The huge mirrored wall in the practice room reflected the light, which was cold and dazzling. The smell of disinfectant and sweat was condensed in the air.

It’s been just three days since EXO’s debut lineup was announced, but something has changed forever.

In the corner, Jin Wenkui's locker was empty and clean, as if someone had used it before.

Three days ago, he quietly packed up his few personal belongings without alerting anyone, and only sent brief farewell messages to a few of his closest members before leaving.

The reason given by the company was simple and direct - "personal reasons".

But everyone knew that at the end of those long years as a trainee, the green light for debut did not flash for him.

He doesn't have time to wait for the next list of celebrities to debut.

Kim Moon-kyu's departure was like a heavy stone, thrown into the hearts of everyone who was excited by the grand concept of "EXO Planet". The dull echo reminded them of the cruelty of reality.

Every inch of this road is paved with dreams and departing figures.

Ouyang Guang was thinking, if he was not on the debut list, would he also leave like Brother Wenkui?

"Okay." Jin Junmyeon turned around, his voice hoarse, and clapped his hands, trying to dispel the low pressure.

"Wenkui... has his own choice. We... our journey has just begun. Cheer up, the filming task is heavy."

His eyes swept across everyone and finally landed on Kim Jong-in, who was being gently urged to stand up by his agent.

The former main dancer and center of EXO now had a frown on his face, with one hand firmly pressed against his lower back, his movements showing obvious hesitation and hidden pain.

"Brother Zhongren, is Zhenye okay?" Ouyang Guang couldn't help but ask, his amber eyes filled with worry.

Kim Jong-in forced himself to give an expression that could barely be considered a smile, with beads of cold sweat oozing from his forehead.

"It's okay, I can handle it. Shooting is more important." He gritted his teeth, tried to straighten his back, and walked towards the studio. His back was stubborn and fragile.

However, the word "can handle it" is vulnerable in the face of high-intensity rehearsals.

Just two days later, Kim Jong-in's back injury recurred without any warning during a high-intensity new dance choreography.

At that moment he fell to his knees on the floor, cold sweat instantly soaking his training suit, his face as pale as paper.

He was rushed to the hospital, where the diagnosis was chilling: lumbar disc herniation severely compressed the nerves and required immediate surgery, otherwise his walking might be affected.

With debut imminent, everyone knows what surgery and a long recovery period mean.

Kim Jong-in was lying on the hospital bed, his lips pressed into a pale straight line, his eyes filled with unyielding flames and deep anxiety.

"I can catch up," he repeated to everyone who came to see him, his voice weak but very firm, "I definitely can."

To make matters worse, Kim Jong-in was in the recovery period after surgery.

When Zhang Yixing was filming a dance scene that required him to twist his waist repeatedly and forcefully, his movements suddenly stopped and he froze in place. The color drained from his face and cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his practice uniform.

"Brother!" Ouyang Guang was the first to rush over and support his shaky body.

"My waist...can't move..." Zhang Yixing's voice was filled with intense pain, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

His waist injury was caused by years of excessive training.

Hospital. The smell of disinfectant was so strong that it was suffocating. The corridor outside the emergency room was cold and empty.

Zhang Yixing was lying on a mobile bed and was pushed into the room by the nurse.

Kim Junmyeon, Wu Yifan, Luhan and Kim Minji were standing outside the door, and the atmosphere was so tense that water could be squeezed out of it.

Ouyang Guang was like an ant on hot pan, fidgeting and trying several times to get close to the crack in the door to look.