What If... [EXO Suho and Apink Eunji Fanfiction]

Chapter 27

"Merry Christmas, Eunji. Hope you're having a good holiday," followed by a smiley face.

She stared at the message for the umpteenth time that day, before pressing the power button on the side of her phone lightly, making the screen fade to black.

***

Back in Seoul, Junmyeon kept fooling around with his phone, unable to tear his eyes away from the "Read" notification beside his message. Even though he'd sent her that message earlier that day, and she'd also read it, she hadn't replied to it. 

She's probably still shocked over yesterday...

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. This was one of the only times in the entire year he could come home to get smothered by his mother and harassed by his brother. He was only going to be here for a few days, and since they'd been on tour during the summer that year he hadn't been able to see them except for some random face chats spread out over three weeks or so. 

He missed his family terribly. And yet, when he had the chance to come back home, he couldn't get his mind off Eunji.

Maybe it was because of the way they'd left things. 

Unsure and lost after their Christmas Live, after which Eunji blatantly avoided him and virtually hid until it was time to go home, he had consulted Baekhyun on what to do. He'd gone far enough just following his instincts and causing emotional trouble and he wanted direction, guidance. He didn't specifically care that it came from someone younger than him, as long as that person knew what they were doing.

"You need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture," Baekhyun told him. "The vacation will be a good opportunity to do just that."

While he trusted his brother's advice, he still wanted another opinion. This led to him sending a message to Taeyeon on the night before Christmas, which led to her calling him and him telling her about everything; the scandal, the deal, the fake relationship, and then, finally, his confession.

She had stayed silent all through his explanation. "So, what do I do now?" he asked.

He heard her take a deep breath. "You've already talked to Baekhyun, right?" she asked. "He'd have given you the same advice that I'd give you; take some time off."

"But do you really think I should? I mean, from a woman's perspective..."

"Suho, Eunji's going through a lot. She needs time to process her own feelings as well as your sudden confession. I would say give her time, and even you need to get away from it all for a while."

"Why? Is it because distance can make you realize what you really want?"

"In a way, I guess, but it's mostly because you're in danger of investing too much of yourself into her. That's something you can't, and can't ever, do. Due to the nature of our jobs, we need to sometimes reassess our priorities."   

"Did you ever have to reassess your priorities?"

A moment of silence drifted down upon them as the senior idol pondered over her junior's question. He then heard her sigh on the other end of the line. "Every single day."

"And...do those priorities ever involve Baekhyun?" he continued to question.

She hummed in agreement. "Baekhyun's always been a priority. There are times when I'd have him at the utmost top, but I can't. It's just something that comes with being an idol, I guess. But I was talking about you."

"So...what do you think I should do?"

"Spend some time with the people you truly care about, your family. Have a good holiday, keep in contact with the members, reconnect with old friends. Pause the game for a bit to get your life in order. Handle Eunji's situation once you return."