STEP

CHAPTER 4

Kris feels as though his senses have gotten used to the environment of the hospital. Upon discharge, everything seems too quiet.

The effort people have been making to avoid mentioning that name is obvious, including Tao. Other than the two policemen who came to the hospital for a basic inquiry, all other important topics involving that person has been avoided by them.

Jongdae tidies up both rooms on the second floor thoroughly. Every single trace of that person ends up being hidden; as if he seems to have evaporated into mid air, or better yet, never even existed.

Although with every encounter of the memories, he exists everywhere and anywhere.

It's three in the morning. Luhan lies in bed with his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.
"You're awake, right?" He asks.
Kris doesn't answer, his eyes fixated on the ceiling.

Luhan hesitates before opening his mouth, "who took us to the cabin that day?"
Silence fills the air for a while, "people expecting us to rise to fame, yet fearing the loss of control over us." Kris laughs vaguely.
Luhan blinks his eyes calmly in the darkness, "you mean....the company."

"I don't know." Kris says as he closes his eyes, "I've already told the police everything I remember," he looks forward at the invisible air, "the things I don't remember won't matter now anyways." In the darkness, he turns to his face the wall.

"That wasn't your fault." Says Luhan.
"If you were the one awake, things wouldn't have gotten to that point." Kris chuckles.
"If I were in that position, I can't think of anything I could have done differently. " Luhan says.
"Then let me tell you what could've been done differently," there was a glint in Kris' eyes in the darkness, "you can't unlock his phone, so you couldn't have called anyone."

Luhan maintains his silence.

"I bought the phone for him; I was the one who had set the passcode." Kris stifles a laugh.
"Stop talking." Luhan looks away from him.
"If I couldn't unlock his phone, then I couldn't have called him, but I could, and I fucking called and sent him the damn address....." He laughs even harder.

"Does it make you feel better saying that?" Luhan looks to one side,"why aren't you blaming me instead for grabbing the wrong phone?"

"Why does it matter to you how I feel?" Kris says.

"Not only did I grab the wrong phone, I had no fucking alcohol tolerance either. People like me..."
"Then why aren't you dead yet?!" Luhan is interrupted by Kris' loud roar. With the lights turned on, Kris looks into Luhan's bloodshot eyes.

Luhan stares at the ground, slightly respiting under the light.
"Want to cuss me out? Don't hold it back." Kris cocks his head.

Luhan looks up and nudges the lamp, he's tempted to turn off the lights, "are you feeling sorry for me? Are you addicted to my kiss?" Kris' vice penetrates his eardrums.

Luhan closes his eyes, " You're asking to get beaten up."

Kris turns around and laughs, shaking his head, "That's right, we both deserve it."
"So what?" Luhan says.

Kris walks towards Luhan and picks him up by the collar, and punches him in right in the face.
Luhan slowly turns his crooked head to look at Kris.

"Come on! Aren't you angry?" Kris shoots him a smile and pulls Luhan toward him. Luhan stands up abruptly and smashes him against the wall, throwing a punch onto his cheek, causing the books on the shelves to topple.
The boy on the opposite side doesn't defend himself, allowing the blood to ooze through the sides of his mouth.

"Want to keep going?!" Luhan looks at him, "just say so and I'll keep playing with you!"
Kris props himself against the wall, and keeps silent.

"Do you think you'll bring him back from the dead?!" Luhan screams at him, footsteps are heard coming through from next door and downstairs. Luhan gasps for air and looks at the depraved man leaning against the wall