Both Minseok and Chanyeol didn't go out from their rooms. They locked themselves in the room, for how many hours they both didn't know. Not like they cared. They needed time. To think about what happened and what actually they had to do.

Minseok was still lying on the bed, hugging the pillow with dry tears on his face. He had stopped crying a few hours ago, but he felt just so tired after that. He hugged the pillow tighter, letting out a sigh from his lips. Closing his eyes, he thought about what happened in the morning.

Shouldn't he hate Chanyeol for turning his life 180 degrees? Then why did it feel so nice to wake beside him? Why was it calming go see Chanyeol's just-woke-up face? He shouldn't feel like that, right? Because in the end, it was Chanyeol who made his life 'funny'.

"Minseok, are you awake?" It was Chanyeol and he sounded so tired. "I'm going to leave for practice and gonna be home at midnight. I've ordered a pizza for you so don't skip meals, okay?" His voice was full of concern, and that made Minseok's heart hurt. "I wanna talk to you, but I want to when you're ready. So yeah... Don't forget that I lo-"

Minseok waited for Chanyeol to finish the word.

"I'm going."

After a few seconds, Minseok heard the door was opened and closed. Minseok let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. He hugged the pillow harder this time, trying to tell himself not to cry anymore.

***

Chanyeol couldn't find Minseok anymore after that incident. He tried to even call Luhan but the man seemed to be as clueless as him. He tried to call Minseok but his phone was turned off. He too went to Minseok's apartment just to find out that Minseok had moved out and probably wouldn't come back to that apartment.

Chanyeol became tinner and his eyebags were so visible. Even the make up artists complained to Junmyeon about it. The fans too notice how sad actually Chanyeol looked even when he smiled and grinned and acted on stages. Many fans tried to give him fanletters and cookies, trying to build up the mood. But Chanyeol still looked the same if not more miserable than usual.

Junmyeon tried to find Minseok, asking help from many friends he knew but to no avail. They couldn't find Minseok at all. Sehun and Jongin too became so much more obidient towards Chanyeol and hugged him tightly almost every time they had the chance to. While Baekhyun would try to joke around to live up the situations. Kyungsoo would come to Chanyeol's room at nights to make sure Chanyeol slept even for just an hour, which made his sleeping hours turned upside down. He seriously lived up his name and became an 'Owl'.

It was as if Minseok was just Chanyeol's imagination. He was just gone like wind. He couldn't be found anywhere. Even after Junmyeon asked for special team he knew, they couldn't really find Minseok. All they found was traces Minseok accidentally left but he moved so fast so they couldn't catch up.

Kyungsoo didn't know how many nights Chanyeol had cried at first. He caressed Chanyeol's head and tried to hum a soft song, calming the big baby. Kyungsoo didn't know what to say to Chanyeol anymore. He could only try to make the man stopped crying. Those nights were over, but still Chanyeol couldn't sleep. He would stared at his phone all night long, waiting for a miracle. Waiting for a call. From Minseok.

A call that never came.

He then, for the nth time, tried to call Minseok. Just to recieve the same old answer all over again.

"The number you're calling..."

***

Luhan didn't even recognize the man in front of him. Almost. He quickly grabbed the man's wrist and brought him to his room. The man left so many wet fooftprints since he was soaked wet. Both Luhan and the man didn't care about the people who were staring at them. Luhan quickly locked the door once they both arrived inside his room. Luhan made the man sat on the sofa and sighed.

"Seriously Chanyeol, stop being so dumb and all," Luhan automatically screamed. He saw the man flinched a bit, but he didn't care anymore. Chanyeol was too much. He was waiting Luhan to come to the restaurant, alone, with all of his disguises and mask and all, under the hard rain. He slowly opened all of them and looked up at Luhan, looking like a kicked puppy. A sad sad kicked puppy. And Luhan seriously didn't know what to say anymore. "How many times should I tell you that I don't know where Minseok is?"

Chanyeol knew that. Even from the first time, he knew Luhan didn't know where Minseok was. But-

"But university's administration told me today that Minseok had actually called them a month ago to tell them he would take another academic leave. Which means he had planned this right after he left your apartment."

"Did Minseok said something like where he is now or something like that?"

Luhan shook his head. Minseok wouldn't be that dumb to tell them if he had been planning to go away. The tests were going to be held next week, and with that, Minseok seriously would have to retake the semester.

"Seriously Chanyeol, stop thinking about Minseok," Luhan said then looked at Chanyeol's bad condition. He was seriously skinny, with eyebags under his eyes, pale face. He didn't look like the EXO Chanyeol nor Park Chanyeol Luhan knew. Even EXO fans had been talking about Chanyeol's changes, Luhan had been reading about it in EXO fancafe that Luhan joined. He was an EXO fan after all.

"Think about yourself too."

***

"EXO Chanyeol is getting stressed lately as he becomes so much quiet. Even though the other EXO members denied it so many times, the fans couldn't stop saying how Chanyeol is changed now. Some of the fans left encouraging messages on Chanyeol's SNS and hoped the man to be happy again."

The entertainment show was talking about EXO again.

"I'm okay, don't worry," Chanyeol, on TV, said. He looked so tired even the make up couldn't cover much. He forced a smile and said, "Please don't worry much and let's enjoy the fanmeet together."

The fanmeeting was held on a building 30 minutes from his place.

"I love you."

Even the stupidest person could tell that Chanyeol was longing for someone when he said that. He could tell too. He felt the same, to be very honest.

Park Chanyeol was a stranger. He only talked to Chanyeol a few times and Chanyeol lied to him. But...Loving a stranger, wouldn't it be weird? What did you know about them? Nothing. Everything was on blurred lines. You didn't know which one was fake and which one was real. They were all blurry. But Chanyeol wasn't really a stranger. He recognized everything. The face features. The body. The smile. The warmth. The... The love. He recognized them too well that he couldn't see Chanyeol as a full-time stranger. He was his lover too, in a way or another. So, for loving him, it wouldn't be weird, right?

Minseok smiled. The clips from the showcase were still on the TV and he could see clearly how different Chanyeol was from what he knew. He didn't know him yet knew him so well. A tear rolled down to his face as he whispered softly.

"How should I see you, Park Chanyeol?

***

Hi guys!!

No no no no. put down those knives and guns! don't kill meeee T^T I'm sorry for taking a long leave. Like, months long and I'm sorry. I have some reasons. First, uni life took me completely. I couldn't even rest well. I literally didn't sleep on some last days of final tests. My friends and I had to make 2 events for our scores, and it was only from one uni subjects. well, last semester was crazy and I seriously could go online for uni tasks. even when I was doing things crazily, I still got a C which almost made me cry because........ I prepared a lot for that subject yet the lecturer was a moody one so......

well, second... I don't know how to say this. For months and months I keep having the same old things running on my mind. And it makes me a little bit more than stressed. So, back then, I thought, I should just leave. I thought I should just be gone. From anything. From anyone. Because, I don't want to burden anyone. Like, with stories, I want people to be happy. Just that. I don't want you guys to feel what this 'funny' author feels.

So yeah, I'll try to be as active as I used to be before. I'll try to update and make my stories as nice as I could. I promise! *pinky promise everyone of my dearest readers*

Before that, too, I'm informing you that this fic is almost at it's finish line. kkkk. Still considering if this will end up as happy or not *as I realize I made so many angsty with happy ending*. kkk. But yeah, please suggest what Xiu!pair you want to read next! ^^

See you on the next chapter!