sehun used to spend his nights huddled proximately to a delicate frame, pale skin and bony yet firm arms. the weariness from accomplishing schedule after schedule long forgotten as they lie in comfortable silence, limbs tangled and body pressed impossibly close to each other. like this, next to luhan is how sehun would like to spend the rest of his days, he thinks and allows himself to indulge in the luxury of imagining the far-fetched possibility that this can go on forever--that they can go on forever. although, he knows that one day all of this will come to an end; including the fame and the hype along with the advantages and even the drawbacks of being the major players in the entertainment industry.

it all started when kris left. the beloved leader of the other half of exo, left just like that--without any explanation or warning or hint. the news that kris wishes to terminate his contract signifies his withdrawal from the group which means their future activities will no longer involve kris. to say that they were surprised is an understatement, and frankly, the whole group doesn't know what to feel about this. 

the announcement came so sudden. they were minding their own businesses one night after supper when their manager called them up to gather. everyone noticed the glum and unsure emotion that the manager wore as he regarded each of them remorsefully, taking one long agonizing breath, he dropped the bomb of the leader's departure. 

the mild atmosphere replaced with a thick, heavy, cutting one as they digest the news. "is this a joke?" the tallest in the group asked piercingly to the man, and when silence answered him with the confirmation, he abruptly stormed out of the area and slammed the door of his room with a loud bang away from them. sehun was new to this chanyeol, he has never seen him act this way. he was observing the members' expressions and he feels a weight pulling him down as he witnesses their reactions. jongdae, who always had a hint of mischievousness in his eyes, looked so lost, staring at nothing but a blank space. his confederate, baekhyun has his eyelids shut tight as if trying to wake up in this nightmare. 

and his junmyeon hyung...

junmyeon's face morphed into contemplation, but his eyes are asking and screaming for answers.

only when he felt a hand closing on his does he realize that he was holding his breath. apprehensively, he looked at the owner of the hand, despite knowing beforehand who that is, and felt relief when luhan gave him a sad yet reassuring smile. they'll get by. this is just another obstacle and sacrifice. 

of course, they were shocked, then comes the confusion, the doubts. the lingering unanswered question, "where did we go wrong?" they are somewhat (extremely) upset, but mostly, they were disappointed (of themselves because apparently kris doesn't find the rest of the group reliable) that kris never mentioned a single thing to them and frustrated by the fact that it happened so fast and they were clueless about the whole ordeal. 

the issue is left untouched and no one dared to speak of it. not one had the guts to open the dreadful topic. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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