More than twelve

Chapter 1

Jae's POV

As he kept walking with the manager he kept thinking of all the possible ways the team would react. Maybe, they'll never be accepting him as one of the members or maybe, they won't let him in all together or maybe...

 "Hey....." His thought was interrupted by the manager "... don't worry about them not being able to accept you, they will. So you can stop your signs."

 "I did it again?" I asked questioningly and the manager nodded in agreement. "Sorry..." I replied "So...." I continued "did you..... Tell them about me, yet."

 "No not everything, just that they are having a new member in, that's all." the manager replied "I bet they are actually curious to know about you" the manager continued. I just kept looking at him with an expression that clearly read 'Really'. "Hum.....Well, at least Chanyeol will be" the manager said trying to defend against my stare.

 "I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for this yet" I said. "You ought to be because you.....have to". The manager continued as soon as we were about to reach the training room where the rest of the team were waiting (kind of) "You better make everything count here and don't you dare waste your time. You know you don't have.....time, right?" 

 "And luck! I will try my best though" I showed him the biggest and the bravest smile I had (of bravery and hope that I couldn't feel). The manager pats my shoulder and turns open the door. 'No turning back now' I said to myself as I stepped into the room.

-The previous day-

Chen's POV

"Hey, guys the manager is calling us for some important announcement." Suho said as he came into the room.

 "What is it now?" Baekhyun said a little annoyed since it's been only twenty minutes after he and Chanyeol had successfully pulled up a nasty prank on Xiumin (he had just walked out of the washroom and was removing the last of the paint that was overturned on him.)

 "Okay...Chen why don't you go up ahead, we'll join you guys later after I have taken care of some.....thing." I did not like the expression on Xiumin's face. I knew well (out of experience) that even if I wanted to, I could not save those two.I quietly went out of the room and Suho was calling everyone else on top of his lungs so as to overcome all the noise from the room (mostly involving the noise of Baek-Yeol asking for forgiveness, which I know, would not come from an angry Xiumin)

 Finally, after ten minutes, the trio came........ walking out (Xiumin was stomping and the other two were limping, to be accurate). "....6, 7 and 8, Okay that's everyone." Suho said and elbowed the manager to say his announcement.

 ".......Huh......Well....okay as you boys might know that blah, blah, blah, blah and blah." (The manager started his speech and I knew I could take my mind elsewhere for the next half an hour or so) "Hey...Hey Chen...." The manager was shouting (he must have noticed that I was having my headset on) I realized that when Kai elbowed me.

 "Yes, sir!" I said reflexively "Were you even listening to me ?.....you know what, don't even bother to answer, I know you will say 'no sir' like a brave boy showing bravery at the wrong place. Anyways I was saying that for the said reasons, you boys need a new start and hence tomorrow you will meet your new member so you better be ready to accept him in, YOU GOT THAT" Manager shouted the last part.

Sheun's POV

It took me three minutes to realize that the manager wasn't joking.

 "What? Why?" Xiumin was the one to break the astonished silence that we were in.

 "No, no ways is anyone else joining us. No!" Chen was going mad and Kai was holding him back even though he himself hadn't like the idea of some stranger taking over Lay's or Luhan's or Tao's or Kris's place. It's not like anyone else liked that either, but the manager's look said that it was too late to change anything, even if we wanted to.

 "...But why?" I heard my own voice come out. 

"That is what you need to find out. And let me tell you; this is no waste of time. For the person coming to you, this really means a lot. It'll also be good for you guys to get back to being real idol singers and not just keep sulking over the ones who left." The manager said and after a while continued "Now all of you go back. Tomorrow at 10'o clock all of you should assemble in the practice area. Now leave."

 We bowed feeling nothing and came back to our dorm. As soon as we got inside Chen went mad again,"How can he? How can he allow a.......nobody to come to us now? He says he has a good reason....huh the only reason that the person would have is to meet his favorite boy-band or something. There's no way he can come here and there is absolutely no way I'm going to let him become a part of EXO. No. NO! he's not. No one is going to take Lay's , Luhan's , Tao's or Kris's place here.......No one will..." 

Everyone else was just silently listening to Chen's disagreements. "Hey, it's not like we can change anything now. You saw the manager's face right; he held back the info till the last minute on purpose, we can't do anything right now." I said trying to bring his ranging spirit down.

 "What do you mean we can't do anything? We are EXO, we can totally do something?"

 "What?" Kai raised his voice, "What are you going to do?" (Kai did go a long way with his anger.) "What do you mean 'what can I do'?" Chen said "Are you not against this? Or, are you okay with a stranger taking over one of your Ge's place? Are you saying you're okay with that?"

 "He doesn't have to" This time it was Do who raised his voice and continued (with a smaller voice) after he had gotten everyone's attention with his words, "He doesn't have to take their place, he'll just....make a new place."

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{Sorry for such a long chapter. I'll try to keep the next few chapters smaller}

Edited : 11th April 2018 

By : ~i