He stood behind the ledge, his eyes scanning the horizon. Even with the breathtaking view of the metropolis, the heavy weight of feelings still burdened Oh Sehun. He felt frustrated, alone and just plain sad. He tried talking to his own members but like him, they had their own demons to take care of. He wasn't really close friends with other idols, since EXO spent most of their idol life promoting in concert stadiums rather than variety shows. Girl groups were out of the question since he hated the effects of a scandal, seeing how terribly Baekhyun was bashed for his relationship with Taeyeon. Family too was out since he would never hear the end of "This is the life you've chosen" rant.
He had no one.
Despite the defeaning cheers and admiration that followed him everywhere, the loneliness was killing him. Everyone didn't really care about what he felt. All they wanted was what he shown on stage and on camera. They only accepted a part of him. A part of him that satisfied their fantasies and pockets. A side of him he grew to despise.He stepped on the ledge and looked down. Cars zoomed past by and so did people. Like expected of him, he will put up a good show. He will be groundbreaking.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."
He turned to the direction of the voice and found a girl sitting on the ledge, a few meters from him.
"E-Excuse me?" his voice croaked, betraying the stony face he showed. She faced him and he was taken back on how stunning she looked. The girl looked no more than a young teenager but she was breathtakingly gorgeous, with her striking, green eyes and rosy cheeks.
"I wouldn't jump if I were you, I said." Her voice was beautiful as her face, velvety and smooth. His mind went blank for a moment but returned when her words sunk in.
"Well, you're not me. Why do you care anyway?" he snapped, hoping she would go away. Screw the fanaccounts, he would be dead anyway.
The stranger shrugged. "Well, I'm pretty sure security cameras caught me going here and if you jump, it's on my conscience and criminal record."
"What about them?"
"I like them clean."
A small smile quirked his lips but it turned grim again. "What do I care about you anyway?" he sneered but deep inside, he was beating himself up for his rudeness. He wasn't like that, he really just wanted the girl to go away. Sehun stepped forward, the tips of his shoes on the edge of the ledge. One more step and he would be gone.
"." He heard the girl curse under her breath and his eyebrows furrowed. The girl looked like she just graduated middle school but let out the expletive with such ease. 'Must be an iljin', he wondered.
"Look, wouldn't it be cooler if it was in another way?" She piped up, her voice much louder. He looked at her questioningly, prompting her to continue.
"Like you know, you could die in another way. Not like this." the girl clarified, a matter-of-fact expression in her eyes and a devious yet gorgeous smirk in her lips.
"What could be better than this? EXO is known everywhere. Would it be better if I died with EXO being a has-been?" he challenged.
"Like you said, you're on the top right now. Literally and figuratively, I might add." The joke wasn't lost on her and she let out a little laugh, as if to congratulate herself. "If you're going to commit suicide, it should be as high level as your group. Wouldn't it sound cooler if you overdosed while on a party or something? Like you died while having fun, not alone with your guts spilled on the pavement. It's just sounds better."
His eyebrows shot up and furrowed again at the shock her words gave to him. "Are you actually encouraging me to commit suicide? Normally, people would discourage if they see a person trying to kill himself."
The girl rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It's called reverse psychology, dude."
Dude? This kid is rude.
The girl seemed to realize her informality. "I'm sorry, Sehun-ssi, Sehun-oppa, or whatever you prefer. "
"Sehun-ssi. I prefer Sehun-ssi. Actually, I prefer you leaving me alone, thank you very much."
She looked at him, her green eyes boring holes on his own pair. "Look, I'm trying to save your so a bit of cooperation from you would really be nice. I'm jacked up in adrenaline and Red Bull so I don't really have the time or the patience for bull right now. Besides, I'm a fan of EXO and I won't let it be ruined by you jumping off a building before my very eyes. So, if you could just kindly step off that ledge and maybe sit there," she pointed to a block of concrete in the middle of the roof top, "It would do good for the both of us."
Something in Sehun made him obey the girl and step off the ledge in exchange for safe, solid cement. Maybe it was years of always following what people told him to do or the crazy, authoratative tone she had that caught him off-guard. How can a girl so young have that kind of voice?
She breathed a sigh of relief when he sat on the spot she pointed."I know it's hard for you but killing yourself isn't the answer." she advised as she sat a few feet in front from him.
"How would you know, you're just a kid." he challenged, his tone condescending.
Her eyes narrowed as her expression darkened at his words. "You don't know what I've been through." she growled out and instantly, Sehun felt bad. "I know you're an idol with a lot on your plate but so does everyone. Everybody has baggage, young and old, so it doesn't matter if I'm a kid. I might just know better than you."
With her words, everything was suddenly put into perspective. Everything that he would be leaving if he died; the dorky group members who made it far with him, the adoring fans who made it possible and his family back home. After standing on the edge of death for so long, the idol was suddenly aware of everything around him. How the air has been so cold and how harsh the wind was against his face. How ethereal the young girl looked with her back against the dirty, white concrete. How her heart was as beautiful as her exquisite face, taking time to talk him out his foolish decision.
The two of them sat in silence as Sehun experienced his epiphany. "Finally realizing it?" her voice broke his thoughts and he nodded slowly.
"Good." They remained silent again, feeling the cold January air. He took this time to observe his companion and for the third time, he was completely struck with what his saw. Her hair was billowing, and her side profile shined with the beautiful sunset.
'Is she a trainee? It's impossible for the management to not recruit someone this attractive.'
The stranger turned around and green eyes met again with his. He coughed and looked at his shoes, attempting to calm down his awestrucked face. "Whatever it is, you can get through it."
"What?"
"Whatever you're going through, you can go through it."
"What makes you think I'm going through something?"
The girl let out a laugh, mocking yet melodious to his ears. "I'm pretty sure your non-existent love for extreme sports is not the reason why you were on that ledge. I might be younger than you but I'm not dumb."
"How would you know if I'm going through something?"
"Because I've been through the same thing."
That comment cut all the other things Sehun was planning on saying. She wasn't looking at him anymore, rather straight ahead. Her eyes were contemplative and brooding, as if remembering old memories. Memories that were horrible, he was sure.
"I know the feeling of completely being tired of everything. The feeling that life has been snuffed out of you and you're just this empty shell of the person you used to be. Like there's no purpose, no anything to make you feel alive again."
Her eyes went back to him and she cracked a smile. It wasn’t much, just a half-smile but it was beautiful in Sehun’s eyes. “And that’s why I know you’re going through something.” she finished simply.
"Huh. You're smart." was all he managed to say. It was like a late-night drama. One minute he was getting ready to jump and next thing he knew, a mysterious girl talked him out of it. She did it calmly though, not like the usual overacting seen in shows. She reminded him of the stereotypical chaebols; stoic, calm and mocking.
"Do you want to talk about it?" That sent sirens to his head. He owed her his life but he still wasn't comfortable with talking to a stranger. There was a chance she was a saesang fan and he rather just jump to his death than deal with those. She must have noticed his expression because her face turned alarmed and she raised her hands in protest.
"Yo, I'm not a saesang fan I swear."
"How do I know I can trust you?"
She rolled her eyes, as if the question was the dumbest thing she ever heard. "Frankly, I have more things to worry about than spread this. Face it, no one will believe me. It's too dramatic to be true. I'll just be faced with constant hate, probably be sued by SM for false allegations and my life will be destroyed. Look, I don't have any recording with me." To prove it, she started rummaging her pockets. She took out her keys, wallet, ballpen, phone (which she made a point to show to him that there wasn't any shady recording happening) and a bar of Snickers. She tossed it to him, which he caught with shaking hands.
"W-what? Thanks but I don't need this." he said, reaching out to give back the candy bar. She waved it off, shaking her head.
"Trust me, you do. Chocolate helps. Do you want to pinky promise? I take pinky promises very seriously." she extended her hand, the smallest finger raised expectantly. Sehun wondered why this girl cared so much but he wasn't dwelling much on it. He looked at her and saw the sincerity in her face. It was refreshing; to see someone genuinely interested to take care of you, not because they have to but because they want to.
"I'm just tired, you know." he answered, not bothering to link fingers with the girl. He knew he can trust her, even without the childish gesture.
"I'm just tired of everything. The constant tours, the fans, the attention. I need a breather and I feel like I'll only get that if I died. It's a bit extreme but you have to understand, I'm desperate."
"Yeah, I get you. Sometimes death seems like the only solution but it's not. Really, it's not. I would say you can talk to your friends but taken that you're standing on the ledge, they haven't been much help, have they?" He nodded forlornly. The girl let out a humorless laugh, clearly knowing how he felt. Her amusement was cut off by the ringing of her phone.
"Hello, yes? I kind of wandered off. Oh crap, really? Yeah, I'll be down in a bit."
With the long time he spent with Kris and Tao, Sehun deduced it was English. Damn, this girl knows English? SM will recruit her for sure.
The stranger hurriedly stuffed her phone in her pocket and stood up. She walked over to him, her pinky finger stretched out. "Promise me, you won't jump? For my sake, please." The velvety voice was pleading and sincere and Sehun felt warm at the emotion. Unlike last time, he linked pinkies with her.
"I promise."
With a grin of a mix of relief and satisfaction, she let go of his hand. "Good. Well, I kinda need to go but if you need someone to listen to you out, I'm all ears. I won't always give you free chocolate though, I'm on a budget." Sehun's mouth gaped open at the surprising offer and she only laughed again. She started walking away and the idol was slowly going through a state of awe at the whole happening. As the mysterious girl climbed down, he ran after her.
"Wait, what's your name?"
She laughed again, with mirth unmatched. "I think you'll know soon enough."
Like she said, he did know soon enough. Months passed and there was buzz around the main building. It was about a new trainee with a dancing ability unmatched at the current roster and had the most unreal green eyes on a gorgeous, "exotic" face. Being the low-key gossip he was, Sehun asked around.
A trainer looked up from his laptop. "Oh the girl they were talking about? Yeah, she's pretty good."
"Who's she?"
"Uh, I don't really remember because she's not in my classes. You can ask Seokchul though, he's working with the debut project group and the girl is going to be added there. That's how good she is, after two months, she's considered for debut."
Oh .
Author's note: Kind of a prequel to this delusional, plot bunny I had. Enjoy!
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