-Step 15-

 

"WUFAN!"

 

At once five pair of hands flew across the van, grabbing Kris where they could, stopping him from moving any further. The driver hit the brakes harshly, making an abrupt stop just in the middle of the street. In his confused state, the tallest Exo member stopped moving with the van's door open and one of his long legs dangling out of the van.

 

"Wufan! What the !?" Sunghwan yelled from the passenger's seat "Close the damn door!" Kris looked up at his manager's face but somehow, he stayed quiet. What happened? Lowering his face, he shook his head trying to regain his senses.

 

"Krease?" Chanyeol broke the member's silence, still gripping Kris and reluctant to let go. As one, Chanyeol was hugging Kris' torso with his long arms and was practically all over Tao who was also hugging Kris' waist for dear life. Baekhyun had tried to squish himself between Tao and Chanyeol and was holding onto Kris' left arm, Suho had placed his right arm in front of Kris’ chest the best he could in case the Chinese leader tried to leave the van and Yixing... Yixing had stood up from Suho's lap and was hugging Kris' neck, letting his chin fall on Kris' right shoulder and closing his eyes tightly.

 

Even in this situation, Sunghwan couldn't help but grip the bridge of his nose and sigh at the sight his little morons were giving the camera. 'I hate that We are One bull!' he mentally groaned, understanding that if the driver hadn't stop like he did and if Kris had jumped out of the van, the force of his body and the inertia of the vehicle could have cause Kris to drag all the others with him. Or at least just Yixing who now seemed like he had thrown himself at Wufan without thinking.

 

Kris was unresponsive though. He kept looking outside the van, without saying anything. What was wrong with him? There was nothing wrong. Remembering all the times he felt... protective over Yixing was because he is his friend. Nothing else. Of course he was possessive but not just with Yixing, right? He takes care of everyone! It is his job. They are all his brothers. How could he take it the wrong way? Yixing wasn't more special than his other brothers. He wasn't.

 

Seeing how Kris wasn't answering anytime soon and there was already some people watching them with curiosity and several cars passing by, honking; Sunghwan told the driver to pull over carefully because they were still in the middle of the road. No one dared to make a move while the van parked next to the sidewalk because Kris' door was still open and Kris was still unresponsive. 

 

As soon as Sunghwan made sure the driver had turned off the engine, he took off his seatbelt and stepped out of the van standing beside Kris' open door. "Guys, release him" he ordered, glaring at everyone until they had seated appropriately. With reluctance, the Exo members obeyed not before glancing at Kris with worry written all over their faces. Of course, there was just one person who didn't move. "Yixing, now." Noticing how Lay hadn't opened his eyes yet, Suho took charge and gripped the guitarist’s forearms with care, trying to make him release Kris' neck.

 

Sunghwan's order and Suho's grip on Lay trying to break them apart was all it took for Kris and Lay to finally react. Shocked, Yixing opened his eyes and glanced at Kris at the same time as the blonde reacted and glanced back.

 

It was that specific moment that Yixing understood. Looking at Wufan's deep eyes this close after what had happened, made Zhang Yixing understand what he wanted.

 

He never wants to let go. Even if it kills him.

 

And it was so terrifying.

 

A single tear appeared on Yixing's cheek, running all the way down his chin surprising Wufan and making him want to stop the tear's journey for some reason.

 

Still shocked at his own revelation, Lay let Suho drag him back to his lap and hug his waist just in case. Taking the chance, Sunghwan took Kris' by his shoulders and pulled him out, dragging him to the nearest private place he could find.

 

"Wow, this is gold! Pure gold! Your fans are going to love it! I can't wait to let the editors watch this! This is-!"

 

It just took a moment for Sunghwan to take the camera the staff's guy had in his hands and throw it in the middle of the road where a huge truck passed by and destroyed it to pieces. The staff's guy -Jinsang- opened his mouth to protest and scream but a glare from the manager was enough to shut him up. At least for now.

 

 

 

 

Still dazed, Kris let the older man drag him to the nearest clothing store ignoring what was happening; he could only remember Yixing's eyes. Yixing's teary eyes looking at him. 'What the is wrong with me?!' was his first rational thought once he realized the stupid act he just committed. He almost got himself hurt! For 's sake, is he stupid?! What the hell was he thinking?! He's not like this! He almost made his dongsengs get hurt too! They're his responsibility, his brothers! Wufan was so angry, mentally yelling at himself that he didn't reacted when his manager shove him inside a hidden dressing room and punched him on the abdomen, taking out his breath and making the rapper bend over in pain.

 

"ARE YOU STUPID?!" Sunghwan yelled, not caring if anyone heard them because he already made sure the security guards would help at keeping the customers away from where they were. "THAT IS THE MOST CARELESS THING YOU HAD EVER DONE WUFAN! WHAT THE WHERE YOU THINKING!?"

 

"I-"

 

"Shut up!" Sunghwan punched him again, making sure not to hit his face or any other part of his body that could be seen. "Do you realize what could have happened if Seungho-sshi hadn't stopped the van on time?! Do you realize what could have happened to you if the others hadn't stopped you?! Thank the heavens we weren't on a busy street or you could have made a car hit us from behind! And the others at the back seat could have been hurt, not you!" Frustrated, Sunghwan tried to calm himself before he kicked the hell out of the incompetent brat in front of him, but it was so hard! He still could feel the fear moving through his bones when he saw Kris opening the door of the van. No one told him he would get attached to his 'little morons' when he agreed to be their manager. No one told him he would want to punch a wall and cry like a baby at the same time. No one told him he would feel so useless when one of them needed him. Growling in frustration, the older guy punched full force the wall on the dressing room trying to calm himself. "If I get fired for this, I'm going to hunt you forever Li JiaHeng!"

 

Hearing that name made Kris regain his senses. That awful despicable name! Yelling back, Kris pushed Sunghwan against the wall. "DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" Against his will, a series of mental images started filling Wufan's mind making him want to scream at the top of his lungs. A tall man leaving him, a woman crying and kneeling on the cold floor; a torn and used black bag as his last memory of what had happened before. Closing his eyes, Kris stepped back and shook his head trying to make those dreadful memories disappear. Understanding the younger's predicament, Sunghwan sighed trying to calm himself and decided not to ask anything more.

 

"Wufan. I hope you understand this is not going to be good for us." Sunghwan leaned against the wall and looked back at the teenager in front of him. "I just destroyed the camera that filmed it all. Jinsang-sshi may not have proof of what you caused but be sure that idiot's going to tell everyone what happened at the van.  Even if Seungho-sshi decides to help us and denies it all, SM Ent can't let the KBS think we're mistreating their employees, do you understand?"

 

Sighing deeply, Wufan closed his eyes for a moment and focused on his task. He wasn't just a guy in trouble hoping to have others take blame for his actions. He is a leader; he needs to act. Sunghwan had put his job at risk just to help Kris. Trying to act cold and calculating, Wufan made what was expected of him.

 

"Joonmyun? Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I need you to do something for me."

 

 

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

 

 

 

Kim Jongdae is the troll of Exo; everyone knows that. He enjoys teasing his beloved ones as his way of showing his appreciation and love. He can make you experience whatever the hell he pleases just for his pure entertainment and laugh at you nonstop while he's at it. How could he not be friends with Super Junior's Kyuhyun? He was his role model! And Kyuhyun loved to have the little buddy following his steps on becoming the devil between his bandmates as he himself is with his Super Junior hyungs. With that in mind, it was a surprise anyone could ever think he could be overcome at all in his journey to become a Kyu-line member.

 

If Kim Jongdae was so much like Cho Kyuhyun, Kim Joonmyun had Park Jungsoo as his own role model.

 

Suho knew all the other SM leaders and he admires them for all the things they have achieved. He admires Qian and how she treats his girls like a mom could treat her own babies even though sometimes she feels she's not needed. He admires Jinki and how he's able to put on a huge smile everytime someone needs him, even though he's sick or s are being treated badly. He admires Taeyeon and how she was able to stand up for her members even though all the things their antifans had thrown at them. He admires Yunho and how he had to keep moving on even if three of the most important people in his life aren't with him anymore.  But most of all, he admires Super Junior Leeteuk.

How could he not? Even before Joonmyun knew he was going to debut as a leader of eleven guys, he always had seen Park Jungsoo as someone admirable and awesome. His admiration could be seen purely as that but usually; admiration comes from the feeling of being understood. And Exo-K's Suho knows why he looks up to Leeteuk.

 

Because they're exactly the most manipulative bastards with angelic smiles South Korea had ever seen.

 

"Zitao, stop" He ordered before the panda boy could wushu the hell out of the cameraman who was at the moment insulting their manager for destroying his precious camera and laughing at 'Kris' pathetic attempt to have more air time'.

 

Suho could be an angel and that wasn't a lie but he could be more than that when he wanted. That's why hearing his serious tone, the Exo-M's magnae stopped glaring at Jinsang and let Baekhyun pat him on his back.

 

At the moment, all of them were heading to the SM Building after Kris had called Suho and told him to leave without them. The others got worried but after hearing Joonmyun's soft voice assuring them everything was alright, they decided to obey.

 

"We need to calm ourselves, we can't let Fan's mistake ruin our careers" Suho continued, making Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Zitao's eyes look at him like he was crazy. Wufan's mistake?! How could he say that?!

 

"At least one of you is smart enough to realize that" Jinsang replied, rolling his eyes and smirking at the angry faces of the 'pathetic kids'. "What do you think my superiors are going to think once I tell them what happened? You'll be lucky if my bosses decide to proceed to film your variety show. I don't even know how you can be in such entertainment company behaving like this. Seriously"

 

"We didn't do anything wrong!" Chanyeol argued finally, trying to fix their problem and make the KBS guy see reason. "Krease just... he didn't do anything wrong!" One could think Chanyeol's huge worried eyes could convince everyone, unfortunately this kind of things doesn't happen in real life. "We should be happy he's okay!"

 

"Okay?! He could have killed us! All of us!" Jinsang argued back dramatically, making Tao want to make use of his long model legs and kick the guy's stupid face. "Don't you understand the situation!?

 

Chen could have the advantage in their little competition if we're talking about making pranks but Suho wasn't a leader just because of his looks. 'Such company?' Catching the unconscious meaning behind the phrase, Suho started working on the favor Kris' had asked.

 

"I know and I apologize in behalf of my members" Suho bowed his head in front of the KBS guy, now that his lap was free and Yixing had sat on Kris' place; his eyes not leaving the window.

 

"Good boy!" The staff guy laughed, clearly entertained by Suho's submissive behavior "See kids? You should apologize to me like that and maybe I'll forgive you a little bit" grinning, Jinsang looked at Tao "Especially you boy, or can't you understand me? You. Say. Sorry. To. Me!" He added, using hand motions and treating Zitao like an idiot who couldn't understand Korean at all. The rest of the members felt how their usual cute magnae was literally glaring at the KBS employee and was probably planning his dead involving a deserted street, no witnesses, a wushu stick, his ninja skills and some cake. It was scary.

 

"I'm just asking you to at least not tell our sunbaes" Suho kept talking, motioning Chanyeol and Baekhyun to keep Tao from murdering in broad daylight. "I don't know what I would do if BoA-noona knows about this." It was an understatement to say that no one understood what Suho was trying to do. Not even Chanyeol and he was the smartest one on the van, surprisingly. Seeing no response from the staff guy, Suho kept smiling. "Or our SNSD noonas. That could be worse" Joonmyun just needed a small glimpse of response. And he got it.

 

Hearing about SNSD made Jinsang tighten his lips and blink twice. Just that. Interesting how many things a manipulative person can notice, but Kim Joonmyun had trained for five years to notice the response from his public and this wasn't any different.

 

"Our noonas? I don't think they even ca-" But Baekhyun stopped talking once his bestfriend stepped on his foot. Hard. Good at acting, the Exo-K's vocalist just lowered his head and screamed mentally in pain, thinking on how hard he was going to hit Chanyeol once they arrive at the SM building.

 

"I have to agree with the little one" Jinsang agreed with Baekhyun, rolling his eyes at their childish behavior "Why would SNSD care about what you guys do?"

 

"Well, they do care about us" Chanyeol said honestly, still eyeing Suho and wondering what his leader was planning. Once he saw Suho smile at him, the tall rapper knew he was doing a good job. "They help us when we need help. Yuri-noona and Taeyeon-noona help me the most."

 

Still no response. Suho could see Jinsang was clearly jealous they could spend time with the girls but still it wasn't enough. He needed another reaction. Anything...

 

"Sunny-noona and Hyoyeon-noona help me when I need something" Suho said, surprising even Tao. The Exo members glanced at their leader with surprise because they all knew it was a lie.  Their noonas really tried to help them but they were always busy, hence they weren't close with all of them, and Suho wasn't close with Sunny and Hyoyeon. Understanding what was going on, Tao suddenly went from murdering glares to a cute smile and said: "Yoona-noona bought me breakfast once!"

 

"You said that like I even care" Was Jinsang automatic response.

 

'Bingo' Suho thought, smiling.

 

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

 

When Sehun asked him for forgiveness and gave him a Donald Duck plushie, Luhan thought everything was going to go back to be the same once again. He thought that his lovely dongseng was going to be the same. But he was wrong. Sehun stopped being affectionate with him when they were alone. He stopped asking him daily to go drink bubble tea with him. He even stopped letting the bathroom's door open in case Luhan wanted to shower with him! It was unacceptable! What happened? Luhan wasn't stupid but he just didn't know how to ask; it was just little details Sehun had stopped doing instead of obvious things. Sehun kept being a cute dongseng and he hugged Luhan, but just when they were with the others. When they were alone, Sehun just became... normal. 

Like a normal friend. Luhan just couldn't explain it -even to himself- but he and Sehun were never normal.

 

The Chinese missed waking up and knowing there was always this cute little brother waiting for him to tell him the most normal things in the morning; like how Kyungsoo had fell on the living room or how was this cute little dog at the other side of his school's backyard. He missed how he always had his number one speed dial on his phone in case he wanted to talk his heart out or just say he's bored. He missed how Sehun was the only one who still tried to touch his bed even though Luhan would always kick him out. Sehun was still the same but felt so different at the same time. He was a Sehun, but not Luhan's Sehun.

 

As soon as Hyunkyun dragged him to their van, Sehun had pushed Kai just to sit by Luhan's side at the back seat along with Xiumin. This was common so no one said anything, but Luhan felt Sehun had gone back to his usual self. He was wrong. Normally, Sehun would fight for his attention and once he had it all, he would start talking nonstop and being all happy with his favorite hyung. 

This time, the usual process wasn't completed. When Sehun managed to sit by Luhan's side, he just turned around and started acting all cute on Minseok. Just like that.

 

Luhan just stared at his dongseng, his mind blank and lost. He couldn't even process what to do; Luhan was lost. He had lost Sehun's attention.

 

"Han-hyung!" A harsh smack on his head woke up Luhan from his state, making him turn to the front and see how Kai was trying to talk to him from the front seat.

 

"Eh?" Was all he could think of.

 

"Are you alright?" Jongin asked once he noticed how Luhan had spent ten minutes with his beanie upside down without noticing. When his hyung nodded dumbly, Kai couldn't help but grin at how cute and young his older brother looked right now. "Come here, let me fix your hair". Nodding once again, Luhan leaned forward into Kai's awaiting hands for just two seconds before another pair of hands took him by his shoulder and pulled him back into his seat.

 

"I can fix it, you sit properly Jong"

 

Used to Sehun's possessiveness, Kai just nodded before turning at the front and start listening to Chen and Kyungsoo's conversation.

 

"Hyung, how did you manage to put your beanie like this?" Sehun asked Luhan, taking his head into his hands and turning him so the younger could fix his hair. Taking off the beanie, Sehun proceeded to brush Luhan's soft hair with his fingers. This was normal, it happens all the time but why does Luhan stays quiet, waiting for something else? Something different? He wants to know if Sehun's change is real or if he's just imagining things. If Sehun fixes Luhan's hair but keeps it or playing with it, then everything is back to normal. If not...

 

"There you have it" Sehun said with his cute eye-smile.

 

And turned around to Xiumin once again.

 

'IS REAL!' Luhan screamed mentally, widening his doe-like eyes and taking out his cellphone, writing a message to his most trusted person.

 

'XING! Sehun's not mine anymore!'

 

'Since when is he yours?' Came the instant response. Luhan felt some relief at this. At least Yixing's still his property.

 

'Since always! Just like you and Minseok! He's ignoring me right now!'

 

'Wow, that's new... wait a minute, I'm not your property.' There you have it. Even the most absent Exo member knew how much attention Sehun gives Luhan. It was so weird for that to change that even the receptionist at the SM building or the janitor at their department building could get surprised hearing the news.

 

'Keep telling yourself that. What do I do?'

 

'Joonmyun says hi! ^^ Maybe you could tell him something interesting? Like how awesome that cloud above the Namsam tower looks like'

 

Reading Yixing's new response, Luhan glanced out of his window but realized they had already passed said tower a couple of minutes ago.

 

'That only would interest you Xing. And maybe Chanyeol.'

 

Sighing, Luhan looked at his right wondering what to do. Xiumin and Sehun were still talking and even playing some game on their cellphones. It was clear how relaxed Minseok looked now that Kyungsoo was distracting Chen and Sehun was taking advantage of it, making his oldest hyung let him use his shoulder as a pillow.

 

He didn’t realize Lay never replied back.

 

 

 

It was just twenty minutes later when they were at the SM building that Luhan started worrying. The two vans were supposed to arrive at the same time, yet the other van hadn’t arrive. Kyungsoo had already called Baekhyun and he said they were on their way. Why wasn't Yixing answering his phone? Luhan felt once again guilty. It was the second time he and Kai had let Yixing by himself in one of the vans. What if something happened? What if Baekhyun didn't realize they were hurting Yixing again? What if Kris said something hurtful against homouals this time? Luhan didn't think Wufan would be able to do that but his mind was already giving him multiple scenarios of what could have happened. Even Kai had started worrying even though an excited Taemin had appeared and was now telling him some exciting thing as soon as he saw his best friend.

 

"And then Minho-hyung started running nonstop until he found out we were joking about the competition on the parking lot. It was hilarious!" The Shinee's magnae kept rambling nonstop even though no one was paying him attention. The six Exo members were already at the basement with all the other groups practicing for their SM Town concert but one could tell no one was giving their best. Kyungsoo tended to glance at the door with his huge eyes every now and then and was clearly waiting for someone, messing up his solo at the beginning of MAMA. Chen was sitting on the floor clearly ignoring practice and was typing on his cellphone with a clearly frustrated expression. Luhan could understand him; Yixing wasn't answering his messages either.

 

"Hey, we should hang out with Moonkyu when we come back from our concerts" Taemin said again at his best friends, smiling apologetically at Luhan for not including him. The oldest one nodded with a tiny smile, clearly telling him he understood. Luhan had the same special bond with Lay as Taemin had it with Kai, Moonkyu and Sehun.

 

Speaking of which...

 

Ignoring his cellphone for just a moment, Luhan glanced at his left noticing how something weird was going on. Apparently, Sehun wasn't acting weird just with him...

 

"Yeah, we should visit Moonkyu! The other day he called me and said he was going to come back to Seoul in the weekend." Kai said "Wanna come, Hun?" And the poor main dancer received just a glare. "Ehm... Is that a yes?"

 

Confused, Taemin and Luhan just exchanged a look wondering what was going on with Sehun. Normally, he would be excited to go out with his best friends together. He would be all cute and smiles with Jongin, asking to be spoiled. What was going on?

 

"I have things to do".

 

"....What? With whom?" Luhan asked automatically. Sehun looked up to meet Luhan's eyes and was going to answer before something caught his attention.

 

"Yixing-hyung?"

 

At once, Kai, Luhan and Taemin turned around just to see a clearly altered Chinese dancer at the entrance of the basement. Some Super Junior members where at the other side creating chaos as usual so Lay's entrance seemed unnoticed by everyone but Exo and Taemin. Looking around, Lay finally saw the ones he needed. Without delay, he almost ran all the way to his friends and before anyone could say anything, he took Kai's and Luhan's arms and dragged them out of the basement.

 

"...Well, nice to see you too Yixing-hyung!" Taemin said to no one in particular, ignoring how Sehun was glaring at how Kai and Luhan were going away together. He had the idea to just follow them until a hand found its way to his waist and pulled him softly. Looking up, the magnae noticed something scary.

 

It was Chanyeol.

 

The scary part was, he looked serious.

 

"Kris is in trouble" He said, before taking Sehun with the rest of Exo and leaving a surprised Taemin all by himself.

 

 

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

 

 

 

Sitting on the couch just outside the office of the principal manager, Jinsang was feeling like he owned the world. Standing in the small waiting room, was the two Exo managers and the two Exo leaders all quiet and worried. The smallest man was the only one who glanced at the KBS cameraman without hate and murder intent. How could he not feel important? As soon as he speaks with this... Mr. Nam? he's going to get an apology and probably a promotion at the KBS once he threatens SM Entertainment to go to the press and tell them how their beloved Exo leader almost tried to suicide. Of course Jinsang didn't believe that; he thought Kris just wanted to get more air time. But still, it was going to be so easy to make everyone else believe what he needed; he was a reporter! He could change the facts a little bit and no one would have the chance to make something about it. Maybe he could even make SM fire that stupid manager who dared to throw his precious camera to the road! Maybe he could-

 

"Good morning Oppas!" A beautiful voice broke the silence, making Jinsang almost break his neck trying to see the newcomer. There, at the entrance and all sweaty from practice was an angel wearing tiny shorts. His beautiful face had an equal beautiful smile and Jinsang swore he saw her looking at him with love. Walking like she was in a runway, the beautiful goddess waved at 

everyone and once she noticed a new face, an endearing blush showed on her face making her look all innocent and cute. "Oh. Good morning sir." she bowed multiple times at Jinsang. At him! He couldn't believe it! He could even see her beautiful collarbones. That skin! Those lips! And when they could get married, their kids would be-

 

"Good morning Yoona-sshi" Hyunkyun smiled politely and bowed, while the others just smiled at her and Jinsang's internal thoughts about the love of his life were interrupted.

 

"Hello noona!" Smiling happily, Suho walked to her. "Is so nice to see you here! I have been thinking about you all day"

 

... Wait, what?

 

 

Surprised, Kris raised his head and wondered what the hell was going on. In the middle of the waiting room, Yoona was giggling like a school girl with her crush while touching Suho's arm and Suho was all confident and pleased for her attention, telling her something about his leader duties.

 

"Maybe he really is drunk like Chanyeol said" Sunghwan whispered at Kris' side, looking at the couple too with a surprised expression. Yoona may be a great person but she was always busy and there was no way in hell she could have time to get close to Suho so, how is it that those two are suddenly so close now?

 

"Oh, I forgot to mention it, this is Jinsang sshi." Suho smiled widely, standing by the KBS cameraman's side and patting his back like they were old friends. "Jinsang sshi, this is Im Yoona"

 

"Is a pleasure to meet you sir" Yoona bowed to him, again! And Sunghwan thought he saw Jinsang's hand twitch in excitement.

 

"Ye-yeah... Ehm, you don't need to bow lady, you can call me... Oppa" Smiling creepily, he just couldn't stop looking at Yoona...and her legs.

 

"Alright Jinsang oppa" Blinking cutely and smiling like she's just in front of her Prince Charming, the SNSD member sat at Jinsang's side and starting playing with her hair. "So... What are you all doing here? I thought you were going to practice with all of us once again."

 

"We can't yet. You see noona... we had an accident" Surprised hearing Suho's words, Yoona glanced at everyone wondering what happened. "The van's door at Wufan's side got open when we were moving and he almost fell. We're all fine but-"

 

"Hey! That's not what happened!" Jinsang woke up from his fanboying and glared at Suho. "Your manager broke my camera! Do you know how much-!"

 

"Oh! Really?! Poor Oppa!" Yoona hugged Jinsang, shutting him up at once and nearly giving him a heart attack. Looking at how the KBS dude was probably trying to remember his own name, Hyunkyun, Sunghwan and Kris finally understood why Yoona was there. At once, the three of them glanced at Suho only to find him smiling with all his teeth and making him look all creepy. Yeah, that smile may have the power to make the fangirls scream but to them, it was scary. "I know how you feel; my manager did the same to me when Jessica got pushed by some antis at the airport."

 

"R-really?" Was the choked question of Jinsang who finally had control over some of his movements and patted Yoona's back trying to give her comfort. "Why?" It looked like that's what Yoona was waiting for because she suddenly stopped hugging him and glanced at him with sad eyes and a little pout on her lips.

 

"Well, it is their job." she shrugged "They are ordered to keep all recording of anything that may cause us harm at a minimum. Even when we film ourselves with our phones, they asks us to show them what do we have in case we lost our cellphones or some sasaeng fans try to hack our social accounts." Glancing down at her lap, she stopped talking for a couple of seconds and looked suddenly shy. "You... you're not going to tell on them, right oppa?" Instantly aware of what the love of his life was asking of him, Jinsang look up just to see the other men in the room. What if they heard? What if his beloved Yoona was playing with him just to save those idiots he have to work with?

 

But his suspicions died once he realized said idiots were talking about something else and not paying them attention at all.

 

"Oh yeah! You remember that book I showed you about that.... that thing?"

 

"Sure! It was so interesting! I read it to my wife once!"

 

"You don't have a-"

 

"I read it too! About that thing right! Oh yeah, it was awesome!"

 

Looking at Yoona once again, Jinsang felt he couldn't make her sad. She was there, in front of him and looking all defenseless and needy. And he was the guy designated to protect her for all the hardships of this awful world! He was going to make a beautiful smile appear on her face once again!

 

"I'm sure you understand that I cannot pay for the loss of that camera; it was too expensive miss Im..."

 

"Call me Yoona" She smiled brightly, probably looking like a bipolar person by how she didn't seem to remember she was sad ten seconds ago but hey, love is blind.

 

"Al-alright.... Yoona. What I was trying to say is that....ehm... as long as the company pays for the loss of my camera; I don't think we need to make this problem bigger than it is..."

 

“Really? You’re the best Jinsang Oppa!” Yoona smiled widely, throwing her arms around the cameraman’s shoulders and hugging him tight once again, making the poor man feel he was in heaven, ignoring how there was four other man in the room, trying not to smile too much.

 

Ten minutes later, the two managers, the two leaders and a pretty girl watched how the KBS man left the place with a big stupid smile on his fanboying face and a little bit more rich than before. God bless money and girls.

 

"Pay me, Joonmyun."

 

"Alright noona..."

 

An exchange was made for Kris' safety. Manipulative Suho - 1. Troll Chen - 1.

 

"Hello? Sooyoung? Yeah, I just had to take care of some business but I'll be back now.” The girl answered her phone, already walking out of the room and heading to her practice and followed by the rest of them“Listen!, I have food coupons for the next three months! Wohoo!"

 

None of them realized the door of Mr.Nam's office was finally opened and the general manager was looking at them with a serious expression on his face.

 

 

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

 

 

"So, let me get this straight. Kris was an idiot and opened the van's door while it was still moving. He could have been seriously injured. But you throw yourself at him and because you didn't think of the consequences, you're now really sure you love him."

 

Zhang Yixing nodded.

 

Zhang Yixing got smacked on the head.

 

"It's true after all that love makes people stupid!" Luhan sighed, still sitting like a boy scout inside of one of the bathroom stalls on the first floor and hitting his best friend once again. "That's not love! That's called being brainless! Do you know you could have been dragged too if the van hadn't stopped in time?"

 

"I know! Hey, stop hitting me!" Lay smacked back. Oh, the beauty of friendship. "Listen, I... I don't know. I don't know why I did it; it was automatic, ok?"

 

Sighing, Yixing leaned against the wall and looked at his two friends. There, in the middle of a deserted bathroom and sitting on the floor, were the two people he trusted the most. It was a miracle how much had changed in such short time. Nearly two weeks had passed since he discovered his new found uality and here he was, after recovering from almost seeing Kris die in front of him.

Well... maybe not die, but Yixing thought he could lose his dragon at that dreadful moment. Of course he had heard how there's this brave people giving their own lives to save their beloved ones; he knew it was possible, but living the experience? He thought it would never happen to him. After all, this wasn't a Korean drama were the lead saves the love of his life by throwing himself in front of danger and giving his own life to save the other one. Yixing didn't feel brave. Yixing was utterly scared.

 

Throwing yourself at a giant, hugging him like a koala and closing your eyes like a terrified kid doesn't sound so heroic, does it?

 

Hugging his knees against his chest and facing the wall was making him feel more at ease. He thanked Luhan and Jongin for not asking questions at the moment because he just really needed to think. Yixing still remembered the incident crystal clear and it made him wonder how much a person could be attached to another. Like everyone else, he had already thought what he would do when he lose his parents or his grandma; it was normal after all.

 

But it never crossed his mind what he would do if he loses Kris.

 

The thought made him think nothing. Nothing at all. It wasn't like in the movies when the lead actor loses someone and cries his hear out and screams and yells and is angry with the world. For Yixing to lose Wufan was like feeling nothing at all. The mere thought of his life without Wufan there wasn't possible. And Yixing wasn't being dramatic, he just couldn't think about it. It was blank. Blank was the space his mind was trying to fill with the mental picture of his daily life without the older. It was so strange... He tried thinking about his life without his family and it didn't matter how much that thought hurt him, it was still possible. Automatically his mind started reciting an imaginary list of 'What to do without my parents'. He started thinking to take care of their funerals, their will, what to do with the house and how to visit their grave at least once a year and mourn their deaths appropriately. It was painful but easy. It was expected.

He started thinking about his life without Luhan, or the rest of his friends. His mind automatically did the same; recite a long list of 'what to do's'; A list of mental images of him moving on with his plans for his future.

 

The thought of losing Wufan sent him to a matterless space with nothing on it. No sadness, no tears, no being angry with the world like the lead protagonist Yixing isn't.

 

Because without Wufan, there was no movie at all.

 

 

"Hyungs? I don't want to interrupt or anything but I wanted to talk about something soon and maybe this may be my best chance" Kai said, breaking the silence inside the bathroom. Looking at him, Luhan signaled for him to start talking. Yixing would still hear even though he probably was spacing out right now. "Well, I came to the conclusion that I'm useless to you."

 

"Eh?"

 

Kai just motioned Luhan to let him talk first. "I don't want Yixing-hyung to get hurt. Yeah, following the tips to make him closer to Wufan is entertaining and harmless but that's not going to last forever. What if someone catches us? What if... I'm sorry Xing-hyung but, what if after months of trying we discover that Kris-hyung doesn't like you at all? Are you really sure this is what you want? Are you really sure you want to risk your career and your friendship with Fan-hyung?" Feeling disappointed with himself, Kai too hugged his knees and looked at Lay's profile with determination. He knew it must be hurtful to hear what he had said after all that happened today but it was the best opportunity to make Yixing realize he can lose Wufan at any time. What if their leader shuns Lay because of his homouality? Lay would be crushed.

 

"You know Wufan would never shun him, Jongin" Luhan tried to defend his best friend as best as he could. There was this doubt at the back of his mind telling him Jongin was right but what was the point in telling that to Yixing? His Yixing?

 

"You don't know that. And you know I'm right" The youngest said, pointing at Luhan and giving him a stern expression. "If we really want to succeed, we need a better approach. You asked for my help because you know I can be straightforward, Hyung. And if we want to achieve something, I really need to start to suggest Yixing-hyung to really flirt with Wufan-hyung. We know that is dangerous. He can catch up on what Yixing-hyung is trying to do. Everyone could notice it if we're not careful. I need to know Yixing-hyung is really willing to try and risk so much."

 

The silence engulfed them as the korean dancer finished talking. He may be the youngest but he had talked with so much confidence and responsibility that Luhan could not find words to enlighten the situation. For the first time, Luhan couldn't say anything to try and soothe Kai's words' impact on his best friend. Resigned, he too glanced at Yixing and waited. It was only Yixing's decision.

 

Looking down at his hands, the guitarist remained silent. How could he answer that? He wanted to have a sign, anything to show him the right way; anything to tell him if he could take this chance or just give up. But what was he waiting for? A neon sign? A bright light falling from the sky and illuminating Wufan from above while angels sing to Yixing to risk everything? There was never one when he decided to just choose being an idol. There was never a sign telling him to fly to Korea and try his luck in the entertainment music. There was never a sign to tell him how to manage his life. Life has no easy roads; just choices. Like Minseok said to him when they shared baozis at the waiting room, Yixing had decided to make all the big steps on his life by his own.

 

Biting his lower lip like he always does when he's thinking deeply, Zhang Yixing knew this was an important decision. What if he said no? He could stop having hope Kris would love him back and just enjoy his time with him. He would not lose their friendship and maybe he could actually find a lovely girl and fall in love with her and... Automatically, Yixing pictured a mental image of Kris smiling at a stranger and kissing her and...

 

"... Is he alright?"

 

"... Just give him a minute. He's a bit slow" Luhan answered Kai, finally smiling a bit and understanding why his best friend was banging his head against the bathroom tiles. If he was right, and Luhan was almost always right, he knew what Yixing was going to choose. After all, his best friend was a fighter, even if he had no chance of winning. And then they could start writing better tips at the notebook and-… wait.

 

"Jongin, where's the notebook?" Luhan's voice woke Yixing from his internal debate, making him turn around and face his friends and noticing how Kai had suddenly turned pale. Wow! If only the others could see Jongin being pale!

 

"..."

 

Just a look shared between them was all it took for the three of them to stand up from the floor at the same time, pushing each other to open the stall's door and run full speed to the bathroom's door and find the ing notebook. How could they be so stupid?! They had left Jongin's backpack at the basement! The ing basement! Everyone was there! Anyone could find the backpack and wondering who it belonged to, open it and read the freaking notebook!

 

From other's perspective, they seemed like three kids running away from a monster or maybe their mothers. They ignored everyone; from TVXQ Changmin asking them if they had seen Suho, from Super Junior Henry telling them to be careful.

 

"If someone reads it, I'm going to cut off your , you idiot!" Luhan yelled, without a care if someone heard him and nearly traumatizing SNSD Seohyun just when she was passing by, reciting which healthy food she was going to eat that morning.

 

"It wasn't my fault! Remember how Yixing-hyung just dragged us away!? I was keeping my backpack safe when we were with Sehun and Taemin!"

 

"Just keep running!" Yixing nearly yelled, feeling how his past internal monologue was just a bunch of crap. He asked for a sign to show him the right path, not a freaking heart attack!

 

The two youngest didn't think about it but Luhan did; what if Taemin reads the notebook? Or worse... what if Sehun reads it? As they avoided running into some other co-workers, a janitor polishing the floor and some trainees bowing them from afar, Luhan ran like his life depended on it, overrunning the other two. He was such an athlete! ...Or maybe it was the fact he didn't have waist problems like Yixing or back problems like Jongin.

 

Turning around the last corner and finally looking at the basement's door in front of them, Yixing was suddenly yanked back and making him crush against someone. Looking up, because he already knew who it was, Yixing understood the sign life was giving him.

 

"I need to tell you something." Kris' said, taking him by his arm and dragging him away.

 

The last thing he saw was Luhan giving him thumbs up at the basement's entrance before following Jongin inside.

 

Happy for his best friend and remembering how he had a faint blush on his face, Luhan smiled widely, looking at the floor and stopping just a little bit before he heard a gasp and Jongin cursing. Looking up, he saw in slow motion how Chanyeol was standing with Jongin's backpack hanging from his arm and the Death Note notebook closed on his left hand. He saw how Chanyeol's cute head tilt in wonder at the little black notebook he was holding and how he proceeded to open it.

 

Slowly.

 

Apparently Luhan wasn't the only one who saw it because just the exact moment when Jongin jumped in the air and tackled Chanyeol, Jongdae said: "There goes Exo-K's dance performance." And he was right. Two seconds after he had said that, Chanyeol said a faint 'auch' with his unnatural deep voice while Jongin just curled up in an awkward tight ball. The way he was acting and not laughing it off was what made everyone around them look in fright at their dongseng.

 

"Jongin! What the hell!?" Baekhyun yelled, running at the two to see if his best friend and his dongseng were fine but someone beat him to it.

 

Something snapped in Kyungsoo once he saw his roommate -or his ex-roommate? Who cares, he thought- lying next to a now sitting-on-the-floor confused Chanyeol. Without wasting any second, he ran and let himself fall on his knees just beside them, widening his eyes and automatically trying to understand what was going on. Without saying anything, the lead singer heard how Baekhyun had already arrived at his side along with Luhan and Jongdae but his eyes never left the body lying on the floor and hugging a black notebook against his chest.

 

 

“Jongin! Where does it hurt?” Kyungsoo asked, trying to remain calm and immediately touching Kai’s head, seeing how his dongseng was with his eyes closed and a painful expression showing on his face. Without saying anything, Jongin just muttered ‘waist’ before feeling a pair of strong arms lifting him up from the floor, surprising him.

 

“This is why I don’t have kids” Sunghwan sighed, carrying Jongin into his arms and taking him out of the basement. Kyungsoo and Joonmyun followed them after begging Hyunkyun to let them go.

 

“Luhan” Kai said simply, before stretching his arm and grabbing the Chinese’s arm. Their manager tried to make him release Luhan but Jongin stood his ground. Without saying anything, he passed Luhan their black notebook. Looking down at their possession, Luhan looked up at his manager and using his most serious voice, he spoke:

 

“I’m going with him”

 

 

Just nodding, Sunghyun agreed and let Luhan follow him instead of Suho, making Sehun felt… weird.

 

“Well, we cannot do anything for Jongin; let’s go back to practice” Suho said, making s go back to their spot at their basement and dragging them with him.

 

“Chanyeol… did you read what was inside that notebook?”

 

“No, sorry. Why? Is that important?” The tall guy asked, turning to see his brother and noticing how they were the only ones still looking at the basement’s door where the others had left.

 

“No, nevermind. Thanks, though”

 

“Anytime Tao!”

 

 

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

 

Sitting on the main stairs at the SM’s lobby, he couldn’t help but notice how he was acting weird. Being in Yixing’s presence was usual; natural, yet Wufan was feeling guilty. Why? He didn’t know. Maybe it was the fact that Suho had told him just fifteen minutes ago how Lay was the most affected during the accident. Maybe it was the fact that he had seen Yixing’s tears when they were at the van.

 

It didn’t matter why; he felt the need to say sorry.

 

Glancing at his left, he could see Yixing’s profile and how he looked so peaceful.

 

Scratch that; Yixing always looks peaceful.

 

Damn him and his always stoic features.

 

Glancing back at the front, Kris entertained himself looking down at all the people pacing by. It was always the morning when most co-workers were running everywhere trying to get their jobs done. There was always that pretty receptionist at the front desk that looked oh so cute and peaceful. But being part of his company for so long, Kris knew the girl was a wolf in disguise, ready to yell and call the security guards everytime a fangirl managed to enter the building.

Over there was always that strange trainee waving at the fans through the door glass, acting like an idol and even doing impersonations, much to the displeasure of the doorman who was at his side.

 

Being entranced with the usual hustle of the morning, Kris almost failed to hear a faint voice by his side.

 

“What?” He asked, turning at his left once again and looking at his shorter friend.

 

“I asked if you’ve seen how Heeyoung-sshi always tries her best to look beautiful twice a week; mostly Mondays and Thursdays” Surprised by the randomness of Yixing’s comment, Kris looked at the lady Lay was talking about. Down at the first floor and at some desks on the left, was a young woman fixing her glasses and straightening her skirt. She looked nervous and eager at the same time and looked like she was waiting for something. Intrigued, Kris didn’t ask anything and just watched. It just took a couple of minutes before a guy in a grey suit –from Human Resources, Kris thinks- passed by and bowed politely at Heeyoung before smiling at her and heading to his office. The girl smiled so widely before jumping in joy and almost running into some technicians that were carrying electrical equipment.

 

“Heeyoung-sshi has spent three years liking Dongsun-sshi. She always waits for him twice a week, looking her best and smiling at him every Monday and Thursday mornings, without delay. She used to be brave enough to buy him a cup of coffee, but she almost spilled the drink on Soo Man-seongsangnim’s shirt once and she never tried it again.”

 

Kris had to lower his face and bite his lips to stop himself from smiling. Here they were supposedly trying to speak about something important and yet, Yixing had managed to start talking about something random and making Wufan smile like a dork.

 

Yeah, like a dork. There was a big difference between Kris’ smiles. There was his handsome smile. You could also see his get-the--out-of-my-sigh smile. His soft smile, his happy smile; his I’m-too-tired-but-still-working smile. Yet, there was one kind of smile Kris doesn’t like to show much because he thinks he loses his cool.

 

His gummy smile.

 

The same one he was trying to hide right now.

 

“How do you know those things, Xing?” He finally looked at the younger, waiting for him to just look back.

 

Wait, why was he hoping that?

 

“I just watch” Yixing just shrugged, smiling softly but still looking at the front. “Can you see that guy at the corner using a scarf and sunglasses?” he asked again, pointing at a suspicious dude eyeing the lobby.

 

“…Is he a stalker? Why the guard hadn’t thrown him out yet?”

 

“The guard’s called Kangdae, you moron” Lay laughed softly, looking at Kris for the first time since they decided to sit in the middle of the main stairs. “And Kangdae-sshi already knows who the stalker is; that’s why he doesn’t do anything.” Confused, Kris furrowed his eyebrows but Lay didn’t say anything else. He just pointed at the suspicious guy.

 

Said man was behind a pillar, using a black coat and looking so out of place at the middle of the bright reception that Kris wondered why he didn’t see him before. It was so obvious! How could Yixing know who he is? How the hell does he knows those people? It was the kind of people they used to see every day and it seemed that Yixing had taken the time to know each and every one of them.

 

A discrete movement and a brush of his hair made Kris pay attention to his surroundings. Looking up, he saw how F(x)’s Victoria passed by, stepping down the stairs and smiling at them before someone else whacked him.

 

“Hello dragon!” A huge smile greeted him before the same girl sat between Yixing and himself and hugged the other one with affection. “Hello unicorn!”

 

“Don’t call me that, Amber” Yixing pushed her softly, smiling and glad to see the girl. Kris on the other hand, was not so pleased to see her.

 

“What’re you doing here?” faced and all, the dragon asked.

 

“Why? Aren’t you glad I’m here? You bastard. You should be glad I’m entertaining Unicorn here. He looks so bored being with you”

 

“I’m not-“

 

“How are you going to entertain him, really? Telling him how you’re turning into a girl just for a certain chipmunk?”

 

Kris was a nice guy, really. He was polite and a total gentleman with women. It was just Amber that made him behave like that. He was so used to fight with her that he already sees her as his little sister.

 

And as an older brother, of course he was going to embarrass her every chance he gets.

 

 

“You stupid-!”

 

“Fan, look” Yixing smiled, interrupting Amber from hurting Kris and pointed at the scene in front of them. At the center of the lobby there was no sight of the creepy stalker using a black coat.

 

Now Kris could see a happy 2PM Nichkhun talking with Victoria… and wearing a black coat.

 

“It’s Daddy!” Amber said mockingly, standing up and leaving them alone once again, probably to the other couple.

 

The couple. Not the OTHER couple. Kris, stop thinking like that.

 

 

“…Nichkhun stalks SM just to see Victoria.”

 

“Yeap.”

 

“Since when?”

 

“Since 2011.”

 

“And Victoria knows why?”

 

The unic- eh, I mean, Yixing shrugged, smiling softly and leaning a little bit to his right hoping to be discrete. After all, since Amber left, there was no need to be too apart from Wufan anymore.

 

After Amber’s short arrival, the two of them felt how a metaphorical bubble broke their moment, feeling somewhat exposed to the world. Yixing knew why. Kris didn’t.

 

“You should have been the leader; not me” Was Kris’ turn to surprise the other, making a random statement all of a sudden. Wanting to know more, Yixing looked at him in confusion. “I mean, look at you. And now look at me.” Was all Kris said.

 

“…Are you saying I need to be the leader because I’m shorter?” Yixing wondered out loud, making the blonde laugh at his unexpected conclusion.

 

“No! I meant to say you could be more useful as a leader than me. You know how to see the details; the important things.”

 

“But I’m not attentive”

 

“Of course you are.” Kris said softly, smiling a little bit and looking right into Yixing’s eyes, making the younger guy feel all nervous once again.

‘Damn it!’ He thought, already knowing what was going to happen next.

 

‘Hello awkward-me’

 

‘Why, hello there’

 

“Bananas are awesome. I like them big and tasty.”

 

Lay’s comment was heard at least on a five meter radius, making Amber turn to look at them weirdly along with some other co-workers and obviously embarrassing Yixing even more. Bananas?! What the hell was he thinking?!

 

A sudden flashback made him remember how he heard Chanyeol and Baekhyun talk about seeing the ‘Despicable Me’ movie tonight. Damn him and his attention deficit disorder.

 

On the other hand, something weird happened with Wufan. At first, he thought of smiling at Yixing’s random comment when all of a sudden his mind made him think of other… meanings.

 

‘Did Yixing just say he likes es?’ was his first thought. Cero point five seconds later and Wufan widened his eyes a little bit, feeling the need to just jump down the stairs and hurt himself. (Even thought they were just twelve stairs above the first floor and considering Kris’ height, he wouldn’t even get a scratch.) Why the hell did he think of that?!  Of course Yixing wasn’t saying it like that! And even if he was –which was unbelievable- Wufan knew the other wouldn’t say it with the same meaning Kris would.

 

But Kris wouldn’t mean it like that. Of course not.

 

All kind of thoughts raced inside the rapper’s mind in just a second, making him unable to say something intelligent other than a simple “…What?”

 

 

‘Come on Xing! Think fast!’ The guitarist cheered himself, trying to come up with some excuse as to why did he say that.

 

He could have say the truth and tell Wufan he was thinking about a movie but hey, no one does intelligent things when you’re in front of the person you love.

 

“You see… that guy!” Yixing pointed randomly at an intern who was behind the front desk just beside the pretty receptionist and was looking down at the copying machine, deep in thought and waiting for the machine to stop working.

 

“Ehm… what about him?”

 

‘Does he like es too?.... STOP WUFAN!’

 

Yixing just stared weirdly at Wufan once the older hit himself against the wall for no reason but seeing how his serious expression hadn’t changed at all, Lay continued. “He looks so concentrated in his job… what if he’s thinking about bananas?”

“…I don’t think someone can think of that without a reason, Xing” Kris laughed softly after sometime, still watching how the intern had bended a little because some paper was stuck inside the machine.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Well, do you think about that often?”

 

“Yeah, sometimes.”

 

Yixing’s answer made Wufan turn at his left and look at him with something akin of surprise. Feeling somewhat curious, Wufan didn’t know why the hell they were talking about it in the first place but for some reason, he needed to talk about it.

 

“Really?”

 

Confused by Wufan’s sudden interest Yixing just nodded, feeling he was missing something.

 

“Well, what’s wrong with it? Don’t you like bananas?”

 

If only Jongin and Luhan could hear their conversation…

 

Wufan knew what Yixing was thinking and that just made him feel even guiltier. Why did he understand the second meaning of Lay’s comment?

Why was he thinking about that in the first place? Why couldn’t he answer right away?

 

“I like melons.” Was Kris’ answer.

 

“…alright. Good for you.” Obviously, Yixing was getting weirded out by their conversation and that was saying something because he was usually the one with the weird topics and not Kris. Being the carefree guy he is, Yixing just mentally shrugged and was glad he had avoided one of his awkward moments once again, not noticing how the taller was avoiding his eyes.

 

Kris was unconsciously playing with his fingers, wondering why was he feeling upset. Looking up at the lobby and at all the people passing by, he started looking at every one of them. The receptionist and how her skirt looked so fitting in her skinny legs. How SNSD’s Hyoyeon passed by jumping on top of Super Junior’s Siwon’s shoulders and asking him to give her a piggyback ride. How there was this cute fan oh so excited following Shinee’s Minho and asking him for an autograph while being chased by some guards.

 

It took him three full minutes to notice how he was watching the girl’s s on purpose and avoiding seeing the guys.

 

But, why would he do that?

 

“Sorry.” Wufan finally said, leaning a little bit to his left and sitting beside Yixing just like they were before Amber sat between them and completing Yixing’s action unconsciously.

 

“Why? Because you like melons?” Yixing tried to joke, still with his stoic features but with a little smile playing on his lips. The sight made Kris roll his eyes and push playfully Yixing’s side with his shoulder.

 

“No you idiot. Because… you know.” Avoiding saying anything more because he simply didn’t know how, Kris just took Lay’s hand and placed it vertically on top of his own thigh. Curious, Yixing looked down and saw how Kris’ used his own huge hand to ‘push’ Yixing’s to the front, grabbing it and making a weird sound with his mouth. A sound pretty similar to a car slowing sharply on the road.

 

Understanding the dragon’s lame apology, Yixing just nodded and smiled widely without taking out his hand from Wufan’s grip.

 

“Apology accepted.”

 

 

And that was it.

 

 

 

 

*********

 

 

Yeah well... Don't kill me? *smiles awkwardly behind a bunker* I'm at job right now but I got the sudden urge to update. I need to go home right now so when I arrive, I'll answer all of the past comments you awesome people wrote to me and I'll made this AN longer.
While I do that, enjoy! :)