A few days had passed since the result of Yixing’s case came out and since then the other members of EXO-K had avoided talking about it like a plague. No one wants to start the sensitive subject and everyone seemed to be pleased by it and even if someone had the courage (or the idiocy) to bring the subject in to a discussion, someone would always change the subject almost immediately before the discussion could go any further. But today, today was the day they had to acknowledge the elephant in the room. It was funny how the only way to acknowledge it was by bringing another person that hurt as much or not, more hurt than them.

Minseok and Jongdae,

When he said their names the corner of Kyungsoo's mouth tilt a little, upward. Kyungsoo was curios. He was curious about what expression they would show when they enter the dorm. Would they show their real expression from the start or are they going to mask it with fake smiles and cheery faces. Kyungsoo was also curious on how the both of them handle the news. 

The members of EXO-K handled the news a little bit better, Kyungsoo supposed. Since they all had predicted it the second Tao officially left the group. But that doesn't mean that they wouldn't be sad. They would still saddened whenever they hear a mention of the case. Kind of think of it, maybe the only member that recover from the shock of the news better and quickly acted normal afterwards was their own happy virus, Chanyeol. While it was true that sometimes Chanyeol would show his crestfallen expression whenever he stared off to space, he would immediately put on a cheery smile afterwards. The slowest member to recover was, Jongin, after he heard the result, he had stormed in to his room and then locked himself in. Jongin stayed in their room for a few days, making Kyunsoo slept in Suho's and Sehun's room temporarily.

Kyungsoo didn't mind sleeping with Sehun and Suho, to be honest, but what irritated his was that when Jongin finally come out of their room. Jongin didn't talk, apologize nor even glance at Kyungsoo. Jongin quickly took off, bringing his bag with him to the practice room and then stayed there doing god knows what. The only time when Jongin came back to the dorm was during lunch time, dinner time, and when Jongin wanted to sleep. Only those times. Kyungsoo had never even see him eat breakfast beacause as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning, the bed beside his was already empty. The only evident that someone had been there was the messed up blanket that lain on top of the bed. 

With a tired sigh, Kyungsoo put the rim of his mug on his delicate lips, enjoying the bitter taste that was created by the liquid in his mouth. With a pleased hum, he turned the next page of the novel he was currently reading, making a soft rustling noise came out. The door of the handle tilted a little making Kyungsoo tore his gaze from his novel to look at the person that entered the room. Kyungsoo recognized the person immediately and his eyebrow rose a little when the person greeted Kyungsoo with a wave.

"You are the last person I expected to come to my room at this hour." Kyungsoo watched Jongin gently put his bag on the bed. Jongin glanced at Kyungsoo for a mere second before he walked to their shared closet to grab some clothes.

"Your room? The last time I checked this is our room." Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and then turned his attention to his novel once again.

"You know what I mean." Kyungsoo sipped his coffee. At this time, Jongin had removed his sweaty shirt and replaced it with new, fresher one.

"To be honest, I don't know what you mean." Jongin looked at Kyungsoo.

"Well, since you're almost never here, I think it's right to call this room as mine." Kyungsoo replied, he never looked up from his novel, he didn't need to, he already know what kind of expression Jongin was giving him. Jongin frowned a little. "Don't give me that frown, Jongin. You know it's true." Kyungsoo quietly said.

Jongin heard him but pretended not to. He turned to his closet to search for a decent pants to put on.

"Why are you here?" Kyungsoo asked, but it sounded more like a statement than a question. Jongin roamed through the closet, still searching for a decent pant to wear when he heard Kyungsoo's question.

"Why do you think I'm here?"

"Don't answer a question with another question." Kyungsoo closed his eyes and let out a breath.

"Don't you already know the answer?" Jongin ignored Kyungsoo.

"I want to hear it from you." Kyungsoo leaned to his bed post and looked at Jongin expectantly.

"Why do you want me to answer a question that you already know the answer to?" Jongin hummed in delight when he found the pant he was searching for, he grab the pant and pulled it gently, so that the pants that lain on top of it won't fall.

"Jongin." Kyungsoo gritted his teeth, trying his best not to explode.

"Kyungsoo." Jongin playfully said back. Jonging putted on his pant and slide the zipper up. When Jongin walked to the door and was about to put his hand on the handle, a hand stopped him from reaching it. The hand was smaller than him but the grip of the hand was strong, strong enough to stop Jongin from reaching the handle. Jongin looked at the owner quizically.

"Just. Answer. The. Question." Kyungsoo grimly said. Jongin rolled his eyes and, with a violent tug, made Kyungsoo's hand released Jongin's hand. Kyungsoo winced in pain.

"I want to welcome. . . them." Jongin said the last word bitterly. Jongin grabed the handle then, with a swift move, opened the door.

"Our soon-to-be traitors." Kyungsoo barely managed to hear the last word before the door closed gently in front of him.

It seemed like Jongin hadn't recover from it. At that, Kyungsoo frowned at the spot where his team mate had stand before.

"Hyung, wake up." Jongdae gently shook Minseok to wake up the older one, again. He didn't know how Minseok could fell a sleep in  a day like this, a day when they face their future members. Jongdae know he had been exaggerating, a little bit. Okay, a lot. It's not like they hadn't interact with each other, the other members of EXO he means, before. Hell, he and them were basically best friends but still, even with that in mind, the gut wrenching feeling in his stomach didn't get any better. Jongdae's train of toughts were disturbed by a groan.

"What time is it?" Minseok asked sleepily. Minseok wasn't awake yet nor was he still sleeping. He was in the middle of it, half-asleep half-awake, Jongdae noted.   

"I don't know, hyung. I'm not wearing a hand watch but judging by the color of the sky, It's noon." Jondae said while looking at the orange sky. Jongdae guessed that the Sun must be setting right now. Oh how he wished he could see the sunset but alas the sun was hidden by the tall building in front of them. 

Minseok opened his eyes and looked at the gaping Jongdae with amusement in his eyes. "Enjoying the scenery?" Minseok teased. Minseok put both of his hand in his jeans pocket and approach Jongdae.

"I forgot the sunset is more beautiful here in Korea than in China." Jongdae didn't bother looking at Minseok. Right now, his gaze was locked to the sky, more specifically, to the beautiful color of the noon sky. Hiw the orange contrasted with the cream and purple color of the sky. Minseok gave a snort.

"Maybe that's because we didn't have any bad memories here to make it worse." Minseok mumbled. Jongdae tried to hear what the older just said by leaning to Minseok a little so that he could hear the older more clearly.

"What did you say, hyung?" Jongdae turned his head and looked at Minseok with curiousity. 

"Maybe that's because you're home sick." Minseok said a little louder. Jongdae lift his eyebrow. He was 100% sure the first sentence was longer than what the older just said. Jongdae was about to tell Minseok that but before he could say anything, Manager Tak told them to hurry pick their bags and enter the dorm. After hearing that, Minseok and Jongdae scurried to the van to take their bags and walked to the dorm.

"Wait, boys," Manager Tak shouted. Minseok and Jongdae's body tensed a bit before they turned around to face the head manager. When Manager Tak saw that the both of them had turned, he continued talking "I hope you didn't make the same mistake as your former members do. Now that EXO only have 7 members, the moment another person decided to be selfish, It's," Manager Tak made a slicing motion on his neck.

Jongdae sweated a little before nodding, "I'll try my best." Jongdae said weakly. Manager Tak looked at Minseok expectantly. Minseok brought up his scarf so that the scart now covered his lip. 

"Understood, sir." Minseok whispered meekly. Manager Tak's unmoving and blinking eyes lingered on Minseok for a few seconds before dismissing the both of them. Minseok was about to walk away when the oh-so-familiar voice spoke in his mind.

It's for the best.

Now, instead of Yixing's voice that accompanied those sentence, Minseok heard Luhan's. Minseok faltered. Why did that word came across his mind out of the blue? and above all, why Luhan's?

Minseok was about to ponder the answer when a soft and warm hand touched his right shoulder.

"Are you okay?" The voice spoke, it was full of concern and also curiousity.

"I'm fi---" Minseok said halfway, turned his head to the side to looked at the owner of the voice so that they could talk properly, to be polite, only to regret it seconds after because Jongdae and Minseok were now face to face, nose touched, "---ine . . ." he finished. Minseok and Jongdae froze on their spot and stared at each other's eyes. 

A few seconds past before Jongdae remembered what he was doing and with who. With an awkward clear of his throat, Jongdae and Minseok stepped back a few feet. Minseok almost tumbled when he had backed up from Jongdae because of reflex.

"Hyung, are you alright?" Jongdae awkwardly said, staring at everything but Minseok's face. Jongdae thanked the god because he managed to say it without stuttering. Minseok looked at the ground, still dazed about what had happened a few seconds ago.

"Y-Yeah." Minseok stuttered, still looking dazed.

"G-Good, okay." This time however, Jongdae wasn't able to hide his stutter and he mentally cursed himself.

"Okay. . ." Minseok awkwardly said 

"I think we should go in now, Manager Tak already got in. Here, let me help you with your bags." Jongdae quickly grab the bags in Minseok's left hand grip before Minseok could protest. Jongdae walked faster to the front door. Minseok could only trail behind Jongdae.

Chanyeol grinned when he saw Minseok and Jongdae entered the dorm. "WELCOME, HOMIE!" he had shouted a little bit too loud. Baekhyun, who had stand next to Chanyeol, quickly smacked him upside the head when he shouted.It was so ear-splitting, the most ear-splitting shout Baekhyun had ever heard in his life, If Baekhyun were to admit. 

The first member to arrive was Jongdae, face flushed and when he was asked the reason his face is like that , Jongdae replied that it was because of bringing too much bag with him but Baekhyun, being Baekhyun, suspected something else, and the last one to arrive was Minseok, he entered the room with a confused expression, making Baekhyun even more suspicious.

"Hey, Jong---" He was a centimeter close to asking the truth from them but Suho grabed his hand and gave him a look.

"How about asking them when they're settled and maybe comfortable in their new surroundigs?"

"You make it sounds like they're animals or something." Baekhyun argued.

"Baekhyun. . ." The tone of Suho's voice was pleading making Baekhyun hesitate to argue back. After a minute or two, with a lot of thinking, in Baekhyun's part, Baekhyun let out a defeated sigh then huffed in annoyance.

"Arraso, Arraso." Baekhyun make a hand gesture to shoo Suho away. Looking Pleased, Suho strolled away to where Kyungsoo and Sehun were standing. On the corner of Baekhyun's eyes, he saw Chanyeol pulling Jongdae into a welcome hug and did a fist bump. Baekhyun walked to the two of them, not wanting to be left out on their prank planning. 

"Yah! Don't start something without me, idiots." Baekhyun shouted, earning a childish snuck of a tongue from Chanyeol.

"YAH!" Baekhyun shouted once more and walked faster to his two partner in crime.

Kyungsoo was surprised when Jongdae, Chanyeol and Baekhyun quickly got chummy the minute after Jongdae entered their dorm. Even thought he could see something changed inside Jongdae, Kyungsoo didn't know what it was but Kyungsoo could feel the change, and it surprised him how Jongdae could change in a short-range of time.

But then Kyungsoo looked at Minseok and was even more surprise, Minseok's lips was smiling but his eyes didn't bother smiling and Kyungsoo had learnt, from years of reading novel, that the eyes were the truest amongst the other body parts. When Minseok looked at him, Kyungsoo offered a smile and once again, Minseok lied.

"He's lying." Someone whispered beside him. Kyungsoo turned to his left and saw Sehun, poker faced with eyes still fixed on Minseok.

"I'm surprised you know." Kyungsoo said. Sehun just gave a shrug and humed in agreement.

"I'm surprised at my self too, to be honest, but I think it was because of my skill to see through facades that had improved. . ." after Tao left. was the word that left unspoken but Sehun knows Kyungsoo knew what the unspoken words were because Kyungsoo patted Sehun's shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, guys," Suho whispered making both Sehun and Kyungsoo jumped a little at the leader's sudden appearance.

"Where did you---"

"Shhh," Suho shushed Kyungsoo up before the boy said any words. "Look at them." Suho pointed his index finger to Jongin and Minseok. Kyungsoo and Sehun looked at where Suho was pointing.

Minseok was staring at Jongin with face void of emotion while Jongin with distrust.

"Hello, Jongin." Minseok said calmly, giving Jongin a smile while Jongin looked at Minseok blankly before giving him a half-hearted smile.

"Hello, Minseok." Kyungsoo, Sehun, and Suho was surprised when Jongin managed to reply calmly, as calm as Minseok did.  

I want to welcome them,

Minseok walked past Jongin, while Jongin just stayed in his spot as if the ground had swallowed his feet, smile still staying on his face.

"Are you going to betray us too?" Minseok heard Jongin say, but rather than stopping to talk to Jongin, Minseok continued walking away. Away from Jongin and EXO. Jongin's smile dropped when he heard a door open and close.

our soon-to-be traitors. 

The three person that didn't hear what Jongin just said, shivered. Somehow, the tension got more intense when Minseok left.

With a shaking sigh, Suho gravely said :

"The both of them will be the death of us." after they finished watching Minseok and Jongin's interaction. Kyungsoo shook his head in disagreement then look at Suho and Sehun in the eye.

"Not if we can change them back." Kyungsoo deadpaned. 

Bonus :

Jongdae couldn't sleep that night, he just stared at the ceiling of Minseok's and Jongdae's shared room and waited, patiently, for sleep to greet him.

"Tao, are you still awake?" was heard followed by a soft snoring after. Jongdae stiffled a laugh. Jongdae had heard from Tao himself that whenever Minseok asked if Tao was still awake or not, it was a sign that Minseok was lonely and wanted some comfort and Tao gave that comfort by back-hugging Minseok.

"Tao. . ." Minseok mumbled in his sleep. Jongdae turned to his right to look at the sleeping Minseok. Jongdae stared at Minseok's sleeping form with a smile. With much needed pondering, Jogdae decided that just for tonight, he will give that comfort to Minseok. Who knows, maybe while doing that, Jongdae might all asleep. Jongdae sat up, walked to Minseok's bed and laid down. Jongdae wrapped his hands around Minseok, pulling Minseok closer to his chest then played with Minseok's soft hair. 

"Just for tonight. . ." Jongdae managed to say, his eyes became heavy and heavier and before long, he too, fell in to his own dreamland. 

A/N : The road to completion is still far away from us. -narrowing her eyes- Stil so so SO far away. . .

Aaaanyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please comment, I want to know your thoughts about my story.

Cheers!