The room is in a state of utter mess. Clothes thrown haywire around, bags in the middle, socks without their match in sight, shoes left upside down or just like they are going to leave the room, and let's not start with the accessories. The occupants are three, but the mess they leave behind is equal to that of 12. Of course, had the same occupants been here, that would not have been the case, but one of the three sleeps on the couch and does not meet with the tall one.

The dorm is just as much of a mess. The occupants are out for practice. For most of the time, the beds are to sleep, the other furniture to throw stuff on and forget, until the hyung and the hyung of the maknae set out to clean. 

Back to the room with a sole occupant. The only thing that is organized is the wall and the table underneath it. The wall is adorned with posters of members in different concepts and at award ceremonies. The table is filled with frames of members and their family, and several gifts members have given one another. There are three chairs littered everywhere but the table. 

The room is a mess. An absolute picture of chaos, whereas the sole occupant is the exact opposite.

He is a picture of calmness personified. 

Chanyeol sits with his guitar. He stares at nothing and strings at his guitar, hoping for some miracle, or anything at all to hit him with motivation. He picks at the strings again, and again and again. Once more and his strings snapped. 

He had started overdoing everything, according to Hyungs, his parents, his sister, and even his friends. Over-working his compositions, pushing the sample singers, and his fight with members was out of context, even for him. Even Jongdae didn’t take his side today. All he had done was ask to sing, and Baekhyun just didn’t sing the way he wanted him to. He did shout a bit too loudly and Baekhyun was out the door. Chanyeol broke his guitar strings in frustration that time as well. 

Before that he got chewed out by the producers. They rejected his compositions, literally all of them were binned. His compositions had started taking a somber, slow and pining tone – according to Junmyeon Hyung, but the producers called it whining. His new music contrasted with the band image, he was told by them. He sighed just thinking how Yixing Hyung had to take up tracks from him and redo them.

Chanyeol felt like he was just… just lost. Lost without his friends.

“Yah! If your pout grows any bigger and your brows deepen more, it will make manager-nim worried about your face!” a voice spoke from the door.
Chanyeol looked up to see Junmyeon Hyung peeking from the door, with a hesitant smile. When Chanyeol kept staring at him, he frowned and asked, “Chanyeol?”

“Come in, hyung and sing for me, since nobody will now,” he joked, but it fell flat even to his ears. There was only one voice he needed right now. 

“Yeah, I heard about the fight,” Junmyeon said as he walked towards the composer on the chair. He hesitated, hovering over the chair to his right, which was dubbed as ‘Kyungsoo’s chair’, before Chanyeol pulled another chair in front of him.

“I just…I don’t know,” Chanyeol sighed as he let go of the guitar, letting it dangle from his neck. “Lu Han wrote this song last week and it got binned. But he gave it to me and I just can’t get the tune right,” Chanyeol said grumpily, “I got Baekhyun to sing it, but…well, you know how that went.”

“Yeah, I heard him complain about it. He said you screamed at him that he could not sing?” Junmyeon asked as pursed his lips.

“No, yes!! But…but I didn't mean it like that!! I just don’t know what to do!! I don’t want to give up but I am not getting anywhere close to liking it! And Baekhyun kept singing high notes, even though I told him not to! And he didn't get the lower ones right! He kept singing it in a funny tune, when it was not one!!” Chanyeol said. During his rant, he removed guitar from his neck and was about to throw it in the bag haywire, when Junmyeon saved it by taking the guitare from his hand. He placed the guitar on the dubbed chair, and focused once more on Chanyeol. Who was now staring at the dubbed chair and guitar on it.

“Chanyeol,” the leader shuffled closer to him, “you’ll get there, have faith in yourself.” Junmyeon rested a reassuring hand on his arm. When Chanyel finally looked away from the chair and at him, Junmyeon offered a small smile. Chanyeol sighed and held Junmyeon’s hand on his arm.

“I don’t know hyung, I just can’t… I am trying to get into the tune, but I can’t seem to… cant seem to..just...ugh!!” he wailed

“Focus?” Junmyeon said. 

At Chanyeol’s nod, he continued, “pushing when you are frustrated enough to almost break your guitar won’t help.”

“What will help then?” Chanyeol turned with fire and frustration in his eyes, the pressure with which he was squeezing his arm also increased. At Junmyeon’s wince, he apologized and retracted his hand. 

Junmyeon patted his shoulder now, hoping for them to loosen. 

“A break,” he said as he got up, “come on, we are going to the dance practice,” he said as he attempted to pull.

Chanyeol sported a confused look,“What is it, Hyung? You want me? To go to practice? That too dance practice? What is wrong?”

 

Junmyeon resisted rubbing his hand over his face, but sighed instead. In order to not blurt out the first thing that popped in his head, Junmyeon got up and turned to look at the collage of pictures and posters covering the wall behind Chanyeol’s chair, while Chanyeol stared at him. The heavy silence blanketing them. 

After a few quiet moments, Chanyeol raised his hand to shake Junmyeon’s arms, “Hyung, what's up?”

“Kris, Tao and Lu Han are leaving,” still looking at the pictures.

He let his fingers touch the picture of their first win and he suddenly was flooded with those images, noises and hands touching him and….

 

“Yah Hyung!!” at Chanyeol’s shaking he looked at him,  “I know they are scheduled to promote in China, and then we…”

“No, Chaneyol, they are leaving,” Junmyeon said as he turned his gaze towards the posters. “They have left the company as of today.”

“What! You’re lying!!! That can’t be true!!! This is a prank right? It can't be… I still haven’t.… his songs and our boot-camp is coming up… and…and…” Chanyeol said as he started pacing around the room. Junmyeon finally looked and steadied his gaze at Chanyeol.
“Kris hyung, Tao and I have a rap battle show this week!!! Yixing Hyung is preparing a break dance with Sehun and Jongin for the next appearance!! They can’t be leaving! HAHA!! You are messing with me!!!”

“Chanyeol, listen to me….” Junmyeon said as he approached a frantic Chanyeol, “they HAVE LEFT THE COMPANY AS OF TODAY.”

Chanyeol was stunned. He kept staring at his hyung. 

“You are serious”

“Yes, I don't…”

“They can't be leaving!! HYUNG!!”

“Chan…”

“No, I will talk to them and then we will figure out what is happening, they can’t just leave!!!” Chanyeol finally stopped moving around and looked at Junmyeon, hands holding his shoulder, “Not like this…Hyung… not like this!!”

“Chanyeol, please,” Junmyeon said as his voice broke, and he broke eye contact to stare down at his hand. Chanyeol looked down and saw the frame in his hand. 

It was a small gift from their mothers to celebrate the success of the last album. It was a tiny Polaroid that all the members received. Only Jongin had it framed so that he wouldn't take it everywhere and lose it. He saw Junmyeon’s hands tremble, just a little before he placed the frame back on the table.

 

Chanyeol swallowed the lump formed in his throat and said, “I know... I know that Kris hyung was unhappy with the way they were being treated. Them expecting Tao, was hurt recently, to perform, and Lu han’s songs being rejected over and over, but we are brothers. We are still brothers!! They wouldn’t just leave us!!! They will come back after some time, won’t they Hyung?”

“No, Chanyeol. They have filed a lawsuit. Lawsuit against the company. The company is already preparing for a copyright issue and they have already issued a no contact clause for us. It will prohibit us from keeping any contact with each other,” Junmyeon said as he shuffled on his feet. Hoping, fervently hoping, Chanyeol won't ask.

“That is not all, is that hyung?” Chanyeol asked softly. Junmyeon looked away. “I know our group, so it can’t be just that.”

“Jongdae was right,” Junmyeon mumbled as he rubbed his hand on his face. “Jongdae and Minseok Hyung are contemplating leaving as well. They are closest to them and Sehun...”

“What did he do?” Chanyeol asked.

Junmyeon stayed silent.

“Hyung?”

“Yeah, he went around asking others to sign a petition for Kris, Lu Han, Tao and Yixing, which will be shared on the internet. It is a petition to support them. Almost punched a few hyungs and trainees who were bad mouthing them. Kyungsoo was there to stop fights before it escalated to that, thankfully. Baekhyun and Jongin sat Sehun down to set up some way to keep in touch with them.” he paused to arrange the abandoned guitar in the bag, “and then that boy….”

There was only one 'that boy' in Junmyeon’s vocabulary. 

Chanyeol's heart leaped out as he stared at the floor with widened eyes. Junmyeon turned away from the table, and started straightening up the guitar. 

It was something that Chanyeol would do, it was his guitar, but he let his hyung handle his guitar, and found himself frozen on the spot. He should wait, and wait for Junmyeon to continue. Because Hyung would tell him everything.

But when it came to ‘that boy’, he could not wait, not with any patience.

“What about Kyungsoo, Hyung?”