“So what if I was sleeping around?” Kris asked nonchalantly as he turned to face the other members. “I’m not the only one who ever did.” Kris looked over at Kai, who in turn recoiled a bit under Kris’ stare.

 

Suho stepped up like the guardian he promised he would be, leaving Tao in Chen’s care. “But you’re the only one to not feel guilty about it.”

 

“Am I?” Kris slowly walked around Suho as if he were a vulture eyeing his prey. “You’ve never once felt guilty getting off because everyone else made you want it? Never once felt bad about taking it out on Lay?” Kris stopped behind Suho and placed his hands on his shoulders. He leaned down and quietly whispered so only Suho could hear. “Or maybe you like idea of taking Lay while I’m the one he’s thinking about? Isn’t that just a little er-”

 

Suho turned and pushed Kris away from himself. “Shut-shut up! It’s not like that!” Suho’s cheeks were red from embarrassment.

“It’s not?” Kris tried to grab Suho, but Suho moved out of the way. “Well I guess you’re only with Lay since you can’t get who you really want.”

 

“You’re insane!” Suho took a defensive swing at Kris’ chest, but Kris caught Suho’s arm. Using Suho’s momentum, Kris was easily able to pull Suho towards himself.

 

Kris smirked and tipped Suho’s face up. “I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

 

Suho’s cheeks flared up. “You’re full of yourself...” His words were weak and, whether Kris was right or not, signaled his breaking.

“How disgusting. Since you can’t have me, you take whoever is available. And he wants me, too? Tell me, Suho. What’s it like ing Lay when you really want to be ed by me?” Kris knew he was winning. No, he knew he won.

 

“That...it’s not...!” Kris loosened his grip as Suho wrapped his arms around himself. Kris hit a nerve and Suho was unable to get over it. Lay ran passed Baekhyun to get to Suho’s side, but Suho pushed him away. Lay tried to reassure Suho, but it wasn’t working too well.

 

“I think I’ve made my point.” There was something disgustingly impressive about Kris’ sudden change in attitude. He was normally a little cold, at least to those who don’t know him he seemed cold, but he was genuinely a very kind hearted person. At least, that’s what everyone else had come to believe. This was beyond what anyone would have expected.

 

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol unexpectedly came in. “Sorry, our manager wouldn’t let me go until I explained and he...why are you all...” Chanyeol’s train of thought was lost when the sight before him finally registered in his mind. Chen had a grip on Tao’s arms. Lay was protectively holding onto a beet red Suho, though Lay seemed to have a bruised lip, just like Baekhyun and...Luhan? Sehun and Xiumin seemed to be at a bit of a loss, but they also appeared to be very on edge. Baekhyun and Kai seemed to be watching if Kris made any movements. And Kris just looked different.

 

Everyone’s attention was on Chanyeol now, but Chanyeol didn’t miss the moment before he burst in. Half the group was resisting some primal urge to attack Kris. The others were looking at Suho with concern. “Guys...what’s wrong?”

 

Before anyone could start explaining, Kris’ deep voice cut through the tension. “Baekhyun, why don’t you explain?”

 

And now all eyes went to Baekhyun. Baekhyun stiffened under their gazes. It was nothing like being on stage or having flocks of strangers watching his every move. There was something extra intimidating about the way his group mates were looking at him right now. “I...I don’t-”

 

“Oh come, now, Baekhyun. If we’re coming clean, we all should.” Kris stalked towards Baekyhun. It was eerie the way Kris and Baekhyun danced around each other. But finally, Baekhyun’s distraught mind miscalculated his turns and he found himself planted to the far wall with Kris terrifyingly close to him. Kris took his chin in his large hands and forced Baekhyun to face him. “Well, Baekhyun? Why don’t you just say it?”

 

Baekhyun tried to pry his eyes from Kris. But the intense stare in Kris’ eyes was too paralyzing. Chanyeol advanced towards Kris, but one look over his shoulders put a stop to Chanyeol’s movement. Kris returned his focus to his prey.

 

When Baekhyun remained silent, Kris did not hesitate to turn Baekhyun around and flip their positions. Now, Kris’s back was to the wall, and Baekhyun’s back pressed firmly against Kris. Kris held onto Baekhyun’s arms so he couldn’t retaliate, though Baekhyun’s limp arms didn’t look like they planned on breaking free. “Baekhyun, just say it. Tell them how we’ve been ing each other lately.”

 

Everyone froze. By now, a few people had caught on to what Kris was getting at, but they didn’t want to believe it. Other’s didn’t make the connection until Kris spelled it out for them.

 

“Go on, tell them.” Kris’ lips ghosted Baekhyun’s ears. Baekhyun shivered slightly as Kris moved his hands from Baekhyun’s arms to wrap around Baekhyun’s waist. “Tell them the truth.”

 

“Let him go!” Chanyeol’s feet made their way to Baekhyun and Kris, but the last person anyone expected to stop Chanyeol stopped him. “Tao...?”

 

“Don’t...” Tao managed to get out of Chen’s grip and in front of Chanyeol. He tried to look Chanyeol in the eyes but his confidence was slipping as Chanyeol glared at him. “Don’t hurt him...” Tao shyly defended Kris. Tao wasn’t quite sure why, though. Kris hurt him. Lay hurt him. Everyone was hurting him, but he still felt a need to protect them. Is this what it meant to be the bodyguard of the group? If it was, Tao was going to have a talk with his manager or whoever handled their contracts.

 

Chanyeol was fuming. His heavy breathing accompanied clenched fists. “Happy Virus”? Nope, the “Happy Virus” was nowhere to be found. Chanyeol was losing his mind, but he was still sane enough to know he could never handle Tao in an actual fight. “Kris, I’m going to say this one more time. Let him-” Chanyeol couldn’t finish his sentence. His mouth hung open and eyes widened as a loud moan cut him off.

 

“I think he likes being here, though. Isn’t that right, Baekhyun?” Kris’ hands made their way down towards Baekhyun’s hips and through his pants. “Tell me, Chanyeol. Does Baekhyun ever moan like this when you touch him?”

 

It was Tao’s turn to react. “Kris, don’t touch...don’t touch Baekhyun like that!” It was a desperate cry on Tao’s part. A desperate cry that fell on deaf ears.

 

Everyone else had moved. Lay was still in the middle of the room helping Suho recover from Kris’ verbal attack, but everyone else stood opposite Kris and Baekhyun, ready to back Chanyeol and Tao if things took another turn for the worse.

 

“Baekhyun, why?!”

 

Not a word. From across the room, it was impossible to see Baekhyun struggling to even speak. He was enjoying Kris’ teasing so much more than he ever did before - having everyone watching did something weird to Baekhyun’s core - but he knew what he was doing wasn’t fair. Why did unfair have to feel so damned good? Baekhyun could feel his arms twitching as they fought over whether to fight Kris off or let him keep going.

 

Chanyeol couldn’t deal with it anymore. But Tao was still in front of him. So instead of staying and watching Baekhyun being taken away from him - maybe he was he already long gone - Chanyeol turned and punched the wall before storming out the door without ever looking back.

 

~~~~~

 

Chanyeol didn’t care where he was going. Chanyeol didn’t care if anyone recognized him. Chanyeol just didn’t care.

 

And he knew people recognized him when a small crowd of girls started to follow him with their cameras and let out unintended shrieks hoping he would turn their way. Chanyeol just kept walking, though. He kept walking until he was stopped by someone. “Sorry, I’m not feeling well-”

 

“Chanyeol, it’s me.”

 

Chanyeol looked at the person in front of him - Yesung. “Ah, Hyung, sorry. Um...I have to uh...”

 

“Just come with me.” And Chanyeol followed.

~~~~~

 

Almost half an hour passed before everyone left Tao alone with Kris and Baekhyun. Xiumin and Chen distracted their managers while Kyungsoo disappeared to track down Chanyeol. Sehun dragged Luhan out to take care of his lip more, and Kai helped Lay take care of Suho and his own injury.

 

“Kris I...” Tao was still hoping this was a really sick prank on everyone’s part, or some ridiculous nightmare caused by lack of sleep and stress but the crushing pain in his chest was a constant reminder that it was not at all a nightmare.

 

“Take a hint, Tao. You were a good fling, but other than that, you’re nothing too special.” Kris couldn’t have said it any more calmly. It was that very calmness that hurt Tao the most. Kris could say something like that without even a hint of hesitation or regret. Tao, on the other hand, regretted everything.

 

In the moment Tao hung his head in speechless defeat, Baekhyun’s arms finally came to a decision. He pushed himself off of Kris - or tried to. His head wasn’t exactly in the right place to tell his body what to do. Somewhere in the internal struggle, Baekhyun managed to find his voice "Tao, I'm sorry. But-"

 

 

Tao turned awayand spoke through sniffles he fought hard to silence. "I thought I could trust you all. I guess I was wrong." And finally, Kris and Baekhyun were the only two left.

 

 

"That was amusing." Kris said with a smirk. "Why don't we have more fun?"

 

 

Baekhyun was having a little trouble standing on his own. He legs were weak with pleasure and his mind kept telling him "jump him already, you know you want to".

 

 

Kris took Baekhyun's silence as consent and lulled Baekhyun in for a lust driven kiss. But Baekhyun resisted, leaving Kris with a confused look  on his face.

 

 

"No more. No more us! I'm done hurting my friends!"

 

 

"Friends? If they were your friends they would understand your needs - specifically me, my , and my up your ."

 

 

"Shut up! I'm through with you messing with my head. I didn't want it to go this far..."

 

 

Kris approached Baekhyun. He leaned down and whispered, "but it did, and you've nowhere to go now."

 

 

Baekhyun pushed Kris away once more before running out the door.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

"How did you know where's to find me?" Chanyeol asked before sipping on a cup of hot chocolate. "Even I didn't know where I was going."

 

 

"Let's just say you have a really smart mom on your side." Yesung said in reply. "Kyungsoo called and asked me to help find you."

 

 

Chanyeol nodded. "Hyung, I-"

 

 

"Don't. I kind of know. Kyungsoo filled me in. Just tell me. What do you want to do now?"

 

 

Chanyeol stared at his cup. He thought hard but he could only think of one thing. He looked up at Yesung for a sign that Chanyeol was making the right decision, but Yesung was still and silent. "It feels right to do it, but..."

 

 

"...no turning back if you do."

 

 

Chanyeol hummed in agreement.

 

 

"It's up to you - just remember that your choice will have consequences you'll have to deal with forever." Yesung got up from his seat. "If you need me, you know where to find me. Good luck."

 

 

Chanyeol stood up and gave Yesung a thankful hug. "Well, I guess have a phone call or two to make."

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

Suho finally felt better. He was embarrassed, but Lay and Kai let it go. The three turned thei attention to Tao who was now a crying mess. For the last few minutes, Tao could hardly breath through the tears. When he calmed down a little, his sobs turned into cries of "I'm quitting! I'm going back home! This was all a mistake!" were heard down the hall.

 

 

Xiumin and Chen followed their managers into the room. They sheepishly looked over, sending their apologies to Suho.

 

 

"Can someone explain what's going on?" Asked the managers. "Why did Chanyeol and Kyungoo run out, then Baekhyun, and now Tao is a crying mess?"

 

 

No one spoke up. No one wanted to be the snitch or force Tao to listen to everything again.

 

 

"No volunteers? Well get your story straight by dinner. Or else." The managers left the boys in the room. The boys looked at each other but no ideas came to mind. Everyone but Kris, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol gathered to fabricate something whatever their idea was, it was going to take some time to finalize.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

Baekhyun ran around the block hoping to catch Chanyeol. He finally saw the light brown hair he was looking for. "Chanyeol!"

 

 

The taller man didn't reply. He merely walked passed Baekhyun towards the hotel.

 

 

"Chanyeol, I'm sorry. Please, listen, it was a mistake that got out of hand really fast and I know I don't deserve a second chance, but please please please don't let what happened between me and Kris get in the way of EXO and the group chemistry."

 

 

Still no reply.

 

 

"I know you're mad and you have every right to be," Baekyun tailed Chanyeol through the hotel lobby and kept begging for forgiveness during the elevator ride up. "We can work this out. I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore. Can we please talk?"

 

 

"Okay. We can talk at dinner."

 

 

"But-"

 

 

"Dinner." Chanyeol flashed a smile at Baekhyun, catching the younger man off guard. "I'm going to take a nap before we eat. Later."

 

 

"Wait!" Baekhyun grabbed Chanyeol's arm. He could feel Chanyeol tense under his grip. "You're not mad?"

 

 

"...nope"

 

 

"Oh...well...uh...see you at dinner then."

 

 

I'm ing furious.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

Dinner rolled around and everyone was anxious. They sat in a private room and waited for all the food to arive in silence. when it did arrive, It didn't take long for the managers to ask about the earlier events. It was a whirlwind of stories as every member tried to tell a convincing story. Maybe if they talked too loud or too fast, the managers wuld just give up on the issue and let it slide. They were interrupted by a loud phone ringer going off. The managers answered the phone. They nodded a few times. The EXO members watched carefully hoping to find an escape.

 

 

"Wait, let me put you on speaker, sir. The boys are all with us." The managers put the phone down. "Sir, go ahead."

 

 

"EXO?"

 

 

The boys gasped. They recognized the voice easily. Lee Sooman. They bowed and greeted him as respectfully as possible. Suho was the fist to address him. "What uh, sir, I mean, is something the matter, sir?"

 

 

"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. Why is there a rumor that an inside source knows of a ual relationship between Kris and Baekhyun?! And that Tao is being dropped from the EXO roster?!"

 

 

The boys gasped again. It got out? What else was leaked? "Sir, I assure you that nothing of the sort is going on."

 

 

"Suho, if you're lying, I will punish you harshly. I'll deal with damage control, but until further notice EXO's activities are halted." The line went dead. Everyone was in disbelief. How could this have happened?

 

 

"Manager, here." Chanyeol held a piece of paper to his manager. He read it over carefully, and again to make sur he wasn't misreading it.

 

 

"A request for a contract change? To work as a writer and composer?" Chanyeol nodded his head. "Care to explain?"

 

 

Chanyeol looked Baekhyun in the eye. "Apparently, I'm not needed as much as I thought. I'm certain someone else could take my place. Just ask Baekhyun." Chanyeol left the room, making sure his arm smacked against Baekhyun's face.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

It took almost three months for the rumors to die down. Every tabloid had some version of the story out to the public. Some said it was a drunken night out, while others called it a full fledge relationship.

 

 

During those the months, EXO was practically a black hole. No information, no TV appearances, and no radio broadcasts. Their concert stages were short, and all of their special stages were taken over by someone else. Kris was practically ignored by everyone else. Chanyeol slept with Suho and Sehun. The members were practically under house arrest and the lack of space was getting to some of them. They fought and yelled even if they had no prior anger towards each other.

 

 

 

At month four, EXO was called into the company building for a meeting with Lee Sooman and the other directors.

 

 

"So. We still don't know where this rumor started, but it is out of the media. You're not off the hook yet. It's still fresh in the public's mind," Sooman added as little glints of hope found their way into the boy's eyes. "To top it off, I believe a request was made for one of you to be formally dropped from the roster."

 

 

Chanyeol raised his hand. "That would be me, sir."

 

 

"Care to explain? You were one of the most excited to debut."

 

 

"I think it's for everyone's benefit if I'm out of the way. I've wanted to be a composer, and I have some experience with making music. Instead of just helping EXO, why not support my other seniors the best way I can?"

 

 

Sooman seemed to agree with Chanyeol's sentiments. "Anyone have any comments?" No one spoke up, but a hand did go up. "Tao?"

 

 

"I um..." Tao tugged at Luhan's shirt. He whispered to Luhan, whose face twisted into worry and panic.

 

 

"Tao! No!"

 

 

"What did he say, Luhan?"

 

 

Luna looked at Tao who only nodded in confirmation. "Tao said he wants to leave the company."

 

 

Everyone started at him. He hadn't brought up the topic since the day at the hotel. Suho had a talk its him and everyone thought Tao was going to stay. "Because...?"

 

 

Tao used Luhan as a translator again. "He says he's feeling ill and...doesn't want to be an unnecessary burden to anyone."

 

 

Sooman mulled the idea in his head. "Chanyeol, Tao, you two stay back. The rest of you are dismissed."

 

 

"Can I stay and translate for Tao?" Luhan asked.

 

 

"I'll send for his language teacher. Go."

 

 

The wait for Chanyeol and Tao to come out was unbearable. A few words to ease the tension were shared, but everyone just stared at the closed door.

 

 

The door swung open, and the two boys walked out. They were bombarded with questions, but they ignored them.

 

 

"Chanyeol and Tao will remain as part of EXO for the time being." Everyone turned to face Sooman. "They are both already on the finalized tracks for some of your upcoming album. After the album release, Tao and Chanyeol will leave the official EXO roster."

 

 

"No! Sir, why?"

 

 

"Chanyeol made a compelling argument, so he will temporarily work with the production and music team until we figure out a new arrangement."

 

 

"What about Tao?" Kyungoo asked. "What's going to happen to him, Sir?"

 

 

"I am allowing Tao a temporary leave for health if he finds it necessary. As for the rest of EXO," Sooman continued, "you will resume activities as 10. Whetherwemake any other lineup changes has yet to be decided. That is all." Sooman dismissed everyone. They all settled in the lobby of the building. For a few moments.

 

 

Chanyeol  got up first. "I'll be packing in my free time. I believe I will move into an apartment after the album release."

 

 

"Chanyeol, don't do this!" Baekhyun pleaded. "Come on, can't you just stay? Who am I going to stay up with and fool around with if yo aren't around?"

 

 

"I'm pretty sure you have that covered. Kris is available to fool around with whenever you want." Chanyeol walked out the door.

 

 

Sooman walked into the lobby. "Oh, good. I forgot to mention this earlier. When Tao returns, he will returns as EXO's personal trainer. All things considered, Tao has the knowledge to keep you all in shape. I was a little surprised, but I would like to see how it goes. Until we figure out the exact terms of a contract, expect to see him for any and all exercise and fitness related matters." Solomon left.

 

 

Tao got up after Luhan translated for him. The corners of his lips curved up as he stood to leave. When he got near Kris, he bent down to meet his eyes. He said something in Chinese that sent a clear wave of fear down Luhan, Kris, and Lay's spine. Tao glared at Baekhyun before leaving the building.

 

 

"Um...what did he say, exactly?" Baekhyun asked.

 

 

Luhan looked at Lar and Kris. Lay was still shocked by Tao's words, but Kris just sulked in defeat.

 

 

"What did he say?" He asked again, hint of fear laced in his voice.

 

 

Luhan closed his eyes and translated the line over and over to himself, hoping he heard something wrong. But he didn't. He inhaled once and finally addressed Baekhyun.

 

 

"Welcome to hell, es."