ix. He grabbed her hand as one of his last struggles and made a plea that sounded perfect in dreams, yet flawed in reality.

"Kwon Soonyoung-ssi, I'm afraid a relationship is not a good idea at this point of time. You may be distracted from your work, and should the fans find out, the backlash will be severe.

I will not force you to make a decision, but do remember: This does not just concern you, but also her future.

This is the fate of rookie idols."

The CEO's words continued to replay in his head, like a disgusting mantra. Soonyoung turned around in his bed, restless and unable to sleep. He had been pondering his ultimate decision—whether it was to leave, or to stay.

The worries of the fans were the least of his concerns. Even if he might be naive to think so, he believed love should always be kept separated from work, and as long as he and Yuna had a positive relationship, he was sure the fans wouldn't mind.

However, there came another doubt—time.

Other than the members' quiet breathing and occasional snores, the ticking of the hands of the clock in the dormitory rung in the still air. He stared blearily at the ceiling, recalling how much he and Yuna changed ever since they met each other, in both positive and negative ways.

He, who never really paid much attention to the flow of time, was now attentive to the passing of every second. The stability of time was something he sought refuge in. As long as he kept up with time's fading footsteps, he would eventually see himself at the pinnacle of the mountain above, his dreams accomplished. In fact, he was already there, having debuted and succeeding moderately.

He was happy. Indeed, he was.

But replacing that newfound happiness was a sense of having lost something else important to him. This feeling was amplified ever since his last meeting with Yuna, which didn't go well at all. They never really meet often anymore, but when they did meet, had only lashed at each other out of fatigue, anger and nerves. Their distant chattering and merry laughter almost seemed like a thing of the past.

Right now, their priority was on work, not on idle things like romance. That's why...

It was better for them to end it, before they ended up hating on those they used to love.

With that, he made a silent resolve in his head.

They separated, after all.

And even though Soonyoung should feel a sense of relief after all of that, a weight hung over his body.

She accepted it as easily as he did. He wondered if they even tried at all.

But there was no time for regrets. He was going to perform with his teammates soon on the stage he had always dreamed for. Time was ticking, and he had to chase after it before it was all too late and reality would start crashing down on him.

Hopefully, before reality did so, he would see her on the other end of the stage too.

No, it wasn't right. He didn't feel right. In fact, Soonyoung felt more incomplete than before, like a jigsaw puzzle with glaring gaps in between. Sure, they fought with malice more often, but even those little arguments felt better than not having any at all.

He didn't know if it was just blind fixation of something that had already disappeared. However, what he knew was that if he didn't find her—if he cried right then, he would never see her again.

Ignoring the aching of his eyes, he made a new resolve entirely.

To recover what there was lost.

Of course, it might be just futile efforts on his part. But he could hope at the very least, right?

A/N: Yep, it's reeally short. This chapter is meant to give an insight on Soonyoung's perspective, and in a way, his desperation when he ended it all. Two more chapters to go... Please stay with me!