No matter how long he had lived here, Anyang still couldn't get used to the winter in Seoul. His natural fear of the cold made him want to wrap himself in a blanket all the time. Getting up every day was a five-star mission.

"I agreed to come out in the middle of winter. This is probably true love." Anyang shrunk his neck and said to the person wrapped up tightly next to him.

The person smiled, but it wasn't obvious because of the mask.

As An Yang walked, he looked back at the few followers who had been following him. These must be Sasaeng fans. They were so dedicated, but they still wanted to follow him even if they were cold to death.

"You guys debuted less than a year ago and you already have Sasaeng fans?

Or are they just following you? "

"Being an Sasaeng has nothing to do with how long you debuted. Some trainees have Sasaeng fans even before their debut." Wu Shixun explained to his old friend. "But it's quite troublesome to follow them all the time. It's the price of being an artist." As long as they didn't disturb them, they could pretend they didn't see them.

Anyang imagined how it would feel to be followed in the future. He couldn't help but shiver. "It's so scary. I can't understand."

"Do you have secret trainees or something?

Is it okay for them to take photos? "

Anyang thought for a moment. He didn't remember his teacher mentioning this. "I don't think so. Why would our company need secret trainees?"

Just in case, Wu Shixun took out his spare mask and handed it to Anyang. Anyang took it and put it on.

They passed by a milk tea shop. The two people who were almost freezing decided to go in and buy a cup of hot milk tea to warm up.

"How does it feel to debut?"

"It doesn't feel real. It's like a dream. Yesterday, I was practicing in the dark in the practice room. Today, I'm standing on the stage."

Anyang laughed and teased him. "Didn't you tell me that running jobs was tiring?

Even a tiring schedule can't give you a sense of reality? "

"It feels real when I see you," Wu Shixun replied with a smirk. "There's a difference between debuting and not debuting."

Anyang cursed in his heart. He reached out and snatched the freshly made milk tea from his hand. "Why can't you say something nice when I'm treating you to milk tea?"

Wu Shixun quickly inserted the straw and took a big gulp before spitting it back out. Anyang leaned back with a look of disgust. "You're so disgusting, Wu Shixun. You're my idol now, my idol!"

After joking around for a while, neither of them was willing to go out and suffer in the cold, so they sat in the shop and chatted.

"When are you going to debut?

Didn't you say that you're going to promote a boy group? "

"How would I know?" Anyang sighed tiredly. "The results were announced at the beginning of the year, but there hasn't been any news since then. The company is still adding people to Team A."

In the Park Ji?

After F, not long after Tian Jiuguo returned from the United States, the company put another person into Group A. It was 1996, a child who was good at dancing.

This year, they promoted a girl group. Anyang wondered if the small company still had the funds to promote a boy group. In any case, they would be tight on funds.

In a conversation that he and Jung Ho-seok overheard, the company executives asked if they should postpone the boy group's debut plan. Anyang had a feeling in his heart that this was indeed the case.

When you thought there was hope, you were doused with cold water. No one felt good. Even though Jung Ho-seok tried to hide it, the moment of disappointment on his face did not escape Anyang's eyes.

"… There are a lot of variables. Anything can happen before it's officially confirmed."

Wu Shixun bit the straw and did not speak for a long time.

"We'll see each other on stage, right?"

When Anyang heard his friend's words, he came back to his senses and smiled. "Of course!

We agreed.

See you on stage. "

Because it was close to the end of the year, the debuting idols had various stages to attend, and EXO was no exception. Not long after, Wu Shixun went back to practice, and Anyang trembled as he walked back to the company alone.

As soon as he stepped into the practice room, he found everyone sitting in a circle. Anyang took off his scarf and asked, "What are you doing?" No one answered him.

He looked up curiously and saw Tian Jiuguo crying and wiping his tears. Kim Tae-hang next to him had his head down, so he could not see his expression. Jung Ho-seok glanced at him and then looked away. Everyone else's expressions were not very good.

Anyang asked in surprise, "What's wrong?

Why are you crying? "

Kim Nam-joon, who had his back to him, suddenly stood up, turned around, grabbed Anyang's arm and pulled him out of the door. "Come with me."

Anyang was dragged away with a confused look on his face. "Huh?

Huh?

Where are we going?

What's going on? "

Kim Nam-joon did not let go of his hand until they were in the elevator. Anyang had tripped in the hallway and would have fallen flat on his face if he had not been pulled. He was a little helpless. "What's the hurry?"

"Ho-seok wants to quit." Kim Nam-joon lowered his head and gritted his teeth.

"What?" Anyang's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why is he quitting?

That's too sudden! "

Kim Nam-joon raised his head and tried to hold back his tears. "So let's go to PD Fang now."

Anyang followed him to PD's office. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. When he heard an answer, he opened the door and walked in.

Fang Si-hyuk was a little surprised to see them. Anyang did not come to him often because his compositions were often criticized. But when he heard them mention Jung Ho-seok, he understood.

"This is not the company's decision. He chose to quit."

Kim Nam-joon took a step forward and sincerely tried to persuade him. "PD Nim, Ho-seok is really good. He is very talented in both writing and rap. You can see how much he has improved since he first joined the company. So even if he wants to quit, I hope the company can keep him."

Fang Si-hyuk pondered for a moment. "Anyang, what do you think?"

"Although I feel sorry for Lee Soo Soo Soo, I think we, including Ho-seok, are a whole. We can't do without anyone. We are used to each other, and we have a tacit understanding when we practice."

"Oh?"

Fang Si-hyuk smiled ambiguously. "You guys have already become a whole when you haven't confirmed your debut?"

"Anyang didn't mean that, PD Nim." Kim Nam-joon was so anxious that the tip of his nose was sweating. He slightly leaned to the side to block Anyang. "He just wanted to say that Ho-seok is really important. We can't do without him. No one can replace him."

After that, he pulled Anyang to a standard 90-degree bow. "I hope PD Nim can consider our opinion."

In the end, Fang Si-hyuk said that he would consider it again and discuss it with the other executives. Anyang stood outside the office and sighed. "The company wants to keep him. Then let's see if we can persuade Ho-seok. I still don't understand. Why did he suddenly leave?"

"He said he was too tired and wanted to go back to the underground dance troupe."

When they went downstairs, neither of them took the elevator. Instead, they walked through the fire escape. The entire corridor was eerily quiet. Only their footsteps could be heard.

Anyang followed Kim Nam-joon down the stairs step by step. He was lost in thought. Tiredness was one thing, but also because he heard a few days ago that he was going to postpone his debut.

It was not easy to persuade someone who had made up his mind to leave. It was really uncertain whether he could keep Ho-seok.

Anyang returned to the practice room and went to Jung Ho-seok. "Come out with me."

Jung Ho-seok said nothing and followed Anyang. He did not expect Anyang to find someone to get his ears pierced.

"Why do you suddenly want to get your ears pierced?"

Jung Ho-seok stood aside and watched as Anyang's earlobe was pierced by a nail gun. The makeup artist applied a layer of iodine.

Anyang took a deep breath. Although he moved quickly, he still felt a little pain. "Just do it if you want to. I'll have to do it in the future anyway.

Do you want to do it? "

"No, it's too sensitive. I can't do it.

Are you only going to do one? "

"Yes, there's a small lump in the other ear. I don't feel anything. Just in case, I won't do it."

Jung Ho-seok frowned and pinched Anyang's earlobe. There was indeed a small lump. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Did you go to the hospital to see it?"

Anyang waved his hand indifferently. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt or itch. It will go away after a while. Let's go. Help me pick out an earring."

Originally, Jung Ho-seok thought that he should choose the earring himself. However, he couldn't persuade Anyang. He chose a pair of black crosses according to his preference.

Anyang took one out and put it in his pocket. He gave the other one to Jung Ho-seok. "For you."

Jung Ho-seok held the box in confusion. "Why are you giving it to me?"

"I can only wear one. You can have the other one. It's up to you whether you want to throw it away or keep it. Anyway, I never take back what I've given away."

Jung Ho-seok was speechless as he looked at Zhang Heng. "I don't have ear piercings. It's useless to give it to me."

"Then it's a keepsake." Anyang sighed pretentiously. "When we meet again in 20 or 30 years, we'll be able to recognize each other when we see this."

"… Don't follow Tai Heng to read shoujo manga in the future."

Anyang pouted and said, "My love songs are all written by shoujo manga, okay?"

Jung Ho-seok: Okay, you're right.

In the end, Jung Ho-seok put the earring into his pocket.

On the way back, the two of them each had their own thoughts. Neither of them spoke.

When they were about to reach the company, Anyang stopped and asked, "Have you really decided to leave?"

"… Yeah," Jung Ho-seok didn't dare to look into Anyang's eyes. He hesitated for a while before answering.

"But you're very important to me, to us.

No matter what, whether it's life or practice, we can't bear to live without Jung Ho-seok. So, can you reconsider? "

Jung Ho-seok looked up at Anyang, whose eyes were red. He bit his lip and his heart wavered. However, he still said, "I'm sorry."

Because he loved dancing, his mother tried her best to send him to dance school. When he joined the dance troupe, he thought he could earn some money to reduce his family's burden. He had already put all his eggs in one basket to become a trainee. However, his debut was so far away that he couldn't bear it anymore. It was too tiring and too hard.

Zheng Haoxi felt like a vampire. Not only did he fail to relieve his mother's burden, but he also had to ask for living expenses from his family. Originally, he still had the idea of making money from his debut, but it had long been crushed by the hopeless reality.

Anyang looked at him and couldn't help but give him a hug. "I know it's hard for you, but can you hold on a little longer? Whether it's for us or for yourself, please hold on a little longer. I want to debut with you, and so does everyone else."

Jung Ho-seok grabbed Anyang's back and sobbed, "I don't know. It's too hard. I'm so tired. Anyang, I'm really tired …"

"I'm sorry. As a friend, I should give you strength, but I can't," Anyang said while crying. "Trust us one more time. Please stay."