Luhan was welcomed, Yifan was respected, Yixing was mostly ignored but the one who had received the worst treatment out of the four Chinese trainees was Zitao. He was too young, too sheltered and unfortunately inexperienced in the ways of the world. He walked into the building expecting to be loved right away and so when his first attempt at making friends received nothing but sneers, he really felt the burn.

This felt like kindergarten again, when that tall kid pushed him off of the swing and called him a scrawny brat. Zitao was stunned because it was the first time he had felt such unkindness. Before kindergarten, he’d been surrounded by family. Those who weren’t family worked for his family and therefore had only the sweetest words for him. They convinced him that he was an angel, born to be loved and treasured. He was always given what he wanted and never dared anyone hurt him.

He wailed when that boy pushed him, arms flailing as he made his confused anger known. Normally, his tears would bring adults to their knees as they scrambled to comfort him with gentle touches and promises. The tall kid, however, did the opposite of that. Instead of consoling, Zitao received a kick to his stomach. The other kid was around the same age but his size made him stronger. Zitao had the breath knocked out of him and found himself curled on his side, unable to stop coughing.

Thankfully, one of the other kids standing by gathered their wits enough to find the teacher. After some deliberation, the woman made the decision to take Zitao to the hospital because she knew she could not risk letting this one sustain any sort of lasting damage. In the end, her choice was a wise one for Zitao managed to get some internal bleeding from that one kick alone.

Zitao’s father flew into a truly terrifying rage and proved to be merciless even when the bully’s father came begging for Zitao’s forgiveness on his knees. Zitao’s father yelled at the man and cursed his son, telling them this matter won’t be let go of easily and he’d see the bully’s future ruined. The conversation took place right in front of Zitao’s hospital bed and to this day, fragments of memory regarding that day remained. Perhaps he should have felt proud of his father’s strong presence and glad the child who made him suffer was going to get severely reprimanded. Or maybe he should have felt some sort of pity, seeing how the bully’s father pleaded. But in truth, all Zitao felt was fear. It was buzzing at the back of his skull, reluctant to leave even when the tall kid was thrown out of the room.

The next day, Zitao told his dad that he wanted to take martial arts. His thought was simple – he must get stronger so people won’t be able to hurt him anymore. Those Wushu masters looked really cool on television and they were always capable of defending themselves. At first his father was reluctant, saying there was no need for him to participate in such activities. But Zitao insisted relentlessly and his dad caved, letting his son enroll into some classes even though he was only five-years-old at the time.

His first day as S.M. Entertainment trainee brought the buzz of fear back. Though he was taller, stronger and so much more than he used to be, Zitao felt as uncertain as he was when he laid on his side at the playground.

Why wouldn’t they like me? He thought to himself, a little dejected. He’d been working so hard on his social skills, forcing himself to be less quiet so he could get along with these guys in case they were placed in the same group. He even complimented that other trainee’s shoes last Tuesday, even though they were positively hideous and came from a nobody brand…why wouldn’t these people just notice how much effort he was putting in to being friendly and cut him some slack?

After that, he gave up on making friends for a bit and focused on his classes. He wasn’t the best in his classes but certainly not the worst. Since he had Wushu on his side, the chance of him becoming famous was pretty good, at least that was what he thought. The schedule was so busy that he forgot for a while that he was lonely and allowed nightly conversations with his family back in China soothe his need for companionship.

Then one day, in the hallway, he saw them. It was the Chinese trainees, all three of them, walking together. The one on the left he knew the name of but only because this guy called Sehun from his vocals class wouldn’t stop talking about how amazing the Chinese trainee Luhan was (honestly, from the way Sehun talked about him, you’d think this Luhan was the descendant of a god or something!). In reality, this guy wasn’t all that. Sure, he was good looking and that much Zitao has to give him. But this Luhan also looked like a young girl and didn’t possess enough masculinity in his fragile looking features to really impress Zitao. Because of dad’s influences, Zitao looked up to men who were tough and often turned his nose at the ‘girly’ type of guy celebrities.

Anyway, Luhan had his arm around the waist of the Chinese trainee in the middle. That one wasn’t very handsome, nor did he look particularly intelligent. Zitao was willing to bet ten thousand won that Dimples won’t be getting his contract renewed this year.

The guy on the right was the one that Zitao really looked at. Not going to lie, that one was super handsome and tall. If Zitao was a thirsty fan girl, this would be the idol he screamed for.

…Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have imagined himself as a fan girl just now. Too weird.

Zitao watched as the three chatted among themselves, laughing and smiling abundantly to show their closeness. The one called Luhan carried a cup of bubble tea with a single purple straw. He took a sip himself before passing it to the other two. The one in the middle took a tiny taste test sip first, then down a gulp of the sweet liquid in approval before passing the bubble tea to the right. Zitao partially expected the cool looking guy to push the tea with its slightly chewed straw right back at him but that did not happen. The three of them passed by him, sharing their drink in what felt like a closed established bubble of happy friendship.

 I want friends. Zitao’s heart clenched. I want to be friends with that guy on the right.

With his desire for friendship renewed, Zitao practiced his most charming smile in the bathroom mirror before finally heading out one day on a hunt. The guy he decided to target was called Kim Minseok. He had a friendly looking round face and seemed to be really gentle mannered when Zitao observed his interactions with other people. Surely befriending him wouldn’t be so difficult. Minseok seemed to like affectionate younger trainees, so today, Zitao shall pretend to be Sehun.

Clearing his throat, Zitao caught up to Minseok in the hallway and tapped him from the back. “Minseok oppa!” He greeted in his most lovable – though also slightly high pinched – voice.

Minseok turned around slowly and did not smile. In fact, Zitao’s greeting seemed to have somehow shocked him to the point that his face turned pale. A quick ‘hi’ was choked out before Minseok fled the hallway, leaving a confused Zitao to pick up the pieces of his shattered pride from the floor.

Where did I go wrong? Zitao found himself thinking as he popped coins into the vending machine. His mood was dropping and his mind was a mess. A cool drink was exactly what he needed but as his golden luck would have it, the soda can managed to get stuck in there.

“Oh come on!” Zitao kicked the vending machine. It did not budge and the soda remained solidly stuck. Zitao threw up his middle finger and started enthusiastically cursing at the machine. He used both Korean and Chinese, rallying up all the nasty words he could think of as he continued banging on the piece of .

Eventually he exhausted himself, and that was when he heard the quiet laughter.

It was the handsome Chinese trainee from a few days before, only this time, he was alone. Zitao’s eyes brightened as he tried to think of a proper way to say hello. But somehow, his tongue felt like it was glued to the bottom of his mouth. Maybe it was because what happened with Minseok broke his confidence and he hasn’t recovered enough to risk another rejection.  Zitao remained silent as the friend of his dreams brushed past him in front of the vending machine and pushed some coins in. Zitao noticed that the guy ordered the same drink as he did and with a twist of the bar, both sodas fell.

“Here,” the guy said, picking up both sodas and handing one to Zitao. “This is yours.”

That moment was perfect. If Zitao wasn’t so manly, he’d totally say it felt like a scene from some manga. With soft background music and flowers in the panel.

“Thank you…” Zitao stammered.

“You should say thank you, hyung. Not oppa – hyung. ” The left corner of the guy’s lips lifted in playful smirk, indicating he’d saw what happened with Minseok earlier. “Oppa is for girls to boys.”

Zitao’s face was instantly flushed with embarrassment. So that was what happened. No wonder Minseok looked at him all weird like that. “I am not a girl!” Somehow those were the words he ended up spewing.

“I know,” the guy said, looking like he was ready to start laughing again. “My name is Wu Yifan.”

And from there on, they became friends. Zitao was introduced to Luhan and the middle guy, Yixing. The four of them became really close and through Luhan, Zitao even managed to get to know the others. Minseok, too, he finally managed to properly introduce himself to. That oppa story shall remain in Zitao’s memory bank and hopefully, no one will ever learn of it. Just remembering it made him feel all tingly with embarrassment.

After a few months, Zitao became a guy with many friends. Still, Yifan was his favorite and he never failed to show it. Whenever they were out, he always tried to walk beside Yifan. He liked clinging onto Yifan’s arm, just for fun, and pestering the other to go on solo outings with him. Zitao secretly hoped he’d get to debut with Yifan in the same group and before too long, his wish was granted. The two of them became even closer, to the point where Zitao couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he didn’t have his Duizhang.

But now, only a few years after the prime of their friendship, they barely looked at each other. Look at them now, walking next to each other but each holding a stone expression. If this was before, Zitao would have his arm around Yifan’s and the two of them would be pressed right against each other.

Something has to change.

Zitao took a deep breath and stopped in his path.

This episode essentially locked the guests in one of the most famous malls in Shanghai. The guests had to explore the shops in hopes of finding clues that would eventually lead them to a key to unlock the front doors of the shopping centre. The game officially started at eight in the afternoon and the guests were warned by a mystery video tape they found on the first floor to get out by midnight, or something terrible was going to happen. 

The clock had announced midnight about half an hour ago and while everyone was able to find some clues, they just didn’t manage to piece it together in time. Besides, this was likely supposed to happen anyway. The director probably had some sort of special twist planned after midnight and was purposely keeping back some of the clues to delay the guests.

The guests speculated this was going to be a horror style episode just based on that midnight warning so decided to pair up. Zitao agreed because for this episode, they didn’t even have camera men following them. The mall had cameras hooked up everywhere to capture their actions but they would feel alone wandering these shops. For the sake of his mental health, Zitao decided to put himself up for partnering. They drew names for fairness’s sake in order to determine the groups. William was with Dilraba. Yixing was with Yang Mi and Luhan. Zitao was somehow lucky enough to end with Yifan and the atmosphere had been suffocating since the moment they stepped onto the sixth floor together.

this .

“Wu Yifan!” He called out suddenly, a little louder than he needed to considering the fact they were standing right next to each other. “Let’s talk.” He checked and there weren’t any cameras at this exact corner, this was as alone as they were going to get on this show.

Yifan turned, eyes briefly widening at the usage of his full name. His first reaction was to look up at the walls, checking their proximity for cameras because Zitao was doing a fine job at ruining the carefully maintained amicableness between them. Then again, was he really surprised? The four of them left a lot of things unsaid between them when they went their separate ways and at some point, it must come out. Of course Zitao would be the first one to crack – he’d never been good at holding in his emotions, no matter what consequences his impulsiveness may bring.

“No.” Yifan delivered the rejection with as much iciness as he could summon before pressing his lips into a thin, grim line. “Let’s not.” He couldn’t and didn’t want to risk opening this can of worm. “Now keep walking.”

Zitao should understand. And even if he didn’t, Yifan hoped that cold refusal hurt the other’s ego enough that he’d never try to converse again.

But Yifan underestimated Zitao’s resolve. 

Instead of shutting up and continuing on with the game show, Zitao grabbed Yifan by the arm and hauled him back before he could take a single step out of their safety corner. “No, we are going to talk whether you like it or not. I have some things that I need to get off of my chest and you will hear me out!” Zitao’s words were angry and his grip was hard but neither of those things would have stopped Yifan from leaving. Instead, it was Zitao’s eyes, blazing with determination and growing red at the rims that made Yifan pull back the foot he stepped out with. After all, he was never good at dealing with upset kids, especially when they were on the brink of water works.

 “You have to hear me out.” Zitao shook the arm he was holding onto almost violently. “You just have to.”

Bright lights, inviting signs, giant posters featuring smiling celebrities and brand new merchandises waiting patiently for their owners. This was Cloud Nine, one of the biggest shopping malls in Shanghai and featured popular brands from all over the world. Yixing had shopped here before and could not say he enjoyed the visit due to the sensory overload he experienced. The mixture of music pounding against his ears and the constant noise of chattering from those who walked by…

 He wouldn’t mind some of that noise right now, though.

 One of the clues he discovered led him to a mystery room holding a puzzle that he must solve alone. His teammates Yang Mi and Luhan waited for him outside and promised to cheer him on. Yixing was certain he’d fail since he was terrible at puzzles but it turned out okay and he successfully received a video tape. There was a television set up so Yixing popped in the tape without any hesitation. It was a audio recording featuring a girl’s hushed voice. The girl talked about being trapped in the mall and how when midnight hit, the mannequins came alive and tried to kill everyone. There was one person among those trapped who actually controlled the mannequins and the way to escape the mall was by eliminating that person. The tape ended abruptly, with the girl screaming as if she was discovered by some unknown evil.

 Needless to say, Yixing was scared half to death by the time he walked out of the room. And guess what? His teammates weren’t out there anymore.

 “They are supposed to be waiting for me,” Yixing complained into the camera beside the mystery room. “Mi jie, Lu ge, how could you guys just leave me?” At least they had communication tool. Everyone was given a walkie talkie at the beginning of the episode so they could check in with each other’s progress. Yixing called for his teammates first and when they didn’t respond, he asked for anyone else listening to say something. Again, nothing.

The lights flickered above his head and innocent sheep Xing entered full panic mode. He wandered about in aimless fear until he spotted the familiar figure in a shop window. He let loose a noise of delight before charging towards Luhan, who for some reasons had his back turned and wrapped both of his arms around the other. Yixing realized something was wrong when Luhan turned to face him, his movements robotic and his eyes devoid of emotions. The other three mannequins in the window moved then too, turning to him with rather savage painted smiles. These were only actresses hired for the purpose of this episode but in that moment, with the creepy background music and pure darkness, they felt every bit as dangerous as real monsters.

 “Help! Somebody help!” Yixing managed to shout before running in the opposite direction at full speed. Behind him, the mannequins chased. Mannequin Luhan was in the lead and he was a lot faster than Yixing anticipated.

In a stupid but very typical horror movie protagonist move, Yixing got himself into the elevator. He was pressing the button to go down repeatedly and hoping that the door would shut in time. His plan would have worked if it was only the three high heeled female actress mannequins chasing after him but soccer enthusiast Lu was just too fast. By the time the elevators pinged shut, Luhan was already on top of Yixing, breathing heavily from the exertion of the chase. His face remained terrifyingly expressionless for the camera but he tickled Yixing’s arm discreetly with his pinky while pushing the other into the elevator floor as reassurance.  

Meanwhile, all Yixing could think was so close as he stared into Luhan's eyes.   

The first time they were this close to each other was on an evening very close to Christmas. It was their first real break since debuting but since the weather was not exactly safe for going out, the boys decided to order pizza and stay in. Everyone was full of carbs and slowly dozing off when Chanyeol announced a game was in order. He thought simply passing out would be a waste of their precious free time and to be honest, everyone agreed with him. The managers were out so the boys were feeling extra brave. The underage babies were given orange juice while the others all poured their shot glasses full. 

Chanyeol handed out pieces of paper and asked everyone to write a fun task on there. Then, one by one, the boys pulled a piece of paper out and had to perform the task written on it or take a shot. The game started out innocent enough with the tasks mostly featuring push ups or chores. Eventually, though, as tipsiness sank in, the tasks became wilder and more embarrassing in nature.

Luhan managed to pick up a task that required a second person in order to complete. It was an incredibly childish game but Luhan played it before because stupidity was popular among college aged boys. Pretty much, the game required for two guys to feel up each other and whoever had to stop due to embarrassment first lost.  Considering how loudly Park Chanyeol laughed when he picked this piece of paper, Luhan dared to guess that he was the one who wrote it. “Come on, then,” said Luhan, waving at Chanyeol to join him in the middle of the circle. “Let’s do it. It’s only fair.”

“No way, I wrote the task. You have to pick someone else!” Chanyeol protested, eyes quickly scanning around the circle for a victim. “There, do it with Lay hyung.”

And so poor Yixing, who had his head comfortably rested on the most cushion-y part of Sehun’s and wasn’t even following this exchange, was caught by the ankle by the evil Park and dragged into the ring.

“What’s going on?” Yixing whined in Chinese, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He couldn’t handle his liquor as well as the others and though he had the least out of all who were drinking, he was already on the verge of passing out.  “I don’t want to play,” he whined as he casually made his escape attempt.

“Quick, stop him!” Chanyeol yelled and was pleased when someone heeded his order. It was Yifan, propping Yixing into a sitting position before Luhan with firm grips on the other’s shoulders. “Now everyone else, let’s take bets, who do you think would win?”

 For the most, it was an easy choice. By now, everyone knew how deceptive Luhan’s delicate features were and how playful he could get. Shots were lined up on the table and all eyes were on the three in the middle of the room. Yixing had abandoned his futile attempts of escape and found himself a comfortable place to rest against Yifan’s chest. Judging by his dopey expression, Luhan was pretty sure the other still didn’t know what the heck was going on but no longer cared enough to protest.

 “Go on, Luhan.” Chanyeol prompted impatiently on the other side, dripping chilly oil into the young ones’ orange juice to make the bet extra exciting even for them. “If Lay hyung asks you to stop or flinches away, you win.” He also betted on Luhan’s victory and was eager to see it.

 Luckily for Chanyeol, Luhan also happened to be in the mood to win. He played this game before with plenty of friends and knew the key to success was actually slowness. Most people made the mistake of going in too fast and aggressive, to the point the other person had no time to react. So, determined to not follow in those losers’ footsteps, Luhan slid his hand up Yixing’s ankle with steady gentleness. He expected Yixing to lose before he even reached knee cap because years of rooming together made him more than aware how sensitive the other was.

 Yixing, however, decided to surprise him as he made not a single noise even as Luhan’s fingers reached up his pajama pants and glided across his inner thigh.

 What’s going on? Luhan raised a brow at Yixing’s unperturbed expression. He literally had his hand inches away from the place fan girls would sell their souls to get themselves on and this guy was not giving him any reaction? If Luhan had a shot or two less, maybe this is where he would have declared Yixing the winner and laughed the whole situation off. Yixing’s exhaustion probably overwhelmed his ticklishness and there was nothing shameful about losing. But the alcohol…it made him less careful. The frustrations that he had been so good at suppressing surfaced and pushed aside his patience.

 The other boys collectively oohed when Luhan unexpectedly grabbed Yixing by the chin with his other hand and pulled the other in closer. Their gazes – blazing flame and calm water – locked and Luhan felt desire rising from the dangerous clash. Yixing’s lips, which were so close to his, looked extra inviting tonight under the dull ceiling lights. Perhaps it was due to the sting of alcohol but Yixing’s lips seemed redder and more plump than usual. And Luhan knew if he just leaned a little closer, he could pull those lips between his teeth and test out their texture himself.

He wanted to. Really ing wanted to.

And to be fair, his lust should not be faulted by anyone. People seem to forget that EXO was a group of hot blooded men in the prime of their youth. When beautiful fans screamed their names and stared at them with undiluted thirst in their eyes, the idols were tempted. Like ordinary men, they wanted to rake their teeth against soft skin and bury themselves in a woman’s warmth. Their occupation ensured that they were loved and coveted, but their innocent images also forbade them from harvesting from those who desired them.

As their fame grew, their freedoms became lost. The boys had to be careful because if they even brushed a female idol’s shoulder while walking by them, it might come back to haunt them as some scandalous gossip. At this point, they were desperate for physical affection and their simply needed more than their own hands could give. Thinking about ing the other group members was likely more common than people would imagine. After all, they only had each other. If a vote was taken, Luhan would guess that Kyungsoo’s name would come up as one of the top lusted. Yes, it would be due to his size. Kyungsoo’s smaller frame, pale skin and seemingly innocent owl eyes made him closer to the ideal female candidate than the rest of the members. Besides, Kyungsoo also got warm easily and therefore had a tendency to walk around in only boxer shorts when summer hit. If Kyungsoo knew how crazy it drove some of the other EXO members, maybe he would have opted to stay in his air conditioned room and not wander about so often.

Baekhyun, of course, would be the other popular choice. He was also small and had a sweet voice when he whined. He fake moaned to make fun of an actress’s horrendous acting one time and it actually got someone hard on the spot. Luhan shall not name any names but here’s a hint – fans really appreciated seeing this particular individual with Baekhyun and lovingly named them the puppy couple.

Sehun was likely featured in some people’s fantasy time before sleep too. It was a bit wrong, considering how young he was but perhaps that added to the thrill. After all, as the youngest, he must listen to his hyungs no matter what, right? Even if hyungs stepped over the line and made him unhappy, they could make him smile again the next day with a casual bribe of bubble tea, right? 

Zitao might have been popular too if he wasn’t so keen on looking grossed out every time the group members playfully humped each other. He kept on telling everyone that they looked gay and it was really disgusting but Luhan thought out of them all, Zitao was probably one of the only two people in EXO who were actually in the closet. 

Who did he like?

Come now, that must be obvious. Who did he stare at all the time? Who did he cling to day and night? Whose attention did he pine for the most and who broke his heart when he left without saying a word? We all know. It was puppy love – the sweetest, most innocent type of affection there was. 

Luhan was not an exception and occasionally lusted after his group members. Most of the times it was between Sehun and Minseok and never did he think of Yixing in that way until this very night. He wondered why it took so long for him to want Yixing, especially when his roommate was so cute…so obedient and so easy to get to.

Oh.  

He remembered why. It was the look in Yixing’s eyes.

Though they were a little clouded tonight because of the alcohol, those eyes still held the same emotions. The beginning of panic was crawling in to those dark pupils due to Luhan’s rough grip but there was still more trust. Yixing was calm because it was Luhan grabbing and touching him. Though the other looked intimidating and he didn’t even understand the game rules, he trusted Luhan to play safe. Such pure trust was difficult to disrespect and so Luhan pushed himself off of his roommate.

“You win.” He manfully down his own shot before excusing himself to the bathroom. Outside of the small, confined space, he heard his team members grumbling over their loss and downing their own drinks. When he came out, Baekhyun was singing Primadonna Girl and demanding that Chanyeol got on his knees. Jongdae had made a ring out of some tissue paper, claimed it diamond and enthusiastically sang along. The party continued but Luhan did notice, out of the corner of his eyes, that some people went missing. 

Yixing was gone.

And so was Yifan.

They wrestled all the way during the elevator ride and rolled outside when the doors opened. Luhan was gaining the upper hand and close to taking Yixing out when the lights all without warning. Unused to the light after being in the dark for so long, both Yixing and Luhan rubbed at their eyes in pain. Staff members appeared from the emergency exits and told Luhan the game was being paused due to an unexpected incident. Rolling off Yixing, Luhan busied himself inquiring the details of the delay. The staff members seemed distressed but ultimately decided to reveal what had happened.

Apparently, some fans were able to find out that they were filming at this mall and managed to sneak themselves in. It was a group of five girls and one was caught by one of the hidden camera crew. They’ll continue the episode once the other intruders were caught.

Luhan fell silent for a moment. While tackling Yixing earlier on the seventh floor, he did hear a click followed by a tiny flash of light in one of the nearby shop windows. He thought it was one of the show’s hidden cameras but perhaps he was wrong…

He approached the shop he heard the sound from earlier alone, keeping his footsteps as quiet as possible. Sure enough, he heard unfamiliar voices whispering behind one of the clothing racks. There were two different voices, one softer and the other richer. The girl with the sweeter voice sounded excited while the other one was concerned.

“I am so not selling this one. You don’t know how close it was – I thought William would see me for sure but he didn’t turn around. Ah, I got so lucky!”

“I don’t think we should sell any of these pictures. What if we get in trouble?”

“Don’t be such a coward. No pain, no gain and besides, everything worked out fine. I risked a lot to get these photos and why shouldn’t I use it to pay for my tuition?”

“Ugh. Let’s discuss this later. Where are the others?”

“I don’t know. Been texting them but got no replies – hey look, I got one for Yixing. You can have this one if you promise to not lecture me anymore!”

By now, Luhan was close enough to see the girls, crouched in the corner. They seemed young – high school aged most likely. Still, that did not excuse their behavior. He was livid inside but kept his smile comforting as he stepped into the girls’ line of vision. They were startled to see him initially but it didn’t take long for his gentle words to win them over. “It’s not safe for you girls to be here after hours. It’s past midnight and your parents must be worried sick.” He beckoned at the girls and after a slight hesitation, they stepped closer.

The sweeter voiced girl was the less pretty of the two and now that she recovered from her shock, was staring at him with undisguised adoration. The other girl hung her head and seemed to be feeling shameful about her behavior. “We are really sorry,” said the more mature one. “We will delete all the pictures, I promise.” A death glare was given to her oblivious friend when the other began protesting.

“Delete them? Nonsense! I bet you guys took some interesting pictures. Were there any of me?” He played curious and that made the foolish first girl’s guard drop to a complete zero.

“Yes!” She scooted over with her phone, batting her eyelashes coyly as she leaned into his side. Luhan allowed her closeness only so he could use the opportunity and snatch away her phone.

“I just want to have a look, don’t worry.” He promised, flipping through the photos. These girls were apparently hiding in the changing room. How they managed to not get discovered he’ll never know but he will have a talk with the director about this tomorrow. With a sigh, Luhan clicked shut the phone gallery. The girl, noticing that he was done, held out her hand for the phone. “What’s your rush?” A dangerous edge crept into Luhan’s eyes as his smile widened. “Is it because this is a new phone?”

The girl nodded, her blush deepening.

“That’s a pity.” With a swift movement, Luhan tossed the phone backwards. They were on the seventh floor and it was a long way down. These phones were pretty to look at but fragile as hell so there was no way it would survive.

“Y-you…” The girl’s eyes widened. “H-how could you? You can’t possibly be Luhan. Luhan is so sweet and kind, he’d never do this!” Her eyes were b with tears but Luhan had no sympathy to spare for her kind.

“Don't,” he said. “Call my name as if you know me.”

The other girl, who had been quiet during this entire exchange, pulled her own cell phone from her pocket. With a determined look, she smashed the phone onto the floor and ground it with her foot until it was in pieces. “I am really sorry, please don’t hate us.” She pleaded, bangs concealing her eyes.

Luhan gave a curt nod before turning around. He’ll call the security to deal with the rest of this. As he left, he heard the petulant girl yelling. She promised she’ll write blogs about his behavior and make everyone see him for who he really was so they’d hate him. Luhan carried on walking, unconcerned about her threats.

He was an idol. Everyone’s beloved deer. His kind, lovable image was carefully crafted and well maintained for the past few years. No one would believe her, no matter what she said and how true her words actually were. Her claims would get dismissed and his fans would shield his reputation.

Besides…it didn’t matter anyway. Even if people did see through his mask…even if they did finally figure out he wasn’t a nice guy…well, that might just work out fine. He was beginning to get real tired of living like this.  

In the end, they found four of the five girls. The last one was never found and it was close to morning. The director decided they’ll shoot the episode again next day and told everyone to go home and rest. On his way home, Luhan was placed in the same car as Yifan, who was holding his chest as if he was in pain.

“What’s wrong?” He asked but Yifan only shook his head. Luhan was curious but as always, knew when to stop pushing for answers.

The next day, he found out what happened: Yifan and Zitao had an argument and Zitao threw a punch that was harder than necessary. Unfortunately, he was not the only one who found out about this piece of information. The girl who was never caught by the security apparently hid in a shop near Yifan and Zitao’s argument. She managed to take a brief six second video about the conversation and upload it to the internet. The video was taken down in less than half an hour but by then, it already had over 200, 000 views. Those six seconds of Zitao swinging his fist towards Yifan could not be pulled back and soon, it was everywhere. It made news headlines and blog pages. Yifan fans and Zitao fans started a war as the shippers dissected and analyzed every second of the blurry video.

It was total mayhem.

The show was delayed once again, this time for two days. When finally they were ready to shoot again, Yifan didn’t show up. Five phone calls and an hour later, he turned up with his manager. Both of them had dark circles under their eyes and it was apparent that they weren’t able to get much sleep.

“I want out,” Yifan said as soon as he stepped on the set.

Only three episodes into this show and they were already falling apart. Yifan would be the first to quit, just like before. Such perfect irony.

notes; here's the fourth chapter, everybody. this fic is not getting a lot of love on aff and during my lazy moments, i considered giving it up. felt a spurt of inspiration yesterday though and used it to knock this chap out. enjoy and i'll see you in my next update. :3