---Meanwhile, Chanyeol’s POV---

Upon arriving back at the dorm, he stormed free from the van, ignoring the fans that he usually adored.   His hands shoved into his hoodie pockets and his sunglasses pressed against his face, it took all of his energy to not have a scowl twisting his face as the photographers snapped photos.  Vaguely he heard the fans asking the other members what was wrong with him, and the members were quick to blame it on exhaustion as they stood for photos. 

Without a word he brushed by the various people in the lobby, and took the elevator to their floor, the images of that night racing through his mind.  The thrill and joy of being back on stage, the nerves he had racing through him as he saw the hundreds of people staring at him, and the heartbreak he felt as he saw Liz leaning against Onew’s chest in front of him.  Tears gathered on his lashline and he whimpered involuntarily at the memory, pushing out of the elevator before the doors were even fully open and nearly running to their rooms.

Once inside he threw his jacket to the floor as he made his way to his room, throwing his sunglasses against the wall angrily.  With a shaking hand he mussed his hair, frustrated at anything orderly.  Slamming the door behind him, he sat on his bed and hung his head in his hands and allowed his tears to slide down his face.

On one hand he felt betrayed not only by Liz, but also by Onew, who was supposed to be his hyung, his mentor, his friend…   How could he act that way during his showcase?!  This was supposed to be EXO’s comeback, and the brilliant night is now marred by his heartbreak.  Slamming his fist into his mattress he growled under his breath, furiously rubbing the tears from his cheeks. 

---Flashback---

A few weeks earlier he had noticed Liz was becoming preoccupied and distracted.  Right after EXO’s rehearsals, she immediately ran off, exclaiming she had rehearsals with SHINee.  Cat and Nana almost always stuck around a bit longer, chatting amicably with the members, dancing around, or just relaxing with everyone else.   Sehun had been teaching Cat how to dance, so lately he’d been coaching her different steps to their choreography, much to the amusement of the rest of the members. 

Nana and Tao had been working on her wushu, Tao gently coaxing her into stronger stances, training her flexibility and other essentials for her to protect herself.  Naturally the members teased the tall Chinese boy, saying he was using her newfound flexibility to his advantage when everyone else was asleep, but to his chagrin.

Never before had he felt so alone, despite being surrounded by laughter and amusement.  A forced smile appeared from time to time when someone talked to him, but for the most part he sat against a wall, staring aimlessly into space with his hoodie pulled tight around his head.

“Chanyeol?”  A quiet voice chirped, breaking him out of his reverie.  Looking up, he saw Cat staring at him with a worried expression as she dabbed sweat away from her brow with a towel.  “Are you okay?” 

He sighed, shrugging.  Stretching out, he groaned as his back popped.  “I don’t know, to be honest.  I feel okay, but at the same time… I don’t.”

“That happens when you’re in love and don’t want to be.”  She murmured matter-of-factly, staring at him with a serious expression that almost concerned him.

“Do you mean… you and Se-..”

“No!  No.  Not Sehun… but I’ve had past-… Let’s just call them ‘experiences,’ shall we?”  She chuckled darkly, an emotion he wasn’t exactly sure of darting across her expression.  With a fluid moment that had been cultivated with Sehun’s coaching, Cat sat down in front of him, cross-legged. 

“May I ask what?”  He spoke quietly, suddenly concerned with the change in her emotion. 

Cat stared at him for a moment, her expression leaving him feeling bare to the bone, like she was searching his soul.  “That conversation is for a different day.  What’s really important is that you love my sister, and yet at the same time feel you shouldn’t.”  She murmured, shaking her head sadly.  “It’s clear as day to those who look.  But I have to ask, why?”

“Because she never has time for me anymore!  She’s always running to or from rehearsals, and when she’s done for the day she’s so tired she can’t do anything.”  He groaned, throwing his head back against the wall.  He was so tired of repeating himself and getting nowhere.  “She’s always with… with them.”  He hissed, his words dripping with malice and contempt.

“Chanyeol.  She’s working with two idol groups at once; a well-known one and one about to make their comeback.”  She gently poked his foot, wiggling it playfully.  “Cut her some slack!  She has a lot on her plate.”

“That’s what everyone is telling me, but… but it .”  Knowing he was whining, he didn’t even flinch when Cat swatted at him with her towel.

“Oh shut up, Chanyeol.  You’re acting like a child.  She’s working!  Just like you are.”

“But you work too!  And you’re still here!”  He protested, pointing to her and gesturing the room around them.  “You still find time to be with Sehun-ah.”

“…Seriously?  Chanyeol, think that one through.  I do your makeup.  My job is to sit on my and draw doodles, then put those doodles on your face when it comes time to film or perform.  My job doesn’t entail nearly as much hands on stuff as Liz’s.  In fact, her only time to rest is when you’re filming or performing!”  Cat groaned, shaking her head at the idol. 

Chastised he sat back, blinking rapidly as he processed that information.  After a moment he sighed, hanging his head as he gripped his hair; he hadn’t thought about that.  Both Cat and Nana were makeup-noonas, while Liz was choreography… of course she’d be working more.  When he groaned, Cat smiled and nodded, patting him on his head as she stood, looking at Sehun and chuckling. 

“I think he got that one.  Sehun-ah, I’m going back to change.  I’ll meet you tonight, yea?”  She asked, looking over at the idol with affection in her eyes.  With a playful motion she threw her towel at him, chuckling before turning back to Chanyeol.  “Give her a break, Chanyeol.  She’s stressed out.”

---END flashback---

He now found himself on his back, staring at the ceiling.  A knock came at the door and he sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Come in.”  He murmured, wiping his face dry on his sleeve.

Kris slunk in the door, looking at him with a pained expression.  “Hey hyung…  How are you?”

“I’m fine, Kris.  What do you need?” 

“Do you know where Sehun is?  I need to talk to him.”

“How should I know?  Last I knew he was going to see Cat.”  He muttered, falling back onto his bed.  When Kris didn’t leave, he looked over and sighed heavily.  “What is it, Kris?  I know you don’t need to talk to Sehun.”

Slowly Kris closed the door beside him and his stare, which usually drove fangirls wild, settled on him with a calm and sorrowful expression.  “I need your opinion.”

“On what?  I’m not the best person to talk to right now.”  He grumbled, throwing his arm over his eyes, but not kicking his friend out.

“Was I wrong to agree to Nana-ah to the showcase?  I feel like Tao-ssi is mad at me now and I don’t know what to do.”  Kris groaned, sitting down on the edge of his bed, wringing his hands nervously.

“Aissshhh… Kris!  Why do you bring this up to me!?  I am literally the last person you should ask right now.”  He grunted as he pushed himself up from his bed and walking to his closet, aimlessly digging through the hangers inside.

“Because you’re the only one that I feel would understand what I’m going through.  Well… That and I couldn’t find Sehun.”  Kris admitted, chuckling weakly as he looked at him.  “Nana-ah is my friend, but I worry that Tao thinks it’s… more.  Especially with the way the magazines are portraying us!  I know this isn’t the best time to talk about it, but I’m worried.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about, Kris.  Tao understands completely, so calm down.  Mr. President is taking care of the situation, and soon enough you’ll be off the hook.”   He muttered, leaning against the wall and looking at his friend.

“…Liz loves you.”

Looking up sharply, he glared at Kris, his face darkening as he pointed toward the door.  “Out.  Get out.”

Pursing his lips, Kris stood and nodded, shrugging slightly.  “I guess you just won’t let yourself see it.  I’ll talk to you later Chanyeol.” 

After Kris  left, he slid down the wall in his room, gripping his hair with this hands.  He knew that he loved her, and that she loved him, but he was having a really hard time getting around the fact that she had been loving the attention from Onew… That wasn’t wrong… Right?

Aishhhh!!  My lovely followers! :D  Thank you for being SUPER patient with me with this story!  I have like... four chapters plotted, some half-written, some still lurking in the twisted little hidey-holes of my mind!  But work has been... CRAZY that I have a hard time finding the mental power to finish the chapters and post. :[ 

ALSO!  Good news!  I've been asked to be a co-author for another author-nim's one-shots! :D  She wrote me a deeeelicious Sehun , and now I shall be starting up with her working on some of her current applications, as she has a few too many.  I'm super excited, and hope that you all go check out horonigai's work as well! <3