The looks and stares were agonizing like lasers burning holes through her skin. Minseok felt like she was being observed too much, to the extent of being slowly peeled off in her clothes. Minseok protested, her hands gripping on the cotton material of the couch, “Yah! Don’t stare at me like that. You know I hate attention, right?”

Jaws dropped and mouths slightly opened, a little in synch and everyone silently gasped in awe.

"Minseok-hyu- noona! How did you become a girl?"

Calendars were already in the middle of Spring, and EXO was granted of a 2-week vacation in a resort island for the success of their previous albums. Junmyeon and Yifan picked the place, ignoring Yixing’s request of going to Baekhyun’s grandmother’s house. The rest house has a Mediterranean vibe and is a two-leveled structure of wood and lumber wonders. Everyone somehow agreed with the leaders’ taste, not complaining since they are the only ones with the money from the company. They're not a fan of putting bills on the table with their own.

"Hyung, lets go to the beach!" Jongdae pulled Junmyeon’s arm who was busy unpacking his suitcase, telling the younger one to fill his closet first before granting his wish. The leader likes his clothes folded nicely and his other possessions organized every time the group travels in different places. He just hopes that his other members learn from him.

Junmyeon smiled, furrowing Jongdae’s eyebrows with his reply, “Later.”

When Tao asked for an ice cream before eating breakfast, he answered the same.

When Baekhyun begged to have a quick swim, he answered the same.

When Sehun the TV before brushing his teeth, he snatched the remote and answered the same.

And all they heard at the start of the day was ‘Later’.

Finally, Junmyeon invited everyone to have dinner by the beach after settling everything they brought in place, fulfilling the members’ dying hopes to see the sea. In excitement, Chanyeol, pulling a not-so-willing Kyungsoo by the arm to come with him, volunteered in cooking for their little beach camping treat. The others also offered to help cook rice and make soup to add to the feast. Tao and Sehun made their way to chill the beers, catching Junmyeon and Yifan's attentions because the two tried to sneak a few bottles in their room when they stayed at a hotel back in China.

They jumped out of their temporary abode with picnic blankets and baskets on their hands, forgetting how they called Junmyeon as a grumpy ahjussi a while ago.

The boys let out a fast pace in running to the shore, planning to face the waves with their arms linked with each other. But when the water almost touched their toes, all of them ran with crescents of laughter in their eyes. This idiots. When the bitter liquid takes over their systems, Junmyeon will not be surprised if some of them jump to the cold night sea water with no shorts on.

Finally, they had their long-awaited vacation.

Finally, they can explore the other things life can offer to them.

Finally, Junmyeon said “Yes” instead of “Later”.

"Junmyeonnie, I’ll just go for a walk, okay?" Minseok was pushed by Luhan and Yixing to test if Junmyeon will let him go out since he’s older than him. "I want some fresh air."

"Sure, hyung." A smile shining like the moon was printed on Junmyeon’s mouth. Well, that was unfair.

"Where am I exactly going? Those two bastards are pestering my life again." Minseok kicked another stone as he trailed a path following tall trees, his slippers stepping on sand to soil. His hands were on his pockets, Minseok looking at the piece of night sky revealed in between branches. He thought of going back, but the idea slowly sunk in on his mad that it wasn’t really bad. The night was quiet and peaceful, with crickets only chirping to fill the atmosphere and fireflies trailing around him. It’s good to take walks alone sometimes. This is what he calls a vacation.

"Did Minseok-hyung come back already? I want to borrow a towel from him." Baekhyun asked the members who just went back from the beach. Junmyeon was right. It was Baekhyun who ran to the water with nothing but boxers, followed by Chanyeol who pulled a topless Jongin behind him, and Tao and Sehun decided that it was fun to play with the three idiots. Only eleven of them returned, thinking that maybe Minseok had too much fun being alone once in a while.

Members started wondering why he’s not yet home, exchanging different reasons and maybe’s that made them even more curious.

"Maybe he got kidnapped?"

"Maybe some fans recognized him?"

"Maybe he went to the island’s famous pub? Yah! Why didn’t he take us there too?!"

Luhan stomped his feet as he stood from sitting on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest and steams coming out of his ears, making the others draw their attention to him. Luhan hissed, “Psh. Pub?”

The oldest walked his way to his room and slammed the door behind him, leaving a loud thump that can be heard outside of the rest house. Chanyeol and Yixing are roommates with him.

The couches never looked so comfortable for them to sleep on for tonight.

"So you’re saying that you woke up looking like that?" Junmyeon, Yifan and Luhan crossed their arms in synch, handling the interrogation as the oldest of all the members.

“Yes--“

It wasn’t a family meeting or a pajama party--but everyone was gathered for a very rare incident, a brunette girl in a baggy shirt and beach shorts was claiming to be Kim Minseok, the oldest in the group, the ultimate hyung.

Jongdae looked at who’s supposed to be the center of attraction in furrowed brows. “And when you looked at the mirror, you saw that you already have a long hair and-- the two plump things on your chest?”

"Yes--"

"Wait, are you just messing with us?! Bring back Minseok hyung!" Sehun was aware of his raised voice, but he just couldn’t help that what was happening was getting more and more ridiculous. Yeah, he knows he shouldn’t just in to his hyungs’ conversation, but he doesn’t really trust anyone that easily especially when a strange girl just knocked on their house’s door at seven o’clock in the morning, telling them that she was Kim Minseok.

"I am Minseok!"

Listening quietly from the back, Yixing finally said a word to aid the situation. “Well then, prove to us that you are Minseok.”

"Dude, I still look the same but with longer hair and thinner brows and a little curvy and I’m still wearing the same clothes since last nigh--"

"She got a point, dude." Chanyeol nodded in agreement, revealing a dimple as he shrugged in his quite favoring.

"Maybe you’re a fan who had undergone surgery to look like Minseok hyung? Geez, Sasaengs." To wake up Jongin from his sweet slumber was a very bad idea: It’s either he’s the worst nightmare to stumble upon or his brain is not functioning properly to make sense with his answers.

"For God’s sake, I thought you know me well because you’re my close friends! You guys ."

"I’m calling Minseok hyung." Junmyeon slipped a hand on his pocket to get his phone, placing the phone by his ear to wait for the ring. The other line rang in synch with a familiar ringtone that the members have already heard a lot of times before.

"Sup, pabo?" Minseok swiftly answered the call, letting only two tones out from his phone ring before grabbing his phone out his sanded pockets. Junmyeon gasped, his mouth slightly opened in awe and slipping his phone from his hand. Good thing, Jongdae caught it from crashing on the floor even if he knows that the leader can easily get a new one in just one swipe of his card.

"Okay, if you are really Minseok hyung then…"

"Then what?"

"Arm wrestling." Baekhyun suggested. Stupid.

Chanyeol slapped Baekhyun on his arm. “Are you nuts? She’s a girl!”

Before Baekhyun could even defend his stand and oh-so-very-effective-and-well-thought solution, the girl hissed then smirked.

"Deal."

That was a really Minseok-ish smirk, no doubt.

Baekhyun insisted to confirm it for himself, settling beside the coffee table and propping his elbow to get a better position. When his hand touched Minseok’s, his fingers resting on the competitor’s and sharing warmth against his palm, Baekhyun’s eyes popped out in shock. His hand was shaking a little as the girl tightened her grip. Baekhyun’s confidence dropped off of a cliff, and the man was left staring on his opponent’s eyes. The girl was staring back at him.

"Y-yup, she’s M-minseok." Baekhyun gulped.

The younger one let go of the grip, putting his palm to cover his mouth in awe. “Oh my-- you are really Minseok-hyung!”

"How can you be so sure? You’re not even starting yet!" Kyungsoo’s brows were knitted together, standing from his seat because he was not satisfied with Baekhyun suddenly proclaiming his conclusions.

"I-I’m sure. She’s M-minseok. I felt it, Kyungsoo. Minseok-hyung is the only one who can give that spark to me."

All eyes were on the only girl in the house, the boys taking a step closer to get a better observation of the familiar yet strange stranger.

"Geez, stop looking at me like that."

"M-minseok?"

The claiming-to-be-Minseok answered for the hundredth time. “Yes, I am Minseok. If you don’t believe me, I can just go home to my mom and explain it to her since I know she’ll believe me because she knew me well. I’m her child for God’s sake and if that happens then you will never see me again ever--“

"Minseok-hyung!" Tao, who was quietly taking an ear from behind as the older ones handle the situation, couldn’t take it anymore in resisting his urge to hug Minseok. "I m-mean noona! Minseok-noona, I thought I’m not going to see you anymore because we couldn’t find you since last night. I’m worried, noona!"

"NOO- NOONA?!"

As Tao wrapped his arms around him, the fine limbs of the young man felt a little strange by the unfamiliar fit of the space that connects the two of them--more like the urge to protect someone from getting crushed because of the difference in the built.

Because Minseok won’t handle how Tao used to hug him.

Because Minseok is not what he used to be anymore.

Because Minseok is now a girl.

"Tao, you’re going to crush her!" Luhan and Jongin pulled Tao from squeezing Minseok, stopping him from crushing the older one’s bones. The younger one was in complete awe, his arms still linked with the members because he couldn’t function properly after what he just realized.

"I-I felt s p-pushed against my chest. It’s weird."

"Hyung, I think you need a bra."

A/n: This is the start of the whole mess in EXO's lives! I hope you like the prologue and I wish that it thrilled you as much as it excites me on writing the next chapters!