A/N: Hi guys!

First, thanks to everyone who voted in the poll I posted in the last chapter, and for your comments about your ideas! I really appreciate them! Thank you so much! :D

So here is it, that big and important chapter. The one that would decide the course of their lives (and our story).

Hope you enjoy that chapter! :)

“Please don’t tell me that you’re asking us what I think you’re asking us?” Junsu squeaked nervously.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Actually, I am.”

“You can’t us ask to decide about… that… just out of the blue,” Yoochun protested weakly, also looking quite uneasy. “I mean, why so suddenly? Why now?”

“Why not now?” I turned to him, folding my arms. “You just had a 'confrontation' with your manager, and that’s already putting it lightly. Very, very lightly. I think now’s the best time to decide on which path you’re going to take, don’t you? You said so yourselves that SM won’t be very pleased once they hear about what happened with your manager… now’s a good time as any to decide whether you’re staying with your company or leaving your company.”

The boys were silent for a long time, none of them knowing what to say.

I didn’t push them; I know this was a decision that you just couldn’t rush.

“But do we really have to decide right now?” Junsu asked again desperately after a while. “I mean, you said Jaejoong’s, Yoochun’s, and my future selves file the lawsuit on July 2009. It’s only March…”

“Yeah, July is still about four months away…” Yunho said quietly.

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, oppas? Do you really think that JYJ’s future selves just decided to suddenly file that lawsuit all of a sudden? That decision didn’t happen just over night, you guys.”

They were silent again.

“What should we do?” Jaejoong finally spoke, looking at me with lost eyes from his spot beside the armchair that Yoochun was sitting on.

“I can’t tell you what to do, oppa-“ I began, shaking my head, but Jaejoong cut me off.

“Well, why not? You’re from the future, aren’t you? Surely you know which would be the better path for us to take? And besides, this is your mission, after all, isn’t it? You need to guide us on which path we should take, so that your mission would succeed.”

Again, I shook my head. “No, oppa, you have it all confused. My mission only says that I have to make sure you stay as a group together. I just have to make sure that Dong Bang Shin Ki doesn’t split up this time around. But as for whether you’ll stay together or leave together in regard with your company… well, that’s out of my hands… it’s your call, your decision.”

“Alright, so it’s not part of your mission to tell us exactly which path we should take from now, but can you at least tell us what you think would be better for us?” Yunho asked me.

“You know how I feel about giving you my opinions about your careers and personal lives, oppa,” I said, shifting uneasily. “It’s not really my place to say what I think you should do... I have no say in that…”

“But you do have a say in this!” Junsu interrupted me, looking a bit indignant. “Of course we’re interested in what you have to say about this! You’re our friend, of course we want to know what you think about this whole mess!”

My eyes widened in surprise. Friend?

Jaejoong noticed my surprise and rolled his eyes. “Why are you so surprised about that? After everything that’s happened since you got here, you think we still wouldn’t consider you as someone important to us? That we’re still not yet considering you as a friend?”

“Well, considering that I’ve mainly been giving you bad news about your future…” I said dryly.

“Yeah, but that’s not exactly your fault, is it? It’s part of your mission, a mission to help us… and besides, you’ve been doing stuff for us that’s surely beyond what’s just necessary for your mission. I mean, like how you stayed and comforted me the other night…“

Yunho shot an apologetic look at Jaejoong from his place at the dining table, knowing that his lover was talking about the hell that Yunho had put him through when Yunho just left the hotel the other night. Jaejoong just gave him a small smile to let him know that all was forgiven, and continued, “…and how you stayed with our Changmin-ah last night…”

Changmin, who was still standing beside Yunho’s chair, shifted his weight uneasily.

Geez, he didn’t have to look so uncomfortable!

What, does he hate me so much that he doesn’t want to be reminded that he spent last night with me and that I knocked sense into his head and made him feel better?

What a jerk.

I internally rolled my eyes at the maknae.

“Yeah,” Junsu piped in his high-pitched tone from right beside me, making me wince. “You’re already like my… what is it that you girls call it? ‘Best friend forever’? Yeah, you’re already that! You’re my best friend forever!”

And with that, he proceeded to hug me so tightly that there was no air left in my lungs.

While I was being suffocated by Junsu, I noticed how Changmin was glaring daggers at his hyung. Even when out of breath, I managed an annoyed and exasperated look on my face.

What, Junsu wasn’t allowed to hug me either?

Really, what is it with Changmin?

“Alright, alright,” Jaejoong chuckled a bit. “Let go of her, Su. Before Erin dies and you end up with no ‘best friend forever’, at all.”

“Yeah, cut all the emotional crap,” Changmin suddenly snarled, making us all look at him. Junsu let go of me to give their maknae a confused and kind of hurt look.

“What on earth, Min?” Yunho asked, giving his youngest member a bewildered look. The leader couldn’t understand what suddenly provoked Changmin’s temper again, and honestly, neither can I.

I mean, talk about being so temperamental…

“Never mind,” Changmin muttered, noticing all of our eyes trained on him.

I saw Yoochun smirk at Changmin knowingly again, then he turned to look seriously at me. “Anyway… Erin, at least help us decide? Please? As a friend?”

I just remained silent.

Yoochun sighed and then said quietly, “…help us decide, because honestly… I’m more of leaning towards the side of leaving SM, and I’m really not sure if it’s going to be the right decision this time around.”

His four other members and I all in our breaths at Yoochun’s words.

Woah, of course trust Yoochun to be the first to voice out how he really feels about SM.

Why am I not surprised?, I thought to myself wryly.

Yoochun glanced at s who were all staring at him with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, guys, but you all know how I hate how much control SM has on us… and given what just happened with manager hyung a while ago…”

A dark scowl graced Yoochun’s face.

Changmin let out the breath that he was holding and ran his fingers through his hair. “Honestly, Yoochun hyung…” he began quietly, making all of his hyungs look at him warily.

S