“Hey.”

The low voice pulled his head up from the bedside and he looked up toward the open door where the light seeped in. Chanyeol flinched at the brightness and covered his eyes. When his digital watch glowed in the dark and revealed nine PM he was startled to see that he’d slept for nearly 3 hours.

“Time to go home,” Sehun muttered.

Chanyeol stood but paused, a hand lingering on Baekhyun’s soft pale cheek. The steady rhythm of the ventilator and heart monitor soothed him and hardly a night went by that he could sleep without it.

Lately he’d been an insomniac and had only been able to catch some sleep by Baekhyun’s bed in the Extended Care Ward. The doctors and nurses there had taken to him in the past months and always smiled kindly when he entered.

However his family no doubt had instructed his roommate to keep a close eye on him. He often picked him up in the evening and escorted him back to the apartment. Chanyeol knew he wouldn’t get any sleep locked away in his own room, but if it made his family content, he would happily keep up the ruse.

“You had your phone turned off you idiot!” Sehun shouted above the wind.

He stood far back behind Chanyeol on the vacant hospital roof, clutching his jacket tightly around his middle. He slowly turned his head as his roommate walked to join him near the fence.

When Sehun arrived at his side, Chanyeol casually gripped the chain-link and removed his phone from his pocket with his other hand, observing its blackened screen. “Sorry,” he muttered. “It died.”

“Well remember to charge it next time. I couldn’t ing find you and you’re just lucky the nurse saw you going upstairs.”

He smiled, “Yeah…lucky.”

“Anyway, Chanyeol….I-“

“Do you think it would hurt worse or less?”

“…What?”

“If someone fell from this height do you think it would hurt worse or less than being hit by a truck?”

“Are you joking right now? Of course the truck is going to hurt worse, because if you fell from here you’d die when you hit the ground.”

“Oh.”

“Why the hell would you even ask that anyway?”

Chanyeol shrugged.

“Look, you can’t beat yourself up for that was outside of your control. You weren’t driving that damn truck, Chanyeol.”

“But he’d never had run out into the street in the first place if I hadn’t been such an idiot.”

“Well if anyone’s to blame it’s me then.”

“You?”

“Yeah, I’m the one who came home so drunk that I told the entire ing neighborhood how stupid you are.”

“I already knew that…and well, maybe I shouldn’t have been a ing idiot in the first place and just told him the truth.”

“Chanyeol…You can turn any story you want around just so you can take the blame…but feeling guilty isn’t going to make Baekhyun…wake up…any faster. Dumping all this on yourself isn’t going to fix anything.”

He smiled sadly at his roommate and turned to look back over the dark cityscape. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m ing right so listen to me for once in your life.”

“Okay,” he mumbled under his breath.

After a pause, Sehun sighed and folded his arms standing parallel to him. “Look, I have something to confess…”

“What?”

“You know that song… the one you wrote for him?”

“Mmhmm,” he closed his eyes and a familiar melody floated into his head.

“I submitted it for our show!” Sehun rushed out.

Chanyeol’s head swiveled to his friend and his eyes opened with a snap, “You what!?”

He held his hands in front of him in defense. “Before you get mad think about it! We had those two songs we wrote, and they’re good, okay? I won’t bull you we’d probably do fine with them. But your song, Chanyeol….it’s going to win the damn show.”

“Oh Sehun, you had no right to take it! Is winning all you’re concerned with!?”

“Yes, a little bit dammit! We’ve been waiting for years to debut, Chanyeol! This is going to make or break us I know it! Look, you and I both know that Minnie and Kris are going to quit after this show…but when we win and someone signs us… they’ll stay with us and we’ll finally make it big. It’ll all be worth it!”

“But it’s Baekhyun’s song, dammit!” He pleaded, “Only he’s supposed to hear it!”

“Well you didn’t do a very good job of hiding it in your drawer or quietly playing your guitar! Besides, he can’t even hear it anyway he’s d-…..” Sehun softly gasped and covered his mouth.

Chanyeol took a step forward and though they were almost equal in height he positively towered over his friend right now. “ing say it, Sehun. I dare you to ing say it.”

“I-I didn’t mean it, Chanyeol! It’s just that he’s been in a coma for a long time! I doubt that he can hear anything-“

“He’s just sleeping! He’s not-…don’t even say it!”

“Well, , Yeol…I’m sorry. I really am.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and his roommate looked truly apologetic.

Chanyeol folded his arms across his chest. “So are you going to use a different song?”

“No,” came the immediate reply from a pair of hard set lips.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “. Fine. Do whatever you guys want.”

“It’ll all be worth it, Yeol. You’ll see…Just make sure you show up at the station on Thursday. 4 PM sharp.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“You really can’t be late or anything.”

“I know.”

Five days left, he thought with a grin. Five days till I see Baekhyun.

November 15th arrived in no time.

The band was all jitters as they unloaded their equipment at the TV station, arriving early to set up and greet the staff. It was unstated amongst them but they had a common goal of doing some networking tonight, so regardless of the end results they would be successful.

Chanyeol’s thoughts were far away as his group joined the other four bands on the main stage. He stared absentmindedly at the empty audience as the stage manager waved his arms and explained how everything would be working tonight.

Lights rose and fell, the grips tested the cameras and each member was given time during sound check.

The rest of the group were slightly intimidated by the other bands, but seeing Chanyeol’s indifference to their skill put them at ease, even if his indifference wasn’t based on confidence but rather apathy.

Sehun seemed to be watching him and periodically would whisper little instructions to him about how the show was going to be run. Chanyeol smiled back gratefully.

They stood backstage and as it got nearer to broadcast the audience filled their seats dutifully, cheering as the star judges took their seats in the panel.

The judges mostly served as hosts and critiques on their performance, whoever actually won would be decided by votes from a nationwide audience. The voting period would begin once all five bands had finished performing and would end when the specially prepared artist finished performing in between.

Soon the lights dimmed and spotlights instead poured onto the stage, the main host walked out onto the stage in applause as the opening music blasted through speakers next to them. He introduced the show as he regularly did and talked about the special performances that would be happening tonight. As he spoke, the back illuminated and the already waiting band sat on stage at the ready.

His group shook in anticipation. Minseok desperately clutched at his arm as the lead guitarist blared the opening lines of their song. He saw Jongdae standing next to one of the camera grips shaking his head, he took it as a good sign.

The band’s first song was a hard rock number, verging on the corner of screamo, and though the vocals were excellent and the instruments were well played, it wasn’t anything particularly special. They collectively sighed a little in relief when their second song was very much the same. As the lights dimmed again on stage, the band rushed off and was silently replaced by the second group. As they passed them in the wings the bands politely bowed to each other in acknowledgement.

Unfortunately, the second group was much different than the first and so was the third. Each demonstrated their mastery of genres by choosing both upbeat and ballad songs to balance their act. Chanyeol’s group had done the same but after two performances like that it was sure to dull theirs.

Besides that fact, both groups were extremely good, especially the one right before theirs. The lights dimmed again and with thumping hearts they realized it was their turn.

They rushed to the stage, the staff quickly and quietly helping them prepare their instruments while th