OUR FAMILY | SVT

Seungkwan

Smile a lot. You are pretty enough, So you have to love yourself more.
-

Finally, all the days of Caratland were over. And in a while, all of us were going to gather together for dinner and drinks.

Honestly, these days were a rollercoaster of emotions. From powerful performances to heartfelt cries, from cheerful beats to silly activities. Overall, it was a beautiful way to resume our name.

If I say I wasn't happy then it would be a lie and if I say that I was at my best then it would also be a lie.

And you know? The most important lesson I learnt these days was to not lie to myself.

I knew I wasn't in a very good condition and I didn't have to deny it.

I just needed a hug from Jeonghan hyung and words of encouragement from Coups hyung.

Yeah, I was missing them.

But do you know what I received, already?

The smiles of carats. A warm embrace from Joshua hyung. Proud gazes of Jun hyung. Admiration from Hoshi hyung. Words of wisdom from Wonwoo hyung. Assurance from Woozi hyung. Encouragement from Minghao hyung. Those pretty smiles from Dokyeom hyung. Strength from Mingyu hyung. Calmness from Vernon and a lesson of living life to the fullest from Dino.

And how can I forget? The soft wind around me was always trying to protect me from the evil eyes, just like Coups hyung. And whenever I closed my eyes, I could feel Jeonghan hyung hugging me.

What else could I ask for? Let's not be too selfish.

But at that moment, I fell into a conflict. I received so much love from everyone but what did I give them in return?

Wait.

Was I too immersed in myself? Did I not think about anyone else?

No Seungkwan, how can you do this? Ridiculous.

It was when I felt someone's presence. It was Mingyu hyung leaning over my shoulder.

"Thank you Seungkwan." He muttered.

"Why?"

"For staying by my side." Mingyu hyung stated.

"For embracing me when I was about to cry." Seokmin hyung sat beside me.

"And for supporting all of us whenever we needed you." Hoshi hyung stood in front of you.

"Thank you hyung." Dino peeked from behind Hoshi hyung.

I looked down as tears rolled down my eyes.

Why did they know me so well? Why did they always read my mind?

"Actually, I'm grateful to you all." I muttered while wiping my tears.

"Exactly. We're thankful to each other." Minghao hyung came into the picture, "Don't look down on yourself, Seungkwan."

"How did you-"

"We know you well." Mingyu hyung looked up, "We knew you might be overthinking. You don't need to."

I nodded, agreeing with them.

"Woah, what's happening?" Joshua hyung, Wonwoo hyung, Woozi hyung, Jun hyung and Vernon came into the hall where everything was prepared for our dinner.

"Nothing." I smiled, "We were just talking."

"C'mon, get to the table everyone." Joshua hyung called us.

We went to sit around the immense table as food was organised for us. We admired it and ate together with little jokes and teasings.

After that, we began to have some drinks.

"So, how did everyone feel about these stages?" Mingyu hyung asked.

"It was way too different than I had expected." I answered immediately.

It was true, what I had imagined and what actually happened seemed to be two different worlds for me now.

I thought we would end up grieving on stage all the time and won't be able to perform smoothly. But we talked it out, among ourselves and the fans.

And those unfiltered conversation gave us immense strength.

"It honestly felt like a kickstart." Dino stated, "A successful one at that."

"True, there couldn't be any better way to resume everything." Jun hyung nodded.

"Whose idea was this?" I asked.

"Joshua hyung's." Hoshi hyung stated.

"You did a great thing, hyung." I appreciated.

"Ay, it's nothing." Joshua hyung shrugged, "You all did well, that's all I needed."

"Wow, don't be so modest now." Woozi hyung joked.

"No, I actually feel really proud of everyone right now." Joshua hyung nodded, "We literally saved a collapsing world, I feel like. Whose world? Mine. Ours."

He was right.

Seventeen is our world.

And we were now working to protect it.

Sure we were falling at some point but what matters is that we stood up again, right?

Yes.

Because problems come in everyone's lives. What makes a difference is how we deal with them.

I'm pretty sure that the steps and measures we took were right.

Taking our time was yet another great choice. I'm happy that we didn't rush anything. Because it would have been hollow in that way.

Now, whatever we had, was solid enough to not break down once again.

These precious things, we were going to treasure it.

Because we just know, you can't see our hyungs beside us but we can feel them with us.

And I'm ready to fight anyone who says that they've left us.

Because, they haven't.

It's a facade.

It's just how everyone perceives it.

Good for them. And good for us that our perception is different.

I strongly believe that no one, not even destiny can even touch our togetherness.

When souls are combined, you can't separate our hearts. And the physical world had nothing to do with it.

Because our connection was much more precious than it.

"The fans got a lot brighter after seeing us." Wonwoo hyung nodded, "I'm happy that we could assure them."

"Hmm, right." I agreed, "In short, it went well."

"How about we do a team cheer with this champagne?" Seokmin hyung suggested.

"Sure, why not?"

We raised our toasts as Joshua hyung began, "To the team of Thirteen members! To the Team Seventeen! Cheers for the hardwork! Fighting!"

"FIGHTING!"

I was touched by the environment around us. I honestly wanted to cry but I won't.

This moment was dedicated to happiness.

As it should be.

Cheers to our strong team.