Sungmin finally walked out of the studio. He stepped onto the side of the curb, peering out to see if his manager had arrived yet. Today seemed to the busiest day for the managers. It’s not a surprise if his manager was late to picking him up. Everyone had something scheduled to go to. For Sungmin, it would be his musical. He took out his phone and text his manager.

“Hyung, should I go back inside to wait for you?” he texted. His fingers were cold from the chilly weather.

His phone vibrated immediately, reading “I’ll be there in about five to six minutes. Go inside to stay warm.”

Sungmin walked back into the lobby and sat on the bench nearby, facing the doors to watch to his manager. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Nowadays, it’s pretty hard for a member to be able to catch some sleep. His mind drifted to the dorms and how every night, there would be a member that opens the door so late in the night. It was so easy to walk by the rooms without waking anyone up because most of them would be tired from their schedule and sleep through the noise.

He chuckled at the memory he had with Donghae. Donghae was usually a light sleeper back then. When they were roommates, Sungmin would always managed to wake him up by just tiptoeing into the room. He would be attacked with pillows as a revenge for waking Donghae up. Sungmin opened his eyes and stared off at the ceiling. He wonders “Is Donghae still a light sleeper? Or can he sleep now as easily as everyone else.”

He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. It said “Sorry Sungmin. Wait a bit longer. There’s construction on the roads and it’s taking awhile.”

He typed a quick “ok” and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He looked around to see if there was anyone still at the studio this late at night. Off to a distance, he saw an opened practice room with music coming out into the hallway. He quietly walked over to the side and peeked in. Inside, there were SM trainees that he occasionally sees everytime he goes into the company. Some were sitting against the walls with their heads down to their knees. Others were in front of the mirror, dancing on their own and shaking their heads as if disappointed with their progress. A few were gathered in a circle, just practicing their lyrics, correcting each other’s tones and pronunciation. Seeing them struggling from dancing and singing reminded him of days when he and the other members would train so late at night in hopes of debuting into the world.

He remembered how back then, it was almost every man for himself. Debuting took awhile. For the members, the time and training seemed liked forever. Some were actors at first. Some were training and acting as MCs. Most just stayed in the practice room to perfect their singing, to perfect their dance, to perfect everything that is needed to debut. Each day had a new rough routine...complicated songs...learning to speak comfortably in front of the camera...with hopes that their parents, friends, peers can see them one day achieving their dream. He remembered how he and Eunhyukkie were laying on the ground, unwilling to move another step. He remembered how Donghae cried in the first few months being away from his family, especially his father. He remembered Teukie hyung trying to rally the trainees that one day, the time to debut will come, even though he himself was disheartened after “SMILE” didn’t debut. He remembered how each member has broken down on the floor, not believing that they will get a chance to dance for the world, sing for the world. He cried as much tears as the other members. He had thought it was nearly impossible to debut after training for so long. But it finally did happen. It was like a dream to him. He was finally on stage with those that trained with him for years. He can finally smile, sing, dance for the world.

Sungmin watched as the trainees slowly started to stop practicing and laid on the ground. Few of the other trainees tried to rally each other to keep going, to keep training through the pain, tears, and sweat cause in the end, they’ll be rewarded. He smiled, for they remind him so much of his group. It was a long journey to the top. Many of s shed so many tears on the way. Some cried everytime they thought about the past, of how hard it was...but he told himself that he should not. He told himself to not cry on shows...to not cry at award ceremonies… to not cry at all. When the others cry, he shouldn’t. He may look cold, heartless, but on the inside, he's really crying.. The happy tears, the sad tears, the tears that made him relieved... all those he didn't want to show the members... cause he had to be strong for them.

Strong for his hyungs who suffered the most...The ones who protected him when the cameras flashed and mics stuffed in their faces…The ones who tell the younger ones that it’s okay, those hate comments will never and should never get to them…The ones who smiled so brightly for the world to see, despite the long schedules, despite the lack of sleep, despite making visits to the hospitals without the making a scene…

Strong for his dongsaengs who spent most of their younger days trapped in training rooms…The ones who he wanted to protect the most…The ones who spent time away from peers and had to grow up fast…The ones who brings a smile to his face and opened a world of laughter into his life… The ones who are young but strong in their mind and their hearts…

He felt his phone buzzing on the side. “Ah Hyung, I’ll come out now.” He ended his call and took another look at the trainees. He smiled to himself and thought, “Ah I miss the members.”

A/N: I'm back to writing for a bit! So so sorry to my subs for still reading this, checking updates. I'm glad that you guys still stuck with me and my story :D! Life got in the way and so I had less time to write and think of stories. What got me back was rewatching SUJU shows again and missing them a lot! I'll hope to finish this story by the end of the month but we'll see! Stay tuned!