Luhan's confession had turned into a silent, mutual promise. 

Jongin had soon realized he would have loved to keep his new, precious friends close in his long walk towards fame, and Luhan had become his biggest motivation to work even harder, to give even more.

They had both suffered a lot, despite their reasons being completely different, and they had found each other's presence to be too precious to let go.

Jongin wanted, needed, to become a star, but the idea of becoming it with Luhan by his side made things less burdensome. 

He had started studying hard to improve his poor singing talent and Junmyeon and Baekhyun would have helped whenever they could. Chanyeol gave him short, private lessons to control his breath and use his voice at its best for rap lines, while Yixing and Sehun had become his favorite partners for dancing. 

He had even had the chance to meet senior Yunho from TVXQ, who had recognized his talent, and attend a private dance lesson with him,. The man had taught him so much in a few hours, not only dancing wise, but about everything. He had treasured the moment so much, keeping in his heart the wish of becoming someone who, just like Yunho, push himself past his own limits to always give the best.

"A genius will never win over a hard-working." Yunho had told him and the words stuck in his mind. 

Luhan, on the other hand, had finally started moving bigger steps out of his bubble. Being it because of Jongin' example, being it because the presence of Yixing and Zitao had made him felt alone no more, weird no more, lonely no more. He had started moving fast, finally proving to everyone why he had been labeled as SM's black pearl, and why he deserved the title. He had finally moved to the advanced dancing class with Jongin, Sehun and Yixing, and together with that he had been taking private lessons to learn how to control his voice better while performing complicated dance routines.

"If a new boy band debuts, you will definitely be its lead vocal and lead dancer." the teachers always told him, and Luhan couldn't even explain how much happiness that single sentence could give him.

Jongin and him had few chances to meet because of such full schedules but as soon as they could, they would join arm together and help each other out. 

Jongin would bring Luhan home more often, to chat friendly with his family and then to use every spare seconds of their lives dancing under Jongin's lead, or singing under Luhan's one. 

Time flew away fast. 

Autumn had just arrived when some staff members of the company had wanted Jongin, Luhan, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Junmyeon, Minseok and Chanyeol to gather together in an empty room for a meeting. 

Anxiety and fear were painted all over the boys' faces despite everyone's light attempt to support the others. Luhan was sitting on the floor, face staring the mirror of the room but his eyes were unfocused. Billions of different thoughts danced in his head. Jongin stayed still, completely still, glancing over to Baekhyun and Chanyeol's little fights now and then, while Minseok was resting his back on a wall. Kyungsoo looked scared and clueless, Junmyeon massaging his shoulder while looking at something undefined in the room. 

When the staff members arrived all of them sat on the floor, trying to keep their calm.

"There is a high possibility that you will be included into a new project."  they were told "A boy band."

The boys did not react, completely frozen. 

"Although it won't be only you, we have wanted to see you seven to give the news first because we feel like you are the ones that will 90% surely be in the band. Sehun, Yixing and Jongdae are on the list, too, but Yixing still has to work on his voice a little. Jongdae on his dancing. As for Sehun, he has exams this months and we don't want to bother him at such an important time." 

Many questions came up in the boys' minds as the representatives kept on explaining the new boy band project, but none of them had strength enough to talk. 

They were left thinking about the implications of such an important news and Junmyeon shared some tears with the six of them as they remained alone. Again, no one spoke a single word, simply waiting for time to clear things up. 

Since then, all of them had started working even harder to make 100% sure they would be in this boy band.

Many combinations were tried by the company as the project grew in importance, and most of the boys found themselves shuttered here and there with members they knew, boys they didn't know, in groups of six, fifteen, ten, twelve. They knew it was vital for the company to catch members with chemistry and simultaneously talented enough, but the stress of the unknown was driving them all crazy and still, they had to resist. 

On an apparently day like another, Jongin attended class with Luhan, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Junmyeon, Sehun, Yixing, Minseok, Jongdae, Zitao and the newest trainee in the town, a Chinese boy from Canada who arrived in Korea only few weeks before, after four years of practicing overseas, Kris.

They danced to SHINee's Lucifer and others tough choreographies and singed a total of 10 songs before Lee Soo Man himself made his appearance in the room, making the twelve boys shiver.

The old man threw the news casually and smilingly, like it was the announcement of something from which twelve career dreams didn't depend on. 

They were the final twelve. The survivors. The winners. 

Jongin bursted out crying on the inside, trying both not to vomit or cry out loud on the outside as he heard casual words coming out from Lee Soo Man's mouth.

EXO. 12. Incredible talents. Chinese marketing. Divisions. 

None of them was really listening anymore, someone crying, someone listening carefully with poker faces to avoid tears, someone laughing hysterically but in the end they all held each other's hands tight, because it was more than enough.

They were EXO now, and they would have done everything for that name.

--

Rumors had been spreading around since months now, but since when the news about a new boy band coming from SMTOWN was made official by the company's representatives, the hype for the EXO boys got higher everyday.

Meanwhile, the boys started practicing together, always together, every day, almost 15 hours a day. Despite the news being revealed, EXO still had a long way to go before debuting and the twelve boys knew the hardest and more memorable part would been exactly this long, exhaustive, endless pre-debut period.

They started to get closer to their seniors to receive help, they almost lost their private life and they started to really learn what dealing with other 11 people everyday was about. 

Jongin was the one struggling the most with all that but luckily enough, SM staff had kindly treated his family with special guest-passes that let Byul-noona and Yeonsu enter the company whenever they wanted without worrying about security to meet him. 

He would practice the most with Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Sehun, Chanyeol and Junmyeon as they had been selected as the members that would promote the band in Korea, while Luhan, Yixing, Zitao, Kris and two struggling with Chinese Minseok and Jongdae had been selected as the members for promotions in China.

Jongin couldn't really digest the news well at first. He had promised Luhan they would have walked together and for a moment it seemed like that but then this division of 6:6 was introduced and Jongin couldn't understand anymore. He didn't want Luhan to practice in another room, to sing with Yixing and Jongdae, to fly over to China for long periods of time. He actually didn't want any of the members to, because he wanted all of them there, with the other six of them.

"Our motto will be -We are One, We are EXO-" Junmyeon, who had understandably been selected as EXO's leader, once told him with a caring smile "Don't forget this, Jongin. They will always be EXO no matter what language they sing in and where they perform." 

He was so perfect as the leader, Jongin had thought that time, and tried to adjust his feelings to the Motto. 

Luhan, on the other hand, did not display any kind of real reaction to the division. He would spend hours and hours helping out Jongdae and Xiumin with their Chinese together with their teacher, proving his dedicated spirit to the band already. Only once, after the two of them received the news that they would have to learn a choreography together, Luhan had hugged him from behind at the end of an exhaustive practice, placing his head softly on his shoulder.

"I will miss you so much when we'll be apart." 

Jongin had felt his heart missing a beat at Luhan's words. He knew it was stupid of him, but he really had thought, for a while, that Luhan did not care at all about their future distance.

He took Luhan's hands into his and rested his head on him, shutting his eyes closed.

"I miss you already." 

--

Fighting was the worst thing that could happen to twelve boys struggling since forever to make their dreams come true, and probably also the most stupid and most inevitable one. 

They would usually be so tired and breathless to leave no space to arguing and such, but still, fights would explode sometimes. It was inevitable, the proof that they were not living a fairy tail but real,  hard life. 

Junmyeon was trying to soften the tough atmosphere with some thoughtful words after Baekhyun and Kris ended up not looking to each other anymore, but at one point he assumed he was talking to no one.  Kris took his things and left the room, followed by four alarmed Minseok, Luhan, Zitao and Jongdae and Baekhyun yelled at his back with anger. 

"That's how tough men do it when they are wrong, eh? They leave."

"Baekhyun, for God's sake, stop it." Kyungsoo scolded severely but the boy only got angrier. 

"Why should I? Everything I do is stupid to him, I can't stand it anymore!" 

Junmyeon once again tried to calm him down, "Baekhyun, he has grown up in a different country. You can't possibly expect him to think the same of you every time." 

"He feels superior and I don't like it, but I don't call him stupid fort that. He called me stupid, hyung, I can't tolerate it! He called me stupid just because-what reason did he have anyway?"

"Oh come on," Jongin butted in exasperated "Baekhyun I find you stupid, also. Why are you acting like this?"

Baekhyun glared at him deadly while Chanyeol hit his arm. 

"I hate the fact that he thinks he can't laugh at funny things just because he grew up in America and that makes him so cool. What the hell will he do when we go to variety shows?" 

The other boys kept silence, pondering about the brunette's words when Yixing tried to join the discussion. He chose his words carefully.

"Kris-hyung is very hard-working. I think.. he just needs to open up a bit. He has worked hard for long and we can't really blame him for being shy."

"He is not shy," Baekhyun protested "He is rude."

"You are exaggerating." Kyungsoo flatly stated and Junmyeon nodded.

"Am I really? He called me stupid only because I was teasing Tao with his stupid obsession with showers."

"I call you stupid also." Jongin tried again "Except I do it practically every day."

"It's not the sam-"

"It is," Kyungsoo stated "But you get offended when  it comes out from Kris-hyung's mouth cause you think he thinks you are stupid." 

The boys stared at Kyungsoo, perplexed. 

"And this confirms your idea." the short boy tries to elaborate "While you do not care about our opinion at all. Would you care about Jongin calling you stupid?" 

Baekhyun stayed silent, making Kyungsoo nod knowingly. 

"You just wouldn't give a ." Sehun butted in then and Junmyeon kicked his hard at his choice of words. 

"So, you now just go to him and apologize." Jongin started pushing the boy out of the room but Baekhyun easily escaped his grip.

"I'd rather die."

"Baekhyun." the boys all protested but he was already walking out the room himself, avoiding their eyes.

Chanyeol rushed after him, leaving the room with a hopeful "Let's just give him some time." 

Kyungsoo wrapped an arm around an helpless Junmyeon's waist and supportively leaned his head on the older's arm. 

--

Things managed to get better as time passed. Fights became always less frequent and when they occurred they were not big deals, like for example Chanyeol and Baekhyun fighting because of Chanyeol's bad bait of harassing Baekhyun too often, Kris and Tao arguing over one's another greediness, Sehun and Yixing exasperated attempt to make Tao stop being such a winy baby and, on top of everything, Jongin and Sehun fighting over each other's annoying personalities. 

Junmyeon got used to all of that and managed not to exasperate anymore, simply letting the boys take their stress out, and Kyungsoo did not have to worry about him anymore. 

--

Their debut had been set for March.

Jongin tried not to over think much about all the implications of such a big news, but he eventually gave up to his emotions and shared a cry of joy with Byul and Yeonsu, at home, where no one else could see. Home, the place he had grown up into, the place he was about to leave forever, to join his 11 bandmates in EXO's dorm. 

"Oppa, I don't want you to go." Yeonsu cried, little arms wrapped around his neck. 

He didn't want to leave, either. But he had to. 

"Oppa has to work hard, Yeonsu. You know it, right? So he can buy you a house exactly near his own."

The baby sniffed as Jongin wept her tears away. "Really? Will you?"

Jongin opened up into the softer smile. "Really. You will come over whenever you want."

"Will Luhan-oppa be there, too?"

"Yes, he will."

"You promise me you are not abandoning me, oppa?"

"Silly you." Jongin picked her forehead lightly "Don't ever think about something like this again. Oppa will always be by you side, with his heart." 

Departing from his own daughter and sister was the most horrible thing Jongin had ever been forced to do. He knew it was going to happen, but he also knew he would have never been ready enough. 

Later, he noticed their dorm was okay as soon as the twelve of them opened its door. 

It was not big but it was enough to leave all of them some space, with a wide dining room and kitchen nearby, plus two quite comfortable bathrooms-even though they definitely were not enough for twelve boys-, four bedrooms with three beds each and a big closet-room who would have contained all of their cloths. The closet-room was also connect with their personal gym/private practice room by a big metallic door.

Their manager informed them that the room distribution has already been planned, and that the beds would be arranged based on the presence or absence of the EXO-M boys.

Junmyeon was chosen to share his room with Sehun-and Luhan-; Baekhyun with Chanyeol-and Jongdae-; Jongin with Kyungsoo-and Yixing- while Tao, Kris and Xiumin would stay in the fourth room. 

Needless to say, not everyone was satisfied with their roommate. 

"Me with Chanyeol? Do you want me to be harassed in sleep?" Baekhyun exploded, horrified. 

"Hey! What the hell are you talking about?" Chanyeol protested vividly while Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. 

"I don't want to share room with that one, either." 

"That one?" Jongin exploded "Am I your hyung or not!"

"I don't care, I don't want to see your face even before bed time!" 

"Well, I'd rather stay with Sehun than you." Jongin hissed back.

"I want to be with Jongin," Sehun stated out of no where "Because Junmyeon-hyung prefers Kyungsoo over me."

"Are you acting jealous now?" Luhan laughed him off. 

"I don't want to be a replacement."

"To what?" Jongdae started laughing too

Kris sighed "Guys aren't you noisy."

Their manager whistled loudly to make them all stop and bring their attention back to him. "In China, EXO-M will be divided as such: Luhan and Yixing, Tao and Kris, Jongdae and Xiumin." 

The six boys claps happily, each room mate sharing hi-five.

"Ehh, why is their division so much fairer?" Baekhyun pouted.

"It's simply that you guys are unbearable, while they all get along well." their manager answered with a bored tone "Come on now, unpack your things, all of you."

Jongin felt his stomach writhe as he met Kyungsoo's glare, when suddenly Luhan hugged him cutely from behind, snuggling his head on his back, and Jongin managed to avoid thinking about him or anything else.

He should have at least enjoyed Luhan's presence besides him as long as he was there.