STEP

CHAPTER 7

Late in the night, Kyungsoo's room.
"Luhan must have known something," Baekhyun lays on the sofa, "He kept calling me for Chanyeol's number the other day, and he sounded unusual."

Sehun looks at the white wall while Luhan rushes desperately into the rain and pushes him away, harshly. It's as though a beautiful record has been interrupted suddenly.

Everyone diverts their attention to Chanyeol. Himself however, stares at the window solemnly, "He indeed called me after that."

"And what happened after that?" Jongin asks.

"I wasn't feeling good at that time and the phone was with Kris the whole time." Chanyeol looks down and mumbles, "Kris... may have blamed everything we faced on him."

"To some extent," Baekhyun continues, "You being drunk so badly that day must have had something to do with Luhan leaving abruptly halfway."
"He just left so suddenly?" Kyungsoo's eyebrows creases, "It issn't like him."
"Not only did he leave, he splashed the drink in Chanyeol's face on the manager..." Baekhyun smiled, "No doubt it felt good, but if I was the one having to splash the drink, I'd probably not have mustered the courage to."

"Those guys actually splashed drinks on all of you?" Jongin turns to look at Baekhyun, "What else did they do?"
"Nothing else." Baekhyun randomly fiddles with his hand, "Not us, only Luhan got splashed. That day... Kris sat beside me and he was looking at Luhan throughout the night."

Sehun shifts his gaze to the other side subconsciously.

"He wasn't himself after Luhan left and just stared at his phone continuously without making any calls. Even after Chanyeol was drunk and had us help to drink, it didn't work. He had a constant black face and kept looking out the window" Baekhyun reminisces.

"Does anyone remember the program we recorded at the start of March? The one with the lying test." A silent Junmyeon blurts suddenly. Everyone turns to look at him but he remains silent.

"Kris' answer was Lay but it was deemed a lie." Junmyeon shifted his position slightly. "I remember, Luhan was standing directly opposite me when the light turned green," Kyungsoo's smiled slowly, "His expression back then were pretty interesting."

"He seemed to be avoiding Kris after that," Junmyeon suggests, "Especially when Kris said that he didn't remember anything out of a sudden."
"If he didn't do that, he probably didn't know how to face others." Baekhyun spins the pen in his hand.
"Others?" Kyungsoo looks at him, "Such as?"
"Such as..." Baekhyun opens the pen cap, the whole house becomes absolutely silent for a few seconds.

"The speculations right now are rather silly." Says Sehun from the corner, face without much expression.
Baekhyun lifts his head and flashes an eye smile while looking at Sehun, Jongin shakes his head, "these people are interesting."

"What happened between you and Kris before the car accident?" There was a sudden pause and Junmyeon turned to look at Chanyeol while holding on to his shoulder. "You have told the police everything, why can't you tell us?"
Chanyeol eyes Suho but remains silent.
"You're still Chanyeol no matter what happens," Jongin squats and faces him directly, "Even if the whole world abandons you, we'll still be standing by you."
Chanyeol flashes his usual smile, looking to the ground.

The scene from that day, like knives, seem to scatter around him, the rather sad looking floor, at 11pm; a cold voice travelling from above, "we're almost done" and then having clothes thrown back at them.
"I don't want to think anymore," Chanyeol shuts his eyes.

He desperately wishes that the red wine was splashed onto his face that day so he wouldn't have left. No one would then be forced to drink; like a punching bag. Perhaps then they would not have went to the wooden house and nothing would have happened to Yixing.....
If only everything was as perfect as imagined, just like the amazing sight given off from stage. No price has to be paid for a pretty face, no faking of smiles were need just for that 1 out of N stages, and how just simply dancing and smile could easily obtain obtain the riches and reputation ordinary people have to work 10 years for? He is, no doubt the apple of God's eyes.