7 days

Leeteuk walked around the apartment mindlessly, nothing important on his mind. Today was a free day, and he was determined to make the most out of it. He made plans to hit the gym, clean the dorm, and attempt to cook some dinner for the members. The rest of the team was spread out, with some of the members at individual schedules, others out relaxing, and others lazily hanging around in the dorm. Just a typical Super Junior day.

Leeteuk walked into the kitchen, frowning at all the garbage laid out on the table and thrown on the floor. Picking his way through the mess, he arrived at his destination: right in front of the cookie jar. Grinning widely, he gingerly took off the cap and reached a hand inside to snag a cookie off the bottom of the jar. Munching loudly, he stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. Cookie in mouth, Leeteuk bent down to pick up random pieces of paper littered around the room. He didn’t mind the work, because he knew that in less than a week, he wouldn’t even be able to do something as simple as clean up his room or yell at the members for being too loud. The thought made him sad and he pushed it out of his mind. Soon, Leeteuk had a stash of trash around his feet, all the accumulation of weeks of no cleaning.

Another piece of paper caught his eye under the sofa, and Leeteuk grunted. Should he? In the end, he gave in and lowered onto his stomach so he could reach under the sunken couch. His hand grasping the paper, he brought it out and looked at it. What greeted his eyes made him stop for a minute and sit down to look at it more intently.

It was a photo. A simple and dusty picture that had probably been under the couch for months or even years. It was just an old picture of Super Junior on the night of their debut. Everyone was crowded around the camera, posing with silly faces, each trying to get in the picture. It had been taken right after their debut performance, and all the members were so excited. Leeteuk had been proud of each and every one of them for doing so well. It wasn’t anything special or anything, but it brought sudden tears to Leeteuk’s eyes. To him, it was precious. Soon, he was sitting on the couch, tears streaming freely down his face. There was Donghae, his wild hair sticking up. And Shindong, before he went on his crazy diet. And Hankyung, less wild than the others and with a slightly forced smile. And Ryeowook with his signature V sign. And…

“Hyung, what are you—“ Yesung stopped suddenly, noticing the wetness on the leader’s face. “Hyung?”

Hearing the alarm in Yesung’s voice, Kangin poked his head out of a room. “What’s wrong?”

Leeteuk shook his head, a faint smile on his face as he turned the picture over so the others could see.

Their faces softened as soon as they saw the photo. “Hyung…”

“It’s been 7 years…” Leeteuk whispered gently.

Kangin and Yesung didn’t say anything, but walked over slowly. They sat down on each side of Leeteuk and the three gazed at the picture in the leader’s shaking hands.

“Wow we looked rough,” Kangin said after a moment of silence in an attempt to cheer all of them up.

Leeteuk laughed. “We sure did. It feels like it was just yesterday, doesn’t it?”

Yesung nodded. “Has it really been seven years?”

Ryeowook and Kibum soon barged into the room, laughing loudly before noticing the quiet atmosphere. They peered over to see what everyone was looking at, and a smile came onto each of their faces.

“Gosh, if you asked me to dance ‘Twins’ right now, I don’t think I’d be able to do it,” Ryeowook confessed.

Kibum shook his head. “Yeah, I definitely wouldn’t be able to do it. Wow it’s been a long time.”

Leeteuk, Kangin, and Yesung shared a smile. It was funny how the three hyungs felt like they could remember every single detail of their debut, yet the younger members thought that day was ages ago.

As the other members pointed out and laughed about other aspects of the picture, Leeteuk smiled. They pressed closer to him, each trying to see the old and dusty picture in his hand. Leeteuk looked into the faces of the awed members and chuckled. Despite the long time that had passed, the guys were still the same goofy and dorky boys who debuted seven years ago. Leeteuk’s smile broadened as he heard his beloved dongsaengs’ laughs, warm and familiar, around him. Whether seven years or seventy, Leeteuk knew they would stay together as brothers. Because Super Junior was a family that couldn’t be broken apart.