One shouldn’t underestimate the power of the media and netizens as the following day, the boys woke up with tons of news regarding the incident.

SME tried their best to immediately stop the video from playing that night and even persuade the media to stop it from coming out. But, it’s definitely hard to control thousands of SMTown fans who were present at the said event since just minutes before it, tons of fancams and fan accounts have already been spread all trough out the internet and was already the topic of k-pop fans around the world.

Sungmin turned off the laptop as everything seemed to be so heavy, as if his weighing the whole world on his head.

He flops down on his bed, trying to process all of it. It all happened so fast that he still can’t believe it would turn out like this.

He then looked at the green bed at the right side of the room and sighed. Kyuhyun was asked to sleep in Leeteuk’s room and spend meters away from him to avoid furthermore damage; as if there’s even more worse that could happen, Sungmin scoffed in his mind.

His reverie was cut when he heard someone knocked softly on the door.

 “It’s time for lunch.” Shindong shortly said then immediately closed the door.

Before he could go any further, Sungmin was already running towards him and stopped the older man.

“Shindong. I’m.. I’m  sorry.” Sungmin looked down at the floor; he can’t look straight into his bestfriend’s eyes without feeling even guiltier.

But Shindong only broke into Sungmin’s grasp and walked away.

Sungmin could only look at Shindong’s retrieving figure with the guilt filling his heart, as he feels the side of his eyes starting to flood with tears that’s preparing for its escape soon.

He saw Siwon looking at him, so he fought back all his tears and starts to put on his mask.

“Are you okay?” Siwon softly murmur.

He felt the concern and worry in Siwon’s voice that he could feel his mask slipping down but he still tried his best to smile, but failed as his body won’t even cooperate and refuse him to perform the simple lie.

So he just slowly shook his head.

 “It’s fine. Everything would be fine.” Siwon softly murmurs as he brings Sungmin in his lean arms.

“Actually in times like this, I would tell that you should just let it all to God and everything would be fine but I know you’ll just ignore me and roll your eyes.”

That’s more like Kyuhyun though. Sungmin thought

“Since that’s what Kyuhyun did.” Siwon continued making Sungmin chuckle abit amidst the building pain and tears in his heart.

Siwon smiled as he hears his hyung chuckle, hoping he could do something to erase this entire problem that hit their group like a landslide, leaving all of them in this miserable state.

“Just know that we all love you and Kyuhyun. We’re just worried, well some are hurt, disappointed.. but that’s because we deeply care about the two of you. We’ll all survive this altogether.”

Sungmin brought out a little smile and thanked the taller man.

“Let’s go?”

Sungmin nodded as Siwon led him to the dining area where the rest of the members are already eating.

“Yah! What took you so long?!” Heechul scolded Siwon then when his eyes landed at Sungmin he immediately turned away giving the younger a cold shoulder.

Siwon sat beside Heechul while Sungmin tried his best to ignore Heechul’s action and sat on the only vacant seat left which was beside Ryeowook.

Sungmin wants to get some rice but it was at the other end of the table. He wanted to ask someone to pass it over but almost everyone seems to ignore him and turns away once Sungmin’s gaze would fall onto them. So he just tried his best to stretch his arms but damn his hands for being too short that he can’t, plus it makes him weak seeing the members ignoring him, making his hands shake in pain.

Siwon who was on the other side of the table attempted to help him but was thrown with a piercing gaze by Heechul which he swears, could really kill people. So he just sunk lower into his seat, giving an apologetic smile to the bunny boy.

Ryeowook who was watching all of it, slids his hand below the table and gave Sungmin’s thigh an assuring squeeze. He too was angry, more like disappointed with his hyung, but he can’t help but feel bad about him.

The older let out a soft thank you to the eternal magnae. But all of it is still heavy in his heart, killing him, making it impossible for him to breathe.

So he just chose to stand up and excused himself as he took his steps away from the dorm.

He ran outside as he exhaled a large amount of air. The silence emanating in the dorm kills him that he just wanted to be away from that place even for just a minute.

Though it seemed it wasn’t his best decision when he suddenly felt gazes being thrown towards him.

He realized that he was only wearing a pair of t-shirt and jogging pants and doesn’t have anything to disguise him.

He didn’t want to go back to the dorm yet, so he just ignored it and continued walking as he sort his thoughts and decided to go on a nearby park to wind up.

But the gazes were turned into soft murmurs that went louder each second, making it impossible for him to not notice.

Oh my, so he’s the boyfriend stealer?

What a !

How could he do such thing? He has no shame!

He gulped as he tries to block away all the sounds as it sharply draws in his heart, leaving a big painful scar.

Suddenly, he felt something hard and sticky being thrown on his face. Before he could bring his hand onto his face and see what it was, he felt another one being thrown onto him, and another, until he was being hit consecutively matched with hoards of shouts and laughter. All bringing pain not just on his crumbling body but also in his heart.

He wanted to ask them to stop, but he couldn’t do anything as he just stood there and accept all of it.

He wanted to cry so badly, the pain in his heart is unbearable that he’s mind won’t even function.

Little by little, he mustered all his courage to stand up straight and bring his head up.

He did his best to bring his weak crumbling knees straight and walk as if nothing happened.

So he’s just going to walk away?! He really has no shame!

How arrogant!

He gulps as eerie voices still shoot on his head, making his body crumble, but he tries his best to bring his shaking knees forward, and walk as if those people weren’t there.

He continued walking with his eyes close, not minding the cruel world around him. 

After a few grueling minutes, he didn’t notice that he already reached the dorm. He tried his best to open the door and continued walking in as if nothing happened.

“Su- sungmin..” He could hear soft gasps as he could feel s’ pity-filled eyes towards him as their eyes stare at his condition.

He could feel his body starting to weaken again, so he pleaded his body to not give up on him this time and continued to walk. He was stopped when his gaze suddenly met with the magnae.

The younger’s eyes were filled with deep emotions he couldn’t decipher. Was it worry? Pity? Was it even care?..he wish.

That thought hurts him inside but what kills him the most is when the other just turned his stare away from his then walk away as if nothing happened, as if he didn’t mattered at all.

The action left a big deep scar in his heart, even worse than the pain he felt from those hurting words thrown by other people.

He could feel the whole world falling down on him making him fall down from his defenses. So he hurriedly ran to the bathroom as he instantly fell down the floor the minute he enters the room.

He the shower, as he lets the cold water stream down on him meeting the showers in his eyes from its fall. He tries to wash away all the pain filling his heart, hoping there’s a way to make it all fade.

*

Sungmin’s been inside for more than an hour which the members didn’t question. What’s there to ask? As they see Sungmin walking inside the dorm, head to toe, filled with gooey substances they can’t put a finger on as they can’t find it in their heart to even look longer without crushing down and running to Sungmin. They might be giving a cold shoulder to their resident aegyo prince, but that’s only because they we’re hurt, they felt betrayed by the KyuMin couple.

The leader looked at the other members as they occupied the living room doing their own things, but it’s pretty obvious that everyone’s distracted by the sound of sobs coming from the bathroom all breaking their hearts into pieces. He tries his best not to cry as the emotion of guilt main all of the other flooding emotion that’s vacating his heart at the moment. He can’t help but blame himself, he’s the leader but he let this happened.

If he could have been more observant by s, he could’ve noticed it and this couldn’t have happened; that’s just one of the ifs that are lurking in his head, building the thought that he really has failed the group as a leader. He’s going to lose his mind so he just let his body control him and run to the bathroom door, which he’s sure everyone has wanted to do the second Sungmin entered from it.

He’s about to knock but was stopped as Sungmin walked out from the door, towel cladding his small body.

“Oh hyung, are you going to use the bathroom? I’m really sorry it took me so long.” Sungmin bowed down then let out a small smile making the leader want to cry as he sees Sungmin putting an act when deep inside the leader knows that the younger is still crumbling in pain and dealing with it alone.

He felt his body betrayed him as tears started flowing from his eyes.

Sungmin yet again feels his mask slipping down, seeing his hyung that he admires the most crumbling down, and was surely because of him.

Their moment was cut when their manager walked inside the dorm, calling all of their attention.

“We’ll be having a meeting in 5 minutes so please get ready and call the other members.” The manager muttered in a low voice.

Sungmin took this as a chance to get away from the room before he breaks down in front of the members.

He ran into the room and slump into the floor. He couldn’t even count how many times he had did this that day, but no matter how tired he is, he mustered the courage and all his strength to stand up and act strong, opposite from what he really is inside.

After grabbing all the strength, he went towards his cabinet and just picked whatever clothes his hand had set up on to and dress up before going out of the room, making sure to inhale a good amount of confidence, and face the members.

Everyone was already present when he reached the living room so the manager immediately started the meeting.

“Okay, I’m going straight to the point since I can’t find any other better way to say this.” The manager muttered, head bowed down on the floor as he tries to avoid looking at the ten other figures in the room.

“The heads have already told me their decision for the issue and we have no choice but to follow them. First, Kyuhyun, you have a press conference the next day with Seohyun, you have to give her and the fans a public apology and tell them that it was your fault and you’re sorry for it. You also have to tell the people that what they saw with you and Sungmin was just a joke, was purely for fan service and didn’t mean anything at all; that you love Seohyun and only regard Sungmin as a brother, nothing more.” Sungmin gulped an invisible lump as the words sink into him, was it really just a joke? He looked at the magnae and notice his emotions was blunt as usual, does he agree with all of this? Was that what he really felt?

“And Sungmin.. “ the manager continued but then stopped mid way, trying to find the words to say what was tasked him to do. “You.. You’ll be, for the meantime, the heads decided to put you out of Super Junior.”

“Out?! What do you mean out?!” The members asked.

“I mean, it’s just for the meantime, who knows? it could still be changed, they might bring Sungmin back soon, I mean it could just be temporary, it..-”

“Stop giving us bull! What do you exactly mean?!” Heechul asked as he couldn’t hide his worry and concern for his dongsaeng anymore.

“The management thinks it would be best for the group if Sungmin would stay away from Kyuhyun and the group for the meantime..”

“How could that be best for the group?! Are you kidding us?!..”

Sungmin could hear the members screaming but all he feels is his world crumbling down as he feels he and his defenses fall with it.

So he found himself crying all his pain out, not minding the other people for the first time, and just letting out all of the pain inside him without worrying what would other say. He could feel his tears flooding more as he sees all the members surrounding him, sharing his pain and misery. As they all hold on to each other for strength.

He hold on to the arms that slowly gives him strength but its as if all the strength in the world combined is still not enough as he sees the only person that all his body needs to live walking away, leaving him in his misery.