What if I could promise you only happy moments? A life with no true heartache or pain?

What if I could undo all of the hurt that has been done? What if I could bring you away from it one hundred times stronger?

Would you take that change? Would you live that life?

I cannot promise that it won't be harder, because it will.

You will definitely face more trials and tribulations, but you will triumph over all that seeks to destroy you.

This time you will get it right.

'This time?' you ask.

What if I told you that you've all been here before. At least a dozen times. But you never get it right. The temptation is just too great.

Someone always leaves. Someone always gets hurt. Someone is always good for betrayal. Some are only out for themselves and some literally kill themselves to please everyone else.

I have been here through it all.

I have read every contract. Convinced you to make every deal the devil has offered. To keep you here in turmoil and sorrow. To keep me warm and fed. To make me happy. But that isn't who I am any more. Watching your tears now only brings me pain.

Dear Kris,

You were such a good leader. We thought you were our brother…our friend. Why did you betray us? Why did you leave? We had only been at this dream for a little under two years but we were doing well. Of course there were sacrifices to be made, and times of doubt, but we were supposed to have eachother. We should have been able to tell eachother everything. Why did you not come to us? Why did you never tell us how you felt? We would have come together to help you, brother…

The sound of Tao’s phone shattering was deafening. He was never so careless as to drop his phone, and he most definitely had the reflexes to catch it if it were to fall. Everyone turned around to look at him in concern. His face should have said it all. If only we had known what he had read.

“What’s wrong?” Lay asked in concern as he approached him.

Tao could only shake his head as tears came to his eyes.

“Tao-ssi?” Xiumin asked, taking a step forward as well.

We all looked around for Suho to assist but he was nowhere to be found as Tao collapsed to the ground, his face in his hands to cover his tears.

“Ta—“ Sehun began as he bent to pick up Tao’s phone, his voice dying as he read whatever was on the shattered screen.

Just then the door opened and shut and Suho came in red eyed and almost…defeated. Betrayed. Hurt.

“Suho?” Luhan asked in concern.

“Kris…”

“Is he okay?”

“What happened?”

“Where is he?”

The questions flew from our mouths faster than Suho could answer them.

“I don’t know,” Suho said, his voice hoarse.

“He left.”

“What?” Baekhyun asked.

“He left,” Suho replied.

“He…left the agency. EXO.”

We were all floored.

In the days and months following Kris’ departure, there were many hard feelings, an abundance of harsh words, and several social media postings that had to be deleted. But there was never an explanation or an apology. Just an empty space in our hearts where our brother had been. And it was hard to readjust to 11. The choreography was always off. EXO-M had to re-record all their back up tracks, and suddenly Yixing, Tao, and Luhan were working ten times harder to prove to President Lee Soo Man that they were not like Kris. They would not abandon the dream they had worked so hard for.

But in trying to prove ourselves, we overdid ourselves. We pushed harder to show our fans a better side of us. We vowed to no longer let them see us hurt. We worked longer at promotions, shows, and individual schedules. We were damaged. Luhan was sick. Tao had badly injured his leg. Lay was picking up the slack from his group mates. We were all tired. Kai-ssi was battling depression. And then it happened again.

What happened to you to make you change your mind? Just this June you said, 'let's work hard and not regret. Let us make our dreams come true.' Now you too have gone. Please do not say it was for your health. We all have sacrificed for our dreams. We all agreed. Look at poor Yixing. He has sacrificed the most. He has suffered...