Final
Saving Lives, Saving Hearts
August 3, 2012
If anyone ever asked him, Xiumin loves his fans. And that was the truth, he devoted his heart and soul to them. He was in paradise whenever they smiled at him and recognized who he was. And with that, Xiumin felt special. Not only as an individual, but as a part of Exo.
To put it simply, he is proud. For four long years, he'd been sculpting his abilities to reach perfection. He strived for the chance to be one of those people featured in magazines. Like Jung Yunho or Kangta. He wanted to be them so much and for so long.
He especially likes fan signings. Those are his ways of connecting with his fans. He is surprised at the long line in front of him. So many girls and even a few boys. Do that many people really like him?
Xiumin sits in-between his fellow members. Lu Han wears a smile as bright as a child's, suiting his baby face. Kris, on the other side, remains as calm and collected as ever. They both sign photos of themselves beside him and it fills Xiumin with some sort of peaceful feeling. Life is good, he is satisfied.
Halfway through the signing, a young girl suddenly flies to the front of the line. Her eyes glow like a fierce lioness, and her mane shakes wildly into Xiumin's face, a bit too close for comfort. He pulls his head back to see the entire person. Her nails stretch out like a cat's claws and she smells, well, less than decent.
However, her way of speaking doesn't just disgust Xiumin, it scares him. Her voice is harsh and raspy and she talks in Mandarin much too fast for Xiumin to even begin a proper translation in his head. Although this seems to grab Lu Han's attention, as his eyes narrow in disapproval of her words.
As she finishes muttering in an almost incomprehensible speech, she digs into her backpack, glare fixed on Xiumin. The idol finally has had enough and motions for security to come and take this anti-fan, it seems, out of there.
But he never expects her to pull out a shiny, silver revolver.
And he never expects her to point it at him.
Chaos erupts all around the table, and within. The fans start screaming in terror and run in all directions. Lay falls back in his seat and strikes his head on the concrete below. Chen stands frozen beside Kris. Tao tries to go around the table to protect his older member but too many fans run into him and push him down. Lu Han is already being trampled on the floor.
Xiumin feels the air leave his lungs and squeezes his eyes shut. It was all just a dream. It wasn't real. In a few minutes Tao would be shaking him awake and they would attend the real fansigning. No one was going to get-
BANG.
The fans who are still there scream. But Xiumin doesn't feel like he is hurt. So why...
A body slumps onto Xiumin's. He looks down to greet Kris' back, featuring a bullet hole and blood pouring out. His leader is screaming in pain and Xiumin can only hold onto him, praying it is all just a dream.
August 4, 2012
It is 1:42 AM.
Exo-M resides in the waiting room as the hospital. Chen paces around more than what could be considered healthy, Lu Han sits as silent and still as a deer in headlights, his eyes even as wide, Lay makes too many trips to the bathroom coming out with puffy eyes and Tao just cries as Xiumin holds him.
"It should have been me," he whispers. Lu Han snaps his head up and glares.
"It shouldn't have been anyone. If we had ing right security none of that would have happened. We're firing them all."
Tao is surprised by this outburst, "P-Please, Han-ge. Someone wi-will hear-"
Chen walks right back up to the rest of them, putting a hand over Tao's shoulder.
"I agree with hyung. Don't they check for things like that beforehand? And at the time she was obviously making Minseok-hyung uncomfortable. They should have come out then. What was she even mumbling about?"
Lu Han slumps back down, "She was mad that I was spending so much time with Minseok and not enough time Yixing, my supposed lover."
Xiumin shoots up, "And she whipped out a gun for that?!"
Tao and Chen push him back down and shush him, carefully looking around in case there are any cameras around. Yixing returns with swollen eyes and a weak smile.
"Has he woken up yet?"
Everyone shakes their heads in unison.
"We were just discussing why that girl, well, yeah," Chen replies.
"She thought I was leaving you for Minseok," Lu Han says, rubbing his temples.
Yixing blinks. And then he laughs. He laughs so hard that he falls to the floor in sobs.
"I've...I never thought people were...were as crazy as this! How...how could they...want to hurt us?"
Chen sits down next to him and lets Yixing's head fall into his lap, even rubbing it.
"We'll get through this, trust me, ok? Ok Xing Xing ge?"
Xiumin feels Tao cry more into his shoulder. And he can see a few tears drop on the carpet below Lu Han.
Without their Duizhang, the whole team is a wreck.
The doors to the hall opens but the team sits right back down as they recognize their manager, Hyunkyun, walk in, not a doctor or nurse.
"Incoming."
In a flash six others rush in to see their other half. Baekhyun is drowning in his tears, Sehun and Jongin gasp when they see footprints all along Lu Han's back, Kyungsoo cradles Tao and pats his back reassuringly, Joonmyeon takes a seat on the chair arm next to Xiumin, rubbing the older's shoulder, and Chanyeol stands in front of the emergency doors, not even going up to the others.
"How is he?" The other leader whispers.
"They haven't come out yet," Xiumin shakes his head.
Joonmyeon continues to rub the other's shoulder, "We...we didn't even ask the company for permission, we just ran out. As the plane was boarding we saw clips and stuff but...oh my God we were so scared someone died! "
An hour later, Chanyeol finally moves from his spot in front of the doors and a nurse comes out, "Wu Fan?" she called.
Everyone in the waiting room rushes up to her, bombarding her with questions. Out of the corner of his eyes he sees Chanyeol slip past the door without a second thought. He follows swiftly.
"Do you even know which room he is in?" Xiumin asks the taller man.
Chanyeol shakes his head but doesn't answer. His face remains as expressionless as his first teaser.
He opens each door for only a second as his eyes scan the room, not even waiting for Xiumin to look. Finally, on their seventh door, they are in luck. Kris Wu lay in the hospital bed, shirtless and a huge bandage wrapped around his chest. He is hooked up to IVs and his eyes are closed. He looks almost...dead.
Chanyeol doesn't say anything as he sits down on the chair beside his bed. He takes Kris' jaw in his hand and wiggles it around in an attempt to wake the other up.
Kris sputters and smiles as he recognized the other rapper, "Did you come all the way to China for me?" he asks weakly.
"No I came for the orange chicken. What in the world made you think it was ok to get shot?" Chanyeol growls, "By the way Minseok-hyung's here."
The leader's eyes widen before meeting Xiumin's face, "Hi hyung."
"Don't...don't scare me like that again," is all the man could whisper. For 's sake his dongsaeng took a bullet for him. What could he say now?
Chanyeol lets out a small yawn and rests his head on the bed. Kris moves his hand to move the hair out of the younger's face, "China didn't make orange chicken, America did. ."
"Shut up!" Chanyeol sniffles, trying not to cry. His shoulders shake.
Now it is Chanyeol's turn to break down in tears.
August 12, 2012
The whole world falls silent that day.
Exo-K hadn't gone back home yet, and they don't have much but their wallets, so they bunked and shared things with Exo-M. Everyone is tired and living off coffee, taking turns talking with their leader. The doctors had successfully taken out the bullet but felt he should rest for a few more weeks. And the rest of the team isprepared to use force if Duizhang doesn't listen to the kind doctors.
It was around 8:30 AM that they see it on the news.
That they see their country being attacked on the morning news.
August 20, 2012
South Korea finally announces they are going to continue the "Forgotten War."
Hyunkyun enters the dorm with a grave look on his face. In his hands are a stack of letters.
"Your...your numbers."
Eight numbers, eight out of thousands. Although the chances were slim, they were still a chance. That a member of Exo would be drafted into the war.
If they were of the first batch, it was undoubted they would be killed.
Seunghwan, their other manager, walkes in with a slight tear in his eye.
"For someone like Kyuhyun or Heechul, they are able to get out easily. But...not any of you."
"This is bull!" Sehun throws the side of his fist to the wall. The other members couldn't blame him. He is just a child, barely out of his teens, even if he didn't act like it.
"You think I wanted this to happen?" Hyunkyun yells back. Sehun closes his mouth and bows his head in apology.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
"These letters were mailed at random. If...If you get a number between one and a hundred, you will be sent back to Korea. So...so don't open them until tomorrow night. I don't want panic around this dorm," Seunghwan says as he almost runs out the door.
Lu Han, Yixing, and Tao sit on the couch, wishing they were anywhere but there.
When he thinks everyone else is out, Xiumin boils a pot of water and lets the steam open up the envelope.
56.
August 21, 2012
As all of Exo-K and Xiumin and Chen gather around the dining table, Xiumin feels ready to throw up. Luckily, everyone else is nervous and they don't really notice.
"I'll go first..." Joonmyeon sighs, taking the letter opener and slicing envelope open, "457."
Everyone else breathes a sigh of relief, but it quickly dies down as Joonmyeon handes Chen the letter opener.
In the same fashion, Chen opens his letter and searches for the number, "763."
One by one each member rips up the envelopes and state their number aloud. Everyone gasps when Jongin reads, "199."
And then it's Xiumin's turn. His hand shake violently but Lu Han steadies it. He takes out the piece of paper and unfolds it.
634?
"What number?" Chen asks.
"634..." Lu Han reads over Xiumin's shoulder.
The last to open is Chanyeol, who doesn't even bother using the letter opener. He just rips it open with bare hands, not worried about a paper cut.
"56."
Xiumin doesn't say anything, because he is a coward.
August 24, 2012
It is Chanyeol's last night in China. He decides he will be a Combat Nurse.
Throughout all of the previous days, he is tackled and kidnapped by the other members. Everyone is scared. Everyone cries.
But finally, he tells the others he wants to spend the last night with Kris. He would miss the hero a lot, he says.
But Xiumin needs to talk to Chanyeol. It must have been the other who had switched their numbers. Why would he do something like that?
And so he stands outside Kris' hospital room. Opening the door just a crack.
He stops when he hears the sobs. The door is open enough where he could see inside, but he dreadfully wishes he couldn't.
On the bed, Kris is trying to control a meltdown as Chanyeol kisses his tears away and silences his voice with his own mouth.
"P-Ple-Please...do-don't g-go..." Kris whines as he pulls the other closer to him.
"I have to," Chanyeol's low voice responds , even though he continues light kisses.
"N-N-N-No..." Kris must know his attempts are futile, but he's trying anyway. He pulls Chanyeol on top of him to have the younger one straddle his hips and support himself on his arms so he doesn't hurt his injured...what exactly are they?
Xiumin's throat dries up as Chanyeol peels off his shirt. Quickly but quietly he shuts the door. He can't comprehend anything that is happening, so he leaves the hospital.
Later in their dorm, Xiumin thinks it over carefully. Kris and Chanyeol. Kris and Chanyeol. Kris and Chanyeol.
Chanyeol is gone. Kris is back. The company doesn't feel safe sending Exo-K back to Korea, since they've already shipped the other idols to China.
They got a letter in the mail that day. Chanyeol writes to all of h
them, saying he's done with bootcamp. Now he's off to fight.
Xiumin watches Kris carefully. His face shows almost no expression, and he's looking off to the side. He doesn't look like the same man... kissing the missing member that one time. Or was it not that one time? Maybe...it had been all the time.
"They...they say the North isn't willing to back down," Tao says in his and Xiumin's shared room.
The elder nods, having learned about the war in his classes a long time ago.
"Ge...is he going to be ok?" Tao's voice cracks as he asks the leader.
Kris is silent for the first few minutes. Xiumin understands, he doesn't want to give anyone false hope, but he doesn't want to give up on his fellow member. But suddenly the leader gets up and embraces the panda.
"I think...Chanyeol's going to try his hardest to make it back. He's out there, saving people from wounds like mine. He'll...I'm counting on him to come back."
Xiumin wonders if Chanyeol became a Combat Nurse because he couldn't save Kris.
It's Duizhang's birthday, and everyone tries their best to put on a smile. When Xiumin looks around, he recognizes their own happy virus' smile plastered on nine other members.
But when they approach their leader with a cake, he stops and looks at each face.
And he just walks away...
Xiumin is still confused about what he saw. Maybe he ought to tell someone? Did either of them tell anyone else? Yixing can't keep his mouth shut. Chen would laugh at him for making it up. Lu Han would stare and refuse to talk about it again. Baekhyun, he would feel betrayed. Xiumin couldn't handle the scared look on Kyungsoo's face. He couldn't destroy the three maknaes' innocence like that. Joonmyeon would put an end to...whatever it was.
No, Kris and Chanyeol never told anyone. Now Xiumin knew why.
That night he and Kris go out to a restaurant. A small one, where barely anyone would recognize them. They order a bottle of red wine and stare into their laps.
Xiumin is the first to break the silence, "What is he to you?"
Kris gives him a weird look like the elder just asked him to explain the pothagrium theorem in Arabic.
"Chanyeol. What is he to you?"
"He's my dongsaeng, I care about him a lot," each word is said carefully, almost rehearsed.
Xiumin narrowed his eyes, "So you kiss all of your dongsaengs? Then I'm really glad I'm a hyung."
Kris' face turns white and his hand clutches the wine glass. He is staring at the eldest member cautiously, predicting his next move.
"I just want to say right here and now, that I don't approve. It isn't right, and I find it weird that people who I've thought as my own brothers are...are..." Xiumin can't even continue.
Kris stays still, turning the glass to play with the red alcohol inside, "It's different in Canada," Xiumin stares, and Kris goes on, "It's different. Who you go out with isn't as scrutinized. You...you can even get married if you're in love with a man."
Xiumin has to hold back a scoff, "You aren't in love with him. You're only confused about your brotherly bonds. Take my advice as a hyung and let him go. Let him find a girl who he can take care of. And you do the same."
Kris blinks, not entirely listening, "I can't let him go, hyung. I...I want to marry him. After we are done being idols...I want to take him to Canada and have a small wedding. I want to adopt a little girl, maybe two, and have him by my side as we raise them together."
"What about what he wants? Have you thought about that, Wu Fan?" Xiumin is becoming angry.
Kris closes his eyes and rubs his head, "Right now, hyung...Chanyeol just wants to stay alive."
What remains of Exo-K's jolly mood is Sehun and Jongin tying Lu Han up in tinsel and poking ornaments into his shirt. The doe looks annoyed and finally he mutters, "I need to piss, guys."
Both of them groan and start taking everything off. As Lu Han runs to the bathroom, Jongin prepares the tinsel once again. And he tells Sehun to fetch a cup next time. They don't bother with a star or angel, because Lu Han is both, they claim.
Tao sets up his laptop in the middle of the room with a fireplace screensaver displayed. Yixing and Joonmyeon entertain him by bringing hot cocoa and warming their hands by the "fire."
Kyungsoo and Chen and Baekhyun bring in presents from outside, saying Santa got stuck in traffic this year an they just picked up their gifts on the way.
Kris is still in his room, not taking part in the festivities. When Xiumin walks in, the Duizhang is lying on his bed, reading a letter the group recieved weeks ago.
"Kris?" Xiumin walks closer, because it seems the other hasn't even noticed him yet.
"Hm? Oh..." He awkwardly tucks the letter in his pocket. "Do they need my help?"
"Is that Chanyeol's letter?" Xiumin asks, ignoring the previous question.
Kris slowly nods.
"Um...yeah Sehun and Jongin need your help capturing the tree."
A loud cry for help is heard outside, and the tree that year is not a happy tree.
Chanyeol's letters decrease as time goes by, and soon they've just stopped. SM decides to debut this year with 11 members, now that Kris' back has healed. Their new song is a ballad, and it reminds the group of "It's You" by Super Junior. They dedicate the song to Chanyeol.
The K group is still nervous about appearing on Chinese shows and interviews. Truth be told they all just want to take a hiatus.
But they'll prevail, because all they can think about is Chanyeol.
One afternoon, while everyone else is out for lunch, it's Xiumin's and Tao's turn to clean the dorm. Tao whines because he is the "lazy panda" and he just wants to watch TV. But Xiumin is the hyung and he won't have any of that. He sends Tao to vacuum the carpets while he starts cleaning the bathroom.
Halfway through, the vacuum stops and the door opens. Xiumin assumes the others are back, but Tao's scream proves otherwise. Xiumin runs out to see Tao clutching a piece of paper. He has to rip it out of the younger boy's hands to read it.
Park Chanyeol, M.I.A
Xiumin lets it flutter to the floor and brings Tao's head to his shoulder. The boy is bawling his eyes out and he can only fear of how he'll tell the others.
Kris hasn't left his room except to use the bathroom and work in five days. But everyone can hear his screams at night. Chen has started sleeping with Yixing and Baekhyun and Lu Han. It's too much to witness that of their leader.
Joonmyeon tries his hardest to remind everyone that there are two of them, and he is prepared to act when Kris can't. He's covering for Kris on shows and interviews when Kris keeps up the silent treatment.
Everyone has thought about this moment, but they never thought it'd actually happen...
Xiumin almost feels bad when he thinks back to what he told Kris all those months ago. He's stared at those three initials and felt nothing but utter guilt. Even though he didn't start the stupid war, he created a conflict between him and the leader.
"Kris, people turn up all the time. Remember...remember that movie, Saving Private Ryan or something? He...He's gonna be ok."
But not even Xiumin believes his own words as he recites them to his broken leader.
South Korea needs more soldiers.
Sehun and Lu Han have attached themselves to Jongin's legs. Both don't want to lose another member, and the three have been through hell and back together.
Tao jumps on Jongin's back to add to the drama. They need to show that they literally won't let him go. Xiumin watches from a distance until Duizhang walks out from his room.
Kris approaches Jongin slowly, and motions for the others to let go. They obey, and it's his turn to hold the younger, and he doesn't want to let go either.
"Minyoung," Xiumin says later to Kris that night.
"Excuse me?"
"Chanyeol once said, when we were trainees, that he wanted that name for his daughter."
Kris stared, "What does that matter now?"
"Because...I think I should really just keep my opinions to myself. And I want you to be happy," Xiumin admits.
Exo is brought onto a Chinese interview, and the MC seems a bit too nervous. He's a professional, right? He shouldn't be nervous around them.
"So I've heard one of your members is in the army. Park Chanyeol, right?"
The whole team freezes. They heard Joonmyeon specifically tell the producers that they did not feel comfortable answering questions like this.
"That is correct," Joonmyeon answers, holding a steady gaze with the MC.
"And I hear he's a Combat Nurse, eh? Saving lives like his Duizhang here?" Xiumin sees Kris clench a fist on his leg.
"It seems so, another member, Jongin, is also serving in boot camp at the moment," Lu Han jumps in, trying to stray the conversation.
"Ah, yes. I am so sorry to hear about Chanyeol's status," The MC bows his head in respect, but it feels more like an insult.
"He's alive," Everyone gasps when Kris speaks for the first time today.
"He's alive. And when he comes back he'll have that bright smile on his face."
The MC looks up to Kris with glassy eyes, "I am sorry, but our station received a tape this morning from an anonymous person. I...We wish for you to see this."
With a click of the remote control, Xiumin's world turns upside down.
He sees Chanyeol on the big screen. But he's not like he remembers him. This Chanyeol is stripped to his underwear, and there's bruises and cuts over his body. His hair is as long as it was, perhaps linger. He's tied up to a pole and he's sobbing.
Three men come up and the camera moves. Xiumin assumes a fourth is holding it.
They pick him up and sprawl him on the floor. He doesn't fight back, maybe he can't. He only sobs later.
"Who are you working for? Who are you a spy for?" One man asks, slapping him in the face.
"Not a spy, not a...no no!" They all flinch and recognize Chanyeol's deep voice.
They bring in a bucket of water and a tube. He's struggling to get away but the men hold him down and stuff the tube down his throat. He's choking and they pull it out to let him breathe again. They repeat the process twice more before they tie him back up. He's sobbing again and the camera focuses on his figure.
"The date is April 2, 2013. This is only one example of how we treat these prisoners of war. Surrender before we take your entire country by force," A voice booms on tape. Everything goes black and the MC presses the pause button.
"I'm so-" Before he can even continue, Tao stands up, taking his chair and swings it at the TV. The screen shatters.
Joonmyeon is up and he's angry, "What the hell is in your mind to show us that?!"
The rest of Exo is right behind the K leader, angry and hurt.
But Duizhang falls to the floor, and Xiumin sees the man break.
The show they were on has been taken off the air, deemed inappropriate for the public. Jongin is ready to go out with his unit. Lu Han is in tears and Sehun refuses to talk to anyone.
"At least he's alive..." Yixing mutters at the dinner table.
"You call that alive?" Duizhang's chilling voice asks, "You really think that's alive? Yixing, he's half dead!"
The other is in tears already, "What am I supposed to do?! Huh! Wish him dead so he can't go through that each day?"
"At least if he's dead he'd be safe!" Kris argues back.
Exo is tearing apart.
Tao puts a hand to both of their shoulders and pushes them down to sit. He's not crying like everyone expects him.
"I want him back too, guys. I really do."
The ten of them should be a new subgroup, Exo-T. Exo Tears.
Xiumin wonders what it would be like if he went in and not Chanyeol, like he was supposed to. Would they be as scared? As torn apart?
In the car, he listens to their first album. Chanyeol's voice is crisp and fresh during Machine's rap. Not hoarse and broken as he heard on that tape. This is the Chanyeol he wants to remember.
He hears somewhere on the news that crazy chick who attacked him last year was admitted into a mental institution. He doesn't care very much now...
Kris isn't Kris anymore. It's like he's a machine, and he's waiting for his missing parts to come back.
Xiumin runs in to the leader's room, phone in hand and Lu Han behind him.
"Kris, wake up, wake up!"
The man stirs from his sleep and opens his eyes slowly, "Hmm..."
"They...he's safe Kris, he's safe." Xiumin exhales, a smile breaking free on his face, tears pouring down.
Kris jumps up, knowing who they're talking about.
"Is he...?"
The same as a year ago, Exo runs into a hospital with nothing but their wallets. They greet a familiar face in the waiting room, and Sehun and Lu Han attack their friend.
Joonmyeon walks up to his dongsaeng, still in military attire, "Jongin, it's great to see you."
Kris is standing by the door, silent and not looking at the others.
"My unit was just scouting and we found a whole...dungeon, really underground. It was abandoned except for the prisoners...for about two days. Maybe three." Jongin reports.
Xiumin shudders. How can people be so cruel?
"I got your letter but...I never thought he'd be so close by. I was really shocked when I found him. He was scared but...I convinced him I wasn't a hallucination."
"Can we go in?" Kris asked, suddenly behind Xiumin.
Jongin shook his head, "He's exhausted. In the morning, they'll let us see him. Kris," Jongin paused, "War can change a man. Please...be prepared for that."
Kris is silent again, and he takes a seat across from the others.
When the nurse opens the door, Kris runs in. He stops a foot in front of Chanyeol's bed and takes it all in. He's alive he's alive he's alive he's here.
"Hey," a deep voice cracks, "You came all the way to Korea to see me?"
Kris lets out a sigh of relief and steps forward, "No I came for manga."
"Manga's Japanese you we make manhwa-" he's cut off as Kris covers his face in kisses.
Sehun crinkles his nose beside Xiumin, "Do we have to greet him like that too?"
Everyone is laughing and crying at the same time that Chanyeol cracks a larger smile, "Nice to know you all missed me," he says sarcastically.
"We did!" Tao runs up and kisses him to. Pretty soon everyone wants to kiss the injured man and he has to inch away from the torture.
The nurses come back in and complain that too many came in at once and they all need to leave now. Before they usher him out, Kris bends down to Chanyeol's ear and whispers, "So you like the name Minyoung?"
Later that night, Xiumin is back in the waiting room. The nurses say he can have one visitor at a time and he is next. As Kris steps out, he flashes the brightest smile Xiumin's ever seen on him. And now Xiumin doesn't have to worry anymore.
Because no matter what Kris and Chanyeol do, they are his brothers. And he loves them.
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