"Uppercut, duck, hook punch, and duck."

"..."

"Duck!"

Jongin yells at Chanyeol, but it's too late. Jongin's practice glove hits Chanyeol square in the jaw.

"Ow..."

While Jongin pulls his gloves off with his teeth, Minseok runs toward Chanyeol who's flopped over on the ground clutching the side of his face. Minseok, who had been watching from the side lines, gives him a worried look.

"Are you okay?"

Jongin rushes over too, eyes full of apology.

"I'm so sorry hyung, I couldn't stop myself in time..."

Chanyeol shakes his head, both to get his brain to stop ringing and also to disagree with Jongin.

"It's my fault" Chanyeol corrects. "I'm the one who didn't get the steps right and I'm the one who..."

Chanyeol trails off because both Jongin and Minseok now look uncomfortable. Instead, Chanyeol gives Jongin a little smile.

"Get me a water, will you?"

Jongin jogs off to the cooler, while Minseok helps Chanyeol up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Minseok whispers.

And when Chanyeol leans in a little more heavily than he needs, he can smell the cool, refreshing scent of Minseok - spearmint.

Chanyeol gives Minseok a brave smile and nods. What he doesn't say is that his jaw is throbbing too much to talk.






Minseok nods, mirroring Chanyeol, but Chanyeol sees the look on Minseok's face. What Chanyeol sees on Minseok's face is the same look that the other guys make when Chanyeol makes a mistake. It's kind of liike a sigh, begrudgingly accepted, with a bit of sadness that he can't help but get annoyed at. But no one can help but accept the situation right now -- no one more than Chanyeol. Because the fact is that Park Chanyeol is training as a new member, but at the same time he isn't just a new trainee like Baekhyun or Jongdae. 'Park Chanyeol' has been here at the EXO Pack for a while now, but the 'Chanyeol' of now just doesn't remember.

After all, it's been exactly four months since Chanyeol lost his memory.



+++



When Chanyeol had woken up those four months ago, he had awoken to a crowd of worried faces surrounding him.

There was Junmyeon, a deep crease in the middle of his forehead and a relieved sigh at the opening of Chanyeol's eyes. He had often seen Junmyeon with the same expression on his face, but it had always been directed at their youngest, Sehun.

And standing next to Junmyeon, hanging back just a little, was Sehun himself. Sehun's eyes were bloodshot and rabbit red, telling Chanyeol that he had been crying. It was something Sehun would never admit to, even after Chanyeol was better, but their youngest had always been the one to look the strongest, and actually be the most sensitive.

Of course, Sehun was being comforted by Jongin, their second youngest, but the one responsible for their daily martial art practices. He had a grim face on, but Chanyeol could see the joy in Jongin's eyes at hearing Chanyeol was awake and well.

But next to the three Chanyeol had known since his childhood, there were three others Chanyeol didn't recognize.

Chanyeol hadn't said anything at first, not wanting to seem rude to people who were obviously concerned about Chanyeol's well being. But then Kyungsoo came in the hospital room, listing a long detailed account of Chanyeol's injuries.

"You're not eighteen anymore, you know" Kyungsoo had said, half jokingly.

But Kyungsoo's comment was what had had Chanyeol balking.

"I'm not?!"



+++



"So you're telling me you don't remember anything after your eighteenth birthday?"

Chanyeol shakes his head at Kyungsoo.

"What about Jongdae or Baekhyun?"

Chanyeol looks sideways at the two guys standing dejectedly next to Junmyeon. He gives a small shake of his head, but that doesn't keep the two guys from sighing disappointingly.

Junmyeon sighs and claps each of the two guys on the shoulder.

"Well, this" Junmyeon says, clapping a hand on a boy with puppy dog eyes, "is Baekhyun. You two were inseparable when it came to causing trouble."

Chanyeol's eyes widen.

"And this" Junmyeon continues, nodding a head toward the other boy, "is Jongdae. He's...well, he's another one of your best friends too, Chanyeol-ah."

Chanyeol looks at the both of them, then he looks into his hands in his lap. It's an odd sensation. Half of him feels guilty about forgetting, but the other half feels disembodied. How could he have such deep feelings for people he doesn't remember?

And then Jongin speaks.

"You don't even remember -"

But Sehun cuts Jongin off with a weird noise coming from Sehun's throat. It's something half way between a cry and a yelp, which causes Chanyeol to look up worriedly. But Sehun's looking at the door, where another boy has come inside the room.