By Chance 《Chanlix》

~ 19 ~

*Felix's POV*

President Bang announced the funeral of Seo Changbin was about to start. But Felix had seen Seo Changbin earlier today. He was beyond confused.

He heard people around him saying things like 'I heard he was a rebel.' 'The poor boy.'

Did no one realise that Changbin was right there, sitting in the front row of the hall?

Seo Changbin was not the son that passed, he was perfectly alive and healthy.

Mr Bang put out his hand as for everyone to silence. He then leaned into the microphone again, "I would like to invite my son, Bang Chan, to say a few words."

Felix went still. Bang Chan? As in, blond boy Chan? He realised that he had never asked for his full name, so if this was the same one...was he a fourth son? Felix's stomach tickled with butterflies. His chest felt warm and he wanted to smile really big, was he going to see Chan? After so long.

He waited for Chan to enter the stage and go up to the lectern, but instead, he saw Seo Changbin walk up in big strides. "Hello everyone, my name is Bang Chan, and I would like to..." Felix's smile dropped.

He stopped paying attention. His mind was boggled, was Chan here or not? Why was the deceased son using the name of Changbin and Changbin using Chan. Was this some sort of game?

"Seo Changbin has tragically passed away in a fire a couple of days ago, we are all still mourning and hoping he has found peace." Changbin wiped a tear from his eye. "I would like to inform you all that I, Bang Chan, am the next heir in line for the company. I will do my best, thank you."

He walked down the stairs and continued to wipe more tears. Felix couldn't tell if they were real or fake and everything was an act.

He shifted in his seat and tried to make understanding of all of this. He heard Mr Bang's voice again, "We will now play a slide show of Changbin."

Felix squinted his eyes and leaned forward in his seat, trying to get a better view of the projector from where he sat in the middle rows. A soft song that he couldn't recognise played as background music while photos of him as a child popped up on the screen. This was the same child from his memories. But his name wasn't Changbin.

Felix's throat started to feel itchy as a few of the photos of the boy and him together showed. There was one at the playground, one on the first day of school (he transferred out the next year), and there was one at one of the dinner parties where he was feeding Felix food because he had a broken arm. Felix smiled at the memory and brought his finger up to his eye to wipe the tear that fell.

More of the slide show played and the audience watched in silence, beside from a few sniffles here and there.

It was near the end and all of the photos were of him as a child. Felix wondered what he looked like when he grew up. The slideshow came to a stop on one photo.

A photo of Bang Chan.

The real one.

He looked a bit younger than he was now, but anyone could tell it was him.

No, no no. Did that mean that...Bang Chan had gone to a hotel that day that he disappeared? And that hotel...had caught fire.

Felix felt a big lump in his throat. His eyes stung with the pain of tears wanting to escape, Chan couldn't be dead. No, he couldn't be. Felix's eyes met with Chan's on the projector. Why did you have to leave?

Felix brought a hand up to his mouth and pressed it against it so his sobs would be quieter. He couldn't feel his legs, he suddenly collapsed on the ground and instantly pulled his legs up to his chest, hand still over his mouth.