Hyesung keeps glancing between the door and his phone, he doesn’t really like to waste his time, especially on his free day when he can just spend it on his bed all day.

“It almost over I think,” Heejin, Eric’s secretary talks to him while still typing something on her laptop, “they’re talking for two hours already.”

“Your CEO should’ve call me when the talks already over, or he can just come over to my apartment after this.” Hyesung is sulking, and Heejin just laugh at him.

“He’s our CEO tho.”

“Nah, I’m also the stakeholder of this company,” Hyesung let out a yawn, “if they’re still talking for another 10 minutes, I’ll back to my home.”

Chukles, Heejin lifts up her face, facing Hyesung who choose to sits beside him, rather than the sofa in front of them.

“Oppa.”

“Hmm?”

“The rumors, it’s that true?”

“What rumors?”

“About Dongwan-ssi,” Hyesung stop playing with his phone, and turn his face to Heejin, “it’s been circulating around here, last week—when all of you canceled the schedules, you all met with him, some even said it’s for the concert this year. And knowing, I’m the secretary, they keep pestering me, eventhough I know nothing.”

“Wow, I don’t know we have lot of gossipers as our employe.” 

“So, it’s true or not?”

Hyesung folds his arms, looking serious at Heejin. “And, what’ll you do if you know the truth?”

“Nothing.” Heejin smiles, “I won’t hold this job for a long time, if I blabber around, oppa. I know everything about you and my boss, did I ever leak that?”

“Ahh, what a nice girl,” Hyesung pats Heejin’s head playfully, “Eo, we met with him. An informal reunioun with an old friend. That’s it.”

Nods knowingly, Heejin resumes her works. “How’s he? My big sister was his fan, she bawled her eyes out when he held the prescon about his retirement back then.”

“You never said that your sister is our fan?”

“For what?” Heejin replies back, cheekily. “She’s married now, and never really ask about you even she knows I work here. Maybe, she’ll back being fan if Dongwan-ssi back too.”

Hyesung only nods his head. Not really know how to respond that. Like the others, He knows it well—when Dongwan leave them, the fans also being divided. And it’s that kind of situation that inevitable. Some still stay loyal with them, especially their individual fan and their fan in general, the one that wish them the best, while—still hoping someday the six of them gonna be on stage together again. 

The sound of an open door—snaps Hyesung out from his wandering mind. He is eyeing the door, looking at Eric and another man on his formal shirt, shakes hand, and give each other professional smile.

Heejin and Hyesung stand up together, do a small bow to the guest—and when the man already out to the corner of hallway, Hyesung grabs his phone fast, give a small bye with his hand to Heejin and trails behind Eric. Full of curiosity.

“Who is he?” Hyesung asks straightly. Sits on the sofa, facing Eric’s back. His fiance busying himself with some documents on his table.

“Lee Chansoo, a private detective. I hire him.”

“What?!”

Eric turns his back, walks to Hyesung direction with a bunch of paper on his hand, then sits beside him.

“I got Dongwan’s lawyer phone number, and called him. Ask about what really happened with Dongwan ten years ago, but of course he won’t tell me, I know it’s the ethic. But, long-story short, I told him that we met with Dongwan, and he got some problem with a stalker. I want to check it and need a valid info, and he told me some fact that, surprising.”

“Like what?”

“His second album was already done, they just need some weeks to arrange the promotion schedules and the release date, but then Dongwan begs them to cancel it, pays the fine and basically told everyone to keep that as a secret. He met the lawyer first by himself too, the lawyer didn’t tell me what Dongwan told him back then, but basically after everything settle and ready, Dongwan brought him to the agency and did all that perfectly.”

Eric sounds so serious. While Hyesung tries to digest the new information, and it just give him a whole new question—what exactly happen ten years ago. He knows about the supposed to be Dongwan second album—they all know it. So when suddenly Dongwan come to them, tell them he’ll quit for a freakin health reason, they used to think it just the stress from the album preparation.

If, Hyesung can turn back the time—he really wants to back at that exact time, be with Dongwan, asks him sincerely, not just ignores him—not just being an immature adults, and regreting all of his actions till decade later. Till today.

“Here, look at this.” Eric shows him the paper, “I request our legal team to track the IP address of the email from that pshyco, and she uses a lot of IP. So, that’s why I hire Mr.Lee. He checks them all, got some phone numbers that link with it, and in 2008, this particular number calls Dongwan a lot. And this other number, also calls Dongwan’s new number lately.”

Hyesung sees a number phone that being circled by red ink. The one that Eric points out. 

“So, she’s already stalks him since ten years ago?”

“Sadly, yes.” Eric shows him another paper. “Mr.Lee already found some house address too, he’ll traces them, and find the right one soon, I think. Here, one of the address is located in Gapyeong, not in Dongwan’s area, but it’s near.”

Eyeing Eric that explains everything with a details information, gives Hyesung a soft feeling over this man suddenly. He loves him lot, for sure. But now, the proudness he feels, top it all—overflowing.

“You did all of this that’s why you lack sleep lately, huh?” Hyesung touch Eric hair, fix them with his delicate fingers. “I’ll treat you a good dinner, what do you want to eat, huh?”

Baffles with a sudden affection Hyesung gives to him, Eric laughs a bit. It’s making him shy. He grabs Hyesung’s hand, stares at his fiance.

“Let’s eat something good tonight, we deserve it.”

Nods his head, Hyesung turn away his head first, feels the hot around his face. Isn’t usual for him to shows his soft side to his fiance like this. He takes a random paper in front of him, and fanning himself.

Eric also glances away, but can’t stop his sheepish grins with the sudden atmosphere. Clears his throat, Eric tries to be serious again. “Umm, do you talks with Dongwan lately? Chat him?”

“I try,” Hyesung replies from behind the paper, still hide his face. “But we just talk about casual thing, and I—don’t want to really push him or making him uncomfortable, I mean we just starting this right? I don’t want to lost him again.”

“Syung, I know I owe you an explanation. I know you just being concern over me, but give me time, okay? I need space, I need time to think. All of this still too much for me. You come here, all of you come here, everything—I’m not ready yet. Respect my wish, please? I’ll tell you when I’m ready, in the meantime let just live our life, yeah.”

Hyesung remember the morning after they come to Dongwan’s home, what Dongwan says to him after he’s cornering Dongwan before they’re back to Seoul. And, even he doesn’t has many patience left to wait for another time—he knows Dongwan’s need time. 

If Hyesung put himself on Dongwan’s position, he too, will need time to be able to accept them again—to include them in his life again.

“It’s okay, you did your best. And,” Eric holds Hyesung’s hand, “you won’t lost him this time, don’t worry.”

“You say it like you did all of this for me,” Hyesung chuckles, “just be honest with yourself, Ric.”

Looking at their intertwined fingers, Eric let out a deep sigh. “Our break up as a group is one of the worst thing that happen in my life, but losing him as a friend, brother—it hurts differently. And I used to think, nothing will beat that wound, till I see him losing himself too.”

Eric chuckles, half heartedly. He’s looking into the distance. His office room—if everything stays the same, Dongwan will be a part of this company too, in those small frame he put on his table, the day they established this office, Dongwan should be in that photo too. 

“We can learn to forgive him and ourselves, we can do that.” Hyesung gives him an encourage smile. “We need to do that. We need to heal, so we can be completely happy.”

Nods agreely, Erics tugs Hyesung’s hand—and Hyesung knows the meaning well. He come closer, then hugs Eric. Put his chin on Eric’s shoulder and rubs Eric’s back with his free hand. Let Eric to also lean on his shoulder—let Eric to rest for a while, to recharge his energy, to always remember that even world not being kind to him, he’ll always has Hyesung beside him. They always have each other.

.

.

Minwoo stifles his yawn, walks himself on the familiar corridor, he spends his youth here—like the others, broadcast station used to be their playground. With everything that happen, sometimes he also wondering, how can he still survives and make it for 20 years.

Let himself in to the studio, some staffs who know him well give him a small bow and warm gesture—that he returns with the same polite bow and small smile. He takes one empty chair, looking at Junjin who still on the set, do his part as the MC.

Minwoo’s done with his own recording, and knowing Junjin is there too, on the next door set—he decides to wait for him.

They’re still not on speaking term actually. Minwoo knows, he’s being hard, being difficult to deal with—but everything about Dongwan, still turn his world upside down. Junjin respects him, understands him, like the rest of them. But with Junjin confession about his feeling about Dongwan’s derparture from their life, opens his eyes, that he’s not the only one who hurt by him, not the only one who longing for his existence, not the only one who struggles.

They protect him a lot when it happen—till he forget, the rest is hurting too.

“Minwoo hyung?” Junjin stands in front him. “Why’re you here?”

Minwoo also stands up, “Let’s eat dinner on my waiting room before we back, I order too much food.”

Eyeing his hyung, Junjin let out a small chuckles. “Already forgive me, eh?”

“Let’s talk.” 

Minwoo walks first, and without another words, Junjin just follow him. They walk in silent—but Junjin can’t containt the smile that spreads on his lips.

“Annyeong haseyo, sunbaenim.”

Junjin lifts up his head, and takes Minwoo side quickly, then also bows him head. “Annyeong haseyo, sunbae. It’s been a long time.”

“Ah, yes! It’s been a while since I just rest at home,” their senior pats their back, “how are you, kids?”

Minwoo gives a small chuckles, they maybe already a big senior to the younger generations, but for their senior—they’ll be forever kids.

“We’re fine, how about you? I’m so happy to meet you here,” Minwoo grabs the senior hand, not feeling awkward—it just him being himself, “please join me and Junjin, we’ll have dinner, I order too much food.”

“Ah Minwoo still so warm,” the senior laughs happily, “let’s eat dinner together next time, I’ll pay for all of you. Give my greeting to the other, yeah?”

“We’ll sunbae,” it’s Junjin who answer this time, “and we won’t forget that promise too, next time I meet you again, I’ll ask that.”

“Hahaha,” the warm laughs fills the corridor, “now or years ago, Junjinnie still so cheeky, nothing change. Yes, let’s arrange that. I’m already old, I need to meet with some youngster like you to live a long life.”

Minwoo and Junjin reply it with a hearty laugh. Rather than receive the polite greeting from their junior, it feels more comfortable to have talks with familiar face that know their youth like this.

“How about Dongwannie? All of you still stay in contact with him, right? He’s such a playful kid. When he retired, it saddened me too back then. He always looks happy everytime we met.”

Junjin can feels his body stiffen suddenly. He tries to looks at Minwoo with a corner his eyes, not to make it so obviously.

“He’s fine,” Minwoo replies it with a smile—shocking Junjin, “Living his dream life, in the countryside, right now. Nothing to worry, sunbae.”

“It’s a relief then. As long as he’s happy.” The senior nods and smiles understandingly, “Ah, I keep both of you here for so long, you must be so hungry, let’s talk next time. Like the old time.”

The senior pats their back—again. Then leave them, not realising that he make Junjin speechless still on his position, he turns his head on Minwoo direction, stares at him.

“What?”

“Are you okay, hyung?”

Shrugs his shoulder, Minwoo opens his waiting room in front of them. “He runs away from my life, and I run away from my feeling, I think—that’s why, no matter how much I try before, we never meet each other.”

Trails behind Minwoo—Junjin then sits beside him, it’s surprisingly empty, like Minwoo already plan it before to have a whole room just for them. His hand automatically opens the lids of the food container on the table, serves them to his hyung. 

“What do you mean?”

Minwoo accepts the chopsticks from Junjin, and opens his own rice, “forbid everyone to mention his name, or avoid anythi