It had been a month since the band first started their hiatus. Yoseob was planning to be patient, waiting for the band members to come to him. However, seeing how no one seemed to care about the group made him nervous. He began to remember what Suzy told him: about never getting back together and how their friendship wasn't true friendship.

His worry had led him to call everyone to his house on a cloudy afternoon Saturday. He had ordered pizza, just like what he would usually do whenever everyone came over to his home. He was sure that everyone would arrive with food and drinks; he was confident in seeing his friends do the usual.

Twenty minutes flew by. By now, Yoseob had already received his two boxes of Hawaiian pizza. He looked out the window pane, and noticed that the clouds seemed to be growing dark. 

Maybe the weather is delaying them, he thought, checking his phone. There was no new message. He heaved a loud sigh and walked over to his bookshelf, where he picked out a random book out of boredom. He pretended to read, but his eyes were glued to his watch. Where were they? Did they forget about meeting at his house? Yoseob made sure to send them another text.

When it was an hour, the doorbell rang. He quickly jumped up and ran over to the door. By heart, he already knew who came first: Jieun. She was always the first one to appear at his door, no matter what had happened.

"Jieun! You came–" Yoseob stopped, then stared at the unexpected guest.

Myungsoo stood at the door with sleepy eyes. He waved his hand at Yoseob, greeting him with a quiet mutter. The first-comer came in like a sloth, dragging his feet while swaying his arms back and forth. Myungsoo finally collapsed on the ground, holding up a plastic bag full of ice cream.

"Sorry, I just woke up twenty minutes ago," Myungsoo said, letting out a tired yawn.

"T-That's fine. The pizza's kind of cold, though," Yoseob stuttered, closing the door awkwardly. "It's strange. You're the first one here!"

Myungsoo widened his eyes and sat straight up. He examined the empty room, realizing how quiet it was. He dropped his jaws, then stared at Yoseob for quite some time.

"I'm actually first?" Myungsoo asked, pointing at himself. Yoseob replied with a nod, and sat next to him. He opened the pizza box, showing Myungsoo what he had ordered. 

"Help yourself. I don't know when the others are coming–"

Ding dong!

Yoseob didn't wait. He got up and opened the door, where Jieun stood still. She looked a little pale, like a frightened bunny freezing in the snow. She gave Yoseob a weak smile, then tried to sneak a look into the apartment.

"Is… Is Daehyun here?" Jieun asked quietly.

"Nope! Just Myungsoo," Yoseob said, trying to smile. It was already clear that she was planning to avoid Daehyun, which wasn't a good sign. Then, he stared at her empty hands in shock. "What about the drinks?"

Jieun gasped and stared down at her hands. "Oh my gosh! I totally forgot. Hold up, I'll run back and–"

"No, Jieun! That's fine! I got some water in the fridge as a substitute. You can stay–"

"No, but I should seriously go and–"

"Stay," Yoseob demanded, grabbing ahold of her wrist. She flinched and tried to pull away, but Yoseob had already dragged her into the living room. Myungsoo looked up, then gave her a smug expression.

"Guess what, Jieun?" Myungsoo asked. "I was first!"

"O-Oh. I see. Um, good for you," she stuttered, anxiously looking around the room. She carefully sat next to Myungsoo, who seemed puzzled at her strange actions. Being the lazy guy he was, he didn't dare to ask her, thinking that it would be a waste of his breath to ask such a question.

The three waited for another ten minutes. Yoseob was even more worried, and he felt sick to the point where he wasn't sure if whatever he was doing was a good idea. He knew that he had made the band come to a temporary hiatus because everyone needed to cool down. Was two months too long? Was there even a reason to have such a long break?

"Yoseob! Someone's at the door!" Myungsoo hollered, leaning on his stomach. He began a short conversation with Jieun, who started to force herself into engaging a conversation with him.

Yoseob rolled his eyes and walked over to the door, where Baekhyun and Daehyun stood together. He noticed the grim expression on Baekhyun's face, as if he was annoyed or frustrated by something he had heard. Daehyun hung his head low, muttering a small "hello" and entering the apartment. Jieun slowly looked up from Myungsoo, and when she saw Daehyun, she yelped quietly and scooted closer to Myungsoo. Myungsoo didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to have liked Jieun coming closer to him.

The five sat down on the floor, putting the cold pizza boxes, melting ice creams, and the fresh bowl of fruits on the small round table. Baekhyun heaved a loud sigh, garnering everyone's attention. He glanced at the blond boy with his cold dark eyes, occasionally gritting his teeth and shooting glares. 

"Baekhyun, you're asking strange. What's up?" Yoseob asked with concerned eyes.

"What are you talking about? Baekhyun was always strange. It would be strange if he was normal," Myungsoo retorted. This earned him a smack on the head from the angry boy. 

"Shut up, Myungsoo! It's not the time to joke right now." Baekhyun turned to his friend and faked a smile. "This little guy has something he wants to tell all of you. It's ridiculous, and I think the moment you hear it, we should all try to convince him that it's an idiotic choice."

"A choice? What life decision did you decide to commit to this time?" the oldest asked.

Daehyun slowly parted his lips, still hanging his head down. He stared at Baekhyun, who refused to make eye-contact. Knowing that he was all alone, the younger boy took a deep breath and looked away from his band mates with shame.

"I want to quit the band."

No one said a word. The confession was followed by an awkward silence with Myungsoo chewing his third slice of pizza. Yoseob turned quite pale, feeling sick as he tried to digest the words. The frightened lady became more startled, not believing her ears. Still angered by the confession, Baekhyun let out a scoff and looked away from the vocalist.

"Daehyun, please tell me that you're joking," Yoseob whispered softly.

"I can't. Actually, I don't think this band is right for me–"

"So you're not quitting music?" Jieun inquired.

Daehyun widened his eyes, but they quickly softened. "No, I'm quitting music for good…"

"Is it because of me? I'm so sorry for ignoring you, Daehyun, but you have to understand that a girl's feeling is–"

"No, no! It's not because of you!" he lied, shaking his head. "It's just that… Dad wants me to be a pharmacist or a doctor so I thought that I should give it a try. You know, make him happy. After all, he's not going to live long, and it'd be a shame to have him die knowing that his son couldn't fulfill his happiness…"

"Yoseob, talk him out of this!" Baekhyun demanded. "He's thinking of nonsense right now!"

How? How can I tell Daehyun what to do with his life? Do I even have the right? This is my fault to begin with, isn't it? How can I make him change his mind? He seems so confident about this decision, Yoseob thought, slowly his lips.

"Guys, I don't know why you are all so worked up about this! I'm fine with the decision I've made! I already promised my dad that I would spend some time with him during summer, so I have no time to practice with you. Plus, Jieun makes a fine vocalist. If I heard last time, Baekhyun and Yoseob can sing pretty good. Sorry Myungsoo, but you don't seem to be the type who will work hard as a vocalist for the band. You're great at playing instruments, though," Daehyun chattered, finally looking up at his friends. 

"Are you seriously telling us that you're giving up a dream you've been holding for several years? Don't joke with me, Jung Daehyun! Take those words back!" Baekhyun shouted.

"Wait, are you saying that I'm not good at singing?" Myungsoo added, looking offended.

"I won't, and I'm confident about this decision I've made. Look, maybe I still like music, but I'm not passionate about it anymore. My dad showed me a new perspective. Being a life as a doctor or somewhere in the medical field will be a lot better than working in the entertainment industry," Daehyun explained. He glanced at Myungsoo to reply to him, but decided not to. Looking at Jieun's terrified expression, the young boy could only give her a weak smile. "It's okay, Jieun. It's not your fault. Even if you agreed to date me, I'd still go and be a doctor."

"B-B-But…" Jieun couldn't finish her sentence as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. It wasn't her fault? Deep inside her heart, she knew that it was her fault. She knew that she had crushed his dreams of being her boyfriend, her lover, or maybe even her husband. 

"By the way, Dad managed me to get into a boarding school. I was supposed to leave two hours ago, but I delayed it to tonight's flight. I should go and pack," he mentioned, getting up.

"Wait, what? Is that even possible in a short amount of time?" Yoseob asked, getting up with Daehyun.

"My father's been setting this up for quite some time. All I had to do was give him an 'O.K' sign and he would've sent me off. Now I gave him the sign, so he's sending me off right away. It's been planned if I decided to not become a singer," Daehyun said, forcing a smile. "You guys can keep the box. I'm sure you'll need it more than me."

Yoseob felt his lips tremble. He wanted to grab Daehyun's wrist and pull him back down, telling him that he was being an idiot, just like what Baekhyun was telling him. He wanted to be the man who would influence Daehyun to change his mind, that this was just a phase and that it would past. However, Yoseob remained quiet and only managed to force a smile.

"Good luck out there, Daehyun. I believe in you," Yoseob choked out, looking away. Hearing this, Baekhyun dropped his jaws. Even more furious than ever, Baekhyun stood up and stormed out the door before Daehyun could even touch the doorknob. Before leaving the room, he turned around and glared at all his friends.

"I thought you were better than this!" Baekhyun shouted to Daehyun. He turned to Yoseob while gritting his teeth. "I thought you were a great leader! I thought you were the greatest and most responsible friend that I've met. But seeing how you're letting Daehyun go, I guess I was wrong. If Daehyun's leaving, then I see no point of continuing the band. This band was called Everest Five for a reason. Didn't we have goals and dreams we wanted to reach? What's the point of reaching them if we're not climbing that mountain? You know what, I give up on this band! I quit!"

Yoseob widened his eyes and held his breath. "B-But Baekhyun, can't you think of this as–"

Baekhyun slammed the door behind them, shutting himself from his friends while being absorbed in eating his negative thoughts. Yoseob grimaced, his twisted expression becoming more visible. Daehyun heaved a soft sigh, then bowed at Yoseob.

"It was nice working with you. I'll go and try talking to Baekhyun to see if he changes his mind. Bye Myungsoo…" Daehyun slowly glanced at Jieun, whow as wiping away her tears. "Goodbye, Jieun…"

"Wait, let me see you out. Maybe I can see Baekhyun," Yoseob said, slipping on his tennis shoes. He turned to Myungsoo and Jieun. "You two stay here! Do whatever you want, but you got to stay here, okay? I'll call if anything changes."

The two nodded their heads as they watched Yoseob and Daehyun leave to chase after Baekhyun. The room went silent, and neither of the two spoke a word. Tears kept pouring out of Jieun's eyes. She was distressed; she knew that the band was coming to an end. Without the music composer, Baekhyun, and the main vocalist, Daehyun, there was almost no point in continuing the band. It even looked like Yoseob was planning to give up.

Myungsoo grabbed a nearby tissue and handed it to Jieun. He didn't look at her face, just in case she would feel embarrassed or even more upset. Suddenly, the quiet boy felt her head rest upon his shoulder. Myungsoo slightly turned ret, but remained silent.

"Myungsoo," Jieun called.

"Yes, Jieun?" he answered.

"Are you going to leave me, too? Just like what Daehyun and Baekhyun are doing? Just like how Yoseob's planning to do?" she asked him.

He paused for a few seconds, then rested his head over her small head. "Princess Jieun, a knight may never leave his princess's side."

He heard her giggle at his words, then listened to the soft snores that followed ten minutes after. Occasionally, Myungsoo would check his phone, waiting for Yoseob's response. He even texted Baekhyun, which was rare for him to even lift a finger on his phone. He tried calling Daehyun, but Yonghwa answered, talking about how his younger brother had left his phone and was probably leaving for America.

After waiting for the whole night, Yoseob didn't call. It was finally clear: things were never going to be the same. 

When Yoseob came back to his apartment, he realized that Myungsoo and Jieun had fallen asleep, resting on each other's shoulder or head. He bent down in front of them, and gave them a soft smile like a proud father who was staring at his son and daughter. He looked down at the ground, where the two's hands were barely brushing against each other. It was as if the sleeping duo were trying to hold hands, which caused Yoseob to chuckle. He got back up, heaved a loud sigh, and stared out at the window.

A plane flew into his vision, and Yoseob felt his chest squeeze. He covered the window with the curtains and walked over to the closet to grab a spare blanket for the sleeping kids. 

Dreams don't always come true, huh? he thought, feeling sleepy himself.

Epilogue

Pop!

At a small restaurant, the sound of wine being sprayed out of large bottle echoed in the air as several men and women (in their late twenties) cheered with glee. Several groups were seated at different tables, occasionally squishing in between other tables to join the fun. In the corner of the room, a man with glasses smiled softly as he sat alone. The fancy wine was served at every table by his old friend, who had invited him to the wild party.

Yang Yoseob adjusted his glasses, nervously staring at the unfamiliar faces. Finally, one young man with brown hair walked over to his table, holding two glasses of red wine. He grinned at Yoseob, who only smirked.

"Wow, Jung Daehyun. You sure gotten rich. By the way, who are these people?" Yoseob asked, accepting the wine.

"Oh, they're just some people I work with at the hospital. You know, I never thought that the hospital would get so big! I always thought of being a pharmacist, but Dad kept saying how I had steady hands and a highly attractive voice, so he set me to being his successor," Daehyun said, smirking.

"Then what's Yonghwa doing?"

"Still working as a pharmacist. It didn't get too big, though. I heard that he has a competitor two blocks away from his, and it's closer to the busy part of town than his. Dad's been screaming at him for not working hard enough, but you know how Yonghwa is. He likes to be chill and go on his own path."

"Sounds fair. I mean, your father picked his dream, so he should have to ability to do whatever he wants with it."

"Unlike me, where my dad decided to do everything for me."

Yoseob kept quiet and changed to subject. "So when are the others coming?"

"Well, I'm over here," a voice behind them answered. Daehyun and Yoseob turned around and smiled to see Baekhyun, who had several music sheets and pencils in his hand. He took a seat across from Yoseob as Daehyun poured some wine. After being seated, he accepted the wine from Daehyun and began to sip it, putting his belongings to the side.

"Wow, Baekhyun. You know, when you left the band ten years ago, I never thought that you would become a composer. I hear songs composed from you almost everywhere I go," Yoseob praised.

"Shut up, I'm trying to think," Baekhyun muttered, tapping his fingers against the table while humming a melody. He scribbled down some notes, and sometimes he'd write the lyrics below. A second later, the busy boy looked up and comfortably pushed his music sheets to the side. "Sorry. This one company is paying me extra to get the songs done by next Monday. I need to hurry and think of at least ten songs for them."

"Oh, the deadlines! I definitely understand that feeling. As an author myself, I have to meet several deadlines. It's really stressful," Yoseob mentioned.

"You became an author? Why?" Baekhyun asked, sipping some wine.

"After quitting the band, it was kind of scary to know that I couldn't manage people. I thought it was better for me to not be a leader, or maybe even alone. My third book became a hit, and I liked writing."

"So you completely left your dreams, too?"

"No, not quite. I own a music store, so that's the place where I get the main cash," Yoseob explained, realizing that he was almost finished with his wine. He turned to Daehyun, who remained quiet. "So when are they coming?"

"Oh, the famous couple. Right, they said that they'll take a little while," Daehyun replied shortly.

Baekhyun stared at the doctor. "Do you still have feelings for Jieun?"

Daehyun almost spat out his drink. "Wh-What?"

"Ooh, he's still in love with Jieun!" Yoseob teased, punching Daehyun's arm. The doctor faked a laugh and rolled his eyes. He quickly covered his lips with glass of wine.

"No, no. You guys got it wrong. Besides, I'm already being engaged to a girl who's the successor of a big business company," Daehyun defended, trying to cool himself by fanning his hand on his cheek.

"Who's the lucky girl?"

Baekhyun and Daehyun felt their heart skip a beat. It was just a second, but to them, it was loud and clear. The three looked up and found Jieun smiling at the boys. Whether it was because she was standing under the lights or giving them a radiant smile or even the makeup, she looked stunning. Her short, wavy hair bounced side to side, occasionally showing off her silver earrings. She had applied a light shade of pink lipstick, and her eyes were covered in mascara that emphasized her long eyelashes.

Baekhyun looked down, and stared at her belly. He pressed his lips, then looked back up at his old crush.

"Is this your child?" Baekhyun managed to ask. Everyone stared at Jieun's belly, which was somewhat larger than it would be. Then, they all stared at her, waiting for her answer. At first, Jieun let out a small giggle, but her cheeks had turned bright red.

"She's six months old," Jieun mentioned, patting her popping belly. "Did you read the article?"

"Sure did," Yoseob said. "Congratulations on your second child, Miss Solo Idol."

"You became a singer?" Daehyun asked. "You accomplished your dream?"

"And I got myself a supporting husband! He's also part of a boy group. If I remember correctly, he said that he'd come right away after finishing his photo shoot for a magazine…"

"Then what about your first child? Is she coming, too?" Baekhyun asked.

"Mommy!" a loud voice shouted. Jieun smiled and turned around, seeing a little three-year old stumble to run towards her. The child's little hands bounced around, flying to her side while her chubby face glowed with glee. When she was just a few inches away from her mother, she tripped over her own shoe and fell to the ground.

"Ooh, that should hurt," Yoseob whispered, trying hard not to break into a smile.

Jieun's child stared at the ground for a few seconds, then broke into tears. In seconds, a tall man approached the kid, picking her up and carressing her back.

"That's why I told you not to run in the restaurant," he muttered while trying to make the kid stop crying. He slowly walked over to the table in the corner, meeting up with the rest.

"Hey, sweetie. Here, give me the kid," Jieun said, picking up the little girl from his arms. Suddenly, the man bent low and managed to sneak a peck on her cheeks. The boys cried out in disgust while Jieun only turned red.

"Ew, Kim Myungsoo! You guys are nasty!" Baekhyun cried out in a joking manner. The father innocently stared at his friends while wrapping his arms behind Jieun's waist.

"Too bad, you'll have to live with it. By the way, this is our child. Her name is Kim Jisoo. Jisoo, say 'hi'," Myungsoo introduced. His child ignored him and let out small whimpers. She glared at him, as if she was telling him that it was his fault for making her fall.

"Daughters," Daehyun implied.

"Tell me about it," Myungsoo muttered. "Oh gosh, when she becomes a teenager, who knows how moody she's going to be."

"Yeah, I remember reading that in an article about you. Obviously there's nothing for us to catch up with you two. You guys literally took over the news four years ago when you said that you were getting married," Yoseob pointed out, scoffing.

"Well, I'm sorry for being famous, Mr. Author. By the way, how's your next book? I was planning to ask you to write a children's book about better manners for the kid. She's moody, but she likes reading," Myungsoo said, taking Jieun's jacket and letting her sit first. Baekhyun stood up to bring Jisoo a high chair, which she obviously wanted to sit in. The mother wiped away her daughter's snot while the daughter tried to sit still.

"My next book is coming out somewhat fine. I have a writer's block, and I'm hoping that I can get some inspiration tonight," the oldest replied, handing Myungsoo some wine. "I'm assuming that the pregnant lady can't have wine, huh?"

"That's fine, I'll get some water. Oh, and some juice would be nice for Jisoo," Jieun said, watching Daehyun snap his fingers for the waitress to come.

The thin woman walked over to them, smiled, then suddenly let out a squeal when she saw Myungsoo's face. She asked him for a signature, which Myungsoo gave after requesting the drinks for his wife. The woman sped away, running to show off the signature to her co-workers. Daehyun pouted, upset how he wasn't able to order the drinks.

"So what's the next book about?" Baekhyun asked Yoseob.

He gave them an awkward pause. "It's about a group of friends who work on the same dreams, but end up in different places on the mountain."

Everyone kept silent. The drinks came, and Jisoo was happy to have a juice. She let out an excited scream, then slowly gulped down her orange juice. Jieun squeezed Myungsoo's hand under the table, and he squeezed them back.

"Well, you're definitely going to get some kind of inspiration here," Baekhyun muttered. "So what should we do to help your books?"

"Nothing. Just act normal," Yoseob said, giving them a reassuring smile. "But I do need you guys to answer one question."

"What?" Jieun asked, grabbing a tissue to clean up the mess her daughter was making.

"Are you all happy?"

Everyone just glanced at each other.

"Then are you guys satisfied?"

"Yes," the four answered in unison. They were surprised to hear themselves answer the same way at the same time. After a few minutes, everyone burst into laughter and nodded their heads.

There are a lot of different people who want to climb the same mountain. Some will reach the top.

Myungsoo and Jieun shared a small kiss while no one was looking as another waitress accompanied by a waiter came over to get the famous idols' autographs.

Others will be somewhere high on the mountain, but not at the peak to see the sun rise.

After watching the Jisoo tap a given spoon on the table, Baekhyun reached over to his music sheets and began to scribble.

Maybe some people will be a little lower, staying at base camp because he saw the obstacles and feared them.

Yoseob paused to see his friends, and continued writing the passage for his book.

Or maybe people will come back down, giving up for a different climb because they simply could not commit themselves to reach the top.

Daehyun grinned as he poured himself a second glass of wine.

Dreams aren't easy. They take time, effort, and desire. You can't just ask for your dreams to do something for you. Whether it's people or unfortunate events that stand in front of you, you need to figure out how to past the icy blizzards on the mountain. However, I'm sure that if you discover a way to reach the top, you'll see Accomplishment standing in front of you, Dreams and Hope rising along the rays of the waking sun, and even the words "I made it" flying from the tips of your tongue. Though above all, you will find Stories to tell about your journey, and it'd be nice to hear your stories about reaching you dreams one day.

"Yoseob, what're you writing?" Jieun asked him.

"Oh, just the ending for my book," Yoseob said, finishing the last words with a gentle grin. "Just a good ending for my own story."

The End

Author's Note: Wow, I have rushed this story so much. I literally had a writer's block for the last ten chapters. Anyways, the pairing ended up as MyungU. Honestly, I was planning to have it as SeobU, but there weren't enough moments. Plus, if you had read my old fanfic, Oppas' Little Girl, it was originally supposed to be a MyungU story for a friend of mine. Unfortunately, for that story I ended it as a cliffhanger as I could not choose which character could've fit IU. Therefore, I decided to end this story as MyungU in replace to fulfill the "supposed-to-be-MyungU" story. I'm itching to not write another IU story after finishing To Trouble Thee, but I'm planning to sneak in another IU story (or putting IU as a side character). Anyways, thank you for supporting this fanfic!