You think she's gonna show up?" Renjun asked. Jaemin shrugged. Jaemin and Renjun were eating breakfast together, while the others were still sleeping.

"She didn't even sit next to me during the vlive, last week. You think she's gonna show up to practice?" Jaemin mumbled, shoving the food down his throat. Renjun chuckled. Jeno walked into the kitchen to see them together. He paused.

"I'll come back when he leaves," Jeno mumbled, before walking into his Chenle's room. Jaemin rolled his eyes.

"I'm guessing he is still mad at you?" Renjun asked, sarcastically.

"Seems like the whole world is mad at me. I'm surprised you're still talking to me."

"Oh, I'm mad. Like extremely mad. Like I kinda want to punch you in the mouth but I'm keeping it in because I am a decent person," He said, bitterly. Jaemin scoffed.

"Gee thanks" He replied.

"Why do they need only you too anyway?" Renjun asked. He shrugged.

"Not sure. But she's not gonna even show up. Knowing her, she's probably gonna say she's sick or something." Jaemin said, standing up

~~~

"I can't do this" Hyejin groaned. Haechan pushed her into the training room by force. She stumbled into the room, which Jaemin was stretching alone. Haechan closed the door behind her.

"Sorry," She mumbled, before going to the corner to stretch. She kept her head down, to avoid eye contact with Jaemin. She bent down to stretch her back and her neck, but brought her eyes up to look at Jaemin. His eyes were glued to the ground, afraid of bringing them up to look at her.

"I can see you staring at me through the mirror, you know?" He said, She blushed and darted her eyes around.

"I-im sorry." She whispered, getting up. He turned around, to face her.

"Stop apologizing."

"sorry. I mean sorry for saying sorry," She said again. He chuckled. He walked over to her.

"What do you think were here for? And why just the two of us?" He asked. She shrugged.

"What? You're not talking to me?" He asked, moving closer to her. She looked up to see his face close to hers. She tried to keep her smile contained when she inhaled her favorite cologne.

"I see you missed my cologne," He whispered. She shook her head and moved to the other end of the room.

"No. You do not get to pretend that we are ok. L-like we n-never fought." She stuttered. He raised an eyebrow.

"At least we established that I'm a jerk." He said, smiling. She bit her lip.

"That's not gonna work on me." She crossed her arms.

"What not gonna work on you?"

"That. That thing you do, where you raise an eyebrow and show off your perfect smile. And then it makes me forget anything that ever happened. But not this time, Mister." She said He opened his mouth to speak when their trainer walked in.

"I have been begging your managers to let me choreograph a duet for you guys and I finally got my chance," He replied. They looked at each other in confusion.

~~~

"Ok, you guys are practicing individually. You need to work together!" Their trainer said. They looked down at the ground. They were practicing a duet for the cover of "MOVE" by Taemin. They were having a hard time with the romance part of the dance.

"Maybe you're uncomfortable because I'm here. So, I'm gonna step out, grab some coffee, come back and we'll take it from the top, okay?" He said, picking up his bag and walking out the door.

"Why are we being so awkward? It's just a dance." He said, running through the steps alone. She scoffed.

"If you haven't noticed, things have been awkward for us in the past two weeks." She said He turned to face her.

"It's just a dance, come on, lets practice," He said, walking over to the speaker. He turned on the music and walked over to her, giving her his hand. She rolled her eyes, and slowly put her hand in his. As soon as their part started, they started the dance.

Hyejin hasn't been this close to Jaemin in a while. She had missed his touch, she longed for it. He brought his hands on her hips, picking her up and spinning her around. He brought her down slowly so that their chests met, and their faces were aligned. She wrapped her hands around his neck and folded her fingers. Their faces moved closer together, but they quickly pulled away when they heard clapping in the front of the room.

"That was the chemistry I was looking for! That is what I wanted! You two take five. That was perfect!" He said they looked at each other, before walking towards their stuff.

~~~

"I heard that you may be going solo?" The trainer asked. Hyejin looked up and made eye contact with Jaemin.

"Not really. I'm just releasing a solo album. If it becomes successful and people want to see more of me as a soloist, then I'll consider it, I guess." She shrugged. He scoffed.

"That would amazing"

"Yeah, It would be nice. I'm thinking about it." She replied.

"Who is your favourite solo artist?" He asked.

"Chunga sunbaenim." She replied with no hesitation. He smiled. He turned on his phone and pressed a button. "Gotta Go" started playing. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"W-What are you doing?" She asked, curiously. He gestured to the front of the room. She looked at Jaemin who was playing with the hem of his shirt. She rolled her eyes and stood up.

She perfectly pulled off every dance move, not missing a single beat. Jaemin couldn't help but smile like the proud boyfriend he is. She did the last pose before turning around to face their trainer.

"I mean- wow." He said clapping. She looked at Jaemin who was hiding a smile.

"Why aren't you already selling out shows, booking flights? You are a superstar!" He said, She smiled. Jaemin stood up.

"Can we just practice the duet now?" He asked, irritated. She scoffed.

"Of course. When everything is about me for one moment, you have to go and ruin it." She muttered. Their trainer looked at them.

"what's that supposed to mean?" Jaemin snapped. She stood up.

"When I told everyone in that room that I was going to produce a solo album not one person looked at me the way you did. You were supposed to be happy! Were you not the one who bugged me about how much I deserved it?" She asked. He rolled his eyes.

"How is it selfish? What me thinking about my career is selfish?" She asked. He shrugged.

"The fact that you have to think about it is kind of selfish. It's as if you're thinking about leaving us!"

"Jaemin, I came to Korea so I could be a soloist. They told me it wouldn't work out so I trained like hell to prove them wrong. And here they are coming back to me to tell me that I deserve a solo album and I could be a successful soloist. So if it was you, you would also think about twice" she replied. He scoffed.

"And besides it's one solo album. How do you know if it's gonna be successful or not? If it's not successful, what's the point of going solo?" She asked.

"Fans have been begging for you to debut solo. So it does scare me a little. You're already really popular so imagine how famous you'll be after the solo album." He said She furrowed her eyebrows.

"What are you so afraid of? Why are you so bothered about it?"

"Look, I'm happy for you and whatever. But you have such an important role in this group. Y-you can't just leave us. We need you." He said, There was a small pause. Their trainer stood up and cleared his throat.

"Um, this seems personal. I'm gonna go, and umm. We'll continue tomorrow." He said,

"We?" She asked. He looked down.

"I need you. I don't know what I would do without you." He claimed.

'Jaemin, you will be fine. I'll still see you, I'll still come to the dorm and visit you guys. I'll still dominate you in any video game we play." She said He chuckled.

"It won't be the same. I need you with me. I want you with me. Not sleeping on Mark's bed in another dorm. I want you with me. In our dorm. On your bed."He looked up and glared at her. His lips curved into a small smile. He made his way over to where she was standing. She shook her head.

"Jaemin stop."

"Stop what?"

"You can't fix us with your affection. I'm trying here-"

"Fix us? You think we need to be fixed?" He interrupted. She sighed.

"Well, you can't say that we have been a perfect couple the past few months." She said,

"Babe I'm sorry." He whispered. She shrugged.

"You've been sorry for a while now. And I try to let it go sometimes but sorry isn't enough. Especially now. You are supposed to be here for me. That's your job as my group member and as my boyfriend but... never mind. I can't fight anymore." She picked up her bag and walked out of the room.

~~~

Hyejin lay down on Haechan's bed, alone in the house. The 127 members had practice, so she decided to lock herself in Haechan and Johnny' shared room. She heard a pair of footsteps in the house. She sat up.

"You guys are back?" She yelled. No response. As the footsteps got closer, she realized it was only one person. Her heart started racing. She got off the bed.

"Who's there?" She asked. She heard a small high- pitched laugh. She let out a small sigh.

" Chenle, what are you doing here?" She asked. He walked into the room.

He walked over to her and gave her a strangling hug. She winced in pain but smiled at her friend's familiar scent. He pulled away and sat down on the bed.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. He sighed.

" I just came because you have one of my hoodies and I kinda want it back." He replied. She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really. Is that why you're here?" She questioned. He let out another loud sigh.

"Ok fine! Jaemin's food is great, it has the flavor and the salt is always perfect. But your food is the best! I neeeed you to cook for me. I also need you to remind me to do my laundry and to wash the dishes. And I need someone who I can play video games with who might actually beat me. And-" He was about to go on until she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Awwwww. You miss me, Hyung." She said, smiling from ear to ear. He scoffed.

" I did not say that." He objected. She shook her head.

"Oh please, replace the word 'neeeed' with 'miss' and the sentence still makes sense." She pointed out. He chuckled.

"I got everyone out of the house. And I bought pork and onions and- never mind. Just come to the dorm, talk with me, and when we are done, we can play video games." He said She shrugged.

"Chenle, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please. Things have been really weird at the dorms. Having you there, A couple of hours without Jaemin and Jeno yelling at each other will be nice for me" He convinced. She sighed.

"How long is everyone gonna be gone?" She asked. He checked his phone.

"Until 9:30"

She stood up and grabbed his hand.

"Ok then. Let's go"

~~~

"Add another pinch of salt if you don't mind." He commented. She looked up from the pot and up at where Chenle was sitting. He pursed his lips.

"Sorry. Just, you know, I like it salty." He repeated.

" Yeah but you know that Renjun thinks too much salt will give you a stroke or something." She replied.

"So? He's not here"

"Yes, but I'm not only cooking for you. If you miss my cooking, that means they all miss my cooking." She said. He laughed.

"How is everyone by the way?" She asked. Chenle snorted.

"You mean how is Jaemin?" He teased. She looked up again. He sighed.

"Jaemin is fine. He has been making a lot of phone calls to the US, which I find weird. But besides that, he's fine." Chenle added. She let out a confused grunt.

"Ok, now I'm changing the subject. So what was your decision about going solo?" He asked. She put a plate out and sliced some pork and put it on the plate.

"Chenle, I don't know yet. Of course, I'll do a solo album, but I don't know what's gonna come after that. I haven't made a decision yet." She answered. He hissed.

"Yes you have"

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have."

"Chenle I just said-"

"You made a decision. You have had a solid decision for a couple of weeks now. You already know what you want. You just don't want to face reality. Every morning you wake up, ready to tell the world about your answer. Ready to finally speak your heart, and then you just kind of shut down. You're just..."

"Terrified of what people will think," she whispered, finishing his sentence. She looked at her best friend, who was inhaling his dinner.

"Since when did you become so wise? Aren't we like the same age?"

"Just speaking from experience. I wanted to tell my friends that I was moving to Korea to become an Idol. But I knew that they wouldn't understand. I was scared to know what they would think about me." He sighed. She pouted her lip.

"Wow, I didn't know that." She replied. She handed him the salt shaker. He smiled, adding salt all over his steak.

"You're right. I just need to speak my mind, and don't be afraid." She said.

~~~

A couple of hours later, Hyejin and her manager sat in the room, sitting across from the CEO.

"You made a decision?"

"It's one thing for you to tell me that I deserve this. And I'm happy that you believe that. However, what you told me about them not needing me, them being better off without me, it was not true. I am an important person in this group, and you may not think that but other people do. And as long as one person believes that I belong here, that's all I need." She ranted.

"So what is your decision?" He demanded. She sighed.

"Yes, I have. I will be producing a solo album." She replied. He crossed his arms.

"And after that?" She closed her eyes, contemplating her future.

~~~

"Back at the dorm, NCT 127 had invited everyone over, to celebrate Hyejin's solo debut. Hyejin went around, talking to almost every member around.

"Seriously Hyejin, if you don't rap, or have a killer dance break, I'm not promoting your album during my weekly vlive" Taeyong said. She let out a small laugh.

"No promises Hyung," she joked. Doyoung clinked a fork on his glass. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Hyejin, this moment calls for a speech." He exclaimed. She widened her eyes.

"I don't have anything planned." She whispered to him.

"That's why It will be an excellent speech," he convinced. She sighed and stood up.

"Ok, Oppa. I'll do it." She agreed. He picked her up and helped her get on the kitchen counter top. She stood up and crouched a bit so that she couldn't hit her head on the ceiling.

"Um, well first off, I'm really happy that you guys are supporting me with my career. And it made me happy to know that you guys would support me even if I choose not to stay in this group." She said, She paused and looked at Jaemin.

"By the way, I did make a choice." She added. Jaemin raised an eyebrow.

"And what choice is that?" He asked. She rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to Chenle. He smiled.

"You're my family. You guys are all I have. I don't- I need you guys. I can't abandon you. A family doesn't abandon each other." She said. Chenle smiled and winked at her. She laughed.

"So I'm staying here. With you guys." She chuckled nervously. The room fell silent. Hyejin twiddled her thumbs and bit her lip.

"Say something? Please." She whispered. Johnny sighed.

"Hyejin. We know that you've wanted this since you were a trainee. Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded, with tears in her eyes. She brought her eyes over to were Jaemin and kept her gaze focused.

"Some things are worth sacrifices. Being in NCT is the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I wouldn't give that up." She replied, with her voice breaking. She could barely see Jaemin's silhouette because he was blocked by the pool of tears.

"Hyejin. It's been your dream since you were a kid. You really want to give that up?" Yuta asked. He walked up to her, bringing her down slowly. She nodded, tears streaming down her eyes.

"A d-dream is kind of like Haechan's socks." She said. Mark furrowed his eyebrows.

"They stink?" he asked. She chuckled, wiping her tears.

"No. They just. Sometimes they get lost." She whispered. She let out a quiet sob. Mark pulled her in for a hug.

"I hate making choices. You know I do!" She cried. He caressed her back. She pulled away from him, wiping away all her tears. She inhaled and sighed loudly.

"I do hate making choices, but I know when I have to make the right ones. Like I did today." She said.

"So enough crying. Enough tears and depressing quotes I memorized from Pinterest. We're here to party!" She said, a little bit unenthusiastically. They all cheered. She looked up to see Jaemin with a sad smile on his face. She looked away and turned her attention to Haechan.

"So does this mean that you are finally moving out of my room?" He asked. "Don't be rude, Haechan!" Johnny scolded. "But are you though?" He asked. Hyejin laughed.

"Yeah. I guess it's time." She replied.

~~~

Hyejin had moved her stuff back into her room. She was closing her closet door when she heard a small cough by her door. She turned around to see Jaemin.

"Hey. Can we talk?" He questioned. She nodded.

"I need to talk to you. It's important." She explained. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I do too. See, I brought you something because I thought you were stressed and- actually, you go first." He rambled. He showed off his small smile. She sighed.

"You may want to sit down. I need you to sit down." He furrowed his eyebrows. He walked over to her bed and sat down. She grabbed her chair from her desk and put it so that she would sit right in front of him.

"What's going on?" He asked. She sighed. She put her hand on his.

"Jaemin. We need to talk about us." She said. His shoulders tensed.

"W-what about us?" He whispered. Tears fell down her face before she even started talking.

"I don't know how to start this." She cried. He furrowed his eyebrows. He brought his hand up to her cheek.

"S-start what? What's going on?"

"I l-love you Jaemin. I love you so much, and I need you to know that." She comforted. He wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb.

"I-i love you too-" She silenced him. "Let me finish. Because if you start talking I will cry and I won't be able to get through my sentence. So I need you to let me talk, okay?" she asked. He nodded. She sniffed, wiping her tears.

"I love you. And we were- are a great team. We work so well together. W-well we did. I don't wanna blame you. I don't think it's your fault. It was both of us- is both of us." She said. She grabbed his other hand.

"B-but we fought. A lot. And I couldn't take it. I know sometimes I started the fight. But some days we- we couldn't go four or maybe even two hours without screaming our heads off at each other." She said. His gaze fell.

"Hyejin. I know what you're saying. I th-think I know what you're saying. B-but I don't want to hear what you're about to say." He interrupted. She shook her head.