{ The major part of this chapter is a background check on Evey's past, kinda like a long series of flashback, you can skip towards the present if it bothers you :) }

Three years since Evey passed the annual SM Entertainment auditions and finished 1st in the dancing area after years of training in the UK alongside her academic education. She was promised a great future since young, whatever path she'd choose, as she was excelling in pretty much all the artistic areas her school offered. Applied arts, performing arts, even languages, she was naturally talented and had the passion to pursue an artistic career. 

Although her father wished she was more interested in academic subjects, she was only average in anything requiring logical thinking or memory-related. Dates, names, events she'd never be able to remember, drawing techniques, dance moves and lyrics on the other hand, she would learn in a heartbeat. It pleased her mother though, the renowned fashion designer always let her daughter follow her around in her atelier, Evey even helped her design her own stage outfits for the school's talent shows. 

It was only through one of their many Skype sessions where Suho excitedly announced his nearing debut that she really considered moving back to her homeland to aspire to be an artist for real. Still unsure for a while, Evey sealed her decision the day she awkwardly caught her then-boyfriend cheating on her with one of her male acquaintances. The usually emotionally strong girl needed to get away, clear her head and change horizons, an escape of some sort and with the SM Entertainment audition a few months away, she ended up leaving the country. 

Her parents didn't oppose, they understood, they supported her and promised to meet her in Korea whenever they could, which was pretty much once every semester if she was lucky. Evey didn't mind though for she made friends so close she called them family. The first friend she'd made was Yuri on the day of her audition:

" Ah Evey... You and I...we're alike don't you think? Dancing and performing we both love it...and you're a Sagittarius! Look...here's my number, in case you need anything, alright? If I don't answer your call..."

" I don't really...call people....and you'll probably be busy with your So Nyeo Shi Dae activities, I don't want to bother. "

" No, no, don't worry. Call me if you need me, text me if I don't answer, leave me a message if it's urgent. " 

" Unnie... You're so nice I never imagined I could meet you on my first day here... And they haven't even announced the audition results ", Evey looked down to her feet. 

" Evey-ya, don't you worry, I saw what you could do out there. You've convinced everybody, didn't you hear the applause? "

They never stopped texting or calling each other since that day. Evey and Yuri both learnt to trust each other whenever nobody else was there. As her family's only child, Evey enjoyed having a big sister who could take care of her instead of her taking care of everybody else for a change. 

She met up with Suho a few weeks later after he came back from days full of promotional duties. The pair hadn't spoken in a while, being busy with life as regular people are. Their reunion didn't quite feel like one though, it really was just two old friends hanging out together as if they had never left each other. There was a sense of familiarity to the situation as both of them were in a café with laptops in front of them, talking to each other. Except this time the laptops were shut down and what once was a thousand-miles-long separation was now only a few feet-short. Things had changed, sure, they were now bigger, both went through puberty and became incredibly good-looking but Evey and Suho were still children at heart which which led them to carve their friendship motto onto the wooden table, giggling like kids excited by anything forbidden. 

" 10 years, Suho. It's been 10 years and we haven't grow up, what are we even doing. "

" Growing up is for losers. "

" Aish...it'll happen eventually, won't it? "

" We can always put the process on hold, let's be young and wild and free! "

She was gradually introduced to EXO throughout her practice sessions where her best friend would come visit her and other trainee friends with his bandmates tagging along. 

Her pre-debut days were spent befriending most, if not all, of her fellow aspiring popstars thus becoming one of the most popular and well-liked youngsters of the academy thanks to her helpful character and natural talent. She was a born-leader and would gladly guide them throughout the hardest times of their learning days, staying at the academy whenever one of them had issues with choreography or singing. Competition was not her forte, would anybody try to eliminate her or bring her down she'd brush them off easily and focus on herself. 

Anybody that knows Evey knows what a strong person she is, inside and out; she says that's what being relentlessly bullied from age 7 to 12  for not physically fitting in with the typical white British upper-class kid stereotype does to you. She'd never play the pity card though, she knows better than that, she knows that moving on should be your only option, why dwell on a hurtful past? 

The years spent as an emotional piñata helped her grow stronger, faster but mostly better. That was the accurate word, that was her promise, to always be the better, if not the best person anybody would know. That was the promise she made and had held onto since the first "ugly chink" had been uttered from the school's bully. To be the better one was what she strived to be the most. 

Unfortunately, Evey has now broken that promise many times, I mean, hey, nobody is ever that strong, but while she's not always the better person, she's a better person and a very proud one at that. Incidentally that's what made her connect with Kai; two beautiful, talented, proud youngsters that people have put under great pressure all their life, something that Suho had never really felt, his parents having a gold-lined safety net all prepared for him. 

Having said that, Kai and Evey never properly met at the SM Academy. They were vaguely introduced during a dance practice where Evey was leading a group choreography for the annual Academy Showcase and like pretty much everyone that went to check on the trainees at work, he was drawn to the girl's perfect technique while she performed a mixture of pop, lock and ballet, something the boy himself was pretty much an expert in. 

Their first memory as Evey and Jongin and not Choi Moonhee and Kai,though was at a modest coffee shop, not the one the British Korean was used to but one recommended by her parents instead. A smaller, less crowded and homely café with the greatest vanilla lattes she had ever come across. 

" Moonhee, right? "

The girl lift her head off her laptop looking at the unknown voice calling her with her Korean name.

" Yes, actually, it's Evey, but, I mean...yeah. " she stumbled on her words, startled by the boy's sudden appearance. " Kai, isn't it? "

" Yes, Kai, I mean, Jongin...well, both really. I'm sorry, am I disturbing you? I just saw you there...alone...and I just wanted to say hi...I should probably go. " he awkwardly laughed and flashed a shy smile, turning away a large cardboard cup in his hand.

" Wai-Jongin, Kai, wait. Don't...no you're not disturbing me...at all. " she shyly laughed in return and lowered her laptop screen. " Come on, sit, a bit of company wouldn't do any harm, would it? "

They talked for what seemed to be a couple hours to them, a whole day for regular people. About her life before Korea part. II, about his life before SM, about EXO, about her trainee days, about singing, dancing, acting, rapping but mainly dancing. It was the first time they had found somebody so similar to each other on so many points of their life and personality. While the two teenagers weren't so easy to be understood by their peers, something clicked between the pair and that bond kept on growing until now. It had become something so big that they couldn't really pinpoint what it was exactly that they had. More than best friends, a slot reserved by Suho and Sehun, more than lovers, it was just a thing, a connection.

-------------------------------------------

The boys scurried towards the hospital's elevator and squeezed themselves in as the doors were closing. Two floors later and an eternal silent later they were greeted by the five Aterra members, JaeEun pacing up and down head down ran towards the boys violently hugging Kai causing him to step a little back under her weight crushing against his unprepared body. 

" You're here! " NaHim stood up and walked towards the boys a sad smile on her face as her bandmates came behind her and started hugging the other boys. " What took you so long? "

" We ran into Krystal. " Kai coldly stated glaring at Suho from behind. 

" She was the one that Evey saved from the accident. " Chanyeol said, his eyes on SuHo's back, the EXO leader looked down to the ground, nervously fidgeting with his hands.

" Oh, so she's the one that...yeah, I mean, apparently somebody saw someone run away from the accident and people said she looked like Krystal but...anyway. You're here now and it's good, really good. " the maknae's lips formed a smile that didn't quite reach her watery eyes and turned around leading them towards her friend's room. " We can't go in, yet but- "

" Is she okay? " Kai asked.

" I don't really know, I already told you she lost a lot of blood and she's breathing but she's not waking up and- "

" What did the doctors say? " 

" We can only wait. "

" How long? "

" We don't know. " NaHim broke down into tears, her older bandmates helping her sit down, silently comforting her he best they could, although they were themselves shaken and shaking.

The boys went to sit on the cold empty chairs on both sides of the hallway, the doctor often checking up on Evey without giving any substantial news to the gang. The managers had arrived a couple hours after the boys but quickly left to go outside after a quick chat with the band and the M.D. 

" How long do you think she will be hospitalised? "

" It is too early to judge, sir. "

" Weeks? Months? Years? We need to know, her car- "

" Months would be more appropriate, she's lost a lot of blood but she doesn't seem to have any major physical damage except swollen hip and dislocated arm from the collision. All I can give you is 4 months minimum without straining activity from the moment she wakes up. "

" No major physical damages, huh? That means she's fine, she won't need months, she's young, she'll heal. "

" Car accident like this and their consequences on the victims are unpredictable, in two months time she might start feeling strong pain. As I said, it's too early to judge, " the doctor calmly stated as the manager pulled his phone out of his pocket. " Please go outside for your phone calls. "

As the busy man left phone in hand, Suho intercepted the man in medical blouse. 

" She's alright, right? I mean, you said no physical injuries, it's good, isn't it? "

" She is stable, her vital organs are untouched judging from the scans, we can only wait until she wakes up. Until then we can't do much ", he said as he watched the young man's eyes drifting towards the sleeping body through the window. " Girlfriend? "

" What? " he shook his head. " No, no, just friend. Best friend even, " Suho quickly smiled. 

" Can we go see her? " Sehun asked stepping forward, Kai on his side.

" Yes, yes of course. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go ", the older man politely exchanged bows with the youngsters and swiftly left as the gang entered the room quietly, the beeps of the heart monitor operating as the only sound audible. 

It was a weird sensation seeing their friend laying there, pale, almost lifeless, put into deep sleep, wearing the common boring hospital gown. With the eleven teenagers heads down, eyes watery, standing around her it almost felt like funerals.

A/N Well, I really hesitated including the bg check as a proper chapter or including a bit of present actions or just getting rid of it but I thought, eh, might as well put it in, haha.

Hope it didn't bore you off too much, it doesn't bring that much into the story but it sorta helps understanding her future actions ^^

What do you guys want to see happen in the future? I don't think it will influence the plot I had in mind but y'know I can always include bits here and there :P 

Also, do you think it's going too slowly? I've just realised I'm already on my 13th chapter and nothing really happened? Should I condense the story a bit more?

If you have any comment just don't hesitate, I promise I won't get mad, and for new readers sub? ha <3