SUNGJONG'S POV

 

"Hyung," I started, "You are not leaving. Noone will be leaving but me. You should stay and-"

Myungsu-hyung hugged tighter, to the point that I almost couldn't breathe.
"Wherever you go, I'll go."

No. I didn't want him to leave just because of me. 
I had to do something.
I pushed him away, breaking the hug and glared at him,
"What part of it, don't you understand? Hyung-" but I was interrupted by him.

Myungsu-hyung stood up and stared at me, before shouting irately, 
"And what part of I will take care of you, don't you understand?"

That froze me.
I never saw hyung so mad.
It was my first time seeing him like this and the reason for it was my stubborness.

I quickly got up from the bench and shot him an upset look,
"Why did you even kiss me? It's not like-"

"Because I hated myself." he interjected, clenching his fist, "Because I hated myself for letting you and your fragile-self cry. Because I hated myself for letting you blame everything on you. Because I hated myself for not showing you how much I actually cared for you. Are those enough, Sungjong? Are they enough to make you believe that I will be with you through your ups and downs? Answer me."

The tears welled up in my eyes and started flowing down my cheeks.
Like a fool, I cried again.
I bit my lower lips and let the tears I had been holding in escaped. I covered my mouth and faced the ground, thinking of how an idiot I was. 
"Even i-if," I managed to say, despite my sobs, "If I leave, Sunggyu-hyung .. and Woohyun-hyung are happy."

Myungsu-hyung sighed, "Sungjong-ah," as he carefully cupped my face, "This isn't about them. This is about what you want. Who cares about them?"

He was right. They didn't control me. I was not their puppet.
Myungsu-hyung smiled sadly and murmured, "If you want to stay, I will make you stay."

I nodded, wiping my tears away, "I want to stay."

"Then," Myungsu-hyung then patted my head, " You will."

 

NOONE'S POV

Sungyeol arrived at the dorm, feeling really upset.
When he walked into the dorm, he saw Sunggyu in the living room, sitting with Woohyun, probably talking.
As the door closed, Sunggyu immediately spun to Sungyeol and quickly stood up, completely ignoring what Woohyun was saying.
He approached Sungyeol and asked worriedly, "What happened? What did Jung Yeop-sajangnim say? Was everything alright?"

Sungyeol, who was in small daze didn't utter a word. What was he supposed to tell Sunggyu?

Sunggyu held both of Sungyeol's shoulder and shook him slightly, "Yaa, speak. What happened?"

The younger boy still didn't say anything, instead he shoved his hyung's hands away and left to his room.
Sunggyu was surprised of Sungyeol's action and was even more confused and curious.

Woohyun scoffed, "Did he get kicked out or something?"

Sunggyu clenched his fist and turned to Woohyun irately, "That's not a joking matter. Could you think twice before blurting out stupid remarks?"

Woohyun got up and crossed his arms, "I do think twice-"

"You are a heartless person, you know that?" Sunggyu cut him short, "In this group, you're not alone. There are other members with you, yet you're thinking about yourself. How selfish can you be, Woohyun?"

"Why the hell are you acting like this? You like Sungjong now? Back then, you were scolding him for the smallest mistakes and now, you're becoming this?" Before continuing, Woohyun let out an irritated sigh and looked away, "Ah~ ssinja. So, I'm the only one who still hates him?"

"Grow up, Woohyun." Sunggyu stated sternly, his eyes blazing with anger and annoyance, "You should know by now who's wrong and who's right." and with that, he walked into his room, leaving Woohyun and his thoughts alone.

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

We decided to head back to our dorm since the night was getting late.

I didn't say anything along our way because it was slightly awkward.
The scene where Myungsu-hyung kissed me kept flashing back in my mind that my heart was beating faster than usual.
Maybe it was normal. Normal for a person who had their first kiss to experience this kind of feeling.

Aigooo. What just happened back there? I like hyung, but that was very unexpected.

Myungsu-hyung turned to me, "Sungjong-ah, if everything goes wrong tomorrow, are you still.." he paused before he continued, "Leaving?"

My steps became slower and eventually stopping me, making Myungsu-hyung to stop too.
That question got me thinking.
What if.. What if nothing goes the way we want it to be? ..
I would leave.
I smiled and looked at Myungsu-hyung, "Maybe I will."

But, hyung, don't worry. I don't regret any of these.

Myungsu-hyung glanced at me, "Are you going to tell anyone about this?"

Then, somehow, Howon-hyung's crossed my mind.
Should I tell him about this? No. He shouldn't know about this.

"I'm not planning to tell." I stated, "It's better if they know it from manager-hyung or someone."

"Arasseo." Myungsu-hyung then tried smiling, "Come on. Let's hurry and get back."

 

NOONE'S POV

When Sungyeol got into his room, Howon was listening to his IPod.

He felt like telling Howon what had happened, though they weren't that close, but he had the urge to tell him.
Sungjong was close to him, so why not?
He didn't want to tell Sunggyu and Woohyun since they were just pain in the . They would even celebrate Sungjong getting kicked out from the group, so he decided not to.

"Hyung." Sungyeol called, however was unheard by Howon, who had music on both ears. "Hyung!" he tried again.
Nothing.

In the end, he pulled the headset from Howon's ears, earning an angry 'hey!' from the older male.
"Why did you- Oh. You're back." he was surprised by Sungyeol's presence.
He didn't seem to notice that Sungyeol had came back from the company's headquarter.

Sungyeol took a deep breath and said, "Something happened back at the hea-"

Howon was now standing up and approaching Sungyeol, "Mwo? Sungjong? Where is he? Is he already here? I want to talk to-"

"About that, hyung." Sungyeol murmured, wondering if he should go on with this. "About Sungjong."

They could hear the shared room of Woohyun and Sunggyu's slammed, but both of them decided to ignore it since the two hyungs were always bickering and stuff, and that they were getting neutral to it by now.

"Sungjong?" Howon repeated, "Don't tell me-"

Sungyeol shook his head, "Jung Yeop-sajangnim's told him to leave the group."

Howon's eyes grew wider when he heard that. It was obvious that he was completely shocked.
"Museun iriya? Wha- Why is he leaving? Why- Whe-When is he leaving? He can't leav-"

"He'll stop attending practice starting tomorrow." Sungyeol stated, "Jung Yeop-sajangnim said he was lacking."

Howon clutched his IPod and looked away, frustrated.
"Sungyeol-ah," Howon called, "Don't tell me you were told to leave too-"

"I would've wreck the whole damn office up." Sungyeol said angrily. He still remembered it so vividly when Jung Yeop-sajangnim informed that Sungjong was leaving. He still didn't get it why he was also called.
He hated it. He hated everyone in the office, especially their manager, for not being able to change the president's mind.

Howon was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe any of this. 
Sungjong was lacking? Lacking in what?
"I need to tell Dongwoo-hyung about this." Howon darted to the door, and when he swung the door opened, he was shocked to see Woohyun on his knees, and in a position where it seemed like he had been eavesdropping.

Woohyun immediately got up and regained back his posture, fixing his shirt,
"Hello." he greeted amiably as if nothing had happened.

Sungyeol squinted his eyes and walked towards his hyung,
"Were you listening to our conversation the whole time?"

Howon watched as Woohyun nervously smiled, scratching his head.
"Me?" as Woohyun pointed to himself, "Eavesdropping? I don't-"

Sungyeol glowered at Woohyun and emphasized, "Don't lie, hyung."

Sunggyu and Dongwoo got out of their room at the same time, probably hearing the commotion.
Dongwoo, who hadn't stepped out from his room, was obviously surprised to see Sungyeol,
"You're back?" he queried, "How was-"

Woohyun cut him short, "Sungjong is leaving the group."

Howon and Sungyeol quickly turned to Woohyun.
Both of them feeling like punching his face for blurting it all out.

Sunggyu looked a little angry and could only utter, "Mwo?"

Dongwoo stayed silent. He didn't know what to say. 
He stared at Howon, in hopes that this was all a lie.
Dongwoo was not playing oblivious now.

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

We were already walking in the street to our dorm and the night was getting chilly.
When I could see our dorm's roof, I could feel butterflies in my stomach.
I was nervous for no apparent reason. 
Aigoo, why am I feeling like this?

One step each time was enough to make me feel dizzy.
And without me realizing it, we had reached our dorm.
The bright lights inside showed that the others were still awake and I didn't like it.
I was hoping for them to sleep and not see me until I leave the next morning.
But, luck wasn't on my side.

Myungsu-hyung turned to me and said, "We're here."

I tried to push all the worries away and smiled wearily, "Yeah."

None of us spoke for a moment. 
But then, Myungsu-hyung pulled me by the neck and hugged me,
"I'll be with you, Sungjong." he whispered.

I slowly gulped and nodded.
He released me and stared into my eyes.
He tilted his head a little and kissed my forehead.
... I was speechless. Again.

"Let's go." he suggested, as he stepped the small stairs.

I calmed myself and followed him.
When he opened the door, it creaked carefully, and when both of us walked in, we were so surprised to see everyone in the living room, including Sungyeol-hyung.
All eyes were on us.

Howon-hyung saw me and came closer, "Sungjong-ah. You- What happened?"
Concern was evident on his face. Even from the way he sounded, he was worried.

Did they find out about all of it?
Too soon.

I laughed, "What are you talking about, hyung? Nothing-"

Sungyeol-hyung stepped forward and blurted, "I told him, Sungjong."

That silenced me.
That was right. Sungyeol-hyung was with me in the office, of course he would've told someone.

When none of said anything, Woohyun-hyung suddenly approached me and pushed my shoulder,
"Damn it. Why are you so lacking? Now, because of you, everything is a waste. All of our sweats are a freakin' waste!"

Did he have to say that? All he ever done was to say mean things and not regret about it.
At least feel pity of what I have been through, rather than to scold me from lacking!
Stupid hyung! 

Myungsu-hyung moved infront of me as to defend me and faced Woohyun-hyung,
"Hyung, you shouldn't say that. It's not Sungjong's fault-"

However, he was cut off by the raging hyung,
"And how are you so sure it's not his fault? You know what, Sungjong?" as Woohyun-hyung peeked at me who was behind Myungsu-hyung, "I think it's better if you never joined this training group. All you do is nothing but create trouble-"

That was it. I couldn't take it no more.

I closed my ears and darted out of the dorm, slamming the door.
I could hear a fading calling of my name, possibly Howon-hyung, but I had to ignore it.

 

NOONE'S POV

Sunggyu immediately pulled Woohyun away when he couldn't stand it anymore,
"That's enough, Woohyun. Just stop it. Now. It's not Sungjong's fault."

Woohyun spun angrily to Sunggyu,
"Why are you being so kind to him?" he barked, "Why are you-"

"Because being mean won't solve anything right now!" Sunggyu yelled as loud as he could, in hopes Woohyun would realize what he was doing, "Look around you! You're making matters even worse!"

Woohyun paused and slowly looked at everyone.
They didn't like what was happpening.

Howon glared at Woohyun and scoffed,
"Are you happy now? It looks like you're the bully here." and after that, he walked out of the dorm, to check on Sungjong.

Woohyun looked away, clenching his fist tightly and headed to his room as everyone watched him.

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

As soon as I got out, I cried a river.
I sat on the small stairs and hid my face.

I was not usually this down. I actually felt much better after sitting down and had that small chat with Myungsu-hyung, but, Woohyun-hyung just had to be his harsh-self and bring me down.
His head was full of stupidity and he only cared about himself.

"Sungjong-ah," a voice called softly, and the sound of the door closing made me wiped my tears quickly, "Are you alright?"

The unkown hyung sat next to me and tried to peek at my wet face.
I glanced at him and found out that it was Howon-hyung.

"Sungjong-ah." he called again, this time in a more concern tone. "He didn't mean it-"

"People keep saying that when they know it's all true." I interjected.

Howon-hyung paused then sighed, "I don't know what'll make you feel better, but just want to tell you that, you know yourself better than anyone here." he continued, "Woohyun-hyung just don't understand what this is all about. He is still learning on how to appreciate each of the member in this training group. Seeing on how hard-working you are, maybe he got a little envy and forgot what being supportive mean."

After hearing that, I wondered if Howon-hyung was right.

Howon-hyung suddenly got up and looked at me, who was still sitting on the cold concrete.
"Come on, get up." 

I stood up and shove the dust off my jeans.
I still had my eyes on the ground, not wanting to look at Howon-hyung.
I didn't know why, but I felt a little embarrassed having him around me at the moment.

I was acting like a kid. Running away from bad people such as Woohyun-hyung.

"Hyung." I started, my voice shaking, "I haven't eaten dinner yet."

That actually made Howon-hyung chuckled, " Are you hungry? Arasseo." as he grabbed my hand, "You should eat then."

"Ne. Thank you for saying that-" I mumbled.

Howon-hyung heard that and smiled, "I'm not good with giving advice though, that was my first attempt."

 

      We walked back into the dorm and saw Myungsu-hyung and Sunggyu-hyung, just standing there in the middle of the living room. I didn't see Dongwoo-hyung and Sungyeol-hyung anywhere, especially Woohyun-hyung.

I tried my best to ignore Sunggyu-hyung and headed into the kitchen, while Howon-hyung was stopped by Myungsu-hyung to talk.

I entered the kitchen and opened the water, splashing it onto my face.
Tears had been streaming non-stop today, so it was better to have a fresh face again.

I turned the tap off and spun. I was so startled to see Sunggyu-hyung in the kitchen.
He was staring at me, but from the way his eyes looked, it somehow showed hurt.

I lighten up the stuffy atmosphere and exclaimed happily, "I am going to eat now!"

"Are you sure you have the mood to eat after what you have been through?" Sunggyu-hyung questioned.

I paused and started laughing, "Of course. Like they say, 'After crying, you'll always feel hungry.'! " I then searched for the bowl and chopsticks.

"Were you always like this?" Sunggyu-hyung asked again, this time a little stammering.

"Every person who had a bad day should at least smile and forget about everything that made them sad or-"

As I was opening one of the cabinet above the sink, Sunggyu-hyung shut it close and faced me to him,
"I made you like this too, right? I hurt you too, right? Probably thinking that I should die."

"I did plan of buying a 'Death Note'." I thought of outloud.

Seriously, I did.

"Sungjong-ah." Sunggyu-hyung fixed his gaze to me, and somewhat in his eyes were tears, and finally, he whispered,
"Mianhae."

He was apologizing? ...
What made him to say that? And crying?
.. I froze.

"Hyung," I said, wanting him so badly to wipe those tears away. 
Should I say 'It's alright' like nothing happened between us in the past? But, that would definitely hurt me because by telling him that it would mean that I had wasted my tears.
Or should I say, 'Serves you right." ?

I managed a smile and said, " It's alright, hyung. It's alright."

 

              After eating, I headed back to my room to find Sungyeol-hyung standing infront the shared wardrobe, crossing his arms.
And I just had to ask,
"Hyung, what are you doing?"

He turned to me nonchalantly, "I'm not letting you pack your clothes or whatever you have in there. You're not leaving."

"I'll pack later."

Sungyeol-hyung moved away from the wardrobe and to my bed, getting a hold of my teddy,
"I'll throw this away again, I swear."

"Why are you being like this, hyung?" my sudden question seemed to make him put my teddy down, "First, you were being mean and now, you're being all 'don't leave' and everything."

Sungyeol-hyung blinked his eyes and looked away, his cheeks blushing,
"Isn't it obvious? I-I'm," he stuttered, "I'm starting to like you."

That cheered me up. 
"What did I do?"

"Your clumsiness is what I'll miss teasing when you're not here." he stated.

"My clumsiness?" I repeated.

"Woohyun-hyung eavesdropped on me and Howon-hyung." Sungyeol-huyng informed, "That is, if you want to know, how this 'kicking out' actually spread."

"Tomorrow, Myungsu-hyung will help me meet Jung Yeop-sajangnim again." I said, ignoring what Sungyeol-hyung just told me.

"Him? Why him?" somehow, he sounded a little disappointed.

"It's better with him. Myungsu-hyung is always there for me so-"

"Forget it!" Sungyeol-hyung shouted, cutting me off, "Leave, or whatever, I don't care! I'm going to sleep, good freaking night! Pack your girly clothes and go."
After that, he climbed to his bunk bed and pulled the blanket over his head.

Again, another confusing attitude.
What was wrong with him? ..

 

NOONE'S POV

Dongwoo was sitting in his shared room, and was looking through his bag when he took hold of the camcorder their manager gave him to spy on the other members.
It was good that he was the only one in the room, that he pulled the gadget from his bag, and switched it on.
There was a video where he recorded one night where Sungyeol threw Sungjong's teddy outside and also, a video where Sunggyu was bickering with Woohyun, to the point where Woohyun was about to land a fist on Sunggyu.

Dongwoo closed the camcorder, sighed and leant on the wall.
He was having an intense thought of whether to continue recording and spying when everything was not at its best.
At the same time, he was also wondering where their manager was.
He was supposed to be here with them and talked about this together.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Woohyun slept early that night, but eventhough he did, he couldn't sleep.
It wasn't because of the loud chatterings outside, not because it was too dark, but because of Sunggyu and his words that kept floating in his head.

'You should know by now who's right and who's wrong.'

'Grow up.'

'You're making matters even worse!'

Woohyun shifted on his 'bed' and forced himself to sleep.
But, nothing. He still couldn't.

This time, his head was full of Sungjong.
His smiling face and his crying face.
He remembered when Sungjong chased him after having that small fight with their manager to make sure if he was alright, and how Sungjong had tried to start a talk with him.
And what did he do? .. Neglect him.
He felt bad now that he realized everything..
Everyone seemed to hate him now for saying things that was so cold-hearted.

Woohyun placed a hand on his forehead and sighed,
"What am I doing? Why did I act like the way I did?"
Even Sunggyu-hyung is siding with Sungjong, he mused.

Suddenly, the door of the room creaked opened slowly and came in Sunggyu.
Woohyun heard that and quickly hid himself under his blankets. 

"Woohyun-ah. I know you're not asleep yet." Sunggyu said angrily as he closed the door.

Woohyun closed his eyes tightly and decided to ignore his hyung, however Sunggyu pulled the sheets away from him and that surprised Woohyun.

Woohyun glowered at Sunggyu and shouted, "What are you doing?"

"Those things you said to Sungjong. They weren't nice at all."

"Who cares what I said? It's not like noone agrees with me-"

Sunggyu interrupted him, "Noone does. You're a mean person, Nam Woohyun."

"So?" Woohyun continued, "Yeah, I'm a mean person. Then, what are you? Don't act so innocent, hyung. You've insulted Sungjong too."

"You're not qualified to be in this group." Sunggyu blurted irately, "It's better if you leave the group. All you do is create trouble for us."

Woohyun's eyes grew wider when Sunggyu said that and immediately got up, grabbing Sunggyu's shirt,
"YAA!"

Sunggyu glanced at Woohyun's hand on his collar and smirked,
"How was it? Tasted your own medicine?"

Woohyun paused for a second.
What was Sunggyu trying to do?

Woohyun's grip loosen and he moved away from Sunggyu.

"I'm telling you, Woohyun," Sunggyu said, eyes still on his dongsaeng, "Watch what you're saying. Sungjong is having a hard time right now. Even if you still hate him and want to , save it. Now is definitely not the right time."

He then walked to his side of the matress and made himself comfortable.
"Goodnight." Sunggyu greeted, before turning his back from Woohyun and slowly fell asleep.

Woohyun, who was still standing, stayed like that for a little longer.
His head full of questions, and possibly regrets.

"Goodnight, hyung." he finally said, and he too, went back to his sheets, and tried to sleep.

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

When I was climbing onto my bunk bed, Howon-hyung entered the room.
He smiled at me, "You're sleeping?"

"Ne."

He approached me and said, "Sungjong-ah, Myungsu told me that you'll be meeting Jung Yeop-sajangnim again."

I nodded, "Ne, I am. Tomorrow."

"I hope everything goes well and that he gives you a second chance. You deserve it, Sungjong." he then got in his bed, "I don't want you to leave for being called, 'lacking'. I don't see any lacking in you."

I smiled sadly, starign at the ceiling and hugged my teddy, "Goodnight, hyung."
I hope I get a second chance too. 

He replied my greet and eventually, both of us started to drift off into our Dreamland.

Tonight was a scary night. Everyone seemed to raise their voice than usual, except for Dongwoo-hyung.
He kept quiet throughout the night.
I heard a saying once, 'The quiet one is the one who has the biggest voice.'

 

NOONE'S POV

Myungsu entered his shared room, to see Dongwoo sitting on his sheets, and just staring into space.

"Hyung." Myungsu called, waving his hand infront of the older's boy clueless face, "Hyung, are you alright?"

Dongwoo came to his senses and replied a flustered, "What?"

Myungsu shook his head, "Ahne. You looked lost. What were you thinki-"

"Sungjong." he answered abruptly.

That paused Myungsu.
".. What about Sungjong?" he asked slowly.

Dongwoo diverted his eyes to his fingers and murmured,
"Is he .. leaving for real?"

"He's not. It was just a misunderstanding." Myungsu explained briefly.

"What misunderstanding? If this was a misunderstanding, Sungjong should stay."

Myungsu saw how down his hyung was and sat next to him,
"Nothing is going to happen. He's staying."

Dongwoo then lied down on the sheets and mumbled,
"I hope so."

Myungsu watched as his hyung closed his eyes, as if to force himself to sleep.
This was getting a little .. depressing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 When everyone was already in their dreamland, one of them was actually awake.
He couldn't sleep at all.

It was Sungyeol.
He kept shifting in his bed, as if he was lying down on the hard cold ground.
When he couldn't stand it, he ended up facing Sungjong, who looked angelic in his sleep.

Sungyeol sighed sadly, "Sungjong-ah, are you asleep?" he asked.

No answer.
Of course, Sungjong didn't respond. He wasn't even awake.

But still, Sungyeol continued, "I don't want you to leave, you know that, right? If you stay, I won't treat you like the way I treated you before. I'll even let you be with Myungsu. So, don't leave, okay?" ...

A moment of silence and Sungyeol then started laughing quietly to himself,
"What are you doing, Sungyeol? You're talking to a wall."

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

The next morning, I woke up as early as possible. Noone was awake, so it was great.
I packed my clothes, in case I was told to leave and if I  wasn't given another chance.
I stuffed everything in my small luggage, and when I finished, I placed the luggage behind the door of the room.
Once I stepped out, I found Myungsu-hyung, already standing outside of the room's door.
He looked very handsome with his 'usual-morning' face.
"Are you ready?" 

I gave myself a thought and when I was sure that this was a now-or-never thing, I nodded and smiled,
"Ne. I am."

We got out of our dorm and saw manager-hyung, walking up the small stairs with a file in one of his hands.
It was obvious that he was surprised to see me and Myungsu-hyung.

"You two." he started, "Why are you up so early? It's not even 8 yet."

Myungsu-hyung looked at manager-hyung and replied, "We're heading somewhere."

Manager-hyung didn't seem to understand and said again, "What are you talking about? And you, Sungjong," as he turned to me, "You should be leaving, aren't you? Have you packed your things?"

"I don't get it, hyungnim." Myungsu-hyung said, shaking his head, "You're our manager, but why are you so willing to have Sungjong leave the group? Now, we have to do it all by ourselves."

After that, manager-hyung paused and he quickly grabbed my arm, "Yaa, are you going to meet the president himself? Yaa, are you crazy?"

I faced the ground, not wanting to make eye-contact.

Manager-hyung let me go and looked away, "Haa~ this is unbelievable."

I bowed my head, "I'll be going then." as I walked past him, along with Myungsu-hyung behind me.
Not until, when we were about to walk in the street, manager-hyung called me.

Both of us whirled to him, perplexed of why he called.

Manager-hyung stared at us and finally said, " .. Ahne. Just go."

For a second there, I thought he was going with us.

I smiled, despite the disappointment,
"We will."

 

     As we sauntered in the street, my heart couldn't stay calm.
Why would it stay calm when it knew I was going to meet the president again? ..

Jung Yeop-shii was really scary. I didn't want to meet but this could be my last chance.

Who was I kidding? I was going to get killed later and Myungsu-hyung would be my witness.

"Hyung, are you sure this might work?"

He shrugged, "We won't know if we don't try."

That's right. We should try first.

I was so nervous that I unconsciously held Myungsu-hyung's hand.
He glanced at me and smiled, holding my hand tighter.

 

NOONE'S POV

 "Boys! Wake up!" Their manager shouted loudly.

His voice echoed in the old place, making it seemed like everything was going to collapse just because of his big voice.

Somehow, Dongwoo, the heavy sleeper, was already awake, surprising their manager.
"You're already-" he said, puzzled was evident in his tone.

"Myungsu woke me up." explained Dongwoo.

When silenced came, Dongwoo walked to the manager and sighed,
"Hyungnim, there's something I want to give to you."

Their manager nodded, "Really? What is it?"

"This." as he pulled his hand from his back, lifting the camcorder, "I want to give you back this."

"W-Why-"

"Without Sungjong, this is useless." Dongwoo stated firmly.

That paused the manager.
"You knew that Sungjong-"

"All of us knew." Dongwoo corrected.

"I'm so sorry that it ended like this." as their manager massaged his temples, "I should've pushed you guys harder, and told you to practice even more. The consequences? Sungjong leaving. Mianhae-"

"Hyungnim," Dongwoo cut, "It's not your fault. All of us should take the blame for not practicing well. Can't you do something about this? Didn't you see Myungsu and Sungjong on your way here? He said he's going to meet Jung Yeop-sajangnim with Sungjong. Hyungnim, I don't feel good about this."

"Dongwoo-ah," he called, "Can you wake everyone up to get ready for practice? I have something that I have to do."

Dongwoo agreed with hesitation, "A-Arasseo."

And after that, their manager darted out of the dorm, slamming the door.
 

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

Here we were.

Woolim's Headquarter.

Aigoo. I didn't like the feeling of this.
Maybe because the last time I was here, I cried my eyes out.
.. Maybe.

"You know, Sungjong," Myungsu-hyung started, "You can still change your mind and walk away-"

"But, that's not what you said yesterday." I retorted.

Myungsu-hyung chuckled, "I know."

Just then, before our eyes, a black car drove in the headquarter's driveway and parked infront of the entrance.
When the car's door opened, someone who looked familiar walked out.

Lee Jung Yeop-sajangnim.

Seeing him, even from afar, made my stomach churned.

"Sungjong-ah. Let's go." Myungsu-hyung suggested, as he made his way to Jung Yeop-sajangnim.

I gathered my courage and nodded, "Ne."

Both of us followed Jung Yeop-sajangnim into the building, but was stopped by two men.

They told us that we shouldn't be there if we didn't have any appointment or meeting.

"But, that's the person who took us in as trainees!" Myungsu-hyung explained.

Jung Yeop-sajangnim was about to enter the lift and that would be the last chance we would see him.
Without thinking, I screamed his name.

"Jung Yeop-sajangnim! Sajangnim!" I shouted as loud as I could, that the lobby slightly echoed.

Though it was embarrassing, it was worth it.
He eventually stepped out of the closing elevator and peeked towards me.
He seemed shocked seeing me and started approaching both me and Myungsu-hyung, with his assistant.

When he was already infront of me, he shot me a glare and asked coldly,
"What are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to leave?"

I bowed as low as my body could, "Please. Give me another chance."

Silence.

I repeated again, "Sajangnim, if you give me one more chance, I'm sure I will give you my best. I will not be lacking as you told me. Just give me another chance-"

Jung Yeop-sajangnim crossed his arms, "And why would I give you another .. chance?"

I paused. I wasn't prepared for that question.

"Because he will never give up. This is what he has been dreaming of. He's not letting go of it easily." Myungsu-hyung replied. "Everyone deserves a second chance, whether it's for good or bad. Then, it's up to them, if they are willing to try their best at it."

I turned to Myungsu-hyung, and from the way his eyes shone, he was serious in what he just said.
When I couldn't utter a word, he was there to say it. 

The lobby was full of the company's staffs and workers , that it seemed that Jung Yeop-sajangnim felt a little humiliated.

"Are you here to humiliate me infront of them?" he queried angrily.

That flustered us a bit.

"What?" as I shook my head, "No. We're just trying to-"

"You are, aren't you? Why would you think I would let you stay-?"

I clenched my fist and looked at him,
"What if you weren't given another chance? Would you like that, sajangnim?" I asked, out of curiosity.

It took him a while to answer, but when he did, it was something I didn't expect it to be.
"Three days."

I was dumbfounded. Three days for what? ..

Jung Yeop-sajangnim repeated, "I'll give you three days. After that, I will check on your progress."
And after that, he turned his back on us, and with his assistant, he walked to the elevator.

Just when Jung Yeop-sajangnim had left, manager-hyung came running into the entrance.
He ran to me and Myungsu-hyung,
"Yaa, what happened? Sungjong-ah, if you want to meet the president, I should've-"

Myungsu-hyung hugged me and whispered, "Sungjong-ah, you're not leaving."

I hugged him back, smiling, possibly a little joyful tears coming out,
"I'm not!" I exclaimed happily.

Manager-hyung watched us and scratched the back of his head, "What?"

 

NOONE'S POV

Sunggyu kicked Woohyun's leg and that immediately woke the younger male.

"Wake up and go apologize to Sungjong." demanded Sunggyu, as soon as Woohyun sat upstraight.

Woohyun shook his hair and tilted his head to the standing Sunggyu, "What? Now?"

"Go."

"I just woke up-" Woohyun whined.

"Same with me." Sunggyu said, pulling the covers away from Woohyun.

 

Woohyun lazily walked out of his room and sauntered into Sungjong's shared room.
The room was dark, since Sungyeol and Howon wasn't awake yet and that their curtains were still closed, not letting the sunlight to penetrate in.

Woohyun searched for the light switch and turned the lights on.
He approached Sungjong's bed and stopped.

It was folded neatly. Even the 'teddy' of his was gone.
He became panicked.
Could Sungjong had already left? And he was a little too late in asking for forgiveness?

"Damn it." Woohyun cussed under his breath.

He darted out of the room, and out of the dorm, earning an irate shout from Sunggyu, asking him where he was going.

Woohyun decided to pretend like he didn't hear anything and just went off.
With no jacket, no scarf, but only his shoes.
He didn't care if he was in his 'dorm' clothes because all he wanted was to find Sungjong.

He reached the dancing studio, but the place was still locked, so Sungjong couldn't have possibly be in there.
He left the place and went running to Woolim Entertainment's headquarter, in hopes to find him there.

The headquarter and the dancing studio was pretty far from each other that he had to sprint to the headquarter.
He accidentally pushed a man down, however he didn't have time to even help him out, because he thought that he might be losing some time.

When reaching the headquarter, he was out of breath.
He could faint in the middle of the street, but he spotted Sungjong walking out of the building and made his last run to him.

"Su- Sungjong." he called, in between his heavy breathing, "Y-You-"

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

Who was this person infront of me ..?

Woohyun-hyung? ..
Omona. What is he doing here?

He took a deep breath and faced me, "You, what are you doing here? Why aren't you back at the dorm? You should be practicing with us, not leaving us. Our group is seven for a reason and you should come back to complete that odd number."

"Hyung, I-"

"Sungjong-ah, was I the reason for you to not concentrate? Did I really give you a hard-time? Sungjong-ah, I'm sorry. Sunggyu told me and I'm just so sorry. I'm sorry for treating you like trash. I should be treating you as a fellow member."

"Hyung, calm down." I managed to stop him, "I'm not leaving yet."

"Mwo?" Woohyun-hyung was back to his staright face. "Then, if you're not-"

I smiled, "I was given another chance."

Then, manager-hyung and Myungsu-hyung appeared behind me, after buying some drinks.

"Ah," Manager-hyung was surprised to see Woohyun-hyung, "Why are you here?"

Myungsu-hyung was also surprised to see him. "Hyung, what brings you here?"

I could see Woohyun-hyung's cheek turning red, feeling embarrassed, perhaps, and that made me smiled.
It was adorable to see him that way.

He crossed his arms, feeling annoyed and looked at me, "I said I'm sorry, Sungjong. Are you going to forgive me or what?"

"I hated you, hyung." I said frankly, "You didn't have to be so mean. You should think of others' feelings and not just-"

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I just feel.. Nevermind that."

"I'll think about it." I told him.

 

As we were heading back to the dorm, Woohyun-hyung was suddenly laughing, making me, the curious among all, to stare at him suspiciously.

"Hyung, are you alright?" I queried.

"It's funny how I never realized you had been there for me." he said, "When I fought with manager-hyung, you chased me, but then I scolded you. How come I never realized you're a caring person?"

"Because you were a jerk and stuck-up."  I replied.

"YAA." Woohyun-hyung suddenly changed expression into an upset one.

 

    When we reached the dorm, Sunggyu-hyung, Howon-hyung and Dongwoo-hyung was in the living room, sitting.
They were waiting turns of using the bathroom, whom Sungyeol-hyung was currently in.

Dongwoo-hyung watched as one by one of us walked in, and when I stepped into the dorm, 
he smiled and ran to me, immediately wrapping his arms around me,
"You're still here, Sungjong!" he exclaimed.

Howon-hyung felt relieved as well, but he just kept himself composed.

Manager-hyung clapped his hands and that diverted our attention to him,
"As you know, Sungjong was given three more days and with that given opportunity, I want all of you to help him on what he needs." he then added, "He's at a very young age too, so please, take good care of him. I mean it."

Sunggyu-hyung smiled to himself and walked to Woohyun-hyung, patting his shoulder.

"Alright!" Dongwoo-hyung shouted happily, "For those three days! We will help our dear maknae!"

Then, the bathroom's door closed and came Sungyeol-hyung, with his towel around his neck.

"Sungjong?" he was .. a little shocked. "You-You're here? I thought you left. Your bag and clothes weren't even-"

"I put it behind the door." I said, "You didn't see it?"

"Why are you still here?" Sungyeol-hyung asked.

"I'm not leaving yet." I answered.

"Really ..?" his straight owl-face then started to loosen up, and he smiled, "I'm happy."

Manager-hyung then told everyone to head the shower before we were late for our morning jog.

Hearing that, somehow made me go all giddy and excited. 
It was nice to know that I wasn't leaving yet.

 

       Practice was great. All of my hyungs were teaching me and taking good care of me.
Woohyun-hyung and Sunggyu-hyung helped me on my vocal, and Howon-hyung helped me on my dancing.
It was .. an awesome day.

When practice ended that day, we decided to head back to our dorm to take a rest.
Myungsu-hyung walked next to me and hugged me one-arm.
"It's nice that you're still here with us, Sungjong." he said sheepishly, "And I have something that I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" as I turned to him.

He landed his head on my shoulder and pouted, "Later."

 

NOONE'S POV

Howon and Dongwoo were behind everyone. They seemed to be waking a little slow.
As they were sauntering, Dongwoo saw the noona again.

His first love noona.

Howon saw her too, and somehow, that noona saw them.

"Dongwoo-ah!" she called happily.

Dongwoo paused from walking and smiled, "Jae In- noona! What are you doing here?"

"I just got back from the academy, and I'm going to eat dinner." she replied.

"Oh, have fun then-"

"Do you want to join me?" a sudden question from her.

Dongwoo gave it a thought and looked at Howon, who felt like an outcast at the moment.
"I'm going to eat dinner with Howon, so I guess it's a no." Dongwoo then smiled at her, "Annyeong, noona!"
And after that, he bowed his head and walked past her, grabbing Howon away too.

"Hyung," Howon started, "Are you sure you-"

"You're much more important to me, Hoya."

Hoya? ..
Howon scoffed playfully and laughed at the sudden name.
 

SUNGJONG'S POV

We reached the dorm and everyone climbed the stairs to the door tiredly, but I was told to stay by Sungyeol-hyung.

"Hyung, wae-"

"I just need to talk to you for a minute."

When he was sure that everyone had already walked in, he turned me to him,
"Sungjong-ah, I didn't have the chance to tell you how overwhelmed I am that you're still staying."

I smiled, "Thank you. I feel-"

"Yaish! I haven't finish yet."

I rolled my eyes and looked away, "Okay, sorry."

"Sungjong-ah, I am very-"  he was about to give me a hug,
then, out of nowhere, 
"Sungjong-ah!" someone called, this time, it was Myungsu-hyung. "Woohyun-hyung told me to cook dinner, help me out!"

I whirled to Myungsu-hyung, "Ah, ne!" and scurried back into the dorm.

 

NOONE'S POV

Sungyeol clenched a fist and sighed.
"I was about to tell you something important." ..

 

SUNGJONG'S POV

    In the kitchen, Woohyun-hyung didn't cook at all.
He was only supervising me and Myungsu-hyung.

When Myungsu-hyung almost poured in sugar into the soup, Woohyun-hyung literally screamed, 
"What the hell are you doing? That's sugar. Why are you putting sugar in?"

Myungsu-hyung quickly apologized and I snickered at his mistake. I didn't seem to expect any mistake in what Myungsu-hyung was doing.
I was stirring busily of the beef stew we were making when suddenly, Myungsu-hyung was crying.
"Sungjong-ah." as he rubbed his eyes, "My eyes are watery."

I trailed back to what he was doing and found out that he had been cutting red onions,
"Ah! Hyung, don't- why are you rubbing your ey-" as I removed his hand away from his stinging eyes.

Myungsu-hyung was actually laughing at what he was doing and grabbed my wirst, pulling me closer,
"About the thing I want to ask you." he said.

"Yeah?"  I remembered it now!

Myungsu-hyung smiled and whispered, "Be mine."

 

 

A/N Whatsup!~ It's LovelyWinter here. sorry that the last chapter took a long time and sorry to those who had been waiting. I had a hard time writing it. (aigoo!)  and WOW. WHAT A LONG CHAPTER!! 
Anyway, here it is, chapter 20, the last chapter. I actually had so many things to write in the last chapter but, I don't know why I cut it off. Hope you're all okay with his chapter. Finally, this fic is complete! I feel (proud).
Sorry for those who likes Yeoljong, that I disappointed you for making Sungyeol's love one sided. Myungjong wins.
* I'm not sure of writing a sequel yet. Since, I have to start on Cafe Infinite now. (yay!)
MIND THE SPELLINGS AND GRAMMARS.

Thank you to all subscribers. Thank you for all the comments you've given me. Thank you for the readers who had been reading this fic chapter by chapter and not getting sick of it. (gumawo!) <33

Thank you to SungHoney for advertising this fic. <333 (You helped me alot!)
Thank you to my awesome readers. I can't mention everyone T T
 

So, yeah. *bows. Thank you for reading. *hugs <33

 

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