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- _______! Hey, _______!

I froze as soon as I heard that voice calling my name. That was my best friend, Dino, and I perfectly know what he wanted to say. He only calls me by my full name when there's a particular circumstance... and that was the third time we were going through it.

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Flashback 1

- Sang Cheol... Sang Cheol is...

- Dino? What's happened?

He was crying hard, and that was not normal for him. He couldn't even say a proper sentence.

-Dino? Don't make me worry! What's going on?

- Sang Cheol.. our leader... he's been hit by a car...

I covered my mouth with my hand.

- Oh my God... How's he now? I hope nothing serious...!

- He... He's not with us anymore...

- ... no... please Dino, if this is a joke, it's not funny!

- I don't joke about these things, you know... S.Coups doesn't exist anymore. He's been killed by a drunk man. Our band leader... He's dead... and nobody even could move a finger to help him... we were all there and no one noticed the car...

I widened my eyes in disbelief, tears starting to flow without control.

He kneeled on the floor, hands on his head, crying and trembling, and me too, I couldn't do anything but fall on the ground, in shock.

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I remember the day we created our band. It was a wondeful sunny day, and we were enjoying our lunch break in the garden. Suddenly, Junghan started to hum a melody, and Seokmin created some lyrics to it. In a few minutes our little spot became a stage: some were singing, Vernon, Wonwoo and Sang Cheol rapped during the vocals' pauses, and some other danced to that improvised music. Suddenly, Woozi and Seunggwan harmonized their voices and ended the song, and MingHao shouted:

-Wow guys, we should create a band! This was so funny!

S.Coups: - But... I don't know if we can, school year has already begun and I think there was a deadline for the clubs' projects...

MingHao: -Well, anyway we have nothing to lose, no? The worst thing that could happen is the teacher refusing us permission!

Seokmin: - I agree with MingHao! Let's go find a teacher and ask! What do you think, _____?

I nodded and stood up, and we headed to the teacher's room. Everybody was sure that the best teacher to look for was our music teacher, and we had no problem with finding him. He was used to spend his breaks in the music room, right in front of the main teachers' studio.

Teacher: - Hey guys! Why are you inside the school on such a beautiful day? Do you need something?

Dino: - .... Sang Cheol, you are our leader now! Explain everything!

S.Coups: - Leader? And who did decide this? And anyway I'm the only one who doesn't approve the idea! It was MingHao's plan! Why do I have to explain?

Dino: - Because we decided that you're the leader, and the leader speaks for everybody!

S.Coups:- You alone decided, not everybody!

Seokmin: - Oh, come on, we're going to take a whole day if we continue like this! Teacher, we would like to open a music club and create a band, and we need a teacher's permission! Would you allow us to do that?

Teacher: - To be honest, I don't really like the idea...

Wonwoo: - Why? We're not gonna disturb anybody!

Teacher: - That's not the point...

Jun: - And so what's the problem? We will only practice after school time's over...

Teacher: - I told you that disturbing people is not the problem...

Soon Young: - Just tell us and we'll try to solve the real problem, then!

Teacher: - You can't solve it. And you just need to know that creating a band may be dangerous...

Junghan: - Dangerous?

Teacher: - Yeah. Don't you know the legend?

Joshua: - Never heard about it...

Teacher: - Ok, maybe it will convince you to stop the project... People say that in this school it's forbidden to form bands. Not officially forbidden, as you may know, but... well it's better not to form them. They say that music bands are cursed. Until now, only four bands have been formed... and they've all disbanded.

Seokmin: -Well, if we disband... that's not a terrible thing! We won't fight! We will still be friends anyway!

Teacher: - Oh, no, they didn't disband because of fights... They disbanded because their member all died. On a total of, more or less, 35 people... There's only one who's survived until today, and that's because he left his band just in time...

Dino: - Teacher, that's just a bunch of superstitions! How could you be so serious about such a stupid thing?

Teacher: - Because I'm the one who survived and saw all his bandmates passing away one by one. Do you want the complete list of their names or do you believe me?

The room fell silent. No one dared to speak anymore for what seemed like an eternity. Then Seung Cheol apologized in the name of everybody, and we left.

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Flashback 2

- ______! .... Goddamn, why did it take you so long?

- Dino, calm down! I was taking a shower! What's happened? Is it that serious? Do you need to yell at me?

- ................

- Dino?

He started to tremble.

- You're right, I shouldn't be mad at you... I shouldn't be mad at anybody... It's not your fault... Well... Maybe... maybe it's everybody's fault but...

- Dino...? What's going on again? Why are you so shocked? I did't see you in that condition since Sang Cheol.... No! Don't tell me...?

- Yes... it's happened again. Woozi and Seunggwan... They contracted a polmonar infection... and they died last night, in the hospital. No way to save them...

We were both crying, again. I couldn't believe the truth that just hit me in the chest.

- I... I thought Sang Cheol... Dino, so that wasn't an accident at all...

- As things are changed now, no, I don't think it was...

- But how? Why? We didn't create a school band! We auditioned and became a band outside the school!

- Maybe... Maybe it affects students of our school... even if the band is not a club project...

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Flashback 3

- ________, you're out. I forbid you to take part on our activites.

- What? Seokmin, are... are you crazy?

- No, I'm not. I want you to be away from any risk.

- I can't accept it! Why should I be the only one who's safe, and let you guys still risk your lifes?

- Because that's what I have decided, and you have no choice but to obey.

- I don't want! And I don't want all this band thing to continue! We are in danger! You can't play with other's lives and spare only mine! Please, stop it already! Seokmin... Please, listen to me... disband... I... I don't want to lose any of you... Please... I'm afraid... Stop with the band...

- Don't cry... You have nothing to be afraid of... Remember what our teacher said? He survived because he left his band... So you're safe now. And we're safe too, probably after we lose a member there's no more risk...

- You are betting on your friends' lifes, do you know? What will they say when they'll know that you've saved me and not one of them? What right do you have on them? On choosing who will be safe and sound and who will live with the danger of dying, day by day? That's so egoistic of you!

- _____, we decided together who had to stay, and nobody wanted to leave knowing that the others were in such a big trouble. We all agreed on saving you.

- But why? Why sending me away without asking me? I wanted to stay too...

- And that's the point. You will never accept to leave, if we asked you to. So I took the decision myself... and I choose to save the girl I love.

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- _______! Hey, _______!

Yes, I froze when I heard Dino calling my name. Because he only uses my full name when something terrible happens. When one of us dies. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and I turned my face on his direction. Meanwhile he had reached me. His eyes were red and puffy, and I felt the tears starting to form, too. I slowly opened my mouth, enough to be able to speak.

- Who is now?

- ........

- Dino, we both know what's going on again, just say the name...

- Seok... Seokmin.

I sat on the ground, my head laying on my knees. I didn't even have the strenght to cry or get angry. I knew it. I knew they weren't safe even if they sent me away... and now the stubborn child had paid with his own life... but I wished he was right... I really hoped he was right. But no, life is cruel, and I had just lost one of my best friends, one of my band mates, and my boyfriend. He was together with the other three guys now... and how many others were going to follow? Why did we take part in such a risky thing? And why didn't we stop when we had the possibility?  I just couldn't take it... we were innocent teens, why did we have to be punished like this? And what did we do to deserve it, in the beginning?

-_______?

- What?

- I know this won't help you, it is a terrible loss... but Seokmin disbanded the group before passing away. And he says he will still love you, and he's sorry for not having listened to you.