Final

Suho and Min Hee were the perfect couple in high school. They even planned to apply to the same college, studying the same major, live in the same dorm, and be together forever and ever. However, plans never go as planned.

First year of college and Suho was scouted by a star agent from SM Entertainment that claimed to help Suho became a superstar. At first both of them were very excited, it doesn’t happen everyday that a star agent pops up and go “You can be a superstar!” to you. Suho agreed and began the hectic schedule of training. It was all hard work and a lot of suffering, but being able to sneak out at night and meet up with Min Hee became his motivation. As he start to lose weight and got thinner and thinner, Min Hee started to worry about Suho.

“Oppa, are you sure all this training is okay?”

Suho would just smile and hold tightly onto her hand, “One day, I would be a big super star and I will make a lot and a lot of money.”

Min Hee smiled at his childish dreams, “Yes oppa you will.”

Suho wrapped his other arm around Min Hee’s shoulder, “and you’re a big part of my plan.”

Min Hee tilted her head in confusion, “What plan?”

“When I make a lot of money, I will buy a big house, a fancy car and a big ring for you to marry me.” Suho waved his arms around to show all his plans.

Min Hee nodded at everything Suho said and smiled brightly. “You will make it big and famous oppa.”

Suho nodded back, “I know I will, for you.”

“Bull!” Min Hee swiped all the plates and foods from their dinner table.

“Can you stop?!” Suho yelled back.

“Just leave!” Min Hee was bursting in tears and was on the verge of having a mental breakdown.

“Fine, just don’t come begging for me to come back!” Suho picked up his jacket and walked out after slamming the door shut.

After Suho left, Min Hee finally broke down. She slided against the wall and started crying and muttering all sorts of depressing words.

She traced her finger around their couple ring. “Why did we turn out to be like this?”

Suho slammed the door shut and kicked his car.

He was angry, but even more frustrated. He didn’t know why they ended up like that.

“We used to be in love... What happened?”

It all started when Suho had to cut school for his training.

He spent less and less time in school, which meant less time with Min Hee, and more time training at SM.

At first, Suho would still make it to see her around midnights, but soon it was just her with a big furry coat waiting in the playground alone. After a few times, she just plainly gave up on waiting.

She called him and he would never pick up.

Her friends tell her to understand that now he is trainee, he’s always training to be a superstar, of course he’s busy. She tried to understand, but after a hundred missed calls, maybe, just maybe she is a little bit mad.

They use to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and even midnight snacks together, but now, they don’t share any meals together. He’s eating with his fellow trainees while she’s munching on her lunch with her new ‘friends’ that actually are just classmates she is close to. They use to only have each other’s company, and now they are both living lives that have nothing to do with each other.

She tried visiting him but the security guards think that she is only a fan trying to see TVXQ, Super Junior and SHINee. She tried explaining to them that her boyfriend is a trainee in that building, but only left with the same response: “Trainees can’t date, stop lying.”

As times goes by, from meeting for an hour, shortened to half an hour, to ten minutes, to just a glimpse... Min Hee got more and more tired of their relationship, or so to say, does their relationship still exist?

It took her while to finally figure out that she won’t be able to see her boyfriend for next year because he’s getting ready for debut and he would be stuck in that building 24/7, perfecting everything.

She felt heartbroken when she heard the news; a part because she won’t be able to see him, but mostly angry when she had to hear it from Suho’s friend and not straight from him. Right, they didn’t even talked or texted, or any sort of communication didn’t exist between them for the past two months.

Min Hee gathered all her things and rushed out the door leaving her friends.

“Where is Min Hee going?”

“Going to see Suho sunbae I think.”

“They’re still dating?”

“Yeah duh- why won’t they be?”

“Come on, Suho sunbae will soon be an idol, why would he still stay with Min Hee?”

“When we were in high school, we all bet that Suho sunbae and Min Hee would get married and have lots of kids. They’re like deeply in love, they literally live for each other, there is no way they will break up.”

“Oppa!”

Suho turned around to see an exhausted Min Hee.

“Min?”

Min Hee coughed, she in all sorts of running related things and so does her body. She has asthma, but she ran all the way to just catch another glimpse of him.

The other 11 boys seem to get the message as they went into the company first.

“Min... what are you doing here?”

“You weren’t planning to tell me that you’re going to be gone for one whole year?”

Suho looked down at his dirty worn out sneakers, “Sorry Min... I didn’t know how to tell you...”

Min Hee sighed, “Oppa, I just-”

Suho pulled Min Hee into a tight hug, “Just believe in me, wait for me, Min...”

Min Hee was shocked by his sudden hug, “Oppa-”

“Just one year... once I debut, everything will be back to normal.” Suho promised.

Min Hee nodded and left a peck on his cheek, “I will wait for you, promise.”

“We are one, EXO!” Suho yelled out brightly to their fans.

And in the midst of all those crazy fan girls screaming for their oppas’ attention, one girl caught Suho’s eye. He smiled and winked at her.

The fan girls went crazy, thinking it was for them, but she smiled back and waved a huge poster.

‘Dinner?’

Suho put out an okay sign and threw out random hearts to his fan girls.

Min Hee grinned widely, and put up another poster, ‘8PM!’

Suho nodded and left the stage with s with a dazzling smile.

“Manager hyung, I need to leave by 7:30.” Suho was rushing as he packed his belongings and changed out of his stage outfit in less than a minute.

Tao’s eyes widen at the leader’s great speed, “Hyung, what are you doing tonight?”

Kris pulled Suho back before he rushed out the door to drop out his outfit to the staff, “We’re having an after party with all the sunbaes, where are you going?”

Suho awkwardly smiled, “Sorry Yifan, I really need to go. Apologize for me, okay? Thanks bro!”

Kris and Tao stared at the speedy Suho who just left them, “What is wrong with him? He never skips out any chance to connect with the sunbaes.”

Tao just shrugged, “I think it’s that pretty noona that always follow Suho hyung around?”

Kris raised his eyebrow, “Are they dating?”

Tao ducked down, “Shhh, Suho hyung doesn’t want anyone to know, it will cause a lot of problems.”

Kris nodded, understanding the consequences of a rookie idol dating could do damage.

“I haven’t seen in a long time.” Min Hee cutely complained.

“Sorry Min, we have a lot of activities in China these past months.” Suho quickly took off his cap and scarf that he used as a disguise.

“I understand oppa.” Min Hee smiled and passed him the plate of food. “Eat well oppa.”

Suho smiled back and planted a light kiss on Min Hee’s forehead, “Thank you for everything Min, I love you so much.”

Min Hee laughed and went back to the kitchen to continue cooking. “I love you too.”

“Does any EXO member have a girlfriend?” Shindong asked on Beatles Code.

All of the members’ eyes widen, that was a straightforward question.

Suho was sort of relieved when the attention was brought upon Luhan’s past relationships in China and Chen’s high school crush. However he started to tense up when the question was asked to him.

He smiled awkwardly and could only scratch on the back of his neck. What should he say? The obvious answer was ‘No, I am single, I only love Exotics,” but a part of him told him Min Hee who is the most loyal fan of him would be watching this show and would be really hurt if he denied and pretend she didn’t exist. Suho was debating between the two answers when Shindong asked Kai to start dancing. Whew~ saved.

When Shindong asked about any regrets, the first that came to Suho’s mind was not able to spend more time with Min Hee, but the words that came out of his mouth was “Yunho sunbae spent more time with Kai than me.” After speaking those words, he had an urge to punch himself in the face. He kept on denying Min Hee’s identity, love and all the time she spent waiting for him, and for once he felt guilty.

“When was your last relationship?”

Suho was shocked by the question. EXO-K was doing an interview for Vogue Korea and the last time he checked with his manager, there were no questions about personal lives and surely no questions about ‘When was your last relationship.’

He quickly shot a ‘wtf’ look to his manager and looked at s who were also confused and shocked.

They are rookies and the last question they should be answering is girlfriend or not, when she last owned you and giving hints about whether about you’re single or not.

The interviewer seem to sense the tense atmosphere in the studio. She wanted to crack a joke and take that question back but it was obviously too late. It wasn’t just a magazine text interview, but also a filming video interview that is going online live.

Kai started out brave, replying that his last girlfriend broke up with him when he started to train and the others either replied they have been single since birth or broke up before becoming a trainee. They were all formal answers and when the microphone came into Suho’s hands, everyone expected him to say the same formal answer,

and he did.

“She broke up with me a year before I debut.”

“So I was the that dumped you? Or am I missing out that you dated another woman?” Min Hee drank a cup of ice water.

Suho took a deep breath, “Min, I’m sorry, I just-”

Min Hee didn’t even bother to look at Suho’s face, “Or am I getting the idea that this is your indirect way of dumping me in front of the whole world?”

Suho face palmed himself, “God, no, Min-”

“Just leave me alone.”

“No, Min... trust me, I really do love you and I just-”

“Yeah, you love me so much you told the world that I dumped you... when I ing waited years for you!” Min Hee exploded with anger.

Suho punched the wall with his fist, “Come on, you know me, I would never-”

Min Hee shook her head over and over, “You know, you did it... and from that moment, I don’t think I know who you really are anymore...”

Suho shut his eyes in anger, frustration and he just had an urge to break everything in front of him. “I had always been the same man.”

Min Hee let out a cold muffled mocking laugh, “So you’ve always been a ing liar that is also a coward that can only tell the world that he was dumped by a woman that actually spent half of her life waiting for him? You’re a phony, a ing damn liar.”

Suho slapped Min Hee.

“Oh god.” Suho face palmed himself again and ran his hand through his hair, “Min , I-”

“No.”

“Min-”

“No!” Min Hee tripped backwards and sprinted out of the apartment, leaving a stunned and regretful Suho.

“Hyung, you look like crap today.” Kai tried to joke.

“I am a piece of crap.” Suho growled.

“Woah- hyung, I’m sorry, I-”

“No, you’re right, I am-” before Suho could continue his depressing speech about how he is a piece of crap, Chen brought him to the corner’s couch.

He made Suho sit down and drank some water. “Okay, maybe you want to tell him what’s going on these past days?”

“What?” Suho growled again.

Chen threw Suho a dirty look, “You’re like riding a roller coaster or something. Your moods go up and down in just a split second.”

Suho shut his blood shot eyes and sighed, “Sorry. I know, I am the leader, and I’m supposed to guard and protect our team, just like my name, and I-”

“No.” Suho froze at that word.

Chen seemed to notice his sudden stop, “Did... something happen between you... and Min Hee?”

Chen was the only one that actually knew and was close to Min Hee out of all 12 EXO members. He might seemed like a troll on T.V and interviews but when he’s off stage, he’s the most mature and understanding man Min Hee ever met.

Suho sighed again and rested his tired body next to Chen’s.

“We had a fight.”

Chen nodded, “Well all couples fight. It’s normal to fight in once a while... that keeps the chemis-”

“I slapped her.”

“WHAT?” Chen’s eyes widen and yelled, causing every other EXO member to stare at their direction.

Lowering his voice after calming and sitting down, Chen glared at Suho. “Why in the world, an angel like you would slap Min Hee?!”

“She-”

“Wait a second... did she... cheat on you?!” Chen started to imagine all sorts of things.

“I wish.”

“Woah, since when a boyfriend would wish for his own girlfriend to cheat on him?” Chen asked in disbelief.

“Since the boyfriend is the biggest jerk on earth, since the boyfriend literally accused her of being a to the world when she’s my angel, since-” Suho started crying.

“Oh god, don’t cry now.” Chen was startled by Suho’s sudden outburst.

Suho covered his eyes, trying to stop his tears as Chen remembered about the Vogue Korea interview. “But she waited all these years for you right...”

Suho nodded and Chen looked at Suho with a confused look, “Then why in the hell did you slap her for?!”

“She called me a phony, a liar, a coward, a loser, a-”

“Well, after what you did to her, I seriously think she has every single right to insult you and trample over you until you die...” Chen shrugged his shoulders.

“Are you my friend or what?”

Chen smiled and shrugged again, “Well, she is a girl after all... maybe all she wants was just your love and you stopped.”

Suho’s eyes widen at that accusation, “I’ve always loved her and I never changed!”

Chen could only shrug again, “Well, I’m not you or her, so I won’t know for sure... but hyung... from a friend and just someone clear from this relationship... I have to say you really hurt Min Hee a lot. She suffered a lot because of you.”

“Jongdae oppa?”

Chen waved, signaling Min Hee to sit over where he was.

Min Hee sat down, looking exactly like Suho; messy bed hair, blood shot eyes, blood less pale face and slouching like an old man. He shook his head at the same horrifying sight.

“Seems like life isn’t so good for you either.”

Min Hee drank her hot chocolate, “Oppa, don’t say ‘either’... that man is living perfectly without me.”

Chen sighed, “Come on Min Hee-ah... you know him better than I do.”

“No, I don’t. I never did... or so I thought I did.”

Chen held onto Min Hee’s hand and gave it a light squeeze, “He isn’t doing any better... he’s really miserable right now.”

Min Hee looked down to her empty cup, “And I wanted to die.”

Chen nodded and held her hand tighter, “He did wrong, but you have to understand that he’s just trying to protect, not his image, but my image, Tao’s image, Chanyeol’s image, Kai’s image... he’s doing it for the sake of EXO. Try to understand that he’s in a difficult position... he’s our leader and it’s really hard for him.”

Min Hee nodded but took her hand out of his grip, “I thought you understand how I felt too.”

“I do Min Hee... I know you’re suffering and you’re so miserable because of that man, but he doesn’t have a choice... he’s set up onto the table and forced to do all this. He didn’t want to hurt you, he never did.”

Min Hee wiped a few tears from her cheek, “He didn’t have a choice, but I do.”

Chen looked at Min Hee with a confused look, “What... do you mean Min Hee?”

“I’m going to break up with Suho.”

“Kim Suho, let’s break up.”

Suho shut his eyes in misery, “Min babe... I-”

Min Hee shook his hand off and smiled weakly, “Oppa... let’s just end this miserable cycle okay?”

“For the sake of the both of us... we’re only hurting each other more and more like this.”

Suho fell onto his knees for the first time of his life, “Please... I can’t live without you.”

Min Hee shook her head again, “Oppa, there’s no such thing as can’t live without someone in your life... you did it the past year... from training to debut to all this success and love now...”

Suho shook his head wildly, “It’s nothing, it’s nothing! Min... it’s nothing without you...”

Min Hee cupped Suho’s cheek, “Oppa, you love your job and I can’t be selfish... maybe it’s time for us to move on.”

Suho threw both of his hands covering his face, “I can’t live without you... not a minute, not a second.”

Min Hee smiled sadly at the man she loved, “Oppa, remember when we first met... we were just kids in the playground... and then suddenly we grew up and went into high school where there’s a lot of girls surrounding you. You still kept by my side and I had never felt so happy before... I felt like I didn’t deserve you.”

Suho shook his head, “Min, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Min Hee cried hard, “You too... but after college, after your training and debut... we’re just always fighting. I’m throwing plates and vases at you, and you’re cursing at me... I’m crying and you’re angry... I hide in my bed all day and you can’t even sleep at night because of our arguments...”

Suho hid his head in beneath his arms, “Babe, just please, I know I’m wrong... let’s start all over okay, I don’t have to be EXO’s leader and you don’t have to wait for me to come home everyday feeling lonely and-”

“That’s not the point oppa...”

“THEN WHAT IT?! I LOVE YOU MIN HEE, ISN’T MY LOVE ENOUGH? WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LOVE ME BACK? WHY CAN’T WE START OVER? WHY CAN’T WE ING PRETEND EVERYTHING IS FINE AND JUST LOVE AGAIN? I’LL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER!” Suho yelled.

Min Hee cried again and Suho felt irritated at the sight of her tears, “ing stop crying please!”

Min Hee bit her bottom lip, trying to stop her tears, “You changed... and I did too... and our new changes don’t match well with each other anymore...”

Suho threw his arms in the air, trying to yell something again, but was cut off by Min Hee. “I don’t want for us to argue every single time we meet.”

“We don’t have to then!”

Min Hee shut her eyes, “Then let’s break up.”

“Hello, we are one, EXO!” Suho exclaimed. “Thank you for all the love during this past year. This award to all the people that love us, support us, protect us and also to the ones that we love and couldn’t protect. I am EXO’s leader Suho, the protector of EXO, and I promise to always love and protect my members and fans.”

“Do you know where is Min Hee now?” Chen passed Suho a cup of coffee.

“No, I haven’t heard from her in a while. The last time she sent me an email... she said she was in England, I think.” Suho showed Chen the picture and email Min Hee sent him.

Chen smiled, “Hey, it’s great that you guys still keep in contact.”

Suho nodded, “Yeah... she is a great friend. I don’t want to lose her as a friend too.”

Chen patted Suho’s shoulder, “Come on hyung, I’ll treat you to soju, we’re not going home till you’re drunk like a dead man!”