"I'm sorry about lying to you earlier," Sungmin bowed his head towards the taller man, he would have completely bowed if only he was not sitting beside him, "I thought you were some kind of creep so I did my best to get away from you, I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. Anyone would have questioned a person walking around at that kind of time," Siwon laughed heartily, flashing his dimples at Sungmin, making the latter's heart skip a beat.

"I'm really sorry," Sungmin couldn't think of anything to say but 'sorry.'

"Say," Siwon smiled at him, "Why were you walking around at that hour, anyway?"

Sungmin stiffened, he could not tell Siwon, a hottie he just met, what he was doing there. "I'm," he stammered, thinking of something to say.

"He was locked out of his house," a familiar voice sounded out from behind them, "That's what you told me on the phone earlier, hyung. Or were you out because of something else?"

"Oh, right," Sungmin brushed his fingers against his cheek, mildly slapping himself, "Sorry, I have a bad memory."

"It's okay," Donghae walked towards them with a cup of freshly brewed coffee in each hand. "I mean, it's not like you were out there at night clubs or brothels. You have way more important things to do," he forced out a laugh as he set the mugs on the coffee table lined by the couches.

"Yeah, hehe," Sungmin laced his fingers around a lock of his hair, rubbing the back of his head nervously "Of course."

"I mean," Donghae sat on one of the smaller couches beside Sungmin, "It's not like you pay your fees with your body or anything like that."

"It's okay, hyung," Siwon said, "We get it."

"I'm just saying," Donghae shrugged.

Sungmin smiled at Donghae awkwardly. When the latter grinned back at him, he moved on with his life and grabbed the mug. Just when he was about to take a sip of the coffee Donghae served, he felt a swirl in his stomach and he had to run to the bathroom.

"Hyung!" Donghae followed Sungmin to the bathroom. When he found him there vomiting into the toilet, he kneeled down and ran his hand in circles around his hyung's back. He did that until Sungmin let everything out and had nothing more to throw up, "Hyung, do you have a fever?" he touched Sungmin's forehead with the back of his hand.

"I'm okay," Sungmin smiled and gently pushed Donghae's hand away, "I think I ate something weird."

"Are you sure?" Donghae moved closer to Sungmin, examining him, "You're really pale."

Sungmin stood up and turned the faucet on. He gargled a handful of water before he spoke, "I'm okay. I mean... I'm not pregnant nor am I a or anything."

Donghae pouted at him, now feeling all guilty.

"I need to go," Sungmin left the bathroom and grabbed his coat from the couch.

"I'll drive you home," Siwon set his now empty mug down on the coffee table and put on his coat.

Sungmin gave Siwon an awkward stare, he was blushing. "You don't really…"

"I insist," Siwon winked at Sungmin, making his heart do several back flips, "And besides, you're not feeling well."

&&

Yesung and Ryeowook made it home in silence, none of them muffling a sign of sound. Silence was a normal thing for them, but what made things unusual was the strange discomfort it gave off. The entire drive home was silent and awkward, for Ryeowook, anyway. Yesung had other things in mind.

Ryeowook attempted to walk straight to the bedroom the moment they stepped into the house, leaving Yesung standing by the doorway.

"Yah," Yesung called out dully, much to Ryeowook's surprise. He usually said 'yah' in a snarky and arrogant tone, "You stepped out. Your shoes will grime the white carpet." Yesung, not even looking at Ryeowook, prodded a pair of fuzzy slippers towards Ryeowook with his left foot.

"Oh, sorry," Ryeowook apologized in an equally dull tone. He observed Yesung from the top corner of his eyes as he bent down to pick up the purple, fuzzy slippers he forced the latter to buy for him months ago. "Yesungie," he called out just when Yesung was about to walk to the bathroom, making the latter stop his pace, but he did not turn around. "Yesungie, did I do something to upset you?" Ryeowook laced and unlaced his fingers.

"Nope," Yesung picked up a random shirt lying on the couch's armrest and flung it around his shoulder.

"Then why are you so quiet?"

"I'm tired," this time, Yesung turned around to face his lover, his expression blank. "It's been a long day, let's go to sleep," he gave Ryeowook a flat, meaningless smile.

"But it's only nine in the morning."

"We woke up at four and went off."

"Wasn't seeing your family enough to drain out all your sleepiness?"

"I'm tired."

"Why did you tell them I was your friend?"

"Okay, I lied. You're not even my friend. You're a bother," Yesung gave Ryeowook a swift answer, not letting a second pass after his last word, "I'm tired. I don't care whether you want to go sleep otherwise. I'm gonna go change and sleep."

Ryeowook widened his eyes as the older man turned his back at him, he did not believe what he heard, or at least he didn't want to. "Bother?" he was on the verge of tears, "How am I a bother?"

"Let me see," Yesung blew some air out and turned around again, "You insist on staying here after I decide to be a good Samaritan and take you in temporarily, they you babble about how you love me and like that, then you follow me around, then... hey, maybe you're not such a bother after all." He instantly dismissed Ryeowook and went into the bathroom, shutting the door in his crestfallen admirer's face.

&&

"Eonjekkajirado nan gidaryeo nae nunmul gamchumyeo naege doraogin haneun geongayo," A boy leaning behind a couch sang beautifully to a song playing in the laptop, "Kyuhyun-hyung!"

Kyuhyun snapped out of his thoughts and looked up, realizing he was supposed to sing the next part, "Sorry."

"Aish!" the man standing beside Kyuhyun squealed exasperatedly, "It's been thirty minutes and we haven't gotten over your part yet!"

Kyuhyun looked down at the sheet of paper containing the lyrics to the song they had been practicing, "What's wrong with what I'm doing?"

"You keep forgetting your lines! And your voice keeps cracking," a younger looking boy looked over his shoulder and spoke, "Seriously, Kyuhyun-ssi, you're so distracted. Have you been taking care of your health? That line used to be a piece of cake."

Kyuhyun's eyes scanned the lyrics again, not knowing exactly what he was looking at, "I guess I'm just tired."

"Tired," the smallest among them four took the paper Kyuhyun was holding, "You know we can't take that, hyung. Sooman-hyung will kill us if we don't do well."

The eldest looking male bit his lips, obviously thinking about something, "Some sesaeng fans said they saw you walking around in the rain yesterday."

Kyuhyun looked up at the man who spoke, his eyes wide. He wanted to speak out but he did not know exactly what it was he wanted to say.

"Kyuhyun-ssi," the youngest boy made a worried face as he played with the hem of Kyuhyun's shirt, "You should really go rest."

"Maybe we can tell Sooman-hyung that he's not feeling well. I mean, we used to perform without Jay-hyung back when he was filming, right? Unhealthy is a more valid reason than busy, Sooman-hyung might just let you slip just this once."

"Right," the man named Jay said sarcastically, "Kyuhyun's fans would freak out and we do know that they are most populous compared to ours."

"Yeah but wouldn't they go crazy if they saw Kyuhyun perform weakly?" the youngest man said as he squeezed himself beside Kyuhyun, "I, for one, am tired of being called SM's slave."

"Jino has a point," the shortest boy stood up from the couch the moment Jino squeezed himself in, "Maybe hyungnim will take it. We can try."

&&

"Eunhyukkie," Donghae held his phone to his ear, listening as it gave out a slow beeping sound then an impatient one, "Eunhyukkie." He was sprawled on the couch on his side. It had been an hour which seemed like forever since Sungmin and Siwon left, leaving him there all lazy and begging for someone to talk to. Even if he was looking for someone, he would not accept anyone that was not Eunhyuk. He tried dialing the boy's number again and again, but he was given identical busy tones. Finally, Eunhyuk answered when he made his eighteenth call.

"Damn it," Eunhyuk uttered hoarsely, sleep evident in his voice, "Don't you have anything better to do? I'm ing sleeping."

"I miss you," Donghae's lips curled into a smile the moment he set ears on Eunhyuk's voice. He heard a raw choke from the other line.

Eunhyuk sighed at his phone, "Donghae, I need to sleep."

"I miss you," Donghae whispered, "I love you. I really do. I'm sorry."

"Donghae," Eunhyuk said sleepily, "Lee Donghae, you don't. You're just sleep deprived. Go back to sleep."

"I miss you."

"I'm going back to sleep, Donghae," Eunhyuk uttered dully, "You should, too."

"I love you."

"Donghae," the boy from the other line sighed, "Stop saying things you don't mean."

"I'm so sorry."

"I'm hanging up on you," Eunhyuk's tone rose slightly.

"Lee Hyukjae," Donghae said his name gently, sweetly, and he could have sworn he heard the boy in the other line choke at his words, "I'm really really sorry. It's okay even if you don't forgive me. I just want you to know how much I love and miss you. I know I promised not to stop following you until you accept my apology, but I guess I have no choice but to do so. Lee Hyukjae, I'm gonna quit bothering you, I'm gonna give up on you. But no matter what, I love you." The next thing he heard was the quick ringing of Eunhyuk's phone. He sighed and smiled softly. He made his point, he was sincere, but Eunhyuk failed to realize his sincerity. As much as he wanted to think that it was the latter's loss, he was drilled into reality for he knew that Eunhyuk was, in fact, his loss. After a few minutes of thinking, he went back to sleep just as Eunhyuk said.

Eunhyuk, at the opposite side of the city, sat with his knees compressed with his chest on his bed. He stared at the wall as if something would randomly pop out and hit him in the head. As much as he wanted to think that he was Donghae's loss, he knew for sure that it was the other way around. Tears started to trickle down his cheek, but he didn't make a sound. He knew he missed and loved Donghae more than the other man did towards him, but he just couldn't forgive him, he didn't want to be labeled 'easy.' It hurt his pride just by thinking about it. He so regretted not forgiving Donghae. His heart and mind tortured him for not forgiving Donghae when he asked. After a few seconds of tearing up, he started to sob like crazy. His eyes turned red and puffy and he hated it when it stung like that. "It's a good thing, Hyukkie," he uttered in between sobs, remembering his now violated pride, "He's gonna stop bothering you. Everything's gonna be better."

&&

Kyuhyun walked to his pad all soaked and tipsy. He fell to the floor the moment he succeeded on locking the door. For some reason, the moment he stepped foot into the district, it started to rain heavily again, though the other parts of Seoul were dry. If there was anything he did not specialize at, it was definitely meteorology.

He stayed prostrate on the carpet for a few minutes, panting hard. When his breathing went back to normal, he stood up, holding his aching back. He shuddered partially because of the chill piercing his damp skin and partially caused by the strange noises emanating from the walls.

He ignored the strange thud he felt in his chest and walked to his room like an old man, only to be welcomed by a track of blood leading to the bathroom.

Sungmin laid flat on the tiles, a trail of blood trickling down the side of his mouth, staining his now pale blue skin. He was breathing heavily and his expression was anything but peaceful.

Kyuhyun choked. He stood stiff a few feet away from Sungmin. The boy was dying. "Sungmin," he whispered, his wide eyes not leaving the dying boy. He wanted to pick Sungmin up but he was zapped frozen. He knew Sungmin was breathing his life away, and he wanted to keep that from happening, but fear overcame him and he just stood there and stared.

"Kyuhyun-ssi," Sungmin managed to utter. He gripped his shirt tightly, his knuckles turning white.

'Is this my fault?' Kyuhyun kept asking himself. He was aware of how weak Sungmin was yet he hurt and violated him. 'Did I make him shoot beyond his limit? Is this my fault? Is this happening because of what I did?'

"Kyuhyun-ssi," Sungmin kept calling him out. He stretched his arm towards Kyuhyun as if asking for help, "Kyuhyun-ssi..."

Kyuhyun knew for sure what his last words were going to be.