Fame Over You || Yeonbin

Chapter 20 - Fame Over You

Two months.

The group had now been without their leader for two months. They couldn't function at this point and had been told they could all have a break. Not a hiatus like their leader but a break. They were allowed two weeks off at this point.

Huening Kai had stopped laughing as much and couldn't keep a smile on his face. He missed the group's leader. He stopped being excited about plushies and got sad whenever he looked at the bunny plushie that Soobin would steal sometimes to cuddle. Memories of happier times flooded his mind, only making his frown deeper. Each time Huening Kai reached out for the bunny plushie, a few tears left his eyes.

Huening Kai's laughter that used to fill the room now felt distant, replaced by a quiet sadness that lingered in the air. The other three members noticed, it was hard not to. The shrill laugh that the other had- it hadn't been heard for weeks on end. He barely could even hold eye contact. Huening Kai couldn't even try to see the world in a happy light anymore. He felt lost. He felt like the world had lost its spark. He felt like he had lost his spark.

Taehyun stopped interacting with his members. The weight of Soobin's words lingered in his mind, echoing in the silence that surrounded him. He had spent countless hours reflecting on his actions and the impact he had on those around him.

With a heavy heart, he realized that perhaps the best course of action was to withdraw, to protect those he cared about from the destruction he seemed to bring wherever he went. It wasn't an easy decision, but Taehyun knew that sometimes sacrifice was necessary for the greater good. So he retreated into his own world, a world without the risk of shattering everything he touched. And as he distanced himself, he hoped that maybe, just maybe, he could prevent any further damage from being done.

His members missed his witty remarks and his nose being pushed into their conversations but they were all struggling so much that they decided to let him be. That's all they could do until they figured out their own problems.

Beomgyu stopped talking. He stopped telling jokes. He stopped yelling whenever he wanted. He stopped playing video games while screaming at the tv. He decided to do the same as Taehyun- he distanced himself from the rest of the group.

He didn't want Soobin to be right. So he did everything to make sure that would happen. He didn't want to comfort anyone anymore. So he stopped. It was also easy to do when he didn't talk to anyone anymore.

It had been a couple weeks of the boys sitting in his silence. The dorm was scarily quiet. No shouting about how he lost a game. No screaming while laughing because Taehyun and him were arm wrestling. It gave the dorm a hollow feeling. One that was hard to shake. Beomgyu wasn't Beomgyu without the noise.

Yeonjun was a shell of a person. A shell of himself. He lost himself the moment Soobin left the dorms. He blamed himself for every moment of hardship leading up to his leader's departure. He regrets getting so close to Soobin during the entire time they were trainees. He regrets taking advantage of a drunk Soobin. He regrets letting his managers threats and beating get to him. He regrets taking his frustration and pent up love on Soobin in the worst ways. He regrets kissing Soobin drunkenly in a bar bathroom. He regrets letting him leave. He regrets letting his love for Soobin grow without noticing. He regrets choosing his career over his friendship with the leader and maybe more. He regrets everything. He regrets living.

•••

The four members were called into Hitman Bangs office. They were about to go on their two week break exactly right after this meeting ended so the men hoped it would end quickly. They all slowly walked into the meeting, all looking like fragile items that could break at any moment. It worried their boss.