멀어져만 가는 그대 You’re the only one

내가 사랑했던 것만큼 You’re the only one

아프고 아프지만 바보 같지만 Good bye

다시 널 못 본다 해도 You’re the only one

Only One

You’re only getting farther You’re the only one

As much as I loved you, You’re the only one

It hurts and hurts and it’s foolish but Good bye

Though I may never see you again, You’re the only one

Only one

Kai was a little caught off guard at first, but when he opened his eyes he saw Yurim singing along to the tune, dancing lightly in her seat. They had gone out to noraebang a few times together, but not recently. He had forgotten how much he loved her voice. It was something she was a little shy about sharing with others at first, but singing was something that he knew Yurim couldn’t live without.

지금 이 자리에서 우리는 남이 되겠지

어느 누군가는 눈물 흘리며 남겠지만

상처 주지 않으려고 자꾸 애를 써가면서

눈치 보는 니 모습 싫어 So I’ll let you go

We will become strangers at this place right now

Someone will shed tears and be left alone but

I hate seeing you try not to scar me

And feel ill at ease So I’ll let you go

Kai continued to listen to Yurim sing. Her eyes were unfocused but he could see the pain emanating from between her eyelashes. It was a pain he knew all too well, and one that had put his friendship with Yurim in a compromising position at one point in the past. Despite that, Kai kept listening. Even if he wanted to stop listening, he couldn’t. Her emotions struck and hypnotized Kai and he couldn’t tear his attention away from the voice that begged to be heard by someone who was no longer around. Part of Kai wanted to believe the song to be for him. But Kai knew better. The song wasn’t for him and Yurim was unconsciously thinking of someone else.

내 머릿속은 언제쯤 너를 지울까 (I will let you go)

하루 이틀 한달, 멀게는 아마 몇 년쯤 (My baby can’t forget)

그리고 언젠가 너의 기억 속에는

나란 사람은 더 이상 살지 않겠지 지우겠지

When will my head erase you? (I will let you go)

One day, two days, one month, if long term then a few years (My baby can’t forget)

And someday in your memories,

I won’t live in it, you will erase me

It was so very “Yurim” - to sing so wholeheartedly and freely with everything that was inside of her.

“Holy...I think...”

Yurim snapped back and looked at Kai oddly. “You think what?”

“I think I have an idea. But I need to run it by Seohyeon-noona first. I swear you’ll love it but I need to know if we can practice it at the performance next week.”

“What? We’d have like 4 days to prepare for it before final run-thru, though! Seohyeon won't let us redo the set list this late, anyway.”

“You know the song “Someday”, right?” Kai asked as he jotted something down on his pad of paper, blatantly ignoring Yurim’s concerns.

Yurim nodded. “By IU? I do, but that’s not really an easy song to choreograph.”

“Oh, you won’t dance it.”

“I won’t?”

“No. I have a better idea. One that screams you.”

Yurim was confused until she thought about what had just happened and her thoughts aligned with Kai’s. “You’re joking right?”

“Nope. Take care of the voice until next Wednesday. You’re going to sing.”

*~*~*~*~*

Joonmyun and Luhan were chatting fairly loudly while Sehun walked half a step in front of them. Luhan was playfully hugging a stuffed duck he managed to aegyo Sehun into letting him buy while Joonmyun was showing him a picture on his phone.

“This is that new place I was telling you about. The KeyCap.”

“Why does that name sound familiar, though. I swear I’ve heard it before.” Luhan asked as he tried to get a better look at the building.

“They just opened this last week, and are still only half-functioning. They aren’t opening in full until after they “properly christen it” next wednesday or something like that.” Joonmyun stuffed his phone back into his pocket. “That’s what Jongdae said at least.” he added, mostly as an aside to himself.

“Well I know I’ve never been here before, but I know someone else said something about this place other than you.”

“I did, you idiot.”

“Sehun-ah! Why are you calling me an idiot?” Luhan pouted as Sehun turned back at him. “Sorry, I forgot you told me. Why did you talk about this place again?”

“Yurim. Her group is “christening” that place. That’s why.” Sehun grumbled a little under his breath. Something about how Luhad doesn’t listen well or something like that. “That’s why we told Chanyeol that he couldn’t have Minseok’s surprise birthday thing that night. Cause he’s in Yurim’s dance group. And they are performing.”

Luhan lightly smacked Sehun on the arm. “I get it, you don’t have to spell everything out for me...jeez Sehun-ah...you’re going to make me cry or something.” He pouted again and puffed out his cheeks in protest.

“Well stop being...stop...stop making that face!” Sehun turned away, but not before Joonmyun and Luhan could catch his reddened cheeks.They quietly laughed to each other until Sehun glared at them. “Anyway, that’s why you’ve heard of The KeyCap before, and that’s where we’ll be next wednesday night.

“Right, right. Ah, Suho, you should come with us! You haven’t seen Yurim perform before, have you?” Luhan said excitedly. He was oblivious to the death glare that Sehun was sending him for suggesting such a thing, but remained silent as he awaited Joonmyun’s answer.

“Well, I did already tell Jongdae I’d probably be going, but...”

“No buts! You don’t have any other plans, so you’re going with us!”

Joonmyun sent an apologetic look Sehun’s way. But he was only half-sorry at best. He really was planning on going to support Jongdae, and he couldn’t really apologize for supporting a friend, right? That’s how Joonmyun saw it at least.

“Anywho, I think the two of us can take it from here, Suho.” Luhan said as he took a bag from Joonmyun’s hands. “We have a date to finish up, so we’ll catch you later.” Luhan pulled at Sehun’s arm and dragged him across the street before Joonmyun could get a word in.

“Tch...those two are too cute for their own good.”

*~*~*~*~*

Kris was helping Kyungsoo wash dishes while Yixing returned to unboxing things in his room.

“Thanks so much for helping out, Kris. Don’t know how we could have done this without you.”

“Easy, you would have made Joonmyun stay home until everything was sorted out.”

Kyungsoo laughed at Kris’ brashness. “You have to pick up Yurim soon, right? Don’t want to be the reason you kept her waiting.”

“She’s with Kai. Said she’d call me when she was ready to...speaking of...” Kris dried his hands before reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. “Hey babe, yeah I’ll be there soon. I’ll park down by my work place and walk over there. Yeah, see you it a bit Yurim.”

“See you later?” Kyungsoo asked as he shoved some left overs into the fridge. Kris nodded and made his way to the door. “Take care, Kris. Tell Yurim I said hi.”

“Yup. Yixing, I’m going!” Kris yelled so that Yixing could hear him. The drive from Kyungsoo’s apartment to Kris’ work was short. It was the walk to The Star Jar that took a lot longer than he had expected. In fact it wasn’t really the walk - it was just a few blocks, after all. Rather it was a voice that called out to Kris that made him take so much longer than he had anticipated.

“...Kris?”

*~*~*~*~*

Yurim was still sitting down at the table. Kai insisted on waiting with her until Kris was able to pick her up, but Yurim told him to go meet up with Seohyeon and discuss his idea (which he had managed to convince Yurim to agree with). Yurim didn’t know how long it would really take to get from Kyungsoo’s apartment to The Star Jar, but that didn’t mean Yurim wasn’t allowed to worry. While waiting, Yurim decided to kill some time on the dance floor and chat up some new friends she probably would only see once or twice more in her lifetime. 

About twenty minutes passed, and Yurim deemed it time to start wondering where Kris was, and panicked a bit when he didn’t answer his phone. Kris always told her to wait since he didn’t always hear his phone, but this was one time that Yurim didn’t want to sit around. She grabbed her things and ran out the door towards where the was pretty sure she would eventually run into Kris’ workplace.

It was a quick walk and Yurim spotted Kris’s bright blond hair from between the buildings. She was about to call out to him when someone else popped into view. Yurim didn’t know why, but she ducked behind a building and prayed to God she was mistaking the second person for someone else.

Unfortunately, fate likes to mess with people.

“...Kris?”

*~*~*~*~*

Joonmyun wasn’t really in the mood to go back to his apartment. He still had a lot of energy in his system and wanted to get rid of it before making his way home. So what better way to let out some energy than randomly running around the city? His car was parked in a lot in some oddball direction he’d be able to figure later, but for now walking felt more comfortable than driving.

That was when Joonmyun thought he saw someone he recognized. The bright blond hair was practically unmistakable, and the height was something that was a little more on the rare end of the scale, but there was still a chance that Joonmyun was wrong. He hesitated to say anything, but curiosity won out and a name slipped from his lips before he could stop himself.

“...Kris?”

The figure stopped and turned to face Joonmyun. “Hey.” Was all Kris said.

“Haven’t really seen you in a while. How are things?”

“Good.” Kris reverted to short and simple answers, hoping to keep their conversation short. “You?”

“Same. So what are you doing around here?”

“Picking up Yurim. Speaking of which, I have to get to The Star Jar so I’ll catch you later.” Kris turned back around and started to walk away.

“Ah, let me come with you.”

Kris gave Joonmyun an odd look but didn’t question his actions. He kept walking without giving much attention to the shorter boy.

Yurim, who was still hiding, crouched further behind the building as Kris and Joonmyun walked by. She felt bad for spying and eavesdropping, and for some reason being caught listening in on their conversation, albeit short and unrevealing, was the last thing she wanted to happen.

Their footsteps passed and neither noticed Yurim’s presence. When they were a little farther down the road, Yurim let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Crap! I have to get back inside before Kris realizes I left!” Yurim carefully shadowed Kris and Joonmyun, hoping to stay far enough away that they would never notice her but close enough that she could quickly sneak in after them without being caught.

Once she was in earshot, Yurim slowed down and took careful measures to not be seen.

“...she’s performing next Wednesday.”

“Who did you hear that from?”

“Luhan and Sehun. My friend Jongdae owns the place so he asked me to go check the place out that day.”

Kris hummed in understanding. “Yeah, Yurim’s performing with her group. You really haven’t seen her perform before?”

“She didn’t join the group until after-”

“Right.” Kris cut him short and pulled his phone out. “Anywho, I’m going to call her to come meet me at the door. Uh, see you later I guess.”

Joonmyun nodded and started to walk off.

“That’s...weird...she’s not picking up.” Kris redialed, not noticing Joonmyun walking back up to him. “I know I missed her call earlier, but she shouldn’t be giving me the old shoulder...”

“Maybe she can’t hear over the music? It does get pretty loud. Let me help you look for her.” Joonmyun reached for the door when Kris suddenly grabbed his hand.

“I can find my girlfriend by myself.”

“Quit being a baby and just let me help you out.” Joonmyun pried Kris’ hand off. “What? Don’t give me that look. I’m just trying to be a good friend. We are friends, afterall.”

Kris tightened his grip on Joonmyun’s arms. “Yeah. Friends. That’s all.”

Joonmyun picked up on the subtle hints of territorialism in Kris’ voice. “Yeah. So as your friend, let me help you find your girlfriend, who happens to also be my friend.”

Kris silently agreed to let Joonmyun help. They stepped inside and spread out to look for Yurim. The girl in question took this moment to sneak back inside and hide herself in the crowd before allowing herself to be found.

“There you are.”

“Hi Kris, what took you so long?” Yurim smiled, but after overhearing Kris and Joonmyun’s conversation at the door, she wasn’t sure she could look at them without worrying about their friendship.

Kris rolled his eyes before walking to the exit with Yurim tucked under his arm, totally unaware of Yurim’s concerns. He pulled out his phone and quickly punched a few keys before tucking it back in his pants pocket.

“Short message, that was.” Yurim said knowingly.

“Yeah. Joonmyun was helping me look for you. Told him I found you. Anywho, your place?”

*~*~*~*~*

“No, Kai. It’s too late to change the set list. You know the rules.” Seohyeon said as she wiped the sweat of her brow. She had just been out for a run when Kai called her to meet. She put her things down on a park bench where they met before sitting and resting her tired legs.

“But I need to get Yurim on stage and have her sing. I need to see if this will work and the sooner I know if this is a good idea or an utter flop, the faster Yurim and I can get to working on whatever is next.” Kai handed Seohyeon a her bottle. “Please, Noona, I begging you. You can cut out my solo to open up time so that Yurim can sing. Please!”

Seohyeon had to admit that Kai’s idea was tempting, but she just shook her head. “Kai, it isn’t something I can decide on my own. Wonjoon has as much of a say in anything as I do. I will not go behind his back when it comes to our group no matter what. That’s not how EXO works.” 

Kai kept putting the pressure on. He knew he could break Seohyeon’s resolve, and the window he had to get her to cave would close if he wasn’t persistent. “Then lets meet with Wonjoon now. Seohyeon, I know you’ve heard Yurim sing. You know how good she is.”

“Yes, she’s a great singer but-”

“So then just trust her. Trust me that I know what I’m doing and trust her that she’ll pull through with enough support.”

“I don’t even know where to find Wonjoon right now if we tried.”

“Call him, Noona. Please. This is the best idea possible. Not only does this idea scream Yurim, but it gives us a chance to expand who we are as EXO.”

“Well what part of it screams you, Kai?”

“You’ll see. But only if you get Wonjoon to agree with this idea.”

“Fine. We’ll talk with him. If he agrees, I’ll let it happen. But it’s on you to get everything to happen by Wednesday. I will not let a client down.”

“Yes ma’am!” 

*~*~*~*~*

Yurim and Kris reverted to their positions on the couch watching TV while Sehun entertained himself with Luhan’s stuffed animal. Luhan had decided to take a nap in Sehun’s room after their date. Minus the hum of the TV voices, it was silent until Yurim’s curiosity got the better of her.

“So did you walk down to The Star Jar with Joonmyun?”

“We ran into each other. Why?”

“Just...curious. You haven’t really hung out with him much ever since we started dating and he asked about you the other day when he came into the store.”

Sehun quietly excused himself from the room, not liking the thin air of tension that started to suffocate the room.

Kris decided to entertain the subject for a little while longer. “Did he now? How has he been?”

“I dunno. You’re the one who saw him most recently...”

“Well, he might have said something to you that he didn’t say to me. He did say he was going to be a The KeyCap wednesday, though.” Kris flipped the channel mindlessly, looking for something more entertaining to watch, though he TV was really more of a distraction than entertainment at this point.

“I see...” Yurim bit her lip, knowing that her next question could open up a can of worms that Kris had avoided for the past couple of months. “Everything okay between you and Joonmyun? You guys hang out a lot less now and it seems like things between the two of you aren’t-”

“Everything is fine, Yurim. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“But it is. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault cause I’m always hogging up your time, and cause maybe he still feels awkward because we used to date and-”

“Yurim!”

Startled, Yurim jumped a bit in her seat and stared at Kris. “Sorry...I just...worry that things between you and Oppa are-”

“Did you just call him “Oppa”...?”

“Ah, no Kris, I mean yes I did, but-”

“I got to go.” Kris grabbed his keys and walked outside, slamming the front door behind him. Yurim jumped again at the sound of wood crashing into the door frame and curled into a ball as the sound of a car engine revving up and disappearing into the distance made her regret the last 10 minutes of her life. 

All the while, Yurim was too scared to do anything. Scared that if she said anything else, Kris would rip at her. Scared that if she chased after him, Kris would run farther away from her. She cursed herself for pushing a matter that she knew would end up with Kris being irritated.

Sehun ran back in after hearing the door crash and silently cradled Yurim in his arms.

“I’m so stupid...”

“Yeah...you are.”

“Sehun!”

He sighed before giving Yurim a good shake. “Stop moping around and go make up with your man. I don’t like seeing you like this, and I know your friends would hate to see you like this, too.”

Yurim tightened her body and squeezed her knees as far into her chest as she could. “I said something so stupid and he’s mad at me. I don’t think he’ll want to talk to me.”

“Then get off your and apologize and make up or whatever you girls do. The last thing I want to deal with is you sitting on the couch and stuffing your face with chocolate and ice cream like what happened with Suho.”

“Shut up!” Yurim stormed off to her room. She paused in the hallway before looking back at Sehun. “Since when did you call Joonmyun “Suho”?”

“Since I felt like it. Now go call Kris, or wake up Luhan so he can drive your sorry to his houseplace.” Sehun turned the TV volume up and relaxed back into the seat. A warm pair of arms found their way around his neck and someone’s chin nestled on Sehun’s head. “Yurim, I-”

“You’re such a caring “hyung”, Sehun.”

Sehun looked up and smiled as Luhan kissed his forehead. “I try. So can you drive her down to Kris’ flat?”

“Of course.”

Yurim reappeared and waited for the boys to get ready. The drive was quiet, but Yurim’s head was filled with thoughts so loud she was certain Sehun and Luhan could hear everything she was thinking. They reached Kris’ flat in no time, but Yurim hesitated to get out. “What’s wrong?” Luhan asked.

“His car...it’s not in his spot.” Yurim pointed to a vacant spot with a sign reading “RESERVED 408”. Sehun and Luhan looked at each other, not sure what to do. “We can just go home...”

Sehun sat, unwilling to give up. Though he had always teased Kris about his relationship with Yurim, the fact was that he made Yurim happy and Sehun wanted to protect that. He looked desperately at Luhan who had magically pulled out his phone and awaited for something to happen, anxiety evident in every shake of his hands. The phone lit up and buzzed before Luhan broke into a wide smile. He read the message and punched in a few more buttons before shoving the device into Sehun’s hands. 

“Read me the directions to that place - I’ll bet money that Kris is there.”

“What...how?” Yurim and Sehun bother looked at him incredulously.

“I have my sources.”