Chapter Seven:

"J…Jjj..Jaebeom hyung!" Chansung couldn't believe his eyes. Never would he have imagined that Jaebeom would have appeared at their press conference, and the maknae was over the moon. "H~yung!!!!!" He cried out again, getting up from his seat and sprinting towards his beloved hyung, pushing journalists out of his way so that he could embrace a brother that had been denied.

Ever since Jaebeom had left the group, things had never been the same, for 2PM and for Jay. It was hard for the idol group to adjust without a leader. There was no one left to look up to, no one left to complain to, no one left to solve disputes between them, no one left to take care of them, no one left to entertain them, and most of all no one left to nag and yell at them. They never realised just how much they would miss their American born leader, no idea how much they would miss the constant nagging of the one and only Park Jaebeom. Every time they performed on stage, every time they went into the studio, every time they went into their dance practice room, every second, every day, every year, they missed their leader.

However, for Jaebeom, things were slightly different. There was not a day that went by where he did not feel sorrow for the boys. Because of him, they had to continue their careers without a leader. Because of him, their schedules were completely wiped at one point in time. And because of him, 2PM had lost a lot of fans. He had sworn that he would never repeat the same mistakes, and vowed to ensure that 2PM would reach the top. And by his leaving the group, the company and the country to reflect, he would help them achieve just that. He would stay away from the lime light, and remove himself from the public eye to prevent any further damage to his boys - even if it meant turning his back from his love, Jessica Jung.

That, was probably the hardest thing about the whole shebang that had happened. Having to walk away from his love, not knowing when he would be back, not knowing what lay ahead for their future together. He remembered having to go through Taecyeon so that the two would be able to meet up, and this caused trouble for Taecyeon's own relationship as scandals began to pop up, accusing Jessica and Taecyeon of a secret underground relationship. The only reason why Taecyeon and Jessica had met up at a coffee shop was so that Jaebeom himself and the ice princess could meet without any suspicion - imagine what the headlines would have been like if one of the nation's girl group member had met up with someone who was accused of hating on their country? So Taecyeon had offered to step in, much to Jaebeom's opposition at the idea. But Taec, being Taec, had to cause himself trouble to bring Jaebeom happiness. Friends like that didn't come around often.

But here he stood, in the middle of the sudden embrace with his boys who surrounded him, all on the verge of tears that they had finally and officially met up in the public eye, with numerous journalists and photographers in the conference room clicking and typing away.

Park Jaebeom couldn't ask for any more. Life at this moment was good. "Guys. You're going to strangle me to death if you don't all let go and resume your press conference," he managed to stutter out, muffled here and there by their sobs. They were supposed to be 'beastly' idols, yet here they were, crying their hearts out. Still such baby cubs, haven't changed one bit, he thought to himself.

"Hyung," Wooyoung was the first to speak up after Jaebeom. "Come up with us. I'm sure Taecyeon hyung would appreciate it if you could say a few words and ask the media to help him in bringing Yoona back,"

The leader looked at all 6 pairs of eyes, teary and full of emotion. How could he possibly say no? Afterall, Taecyeon had done so much for himself and Jessica, this would be the perfect way as a gesture in thanks. Nodding his head, he smiled and agreed to Wooyoung's request, and followed his boys back up to the front, where their manager had pulled up an extra seat for Jay, in the middle next to Taecyeon.

Jay gulped before speaking into Taec's mic, it had been a while since he had this big a crowd of journalists and photographers in front of him at a press conference. "I know that this is all a bit sudden, and I understand that you are all wanting to know more about my situation with these boys, but today's press conference is held in hope that you will all help to bring Yoona back to Taecyeon. Taecyeonie, hasn't always been a man. At times, he's been immature and stubborn on the wrong things, but now that I have watched the boys grow from afar, I can tell you that they have all grown into men, especially Taecyeonie. I knew about their relationship, well we all knew about it, from the very beginning, and we all supported him from the very beginning. Taecyeon is a man who cares for others, no matter who you are, or what you have done. I'll be the first to admit that my relationship with the boys wasn't all that great at times, but it was Taecyeonie who helped us all to reconcile. He is a man of his words, and when he said that he wanted Yoona in his arms right here and now just a few minutes ago, I can assure you 110% that he meant it. The United States is a big country, it would be impossible for Taecyeonie to try and find Yoona without any help. So I ask you all, to please help this man, and to forgive him for keeping his relationship a secret,"

*

The day had come to an end, as the moon began to rise into the night sky. The 2PM dorm became abuzz with laughter and life, and Jay was finally back. They had decided to get together after the press conference had ended, driving back to their dorm loaded with beer and snacks. Tonight was to be a night of reconciliation, a night of laughter, and a night to catch up and make up for lost time. They were finally together at last, as one.

From the kitchen, Chansung watched his hyung's cry with laughter as they all reminisced of the times they shared before the leader had his contract terminated. It wasn't often that he volunteered himself to prepare dinner for his brothers, but tonight was an exception, for his wanted to do something for them all. As the maknae of the idol group, he was a little too young to fully comprehend the consequences of Jay's mistake, and never realised just how much Jay had sacrificed for him until after he had left the group.

"Chansung-ah," Jay's words suddenly broke him from his thoughts. When did his hyung move from the living room to right beside him in the kitchen where he was preparing samgyupsal? "If you keep staring at us over there, you'll bore a hole into all our foreheads," Chansung watched as his hyung took a freshly washed chilli, dipped it into red pepper paste and ate it.

"Hyung, I'm glad you're back. I'm sorry for all the times I fought with you when you were here," Chansung solemnly said facing Jay.

Jay thought of what to say in reply to Chansung's apology. "Chansung-ah, you have nothing to be sorry for. You were a fired up teenager when we first debuted, and I was no better. I wasn't the best role model, nor was I the best leader. But I've watched you grow up, I've watched you all grow up from afar and become men. Not just any men, but real men. Men who take care of their women, men who chase after their dreams, men who look after one another, and men who are able to stand up after falling down. Chansung ah, I said this to you before I left, and I'll say it again. Don't beat yourself up for what you did in the past - accept the reality, work around the obstacles, and move on in life,"

"Yah! What are you two love birds doing taking so long in the kitchen!" Minjun's screech could be heard. And just like that, the group of 7 men were back to normal, back to how their friendship used to be, back to how it should be.

*

"Yoona-ah!" Tiffany's mother yelled after the young woman. "Where are you going?! You're one and a half months pregnant! Come back here!" But to no avail, as she watched the woman disappear into the distance, sitting in a cab, luggage in tow. This was not good, she would have to call her daughter.

"Mom, it's 3am here in Seoul…" Tiffany answered her phone groggily.

"Fany-ah, its Yoona. She just left, and I have no idea where she's going honey. She just packed her stuff, left a note and left… I'm worried for her Fany,"

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Decided to upload this because.. we'll if I didn't upload this, then the next chapter will be very, very , very long haha. And I can promise that there will be some Taecyoon in the next one! xx