blood trickling between his fingers while his anger is nowhere near subsiding.

Jongin, its not going to end well for Luhan if you keep this up.

Jongin pauses, words rising from his chest. He says nothing. No one has the right to declare how he and Luhan will end up.

After some hours, Luhan wakes up in the afternoorou, groggy and surprised to see Baekhyun leaning at the door. He has no recollection of how he got home, let alone what happened the night before. Baekhyun tells him that he came over after getting a call from Jongin, who flew out to the US around noon. Baekhyun asks Luhan since when did he become so close with Jongin. Luhan doesnt respond. Instead, he pads to the phone in the living room and replays the multitude of messages: Minho called, asking him to drop by the company due to some unforeseen circumstances; Kyungsoo, who left an incomplete message (This is Do Kyungsoo Luhan, I just wanted to say--); and finally, Jongin (My trip to the States was moved up. Give me a call after you wake up.). Luhan almost chokes on his water and hurries to stop the answering machine.

It is revealed that Baekhyun was the one who wrote that letter to Sehun, which was left on Luhans coffee table. The letter looks unopened, and assumed so by Baekhyun. He muses out loud that Luhan has been unusually eager to clear up rumors, when he never used to care for stuff like that. Out of his paparazzi instincts, Baekhyun asks, Youre not in love, are you? He expects some dismissive reply, but is met by silence.

Are you really in love?

Baekhyun could make out the flush in Luhans face.

No

Luhan closes his eyes and lets the sun cast generously on his face. He remembers one morning where he was in this exact position, with arms wrapped around him from behind, sharing the warmth.

Its time to let go, he tells himself.

Its time to cut it off when he still can, even though he can already see how miserable he will be. Whats the use of lingering when none of it is real? But where is this heartache coming from?

Luhan tries to smile, but instead tears rush toward his eyes. Baekhyun is taken aback at the abrupt switch in Luhans features.

The sun is too bright. It hurts my eyes.

Right

Luhan asks Baekhyun to give him a lift to the company. Baekhyun immediately rejects the idea and tells him to stay home. Luhan senses the unease in Baekhyuns voice and asks if theres something wrong. Baekhyun is unable and unwilling to explain. At the end, Baekhyun fails to dissuade Luhan and ends up taking him to the company anyway, though he continues to talk him out of it throughout the car ride. Before Luhan gets off, Baekhyun turns to him with defeat marring his face. There is something, but its not your fault. Even if everyone suspects you, Luling and I will always be on your side. This comes so randomly that Luhan pauses in bewilderment, but he acknowledges it and thanks Baekhyun.

When Luhan approaches the entrance to TIME, he spots a horde of reporters swarming toward him. He thinks theyre probably here to ask about not winning the award, but he is stunned when they begin firing questions at him.

Luhan, what do you think about that incident three years ago being reopened? Did you really murder your sister? Did you kill her to cover up incest?

When the word incest hits his ears, Luhan snaps at the reporter, Please watch your language. The reporter mumbles something about him trying to act all self-righteous, and Luhan almost punches the guy in the face if not for the security guard stopping him. Luhan enters the building and then Minhos office. Minho explains the situation: The lawyer that defended Luhan in Lulings case recently got arrested and his license revoked for giving false testimony, and the evidence recovered for investigation includes Luhans case three years ago, which is now reopened and will undergo re-examination by the prosecution.

Minho informs Luhan that two cops (one man, one woman) have visited TIME and asked to speak to Luhan, who obliges, but the cops end up taking him away (in handcuffs no less, claiming it standard procedure for suspects), which is not what they told Minho, who is

reluctant. However, Luhan remains calm and doesnt resist as he is taken to the police station.

Luhan is surprised to see his parents; he didnt want them to get dragged into this. He wants to go greet them, but decides against it when he sees resentment in their eyes. The two cops gather them around and tell them that new evidence has been retrieved - nude photos of Luling, mailed by an anonymous informant. They go on to say that computer analysis has identified Luhans reflection in the pictures. They conclude that Luhan was the one that took the photos, the conversation clearly turning into an interrogation aimed at Luhan. The two elderly are in shock while Luhan vehemently denies and proclaims that he is being set up. The police says that the drug report used in court three years ago is now considered unreliable evidence in light of the lawyers perjurious track record. They tell Luhan that if the police doesnt obtain a more reasonable explanation within two days, Luhan will be taken into custody. Luhans parents, though still holding grudges against Luhan for what happened, question the validity of the incest/murder charge. The policewoman asks her partner to see Luhans parents out while she talks to Luhan in private.

The policewoman gets straight to the point. She tells Luhan that if the verdict is reversed, it is likely that he receive long-term, life, or even death sentence.

Someone wants me dead.

Yes. Now, only honesty can save you. If you withhold anything, any information released by your enemy will only do you harm.

You why are you telling me so much? And it seems like you think Im innocent..?

Because my name is Oh Senah. Im Sehuns sister. And I have completely faith in you as a person.

{one}

Flashback to kailu after Kyungsoo-Jongin confrontation. Jongin puts Luhan to bed after taking the latter back home. He gets up, but is unable to move away with a stubborn hand clutching his shirt. So he sits back down on the bed and stays, stroking Luhans head. The lights are still off, but through the moonlight seeping through the curtains, Jongin sees the eyebrows that furrow furiously, as if Luhan is having a bad dream. He slowly rubs out the knot, and Luhans features relax instantly. This slight but abrupt change stumps Jongin. He gazes at Luhans now peaceful face ruefully.

What are you going to do when Im gone?

Hes exhausted, and he needs to catch a wink before his flight in a few hours, but he doesnt want to close his eyes, to stop watching.

Yes, he is being selfish. Just because of that ludicrous agreement that they had verbally signed. It allows him to hold Luhans body with no reservations and no promises. He knew that he couldnt give Luhan a warmth that lasts, but he caved to his feelings and tried so hard to give forever in numbered days. And then just now, he made a sovereign choice on Luhans behalf, rejecting someone elses love for him.

He did all this, in spite of thinking that maybe Kyungsoo could make Luhan happy, maybe he really should back off, maybe he ought to be mean to Luhan so it would make letting go easier but these are just thoughts, and they all get flushed far, far away with one look of Luhans face, one touch of his skin.

Truthfully, I regret a lot of things. Jongin murmurs as he brushes the locks fallen across Luhans forehead. If only I had met you earlier... if only we had met at a better time in our lives if only I had seen what was in your eyes when I first saw you.

If his soul hadnt fallen victim to the depravity of society, maybe he wouldnt have distorted what Luhan did as shameful, and he wouldnt have raped him as a punishment. Then he wouldnt have had those feelings that crashed into him as a result.

The way their relationship started inevitably influences the way its going to end.

Furthermore, societal norms are a hurdle that Jongin will never get past. He could own the world but theres no way that he can avoid going home and getting married, fulfilling his role of a son. If he chooses the alternative, his father will make sure that he and Luhan are utterly destroyed. He knew this ever since his brothers scandal with Key; Jonghyun doesnt know, but Keys metaphorical demise was their fathers doing, rather than the uncovering of the relationship by paparazzi.

Jongin wanted to keep his feelings hidden; being true to himself is a luxury that reality denies him. But Luhan makes it impossible to hold back. One tear from his eyes and Jongin is done for.

But I dont regret meeting you. Jongin leans in and kisses Luhan on the forehead. Luhans grasp on Jongins shirt loosens, as if Jongins words have reached him in his dreams. Jongin feels something hot and wet on his face. The tears burn his fingers when he wipes his face. He freezes, heart brimming of remorse.

Im sorry that you met me.

Jongin calls Baekhyun on Luhans phone.

This is Byun Baekhyun, right?

Yes but youre not Luhan and youre calling from his phone, who are you?

Thats not important.

Kim Jongin? Oh my god, what happened? Why are you spending the night at his place? I havent even spent the night there. Whats going on between you two?

I said, who I am isnt important. Come over now. Im hanging up.

Fine, Ill come. But you have to give me a headline. Like, did you get to film this movie in the States only because you have shares in the project? Have you solicited prostitutes? Were you adopted? Is your wedding with Diana next month confirmed? Do you like men or women?

Here, you can have this: I like men.

Jongin hangs up, leaving Baekhyun with jaws that have dropped to the floor.

Baekhyun hasnt even recovered from giddiness at the breaking news when he is informed by his colleagues that police are en route to TIME to take Luhan into custody. Baekhyun rushes out the door and on the way, receives a phone call from the police, asking for his presence at the police station. Baekhyun declines an appearance and abstains his right of involvement in the reopened case.

Baekhyun passes Jongins car as he drives into Luhans neighborhood. Jongin calls his assistant to take his luggage directly to the airport. Diana comes to see him off, which he didnt expect as she had said she would head over first. She tells him she stayed to attend to wedding matters, complaining that she has to do everything since he doesnt seem to care. He half-jokingly warns her to not go over the top just because his parents fully support her, and she cant just do whatever she wants and assume hell let it slide. Diana apparently misinterprets [perhaps intentionally] what he means.

Oooh Im so scared, honey. But with my status, I would never stoop so low as to degrade myself; only the scum of society do those things. Like stealing someones husband. Diana chuckles. She clings to Jongin by his arm and looks into his eyes, the affectionate gaze mocked by her tone. Youre mine, and youll always be mine. Anyone that tries to take you away from me Ill make them die a slow and painful death.

..

Jongin stares at her and chooses to ignore. He puts on his sunglasses and walks toward the boarding

gate.

Jongin, Diana shuffles after him and pulls him back. You forgot to say something.

Jongin wants to just push her away, but theyre in public, and there are people watching. He mumbles a I love you with great reluctance before finally getting on the plane.

Before the plane is about to take off, Jongin suddenly tells his assistant, Vince, to get off, shoving a business card in his face.

Take this and go find Kim Jongdae. Ask him to help out if anything happens to Luhan. Oh and if the situations really bad, tell him to talk to Wu Fan, Chanyeol, and Lay.

Vince is thoroughly confused as to why Jongin would have anything to do with whatever happens to Luhan, even to the point of contacting Jongdae, his cousin who has gone MIA for years.

Jongdae is a genius attorney. He had moved out when he was young due to a strained relationship with his father, and then later disowned by his family when he married a prostitute. He may not always play by the rules, but his defense is impeccable. He quickly established himself as a partner at a prestigious law firm within three years, but suddenly gave that all up and went off and devoted to pro bono work. Jongin never really kept in contact with his cousin, mainly due to Jongdae's severed ties with the Kims. When he finally did, it was to help Wu Fan with the homicide at SMS [this was never explained btw, whether it was a murder or accident]. Jongdae agreed to serve as Wu Fans defense, and ended up winning. After that, Jongin and Jongdae became closer.

When Vince came out of the gate, he ran into Diana. She snatched the business card from him and ripped it up. Vince expressed obvious ambivalence, torn between his boss and the fiance. Diana reassures him that he wont be implicated should something happen, and he is granted a one-month vacation, during which he should stay out of town. She leaves him with a warning that ensures his lips sealed.

The next day, Luhan is still without a lawyer. Senah runs into her brother and Chanyeol on her way out

of the police station. Sehun demands to know whats going on with Luhan. Senah coos and tells him shes bound by confidentiality and hell eventually find out.

Dont treat me like a kid! I have a right to know, okay? Even though I cant be with him, but I I used to work for him too. Is it so bad to be concerned? Sehun looks like hes about to cry.

Chanyeol comes out of nowhere and shoves Sehun aside. He yells at him. Do you really want to know what happened? Sehun is stunned to silence but he nods. Chanyeol tells him to stay there. He goes up to Senah and tries to negotiate with her. Senah finally reveals that basically, the investigation is heading toward the guilty verdict, and shes positive that its not just one person thats after Luhan, but a group of people. This also explains why not one attorney in the city is willing to stand as his defense. Chanyeol gives his two cents that Jongins father is most likely involved, in addition to Diana, who shouldnt have that much influence considering her father is mostly active in the States.

I really want to help him, but Im all on my own down here at the station, so theres really nothing I can do. There must be something you can do, though; I know you didnt come crash at our house because you got kicked out. Im not going to ask whether if you have ulterior motives, but help Luhan out, would you? He has no one.

I will. I have to, for that idiot standing over there. Besides, its kind of my fault too, how it got to this point He was the one that put together that ill-fated dinner, where everything started with Luhan and Jongin.

Chanyeol visits Lay at SMS, having barely gotten past the security because of his Oh Tea Restaurant uniform. Lay mercilessly teases him about being mistaken as a handyman and is incredulous that Chanyeols mom got off his back about going after a guy. Chanyeol reveals that she doesnt know, his company is currently under the care of his sister, and that Sehun still needs some more work.

Flashback to chanhun from the motel scene. Chanyeol had wanted to restrain himself; he needed to show his sincerity to Sehun, especially since he made Sehun think that he had hit rock bottom with nowhere to go. But obviously, at the end, Chanyeol couldnt resist. He never could.

When Sehun wakes the next morning, Chanyeol was expecting some screaming and kicking, but Sehun is eerily cavalier and just says that hes tired and hes not going to dwell on who is to blame for last night. Sehun tells Chanyeol to leave as he wraps sheets around himself and heads to the bathroom. Chanyeol protests, claiming that Sehun had obviously come onto him and asked him to take responsibility. Sehun denies that he ever said that and ignores him. After Sehun comes out of the shower, he is about to yell at Chanyeol for still sticking around when the news on TV about Luhan and the reopened case takes his thoughts away. Sehun slumps to the floor in front of the TV and falls into a daze. Chanyeol understands how shocked Sehun must be and offers, in all seriousness, to take him to the police station, recognizing that its the one where Sehuns sister is posted.

Sehun nods. He tries to get changed and button up his shirt, but his hands wont stop shaking. Chanyeol sighs and shifts to the edge of the bed, steering Sehun so that the younger man stands between his knees as he does the buttons for him, like dressing a small child. Such is the effect that Sehun has on

Chanyeol - getting Sehun dressed with his own two hands, when the most he would ever do in the past was take clothes off of women, and most of the time that happened without him lifting a finger.

Luhan-ge Sehun stammers, eyes on Chanyeols hands but not seeing. Will he.. be okay..? If its murder does he have to go to jail..?

Chanyeol thinks that the outcome will likely be much, much worse, but he doesnt tell Sehun this.

Without evidence, no one can do a thing to him. Dont worry, Ill figure something out.

The incident three years was huge news, so Chanyeol naturally knew about it. He also knew that the case closed with a substance abuse charge, which wasnt uncommon with celebrities, and the public attention gradually faded as Luhan went low profile. Chanyeol figures that there must be someone else with ulterior motives for the case to resurface. A person can make enemies in two domains - work and love. Luhan didnt even win the Golden Bull, so whoever wants to off him cant be a jealous fellow actor.

In terms of relationships, the only person that Luhan would have offended is Diana. Chanyeol has some idea about Luhan and Jongins relationship, even though Jongin never said anything about it. Not that he had to; as longtime best friends, Wu Fan, Lay, and Chanyeol all figured it out after some time in one way or another. Chanyeol has asked Jongin about it several times, but Jongin would always respond with silence. To Chanyeol, lack of denial is the same as acknowledgment.

Chanyeol feels neutral toward Luhan, but he knows how much Sehun adores the actor. If something really happens to Luhan, Sehun might even volunteer to accompany him to the netherworld. Chanyeol shudders at the idea, as ludicrous as it sounds.

On the way to and back from the police station, Sehun is like a baby lion tamed by Chanyeols promise Ill figure something out, giving no defiant protests or biting retorts. However, Chanyeol feels a little hopeless after arriving at the conclusion that Jongins father is likely involved, and Mr. Kim is far more powerful than all the influence that Chanyeol, Wu Fan, and Lay have combined.

Nevertheless, Chanyeol reassures Sehun that Luhan will be alright, and asks Sehun to cover him for the

restaurant delivery for the next few days while he goes home to rally some help.

But didnt you get kicked out? Will they still help you? Sehun whimpers, anxiety dripping from his voice. Chanyeol cups Sehuns face and reassures him with exaggerated confidence that despite where he (apparently) is now, he still got backup. He resists the urge to lean in, not wanting to ruin Sehuns new attitude toward him.

Thank you. Sehun smiles, and Chanyeol feels like hes on cloud nine.

Chanyeol keeps calling Lay, but the line is always busy (because Lay has been calling Baekhyun nonstop), so he goes directly to SMS. The moment he walks past the doors, he is stopped by the guard, who mistakes him for a deliveryman in his uniforms.

Sir, Im sorry but you have to leave. We have a dress code.

You must be new, huh? I could be running through this place buck naked and no one would stop me.

The manager rushes over to the commotion and is taken aback when he recognizes that its Chanyeol. He apologizes profusely on behalf of the guard and dismisses the latter, telling him that he has been fired. Chanyeol is still rather peeved and feels like giving the guy a few punches to vent and make sure hes blacklisted everywhere in the city, but watching the young man, he suddenly thinks of Sehun.

Well, I did come out in a rush and didnt get to change Chanyeol sighs. Give him back his badge. Just dont make the same mistake again.

The manager is shocked at Chanyeols uncharacteristic kindness, while the guard incessantly bows and thanks him. Chanyeol glances at him and wonders since when did he become so nice. He blames Sehun. Ends flashback.

Chanyeol tells Lay that hes here because of Luhan; they need to think of something.

Itll be a devil of a job, Chanyeol.

I know. But Ive already promised someone so kind of have to go through with it. You know how it is.

If it was just Diana, itd be easier. But you know how Jongins dad is. If were just betting on money, we might have something to fight with. But that old man always has crazy tricks up his sleeves. We might as well get ready for our own burial. Lips upturned wistfully, Lay looks at Chanyeol. Before you get yourself into this, youd better figure out just how much you really like that kid. If youre just fooling around, better quit now than later. Its not worth it.

Lays phone goes off and he picks up on the first ring, immediately turning from serious to fawning all over the caller.

Baekhyun! Why did you hang up on me, babe?

Chanyeol gags at Lays honeyed voice. He thinks at least he doesnt look or sound like hes cooing an infant with Sehun.

.... Yeah I know Alright Wait, before you hang up, can you say something else?

GET LOST

Baekhyun's last two words are loud enough for Chanyeol to hear. Chanyeol sniggers; he isnt the only one being told to get lost. Lay tells him to shut up.

Apparently, Baekhyun just called to ask him to help Luhan as well, and Lay finds himself in Chanyeols shoes. He asks Chanyeol to call Wu Fan and Kyungsoo. Theyll sit down and think of a plan, one that includes ensuring their own safety.

You just told me it was impossible five minutes ago, and now youre all gung ho about it?

I was told that if I dont do something, my bedroom privilege will be suspended indefinitely. Id rather die than have that happen.

--

When Wu Fan arrives home after work, he goes around the living room, evading his cousins, and into the backyard. Zitao shows no surprise when he sees Wu Fan come in. He gives a quick glance before resuming staring out the window. Wu Fan notices that the food on the table has been touched.

Howre you feeling today?

Okay. His voice is still raspy and weak. It.. it doesnt hurt as much.

Wu Fan goes up to Zitao and holds his face. He raises his lips to Zitaos forehead, testing for the temperature. Zitao doesnt resist, perhaps because hes used to it now. Wu Fan tells him to listen to the butler, to eat, to drink, to take his meds. Then he picks up the tiger hide and drapes it over Zitao. Zitao wants to say something, but he swallows the words when he meets Wu Fans eyes.

Wu Fans phone goes off. Its Chanyeol. The conversation is brief; Chanyeol simply says that something's up with Luhan and asks him to make a trip to SMS. Wu Fan says okay and hangs up.

Leaving?

The question takes Wu Fan by surprise. Zitao has always treated Wu Fan like air, and the unusual concern makes Wu Fan a little uncomfortable. Probably because its about Luhan, he reasons.

Its Luhan, isnt it? I watched the news.

Yeah.

Hes a good guy. You have to help him. And um I havent seen him in a while, so tell him I say hi. Wu Fan trembles When Zitaos mouth cracks into a small smile.

Okay. Get some rest. Wu Fan suddenly feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest as he leaves.

Shortly after, the door to Zitaos room opens again. He thinks maybe Wu Fan forgot something, but he is met with a girls face. Its Rei Jia, Wu Fans younger cousin. The little girl screams at Zitao, asking him what hes doing here. Zitao opens his mouth to answer, but no response comes out; even he himself isn't really sure why he's here. Rei Jia calls him a thief and hauls him up, a rather easy task considering how bony he is now. She pushes him out the door, and he doesnt fight, though he still has enough strength to. He looks at the open door and thinks that this is freedom. So Zitao offers no protests or resistance, letting the girl jostle him outside. Shivers shoot up his spines as his bare feet hit the cold cement. Rei Jia throws a pair of shoes at him, shooing him away, then closes the door.

Zitao is flooded by the joy of being free again, and a sense of loss, not knowing where to go.

Back to Luhan at the police station. Interrogation room. Luhan gets irritated by the questions and snap at the policeman. Hes starting to lose his cool, thinking that it doesnt matter that he insists on his relationship with Luling as pure sibling, because the police already thinks hes guilty. Senah enters and asks her partner to hand it over to her. Luhan drops his antagonistic front and slumps into a daze instead. Senah tries to make Luhan understand that she knows how hard it is for him right now, but because he has no private lawyer and must be defended by a public prosecutor, the only way to build his defense now is to dig deeper into some of the details to uncover loopholes in this false charge.

I know Im just agitated, Luhan musses his hair and looks at Senah with a rueful smile. And Im just tired of it all. I'm sick of it.

Senah was going to give Luhan the whole update - that besides his parents, his relatives are all pointing a finger at him (their testimony controlled by the Kims), but seeing his wearied face, she decides against it, for fear that hell get reduced to a meltdown. Instead, she nudges and

probes Luhan to try to remember if he knew anything about how and why those photos of Luling were taken.

After a moment of silent pacing, Luhan finally reveals - after asking Senah to turn off the tape recorder - that Lulings boyfriend (before marrying Baekhyun), Cao Jun, would take indecent pictures of Luling when he was drunk. After they broke up, Luhan was afraid that the pictures would affect Luling negatively, so he went to Cao Jun, but it didnt end well. They got into a physical fight, and Luhan had to give him money to get the films. The photos held by the police as evidence came from those films. Luhan kept this information to himself because he didnt want his parents and also Baekhyun to be upset by it. Even now, hes telling Senah this because he trusts her, but he still wants this to be excluded from the investigation.

Senah tells him that she understands where hes coming from, but Luling is also considered a victim in terms of these photos, and revealing the truth about these photos now wouldnt hurt her reputation. She tries to convince him that it would be worth it if this knowledge could save him. Senah also tells him that Baekhyun already knows, more or less. She was actually testing the waters when she asked him.

Who did I offend that they have to go to such lengths to ruin me? Luhan asks with defeat.

I think.. you have the right to know whats going on. Actually, its Kim Jongins father and fiancee. They have everything planned out for you to not be able to walk past the witness stand in court tomorrow.

The truth hits Luhan hard, knocking him limp in the chair. But in a few moments, he breaks into a smile. Its a smile of relief. Senah is taken aback and thinks he has lost his mind from shock.

Are you alright? Senah slaps Luhan lightly on the cheek. What's going on between you and them is none of my business, but its the bottleneck in this case. If you can let go of what they

care about, maybe theyll also back off.

I know. Thats exactly what I was going to do Forget it, I give up.

Luhan sighs. He was going to talk it through with Jongin before he gets married, but this arrest happened before he had the chance to do that. Now that his sister is dragged into his own mess, Luhan just wants to end it all with these people. He takes it as a sign that he was supposed to let go of Jongin in the first place.

To tell you the truth, over the past few days that Ive been in here, I feel calm. Luhan chuckles and looks into Senahs eyes. All she sees is resignation. Ive always felt guilty toward my sisters death. The way things are turning out is actually a relief for me. So you dont need to try that hard. Let it be. Ill serve whatever sentence they give me. If theyre going to shoot me, then so be it.

Senah wants to tell Luhan that there are so many people helping him, high-status and wealthy people like Chanyeol, Lay, Wu Fan. But meeting Luhans eyes, she cant find it in her to say a word. No one can save him if he doesnt want to put up a fight.

Im leave you alone for now. Luhan, right now, you need to figure out what you want. Before she opens the door, Senah adds, We dont live just for ourselves, but also for those that love us and care about us.

After exiting the interrogation room, Senah calls Chanyeol and tells him to look into Lulings ex boyfriend. She also tells him that Luhan is not doing so well, and if they dont come up with something very soon, Luhan may kill himself. Chanyeol hangs up with a sigh.

We need to think of something now, or else Luhan is going to end up a corpse before we can even get him out of there. Kyungsoo said hes still in the States and someone e lse will come

meet us on his behalf. Lets not wait anymore and start planning.

They update each other on their effort so far. Wu Fan, with his connections to the police, managed to steer the agency to neutrality (they were leaning toward the Kims). Lay, who was trying to find a lawyer for Luhan, couldnt get through with the major domestic law firms. He opted for American attorneys, but is still at a standstill.

Like I said, Lay continues. The easiest solution is to have Luhan declare to the Kims t hat he will let go completely and see how they'll take it. Itll be best if we can resolve this without making it ugly.

The door bursts open in the middle of the discussion.

Hes not going to let go. I won't let him.

Jongins voice cuts through the room before he appears in full, followed by Jongdae.

Everyone is shocked to see Jongin; hes supposed to be in the States. Jongin explains that Kyungsoo, through the airline owned by his family, put Jongin on a return flight under Kyungsoos name. That way, Jongins name wouldnt show up in the flight record and his father has no idea that hes back. He also keeps his phone off the whole time. Jongin then introduces Jongdae to Chanyeol and Lay. Jongin is smart; to test the waters, he let Vince go and find Jongdae, but when he found out that Vince never contacted Jongdae, he knew for sure that Diana had a part in it. Then, Kyungsoo told him that his father also began to take action.

Honestly, we were glad that you were out of the country. Without you in the picture, no matter how this pans out, it wouldnt affect your relationship with your family. So are you sure about this? If youre taking part in this, it means war. Lay raises a brow at Jongin.

I know.

Jongin has been thinking about his next step since he got on the plane.

Flashback. On the plane, Jongin begins thinking about his life before he met Luhan, and how it had changed after he did. A couple sitting in front of him are leaning on each other, sound asleep. This ordinary sight jolts him and makes him really think about what he wants. He doesnt want to be an international superstar, nor does he want to be the successor to his fathers fortune and fame, and he definitely doesnt want to be involved with the heiress of an American tycoon. He just wants to have a certain someone in his arms, quietly protecting him. All he wants is to comfort Luhan when he cries and shares his joy when he laughs.

He begins to regret even before the plane reaches halfway across the Pacific Ocean. He wants to go back and tell Luhan everything, the truth. If he gives him up, it would be the biggest regret of his life, and he wont ever be able to live it down.

As soon as Jongin gets off the plane, he heads to the front desk to purchase a return flight. Kyungsoo shows up, but Jongin isnt surprised; Kyungsoos family owns this airport, so his appearance is normal.

But then Kyungsoo punches Jongin in the face.

Where the fuck have you been?? Luhan is in deep shit because of you, didn't you know?

Jongin is about to return the punch when Kyungsoos words immobilize him.

Luhan.. whats going on with him?

Whats going on? You really dont know?

Noticing that a small crowd has begun to gather and take pictures of them, Kyungsoo pulls Jongin into an empty VIP lounge. Jongin asks if its Diana, and Kyungsoo fills him in on how his father is the mastermind behind it all, how Luhan is in custody, and how everyone else is trying to think of a solution. Then he adds, If Luhan doesnt make it, itll be your fault. Kyungs oo points at Jongin, bitter resentment in his eyes. If you werent my friend, I really want to just fucking kill you right now, I swear.

Theyre driving me into a corner.

Why the hell are you still hesitating Kim Jongin?!! If I were you, I wouldnt let anyone lift a finger to the person I love no matter what. Last time he thought I was you and he was bawling his eyes out saying how he loves a bastard named Kim Jongin and if it's possible that you not get married for his sake!! Kyungsoo screams in Jongins face and then slumps into the sofa, his voice weak. I thought maybe Id be mean once and keep this to myself. I thought maybe if it didnt work out between you guys, he could be mine. But the past two days, I kept dreaming about how he called your name in my arms, and its driving me crazy, do you have any idea?? I I honestly think Im losing my mind because of you two

Jongin is in a daze, and he merely watches Kyungsoos lips move, deaf to the words.

Luhan said he loves him. Luhan loves him. The Luhan that forgot how to love, loves him. The Luhan that used to count his own heartbeat in loneliness wanted him to ditch his wedding and stay with him.

Is it true?? Did he really say that??? Jongin violently shakes Kyungsoo by the shoulders, askin g in disbelief. Kyungsoo pushes him away, huffing at how Jongin is bursting with such joy he looks like a crazy person.

I wish it wasnt okay.

Jongin whips around and sprints toward the door. Kyungsoo pulls him back and tells him that hes already booked a return flight under his own name for Jongin, and the flight is in an hour. Kyungsoo tells him to keep a low profile and not provoke his father before he has a strategy for confrontation. Jongin looks at Kyungsoo with a mixture of feelings. He knows that Kyungsoo is serious about Luhan, but under the circumstances, hes still helping Jongin. Jongin suddenly pulls Kyungsoo into a hug.

Youre the best friend ever.

Dont make me barf, Kyungsoo shoves him off. Just so you know, helping you doesnt me an that I gave up on Luhan. After this is over, Im still going to fight for Luhan, no matter what it takes. Ends flashback.

After Chanyeol, Lay, and Wu Fan give their updates, Jongdae puts things into legal perspective. Now that they have judicial neutrality, Jongdaes defense is more feasible. But Luhan doesnt have a primary witness, so they have to find Lulings ex-boyfriend, Cao Jun, and have him give testimony. However, because someone else already got their hands on the photos, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get Cao Jun on their side. Wu Fan receives tips that Cao Jun is still in town, but hes currently locked up in a villa.

The villa is part of the Parks estate.

Chanyeol is confused as to why things have moved to his turf when he realizes that his mother is also involved. It is suddenly clear to everyone why Luhan is the victim of it all. The implications are larger than they thought - Chanyeols mother knows that Chanyeol and Lay are

deviating from the preset plan of arranged marriage, and whats better than using a live example to teach them the consequences?

Regardless, theres no stopping now. I dont know about you guys, but Im ready to fight at all cost. Jongin says to his friends, You guys really dont need to do this. This is my mess, Ill clean up after myself.

You really think we can just watch and do nothing at this point? Whats happening to you will happen to us one day. We might as well get ready for it now. Lay speaks on behalf of all of them. No one says anything as the stark reality dawns on them.

After the group wraps up the discussion with the plan of going to the villa later at night, Jongin and Jongdae head to the police station. Chanyeol notices a missed call from Sehun and calls him back. Sehun feels bad for calling in the middle of their discussion, but is anxious to hear any updates, and since he happens to pass by SMS, he thought hed call. Chanyeol asks him to wait downstairs. When he sees Sehun, he suddenly feels his chest constrict. Sehun is pacing and rubbing his hands together nervously. When Chanyeol shows up, he freezes.

Sorry for calling, I know it's a bad time Sehun frowns and mumbles with embarrassment. But I really--

Chanyeol pulls Sehun into a nearby alley and pulls him toward his chest, arms locked around Sehuns shoulders. Sehun considers fighting him off, but seeing Chanyeols unreadable eyes, he abandons the idea and just lets the taller one hold him, despite the embrace getting so tight he is having trouble breathing.

What.. happened..? Sehun feels like he has to ask. His arms hang awkwardly around Chanyeol as he struggles to breathe.

Why do you love Luhan?

He freezes when Chanyeol asks him this in a voice eerily soft. Sehun is afraid of answering this question. Or rather, giving the wrong answer. He had always thought that Chanyeol was just playing around, and he would leave once he gets bored. So when Chanyeol offered to help Luhan, Sehun was surprised, puzzled, and a little touched. Even though he doesnt see himself

liking Chanyeol (not immediately, at least), but it seems that Chanyeol is not out to get him, so there are possibilities. Maybe they could be friends. The kind without benefits. So that was Sehuns plan. But now Chanyeol suddenly threw him this curveball, Sehun wonders if Chanyeol is considering backing out of helping Luhan if there is no ever-after between them. Right now, Sehun is being selfish. So he mulls over the question for a moment and answers cautiously.

Its all in the past, didnt I tell you? I'm over him.

Don't worry, Ill help him no matter what. Right now, I need you tell me the truth.

Sehun pauses for a while. Hes very kind, and gentle. Makes you want to protect him. He feels Chanyeol tremble through the arms around him.

And Im mean and violent. No wonder you hate me so much. Chanyeol lets out a dry chuckle, gazing at Sehun.

....... Sehun wants to refute, but doesnt know what to say.

Next time when you meet someone like me, you should run far, far away. If you cant fight him, then call the cops.

Chanyeols stiff expressions and enigmatic words confuse Sehun, and Chanyeol doesnt think he really needs to understand. For people like Chanyeol, love is a luxury affordable to a handful. It also doesnt help that hes always been a player; it would be a miracle if the gods let him find true love and happiness. But hes still going to fight for it, even if that means he has to clash head-on with his family. The same with Lay. Though they say that theyre going to get Luhan that primary witness, this battle is also partly their own. And they know that there are only two possible outcomes: one is crash and burn, and the other is still crash and burn.

So Chanyeol thought of a plan B. If someone must be the martyr, then hell be it. He knows how his mother is; if its just one person, she might cut him some slacks. But if its two, her wrath can be uncontainable. Compared to Lay, Chanyeol is much more unrelenting, and he has been forcing Sehun most of the time. When he gave up everything to go after Sehun, his sister thought it was a bad idea, and he couldnt justify it with better reasons either. After years of playing around and pretending, Chanyeol has forgotten how simple human emotions can be. Chanyeol envies Lay for being able to say things like, I love him and no one can stop me! Hes been thinking, if Sehun is willing to give up everything to be with him, would he still be so conflicted? He doesnt know. Chanyeol is scared. Hes scared that his feeling for Sehun only lasts for so long, and him holding onto something that wont last can cause other people to lose their forevers.

As if to make up for years of receiving and never giving, Chanyeol decides he can be the hero for once. If he lets go, everyone else might end up in a better place.

Its already tough luck to meet someone like you once itd better not happen again. Sehun snorts and relaxes somewhat. Chanyeol sighs and brings his lips to Sehuns. This is Sehun, the man that always says things that irritate him, but with a face that tells it all, a face that he cant resist.

Sehun resists the kiss but stops when Chanyeol murmurs, This might be the only thing I have to remember you by, so let me, just this once.

Even though Sehun doesnt entirely understand what Chanyeol means, he can smell goodbye in the thinned air between them, and it doesnt feel quite right. Sehun wonders if hes become so fucked up that hes gotten used to the warmth of someone he doesnt get along with. He even feels a tinge of unwilling regret when he realizes that this warmth is about to leave him soon.

--

At the police station, Senah asks Jongdae to enter the interrogation room with her. She stops Jongin, who wants to come along, telling him that Luhan is very unstable right now, and he specifically said that he doesnt want to see Jongin. Senah asks him to sit outside and wait. Jongin is impatient and slightly irked, but he knows how Senah has been helping Luhan, and gathers that her aloofness toward him is because she knows how Luhans sit uation is largely attributed to him, and he doesn't blame her for giving him the cold shoulder.

How.. is he? Jongin asks meekly.

He hasnt eaten a thing in three days, what do you think? Senah glares at him before entering the interrogation room. Jongin is gripped by worry as he waits.

Jongdae comes out of the room within minutes, shaking his head.

What did he say? Why are you done so soon?

I feel like hes given up already. Especially because, as I just found out, his parents had been coaxed by someone and turned into the plaintiff. He didnt say a word when I was in there, and didnt respond to anything I said. I dont know if I can help at all like this.

Hes still in there?

Yeah. They gave us 25 minutes, and I spent only 10 minutes or so with him, so he should still be in there...

Before Jongdae finishes, Jongin gets up and pushes open the door, bumping into Senah who is on her way out.

What are you doing here, get out! She yells at him. Luhan raises his head and stares blankly at Jongin. Then he gets up from the chair and walks toward the other door in the room.

Luhan! You think you can keep running away from me? Senah tries to push Jongin out the door, but drops her hands when she feels him shaking as he screams those words.

Luhan stops in his track, just before reaching the exit. He keeps his back to Jongin, chin pulled close to his chest.

Senah sighs and leaves the room after telling them they have 10 minutes.

Luhan, I wont let anyone hurt you, but you have to be strong first. Jongin walks toward Luhan slowly. He reaches for Luhan's arm, but drops his hand begrudgingly as he sees Luhan back away. Luhan says nothing, responding with tremors in his shoulders.

Its my fault. I never made up my mind, never gave you a definitive answer that you could hold onto. Its all because I fell in too deep Jongin chides himself, voice soft with something looming underneath, about to explode.

What does it have to do with you? Luhan says ruefully. This is my problem. If I could mana ge it on my own, then great. If not, then its just meant to be. He turns around and looks at Jongin with a stiff smile. Its fine, you can stop trying to help now. Were not that close to begin with, I feel bad that youre doing so much. Thanks anyway, for getting me a lawyer. But I dont want to be defended.

Watching the impassive face before him, Jongin feels something wringing his heart. He doesnt even care that there are probably CCTV cameras in the room and he just closes the space between them and throws his arms around Luhan.

Let go, Kim Jongin! Luhan yelps in a hushed voice, afraid that Senah would hear outside the door.

No. Jongins refusal is firm and unhesitating.

Im telling you to.. let go Luhans face begins to crumble as he goes limp in Jongins arms. He tries to push him off, but he doesnt have the strength to. Youre always like this come and go whenever you feel like it. If theres no future, why bother giving me hope

Says who? Theres hope as long as were alive. Im not going to get married, and Ill quit the industry if I have to. When youre released, well go somewhere far from here. Well have each other and we'll grow old together.

Jongin smiles as he turns Luhans face to him, brushing away the tears rolling down the others cheeks.

Luhan curls his arms around Jongins waist and rests his head on the taller ones shoulder. He doesnt know what to say.

Promise me that youll hang in there. If you feel hopeless, remember that Im your hope. Jongin whispers with the softest voice, and Luhan breaks, sobbing into Jongins chest as he clutches this promise.

--

On the way to Chanyeols family villa (i.e., to confront his mother), everyone is quiet. The silence is uncharacteristic of the usual mood when they get together, and Lay tries to loosen everyone up by offering champagne, but Wu Fan bursts his bubble, telling him its best that they stay alert; he has a bad feeling about this.

After some time, Wu Fan receives a call from his butler, who informs him that Zitao is gone, and that Rei Jia thought he was a thief and kicked him out. Wu Fan says nothing but instruct the butler to send someone to pick him up at a certain exit off the highway that they're on. Chanyeol and Lay look at each other knowingly; they could hear the butler through the phone. Chanyeol stops the car where Wu Fan said, and Lay tells him to look into the situation. Rei Jia may be a brat, but shes not stupid; there must be another reason why she kicked Zitao out. Chanyeol offers that he has all the contacts that Zitao listed at his company if Wu Fan needs. It looks like its just Chanyeol and Lay on the forefront, for now.

Upon approaching the villa, Lay spots Baekhyun. He gapes in surprise and asks Baekhyun what hes doing here. Baekhyun impatiently tells him hes there as a paparazzi, trying to get some scoop on their person of interest. Chanyeol proposes that he enter through the front door as a diversion, and Lay and Baekhyun go through the back over the wall, since Cao Jun is likely being held in the basement.

Youre telling a spiffy gentleman like me to climb over the wall? Lay exclaims. Baekhyun almost pukes last nights dinner.

Or you can try swiping through the front door and announce that youre breaking in, Chanyeol retorts. Lay shuts up and pulls Baekhyun toward the back.

On the way, Baekhyun suddenly mentions offhandedly that Lays aunt had visited him at his office and threw 8 million RMB down on his desk, asking him to leave Lay. The smile on Lays face falters.

And then?

I took it. But then on second thought, its not like were actually together, so I feel bad taking the

money. Here, take it back. Baekhyun pulls a check out of his breast pocket and hands to Lay, who is taken aback at how Baekhyun handled it. He thought Baekhyun would have done what they do in dramas, proclaiming a defiant refusal while ripping up the check, but apparently not. Still, it amuses Lay how eccentric Baekhyun is. He may not be perfect, but whatever he does can always manage to stir his heart.

Keep it. It might come in handy if I end up living on the streets one day and you have to take care of me. Lay says half-jokingly. The words jolt Baekhyun and he grabs Lays suit jacket, shoving the check into the inside pocket.

You dont actually think well end up together, right? Baekhyun asks awkwardly, avoiding Lays eyes.

Why not? I like you and you like me, isnt that enough? Dont worry, my family isnt giving me much pressure. Whatever my aunts doing is not going to affect me. Plus, in vitro fertilization is easy these days, we can--

I went on a blind date two days ago, Baekhyun cuts him off. If all goes well, Im going to remarry. He raises his eyes at Lay, frowning. Baekhyun feels suffocated all of a sudden. Driven by unease, he scoops out a cigarette and shoves it into his mouth, but fails to find a lighter on himself.

Lay is stumped for a moment before he pushes Baekhyun to the wall, knocking the cigarette out of the others mouth.

Is this a joke? Marry? Are you fucking kidding me?? Lay screams. We might have been fooling around, but theres feeling involved, no? Last time, you were telling me to go faster, and the time before that--

Stop it. Baekhyun kicks Lay away and smacks a hand over his mouth, screaming back. All men are driven by hormones, I only said things on the spur of the moment. Think about it, is it even possible that we can live happily ever after? Plus Ive always liked women. This thing with you is too much. I cant do it.

Lay doubles over from being kicked in the stomach. Baekhyun feels tugged by sympathy and almost reaches out, but restrains himself. He doesnt want to cause any more misunderstandings.

You came here just to tell me this? Lay straightens up and chuckles coldly. Or youve been stringing me along this whole time?

Baekhyun bites down on his lower lip, not raising his head. He could feel Lay shaking.

Sorry, for stringing you along.

In actuality, Baekhyun has given it serious thought, the possibility of being with Lay. He thought it would be nice to be with someone who genuinely cares for him and never raises his voice, despite Baekhyun always yelling at him and being a downright jerk sometimes. Baekhyun could feel it, the warmth of having someone give rather than take. Yes, it feels somewhat awkward and unnatural, but for Baekhyun who used to protect someone else, it feels nice to be protected. But then Lays aunt came to see him. She told him that its not that shes too conservative to accept the situation, but Lay is the only perso n to continue his familys lineage, and she has already been diagnosed with lymphoma. The days are numbered for her, and thats why she has been dragging Lay and Chanyeol to blind dates, trying to push them into starting a family while she still can. The check wasnt meant to be a condescending gesture, but she was giving it to him because she didnt know how else to console him.

If anything, Baekhyun cant stand seeing old people crying and pleading in front of him. Force doesnt work for him, but asking nicely does, and thats all Lays aunt did. She basically asked him not to ruin a familys future because he was caught up in fooling around. He had accepted the money merely to reassure the old lady that he would do as she asked, but he gave it back to Lay because he doesnt need compensation for breakups like women do [T/N: sexist comment heol]. Plus, all this time, neither he nor Lay actually admitted anything; there has been no defining the relationship, no labeling of feeling.

This is where Baekhyun differs from Lay. He longs for love, but he prioritizes responsibility. This is something he learned from being married to Luling.

Lay breaks the silence with a hushed voice.

I've never liked someone this much.

.......

When you cry and when you laugh, I feel it in my bones.

.......

Oh yeah, since you like black and white, I renovated the new house based on your preference.

........

Ive also bought a ring and I have it with me at all times just in case you would be in a good mood and say yes when I propose.

........

Ive even thought about us moving out of the country if you care too much about what other people think

........

Baekhyun had decided not to soften for Lay, but every word he says stabs him in the chest. This is the asshole that he couldnt help but be drawn to the first time they met. Arrogant, shameless, childish, and sometimes resorts to despicable measures.

But it was this person that held him when he broke down and said, The egg cracked.

Tore an expensive suit into shreds to get him out of a hole, and then carried him for miles half naked.

Picked up a flower off the road and told him they looked alike.

Called nonstop for tens of times, knowing that he would probably only pick up once, if he was in a good mood.

Parked in front of his house just to see him swearing at him and screaming for him to leave.

Handed out waters to his colleagues when they went to SMS for a scoop, telling them to say hi to their assistant chief editor.

If he were to be completely honest with himself, Baekhyun could not say no to Lay. But he did. He admits that hes the type of person who doesnt know to seize happiness. So what if he likes him? Baekhyun cant help but be trapped in the belief that Lay would be better off without him in the picture, but with someone better, more suitable - a woman.

Still, tears pour out of his eyes despite him trying to blink them away.

Could you fucking stop it? Would it kill you to find a woman to marry? You think its so great to make a man cry? Baekhyun whips around and yells at Lay, mopping his eyes with his sleeve. Leave me the fuck alone! I tried telling you nicely but you obviously didnt think I meant it. So now Im telling you straight up, itll never work out between us, not in this lifetime.

Lay closes the space between them and pulls Baekhyun into his arms. If you really think its too stressful, Ill stop. I dont force things to happen.

Baekhyun feels even more frustrated. He shoves Lay away and walks away. Anyway, we need to get going and find this guy, he croaks. I dont want this issue between us to affect Luhans case.

Lay says nothing. He follows Baekhyun closely behind, wanting to get closer, but cant get through the invisible barrier between them.

--

When Chanyeol enters the villa through the front door, he walks into a complete darkness. He turns on the lights and finds his mother and sister sitting on the sofa, as if they have been waiting. Chanyeol feigns terror and jokes that they got a good scare out of him. He doesnt get a response. His sister gets up and retrieves the Park ancestral tablet. His mother roars at him, telling him to kneel before the tablet, held in his sisters hands. Chanyeol obliges, thinking he couldnt escape this, after all.

Chanyeols mother launches into a bitter lecture about how unfilial he is, abandoning his enterprise for a man, disobeying her just to help Luhan, a homewrecker.

I dont expect you to understand all the dos and donts of this country, but you should at least know our house rules.

She picks up a whip and strips Chanyeol of his shirt, then lashes straight down his back. Chanyeol hisses as a red welt immediately appears on his skin. She continues beating the whip down, over and over again.

The first one is for you forgetting your ancestors.

The second one is for you liking men.

The third one is for you breaking up other peoples marriage.

And the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and more.

Chanyeols mother was trained in wushu when she was young. Despite years of being a matron, she wasnt rusty in one bit. After 30-something whips, the smooth expanse of skin in Chanyeols back has disintegrated into chunks of bloody flesh. His sister tries to stop her, but Mrs. Park insists on giving him at least 100 whips.

Jie, its fine. Let her. Chanyeol mutters. His body is bent over as he surrenders to his mothers flogging. With each reprimand and each lash, Chanyeols mind becomes strangely clearer. Each jolt from the whip sends an image of Sehun into his head, and the pain seems to go away, just like that time at the hospital.

He knows that hes bleeding, and he feels the pain deep in his bones, but when he closes his eyes and thinks of Sehun, recalling Sehun in his arms and how his lips taste, everything else escapes his senses.

So when his mother asks if hes still going to fool around with Sehun, he doesnt think twice before answering yes.

What did you say?? Say that again! Mrs. Park had slowed the whipping as her anger began to subside, but this Yes stokes her wrath once more, and the lashing spees up again.

I said yes. When he says this, Chanyeol feels relieved. Before, he wasnt sure if his feeling would last and if he would be able to withstand all the resistance and pressure from others, but just now, he realized something. There is no one else in this world that could heal physical pain like this, more effective than any medicine. If this isnt love, then what is?

While his mother whips him with unprecedented frenzy, Chanyeol is calmer than ever.

The whip snaps.

Chanyeol looks up at his sister, his lips colorless and back arched downward. Go get mom another one. She can whip me as much as she wants.

His sister drops the tablet and onto her knees, begging her mother to stop. She admits that she is also at fault, giving Chanyeol the idea of winning Sehun over thinking that he was just playing around.

Im going to be honest with you two, and myself too I fell for him when I first saw him, and I want him to love me back. Chanyeol admits, a rueful smile tugging at his ashen lips. Ive been avoiding this, so thank you, mom, for making me confront my feeling.

Mrs. Park suddenly slumps to the ground, clutching her chest. Chanyeols sister chides him, telling him to shut up and stop provoking his mother. She tries to hold her up but the old lady is completely limp. Chanyeols sister tells him to grab a bottle of pills. Watching his mother so fragile all of a sudden, Chanyeol is shaken by worry. Despite their mothers protest, Chanyeols sister reveals that she has

lymphoma, and it has metastasized more quickly than expected, and she had actually come back not only for Jongins wedding, but also to take care of her mother. Chanyeol then realizes that this is why his mother is helping Jongins father in the whole scheme of things, but she refutes, saying that although she doesnt like Jongins mother, she can understand how they feel; why should they let another man take away the chance of having a real family?

But mom, if two people are together not because they love each other, theyll only be miserable. Even if they have a family together and they have children, the misery will just get passed on. Havent you seen enough of this in the world we live in?

Love..?

Chanyeols mother is stunned, hearing the word love from her son, who has repeatedly tried to convince her into divorcing her unfaithful father. When she used to teach him the concept of love in the past, Chanyeol would always retort with cynic remarks, claiming that love doesnt exist, and society is built on the exchange of benefits.

Yeah, love. Chanyeol feels somewhat embarrassed that his mother is questioning him for uttering this word. Actually, those stories that you told me about you and dad, how he protected you from the car crushing you, I kind of like them.

His mothers face suddenly softens, and she strokes Chanyeols cheek lovingly. I thought I would never live to see this. Her words twist Chanyeols insides with guilt, and he hurriedly consoles her, assuring her that theyll find a way to cure her.

I was always too embarrassed to say things like this, but I love you, mom. Youll be alright.

This is the first time Chanyeol tells his mother that he loves her. She bursts into sobs and holds her son tight. She feels indignant that all the years she spent trying to make her son understand were futile, but here he is, preaching about love because of a man.

Is it because of him?

Chanyeol nods with no hesitation, and his mother cries harder, resigning to the reality of things.

Wu Fan is home, confronting his cousins about Zitao missing. After a moment of silence that has the air frozen, Wu Fan asks the butler to usher Rei Jia out while he talks to Rei Rong alone.

Mr. Kim asked you to do this, didnt he? You knew that I wouldnt suspect Rei Jia, so you gave her the password and tricked her into letting him go. Once he got out, he got taken away.

Youre just assuming. She replies quietly, unaffected by the accusation.

Only because Im assuming that youre able to sit here untouched, or I wouldnt be talking nice right now.

The chilling words chip away at Rei Rongs composure. You would do that to me just for an outsider?

To be quite honest, compared to him, youre more like an outsider.

Rei Rong curls her hands into fists as she recalls what Jongins father told her. When she and her sister first arrived in Beijing, they actually went to the Kims first. This is because Wu Fan doesnt really get along with Mr. Kim, who had stood against the Wus when their business went under, and the Rei sisters began drifting away from the Wus after Wu Fans mother passed away. It was at the Kims when Jongins father told Rei Jia about Zitao, asking her to figure out a way to get him out of Wu Fans place, or she would lose the chance to marry him [T/N: isnt this incest? Idfk]. Rei Rong has also heard about

the issue with Jongin and how its triggered this war. She didnt want to end up like Diana, so she was sold.

Now that Wu Fan is showing more concern for someone outside the family, someone thats not her, Rei Rong is irked and even more convinced that Mr. Kim was right about getting rid of Zitao. Wu Fan, on the other hand, already knew from his informant that the two girls visited the Kims first. He didnt think much of it at first, but after Zitao went missing, his suspicions immediately centered on Rei Rong, the smarter of the two. After a brief stalemate, Rei Rong finally caves and tells Wu Fan where Zitao is being held - an abandoned warehouse in the north.

Wu Fan immediately gets up and takes out a pistol from a drawer underneath the table and fills the cartridge. He ignores Rei Rong calling after him and leaves for the warehouse. Wu Fan considers contacting the mafia to get some backup, but the situation is personal, and hes so mad that hed rather go for the kill himself. Knowing that Chayeol and Lay are trying to get Cao Jun out, he calls Jongin, who is still at the police station, waiting in a car by the entrance, afraid to leave.

Just so you know, Im ready to spill some blood so your dads people know who theyre fucking with.

Wait for me, Ill come along.

.......... Wu Fan is hesitant to have Jongin involved, considering hes in a pickle himself.

They probably have a good idea about Luhans situation right now, I should let them know where I stand, too. Honestly, I want to vent too.

When they were young, this bunch did all sort of stupid shit. Sometimes, punches were thrown and occasionally, guns were drawn. Growing up in a wealthy, influential family, as precautionary measures for kidnaps, they were all trained in hand-to-hand combat and shooting as teens. After becoming adults, they no longer need to fight using their own hands, and at most, they would just go to the shooting range for fun. But today, Wu Fans wrath is fully unleashed, and his hands are itching.

Wu Fan and Jongin arrive at the warehouse almost at the same time. Wu Fan is about to head inside

when Jongin tells him to wait; turns out Chanyeol and Lay are also coming. After Chanyeol managed to win his mother over and ensured Cao Juns safety, Lay called Jongin and found out about this mission. He tried to stop Chanyeol from coming along, with his back injuries and all, but Chanyeol protests that he has to join the fight despite the bandage wrapped visibly around his torso.

They are interrupted by some rustling nearby, and they immediately move to the corner around the warehouse, each with his own weapon and silencer cocked onto the gun. Turns out its one of the men opening the door and stepping outside. They hold down the man, who is scared shitless with a gun pointing at his head, and easily reveals that there are over 40 men inside and Zitao is being locked up in the attic. Wu Fan asks the others to take the man and go find Zitao through the back, and hell go in through the front. Lay whines that he already went through the back at the villa, and shoves the man toward Chanyeol with the excuse that hes injured. Chanyeol wants to protest again, but the majority rules.

Wu Fan, Chanyeol, and Lay agree that theyll each take 15 guys and avoiding killing if they can. Then they burst inside.

Who the fuck are you guys? The man who looks like the leader comes up front. He glances Jongin up and down. Hey, arent you that actor? Youre--

Before the man can finish, Jongin raises his arm and shoots him in the kneecap. Nope, you got the wrong guy.

The man falls to the ground and orders the gang to move in on the intruders. Some men want to take out their guns, but are stopped by their leader, not wanting to attract the police with gunfire. Wu Fan, Lay, and Jongin also put their guns away, just to be fair.

[inserts action scene where they beat the shit out of everyone. feel free to envision the fight scenes in Wolf MV drama ver]

After a short while, all 40-something men are down on the ground, groaning and clutching wherever they took a punch. Wu Fan, Jongin, and Lay are still standing, though not without wounds. Wu Fan asks

Lay to call Chanyeol as he picks the gang leader up by the collar. Whoever told you to do this, tell him that if they fuck with me again, theyll see more blood than this. The man, scared out of his wits, quickly agrees.

Just as theyre heading toward the exit, the gang leader suddenly picks up a gun and shoots at Wu Fan.

The bullet hits him in the chest.

Lay reaches out and catches Wu Fan, who clutches his chest, while Jongin whips around and sends three bullets into the man in both arms and the sound leg, effectively paralyzing him. Jongins about to pull the trigger again when Lay stops him. They need to get Wu Fan out of there first.

Once theyre out of the warehouse, Zitao is at a loss for words when he sees Wu Fan, blood spilling out of his chest.

Chanyeol take him back to my place Wu Fan peers at Zitao, nudging him in the shoulder with a blood-stained hand.

Chanyeol readily agrees and pulls Zitao toward his car, but Zitao is rooted in place.

Go! Wu Fan growls at Zitao, as if he doesnt want the younger man to see him so weak.

Lay and Jongin hurriedly put Wu Fan in another car and speed off to the hospital. Chanyeol shoves Zitao into his car.

Is is he going to die? Zitao asks as Chanyeol starts the car.

Nah, hell be fine. Chanyeol would be lying if he says hes not worried, but judging from where the bullet hit, it had missed the heart by a good distance, so Wu Fan should be alright. Shouldnt you be happy if he does? Seeing Zitaos anxious face, Chanyeol wonders what the hell Wu Fan was thinking; a bullet is in his chest and he still remembers to make sure Zitao gets home.

After a few minutes, Zitao speaks in a quiet voice.

I dont know if I should tell you this, but with Wu Fan, I dont really know how I feel. If he dies, Ill pay him back with my own life. But if he lives, theres no way Ill be with him.

Chanyeol is taken aback. He always thought Sehun was like a rock, unaffected by anything he does. But apparently Zitao is worse. He sighs inwardly.

Hes not even scared of death because of you, and you dont want him?? What the hell do you want then? Damn. Chanyeol snaps at Zitao impatiently.

Zitao is stumped. What does he want, really?

Maybe, he doesnt want anything.

Jongdae told Jongin not to show up to the trial, but the next morning, he still sees Jongin in his Porsche in the parking lot on the basement level of the court building. Jongdae enters the passenger seat and asks about Wu Fan. Jongin had planned to prep Cao Jun for testimony with Jongdae, but he ended up staying in the hospital by Wu Fans bedside. Jongin updates Jongdae that the bullet was extracted successfully and Lay has taken over his shift at the hospital.

Jongdae chides Jongin for coming, for many legit reasons. One is that with his appearance, the focus of the case will be blurred, and it might serve more harm than good. Another reason is that the judge is known for handing out undesirable verdicts to celebrities. Instead, Jongin asks Jongdae what he would do if it was his wife in there, just so Jongdae could understand how he feels right now. Jongdaes wife had been a woman who resorted to prostitution as a means to survive, and was falsely accused of murder. Jongdae was her defense attorney appointed by the government when he was doing mandatory pro bono work, and fell for her while working on the case. After he won the defense, they got married, and the rest is history. Just like Luhan, Jongdaes wife (Wen Jie) is someone that his own family frowns upon, the reason why he was ostracized.

Jongdae tells Jongin to wait in the parking lot, and hell update him as soon as he can. Jongdae reveals that he had bumped into Peter Wu, the prosecuting attorney (representing Luhans parents) earlier when parking. Hes the Kims legal counsel in the US, so him coming to represent the plaintiff doesnt

surprise Jongin. Jongdae says that his defense would be difficult, not only because he doesnt specialize in criminal defense (unlike Peter), but also because there are excessive mysteries in this case. Even Cao Jun was unable to give clear answers when Jongdae mock-questioned him the night before. Jongdae concludes that the biggest problem has to do with Luhan, who seems to be withholding key information. Basically, the odds of them winning are rather low.

Even so, Jongin knows, and appreciates, that Jongdae is trying his best. Even before Jongin visited him after returning from the US, Jongdae had already received threats, as the Kims somehow got the word that he was going to represent Luhan.

Flashback. Upon arriving at Jongdaes vandalized house, Jongin feels bad, but he has no one to turn to. He admits to Jongdae that hell probably end up like him years ago, when Jongdae stood alone against his entire family.

Hah, I didnt know you would end up in my shoes. Remember how shit hit the fan in the family when I said I was going to marry Wen Jie? Eh, lets not talk about it. As long as you know this is what you want and you wont regret it. Jongdae pats his cousin on the shoulder, lips quirked.

To be honest, Ive always kind of admired you, for being able to give up everything overnight, fame, money, status. Years ago, Jongin never understood what Jongdae was thinking. But now, he is beginning to understand quite well.

Whats so good about fame, money, or status? Its nothing compared to the congee my wife makes. Jongdae laughs. His simple words strike Jongin in the core.

You know, Luhan may be that person for me, Jongin says quietly after a moment.

A grin spreads over Jongdaes face. That alone has him sold.

Let me ask you this, hows his congee? Jongdae teases.

Its alright, but I like his omelette better. Get him out and Ill ask him to make some for you. Jongin breaks into a smile. Ends flashback.

--

In the courtroom. Sitting in the audience, Baekhyun feels particularly out of place. Theoretically, he should be sitting behind the plaintiff, Luhans parents, but where he really wants to be seated is behind Luhan. When he first found out that Luhans parents became the plaintiff, he went over to their place and asked why. They told him that Peter Wu showed them some evidence that convinced them that something was wrong. Baekhyun wanted to talk them out of accusing Luhan, but resigned to the fact that they perhaps needed this, needed legal proceedings to clear everything up, or they would always blame Luhan for killing Luling.

The judge strikes the gavel, and the trial begins.

Peter Wu, representing the prosecution, presents the main case, which is investigating whether a manslaughter had occurred, and the underlying motive. He opens by saying that according to the photos taken at the site of the traffic incident, it was not an accidental failure to brake, but an intentional act. Thus, the focus of the prosecutions case will be on Luhans motive. He then goes on to explain the sibling relationship and claims that it was incestuous, based on three pieces of evidence. One, the nude photos of Luling that were anonymously delivered to the police and contained Luhans reflection; two, photos of Luhan and Luling that are overly intimate; and three, testimonies by Luhans relatives. Peter Wu also stresses that due to the perjury of Luhans former lawyer, the drug report that had led to his acquittal three years ago is no longer credible.

After Peter rests his case, Jongdae proceeds to cross-examine the witness.

You said that youve seen Luhan and Luling acting overly intimate. Could you elaborate what they did?

Uh they.. you know

You mean kissing, correct? The witness nods. Jongdae walks up to Peter, who stares at him in confusion, then pulls Peter by the neck and smashes his mouth against Peters. The courtroom gasps as Peter shoves Jongdae away, enraged.

Like how I just kissed the prosecutor?

The witness is dumbfounded. Peter raises his hand and shouts Objection for misleading his witness. The judge overturns the objection and asks Jongdae to continue.

If this is what you meant by intimate, then if one day the prosecutor is found dismembered, should I be suspected of the crime?

The witness hesitates and begins to panic, stammering that other relatives have witnessed the same thing.

Jongdae ignores him and presents a videotape. Its an untampered CCTV recording at the intersection of the traffic incident, which they had obtained from the police bureau thanks to Wu Fans connection. Playing and pausing the tape, Jongdae explains that through image analysis, signs of braking could be observed in the last 12 seconds to the collision, meaning that there was an intent to brake. This is consistent with the drug report indicatinf that the effect of the drug typically wears off between 8 and 14 seconds.

Jongdae is about to rest his case, deciding that Cao Jun is too unstable a witness to present, when Peter suddenly calls the court to attention that the defense still has a witness on the list that hasnt appeared. The judge also agrees that the defense should complete legal proceedings, so Jongdae reluctantly approaches the witness stand where Cao Jun is seated. He doesnt finish his question when Cao Jun speaks up, attesting to the authenticity of the photo because he was the one that took it, and that Luhan was indeed present.

This testimony instantly turned the courtroom into disorder and the jury against Luhan. Jongdae curses inwardly and approaches the judge, asking for a 20-minute recess. Luhan is led out of the courtroom,

with Jongdae followed suit. When theyre in the recess room, Luhan doesnt say a word but stares blankly on the floor.

I heard you make a mean omelette. Jongdae blurts. Luhan snaps up his head in surprise. Jongin told me. He said hell ask you to make me some after you get out. But seriously, you guys make so much money and youre only going to treat me to an omelette

Luhans features relax somewhat. Thats the only thing I know how to make he mumbles.

I know youre holding onto something, but no matter what, you have to let it go, for the person whos waiting for you.

Jongdae then tells Luhan about how Jongin and others had clashed head-on with the Kims the night before, and how Wu Fan got shot in the process. He tells Luhan how Jongin was at the hospital all night, didnt sleep a wink, and still came to the court this morning. It was the first time Jongdae ever saw Jongin so wretched.

After a while of silence, Luhan finally raises his head and looks at Jongdae with a frown.

Cao Jun didnt lie. I did. I was there when he took the picture. Jongdae is stumped. He doesnt know where to go from this confession. But Im sorry, I cant tell the truth. If I reveal everything, it wont just be me hurting, but other people too.

You mean your parents?

Luhan widens his eyes, but says nothing. Neither of them speaks in the remainder of the recess. Right before they return to the courtroom, Jongdae says to Luhan, You're putting too much on your own shoulders. Learn to let some of it go. If everyone knows the truth, it might not be as bad as you expect. Trust me, all sorts of ugly things happen in this world. People can endure much more than you think.

--

After Jongdae found out that Luhans parents became the plaintiff, he immediately became suspicious of their stance, so he got in touch with some showbiz insiders, including the head manager at the time when Luhan was signed under Youyi [T/N: his first company]. The manager eventually revealed to Jongdae that the real reason behind the contract termination was that Luhans parents turned the tables on them, accusing them of slave-driving Luhan when they were the ones agreeing to the excessive number of gigs. The guy then went on to say that Luhans parents went overboard with using Luhan as a money maker, which resulted in numerous film crews shunning Luhan, afraid to get into legal trouble like Youyi did. Then, after the incident with Luling, his parents cut him off not because of blaming him for Lulings death, but because they had already gone behind Luhans back and signed on a few rookie actors. Luhan was kept in the dark the whole time, believing that his parents were always right while he was never good enough.

This information, plus a tip that a child star scouted by Luhans parents just got a big gig, answered Jongins question of why they turned into the plaintiff in this case. However, he has kept all this to himself, wanting to win the defense using the available evidence. Nevertheless, it doesnt seem like thats feasible any more, and he might have to expose Luhans parents, after all. As for Cao Jun, Wu Fan was having his people look into it, but with him suddenly ending up in the hospital, Jongdae wasnt able to get the info.

When Jongdae walks out of the recess room, a security guard hands him a manila envelope, saying that a messenger had dropped it off, on behalf of a President Wu. Jongdae scoops the documents out of the envelope and reads on his way back to the courtroom. His lips upturn into a smile; his assumptions were correct.

Back to the courtroom, the audience has become more packed than before. Sehun and Senah are seated in the first row behind Luhan. Sehun smiles at Luhan, telling him that his dog is at their house and he neednt worry. Luhan returns an appreciative smile. Still turned around, his eyes catch a glimpse of someone in sunglasses - Jongin. Luhan freezes and twists back around.

Jongdae spots Jongin as well, swearing silently that his cousin just couldnt keep away, but he figured its because Jongin hasnt heard a word and wanted to come up and see for himself. But even in sunglasses, hes still easily recognizable, and the reporters at the front have now shifted their big lenses toward the

back, snapping away at Jongin. Jongdae chuckles to himself; he can see just how deep Jongin has fallen. Jongin has never outrageously rebelled against his family, but when he has a reason to, theres no stopping him.

Peter smirks at Jongdae smugly, but Jongdae ignores him and resumes his cross-examination with Cao Jun. He pries out of the witness what he does for a living - coming up with media gimmicks (i.e., making someone famous through controversial means). Then Jongdae reveals to the court that 9 years ago, Cao Jun accepted a request from a couple, who promised to pay him a fortune if he could make their daughter famous. That girls brother is Luhan.

Luhans parents immediately exclaim that they dont know Cao Jun, but the court has already sunk into chaos.

Jongdae then continues, revealing the truth.

Flashback. After Luhans flop, his parents are bitter and want to regain the feeling of having a famous, lucrative child, so they put all their stakes on Luling. But it turns out that Luling isnt as talented as her brother, so they think of another way. They go to Cao Jun and ask him to make her famous, using whatever means necessary. When Luhan finds out that Luling had gone to some private villa for a photoshoot, he ignores his parents protest and rushes there to save his sister. When Luhan barges in, the shutter is clicked, hence his appearance in the last photo taken. Luhan is livid, grabbing Cao Jun by the collar and is about to punch him in the face when Luling sobs and pleads for him to stop.

Ge, I cant sing, I cant act, this is the only way I can become famous. I dont want to see Dad put you down anymore. Just.. let me help, okay?

Luhan breaks down and takes off his shirt, wrapping his sister with it.

If you get into the industry from this, no one will respect you. Whats the point of being famous then? Ill get another movie to film, and even if I cant get back on the A list, I can at least still be get on the B list. Dont you worry about Mom and Dad. Ill talk to them.

Upon this sight, Cao Jun feels somewhat sympathetic, so he puts away his camera. Luhan offers to buy the film, at a considerable price. But he doesnt know that Cao Jun made a copy. End flashback.

Jongdae continues to talk about Luling, how her psychological condition substantially deteriorated after that incident. She began visiting a therapist, and the records are now in Jongdaes hand (this is not illegal because Luling has deceased for three years and her rights of confidentiality have ceased to apply). This is all thanks to Lay, because the therapist is a regular client at SMS, booking rooms for some pretty messed up stuff, so Lay only had to scare the guy a little to make him surrender these documents that were ready to be destroyed anyway.

Based on the documentation, Luling was clearly suicidal. Upon hearing this, Baekhyun is dumbfounded, his mind numb from shock. He knew about what happened because Luling was completely honest with him and told him about her baggage, but he didnt know how she was still haunted by her past. He thought she was okay, and here he is, drowning in shame and guilt because he should have known.

Jongdae projects the image from the CCTV videotape again. He zooms in on Lulings face - there is no fear or panic, only peace. Its clear that she was even leaning forward instead of dodging the car.

Jongdaes conclusion sends shockwaves throughout the court. The judge strikes the gavel several times, demanding order. Jongdae states that he rests his case. The judge asks if Peter has anything else to say, and he says no, head hung low in defeat. The judge then orders 10 minutes of recess for the jury to convene and determine the verdict. Luhans parents remain rooted to their seats, staring blankly ahead. Baekhyun leaves with despair slapped across his face, shaky legs carrying him out of the room. Luhan, once again, feels like his world just fell apart, memory stabbing into his chest as he recalls how Luling replies when he screams for her to get away from the car: Goodbye, ge

Ten minutes later, the jury returns to the court and announces the verdict.

Not guilty.

Jongdae smiles triumphantly at Jongin, who heaves a sigh of relief and slithers out of the room. Luhan goes limp in his chair, sapped of everything he had mustered to withstand this trial. Sehun hugs his sister beside him, tears almost trickling out of his eyes.

--

Once theyre out of the courtroom, Sehun runs to Luhan and throws his arms around the older one, congratulating him. Luhan thanks him, but his eyes search for someone else. Senah pulls her brother off and whispers to Luhan, He went down to the parking lot. There are reporters all over the front door, you should leave in his car out back. It takes a moment for Sehun to realize, and when he does, he lets Luhan go unwillingly. Luhan pats Sehun on the back, wishing that hell also find that special someone soon. Watching Luhan leave with Jongdae, Sehun pouts at Senah and asks her to set him up with her female colleage from the station. She teases him that hell probably run off with some guy anyway, and how Chanyeol has suddenly transformed into some selfless hero, risking it all to help Luhan, and even trudging to their house with his back split open just to update Sehun on the progress.

Flashback. Sehun didnt expect to see Chanyeol again since the hug outside SMS that day which felt like goodbye. But Chanyeol shows up again, unexpectedly. He still flashes those signature pearly whites, but his voice is uncharacteristically serious.

Dont worry, we got all the evidence we need, and Jongdae is going to represent Luhan. He should be able to walk free.

The two fall into an awkward silence. Sehun notices the bandage peeking out of Chanyeols half-raised sleeve, and he stares with widened eyes. Chanyeol rolls down his sleeve in embarrassment. All of a sudden, Chanyeol raises his arm, as if reaching out for something, but his hand pauses in mid-air before angling back to rub the back of his head.

There was a fly over your head I was just swatting it away, Chanyeol grins.

Oh. Sehun breaks into a weak smile. Chanyeol turns around and walks away, but stops when Sehun

calls out, a bit hesitantly.

T-Thanks.

After Chanyeols back disappears from his sight, Sehun slumps down to his feet. Senah, on her way home, spots Sehun crouching at the door to their house and asks whats wrong. He simply says his legs just suddenly went numb, and when Senah picks him up, Sehun goes limp in her arms. She feels something wet in the crook of her neck and realizes her brother is crying. She asks if Chanyeol made him upset, but he says that hes just worried about Luhans trial tomorrow. Senah rolls her eyes, seeing straight through his lie. End flashback.

Once Jongdae and Luhan get off the elevator at the basement, a black-clothed figure comes out of nowhere and envelopes Luhan into a suffocating embrace. Luhan snaps up his head in surprise and recognizes that its Jongin. He instinctively wants to push Jongin away, but when he feels the others trembling shoulders, Luhan abandons the thought and just lets Jongin hold him like this, and lets himself fall in the feeling of being safe, being protected.

After a moment, Jongdae coughs from the side.

Uh, could you two tone it down a bit, theres someone else here you know.

Jongin ignores him and tightens his arms around Luhan. Luhan peers at Jongdae, embarrassed. He mumbles in Jongins ears to let go and they should leave this place first. Only then does Jongin loosen his arms, but one remains snaked around Luhans waist, out of fear that if he lets go entirely, Luhan will disappear again.

In only a few steps, a horde of black-clothed men suddenly swarm in, blocking their path.

Master, Im afraid youre going to have to come with us. The man who appears to be the leader says to Jongin courteously with a bow. He reaches out for Jongins arm, but receives a kick from Jongin instead. The other guys immediately pull out a gun and aim it at Luhans head. Jongin instantly lowers

his readied fists.

If you touch a hair on him, Ill make sure none of you lives to see tomorrow.

Dont worry, Master, we wont do anything to him. As long as you come with us.

Jongin looks at Luhan and sighs.

Wait for me.

Luhan nods. He wants to say more, but his mind is a complete blank. He settles for brushing over the corner of Jongins lips. Then he lets go.

As he watches Jongin get into the van, Jongdae says, Be prepared for whats to come Jongins dad is probably getting too desperate.

Luhan sends a glance at Jongdae before training his eyes on the van driving out of his sight. There is only one thought on his mind.

Ill wait for him, just like he waited for me.

Back to mid-trial, during recess. Outside courtroom. When Baekhyun calls, Lay is in the process of helping Wu Fan into the car after discharge from the hospital. Lay is confused why hes calling. Baekhyun should be sitting in on the trial right now, and outside the Parks villa the night before, Baekhyun had clearly expressed that he no longer wanted to

have anything to do with Lay. Why is he calling now?

Flashback to outside the villa. After finding out from Chanyeol that Mrs. Park had relented, Lay and Baekhyun no longer needed to climb the walls and try to get Cao Jun out through the back door. With the sudden loss of mission, they leave the estate, heading in two directions. Baekhyun awkwardly says a goodbye as they part. Before he walks off, Baekhyun topples into Lay when he gets pulled back by the arm.

If I werent Lay and you werent Byun Baekhyun, would you fall in love with me?

Baekhyun says nothing, sinking further back against Lays chest. But Lay knows the answer, anyway.

After a moment, Lay lets go and Baekhyun runs.

And he lets go not just physically, but emotionally as well. Lay eventually figures out that his aunt went to talk to Baekhyun, who did nothing wrong in making the rational choice of backing off. He didnt want to force Baekhyun, anyway. End flashback.

Lay stares at his phone, unsure if he should answer. Usually, Baekhyun would hang up after a few rings if Lay fails to pick up, but this time, it keeps ringing. Lay answers at the end. His ears are met with a cacophony of music and chattering, specifically, a womans voice encouraging Baekhyun to utilize other services at Paradise besides drinking.

Lay doesnt need more than two seconds to know whats going on. He knows the place; its a popular strip club in Beijing of which he used to be a regular. This is a butt dial. He doesnt know what Baekhyuns doing there; Baekhyun doesnt look the type to visit places like that, but at this point, Lay is too peeved to figure that one out. Hes also too pissed to remember that hes not supposed to have anything to do with Baekhyun anymore. Lay leaps into his car and speeds toward Paradise.

Once he arrives, the receptionist immediately recognizes Lay and fawns over him, thinking hes there to be served. Lay dismisses her request and asks about which room Baekhyuns in with a deadpan face. The

woman shuts up and timidly answers.

Lay finds the room easily and he walks in on several girls giving Baekhyun a private strip show. Lay tells them to get out and that hell pay for the room, a string of swear words almost tumbling out of his mouth. He sits down next to Baekhyun and smacks his hand away before it grabs a filled shot glass.

What the hell are you doing here?

Baekhyun, already quite drunk, slurs that hes here because he wasnt happy, and the ladies had told him he would feel better if he came in. Floating at the brink of consciousness, Baekhyun fails to recognize Lay, who tries to pick him up and drag him out of the room, but Baekhyun struggles against him, not wanting to go anywhere. Lay settles for holding Baekhyuns failing limbs down, encaging the drunk man within his arms.

Ill tell you a secret actually.. Im an idiot Baekhyun slurs against Lays cheek.

Yeah, you are quite stupid, Lay nods, agreeing to Baekhyuns confession because if he werent stupid, he wouldnt have rejected such a catch as Lay himself.

Luling my wife yes my wife she was in so much pain for so many years and I.. had no idea I should have worked less to spend time with her.. I should have cooked more the day of the accident I should have said something nice to her but I didnt.. I did nothing but watch her get closer to death

Baekhyun breaks into sobs. His eyes fall shut and mumbles into Lays chest. In the end, I was the one that killed her, right?

Lay sighs into Baekhyuns mussed hair. Wanting to yell at him to snap out of it, but he cant say a word to that tearful face. He settles for stroking Baekhyuns head, calming Baekhyun as he continues weeping into Lays shirt.

At one point, Baekhyun unknowingly cops a feel of Lays chest and grumbles about how he has no breasts.

Well, I do have other things. Instigated by the comment that stabs at his male pride, Lay pushes Baekhyun down on the sofa and smashes his lips against Baekhyuns. Baekhyun whines that he doesnt want any services, and Lay reminds him that its a club policy.

But.. but Baekhyun writhes and struggles, words half-caught in his throat. But I think I like men

Lay stops dead in his movement, stiffened features replacing the smirk on his face as he comes to an epiphany.

Baekhyun peers at Lay and suddenly begins to giggle. He sways and reaches at Lays collar. Haha, speaking of which, you look like him. But thats impossible even though you dont have boobs, youre still a woman..

Lay is quick-witted and immediately takes advantages of the situation, raising his voice two octaves higher to pretend to be the woman that Baekhyun currently sees out of his blurred vision. If you like him, why arent you together? He cringes at his own act, but bears through it because he wants to pry more out of the drunken man. Baekhyun barely notices the sudden switch in Lays act, generously supplying the answer: one, theres no future, its not like one of them can give birth to a child; two, he feels really bad for Lays aunt; and three, he cant forgive himself because of Luling, and if Lay finds out what a terrible person he is, hell leave him.

Something tugs painfully at Lay when Baekhyun whimpered the last words, Hell leave me anyway. He grips Baekhyuns shoulders and looks into half-lidded eyes. He will never leave you.

Baekhyun pukes all over Lay as a response.

Scrunching his nose down at the vomit over his clothes, Lay concedes that its worth it, probably, when he looks over at an unconscious Baekhyun.

--

Wu Fan returns home from the hospital, his movement still strained. His cousins are already gone, an urgent invitation from Jongins father, probably out of guilt that Wu Fan would find out who was behind the fiasco with Zitao. He instructs the butler to prepare some lavishing gifts for when he visits Mr. Kim in two days, then asks for a set of clothes and shoes prepared for the backroom. The butler complies after a pause. Wu Fan takes the clothing from him and dismisses him, hinting that hell do it himself.

Zitao is seated on a chair when Wu Fan enters. Slightly shocked, he gets up and opens his mouth, as if wanting to ask something. He closes his mouth instead when he meets Wu Fans impassive eyes.

Wu Fan places the clothing on the table. Come here.

Zitao remains motionless in apprehension.

Im not going to hurt you.

Zitao sweeps worried eyes across Wu Fans form. He finally uncurls his fists and takes ginger steps toward Wu Fan. But when Wu Fan reaches to undo Zitaos button, Zitao stops him, eyes turning suspicious.

I just want to help you change for the last time, thats all.

Zitao freezes in the realization that its always been Wu Fan helping him change the past few months, but it was always from one set of pajamas to another. The clothes laid out on the table are normal casual clothes.

The addiction counselor told me that youve recovered well. Relapse is unlikely even if youre on your own.

Watching Wu Fan slowly and soundlessly buttons up the shirt, Zitao doesnt feel a sense of danger from Wu Fan, for the first time. Instead, Wu Fans pale features make him seem weaker than Zitao. When he completes dressing Zitao, Wu Fan clutches his chest and takes a step backward.

So like how I promised you, you can go now.

Zitao gapes. Those words sound too unreal to his ears, but he begins backing up toward the exit anyway. When hes at the door, the blood constricting Wu Fans chest spurts out of his mouth. Zitao pauses and takes a stride forward to help steady Wu Fans swaying form.

Stop! Dont come any closer. Wu Fan mutters as he wipes at the corner of his mouth. Dont come near me when I can still let you go.

Zitao doesnt move, and they fall into a moment of silent hesitation.

Wu Fan everything you did to me, for me, I remember it all. If pain and happiness can cancel out each other, then right now, I dont love you, but I dont hate you either. He turns around and pushes open the door. Goodbye.

Watching the door close, Wu Fan huffs, shaking his head. Hes back to square one, as if the pieces of his heart hadnt come together. He plucks out all the memories with him softening, opening up, and shoves them all down into a trashcan in the back of his head. Hes back to that cold-hearted person, the Wu Fan before he met Zitao.