January 2017

Another day, another -ton of wons added your bank account. These were the words Kyuhyun often heard when meeting up for the occasional drink with Heechul, although the latter was frequently even more exhausted than he himself was, with all the variety programs that Heechul regularly appeared on and whatnot. Kyuhyun, on the other hand, knew his personal limits and chose not to push it, despite the tantilizing and hefty sum of money being offered in every direction. Especially on days like this, where he had endured long hours of back to back recordings mixed with a never-ending amount of ‘no good' takes. People didn't realize it, but the need to come up with adlibs on the spot, while also being witty when playing off an unimaginative script filled with the overused, forceful gags and jokes, utilized far more energy than it should. At the end of the day, after a long day of work, all Kyuhyun wanted was to be at home. 

Yet, even the solitude that "home" offered was more times than not less comforting than his hectic schedule.

The apartment door easily swung open with a gentle push. Bright lights from the well lit hallway attempted to slither its way into the apartment, but was quickly forced out when Kyuhyun quietly closed the door with a click. Glancing around the unlit space, Kyuhyun was met once more with stale silence. Even though he had been living this way for nearly four months now, he still expected some semblance of life to greet him the moment he stepped foot into the apartment. He missed tripping over the chaotic, yet somewhat organized rows of shoes at the door entrance, lined on each side by endless racks of clothes that simply could not fit the small closet space that was available. It seemed like it had been decades ago that the gifts from the fans littered every available space of the shared living room, alongside the many trophies that the group had procured during their long lasting career. He missed the petty fights with the other members over who got the privilege of taking the first post-schedule shower or who got the first bowl of steaming hot rice. Hell, he even missed arguing over the comfiest pair of underwear, despite the overflowing plastic tub that was tucked away in the nook of their kitchenette.

But instead, now he was left with an oversized and nearly abandoned apartment where his only companions were the occasional managers that dropped by and a life-sized giraffe doll that was affectionately given the name "Gilsoonie."

“Hi Gilsoonie,” the brunette murmured a tired greeting, softly petting the snout of the giant plushie as he stepped into the empty bedroom.

He unceremoniously dropped his backpack by the bedroom entrance, tiptoeing over its spilled contents and made his way towards the cramped twin sized bed that was pushed into the corner of the room. Not even bothering to strip himself out of the oversized sweater and fit dress pants that he had been donning for the majority of the day, Kyuhyun dove headfirst onto the mattress, rolling onto one side as he pulled the thick purple duvet over himself.

“Tired,” his murmurs were filled with a childlike whine. He nuzzled his still makeup covered cheeks onto the fluffy pillow, unbothered by the trails of foundation left behind in its wake. Sighing to himself, the brunette pulled the warm comforter up to his nose, a small smile gracing his lips. Even though it had been nearly four months, his lover's scent faintly lingered on the comforter, just as they did on the pillows, small plushies, and the rest of the bedding set. The fading scent was nearly overpowered by a mixture of both his personal body odor and the smell of musty uncleanliness. Yet regardless of his unorthodox actions, all that mattered to Kyuhyun was that it was still there, stubbornly attaching itself onto the dirtied sheets just as Kyuhyun clenched onto the thought that they would be reunited once more in just a short time.

A fatigued yawn slipped between Kyuhyun's lips. His lack of proper sleep was far too apparent these days and the brunette felt himself mentally drifting off, despite having returned home only moments ago. With one hand tightly clutching a grinning giraffe plush against his chest and the other tucked underneath the violet colored pillows, it didn't take long for him to finally fall asleep, breathing in the familiar and comforting scent just as he had done so for the past few months.

An hour later, his nostalgia filled dreams were abruptly interrupted by both the sporadic vibrations and by the overbearing ringing that was emitting from his cell phone. In his drowsy stupor, he had half the mind to chuck the object across the room, praying to the gods that it would shatter into a million unsalvageable pieces and finally silence itself. However, the last he had done that, his manager had stormed into the apartment no less than an hour later, large and angry veins visibly pulsating against his brightly flushed skin. Despite the fact that it was the dead of night, the infuriated manager dragged the brunette out of bed, giving him an earful of a scolding over his actions until dawn finally began to rise.

Muttering a string of curses, he finally released the plushie from his secure embrace and shoved his free hand deeply into his pants pocket, pulling out the damned device that seemed unwilling to stop its disturbance. Not bothering to check the callers' identification, Kyuhyun slammed his thumb down onto the screen, accepting the forsaken call before bringing the device up to his ear.

"Ughhhh...hello?" He murmured into the receiver, his face falling back onto the pillow's still warm surface.

"Kyu?" A small voice whispered back.

Kyuhyun was about end the call, frustration festering within him. The few precious hours of sleep that he could get was interrupted by yet another call made by what seemed to be a sasaeng. He couldn't help but feel increasingly irate at the caller's lack of sensitivity, especially when the flashing green digits of the digital clock caught his eyes. Just as he prepared to launch himself into a Kim Heechul-inspired tirade, he found himself motionless when the voice repeated itself, this time a shade louder than before.

"Kyuhyun? Are you there?"

His heavy lidded eyes widened in disbelief as Kyuhyun swallowed the lump caught in his throat. His heart was suddenly pounding at an undeniably rapid pace while at the same time, his increasingly clammy hands began to shake against its hold on his phone. Any trace of drowsiness was now long gone, easily being replaced by a flicker of hopefulness. It had been two arduous months since he had last heard the mellifluous voice of his lover over the phone and even then it was brief and cautious. Kyuhyun's hope of another call had virtually died out when the other had been officially assigned to the busy 37th division. From then on, their most recent points of contact only consisted of handwritten letters. Yet, after spending over ten years together, the fluttering quality of his lover's voice was something that would be forever embedded in both his heart and mind.

"Ryeowook?" He questioned, his tremblings laced with a mixture hope and anticipation. The brunette swept both the stuffed giraffe and the comforter off of him as he scrambled to sit upright, tightly clenching onto his sole connection to the other. "Ryeonggu...is it...really you?"

A muted pause came from the other side of the line, though Kyuhyun could have sworn that he could discern the unmistakable sounds of whispering mixed in the background. The brunette's lips parted, ready to call out to his lover once more when he was finally given an answer, though this time, it sent chills down his spine.