Chapter 4 (1/1)

Yunho woke up at the sound of heavy rain and groaned at the thought of leaving his window open. He immediately got up to close it, almost slipping when he accidentally stepped on a wet spot. The leader quickly wiped the damp area with a continuous grumble. "I can't even nap in peace," he complained, silently cursing the rain. He looked at the empty bed next to his, reminding him of the last heated conversation he had with his best friend. "Please. Do this for me. This is what I want."Yunho heaved a sigh and hurriedly left the room. He wanted to stop thinking for awhile, which was happening quite a lot lately whenever he was left alone. The leader stood by the hallway, questioning the unusual silence. He headed to the living room and spotted his members who seemed to be deep in their thoughts. Yunho quietly walked in and cleared his throat to catch their attention. He sat on the couch and noticed their eyes following him. The dancer frowned when he saw fear and uncertainty in their eyes. He knew right away that they have been talking about him. "What?" Yunho asked in annoyance. His dongsaengs looked at each other, begging for someone to start talking. "We..." Junsu began hesitantly. "We need to talk." Changmin finished for him. Yunho grunted at the cliched line but chose not to interrupt. "We've been talking about... about us. And we think that it's time for you to accept their decision." The leader sighed as he saw this coming. "So that's it? You're just going to quit and let all of this happen?" Yunho was calm. He was tired of arguing, tired of walking out. This time he was staying, he wasn't going to be the one to walk out of the room. "I mean, do you even want Ho Jun in this group?" He knew that he was being too harsh. "Hyung! You know that's not true!" Yoochun answered defensively, hurt by what his hyung just asked. "Then why?" "Because this is the sad reality we have to face! Hyung, there's nothing we can do. We can fight back for as long as we want, but nothing is going to change their mind. And nothing is going to change the fact that Ho Jun hyung is injured!" "He'll get better!" The dancer yelled."I know he will! But please be reasonable for once! You know they're never going to allow this. Please hyung, we've talked with Ho Jun hyung already and we all agreed that this is what's best for us. Don't you want the best for us? Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Yunho stayed silent, pissed that they knew his weak spot. "Hyung, please. It's time to move on." It was Junsu's turn to talk. He had his head down, afraid to look at their leader. "What.. what about your hyung? We can't just leave him..." Yunho whispered, hurting at the thought of his best friend going through all of this alone. "We're not going anywhere hyung. We'll always be there for him and you know that." Yoochun said softly with a convincing tone."Hyung, this may be our only chance. Don't let it slip away... please." Changmin begged. Yunho looked at his members and saw that their eyes were glistening, tears threatening to fall. He was hurting his members, the members he promised to protect. This was a hard decision for him to make, but who was he to refuse their request. He was the leader of the group but that didn't mean that he was going to ignore what the others had to say. He wasn't going to let this group fall apart because of him. He felt conflicted, not wanting to choose between his dongsaengs and his best friend. He closed his eyes, the words of Ho Jun repeating in his head. "This is what I want.""If that's what you want," he finally mumbled, heart crushing for his friend. Yunho felt defeated. He didn't want any of this, but he looked at his members and saw the look of relief on their faces. Yunho looked away, blinking the tears back as he pushed away the feeling of failure.

............................................................................................."I apologize for the way I acted the other day. It was disrespectful of me, I'm sorry. I admit of my wrongdoings and will take full responsibilities. Once again, I am deeply sorry." Yunho apologized giving his boss a deep bow. Mr. Lee awkwardly placed a hand on Yunho's arm, squeezing it to assure him that he was forgiven. He will admit that he was furious at the trainee's previous behavior, but he was more disappointed than anything. He understood where the man's anger was coming from, but never did he think that Yunho would be the first one treat him in such ill-mannered way. If it was any other trainee, the CEO wouldn't even think twice before kicking him out of the company. But this was Yunho. Yunho was the company's most valuable trainee. No trainee had the sense of leadership and responsibility he possessed. Losing him would mean losing four other great talents. It would be a big loss to the company if he was to let him go. "I'm just glad that you've straightened things out. Welcome back Yunho. I hope that you will refrain yourself from using that kind of behavior in the future," the old man warned him firmly."I'll make sure to not disappoint you anymore." Mr. Lee simply nodded at him, signaling the end of their conversation. He looked around the room, realizing that the young man he had been anticipating to see was not yet present."Is Jaejoong not here yet?" he asked to no one in particular. Three pair of eyes instantly made their way to the leader of the group, noticing the stiffness on his body. Yunho greeted his teeth in silence, forcing himself to stay calm. Before anyone got the chance to answer, Jaejoong clumsily rushed into the room, breathing heavily. He looked like a mess with his duffle bag strapped across his body, and shoulders slumped forward. He earned curious looks from everyone in the room for his undone hair (probably because of all the running) and his choice of fashion. Jaejoong was wearing an oversized gray hoodie with matching gray joggers and trainers. "I'm so... sorry," he continued catching his breath, "I woke up late. I forgot to set my alarm last night and traffic had to be awful today. I'm so sorry. " Jaejoong bowed at everyone in the room, not noticing the irritated look coming from the leader. Yuhno rolled his eyes at Jaejoong's rambling, his inner leader disapproving of his tardiness. He shook his head, hiding a scoff.  "Forget it. Just don't be late anymore." The CEO brushed it off easily. The dancer frowned. He could not believe his ears. How could Mr. Lee ignore this offense? Yunho had his fair share in being late when he first started training. As punishment, he had to