(CHANYEOL'S POV)
I entered the backstage and quickly the music from the concert drowned in a muddle of echos.
Silence slowly took over as I got deeper into the darkness. My senses were all on edge. It tried to find a single movement or hear a single sound. It was the only way I could find her, and there wasn't another second I wanted to waste just to see her.
Clank!
I turned to my right, and there far off in the corner was a person fidgeting with the sound systems. Her back was facing me, but it was the same girl I followed in here.
My heart dropped.
Could it be her? After all these years?
I took my first step, and after what seemed like forever, I was near enough to reach out and touch her.
All I needed was to get rid of the wimp that I made out of myself.
"Minhye?" My voice trembled.
Time froze, and for that second we were the only two people in the world.
She spun on her heels and when she had fully faced me, I felt my heart drown in the pain that it pooled up in me after all these years. I would've said it broke at the sight of her, but my heart was already shattered into fine dust that couldn't break anymore.
My knees went weak, and my brain had stopped functioning. I leaned over her and held her tight. She fidgeted a bit, but just let the moment be, but abruptly she shoved me away after a mere second.
"What the heck! Who are you!"
I had said my heart couldn't break anymore, but I guess it was another lie I had told my self. My heart broke.
She's forgotten about me.
"Chanyeol?"
My heart was pulled back up.
Or did she?
"You remember me?" I raised my eyebrows in hopefulness.
She smiled, "Of course your Park Chanyeol."
And in the instant I saw her smile I was forced back to reality, it wasn't her. Her smile wasn't the same.
"Who are you?" I asked.
She pointed to herself, "Minseok oppa's sister. Haven't he introduced me yet?"
I stepped back remembering how he had always said that Minhye reminded him of his sister, which was funny because she really did resemble her.
"Ah, sorry. I mistook you for someone else."
The girl smiled and stuck out her hand, "Kim Sonah, nice to meet you. Minseok oppa's dongsaeng in the flesh. "
I tried my best to smile bitterly as little as possible, before shaking her hands in return.
The concert quickly ended as people started flooding in backstage. I hid myself in the corner where the sound system was as I tried not to catch anyone's attention; it was too hard to keep a fake smile on, let alone feel or think straight.
This was just how I was. I always kept my hopes up, but in the end disappointment just came back to bite me.
Xiumin's sister, Sonah still hasn't left. She played around with the sound system, and occasionally glanced towards my direction full of curiosity. At least she didn't try to pry like others would.
People flooded the backstage, and I couldn't do anything, but focus on the massive hurt I was feeling. I really needed to see a psychologist.
The backstage gradually emptied, until Sonah and I were the only ones left. I looked up to her, and still she was messing with the sound system.
I was about to go up and help her, but in bravado she pulled a white wire from behind the machines.
"Finally!" She squealed.
Almost as fast as lightning she stuck the white wire into a red box, or rather a music player she pulled out from her hoodie.
Music began blasting through the silence, and before I could even protest she had already pulled me back to the concert stage.
"C'mon. C'mon." She pleaded.
Drums were pounding, and a small twinkling sound filled the air.
The band version of Growl was blasting throughout the stadium, and once Sonah released me I found my members performing complete as a group. The only one left out was me. The audience seats were empty shrouded in pitch black, but the spotlight continued to shine onstage.
Nostalgia struck me.
It had been such a long time since we preformed with all our members. It had been such a long time since we've performed in general.
I could almost hear the fan chants and cheer of the audience. I could almost feel the sweat we shed dancing and singing our hearts out. I could almost taste the joy and adrenaline that I would get whenever I performed onstage.
But of course it was just my imagination.
As soon as the members noticed me, they all simultaneously motioned me to join them.
The problem was I couldn't bring myself to walk up to them. Sonah was already nudging me to go, but I stood still.
The members kept on singing and dancing, while I stood in the sidelines hesitating.
What if I couldn't rap like before?
What if I couldn't dance like before?
Baek has noticed it the most. I had never been the same person or performer as I was three years ago. I couldn't even play the guitar in front of him.
I would just be a disappointment to my members.
I was about to walk away when Baek pulled me back.
"We won't be complete without you." He stared at me and waited.
My mind was spinning, my stomach churned. I really couldn't do it.
"Chanyeol!"
"Yah, Giant!"
"Yeollie!"
"Channie!"
Baekhyun looked back at the members.
"Can't you see how much fun they're having. Chanyeol, what are you so scared of?"
I clawed into the palms of my hands and bit my lips.
Yeah, what was I so scared of. These people were my family.
I shut my eyes and huffed. Once I opened them one more time I had finally noticed the playfulness of the boys on the stage. They weren't performing for anyone. They were performing for each other and for themselves.
They were performing because they wanted to and enjoyed it. Not to impress or please anyone. This was what I was born to do.
I was a born performer.
Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, "Are you up for it?"
I craned my neck up and a gave my friend a toothy grin.
That acted as a signal, for Baek to pull me into the performance.
We danced, we sang, we laughed, we smiled. The members did nothing but enjoy the groove of the music, and since the band version was playing there was an extremely long dance break in the middle.
Kai and Kris got into a huge dance battle, to which Kai proved to be victorious. I joined the little dance off Chen and Baek was having, and started the beagle war. The members were everywhere. Jumping from place to place whooping over the music.
And by the end of the dance break was my rap.
Joy had already overwhelmed my body the moment I stood in the middle while the boys did their dances me.
They were chanting along with me, as I tried not to cry to keep the momentum going. And as quick as that my part ended, and once I moved to the side to give Kai the spotlight my tears began to fall.
Everything felt surreal, everything felt like a dream.
But it was happening. The members all felt it. I knew they felt the same way, they felt the same joy I had, the same nostalgia.
The members all slowed to stop with the music still playing in the background. They continued singing, and despite our worn out selves we gathered into a tight huddle.
"EXO," Suho started, "Hana, deul, set, WE ARE ONE!" The members yelled.
Eventually the song came to an explosive end.
I was still shaken up from the performance, as well as the members.
So shaken up that we didn't notice the applause behind us.
I twisted wondering if my ears were lying to me.
I had initially thought they were since every seat in the audience were empty, but I was wrong.
So wrong.
The applause came from one and only one person only.
The person was sitting at the nearest seat to the stage, and once she caught our attention she pulled herself up to join us.
Her eyes were shaped as half moons, and her smile gave life.
Minhye.
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