The next few days I completely disappeared from the company.
I was able to say goodbye to my parents, Ji Won, and Jinhee, but I was too afraid to go to the boys.
I was a coward. I wouldn't been able to bare the guilt I had of ruining their lives. It was too much to handle.
But that's why I was leaving. I was the one who got the boys in this mess of being mistreated idols, and I'll make sure to be the one to pull them out.
I pressed my phone against my ears and shoulders as I tried to balance my bags of groceries I recently bought.
"Ne unnie, I just actually just went shopping. I'll be ready by then. Ne. Ne. Bye."
Tomorrow was the day I was leaving. Minah has bought our tickets to China, and there we planned to take down SM little by little.
I scanned the parking lot, looking for a silver Sentra. Jinhee was suppose to pick me up. Most of my groceries were for her anyway. She was making me a goodbye cake, yet I was the one to buy the ingredients.
I strolled pass every car looking for the right one, but the chance of finding Jinhee looked dreary. There were so many sentras, but none were silver.
"Minhye!" A voice hollered.
I turned around feeling a rush of relief. Thank goodness she found me!
"Jinh--- Baekhyun?" I gripped my bags of groceries tighter. No I couldn't see him. Not now.
If there was Baekhyun, there would be Chanyeol, and I was right.
Right inside the car Baekhyun was standing next to was Chanyeol. He didn't seem to notice me yet, but I was sure it wouldn't be long till he did.
I shook my head and mouthed 'please' to Baekhyun. Please, don't let him see me.
He wore a sympathetic look. He probably knew the most about what happened in our past. Chanyeol told him everything, and I was sure our past was a part of the secrets he shared with him.
"Yah! We're going to be late what's taking you so long!" As soon as Chanyeol stuck his head out the car, I twisted my whole body and made a run for it.
"Who was that?" Was the last thing I heard before I got far enough, and just as I hoped for in the distance I saw Jinhee jumping up and down next to her car.
It was my safe zone, if I could just reach it in time...
A hand forcefully grabbed me by the shoulders, making me bounce back a full 180.
No, I can't. I shut my eyes tightly and cowered down into my elbows. Please don't let him see me.
It was too late. For a second I met his gaze, but my vision blurred when my tears began to fall. There he was. Chanyeol towered over me with an expression I could not fathom. The whole situation was everything I feared.
I couldn't see him. Not when I had to leave everything behind the next day.
I waited for everything to fall apart, but before I could get hurt, Jinhee went up to us and kicked Chanyeol right in the shin.
She grabbed me pulling me away from the boy who was now holding onto his shins jumping up and down.
"Let's go!" Jinhee yelled.
I was pulled into her car instantly speeding away from the scene.
Baekhyun stood beside Chanyeol trying to hold him up.
"You okay?"
I jerked my head to Jinhee. I was still crying. No I was not okay.
"Yeah, I'm okay."
( Chanyeol's POV)
"Yah, are you okay?" Baekhyun ran up to me trying to pull me off the ground.
"That---that was Minhye, right?" I lifted my head and waited Baekhyun to respond.
He wore eyes of pity and kept his mouth tightly shut.
"Answer me! That was Minhye right?!" The whole parking lot seemed to dim, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I'm just... I'm sorry."
Baekhyun bobbed his head motioning me to enter the car.
"Chanyeol, it's better to forget at times."
"It probably was just my imagination." I walked up to the car and took my seat. I've been going crazy. I keep seeing Minhye everywhere, and it's only gotten worse.
Baekhyun told me it would all pass. It was just a phase I had to go through, but if I didn't get over her even after forgetting about her, then how could I trust myself to move on.
I don't think I could move on.
(3 YEARS LATER)
EXO's Luhan leaves EXO
EXO'S Tao on hiatus
Tao officially gone
SM against China
EXO Christmas Comeback
EXO's Lay hospitalised
NCT's debut hurts EXO
"Hyung I'm heading out to meet Baek. The laundry's at your room."
Xiumin stuck his head out away from his phone, "Eo, take your mask. Keep safe."
I flicked on my black mask stuffing my head in a hat.
It's been three years since Minhye left.
Everything's changed. We changed producers as soon as we released "Call Me Baby."
John was fired, two more members left, and though it didn't seem like it our working conditions worsened.
I pressed the up button on the elevator. Baek and I had been meeting on the roof of the SM building. It was the only place Dispatch, the paparazzi, couldn't get us. Our company's been under the radar since our latest scandal.
I slumped my shoulders down passing by the hallways of our building. The hallways were decorated with NCT, SM's newest boy group and Red Velvet.
2016 was their year. It was a loss and win for SM.
2016 was worse than 2014.
In 2014, Kris, Sulli, Jessica, and Luhan left us.
In 2016 we lost whole groups. Girl's Generation,F(x), Super Junior, and Shinee left.
We didn't know where they went. Nobody did. They just disappeared.
"Oi, Park Chanyeol what's taking you so long."
I looked up and found Baekhyun holding my elevator open.
I slid my mask off and smiled, "Ah, mian, Umin Hyung made me do the laundry."
"Eh~~ You sure you're not just off writing another depressing song."
I scowled at Baekhyun and shrugged him off.
Not that he was wrong.
I've been depressed, and I won't deny it.
EXO was the only group that stuck to SM, yet we hadn't received a chance to perform in two years.
We renewed our contract, so it was too late to back out.
I led Baek through the hallway that led to the roof watching him make faces behind me.
"So what are you up to. How's your mom?"
I looked back at him pressing my lips into a thin line, "She's still a bit shaken that she caused me to go through such a thing. She wasn't in her mind then, and I kept telling her I understood why she acted that way, but she's still holding onto it. Why don't you visit her one day?"
"Ah, Arraseo, but we need to visit Lay Hyung first."
"You found out which hospital he's staying at?"
Baekhyun shook his head in dismay.
I sighed walking up to the edge of the the building.
The wind tousled my hair as I looked down at the vast city of Seoul.
That's another problem we had. Lay hyung was hospitalised and we never found out where he went to.
He was under a lot of pressure since he was the last Chinese member so he ended up overworking himself.
We never saw him since.
"Hey Baek, do you think I need to see a psychologist."
Baek walked up to me, "Wae are you having suicidal thoughts. Don't tell me you're going to jump off this building. Cause if you are---"
"No, no, no. Baek no. I'm not crazy. It's just. It's been three years and I'm still hallucinating."
"Your hallucinations came back."
I bobbed head and looked at him? "Yeah just yesterday. I was walking to the lobby and I saw Minhye. She was with Kris and a kid, but when I turned to them again it was just another family."
"Guess you still have it bad."
I sighed looking back down in the city.
"I still have it bad."
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