The Other Side [EXO]

2

Joonmyeon woke up a second time. This time, however, he woke up on his two feet. He blinked his eyes at the empty bed with muddled white sheets. Next to the bed was a heart monitor which looked to be either broken or shut down. Cables and tubes hung down from the machines and an abandoned breathing tube hung absently from the edge of the bed.

Joonmyeon whipped around when he heard someone enter the room. She, a dark haired nurse, walked over to the bed and began gathering the bed sheets with a grim expression. She turned to what seemed to be a collapsed IV bag hanging from a metal stand.

"Excuse me?" Joonmyeon asked cautiously, but the nurse didn't reply. "Hello?"

He stepped forward just as the nurse turned around, wheeling the IV stand beside her with her left hand and carrying the bed sheets with her right. Joonmyeon caught her looking at him, but she walked right past him, "Excuse me?" Joonmyeon tried again though she just continued to walk out the door. "Wait!" He ran out after her, slightly afraid of the anxiety that would come if he were to be left alone again.

"Hello?" Joonmyeon said as he put a hand on her shoulder in hopes of getting her attention. Joonmyeon froze went he realized that his hand, which he had just placed on the nurses's shoulder, couldn't feel anything.

Joonmyeon began to panic. He turned to the corridor wall of the hospital, reaching out to place a hand against the white surface. But he didn't feel anything. Joonmyeon couldn't push his hand any further into the wall, so he knew it was solid. He tested with his other hand, then flattened his chest against the wall. He couldn't feel anything. Joonmyeon stumbled backwards, finding more nurses making their way down the corridor.

"Hello!" Joonmyeon yelled, looking at each nurse desperately. "Someone, please!"

No one noticed him, as if Kim Joonmyeon were invisible. The boy sunk to his knees, not feeling himself hit the ground.

***

It definitely felt odd. The way Joonmyeon had to get used to using his legs and the way he felt so much lighter on his feet. His arms that he remembered had hung from his shoulders didn't feel as heavy anymore. Joonmyeon knew that that wasn't a good sign. He yelled and cried in the faces of whoever went by, but he was left unnoticed. He had no idea whether this was supposed to be what heaven felt like, or if he was even dead in the first place.

It was when Joonmyeon had almost given up on finding a way out that his eyes - which, as it turned out, he still had - had found a familiar body standing at the reception desk having a conversation with one of the nurse's.

"Seunghwan!" Joonmyeon called out as he lurched forward and began running towards his manager. Once he got a closer look, he saw that the man had deep purple bags underneath his eyes and his hair fell limply down his forehead. The playful glint in eyes that would show when he joked with the members was no where to be seen. He looked horrible.

"The rest aren't doing so well," He watched as Seunghwan continued to converse with the nurse grimly, not sparing Joonmyeon a glance. "They haven't heard the news yet, still think he's comatose. M got here this morning."

"How are the parents?" The nurse, sporting the name tag Hyo Sonn on her shirt, replied quietly.

"Gone," Seunghwan rubbed his eyes. "They said something about suing the company for not taking care of him. There was a lot of screaming and shouting when they were asked to sign the papers."

"Oh," Hyo Sonn said as she shook her head.

"Whose parents?" Joonmyeon asked. "What happened?"

Seunghwan just ran his fingers through his hair. "I should probably go. The news about Suho hasn't been announced yet, but I should make sure I'm with them once it does."

"News about me- wait, what?" Joonmyeon quizzed.

"Have a good night," Hyo Sonn said quietly. Seunghwan turned and began walking away without giving her or Joonmyeon another glance.

"W-Wait! Seunghwan, stop!" Joonmyeon pleaded as he ran after him. "Listen to me! Please!"

Seunghwan pulled out his phone when it started ringing and put it up to his ear: "Yeah, I'm coming now. We just sp- I know. I'm almost at the car," he said as Joonmyeon trailed him down the corridor towards one of the side exits. "Okay, I'll see you soon."

"Where are you going?" Joonmyeon asked hopelessly. His question was answered when he followed his manager through a door that lead to an outside car park where a familiar silver van with tinted windows was parked. The engine rumbled as Joonmyeon slipped inside the car door Seunghwan had opened.

As Joonmyeon sat in the same seat he had sat in on many occasions, he thought about all the times the group had spent in the car, driving from one schedule to the next. He still didn't know whether he preferred the loudness of the boys who never seemed to calm down, or the piece and quiet that came with the boys who were too exhausted to do anything but rest. With the eerie silence that had overcome the car now, his choice was nearing the former.

For the rest of the car journey, Joonmyeon watched the older who sat in the seat opposite him. His head fell against the window and his eyebrows pinched together in a frown. Joonmyeon had never seen this side of Seunghwan, especially when he caught a few tears roll down his cheeks, dripping down onto his jeans. He only knew the bubbly man who would laugh and play with him and the rest of EXO, who would do his best to cheer them up when they were feeling tired and worn, who would sometimes treat them after a long day at work. This was not that man.

"Seunghwan, what's wrong?" he whispered.

For the first time, Joonmyeon got an indirect reply.

"Please, just come back."

***

Joonmyeon sung his lines over and over, even though he already had them etched into his memory. He had to make sure he made no mistakes, no slip ups whatsoever. He couldn't make anyone disappointed, not this time. He'd been drafted for debut twice before but someone better always came along and stole his place. He was going to make sure he gave his everything into his debut, just to make sure people knew that he deserved it.

The day was less than a month away now and as much as Joonmyeon was nervous, he was also excited. Seven years was a long time and now he was about to make his first stage with the other talented and humorous members of EXO. His members. Joonmyeon had to keep reminding himself that they were his members. Being given the role of one of the leaders, beside Kris, had definitely put a weight on his shoulders.

"Hyung?" Yixing asked after appearing at the door way of the studio.

"Oh, hi Lay," Joonmyeon replied. It was still a little awkward between all of them, especially the Chinese members who had to get past the language barrier.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Yixing asked quietly.

"O-Oh, I was just singing," Joonmyeon shrugged, scratching his head. "I guess you can have the room for a while to dance."

"I want to join you," Yixing smiled. "We can sing our parts together, okay?"

So the two boys who still didn't feel all that close to each other sang together, laughing and joking with each other along the way. Never had making friends been easier to Joonmyeon, and once they debuted and became stars, everything would get better.

That was when it all started.

Word Count: 1314

A/N:

A longer chapter here, dedicated to those who voted and commented already. The memory flashback thingys in Italic will appear in every chapter from now on. Just telling you... Yeah.
I think altogether there'll be about seven chapters, which isn't too long but considering that this was originally a one shot, 12k words is pretty long. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Until next time.