The average person falls asleep in seven minutes

5:34 am

                An unknown indie-song would play through the speaker. He would sit there, studying the plastic foliage in front of him and he enjoyed his cafe mocha. People would walk by him, maybe sparing him some glimpse, it was uncommon for people to seek solitude. But he would cherish his time alone.

                The song would change, and it would be a familiar voice. Deep, rough, raw, soulful. The voice of an old friend, who shared an old dream. He could smile to himself, and think about the what-if’s, but he would not regret his ultimate choice.

                His phone would beep, the default ring that came with the newest Samsung model. It would be his older brother, asking him to come eat dinner with him and his family. He would reply back with a simple 'sure'. He would smile at the thought of meeting his niece, an adorable girl she would've been, taking after her mother in appearance. He would think about having some cute children of his own, and then shake his head, and chuckle to himself. He would remember that he was still young and that for the time being, he wanted to live for himself.

5:37 am

                He would walk through the busy streets of Gangnam, staring at the overpriced items on display on the window. On a normal day, he would speed his way through the sea of customers. But that day would be a special day. His mother's birthday. With his new promotion, he would be able to afford sinfully expensive goods. He was never really the type to splurge, preferring to be comfortable over anything. But for his mother, to see her eyes wrinkle into the smile that makes him warm in even the darkest corners of his being, he would think that he could buy her the world. All the stores he entered, he would look at the products in confusion, not really knowing what he wanted to buy. Bags, clothes, sunglasses, accessories, books, the list too long. Finally, a staff would come and whisk him away from his misery, working with his incoherent ideas, until she would find him a simple necklace. He would buy it immediately, and take it to his bachelor apartment to messily wrap it himself.

5:38 am

                He would be go to a bar, alcohol in hand, the vibration of the bass ricocheting in his skull and a forgotten friend at his side. They would be seated at the darker corners. His friend would conceal his face with a face mask, despite the heat emitting off the people in the place. His voice would be muffled as he spoke, about his weight-loss, the pretty rookies and his desire to be alone. He would listen, even if he would have to strain his ears to catch the other's words. He would have forget his glasses at home, but that wouldn’t hide the way the shadows created two oceans of stress below his friend’s cheekbones.

                He would offer to fill both their drinks, wanting to make this night about forgetting. He would let himself be pulled to the dance floor and uncomfortably rocked between strangers. His friend would laugh at his awkwardness, nagging him to get over himself and find someone already. They would part, him telling his friend to eat more, and receiving a slurred 'take care'.

                He would return to his bungalow, a present to himself after his promotion, by taxi. He'd stumble into his living room and fall asleep on his couch, one with soft cushions, chosen specifically because he had a habit of sleeping on the furniture instead of his bed. He would treat himself to twelve hours of sleep, because he thought he deserved it.

5:40 am

                Even though he would wake up in the morning alone, if he ever missed the noise, he could visit his friends, his family. He would be reminded again why he chose to live in solitude. He had always wanted a busy life when he was younger. He would feel relieved, knowing that the path he chose to follow changed. Because he would have learned earlier, that he was not meant for a fast-paced schedule. He would realize he needed time to figure himself out, and that sometimes he needed time to observe, anything and everything. He needed time.

                And time was what he would have. He would treat himself to gourmet meals in his kitchen. He would begin reading texts other than manhwas after he crashed into a novel enthusiast in the History section of the library. He would eventually share his movie-time and nachos with a companion. He would begin meditating in the morning, before he went to work. He would backpack through the bustling city of New York, and then conquer the terrains of South Korea to re-discover his homeland. He would climb up to high altitudes and breathe.

5:41 am

                He would be able to breathe.

****

"Kyungsoo, get up, we've got lots of places to go and lots of things to do," Chanyeol, his disgustingly optimistic bandmate called out to him through a thick wall of fatigue. "We have to get to the company by seven," he added.

                Kyungsoo peaked out of his blanket, eyes refusing to open. His clock read 6:30 am. He rubbed the hour of sleep away from his heavy eyelids, stretched out the cricks in his neck and threw the blanket off himself. Jongin’s alarm was screaming and Chanyeol was nudging him off his bed.

He didn’t have time to think as he found himself methodically putting his clothes on.

                The apartment was bustling with too much at the same time, and Kyungsoo wanted to go back to bed, to get away from all the noise. But he couldn’t and he tried hard about the what-if’s and went along with the pull and energy of s.

                He threw himself into his lifestyle at such a young age, thinking that this was his dream. But dreams change, people change and Kyungsoo doesn’t have the luxury of accommodating with change. He tried hard not to let his thoughts wander to realities where he is where he wants to be, though in the deep might, he was always weak. To not let himself think, he threw himself into the lifestyle he headfirst was bound to, occupying himself with being D.O. of EXO.

And he tried hard not to let himself regret.