Sunggyu had a lot on his mind. Their contract to Woollim and as Infinite had just ended, and they had to decide whether to stay or to leave. Truth to be told, he was not exactly pleased with the way the company treated them. As the most senior group of the company, they did most of their activities in Japan to generate more revenue, which in turn was used for their junior's activities. Of course, Sunggyu also loved his juniors, some of them had also trained with him, but sometimes he could not help but feel that the company was being unfair to Infinite. The intervals between their comebacks had also grown longer as time went by, slowly decreasing their popularity in Korea despite their strong fanbase.

He was considered a lucky one among the members. He got to do various solo schedules when Infinite was not promoting. Some members also received the same benefits, such as L who was active in dramas and fanmeetings, Woohyun with his solo album, and Sungyeol with his drama and Golden Child MC-ing. However, some members were not given the proper amount of attention and activities. Sungjong and Dongwoo did not appear on screen much during Infinite's absence in the music industry and the company did nothing to promote them, focusing solely on Lovelyz and the new boygroup. Hoya was also too underrated compared to his talents. He captured the audience in Hit the Stage and his acting had been praised by many, but still he did not receive the attention he deserved.

The disappointment towards his company made Sunggyu sometimes thought of leaving Woollim, boosting his career with a new agency who would focus on him, giving him the treatment he deserved. He was sure that most members had also thought the same thing, about leaving. He had also thought of taking all of the members with him, staying together maybe not as Infinite, under a different agency. But then his CEO's sacrifice for him and his group during their predebut and early days made him felt obliged to stay. His CEO had even sold his house for Infinite to made their MV, staying in the group's basement which leaked during rainy seasons. Despite the lack of funds, his CEO did not give up and promoted Infinite with all of his capacities. He could never abandon the man and agency who had raised him, from nothing to who he was.

Inspirit was also the reason Sunggyu decided to stay. The people who had supported him for seven years, who probably had spent most of their youth cheering on him and s. He did not have the heart to disappoint Inspirit. He wanted to make sure that Infinite would always be there for Inspirit infinitely. The last reason for him to stay, and probably the most important reason was Infinite itself. Infinite was not just a team, his co-workers. Infinite had been his family, a huge part of his life, and almost his everything. Although he always joked around about going solo, he had felt the happiest when promoting with s. Each member was so different that together, they could create a unique harmony, not just any genre, but Infinite genre. The members, all younger than him, had also been his strength during his down period, and his source of happiness during his success. All of these reasons set Sunggyu's decision in stone. To stay.

As the leader of Infinite, Sunggyu was the one who gathered all of the members for the discussion about their contract renewal. All members sat in silence, looking nervous about their own decision and the others. Sunggyu believed that some of them were still unsure. It is true that both sides were equally charming. Staying in Infinite was like staying inside their comfort zone, under the protection of Inspirit and working under the familiar environment with their family-like members. Leaving was like a whole new adventure, trying something new, grabbing the chance of expanding their careers, free to do anything without the barrier of being an idol group. Inside his heart, Sunggyu wanted all of them to stay, to be with Infinite until the end, but he could not force his will, he could not take their dreams from them.

"So.. This is awkward but we need to talk about it. Have all of you made your decisions about our contract?" Sunggyu started the conversation, looking around at s. Some nodded slowly while some shook their heads.

"I will tell you my decision first. I'm going to stay. I won't force you to do the same. I'm sure that all of you have the potentials to go further than this and you are free to do that. But I'm going to stay." Sunggyu said. With their popularity, there was no doubt that every agency would have accepted them without any hesitation.

"I'm staying too. I think all of my dreams have been fulfilled by being together with you guys as Infinite. And my brother has just debuted with the company." The choding Sungyeol spoke next. Sunggyu had expected the former's decision. Sungyeol would absolutely stay since Daeyeol had just made his debut under Woollim. Sungyeol was also more of a relaxed type of person, so he would not have thought of leaving.

"Me too! I can't live without you guys!" Dongwoo said happily, hugging Sungyeol who sat next to him. Dongwoo had always been the moodmaker of the group, always laughing at their jokes and relieved the tensions between them. Dongwoo's decision was not surprising as the younger was too warm-hearted to leave them. Sometimes Sunggyu envied Dongwoo, with his carefree personality and optimistic view of life.

"Sunggyu hyung, since you're too old to be the only main vocal, I'll stay for you." Woohyun grinned at Sunggyu. This was actually a bit unexpected. Woohyun was one of the members who had been interested in solo career. With the younger's beautiful and strong voice, he could have easily performed as a solo singer. If Woohyun had debuted in other group, he would have been the only main vocal. But the younger had chosen to stay instead, to help him keeping Infinite's existence, and Sunggyu was really grateful for that.

Only three people still remained silent. Hoya, Myungsoo, and Sungjong. The three of them all had the perfect reasons not to continue with Infinite. Myungsoo was already very popular, the most successful out of the seven members. His drama was a big hit and he had fanmeetings all around Asia scheduled. Even without Infinite, Myungsoo would have definitely succeed. Hoya was a full package idol. He was exceptional at dancing and superior at singing and rapping. Hoya was also a very good actor and had a good sense of variety, which would no doubt help him succeed in the entertainment world. Sungjong had a very beautiful face, he also had a great dancing skill and a unique voice. His popularity was clearly below his potential, and the company was the one to blame for not promoting him properly. After a few moments of silence, the maknae was the first one to speak.

"I think I will also stay. I am too indebted to Inspirit and all of you hyung are really good to me. I can't just leave like that." Sungjong smiled sincerely. Sunggyu looked at the youngest and unconsciously his lips formed a smile too. The maknae really loved Inspirit. Even though Woohyun was the best one in fanservice, Sungjong had always been known to treat Inspirit exceptionally well.

"Well.. I don't have any reason to leave. And you guys are my only close friends so I guess I'll stay." Myungsoo said, looking at the other members before smiling widely.

Since Myungsoo and Sungjong had uttered their intention to stay, all attention went to Hoya who had not said anything. The latter looked around nervously. It seemed like Hoya wanted to say something but did not have the nerve too. Sunggyu had a hunch that the dancing machine wanted to leave but could not say it directly since the others had decieed to stay.

"Howon-ah, how about you? Just speak out your decision, we won't be disappointed or offended." Sunggyu said softly, lowering his tone to encourage Hoya to speak.

"I'm thinking of quitting... I'm sorry but I want to do new things that I cannot do while I'm part of this group. I hope we can still be friends even after this." Hoya finally spoke, his eyes fixed on the floor. All the members were quiet, probably not expecting to be separated after the past seven years together. Sunggyu could feel the members' disappointed looks, he also could not deny his disappointment as he had hoped for a full team comeback. But then, Hoya was not at fault for chasing his dream and he had to understand the younger.

"That's fine. I hope both you and Infinite can continue to be successful." Sunggyu smiled sadly, patting Hoya's shoulder. The other members also started to say their wishes for Hoya. All of them gathered for the last group hug which consisted of all seven members. Sunggyu believed that no matter what, Infinite would always consist of seven members, and Hoya would always be there with them although not physically present.

Sunggyu promised himself that he would always do his best to protect the team forever, to protect Infinite. Inspirit had done their parts very well in supporting Infinite, but keeping Infinite together was his and the members' responsibility. Of course protecting a team is not an easy feat, with a lot of hindrances and challenges. But he would never be alone. He had s who would also be there to protect Infinite. Infinitely.