Reflect on your mistakes.

Admit the things you have done wrong. 

Beg for forgiveness for this is all you can do.

Then, and only then, perhaps you will be forgiven.

Based Off ß Reflection Group by LoveDonghae (ø)

...xXx...

"Sorry."

The lone word echoed against the office walls but no one dared to say anything else, to make any excuses nor to make any other misconceptions.

They were sorry, regretful even.

But the thing they were most sorry for was the fact that they didn't regret it at all.

They didn't regret their work. 

They didn't regret falling in love.

They didn't regret listening to their hearts.

They didn't regret succeeding.

They didn't regret working hard.

They didn't regret quitting in the end.

"I don't understand," Soul finally broke the silence. She rubbed her forehead, bags under her eyes. CEO of Soul Entertainment it was understandable for Lee Soul's stress and yet, at that moment, they all hated her. Hated her for making their leader leave. Hated her for not being able to defend them. Hated her for everything and nothing.

"Reflection is 13 members," Xiuxiu stated simply. "You fire one. We all go."

"I'm not firing her and she's not quitting either," Soul contradicted, looking at the twelve. 

"She's as good as," Miyoung pointed out. 

"Until it works out - unless the scandal dies down and she comes back, we're out of the picture as well," Miho added, eyes determined. Soul looked across the line, staring down each of the girls and finding the same resolution in each, and sighed.

"I can't stop you from quitting or taking a hiatus especially in such a time as this...but I must warn you," Soul began softly, her eyes dropping to the documents in front of her - their resignation letters. "Rumors such as these won't go away until they are completely proven true or shot down in such a way they cannot rise again; that is why Sooyeon was considered a miracle worker in this field. More importantly, no matter how much Super Junior denies these rumors or proves them true, unless you are all there with them, nothing they say will be credible."

"And without our leader it'll be fine?" Machiko questioned.

"No it won't," Soul admitted, sighing. "I couldn't convince her to stay. I was calling you all into my office in hopes that someone could convince her to return...not receive resignation letters from all of you instead."

"Well it failed," Kyo pointed out calmly.

No one said anything more.

Slowly, one by one, the Reflection members left.

The door closed behind them.

Soul couldn't do anything.

-oOo-

His mouth dropped - no, all of theirs did. They reached for their phones in near unison, panicked and surprised.

They dialed numbers ingrained into their heads with shaky fingers and put it up to their ears...with no answer.

Just what was going on? 

The words that floated across the TV screen had to be a lie.

"Teuk-hyung," came the soft call. He glanced, seeing the youngest look up at him with sorrowful eyes, something sincere and so unlike his usual secretly-evil and calm self. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he answered Kyuhyun honestly. He ran his fingers through his hair, not caring that the strands were becoming messy. "We have to do something. We're half of the reason too but only they're getting the brunt of it."

"Is it because they're newer or because we're older?" Heechul joked, voice unusually heavy and yet still trying to tug a smile on their faces.

"...All I know is that something's not right. The pictures, the blame, and the crazy reporters...." he trailed off, trying to piece the different parts together. He looked around the room, counting only 11, 12 if he included himself.

"Where's Hankyung?"

The question found silence.

"In his room," Eunhyuk finally answered, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "Same as when we first heard...the news."

Right. 

No one could have been suffering as much as Hankyung was. They had been the first couple actually, quite ironically.

She had been the one to help him learn Korean - though his accent still remained even now - even before debut, back when they were both trainees. She had helped him through the months of the visa scandal, the one who had worked with Soul to get everything sorted out. She was the one who had helped him get along with the other members, to understand who they were and for them to understand who he was.

And yet she had been the first to leave this time. 

He hadn't heard from her since the scandal first started, only receiving a single text that had left him empty, like a true shell as he leaned against the wall of his room, crying, ignoring the rest of the group and forgetting to eat, only moving from the window to stare at the sunset and sunrise and stars and moon, to the bathroom on occasion, and to the bed, where he'd dream of nightmares he's awaken screaming from in gibberish to find that when he awoke, it had all been true. 

They hadn't heard a single word from him since he received that text...and in all honesty, they were somewhat scared to. What would - what could - he say to the ones who had done nothing and could do nothing?

He ran his fingers through his hair again, a habit he had aquired to try and soothe himself from Miho. He missed her, wanted her to run her fingers through his hair again in that way that would calm him like no other, but knew he had to focus on the situation at hand.

"Hyong," came that familiar accent. He whipped his head around so fast, he felt like he had just blinked, but he didn't care as Hankyung appeared in the doorway, looking weak and tired, tear marks stained onto his face. 

"Hankyung," he called with relief.

He wasn't dead.

He hadn't given up.

He was tired.

He had fallen.

But he was up again.

"Hyong...whot du whe du?" Hankyung asked, his accent more prominent with his anxiety and sorrow. "Ahm loss...Ah dun no whot tu du."

Leeteuk gave a soft smile, unable to help himself. Hankyung was always one of the stronger ones of the group, more independent and a person who would avoid trouble if he could; yet the fact that he had little idea what to do but was still willing to do something made him proud. 

"We're going to fix this," he decided, gathering their attention. "We'll fix this."

-oOo-

Kyuhyun's phone rang and he jumped to grab it. Literally.

"Hello?" he answered with a hoarse voice.

"Hey Kyu," that familiar whisper rang. It was so familiar. Fans may have called him 'oppa,' but only she called him lovingly as Kyu.

"Hey," he greeted back, breathless at how much of an impact she had even though it was only her voice over the phone.

"Sorry I didn't pick up your calls," she apologized softly. "I was scared. My phone rings from strangers."

"It's fine," Kyuhyun excused, understanding. Reporters had discovered their real phone numbers, forget how, but as a result, they had to block numbers that were not in their contacts list. "How are you? Are you ok? I miss you."

The questions flooded out of him like a dam had been broken. 

"I'm ok...I guess. I'm just tired," she answered, her soft voice calming him in ways undescribable. He leaned against the window sill and watched the sunset as well, closing his eyes as the warmth left his skin but still warmed his heart.

"I'm just so tired," she repeated, a wave of exhaustion obvious in her voice. "...but I missed you too."

"What's going on Kyu?" she asked, heartbroken. There was a choked sob. "I...I don't want to give up being a singer...but I want to do it together - all 13 of us with the 13 of you."

"You'll make the right choice," he reassured, slowly and calmly, the way he was used to. "They accepted us before and they will again."

"But what if they don't?" she questioned, voice cracking.

"They will," he firmly repeated. "What's going on over there? Are you all really quitting?"

"Until Sooyeon-unnie comes back I guess...Everyone's mad at you guys...because they feel like you've abandoned us...since nothing's changing," Miyoung slowly explained, going over each part in between tears. "But I know that they're all sad too...because we can't do anything either...What about you Kyu?"

He felt tears begin to run down his cheeks, a cool relieving streak staining his face.

"It's a mess here too," he admitted. "Hankyung-hyung broke when he saw the news. He didn't speak at all. Some of them went beserk, throwing things everywhere. Some of us went quiet, like dead men. But...then we saw you all quitting on the news the next day...and went crazy."

He gave a bitter laugh, wiping away his tears half-heartedly as they flowed again and again.

"We must have looked like idiots, all reaching for our phones at the same time and finding no answer," he explained as the sun disappeared behind the hills, the sky turning a midnight purple that was dark compared to the city lights. "Then...Hankyung-hyung came down...and spoke. In broken, bad-accented Korean, he admitted he had no idea what to do and I guess Teuk-hyung didn't either...but he said he had an idea...Don't worry Miyoung. Stay strong. We'll get through this."

"I hope so," Miyoung's wistful murmur passed through the phone speaker. "Hey Kyu?"

"Hm?" he half-muttered.

"Was it a mistake? To fall in love and accept each other? To be so happy when all our group members couldn't?" she asked, choking back sobs. His eyes widened.

"No. Never. Don't ever think that way," he reprimanded immediately. "I haven't regretted it once. Have you?"

"No," she quickly replied, almost shocked. "But...why can't they be happy too?"

He had no answer to that.

"I have to go Kyu," she muttered after some time, obviously not wanting to leave. "I'll dream of you tonight."

"Me too," he choked out, regretful that their time was already done. 

"My group members want this to be over soon. I hope whatever Teuk-oppa made up works. Night," she murmured-

"Night," he quickly muttered back.

-and she hung up. After a moment, he hung up too.

He held the phone in his hands as he looked over the city, leaning his head against the doorframe of the balcony. 

"Miyoung?" Leeteuk guessed, coming up behind him. He sat beside the youngest, wrapping his arms around his legs as he sat.

Kyuhyun nodded.

Leeteuk gave him a knowing look and looked out at the night city with him, the two sitting in silence for some time.

"Hyung, what do we have to do?" Kyuhyun asked, breaking the silence.

"How much are you willing to give up for her?" Leeteuk threw back, turning to him.

"Everything," Kyuhyun answered in a heartbeat, looking back to the leader.

"Then your pride won't be much to give at all," Leeteuk calmly replied, his attention once again taken by the cityscape.

"My pride?" Kyuhyun repeated, confused.

"Pride," Leeteuk confirmed.

-oOo-

Her eyes widened.

This was not what she wanted.

This was not happening.

She turned the volume up, reaching over and shaking the nearest person to her - Xiuxiu.

"What Jinju?" the elder girl snapped, sitting up with blazing eyes.

"Look," she choked out in a hiss, raising the volume again.

"Super Junior to disband? I don't believe it either, but what else could they be talking about?"

There was a crash and the girls saw Miyoung on her knees, the cup of water in her hands in pieces on the ground, underneath her hands with ice melting against the carpet. 

Tsuki was the first to react, jumping up and getting the first-aid kit while Kailin was a close second, helping Miyoung into the bathroom to get treated. Slowly, Kyo got up and cleaned up the glass, but every single girl, all 12, was still listening intently to the news.

-oOo-

"The truth is, we've been given a hard time by the press, but our fellow labelmates and...girlfriends Reflection may as well be prosecuted with all the things they've been going through," Leeteuk's voice admitted.

There was an obvious pause as fans went crazy, the response so loud that the girls could feel the pressure through the screen. The press conference was held up for an hour until the fans were excused, reporters only left with the option to 'shut up until the end or leave,' well-summarized by one angry head security guard. 

"Yes, we admit we've been dating Reflection members for a while now - and yes, we'll answer questions about this later - but the main point is that we're also at fault and yet only they've been getting the brunt of it," Leeteuk finally continued. "The group members and I have been talking and as we don't think it's fair, we've decided to do two things."

The whole group got up and bowed, forehead touching the ground before standing up once again and sitting. Cameras wouldn't stop flashing.

"We apologize for keeping our relationships to our fans and we apologize to the Reflection members for all the hardships they are currently enduring," Leeteuk continued, his sincerity obvious. "However, we are also apologizing for what we are about to do next."

"We're quitting," Kyuhyun quickly announced. The person beside him, Siwon, slapped his shoulder. 

"What Kyuhyun means," Leeteuk recovered. "Is until our relationships are accepted by a majority of the public, all of Super Junior will be going on hiatus, even if it means never coming back into the industry. We'll continue our duties outside of performance for a few months to explain our relationships, but that is it. We already have the CEO's permission."

The group stood. 

"Thank you for listening to us," they shouted at once, bowing once again, forehead to the ground, before leaving.

The public - and Reflection - was clearly dumbfounded.

-oOo-

"That isn't what we asked for," Xiuxiu's cold voice rang over the phone.

"This was all we could think of," Siwon admitted, holding the phone to his ear as he paced back and forth, nervous. She had never been easy to please and their relationship hadn't always been happy, but he couldn't remember a fight where she had nearly been as furious as now.

"We didn't ask you guys to give up your jobs," Xiuxiu repeated with frozen anger, her fury palpable.

"We didn't expect to either," Siwon shouted back and immediately he regretted it. She would take it wrong. As always.

"Are you saying we weren't worth it?" her cold voice questioned.

"No, I meant that-"

"-That you didn't think of a future with us," she completed, so sure of herself.

"Not at all," he quickly intervened.

Again. They were going to fight.

Again. They weren't going to speak.

Again. They were going to make the groups tense.

"I'm sorry ok?" he apologized, a first for him. He had always been a man of pride. "It's just-It's just..."

He sighed.

"I don't know what else to do...I miss you," he admitted, rubbing a hand roughly through his hair. "I miss you."

There was silence.

"I'm...sorry too. I miss you too," she softly muttered and immediately his heart soared. "Siwon...I don't know what to do anymore."

"Thought you were going to call me oppa," Siwon joked and she laughed. A smile broke across his face and he knew he had done the right thing.

"We'll work this out," he promised her. "We'll get through this."

-oOo-

Phones rang off the hook left and right, but no one moved to answer them.

"Did we do the right thing?" Kibum wondered aloud, the first they'd heard of him.

"I hope so," Leeteuk answered after some time, sighing. "I...just wanted them to forgive us. Sorry guys."

"It was our choice to follow you," Kangin pointed out, an exagerrated smile as he patted the leader on the back. "The biggest question is how long until they accept or until we're for sure out."

The group sighed in unison. 

"How long until we move out?" Yesung wondered aloud.

"Same time it's sure you're out," a familiar, female voice answered, knocking on their doors.

"Ah Soul," they recognized with surprise, greeting her with nervous bows.

"What are you doing here?" Leeteuk asked, shaking the female's hand with vigor. 

"Why should I not?" she threw back. "I should check up on all my groups, regardless if they're promoting or not."

She looked around the room, scrutinizing them all before turning back to the hallway.

"Come in already," she ordered, rolling her eyes. The Reflection members eagerly filed in, greeting their partners with tears and smiles - and kisses - before Soul cleared . They paused, reluctantly separating as they turned to her.

"Three months, then all activities will stop. Get your stories straight and decide who can go on and who can't," she ordered before turning around and leaving, door shutting behind her calmly.

The twelve couples looked at each other again, talking wildly while Hankyung stayed silent, sitting on the kitchen counter, remembering who he loved and nostalgically sighed. 

"Don't worry. She'll be back," Xiuxiu comforted in Chinese. 

"I hope so," he agreed as she turned back to Siwon, the two giving him a final sympathetic gaze before moving away, kissing. He made a face. He flipped open his phone, checking the time as his eye caught on something in the corner - an envelope - a new message.

He clicked on it and his hands shook at the name - Shu - Sooyeon's Chinese name. Slowly, as if time had slowed, he clicked her name as the message opened up. He read it slowly, thankful its contents were in Chinese.

Never give up. I'm watching over everyone. Especially over you.
Love you, Shu.

He sighed, wondering how she known what he wanted to hear the most. Even if she wasn't there physically, she was at the same time, worrying over him even though she was the one 'on the run.' He stood up with a loud clap, gathering their attentions.

"Les worc," he suggested, feeling encouraged.

"Let's," Leeteuk agreed, pulling away from Miho to gain control. "Come on guys. Stop face. Faster we finish this, the sooner you can go back to it."

"Ew Oppa!" Miho complained, smacking him. 

"It's true," Kangin and Seungyeon pointed out at once.

Everyone groaned at the two's bluntness but Hankyung couldn't help the smile that crawled up his lips. Though everything had changed, nothing had at the same time.