Sehun's POV

Xiumin said it as if he had planned to leave EXO all along. I pulled my hand from Borin's grasp and moved towards Ling.

If Xiumin's willing to leave EXO then maybe I-

"Hunnie," Borin's voice sent chills down my spine and I froze. I turned and looked at the phone screen she waved at me.

They were pictures of Ling, pictures of when she was beaten up back when she had first become the MC of our show. I watched as she scrolled through the photos and my eyes widened. What I had originally thought of the scene was different from what the photos showed me. She was blindfolded, beaten blue and almost stripped from her clothes. The bruise on her stomach that she showed us was just a small fraction of the damage they did to her. They held her by her hair and completely destroyed her small frail body.

"You were a part of this?" I glowered at her as Chanyeol and Xiumin had started to shout at each other before me.

She frowned and looked at me with a disappointed look. "Do I look like I'm capable of doing something like this to her?"

I snatched the phone from her and deleted the photos hurriedly. Borin laughed at me.

"I have copies," She said smugly. "But forget that I thought you said you didn't like Ling."

I said nothing, or rather, I didn't know what to say. I looked over at Ling who was now standing behind Kai and Chen, perfectly protected by the two. Her eyes rested on Xiumin with a worried expression, and her brows were arched upwards at distress. Her big brown eyes glanced around looking for some sign of reassurance that everything was alright, but there was nothing.

I needed to be next to her.

Borin sighed and grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

She dragged me away from the others before I could object while my heart tugged for me to be next to Ling.

-----
Luhan's POV

Chanyeol and Suho followed after Borin leaving the rest of us to stand awkwardly in the hallway of the studio.

I turn to see Ling's exhausted expression peak out from behind Kai and Chen.

"Ling," I moved to her side. "How are you doing?"

She shook her head at me and said nothing.

"Is it true you're going back to Korea?" Baekhyun skipped to her side and put an arm around her.

She nodded and looked up at us. "Personal reasons."

We exchanged glances but neither of us questioned her. We led her out of the studio and we headed back to her apartment in Chen's van.

"Stay at the dorm." Kai proposed leaning from his seat in the car, "We'll make sure Borin doesn't bother you."

D.O and Lay nodded in agreement. Xiumin glanced in her direction and ruffled his hair. "She'll stay with me in the dorm."

I bit my lip and said nothing. I glared at Xiumin. The two of us sat at the very back where none of the other members could see. His eyes were unwavering on mine as if challenging me to work harder. Not in the mood to compete with him, I dropped my eyes and looked out the window into the darkness of the night.

As long as Ling's safe I guess.

But my heart didn't feel the same way.

-----
Xiumin's POV

We helped her to her bed back at her apartment and the members fell asleep in the living room after cleaning up. I stood on the balcony with my face in my hand recalling the events that happened in the studio.

All of that could've been avoided if I didn't leave her alone up here.

My body tingled as I recalled the passionate kiss we shared in the backroom and I felt my heart speed up like never before. I groaned in embarrassment and dropped to a crouch with my head hanging between my arms.

"Ling, why are you doing this to me," I muttered to myself, a small smile creeping up my lips as I recalled the warmth of her body.

The door to the balcony slid open and Luhan walked out to join me. His soft blonde hair blew in the wind as he looked at me, his lips a thin line.

I straighten up and lean on the balcony, staring hard at my hands.

"So you two are dating huh?"

I glanced in his direction and said nothing. Luhan continued. "Congratulations I guess, you beat me to her."

He pressed a hand on my shoulder and I looked at him. His eyes were soft showing no signs of anger and it ticked me off.

"What are you trying to say," I frowned at him.

He ignored me and let the night air blow his hair back from his face. "We've talked about this before."

Luhan turned and we locked eyes. His soft eyes were now sharp and attentive reflecting his determination on the subject.

When he spoke, his voice was firm and steady. "As long as you are in EXO, you have no way of protecting her."

There was a moment of silence and I scoffed at him. I turned away and headed for the living room. It bothered me how accurate his words were, but I wasn't ready to face the truth.

I couldn't even call the police when Ling was abducted, how will I protect her if she was in a more serious situation?

I slid open the door just as Luhan's hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to look into his determined face.

"Let me just say this as your friend Minseok," He spoke softly and quickly.

"Think about her safety and break up with Ling."

Notes

//Author's Note:
Luhan asks Xiumin to break up with Ling as a friend, but is it actually as a friend or is it as a love rival? Xiumin knows deep in his heart that in order to protect Ling, he can not be in EXO so what's his next course of action?

Sorry, again I didn't update... I had a midterm today so I took a break from writing and updating yesterday to focus on studying. Thank you for your understanding <3 love you all!

Survey: Help me improve my writing <3
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