The EXO members had gathered in Baekhyun’s house. It was the day before the announcement that EXO would no longer exist. They had talked it through with their managers and CEO and there were no hard feelings. It was just their time to stop making music together. And it didn’t mean that the members had trouble with each other, either, it was just… time to try something new.

They had gathered in Baekhyun’s house just to be together on their last day. Technically they had already quit, since they weren’t making music or practicing choreography anymore, but today was still their last official day together since there would be an announcement tomorrow to the public that the idol boy group had decided to call it quits.

It was a weird feeling. They were sitting a bit in silence, someone making a short conversation from time to time, but everyone could feel that this was different. It was sad. But still, very exciting. And slightly terrifying.

“What are you going to do tomorrow?” Baekhyun asked the room and took a sip of coffee.

A bit of silence, before Jongdae said, “Probably nothing, I think.”

“Boring,” Baekhyun commented and Jongdae stuck out his tongue lazily.

“Maybe I’ll be together with Kyungsoo, then,” Jongdae said and looked at his boyfriend, who turned his head to look at him back.

“What? Okay. Sure,” Kyungsoo said.

“Okay?” Baekhyun said, yearning them on. “And? What are you going to do together?”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Nothing, probably.”

“You’re such a boring couple, you know that?” Baekhyun sighed and leaned back into Chanyeol’s arm.

“What do you want to hear, Baek? That we’re going to go on a yacht or dance in a ballroom, or what?” Jongdae laughed.

Baekhyun just rolled his eyes.

“What about everyone else? Jongin?” Chanyeol moved on.

Jongin looked from Baekhyun to Chanyeol. “I don’t know; I don’t have any plans.”

“So boring stuff?” Baekhyun said.

“Yes! I haven’t made any plans, hyung,” Jongin defended himself.

“Being at home doing nothing doesn’t have to be boring,” Minseok joined in. “We’ve been busy for so long, that maybe that’s what we all need,” he said.

“So, you’re not going to see Lu Han hyung?” Sehun asked interested.

Minseok looked surprised. “No, I… I hadn’t thought about that; he’s busy.”

“Well, busy or not, it would be nice to be with your loved one on the first day of freedom,” Joonmyun said. They had all sort of joked about calling the day The first day of freedom, since they would be free to do anything they’d like to and because they’d be free of SM entertainment, but they were only joking.

“Easy for you to say; you and Taeyeon noona have only dreamt about this day to come for so long now. You probably have a whole special day planned,” Yixing joked.

Joonmyun looked at him. “No, actually not. We plan to just be at home. I doubt that there’ll be any difference to feel at all.”

“Taeyeon noona has been free for a while now, so maybe,” Jongdae agreed.

“What will you do, Sehunnie?” Chanyeol asked, noticing that the maknae hadn’t told about his plans.

“I’m going to see Zitao,” Sehun replied.

“In China?” Minseok said, sounding surprised or… impressed.

Sehun nodded. “I’m going to book a private plane…”

“Private plane? Isn’t that a bit much?” Yixing questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Sehun mirrored the expression. “Do you think our fans and everyone else is going to just forget who I am overnight? Do you think people aren’t going to be interested in where Oh Sehun is travelling to the day after EXO’s disbandment? No. I’ve thought this through and I don’t want any interruptions or misconceptions or unaccounted things happening. I don’t even have any bodyguards.”

The others looked almost impressed and let Sehun carry on with his story.

“As I was saying; I will rent a private plane, pack a luggage, fly to China, rent a car – or get a taxi – and drive to Zitao’s house. Then I will knock on his door and take him in my arms, and then I can relax.” Sehun sighed satisfied and leaned back in the couch.

“Impressive,” Baekhyun nodded. “Sounds like you’ve thought a lot about what you’ll do tomorrow.”

Sehun nodded in agreement to everything he said, and let his detailed plan sink in to the other members, as there rose a slight silence. Until Baekhyun interrupted it again.

“Chanyeol and I are going to take advantage of living in a house with none of you. We can walk around and be as loud as we want to be – if you know what I mean,” Baekhyun winked and high fived Chanyeol.

“As if that has stopped you before”, Kyungsoo said and Baekhyun sent him a mean glare.

“Don’t you want to be with Lu Han hyung tomorrow, Minseok hyung?” Joonmyun asked; he had glanced at Minseok through Sehun’s story and had seen a somewhat sad expression on his face.

Minseok looked at him and sighed. “I do. But I can’t just show up unannounced!”

“Sure, you can!” Sehun contradicted. “That’s the best way to do it. It’s a surprise.”

“It’s romantic,” Jongin agreed with Sehun.

“And you can fly with me in the private plane,” Sehun said.

“Really? Thank you, Sehun, that’s really nice of you to offer,” Minseok smiled.

“We can share the costs, right?”

Minseok rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

“Can I join, too?” Yixing asked. “I had planned to go to China tomorrow anyways, but the thought of a private plane does sound nice.”

“Sure! The more the merrier!” Sehun smiled.

The next day Minseok, Sehun and Yixing met at the airport. Sehun came with a flight attendant who lead them through a door into a hallway to get them to the plane easily, safely and fast.

The flight took a couple of hours and the three friends had a good time, talking and relaxing, until they arrived at the Chinese airport, where they split up to go to their own destinations.

“Have a good time,” Yixing said when he hugged Minseok and Sehun goodbye. They had to say goodbye on the plane, as they would have to leave the airport pretty quickly, so no one would notice them. “Say hello to Lu Han and Zitao from me.”

“I will,” Minseok said and hugged him back. “Say hi to Yi Fan from us.”

“Yes, I’ll do that,” Yixing said. “I don’t know how long I’ll be in China, but we’ll see each other again, right?”

“Of course!” Minseok said.

“We’re family,” Sehun said with a smile. “How can you think we won’t see each other again, Yixing ge? Silly.”

Yixing looked relieved. How could he have thought that?

“Good. I love you guys,” Yixing said and gave them another hug.

“We love you, too,” Minseok said and Sehun said, “Yes, we do.”

Minseok thought about all his friends when he was on his way to Lu Han’s house. It was weird that they weren’t a group anymore, but somehow, he felt lighter. He loved EXO with all his heart and he didn’t regret it for a thing; he owed the group a lot. But there was a feeling now… a feeling of freedom, which Minseok hadn’t felt for a long time. And that was nice. A lot of new things would happen.

He thanked the taxi driver and gave him a tip, before going up the small path to Lu Han’s house. It wasn’t a big villa or anything, but every time Minseok came, he felt that Lu Han was so lucky, and it was a little adventure every time he was there.

He gathered his bags behind him on the pathway. He hadn’t known how much to pack; was Lu Han too busy to see him and would he have to go home the next day, or could he stay for an unknown amount of time? He had packed a suitcase and a smaller bag. It was moderate, right?

He took a breath and tried not to smile too eagerly – but failed – and knocked on the door.

A few moments went by, and Lu Han opened the door.

“Minseok? Are you here?” Lu Han said surprised, eyes widen and mouth agape.

“Yes,” Minseok grinned and opened his arms. “Do I get a hug or?”

Lu Han blinked and shook away his initial surprise and went into the hug with such a force that Minseok took a step back. Minseok grinned, excited over Lu Han’s reaction of seeing him. It has been a long time since they last saw each other; Minseok focusing on his last months of schedule and Lu Han working on some new music.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Lu Han whispered.

“Me too,” Minseok whispered back. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, husband,” Lu Han said. Then he held Minseok in an arm’s length. “I read the news! I’m so proud of all of you.”

Minseok smiled. “Thank you.”

“And it was a good statement from SM Entertainment. It’s nice that you leave with peace.”

Minseok nodded.

“Did you read any comments from netizens yet? Or heard anything?” Lu Han asked. Did he sound worried or was it just Minseok’s own mind reflecting his words?

Minseok shook his head. “No, we all made a pact yesterday – Joonmyun’s suggestion – that we wouldn’t be on the internet for at least 24 hours after the announcement. And I took a private plane with Sehun and Yixing today, so I haven’t even run into any fans.”

Lu Han nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.” Then he thought and smiled. “I’ll avoid the internet, too. For you. So, we can be together, just the two of us.”

“You don’t have any plans today?” Minseok asked and Lu Han shook his head, to Minseok’s relief.

“Nope. And even if I did, they got cancelled the moment I saw you,” Lu Han said and Minseok looked at him in doubt, not wanting to ruin any of Lu Han’s plans. Lu Han just smiled back at him, not succumbing to Minseok’s hesitation, and Minseok let himself be hugged with a smile, kind of wanting to just be selfish and be with Lu Han for the entire day.

Naturally, Lu Han won, and they went inside the house to sit in the living room. Lu Han made some coffee and then they talked about anything and everything. Minseok loved listening to Lu Han’s voice, and sitting there in front of him, looking at him, he realized how much he had missed him. All of him.

When Lu Han took a break from talking, Minseok made a move that surprised Lu Han. Smiling at his husband, Minseok quickly and surely connected their lips.

Lu Han’s eyes widened a bit, but only for a brief moment. Then he closed his eyes and let himself indulge with the kiss.

Yixing spend the time driving to Yi Fan’s house to think about what they would do that day. He knew most of Yi Fan’s schedule, and if Yixing remembered correctly and Yi Fan’s schedule hadn’t changed, Yi Fan had the day off.

Maybe they could make some delicious food and chill with a movie? Or maybe they could take a walk in a park? Or play some board games? No matter what, Yixing knew that the day would be nice because he would be with Yi Fan. And maybe that sounded cheesy, but Yixing didn’t care, because even though he still had his own solo schedule, it felt like he had much more time to use, and today, he had a free day.

When Yixing came to Yi Fan’s house, he decided that he wanted to surprise him. He had a key to Yi Fan’s place, because whenever he was in China and had some extra time, he met up with Yi Fan. Or if he just didn’t want to go to his own apartment, he could use Yi Fan’s.

He found the key in his bag and turned it around in the keyhole, opening the door slowly and carried everything inside before closing the door gently behind him. He tiptoed through the hallway and poked his head around the corner, from where he could see the living room; Yi Fan was sleeping on the couch, an open book lying on his chest.

Yixing smiled to himself and walked close to his boyfriend, who was soundly asleep.

Then he knelt by the couch and pressed a kiss onto Yi Fan’s forehead. Yi Fan woke with a twitch and sat upright in an instant, flailing his arms around and looking for an intruder, when he saw Yixing sitting by the side, laughing.

Yi Fan put a hand on his heart with a relieved sigh. “It’s you. You surprised me.”

“I’m sorry,” Yixing said and sat on the couch next to Yi Fan who was now pouting. “I just wanted to.” Then he kissed Yi Fan’s cheek and Yi Fan relaxed and smiled, turning his head to receive a kiss on his lips.

“I’m happy to see you,” he said. “But I didn’t know you were coming.”

Yixing grinned. “I know! I wanted to surprise you.”

Yi Fan smiled, happy that he did.

“You don’t have any schedule today, right?” Yixing asked.

“No,” Yi Fan answered and stood. “Hold on, let me make some coffee.”

Yixing leaned back on the couch with a satisfied smile, ready to get cozy and relax with a cup of coffee.

“The announcement was today,” Yixing said when Yi Fan came back with two cups with hot liquid.

“I know,” Yi Fan said and sat. “I remember.”

“Did you see it?”

“No. I didn’t think it was important what the announcement said, just that it was made,” Yi Fan told him. “But I thought about it. And I thought about you.” He looked at Yixing. “How are you feeling?”

Yixing shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “I don’t know. It’s a relief, I guess. It’s nice how it ended. But I’m not entirely free, and that’s kind of nice, too.”

Yi Fan nodded in understanding.

Yixing smiled and put his legs on the couch and the warm cup in his hands. “I was thinking we could do something together today. What do you think?”

Yi Fan smiled. “Sure, babe. What did you have in mind?”

Yixing shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Yi Fan couldn’t help but laugh a little.

After a bit of talking back and forth, they decided to take a car ride. Yi Fan was a smooth driver and Yixing liked to observe the city as they drove by. He was happy to be home in China and it finally felt like he had only one home again. And that was in China with Yi Fan.

When they had driven for almost an hour, just observing and talking, they went into a small supermarket to buy groceries for dinner. Then they headed back to Yi Fan’s house, put on some gentle music, lit some candles and began to make their food.

Sehun’s heart already began racing when he sat in the car. He was so excited to see Zitao and to see his face when he saw him and when he told him all about how he had arrived there. He was probably the one of his friends who had seen their boyfriend the least for almost a year. He didn’t have a lot of free time and neither did Zitao. He didn’t have a lot of opportunities to go to China and Zitao almost never came to South Korea. He didn’t blame him though; Zitao had a tough schedule.

They rarely spoke on the phone but sent a few texts once a day. The last time they had spoken on the phone Sehun had told Zitao about the plans of EXO’s disbandment and Zitao had seemed excited for him and had said, that maybe he should make an easier schedule himself, too. They had talked about that they would see each other more. Sehun was determined to make this happen.

To be honest, Sehun had often put his work first. And so had Zitao. But they had talked about it and had agreed that it was the right thing to do. But now, Sehun was in a state of mind where he just wanted to be with his boyfriend. And do everything Zitao wanted him to do. Sure, EXO had now disbanded and therefore Sehun’s career was in a definite change, but even if EXO had continued, he would want to put his love life first, because he had realized the last many months how much he missed Zitao. He missed him to be in his arms.

Finally, Sehun arrived at Zitao’s place. He took a deep breath and rang the door phone.

“Hello?” a man’s voice said.

“Hi. It’s me. Sehun,” Sehun said and couldn’t hide a smile from his voice.

“Sehun??”

“Yes, it’s me,” Sehun grinned, hearing the shock in Zitao’s voice.

“Oh my g…” the phone was cut off when Zitao rang him in and Sehun opened the door and pulled his suitcase into the hallway.

“Sehun?!” someone called from way upstairs and Sehun laughed and called back, “Yes?” Then the sound of footsteps running down all the stairs was heard and Sehun was almost crushed in a hug from his boyfriend. Zitao kissed him all over the face.

“Wha…? I can’t believe you’re here!” Zitao said and Sehun laughed again, happy that his surprise event had turned out to be so appreciated.

“I am!” Sehun said and gave Zitao one more kiss.

“What a surprise!” Zitao said and Sehun smiled. “Let me help you carry your things.” He grabbed Sehun’s suitcase up the stairs. Zitao lived on the fifth floor – no elevator.

“Thank you,” Sehun said when they walked into Zitao’s apartment. Zitao couldn’t stop smiling.

“No, thank you. I seriously can’t believe you’re here.” Zitao grabbed Sehun’s hand when he had taken off his shoes and jacket and dragged him into the small living room to pull him down on the couch. “Did you travel to China just to see me?”

Sehun nodded. “Yes. Why else would I be here?”

“For how long?”

Sehun shrugged. “Actually, I don’t know. As long as you want me here.”

Zitao’s smile grew. “I’ve missed you,” he said and hugged Sehun.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Sehun mumbled into Zitao’s neck as they hugged. “It’s been too long.”

Kyungsoo opened his eyes. It was still a little dark outside and hence the bedroom was too. Jongdae was sleeping by his side; he could hear his slow breathing. He could hear a few cars outside but not much other than that; the city was still asleep. Everything seemed as it usually did, except that Kyungsoo usually was about to get ready for work, at this hour. The life of an idol, he thought to himself.

After thinking for a while, Kyungsoo sensed that he couldn’t go back to sleep. It felt weird. But what should he do then?

Was he supposed to continue sleeping? Should he get out of bed? Make a quick breakfast? Or should he stay in bed and just… think?

This annoyed Kyungsoo. He didn’t want to think about it anymore and gave a small puff to the sleeping Jongdae.

“Mh?” Jongdae mumbled, still mostly asleep.

“I’m awake,” Kyungsoo said.

“Mmh,” Jongdae responded, not sounding interested nor opening his eyes.

“What should I do?” Kyungsoo asked.

“What time is it?” Jongdae asked with a yawn.

Kyungsoo looked at the clock on his night stand. “5.30.”

“Why are you awake? Go back to sleep.”

Kyungsoo thought and then lied down more comfortably again, thinking that Jongdae was right.

“Come cuddle with me,” Jongdae said and Kyungsoo went closer to his boyfriend, putting his arm around him and going back to sleep.

When it was 8 o’clock, Jongdae decided that it would be okay to wake up. In the 2 and a half hours they had slept since Kyungsoo had woken him up, Kyungsoo had woken three further times, waking Jongdae up every time he woke up himself.

“What would you like to do today?” Jongdae asked Kyungsoo when he came out of the bathroom. Kyungsoo just shrugged. “Are you hungry?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Should we order something?”

Jongdae thought. “How about we make a huge delicious breakfast ourselves? It’s been a while since we’ve made food together.”

Kyungsoo smiled. “Okay, let’s do that.”

They found the groceries and began preparing scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, toast, rice and anything they desired to eat. When they had made a feast – or something close to it, because they had made so much food – they sat down at the dining table and began eating.

“It’s really good,” Kyungsoo said, mouth full of food, and Jongdae nodded agreeing.

“I liked spending the night here,” Jongdae said after a while. Kyungsoo nodded. “Now that we’re not in EXO anymore, maybe we could spend some more time together?”

Kyungsoo looked at him, not really understanding where the conversation was going.

“Sure,” he said, wanting to spend time with his boyfriend.

“Maybe we could live together?” Jongdae suggested and Kyungsoo blinked.

“You want to live with me?”

Jongdae nodded with a smile. “I love you. I want to spend all the time I can with you. And obviously we can sleep in the same bed now.”

Kyungsoo gulped. Then a smile made its way onto his face and he nodded happily.

“Let’s move in together.”

Baekhyun and Chanyeol didn’t wake up until it was four in the afternoon. The night before, they had closed the curtains and shut off any alarm that might wake them, and then they had fallen asleep, calmly, exhausted and soundly.

“Are you awake?” Baekhyun mumbled when he opened his eyes and sat half up in the bed, surprised by how late in the day it was.

“Yes,” Chanyeol replied hoarsely. Each of them had only woken up briefly a couple of times, to either use the bathroom or hydrate themselves.

“It’s already four o’clock; we’ve wasted half the day,” Baekhyun said. Chanyeol turned around to look at him.

“Really?” he said and Baekhyun nodded.

“How pathetic are we?” Baekhyun grunted.

Chanyeol sat up next to Baekhyun and leaned his head on his shoulder. “Either much or not at all.” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow and shrugged Chanyeol off his shoulder.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Either we are very pathetic, because we have slept most of the day, or we aren’t pathetic at all, because we have spent the day together without expecting much other than each other’s company and now we have tons of energy to use on other things.”

“Such as?” Baekhyun said with a smirk.

Chanyeol’s stomach growled and soon after Baekhyun’s joined in.

“What are we getting to eat?” Baekhyun asked instead.

Chanyeol thought. “Do you want to make something?”

Baekhyun made a grimace. “No, not today.”

“We could order pizza? And watch movies?” Chanyeol suggested and Baekhyun’s face lit up.

“Yes!”

After half an hour they both had taken a quick shower to freshen up and they had gotten three pizzas delivered.

“What do you want to watch?” Baekhyun asked, opening one of the pizza trays.

“An action?” Chanyeol suggested.

“Sure,” Baekhyun said, ready to eat.

“Iron Man?” Chanyeol said.

“Okay, sounds good.”

Chanyeol smiled. “Yes!” He pressed the play button and they began eating their pizzas. Forty minutes later they were done eating, had gotten rid of the trash and put leftover pizza in the fridge, and were now cuddling on the couch.

Baekhyun loved listening to Chanyeol’s heart beating when he lied on his chest. It was so calm and interesting at the same time. He also loved Chanyeol’s laugh whenever someone said a funny line in the movie.

“I liked that we could sleep this late,” Baekhyun said.

Chanyeol looked down at him as he was resting on his chest. “Me too.”

“But next time, let’s wake up a little earlier.”

“I agree,” Chanyeol laughed. “Then we can get much more done.”

It had been a long time since Joonmyun had woken up by himself instead of hearing an alarm.

He silently and slowly opened his eyes, checking if it was morning. The room was lit by natural sunlight. He smiled to himself and closed his eyes again, moving further underneath his blanket. He could just lie there all day, keeping warm and comfortable in the big soft bed, listening to Taeyeon’s beautiful gentle humming. Taeyeon?

He patted the other side of the bed and touched nothing but the smooth mattress. But he could hear her. Where was she?

Slowly his senses started working and he began to hear the slight noises of pans and utensil being used in the kitchen. Now his smell woke up, too, and he could sense the saltiness and sweetness from bacon and pancakes.

“Mmh,” Joonmyun sniffed and contemplated whether he should stay under the warm covers or go out to meet his beautiful girlfriend and the delicious breakfast he could smell.

Taeyeon’s humming turned into quiet singing and Joonmyun made up his mind.

He swung his feet onto the floor, found his slippers and stood, going out of the bedroom, not even thinking about changing out of his comfy pajamas.

“Good morning,” Joonmyun said when he saw Taeyeon standing in the kitchen, focused on making food. Taeyeon twitched, startled by his voice.

“Good morning,” she greeted when she saw her boyfriend’s smiling face. Joonmyun went over to kiss her. “I’m happy you woke up on your own account; I didn’t want to wake you up, but I didn’t know when I should make breakfast… so I just started,” she said and motioned to the pans and plates with bacon, eggs and pancakes.

Joonmyun just kept smiling. “It smells delicious.”

“Congratulations on being a free man, Joonmyun,” Taeyeon said with a smile and patted his arm.

“Thank you,” Joonmyun said and kissed her again. “Can I help you with breakfast?”

She nodded happily and thanked him.

After they were done making a dozen pancakes and enough bacon and eggs, they ate at the table. Then they cuddled on the couch and watched television.

“You know,” Taeyeon suddenly said. “We’ve talked about what to do when we were both done in our groups.”

Joonmyun nodded, knowing what she talked about.

“When should we do it?” Taeyeon asked.

Joonmyun looked at her. “Don’t you want me to propose first?”

Taeyeon shrugged with one shoulder. “Yes, but we can start planning, can’t we? Or are you not sure anymore whether you want to marry me?” she , and he looked at her seriously.

“Taeyeon, I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”

Taeyeon smiled. “Good. Then should we talk about our wedding?”

“A bit unconventional, but sure,” Joonmyun said.

“Big or small?” Taeyeon asked and Joonmyun thought.

“Big.”

“Outside or inside?”

“Inside.”

“Which colors?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“Maybe white and turquoise or purple.”

“What about the food? Should it be a buffet or menu?”

“Menu, of course.”

They thought about what else to ask each other, and Joonmyun said, “This is fun. I can’t wait to marry you.”

Taeyeon grinned. “Me neither, but we’re just getting started.”

Jongin woke up an hour later than he usually did. It was still kind of early, some would say, but for Jongin it was just fine. He grabbed his phone, put the internet signal off, and went to his text messages. Taemin’s name was easy to find.

Just woke up. Feels weird to be free today. Have a good day. Fighting!

He looked a bit on his phone, wanted to go on the internet, but resisted. He turned off the sound, so he wouldn’t feel the urge to get his phone, and put it in a drawer, away from his attention. Then Jongin went to the kitchen and made himself some cup noodles for breakfast.

After eating he took a shower, then sat on the couch, staring at… nothing. It was only 8 o’clock and he didn’t know what to do for the day. He had put on some loose sweatpants, hoping that they would make him relax. But it didn’t work. He just felt like he was supposed to do something. Usually they were doing interviews or working out at this time, but now… there was nothing scheduled for him.

Whenever he and they other guys had had a day off, they would go to the gym, sleep, take walks, dance or play video games. Maybe he should play some computer?

No. No, he didn’t want to use his computer in case he saw something. The same reason kept him from watching television. The only electronic device he trusted right now, was his iPod. Maybe he should listen to some music.

Jongin quickly found his iPod and earphones in his jacket pocket and the music. He sat down on the couch again, but it didn’t take long before he had an idea to a dance that he needed to try out.

After dancing for some hours, he worked out with some weights. He might as well; he was already sweating.

The hours went by quicker than expected and when it was four o’clock, he took a shower and ordered some food. He decided to watch a movie while eating; he didn’t have to look at other channels, if he just found a movie.

It was a bit more than 6 o’clock when he figured it would be okay to check his phone. He wouldn’t go on any apps, he would just check if Taemin had replied.

He walked into his bedroom and opened the drawer to take his phone and push the on button.

No new messages.

Taemin was probably busy, Jongin thought. Obviously; he was still an idol.

He walked into the living room again and figured he could begin reading a book (aka manga). He could finally feel his body relax.

It was about nine o’clock when Jongin couldn’t come up with anything else to do, and he figured he might as well go to sleep early. His body wasn’t used to doing nothing and definitely not to go to bed this early, but he had nothing to do and only god knows how much rest his body – and mind – was probably missing.

Before getting ready for bed he would check his phone one last time. Even though he had resisted to look at his phone for so long, his curiosity hadn’t ceased a bit. His need to go on the internet though, was gone.

This time when he checked, he had received a text ten minutes ago. From Taemin.

Hope you had a nice day. Love you.

Jongin smiled and sent a heart emoji back.

He was on his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth, when he heard a knock on the front door. That’s weird, he thought, not expecting anybody, and went to open the door.

“Taemin? What are you doing here?” he said, seeing the smiling man outside.

“Um, can I come in before I answer? I feel a bit exposed out here,” Taemin grinned. He was wearing a cap and mask and hoodie, but Jongin knew quite well how he felt.

“Of course!” Jongin stepped to the side and allowed Taemin to come in. When the door was closed, he wrapped Taemin in a hug.

Letting go after some minutes, Jongin repeated his question. “What are you doing here?”

“You think I wasn’t going to see you and congratulate you on the first day after your group’s announcement? Are you kidding?” Taemin grinned and Jongin felt stupid – but again, what? How? Why? “Now, how was your day?”

“Fine,” Jongin responded and they walked into the living room. Then he had to ask, “But how?”

“Don’t worry about that; the guys are covering for me,” Taemin explained. “I have an hour, maybe two. They’re practicing a dance routine, but I can practice some other time. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up to them,” he said and then rephrased, “Actually, scratch that; I’m already ahead of them.”

They sat on the couch and Taemin wrapped an arm around Jongin. “Tell me about your day, beautiful.”

Jongin didn’t know what to tell him. Should he lie and say that he’d been doing all sorts of things which he hadn’t had time for before? Or should he tell him the truth: that he had trained and danced for hours for no use, part of it to distract him from going online to find out that everyone hated him?

Taemin looked at him patiently and for some reason Jongin felt the need to cry. But he shouldn’t do that in front of his boyfriend, who had skipped practice just to see him.

“Why are you crying, darling?” Taemin asked.

Jongin shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said and leaned his head against Taemin’s chest. “Everything’s so… wrong, I guess.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know…”

Taemin wiped the tears off his cheeks. “Even though you’re not used to this new life, you’re going to be fine. I promise. And I know that it’s not because you’re unhappy about the decision you and the guys have made; you’re just scared. But it’s going to be fine. And I’ll be here when you need me – and when I can.”

A/N: Merry Christmas and happy New Year (even though I'm a little late).

I hope you liked this bonus, and I'm sorry I haven't posted for a long time! I still want to update this story, so I hope you'll bear over with me. I'll upload new chapters soon!

Thank you for reading my story ^_^