Something was fishy about Woozi staying in the building because of “diarrhea.” Junghan didn’t know what it could possibly be, but he was sure that there was more to the story than just diarrhea. Maybe Baekho was forcing him to do something?

As Junghan was thinking about why Woozi was acting so strange, his phone rang. It was his mother. His mom had been very anxious ever since the whole thing started, and she had been calling to check up on him way too often.

“Hi mom,” Junghan answered.

“Sweetheart, how are you?” his mom asked. It sounded as if she were in a car.

“I’m okay, mom. Nothing’s going to happen to me, don’t worry.”

“Did you talk to that NU’EST guy?” she asked.

“Yeah. He’s a .”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing important,” Junghan answered.

“Don’t listen to anything he says. That group is full of vindictive s that would say anything to trigger you,” his mom advised.

“Mom, are you in a car?”

After a moment’s hesitation, she replied, “yes. I’m driving from Busan to come get you. I don’t want you over there in the midst of all that drama.”

“No, mom. I need to stay here with the group. I’m the oldest and the leader now. I need to stick with them and help them through it.”

“No, Junghan,” she insisted, “you’re coming back with me.”

“I am not,” Junghan declared, “and you can’t make me.”

He heard her cough, and he heard the car screech afterwards.

“Are you okay?” he asked quickly.

“Yeah, don’t worry. Just lost control of the wheel for a bit,” she wheezed, and coughed again.

“You’re not smoking again, are you?” Junghan asked with worry. His mom used to be a smoker before, and the way she was wheezing now reminded him of the times she was an addict. She had stopped since then. At least, Junghan thought she stopped.

“I am,” she admitted softly, “sorry.”

“Mom!”

“I’m sorry Junghan. I’m just so stressed out right now!” she responded in frenzy. It sounded as if she was about to cry.

“Mom,” Junghan said calmly, “nothing will happen to me. I have a clean past, and so there’s no way NU’EST has anything against me.”

Junghan’s mom sniffled.

“Mom, don’t worry. I can handle it. I have everything under control.”

“I’m going to Seoul right now, sweetheart, and I’m taking you away until all five are arrested.”

“Mom…”

“I will accept no objection,” she insisted, and then she hung up

Junghan grunted and let out a deep sigh. First S.Coups was paranoid, then s, and now his own mother.

But he would not leave s. No. No matter how much his mom cried and screamed and smoked, he was going to stick with them until the very end.

-

Hoshi was extremely scared. Of all s, Hoshi felt like the only one who was thinking about what Baekho was actually here to do. Everyone was so calm now, playing video games and eating ramen noodles as if they were on vacation, and Hoshi felt like Baekho had just lulled them all into this false sense of security.

In the meeting, Hoshi noticed the way that Baekho’s eyes pierced him and specifically him. Baekho would meet Hoshi’s eye, and suddenly his expression would darken and Hoshi would flinch. The way Baekho glared at him made him feel like this vulnerable target.

A target for what, however, Hoshi was unsure. He just knew he was a target for something. Baekho was going to do something to him. Hoshi just felt it in his gut.

Baekho hated him, at least that much was sure. Baekho had found out about the fling he had with Woozi, and ever since then, Baekho would not even look at him.

Hoshi remembered when Pledis had revealed that he would choreograph NU’EST’s I’m Bad, and Baekho refused to be a part of it. He issued this ultimatum to Pledisboss: either Hoshi’s out or Baekho would refuse to participate in the song.

Pledisboss hated being challenged, and so he announced to the public that Baekho was on hiatus because he needed to undergo surgery on his vocal chord. Baekho therefore had to miss out on NU’EST’s European tour as well, as a punishment for being defiant.

Baekho missed out on going to Europe and in participating in I’m Bad, i.e. the only thing NU’EST was able to give their fans in Korea during 2015. All because of Hoshi. All this just made Baekho’s ill feelings towards him even worse.

Hoshi remembered the awful time he had choreographing NU’EST’s I’m Bad. The rest of the members were all bitter that Baekho was not participating as well, and all of them were aware that Hoshi had been with Baekho’s lover. Hoshi felt awkward, and so he choreographed an awkward routine for them.

He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t do anything better because he simply was not comfortable with the members. He couldn’t experiment with the dance, or with their bodies. He just wanted to choreograph the routine as quickly as possibly and walk right out.

Speaking of being uncomfortable with members: being among his own members was starting to feel a lot like how he was among NU’EST. Hoshi imagined how it would feel choreographing something with s now. It would be awful. Even though there is no traitor, and it’s all settled, Hoshi felt that there was a newly formed tension between the members. This whole scandal has brought out the worst of some of the members, and they just couldn’t put that behind them.

The tension between Mingyu and Vernon had not settled. Seokmin was still angry at Seungkwan. Joshua stopped talking to everyone, still hurt by the fact they all turned against him. And Junghan was getting a little too bossy and mean.

Hoshi sighed. He wanted to talk with someone, but everyone was just so cold and awkward. NU’EST really had destroyed Seventeen. them.

Hoshi then remembered that there was one member that he could perhaps try talking to. S.Coups was confined to one of the bedrooms, still kind of crazy and unreasonable. Hoshi had tried talking to him since then a couple of times, but it always ended in S.Coups screaming at him asking him if he were Ren in disguise trying to kill him.

Maybe he’s better now, Hoshi thought as he walked towards the room.

Hoshi wished S.Coups would come back to them. The group needed him now more than ever, and Hoshi didn’t feel like Junghan was doing a very good job of replacing him. They all wanted their leader back. The funny, down-to-earth, responsible S.Coups that had invested everything in Seventeen.

Hoshi asked their manager if he could have the keys to S.Coups’ room. The manager had locked it for only the psychologist to come in once a day and to bring him food and water.

“Why do you want to talk to him?” the manager asked.

“Maybe I could help him snap out of it?” Hoshi replied with a sad shrug.

The manager was sympathetic. He gave Hoshi the key, telling him lock the door afterwards, and to be careful and yell if S.Coups tried anything

Hoshi nodded. He unlocked the door and entered the room quietly, and saw S.Coups with his hands together as if he were praying to God.

Hoshi gulped, suddenly anxious. The whole scene just felt so creepy; it brought chills down his spine. It felt like one of those scenes in a horror movie where the person coming in was about to be killed.

“Coups?” Hoshi called out to his leader silently. S.Coups turned his head and glared at Hoshi.

“You’re still alive? That’s good to know,” S.Coups said in a chillingly low voice and with this gleam in his eye that made Hoshi want to just run out of the room.

“No one is going to die, hyung. Snap out of it. We need you right now.”

S.Coups laughed, “no, someone is definitely going to die. And it’s going to be one of you idiots if you don’t just use your head and think! NU’EST wants to destroy us, and to do that, they need to kill us!”

Hoshi let out a deep breath and responded, “Baekho has been caught. It’s only a matter of time before the others…”

“So Baekho’s in Korea now?”

“Yes,” Hoshi nodded.

“Oh then you’re in so much trouble,” S.Coups said, his words gradually turning into this creepy laugh that lasted a good five seconds.

“Me?”

“You ed his boyfriend. You stopped him from going to Europe and from participating in I’m Bad. He hates you. You’re his first target.”

Hoshi began to quaver. Before, all of those thoughts had been just theories, but now that someone else had said it with such conviction, somehow the threat became so much more real.

“I… do you really think so?” Hoshi stammered.

“Oh I know so,” S.Coups responded with wide, gleaming eyes. He turned his body towards Hoshi and stood up, taking a few steps closer.

“I... I’m afraid,” Hoshi stuttered, but he was unsure about whether this fear was of S.Coups walking towards him, or of Baekho’s impending attack.

“We need to do something about it,” S.Coups told Hoshi in a hushed whisper and wide, gleaming eyes that made Hoshi quake.

“What?”

S.Coups leaned in closer to Hoshi. “Run away,” S.Coups whispered.

“I can’t run away.”

“That’s the only way you can save yourself. Unless you want to kill him first.”

“No,” Hoshi shook his head, “I won’t kill anyone, and I can’t abandon the group.”

S.Coups let out a hearty chortle, “the group? The group is done with, Hoshi. We’re over. Seventeen is over.”

“No we’re not…”

“Well I’m over,” S.Coups responded. There was a wetness forming in his eye, which made that creepy gleam in his eyes even gleamier, “and after I take care of something, I’m going to end it.”

“End what?”

“My life of course.”

“Hyung. No.”

“My life is spiraling out of control, Hosh. My family refuses to talk to me. My career is down the drain. The group dynamics are . You’re the only member who came to talk to me, the rest think I’m nuts. Plus, I am under arrest because of the drug scandal. I’ll be in jail as soon as I’m sane again. But I will never regain that sanity, Soonyoung. Never. I lost everything: my family, my friends, my once-budding career, and even my liberty. Why should I stay alive?”

Hoshi was at a loss for what to say. He wanted to give S.Coups something to live for, but he didn’t know what to say. “Hyung…”

“Can you leave me? I need to pray for forgiveness,” S.Coups requested softly.

Hoshi felt so suffocated in that room, and he easily conceded to S.Coups’ request and left quietly. He would go back to talk to S.Coups after he came up with the right words to say. But now, he really had to report what S.Coups said to Pledisboss. They needed to bring him a psychologist or medications or something. It made him shudder to think that S.Coups wanted to kill himself.

Hoshi had not realized how broken S.Coups was until now. He wanted to help, he really did...

I hate them, Hoshi thought, his mind going back to the reason all of this what happening. It’s all NU'EST's fault. I hate them so much.

A/N: okay so usually I call S.Coups Seungcheol but for some reason I decided to call him S.Coups here. Idk why??? Maybe because it’s from Hoshi’s perspective and Hoshi calls him S.Coups whereas before it was NU’EST’s perspective and NU’EST calls him Seungcheol? Idk tbh lol

I realize I also never call NU’EST by their real names lol. #ConsistencyFail.

Also, in case you have not seen it, here's the NU'EST song with Hoshi's choreo: