TAO didn't know when he stopped crying. But he knew that his throat was dry and he needed something to drink. But no one allowed him to drink a drop of soju until he explained what was going on with him. He was too shy to tell them that a crush had turned into this. So he said it slowly.

"I feel in love with him when I first saw his demonstration in class. I thought he was too soft looking when he entered the gym and was sure that he was just some teacher's assistant. But when he said he was the professor a few of us thought he was kidding. Then music played to add to the drama and he performed flawless wushu."

"Wushu couple." Chen said out loud. Too much soju too soon. The others shushed him. He placed his hands on his mouth and nodded in agreement.

Tao continued. "I had a plan to fail the class so I can take it up again." the others actually looked at him disbelievingly. They knew that he hated messing up his grades and he loved martial arts. So Tao trying to at something that involved both was new to them. "I know, I know. It didn't work. He found out, somehow he found out that I was better than what I pretended to be. He called me out and I lost to him. His smile was bright but lonely. I don't know how else to explain it. I wanted to see him really, really smile. But the only way to really help him was to make him have what he lost. Wait...I jumped in my story. Oh. Right. He was in a bad place, a dark part of his life we can say. He was...lost. Or I think it's better to say that he lost his anchor. Him. That Heechul person. Kris hyung and I found out that his friends have all but abandoned him since I guess he was so hurt that he cried in the middle of a conversation about nothing remotely depressing. When he talked about them he sounded like he missed them a lot and that they were lost to him." Tao didn't know he had tears left but he wiped them off his cheeks nevertheless.

"I had not meant for them to come back for him. I made a promise to myself that I would replace them in his heart slowly. I would be there and I would share you guys with him so that he would have a crowd of loving people to share secrets with and his pains as well. Sure we were younger than him but together we are one." he mentioned their mantra. We are One. We are EXO.

The others smiled at his statement. Tao was a loyal person and he loved deeper than all of them ever could. He even told them he would never date anyone from their group because he would not be able to choose since he loved them all equally. They knew that he was kidding when he said that. But most of them thought it was because he had already chosen to love Kris in secret. It turns out, it was gyo-soh-nim that caught his heart.

Kai filled a shot glass with soju. "Here. Drink. Then tell us what happened next." Tao did just that. And they were relieved when he was able to say it.

"I saw him being held by that person so lovingly. I knew that my chances with replacing him was close to none. And you know how sometimes you feel or hear the sound of glass breaking when your hopes are dashed. I knew what that sounds like now. I heard it, in the back of my mind I heard it and I couldn't stop looking because he looked so happy. I wish he was looking at me when he smiled despite his tears."

Many of them listening wiped the silent tears. Luhan was sobbing. Xiumin was cooing at him despite holding back tears.

"Look. I don't mean to be an as$ but we are not in a funeral. Tao is not dead, he's heartbroken. There is no helping it. And we can't do much to ease his pain if we just drink and cry here." Lay was contradicting his own words because he was wiping tears away as he spoke then drank a shot at the end of his speech. "We need to find a way to get Tao the person he wants to be with."

Suho butted in. "Getting the person he wants would not be the solution if that person is in love with someone else. It would just be a more direct form of rejection."

Lay looked pissed. "They what do you expect him to do, mop around and wait for a blessing? Like those two breaking up again? What then, he would be the rebound guy? Hell no."

Tao got in between before they came into blows. "I don't want him to be with me if he's going to have to give up the person he really loves. I haven't and will never force anyone to love me back. You all know me better than that."

"But you have to at least try." Lay was adamant. He stood up and paced.

"Says the fool who never did." Suho muttered.

"What did you say to me?" Kris raised his hand and Lay sat back down.

"You two are not helping." Kris felt the throbbing of his temple. Maybe gathering them was a bad idea.

"What Lay's saying is sound. But you have to remember that if your purpose to make him happy again you might have to do the worst possible thing you could ever thi